Pro DSLR + Cheap Lens VS Cheap DSLR + Pro Lens

[Nubbest]

African 'BOKEH' :D...........

[konafox]

Awesome video. Glass is the more important of the two components thats for sure. There is good "cheap" glass. 50mm primes from all leading DSLR companies are priced reasonably. Paired with any mid-range DSLR and you have a pretty good kit. Cheers

[MrDiamonds01]

its possible to get some nice results with "toy" gear 

[MobiusCoin]

JESUS FUCK! Look at that D5000+70-200mm! Embarrassing the D7000 right there!

[SuperMangn]

The d5000 is no toy lol, the d5100 is even much closer to the image quality of the full frames. Canon crops are lagging behind now, it is Canon who dont want to bridge the gap between crop and full.

[ngvgnDOTcom]

The 70-200 is better but you gave to give Nikon credit for making a good cheap lens its really not that bad for the money.

[HDWithStyle]

I got a canon t3i with a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L and the images are just beautiful.

[dachevashe]

C'mon, this is a bad comparison! Of course the sensor on d5k has more resolution, so 100% crops are looking good at this close-up shots and you use d700 in crop mode thus throwing away the sensor size! It's obvious that it will be worse. You can just use the same 70-200 and crop every image to aps-c sensor size and d700 will still lose! The fair comparison is some landscape shooting with 70-300/4.5-5.6 on d700 for example. I bet on d700 in this case.

[bawb100]

"I'm gonna to be shooting at my little african friend here."

lol

[MinusTwoTonsils]

Who shoots 1/80 sec. at 200mm? All this video shows me is this guy doesn't know how to shoot.

[dachevashe]

@MinusTwoTonsils 1/80 is no problem for VRII

[hyperfocus2011]

badly lit video

[MrMAAKK]

An interesting test , of course the glass wins , I had the D5000 still a a very nice camera for normal photography very recently changed to D5100 for the 105 Micro full time use so that I can switch lenses or keep the D7000 to landscapes only ,these are not real cameras just electronics which we will keep on upgrading like TV or DVD etc. lenses are the real investment now,cams can't go along a person's whole photographic life as was the case with great real film cams ,nice video mate cheers!

[lanatureestbelle]

In 50 years a 50mm f/1.2 will still be a awesome less.....in 50 years a 12Mpixels DSLR will have zero value.

[thatnikonguy]

@lanatureestbelle very true, and whilst you may not be looking at resale values - that is also a good indication of the real build quality of the items.

[9446006]

I have a cheap camera (a290) and no matter what type of glass i put on it the best ISO is still 200

[thatnikonguy]

@9446006 work with it. And remember, the glass has no relationship to the iso performance - fast lens may mean you dont need as high ISO, but the actual ISO performance all comes down to the camera.

[97adhib]

Most boring way to rip off DigitalRev...

[Loustechworld]

@97adhib Then why did you watch if you already saw it on Digital Rev? So much damn haters on these comments. Can't anyone do videos explaining things their own way for their fans without idiots making far out claims! I also watch Digital Rev and anyone else that's willing to make videos to help people progress in their field. But it's people like you that uninspire.

[97adhib]

@Loustechworld Hahaa, I uninspire? Just because I preferred DRtv's version because it was more entertaining and easier to understand, I'm uninspiring? Ok then...

[TheHueification]

This video misses the main advantage of glass: Glass that's great today will still be good in 5 or 10 years. Today's bodies will all be worth less than $500 in 10 years. So unless you've only got 1 year to live, you should buy an expensive lens and cheap body now, buy another cheap body in 3 years, etc etc.

I occasionally use a 20-year old MF lens on my D90, gives astonishing results.

[sadesh13]

sorry to say but i am a thinkcanonguy but i still have great respect for nikon dslr

[MyWuffi]

By cleverly selecting your lens collection you can get away with surprisingly little money without serious limitations.

But a "cheap" body will always put lots of limitations on you. It's the sum of all these little annoyances that makes you buy a more expensive body.

[starralazn]

lol i'm using the same combo. d5000 + 70-200vr II

[jazzysnaps]

Really it dose not matter if it is cheep or expensive if you can shoot and know basics and composition know how to use light you are going to get a great shot no matter if it is an I Phone or Phase One IQ

A camera maketh not a photographer.

[bcwright03]

@dragon4eva, digital rev made their video two months after he did. I'm just sayin....

[AS7Datlas]

@bcwright03 uhm April 2011 on this guys whereas Digital Rev made this video on October 2010. two months seems to be far out

[lexusowner]

so what about moving targets?

[pmmj]

oh another one will the tamron 70-200f2.8 will auto focus on a d5100???:)

[pmmj]

hey mat me again im choosing between d5100 with tamron 70-200 f2.8

or a d7000 with a rokinon 85mm 1.4 manual and its either a tamron 18-200 or a 50mm 1.8d nikon

i like shooting at people and my brother wedding is coming up next year this is my 1st dslr and i use to have a canon s3is but i need an upgrade :) this is almost a $1600 price range ;) so pls help thank you

[jh3835]

hey guys, digital rev did a video like this but it was funny.

hands down, guys dont give it a second thought. good glass is always best. camera bodys come and go but lenses are an investment over a 5 or 10yrs span. if you cant afford brand name lenses, tokina, sigma and tamron make good glass as well.

[Eljayan]

Do you have any vídeos on Exposure techniques for portraits, i think you're a good teacher!

[shadow0466666594]

I can only afford a cheap dSLR and a cheap lens.

[thatnikonguy]

@shadow0466666594 no problem! You can still make great images. See my new 'budget kit challenge' videos.

[konafox]

@shadow0466666594 Try used gear, there is a lot of very good used gear out there.

[TheThreeM]

sigh sigh..... im using a cheap dslr~ lol~

[madmike23]

Good glass should win usually, BUT in darker situations, the Better body should win... As for this video: Bad comparison, due to bad techniques, bad settings and bad focusing.

[nikonnabi]

hey matt. just wondering.. do you live in sydney? i remember buying a sigma 30m from you at central train station. it's nice to see you with a nice video.

[thatnikonguy]

@nikonnabi Hi! Yes, I remember you too - how are you? Enjoying the lens? From memory you were studying photography - maybe fashion photog?

Please check out the channel - 200 videos up. Love to hear what you think, and check out our facebook and flickr pages - would be great if you share some of your work.

[MichealSeaghdha]

Interesting comparisons and good information, as always. Thank you.

[Die1101]

A suggestion: when comparing pictures, put them side by side. I am surprised by how many photography videos compare pictures by showing one and then the other. It's much harder to compare them.

[thatnikonguy]

@Die1101 agree ta. Have done sometimes. Harder when one us dx, they dont match up 

[888marin888]

Do you think we are idiot ???!!!!!! look 07:10 you say beautiful and you show an image full of blur !!!!! How can you compare results from different gear without : a tripod, same iso, same aperture (and not the full open one !!!!!). I really feel you take us as complete idiot. And i feel a little bit the same for the Digital Rev comparison, but they make it not seriously.

[Qmolpoland]

I never shoot below f/8 on my sigma 70-300. I really get fantastic sharpness at f/11. It's not fair to compare these lenses at the biggest apertures. You should show how get maximum sharpness and from cheap lens to get as close to pro lenses as possible.

[77DonkeyKong77]

canon s3is + chdk = best camera EVER!

i can do more with my hacked camera than all you DSLR twangos! wootini!!!

[kc1464a]

Why not use a D300s instead of the D700 given that the 55-300 is a DX lens?

[AssiVomDienst1]

i'm gonna be shooting at my little african friend here....

[locosrayo]

Thumbs up if you see when he is reading

[thatnikonguy]

@locosrayo haha, yea I often have a script.

[Dragon4eva]

Wow, way to rip off Digital Rev...

[thatnikonguy]

@Dragon4eva Yep, DR, and loads of outlets (including magazines I write for) have done this kind of comparison.

[caesar09]

@Dragon4eva playa... playa.... leave the man alone.....

[Freepepsi42]

D3000 with expensive lens or should i just buy a more expensive body?

[masticina]

Very Informative Video and yes a good lens on a cheap body really can get very nice results. Not to mention a boost in confidence that you can get the image you want. And yes bodies sell second hand for...nothing.. lenses? At pretty much full new price depending on factors.

I like my good lenses they make my very simple basic body shine. Even with its mere limitations. I don't fear using higher ISO's with a good lens.

[tmkogler]

A more expensive lens doesn’t always mean better resolution, sharpness and image quality.

Compare for instance the Tamron 17-50mm 2.8f ($416) with the Canon 24-70mm 2.8f ($1,599).

The Tamron lens far outperforms the Canon in all focal/aperture ranges in terms if IQ.

What you pay for is a better motor, faster AF, water-resistance and better build quality.

[Dragon4eva]

@tmkogler And why would you compare a 17-50 to a 24-70? Its like comparing apples and beef & kidney pie

[tmkogler]

Why would you compare an image taken with camera shake vs an image without camera shake?

This is what I've always disliked, completely subjective evaluation and reviews of camera and lens performance. Check the MTF resolution benchmark of both lenses on photozone.de and you’ll notice the numbers are way too close to be visible with the naked eye.

What you should have done was compare both combos at identical settings with a tripod, instead of going free hand with auto everything..

[bwinn10]

@thatnikonguy very true this was a awsome vid im glad you did it. im looking forward to the new canon 300mm and 400mm's lenses comming out if you can get your hands on those two that would be something else maybe mount them on a 1d mark4. im gonna be making the full frame jump soon but holding out for the new body's

[bwinn10]

another thing about lens there gonna retain the value better then a body that gets a new over haul every 3 or 4 years

[thatnikonguy]

@bwinn10 Even every 2 years for body replacements!

[rutrem09]

hi again.

i found on DPreview that D and G lens types did not autofocus on D5100,D5000... i suppose thats apply also on D3000 and D3100

[rutrem09]

great video!,its really helpfull for me.

 i have to replace mine ultra zoom camera with an dslr.

so i was unsure what to do ... buy a dslr with a kit lens like nikon18-55mm AF-S or to buy a camera without a lens and than buy an nikon 18-70mm AF-S DX. As i read some reviews the 18-70mm covers full frame sensors and is of much better build quality than the kit lens.

do u have any experience whit the 18-70mm Dx AF-S?

[thatnikonguy]

@rutrem09 THanks for the comment.

I have not used that lens personally. I would say better than the cheaper kit lenses - but suggest you test it out.

But as it is a DX lens - it will not cover full frame. (DX is crop sensor, FX is full frame). So if you buy a full frame camera, it will function in crop mode - reducing your resolution a lot - or on film you will have a black circle around the image.

[rutrem09]

@thatnikonguy ok, i will, thnx for the advice.

[getoutandfight]

"Oh goody, another comment on my video!'

'oh, it's mocking me :('

[PhotosPassionYou]

Great video, just have to spent more time doing different shots and spent lesser time introducing ;)

[thatnikonguy]

@PhotosPassionYou Thanks for the feedback. I am trying to improve them as I go along, and yes I agree more time showing and discussing test shots would be valuable.

Thanks for watching, and please let me know any other feedback or requests you have.