A great companion for the Nikon D40/D40x

A great lens for a tiny price! This is an excellent lens to really take you a step further into the world of digital SLR photography.

I've owned the D40 for about 7-8 months and I finally decided that I'd like to be able to pick out features and have a bit more flexibililty with zoom. So after reading around I decided upon this for it's ability, but mainly becasue of the price tag! A quality lens for this much money is a nobrainer. The VR is essential, especially in low light situations and i've got excellent results with it.

Brilliant

This lens was the reason why I went with Nikon rather than cannon, brilliant choice - highly recommended

State of the art flash, ideal for multi-flash setups

This is a top-notch flash that works superbly with the latest digital SLRs from Nikon. It’s also compatible with a range of other cameras, but it’s the dSLR integrated wireless control and metering that makes it worth the money. For sheer ability it’s a 5*+ unit, but loses 1* because it could be more intuitive to use.

The flash itself is powerful, compact and very efficient on the batteries. In the box you get a little stand to hold the flash off-camera, and a very useful soft-diffusion head to reduce harshness of shadows. You also get a clip to hold an additional battery that boosts recycle times if needed. Personally, I’ve found the recycle time to be excellent for general use. There’s also a coloured filter to colour-balance the flash with tungsten light (regular light bulbs).

The flash swivels and rotates in all directions which means it’s great for indirect or bounce flash on the camera. It also has a built in zoom head which is motorised and automatically controlled by the camera. It also has a built-in (so you won’t lose it) extra wide-angle diffuser, and a clever mini reflector that adds highlights to the eyes when you are using the flash in bounce mode. Clever stuff.

Another nice touch is the built-in modelling light – press a button and it acts a bit like a torch so you can see how the various lights will balance out. Less crucial with digital cameras where you get instant results, but still helpful.

Nikon’s sophisticated iTTL flash system means you can use multiple flashguns simultaneously and the camera will sort out the exposure superbly. You can have an unlimited number of compatible additional flashguns (at this price?!) managed in up to 3 groups, with each group having separate power levels and other settings. It ’ s not the most intuitive system to setup, but reasonably straightforward if you have the manual handy.

One word of warning, I assumed that by having the SB-800 off camera, and using my D70 as the ’commander’ flash (ie the one that coordinates all the others), I’d get nice bi-directional lighting. Wrong. If you use the inbuilt flash on the camera as commander, it does not contribute any light to the photo. It flashes away when you take the shot, but that’s all pre-shot to sort out exposure levels and synchronisation of the flash guns. So, if you want multiple light-sources, you need multiple flashguns.

If you’re a serious pro, you may want to kit yourself out with multiple SB-800s or their less powerful siblings, the SB-600. Alternatively, from Dec05 you should be able to pickup the new Nikon SB-200 which is a"clever slave" flash that is for exclusively non-hotshoe use (ie remotely mounted or macro mount to side of lens). It’s still not cheap (£160ish but should come down) but worth a look, particularly in the guise of their macro-kit which will have 2 flash units + accessories.

Overall, given the choice of SB-600 or 800, it’s generally worth getting the latter for the extra power and command mode (missing on 600). Bear in mind that the real benefits of the system (iTTL flash with multiple flash units) means you’ll effectively need at least 1x SB-800 plus another 800,600 or 200.

That can all add up to a lot of money. The built-in flash on the Nikon dSLRs gives excellent results but the lighting is still relatively harsh and unflattering as it is a single point source aimed directly at the subject. It ’ s fantastic for fill-in during daylight, but means all pictures where flash is the main light source are reduced to ‘ snapshot ’ standard. A single SB-800 introduces more power, the ability to bounce light off ceilings or walls, and noticeably improves the lighting. However, for really superb lighting to deliver top quality images, you need a minimum of two flashguns. This permits backlighting of the subject and will deliver much improved highlights and modelling.

Is the SB-800 worth the money? Well it’s state of the art and clearly part of a very well thought-out flash system - Nikon lead the world in the sophistication of this technology. A single additional flash will give some useful benefits, but for studio-grade shots you ’ ll need the SB-800 plus at least one other. That isn ’ t cheap, but them neither is going to a studio. If you ’ re a keen amateur, perhaps with children that you ’ ll want regular top-quality photos of, it ’ s well worth considering.

BRILLIANT CAMERA

I purchased my Nikon D80 last August (2007). I got mine through Whitby's (an independent camera shop where I live). From the very first time I saw this camera. I fell in loive with it. I had been eyeing up the camera for WEEKS and MONTHS, before I actually purchased. Because of the price, I was in two mind whether or not to buy it.

It is a briLliant camera. So easy to use. I have always liked and enjoyed using Nikon SLR (I previously used a Nikon F80). My F80 lenses fit the D80 camera. Which is another reason why I brought this camera.

Apart from me being madly in love with this camera.

You will find it extremely easy to use. The screen on the back is lovely and large to edit the photos.

I haven't found fault with this camera.

If it is your first Digital SLR. I would recommend it highly.

VR is a revelation

I have traded in my D version 70-300 for the new VR and so far I don't regret it. The optical quality is very good, probably slightly sharper and higher contrast than its predecessor. The VR capability is extraordinary. It becomes possible to take handheld telephoto shots that previously could only work on a tripod. For instance, today I shot waves breaking on rocks at 300mm (450mm equivalent) at 1/30 second, with amazingly sharp rocks and lots of water movement.

The build quality of this lens is similar to the 18-70mm DX Nikon, which it complements beautifully. The major differences with the older 70-300mm Nikon lens are in size and weight. It's much bulkier and about 40% heavier, which becomes very noticable with one of the lighter budget Nikon DSLRs. Also the zoom ring is much tighter; Nikon have possibly responded to earlier complaints about zoom creep on the old D lens (but have maybe slightly overcompensated).

Mega Value and great quality

Bought this lens in Tokyo to go with my D40X. Awesome value for a genuine Nikon lens. Works perfectly alongside the stock 18-55mm standard lens.
good price on Amazon, i paid similar in tokyo!.
VR works great on max zoom. 10 out of 10...

Does what it says.

Yes It's a remote control for these cameras, but it's an infra-red shutter release and no more. So if you were expecting to to be able to change settings forget it. Frankly the feel is what you might expect from an up-market christmas cracker but at the price it is worth it.

Great price

By far the cheapest supplier around for a GENUINE Nikon battery when I bought it. Fantastic battery life.

Essential kit

Firstly this lens is as sharp as a tack, and the image quality could not be better if they tried. If you're looking for results then you'll be hard pressed to find a better 50mm lens at ANY price.

The build quality is very plasticky. Is this a problem? No. How much rough'n'tough do you expose your equipment to on a daily basis? Besides, the compact build is so tight that I doubt this lens would break if you dropped it!

The autofocus is surprisingly loud for such a small lens, but it is snappy and always gets it right!

I'd highly recommend this lens to everyone, its a fantastic addition and at such a low price it's definitely worth more than you pay for it!

Cracking improvement to family portrait images

You won't believe the difference this makes to using a pop-up flash alone. While Nikon pop-ups are pretty good, add the SB400 and indoor images look like they were done in broad daylight. Having used a Nikon D50, D40, Canon 350D and Canon 20D with just a pop up, they are incredibly disappointing when I now compare with the D40+SB400. If you have any of these cameras, get a Speedlight (or Canon equivalent), period. The SB400 is tiny, light, just uses two AA batteries, and if you have full battery power in your SLR, you can fire at a near full 2.5fps without having to wait for the recharge.

One possible issue, and that is the lack of swivel, so portrait shots must be bounced of walls or mirrors. This is not great loss, if in doubt just just compose in landscape, bounce off the ceiling and crop the image on the PC. The design may not allow swivel, but the design allows for a really handy flashgun that you won't begrudge carrying around due to its size and weight.

This little Speedlight is genius, and needs no expertise or fiddling as the Speedlight 'talks' to the D40 at all times. My wife and I are staggered by the increase in quality, that I don't believe I'd get if I bought a much more expensive camera such as the D80 or D300, especially as I don't print larger than A4 size. Even shots I took with a £750 Canon 20D with just a pop up were dark, lifeless, and thoroughly disappointing in comparison.

If you don't agree with me, please feedback, I'd be amazed if anyone has anything negative to say about an SB400 when priced at £70. This surely has to be the cheapest upgrade you could ever make.

Sharp

Agree with all that's been said. I've used this Gem of a lense on the D40 & more recently the D300. My take relates to JPEG image quality, I seldom shoot RAW mode. On either Nikon body the results are pin sharp, it's an excellent portrait lens. Close work is limited to about 2ft from the subject matter, the background blur in such circumstances is beautifully rendered. Focus is manual only on the D40, no real hassle using the focus ring until the 'focus OK' viewfinder indicator shows. The f1.8 allows freedom from flash in dim light situations, a real bonus. No issues with either build or image quality. Excellent 'bang for buck' - get a neutral filter at the same time, also good value from Amazon.

Unexciting but essential

If you rely on a D100 for your paid job, then a second battery should be at the top of your purchase list.

There's not a lot more you can really say. The D100 will take upwards of 600 shots on a single battery, but if you need to download a lot of images onto your laptop while on a job (for example, to email to a newspaper) you can find the capacity drains all too quickly. A second charged battery in the bag can mean the difference between getting your picture into the evening edition or not.

Ditto for using some of the older AF lenses such as the AF Micro 55mm. The early Micro lenses will happily whirr backwards and forwards eating up battery life until you get fed up and switch to manual focus.

For what it is, the EN-EL3 seems quite pricey. You can pick up an independent alternative on eBay for ten quid. But do you really want to risk your camera on it? Personally speaking, I looked long and hard at the independent alternatives, and bought the Nikon. The others really may be just as good, but with the Nikon I am also buying peace of mind.

Cheap at the price.

fantastic lens!!!!

basically,i had done my reseach on nikon 50mm f1.4 and f1.8 for a month..
if u want a good prime lens, f1.8 is enough for you to choose. the pictures are sharp.but f1.4 is even sharper....
both lens are good for me, if you like long term investment I recommend f1.4...
all are depend on your pocket money...

Does what it says on the tin

Had this remote a few months now and it has already been dropped several times and stepped on but it still works fine. The cord is a good length but not long enough for self portraits and the button is smooth in operation. Recommended