The Compact DSLR System: Part 2

Every time I think of a compact camera "system", I think of this thing. Introduced in 1978 into a world where the mystique of James Bond had yet to be diluted. After the first few of the film series, there was always the inevitable interlude with "Q" where he would briefly go through the new gadgets for that particular episode. Over the years, there have been assorted knives, cameras, guns, explosives, and specialized vehicles. They all seem to be delivered in some sort of specially fitted case. Maybe that explains my obsession with cases! Anyway; I digress. It's really the completeness of the "system" that I want to discuss in this part of my Compact DSLR System series. 

As amazing as today's DSLRs are, they still can't do everything by themselves.... not if you want them to be any good at it! I must say though, compared to the days of yore, there is quite a lot in there: automated frame advance (no need for a winder/motor drive), pop-up flash, kit zoom, and all manner of other abilities that used to take some random gizmo that needed to be bought. All that being said though, if you want to get the most out of your camera, you do need to assemble a "kit" of sorts, even today.

So, let's look at my kit. I think we can dispense with any further discussion on how I derived at using the Nikon D40. All of you will be able to come up with your camera based on your needs and financial commitments. Let's start at the len(es) then. My intention is to be able to go from a "normal" wide out to a rather long telephoto. For my needs, that would be a 35mm camera equivalent of 28mm to 300mm which translates to be 18-200mm in APS-C (or DX), which is 14-150mm if you are doing 4/3rds or m4/3rds. For me, the base lens will be the Tamron 28-50mm zoom which gives me a range of 42-75mm eq. I can throw in the 70-150mm Vivitar made by Kiron which has a matched multiplier giving me 105-450mm depending on whether I have the MM on or off. My alternative is to use the Tamron 300mm f/5.6 prime lens instead. What about wide? I have my 18-70mm AF-S Nikon for that. 

Funny story about this lens. After spending a weekend with the new Tamron 28-50mm zoom, I started wondering what I'd have to give up if I wanted a little more reach. This led me to the 24mm focal length which would be about equal to a 35mm wide-angle. While researching that idea, I found that Nikon had/has (?) in AF-S of 24-85mm AF-S in their line-up. It looked to be not too expensive at between $70 and $125. So I started looking at it's physical size to make sure it wasn't going to overpower the D40. I found that the filter diameter was 67mm....... hey wait-a-minute!?! That set off alarm bells in my head! It sounded all-fully familiar! Yeah; that lens is virtually identical in size and weight to my 18-70mm AF-S Nikkor that I use for portraits mounted on the D300. The 35mm eq. is 28-105mm! Don't need to buy a lens at all! So basically, I'm done with glass. Maybe, I'll pick up an "E Series" 28mm which would function as low-light (f2.8) or a "pancake" lens. 

So basically, if I want a really small kit to take places, I can pack the 18-70mm and the 70-150mm and be done with it. Two lenses and one convertor would give me the eq. of 28-450mm coverage! Wow, that's pretty slick. If I throw the 28-50mm into the luggage, then I can mount that in case I want a very small "walk-around" lens, which is the physical size of an old "normal". There's a couple of things, yeah.

The Quantaray XLF-50 (Sunpak RD2000), I picked up last month. Very small, not a bunch more powerful than the pop-up, but can be bounced and has a diffuser panel.

And there's the bag. I'm going to use a tiny little Timbuk2 "messenger" style bag, that'll hold the camera, the flash and at least one other lens, along with batteries, memory cards etc. It's great since it completely doesn't look like a camera bag, folds flat, when I need it to, and cost $6 at Goodwill. And that, folks, is pretty much all there is to my compact DSLR system.

So, now that we're done (of course I'll do more later), let's total up. Starting point was the $175, that I sold the D50 for, then of course, the D40 with the 18-55mm "kit" lens was bought for the same amount. Zero sum at this point. The lens sold for $99, and it cost me $10 to ship it, bringing that transaction to $89, which puts me in the plus range. The 28-50mm Tamron was $39.99, which makes the "package" cost to me to be about $135. I had previously bought the flash to go with the D50 so there was no $$ involved with it. So, even if you put the Tamron 300mm ($15), AND the forthcoming 85-210mm ($18) into the equation, on top of the eBay transaction fee from selling the "kit" zoom of $8, I'm still a few bucks in the plus range! I got all this all for the price of the willingness to focus.