Camera Labs

I wanted to get my first DSLR, did I make the right choice getting the following?

Nikon D40x +
Nikon AF-S DX 18-135 mm lens

From my understanding, this particular lens would actually be an equivalent of a "27 - 202.5 mm" when mounted on the Nikon D40x.

My question is since the sensor multiplies the focal length by 1.5, will that mean what I see out of the viewfinder is not exactly what I will capture? I hope you understand what I'm trying to say, sorry for being such a newbie.

Hi. Welcome to Cameralabs.

As to your question, don't worry about it. You'll see roughly 96% of what the camera will see. Very few - and very expensive - cameras offer 100% view through the viewfinder. The Nikon D40X is a good camera and the kit lens you' ll have is a worthy performer. Mind you, I would say that. I have that lens myself, lol.

Zorro.

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http://zorrofox4.deviantart.com/



Various lenses, SB800 & Manfrotto 190 with 460MG head

Thanks alot! What kind of flash unit would you recommend. I am looking for the kind that can swivel both vertically and horizontally. (A beginner priced one)

I have no experience of hotshoe flash units but I think the recommended unit for the D40X is the SB400.

Zorro.

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Various lenses, SB800 & Manfrotto 190 with 460MG head

Hi david,

I'd recommend your combo, too. As to a flash, before buying the SB-400 (which does not swivel horizontally!) just try the built in flash first. It's weak, but may be perhaps better than you thought, the SB-400 is also not the most powerful flash.
3D-tilt&swivel begins with the SB-600 and that's certainly no small investment

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Maybe you could spend some time trying the built-in flash? In my - rather limited - experience, it does the job for indoor photography (close range) and for those outdoor situations when you can't avoid placing your subject between you and the sun and must get rid of shadows and "dark areas".

Having said that...

The problem with the built-in flash that comes with the Nikon D40 is the range. And of course, the low "power": it has a guide number of 17 at 200 ISO.

There's this formula (assuming I got it right):



so, assuming you were taking a photo at f/11, that would give you 17/11 = 1,5 metres, or just under 6 feet. That's not a lot of distance.

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Nikon D90 + MB-D80 + SB-600 + AF-S VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 + AF-S 35mm f/1.8 + AF 85mm f/1.8 | My photos on Flickr.

And the SB-400 has a guide number of 21 at ISO100. That is not much more.
Real Oomph can only be had from the SB-600 (guide no. 30 @ISO100) or SB-800 (guide no. 38 @ISO100). The latter flashs also zoom the reflector with your lens and thus can increase their reach by a considerable amount

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

I mentioned the guide number at 200 ISO, because that's the lowest ISO setting for the D40. The built-in flash has a guide number of 17 at ISO 200 and 12 at 100 ISO (I would assume the manual mentions this for comparison purposes only). Anyway, it would seem to be actually about half of the value available on the SB-400 unit? How does the SB-400 perform at 200 ISO?

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Nikon D90 + MB-D80 + SB-600 + AF-S VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 + AF-S 35mm f/1.8 + AF 85mm f/1.8 | My photos on Flickr.

If you have a guide number for ISO 100 just multipy by 1.4 to get the GN for ISO 200 or mulitply by 2 to get the GN for ISO 400.
And the D40x can certainly be set to ISO100. See manual p.73

So at ISO 200 you have the following "power" with the Nikon flashs:
- D40x build in: 12
- SB-400: 30
- SB-600: 42
- SB-800: 54

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses