DSLR camera

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by Joe Wicked

1ntCobra,
I am not that much of a camera expert, so that is good information for me. Ok fine, I don't really know that much at all. I thought that if the lenses had the same zoom, they were the same. I know that both had the same zoom, but when I compared the macro pictures, the ones I could take on the D50 were better. I know we have 2 lenses (one for indoor and one for outdoor that has a larger zoom), and the whole getup cost almost 2k about 4-5 years ago.

If you don't mind educating me, how can I tell the difference between the 2 when they have the same zoom?

I'm a little confused by your terminology. You say that you have 2 different lenses, but have the same zoom. Are you saying that the lenses have an over lap in focal lengths and you are using a common focal length for your comparisons. For example, lets take all of these zooms into consideration:

AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
AF Zoom-NIKKOR 24-85mm f/2.8-4D IF
AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED

All of the above lenses have a common zoom range of 24-55mm. Lets pick a focal length in that range, 40mm. Do you think that all of the above lenses at that focal length have the same minimum focal distance? I suspect that the minimum focal distance at that focal length (40mm) will determine the maximum magnification (for macro purposes) you will be able to achieve. Do you think they will all be equally sharp at a given magnification and focal length? Do you think the distortion will be equally corrected in all of them in that condition? I suspect that there might be more design trade-offs in say the 18-200mm lens which has a very large zoom range versus say some thing with a more limited zoom range like the 24-70mm (which is more than double the cost of the first zoom).

[Joe Wicked]

Originally Posted by 1ntCobra

I'm a little confused by your terminology. You say that you have 2 different lenses, but have the same zoom. Are you saying that the lenses have an over lap in focal lengths and you are using a common focal length for your comparisons. For example, lets take all of these zooms into consideration:

AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
AF Zoom-NIKKOR 24-85mm f/2.8-4D IF
AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED

All of the above lenses have a common zoom range of 24-55mm. Lets pick a focal length in that range, 40mm. Do you think that all of the above lenses at that focal length have the same minimum focal distance? I suspect that the minimum focal distance at that focal length (40mm) will determine the maximum magnification (for macro purposes) you will be able to achieve. Do you think they will all be equally sharp at a given magnification and focal length? Do you think the distortion will be equally corrected in all of them in that condition? I suspect that there might be more design trade-offs in say the 18-200mm lens which has a very large zoom range versus say some thing with a more limited zoom range like the 24-70mm (which is more than double the cost of the first zoom).

Sorry for the delay, been a busy couple of days for me. I was meaning that the D50 at work and the D3000 my neighbor have both had lenses that are 18-55mm. Like I said, I really don't know much about cameras. I know how to use the one at work to get really high res pictures of small electronic components, but beyond That I am lost. When I tried to do the same with her D3000, the picture was not quite as good. I assumed it was the same lens since it was 18-55 just like at work. I see you listed 2 different ones so I am assuming that is the difference from what you posted previously.

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by Joe Wicked

Sorry for the delay, been a busy couple of days for me. I was meaning that the D50 at work and the D3000 my neighbor have both had lenses that are 18-55mm. Like I said, I really don't know much about cameras. I know how to use the one at work to get really high res pictures of small electronic components, but beyond That I am lost. When I tried to do the same with her D3000, the picture was not quite as good. I assumed it was the same lens since it was 18-55 just like at work. I see you listed 2 different ones so I am assuming that is the difference from what you posted previously.

It looks like the main difference between the 2 18-55mm zooms is that one of them has Vibration Reduction. That will you to have sharper pictures with everything else being equal.

The question that comes to mind for your experiment is were you doing everything the same with both cameras? Were the following all the same?
- ISO
- Apeture
- Shutter speed
- Same Amount of light (dimly light room versus brightly lit room, natural lighting versus flash?)
- Tripod versus handheld

Just thinking about it though, I can think of some things where the camera body would make a difference:
- Does the camera body support vibration reduction (which I don't think is applicable for Nikon, as they use VR in lenses)
- Resolution of the camera sensor (are the resolutions very different)
- Noise Reduction capability of the sensor/body (some bodies have better noise reduction at the same ISO as a different body based on newer technology, physical size of the sensor, etc.)