Digital Camera Gift Ideas

Nikon D3000 10MP Digital SLR Camera with 18 55mm f 3 5 5 6G AF S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens and 55 200mm DX Zoom Lens with 8GB Card EN EL9a Battery Nikon Gadget Bag Accessory Kit

Kit includes:
♦ 1) Nikon D3000 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens
♦ 2) Nikon AF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6G DX Zoom-NIKKOR Lens
♦ 3) Transcend 8GB High-Capacity SecureDigital (SDHC) Card
♦ 4) Spare EN-EL9a High Capacity Lithium-Ion Battery Pack
♦ 5) Nikon SLR System Case
♦ 6) Precision Design USB 2.0 High Speed SecureDigital (SD/SDHC) Card Reader
♦ 7) Precision Design Memory Card Storage Wallet
♦ Precision Design Deluxe 6 Piece Lens & Digital SLR Cleaning Kit
♦ 9) Image Recall Digital Image Recovery Software

The 10.2-megapixel Nikon D3000 Digital SLR Camera enables users to capture stunning images with superior performance. Features include a 3.0-inch

monitor, Active D-Lighting, 23 Scene Modes, In-Camera retouch image editing, shooting as fast as 3 FPS, ISO sensitivity from 100 to 1600,

built-in sensor cleaning, 11-point AF System and much more.

The Nikon 18-55mm VR Lens is an ultra compact, lightweight standard zoom lens that has a 3x focal zoom range. The Vibration

Reduction (VR) system allows handheld telephoto zoom shooting even in poorly lit conditions.

The 55-200mm lens is a ultra-compact with a compact rod-type Silent Wave Motor that enables high speed auto focusing and super-quiet operation. The Super Integrated Coating minimizes ghosting and flare, and two Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass elements.

Take more high-resolution pictures faster with this 8GB High-Capacity SecureDigital (SDHC) memory card.

Increase your shooting capacity with this powerful EN-EL9a Lithium-ion rechargeable battery.

Made from durable Cordura Nylon, this multi-compartment, Nikon-brand case will easily hold your camera, lenses, flash, and accessories.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Best gift given this year
Bought this for my husband for Christmas. He loves it. I don’t think he has taken any “bad” photos. Love the extras. Came with everything he needed.

5 Stars Great Camera so happy I chose this one
I have been checking around to find an SLR that I could upgrade to from the ordinary cameras they have out there. I have been using the Sony cybershot which I do love and it is great for basic photography but I wanted one that I could do more with and with this camera you can do so much. I would not have thought to pick up all of the items that come with this package and the carry case is much better than I would have expected it to be with this price. I have only used this a few times but the pictures are beautiful, crisp and clear. I would definately recommend this camera.

4 Stars Great camera for the price and easy to use
This is by far the easiest SLR digital camera I have ever used. The manual was easy to understand and I started shooting pictures without any problems. So far, I have only taken pictures indoor with natural day light and with the built-in flash in AUTO setting as well as manual settings. While the pictures taken with the built-in flash were acceptable, they came out a little dark when in AUTO mode. When in manual mode, making adjustments to the f-stops, and other features take some getting used to. While the quality is much better when you can find the correct combinations, but it was trail and error. I borrowed my son-in-law’s Nikon flash unit and the pictures were much better using the AUTO setting. One feature I like is how light the camera is even when fitted with the longer lense. All-in-all, this is a vey good starter SLR digital camera.

5 Stars Great entry level SLR
If you’re an amateur photographer looking for a camera to start shooting, this is your best choice.

Nikon has made this model the easiest to use. I don’t use the guide mode much but if you don’t know anything about SLRs you can learn a lot from this camera.

Pros:

.Rugged feeling

.Lots of shooting tips

.Retouch and review modes very useful

.Very nice photo quality overall

Cons:

.No auto-bracketing

.Custom white balance’s not too easy to set up.

.No live view

Overall this is a great product. It lacks some features that as a professional might make your job easier but except for the auto bracketing that I missed, you can live with the other stuff with no problem.

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Nikon 105mm f 2 8G ED IF AF S VR Micro Nikkor Lens

The Nikon 2160 105mm f2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens is the world’s first macro lens featuring Nikon’s exclusive Silent Wave Motor and Vibration Reduction. Designed for close-up and macro photography, this camera lens is versatile enough for virtually any photographic situation.

This Nikon 105 millimeter lens features Nikon’s new VR II vibration reduction technology, which allows photographers to shoot hand-held shots at up to four shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be possible, providing sharper images in general and in close-up photography. This lens also features a high-resolution and high optical performance, with a Nano-Crystal coat and ED glass elements that enhance overall image quality by further reducing flare and chromatic aberrations, and contributing to improved color, contrast and clarity. Constructed with an f2.8 lens, this unit includes an internal focus, which provides fast and quiet auto-focusing without changing the length of the lens, retaining the subject’s working distance through the focus range. This lens has a non-rotating front design that is convenient for use with circular polarizing filters and the R1C1 wireless close-up Speedlight system. Specifically engineered for both Nikon digital and 35mm SLR cameras, the Nikon ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor lens helps ensure high quality and high performance for all photographers, from amateurs to professionals, and includes front and rear lens caps, an HB-38 bayonet lens hood, and a CL-1020 flexible lens pouch. The 2160 weighs 27.9 ounces and measures 3.3 x 4.5 inches (diameter x depth).

What’s in the Box
The 105mm f2.8 ED-IF AF-S VR lens, 62mm snap-on front lens cap (LC-62), rear lens cap (LF-1), bayonet hood (HB-38), and flexible lens pouch (CL-1020).

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars The Nikon 105mm Micro-Nikkor
The lens performs as advertised. When used within the suggested parameters the results are great. Not the silver bullet for every situation, but excellent for what it was designed for. The user must become proficient on how to take into account all the attributes of an excellent image. The lens cannot compensate if the lighting,focus, etc. are not optimum. The lens reproduces what it “sees”; no more no less.

5 Stars More than a macro-lens
This is not only a superb macro lens (though the offerings by Zeiss and Leitz are reputed even sharper, and more expensive) but it makes a very good all round 105 mm lens thanks to the vibration reduction. I’ve used this to make many a discreet shot at a wedding with my D300 and I didn’t have to use a tripod, even in dim light. I have also used it to take shots of architectural details in dim light.

The contrast and the bokeh are excellent.

I should add that since its focusing range is so long (from a few centimeters to infinity) this lens is more likely to hunt when autofocusing than a standard 105mm lens, so it might not be the best lens for action shots. You need to be a little patient when using the autofocus.

In many macro situations you should turn the autofocusing off. I’ll let you be the judge.

As for the VR you should definitely turn it off if you are using a tripod: you’ll be wearing the mechanism out less and often the VR makes things worse.

As to sharpness the more formal tests whether on slrgear, popphoto, photozone or the French magazine Chasseur d’Images say it all.

5 Stars Works like a charm
I upgraded from the older Nikon 60mm macro and can see the difference in image quality in the viewfinder. What I didn’t expect was the richness of the colors in the unprocessed frames. This lens shines.

4 Stars Wanted to *love* this lens, but…
I’ll start this review with the following caveats:

1) I rented this lens for a weekend, and probably put 150-200 shots through it. I don’t own it.

2) I don’t spend a lot of time doing macro work, so my lack of skills there (assuming there are some skills specific to macro work) may have gotten in the way of getting full enjoyment out of the lens.

3) I used the lens on a Nikon D300 body, which has its limitations in autofocus (that is, if it gets confused, it sometimes won’t even “hunt”, it will just not do anything when half-pressing the shutter release button).

This isn’t my first experience with fast, pro-quality glass, so my experience won’t be the same as some others here who might be just upgrading from a kit lens (which are nice for the price, but just can’t compare, IMHO). I rented the lens to try it out at a wedding and around the house/yard, and I *really* wanted to fall in love with the lens, but I just didn’t. Yes, it’s got great construction, great image quality, VR, etc.

All that said, I recommend spending $30 to rent this for a weekend and see if it does what you want, before devoting nine hundred bucks to it. I’m happier with my 80-200mm (non-VR) 2.8 lens that I bought for a bit less. It doesn’t do macro, but I’m also not stuck (as I was during the wedding this past weekend) with having a single-focal-length lens on my camera at the wrong time (yes, my mistake). I’m no stranger to prime lenses, and find them to be excellent for image quality (this one being no exception).

What didn’t I like? Two things: 1) focal length is a bit long (for my taste) for use on a DX-sensor camera — I might try the 60mm — at least for what I was using it for; 2) auto-focus was almost unusable in many circumstances — though I understand that many macro/micro photographers use manual focus anyway. Since I already have fast glass that encompasses this focal length, I would only want it for macro work, and I can get a really nice (shorter) manual focus lens for a fraction of the price (only a third to half for a new 60mm AF-D, and less than a tenth for a fully manual older (used) 55mm f/3.5).

So I’m not *not* recommending this lens (I gave it 4 stars, after all), just STRONGLY suggesting you rent one first.

5 Stars Wow!
If you want to go macro, this the lens for nikon and nikon mount cameras.

I do most of my shooting hand held and I have no complaints. I am happy!

Samples here: [...]

Coupled with 2x extender and you enter a word of near micro photography.

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Nikon 70 300mm f 4 5 5 6G ED IF AF S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

The AF-S VR 70-300 f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED is a high-performance super telephoto zoom lens that has been designed to meet the demands of both digital and 35mm format SLR users. It offers a 4.3x zoom with a range of 70-300mm (105-450mm on a DX Nikon D-SLR) and features ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements that ensure superior optical performance. This lens incorporates Nikon’s second-generation vibration reduction system (VR II) that allows flexible hand-held shooting by stabilizing the image to the equivalent extent of using a shutter speed that is four stops faster when compared with a conventional lens (as determined by Nikon performance test). The SWM (Silent Wave Motor) and IF (Internal Focusing) ensure fast and quiet focusing action, and the nine-blade rounded diaphragm makes out-of-focus elements blend smoothly to produce natural-looking, harmonious backgrounds.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Fun lens
This is a great lens. Bought it for my wife as an upgrade to her DX 55-200mm f5.6. We have used that lens for about 4 years and love however it was a bit short for shooting our daughters sporting events. The extra 100mm is very nice and the quality is terrific. I would say we are novice photographers and enjoy snapping photos. This lens is fast enough for the casual use we give it and has not let us down at all. The build quality feels very good in your hands. It is heavy relative to the shorter lens but not too heavy that your hands are yearning to put it down. Lens hood is solid as well. I like that it has a metal mount vs. a plastic mount on our other NIKON lenses. Auto focus is smooth and zoom ring is smooth. I would heartily recommend this to any NIKON owner. Enjoy it.

4 Stars Great 300mm lens – hand held
This is a great lens for outdoor sports or wildlife photography. You can make sharp handheld photos at 300mm. I took several photos at Disney on the safari ride (from a bouncy truck) at 150-300mm … and they came out sharp enough to print at 8×10 and frame. (My wife hung them in the living room, so they have to look pretty good). Probably not the best for low light … need $$ fast glass for that.

4 Stars Be aware -this is not a true 300mm lens – fuzzy above 200mm
I’ve used and enjoyed this lens for about ten months and for sports and large animals it’s terrific. Fast and crisp focus from 70 – 200mm, as the previous review stated. But I too notice the drop off in sharpness after 200mm, especially with small birds. The problem is you feel suckered into going to the full zoom, because it appears sharp while photographing, but unfortunately the quality is disappointing when you get home to see what you’ve got. I also put the lens through home testing – at least 1/1000 shutter and tripod, to find it’s the lens at full zoom that’s the problem.

I still love the lens for most applications (big and/or close birds), but it shows you what A LOT of $$$$ you have to spend on high-end optics to get to the professional level.

4 Stars Sharp Zoom Lens
I bought this lens together with my D90 kit in Nov.,2009.

I had no time to use it extensively.

When I tested it at last week end, I found that it was quite sharp, but the auto-focus was not too fast.

I was not sure whether it was due to the D90 or this lens.

4 Stars nikon 70-300mm lens
I love it, takes great pictures.

The only bad thing is the length of the lens, I need to buy a new bag now.

I purchased it from Electronics Expo through Amazon and the whole experience was absolutely wonderful, I received the lens way before the scheduled delivery day.

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Nikon 70 300mm f 4 5 5 6G ED IF AF S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

The AF-S VR 70-300 f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED is a high-performance super telephoto zoom lens that has been designed to meet the demands of both digital and 35mm format SLR users. It offers a 4.3x zoom with a range of 70-300mm (105-450mm on a DX Nikon D-SLR) and features ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements that ensure superior optical performance. This lens incorporates Nikon’s second-generation vibration reduction system (VR II) that allows flexible hand-held shooting by stabilizing the image to the equivalent extent of using a shutter speed that is four stops faster when compared with a conventional lens (as determined by Nikon performance test). The SWM (Silent Wave Motor) and IF (Internal Focusing) ensure fast and quiet focusing action, and the nine-blade rounded diaphragm makes out-of-focus elements blend smoothly to produce natural-looking, harmonious backgrounds.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars I would recomend it as low budget lens
This lens has very good value/price ratio and basically it is as good as they wrote everywhere about it. I am also very pleased with amazon service as all the products I ordered so far came as I expected. Just from what I read in other reviews people should be more careful and read product descriptions and not just order based on the image. Also I always buy things flaged as IN STOCK.

5 Stars Wonderful lens
I got the lens for my husband for Christmashe last year, has a Nikon D50. It is a great lens, the zoom is great easy to use. Yes is has alittle weith to it but that comes with good construction and stability. I use if for my nwphew’s may sports and I don’t have to be on the field or against the fence to get close pictures, most I get are from the stands. Mu husband uses it for hunting and brings back some beautiful nature shots. He also takes picures of my butterfly garden and picture of the hummingbirds all come out crip. The zoom is wonderful, no problem with clearity. All in all love the lens.

Pros: great zoom with clear picures

Cons: LITTLE heavy but note enought to cause a problem

5 Stars Great lens for the price
I just sold my 70-200mm 2.8 VR and decided to get this lens, much cheaper and lighter. I shot about 100 pictures with my D300 and the result is pretty impressive: Handheld with relatively low speed (100-250), stopped down to 8-11, pictures came out really nice, even at 300mm. VR works well. It’s no match to the 70-200mm VR on low light but at 1/4 of the price and 1/2 the weight it’s a fantastic deal. I only shoot outdoors and don’t miss the 2.8 from the previous lens. Maybe not great for pros but excellent for an amateur like me. BTW, needless to say, Amazon rocks !

5 Stars VR Is Amazing
I have been very skeptical of Nikon and other brands’ vibration reduction claims, but finally decided to give it a try with the Nikon 70-300 VR. The lens is well-made, with a solid feel for a plastic lens. The weight of the glass in this lens probably also adds to the feel of the build quality.

The optics in my lens are outstanding (I’m using a full-frame D700). Wide open in bright light and 300mm, it gets a little soft in the edges, but in virtually all other conditions it’s sharp and contrasty. I don’t have a high-dollar fixed focal length lens to compare, but I think the vast majority of amateur photographers would be happy with the results from this lens. The zoom range is huge, and I’ve found it works well as a portrait lens in decent lighting. The minimum focus distance is very long, so it’s not great for indoor photography in tight spaces, but it’s not really designed for use in that environment to begin with.

The VR works wonders. The first time I really tested my lens, I had just finished a pot of coffee before we headed for the dog park. Even with my hands shaking from the large amount of caffeine I had just stupidly ingested, the image in the viewfinder was stable and still. I was able to walk with the camera pressed to my face and still get good photos of my dog racing around the park. Active mode is extremely helpful when taking photos from a moving vehicle. If you are planning a Safari or any other activity that requires photography from a moving truck, this lens is a must.

5 Stars Outstanding Photo Optics
Quality built. Great to use on my full frame Nikon D700 DSLR. Images are clear and sharp. Resolution excellent.

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