two slightly unrelated questions

[starsage56]

wow, its been a while since I've posted here...anyway..

I'm looking for a new lens and I'm not sure which to eventually get, apparently they want real money for the things. (Nikon body btw) so I'm torn between the Nikon 18-105 to replace my old 18-75 kit lens or a solid macro lens. and along the macro line, I'm not sure what king of macro i want or need. ie do i want a 50 or small telephoto or zoom.

now, im not shooting professionally yet, still working on getting contacts and contracts, hard with no time and a baby. id like a macro for, obviously, macro shots. but i also like the prospect of having a good walk about lens, instead of carrying the 18-75 and 75-300. so any feedback or questions are welcome.

second question, kinda wrong area but im on a roll.
has anyone had trouble getting ps3 to read newer camera raw files? i have the basic cs3 and through some research discovered that the camera is too new and wont read the raw files. i tried a plugin or something i think or converter and got nothing except for sore eyes from staring at my monitor. so is there a fix for this that isnt too complicated or will i have to get ps4 or some other software to read the raws?

[pwnage101]

has anyone had trouble getting ps3 to read newer camera raw files? i have the basic cs3 and through some research discovered that the camera is too new and wont read the raw files. i tried a plugin or something i think or converter and got nothing except for sore eyes from staring at my monitor. so is there a fix for this that isnt too complicated or will i have to get ps4 or some other software to read the raws?

Convert them all to DNG directly off the camera using bridge. Otherwise, I think there is some sort of adobe DNG converting software on their website. My understanding is that data is not lost during the conversion, while file size is effectively compressed. That's now what I do with all my Nikon raws (.nef), and I don't miss sidecar files one bit

You need ACR 5.6 to open the newer NEFs/CR2s, so DNG seems to be the only fix.

[carregwen]

Hi

This is the download link for Adobe DNG convertor. Just install it then load it and drag all the RAW files you want converted onto the application panel, change the output folder etc, and run. Saves disk space up to 20% when files converted. http://www.adobe.com/support/downloa...atform=Windows This one is Windows, there is also MAC link on the site.

The lens? Sorry, haven't got a clue.

[Shadowman]

wow, its been a while since I've posted here...anyway..

I'm looking for a new lens and I'm not sure which to eventually get, apparently they want real money for the things. (Nikon body btw) so I'm torn between the Nikon 18-105 to replace my old 18-75 kit lens or a solid macro lens. and along the macro line, I'm not sure what king of macro i want or need. ie do i want a 50 or small telephoto or zoom.

now, im not shooting professionally yet, still working on getting contacts and contracts, hard with no time and a baby. id like a macro for, obviously, macro shots. but i also like the prospect of having a good walk about lens, instead of carrying the 18-75 and 75-300. so any feedback or questions are welcome.

Being new to photography means that your choice of subject matter will change over time. Find out what you like to shoot and what you might like to shoot and then we can offer more assistance on lens choice. For instance, both of your options listed: the 18-75mm and 75-300mm lens can be used for portraiture, while the 75-300mm can also be used for sports and some wildlife photographs. Check out the Nikon website and review each of the categories of lenses and make sure that the lens you choose is compatible with your camera.

[starsage56]

thanks for the response guys, i got the raw issue resolved. ill still look into the converter for future use.

my other question about lenses stands though.

[Dave Humphries]

wow, its been a while since I've posted here...anyway..

I'm looking for a new lens and I'm not sure which to eventually get, apparently they want real money for the things. (Nikon body btw) so I'm torn between the Nikon 18-105 to replace my old 18-75 kit lens or a solid macro lens. and along the macro line, I'm not sure what king of macro i want or need. ie do i want a 50 or small telephoto or zoom.

now, im not shooting professionally yet, still working on getting contacts and contracts, hard with no time and a baby. id like a macro for, obviously, macro shots. but i also like the prospect of having a good walk about lens, instead of carrying the 18-75 and 75-300. so any feedback or questions are welcome.

Hi starsage,

Could I ask for a first name please?
I hate addressing people by their username (I wouldn't do it at work) - thanks.

Welcome back

I'm not sure you'll see much difference between th 75 and the 105 and might recommend, for all in one walkabout, the 18-200mm VRII. I have the VRI version. I don't know how it compares weight and bulk-wise with the 18-105, but when I used a 18-55 kit lens for a while, I was surprised just how big it was, I think if the lens is 18mm and f3.5 at that length, that is what determines the diameter of it, so there may be little in it, ok, maybe a bit of extra length when zoomed in fully

If you want to do "macro", that depends how "macro" you want to go! Are we talking flowers, jewelery or insects?
Apart from the size differences of those subjects, the distance you need to photograph from is what will determine the focal length you might need. A 50/55mm will do for flowers and jewelery, but for insects, you'll definitely need at least 90mm, some say 150mm, or more.

Be aware that some "macro" lenses won't achieve the full 1:1 without using a short extension tube (I have a Nikkor 55mm like this), while others have a bizarre double helix focus system that just keeps on turning and the lens grows from both ends with it's own 'tube' to achieve 1:1 (I have an old Panagor 90mm like this).

Hope that helps, but we can help more with a little more specific definition of your macro subjects.

Cheers,

[starsage56]

good to be back Dave, my name is Keith.

yeah id keep my 75-300 for when i need that range and that's why i am looking at the 18-105, for an all around walkabout lens to replace the kit lens. I'm really not concerned with weight and size since I'm used to the 75 which is a monster.

as for macro I'm not sure. my tastes and inspirations are shifting so I'm not sure what i want to macro. what inspired me to think about one and look into it was some chain mail jewelry a friend makes. i also love flowers and all their detail.

also i have a d300s so am i strictly limited to dx format lenses?

[benm]

You can use FX lenses on a DX camera like the D300s. You then also have the advantage of using only the central portion of the lens which usually provides slightly better IQ. If you ever get an FX camera you won't need new lenses either.

The 18-75 and the 18-105 seem so similar to me that I would rather get the macro.