# Snowy Photos with Nikon D40!



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

My mom and I took Millie and Henry to the park today. We both used our new cameras and took lots of shots. These are some of my favorites from my Nikon.


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

More photos!


----------



## BFF (Jun 10, 2009)

You got some really gorgeous photos of them both. Millie's eyes are so expressive and Henry looks regal as always! It's so much fun you are going to have all of these wonderful photos to document the best memories of the new year!


----------



## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

Very nice! I got a new camera too. I need to play with it more so that Nickel will have a nice picture for the 2012 poodle calendar


----------



## Birdie (Jun 28, 2009)

Wonderful photos! Millie and Henry look gorgeous, of course.  I love the first shot of Millie and the first shot of Henry. They are both great photos. 
I'm so jealous of all these new cameras! I've been wanting a DSLR for years, but haven't had the money. I decided to get one during the year-end sales and see if I could get a deal, so hopefully I'll be getting a new Canon within the next two weeks... *crossing fingers* 
But I'm SO excited to see all the awesome poodle photos you and the other board members who got cameras will take! Can't wait!


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Birdie - you might be able to find good deals on a used camera! My Nikon D40 is used because they recently stopped making them. I got the body for $250 and bought a new lens and flash. Everything together was less than $500!


----------



## Birdie (Jun 28, 2009)

Oh wow did they really stop making the D40? That was one of their more popular starter DSLRs, I thought. Yeah I was looking at getting it used, but don't know where to look. Where did you get yours, if you don't mind my asking?


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Creve Couer Camera - I think it is a local establishment but you could probably find some local camera shops near you with nice, used cameras!


----------



## Birdie (Jun 28, 2009)

Oh cool, thanks! I'll have to look around for that. I wasn't sure I trusted online places too much for used cameras.


----------



## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

Millie looks gorgeous with all that snow around her!!
I especially love the shot of her with the wind blowing XD

and mmmmm D40's are the best 
I don't know what I'd do without mine!!


----------



## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i just got a NIkon d40 also! and i haven't stopped using it!

i have wanted a dslr for years but was just not ready to invest the money in it (aka i really didn't have the moola)

this winter i decided i wanted a camera. and started researching start up dslrs and quality compact cameras. (wanted dslr and settled on a compact)

i found 2 dslr i liked. the Amazon.com: Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens: Electronics and a pentax which had good reviews for the price it was ($450 at the time but now up to about 550 so i'd go nikon)

the nikon d3100 start up is under $600 and it's got really good reviews on various review sites. 

and used nikon? 
Nikon Digital D3000 10.2 MEGAPIXEL WITH 18-55 F3.5-5.6 G VR, CABLES, CD, BATTERY & CHARGER, INSTRUCTION BOOK, CAPS (SD CARD )(52), DIGITAL SLR INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA OUTFIT - KEH.com

in my search for a new compact camera i posted on facebook and on aanother forum i am on and my friend contacted me about her nikon d40 which she had. she upgraded a few years ago and traded me the body for soaps and sugar scrubs and i bought a lens for it for $100.00! now i have a dslr.
oh and i picked up a different panasonic lumix compact for 200.00 and still came in 100 under budget.

anyway, long story short. i love my dslr and i can't stop using it. it's awesome. congrats.


----------



## Skye (Feb 19, 2010)

Gosh, I love my Nikon, too. These pics are fabulous. I have a feeling we are going to have a VERY hard time narrowing pics down for next year's calendar! So many got new cameras for Christmas; happy picture taking!!!


----------



## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

I was debating between a dslr and a nice compact P&S and I chose the Canon S95. I am not quite ready for a dslr. I want something that takes quality pictures and small enough for me to put in my purse everyday. Maybe when Nickel gets older and calmer, I would pick up a dslr. Now I need something small and easy and fast to catch the puppy-moment (my Lumix LX3 is too heavy and not fast enough. I should have put it on eBay before Christmas)


----------



## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i checked out that canon (debated between that and a lumix lx5 for same price), but when my friend hooked me up with the nikon d40 i was over the moon and ended up with that and a lens ... i picked up the lumix zs5 for a compact (it was $200 and the lens closes no cap!) and while not as nice as the lumix lx5 or he canon s95, i was able to get it and the dslr.

and schnauzerpoodle, save pennies for a dslr. it really is fun. i find i grab it before the smaller one now. the smaller will go in my pocketbook for on the go ... but oh my. i love this dslr. now i want a zoom lens. LOL! and i need a case ... and i need ...................


----------



## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

faerie said:


> and schnauzerpoodle, save pennies for a dslr. it really is fun. i find i grab it before the smaller one now. the smaller will go in my pocketbook for on the go ... but oh my. i love this dslr. now i want a zoom lens. LOL! and i need a case ... and i need ...................


LOL~ That's what I am worried about - all those needs and desires that come with the body. So yeah, I have to save up and when I am ready, I am going to get something nice.

p.s. The cap of my LX3 looked cool at first but it gets BOTHERSOME after a while.


----------



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

OK... so seriously... are the DSLRs dummy-proof or do you need to be a semi-professional photographer to figure them out?

I have a Canon something-or-other... It looks sort of like this one Canon Direct Store- PowerShot SX30IS but it's probably a few years older model. It's not a small camera (won't fit in my purse) but I'm pretty sure it's a P&S, there are no extra lenses and such for it - everything is self-contained. My daughter knows how to use the Canon better than I do. It has lots of cool effect features, but I don't know how to use them without reading the manual. As long as I keep it on Auto, I'm pretty safe! :lol:

I have told my husband that I would love to take a photography class or something at our local college, but haven't found a class that worked with my schedule yet.

I would love to take better pictures than I do, but maybe it's not so much the tools but the operator that needs upgrading??


----------



## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

plumcrazy, the camera i had is very similar. it is a canon s3is i got three years ago (it was a 6 megapixel). it's idiot friendly (referring to moi), AND has scads of features that i never tapped into. it can do a lot of what a dslr can do. also, you don't need to switch lenses, you have built in zoom and video and some manual focus (like a dslr) too. that's a nice camera.

i was fine with mine and didn't upgrade to a dslr until i received an offer i couldn't refuse lol.

it's a p&s, but bulky, like a dslr (it's a lot smaller though). so i wasn't able to toss and go. i also wanted/needed a compact camera for that reason. 

personally, i think you can do a lot with that canon camera. learn about it, play with it and when you are ready, then invest in a dslr. or not. 

and dslr's have an automatic feature which i've not moved beyond yet. but i need to get up my gumption and take a class too. lol.


----------



## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

Barb the Nikon D40 TO ME was the most user friendly when I was looking for a nice high quality camera
I had experience with a super crappy Nikon film SLR from the 90's XD and a years worth of photojournalism classes XD

heres the deal you get a Nikon D40 Barb and I'll come out to North Dakota and show you how to work it 

and I'll add the link here again XD
Ken Rockwell is a GENIUSSSS, and his tips to picking out the right camera for you are essential IMO
his opinion of the D40 is the reason I went with it

Ken Rockwell.com


----------



## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i agree that the nikon d40 is a lovely camera (and the new entry level d3100 is good too ... i read a lot on ken rockwell's site about it).

but if she has that nice p&s why not play with it THEN upgrade to an entry level dslr. 

my niece got a nice nikon set up for her 18th birthday (or 17?) and at xmas she didn't even bring it out. i askes my sister and she just shrugged. over $1k spent and it sits. 

i wonder if she has a zoom lens she wants to sell .............


----------



## Birdie (Jun 28, 2009)

Plum, that's the camera I have right now. It's a really nice, souped up P&S that CAN take good pictures, but it is awkward to maneuver around if you're used to a DSLR. If you have that and just want a camera for casual pictures, I'd stick with it. It's really nice for on-the-go, good quality images, especially if you are just a casual photographer and aren't too interested in getting into the more technical details of photography. DSLRs are great but aren't really necessary if all you want is decent quality pics to snap of your dog or friends.  That's what the Canon Powershot is for hahah.


----------



## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

faerie said:


> i agree that the nikon d40 is a lovely camera (and the new entry level d3100 is good too ... i read a lot on ken rockwell's site about it).
> 
> but if she has that nice p&s why not play with it THEN upgrade to an entry level dslr.
> 
> ...


I think thats a good point Faerie :]]
get accustomed to your camera Barb, THAN I'll fly out and teach you to use the D40 ;D
gives me time to get a deal on the plane ticket :clap2:


----------



## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

oh and can i tag along? i'll bring my camera and a poodle.


----------



## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

faerie said:


> oh and can i tag along? i'll bring my camera and a poodle.


sure!
lets make a road trip of it!
I'll bring my poodle too


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I have been consulting Ken Rockwell's website a LOT to help me use my D40!! I am still learning how to use the camera and many of my photos of Millie in the snow came out overexposed from the reflection of the snow, I suppose. I actually kind of like the look, though 

Barb, the D40 is decently user friendly. At first I was a little overwhelmed, and I am generally NOT overwhelmed by technology. I am the type that just jumps in and figures it out without ever reading a handbook. My mom just got a Canon 7D and WHOA that thing is confusing! My Nikon is MUCH easier to figure out.


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

*Canon 7D*

These are some photos from the same day taken with my mom's Canon 7D. She took a few pictures of me taking pictures!! Pretty fun! Hers aren't as overexposed as you can tell so the colors are richer. I need to mess around with the settings on m Nikon.


----------



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Keithsomething said:


> I think thats a good point Faerie :]]
> get accustomed to your camera Barb, THAN I'll fly out and teach you to use the D40 ;D
> gives me time to get a deal on the plane ticket :clap2:





faerie said:


> oh and can i tag along? i'll bring my camera and a poodle.





Keithsomething said:


> sure!
> lets make a road trip of it!
> I'll bring my poodle too


This sounds like a BLAST you guys!!! :lol: The more the merrier! We could have a Poodle Parade! The only thing is... Keith... I'll make you teach me how to take close-up pictures of my HORSE!!!!!! :lol:

You all make a good point - if I have a camera already that can do lots of stuff, I should learn how to do lots of stuff with it. It would be cool if I could find a class or a teacher somewhere that you could bring your OWN camera and they would teach you all about it... 

ChocolateMillie, you are like my daughter - she just jumped right in (without the manual) and learned how to use the fun color features of this camera (you can make everything b&w except for an accent color you choose, or you can change the color of something; for example if you're wearing a red shirt you can take a picture that changes it to another color you choose.) Now when I want to use those features, I need to get Katy to remind me how to do it! 

I really do want to start taking some cool pictures of my dogs (AND my horse, Keith!!) I guess the best way to do that is to just start DOING it! Thats one of the wonderful things about digital - you don't have to ruin a roll of film and pay for processing to find out you got squat! 

Thanks for the tips you guys! Makes me want to go home and play with my camera! hoto:


----------



## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

I can't the flash will scare it then it'll smash me o.o :crutch:


----------



## pudlemom (Apr 16, 2010)

Nice pictures I love the one with Millies butt up in the air. My Kate and Mille look so alike except of poor Kates bunny tail. But Millie lets me she how Kate would look with a nice tail, thats ok I still love her bunny tail and all it dose kind of grow on you.


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

pudlemom said:


> Nice pictures I love the one with Millies butt up in the air. My Kate and Mille look so alike except of poor Kates bunny tail. But Millie lets me she how Kate would look with a nice tail, thats ok I still love her bunny tail and all it dose kind of grow on you.


Well, Millie's tail isn't exactly normal either!! She carries it straight over her back when she is happy! I know it is considered a fault, but I think its pretty darn cute.


----------



## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> OK... so seriously... are the DSLRs dummy-proof or do you need to be a semi-professional photographer to figure them out?
> 
> I have a Canon something-or-other... It looks sort of like this one Canon Direct Store- PowerShot SX30IS but it's probably a few years older model. It's not a small camera (won't fit in my purse) but I'm pretty sure it's a P&S, there are no extra lenses and such for it - everything is self-contained. My daughter knows how to use the Canon better than I do. It has lots of cool effect features, but I don't know how to use them without reading the manual. As long as I keep it on Auto, I'm pretty safe! :lol:
> 
> ...


_LOL....Plum, you crack me up! We all need upgrading now and then...LOL

Even my semi-pro camera, Canon 5D Mark II, has an all auto setting and the lenses can be set to auto focus. So, I guess you can say that it is dummy-proof. It really depends on what you want to do with your camera. 

A class is helpful but don't be afraid to play with settings to see what they do. I learn best by hands-on myself. 

I am sure you can find a dslr that works for you financially and functionally. 
_


----------



## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

Those are all Great pictures!!! Im not a picture freak where i can even tell a quality between them! They look beautiful to me!


----------

