# What can I do with a Nikon D60 SLR w/AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens?



## pezuzaine (Aug 29, 2009)

I'm new to photography... like BRAND NEW and I own a Nikon D60 SLR with an AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens. Can anyone help with suggestions and/or advice on what I can do with it? Or even how to effectively use it?

Pez


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## fiveoboy01 (Aug 29, 2009)

Well for starters, you can use it to take pictures:meh: 

Gotta be more specific with your question.


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## Plato (Aug 29, 2009)

pezuzaine said:


> I'm new to photography... like BRAND NEW and I own a Nikon D60 SLR with an AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens. Can anyone help with suggestions and/or advice on what I can do with it? Or even how to effectively use it?
> 
> Pez



Give us some idea of your interests.

Here is a collection of my snaps.  Roughly half of them could have been taken with your gear.


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## pezuzaine (Aug 29, 2009)

LOL, yeah I guess that was a pretty bland question. I've had it for a while now and I've been taking random pictures here and there, just not ones that are keepers. I've take a few that turned out pretty good, but either than that I've been a little frustrated with the turnouts.


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## ::trainwreck:: (Aug 29, 2009)

sometimes it comes in handy as a paperweight. if you throw it hard enough, you can knock someone out with it. try using it as a doorstop. hell, sometimes i even take pictures with mine


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## pezuzaine (Aug 29, 2009)

How about this, I want to be able to take pictures that have a focused background and a blurred foreground and vise-versa.


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## Jaszek (Aug 29, 2009)

you can have a competition with your friends like who can throw it further, or who can throw it higher.


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## Plato (Aug 29, 2009)

pezuzaine said:


> How about this, I want to be able to take pictures that have a focused background and a blurred foreground and vise-versa.



Did any of my snaps interest you?


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## fiveoboy01 (Aug 29, 2009)

pezuzaine said:


> How about this, I want to be able to take pictures that have a focused background and a blurred foreground and vise-versa.



The 18-55 does not have a very large max aperture but you can still get out of focus backgrounds/foregrounds if you get close enough to the subject, increase the distance between the subject and the background, or zoom out with the lens.  Shoot at maximum aperture(lowest f-stop number) to get the most blurred areas.

Here is a good quick read on depth of field:

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Depthoffield-explained-4631


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## ::trainwreck:: (Aug 29, 2009)

i would suggest a beginners book on photography, it'll explain things like depth of field, aperture, shutter speed, etc. go to my flickr, i have the same camera you do, and all those were taken on it.


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## pezuzaine (Aug 29, 2009)

Plato said:


> pezuzaine said:
> 
> 
> > How about this, I want to be able to take pictures that have a focused background and a blurred foreground and vise-versa.
> ...



Yeah I saw the one the the plane in the foreground and the people in the background were blurred. Also the same effects on the one with the memorial stones and the background was blurred also.


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## Plato (Aug 29, 2009)

pezuzaine said:


> Plato said:
> 
> 
> > pezuzaine said:
> ...



OK.  The airplane shot was taken with a 50mm f/1.4 lens wide open and the cemetery shot with an 85mm f/1.8 lens wide open.  Your equipment will not produce those results from the distances involved because your lens will not open wide enough.

However, you can (and should) experiment from closer distances using your camera in Aperture Priority mode with the lens as far open as it will go.  (Set it while it's zoomed in.  That way, as you zoom in and out, the camera will always force it to whatever the max is for the selected focal length.)


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## pezuzaine (Aug 29, 2009)

Thanks that was helpful Plato :thumbup:


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## mrs.hutch (Aug 29, 2009)

ooorrrrrrrrrr...  you could throw your hands in the air, let out a big sigh, and decide you would love to just mail your camera and lens to me okinawa    call it an early birthday gift!!

(a girl can wish right..)


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## Plato (Aug 29, 2009)

mrs.hutch said:


> ooorrrrrrrrrr...  you could throw your hands in the air, let out a big sigh, and decide you would love to just mail your camera and lens to me okinawa    call it an early birthday gift!!
> 
> (a girl can wish right..)



Have you no shame, woman?

Hmmm...  I wonder if he would send it to me.


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## Opher (Aug 29, 2009)

Hello this is with my canon. The lens is the same (but it is canon)
You can get the back ground unfocused without to much trouble.

I even had a great example for you but it is unavailable(hard drive disconnected).  The best i could find was this.


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## JIP (Aug 30, 2009)

What exactly are you expecting to get out of this thing??.  The camera is simply a tool just like a hammer or a screwdriver.  If you have nothing to build what do you need a hammer for right??.  Shoot your family, friends, pets, house and, don't expect to get professional-looking results for a LONG LONG time.  I have a D700 _and _a D70s and I haven't taken frame one for a couple weeks till my neighbor/tennant asked me to shoot a couple of head shots for her online dating profile.  You might find "assignments" online, you might also take up some of the chllenges presented on this site.  There is a whole section just titled "Assignments and technical challenges" Photo Assignments & Technical Challenges - The Photo Forum - Photography Discussion Forum but again use the camera for whatever you bought it for and if you don't have a use for it mabye you should take the advice of that other poster who said they would gladly take it off your hands.


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## mrs.hutch (Aug 30, 2009)

Plato said:


> mrs.hutch said:
> 
> 
> > ooorrrrrrrrrr... you could throw your hands in the air, let out a big sigh, and decide you would love to just mail your camera and lens to me okinawa  call it an early birthday gift!!
> ...


 




Im about to pop out a baby, my husband is in the marine corps, we are a single income family living overseas in okinawa, i cant get a job for my life out here!! how the heck am i supposed to go out and by a dslr?! much better if someone who doesnt know what to do with theirs wants to send it to me for free 

...no no.. apparently i have no shame.. lol


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## Plato (Aug 30, 2009)

mrs.hutch said:


> Im about to pop out a baby, my husband is in the marine corps, we are a single income family living overseas in okinawa, i cant get a job for my life out here!!  how the heck am i supposed to go out and by a dslr?!  much better if someone who doesnt know what to do with theirs wants to send it to me for free
> 
> ...no no..  apparently i have no shame..    lol



B&H is an extremely ethical organization.  I've been dealing with them since long before the Internet existed.  Keep your eye on their used equipment department.  If you find something that's affordable, don't be reluctant to ask them questions about condition, warranty (if any), etc.


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## KmH (Aug 30, 2009)

pezuzaine said:


> How about this, I want to be able to take pictures that have a focused background and a blurred foreground and vise-versa.


The key to these types of image is the lens aperture, and the distance the camera is from the main subject.

The technique is using *D*epth-_*O*_f-*F*ield (DOF) to your advantage.

At f/3.5 the DOF is very shallow. At f/16 the DOF is very deep. DOF extends about 1/3 of the way in front of your focal point and 2/3rds of the way behind your focal point.

If you want a sharply focused subject with a blurred background, you use a wide aperture opening (like f/3.5). A small aperture opening (f/16) will have most of the image in focus, fron to back.

At wide apertures (small numbers like f.3.5, f/2.8, f/1.4) the DOF can get very thin. Were you to get real close you could take a picture of someones nose and have only part of it in focus, front to back.


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## thenikonguy (Aug 30, 2009)

get "Understanding Exposure" its a great book and I guarentee 95% of the beginner questions you would ask us, will be in the book.. ALSO read your manual, then read it again.. there is, believe it or not, a great deal of info in there, to teach you how to use your camera, THEN, and maybe the most important.. just go out, and take some pictures.. thats the best way your going to learn.

soon enough your going to ask about lighting, so, my recommendation is to bookmark strobist.com and when your ready to learn about lighting click that!


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## Bigpopa (Aug 30, 2009)

All very good advice if you go to my sites in my sig you can see what I have done with my D60.


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## thenikonguy (Aug 30, 2009)

if you want people to see your pictures.. pick a few, and post them in the thread, people don't like to click links they dont know about..


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## Bigpopa (Aug 30, 2009)

Yes I know this I was making it easier for this person to see them all.................


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## PhotoXopher (Aug 30, 2009)

Practice and have fun... it's a GREAT combo, just don't get frustrated and learn from your mistakes... really!

I love mine.

You can do things like this with it:


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## Bigpopa (Aug 30, 2009)

Here are a couple of mine...................

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4.


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## benlonghair (Aug 31, 2009)

Here's a couple I've done with my D60 with the 18-55. Looking through my flickr, I find that I use my 70-300 quite a bit, but that's only because I'm shooting distance.


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