i stood off to the side and held the flash. then just used my remote to fire the camera with the pop-up flash. haha.

 

good to know. i'll try it again once i wash the car .

 

Is it better to buy a used D40 or just get a new one? I really want one, but it's too much $$$.

 

they last a long time, so if you can get a good deal on a used one, i say go for it.

 

Where would be the best place? Ebay?

 

Buy used. I did and haven't had any problems with my D60.

Wish I can learn to use flash like you guys do. Is there any cheap basic equipment that can introduce me into flash photography like that? I already have a SB600 FYI.

 

if you wanna go REALLY cheap. you can get Cactus triggers. or if you wanna spend a little more for better quality, get AB cybersyncs (which is what kyle has). These allow you to fire the flash off camera.

 

umm. i like craigslist, cause you can test it out first. or you can look for preowned stuff at amazon, B&H, or crutchfield.

 

Cactus v2's are dirt cheap, but they're a pain in the ass. Get the CyberSyncs

 

Thanks Ryan and gq. I will look into that tomorrow.

 

Check this one out guys tell me what you think

NIKON D60 10.2MP SLR DIGITAL CAMERA+~18-50MM~3 LENS KIT - eBay (item 110423635780 end time Aug-13-09 09:40:00 PDT)

 

now there are v4's though, which might be better, (maybe not though)

i say no. you're gonna want the nikkor 18-55mm.

 

**** that, everything is so shitty, just one lens and two crappy adapters. Buy legit if you get a DSLR.

 

You have to ask your self though, how many pics have you taken with flash so far that required 1/500? Not many probably. Portraiture, static auto shots, etc. very rarely even need 1/250 most of the time unless you're trying to shut out the sun, and even then you can pop on a 1-stop ND filter if it's really necessary. Too many benefits to a better body to hold out only for 1/500 sync.

 

i agree, and if i were to buy a new camera today, the d3000 would be worth considering. but i sure as hell wouldn't upgrade to it from my d40.

 

No better time to start like the present. You will find all the info you'll ever need starting here: Strobist: Lighting 101

MPEX Strobist Kits

There's bound to be a kit there that'll fit your needs and funding.

 

Yeah, it's not a big enough jump to warrant the outlay at that point.

Probably the best cost/performance value in Nikon right now, aside from the D700, is the D5000 -- same sensor as D90 and D300, very close to to D90 in specs, reasonably priced, and has the flip LCD which can be useful in some situations.

A bit higher up the ladder, I would expect the D300 to start dropping in price soon as the D300s starts hitting the shelves. Don't know if they'll blow it out like the Best Buy D200's a few months back, but you never know. That was a hell of a deal -- at one point they were under $500, for a $1600 camera only a year or so back.

 

Ok if you guys give the go ahead Im picking this one up.

Nikon - 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera - Black - D60

I picked the D60 coz its the same as the D40 but it has 10.2MP instead of 6.1MP

 

yeah, but MP isn't everything. I went through the d40/d60 debate too. I decided it wasn't worth the extra $100 for a camera that offers an image that's only 800 pixels wider.

 

Well haha, just go check out my flickr and look at the 'more properties', about 8/10 of my shots are way faster than 1/250. Even some are f/11 1/800. Also a lot of times I shoot mid day and I have to kill a lot of ambient, so it really does make that big of a difference. I also think that glass > body. The only other lense I want is the 50 1.4, and that will af with my d40. Besides, for the shooting I want to do (band promos), the kit lens works just fine.