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[The Elite]

Ok, I've been taking a look at some of the video on Youtube shot with the D3100 and it looks great. Stills look fantastic as well. The sale on this thing ends today. I'm going to check it out at lunch. If I like it, will smang... I mean buy!

 

[Damaged]

Ok, I've been taking a look at some of the video on Youtube shot with the D3100 and it looks great. Stills look fantastic as well. The sale on this thing ends today. I'm going to check it out at lunch. If I like it, will smang... I mean buy!

I bought a 3100 a few months ago for my wedding / honeymoon and I'm very pleased with it, annoying all family and friends taking pictures wherever we go lol. You wont be disappointed with it.

 

[The Elite]

I bought a 3100 a few months ago for my wedding / honeymoon and I'm very pleased with it, annoying all family and friends taking pictures wherever we go lol

I have quite a large park (High Park in Toronto) right across the road from me. So I plan to take tons of nature photos as I figure out how to use the thing.

Should I jump into manual settings right away? It seems kind of pointless to use auto on a camera like this.

 

[Damaged]

I have quite a large park (High Park in Toronto) right across the road from me. So I plan to take tons of nature photos as I figure out how to use the thing.

Should I jump into manual settings right away? It seems kind of pointless to use auto on a camera like this.

I have used a mixture, for days out with the family it does well on auto as a point and shoot then occasionally dropping into manual settings but im still learning what they all do. Its my first dslr after using film for a few years so im very rusty with manual settings.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Should I jump into manual settings right away? It seems kind of pointless to use auto on a camera like this.

From my experience its good to use if just to learn its usefulness and directly manipulating exposure. But generally one will be hanging around the Av or Tv modes (Aperture and Shutter Priority). I personally only shoot in Av mode and go to full Manual when my cameras metering fails me and have to dial in a drastic exposure difference or when I know I'm working with consistent lighting throughout.

 

[reggieandTFE]

It had nothing to do with sensor size, Zeiss just didn't bother to design a pancake lens. It is probably originally a SLR lens designed for long flange distance.

Also majority of the pancake lenses are f/2.8, you can't make them fast and still keep and compact size.

You are right that it does not come down simply to sensor size (look at the tiny full frame Leica lenses), but you cannot get away from the fact that the NEX lenses have been monsters compared to their micro 4/3 counterparts. This is presumably one of the reasons that Nikon is going with a 2.7 crop for their mirrorless lineup.

The second part of your statement is false. Panasonic has two great examples with the 14mm f/2.5 and 20mm f/1.7 and even Samsung has a fast, standard pancake for their NX system 30mm f/2.

 

[Flo_Evans]

You're selling me on the 3100. Urge to buy rising.

I'll probably be supporting the packed-in lens for quite a while. Hope it is sufficient.

It will do the job, but don't expect to be blown away. It is definitely limiting the sensor...

I HIGHLY recommend picking up the 35mm 1.8 G lens with this camera. I have a d7000 and that is by far my favorite lens with it (until my 50mm 1.4 D arrives I suspect ;P)

 

[Radec]

if only this lens is good. it has the perfect size for a NEX. :/

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

Now that Sony has allowed others to manufacture E-mount lenses, they're leaving the door open for 3rd parties to make a killing on producing pancake primes.

 

[The Elite]

It will do the job, but don't expect to be blown away. It is definitely limiting the sensor...

I HIGHLY recommend picking up the 35mm 1.8 G lens with this camera. I have a d7000 and that is by far my favorite lens with it (until my 50mm 1.4 D arrives I suspect ;P)

Considering the fact that I've been using an iPhone for a digital camera for the past few years, I'll probably be blown away.

I'll start looking at lenses when I get use to the feature set. I picked it up at lunch. I didn't pick up a memory card with it because he was going on about the "read-speed" of the card so I wanted to check with GAF first. Also, mem-cards at Futureshop are marked up.

I'm seriously debating whether or not to get a warranty for this. I tend to pass on extended warranties but for a camera I may decide to go with one.

What say you GAF?

 

[Flo_Evans]

Considering the fact that I've been using an iPhone for a digital camera for the past few years, I'll probably be blown away.

I'll start looking at lenses when I get use to the feature set. I picked it up at lunch. I didn't pick up a memory card with it because he was going on about the "read-speed" of the card so I wanted to check with GAF first. Also, mem-cards at Futureshop are marked up.

I'm seriously debating whether or not to get a warranty for this. I tend to pass on extended warranties but for a camera I may decide to go with one.

What say you GAF?

Read speed on all modern memory cards is more than adequte. That camera does not have a high enough burst speed to overwhelm the card. The only bonus you would get was transfering the photos to your PC.

Warranty = rip off. Let the nikon warranty expire then buy a 3rd party one if you still feel you need it.

 

[The Elite]

Read speed on all modern memory cards is more than adequte. That camera does not have a high enough burst speed to overwhelm the card. The only bonus you would get was transfering the photos to your PC.

Warranty = rip off. Let the nikon warranty expire then buy a 3rd party one if you still feel you need it.

Thanks. I figured he was just trying to upsell me on all the standard shit.

 

[Forsete]

Now that Sony has allowed others to manufacture E-mount lenses, they're leaving the door open for 3rd parties to make a killing on producing pancake primes.

Yeah, Sigma, Tamron, Cosina-Voigtländer and Zeiss (independently from Sony) are on board.

The specifications were released April 1st 2011 so hopefully we will see some results soon.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Oh my. eBay + having lunch at the bar do not mix well.

Just bought the nikon 105 f2 DC. this lens allows you to shift the DOF bias to the front or back of the focal plane... Sounds awesome! I guess I can always sell it if I need cash right? Right? lol

 

[Borman]

Oh my. eBay + having lunch at the bar do not mix well.

Just bought the nikon 105 f2 DC. this lens allows you to shift the DOF bias to the front or back of the focal plane... Sounds awesome! I guess I can always sell it if I need cash right? Right? lol

Ebay + alcohol = not good at all. Ive spent far too much money that way.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Ebay + alcohol = not good at all. Ive spent far too much money that way.

LOL paypall just called me to confirm my purchase. You know its bad when that happens.

 

[the_log_ride]

Oh my. eBay + having lunch at the bar do not mix well.

Just bought the nikon 105 f2 DC. this lens allows you to shift the DOF bias to the front or back of the focal plane... Sounds awesome! I guess I can always sell it if I need cash right? Right? lol

God, that thing is beautiful... Must resist.

 

[Kamakazie!]

Seeing that Zeiss lens makes me very glad I went the m4/3 route now. With the improved autofocus of the E-P3 and hopefully a generational jump in sensor in the E-P4, I should be all set with an upgrade for my E-PL2 in a few years!

 

[Flo_Evans]

God, that thing is beautiful... Must resist.

It got me thinking, it would be awesome if we could do some sort of GAF lens exchange... don't know how we could make it secure and I don't know if I would want to be shipping my nice glass all over to random people.

I guess it's a nice thought but a totally crazy thing to actually do

Hell I don't even know if I want to be lending it to people I know IRL. Probably the only way I will be able to pry my dads 24-70mm f/2.8 ED from his hands though!

 

[the_log_ride]

Lens exchange... That'd be a stressful endeavor. I'd be fine with setting up local meet ups to do some street shooting.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

I've been narrowing down a bit on what lens to get, but I'd still like to know

1) which manufacturer is generally considered to be the best, Sigma or Tamron?
2) would the difference between a 200mm and 300mm lens be very significant?
3) related to 2), would you recommend an 18-200mm lens or a 70-300mm lens? I'd like to go for the 18-200mm lens to avoid having to switch lenses between the 18-55mm lens and the 70-300mm lens, but I'm a bit undecided still

 

[tino]

I've been narrowing down a bit on what lens to get, but I'd still like to know

1) which manufacturer is generally considered to be the best, Sigma or Tamron?
2) would the difference between a 200mm and 300mm lens be very significant?
3) related to 2), would you recommend an 18-200mm lens or a 70-300mm lens? I'd like to go for the 18-200mm lens to avoid having to switch lenses between the 18-55mm lens and the 70-300mm lens, but I'm a bit undecided still

1) Sigma coating has green tint, Tamron coating has yellow tint. Sigma lenses are stupidly hugh. They are worth what they are charging. Mediocre.

2) Personally, not really.

3) To most people, the 28mm-80mm-ish are what people consider "normal" POV. I took most of my photos between 24-28mm however. Why don't you check out the Tamron 18-250mm?

 

[BlueTsunami]

Its like a NEX news blowout! This is a 50% chance of being real though so grain of salt and all that...

“I can tell you though that the NEX-7 feels good in the hand. I only got to use the camera for about a minute but the EVF is superb. It reminds me of what it’s like looking at an iPhone retina display. You simply can’t see the pixels because they are so small. I didn’t see any rainbow effects and the refresh rate was super fast. There is still a tiny bit of lag when panning but it’s much improved. I tested it inside a somewhat dark restaurant, performance may be better in good lighting. Autofocus with the 24mm is very fast. It seems its almost as fast as the m43rd’s cameras. Maybe just a tiny bit slower but the important thing is that for single autofocus is as fast as anybody would practically need it to be.

The Nex-7 is also going to be expensive because it has a customized sensor. Sony, I’m told, has struggled a bit with getting good corners because of the short registration distance. Sony originally planned for the NEX to be marketed at consumers and didn’t realize it would be a hit with enthusiast too. To combat the short registration distance, they put in some micro offset lenses. All lenses will benefit from this, including legacy glass so people will see improved performance with their rangefinder lenses.

The one real surprising news I can share with you is that the 24mm zeiss has a leaf shutter! I was very surprised to find this out but Sony is going to market this as the modern day rangefinder for street photography. I was told they are filming a commercial showing the evolution of the rangefinder into the NEX-7.

The Leaf shutter for the Zeiss is extremely interesting. Current spculation is that the focal plan shutter on the NEX will be disabled when the Zeiss is mounted and use the extremely quiet Leaf shutter (near silent). This may sound odd to current 35mm and smaller sensor shooters but shutters physically placed on the lens is done with some Medium Format (some being Zeiss designed Hasselblad lenses).

Source: http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr3-a-nex-7-one-minute-hands-on-report-zeiss-with-leaf-shutter/

 

[Combichristoffersen]

1) Sigma coating has green tint, Tamron coating has yellow tint. Sigma lenses are stupidly hugh. They are worth what they are charging. Mediocre.

2) Personally, not really.

3) To most people, the 28mm-80mm-ish are what people consider "normal" POV. I took most of my photos between 24-28mm however. Why don't you check out the Tamron 18-250mm?

Couldn't find the Tamron 18-250mm at any Norwegian online retailer's webstore, but I did find the 18-200mm, which I've been looking at. So going by your answer to my first question, you'd recommend Tamron over Sigma?

 

[Flo_Evans]

I've been narrowing down a bit on what lens to get, but I'd still like to know

1) which manufacturer is generally considered to be the best, Sigma or Tamron?
2) would the difference between a 200mm and 300mm lens be very significant?
3) related to 2), would you recommend an 18-200mm lens or a 70-300mm lens? I'd like to go for the 18-200mm lens to avoid having to switch lenses between the 18-55mm lens and the 70-300mm lens, but I'm a bit undecided still

What sensor size?

Keep in mind that a crop sensor will produce an equivalent image 1.7x of a full frame. So a 200mm = 340mm. Also keep in mind this does not really change the focal length of the lens, but the sensor is cropping the output of the lens, changing the angle of view.

Confused yet?

All of that said the 18-200 would probably be best if you don't want to change lenses often. Bear in mind that such lenses with a large zoom range will never be as good as a shorter range lens. Compromises must be made to achieve that much range.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

What sensor size?

Keep in mind that a crop sensor will produce an equivalent image 1.7x of a full frame. So a 200mm = 340mm. Also keep in mind this does not really change the focal length of the lens, but the sensor is cropping the output of the lens, changing the angle of view.

Confused yet?

All of that said the 18-200 would probably be best if you don't want to change lenses often. Bear in mind that such lenses with a large zoom range will never be as good as a shorter range lens. Compromises must be made to achieve that much range.

I was confused already when you asked about the sensor size :lol I think I'll go for the Tamron 18-200mm lens. Thanks for your input, all of you, you've been very helpful

Edit: One final question. This lens would fit my Alpha 33, right?

 

[tino]

The Zeiss 24mm is way too big. There are lot of M mount full frame rangefinder lenses that are much smaller.

This is a picture of a Nex with a Voigtlander VM 40/1.4 SC

 

[Flo_Evans]

I was confused already when you asked about the sensor size :lol I think I'll go for the Tamron 18-200mm lens. Thanks for your input, all of you, you've been very helpful

Edit: One final question. This lens would fit my Alpha 33, right?

It should, but I am not a Sony guy so better ask someone who is sure.

BTW, your camera is an APS-C sensor with a 1.5 crop factor for future reference. The 18-200 will give you range of 24-300 in traditional 35mm terms.

Also: drool at that NEX setup.

 

[BlueTsunami]

The Zeiss 24mm is way too big. There are lot of M mount full frame rangefinder lenses that are much smaller.

This is a picture of a Nex with a Voigtlander VM 40/1.4 SC

That pairing just makes me HNNNGGG. So good. A lot of the VM lenses are fantastic though and compact. Even though the 24/1.8 looks to be relatively behemoth like I'd probably still get it if its good enough.

But with that out of the way I'd probably surround that 24/1.8 with compact RF lenses (be it Voigtlander, Zeiss or if I'm feeling particularly crazy Leica).

 

[adelante]

Yea Voigtlander + Nex combo kicks all kinds of ass, here's my 35/1.4 MC (taken with my iPhone):

I do like the fact that the Zeiss 24/1.8 has focus distance rumoured at just 16cm (does its "big" size have anything to do with that feature?) My voigtlander has a minimum distance of .7m, which unfortunately makes it unsuitable for situations like when I'm eating out and want to take close-ups of food heh (I usually don't carry other lens with me)

 

[sarcastor]

Just bought a Canon 28mm f/1.8 for my 5Dc. what lense should i buy next?

I'm thinking a Rokinon 85mm f/1.4. Only $280, but manual focus only

 

[Gabyskra]

I've been narrowing down a bit on what lens to get, but I'd still like to know

1) which manufacturer is generally considered to be the best, Sigma or Tamron?
2) would the difference between a 200mm and 300mm lens be very significant?
3) related to 2), would you recommend an 18-200mm lens or a 70-300mm lens? I'd like to go for the 18-200mm lens to avoid having to switch lenses between the 18-55mm lens and the 70-300mm lens, but I'm a bit undecided still

1. It depends. Sigma's 50mm f1.4 is better than all equivalents (even Canon and Nikon). Tamron 17-50 f2.8's IQ is comparable to the much more expensive Canon 17 55 f2.8, except its autofocus is not as good (for a 1/3 of the price). Tamron's 70-200 has amazing image quality, but yet again, the AF is not that good. You should not simply look at a brand.
2. Define "very". It's considerable. It's useful if you plan on shooting birds, doing animal photography, etc, but as far as shooting people and towns, it's perfectly useless. For shooting people, I would never go beyond 135mm on APS-C sensors (probably what you have) or 200 on full frame sensors.
3. I just wonder what kind of photography you plan on doing with such a range. When I need 200mm, what I'm doing is nothing like what I would do with 18mm. I'm sure it can be enjoyable, but you should identify your needs/wants before you decide on your tools.

 

[Gabyskra]

Just bought a Canon 28mm f/1.8 for my 5Dc. what lense should i buy next?

I'm thinking a Rokinon 85mm f/1.4. Only $280, but manual focus only

At 85mm, the Canon 85 f1.8 performs really well. Its autofocus is super fast and AF is definitely useful with semilong and long focal lengths.

 

[KennyLinder]

Are there some good other lenses out there that would fit a NEX nicely via an adapter?

I've read that some of the old 50mm etc (Industar, Jupiter) Russian glass is pretty good (well, its cheap and can give some interesting results), but I am not really sure what to look for. Would love an NEX with various lenses.

There are also the SLR Magic lenses which have the adapter built right in, not sure if they're any good though.


EDIT: Hold on, you can get an adapter for Canon FD lenses? They must be fairy cheap these days.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

3. I just wonder what kind of photography you plan on doing with such a range. When I need 200mm, what I'm doing is nothing like what I would do with 18mm. I'm sure it can be enjoyable, but you should identify your needs/wants before you decide on your tools.

I'm basically just after a lens that will allow me to zoom further in on whatever it might be I'd want to take a photo of, and that also has the 18-55mm range of the standard lens, so I won't have to constantly switch lenses.

 

[radios shipping overview]

After looking at some photos of other Voigtlander and Zeiss (ZM) lenses look when mounted on NEX cameras, I've realized a tiny NEX body can make those small lenses look really huge. Especially the Ultron 28/2. So, while the Zeiss 24mm does look a bit long, I'll reserve judgment on its size until I can try one out at B&H.

 

[Radec]

Rumored Specs:

A77
24.3 MP Exmor HD CMOS sensor
19 points AF sensor with 11 cross sensors
ISO 100-16000, with expandeable ISO 50 option
1920 x 1080 60p/24p AVCHD 2.0
P/A/S/M manual controls while recording video
1200 zone metering
Completely new developed Bionz processor
12 fps
1/8000 shutter speed
TrueBlack 921k 3-way tilt LCD
3 million dot OLED viewfinder
Smart teleconverter function with 1.4x and 2.0x option
Built-in flash
Built-in GPS
Battery life with over over 500 shots
Magnesium alloy body
Dust and Moisture proof
Multi Frame NR
SD card (no CF!)

A65 (differences with the A77)
A77 has 19 point AF system with 11 cross sensors while the A65 has only 3 cross sensors.
A77 can do 12 fps while the A65 can do 10fps.
A77 has new 3 way tilting LCD, A65 has “classic” tilting LCD
A77 can do 50 ISO while A65 can not.
The A77 has a magnesium body while the A65 has not.
The A77 has 1/8000 shutter while A65 has a 1/4000 shutter
The A77 has a top LCD screen while the A65 has it not.
The A77 is Dust and Moisture proof while the A65 is not

NEX-7
24,3 Exmor HD sensor
100-16.000 ISO
1200 zone metering
1920×1080 60p/60i/24p AVCHD 2.0 (28Mbit/s) video recording
3 million dot XGA OLED viewfinder
3inch 921k TruBlack LCD display (touchscreen)
10 fps
20ms startup time
Built-in flash
New universal hot shoe
Battery life for over 400 shots
Magnesium alloy body

NEX-5N
16.1 MP Exmor sensor (Same us Sony NEX-C3)
ISO 100-25600
1920×1080 60p/60i/24p AVCHD 2.0 video recording
Shutter 1/4000
10 fps
Can take over 430 shots with one battery
Same AF speed as the GH2

VG-20
16 MPX Exmor sensor
1920×1080 60p/60i/24p AVCHD 2.0 video recording
Can record stills in RAW
3 inch touchscreen (swifel)
audio level control
IR AVR remote

 

[Damaged]

Does anybody know anything about the Lensbaby lenses? was looking at the scout with fisheye lens and wondering if it was any good and how well it would work on my d3100.

http://store.lensbaby.com/products/Scout-with-Fisheye.html

 

[BlueTsunami]

EDIT: Hold on, you can get an adapter for Canon FD lenses? They must be fairy cheap these days.

Mirrorless body mounts are the most adaptable (Canon's DSLR's being just below them). The biggest positive for Mirrorless bodies is the ability to mount Rangefinder lenses which contain exceptional and compact lenses on the wide end when compared to wide angle SLR lenses.

 

[KennyLinder]

Mirrorless body mounts are the most adaptable (Canon's DSLR's being just below them). The biggest positive for Mirrorless bodies is the ability to mount Rangefinder lenses which contain exceptional and compact lenses on the wide end when compared to wide angle SLR lenses.

How do Rangefinder lenses work on a non-rangefinder body? I thought they worked differently?

 

[Flo_Evans]

Does anybody know anything about the Lensbaby lenses? was looking at the scout with fisheye lens and wondering if it was any good and how well it would work on my d3100.

http://store.lensbaby.com/products/Scout-with-Fisheye.html

Fun lenses. The scout is not tilt shift though IIRC. Not as fun! I love shooting videos with my muse, awesome distortions, and totally silent to boot!


Man that 24Mbit NEX video has me a bit jealous. The d7000 is miles ahead of the d90 for video but still a step behind Sony and canon. What is frustrating though Is it's all software. Nikon does not seem to care for people buying their DSLRs for video. Maybe it's because canon and Sony already make video cameras?

It's weird. even at my local camera shop the old "nikon guy" scrunches his nose and gets annoyed when I mention I want an old manual lens for video. Oh well, I try and support local but when you act like you don't want to sell me lenses because I am not using them "right" go fuck yourself!

 

[BlueTsunami]

How do Rangefinder lenses work on a non-rangefinder body? I thought they worked differently?

They work the same. The only difference between DSLR and Rangefinder lenses is that RF lenses are coupled to their RF bodies when mounted (which helps you focus via the RF mechanism). This aspect isn't needed with a modern mirrorless body since you're seeing through the lens and are able to adjust the correct focus.

 

[KennyLinder]

They work the same. The only difference between DSLR and Rangefinder lenses is that RF lenses are coupled to their RF bodies when mounted (which helps you focus via the RF mechanism). This aspect isn't needed with a modern mirrorless body since you're seeing through the lens and are able to adjust the correct focus.

Are RF lenses expensive to buy? I like the idea of buying older glass like those older Canon 50mm's etc, they can be bought on ebay really cheaply.

 

[Damaged]

Fun lenses. The scout is not tilt shift though IIRC. Not as fun! I love shooting videos with my muse, awesome distortions, and totally silent to boot!


Man that 24Mbit NEX video has me a bit jealous. The d7000 is miles ahead of the d90 for video but still a step behind Sony and canon. What is frustrating though Is it's all software. Nikon does not seem to care for people buying their DSLRs for video. Maybe it's because canon and Sony already make video cameras?

It's weird. even at my local camera shop the old "nikon guy" scrunches his nose and gets annoyed when I mention I want an old manual lens for video. Oh well, I try and support local but when you act like you don't want to sell me lenses because I am not using them "right" go fuck yourself!

Not too fussed about the tilt shift side of things buts always fancied a fish-eye lens for some reason, as long as the quality is okay ill pick one up, for the price I guess I cant complain.

 

[KennyLinder]

Not too fussed about the tilt shift side of things buts always fancied a fish-eye lens for some reason, as long as the quality is okay ill pick one up, for the price I guess I cant complain.

8mm lens for NEX
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/samyang-8mm-f3-5-fisheye-for-nex-tested-at-photozone/

 

[Damaged]

8mm lens for NEX
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/samyang-8mm-f3-5-fisheye-for-nex-tested-at-photozone/

Im using a Nikon D3100, sorry should have cleared the NEX info from my quote

 

[345triangle]

8mm lens for NEX
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/samyang-8mm-f3-5-fisheye-for-nex-tested-at-photozone/

also as i said before, the nex 10mm fisheye adapter is really good. excellent build quality, and good enough image quality to make me wonder why anyone would spend so much money on a dedicated fisheye. the theory above that the nex 16mm is only half a lens would make sense, if not for the fact that sony pretty much buried the converters and made them impossible to find for like six months after release...i haven't seen any proper reviews of either anywhere.

 

[The Elite]

For my new Nikon, should I always have VR (Vibration Reduction) turned on?

I took a few pics yesterday and I noticed a bit of blur in some (I need to stay steady). Would VR help with that?

I took this with VR off and everything on Auto. I need a lot of practice but it's a decent start. There seems to be some blurring on the left side. And the next time I take a photo of the same subject I want to be able to bring out a lot more detail.

 

[radios shipping overview]

http://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/ricoh-gxr-m-mount-module-now-officially-launched/

The Ricoh GXR A12 will be available in September, priced at $649. A very intruiging feature is the electronic shutter option that works from 1/8000th to 1 second. It makes the camea extremely silent! And you can create your own user-defined distortion, vignetting and corner color correction, recordable for multiple lenses.

Hot!

 

[bionic77]

Ok, I've been taking a look at some of the video on Youtube shot with the D3100 and it looks great. Stills look fantastic as well. The sale on this thing ends today. I'm going to check it out at lunch. If I like it, will smang... I mean buy!

Have had the D3100 since February when my twins were born. Great camera (can't go back to a point and shoot after this). The video to me is mixed. The video is great if you are not moving the camera around too much and the camera doesn't have to change its focus. It is pretty slow at focusing compared to what you would see at any real video camera (meaning blur city and it is loud as hell). I use it sparingly to be honest but in the right circumstances it does take fantastic video, I just wouldn't expect it to replace my video camera if you are taking a lot of video with it.

For my new Nikon, should I always have VR (Vibration Reduction) turned on?

I took a few pics yesterday and I noticed a bit of blur in some (I need to stay steady). Would VR help with that?

I always have VR on. Also try playing around with the AF settings. Can make a big difference when shooting fast moving objects.