…and seems to be starting earlier every year.
However, with the recent stock issues from Nikon Thailand there are many good reasons to get your Christmas shopping done early. Here are a few suggestions for those who are photographically inclined in the family, or for yourself. We’ve listed just a brief description here, but please do not hesitate to telephone the shop or reply to this email for more information on any Nikon products.
The Nikon 1 system
Nikon’s first-ever mirrorless camera kit with interchangeable lenses is a fantastic gift idea for those wanting something more than a simple point-and-shoot.
The Nikon J1 is small and sleek, features a built-in pop-up flash and is compatible with all of the Nikon 1 lenses. The Nikon V1 has an electronic viewfinder to allow for better control, and features an accessory hot-shoe to take the new SB-N5 speedlight, a GP-N100 GPS unit; both cameras can also use the Nikon AF-S lenses with the FT-1 adapter.
The Nikon J1 starts at £489.00 with the 10-30mm lens, and the Nikon V1 is available from £729.00 with the 10-30mm lens. Alternative lenses, camera cases and accessories are all currently available.
Nikon D3100 + D5100 Kits
These are in short supply, but if someone you know is looking to move to a DSLR from a smaller, perhaps compact, camera then these are the first choice for many. The D3100 has 14.2 megapixels, full-HD movie mode and a Guide mode, which includes in-camera assistance. The D5100 includes a 16.2 megapixel sensor and full-HD movie, with a vari-angled monitor to capture photographs from any perspective. It also features various Effect modes to put full creativity at your finger tips.
D3100 + AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VR = £499.00
D5100 + AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VR = £679.00
If you’re looking for any other lens to go with your camera we also sell the body only or with a combination of other lenses.
Nikon D7000
By far one of the most popular cameras of the year, the Nikon D7000 boasts a 16.2 megapixel DX CMOS sensor, full 1080p HD movie mode and an ISO range from 100 extendable up to 25,600. This camera can take the full range of Nikon AF, AF-S, AI and AIS lenses, so even if you possess manual focus lenses many of these will work perfectly on the camera. Made from magnesium alloy on the top and inside chassis, but with a polycarbonate outer chassis, it is sturdy but light enough to take anywhere.
D7000 + AF-S 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VR = £1129.00
Although everyone has different tastes as to their ideal prime focal length, we’ve selected our favourites, and the most affordable lenses which make a great gift for any keen amateur or even professional photographer. Prime lenses offer far better optical quality than most zooms, and wide apertures to allow for fantastic shallow depth-of-field, pin-sharp focusing and good exposure, even in the most challenging lighting conditions.
The AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX lens is an ideal companion to any DX body, giving as close-to as is possible to the ‘standard’ 50mm – a favourite amongst many photographers. Being small and light it also works well if one wishes to take a small lens and nothing else in their camera bag. The lens is currently £165.00 including VAT and in stock, ready to order.
The AF-S 50mm f/1.8G is the affordable standard lens for full-frame users (or works well as a portrait lens for DX users, giving you an effective focal length of 75mm), and is currently priced at £175.00.
For macro lovers, we recommend the AF-S 40mm f/2.8G DX Micro, which has a super-close focusing distance of 16cm, giving a full 1:1 macro reproduction ratio. It also doubles up well as a portrait lens and is in stock currently at £239.00.
And for full-frame macro lovers there’s no denying that the AF-S 105mm f/2.8G VR Micro is the lens to look out for, working well on all Nikon camera formats and ideal for insects, flowers, small wildlife and also portraits! The lens is currently £610.00 and is one of the more favourited macro lenses available in the camera industry today.
On another note, you may be interested to know that Amateur Photographer are running Photographic Courses from SPI. If you are looking to do a photographic course at all you can get in touch with them via the website: www.spi-photography-courses.com or contact Nadine on 0203 148 4326.
In closing, over the coming weeks we’ll be sending you more gift ideas, but if you are looking at purchasing a camera body or DX lens for Christmas please do get in touch at your earliest convenience, as stocks are limited.
All those cameras emlpoy an APS-C sensor and as such are not full frame. You can use pretty much all autofocus lenses with these cameras as they have in-built motors in the body for auto focusing of lenses other than those equipped with SWM.[EDIT] Yep FX lenses work fine on a DX camera I use all my FX lenses on both There is an effective magnification of 1.5x on the DX camera compared with an FX camera using the same lens, but otherwise all’s OK.References : Pro Nikon User 36 year experience behind the lens