Someone who knows a lot about cameras please help.?

The camera and focal range of lens seems fine, but it's a "macro" lens, intended for close up shots of small objects. It may or may not work the way you expect it to.

How about trying some test shots? In worst case you'll have to buy a Minolta lens off eBay. For portraits a fixed focal length lens with a wide aperture should work good. Something like 50mm f1.8

That camera and lens will be fine. Most portrait are take in the 50-135mm focal range. Shoot your photos with your lens set somewhere between 50 and 80 and they should look fine.

Buying a new camera or lens will not make your photos look any better if you do not know how to use cameras well, just like giving a 15 year old with little to no driving experience a race car will not allow them to win a race.

I consider a D3 is wayyyy excessive. Yeah, it allows for you effective settings, but when you already know what your doing, you'll be able to get even larger photographs with out simply chalking up the iso to 6400 (why might any person desire that purple of a photograph in any case?) And until you desire an picture blown as much as the dimensions of a wall, you can by no means want any photograph to be above 8ish 9ish mega pixels. and that possibly too many. Personally, I consider that is absolutely a respectable's digital camera. Not so say that I do not take your pictures critically. I do. I love pictures myself, and am rather critical approximately it, whilst an newbie. What you quite must do if discover a digital camera that matches your demands, and cuts off the entire different stuff that you are going to infrequently use. No prime institution pictures magnificence will ever get you complex ample to want one of the vital crazier settings that include a D3. If your quite making plans on getting someplace along with your pictures, newbie or respectable, i might absolutely endorse getting out of the factor and shoot cameras. They enable zip manipulate for the photographer, and very nearly make the entire offerings for you. Those are for persons who do not quite care approximately pictures, or whatever small to convey round with you in case of a precise second. Looking at SLRs, which don't seem to be low-cost traditionally (however so much no in which close 5000), you desire to get stuff that is all in favour of what you want. Most SLRs of any stage will deliver you the shutter pace you must get a transparent image of movement, so that is no longer an problem. After all, you do panorama more often than not, and no magnificence will want you to take portraits of whatever relocating at a pace quicker than a racecar (regardless that you might nonetheless generally control it). For landscapes, it is all approximately the lenses. A first-rate lens well for taking broad or open area pictures is quite what you desire to spend the further cash on, no longer the digital camera itself. the frame can simplest do such a lot for you. So traditionally, sure get an SLR, however opt for a easier one, and opt for out a first-rate lens. You'll discover that simply having an SLR will make lots of change (for me, i are not able to even use a factor and shoot fortunately any longer =P), however quite maintain in brain that although you spend all that that money on a 5000$ digital camera, if you do not know the right way to use it, your photographs can pop out watching no larger than those you took with the digital camera you've got now. That's what aspect of being a well photographer is: realizing the right way to maximize your digital camera's competencies. I consider that with any SLR, you'll be able to create whatever you might probably desire on the pictures stage your at.

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