1996 Corolla non-Turbo

is your window visor painted flat black? looks great whether u did or didn't.

lol no. Just reminiscing about old time cause thats how far we go back. Actually all I remember was how you had newspaper taped up on the whole side of your old corolla. But I really appreciate your compliment especially since I know you always tell it like it is.

wasabinuts2go: yup, painted "trim black." Brought them used and they were starting to show their age since they were kind of a bronze color. And I like how the satin black OEM add-on visors look on the WRX so I took a cue from them.

very very nice i love your style

Very clean.... as always.

What kind of lens did you use to take those photos?

it's just the packaged lense. IIRC 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6. Most were shot at F/3.5 but I want a lense that could do F/2.8 since it looks like what most automotive photographer use. I could just buy the lense and keep borrowing my buddy's Canon but I kinda want to get a Nikon myself one of these days. But I guess I kinda learned on a Canon so I might stick to Canons.

Canon makes great cameras... I have a Rebel XT body myself.

In my experience, I find that Nikons are more suited to shooting landscapes and nature photography since they place more emphasis on their blue and green tones while Canon would be better for portrait shooting as the color tone tuning is warmer and more vivid relative to Nikon DSLRs.

The EF-S 17-55mm F/2.8 is a great lens, but it's much too pricey IMO. I would just looking to getting the new 7D kit lens, which is 15-85mm IS 3.5-5.6. The IS on there would easily make up 2 F-stops on normal hand held photos. Even the newer IS variant of the standard 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 lens has excellent optics without breaking the bank.

I just quickly browsed for lenses on ritz and I can't believe how expensive lenses are! I'll probably wont get too deep into the photography thing , I don't think i'll be able to afford it.

The D40 is a decent one as well. You can pick one up cheap now.

Well buying a body is not really an issue, I can afford that. But the lense I like cost another ~$900.. and I would like a external flash, some diffusers, CP filters, lol it just starts adding up.

Anyways I need to physically play with a Nikon before I make my decision. I basically have the controls on the Canon figured out. I know at least one guy who own a D50 and another who owns a D70.

Ask rolla4me. He got a D200.

I just love the ergonomic of my D80. Can't go wrong with either brand, both make great cameras.

OMG man im lovin those ITB's!!!! ALL MOTOR FTMFW!

If you're checking out Nikon, take a look at the D5000, with the rotating LCD screen on the back.

Had the chance to play with one a while ago. It adds another dimension to the shooting experience.

I find that Nikon lenses are a bit cheaper than similarly spec'd models from Canon.

LOL it became a DSLR topic.

well I don't mind. I kinda wanted to talk photography too since the OP.. especially since I've been seeing some down right crappy/grainy/noisy pictures posted here.

That D5000 looks pretty spiffy.

What do you guys think of lenses from sigma and other "aftermarket" brands?

Looking good as always man...did you make it lower? Seems lower since the last time I saw pics of it.

As for lenses Sigma is pretty much just a 3rd party lens and they are ok but not as good as Canon. Tokina makes pretty good lenses as well. I have a 10-17mm fisheye lens from Tokina and it's really sharp and has good contrast. I have a Canon 30D that I'm planning to sell as soon as I have the funds for a 7D. My main lens is a 24-105mm that cost more than the camera itself Also have a Canon 50mm 1.8 made out of plastic that was only 70 bucks and it's amazing for how much it cost.

it might be a little lower, I swapped the front coilover springs for different spring rates a few months ago. But it might also be the angle and shadows. The last set of photos was taken by a friend using a Nikon D70 during a sunny day and edited using HDR. This set was taken by myself on a cloudy day using a more traditional method an all I adjusted was the color balance in photoshop.

wow looks like everyone on here like either Cannon or Nikon. I agree with DOT both company make great cameras. I personally have a Sony Alpha and found that they are actually really good camera too. On the plus side of Sony you can find really good lens for cheap using Minolta AF lens. Planning on also saving up for Cannon 7D

Third party lenses are alright if you're on a budget, but the quality and focusing sharpness seems to vary largely from copy to copy.

It's really hit and miss. I would stick with OEM brands instead.

ah.. the good ol nifty fifty.

I love my copy.

Actually it's the other way around. Or almost the same.
http://www.radiantlite.com/2009/09/canon-lenses-vs-nikon-lenses-2009.html

The only third party lens I'd get is the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8.

I agree I really like Tokina.

To be fair though, you can use older Nikon lenses like lets say from the 70's compare to Canon which only works with newer EF and EF-S lenses so going to the Nikon route might be cheaper cause of used lenses. I only chose Canon because I understand the controls a lot better than Nikon. There's a reason why those are the two top brands...can't go wrong with either one

Back to topic...did you go with a softer spring rate? I remember you saying how you're almost going airborne on the freeway cause the springs were so stiff. I can't wait till I have coilovers so I can get the right stance. What do you think about Ultra Racing bars? I wanted the TRD 3 point strut bar but couldn't afford it so I ordered the 3 point strut bar from them instead. I'm planning to get the fender bars and rear anti sway bar as well in the future.

I believe the reason Sony lenses are cheaper is because the image stablization is built into the camera not the lens like Canon and Nikon. But I haven't really been happy with any Sony products I've purchased for the last few years so I am staying from them.

nice article.. this is the lens I'm interested in:
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 7 8 $1025 vs. Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 9 8 $1300

That's enough to push me over to Canon's lol

yea, went to 8kg/mm in front now.

I like ultra racing, just don't like how the bars are white.. but I cn always paint them. As for the front strut bar, IMO its not really attractive looking.. they should've copied the TRD or carbing design. But I never heard any complaints about fitment or quality. I am planning on getting a rear strut bar and side bars from them later.

What's your rear spring rate?

Well just a head up Target is clearing out their Nikon D40 Kit YMMV $349.96.

Limited Availability @ Albany, Richmond, Pinole, and Walnut Creek. Haven't got a chance to call so don't know if they still have some left.

Haha that's funny. I chose the Ultra Racing one because I like how it's white...well just the strut bar but I wouldn't want the bars for the bottom of the car to be white. I do agree though how the design sucks. They should have at least made the bars more rounder. I only chose Ultra Racing over the others because it's all welded compare to the one thats put together with bolts.

very nice!

5kg/mm in the rear now.. kinda bouncy.

man those DSLR are cheap now. I remember paying 5 bills for my point and shoot like 6yrs ago. But I want a camera with more features than the D40 since I will probably keep it around for a long time.

Yea, their stuff is pretty decent for the price. But their stuff were even cheaper years ago. You used to be able to get a set of fender braces direct from them in Malaysia for $80 shipped before they picked up all these US dealers trying to make a profit.