johne37179

Looking at you last image -- the blur is not uniform across the image. It is greater at the margins. I think you should do a test on a tripod against a grid (or brick wall).

I do pretty much what Danny does. It doesn't make a lot of sense to have the exceedingly fast shoot and write capability of the camera without a card that can use it.

I use CC/ PS & LR, but rely heavily on plug-ins from Topaz Labs -- Studio is their new release and a great tool. I shoot RAW with Nikon gear and occasionally an iPhone 6s. I start in Lr and will bounce back and forth to PS and Topaz. I make most global adjustments in LR. Unlike most, I no longer use the layers in PS and work only in one layer. I may make multiple versions of any single image and I save all of the versions to LR. I am rich in memory and have about 30 TB, including 16 TB of RAID memory that I store my photos in - multiple copies across multiple drives. I'm on a fairly new (2015) 5K,retina 27inch iMac with a second 24inch Apple monitor.

Tim, all good teaching is about enabling you to teach yourself. What you teach yourself is what you truly learn and retain.

Good advice Wouter. Your equipment should become invisible in your process. Just as a fine musician can concentrate on the music (practice) instead of the instrument, it should be the same with your camera, lenses, software, etc.

As usual, Fred is spot on. Look at the visual work of others. Understand what you like and why you like it. Figure out how it was done. Try to emulate it and then try again and again. Go back to the beginning and repeat the process again and again.

Yesterday I was present when about 50 vets from WWII, Korea and Vietnam were visiting the WWII Memorial in Washington DC. This is one of them.

Charles, I found your comment most interesting. I, too remember shooting at ASA 25 and 32. These days I avoid shooting in the harsh light of midday. I prefer rainy overcast days when colors are most saturated and shadows soft. I also like the early part and late part of the day and look for those long deep shadows you avoid. I like the definition the shadows provide and the current set of digital sensors allow detail to be capture in those shadows if

I'm a planner and plodder. I shoot almost every day, but it is with a particular shot or type of shot in mind. Ever since spending time with Ansel Adams in the late '60s, I've worked to pre-visualize my shot. I pretty much have the image worked out in my mind well ahead of time - sometimes weeks ahead if it is a major expedition, like a week at the Grand Canyon or something. I will anticipate sun (or moon) angles and relative positions pretty exactly. There is an app called the photographer's ephemeris that does a slick job of that. Most of the locations I go to I have been to many times before (part of the advantage of being 75 years old). From time to time I will just grab shots, bet that is usually to test out new gear or a new technique related to software that I test for some developer.

This is a horse trainer -- the image was captured at the Virginia Spring Races -- D500, 70-300 lens.

This is the mill at Aldie Virginia. The image has been distorted to stretch the vertical axis. It was processed using Topaz software. It was shot with a D500 and a Sigma 10-20mm lens

I'd look at the diopter as a possible easy fix and eliminate it as the problem. I recently discovered that somehow the correction on my D500 had moved just slightly. I was attributing the focus issue to camera shake, but it was simply getting the diopter adjustment back where it should be.

Since getting my D500 I see no place for FX in my bag.

I use several DSLRs for about 98% of what I shoot, but I do use my iPhone for panoramas.

One thought that occurs to me would be a summary of the features and benefits of the models that we are likely to upgrade from -- it would make the transition easier. I was thinking about flying a new type of aircraft. I knew how to fly (like I know how to produce a photograph), but it was the difference between aircraft that I focused on. The same seems to apply when I went from a D7000 to a D500.

I've had Nikon digital cameras since the D1. I've had my D500 for several months now with virtually daily use. It is the finest piece of digital gear I've ever used. The build quality is first class, the capability of the auto focus and the buffer is spectacular. I did have one problems with what I thought was over saturating of magenta, but it turned out to be operator error. I have only one small nit to pick. The focus selector toggle on the back, which I use a lot, is a bit cumbersome because I use my left eye to view with. On top of everything the price offers more value per dollar than any other camera I've purchased -- and the offer with the battery grip is back. I'm thinking of picking up a second one at this price.

Backyard iris in Virginia. D500, 70-300, f14, 1/400, ISO 1600

I have a D500 and all the equipment to make it work -- but it doesn't. After wasting a lot of time on it I gave up. Snapbridge is all smoke and mirrors as far as I'm concerned. BTW, I love the camera. Snapbridge was never a feature that I felt important.

I recommend the D500. The autofocus and buffer will serve you well.

Thanks C.P.M. BINGO - the Hue setting was slightly favoring red -- I have changed that and will see what happens.

I appreciate all the suggestions. I have not made any effort to customize how LR of PS handles either camera. I also have not manually adjusted the white balance and rely on Nikon's auto software. My concern was that this was a potential issue with the sensor. I have been able to handle any and all issues in post.

One monitor is new, the other about three years old. However, the monitor cannot account for the difference in images taken with different cameras.

Dieter, I guess I'm comparing to the subject outside my office and the magenta in the image is much more saturated. Ben, I haven't calibrated it lately, but is seems fine on images from my older D7000.

This is a difficult situation and no matter what you do could put your friendship at risk. The important thing is to manage expectations. I do work for friends, but make sure we both understand the ground rules. It is important to separate the two roles -- when you are the photographer you act at all times like a professional photographer -- that shows respect for everyone. When you are the friend you act like the friend. In my view if you know your customer really well you may have insights that make your photography better. It is important to remain professional at all times.