rick_chen

<p>If you have an event that you dont have time to change lenses and do not want to carry 3 cameras at once, 24-70 is the best you can hope for. It's not the sharpest but it has nice colors, fast focusing and produce decent images throughout. For everything else, I think the primes do it way better: sharper, more consistent focus (focus tuning on the 24-70 on the extreme ends rarely match), brighter, lighter, better bokeh, cheaper individually, less distortion....</p>

<p>Good luck and have fun! I think there's nothing wrong starting out to shoot for free or little experience, as long as the brides trust you with it and accept the experience and background you have. Chances are they dont have much expectations as well. A few weddings later, I think the biggest challenge is how to establish your business and start charging what you think you deserve.<br>

Me and my wife started out doing this as a passion, shot the first 7 weddings for either free, $600, $1000 or slightly more than that, built up somewhat of a portfolio. Invested about $50k into the gears, all full frame with every piece of lighting gear imaginable. Everyone love our work , appreciates our hardwork, give excellent reviews and say they will refer. We love being in weddings and are real passionate about what we do, just like all the newbie photographers are. But it's such hard work, we started to think if we want to keep doing it, especially when brides find it hard to pay above $1200 for a wedding, at least in our network. Often times you hear them wanting to pay $500 or 300,a nd that's just discouraging, with all the abundant cheap cameras out there everyone can claim they can take a picture. We have decided to not shoot any weddings under $1k with our investment, time, service, insurance etc., and then the bookings all sudden stop. So I think our passion side job pretty much stopped there, as we can easily make more from our day jobs.<br>

How you market yourself, network , brand and knows how to run a good business has a lot more weight in becoming how successful you are. Where you start, with what equipment to start, has little to do with it. How good you are at the craft definitely helps, but if you dont know business you will still starve. In southern California where I am at, if you throw a rock 5/10 you will hit a photographer or a general contractor. If the bride is paying under $1000, what we found from experience is that they can't really tell the difference between good and bad photographers anyway.<br>

My little sad story :)</p>

<p>Oh if I thought nikon find the problem, I would have them fix it for $460.<br>

But I suspect they have no clue what they are doing...coz they want $460 for the camera and $460 for EACH LENS! god the 24-70 and 105 which I provided to them for checking the problem are still under warranty and just came back from them a few months back, with new contacts and everything. Don't they keep a record of stuff? And the system is so slow to get the right person to talk to regarding these issues it's a pain<br>

I am pretty sure the lense are ok, since I never run into any issues with another d4 and other bodies. In fact the D4 will suddenly not recognize new lens from time to time. For example I was using a zeiss 135mm f/2 a while back, with built in chip that will allow metering and focus aid etc., and once the D4 will stuck it at f/2 no matter what I do....<br>

Does anyone know if sending this to KEH or whatever for a flat repair rate of $235 is a better bet?</p>

<p>I agree with Dan. I came across a lot of D90s and most of them have less than 30k shots.<br>

In fact with DSLRs flooding the used market like they are now due to low competitive pricing and short model upgrade cycles, it's not uncommon to find a d90 under 10k shots.<br>

A 70k shutter d90 is probably owned by a semi pro or serious enthusiasts, normal folks wont ever reach 70k on a consumer camera like that.<br>

However, there's also a chance that KEH refurbished the d90 shutter but did not reset the shutter clock because whatever electronic component in there stays the same.<br>

There's just no way to tell, but certainly less risky with a lower shutter count</p>

<p>Strangest issue with Nikon D4...it works fine all the while until one day in the middle of a shoot I discovered the camera has metering issues. Upon closer look it's communication problem, like the camera cant detect the lens at all. The strangest thing is, it comes on and off, and only on certain lenses.<br>

I would be using the 24-70 and it would show f/2.0, and get stuck no matter what I do. replace battery, upgrade firmware, shut camera off and no, shake, nothing. Try it on 70-200, works perfect. Try it on 100mm f/2.8 vr, it would show f/2.0. Try it on 7 other lenses all works fine. I suspected it was the 2 lenses, so I sent those into Nikon. Nikon couldnt find any issue, but replaced the contacts and everything they could on the two lenses for free. Problem still exists. And this morning it's happening with the 14-24 as well. It has to be the body, I thought, since I have another 3 bodies and all lenses work fine with the bodies, not to mention the 24-70 and 100 macro just came back from nikon all checked and stuff.<br>

Brought it into nikon in LA this morning..put my 24-70 on to try to demostrate to nikon the problem, but at that point in time the D4 chose to work properly...so I couldnt show them the problem. I tell them to take it in and do further checking, they say they cant promise they will find the problem, they will try.<br>

Then this morning they sent me an estimate, $460. If they can find the problem, I think I am ok. The worse is I am afraid I pay it and they cant find the problem, and in the future it will come back and haunt me and I have to pay for it again since the warranty is only 3 months after repair. The problem can go away and come back like once every 2~3 months.<br>

Did anyone experience similar issue like this? Nikon cleaned the contacts, and so did I. That's kinda the first thing we thought of. But the problem persists. In fact I had communication issue just before I drive to Nikon, and yet when I am there it's gone. Electronics are a pain in the a$$</p>

<p>air shows? well Sigma and Tamron has 150-500 or 600mm for about $1000, worth looking into</p>

<p>As far as I can remember, I dont think there is a f/1.4 G lens with SWM (silent wave motor) that is fast, the reason is probably Nikon assume users want accurate focus at f/1.4 vs its speed (24 1.4, 35 1.4, 1.8, 50 1.4, 1.8 85 1.4, 1.8, 105 f/2 135 f/2). Even the Sigma 35 1.4 is not a speed demon. Pro f/2.8 zooms are the ones with faster AF speed, and the super teles.<br>

If you need something fast why not go for the AF Ds, I had the impression they are a lot faster.<br>

As for the Sigma 50mm, well you dont have to buy it. If it's anywhere close to a Otus, I will pay any price for it. Maybe not $4000, but if it's as sharp with AF, they will get my money. That's just me. The sigma 35 in my opinion is well worth $900. If it's $500 I would be worried, because chances are it's just like the rest of the 50mm in the market and probably not much different to be worth a upgrade. There's plenty of 50mm options out there already</p>

Thanks for sharing Bob

Human population kept increasing without world wars, there will only be more newbies and more technologically

advanced cameras for cheap flooding everywhere. It's tough out there. You can't hope for recovery, you adapt

You are lucky to be retired

<p>Hello everyone, I just received my first MF lens and will be playing around with it using the above commented focusing techniques over the holidays....<br>

I did found out 1 thing..that you can actually "AF fine tune" the green focus confirmation dot. I added the lens to the non-CPU lens data manually in the camera, then setup a target and the camera both on tripod, with a 25xFL distance. I repeatedly took a series of pictures when the green dot first light up and go through the series of images. Of course, human error is involved because i am technically manual focusing the lens. But I did found the images constantly back focus on the D4 and constantly front focus like crazy on the D800E. So I "af fine tune" them and now the images are closer to being accurately focused.<br>

However, this is only a small aid to the MF, because there is still a lot of play in the duration of the green dot lighting up. The lens itself is very precise and free from play in the focus ring. I took images when the light first light up, in the middle, and then finally just before the green dot disappears. The focus point travelled as much as 10" on the target! So I can see the margin of error of the green dot lighting up will easily exceed the range of "af fine tuning"....so for now I am training myself to press the shutter when I first see the green dot show up, and then "af fine tune" based on that to help in instances when my eyes cant see too well, either in dark situations or when my eyes are constantly tearing from MF.....<br>

does anyone know if the center focus point (black LED box) in d800 can be turned off? i am a bit concerned that the box is going to interfere with my MF when the focusing screen do arrive, since the split image area is right in the middle of the frame overlapping with the black box. Not so much with the D4 because the red box can be adjusted to be very faint-looking</p>

<p>I would say first choice is 24-70 if you plan to be the primary, you wont have time to change lenses. It gets you wider and covers anything in between in a high pressure situation such as a wedding. The fast sigma 35 can cover the 50mm for now, just crop a little or move forward. If you are 2nd, and the primary is covering the main angles and leaving you to do details and stuff, then i would consider 85 and 50 for their subject separation. For now the 70-200 can cover the same range even though it's not as fast as the primes, but the 200mm can generate some nice bokeh.<br>

I think of 50 and 85 as portrait lenses for getting ready etc., which is nice to have but then if you are to have 1 lens choice then your 70-200 might suffice for now.<br>

If you like doing a lot of landscape and architectural wedding shots, i would take the 16-35 next, also covers tight interior spaces.</p>

<p>C.R.I.S. (criscam.com) is a reputable company...but hey..anyone might make a mistake by damaging a sensor during cleaning @@</p>

<p>Hi guys thanks so much for the input<br>

Alright so everyone agree the green dot is unreliable so I have to trust my eyes.<br>

Certainly sounds like it's a skill that requires practice, something i am willing to invest my time on.<br>

Thanks Ilkka for the insight about zeiss lenses, something which i might want to start trying. Will keep a lookout for over contrasty images which I am not a big fan either<br>

So far my experience with MFocusing has only been using live view to focus nikkor lenses which either backfocus or front focus horribly beyond +- 20 with the D800E..and I find the process very slow and a battery drain</p>

<p>I started photography in the digital era (a few years back) so I have never used a film camera or manual focus lenses. I heard digital bodies like my d800e and d4 are not designed to be used for manual focus because of the limited viewfinder etc. Given zeiss has recently released the sharpest lens ever made (according to Dxomark) for nikon bodies, 55mm f/1.4 and 135mm f/2, and also because of the availability of highly rated yet affordable samyang MF fisheye, 24mm , 35mm, 85mm lenses, I am real tempted to give it a try. I will probably still stick to my nikkors' autofocus for wedding work, but I wondering how feasible is it to use these manual focus lenses for slower paced shooting? <br>

I know there is focus confirmation green dot thing,but how accurate are they in my cameras? I can certainly try to "autofocus fine tune" them to assist me better in the field, but are they any good given they are tuned properly?<br>

Also I read there's this belief about the viewfinder not being able to distinguish any difference in depth of field under f/2.8? assuming that will make the manual focus even more difficult because it would appear to be in focus in the viewfinder when in reality at f/1.4 it's not.<br>

What are your thoughts? does focusing screens work as advertised? (i am a bit hesitant about putting 3rd party parts into my cameras even if they are available, afraid they might screw up anything or making the viewfinder hard to read)<br>

What are your thoughts? are any of you manual focusing with excellent results? should i invest my time to learning MF or it's better to stay away coz i will go blind doing that? Thanks for any comments</p>

<p>It's a shame the Df didnt have the viewfinder from a film camera....</p>

<p>Look hard on eBay...a while back I saw many good deals with everyone bashing D600. It's not uncommon to get one for like $1100-1200, if you cant get the 1k ones. At the very least there's refurbished from reputable sellers for $1300 each with warranty. These are all good US units with all boxes accessories and no damages.<br>

The market does seem to have died down though, as the remaining D600s are consumed and the prices went back up</p>

<p>0. Check it's US lens. Nikon USA wont service any import/gray market lens even if you beg them with money<br>

1. check the glass for scratch or imperfection. Ultimately all lenses will be sold off, imperfections to the optics are very hard to sell<br>

2. Check the inside elements for fungus. Primes are generally easier to clean (except super telephotos) but zooms can be pricey. I wouldnt worry too much about dust though, even though they do suggest the amount of use<br>

3. Use AF tracking and see if the AF motor is noisy. Again another $200-300 repair easy if it breaks<br>

4. 24-70 tends to have sticky zoom ring due to lack of lubrication.<br>

5. Check the focus ring for noisy sound, even if you dont manual focus. Might have indications of sand damage or other internal damage if it's noisy and rough.<br>

6. If the zoom and focus rubbers are loose, no big deal. Cheap to replace yourself, order from Nikon website.<br>

7. Check the aperture is not sticky and free from oil by opening and closing it<br>

8. Check the filter thread is not damaged (signs of drop) by putting in a filter<br>

9. If you have purchase receipt within 5 years, great. Nikon will fix anything within that period unless the user abuse is so obvious that they will deny the liability.<br>

10. Scratches and marks can indicate signs of wear, but they might not suggest it is a bad lens necessarily.</p>

<p>Get two D600s for $1000 each will be the best bang for your purpose. D610 is still pricey, and is 99% the camera as a D600. Since you are asking D610 or D800, I am assuming you cant afford both, but you can certainly afford two D600.<br>

Save time on switching lenses, plus a backup body, without excessive MP. My wife uses a D600 and D4 for her weddings and she refuse to upgrade to D800 D800E or anything else even I like to buy her one.<br>

We cannot distinguish our images from D800E D4 D600 at the end of the day, as long as you are not shooting at ISO 10k or something</p>

<p>My contract says client is responsible for backup of the digital files after I gave it to them. I store the RAW on my main drive for about 6 months, and then just delete them all to clear space. The RAW is backed up on 3 other drives nevertheless. I only keep jpegs on my drive in case I need to use them for anything, which eventually gets deleted after a year or so.<br>

I give them full resolution @300dpi / 16MP 24MP 36MP depending on the camera, and a web version for facebooking and stuff 1920 on the long side @72 dpi<br>

I never give out RAW</p>

For $5000 i would run to get it. Dont like it? Sell it at 7k and use the 2k to get your 80-400. Have issues with the lens?

Send it to be fixed by nikon the worse bill u can get is about 1500, that's VR and AF replaced. Still a fair deal for this lens

at 6500

<p>That depends on the city....certain cities require you to pay the business license whether your office is situation in that city or not. City of Los Angeles is one such place, and they have their ways of "blackmailing" taxes on you just because you get paid doing business in Los Angeles, even though you might live or operate in another city, and it doesnt really matter whether you run a business or not. You can be a mom paid to take a photo session, and as soon as the city knows about it they will send you a tax bill.<br>

If you open a business, say at a studio or garage converted studio at your house into a business, you always have to get home occupation business license from the city you live/work in.<br>

So far there is no required license or certification for professional photographers (in my State), unlike engineers and architects, so I dont think the state license is a concern here.</p>

<p>errr...are we really talking about $100 as the photography fee here?....time is money you should let it go learn from it and start saving time and money :)</p>

<p>right or wrong...the photographer, the couple, the officiant...whatever....<br>

One thing for sure, the wedding guests and couple will remember the harsh officiant more than anything in the entire ceremony. The couple might simply forget their vows and I doubt the bride will shed any tears in all that tension<br>

Yep the photographer is at fault for not finding out ahead of time. But the officiant could bear with it for the sake of the couple, now the embarrassment is all they will remember</p>

<p>Yeah agree with everone else..depends what you want to use it for.<br>

Do you need it as a master flash unit?<br>

Do you need high speed sync?<br>

What kind of lens do you have and do you need the zoom head to zoom to 200mm etc.<br>

The sb 700 is $300 or so refurbished. So if you can't afford that, you are limited to SB 600, SB 800, Yongnuo, Nissan etc.,</p>

<p>I noticed the same problem....my guess is EN EL 15 is not as good as EN EL 13e that the D90 and D700 uses. In fact i heard the new batteries are "safer" but holds less charge. Same thing is happening with the D4 battery I have. I started noticing "2"s from D600 and D800E after a few months of use, and I am not that heavy of a shooter. Perhaps I charge it up too often even before it's completely or half drained</p>

<p>28-70 is an old lens, sooner or later the AF is going to die. I think you are fine with that high pitched squeak. I have heard worse.<br>

I heard something similar from my 300mm 2.8 and 200mm 2.0, both continue to operate for years before i sell them<br>

If you absolutely dont want to risk a failure, then why r u on ebay? Just saying<br>

If you're so pissed off over it, ask for a refund</p>