kohanmike

<p>I've had good experiences with my MU-800 and three SB-600 flashes for small venue concerts, outdoor portraits, and even an empty banquet hall set up for 200.</p>

<p>Darya, what camera body are you using? If it's a Dx, you should look at the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC, or Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 OS.</p>

<p>I also suggest the 18-140. I use the old 18-135, when I'm not shooting my pro work events and concerts, for "snap shot" travel, family casual stuff. It's very sharp and I even dropped it once on the camera and the only problem was a cracked lens hood. The 18-140mm VR is that much better in specs.</p>

<p>I'm one that does not have a problem with the "distortion" of a wide lens. I think the original looks much better, you feel the height and width of the elements, where the second one Ken reworked looks like a shot of a toy train to me.</p>

<p>I bought my first camera in 1972, a silver F2 Photomic, and a second in 1973, a black one. Kept them until 2006 when I traded them in for two D70s bodies. Then in 2011 replaced them with two D300s bodies. I don't plan on replacing those in the foreseeable future.</p>

<p>There's no such thing as an 18-55 f/2.8, do you mean 18-35?. A Sigma or Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 stabilized, and Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 OS, in my opinion is the best combo there is for pro events with a Dx body. I use them for my pro work; concerts, events, and use the 50-150 for portraits too. (I have the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 and Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 to round out my kit, and for snap shots with family and such, a Nikon 18-135mm too.)</p> <p>Hey Mike, you beat me to the punch.</p>

<p>Image Capture that comes with every Mac has tethered shooting.You can snap the shutter with it then down load the images to the computer. It doesn't have live view as far as I know.</p>

<p>Lighting is more important than a lens. Your lens is fine. My first lighting kit was very inexpensive with two basic stands, two white umbrellas, two dome reflectors and two daylight compact fluorescent bulbs. With that I shot plenty of good full body as well as head shots. I put one stand to my right and raised it about six feet, the other was low on the right side and a little back of the subject pointing upwards.</p>

<p ><em>"<a href="/photodb/user?user_id=6780504">Kyle Bybee</a> - Michael, I rented a Sigma 85 f/1.4 for a portrait session with my D7000 and although it took great images it had a lot of C.A. I had to take care of in post processing. Does the 50-150 have the same issue?"</em></p> <p>Not that I can see. The 50-150 OS is the best lens I've ever touched.</p> <p ><em>"<a href="/photodb/user?user_id=17942">Ellis Vener</a> - Ultra-wide to wide: AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G. Wide to short tele: AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED-IF. Short to moderate telephoto: AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF VR. Moderate to super-telephoto: AF-S 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF , plus optional 1.4x Nikon AF-S TC-14 III tele-converter (converts this lens to a 280-560mm f/5.6 but maintains minimum focus distance.)"</em></p> <p>Only if you have an Fx camera. My Dx setup is the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-50mm OS f/2.8, Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 OS, Tamron 60mm f/2 macro and Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 with a 1.4x teleconverter. Making a 35mm equivalent range of 17mm to 630mm, f/2.8 to f/4. Pretty damn good if you ask me.</p>

<p>There is no one BEST lens, and without details of the kind of photos you take, it's impossible to answer. Having said that, I chose a Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 OS (after I destroyed my Tamron 17-50 VC), and the Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 OS for my event, concert, portrait, catalogue work.</p>

<p>My Sigma 50-150 OS is the best lens I've ever touched.</p>

<p>I use two D300s bodies for all my pro work; events, concerts, catalogues, portraits. None of my clients have complained about the quality of the photos from my 12mp Dx cameras, in fact, they often comment that my gear is very impressive. As Jose mentioned, I do use Sigma, Tokina and Tamron f/2.8 Dx lenses. Before I bought the D300s, I used two 6mp D70s bodies for the same work. (What is tog?)</p>

<p>The thing I like so much about Photo.net is that it does not condone rumors. Please let's stick with that and leave rumors to the other forums. As behind the times as is professed about the D300s, mine sure does a good job. The most I will say is it would be nice to see a replacement for that; Dx, 24mp, ISO 25,000, 10fps, NOT smaller.</p>

<p>Another vote for the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, for Nikon or Canon. I use it with my Nikon D300s for concerts and it's been excellent.</p><div></div>

<p>I use the old 18-135 AF-S 3.5-5.6 for my "snapshot/travel lens" and find it very sharp and versitile. You may want to consider the new 18-140 VR Nikon, Or Sigma 18-125 3.5-5.6 OS.</p>

<p>This is my lens group with two D300s bodies for events, and anything else I encounter; Sigma 17-50 f/2.8, was a Tamron until I dropped it a couple months ago, either is a good choice; Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 (probably the best lens I've ever touched), Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 with 1.4x teleconverter. </p>

<p>I'm a gadget freak, usually get the better if not the best item available, but HD 1080 is so good, I don't have an interest in 4k. To me it's like comparing audio quality, yes, there are audio-files who will only listen to vinyl records on a $10,000+ system, but the general public does not. I going to venture a guess that with the broad sales of HD quality TVs the last few years, there might not be much of a market for 4k, look what's happened to 3D.</p> <p>In reply to shooting a wedding, last year I shot my nephews wedding with an iPhone 5s and a Canon R400, both 1080p (iPhone on a tripod for wide shots, Canon hand held for close shots). I cut it on Final Cut Pro X and burned a DVD that's not even Blu-ray. I was, and everyone who saw the finished video, were amazed at how good it looked. I now have a second R400, and a set of shotgun and wireless mics do to do future projects. (For ultra wide shots I use my D300s and a Tokina 11-16mm, even at 720p, it looks good.)</p>

<p>Just to add a little support to using a D300; I use two D300s factory refurbs for my event and concert work and they have served me very well for over three years. I could have chosen a D7000, but I prefer the functionality, size and speed of the D300s. My clients are extremely happy with their photos, and so am I.</p>

<p>Now-a-days zoom lenses come very close and can even surpass primes. Keep in mind perspective control lenses (expensive) that will give you control of straight lines in a tight area.</p> <p>(FYI, when you post a question, sometimes the system is very slow at receiving it, have patience next time after you click the Submit button, it will happen eventually.)</p>

<p>Just received the Sigma. Works very well, but somewhat smaller than the Tamron. At the moment I'm debating which I like better. I noticed that the zoom control on the Sigma has a shorter throw, so it should be faster to zoom.</p>

<p>I have tried that neck strap, and others, but I have such a good setup now with two Spider Holsters on a LowePro Technical Vest, that I just have to be more diligent holding the cameras. This is the first time that happened since I started using that setup three years ago, and I've used hands straps for about seven years without incident.</p> <p>I actually debated whether to get another Tamron, which I liked very much, or the Sigma. My Sigma 50-150 OS is the best lens I've ever touched, so I decided to go Sigma this time.</p>

<p>Last night I was shooting a concert of the Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic at Disney Music Hall with my two D300s, Sigma 50-150 OS and four year old Tamron 17-50 VC. At the end of the long night I was walking out of the post concert reception carrying the camera with the Tamron lens, and as I was getting ready to slip it in the Spider Holster on my shooting vest, it fell out of my hand and hit the terrazzo floor hard. Picking it up, I saw the the mount end of the lens was cracked 1/2 way around and separated from the mount. *%^&$@#$!! I could see that it was going to be expensive or impossible to repair, so I decided to just buy a new Sigma 17-50 OS.</p> <p>I always have my hand in the hand strap that I use for both my cameras (I have nerve damage in my neck and shoulders so can't use a strap), but this one time I was just holding it in the palm of my hand. Obviously I'll never do that again. BTW, I tested the body with my other lens and it seems to be fine.</p>

<p>Remco, he's using tethering to control the camera with his the computer, so a card reader would not help.</p> <p>Sirio, try launching Image Capture software that comes with the Mac, it has tethering built in.</p> <p>I find iPhoto to be very useful, it has many features people are not aware of, not just cataloging, but also very good image adjustment.</p>

<p>This was shot with a D300s (Dx) and Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC set at 30mm, SB600 in the hot shoe of the camera, tilted up 45 degrees, with a LumiQuest diffuser. I was about 25 feet away.</p><div></div>

<p>Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 OS. I use it for concerts, events, sports, probably the best lens I've ever handled.</p>