richard_thomas9

March 26, 2014

Chad, I say hold off on the body upgrade. Nikon presumably to announce 3-4 new bodies this year which 2 have already been announced (D3300 and D4S). With your luck, the remaining unannounced body maybe an updated DX flagship that fits your budget.

March 19, 2014

I'm never a been a fan of 50mm lenses on DX. I say go with the 85mm.

March 10, 2014

I plan to purchase a Rokinon 14MM but I see there are two versions? Both have AF confirm chip but what's the difference and would the FE14M worth the extra $$$?

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rokinon-F2-8-Ultra-Angle-Automatic/dp/B004NNUN02/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394459576&sr=8-1&keywords=rokinon+14mm+nikon">http://www.amazon.com/Rokinon-F2-8-Ultra-Angle-Automatic/dp/B004NNUN02/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394459576&sr=8-1&keywords=rokinon+14mm+nikon</a>

FE14M <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rokinon-FE14M-N-Ultra-Nikon-Black/dp/B003VS9UP4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1394459880&sr=8-2&keywords=rokinon+14mm+nikon">http://www.amazon.com/Rokinon-FE14M-N-Ultra-Nikon-Black/dp/B003VS9UP4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1394459880&sr=8-2&keywords=rokinon+14mm+nikon</a>

Also, would you purchase a refurbished "FE14M" for $299, regularly priced at $399? I have a D800 btw if that makes a difference.

March 6, 2014

I'll echo what everyone said. It isn't worth it and from experience, I can say it's a total scam. I used to work at Ritz Camera before they went out of business and they were notorious for pushing employees to sell extended warranties. In my time there, I rarely see customers with ext warranties bringing in their stuff for repair. If they do, Mgr would give an automatic response that the product is unrepairable due to variety of reasons. If we do accept the repair, it would take months for the repair process and most of the time it comes back as "unrepairable" status.

February 21, 2014

Sigma line up for both primes and zooms have been impressive as of late. You might want to check them.

January 8, 2014

My rule has always been is to skip a generation but if you are desperate, go full frame.

October 23, 2013

Only $245 repair cost? Man, I will pay that in a heartbeat.

October 23, 2013

I'm with Wouter. Why the need for a prime lens? There are lots of inexpensive fast zoom lenses that covers both FL you mentioned and could replace your current kit lens.

September 3, 2013

Ultra Wide Angle you say? 16mm is still not wide enough for DX. Tested the 11mm and had the 12mm when I used to shoot DX. They are both really good lenses but I opted for the 12mm to save some extra $$$ plus I rarely shoot wide open with my UWA lenses.

August 27, 2013

I maybe wrong but the OP mentioned f/2.8-4. I'm assuming he is referring to the new one. The old one is f2.8-4.5. @Wouter, I still believe the "18-200" is a very good "walk around" lens due to its wide range and max aperture is @5.6 compared to the third party equivalents is a tad slower at f/6.3 but for events, then I agree with you. I would rather have a different choice.

August 27, 2013

If no sensor and AF issues, I would keep it. One of my refurb D800 had 10K actuations and since it didn't have the notorious left focus problem, I decided to keep it. :D

August 27, 2013

The 18-200mm is a very good walk around lens and not sure what you meant when you said you are not getting sharper images. There are so many variables why you may not be getting sharp pictures. Can you post a pic? As for the Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4, my sister has this lens and she avoids shooting wide open at 17mm. The corners are just terribly soft.. I recall when I used to shoot DX, my main lens was the Nikon 16-85 VR. You may want to give the 16-85mm a try.

August 22, 2013

Rent the new 18-35G and see if you like it. I sold my Tok 16-28 for the new 18-35G and couldn't be happier.

August 22, 2013

When I upgraded to a D800, two things I had to upgrade - my lenses, and my hard drive and base on your lens listing, you may have to do the same. You need to define "casual shooting" because if you meant the 24-70 f/2.8 as "your walk" around lens, you may have to rethink that idea. The 24-70 is slightly heavier than your current 180 2.8 AI lens.

August 16, 2013

I bought my D800 and D300s refurbished. Downside - very limited warranty. 90 days on both my D800 and D300s seller warranty compare to Nikon's 5 years. Also, you may end up with high actuation. My D800 had 10k clicks but no worries for me since the D800 is rated with 200k. My D300s only had 200 clicks though, had it for more than 3 years now and still working great. As long as you are buying from a reputable dealer then you shouldn't worry of returning or exchanging it.

August 14, 2013

Forget the upgrade. The D300S buffer and speed is better suited for sports than any newer bodies out there. Also, most gyms are well lit and doesn't require you to crank up the ISO by much. With your budget, don't limit yourself to Nikon brands alone. Since you said 85mm maybe too long, you may want to check out third party lenses such as the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8.

August 9, 2013

Oh boy, now you started it. Somebody will post a pic taken by a 50 1.8G just to justify that the magazine is wrong. :D

August 6, 2013

If you shoot wide open, don't bother with the 50 1.8D & 85 1.8D. 50 1.8D is very soft wide open and the 85 1.8D has very pronounced "purple fringing." Sold both and replaced them with Sigma 50 and 85 1.4's. I also have Sigmas 150 2.8macro and 35 1.4. Sigma 35's sharpness is top notch. It is as sharp as the macro 150 2.8.

August 5, 2013

I agree with Arnold. Shot both 24-70 and 28-70 and they are heavy for walk around. My suggestion would be either both the new and old 24-85's.

July 29, 2013

I've shot weddings with just my 24G and Sigma 35 1.4 so I think your 18-35 is sufficient enough.

July 25, 2013

1. Disposable Camera to Smartphone!

2. Touchscreen baby!

3. Cheap!

July 17, 2013

DXOMark rating for both lenses on a D700 link below. Sigma only better by a point and not sure I would call it an upgrade. More like a waste of time and money from selling to spending more cash on the Sigma.

<a href="http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Lenses/Camera-Lens-Database/Sigma/50mm-F1.4-EX-DG-HSM-Nikon/%28camera%29/441/%28cameraname%29/Nikon-D700">Sigma 50</a>

<a href="http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Lenses/Camera-Lens-Database/Nikon/AF-Nikkor-50mm-f-1.4D/%28camera%29/441/%28cameraname%29/Nikon-D700">Nikon 50 1.4D</a>

July 12, 2013

@Shun, I bought a used D800 from a very reputable dealer down south but took me at least 4 copies to get one without the left focus issue. I'm assuming there are several frustrated owner ended up selling them and dealer where I purchased it from just purchase the bodies without thoroughly inspecting them pre and post sale.

July 12, 2013

^^^ or the person offering his D800 to you at a bargain price is having the known left focus issues and decided it's not worth keeping it.

July 5, 2013

Unfortunately, selling used lighting equipment won't garner much attention and if they do, you will probably receive offers half the retail price if lucky. If you pursue to turn this hobby into a pro one day then I would rather keep them.

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Posts posted by richard_thomas9