luca_m.

June 8, 2013

Thanks everybody for weighing in. I always thought the sigma was at its best around f 4 / 5.6, which makes sense. I recently switched to a D7100, after many years of shooting a D40. Is it fair to say that the sensor was the limiting factor for sharpness with the D40? Also, is the same true for the D7100?

Luca

June 7, 2013

Sorry if this has been asked before. I grew up thinking that using higher f values whenever possible (for a given lens) meant ending up with better pic quality. Is this still true for modern equipment? Are there specific advantages or disadvantages in selecting a lower f number? Is there a rule of thumb for selecting the 'ideal' f value for a given lens (for instance my Sigma 150mm macro lens). Do zoom lenses behave like primes in this context?

Luca

June 1, 2013

D7100, ISO 100, Sigma 150mm, f/4.0, 1/250

May 26, 2013

I just wanted to report back that the camera works perfectly with the Sandisk Extreme Pro card. Wow, what a difference from my old D40. A lot to get familiar with. Thanks everyone.

May 25, 2013

Thanks for the info Shun, much appreciated. The Extreme Pro 32GB 95MB/s is the card I have on order. I'll probably buy a second one today, to test if the camera is OK. After all, the new camera has two slots... :-D

May 25, 2013

It seems as though the Acumem card does not work with the D7100. I tried formatting it, and an error message pops up about the card being defective. I've used this 8GB card for years (and until yesterday) on my D40, never had one problem.

Nikon website recommends using at least a class 6 card for movie recording, so I thought this card should work just fine, at least for storing pictures. Must be a compatibility issue. Looking at the Acumem card I can't see any reference to UHS-I (new standard?), maybe this is the problem.

I think I'll get a Sandisk card locally, just to make sure the camera is OK. :-)

May 24, 2013

Thanks guys. Got the D7100 in my greedy hands. :-) How heavy it is, compared to my old camera! I think I'll keep lossless 14 bit as my default.

While I'm waiting for my Sandisk 32GB extreme pro SDHC, I tried using the card in my current D40: 8GB Acumem SDHC class 6. I am getting an "Err" on the D7100. I'm guessing the 8GB card is not compatible with the D7100?

May 23, 2013

I am finally ready to move on from my D40 to a D7100 camera. :-D I am shooting mostly macro and wildlife.

I am not sure what I should pick as default for file storage on the D7100:

NEF (RAW), Lossless compressed, 12-bit

NEF (RAW), Lossless compressed, 14-bit

NEF (RAW), Compressed, 12-bit

NEF (RAW), Compressed, 14-bit

How much better is "lossless compressed" from "compressed" - would one actually notice the difference between the two? Also, is the 12 / 14 bit noticeable? In case it is, then why leave the 12 bit option?

Thanks,

Luca

May 23, 2013

D40, sigma 150mm, ISO 200

February 25, 2013

I really appreciate all the answers provided. As it turns out, I did not buy any gear yet, other things got priority. Meantime, the Nikon D7100 is coming out, I might need to re-align all my ducks again. :-)

Patrick, could not help but notice that the body of your post was taken, copy-and-paste style, from the beginning of one of the articles (the second link you provided).

Are you the author, or was this just a test to see if I actually followed the links?

November 23, 2012

I was on the wrong track. Apparently what I was referring to in the youtube video is the Acratech nodal rail:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/650464-REG/Acratech_1135_Nodal_Rail_with_Level.html

November 23, 2012

Nice video. I will probably

go with the knob lock. A

couple of times in the

video, part of a long

graduated plate is shown. I

am guessing also made by

Arca Swiss. Is that a

"slidefix"? Thinking it

could come in handy. Is this

what Ellis was talking about

recommending a longer plate.

Sorry I could not figure

this out earlier.

November 22, 2012

Thanks again Peter. The z1

is officially back in the

mix. :-)

November 20, 2012

@John,

Thanks for your input. You

have the very same tripod

I'm planning to get.

Anything I should know? :-)

Do you think that the ball

head limiting you in any

way, as opposed to a geared

head?

November 20, 2012

Thanks for replying. At this

point I think I've narrowed

down my search a bit.

Either go with a geared

head, like the Manfrotto

410, and maybe acquire a

ball head down the road; or

go the ball head route, and

compromise.

The Acratech ultimate is

tempting: light, not very

expensive, some seem happy

with it for macro work. I

read a few comments about

it being too 'flexible'...

The Markins q10 and q20 also

popped up a few times in my

searching as having a good

value, though I could not

find a lot of reference to

macro, not sure why.

Peter, may I ask what these

new Arca heads will have on

the existing z1 that caused

you to change your mind?

November 18, 2012

Thanks Peter. What about the Acratech ultimate ballhead? Obviously, I am not looking for something that would be the best of both worlds, just a reasonable compromise. Hope this makes sense. :)

November 18, 2012

Thanks for the replies. Sorry I didn't specify... Most of the macro I do is flowers, insects, spiders. I have a monopod, but this will be my first and only tripod, so it should be able to help with non-macro photography also (landscape, birds). Longest tele lens I own is the Nikon 300mm. Would an Arca monoball Z1 be a good enough choice? I don't want to toss money away, OTOH this should be something I would not feel thee need to replace anytime soon.

November 18, 2012

I've been reading several threads. I'm almost set on the Velbon mag slider for a focusing rail. Leaning toward a Gitzo GT2531 for legs. The head is what I am most uncertain about. I've seen comment favoring both ball and 3-way types. Camera is a Nikon D7000 with Sigma 150 ex dg lens. Budget for the tripod / head is around $1000. The tripod will be used mostly for macro, the rest for landscape photography.

Luca

March 16, 2012

Thanks everyone for the advice. It sound as though a D7000 is the way to go. I hope the viewfinder in the D7000 is a little 'brighter' than the one in my D40. I've just turned 50 and my eyes are not getting any better with age, surprise! That is what I was trying to say by 'luminosity', sorry, poorly worded. May I ask which flash or ring light would you recommend for D7000/Sigma 150? Had a look online there are hundreds of options...

March 15, 2012

I have a Sigma 150mm EX DG lens which I like, body is D40. One of the things I've resented about this setup has been the luminosity (or better the lack of it); also the lack of clarity of the D40 viewfinder. To have a few more buttons, on the camera, to not have to access the menu screen for so many functions, would also be nice. In spite of that, I have been often (well, sometimes) happy about pic quality.

I have a few other lenses and of course take other kind of pictures than macro, but that is my main interest at this time. I mostly have non full frame lenses with one exception (300mm f4 AF-S). I am not sure if I should stick to small sensor bodies like D40?

I am also curious about the lens... How is the SIgma 150 lens regarded here? Is there something a lot better out there, without breaking the bank? What kind of upgrade would you recommend for my situation? :)

Thanks,

Luca

August 2, 2009

I was in a similar situation, and ended up buying a 300mm F/4. This lens would solve your 1, 2 and 3 problems right away. Maybe later you can add a TC and fix # 4 as well. I have the 1.4 TC, and it seems to detract very little from image quality, providing there is enough light. Maybe a used 300 F/4, if you can find one?

June 3, 2009

This is not really a trick, more like a suggestion... here it is: if you don't already have one, get a macro lens. I think that shooting macro is really helping me improve my photography. Perhaps it's just me... :-)

Luca

May 24, 2009

The first lens I bought for my D40 was a Sigma 30mm f/1.4. I have been very happy with the quality of the lens.

It can produce very sharp images. A very good value, IMHO.

May 18, 2009

Thank you all replying. Kari, in answer to your question, the images had some clarity boost (30) and sharpening (40). Also CA Red/Cyan (-12) correction. I use Lr 2.3.

Looking at your sharpened sample it seems as though I should apply more sharpening... I honestly never felt much need to exceed 40-45 sharpening with images taken with my other lenses (Sigma 30, Sigma 150, Nikkor 300 f/4).

Is the sharpening tool included in Lr OK?

Luca

May 17, 2009

Thanks JDM and Matt. It may well be just anxiety on my part... I never really used such a wide angle before. Strangely enough, the more I look at those pictures the better they look. It's almost a different kind of photography I just have to get used to. It's simply amazing how much a 10mm can take in. I will definitely run more tests using a tripod. You guys also make good points about focusing and diffraction. It's nice to know that sharpness improves moving closer to the 20mm end.

Luca

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Posts posted by luca_m.