prettygeeky

<p>Since you have a healthy budget (willing to get two more sb900s)... and if you want to get into remote TTL speedlight control, you should look into RadioPoppers. The RP system will do everything Nikon CLS can do... and do it via radio.<br>

Personally, I use the RP system alongside an SU-800 commander and a few speedlights, works great.</p>

<p>I'm curious about ND filters (thinking about the SinghRay vari-ND). When you set it to block 1 or 2 stops... how much does this affect focusing ability? Does it darken the viewfinder so much that you have to focus beforehand then use the ND?</p>

<p>Richard, I too have been trying to find a solution to the same problem you've proposed. Under broad overhead daylight, I want to use a wider aperture to maintain subject to background separation. I am currently using 2 x SB600s, with HSS they work well bare bulb, but suffer greatly if I try to use a modifier.</p>

<p>Like you, I figured the ND would block a few stops to allow me the wider aperture. However, I wondered if this same ambient "blocking" ability would unfortunately block flash power too. Naturally I thought about the SinghRay VariND, but did not want to drop $400 to experiment (or even $100 for a normal ND filter for that matter).</p>

<p>Outside of waiting for the sun to set a bit (not always an option)... I don't have any solutions to add to this thread. I just wanted to post that I too am seeking a solution.</p>

<p>Glad the glass survived. *note to self. Have wife drop camera when in need of an upgrade. =)</p>

<p>For the price, the zeikos grip is well made. I've had mine for over 9months now. My heavy D700 hangs over my shoulder on a 3rd party strap that is attached to the bottom screw plate of the zeikos. No problems so far.</p>

<p>I too was paranoid, so I checked the construction of the grip. Although the whole grip is not made of metal... the bottom plate is reinforced with a metal plate. Any magnet will show you this.</p>

<p>No matter what you do, even with all the UI tricks like no-right click, transparent gif... anyone can simply hit the Print Screen button and capture your image. It is a trade off of the internet.</p>

<p>With that said, if you want to prevent the copy of your actual image file you may need to code it out in flash or a java applet. =/ This wouldn't be anything a non-programmer would be able to easily do. The proper code should take into consideration search engine optimization and usability related features like deep linking, history.. etc.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>For my speedlight use outdoors, I'll grab an umbrella (if it isn't too windy outside) or a Photoflex Medium Litedome 24x36 (more resistant to wind).<br>

My typical portrait shoots involve just the GF and I. Guess who gets stuck carrying the gear =/. This is the main reason my initial set of gear focused on speedlights... portability. If you have assistants lugging your gear around, then monolights like the AlienBees w/ portable Vegabond battery power (20lbs) would provide you more power.<br>

Regarding overpowering the sun, sure it can be challenging with speedlights, but choose the right spot or time of day and you'll be surprised how effective speedlights are.</p>

<p>Since you asked for pictures:<br>

A few of my photos using speedlights through a medium softbox (including a BTS setup).<br>

http://www.prettygeeky.com/2009/09/03/summer-is-fading-fall-is-here/</p>

<p>Here's a speedlight-softbox setup a popular photo blogger uses:<br>

http://neilvn.com/tangents/2008/11/14/softboxes-with-speedlights/</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Take a look at the Alien Bees PLM umbrellas. You can get the shoot through whites and the additional back fabric to greatly reduce back spill that could flare your shots. For the price, I love build and performance of the PLM umbrellas.</p>

<p>I visited Beijing a few months ago. The city is full of beautiful historic places. I took a D700, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm. The relatively lightweight and unobtrusive primes worked out well for me, but there were times I wish I had a wider lens. If you want an idea of the places you may be seeing (Great Wall, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven), take a look at some of the photos I took: http://www.prettygeeky.com/2009/12/03/the-great-wall-of-china-photos/</p>

<p>Here are my other recommendations. As many have said, the summer heat will be unforgiving, I would make sure to bring comfortable gear. You will be doing A LOT of walking.</p>

<p>Things I would recommend are:<br>

1) lightweight camera backpack. For long walks/hikes, I find that backpacks distribute the overall weight of your gear much better than side/shoulder bags. It can hold your bottled water too.<br>

2) Shoulder strap for camera. Your neck will be raw after lugging around your camera all day. The black rapid R-straps worked great and was very comfortable for me. It distributes the weight of your camera across your body. With all the walking, there was never a time that I felt my camera was "in the way".<br>

3) There are multiple segments of the Great Wall you can visit. For better picture opps, I went to the less busy Mutianyu segment.<br>

4) Be prepared for the smog. I can't imagine how the air quality would be in the summer. =/</p>

<p>A little off-topic but since you are replacing eyepieces. I swapped my D700 stock eyepiece for the <a href="http://www.hoodmanusa.com/products.asp?dept=1061">Hoodman Eyecup</a> . I definitely prefer it over the normal one.</p>

<p>As the above posts have stated, you may have a broken latch, as mine was an easy twist off.</p>

<p>I was fortunate enough to visit China last month. Here's a shot of the Great Wall at the less touristy Mutianyu segment. Snow had fallen just a few days before, but it was beautiful the day we visited.</p>

<p>Shady side of the Great Wall. D700 85mm 1.4</p><div></div>

<p>Happy Wednesday Everyone,</p>

<p>We were at a Christmas boutique store over the weekend... It's that time already! I love this time of the year.<br>

Ty</p><div></div>

<p>Roberta,<br>

My response is a bit off-topic, but since you mentioned about the weight of lenses around your neck being a concern... I would suggest thinking about a shoulder strap like the BlackRapid R-straps. You'll be surprised how evenly it distributes the weight of your camera + lens. With a shoulder strap, you may be more willing to use heavier lenses. At the least, you're neck will thank you for it. =)</p>

<p>I try to take daily walks (2-3mile) around the neighborhood... yesterday I picked up my D700 + 85mm 1.4 (both quite heavy relative to normal gear) and strapped it around my shoulder using R-strap. It's a night and day difference compared to walking around with the default neck strap.</p>

<p>Ty</p>

<p>Best bet would be to get an umbrella adapter that doesnt have the hotshoe on it. Slip a mounting stud onto it and screw your PX mount onto that. I prefer these heavy duty adapters: http://www.adorama.com/BG2905.html</p>

<p>I use this set up all the time.</p>

<p>BTW if you're interested I posted a DIY mod on splitting radio poppers.. 1 radio popper px controlling 2 speedlights. Here's the link to my blog post ( http://www.prettygeeky.com/2009/09/01/diy-radio-popper-splitter/ ). Enjoy =)</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Forget about the SB400... although it pivots up and down, the flash head won't rotate.. thus you won't be able to shoot in portrait mode properly.</p>

<p>If you are looking for portability with a studio look... I would suggest speedlights with umbrellas (I like the Paul Buff PLM umbrellas) or portable softboxes like a Photoflex Q39 medium softbox. I use SB600s with both setups and they work great.</p>

<p>Thanks for the comments everyone. It's always wonderful seeing pictures from all over the world.</p>

<p>Thanks Dave. It's amazing what a few quick PP processes can do. It can change the whole mood of a shot or salvage a shot that was thought to be lost.<br>

Ty</p>

<p>Marten,<br>

I can't comment so much on the photography aspects of the shot as I am just starting off on this myself. However, with regards to post-production I would suggest to not be afraid to clean up images; this will be your next best option, other than retaking the shot.</p>

<p>A few simple things I did in Photoshop.<br>

- removed distracting elements (top right corner, bottom right corner).. this will put the focus back onto the bride.<br>

- level adjustment (will make black levels pop.. enhancing the eyes)<br>

- desaturated some of the yellow. (soften up the overall tone)<br>

- added a little contrast</p>

<p>Hope this helps,<br>

Ty</p><div></div>

<p>Happy Humpday everyone... very nice contributions. Here's... Domo on the Rocks.</p><div></div>

<p>I have the D700 and Tamron 28-75 2.8. The build quality is nice.. certainly doesn't feel cheap and plasticky... but I find myself having to stop down to f4-5 to get the sharpness that I'm happy with. This is the trade off of getting it for 1/3 the price of the vaunted Nikkor 24-70 I guess.</p>

<p>Happy humpday everyone. Here's my contribution taken a few days ago.</p>

<p>Yummy bokeh.<br>

D700, 50/1.8 ~ 1/20 @ f1.8 ISO800. w/ SB600 bounced in umbrella<img src="http://www.prettygeeky.com/images/uploads/stuff/yummybokeh-1.jpg" alt="" /></p><div></div>

<p>You cant prevent the pop-up flash from firing... but you can set its power level so that it does not effect the exposure of your shot.<br>

As the others have mentioned, you can 1) get the blocker panel (~$12) or 2) get the SU-800 commander (~$250).</p>

<p>Frame your subjects well to take advantage of distant lights... you can create some amazing bokeh shots. I stumbled upon a bay area photographer Dustin Diaz. He takes great nightime shots.<br>

His site: http://photography.dustindiaz.com/</p>

 

<p>Just looked at your video. Wow that is quite a noticeable stutter. I wouldn't tolerate that level of noise for such an expensive lens.</p>

<p>I just received my PLM 64" and 42" as well. Wow, I love the extra output... and I'm just using them with Nikon SB600 speedlights too. They are affordable, and are built very well, much stronger than my first cheapo Impact brand starter kit umbrellas.</p>