mark_bush1

<p>All the drama! We are confusing two important concepts here: "not the latest model" and "obsolete". There is NOTHING obsolete about a D3S. It simply is not the bleeding edge. It takes the same quality image as it did a year ago. Or did it suddenly stop working at all?</p>

<p>Dear Dave, I doubt anyone cares. Is there some greater good to your bashing a great, new product designed for a particular segment of the photography market? Do you offer any sort of solution? Do you illuminate any identifiable problem or identify any issue that Nikon overlooked? No! Then what's the point?<br>

No haters, man! Life's too short. If you don't like the D800, don't f-ing buy it. Relax. Start wagging more and barking less.</p>

<p>Agree with Peter. Why spend a fortune on a D3 and then go cheap over a $60 difference? Is a 1% or less saving substantial or justifiable?</p>

<p>I was a PW beta tester and have used them for over two years stretching back before they were publicly released. Based on my experience, the only issue you may have is trying to use a weak battery will produce inconsistent results. So always use fully-charged batteries and they should work flawlessly. I really can't give them enough praise.</p>

<p>Try a collapsible reflector and shoot beside a north-facing window (assuming northern hemisphere). It's MUCH cheaper than buying a new lens or flash. If you do get a flash, keep it off the camera. Get a light stand and umbrella for $30-50 and some sort of remote triggering device.<br>

There are four levels of triggers that you should be aware of: 1. Optical triggers ($10 on eBay) can use the light from light from an on-camera flash to trigger the mounted flash; 2. Infrared triggers ($25 on eBay) use infrared lights from a shoe-mounted trigger but have to be in line-of-sight to the receiver/flash; Radio triggers ($40 on eBay), same as infrared but use radio waves and do not have to be in line-of-sight (but are somewhat inconsistent in my experience); 4. PocketWizard/RadioPoppers ($200-$400 for a set) use higher-frequency signals and are MUCH more dependable than radio triggers (and PocketWizard Mini/Flex models allow you to use iTTL control features of your Nikon flash/camera).</p>

<p>I have been using the Black Rapid strap for two years. After seeing and hearing how much I enjoyed mine, my wife tried it and IMMEDIATELY ordered one for herself. The only thing I would do differently is I ordered a different plate (from marketcreative on eBay) so that I could mount the camera on a tripod without having to remove the plate, and by ALL means, order the under-the-arm strap (BRAD) so you can control the strap pad sliding down your back.<br>

I will guarantee that you will prefer it to using the neck strap.</p>

<p>If I were doing it all over again, I would never buy a lens slower than 2.8. Forget about kit lenses. In fact, I would forego the 18-55 or 55-200 range for a good 2.8 or faster. Look at the Sigma or Tamron equivalents to the Nikkor 17-55 2.8 or even better, the 24-70 2.8. Throw in a couple of 1.8 prime lenses for a couple hundred dollars each and I think you would be MUCH more satisfied. When/If you get more serious and want to upgrade your glass, you have lenses that will sell without losing your shirt on them. Eventually, you'll end up with 14-24 2.8, 24-70 2.8 and a 70-200 2.8, ... the "holy trinity" of lenses. That's me. YMMV.</p>

<p>Cynthia,<br>

It looks like you shoot the same subjects that my wife and I do. We upgraded our kit lens to a Nikkor 18-200 3.5-4.6 for an all-around, general-purpose shooting lens. Since then I have decided that I would ONLY buy a lens with an aperture 2.8 or faster.<br>

Here's my perfect set of lenses: Zooms: 14-24mm 2.8, 24-70mm 2.8, 70-200mm 2.8; Primes all 1.8 (or 1.4 if you can afford it): 35mm or 50mm, and 85mm or 105mm. Add a fisheye for fun. If you need more length, consider a 1.4 or 2.0 teleconverter before another lens. If you HAVE to get another lens, (and have adequate fundage) try a 400mm F4. All that remains are maybe a PC-E lens or some other sort of specialty lenses (like a Lensbaby).</p>

<p>I'll have to join the D300s replacement crowd. As a relatively new studio, we are working on upgrading gear and had planned to buy 2 D300s bodies back in May when I got wind that the 300s was about to reach end-of-life. I'd rather not wait until next spring to upgrade. I cannot afford to replace all my DX glass and move to a full-frame body. I am being sorely tempted by the D7000, but really do want to more rugged D300s style body and the more professional capabiilties would seem to be forthcoming in a D300s replacement. I'm trying my best to hold out for the D400s (or whatever it will be called).</p>

<p>Took a trip to Newport, KY, where we photographed our Norwegian exchange student, Cecilie.</p>

<div></div>

<p>I had the pleasure of beta testing the Mini/Flex for Nikon. They were GREAT! When they were released, I bought two MinisTT1s and three FlexTT5s.<br>

When my wife and I both shoot simultaneously, we set her TT1 on channel 1 and mine on Channel 2 so we fire only own our own speedlights. When one of us needs to use all three SB-600s, the other simply turns off his or her TT1 and we switch the speedlights to the corresponding channel and go. They make a great solution for outside family, senior or children's sessions when we have to rely on something more than optical or infrared triggers. When we shoot weddings and receptions, it is great to have our respective assignments and not worry about fouling the other's exposures by trigger the wrong flash. And the Auto Hi-Speed Sync makes it a breeze to get balanced exposures when there is some backlighting or bright sun.<br>

TTL or manual, the work flawlessly (as long as we have fresh batteries). Battery life is good for the Flex and excellent for the Mini. I love that the Flex uses AA batteries since they are so easily accessible. I have learned that when the Mini's battery gets low, it must be changed immediately, so I always keep two spare CR batteries in each bag.<br>

I have not tried the SB-700 yet with the PWs but hope to do so once we have purchased a couple of them. Next on my list though is trying to fire a remote camera using the PW FlexTT5. After that, studio strobes. I really love the flexibility and dependability I get with the PW FlexTT5 and MiniTT1!<br>

The following photo was taken a week after I got my beta units for testing.<br>

<img src="/www.catchlightphotographyonline.com/Client-Proofing/Amanda/Pose01/1055763708_3gMWt-M.jpg" alt="" /></p><div></div>

<p>I was fortunate to be a beta tester for the Mini and Flex for Nikon, so I have been using them since about September of this past year. The only issues that I have ever had was when the battery for the trigger was getting weak, there was some inconsistency in the remote units firing. My advice is to keep freshly charged batteries in the units and make sure that they are turned off when not in use. Otherwise, in my experience, they are flawless.</p>