My other hobby purchase

[HowardH]

I love photography almost as much as woodworking and after 5 years of using a Nikon D200, an eternity in this field, I ordered a Nikon D610.  It's my first full frame DSLR, a full 24mp beast!   Fortunately, I started this hobby during the film days so I have some fairly decent full frame lenses to use.  I almost went whole hog and got a D800 but it's a 36mp and it creates huge files!  I also heard that for that particular camera, it is really meant to be used on a tripod as an alternative to a medium format as with those many MP, camera shake is a real concern and takes excellent technique to get a really sharp image.  One very cool feature of the 610 is it also doubles as a 1080 HD video camera as well.  That will come in really handy on vacations and kids concert recitals so I won't have to bring two cameras all the time.  I need to get some bigger SD cards as well.  I don't know why I do this to myself, I always gravitate towards expensive hobbies!   [big grin]  I'm also a member at the Nikonians.org website and those guys are just as fanatical about their Nikon gear as we are about our Festools!  It's fun!

 

[mike68au]

Congrats on the D610 Howard.... thats a great buy for sure.

I too also love Photography and use a Nikon D700.  The move to Full Frame is amazing and would recommend it to everyone who appreciates good photography.

With your SD Card i would highly recommend using the Sandisk Extreme Pro 32gb or 64gb, they are a nice fast card for read and write. Anything smaller (16gb) and you will only fit about 350 shots before it's full.  I get 605 on a 16GB with 12.1 megapixels.
Your also not alone with expensive hobbies, for me it's Festool, Nikon and Oakley (yes the Sunglasses ) i have/had a massive collection.

 

[hcoyote]

Congrats on the camera!  I bought the D800 last year.  Now that's a beast of a camera.

After working with Nikon flashes for a few years, I decided it was time to upgrade and bought some Profoto lighting equipment.  If you think Festool accessories are expensive, wait until you start getting into camera lighting.  The Profoto beauty dish and honeycomb grid are about the cost of a Carvex 420 and the accessory kit.

But, man ... is that light beautiful.

 

[HowardH]

I understand.  I have an SB800 that still works pretty well but may have to get the 900 series.  Have you ever tried a Gary Fong Lightsphere?  I have one and it throws beautiful light for portraits and fill.  Totally does away with shadows and it's a lot easier than carrying around a light box!  I have 2 - 16gig Sandisk Extreme Pro cards.  I''ll see if that's enough space.  I don't shoot raw very much, mostly jpeg high but I have heard the full-frame sensor creates big files.  Cards are pretty cheap and unlike Festool consumables, you can re-use them! 

 

[ShawnRussell]

No Canons?

 

[hcoyote]

I understand.  I have an SB800 that still works pretty well but may have to get the 900 series.  Have you ever tried a Gary Fong Lightsphere?  I have one and it throws beautiful light for portraits and fill.  Totally does away with shadows and it's a lot easier than carrying around a light box!  I have 2 - 16gig Sandisk Extreme Pro cards.  I''ll see if that's enough space.  I don't shoot raw very much, mostly jpeg high but I have heard the full-frame sensor creates big files.  Cards are pretty cheap and unlike Festool consumables, you can re-use them! 

I haven't tried anything from Gary Fong.  I don't generally shoot with the flash on my camera, so I end up not having to worry about it.  If I'm going with portable flash, it's usually hanging off a ttl cord and aimed at anything that'll give me suitable bounce:  the ceiling, the walls, the white nearest tall person with a white shirt.  Whatever works.

I also generally only shoot raw.  I don't like being hamstrung by jpeg.  But that also means I'm dealing with 40MB files and have to spend more money on backups.  But I'm ok with that.

 

[dltflt]

I really like my Lightsphere. It is the best.

 

[HowardH]

my cousin is a Sandisk rep so she can get me deals on memory cards!  ;D

 

[HowardH]

BTW and this is waaaaaayyyyy off topic but I just watched the opening show of the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.  He is a much better choice than Conan and IMO, a lot more likable.  He is going to make people forget about Leno in a hurry...

 

[GreenGA]

Yes, Canon user aficionado here...

I run a 1DS3, 5DMk3, M and a G1X; although JR primarily uses the G1X.

As for glass, I have more than I deserve.  That said, I just ordered a 35mm 1.4 L II, and the 14mm 2.8 L II.

[eek]

No Canons?

 

[NuggyBuggy]

I bought the D800 on release, but unless I'm shooting video (which is almost never), I really wish I hadn't sold my D700.  There are small changes, but the ergonomics on the D700 seemed so much better.  That camera was beautiful.

 

[mike68au]

I bought the D800 on release, but unless I'm shooting video (which is almost never), I really wish I hadn't sold my D700.  There are small changes, but the ergonomics on the D700 seemed so much better.  That camera was beautiful.

That makes me feel good....  having the D700 is awesome, though if the chance came to get a D3 or D3s I would grab it as it weighs less than my D700 when gripped and i really do prefer the bottom grip. keep putting money towards glass instead because thats what really makes the difference.

 

[NuggyBuggy]

I bought the D800 on release, but unless I'm shooting video (which is almost never), I really wish I hadn't sold my D700.  There are small changes, but the ergonomics on the D700 seemed so much better.  That camera was beautiful.

That makes me feel good....  having the D700 is awesome, though if the chance came to get a D3 or D3s I would grab it as it weighs less than my D700 when gripped and i really do prefer the bottom grip. keep putting money towards glass instead because thats what really makes the difference.

Yeah, I started with a D80, then moved to the D300, D700, then D800.  I loved each upgrade until I hit the D800 where it just felt like I took a step backwards.  To be honest, I bought it for the expected low-light gains, but this was the first stop in the progression where I didn't notice a huge difference in performance.  I do notice what I feel to be reduced ergonomics. It's heavier, bigger, and just clunkier in my hands.  The D700 always put a smile on my face when I picked it up - it felt like a glove.

I think a lot of people feel the same way about the two cameras.  Of course, the D700 didn't do video.

I also have the OM-D,and I use it with the battery grip attachment - I agree I like the lower grip.  Love that camera as well.  I could free up a lot of cash, weight and space by dumping my Nikon gear.....  Just can't bring myself to do it.

 

[HowardH]

A worthy subject, don't you think?  ;D  He wasn't happy with me disturbing his nap.  D610, Nikkor 85mm 1.8 in Aperture Priority mode. 

[attachimg=#1]

 

[tiralie]

A worthy subject, don't you think?   ;D  He wasn't happy with me disturbing his nap.  D610, Nikkor 85mm 1.8 in Aperture Priority mode. 

Lovely DOF that lens has. I bet the AF makes it easy to focus too.
Tim

 

[hcoyote]

A worthy subject, don't you think?   ;D  He wasn't happy with me disturbing his nap.  D610, Nikkor 85mm 1.8 in Aperture Priority mode. 

BTW, the Rokinon 85mm F1.4 is a nice lens, if you don't mind that it's manual focus (but it does meter!).  And it's pretty cheap, too.

 

[HowardH]

I love using primes when I can since they are so sharp and have great DOF.  My cousin is a Zeiss rep but that's a bit outta my league...    Plus they are only manual focus.  The other companies they make lenses for, i.e. Sony, won't let them market any autofocus lenses. 

 

[CharlesWilson]

I love that lens! With my D600, I rarely use a flash indoors anymore because of that lens and the 50mm 1.8. Indoors I usually run in Aperture Priority mode, with ISO Auto (up to 6400) with cutoff shutter speed of 1/100 sec.

For most of my woodworking photos, I still use the old trusty D40X on a tripod with supplemental lighting.

Charles

 

[Sparktrician]

Yeah, I started with a D80, then moved to the D300, D700, then D800. 

 

I started the serious digital progression with a Fujifilm S7000, then migrated to the D80 and finally to the D90 which is everything the D80 wasn't.  Every time I think of moving up, I think of the additional weight and plethora of features that I never use, then look at my reliable, relatively light D90 with a new appreciation.  My daughter-in-law is loving the D80.  Back in the '80s I used to carry two F3s, then an F4 and an N90 and a ton of very nice glass, but the weight got very old and very quickly.  I'm thinking of going to the Fujifilm X-E2 for even more weight reduction. 

 

[HowardH]

maybe you could use a syscart to carry all that around!  [big grin]  How's that for a Festool tie in?