Photography how-to, reviews, guidance and more.
Unfortunately it is not possible to charge the battery grip via USB-C. You can see the top right green LED is on when I charge the camera itself via USB-C, indicating that the internal battery is being charged:
The two green LEDs bottom left that indicate the batteries in the grip are being charged only switches on when the dedicated charge cable for the grip is plugged in (the black cable bottom left):
Ever since the film days, SLR (Single lens reflect) cameras were built with a mirror behind the lens, that sends the light from the lens up into a pentaprism, that passes the light on to the viewfinder for the photographer to see. When the shutter is pressed, the mirror flicks up, exposing the film or the sensor behind it and the content captured will be the same as what the photographer could see in the viewfinder. During this process, the viewfinder turns black as the mirror blocks the light.
With the introduction of Digital SLRs, the film was replaced by a sensor that not only can read the light in a fraction of a second, but actually can do so constantly, which opens up for shooting movies. Further, many DSLRs today are equipped with a large screen on the back to present menus and options for configuring the camera, plus previewing the pictures.
Live view combines the sensor and the LCD on the back of the camera, so that the camera continuously shows on the screen what the sensor receives. As the mirror, when it is down, blocks the light from the sensor, the DSLR will – when it is put in live view mode – flick the mirror away to allow the light continuously to flow to the sensor:
The camera will – subject to the processing capacity – try to make what is viewed on the screen as close to real time view as possible, but for older cameras you will notice a lag or a bit of delay in what is shown in the rear screen.
Some cameras allow you to flip the screen upwards or downwards, and some are even fully articulating, allowing you to swing the screen 180 degrees around to be viewed from the front of the camera. Many vloggers use this feature to view themselves when recording video. The rear screen on the older Nikon D700 depicted above is fixed and cannot be moved at all.
So other than this now being technically possible, what is the point with Live View, if any? I think there are several:
First of all, sometimes the optical viewfinder is hard to use, for example when you try to shoot in a very low or a very high angle. You may want to shoot over a crowd at a concert, or shoot very low to get a certain angle of view. In those cases it can be difficult to put your eye to the viewfinder, unless you either have brought along a ladder an/or want to crawl on the ground. Especially if your camera has a tilt screen, then you will love this feature, but even with a fixed screen the Live View is a big help.
Second, the fact that the rear screen is a processed version of what hits the sensor, it is possible to combine what the sensor sees with various electronic overlays like a large virtual horizon indicator. I use that a lot to secure that my landscape pictures are level. Another example is focus peak indicators, where the screen shows which parts of the picture is in focus – it can be in the shape of say red colored dots. This is a great aid in obtaining focus when shooting with a lens without autofocus. A third example is to show picture in picture, i.e. the normal picture and then a smaller frame inside the picture where a zoomed in version of the picture is shown, again to aid focus.
Third, maybe a variation of the second, is that you can zoom in on the picture in the rear screen. Again this feature is super useful if you shoot with a manual focus lens and want to zoom in to make sure you have nailed focus.
A fourth benefit of Live View is that the camera typically does not use the dedicated focus system, but instead used the sensor and a bit of processing power to obtain focus. As many elder cameras have the focus points only in the center of the frame, you cannot obtain focus say in the corners. With Live View this limitation is gone and for single point focus you can use all of the frame to select your focus point. Especially macro photography shooters with elder cameras use this feature a lot.
Finally, when shooting into the sun, the light that you see on the rear screen is a processed version of reality and I doubt that the LCD screen is so powerful that it can blindfold you. When shooting into the sun using the optical viewfinder, I often find that I am blindfolded temporarily when staring straight into the sun. So I often turn to Live View in those cases. Notice that many camera manufacturers warn against shooting into the sun, both in Live View and using the optical viewfinder, so please consult the manual for your camera beforehand.
The rear screen requires power to operate, and a lot more than the optical viewfinder where that part of the process is purely mechanical. So you will find that your batteries will be eaten faster than when shooting using the optical viewfinder.
For elder cameras, you may find that live view is sloooow. Very slow. It takes ages from you hit the shutter to the picture is done. On my Nikon D700 for example, the focus part alone takes several seconds (when in Tripod mode), where it for later models (the D750 for example) is much better.
And finally sunshine is not your friend if you shoot outside on a sunny day. It is like watching TV outside. It can be difficult to see the screen.
Thank you for reading this far. Comments, questions and suggestions are more than welcome!
Illustrations used:
User: Kolossos – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=925806
http://orig01.deviantart.net/6d63/f/2009/019/a/1/eye_in_profile_by_evaldaz.jpg
Is mirrorless cameras better than DSLRs?
I shoot both mirrorless and DSLRs and enjoy both of them. But there are differences, and in this post I want to share how I see them, and give you advantages of both types of cameras. My DSLRs are the Nikon D750, D700 and D5600, whereas my mirrorless are the Sony A7Rii, Fuji X-T3 and X-T20.
Viewfinder options. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) gives some options for combining camera metrics and the traditional viewfinder in one screen, where the DSLR primarily gives the view through the lens, and allows a bit of data to be displayed beneath. The EVF can show you what hits the sensor alongside with vital metrics like the histogram , just to give one example, and the DSLR has no chance to do so, other than in live view mode.
Autofocus. The autofocus capabilities of a modern mirrorless are nothing but astonishing. It is probably debatable if the software in the camera is artificial intelligence or just very powerful software, but the result it delivers cannot be disputed. With continuous software updates the manufacturers can push new and better software to do face recognition and eye detection, and the recent Fuji X-T3 software update is a brilliant example of the progress made. Also, there is typically no limitation to where you can put the focus point for single point focus – on a DSLR that is more or less limited to the center of the frame.
Exposure preview. If you, like me, shoot at lot in manual mode, the exposure preview in the EVF is a huge help. What you see in the viewfinder emulates exactly the picture you will take when you hit the shutter, so if your settings underexpose the picture, your viewfinder shows a dark picture. I know that a DSLR has a metering scale that says the same, but I am often so occupied with looking at the subject, framing, etc that I forget to look at the meter. The “warning” that you get from the EVF has saved me some frustrations more than once.
Shooting with old manual focus lenses. The fact that the EVF allows you to zoom what you see in the viewfinder, is a huge benefit to manual focus, and this in combination with focus peak points makes manual focus on a mirrorless so much easier than a DSLR. In fact, these features in combination with a dumb adaptors, makes it possible to use vintage lenses from various brands on any mirrorless camera. So the huge amount of cheap but high quality vintage glass available has suddenly been brought to new life due to the features of the mirrorless camera bodies.
Silence. Maybe a specialized feature, but you can shoot absolutely silent with a mirrorless camera. No moving parts when you hit the shutter, if you switch on the electronic “curtain”. It is a very strange feeling when you try it first time, and I have my camera simulate the sound of a DSLR to give me feedback that a picture was taken. But I can see that wedding photographers taking the “I do” picture or the discrete street photographer enjoying the stealth mode of their mirrorless cameras.
Video capabilities. The mirrorless cameras get more and more computing power and this also makes it possible to process more and more resolution and frames per second. We have seen 1080p grow to 4K and 8K, the bit depth increases and the max frames per second also seems to double every second year. And this technology is primarily available in mirrorless, with the Nikon D780 being the exception to this rule. So demanding hybrid shooters probably only look towards mirrorless when choosing a camera these days.
The optical viewfinder (OVF). No matter how good they make the electronic viewfinder (EVF), it will never be as good and as fast as the optical one. There is no lag at all, and what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG). On the EVF, you are watching TV. Modern EVFs are fast and have a lot of resolution, but it will never be as fast and as high resolution as the real deal.
The battery life. Provided you don’t shoot in live view, the advantage of the DSRL is that it doesn’t have to fire up and power a TV screen (the EVF) that drains a lot of power. So the battery life of a DSLR is much longer than the mirrorless. You probably want to get a vertical grip for your mirrorless alone for the reason that it holds one or more extra batteries to compensate for the fact that a mirrorless chews your batteries like packman chews coins.
Ergonomics. I am of the opinion that a camera should either be so small you can carry and operate it with 3 fingers (like the Sony RX100) or so big and bulky that it fills your hand and has a good grip, like the Nikon D700. Anything in between is a mistake. Both Fuji X-T20, X-T3 and Sony A7Rii are unfortunately in the “in between” zone, and for all I have had to buy battery grips, not for the sake of more battery power, but to give me just decent ergonomics. I think it is fine that the body is more slim and the weight is a bit lower than on a DSLR, but please give me ergonomics like the good old DSLRs!
Price. DSLRs have been around for many years, and a good guesstimate is that more than 95% of the cameras out there today (October 2020) are DSLRs. And many cameras produced today are still DSLRs. So if you want to buy used or make a good deal on a black Friday, you will get much more camera for your money when it comes to DSLRs than a mirrorless. I am a big advocate for the Nikon D700, and although dated and only a 12MP camera, it produces absolutely amazing pictures and can be found for 400 EUR (used of course). And with a bit of luck, your copy will not be too beaten up and has a shutter count with plenty actuations left still. Be aware that the camera manufacturers stop producing spare parts after some years (how many varies) so eventually it will be difficult to have your trusty DSLR repaired.
Camera choice comes down to personal preferences. You need a shoe that fits your foot. You cannot assume that because I like a certain shoe, that it will suit you. Feet and preferences are different. And so are photographers.
That said, I think that photographers shooting things that move fast like sports and wildlife will enjoy the AF features a mirrorless provides. But on the other hand the Nikon D500 (a DSLR) still has one of the best and fastest AF systems any camera can offer.
People photographers (wedding, portrait, friends/family) may enjoy the AF capabilities of the mirrorless, especially face detection and eye detection, to maximize the number of pictures in focus. It is a big relief that you can focus on other things than obtaining focus, and once you have gotten used to this comfort, I think it is hard to turn back.
Hybrid shooters will enjoy the evolution of the video capabilities in the mirrorless cameras. But a Go-Pro camera can also do astonishing things if your zoom/lens requirements are not too advanced, so a better option could be a cheap DSLR with a Go-Pro on the side.
And just to round off with a bit of perspective: Many of the pictures that are classic and that you probably have seen and admired many times, were made with technology far less advanced than the camera in your smartphone! Choosing a good camera body is vital, but subject, scene, colors, light, timing and composition are even more important. So maybe your good old DSLR is not so bad after all.
Thank you for reading this far!
Memory cards do fail. It is as simple as that. But they do so very seldom, in fact very, very seldom. But it can happen, and therefore, with so many memory cards out there, it will happen.
I have 5 cameras, shoot in the vicinity of 30.000 pictures a year (RAW format), and have never had a memory card fail on me. But you cannot use the past to predict what will happen in the future – the probability of a card failing on you is bigger than zero. It is as simple as that. It will happen, maybe not to you this year, but it will happen to someone this year.
So do you need dual card slots? It comes down to your risk profile. Most wedding or event photographers turn pale thinking about the conversation they will have with the client, when it turns out that some or all the pictures are lost. So many pros will be very risk adverse and demand dual card slots. And for a good reason: resilience is the cure.
For happy enthusiasts the situation may be a bit different. It is not necessarily a catastrophe if your pictures are lost, and that in combination with the paper thin likelihood of a card failure, leads many to settle for a camera with only one card slot. And the camera producers know this, and save some money making most camera models with only one card slot. And you can make your own version of resilience, and bring two 1-card-slot cameras where you alter between the two throughout the day – not as resilient as two cameras with two cards slots, but a lot better than only one 1-card-slot camera.
So my answer to the question is as annoying as when you ask your bank advisor for investment advice: the first thing they ask for is your risk profile. But it is really what it comes down to. With this reservation, my answer without knowing your risk profile is yes if you are a pro and probably not if you are an enthusiast.
Further, to preserve your data, you probably do backup the pictures on your PC to some alternate form of storage. But remember that it is not only the data that needs duplication to make a good backup, it is also the location. I once worked in a company that carefully did backup of their servers every night. Only to find that thieves one night ran with both the servers and the backup drives. So make sure that your backups are at a different location than the original, to counter both theft and fire. Cloud based backup solutions fulfill these requirements, so please factor this in next time you are to choose between a physical backup drive or a cloud based ditto.
Thank you for reading this far! Comments and questions more than welcome!
I lost my beloved Nikon D7500 in a salt water accident some years back. I was walking on some slippery stones on the beach, and suddenly lost grip and stumbled and fell! In order to support myself, I had to use both hands, but one of my hands held my D7500! So for a fraction of a second I had to dip my camera into salt water – and that was the end of it. Tried to save it with lots of TLC, but it was dead. Salt water kills your electronics with astonishing speed and efficiency!
So I learned the hard way that a camera strap is key, and I got one immediately. But did not like it. So I got another one. But did not like it. You get the picture.
I ended up with this leash strap from Peak Design. I am not sponsored by Peak Design, but have affiliate links to their products below, as I find they are a very good solution. The leash model is depicted here:
It is a very thin strap, and I would not recommend it to heavy cameras like the Nikon D700 with say a 180mm vintage lens, as this package is more than 2.5 kilo and the thin strap would cut into your neck and shoulder unless wintertime with lots of insulation between you and the strap. But for most cameras this strap is more than wide enough. good news is that Peak Design makes their straps in different widths and for my D700 I have chosen a much wider strap, that uses the same anchor mounts as the thin one.
The strap is really easy and fast to adjust in length in both sides using the mechanism depicted below. You simply lift the black strap and adjust the length, let go again and the length is adjusted:
And finally the strap can be detached from the camera real quick by a simple but safe mechanism where you push a button like mechanism and the strap and the anchor mount can be detached. It looks fragile but is not – according to Peak Design, the strap can take a load up to 90 kilos!
Although I am a strong advocate of having a camera strap, I equally much enjoy to work with my cameras at home without a strap. So the release mechanism has served me well, and it also enables you to share the same strap amongst different cameras if need be.
Affiliate link the leash strap above.
Link the much wider (1.4 inch) strap also from Peak Design.
The lineup of Nikon cameras is indeed overwhelming and especially with the introduction of the mirrorless cameras, the number of choices has increased and you may find it is even more confusing. Despair not – I will give you my overview of the DSLR enthusiast cameras, to help you make an informed decision choosing a camera body.
The two entry level cameras here in 2020 is the D3500 and D5600. I have had the please of owning a D5600 for a few years, but sold it to upgrade my gear. I found the D5600 to be a very good camera, but for me these two cameras have one big drawback: the lack of a built in AF motor. This means that the huge collection of auto focus (AF) Nikon vintage glass out there only works with manual focus. Not that I mind manual focus, but I also like the comfort of AF.
The so called mid-range cameras D7100 and D7200 are probably the cameras where I have seen most posts from people loving and defending these two cameras. Although both APS-C cameras and no longer in production, the fans of these two models seems almost to have an emotional attachment to the cameras that I cannot really explain. This is probably why the follow-up camera, the D7500 is the camera many love to hate. I have never owned a D7100 or D7200, but I did own a D7500 and absolutely loved it. It is a very good all-round camera, and although I cannot prove it, I think some of the explanation stems from the relatively modern EXPEED processor that sits in the camera. Unfortunately I lost that camera in a salt water accident, and that is why I today am one of the strongest advocates for camera straps, so you have 2 hands free to support yourself if you suddenly stumble and – almost – fall!
Like both the D3500, D5600, D7100, D7200 and D7500, the D500 is an APS-C (cropped sensor) camera. It is a little unusual, as the 4 character (Dx00) name is usually reserved full frame cameras. But the D500 probably earned its position amongst the 4-characters because it is a top level camera, targeted at the sports and wildlife photographers. Even today in 2020 and despite it being a DSLR with a mirror flipping and all, the D500 is still considered one of the best enthusiast level cameras for shooting many frames per second with a blazing fast auto focus.
The D600 and D610 are the entry level full frame cameras. Nikon calls full frame for FX and although I have never owned a D610, I have the feeling that Nikon here made a camera where the only premium about it is the sensor size and resolution. So I have stayed clear of the D610 and recommend you do the same, and instead look at the Nikon D750 (they are both 24 MP cameras). To me the Nikon D750 with a superior AF system borrowed from the much more expensive D810 is a gift to anyone (like me) that loves shooting in low light situations. The D750 can literally see in the dark. And the all round features of the D750 has made this the wedding photographers work horse, if not as the prime camera, then as a solid backup. You can read about my reasons for selecting the D750 back in 2018 here: https://frederikboving.com/why-i-chose-the-nikon-d750-dslr-in-2018-for-stills
The D750 has today been replaced by the D780, a camera that probably shows that Nikon has understood that 98% of the Nikon cameras in circulation are DSLRs with F-mount lenses, and if they want to sell new bodies to photographers with Nikon glass, they need to continue to produce and develop DSLRs for some time still.
With the D750 and the D700 we are in the class that Nikon calls the high end. Back in 2008 when the D700 camera was released, it was probably the best enthusiast cameras available. You can read my blog about the D700 here: https://frederikboving.com/the-legendary-nikon-d700-still-relevant-in-2020/ – This camera has an extremely loyal fan base and I count myself one of them. Although “only” a 12MP sensor, the camera has many other features that has established a solid fan base: the build quality of the camera, the low price (no longer in production, can be bought used), the fact that the camera can go on and on far beyond the max promised shutter count by Nikon, that the in camera image processing renders pictures with colors and especially skin tones like no other camera ever since, etc. The down sides of this camera is that it is heavy, bulky, has no video recording capabilities and the resolution puts limits to the cropping you can do. And it is difficult to find a good not-too-beaten-up copy here in 2020. But many enthusiasts love this camera and say that even though they have moved on to other cameras, this one is still something special.
With the D800/D810/D850 we are at the top of the line when we talk Nikon enthusiast DSLRs. If you want more, then we move into the professional line, the D4, D4S, D5 and so on. But as enthusiast the D850 is the dream camera. A monster with a 45MP sensor and the embodiment of all Nikons experience gathered in one camera. Even today with mirrorless entering the scene and Sony making a big push to enter the scene, many photographers still think of the D850 as the best enthusiast camera ever made. It is big and bulky, the sensor is 45MP and many don’t need that resolution at all. But if you do, this camera should definitely be on your short list. The predecessors D800(e) and D810 are also good cameras, although recalls and some criticism of the color rendition from some reviewers, has at least made me stay clear of these cameras and focus my “cameras-I-cannot-afford” attention to the D850.
If you dream about going mirrorless, then Nikon offers for example the full frame Z6 and Z7. It seems to me they are the equivalent of the D750 and D850. The big drawback is that the Z cameras do have a new lens mount, and you need a so called FTZ adapter to allow you to use F-mount glass on your Z series camera. And you will not get the mechanical lenses to work with auto focus, as there is no AF motor built into the camera or the adapter. So you are left with manual focus, unless you have some more modern glass, where the AF motor is built into the lens (like the G series). So for this reason I am still sitting on the fence a bit when it comes to the Z cameras. My collection of vintage glass with seems to drift towards manual focus anyhow, so the lack of an AF motor is less and less of an issue for me, but the size of the issue depends on how important AF is to you.
Thank you for reading this far! Please don’t hesitate to drop a question or comment – I will get back to you as soon as I can.
The Nikon Nikkor 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 AF-D was produced between 1998 and 2006, so obviously it is not in production anymore and hence you have to buy a used copy should this review give you the appetite for buying a copy. The lens is probably one of the underrated or forgotten lenses in the Nikkor vintage lineup in my humble opinion, and the fact that I recently bought my copy for 95 USD + import taxes (15% or thereabout) makes it an absolute steal. If you on top of that add that the lens with the zoom range from 28 to 105 is very versatile, it gets good reviews from most owners and those who have it report that it sits on their camera more than 80% of the time, then you have a gem of a lens that anyone with a Nikon camera body with the built in AF motor should consider as one of their first lenses.
Before I buy any lens, I always – after confirming it is within the reach of my budget – look to what owners of this lens report plus what reviews the lens has received. This lens does not have many reviews, but there are many users who have shared their view on this lens and the essence of all that is as follows.
First of all, the image quality is reported to be sharp throughout the range, the color rendition is great, the distortion is low and well controlled and the lens has a decent macro mode. Unfortunately the lens comes with a dramatic CA that reveals itself in high contrast situation, it is not the not the fastest lens (3.5-4.5), the flare control is poor as with so many vintage lenses and the there is some vignetting, but nothing that cannot be corrected in post.
When it comes to usability, the relative lightweight (0.5 kg) of this lens makes easy to carry around, the focal range is surprisingly useful (28-105) and it is simply a great walk around or vacation lens. What impairs the usability is a slow AF due to gearing in focus mechanism, a rotating front lens when zooming (annoying when using filters), a slim manual focus ring with short throw which makes manual focus more difficult. The lens body, as expected when you are dealing with a 15-20 year old lens is not weather sealed nor is it vibration reduced.
The quality is reported to be really good, and the fact that the lens is “Made in Japan” is always a good sign. The lens is a good blend of metal & plastic which both keeps weight down and makes the lens sufficiently rugged to take some heavy usage. Unfortunately the sample variation is quite significant and the mechanical quality not up to the optical quality (zoom). Especially the latter part I can confirm when I unboxed my copy: the zoom does not feel premium at all, quite on the contrary.
So the lens has fairly good reviews although far from perfect, but no lens is perfect, and if it is close, then the price is typically through the roof. So the next thing to check before purchase is if the lens matches well into your lineup of lenses or plan for the same.
The traditional way of building a versatile lineup of zoom lenses is via the so called holy trinity, where the lenses cover the extreme wide, standard zoom and long zoom as depicted below:
The lens with the range from 28-105 is a bit of an oddity as it is too long in both ends to act as the standard zoom, and as such you may want to disregard this lens for that reason alone. However, I have found that this lens is surprisingly versatile – the 28 is wide enough for most landscape uses, and although the zoom to 105 is not as long as you could wish for, I have been surprised how little I miss extra zoom then using this as my walk about / vacation lens. And in between you find both your nifty-fifty covered along with your classic portrait 85mm.
How to build your lens lineup is of course entirely up to you, but if you are willing to accept that this lens does not cover one of the 3 classic roles in the holy trinity, I think its versatility will surprise you positively.
So after consulting other users and reviewers feedback, I decided that even through the 28-105 does not fit very well into my almost-all-primes approach to my lens collection, I decided to buy the 28-105. I figured the price was so low that the risk is relatively limited (I can sell the copy if I don’t like it) and because I hoped the focal range could cover a few primes when on vacation or out and about.
I have only been using this lens on full frame cameras (D700 and D750), so I cannot really comment on the performance on cropped sensors (DX, APS-C).
After a few months of shooting my review in short is: This is an amazing lens when you consider the price point. The value for money is through the roof in my opinion.
Do I recommend this lens? Yes, absolutely. But you have to make sure that you get a good copy. I will revert to that point a bit later.
I have primarily been using the lens on my D700, and like many other users reported, the lens has been on my D700 most of the time. It is surprisingly versatile. The 28mm may not be wide enough for a landscape scene, but as can be seen in the above example, it certainly can be made to work, and you can always slap a shorter prime in your camera bag to cover the full spectrum. In the zoom range you also cover the nifty-fifty and the classic 85mm portrait lens up to 105 mm that of course should be longer in the best of worlds, but I am surprised how seldom I miss additional zoom. So the versatility of this lens is surprisingly good in my opinion.
The lens is not the fastest, and aperture varies with focal length, but as long as you do not shoot in low light conditions, I doubt you will miss any speed in this lens. However, my more technical test of this lens at varying apertures point to a bit of softness when shooting wide open, but the lens quickly gets sharp when you stop down the aperture a bit. You can see my test of the lens at different apertures here.
One area where this lens is performing really bad is in some high contrast situations where the chromatic aberration (CA) gets crazy high! See the example below where there is a blue line next to the tree trunk in the middle of the picture:
Normally you can fix this in Lightroom (LR) by pressing “enable profile corrections” and/or “remove chromatic aberration”, but in this case LR could not fix it. Nor could the raw editor in Photoshop. I had to download the Capture NX-D software from Nikon in order to solve the problem. But then it was gone. And I have to underline that it is seldom I see this problem and even more seldom it is as bad as the example above. And if you are willing to extend your workflow in those rare cases and use the Capture NX-D software, then the problem can be solved.
Some say that the CA is worse with some copies of this lens than others, and that it could be subject to how rough a life the lens has led. I am not entirely sure of this, as my copy had almost no signs of usage when I got it from Japan – it looked like it has been lying in a drawer just waiting for me to buy it. I think it is more related to the lens being a zoom lens where the glass construction is more complicated than primes and hence there is always a risk that CA is there.
I normally refrain from giving my view on a lens’ color rendition, as this is very subjective and difficult to test. I am however a big fan of the Nikkor color rendition and this lens is no different – it is simply brilliant. But as I say, I cannot prove it, it is a matter of personal preference.
The lens has a bit of vignetting and also there is a bit of distortion, but as far as I can tell, LR does a good job of correcting these issues in post processing. There is a dedicated profile in LR for this lens, and hence I consider this issue solved or non existing, even if you are an architecture photographer where a straight line needs to be straight!
Finally the build quality is really good. The lens is not too heavy, and still there is a lot of metal in the “Made in Japan” construction. The only thing that disappointed me when I unboxed it was the feel of the zoom. It is not a very convincing part of the lens. It feels a bit wobbly, but works fine. I guess they had to save money somewhere back in the day. And after using the lens for some time, I hardly ever crosses my mind.
So this concludes my review. I think that my observations are much in line with the reviews and user comments that I referenced in the beginning. My addition is that CA sometimes is an issue and that I enjoy the macro mode more than most. But I re-iterate that the value of this good lens is through the roof and that I cannot recommend this lens enough as a good first lens for anyone with a full frame Nikon camera body. This brings me to some buying advice.
First of all, before you consider this lens, go check that you have an autofocus motor built into your camera body:
Above you can see that the Nikon D7500 has the AF motor built in whereas the D5600 on top does not. In general the 3000 and 5000 Nikon camera bodies does not have the AF motor built into the body, and hence you are left with a manual focus lens. Although it is not a catastrophe, I personally enjoy the comfort of the AF and therefore recommend this setup.
Secondly, if you can test the lens before you buy, this is the way to go. Apparently this 15-20 year old lens comes in copies with large variances and some of the bad copies are really bad apparently. That is also why you will find that the reviews of this lens is a mixed bag. Make sure you can test the lens before you buy, or if you like me buy via e-bay or Amazon, make sure you can return the goods if you are not happy. Some say they have been through several copies before they found a good one, so for you own sake, take steps to avoid ending up with a bad copy.
It is seldom that I recommend a lens or some gear wholeheartedly with very few reservations. But with the 28-105 I do. It is a great value for money lens with a surprisingly good versatility. But make sure to get a good copy for your full frame camera body with a built in AF motor!
Nikon 50mm 1.8G AF-S lens review
Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF lens review
If you are just a little bit into the Nikon universe, you undoubtedly have heard of the legendary Nikon D700. It was released back in 2008, which today is ages ago from a technical perspective. It was the baby brother of the D3 targeted for professionals, leaving the D700 for the serious enthusiast. Since its introduction the D700 has received legendary status for its image quality and build quality, and that was what attracted me to the D700 initially.
I purchased a copy of the D700 mid 2020 for 325 EUR with a shutter count of 28.000, which is very low relative to what you can find out there and knowing that the production was stopped in mid 2012.
In this post I want to share the pros and cons of this camera that I had identified just by studying other blogs, videos, reviews, etc. before buying the camera. It is not a complete list, and I have after my purchase received lots of feedback that the list is incomplete or flawed. However, it was based upon this list that I decided to buy the D700, so I think it at least gives good insight into my process for selecting the D700.
My thinking is that by sharing this it may help you if you consider buying the D700. I have made a few amendments to the original list to reflect what I know today so you get all I know in one go.
The first reason is image quality, of course, and if you have read just a little bit about The Nikon d700 you will know that the image quality is legendary. I don’t know exactly why that is, maybe because it was the last time Nikon used the Panasonic sensor. Maybe it has to do with the Expeed processor and the way it works on on the data. I simply don’t know. I can just see really many people report that image image quality is outstanding, especially the JPGS straight out of camera and the skin toning.
Number five is the built in autofocus motor and if you have older Nikon glass with the auto focus mechanics (screwdriver principle), there’s no motor built into the glasses such. It assumes that you have the motor in the camera body and then via a screw driver principle it connects the motor with the glass and that gives you the auto focus. This is not as fast and as silent as what you see today with AF motors built into the lenses (AF-S or G-series), but definitely you get all the comfort of the AF and in my experience, it works really well.
Number six is the autofocus system. When the 700 came out, this was probably one of the best autofocus system that was available, but this was 12 years ago and the world has moved on. I think it is fair to say that the D700 cannot compete anymore. You have all of those systems today whether the focus points are all over the frame – on the D700 they are centered and there’s not that many of them. However, it is still a good auto focus system.
Number 7 is the build quality. I guess you have heard the terms that it’s built like a brick house or like a tank. And this one is it is really solid quality. It’s the little brother of the D3 and I think much of the quality of the the D3 was inherited down to the D700. That’s probably also why you see that so many copies still in operation, twelve years after the introduction of the camera. Some report they have dropped the camera on tarmac or stone floors and it works perfect even afterwards! Don’t try this, but certainly impressive if there is some truth to these rumors.
Number 8 is the ergonomics. There is a dedicated button for (almost) everything! If you had a Nikon camera in your hands previously this one will not disappoint you – it it just is really well-thought-out and especially the fact that there is a dedicated button for most needs, makes it possible to work fast and efficient with this camera.
Number 9 is the weather sealed body. Mind you that if you put a non weather sealed glass onto your weather sealed body, the advantage may not be that big, but the body itself is sealed which could be important if you shoot a lot outdoors.
Number 10 is perhaps not as rational as the other arguments, but if you go and read blogs and see videos you will notices that many many report how sad they are that they left or sold their Nikon D700 and many actually go back and buy and new version of the D700 to have as a backup camera because it has served him so well. This is perhaps the ultimate test of a quality that even though you move on technically to say a D810 or a D850 some of these really really good cameras with higher resolution, you still miss the D700 and want to go back to it. I am not claiming this to be rational, but I just think when you see so many people saying that the D700 is something special, then there must be be some truth to this.
Number 11: There is a built in flash. To some this is super important as they use it for optically triggering off camera flashes or they use it in a pinch. I seldom use it which is why it was not on my list originally, but to many this is important.
Number 12: Battery life is great. Relative to mirrorless, I guess that most DSLRs have a good battery life, but I think the D700 even measured against other DSLRs has a great battery. It has only dropped one bar the first week of shooting, although I have been shooting for several hours. I was afraid that when I bought a used camera, the battery would be a bit tired, but in my case this has not been a problem at all. I also enjoy that the boot time is next to nothing – the camera is ready as soon as you have switched to the ‘on’ position, and even before that, you can use the optical viewfinder.
Number 13: The viewfinder can be closed mechanically with a little button next to it. This is great news if you shoot landscapes with long exposure or stars or the like. False light will come through the viewfinder and find is way to the sensor, which is not what you want. This little mechanical shutter saves you from putting chewing gum in the viewfinder or putting your hat over the camera body or whatever ways you have found to overcome this problem.
Number 14. Many cameras has a max shutter speed at 1/4000. The D700 has 1/8000. If you shoot wide open on a bright day, this may save you from pulling out the ND filter from your camera bag to avoid your picture being over exposed. It may not sound like a big thing, but once you have tried that the light meter goes crazy and you’ve forgotten your ND filter , you will appreciate the fast shutter speed.
Number 15: Smaller files. The 12 MP means that your files will be smaller, they will load faster to your PC, the handling is faster, it will take up less space on your hard disk, you can do with smaller memory cards or store more pictures per card, etc.
Since I bought the D700, I have come to learn that there is a large group of D700 enthusiasts that will defend any criticism of the D700, so I am a bit cautious to put up a list of cons. However, it was the below list of cons that did not stop me from buying the D700, so the headline here is that the list below is – in my case – not a showstopper at all. And you should not loose sight of the bigger picture here: this is a FF bargain! With that said, to the list:
Number 1. The sensor is “only” 12 megapixels. By today’s standard is not that much, but I think you will find that if you don’t do heavy cropping or print billboards, 12 megapixels will actually serve fine. So I don’t know why so all of a sudden we need all these megapixels, but I just want to make it very clear that it is not a 24 or 48 megapixel camera.
Number 2 is the dynamic range. I think when the camera came out the dynamic range was excellent, but I think it has been superseded by better options like the Nikon d750. This can be overcome be careful metering or bracketing, but it is of course more comfortable to have a camera with a larger dynamic range.
Number three is the lack of video. So if you were hoping for a hybrid camera that could do both video and stills, the D700 is not for you. Many in need of video have a dedicated video camera, and I also use both my smartphone and GoPro, so I think the lack of video in my case is less of an issue.
Number 4 is noise (it is LOUD!). All DSLR’s make noise because the mirror needs to flick, but the D700 is especially noisy. And if you want to shoot in situations where silent camera is important (e.g. wildlife close up) I don’t think the d700 is for you. And the quiet mode option is a joke – the camera is still noisy!
Number 5: There’s no in-body image stabilization (IBIS) and I think it would be unfair to expect that in a 12-year old camera body, and especially in a DSLR. But I’ve just wanted to mention this: you need to cut down on your coffee or buy a tripod if you want to be sure that you don’t get camera shake. Or you could invest in a lens with image stabilization if this is key to you.
Number 6 is the size and weight. It is big and heavy. If you want to travel with your camera because or climb a steep mountain, this camera may be to the heavy side. The camera body itself is 1 kilo and you have to add the weight of the glass and then the total package may be too heavy for you.
Number seven is all the modern things you’ve come like in a modern camera like Wi-Fi integration, Bluetooth integration, GPS data, operating a camera remotely via your smartphone and all of these things that that are really nice in terms of making the connectivity of the camera much better. You find none of that in the d700 and this is really where the cameras age start to show: It is a really good stills camera, but all of the technology advances around the core of the camera is not with the D700.
Number eight. The life expectancy for the Nikon d700. It’s always difficult to say how long my camera will live, but this one has moving parts and eventually they will break. Nikon says that you can expect a hundred and fifty thousand shots per camera. I’ve heard people who have shot twice as much (and more!) and the camera still works. Nikon has stopped servicing the D700 as I understand it, but I also understand that there are plenty of non-Nikon professionals who have taken over and can service the camera. The build quality of the D700 probably means it will live for a very long time, but you may find that you need to go the extra mile to find someone who can service your camera if need be.
Number 9 is all the development that has happened with LCD screen on the back side of the camera. For many modern cameras the LCD is a bit of a gymnast: You can flip it out. You can flip it up and down, maybe fully articulated. You can pinch and zoom and it is touch controlled and super high resolution. None of that with the d700. It’s just it just sits there firmly. You can’t flip it out. You can’t move it. You can can try to pinch and zoom all you like but nothing happens – you have to operate the camera via the buttons. So if you do a lot of shooting overhead, do low-level shooting or you want to do shooting where a flip-out screen is important, you will find that the D700 does not give you much support here.
Number 10. Only one card slot. To me this is not a big issue, but if you are a serious enthusiast aspiring to become a pro, and your plan is to use the D700 on that journey, the lack of a second card slot could be critical. I would not like to be the one debating with a newly wed couple why your cannot deliver pictures of the most important day of their life due to a memory card failure.
Number 11: The viewfinder only covers 95%. This means that there will be more in the frame in the picture captured than what you see in the viewfinder. If you carefully crop or frame your pictures in camera like me, this is a bit of a nuisance, as I try to get my pictures as complete as possible in camera to minimize post processing work.
Number 12: Maybe needless to say, but when you buy used you need to be sure you buy a good copy. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions for buying the camera – if you buy it online so you cannot see the camera in real life before the purchase, make sure you can return it if not in good condition. In my case, I was happy with the purchase, but the camera was so dirty I had to give it a good cleaning – some of the buttons had to be “massaged” to get moving, and the sensor was so full of dust it was a joke. So set off some budget for getting a pro to clean the sensor if you are not comfortable doing this yourself.
Number 13: The Live View mode is quirky. You can tell that this was one of the first implementations of Live View that Nikon did. There is no dedicated Live View button (sits together with the drive modes) and you have to select between two Live View options before you can get going. I am happy to report that the later implementations of Live View are much easier to work with.
So if I was to answer the question from the top of this blog, it would be a definite: yes! But you have to balance the pros and cons against your list or set of requirements, to see if you reach the same conclusion. The Nikon D700 is a wonderful camera, but it is not perfect, and the question is if some of the listed cons weighs in so heavy in your basket, that it is a showstopper. We are all different, and just because this shoe fits my foot, there is absolutely no guarantee it will fit yours. I hope this blog has brought you a little closer to making an informed decision to conclude if the Nikon D700 is for you or not.
Which Nikon camera body to choose in the 24MP range?
Photography gear is expensive. Maybe not as expensive as gear for playing golf, but close. The list of gear required seems endless (camera, lenses, bags, straps, grips, light, flashes, tripods, backdrops, stands, etc) and the photography gear industry keeps pushing new products on the markets that is better that the previous generation; higher, faster, longer…
All this meets your limited budget. Unless you are Rockefeller or one of the original investors in Apple, you – like me – is on a limited budget to optimize within. But do not despair – there is hope. The good news is that you can get started with good gear without breaking the bank. All it takes is a bit of thinking on your side – and a few tips from someone who has learned to optimize the hard way (that would be me!).
A lot of time we are driven by emotions: it feels really good to unbox a brand new piece of camera equipment and know that no one before you has used this gear. And flashing the latest camera model on the local cafe while sipping a cafe latte may feel great, but it comes at a price. So if you want to get the max bang for your buck, you will need to think more and feel less. It is not sexy. But being on a budget seldom is.
This is probably as boring as it gets, but it is my best advice: know yourself as a photographer. When I was brand new to photography, I was really struggling to understand what type of photography I would be doing, i.e. would it be: Friends and family, portraits, landscapes, astro photography, still life, products, lay flats, events (weddings, birthdays), sports and action, wildlife, video, etc
If you are new to photography, you may be struggling to figure out what you will be shooting. I did. I took a major detour around birds photography, including buying a long and very expensive lens, before I realized that this was not for me. I was not good at it, and most importantly: I did not enjoy it.
The reason why it is important to know what you will be shooting is that it drives the requirements to the gear. If you are shooting sports and wildlife and other fast moving subjects, then auto focus and frames per second is ABSOLUTELY vital. If you are shooting landscapes, you probably could not care less. So paying for gear that has great auto focus capability when you are a landscape photographer is money out the window. You are paying for functionality you do not need. You want to spend your money on functions and features that are important to you.
So write down a list of things that are important to you. And make the list prioritized. What can you cave in on, i.e. what is only nice to have? What is absolutely need-to-have? Try lending or borrowing gear aimed at a specific type of photography, and see if it works for you.
Have you ever noticed that from time to time, the car producers suddenly seem to be very friendly and sell you their cars with lots of extras at almost no additional costs? Are they being friendly? Of course not, it is business as usual. They have a new model coming. Everybody knows it. The car reviewers have already been test driving the new model, you have probably been reading about it and everybody wants the new version with the new improved design and features. But what about the car factory? They still produce the old car for some time while this is going on – how are they to continue to sell a model that everybody knows is about to be replaced with a new one? The answer is to pump the last copies of the old version that leaves the factory with lots of extras, and sell them at the same price as before. So you can make a good deal, provided the prestige of having the latest model is not your thing.
When you are on a budget, you cannot afford prestige. It is as simple as that. The sooner you accept this fact, the faster you can start to optimize your budget. Yes, the manufacturers will argue that the latest version of their camera now shoots x+2 frames per second, where the previous version “only” shot x. And they are right. It is an improvement. But check the list of things that are important to you: is the improved features important to you?
The camera manufacturers know that a lot will simply buy the latest version of their camera by default – wealthy enthusiasts, prosumers and professionals that can optimize their workflow with the improved features. So they set the intro price to skim the market. This is not where you want to be, if you are on a budget. Wait. The price will drop, both on the new version and on the previous. Not to mention the version 2 or 3 generations back.
This brings me to the second advice I have for you on a budget: never buy the latest version – always buy dated. Go as far back as you can in terms of versions, looking at the list of things that are important to you. Be careful not to cave in on your requirements – you will regret it, but try to see if there is an (older) camera model that meets your requirements still. You will save a lot of money, and still get what you are after.
Buying used is not fun in my opinion – I love the unboxing of something brand new and the feeling that I touch something (almost) as the first in the world. But it is an expensive feeling to say the least!
Buying used also introduces a risk, that the goods you get are not in perfect condition. You may not know the history of what you are buying – has the camera or lens had a rough life? How many years are left in the gear when you get it? Is there a scratch in the lens or maybe fungus? And so on. But if you buy via your local photo shop (yes, they often have used gear along with brand new gear) or buy via the big e-channels like e-bay and amazon, then you have options to make complaints and return the goods if you are not satisfied with your purchase. Check the specific conditions in your case. And go for the vendors that have good ratings – they probably want to continue to have good ratings, i.e. they don’t want you to be an unhappy customer.
So buying used via a “serious” channel mitigates the risk of buying used gear. That said, my third advice to you on a budget is: buy used if at all possible. I have bought MANY used vintage lenses on e-bay and amazon, and trust me, you will get the hang of it after a few purchase. I find that especially lenses and vintage lenses are a great way to save money – you get lenses of a quality you could never afford from new, if you look carefully you will get a lens that is as good as it was when it was brand new and you can probably later sell the lens via e-bay again, should you grow tired of it.
Garage sales or flee markets is another source of used gear. The advantage here is that you are not necessarily dealing with a professional salesperson, i.e. they do not know the true value of the gear they are selling. I have heard of many who have bought vintage lenses for a few dollars, pretending that they were interested in the camera the the lens sat on! There are made millions of copies of great lenses the last 50-60 years and many of those probably sit in a garage sale or flea market somewhere, waiting for you to pick it up!
Dad jokes aside, study the market to see if you can find the sweet spot. All things being equal, the more you invest, the better gear you most likely will get, but the investment has diminishing returns. It is like when the farmer adds fertilizer to the soil – at some point the effect starts to decline. In the beginning you will get a lot of extra for adding a dollar more, after adding many dollars, an additional dollar has little effect. That is probably why there are more Volkswagen than Bentleys out there.
Speaking of studying the market, if you have zoomed in on a certain product that you consider buying, make sure to study reviews. And not just one or two. Study MANY reviews. Both those on Youtube and those in writing. You will be surprised how many opinions there are out there. And how much peoples opinion differ – probably because their list of priorities differ. And you will quickly learn which channels are systematic and serious and which are more entertaining. So take your time to study the market and use many sources. No hasty decisions – there will be a new black Friday coming up. Informed decisions are the best.
You may feel that you are missing out on a lot of new features like faster auto focus, more megapixels and so on. But find comfort in the fact that almost all the picture that are famous today (like the ones from Henri Cartier-Bresson) were taken with cameras and gear that is nowhere near the technical capabilities of a 3-4 year old camera on the market today. So unless you are in the photography game for technical reasons and like to get hold of all the engineering behind the modern camera, you will find that you can take some absolutely astonishing and great pictures with a 5 or even 10 years old camera. If you don’t believe me, try googling for blogs about the Nikon D700. I have never owned such a camera, but those who have absolutely love it and often claim that – if they have sold it – it was the best camera they ever had and that they regret to have sold it every day since.
What no camera manufacturer will ever tell you, and most youtubers seldom, is this: all the cameras on the market today are good cameras! Why? If a really bad camera came out, the word would spread on social media with lightening speed, and sales would decline almost immediately. So if a camera manages to “hang in there” and get a crowd of happy users, it is probably because it is not doing too bad!
So find comfort in the fact that the camera that you may already have is not so bad at all! Also, the speed by which product manufacturers push new models to the market has increased dramatically over the last 10 years, so only those that do reviews of cameras and maybe professionals that really need the latest features of a new camera to optimize their workflow, have a rational need for the latest generation of a camera. The rest of us are just will do fine with a camera that is 2-3 years old, like the Nikon D5600 in the picture above. It is a DSLR (not mirrorless), it is not the latest and greatest and it has been around for some time. But it is a very solid performer, you can get one at a very fair price (especially used) and it will probably serve you for many years with good pictures. You can see the conclusion from the dpreview of the D5600.
You will be surprised how much you can learn about a camera just holding it and using it for a few minutes. It tells a lot more than reading many reviews, although I also recommend you do that.
So if at all possible, see if you can get your hands on the gear you want to buy without buying it. See if your local camera store, friends / family or the camera club / association in your area can give you hands-on access to whatever you are in the market for. In my experience, ergonomics is one of the areas that matter the most after you have owned the camera for a while. Image quality is of course king, but if you don’t like the ergonomics or the viewfinder is annoying or the camera too heavy, then this will bug you more and more as time progresses.
No matter how many reviews you study, the moment of truth is when you start to use a camera or a lens or a tripod or whatever. That is when you know it is the right one for you. Especially gear where ergonomics is vital is difficult to assess based on a written review or a Youtube video.
When you have been into photography for a little while, you probably will find that there is some gear you use all the time, and some gear less so. And maybe even some gear that you do not use at all! Yes, it happens. I know it is not a nice feeling to “sell an old friend”, but if that old friend has been lying around for months without being used, maybe it is time to say goodbye? And make some other photographer a happy with a good purchase? And give you (partial) funding for a new investment?
If you have some gear that you think you are not using, but not ready to let go of, put it in a dedicated box, write on the box when you did so and let time pass. If you after say 6 months find that you have never opened the box or missed the gear in the box – maybe that is then the time to let go of the content of the box?
I recently sold my Nikon D5600. It was my first DSLR. It was not a nice process to initiate. But a few weeks after the sale, it actually felt good. The “camera in the drawer” was actually a mental burden, and now I am happy to know that it has found good use with a new owner.
If all of us gets the “gear in the drawer” out on amazon or e-bay, then we also contribute to the options available for all us shooting on a budget. So in my mind it makes a lot of sense to sell the gear you don’t use, both for the benefit of you personally and the photo community.
I have said this many times in some of the videos on my channel, but I am happy to repeat it here: study the manual of your gear! I know it is boring and not many do it, but you may find that the gear you already got has the features you think you are missing! You can also try to study reviews of the camera and lenses you have – you may learn something new about your gear and see what you have from a new angle! Many cameras can do much more than the average user knows about – often we just get a “drivers license”, i.e. a minimum skill set to operate the camera, but it can do so much more than that. So if you miss something like bulb mode or the like, start out with the manual!
TTL means through the lens. Your flash will fire 2 times, once to measure how much light reaches the camera at a given standard flash power, and a second time when the picture is taken.
It uses the first flash fire to understand how much light is needed to expose the picture correct, and then boosts or reduces the amount of light in the second round.
It is a super convenient (automated) way to get the flash light right without any manual measurements with a light meter, or trial-and-error with a manual setup of your flash.
The big disadvantage of TTL is that your camera and your flash has to be able to talk to each other. The simple way to do this is to have the flash on camera, but if you want it to be off camera, you need to establish radio communication between the flash and your camera, which typically involves a flash trigger and a flash with radio receiver, so they can communicate with each other.
Another disadvantage is that the light your flash yields varies across a series of shots, as the camera may make different readings per shot due to slight variations in say available light. This can be a bit of a headache if you want to do consistent post processing of a large number of images, as you will have to adjust the exposure for each picture individually.