Equipment advice

[ckboucher]

right not i have a Nikon D70 with the standard lense it came with and Photoshop Elements 8.
What would you all suggest my next photography equipment/software be?

thanks,
Kim

 

[subscuck]

A lot of that depends on what you like to shoot and are planning on shooting in the future. From what you've posted so far, candid/portrait seems to be your thing, so for that I would recommend a fast prime, say a 50mm or 85mm. On a crop body, 85 is tight indoor for candid type shots, but makes a great portrait lens. It really is "all about the glass" no matter what you shoot. Better glass brings out more of your cams capabilities. As far as PPing, PSE is all most people need most of the time. Learn as much as can with that, and if you feel the need, upgrade to CS5. A good flash and tripod should also be somewhere on your list.

 

[kundalini]

Everybody's gonna want to tell you which lens to get next. BLAHH

An external flash that you can control off camera will yield you better results, more creativity and give you the ability to capture images that were once only a pipe dream.

Since you shoot Nikon, my best advice is to find a used SB-800. Barring that, an SB-600. Bang for the buck, the SB-900 is a pariah, but still quite an intelligent flash..

If memory serves me correct, the D70 has Commander mode and even better, a 1/500s flash sync. With the three flashes mentioned above, you can go off camera right out of the box.

Just my 2¢.

 

[haynchinook334]

+1 on the flash.

 

[Village Idiot]

I'll let the man speak for himself:
Strobist: Lighting 101

 

[burstintoflame81]

First off we need to know what type of shooting you want/like to do. A flash is useless if you want to shoot more distant wildlife, although you could get a better beamer, however in that case a nice long zoom would be better advice. Be more specifc if you want better advice. Without knowing anything else I would advise either a 50mm f/1.4 or a 16-50mm f/2.8

 

[Village Idiot]

First off we need to know what type of shooting you want/like to do. A flash is useless if you want to shoot more distant wildlife, although you could get a better beamer, however in that case a nice long zoom would be better advice. Be more specifc if you want better advice. Without knowing anything else I would advise either a 50mm f/1.4 or a 16-50mm f/2.8

˙ɥsɐןɟ ɐ ʇnoɥʇıʍ ssǝןǝsn ǝɹɐ sǝsuǝן ǝsoɥʇ

 

[kundalini]

right not i have a Nikon D70 with the standard lense it came with and.....

First off we need to know what type of shooting you want/like to do. A flash is useless if you want to shoot more distant wildlife, although you could get a better beamer, however in that case a nice long zoom would be better advice.

Sorry if you can't see the obvious.

Without knowing anything else I would advise either a 50mm f/1.4 or a 16-50mm f/2.8

Sooooo, if he/she's wanting to shoot wildlife from a more distant view point, how is your recommendation any more worthy than suggesting a flash? Let me answer that for you......... NONE, it's just as useless.


Okay everybody, give us a shoutout for your favorite lens. (told you)

 

[ckboucher]

I shoot people 99% of the time. indoors and outdoors.

 

[SrBiscuit]

sb-600.
cactus v4s.
frappucino.

 

[kundalini]

I shoot people 99% of the time. indoors and outdoors.

Flash and a reflector, then. You can go with the non-descript 5-in-1 type for cheap or you can raise the bar with a Lastolite Tri Grip.

Work the hell out of your kit lens until it doesn't provide something you need.

sb-600.
cactus v4s.
frappucino.

I went with the Cybersync by Paul C. Buff and just a regular coffee with french vanilla creamer to sweeten just a pinch.

 

[SrBiscuit]

^ good move!

 

[burstintoflame81]

right not i have a Nikon D70 with the standard lense it came with and.....

First off we need to know what type of shooting you want/like to do. A flash is useless if you want to shoot more distant wildlife, although you could get a better beamer, however in that case a nice long zoom would be better advice.

Sorry if you can't see the obvious.

Without knowing anything else I would advise either a 50mm f/1.4 or a 16-50mm f/2.8

Sooooo, if he/she's wanting to shoot wildlife from a more distant view point, how is your recommendation any more worthy than suggesting a flash? Let me answer that for you......... NONE, it's just as useless.


Okay everybody, give us a shoutout for your favorite lens. (told you)

What is so obvious? I don't go back and troll other peoples posts to see what they like to shoot. They should be up front about it. The long distance lens, was an example of how a flash wouldn't be the best choice in that specific case. Which shows the need for a more specific question.

As for my lens recommendations, I chose those, because they are good all around lenses. Their is a reason why the kit lenses are typically 18-55. I am sorry that YOU can't see the obvious. Also, had the OP been more specific, we would know whether she prefers to shoot indoors or outdoors, low-light or normal daylight. As for my recommendations, they are both very fast lenses that would still be relatively versatile in low light situations. Nothing in their original post screams "I need a flash". How about a decent lens and a reflector so that they can learn how to manipulate light and use what they have available to them. Then when they dive in to strobes, they will have a better understanding of light in general? My guess from their original post, is that they are not going to have any knowledge of this, or of how to use a TTL flash ( whether off-camera or not ) any better than they could use the pop up flash already available to them. So, dipstick, before you start ragging on me, and before you start blurting out your wet dream camera gear list, why don't you shut your mouth and actually give some thought of what the BEST next step would be given the info that we have ( which isn't very much ).

Villiage Idiot ( wow, I guess the shoe really does fit here, huh? ) So you are telling me that without a flash, lenses are useless which in turn makes your camera useless? Those two lenses were chosen because they are fast, they are a decent versatile focal length, and they are relatively cheap for the quality of lens. Not all prime lenses and fast lenses are used for portaits. Pull your head out of your rear end have the minerals to actually make some useful comments here instead of just being a little douche all the time.

My first post was posted prior to the OP stating that they shoot people 99% of the time. With that new info, I would still recommend one of the two lenses, in addition to a used ( cheaper ) bounce flash.

 

[Breaux]

You can tell what equipment you need when you ever find yourself thinking "Darn it, I can't get this shot without a __________."

 

[myfotoguy]

Since you're shooting people I would explore using flash on/off camera. Does that D70 have a wireless commander? If so, SB-600 might be a good next choice. That flash would also work TTL with the Nikon on board when needed and off camera is not feasible. Also consider sto-fen diffuser, or better IMO would be a "demb flip-it pro".

You could go an entirely different direction with radio triggers and such, but if you are shooting people, and want to start with, or have available for your hot shoe mount I suggest an SB-600 or SB-900. Not sure what your budget is though.

SOFTWARE:
If you have PSE8, then I would look into something that allows for organizing, viewing, sorting, tagging, and basic edits of your files. I personally use, and highly recommend ACDSee Pro (currently version 3 is the latest). It has powerful and fast organization, is easy to use, and the editing tools (for me) fit 95% of what I do for Post Processing day to day. It also has non-destructive editing. You can download a trial from their website (ACDSee Photo Software).

The other software for shooting people can range from the basic actions for PSE (CoffeeShop Free PS/PSE Actions!) where you can download some excellent free ones. You can also look into some very powerful filters, where the cost starts to add up, from companies such as Nik, Topaz, OnOne.