Just did the BIG upgrade

maxalmon · Oct 29, 2008

Might say I'm kinda obsessed with photography, started off 1 year ago with a Nikon D40 the 18-55 kit lens. Then got a VR 55-200 and a VR 105 Macro lens.

I'm totally obsessed with macro photography and outgrew the D40 pretty fast, was going to upgrade to the D300, but started to seriously look at the D700 with the new FX sensor.

The otherhalf gave me a early x-mas present and said that I could get the D700:mrgreen:. I just ordered it, should arrive on Friday!!!!

Since I only have the cheap 18-55DX lens and the 55-200DX, I can sell those with my D40...Keep the 105 VRG Macro and then I'll only have to upgrade maybe 2 mores lens to have a good selection...

Going to enroll in some CC photo classes in the next few weeks....

reg · Oct 29, 2008

Definitely be sure to get some real glass to go with the D700... it ain't about the 18-55 no more.

Overread · Oct 29, 2008

psst get yourself a 1.4* teleconverter for your macro lens

lets you get an increased magnification factor with little loss of quality or light problems. You can also try a 2* teleconverter, but then light is an issuse and its more suited to tripod work since the depth of field is dramatically reduced (handheld its a real pain to focus).

that should keep you interested in macro for some time

have fun with the new camera and good luck in the classes!

maxalmon · Oct 29, 2008

reg said:
Definitely be sure to get some real glass to go with the D700... it ain't about the 18-55 no more.

I've done my research and thats why the 18-55dx and 55-200dx will be going away with the D40. Figured I'd better laylow for a while before I start hinting around for new glass....The 105 i'll keep as it'll work with the fx.

Not sure what my first lens will be, gota do some more research.

Timbo1961 · Oct 29, 2008

The 24 - 70 F2.8 and the 70 - 200 F2.8 work beautifully on my D700!
The clarity and resolution are incredible!

maxalmon · Oct 29, 2008

Those were the lens that were at the top of my list!

maxalmon · Oct 31, 2008

After much debate and research, I decided that my first lens would be the Sigma 24-70mm 1:2.8 EXDG Macro, seems to be a good all around lens and the reviews have all been favorable. Ended up buying this at a local shop, it was priced $40 more than the online stores.

I chose this lens for several reasons, mainly because I'm doing photography for realtors who have homes that are in the multi-million dollar range. Most of the images will be of interior rooms and I'll need wide shots that actually create a more realistic feel of being there without looking cramped. Perspective distortion is a major issue and something I've been studying up on.

I had thought about going with something in the 12-14mm range, but with the FX sensor I think the 24-70mm will be fine for my needs

Next lens will probably be something like the 70-200 or 80-200

The D700 body arrives today:mrgreen: Whats amazing is how much price variance there was on the 700 body, topend was $3600 to low of $2479.... When I purchased my D40 I discovered all the fraud sites in New York and pretty much know who you can and can't trust, if the price is too good to be true, then it's a scam...

manaheim · Oct 31, 2008

Woot! Congrats that rocks! Shexshy camera.

dwol · Oct 31, 2008

Sweet!, Good luck with your new camera and macro photography, I saw your Marine Macro thread and the pictures are amazing!

maxalmon · Oct 31, 2008

Thanks.
Here is another one, these are green and orange cloves, about 1/4" to 3/8" across. The orange has a very bright, metalic look, very hard to capture the true colors.

This image was sharpened and thats it. This was taken with the new 24-70 glass

maxalmon · Oct 31, 2008

The only problem with this lens is the dang 82mm size, gona cost me a fortune in filters and I won't be able to use them on my other lenses...Argh, Huff, Snort...

Are tiffen filters any good?

maxalmon · Oct 31, 2008

Camera just arrived and I'm so confused, guess I should attempt to read the manual....LOL

Lyncca · Oct 31, 2008

maxalmon said:
Camera just arrived and I'm so confused, guess I should attempt to read the manual....LOL

LOL, congratulations! It seems we are all upgrading

I just ordered the D300 today. I looked at the D700, but not only do I just think I don't need it, I kinda like having the 1.5x sensor. I also doubt that I will need the 6400 ISO. In your case, with marine photography, you certainly could use it!

Great shot too

maxalmon · Oct 31, 2008

Like a kid in turned lose in a candy store, I have no idea what all the controls are, slapped the 105 macro lens on and just started playing.

I can already see that I have a lot to learn in order to master this camera, just a few minutes of playing around yielded these images.

Still have to figure out some settings, the 750watts of Hetal Halide lighting are causing problems, but I'll figure that out.

These are just "aim and shoot" images with no WB or compensation or any other adjustments, I can already see an drastic improvement in the resoultion and optics, this FX sensor is amazing, give me a week or so and my new images will make my older postings look like junk

Still trying to figure out the manual controls, so this is a heavily cropped image just to see details. This is one of the hardest corals in my tanks to capture quality images, I can see that I still have some work to do.