What to Prioritize?

[kirbym2]

Hey All,

So Christmas is coming up, and the wife is letting me expand my arsenal. I'm not sure where I need to prioritize. I'm thinking 2014 is going to have me doing some studio work. I don't have a lighting kit (so there's an option). I'm using a crop body, but feel that I need a zoom in the 70 (or 80) - 200 range.

Currently have the following
D7000
55-200mm VR Lens (Nikon)
50mm 1.4 (Nikon)
17-50mm 2.8 (Tamron)
12-24mm 4.0 (Tokina)
150-500mm (Sigma)
85mm 3.5-5.6 (Nikon)

SB-600
Reflectors
Small Soft Box

Now that I'm reading this back, I'm thinking I need to clean up (and sell off) some of my lenses. If my area of focus is going to be indoor/outdoor family portrait work, potentially some engagement photos, even leading into wedding photography, where do I go?

In addition to anything I sell off, I'll have a budget of $1000.

Thanks everyone!

 

[pixmedic]

you already have pretty much all focal lengths covered.
your 50mm, 17-50, and 85mm should be more than enough for a small studio space.
i am confused by your 85mm lens though, and how a prime lens can have a variable aperture.
if you think you are going to do studio work (portraits I assume?) i would invest in backdrops and lighting.
I use a couple of sb700's and YN568ex's with radio triggers on light stands with shoot through umbrellas.
I use a green screen from time to time, but you can also use muslin backdrops. if you have a light colored wall for a background like I do, (white concrete block) you can also use a flash and colored gels to change the color of the wall. you will definitely need more than one flash. I like flashes instead of studio strobes because i can always use them on camera as well.

recently i picked up some yongnuo 568ex flashes (they do TTL and HSS) and yongnuo radio triggers as a replacement for my sb600's and sb700's.
I find the yn568ex's to be a better flash than both the sb600 and sb700. the yongnuo radio triggers will TTL with the yongnuo OR nikon flashes.
I have been recommending them both for people looking to get into flash photography and OCF cheaper than OEM.
the YN568ex flash was $180 brand new. the YN622n radio triggers were $80 per pair and each one can act as a transmitter OR receiver.
I wrote a review on the forum for the flash HERE
and a review for the triggers HERE

 

[kirbym2]

Thanks pixmedic! The 85mm is a macro lens. I've sort of acquired as I gained interest in a particular area of photography, and never went all out with a "top of the line" lens. Now I'm sort of thinking quality vs quantity. To your point, the focal lengths are covered. The glaring gap would be lighting.

So your take is OCF (speedlites) over monolights? I had initially thought about picking up a couple of flashpoint 320M's (based on the recommendation of another forum poster).

Would you say then that a professional mid-range or telezoom isn't necessary?

Thanks!

 

[pixmedic]

Thanks pixmedic! The 85mm is a macro lens. I've sort of acquired as I gained interest in a particular area of photography, and never went all out with a "top of the line" lens. Now I'm sort of thinking quality vs quantity. To your point, the focal lengths are covered. The glaring gap would be lighting.

So your take is OCF (speedlites) over monolights? I had initially thought about picking up a couple of flashpoint 320M's (based on the recommendation of another forum poster).

Would you say then that a professional mid-range or telezoom isn't necessary?

Thanks!

at this point, your money would be better spent on lighting and modifiers. (softboxes or umbrellas)
for portraits, especially when you are using lighting, the lenses you have are perfectly adequate.
unless you can get pretty far away from the subject, 200mm would be a tough focal length to use.
(although I did do some portraits with my 180mm f/2.8)

theres nothing wrong with getting studio strobes.
I only prefer flashes because we do event photography as well, and the flashes are also used on both camera bodies.

 

[Derrel]

I used to work as a studio portrait shooter in the 1990's, and my feeling is that a guy wants FOUR studio flash units with modeling lights. Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR lights. With modeling lights. Modeling lights help keep the subject's pupils from being all wide and google-eyed, and help the photographer place the shadows **precisely**. For the beginning shooter, modeling lights are exceedingly helpful in providing real-time feedback, over each and every single adjustment made to the main and fill and background lights. Same with any hair- or kicker lights. You do not need a "lot" of flash power. What is most helpful is control over the light. That means light modifiers.

$1,000 is not a lot of money for good flash gear, so you will need to go kind of low-end. I am gonna say "Adorama Flashpoint 320M: monolights. Four of them. Two matching enclosed umbrellas. One medium sized softbox. A reflector and stand and grip arm. A barn doors set with honeycomb grid and gel-holder and diffuser (Adorama sells this). SIX light stands, minimum. Four, 42"x72" reflectors made out of foam-core board and tacked to a lightweight wooden or plastic or PVC pipe frame, and perhaps hinged to make two "V-flats".

You do not need a "lot" of fancy stuff, but you need some BASICS, to control the light; umbrellas, reflector and grip arm, barn doors and honeycomb grid, and some mylar diffusing screens that go into the gel-holder accessory that the barn doors and grid device uses. A snoot is mostly worthless, IMHO.