I ordered a D850
Getting a pretty good price quote, 1k below MSRP.
Now leh, have to wait.

Im a bit concerned whether my existing Sigma 1.4 50mm EX DG HSM will work properly on it. The predecessor of the ART series. If it doesnt i might have to trade it in for something else, wont know until I try.
It's not as old as Nikon's D series lenses, but my friend tried the f2D 35mm on it during a roadshow and autofocus didnt work properly, meaning it might need to recalibration or something. I'll avoid buying old lenses myself when i pick up newer glass later because I believe they wont be able to resolve 45MP of details.

Im not that concerned about the G series of lenses by Nikon
Sigma leh, ART series i think no issue. Mine is a generation behind, EX DG HSM (instead of EX DG ART). Haih...

Now with the penang flood no idea how long i have to wait for my unit to arrive

At least on my current model, sigma glass rarely misses its focus unless I shoot wide open at f1.4, f1.8... I often start at f/2 or smaller. The kind of photography that i do, apertures wider than f/2.5 are usually quite useless. Owning a f1.4 glass is just bragging right, it's something cheaper f1.8 glass can do easily. Not to mention I shoot fully manual a lot (including focusing). I buy sigma prime lenses mainly for their sharpness - an important criteria for me since there are occasions where i do very large prints. Like, A2 size. Though, to play safe on a new model I will be buying more Nikon lenses.

For me it's very unlikely for me to quit for my entire lifetime because I've committed myself to photography, and i have a big following, unless something very life-changing made me quit (couldn't think of any at the moment). The main issue i have to deal with on a regular basis, is living up to people's expectations.
I'm quite the opposite, I find games to be quite unproductive (no offense to gamers lol) so I only play games casually once in a while for a short 2 hour session or so if Im in the mood. But on my side among the people i know, ppl mainly jumped ship to mirrorless instead of quitting photography entirely. Im not a fan of mirrorless though.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: Nov 7 2017, 10:20 PM

Go for it. If you are on a budget, a D750 is still one heck of a camera. Many people I know bought this model.
I'm jumping from D5200 straight to D850 even though im only doing (toy/miniature) photography for a hobby. God knows when i will actually receive it. I ordered on 15th Oct with a deposit. No news yet, heard that there's a long waiting list worldwide.

My issue is with the 24-70. The older 2.8G has corner sharpness issues wide open. the newer 2.8E is expensive.
I'll probably stick to primes like i've always did but without being able to zoom, they are not so flexible for event/conventions and concerts.

Sure haha
I've been wanting to explore landscape and specifically astrophotography, so full frame was the natural path to take. I could do zero interest CC installment with Maybank so why not, i thought. The problem now is ultra wides for FX is expensive. I was thinking of getting Irix f2.4 15mm. Manual only, but i heard lots of good things about it. If i go prime lens and AF, im thinking of Nikon f1.8G 20mm. And then there's Nikon f4 16-35, f2.8 14-24 (no way i can afford this at the moment), or Tokina f2.8 16-28. The Tokina is the cheapest, but once again, corner sharpness is just bad at f2.8. I've read like 5 reviews of each lens i listed.

My ultimate goal is to combine scale figurine photography with astro and landscape. Nikon D850's automated focus stacking feature (with the condition lens has AF) would be of big help. Currently I build dioramas and shoot them under controlled conditions, similar to a studio setup.

Thanks

Yeah, the 12mm zero D something by Laowa. If not mistaken it could also tilt shift if used on crop sensors

I've been seeing some preowned 16-35 on some listings online for anywhere between RM2800-3400. If I had gone for glass that do not accept screw in filters im in for another expensive nightmare. Those 150mm square filter systems and their holders cost as much as a lens itself. That's also one factor to consider.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: Dec 5 2017, 11:32 PM

Thanks for the heads up
Used 50mm primes are like pasar malam stuff but used ultra wides are not easy to find unless we are talking about older D prime lenses. My friend tested his f2D 35mm on a display unit D850 and the focusing was erratic and hunting all over the place. According to Nikon staff it's probably software issue and need to be sent to service center. I don't want to go through the trouble so I'm avoiding most D prime lenses.

Thanks
The ones i showed are mostly self made. My sets can take anywhere from as little as 2 to 3 days to several weeks depending on complexity. That saber bus stop one i took like 2 weeks to build. Some of my sets include pre-made parts I import from Taobao so it depends. Case by case basis where i judge myself whether it's cost effective or not. Sometimes buying a ready made part and repainting is cheaper than making on your own from scratch.

Yes, sometimes I write and publish my own tutorials, behind the scenes stuff for people to learn from. Just to share a bit of knowledge to the society and community. I've also published tutorials on composition and studio lighting techniques before (from a figure/miniature perspective) though the concepts are similar to portraits in general. Just downsized for scale models.

I'm quite anti-photoshop when it comes to artificially adding objects or effects and swapping backdrops, but i will so do it conservatively if really necessary. Still open to that option. Most of my photos are only processed in lightroom.

I have been doing this for 4 years but not very active on lowyat in general, which is why u didn't see my post here in the past.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: Dec 6 2017, 04:28 PM

Jumping on the Godox ecosystem for flash is highly recommended
their products r good

My order arrive dy

Thanks
As u know the MSRP is RM15,499.
I got it, ori nikon Malaysia unit, for 1k lower because i have connections lah.

Something like crony lol

It is called panning photography.
I myself have tried doing it before but i didnt practice much on it since i do shoot moving objects much.

Hope this helps

https://digital-photography-school.com/mast...oving-subjects/

Don't underestimate DX cameras though
In the right hands you can produce excellent results. I have been using D5200 for the past 4 years. It does feel limited without things like HSS flash capabilities on that model, but otherwise i have already squeezed out the most of what the camera is capable of already

Even the D3x00 series are actually very good especially 3300 and 3400, it all depends on the user

In fact i intend to buy a cheap preowned Canon DX body such as an EOS1000D (still undecided) later on and play the "crap camera challenge" game with my friends. And to use it in Canon-organized photography contests

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: Dec 23 2017, 01:12 AM

My first batch of figurine photos from a Nikon D850.
The first shot is actually a focus stack of 6 shots due to insufficient depth of field at f/5, in order for the entire figure to be in focus from head to toe.




This post has been edited by EXkurogane: Dec 29 2017, 01:42 PM

A wide lens will just distort the perspective, since this is a close up shot

Wide lens is best used for figurines with a dynamic or action pose, or when a large portion of the background is equally important. This one is closer to a portrait where longer focal length is preferred. In fact most most people shoot miniatures with a 90mm macro. At 24mm my camera lens front element will only be several inches away from the figure. Assuming i used an extension tube to reduce the minimum focusing distance, the front element which is too close to the figure will exaggerate the distortion further. There will be so much empty foreground if i don't get close, but if i do the distortion gets worse.

I also have no idea why some people like to use wide angles to shoot portraits, which is very common in the anime cosplay community. I suppose that they are after the distortion effects which makes a face longer and slimmer, similar to what front cams of phones do. I think this trend is partly being popularized by smartphone cameras often being in the 22-28mm (equivalent) range.

You can achieve that "high end look" with an entry level camera like Nikon D3400 too - it is not the body but the glass. The lens. Sigma has 10-20mm lens while Tokina has something like a 11-16mm lens if that's what you are after. It has nothing to do with the camera body. However, ultrawides are not something you just mess around with because it captures too much in the frame. You might end up including unwanted things into your shots that only serve as a distraction.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: Dec 29 2017, 04:47 PM

sliced off some texts to reduce the scrolling for readers

D7500 is not a direct upgrade to D7200 to me. From the way I'm seeing it's meant to be sold side by side with the D7200 (which was not discontinued). If the feature set of both units are combined together the pricing of the D7500 will probably be even higher (and encroach into the D610 territory). That will cannibalize the sales of D7500 because most people will rather pay the same amount for a FX body - without thinking carefully - it does not make any sense to buy a new D610 (it's over 5 years old by now, dinosaur tech), it's best to purchase a pre-owned one for the case of a D610. Nikon does not want people to buy their older products either (no companies want that). D7500 is expensive because it uses the same sensor from the D500 - so the ISO performance is going to be insane for a DX camera. Many online reviews have gone as far as saying the D500 is the best crop sensor traditional DSLR ever made - and the D7500 inherited its sensor. I dont think 21MP VS 24MP is a big problem for most people (but yeah, i admit that I didnt like that )

As for tilt screen, it's a lot more solid than the fully articulated one in the D7200 despite being less flexible (not much use in portrait oriantation). My D850 uses the same mechanism and it felt very reassuring. People who tell you that tilt screen is not needed, to me people who say that are probably those who are either not creative enough to explore different angles (high or low angle view), or they are salty Canon fanboys. The 6D Mark II is the first Canon full frame to have a tilt screen, and it just came out last year! Many Canon shooters dont have the "luxury" of a tilting screen except the entry level users. Many EOS (3 digits)D models have a tilting screen now. Heck, the 6D Mark II, as a FX camera, does not even have 2 card slots either.

As for the focusing problem of your lenses on plain surfaces, yes, that is totally normal. If is often difficult to local focus on anything that is plain with no contrast. That's for plain surfaces. Surfaces with texture like a rough brick wall shouldnt be a problem.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: Jan 3 2018, 07:50 PM

45MP actually

That is a very good question. The reason is image quality.
Every different lens has its own optimum/best performing range in terms of focal length and aperture. Nikon's older 18-55mm DX kit lens (the one i have, without internal focusing) performs best in terms of sharpness at 35mm, at f8-11 range. Wide open at f3.5 18mm it's actually quite soft. The non-ART Sigma 50mm 1.4 i used performs best at f4-5.6 in image quality when u factor in everything - the amount of chromatic aberration, image sharpness levels, amount of distortion and vignetting, center VS corner sharpness, and so on. That is why i stay in the f4-5.6 range when I'm in a studio setting on a tripod - I aim for the best image quality. If the depth of field is insufficient, then i will focus stack if it is practical to do so.

When im outside shooting casually, handheld, then I will make compromises - a photo that is accurately in focus is more important than noise levels or sharpness levels. So you open up the aperture to f/2.x range, and go up in ISO to keep the shutter speed high. Low noise levels is useless if your photo is off focus or blurred from movements due to low shutter speed. This difference in sharpness is not what you will normally notice immediately unless you pixel peep (unfortunately i have this habit) or you want to make large prints.

Most prime lenses don't perform well once you reach f/8 onwards and smaller, while normal zoom lenses (like the f2.8 24-70, or the 18-55 DX) tend to perform best at f/8-11 range. And, every lens will start to suffer from diffraction from f/13 for DX, f/16 for FX - you will lose sharpness and fine details as a result. I avoid that aperture range unless sharpness is not important for the occasion. Well, sharpness does not determine whether a photo is good or not, it's just an added bonus, something nice to have.

Technical knowledge will help u to decide to buy the right lens since no lenses are perfect. For example, on full frame, if you had to choose between Nikon's f2.8G 24-70mm and Tamron's f2.8 24-70 VC, then you need to know their differences in terms of optics and not just pure specs. The nikon one, wide open at f2.8 24mm has corner sharpness and distortion problems while performing better on the longer end at 40-70mm. The Tamron is the opposite - it performs strong at f2.8 24mm but at the long end from 50-70mm the image quality will be rather trashy. So the decision making will be based on whether you had the tendency to shoot at 24-50mm range (the Tamron is better suited for you) or you have the habit of zooming in a lot (the Nikon is better). If you rich and tuhao, then go ahead and buy the latest Nikon f2.8E 24-70mm.


Well that same exact shot can be done with my D5200 either, with barely much differences maybe except in dynamic range levels. I bought a full frame in order to be able to get good photos when in demanding low light situations, sort of trying to cover everything. My D5200, the good image quality limit for me is ISO 800-1000. 1600 is borderline acceptable. If i had to go above that, i rather not shoot at all unless the pics are only for social media.

Wide angles can be used for figurines too, but not every figurine. Those with a dynamic action pose will benefit greatly from a wide angle because it gives a sense of movement or action. Heck, that is what unique lenses like the Laowa f/4 15mm macro is for. To explore the world where macro and wide views are combined together. I'm planning to get an ultrawide lens myself soon within the next 2 or 3 months.

I also heard rumors of Nikon making a new f2.8 60mm macro lens due this year (probably to replace the f2.8G 60mm micro, which is already a very good lens), so that is what Im waiting for. Anywhere between 50-75 mm is excellent for 1/8 to 1/6 scale figure photography. 90mm macro is a bit too tight especially when u have a diorama background, otherwise I'd have taken a look at Tamron's offerings for macro glass. 90mm is better used for even smaller figures, 1/12 scale or smaller.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: Jan 3 2018, 08:00 PM

The thing is focus stacking is very easy to do - it takes only 2 or 3 minutes at most for 6 shots even with 45MP unless you are stacking a hundred frames, so i would rather retain as much pixels as possible. And i want to master the technique by repeatedly doing it because i intend to do both landscape and astrophotography in future - with a figure in it. You are not going to stop down that aperture in the dark; you have to shoot f/2.8 or wider. That's where image stacking becomes compulsory. I will never know which one of my photos will end up on the wall so i tend to retain as much resolution as possible. My way of thinking is "Why hold back when you know you can do better, and your camera can also do better. Push it to the limit."

Here's one sample by a photographer from HK. Someone i know well and also compete with but our styles are quite different. I don't know about the EXIF details but what i do know is that it's taken with Nikon D810 with a Zeiss 15mm 2.8, in Iceland. This kind of shot confirm need to focus stack. And you can light up the subject or foreground slightly with light painting.



I once jumped straight to f/22 thinking i need not worry too much about depth of field or hyperfocal focusing, but i was dead wrong. The 18-55mm VR kit lens at 18mm f22 produced utter crap image quality, detail smudging is noticeable at only 20-30% view of a 24MP shot. People upload photos on social media and i can already spot flaws like blurred corners or excessive noise even without zooming in to inspect. And that's on social media only, meaning they are not even high res pics.

And yeah, I do print large, like really large. Not a billboard but about A1, A2 sizes, because my photos are actually exhibited in conventions or galleries overseas. A2 size is already four A3 papers arranged in 2x2. About 24 x 36 inches. A1 is quite a giant print.

I'm not a fan of cropping in general because I compose my shots directly on camera in live view on tripod, my photos sometimes are exact matches to golden ratio grids. I use every composition rule to my advantage, both in terms of framing and color contrasting (it's not easy to decide the colors for the furniture in a diorama because they need to be compatible with the figure). I crop only for changing ratios to 4:3, 5:4 or 16:9.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: Jan 3 2018, 11:15 PM

To share a similar story,

What happened to one of my photographer friends, he tested a sample unit of Nikon D850 in store during launch last year - he even brought his own lenses along to try it. His old Nikon AF-D f/2 35mm behaved badly and refuses to focus, and the Nikon rep there said it might be firmware issue where the lens need to be sent to service center for calibration or something. However, a quick search online found that this issue is rare/almost doesnt exist. If there is, usually it's because the electronics of the lens or the camera body itself is faulty in the first place.

It happened to some Sigmas on a D750 (based on forum threads online) but if you have the USB dock for Sigma lenses (rectified by firmware updates with a Sigma USB lens dock). What's odd is that a Nikon lens is not working on a new Nikon body. Your D7500 is a very new model and I suspect it might be a similar case to what my friend experienced with the D850. Software issues where old lenses are not recognized or not functioning properly on new bodies, but this is just my own speculation.

This issue actually made me very reluctant to buy used AF-D prime lenses because they are cheap and great for lightweight travel such as vacations. At one point I was considering grabbing f/2 35mm and 24mm D lenses but I've completely dropped the idea. At least I can test lenses on the spot before buying most of the time if it's via COD.

It'd be great if someone here knows the possible reasons of what's actually going on

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: Jan 3 2018, 11:58 PM

It's not always practical though, if can match then it's for the best.
But at the same time, if always do the same thing it will also get boring...