[JLiu]

To expand on KeyandFill’s response, the eyes are the most critical objects in any portrait with regards to sharpness.  Anything else can be out of focus (AKA OOF), but if the eyes are soft, it invariably throws the picture off.

[JLiu]

In terms of any upgrades, you’ll almost always want to invest in glass first.  It’ll hold value over time vs. a camera body.

Keep learning with what you’ve got for now until you can justify the jump in gear based on your skill level.

[JLiu]

I dunno about you, Seth…but I have a good supply of blondes and brunettes stashed away.  Just sayin’.

[JLiu]

Mmm…gonna have to delete the previous post….wasn’t aware that the site I was supposed to “like” is actually my friend’s wife.  Yikes…I’ll need to talk to her.

[JLiu]

FauxFighters – thank you for bringing this thread back  on topic.

[JLiu]

@IHF…that’s scary.  I would have had to take a few drinks after Googling for my own name.

[JLiu]

I have a few bags that I use, depending on the situation:  Think Tank Retrospective 20 (for around town), F-Stop Guru (for general travel/day hikes), and a DIY jury-rig that consists of one of my 60L packs and a medium or large F-Stop ICU.  Sometimes I’ll have a chest mounted case (Lowepro TopLoader Pro 70)  that connects to my backpack, but that’s only if I really want to look like a goober.

For the most part, I’m happy with my bags.  It took quite a bit of trial and error to narrow down to what I have now, but I feel that they are most beneficial to me for the type of photography I work on most.

If you are looking for a large pack for which you can do some serious hiking/backpacking in and carry your camera gear, it’s best to just get a pack made for backpacking, make sure it’s fit properly for you, and alter it.  This way you have a great hiking pack that doubles as a camera bag, not a great camera bag that doubles as a hiking pack (you’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever hiked with a pack that doesn’t fit well).

[JLiu]

I get what you’re trying to convey, but Program mode is still a step above full auto (i.e. green box mode).  Although you’re letting the camera automatically decide the shutter and aperture in P, you are in control of the ISO, exposure compensation, and pop-up flash.

[JLiu]

It’s not too bad once you get used to it…but I agree that the model numbers are awkward.

Oh, another thing about the consumer bodies:  They only have a rear thumbwheel as opposed to having both a front (by the shutter button) and rear wheel for more control of aperture/shutter.  This makes things really interesting for Manual Mode…took me a minute to figure it out when I was trying to teach a friend how to use his D3100.

Good luck teaching your class!

[JLiu]

All Nikon bodies use the F-type mount.  It has been the same mounting since the 60’s, I believe…possibly even earlier.

Camera bodies (Sorta kinda listed in order of quality…but that’s subjective based on opinion)

Crop bodies (AKA “DX”):

Discontinued bodies, but still used:
“Consumer”:  D40, D40x D50, D60, D70, D70s, D3000
Higher-end Consumer :  D5000, D80, D90
“Prosumer” (High end crop bodies with pro options on the body as opposed navigating a menu): D100, D200, D300
Pro (Top end):  D1, D1X, D2H, D2X, D2HS, D2XS

Active…for the most part:
Consumer :  D3100, D3200
Higher-end Consumer: D5100, D5200, D7000
Prosumer:  D300s

 

Full Frame bodies (AKA “FX”)

Discontinued, but still used:
Prosumer:  D700
Pro:   D3, D3X

Active:
Prosumer:  D700, D600, D800, D800e
Pro:   D3S, D4

Lots of jargon with lenses…but here’s the breakdown:

DX – for DX or crop bodies.  Can be used with an FX body, but will have heavy vignetting unless the FX body is set in DX mode.
FX – for FX or full-frame bodies.  Can be used with DX body with no drawbacks, but not really worth purchasing if no intention to move to full frame body
AF-S – Stands for “Autofocus- silent”.  Denotes that the lens has an internal autofocus motor.  **Special note:  Lower end consumer bodies will need lenses that have “AF-S” in order to autofocus because the camera body itself does not have an AF motor.**
ED – Extra-low dispersion glass (reduces color fringers)
IF – Internal focus (nothing moves outside the lens)
VR:  Vibration Reduction (identical to “IS” for Canon)
G:  Gelded (really only matters in terms of cost reduction, but also removes compatibility with older (non-digital) cameras)
N:  Nano coating (only present on the high end “pro” lenses)

 

[JLiu]

Baltimore, MD

[JLiu]

Kit:

Nikon D3s, D800, and D700 bodies

Zeiss 21/2.8 ZF.2, Sigma 35/1.4 (Just got this…haven’t played with it yet), Nikkor 24/1.4G, 50/1.8G, 85/1.4G, 105/2.8 Micro, 70-200/2.8 VRII and three SB-900 speedlights.

Next purchase – I’m pretty set on gear.  If I decide to start working on macro, I guess I could look at a ringlight and some extension tubes.

[JLiu]

If it really didn’t matter to you, then why spend the energy typing more and defending/pretending-to-not-defend-but-actually-defending yourself?

[JLiu]

Hi  all – I’m just another person behind the scenes reading all of the comments…very interesting stuff.

 

[Author]

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