Thank You all so very much! Sunday went fine! I survived the anxiety, the pictures were taken without a glitch, and the suggested settings worked great! Would I do some things differently if ever a next time, sure...always learning from my mistakes and shortcomings, but I got the pictures! I am so thankful and proud of my Ugly Hedgehog connections! You have all been so open and sharing and I can’t possibly adequately express my humble gratitude! I also came across this link and am keeping it for future reference....
http://blog.dojoklo.com/2014/06/30/nikon-d800800e-nikon-d810-setup-guide-with-recommended-settings/ Thank You all again for being there for me!!!
It will be 5 confirmands and 2 pastors plus individual shots, and shots with parents.
[quote=charlienow]How large will the group shots be?
Chuck
It will be 5 confirmands and 2 pastors plus individual shots, and shots with parents.
yssirk123...THANK YOU so very much for your valued input! Please feel free to add any other insight as you think of it!
yssirk123
AWESOME, thanks so much for joining the conversation! Question, do I have to be concerned about myself casting a shadow onto the subject when taking the group photo? Thinking not because it is parabolic. The light source and I will be confined to the center aisle...I’ll be using a boom light stand. Also, I checked ... mine is Alien Bee 400. I have 2, but only figured on using 1. My second if needed would not have a boom stand, only a pole. So if sticking with 1 B400 I might need to up my ISO....? (Hopefully not more than 400.)
Initial Plan...?
Aperature Mode
160 or faster shutter
Lowest ISO achievable based on lighting (starting at 64)
Matrix metering (center weighted or spot)
Release mode single frame or CL
Auto focus mode Single (AF-S)
Auto focus area mode Single Point AF
Parabolic Umbrella (6-7’)...in church center isle so will be close to straight on and so will I when shooting.
UPDATE: I’m absolutely loving my new Nikon 200-500 lens! I wish I would have gotten it sooner. Works great on my D810 and Z7.
Our church is having confirmation this Sunday and Covid is keeping the past photographer from coming. They have no one else to fill in and last minute have begged me to help out. I have a 6’ umbrella softbox, an alien bee light source with a boom stand (actually 2 but only planning on using the one light), a Nikon D810, the Nikon lenses 24-70/70-200/85/105 and others plus a tripod and remote trigger so I have the equipment, but my subjects are usually outside and have feathers. I haven’t done people portraits for ages, only wildlife! So, Instead of asking them to exit to the parking lot and climbing the nearest tree, I’m hoping my fellow hedge hogs can help. It will be 5 confirmands and 2 pastors plus individual shots, and shots with parents. What settings should I consider? For one thing I usually use single point focus for wildlife, but for group portraiture... ??? Aperature Setting? ISO? The pictures will be taken in the church about noon and I do know the lighting will need to be supplemented that’s why I’m planning on taking my 6 footer along. I figure on using my 24-70 lens. Over the years I’ve forgotten all the “special” settings for indoor group shots...please help! They have already been forewarned ... you get what you pay for. In this case, it is a freebie but I would be so sad if I left them down. Any and all tips you can give this old gal would be appreciated. Thank You!
I purchased a Nikon 200-500 and a Nikon 1.4 teleconverter. My thoughts....waiting for the Nikon zoom to 600 in the works would mean I’d have a lens that would only work on the z series. Anything I purchase must work on my 800, 810, and z7 I presently own. I really noticed very little difference between the 500 and 600 reach, and with the pixel size of these cameras...cropping is not a bad word. A negative to the teleconverter is loss of an f stop, however, the Nikon lens is faster than the Sigma or the Tamron. So I’m “thinking” it would be comparable speed with more reach than the 600 offered by Tamron and Sigma. Another downside of the teleconverter is speed limitation of focus point to achieve optimal auto focus speed...should be left at center/single point focus to achieve maximum effectiveness. I’m not expecting that to be a problem for me when birding etc. The picture quality I’ve seen with the 200-500 is beautiful...hopefully I can duplicate the examples, but I do understand it’s not the camera but the person using it LOL! Because the z7 only supports 1 card, unlike my 810 having 2 slots, I purchased a 240 Sony xqd card hoping for fast speed reading and writing, larger storage capacity, and capability of doing the z7 updates myself. So in summary, I had Sigma 150-500 6.3 lens that didn’t work on z7 (which I have loved and still do), I will now have Nikon 200-500 faster lens but used with teleconverter stopping lens down 1 stop and able to reach about 800! I’ll let you know how it works, but so far I feel very comfortable with my decision! Thank you fellow hedgehogs for your input in this very, for me, difficult decision!
billnikon wrote:
Nikon will, within the year, have a 200-600 zoom available for the Z7. Wait for it.
The lens will need to work with 810 and z7!
via the lens wrote:
Will be curious to hear, if you do end up using the Z7, how the auto focus turns out for wildlife. I have the Z7 and a D500. I use the D500 for all wildlife shots where there might be action, the buffer is endless and the auto focus catches right away. I have not had that type of experience when I experimented with the Z7. I use the Z7 for most any other shot, landscapes, flowers, objects, etc. and love it, it takes wonderful images. I use the D500 and a Nikon 200-500 for wildlife and that has worked good so far, was tempted to get the Nikon PF 500mm but so far have not made the leap.
Will be curious to hear, if you do end up using th... (
show quote)
Just made the decision to go ahead with purchase of Nikon 200-500. I’ll let you know once it arrives!
Collhar wrote:
For me, if the Sigma works with the 810, I'm ok with that. The Z7 would be used for every thing else. As of late and all that is going on, I am not going to complain about the small stuff anymore.
You make a good point!
I know MT Shooter takes beautiful pictures. Maybe I’m just asking too much of the Z7. My D810 takes breathtaking pictures, I just hoped to switch to Mirrorless because of the weight. Instead of switching to the Z for my distance shots I’ll concentrate on trying the Z for the others and continue with the D810/Sigma for wildlife.
I’m looking forward to seeing my grandkids again after this pandemic is behind us!
Stay safe and God be with us all!
MT Shooter wrote:
1/60sec, F11, ISO 100, handheld, about 120mm. It was kind of breezy so the tree branches were waving.
It looks terrific in a 24x36 print.
I have no doubt it does look absolutely beautiful as a 24x36! All the pictures you’d posted are beautiful...I’m just scrutinizing the lens.
MT Shooter wrote:
The shots I posted are straight out of camera, no processing at all. I have my JPG recording set to "Landscape" with a +1 bump on the sharpening is all.
Curious what settings were because the mountains are sharp, the foreground is sharp, the bank of trees have something like a “muddy” look.
MT Shooter wrote:
The shots I posted are straight out of camera, no processing at all. I have my JPG recording set to "Landscape" with a +1 bump on the sharpening is all.
What were your settings on the second last picture?