upgrade camera? (Page 2): I agree. To me the ISO 3200 is a giveaway that this is operator error. One could take decent portraits at a quarter of that ISO using four fluorescent 150...

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

[quote=Radioman]

kurme wrote:

Well i have stobes in my little studio but have difficulty using it ...... i find i have to use 3200 iso and then take the grain out in lightroom. I use a 24 70 2.8lens as well as my 50mm 1.4

There is something wrong -- with iso 3200 and a 2.8/1.4 lens, you should be able take portraits by candlelight????

Perhaps your shutter speed is too fast !!

I agree. To me the ISO 3200 is a giveaway that this is operator error. One could take decent portraits at a quarter of that ISO using four fluorescent 150 watt-equivalent floods, or sunlight coming in a nearby window, so certainly there's something wrong with the strobe and/or camera setup - not the camera itself.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

[quote=Radioman]

kurme wrote:

Well i have stobes in my little studio but have difficulty using it ...... i find i have to use 3200 iso and then take the grain out in lightroom. I use a 24 70 2.8lens as well as my 50mm 1.4

There is something wrong -- with iso 3200 and a 2.8/1.4 lens, you should be able take portraits by candlelight????

Perhaps your shutter speed is too fast !!

I agree, iso 3200 is too high, lower iso and shutter speed and get the noise out of your photo's.

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

I think an upgrade to your lighting would be better than a new camera. The Nikon Speed lights will work wirleess. You could get an adapter to put in your hotshoe for a pc cord - Use the flash on your camera (you may want to put a defuser on it) as a fill light and then trigger your off the camera flash with a slave. If you are not selling bigger than 16X20s I would not think you would need full frame. Just my thoughts - Dave

Bfd

Another option could be to pick up a used D700. There are a number of them out there from shooters upgrading to the D800. The new D600 could also be a good option. What size prints do you usually make? Higher pixels can yield higher quality larger prints; although Genuine Fractals does a really nice job blowing up 12 mp.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

There is really no reason to spend money on an upgrade. The D3100 is a very capable camera for this type of work as long as the user knows where to adjust the settings.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Try f5.6 - 1/125 - iso 100 and set your key light to 1/2 power. Take a shot and adjust two or three times to get the key light to your liking. Then do the same with fill light and then with your back-light or background light. Adjust one at a time. If you used Nikon Speedlites, you could use ETTL (I don't know what Nikon calls it) and use ratios to adjust key and fill light. If using light properly, you don't need a high iso. If you can't get proper lighting then a higher iso might be in order. The other day I shot some models in a night club during off hours. The night club manager wouldn't turn on the AC and we had minimal lights turned on. In this case I had to use a higher iso, but not so high as to introduce noise, and a slow shutter to get some of the background exposed. We didn't have enough studio lighting to light the background of a huge night club. So we exposed for the background (a stop or so underexposed) and then lit the models with soft lights.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

cjkorb wrote:

There is really no reason to spend money on an upgrade. The D3100 is a very capable camera for this type of work as long as the user knows where to adjust the settings.

No one wants to be told that they don't need a new camera. "Need" very seldom enters into it. It's a question of getting something new that can do what the old one couldn't. This applies to cars, boats, tools - you name it. For some reason, my wife thinks we "need" new furniture every so often. Makes no sense to me, but it seems important to her.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

jerryc41 wrote:

quote=cjkorb There is really no reason to spend m... (show quote)

That's me, Jerry, I'm from the "Old School" My car is two years old and plan on keeping it for another 10 years. My Wife aways "needs" pot's and pan's for some reason and when we buy new one's, She keeps the old one's. Soon, we'll have to store them on the kitchen table.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

cjkorb wrote:

That's me, Jerry, I'm from the "Old School" My car is two years old and plan on keeping it for another 10 years. My Wife aways "needs" pot's and pan's for some reason and when we buy new one's, She keeps the old one's. Soon, we'll have to store them on the kitchen table.

I like keeping cars for a long time, although I don't drive much any more. My son has my old Honda with 261,157 miles on it.

As for pots and pans, since I am now doing most of the cooking, that's my decision. If they don't leak, they're OK.

Teacher Loc: Alabama

D700 can be bought way less that a new 600. Also I haves a 24-70 and it is an excellent lens on DX and FX. But, like others have said, if you can get your noise problem worked out, you may be able to put off buying a camera. When you do, FF is my recommendation.

kurme wrote:

I am doing alot of studio work with my d3100. What camera do you think would be better for this? I just find in certain situations the camera really struggles. Thanks

RoysJungle Loc: Ohio

I'm with everyone else in that I think something wrong with your settings to have to use such a high ISO: where others mentioned shutter speed to fast, I'm wondering if your using to small of an aperture for a greater depth of field, could you please post the exif then maybe would can help you get the results you want without spending the dough.

kurme wrote:

Well i have stobes in my little studio but have difficulty using it because there is alot of light spill no matter how low i put the light so i tend to use only continuous lights and i find i have to use 3200 iso and then take the grain out in lightroom. I use a 24 70 2.8lens as well as my 50mm 1.4 and i have a sb700 but never used it in studio because i just got it a month ago and did a wedding so i used it in the church.

Nosaj Loc: Sarasota, Florida

Selecting a camera can be an arduous chore.
Last Winter, I spent hours doing research, reading reviews and specs, evaluating same brand lenses, and talking to retailers, online sellers and photographers. Eventually, I had a short list, which included three very fine cameras compatible with my expense limits: Nikon 7000, Canon 7D, and Pentax K5. I was able to hold each in my hand to get a sense of their feel. My choice was the Pentax K (to be upgraded this Fall to a K5 II), a choice I will never regret having made. Selecting a DSLR can be compared to selecting a new suit for a very special occasion; involving quality, features, reputation, fit and feel, and accessories. So, my advice is to make your choice based on your own important criteria, rather than on conventional popularity.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

kurme wrote:

I am doing alot of studio work with my d3100. What camera do you think would be better for this? I just find in certain situations the camera really struggles. Thanks

What would a new camera do that yours does not?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

St3v3M wrote:

kurme wrote:

I am doing alot of studio work with my d3100. What camera do you think would be better for this? I just find in certain situations the camera really struggles. Thanks

What would a new camera do that yours does not?

Boy, that is a question I never ask myself! I take the exact opposite approach. I comb reviews and look for every little bit of info to justify a new purchase. When I finally get the new - whatever - I'm like a kid on Christmas morning. I can't wait to get out there and use it - whatever it is.

A $50 P&S is all most people need, but modern digitals offer so much more to play with. :thumbup:

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

jerryc41 wrote:

quote=St3v3M quote=kurme I am doing alot of stud... (show quote)

I rarely find people can outshoot their cameras.