siamesecatmanuk Loc: Leicestershire UK

A couple of quick statements having read all the above ( many thanks to all who took the time to reply ) I,m using NikonD7100 ( no filter as someone mentioned ) with Nikon 35 mm f1.8 lens, Bill said is was focused not on the eyes,I wonder did others think that ? I,m not so sure.
Obviously FF at bargain basement prices are a lot of the thinking behind D600 as shutter fiasco has kept prices sensible
Would love to have see me holding a D800 but realistically with new FF lens being needed,maybe that's a bridge too far !?
One interesting thing to me which I might need to try ,is FF lens on my 7100 but something close to my 35 mm ( 50 mm FF equivalent ) is There a FF lens with same focal length ?
Graham

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

A 36mp 800, 800E, or 810, will serve you well for what you do.

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

The FX doesn't hold much value for what you are doing. It originally was less noisy at high ISO (And still is in theory) but aps-c sensors have gotten so much better now. It also means a whole new set of lenses and more expenditure for medical treatment of back pain for carrying the heavier gear. LOL. Oh, but if the gear is heavier, at least your bank account will be lighter.

I'm a 40 year Nikon guy, but consider the Sony a6500. The eye-focus, and follow-focus as well as the rapid continuous shooting might be very valuable for photographing cats.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

How often do you make 16x24" or larger prints?

How often do you need to use ISO 12800 or higher?

If your answer to those questions is "never", a full frame camera would quite likely be of little or no benefit what-so-ever. You would probably be the only person to ever see any difference, while editing your RAW files at ridiculously large magnifications on your computer. A 24MP image at "100%" on most modern monitors is approx. equivalent to a 36x60" print... viewed from only 18 to 20" away. Most end uses of images are far smaller and/or viewed from a more realistic distance, so other people looking at your finished products are unlikely to see much, if any difference between a DX camera and an FX camera. In fact, it's arguable that the vast majority of FX/FF camera users actually get no benefit from their larger, heavier, more expensive camera and lens kits. Slightly slower flash/strobe syncs are common with FX/FF too (Portable flash sync of D600's is 1/200. It's 1/250 with D500.)

FX/FF is ideal for some things... landscape and architectural photography are a couple examples.

But for a lot of other things, DX/crop sensor cameras can be a better choice.

In fact, the best use of your money might be to put it toward more or better lenses, added lighting gear, backdrops, posing stands and props, etc.... for use with your current camera. A higher performance DX camera (D7200 or D500) might be a good upgrade, too. If not already doing so, another thing that might be really useful would be a wireless file transfer setup (a pro version... not basic WiFi). Transfer images to a computer while you're shooting, so that customers can view the results immediately.

Cat show photography is challenging. One photographer I know who specialized in it actually sets up a tent with studio lighting, a posing stand, various "toys" and such... then and shoots his subjects inside it. He sees fewer "escapees", as a result. Typically has a waiting line of customers, too.

PS: The only thing that I noticed in your sample image was the background... It looks as if you were using some sort of red backdrop, but it appears to not have been large enough, or this particular shot was done so that one corner of the image was off the backdrop. It would be easily fixed in Photoshop, of course.

Yes, of course there is similar to 35mm f/1.8 lens on DX, available for FX: A 50mm f/1.4 lens would behave very close in focal length... and 2/3 stop faster!

My acquaintance who photographs cats.. and has done so for about 35 years or more... was using a 24-70mm f/2.8 the vast majority of the time (on a DX/ crop camera). That zoom gives him rapid flexibility to deal with relatively unpredictable subjects. He finds f/2.8 plenty fast for the purpose, combined with studio lighting gear. In fact he stops down significantly most of the time, to get most of the cat well within the sharp depth-of field. His work has appeared frequently in Cat Fancy and other magazines and he has an extensive stock photo library... He travels to cat shows all over the U.S. Not sure if it's still the case, but in the past one of his top marketing "tools" was an annual calendar that he produces.... clients vie to get one of their cats included as one of the dozen or so featured in the calendar each year. www.chanan.com is his web site, if you're interested.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

It would help a lot if the shot were in focus, you have to nail it too with a ff camera!

siamesecatmanuk Loc: Leicestershire UK

Re focus on this shot the cats face and the foreground are on the same focal plane,the paws and clothing are further back and out of focus granted,but for me the face and foreground are in the 90's % in focus,but that's just my and my cameras focusing systems opinion,poll how many more advance on two say focus is a problem,I note far more replies never had an issue. G

siamesecatmanuk Loc: Leicestershire UK

Focus on that shot looks like this to me.

siamesecatmanuk Loc: Leicestershire UK

Thank you for a very interesting piece,many points taken on board and looking into your friends website is most interesting,I can see a good few more sleepless nights debating it all ! 🙀

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Nothing wrong with the 7100! If you are currently using only DX lenses, then buying an FX camera will entail also purchasing FX lenses. While DX lenses are not very good on an FX camera, the FX lenses on a DX camera work very well. Just have to understand the crop factor.

When I decided to go from DX (Nikon D7000), I first started purchasing FX lenses. Now I have both the D7000 and the D810, and all my lenses are FX! However, if you are going to start out with a 50mm lens, they are not overly expensive, price depending on which version you want.


Amfoto mentioned the 24-70mm f/2.8 as a possible choice. It is a great lens, quite versatile with its nice range of focal lengths. That might be good to have in addition to the 50mm f/1.4!

If you can wait a while, Nikon periodically has sales on its new and on its refurbished lenses and cameras. And some of the trusted online vendors will often add merchandise to make the price sweeter. [Nikon controls pricing, so they cannot price it any lower.] When I bought my D810 last fall near the holidays, the discount was $500, and B&H added in a 4TB WD My Book external HD and a Sandisk memory card!

I suggest you look at the available lenses on a website such as B&H because you will be able to research and compare different items. The Nikon site has a glossary so you can find out what all the letters mean that are attached to each choice. Such as AF vs. AF-S or G, E, IF, etc.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

What kind of cat is this black one? Looks kind of like pictures I have seen of the Oriental. [The Sphynx cat you showed is hard not to recognize!]

siamesecatmanuk Loc: Leicestershire UK

Lacey the black cat is an Oriental your quite right.shes lovely and gentle

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Never tell someone looking to spend money on new, advanced gear that the alternative is "quite good." No one wants "quite good."

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

they say the 810 is the workhorse of the Nikon line.
They have come way down in price and are a great step up. IMHO

CO

I agree with the people who say that there's little or no value in going to full frame for the type of photography you're doing. You have good light so there's no need to boost the ISO very high. Your first photo looks a little out of focus. Have you done AF fine tuning with your D7100? I use the DataColor SpyderLensCal to check the autofocusing accuracy of my camera and lens combinations. Some people use the Reikan FoCal 2 software.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Thank you for answering my question! The ears are amazing, and she has such an intense expression. Is she yours, or do you just know her from the shows?

I have a female Burmese 12 years old. She is beautiful, sable in color, quite small [only about 5 pounds], and very social - I call her my little shadow! Her brother just died recently, and I think she is lonely for feline companionship. But buying from a breeder is so expensive, I am considering looking for a rescue or a mix, either Burmese or Bombay. When I got her and her brother, they had both lost an eye as kittens, and the breeder let me have them for very little money, because she knew they would have a good home, and we were happy to have both of them. They were a few months older than 1 year. [I started out looking for a retired breeder, because I had heard they would often be very inexpensive.]

Photographing cats presents its own challenges. I don't have studio lights, and the light from the lamps in my home affect the images. My boy was a good subject, but his sister doesn't want to sit still. Unless, of course, she is in my lap!

This is my boy!