I’d be interested in the lens. Sent you a PM.

I’ve been thinking about getting one of these as well, to pair with my D7500 (crop). My kit 18-140 is a bit short for shooting my 8 y/o’s performances and activities, but a borrowed 70-300 was too long as well. I know the IQ may be a little less than something with a shorter range, but I’m thinking for me it’s more about getting the shot than being a super pixel peeper.

If any of you decide your willing to part with one, and haven’t come to terms with the OP, let me know.

I’ve had mine for a couple of years and have been very happy with it. For me, it’s in the sweet spot of price and features. It’s my first DLSR after a 30 year hiatus from my B&W film days. You just have to consider what your needs / wants / price sensitivities are, and try to find the right balance. The single card slot doesn’t bother me, but if I shot for hire, I’d probably want the second slot. I’d probably want a backup body as well.

Thanks for all the positive and constructive comments. In regards to the crop, it was done in the printer's system, so I don't really have it. One thing I did learn is that I need to leave a little more space around the subject for cropping. The only option at this particular printer (Walgreens), was to wrap the picture around the sides of the canvas, as opposed to mirroring the sides. This meant that I had to crop a little bit of the top and left side leaf tips onto the sides of the canvas. I would have preferred not to do that, but there wasn't another option.

I agree. Looking at it, it would be better if it had been shot looking up, more square to the face of the flower.

She really likes it. She had me hang it on the bedroom wall yesterday. A couple of folks commented that the lighting is too harsh, which I can understand, but we like it. It would be interesting to try something similar again using an umbrella on the flash, but with the family it's hard to imaging being able to take that much time.

Thanks Dodie. FYI, I looked back at where the focus point was, and it's just left of center pedal. It was shot with single point auto focus, so it's interesting the leaves appear sharper to you. I'll admit, I've never checked the focus calibration of the combo, nor do I have the targets to do it.

I've been reading UHH for quite some time now, but this is my first post, and one of my first attempts at a flower. The wife liked this one, so I cropped it a bit, and gave it to her on a 16x20 canvas for x-mas. What's here is SOOC, shot with a D7500 and 18-140mm, held in my right hand, while holding a wirelessly triggered SB-700 speedlight at roughly 90 degrees in my left. ISO 100, 1/60, f/4.5, 45mm focal length, and TTL flash. I was with the family and relatives and had to shoot quick, so I'm pretty pleased with how this one came out.

Let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is welcomed.

Here’s a 5000K 23w(150-200w) LED, if it helps:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lohas+a21+led+light+bulb%2C+150-200+watt+light+bulbs+equivalent%2C+23watt&sprefix=LOHAS+A21+LED+Light+Bulb%2C&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_25

If color temp is a problem, maybe you could gell your strobes to balance? Note that I’ve never used gells, and haven’t done any portrait work yet.

Based on you implied shoestring budget, I’m curious, what are you using for a backdrop, and why black? Wouldn’t it be easier to get the separation on a white backdrop, or other contrasting color?

So far I’ve been happy with my Godox TTL triggers (Nikon), manual flash, and studio strobe, I’ll admin, though, I haven’t done too much with them yet. I did use them to trigger my SB700 in TTL, remotely held by a voice activated light stand (my wife), to shoot my 6 y/o with Santa. I’ve also put together a portable studio setup using a Godox SK300ll monolight, Godox TT600 manual speedlight, and the Nikon SB700.

Interesting article, and site. Thanks for sharing.

So I just tried this with mine in the green Auto mode, and the lens cap on. One thing I noticed is that with the lens cap on, the auto focus can’t focus lock, so the shutter won’t fire. To get the shutter to trip, I had to switch to manual focus on the camera body. When I did that, the shutter tripped, and the built in flash fired. I expect you’re savvy enough, though, to realize the shutter’s not tripping, if that was the issue. Also, the flash does auto pop up on 1/2 press of the shutter release in this mode. If you’re isn’t, I’d say it’s not working right.

Those look great! I’m curious, how did you light the nighttime / dusk shots? The light looks too natural to be an on camera flash.

I agree. I’ve had a screen cover on my D7500 pretty much since I first took it out of the box, and it works fine. Yes, Nikon’s screen can stand up to fingers day in and day out for years, but that’s not the concern. I worry about the sharp object the screen may bump into as its hanging off my side, or anywhere else.

Thanks to you and the others for the suggestions. I’ll take a look at the various offerings. I may start with the in app tutorial links.