Good advice, Jerry. I have a Kindle ebook by Douglas Klostermann called Nikon D7200 Experience (he has them for many other models) and he has a useful spreadsheet of the default settings in one column and other columns with good suggested settings for common types of photography like landscapes, action and wildlife, night cityscapes, etc. It's a good reference to lean on after a two-button reset. It's easy to think your favorite settings are the default ones after a while. Thanks for the reminder.
Go to Nikon and look for the PDF of the manual if you don't have the booklet. The reset usually involves two buttons, many Nikons have a green dot next to each of them. You press and hold in on both buttons for about 2 seconds while the camera is on and it will take it back to factory settings. When I've done this on my D5200 and D7200, some info is retained, like copyright info and date and time. All of your custom settings will be wiped and you can start over. Also, try the bracketing while in Aperture Priority mode, it works best for most folks there. You may be in a mode that doesn't allow for bracketing. Good luck!
It's the only way I shoot since a Tony Northrup video that Jerry already listed among other links. The only downside I've found is when you hand your camera to someone to take a picture of you and your friends and you have to explain it to them. It's almost easier to set your camera and lens to manual focus and have them turn the focus ring. This techniques has really paid off in action and wildlife photography for me. Never going back to the half press of the shutter button.
I had that lens, I bought one used for about half-price. It does a good job and you can crop in the computer as well to get a little more reach. I don't believe you can use a TC with it, the rear element of the lens would mash up against it. I moved up to a Sigma 18-300 and a Sigma 150-600 as my wildlife needs progressed. Start saving your pennies and maybe buy used or refurbed to get more value for the money. Good luck!
It took Adobe about 2 months to catch up to my D7200 when I bought it on the first day it was available. I gave up and shot in JPG until they had an update that included the new NEF file format. I did work with ACR, the software that came with the camera and tried other tricks. It all added way too many steps to my workflow. I was very happy when the ACR under the hood in LR CC got refreshed. Good luck.
I've had very good luck with Sigma as I've moved up through their line. I've had the 18-250, still have the 18-300, had the 150-500 and just purchased the 150-600, it rocks! I'm on a crop sensor, you should get even better results with a full frame. I have always gone to brick and mortar stores and tried them all from each manufacturer and finally settled on Sigma. I've bought locally when I could unless the price difference was just too much. You also might try KEH/com, I got my 150-500 when they were around $1100 new for $600 used in great shape. I just sold it over a year later for $500. It's like renting a lens for a year with very little depreciation. Check here on the Hog, many people buy and sell gear here. And there's always ebay and Craigslist, just be careful. Good luck!
Lightroom. You may need to wait for an update if you get the latest camera. When I got my D7200, it was a couple of months before Adobe caught up to it. The camera makers are constantly fiddling with their RAW formats. Good luck!
You'll be fine, it makes a backup before doing anything. Good luck.
I second keh.com. Have had good luck there, maybe not as cheap as ebay or Craigslist, but no worries. They're highly regarded at the Hog and their rating system is honest.
pixbyjnjphotos wrote:
The D500 is not my cup of tea so to speak. The only thing it has over my D7100 that I would really like is the articulating viewer. The D500 has fewer megapixels and sadly lacks the CLS commander mode without an expensive external flash or triggering network. I have 2 SB600s that I use a lot with CLS both on my D80 and D7100. I personally would not purchase a D500. I don't see how the D500 can be classified as a flagship replacement for the D7100/D7200. It just isn't in the running.
For those of us interested in wildlife photography, a few less megapixels don't mean much, compared to the faster Expeed5 processor, bigger buffer and 10 frames a second indefinitely for JPG and maybe for 100 shots in 14bit RAW. The low light performance is better also, it's a newer sensor. I currently have a D7200 and will be watching how this camera tests out when it's released. I understand your need for the CLS commander, it's just not a deal breaker for wildlife where other factors are much more important. I think this body will give the 7D MkII a run for its money.
Tony Northrup has a great Kindle book for $10 that includes over 20 hours of private youtube video tutorials. I thought I knew Lightroom until I went through his Lightroom 5 book which is now updated to include Lightroom 6 CC. Get it at Amamzon or Google it and buy it from his site. Good luck.
Try this link to a Tony Northrup video on Back Button Focus. I use this all the time with my Nikons. You probably want to use Single Point autofocus or a small grid like 9 or 11 focus points. You're manual will explain this. Good luck!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PN9R0D3pF0
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