Review and Opinion – Nikon D3100

I’ve been using Nikon’s “pro-sumer” cameras for the last several years (Nikon D700, Nikon D300) so you might be wondering why I’d choose to buy and review a entry level camera like the Nikon D3100.

First, after teaching a half dozen photography classes I came to realize that I needed to know how to use the cameras of my students. The majority of my clients are using Nikon D3000s, Nikon D5000s, and Nikon D40s. Second, I wanted a camera that was lighter and more compact so I’d be more likely to carry it around with me. The Nikon D3100 was announced about the time these two factors became my focus.

After about 45 days of use, I have to say the Nikon D3100 is a great camera.

Handling: I have large hands and was very concerned the Nikon D3100 wouldn’t feel right. I was wrong. Nikon’s ergonomics it seems, regardless of body size, seems to be a strength. When paired with the Nikon 18-105mm VR lens this is a well handling, compact, lightweight and versatile combination.

Image Quality: I’ve put the 18-105mm on the camera and the results are satisfactory. I’ve put the new 24-120mm VR on the camera and the results are better. And with the 70-200mm VR the images produced by this camera (in normal to bright conditions) will match that of much more expensive camera bodies. Even at ISO 3200 I find the images of the Nikon D3100 to be very clean.

Features: When shooting with the Nikon D3100 I really miss the auto-focus of the Nikon D700. It simply doesn’t compare. Bracketing is missing on the Nikon D3100 and for HDR this is a loss that can be overcome. I wish the camera would command a Nikon wireless off-camera flash. And last week I put the old AF 50mm f/1.8 and it took me a minute to figure out why the lens wouldn’t auto-focus (the Nikon D3100 does not have a autofocus motor for older (non-AF-S) lenses.

Bottom Line: This camera is highly recommended. If you have $600 to spend this will get you a great start. If your budget can withstand the $1800 it will take to get a D7000 and a modest lens, I think the D3100 and a great lens (or two) is a much better value and will yield much better results.

Happy Shooting!

Raw vs Jpg – Life Experience

I learned a little life lesson today.  I was running out of card space and still had much of the cross country meet to photograph.  So I quickly changed my camera to jpg from raw.  I didn’t bother to set the proper white balance as I’ve grown accustomed to setting a correct white balance in post processing of my raw files.  Take a look at the following photos… can you guess why one is black and white?

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to fix the white balance in the jpg photo of the group of runners.  I actually spent about 15 minutes trying to get it right… with no success.  So it became a black and white photo (hiding the greenish skin tones).

Lesson Learned:  Shoot RAW, no compromise (and carry enough memory cards).

D700 Lenses for Travel

I posted a few days ago about my money making kit of lenses, the Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED and the Nikkor AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED.  These two are the best of the best.  But this week I find myself traveling for business.  I wanted to pack a versatile set of lenses that were more compact, more portable, and, if lost or stolen, wouldn’t cause me as much grief.  Thus I packed my ”Travel Kit“.  These lenses provide focal length range from 17mm to 150mm.  They provide low light and macro capability.  And these produce excellent image quality.  As stated in a previous post, these lenses are used on a Nikon D700 body.

Sigma’s 150mm f/2.8 EX DG is an ideal lens for macro and sports.  I have used this lens to shoot indoor sports and have found the lens to be bright, crisp and consistent from corner to corner (I did not mention in my post about the AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED that the lens can vignette on a full frame sensor at f/2.8.  The Sigma 150mm does not have this problem.)  I can also use this for a portrait lens when compression of the background is desired.  It has excellent working distance for macro work and focuses super fast in AF mode.  This lens feels great in my hands and is compact even with it’s hood reversed for storage.  The lens is substantial and feels like metal, thus the build quality seems impressive.  Since it’s a prime its optics are uncompromising.  The focus ring is big and easy to use.  It takes a 72mm filter (I wish it were 77mm)   And surprisingly, in my honest opinion, this lens is as sharp as ANY Nikon lens I use.  The lens does not have any image stabilization (VR) so is must be used on a tripod or at a shutter speed great than about 1/150 of a second.  I paid $700 for this lens a few months ago.  It is a very welcome addition to my kit.

My stunning bride shot with the Sigma 150mm f/2.8

Tamron SP AF17-35MM F/2.8-4 Di LD Aspherical (IF) provides a favorite focal length for pros and landscape photographers.  Personally, I don’t often shoot wider than 24mm, but for those occasions I am very happy to have this lens.  And frankly, I want to learn to appreciate this focal length more.  So you might be wondering why I bought this lens rather than the Nikon equivalent…  I had a chance to try this lens out in the store and it seemed sharp.  Given I don’t frequently shoot at this focal length it seemed foolish to spend more that the $295 I spent on this lens.  I also appreciated the 77mm filter size this lens shares with my money making lenses.  So I could add this to my ”Money“ kit and be able to go wide.

Mormon Barns and Tetons shot with Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8 lens

Nikon’s AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D costs only about $130.  It is extremely compact and lightweight.  And for small groups and couples it is a perfect low-light portrait lens.  It offers great bokeh.  It feels a bit light and gets lost on the D700 body.  As a prime it’s performance is super though it uses Nikon’s older AF technology.  When traveling this lens addresses the lowest light requirements and fills a gap between the other two lenses mentioned here.  And while the example below has a dreamy effect applied, don’t think for a moment that this lens isn’t ultra-sharp!

Papa kissing Baby Titus in Mommy's Tummy - shot with Nikon 50mm f/1.8

When I predict that focal length versatility is more important than macro ability I will carry the Nikon VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED instead of the Sigma 150mm.  Recent articles by Scott Kelby, Moose Peterson and Laurie Excel all point to this lens as the surprise of the Nikon arsenal.  I agree for outdoor use.  The limitation of this lens is not sharpness, in fact it is quite sharp.  The limitation is the f/4.5-5.6 maximum aperture.  The lens feels good in the hands though it does not feel as well built as most other lenses I have thus far written about.  It is relatively compact and it’s hood does a great job of eliminating flare.  I even used this lens at Yellowstone recently and got some impressive results.

Yellowstone Bison shot with Nikon 70-300mm VR

For traveling and versatility I recommend carrying the Tamron 17-35, the Nikon 50mm 1.8 and the Sigma 150mm.  Happy Shooting!

- Tom

Tags:  Review Sigma 150mm f/2.8, Review Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4, Review Nikon 50mm f/1.8, Nikon D700 Lenses

Lenses: My thoughts on what to carry…

I photograph landscapes, flowers, food, weddings, portraits, children, and sports.  This variety of subjects reeks havoc on my satisfaction with the lenses I buy and use.

I carry gear in my car, in a backpack, in travel carry-ons and in traditional (top open) photo bags.  I value portability and wish the best lenses could be light and compact.  This is not reality.

I love accessories that make my photos better and life easier.  I get so frustrated when manufacturers refuse to standardize things that would make the end-users life easier.  I am frustrated having to deal with 52mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, an 77mm filters for my lenses.  I am frustrated that every lens seems to require a unique hood and lens cap.  (I cannot understand why batteries and memory cards and RAW file formats have to be so darned unique from camera to camera…   but I digress…)

I primarily shoot with a Nikon full-frame D700 camera.  Every focal length mentioned herein is represented in 35mm equivalent.  I like tack-sharp images with contrast, color saturation, and edge-to-edge image quality.

There are some compelling technical reviews of lenses, one is found at http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html#rating. There are also some good “user reviews” such as those found at http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/index.php?cat=1.  The comments that follow are not really individual lens reviews, instead they are comments about combinations of lens selections that are appropriate for a particular type of shoot.

So after years of buying and selling, tweaking, and compromise… I am now at least 75% content with the lenses I own…  I am not sure it is possible to be 100% satisfied.  Here is a summary of my lenses, what I wish was available and what I might buy next.  First, the set of lenses I take to events, weddings, and most “paid” gigs when I have to get the shot!

Making Money – My Pro Kit

Nikon’s AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED is the Core of my lens portfolio.

Weddings can almost be done with one lens.  24mm seems wide enough for groups and shots of the entire venue.  70mm is the perfect focal length for bust and 3/4 length individual and couples shots.  The Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 is an absolutely fantastic lens.  Sharp from edge-to-edge, super-fast focus, comfort in the hands, the results from this lens are stunning.  The lens does not have image stabilization (VR in Nikon terms) but I can almost always reliably squeeze out at least 1/50th of a second for my shutter speed.  It has a 77mm filter size and a HUGE lens hood that makes it require entirely too much bag space.  (I bet the lens hood is 40mm wider than the front of the lens, ridiculous!)  This lens is a bit heavy to carry backpacking and traveling so it tends to stay home a bit too often.  But when I am being paid for weddings or portraits this lens absolutely delivers.

Here is an image from this lens, see for yourself!

Shot from Nikon’s AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED – Emily and Olivia

Nikon’s AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED is sweet!

This also makes an ideal portrait lens for face and 3/4 length shots.  It is great across the playground to catch junior climbing up the ladder to go down the slide.  The ‘scene compression“ of the 120mm to 200mm focal length is really intriguing in portrait and close up photos.  Nothing handles better inside a gym or at pool edge than this lens.  It is a ”must have“ for sports.  This lens is tack-sharp, contrasty, and focuses faster than any other lens I have ever held in my hands.  The VR in this lens allows me to hand-hold down to 1/30th of a second.  The 77mm front matches my 24-70mm lens and allows me to share filters and lens caps.  When matched with a 77mm Canon 500D diopter, this lens churns out some beautiful macro work. The lens hood is just the right size and is not significantly wider than the front of the lens.  This piece of metal and glass feels like a ”million dollars“ when speaking in terms of build-quality.  The downside to this lens is its length.  Many camera bags won’t hold it.

Image taken with Nikon’s VR AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED – Curtis High Track

With these two lenses I can go from 24mm to 200mm, I can catch portraits (bust shots) with either lens.  I can reach across the room to catch a detail or get super-close and still capture the whole room.  Filters are interchangeable.  Focus is quick.  Both lenses are very well balanced on the D700.  Both handle very low light when combined with the D700.  Unfortunately this pair of lenses set’s a photog back about 3 big ones.  The price for professionalism!

My next post will feature the lenses I Travel around with when space and weight are important considerations.

- Tom

Tags:  Recommended Lenses for D700,  Recommended Nikon Lenses, Travel Lenses for D700, Pro Lenses for D700