Jeff, kudos on the iMac. Use it well and for a long time. Just one more suggestion as your portraiture is so obviously packed with creativity. The DC Nikkors. I know what I like as far as creative photos are concerned and in my never to be humble opinion, you have a great gift for composition. The DCs seem like a logical next step as they are created for portraits.

Best of luck, if you master your post production (Photoshop scares the hell out of me) I see no limits for your business.

Just bought a 27" Imac i7. 8GB ram. I'll be getting a cheap external monitor from craigslist.

SquamishPhoto said:
http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=2016

I have seen this post before and started sometime noticing that VR causes the image to shift when on tripod. I rarely shoot above 1/500 but the times I did, I did not noticed anything wrong with the shots.

I guess I have a tendency to shoot wide open at f/2.8 for bokey and this may explain the lack of sharpness in some of my shots. I will definitely do more tests.

Testing123 said:
Thom Hogan, who is privy to more technical information than most (through both Nikon contacts and independent research) believes that due to the effective sampling rate of the VR system it is incapable of providing a benefit at such high speeds. In this I believe he is well supported by the facts.

He goes on, however, to express a view that the VR system potentially proves harmful if engaged at such high shutter speeds. Of this I remain skeptical. I have not seen any strong evidence provided by him of this fact, and in light of the fact one must believe Nikon has NOT taken such into account I feel safe in leaving VR on at all (tripodless) times.

That is not to say he is incorrect. Nikon has goofed before. But since the evidence presented thusfar seems thin I err on the side of trusting the Nikon engineers. I simply feel on this final point he has failed to convince me. For if the VR system, if energized at high shutter speeds, is problematic it would be nothing for Nikon to themselves disable it. The fact they don't, and they are in the business of selling image quality, makes me hesitant to drink the Kool Aid.

I would tend to agree. Intuitively, Thom's argument seems to have merit; however, without any hard, quantitative data, it's all assumption. Note that on long lenses, even very high shutter speeds aren't enough to assure elimination of blur due to camera shake. I leave VR on at all times (except when on a tripod), and even at very high shutter speeds, I noticed no apparent adverse effects. I also frequently shoot with VR active when using a monopod, and contrary to the caveat for tripods, in my experience, VR is definitely beneficial for monopod shooting, with no apparent adverse effects.

Pierre said:
What is particular with the VR and 1/500 combination?

Thom Hogan, who is privy to more technical information than most (through both Nikon contacts and independent research) believes that due to the effective sampling rate of the VR system it is incapable of providing a benefit at such high speeds. In this I believe he is well supported by the facts.

He goes on, however, to express a view that the VR system potentially proves harmful if engaged at such high shutter speeds. Of this I remain skeptical. I have not seen any strong evidence provided by him of this fact, and in light of the fact one must believe Nikon has NOT taken such into account I feel safe in leaving VR on at all (tripodless) times.

That is not to say he is incorrect. Nikon has goofed before. But since the evidence presented thusfar seems thin I err on the side of trusting the Nikon engineers. I simply feel on this final point he has failed to convince me. For if the VR system, if energized at high shutter speeds, is problematic it would be nothing for Nikon to themselves disable it. The fact they don't, and they are in the business of selling image quality, makes me hesitant to drink the Kool Aid.

Pierre said:
What is particular with the VR and 1/500 combination?

http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=2016

SquamishPhoto said:
Are you using the lenses VR at shutter speeds higher than 1/500?

24-70 is not VR. As with the 70-200, I often have the VR off on tripod. If handheld, VR on and I always try to use a tree or building corner for steadiness. What is particular with the VR and 1/500 combination?

Pierre said:
I have the 24-70 and 70-200 F2.8 along with a 105mm. I know the F2.8 are supposed to be very good lenses but I find them soft for my taste. I would expect them to be much sharper. The 105mm macro is visibly sharper and I would love trying some 1.4 primes just for comparison. Perhaps there is something wrong with my camera or settings or with the way I do things.

Are you using the lenses VR at shutter speeds higher than 1/500?

shutterdancer said:
AETAS........the great thing about the net....is that people who know absolutely nothing about what they're talking about,(me,....could it be?), can pontificate to the extreme ;>) Hopefully one day I will grow up and become a photographer ;>)

ah hell. shutterdancer, That is why i love forums sometimes someone says something that gets you the ah ha moment. You make a very valid point. The natural light abilities are there and if that is the shooting style prefered why change if its working. I sometimes have a hard time helping without using the what would i need in that situation.

Jeff,

I know that I'm being redundant, but I don't think that a "PRO".....(and your work defines that term) can consistently rely on only one body.....having quick access to two different lenses in your genera ,can make things so much more easy,and remember,bodies rarely fail until you're doing a shoot that can't be replicated ...e.g weddings :>)

Your natural light work is very good.....If you can do it without flash, then why use it!

Another Mike

Jeff H said:
I don't want to waste the 20-30 sec. of switching lenses at a time sensitive event (weddings etc.)

just a thought, do you really need f2.8 - sell the 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S NIKKOR and get the AFS NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR
its professional lens, is fine at full aperture, and has VR

I hope the sb600 or700 makes a difference for you. As we all know we are just painting with light with photography and if you get some new tools it is always a fun time. You current work is really good though.

Gotcha there Mike. I know I need a new body... but I'm hoping to hold out until Nikon releases what's next. I'll either end up getting another D700 or possibly an upgrade. It would be great to have a 2nd body as a security cushion... but really I want it for what you just alluded to... I want to have two lenses available *right now!* I don't want to waste the 20-30 sec. of switching lenses at a time sensitive event (weddings etc.)
For now, though, I'm willing to wait.

Hi Jeff,

Your work is terrific. The caution about the extra body was to point out that unless you there were many other things (you seem to have) that also could improve one's output.

As far as an extra body, changing lenses is one thing that can be a burden (as other posters have pointed out).

Good luck and my best,

Mike

I just cleared a misconception I had about my computer... I thought I was having problems with LR3 because I didn't have enough memory (4gb). Now I'm thinking it is the processor. LR3 stalls at times, especially when using the clone/spot healing tool.

I am on a macbook pro, 2.53Ghz Core Duo

SO this is swaying me again toward the i7 27" imac, and cheap $100 2nd monitor for tools.

Eizo 10 bit color monitor. ColorEdge CG243W

pro - at Dictionary.com
prefix meaning "before, forward, in favor of, in place of," from L. pro "on behalf of, in place of, before, for," also in some cases from cognate Gk. pro "before, in front of," both from PIE *pro-, extended form of base *por- "forward, through" (cf. Skt. para "beyond," pra- "before, forward, forth;" Gk. paros "before," para- "from beside, against, beyond;" Goth. faura "before," O.E. fore "before, for, on account of," fram "forward, from"). Pro and con is attested from c.1400, short for pro and contra "for and against" (L. pro et contra).

PROfessional like PROstitute, if you get paid for it you are a professional.

iPad for location. Great for slide shows for demonstrating to customers how great the shots are just after you FINNISH the shoot, but before post processing. People put down money when they see expert use of new technology.

I am not sure how you display your work to existing or future clients
but if they visit you, a 2560x 1600 30 inch monitor can help sales particularly if you want to sell large prints

Excellent work sir!I know that you are leaning in the direction of a monitor,but I wouldn't be comfortable doing what you do without my own backup body.....not that I can do what you do ;>)

A two 24 inch DVI setup at 1920 X 1200 native is probably a much cheaper solution than a 30 inch, provided your video card has 2 DVI ports. Beside, a 30 inch requires a dual-link DVI and a fairly good video card to support the 2560 X 1600.

Some are mounting 4 low-cost 21 inch with a rack (google "LCD Mount/Stand for 4 Displays") and get lots of working space.

Thanks for all of your comments! Good advice all around. And thanks for the kuddos on my work.

I am leaning toward getting a monitor for now (IPS 24" or larger), and waiting on a new body for a while. I'll also be looking into getting another SB600 and likely the SB700. I won't ever learn light unless I get the tools to do it!

I still lust for a 27" imac... but it can wait. I'll want to use two monitors anyway so getting the extra monitor now seems like the smartest option. It'll leave me slower with my 2.53 Core duo and 4GB ram, but it will keep me mobile for a while longer.

Jeff

Pierre

I just want to say that your current setup makes me sad. I now have to look at my computer and lust over what i could have been.

Hi Jeff,

Nice set of pictures... well maybe not nice ... but great! You definitely have an advantage in this industry with what you have ie creativity! as they say its not the camera but the photographer. I bet you would come up with a nice pic from a 50 dollar digital camera. which comes to my suggestion. Go get that $50 "bit of kit" and experiment even more ! by that I mean not necessarily that digital camera but say a lens baby or an ultra wide or a jam jar! Go push the edges!

Being an educator yourself I am sure you would see the value of Master class courses with the big names.
Oh and a second monitor is good. :-)

Finally, stick around the forum, would love your views of the stuff that goes through here! :-)

Jeff H, I wanna be just like you when I grow up... photographicaly that is ;).

Nice work. And love your web design too, what are you using?

So much good input from all you guys, I'm learning too.

If I might put in my own contribution. I also see the need for a 35mm or 50mm for a different way to take portraits and also a wide lens would make nice wedding group shots or take wide angle shots of the outside venue.

If the laptop works good as far as computing power goes, I wouldn't sweat the new computer, just get a bigger monitor and output it there. You would then still get the benefits of the mobility of that laptop for on the go work. I personaly, even if new at it, see that production tools should take priority over after produciton ones. Not that Photoshoping isn't an important aspect, but if you lack the capture options and power, you are then limited by this when comes the time to Photoshop.

Keep borrowing as long as you may and get a new arrival later and fall back on your D700 as backup.

Once again, love your work. You do what I aspire to do within the next couple years, supplement my income and prepare my retirement in some 13 years.

Looking forward to more of your great shots.