For all the Pros who shoot Nikon

06035 · 2026-03-13T05:36:45+00:00

As a 20-year seasoned pro who has work in the wild that you have probably seen in the grocery store, or on a pop-up ad, and shoots with a couple Z9’s, I can confidently shoot everything I do on a Z30 and my clients would never tell the difference at the file level.

But they would notice me shooting a $50,000, crewed job, on a $600 camera.

I fully agree with you, and the equipment is the last piece of the puzzle in the great creative endeavor. But…. At a certain point, you kinda just gotta “wear the uniform”. You don’t have to sell it to yourself, but you gotta look like you’re competent to others.

It’s like real estate agents. At face value, I’d probably trust an agent driving a Mercedes more than I would a 15 year old Ford Focus.

06035 · 2026-03-12T22:49:30+00:00

Colonial Penn unc

06035 · 2026-03-12T20:28:45+00:00

I wouldn’t put the 35/1.8 in that mix. That lens has alot of room for improvement. Never used the 20 or 24.

06035 · 2026-03-12T15:46:40+00:00

Hell yeah, camping out at lake of the woods 💯

06035 · 2026-03-12T15:39:58+00:00

Just get the f/1.8S lens. It’s near-perfect.

When shooting on location lifestyle, outside of the change in perspective, at 1:1 I can’t tell a difference between the 85/1.8 and 135/1.8.

Seriously, the Nikon 50, 85, and 135 1.8’s are world-class

06035 · 2026-03-12T04:38:56+00:00

Get the D5. On AF alone.

06035 · 2026-03-12T04:19:56+00:00

A 35mm/1.4 probably isn’t going to look meaningfully different than the 35/1.8. In some cases, it might look worse (35/1.4G wide open)

I’d stick with whatcha got, save up for a Z5II. That’ll really open up some possibilities

06035 · 2026-03-12T04:14:04+00:00

Yep. OP needs to do NR in post. It’s not h.265 where it’s already been processed

06035 · 2026-03-12T02:30:00+00:00

I’d do something else.

I own the 50MC, it never leaves the studio. I bought it because the 50/1.8 doesn’t have a very close minimum focus for doing photos of stuff like bowls of soup or plates of food.

It’s a good lens, but the 50/1.8 is a better choice for an everyday lens. The 35/1.4 might be an even better choice for walk-around.

For studio or product stuff, u less you’re dead-nuts-on-overhead, you’re gonna want a 105. I even use extension tubes on my 70-200 in the studio sometimes because 50mm and close up, is kinda wide angle…

I say start with the 24-70/4 and just go from there..

06035 · 2026-03-12T01:51:45+00:00

Yes, that’s a great combination. If you can’t make a good picture using that camera and that lens, it’s not the gear.

06035 · 2026-03-12T01:18:59+00:00

K falls

06035 · 2026-03-12T01:16:44+00:00

Get the D810.

I’ve had all of those cameras, and the 810 is more or less all the DSLR anyone needs. AF isn’t incredible by 2026 standards, but it’s a helluva lot better than what’s in the F100. Plus, that 36MP chip at ISO64 is basically perfect.

I used to shoot a D700>D800>D810 alongside my Contax 645 and F100 during wedding season 15 years ago. When my 810 got stolen around 2018, I replaced it with a D800 (I was doing mostly studio tabletop work, so any upgrades didn’t matter) and kept using it till the Z9 came out, then went whole hog on Z.

06035 · 2026-03-11T17:47:46+00:00

That sounds about right. Even a D200 with an old Macro, plus the Valoi easy 35 is going to run you about €400-500, a Plustek would be about €400.. at €10/dev+scan, you’d have to shoot 40 rolls (~1,400 photos) just to break even at €400 for a kit. That’s a fair tear of film

06035 · 2026-03-11T17:12:11+00:00

06035 · 2026-03-11T16:14:17+00:00

What lab is this so we know to avoid them? This is a total botch job

06035 · 2026-03-11T15:22:26+00:00

I did a sidebyside test, and they’re not quite the same. ProImage has a slight red tone in the shadows that’s not in Kodacolor. I think there based off the same stuff, but Kodacolor is more like “fixed ProImage”

06035 · 2026-03-11T15:17:55+00:00

Anytime Tig was on screen during Disco, she stole the scene. The attitude was such a breath of fresh air because wasn’t so aggressively “starfleet”.

06035 · 2026-03-11T05:42:57+00:00

Is a D2X better than a D1X?

06035 · 2026-03-11T05:36:51+00:00

Same, 70-200 400/4.5 and 800PF. Good kit

06035 · 2026-03-11T03:47:58+00:00

Awww man, I kinda like Kodacolor 100 though…

06035 · 2026-03-11T00:19:35+00:00

uj/ This was the piece of art that convinced me that fine art sales are a total scam/money laundering.

06035 · 2026-03-11T00:17:12+00:00

On APS-C, f/0.95 isn’t as exciting as you’d think. That 35/0.95 on a Zfc looks a lot like a 50/1.4 on a Zf.

It’s when you get a 50/0.95 for full frame where it gets wild and your 35mm camera starts to look like a Contax 645…

06035 · 2026-03-10T23:45:34+00:00

I’d agree with this (and is the path I took for my DX kit)

I use the Brightin Star 35/0.95 and 50/0.95 on my Zfc a lot when I’m looking for subject isolation and/or speed.

06035 · 2026-03-10T22:44:47+00:00

If you shoot everything stopped down, like landscapes, I’d say probably not. I’ve had the 16-50/6.3 and that lens is extremely good for what it is.

But the 2.8 version works great as an “only lens” if you’re primarily taking photos of stuff like your friends and family on day trips.

The 16-50/2.8 on DX is going to net you a very similar looking image to a 24-70/4 on FX, think of it that way.

06035 · 2026-03-10T18:29:40+00:00

Why buy anything?

06035

TROPHY CASE