wlad

a cheap slow consumer zoom is guaranteed to produce an awfully busy bokeh. And a SB-400 ?? Please, don't recommend gear just because you have it. The 55-200 + SB400 combo is absolutely useless for...

it's a manual focus lens - and with 85mm, f1.4 and that tiny viewfinder of your D3100, most of your shots will be out of focus. Forget that lens. Either get the 85mm f1.8G Nikon, or the 50mm f1.4...

Lightroom is dirt cheap ($99) and does a great job in terms of general mass processing of pictures - the "free" DNG converter would cost much more in the end - it would cost precious time.

JakeB, you mistake "control" for "manipulation options".
Photoshop does not give you control. It allows you to MODIFY your photos to a greater extent.
If you need Photoshop to get a great picture,...

That was obvious.
Photoshop is a $700 tool for professional GRAPHIC ARTISTS.
Lightroom is a $150 tool aimed at amateur and professional PHOTOGRAPHERS.

For every pro photographer that buys LR,...

Just make sure you can return the V1 in case you're not happy with the IQ. I'm shooting my D7000 with the 24-70mm nikon. I also have the J1 with 10-30, 30-110 and the 18.5mm lenses. No Nikon 1...

please, can we get to negative F-numbers already ?

I wonder why anyone bothers stealing winrar, when there are free alternatives (that are just as good) available - like 7zip, peazip etc

Probably the best alternative to Photoshop is - Photoshop Elements.
Really, all those other "alternatives" are stuck somewhere in the 90ties in terms of features.

I somehow doubt this whole thing has anything to do with Lightroom. It's probably relevant for Creative suite / Photoshop only.

what competition ?

add 2 additional things: 1/200s shutter speed is ridiculously fast for people posing - 1/60s is fast enough for this kind of shots, even at 1/100s it would be an additional full stop worth of...

yep, it's definitely the time to change the photographer

The cases when a genuine SD card does not work in a camera are extremely rare - if it's the card that is at fault, it can be easily returned. If it's the camera, the manufacturer can usually fix it...

We're not talking about chinese knockoffs, we're talking about cards from proven manufacturers (like Kingston) that Nikon didn't bother to test. SD cards MUST meet the SD specification...

cards that do not meet the required standard must not be marketed as SD cards. No serious company would mark their product SD compliant (and pay the royalties), only to break the license agreement...

Nikon cameras MUST adhere to the SD standard specification otherwise Nikon could not use the SD/SDHC/SDXC logos and claim the camera supports SD memory cards. There is no such thing as an...

well, since it is the "art" line of sigma, I expect it will beat the 17-55 Nikon in terms of sharpness. Not that the bar is set high though...

If it's anywhere near a grand, every DX/FX shooter will buy a FT-1 and the Sigma 35mm f1.4 instead. Budget conscious DX shooters will get the 35mm 1.8 Nikon. For this lens to actually sell, it must...

both shots are at taken at the long end - and that's where the lens is the softest even stopping it down to f8 does not make it tack sharp really: Another thing to consider is that you will...