Mach Schnell

The image was taken wide open.  Shouldn't the specular highlights be round, not oval shaped?

Lots of visible vignetting.  Is that what you get OOC at f/1.4?

Excellent demonstration of what this lens can do.  I REALLY like the image of the older man with his hand on the brim of his hat.  Great composition. Thanks for sharing these.

Both the ISO and the shutter speed on your photos are rather high.  Were your shots handheld?

I tend to agree with DigitalPhilosoher.  Establish basic settings, then concentrate on your model.  A few suggested settings: matrix metering (it nearly always gets very close), f/4 (will give you ...

Probably not a good idea.  That model is many generations behind.  Suggest you look for something like a used D7000 instead.

I have not noticed this issue with my D5500.  I've owned many Nikon DSLRs (mostly higher level than the D5500).  I've had the D5500 nearly a year.  The info display on my unit it plenty bright.  I ...

Enjoy your D700.  It is a great camera.  I shot with one as my primary camera for 5 years, then sold it to purchase a D800e.  I wish I still had the D700.  For many of my shoots it would still be ...

I own the earlier 'D' version of this lens, as well as the newer 16-35mm f/4 (but not the newer 18-35).  If, as you say, you are not too concerned with a little corner softness, I think you'll ...

You should be just fine with the 18-105.  It is a versatile lens that covers a lot of useful focal lengths.  Since you are traveling light, you may just want to leave the 50mm at home and rely ...

Okay, I ran some test shots.  D5500 with 35mm f/1.8 lens on a tripod with exposure delay triggered by remote wireless release.  3 shots at 1/30, 1/125, 1/500 at ISOs 100, 400, 1600.  In camera ...

Now you have piqued my curiosity.  I will run a few test images and report back.

No offense was intended.  I like your shot.

This image could seriously benefit from a levels adjustment...

The D5500 does have an exposure delay mode, although you cannot adjust the duration as the higher bodies allow.  Also, if you are concerned about mirror slap you can shoot in Live View mode. I've ...

On a shot like this, where the faces are not exactly on the same plane of field, I would be worried about keeping both faces sharp at f/1.8.  Your image seems okay, but I am hesitant to shoot wide ...

I noticed that too.  It is a great move on Tamron's part.  I wish my Nikon 200-500 came with an Arca foot.

Where did that come from?  Someone's dreams perhaps.  The prior version of the Tamron was decent, but the Nikon out performs it in every way other than focal length.  From what I read, most of the ...

I believe your D5500 is backfocusing.  By that, I mean the camera is focusing slightly behind the selected focus point.  It is a factory calibration error.  Higher end bodies allow focus fine ...

The self timer was actually set to take 2 shots.  I would never have done that intentionally.  I wonder if it is the default setting.