Nikon D-3100 Review

I know that Nikon's D-3100 has recently been replaced by the new, improved and upgraded D-3200 which is an awesome camera for the price.  I recently acquired a D-3100 and since they are still on the market and actually still the second best selling DSLR or, digital single lens reflex camera, on the market (Canon's EOS Rebel T3i is number one) I thought I would do a review of this entry level gem.  There are tons of these cameras still available, sold as new, "new, old stock" or used.  Prices range from a couple hundred dollars to over $450.  Check Craig's list,  Ebay, and your local classifieds.  Another good place is the used department at your local camera store, as a lot of people upgrade to a better camera and trade in the old one.  

There is a lot to like about the D-3100.  

Click Here to see all the specs on Nikon's website

       Click on any picture for a larger image

The biggest thing I noticed, and the thing my wife loves, is the size and weight.  Much smaller and lighter than  higher level offerings from Nikon, the D-3100 fits a smaller hand much better than the D-5100 or D-7100.  To me it feels a little unsubstantial and a bit like a toy, but, if I was on vacation and wanted to carry around a DSLR for fun family snapshots, I would most likely go for this one.

All images from this point were taken with the Nikon D-3100.

The sensor on this baby is a huge upgrade from the D-3000.  The D-3100 is sporting a 14.2 megapixel CMOS sensor.  The CMOS upgrade puts this camera on the level of all their more expensive DX format cameras.  It is a DX format with a crop factor of about 1.5 for all you "spec heavy" people.  All this means is that a 50mm lens on this camera will look and perform the same as a 75mm lens on a FX or full frame digital or film camera.  Important to keep in mind when choosing lenses.  The usually included kit lens of 18-55 will actually be more like 27-78, which is a range I happen to like.  

 
If you are used to the two control wheel style that Nikon has used for years, be warned that this camera only has one control wheel but it is very easy to learn and actually quite intuitive.  The only pause I had was setting the shutter and aperture on manual mode using the same wheel (hint, there is a small button in from of the trigger to press to control the aperture using the wheel)













Menus are set up pretty much the same as all Nikon's DSLR Cameras.  I suggest a read of the owner's manual for the finer points, but you will be taking good pictures very soon after opening the box.

The standard ISO range is really good at 100 to 3200.  An equivalent of 12,800 ISO makes it a fantastic choice for low light photography.  Standard SD slot supports all SD card formats, a large buffer,and, a 3 frame per second continuous shooting mode all add up to a great camera for shooting action, sports, dogs, or crazy kids. 

 Colors really pop using the vivid setting with in-camera saturation and sharpening settings.

Most of the features that you have come to expect from Nikon are available.  Active D-lighting, scene modes, Eye-Fi support, quiet mode, etc... are all present on the D-3100.  This one will not support Nikon's Creative Lighting System on its own, but it will if you add a SU-800 unit.  The built-in flash, as expected, is woefully underpowered, but the D-3100 works with all available Nikon Speedlight units. 



Not many drawbacks to this camera, but, there is one if you have some existing Nikon glass.  Not all lenses will autofocus on this camera.  It must be an AF-I or AF-S lens to autofocus.  The very popular G and D lenses that work fine on a D-5000 and higher will shoot fine but won't autofocus on the D-3100.  Check with the camera store before you buy any aftermarket lens for this camera.

If you are looking for a great little DSLR, check out the Nikon D-3100.

If you want to hear more from me about this camera, 
or have specific questions please:

e-mail me at:    keith@keithlewisphoto.com

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Manfrotto Befree Tripod Review

I've been in the market for a while now for a smaller, lighter weight but decent tripod to carry with me when I travel with my camera.  I have a very nice but very large and heavy Manfrotto tripod but what I was looking for was something I could fit in a standard camera bag or backpack.  

I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across the brand new befree from Manfrotto.

Check it out online at: Manfrotto.com






**click on any picture for a larger image**

A small lightweight, but sturdy tripod is one of those "holy Grail" items that has eluded photographers for years.  Recently with the advent of Carbon fiber, companies like Gitzo have entered the lightweight tripod market with a vengeance.  As long as you are willing to cough up over $1000 you too can enjoy one of the absolute best made, rugged yet lightweight tripods on the face of the earth.  If you would rather not spend that kind of money at this point in your photographic life, then you will no doubt, be looking towards an aluminum tripod.  The Manfrotto befree is one of the most recent entries into this market and while not all things to all people, it does a good job on most things and an OK job on the most important thing you want a tripod to do. (or in this case, not do)

The befree weighs in at around 3 lbs and is just a little over 15 inches long, folded for travel. It comes with a very smooth working ball head and a nice padded carrying case. 

It's shown here folded, laying beside the carrying case and a standard sized Tamrac camera case for perspective.







Since I already have some of their products, I appreciate the fact that the befree accepts the standard Manfrotto base plates.

I love the way the legs are fully adjustable at any angle and they fold up completely backwards, to cover the center beam and the ball head which is one of the ways they are able to get it to fold up so small.

Here is the befree beside its big brother,  the Manfrotto standard 055 model.  Both have the legs fully extended and the center beam all the way down.

The ball head works smoothly and is very intuitive and easy to use, even if you are not used to a ball head.  I mounted several camera and lens combinations, including some pretty heavy glass and it was secure, smooth, and steady on all of them.  The ratchet on the adjuster is a nice touch so you can rotate it to any angle that is comfortable without releasing the ball.






The befree is a very good traveling companion, but it's not perfect.  I had a few issues that I will discuss here:

• As far as I can tell, the ball head is not replaceable.  Normally the head would screw off and could be replaced with a different one. This would be important if yours broke or you wanted to invest in a Gitzo or Really Right Stuff head, or if you just wanted a different one to match your base plates.  I have an e-mail in to Manfrotto about this and it could be that the threads are tight, but I am scared to force it.  I will update this blog, if I find out different.

• It doesn't come with a tension adjustment wrench.  Not a big deal, they tell you to use a #25 Torx but not everybody has one of those.  How expensive can a little wrench be to throw in the case?

• Fully extended, it is still below my natural eye level.  Not a big surprise for a travel tripod, just a minor annoyance. 

• It is a little "wobbly" when fully extended.  This is a pretty big deal but not a deal breaker for me.  I know that with small thin legs extended all the way out you are not going to get a rock-solid platform.  It is nowhere near as steady as a standard tripod or a very high dollar carbon fiber travel tripod, but, and this is a big but, it is not bad.  Better than any other aluminum tripod anywhere near its price, and much better than most travel tripods I have tried.

Final thoughts - If you need a tripod that you can easily take with you, and you know you do, the Manfrotto befree is not a home run but it is a solid double or triple that does most things well and some things very well.  I suggest you find one and give it a try.

If you would like to know more about my opinions, or discuss it more in depth, or talk about where to get one, please e-mail me








e-mail me at:    keith@keithlewisphoto.com

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What's in the Background?

I was out today taking pictures of backgrounds.  Well, technically that's not correct.  Actually I was out taking pictures for backgrounds.  Pictures that may become backgrounds later in some of my work.  Most photographers have files of things that we shoot that we think are cool but are not really sure what  to do with them.  I have a file marked backgrounds that I keep full of fun things like clouds, snowy fields, tree lines, crowds, etc.  So...you may ask, what do you do with all those cool cloud shots?  With any photo editing program, there is almost no end to the things you can do, either just for fun, or, if you are a professional, to make the client remember you and seek you out for the next shoot.

Pictures speak louder than words, so how about a few examples?  I work in Adobe Photoshop so that will be my frame of reference, however there are similar adjustments to be made in nearly all photo editing software, from iPhoto that came on your Mac, or an app you downloaded for your phone, to Elements, ACDsee,Corel Paintshop, XARA, Serif, the list goes on and on.  

Here is a link to a list of the top ten free photo editing software: free photo editing software

The point is that changing backgrounds on a photo can be cool, necessary, or both.  

Here is my example, This is Christopher Liles owner and massage therapist at "Knead to Relax" in Belmont, NC.  I recently shot some pictures of Chris for his website and other advertising.

click on any photo for a larger image

This photo was purposely taken with negative space on the left side for placement of the logo and contact information.  That's great for getting the information to the potential customer, but what if you want to have some fun with this image? 

The first thing you have to do is get rid of the background.  In Photoshop, use the selection tool to isolate the background from the subject and hit delete on the keyboard.  You will end up with something that looks like this.  Now you need to import a new background.  In Photoshop you drag the new background up to the image you are working on and it automatically creates a new layer for the new background.

All you have to do is select the background you want to use.  See... now you know why I have a file full of cool backgrounds that I have saved.  This one was actually taken in my back yard.

All that's left to do is put them together using your software.  Now Chris looks like he is out in nature ready to give a massage under the blue sky and white fluffy clouds.

If you like things a little colder, here is the same shot with a "winter wonderland" background I shot the last time it snowed here.

The fourth of July is coming up soon, show your patriotism by inserting the "Stars and Stripes"

Or if none of the above are your cup of tea, then make your own textured background on almost any graphics design software and insert it the same way.

The point is simple, you can make it look like that photo of your dogs and kids that you actually took on your front porch was taken on the big island of Hawaii or in front of Niagra Falls.  All it takes is some photo editing software, and your imagination.

e-mail me at:    keith@keithlewisphoto.com

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