Nikon D3100 with DX 16-85 VR lens and SB400 - Field Test


champlim said:
nice pictures, was undecided to purchase the canon d550 or the nikon 3100d, the pictures u too was fantastic .

Always buy new tech
 

more picture samples as promised....

....hope you liked them :)


Thank you very much for sharing. Simple but interesting everyday scenes so well captured. I believe photography main underlying tenet is the understanding & mastery of light. This is clearly evident here. Even the picture of a wash basin with soft backlighting thru glass panel looks so artistic. Same for the plate of coins :) And that man, looks like he was posing for you as a fellow "photographer" lol :) The young man (busy office worker?) lost in his own world of beautiful slumber while the train he's on zaps by the world outside - great capture!
 

Last edited:
Thank you very much for sharing. Simple but interesting everyday scenes so well captured. I believe photography main underlying tenet is the understanding & mastery of light. This is clearly evident here. Even the picture of a wash basin with soft backlighting thru glass panel looks so artistic. Same for the plate of coins :) And that man, looks like he was posing for you as a fellow "photographer" lol :) The young man (busy office worker?) lost in his own world of beautiful slumber while the train he's on zaps by the world outside - great capture!

thank you for your kind words :embrass:
 

more picture samples as promised


DSC_02196.JPG


Ortega, thanks for sharing your series of japan trip photos. :thumbsup:
This elder gentleman actually post for you? :bsmilie:
 

he was waiting for a train, just as i was
note: the elderly in japan are very active, going hiking and appreciating nature
 

he was waiting for a train, just as i was
note: the elderly in japan are very active, going hiking and appreciating nature


I hope I can do what he is doing when I reach 60. :cool:
 

Nice photos. Like you, I also use 16-85 for my travel and a light camera - D50 for my travels. Heheh.
 

hi Ortega, i'm new in CS. sorry to have read yr thread few mths late.
i'm really impressed by the pix taken with yr DX 16-85 VR lens.:thumbsup::thumbsup:
contemplating to buy either the 16-35mm f4 or the 16-85mm which you've tested.
currently i'm using D90 with 18-105mm kit lens, which can't really have nice & sharp night scenary or low light pictures.
btw do you have any more night scenery shots taken in Japan with this 16-85mm ??
more for my comparison before making a decision. :D
Tks again for sharing yr beautiful pictures !!!:D
 

If you already have the 18-105, why buy the 16-85? Probably you used the wrong technique/lens for low light. The 18-105 should give you sharp images if u mount it on a tripod for night scenery. The 16-85 will not help you in this aspect. A cheap 50mm f1.8 will help for handhold in low light. Are you going fullframe, if not, just get a wide angle lens which covers approximately 10-20mm. The 16-35 f4 is more for fullframe use.
 

Last edited:
Hi Ortega, mind if i ask..i'm also using D3100. i just bought a nikon 55-200 VR lens. i was impressed by the photos i got when using it outdoors but once i go indoor i often get blurry photos when im not using the flash..is it normal with telephoto lens? even i have the VR feature i always get blurred shots indoors.Hope you can enlighten me with my problem.. Thanks !
 

hi Lighthouse,
tks so much for yr tips as i'm new to this hobby, really need more advices from seniors/members here.
I've tried many times mounting my 18-105mm on tripod for night scenery shots, using aperture priority mode with different stops & low ISO 200 even using a cable release to avoid handshake/camera shake.
But photos were just not as sharp when compare to a borrowed 16-35mm f4 FX or a rented 17-55mm f2.8 DX
Hope can advice me if there is other settings which I've missed out while taking night scenery shots.
Tks again Lighthouse for yr valuable tips.
 

just outside shinjuku station early morning with strong back light
(btw all exif data is intact, so look at it if you want the specific settings)

DSC_000517.jpg

woah... this is a nice pic you got there... the lighting is just nice!!!
 

before you start buying things, ask yourself if you are doing anything wrong.

normally indoors the amount of light is less and that would result in a slower exposure and thus you might get camera shake
try mounting your camera on a tripod to eliminate camera shake

VR technology will only help to reduce camera shake but will not totally eliminate it altogether.
when your camera is mounted on a tripod, you must switch off VR
 

Last edited:
Always buy new tech

Hi Ortega,

I asssume that would be the D3100? Have not decide between the 550D or 3100, not too sure if they are the same range for comparison, but revisiting this thread, makes me really feel like buying D3100, as it is cheaper and it can do nice shots as well. Hopefully a newbie like me can do it.

Will also consider AFS DX 16-85, its is gd for travelling & landscape pic taking right?
 

Yes the 550 is old tech already. If you decide to buy the d3100, use the kit lens first, it can do most things already, only after you have discovered your shooting style then you can think about buying another lens.
 

I believe that canon has a 600d already
 

Last edited:
what an awesome collections!
 

Back
Top