New Gear Thread!

Will V|Photography

Senior Member
Just as the title says. Have you ordered some new gear recently? Post about it! Maybe even post a review after a week of use.

Last night I ordered a Zeikos battery grip that also comes with a second battery, Precision Design Deluxe tripod with carrying case, Precision Design Deluxe 6-piece Lens & DSLR Cleaning Kit, Precision Design SD-card wallet, LCD monitor screen protectors, and 1-year subscription to Digital Photo Magazine. It's a good amount of stuff for $100 when all I really wanted was the grip and tripod, so I got the generic eBay "package deal".

I also just ordered the Yongnuo 460ii Speedlight and a 5-piece filter kit with a UV, CPL, ND4, FL, and Micro X10 filters.

Pics to come of everything setup and I'll update with how the equipment has been treating me. What about YOUR new gear? :D
 

Curt

Senior Member
Just got a Softbox & backdrop stand, very happy with them both.
Getting a lot of use out of them, well worth the price at about $140.00 with shipping in.
 

FoxRacer2

Senior Member
Awesome you went with the Yungnuo, hope you like it, cause I love mine!

New Gear:
Godox TT520 SpeedLight
Yungnuo 460ii SpeedLight
Neewer Battery Grip
CowboyStudios Wireless Trigger Set
A Side Strap for the Camera
 

JoeLewisPhotography

Senior Member
Watch that Ziekos grip...especially the cheap plastic wheel that tightens the screw...if you over tighten them a smidgen, it will likely strip and your grip will be stuck on your camera....been there done that.

on a side note, I did just order a Black Rapid RS-Sport strap from Allen's that I am excited to get on Monday. FYI...AMAZING customer service @ Allens!
 

AxeMan - Rick S.

Senior Member
The Ziekos grips are great, but don't care for the second party batteries, no life to them compared to the OEM Nikon's. I have one battery of two that came with the grip that only holds a charge for 50 shots. Coming off the charger my D90 says the battery is fully charged and is at 100% health, still goes dead after 50 shots. After seven months of use that's the only complaint I have. You might want to think about picking up some OEM Nikon batteries down the road.

As for me buying anything (major), well I'm over budget this year, however if Uncle Sam is good to me this year I hope to pick up some fast glass to complement the 35mm 1.8 that I already have.

Joe, I been looking at the Rapid Strap for some time now, If you can I be interested in your review especially if you're attaching it to a camera with a second party grip like the Ziekos.
 
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JoeLewisPhotography

Senior Member
yep, i sure will review it for you all. It has great reviews online. I have to say, I am slightly hesitant about letting $3k worth of equipment dangle at my side by a cheap plastic ziekos grip. But we will see. first sign of weakness and that grip is coming off!
 

Browncoat

Senior Member
Yup, those BlackRapid straps are VERY nice. I ultimately went with a Sun Sniper strap because I thought it was more comfortable, but either way you can't go wrong. Taking the camera weight off your neck is a major plus.

As for the Zeikos grip, I did a review in a blog post awhile back when I had one for my D90. Never had any issues with it. That said, I now use the Nikon grip on my D300s.

+1 on knockoff batteries. I would never recommend non-Nikon batteries because they're never going to be as good. Ever. Batteries fall into the "you get what you pay for" category.

---------------------------------------

As for me personally, I'm in the same boat as Rick and am in a holding pattern on gear for the remainder of 2011. There are a few odds and ends I would like to pick up, but no major purchases coming down the pipes until tax refund season unless I spot a major deal around the holidays. Here's the upcoming hit list:

  • 17-55mm f/2.8
  • Muslin backdrops
  • 3rd AlienBees B800 light, possibly a 4th
  • Induro CT313 carbon fiber tripod
Also add to that list some updates to the home studio. I would like to put in some hardwood flooring this winter and get the carpet out of there. Some new office furniture is being looked at as well.
 
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AxeMan - Rick S.

Senior Member
Ok, I been sold on the Black Rapid even before this thread was composed, the question is to you owners of the Black Rapid is mine and Joe's concern on how it performs attached to a second party grip because the grip fall into the category what we call you get what you pay for.

Joe thanks for "taking one for the team". :p
 

Curt

Senior Member
Well I got a D7000 this spring,followed by a 70-300 VR lens, a Godox TT 520 speed light ,and as I said earlier some studio stuff ( soft box, stand).
So I too am in a holding pattern for this year. But it has been a great year for gear for me...lol.
 

Will V|Photography

Senior Member
If Nikon made a grip for the D3100 then I would've gone the OEM route. I'd rather have OEM gear than aftermarket. The grip does come with an OEM Nikon battery though, so that's a plus. I was hoping it would've been the Meike grip but they're pretty much the same anyway. I'll definitely have a review of all my new stuff :D
 

FoxRacer2

Senior Member
If Nikon made a grip for the D3100 then I would've gone the OEM route. I'd rather have OEM gear than aftermarket. The grip does come with an OEM Nikon battery though, so that's a plus. I was hoping it would've been the Meike grip but they're pretty much the same anyway. I'll definitely have a review of all my new stuff :D

Same with me, I get a little sketched buying 3rd party gear but so far the gear has treated me well so im happy!

And yeah im kinda sad nikon neglected the lower series cameras with no grip!!
 

Peekcha

New member
I just purchased a wireless flash transmitter, it's s knock off brand and doesn't even let the camera know that I'm using a flash but my flash is an sb24 so I have to shoot in manual mode anyway. The $14 bucks I spent didn't break my bank and at least now I can experiment with off camera lighting.

I also got a Gary Fong light-sphere collapsable, and let me tell you this thing is AWESOME! That was $60 at a local camera shop. I only got to play with it for a bit and so far I'm happy. If anyone is interested I'd be happy to do a review and some comparison shots.
 

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
Anthony: Once you put the 17-55 on your camera, it will rarely come off! Easily at least 85-90% of the time I use that lens. Best lens investment ever for me.
 

jengajoh

Senior Member
About a month ago I got the 50mm 1.4 AF and I love it, I think its my new favorite lens. I also got a Lens Baby Muse which is fun to play with.
 

Will V|Photography

Senior Member
The Yongnuo 460ii showed up (either yesterday or this morning). Super-quick shipping if you ask me. I'm glad I went with the Yongnuo over the Godox just from shear size. Mounted on my D3100 this thing looks gigantic and apparently the Godox is even bigger. Initial thoughts are all positive though, definitely looks like a solid piece. Going to throw some batteries in it and take some shots a little later.

Still waiting on my grip, tripod, and filters to show up. Probably going to order a light stand and maybe a softbox to start getting into some strobe experimentation.
 

Peekcha

New member
The Yongnuo 460ii showed up (either yesterday or this morning). Super-quick shipping if you ask me. I'm glad I went with the Yongnuo over the Godox just from shear size. Mounted on my D3100 this thing looks gigantic and apparently the Godox is even bigger. Initial thoughts are all positive though, definitely looks like a solid piece. Going to throw some batteries in it and take some shots a little later.

Still waiting on my grip, tripod, and filters to show up. Probably going to order a light stand and maybe a softbox to start getting into some strobe experimentation.

Can you take a picture of the flash mounted to d3100? I'm familiar with it's size and want to get a feel for the size if the flash
 
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