New 3200 user and a couple of questions

Hi all, I just got my first DSLR, the D3200. So far I'm really impressed with the pics I've been able to take. I have a couple of questions I hope you can help me with.

First I have a question about the battery. I'd like to get a backup battery for the camera and was wondering if any of you have had experience with the some "no name" brands. Is there a huge difference in quality?

I will be shooting wedding pictures at an evening wedding indoors for a friend. I bought the 50 ml lens which is amazing, but I think that I should probably get a better flash. I've been experimenting with setting the ISO at 1600, even 3200 and the pics have been quite good, but I"m a little worried that maybe that's not good enough. I'm not a professional photographer so don't need anything top of the line. I just want a good flash that I can focus in different directions. Is it possible to get a good one for under $100? What suggestions do you have?
Thanks

There's been a number of posts by people complaining about 3rd party batteries and almost no posts complaining about Nikon issued batteries so although I've never used a 3rd party battery, I suspect they're cheap for a reason.

Chances of getting a flash unit that will reach beyond 4 ft and under $100 is pretty slim. For someone on a tight budget but wanting to get really good photos, I'd suggest you look into an SB-600 or 700. The SB-400 will be attractive from a budget point of view but truth be told it's not that much more powerful than the built in flash unit.

I have 4 batteries and all but one are Nikon branded. The lone wolf is a Pearstone that I have not had any issues with. It does not last as long as the Nikons but only by a very small amount. I personally would rather spend a little more for the Nikons but not because the Pearstone is lacking in any way. I like the Nikon logo and If I can afford it I always go with the Nikon brand. Your mileage may vary. You can get a decent flash for around $100 bucks Yougnuo makes a flash that has been highly recommended by many members here. Amazon.com: YONGNUO Flash Unit Speedlite YN-560 II: Camera & Photo Again I like Nikon products and the SB700 is hard to beat. It's about $325 but you get what you pay for and this is a GREAT flash. Amazon.com: Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras: Electronics If you can afford it than buy it. You will use it forever.

Also I would not use ISO 1600 or 3200 to shoot a wedding. The results may look OK on the monitor but if they want any prints it might not look that good. Stick with 800 at the high side but better if you keep it at 400. that give you room to crop or to print a large print.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'll have a look at those recommendations.

Don, I'm guessing that if I'm going to shoot 400 inside at an evening wedding, I'm probably going to need to use a flash. Does that sound right to you?

I recently did some shots of my grandaughters christening at ISO 400 on a D3200 no flash, with a flash you could go lower on the ISO, but you would be more intrusive. I would use a falsh and low ISO (100) for the main posed shots to get the best quality and use 400-800 for candid shots without a flash. Depend of course how well lit everything will be in the church.
I use the Yongnuo YN560-II and a Metz TTL AF5, love the YN560-II its manual but good value for the money £50 approx.

I use a D3200 every weekend at weddings as a back up and to shoot the disco ....If you shoot Aperture mode at F8 and min shutter 1/30 auto iso 100-6400 you will go fine (The amera wil lselect the minimum iso at 1/30 and F8..I use the same settings on my d7000 for all in church shots and hotel type weddings) Make sure you have put the sharpness up to at least +6 and the contrast to -1 or you will burn the wedding dress . Use multiple exposure and take at least 2 of everything to avoid blinking
We dont use any flash during the service..the minister would go mad if they realized I took 150 shots !! If its light enought to read a book you dont need flash !! And no flash in the disco ..The best flash you can get for about $75 is the yn465 ( £$75) thats the model with rotating knob or the yn468 ( $90) with buttons . You will need nothing else but remember if you turn the camera sidways for portrait shots you will get a horrible shadow ..better to not use the flash or crop. Under no circumstances buy a manual flash only one for Nikon iTTL
A fixed lens will be total crap ..you will not be allowed and should not move around during the service ...stand on the same side as the groom....you need a zoom preferably 18-200mm.

3rd party fully chipped batteries are fine but why not fit a vertical grip from a D5200 and have 2 in your camera ?? goes on for ever..

If you just got it forget Auto use P and A you cannot use auto iso in Auto mode.

pistnbroke said:

I use a D3200 every weekend at weddings as a back up and to shoot the disco ....If you shoot Aperture mode at F8 and min shutter 1/30 auto iso 100-6400 you will go fine (The amera wil lselect the minimum iso at 1/30 and F8..I use the same settings on my d7000 for all in church shots and hotel type weddings) Make sure you have put the sharpness up to at least +6 and the contrast to -1 or you will burn the wedding dress . Use multiple exposure and take at least 2 of everything to avoid blinking
We dont use any flash during the service..the minister would go mad if they realized I took 150 shots !! If its light enought to read a book you dont need flash

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Thanks pisnbroke! I should have clarified that I am an amateur photographer. Can I clarify a couple of points with you? If I shoot in A mode, I assume I still choose ISO, but the camera will figure out shutter speed when I shoot, is that correct? I usually shoot in P mode but will play around with A mode...someone I took a course from suggested this too.

I definitely won't use a flash during the ceremony. I still have to find out but I wouldn't be surprised if the Bride wore something non-traditional. I'm told there will be many windows and there should still be enough light coming in from outside so that's good.

Use A mode and P . set the auto iso as suggested at 100-6400 and min speed to 1/30 .in P .if its dark it will select 1/30 and widest aperture and then raise the iso to give right exposure ( it rarely goes over 1250) if its bright it will select iso 100 speed 1/30 or more and raise the aperture .
If you use P in dark conditons you have the problem that you have little depth of field and your wedding party is at 45 deg to you ...so go to A and select F8..this may raise the iso ( not usually over 1250) but you will get enough depth of field ...This is your problem with a D3200 ( over say a D7000/7100 ) that you dont have more options to set for boken or outside work.
do what I say it will go ok ..I not been sued yet !!!

you dont want windows in the background so either close the curtains ( sod what the mangager says) or change your positon so the b and g are against a wall etc ...

pistnbroke said:

A fixed lens will be total crap...

you need a zoom preferably 18-200mm.

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I'd love to see the qualitative evidence of a prime being "total crap" in comparison to say an 18-200mm
Both have their place in the photographic world IMO.

vonm said:

I will be shooting wedding pictures at an evening wedding indoors

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vonm said:

I'm told there will be many windows and there should still be enough light coming in from outside

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pistnbroke said:

you dont want windows in the background so either close the curtains ( sod what the mangager says) or change your positon

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Some amazing advice there - shooting a wedding in the evening (where light is less), so you would want to gain as much light as possible from the many windows, but don't worry, be rude and tell the manager what you like and close the curtains just so you block out the light which you need!!!

Yes change your position, but don't change the natural lighting so much so that you restrict the light you need (especially as you don't have a flash).
I'm sure the bride, groom, family and guests won't mind you dictating what they can and can't see because you've closed the light sources (curtains) just so you can get a picture of them without the background window(s)!!!

pistnbroke said:

If you use P in dark conditons you have the problem that you have little depth of field and your wedding party is at 45 deg to you ...so go to A and select F8..this may raise the iso ( not usually over 1250) but you will get enough depth of field ...This is your problem with a D3200 ( over say a D7000/7100 ) that you dont have more options to set for boken or outside work.

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@vonm

The iso has nothing to do with depth of field. To get nice bokeh (not "boken"), you need a large aperture/f-stop, e.g. f/2.8 The only reason to up the iso is to allow you to work within the aperture settings of your lens. The higher the iso, the more risk of "noise."

Also, remember that shooting at a shutter speed that is slower than the reciprocal of the focal length of your lens will cause some kind of blur, and VR is not always foolproof. So if you're using a 50mm lens, don't shoot less than 1/50, and even then, you still risk blur if your subject moves, i.e. unless you use flash.

As far as the windows go, a good photographer learns to work with the light he or she is given, and a decent wedding photographer needs to be as unobtrusive and polite as possible. An outside scene through a window can make for a beautiful background and a fantastic mix of lighting if you add a little bit of fill flash for your subject--learn to adjust the EV (exposure value) of your flash.

You may feel more confident if you went to the venue a few days ahead of time and just "played around" with the settings on your camera. Then check the photos on your computer monitor. Noise does not always show up on the camera's LCD panel, and some of it is very difficult to remove . . . which makes for useless prints.

As far as using a flash during the ceremony, ask the bride and groom, and the minister. I have yet to have one tell me "no." Most understand the value of having photos of the ceremony.

oh dear more people trying to confuse the OP.

There is no need to "play around" with settings ..The camera computer will do the playing around based on what I have suggested.

First you need to go from a group of 4 people to a wedding ring finger without moveing your positon ..now you can do that with a fixed 50 mm lens can you?
Forget Bokeh in this situation make sure you have the wedding party in focus.

Also you must use AF-s mode ..single spot in the centre of the screen..focus on your centre of interest ..re frame and take 2-3 shots . Beware of shoot throughs ( focus is on a point between and behind the b and g)

Note I said close THE curtain behind the Band G not close the curtains ....aargh

Now I cannot see the loation but we could have setting sun comming in from a window behind the couple or a very high contrast situation...... no good.
So say the the manager " I have cleared it with the bride and she is ok with me closing that particular curtain for the service" Now most managers are fine but if he/she is of the stroppy old school just say .. I have a contract with the bride to produce particular photographs . if you obstrut me and she complains it will be you spending a day in court explaining why you interfered..
they go down like a pricked baloon but if not you have it all recored on your body mic for use if neccessary later ...

AS for flash the usual approach here is " where can I stand with a silent camera and no flash " most of the time you get lucky but they can say No ..or video only or stand at the back ..and if you take hundreds of shots during the service then flash at that rate is not the way to go . And if you dont take hundreds then you dont know your job.

Now please please the OP with his new D3200 is getting his act together
using the setting suggested which have worked for me hundreds of times so please dont fill his head with stuff more suited to photographing a flower.

All information is given in the best interrest of the OP based on 30 years of wedding photography and intimate knowledge of the D3200 ...in the end its your wedding your friends ( to loose) . I shall not claim on my insurance or spend any time in court whatever you do .....