D700 Vignette Tool Question

AISOSS

HI:

My 1st post in your forum. I've been shooting APSc for too long---currently researching FF & need a few more answers to pick the best camera for me.

I really like the d700 (yeah, who doesn't) and need to know if its "Vignette Tool" works on third-party glass. Can someone help me? Thanks.

edit: I hope I posted in the right place--I am just learning about this forum.

Icebear

Quoting from p.276 of my D700 manual:
"Vignette control reduces vignetting for type G and D lenses (DX and PC lenses excluded)."
So if your third-party glass is optimized for DX, or if it's a PC lens, it won't have any effect. OTOH Lightroom's post-crop vignetting effect tool doesn't give a rat's patoot what kind of lens you're using.

Icebear

Truth? I have no idea if it works with third party lenses. I never have used it. I shoot raw anyway.

AISOSS

Hey Icebear, I am very grateful for your response. Thank you! I have been trying to get this question answered for some time. I have been posting to my regular forum for years, but it is APS-c oriented, and not Nikon.

Today I bought the D700--never would have dreamed I would shell out this kind of money for a camera, but this is true love. I think cell phone shooters would vote to committ me and the rest of us camra fanatics.

Best!

Icebear

Oh, man. You are going to be in heaven. Go out and shoot something at night. The low light level performance will just knock you on your heels. Try a high school night game in lacrosse or soccer. The first portrait set you shoot will have you wondering how you put up with the s**tty skin tones from lesser cameras. Congrats on the new camera. Don't worry about the stupid vignette tool. You don't really need it.

ziggy53

AISOSS wrote: »

Hey Icebear, I am very grateful for your response. Thank you! I have been trying to get this question answered for some time. I have been posting to my regular forum for years, but it is APS-c oriented, and not Nikon.

Today I bought the D700--never would have dreamed I would shell out this kind of money for a camera, but this is true love. I think cell phone shooters would vote to committ me and the rest of us camra fanatics.

Best!

Congratulations on the new camera.

Matthew Saville

Here's my take on it:

If you're shooting low-light candids, portraits, etc. then usually the vignetting helps the image, instead of hindering it

Oppositely, if you're shooting a landscape or something where vignetting is an issue, you're probably shooting RAW and you'll find a much smoother vignetting-removal experience in Lightroom. Anyways, all that to say, I've never worried about the D700's in-camera vignetting control. :-)

=Matt=

AISOSS

Matthew Saville wrote: »

Here's my take on it:

If you're shooting low-light candids, portraits, etc. then usually the vignetting helps the image, instead of hindering it

Oppositely, if you're shooting a landscape or something where vignetting is an issue, you're probably shooting RAW and you'll find a much smoother vignetting-removal experience in Lightroom. Anyways, all that to say, I've never worried about the D700's in-camera vignetting control. :-)

=Matt=

Thanks Matt--this is good to know. 1 reason for coming to full-frame is to utilize the more abundant DOF, especially for portraits. Vignetting is almost never an issue on crop sensor. I have always shot Raw, but do not own any fancy softwares for post processing. I have always gotten by with the combined use of several free programs. I see the vignette tool for the Canon 5d Mk2 only works on some of their lenses too. Persuing Photozone, it is clear that large apertures=vignetting on FF. Perhaps it is time to invest in some nice PP software.

Is Lightroom the Go-to software for most people?

ziggy53: Congratulations on the new camera.

Thanks for the welcome--it feels good.

Matthew Saville

AISOSS wrote: »

Is Lightroom the Go-to software for most people?

Honestly? It's an un-necessary learning curve, unless you shoot (and process) a LOT of images. I've used Bridge CS3 thru CS5 with much success, but then again I guess buying Photoshop costs as much as Lightroom, or more. Although I hear rumors that Bridge is coming with Photoshop elements these days!

Honestly, I only use Lightroom because I edit high volumes of images as a wedding and portrait photographer. Otherwise I might have never "graduated" from Bridge, or even Nikon View NX.

If you're shooting RAW and have a decently fast computer, begin your "new workflow" by sorting images in Nikon View NX 2, just to see if you like it. Hey, at least it's free! You'll get to see the in-camera processing, which I really enjoy. Then, if you're definitely on a budget, you can do batch RAW processing (and JPG processing too of course) in Bridge CS3-CS5. Check to see if a $99 copy of Photoshop Elements will come with Bridge, and you should be good to go if you only ever need to process a few hundred images a week. Yes, Lightroom is faster and better at archiving thousands of photos, but honestly I don't even use Lightroom in that way, I create a new catalog for every single job I shoot.

Good luck, either way! Dont' worry too much about vignetting if you're shooting low-light portraits, and of course if you're shooting landscapes then you'll probably be at f/11 anyways and vignetting won't be an issue. But yes, if control and processing power is your thing, Bridge CS5 or Lightroom 3.0 are the way to go. Aperture is also quite powerful, but I'm just recommending what I already know.

=Matt=

=Matt=