Ask a Pro

Q. What is the latest regarding the problems with the Nikon D750? I bought one of the bad ones and am getting ready to send it back for the third time in hopes they can fix the fuzzy, black, thumb image at 6 o’clock that consumes about 40% of the bottom middle of my shots. This happens intermittently but frequently enough to have ruined both wedding and vacation shots. If I purchase a very recently manufactured D750 will I be OK? Thanks! By the way, I love your column and your well-written, easy-to-understand answers.

Bob Burns

A. First, thanks for the kind words, Bob. I love writing this column in Shutterbug and answering questions like yours. Although we don’t list each reader’s occupation, I saw yours in your e-mail signature and am impressed. That said, it also helped make your question an easy one to answer. In your case, you can afford to skip the D750 altogether (and the worries over if your new one will have the same problems) and get the Nikon D850 instead. I haven’t talked to a single D850 owner who isn’t absolutely wild about their choice. While it does cost quite a bit more, you’d be in that “OMG! I love my D850” category, rather than living in that “I hope this new D750 at least works consistently” category. Go for the D850. It is your destiny, Bob (said with love and jealousy).

Q. What is the best way to upload photos from my PC to Instagram? I have many film photos saved on CDs that I would like to post. I would also like to post them on a website.

Janet Gaines

A. Step one is to copy those images from the CDs onto a folder on your PC. Easy peasy. Now, let’s get them up on Instagram. While there are a number of applications that let you upload directly from your PC to Instagram, there are also theories from experts claiming that Instagram penalizes you (by limiting your images reach) if you don’t upload natively from Instagram’s own app on your phone. So, let’s start from the premise that we want to upload them from the Instagram app on your phone, and that means getting those images to your cell phone. While there are all sorts of ways to do this, it’s probably easiest to simply take the photos from your CDs and copy them to your PC, and then e-mail them to yourself. That way, you’ll have a copy of them in your e-mail on your phone. Save those images from your e-mail to whatever photo app you use on your phone and from there you can upload them directly to Instagram—whew! As for posting the images on the web, once you’ve copied the images from the CDs onto your computer, you can post them directly to Facebook, Twitter, etc., from there.

Q. I just bought a Canon EOS 6D Mark II. I wanted an external flash for my old 60D but was shocked at the sticker price of Canon Speedlites. (The Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite currently sells for over $500.) I ended up buying a Polaroid PL-144AZ-C for under $100 and it worked pretty well with the 60D. I know I was missing lots of features that a genuine Canon Speedlite would deliver but it worked OK for my purposes. Can you recommend a third-party speedlight that will work as well or nearly as well as a Canon Speedlite with my 6D Mark II but not cost me an arm and a leg? Any specific brand suggestions? There seem to be quite a few lesser expensive brands on the market and it’s about impossible to choose between them.

D. Bruce

A. Absolutely! I would go with the Yongnuo flashes. I have four of them and they work amazingly well. I have abused the heck out of them over the past few years and I still have yet to have one fail on me—though just writing that sentence almost assures that one will fail very soon. I use the original Yongnuo YN600EX-RT flash, but they have an even newer one—the Yongnuo Speedlite YN600EX-RT II for Canon Cameras—that sells for $110 at B&H and it has a built-in real radio receiver (the good stuff). Since you’ll need a radio transmitter that sits on your camera’s hot shoe, I’d go with the Yongnuo Wireless Speedlite Transmitter for Canon ($75 at B&H). So, you’re into about $185 total, but you’ve got a solid system, with lots of features, at a really great price. My last piece of advice: just stick with one flash. You can do wonders with just one flash.

Q. In the March 2018 issue you addressed a reader’s concern about changes at Adobe and his worry that Lightroom might be discontinued. You mentioned Phase One’s Capture One. What are your thoughts on the Affinity-Serif program? A friend of mine uses it and is very pleased with it. In looking at their site, it seems that it may be more of an alternative to Photoshop than Lightroom.

Bob Beary

A. First of all, tell your friend not to worry about Lightroom being discontinued. There are literally millions of Lightroom Classic users, with new ones coming on board each day, and Adobe just released its third feature update for Lightroom Classic since they announced the new cloud storage-based version of Lightroom [now named Lightroom CC] back in October. Lightroom keeps getting better and better by adding new features and more speed, so your friend doesn’t have to bail on the program. If he does, though, he will be missing the dawn of greater things to come. Now, as far as Affinity goes, it is a competitor to Photoshop (not Lightroom). It’s also cheaper and, in my opinion, “heavily influenced” (which is the kindest way I can say it) by Photoshop. I think your friend would be fine using Affinity with Lightroom, but since your friend can sign up for the $9.99 a month Lightroom + Photoshop bundle, and use the “real” Photoshop, why use a wannabe? Just sayin’.

Scott Kelby is a photographer, Photoshop Guy, award-winning author of more than 50 books, and CEO of KelbyOne, an online education community dedicated to helping photographers take the kinds of images they’ve always dreamed of. You can learn more about Scott at his daily blog (scottkelby.com), or follow him on Twitter: @scottkelby.

Editor’s Note: Ask a Pro is a Q&A column from professional photographer, writer, and educator Scott Kelby. Scott is here to answer all your photography-related questions, so if you have something you’d like to know, e-mail him at editorial@shutterbug.com (with “For Scott Kelby” as the subject line) and your query could be featured in the next edition of Ask a Pro.