Brian

Not a fan of the Dell Optiplex line. They are low-end consumer grade models. I’m a firm believer in “Buy it Right...Buy it Once” way of thinking. That’s why I recommend the Dell XPS line. They are better than the low-end models and are affordable for most. Spec-wise they are decent for what they are. Even if it means you have to wait and save up for a few months. I personally hate wasting money on this sh*t.

NikonUSA in NY, since I’m east of the Mississippi. Warning: I’m a Nikon OEM snob. I will never own a Sigma or Tamron lens. Often with third party lenses, you go through multiple copies to get a good one or are sending it into repair a few times to get it right. QC isn’t always the best, though they have made progress. You Sigma 70-200 issues, create a new thread.

Sometimes they will calibrate a lens to a body. Essentially, your 50mm f/1.4G will be "Married" to your D700.

There are a few Authorized Nikon Repair Centers. Service Pro being one of them. Nikon stopped selling parts to 3rd party repair places, so "Joe's Camera Shop" can't get parts. KEH.com has a repair center and Service Pro is another that comes to mind now that you mentioned it. Give them a call. Heck, take your D700 along so they can see the problem. Be sure to bring the receipt. This is a Warranty Repair. US Nikon/Nikkor Glass come with a 5 year warranty.

You can sell your lens at KEH.com. Keep in mind they will pay Pawn Shop Prices. Especially for a known problem-child lens, like the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G. If you sell it to a individual, like off of Craigslist or FB...I'm a firm believer in Karma. The universe will reverberate back what you throw out to it. It might take years, but it does happen. For example, I've helped many people over the years, for free. I have seen lots of people have lenses and other fancy camera toys given to them as Christmas Gifts, Birthday Presents or even Valentine's Gifts. Here you go honey, this is that $2700 70-200 f/2.8E you've been wanting for your Photography "Business." I wish I had that situation. LOL! Well, after some years, I saved up enough money to buy a used Nikon D3s due to the fact that I always was outgrowing camera bodies every two years. I got fed up with having to fork out money all the time. So I bought a used D3s and I loved that camera. Unfortunately it needed to be sent to Nikon for repair after a few years of heavy use. Well since the D3s was a Professional Grade body and they don't sell many of them, parts are limited these days. Nikon BROKE my camera while it was in the shop. The parts were no longer available on the planet. Guess what happened? Nikon called me and offered me a fully refurbished D4s for the cost of the repair. I got a $4500 camera body with a brand new shutter, 90 Day Warranty, complete with accessories (except the manual, which I just downloaded) for $612.57. That my dear, is Karma.

If the lens was purchased new last year, then send it to Nikon to have it repaired. Even with the shipping cost, it's cheaper than buying a new lens. (You pay to have it shipped to Nikon and then they will send it back to you.) Who knows, maybe they have come up with a solution by now. There are two repair centers in the US, one on Long Island New York, the other just outside Los Angeles. Just be sure to send a copy of the proof-of-purchase (i.e. receipt,) along with the repair form that you will need to print out. The location that your lens will be repaired at depends on which side of the Mississippi River you are located. West is Los Angeles. East of the Mississippi, New York.

I have buyer's remorse when it comes to my D850. I got a really good deal on the camera body, and even used a few gift-cards to help lower the cost. I had no idea on how much money I would spend to support a D850. My iMac currently has 64GB of RAM, because it cried when I edited the massive D850 RAW Files. I had to purchase a new 24-70 f/2.8 VR Lens, because my 24-70G was only sharp in the center and I NEEDED VR to shoot at 1/60th of a second and I also had to upgrade my 70-200 to the newest version. The D850, while it's a fine camera, has a ton of infrastructure costs. If I had to do it all over again, I would have stayed with my D4s and lenses. It would have saved me thousands of dollars. New cameras are fun, but be careful what you wish for.

I honestly do not know why this lens has such and issue with the D700. It could be the optical formula, the D700's focusing system or a combination of both. This lens just sucks and is in need of a complete refresh. Before you go out forking good money for a new camera body, what lenses do you currently own? Also, the new camera's sensors START at 24MP, even for basic-level entry models. You will need horsepower on your computer plus enough storage capacity to handle a new camera body's Raw files. Personally, I'd keep your D700 and put that money towards a better / new computer. THEN we can talk about new cameras, after we talk lenses.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother using this lens on a newer camera body. Nikon really doesn't have a good current 50mm f/1.4 that will keep up with the high-resolution camera sensors (24MP+.) In fact, even an "old" camera, like the Nikon D800, the 50mm f/1.4G did not make the "Recommended Lenses" list. Forget about anything current. In fact, no 50mm lens, either old or new made the Nikon D850 "Recommended Lenses" list: Prime Lenses AF NIKKOR 14mm f/2.8D ED* AF-S NIKKOR 20mm f/1.8G ED AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.8G ED AF-S NIKKOR 28mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G (Notice the lack of 50mm lenses in this spot?) AF-S NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G AF-S NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4D IF-ED AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED PC-E Micro-NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED PC-E Micro-NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D Zoom lenses AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED* AF-S NIKKOR 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II Personally, I would even skip a few lenses on this list if you were to purchase a D850. Lenses marked with an asterisk (*) barely made the list and should really be skipped when it comes to a D850.

Oh, BTW...none of those sample photos you posted above are sharp. They are all fuzzy.

I KNEW IT!!!!! The Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4G is one of Nikon's worst lenses, ESPECIALLY WHEN USED ON A NIKON D700. In fact, this stupid lens caused more posts than any other lens question when "Ask Brian" was on Facebook. I hate this stupid lens. In fact, when I release the FAQ Section here on the Website, "Brian's Thoughts," one of the topics will cover the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G. It's that bad. So the good news is...it's not you and it's not the D700. The bad news is...it's the stupid lens. How to fix the problem? It will need to be send to Nikon to have it repaired/tweaked. Unfortunately, it will come back a little better, but not much. The older AF-50mm f/1.4D lens works just fine as the newer Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G or even the older "Classic Nifty-Fifty" Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8D. Personally, I wouldn't waste money on repairing it. If you NEED 1.4, then purchase the older AF 50mm f/1.4D. It will be cheaper than the cost of shipping and repair to Nikon. Nikon Lenses only have a 5 year warranty, and due to the age of this lens, chances are it's out of Warranty. If you can live with the 2/3rds of a stop difference, purchase the 50mm f/1.8G lens. If you are looking more towards a portrait / head-shot lens, get the Nikon 85mm f/1.8G lens, which is a fantastic lens and great value.

Would this by any chance be the Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4G lens? What camera body are you shooting with?

Here is something new: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-desktop-computers/xps-desktop/spd/xps-8930-desktop/xdvmstcs004s While I’m not a fan of “Integrated Graphics,” it does keep the costs low. Otherwise the prices jump $500 or so. Stupid Tariffs. It’s not a good time to buy a computer.

That HP is kinda slow by today’s standards but remember speed is relative. It is better than what you have, but that computer’s motherboard is kinda slow. I fixed and installed many of these is Doctor’s Offices over the years. For less than $250, it’s worth buying. Otherwise for something new you are closer to $1000. You could put a 1TB SSD Drive in it and use the existing HD for Data. That would give you a performance boost. Having a DVI port is a good thing. Honestly, it’s the port you should be using since it’s digital. The VGA / D-Sub 15-pin port that has been around since 1989 is not digital, it’s analog. With a Digital Port, e.g., DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, etc. you get better colors and contrast and a sharper picture. It’s a lot like going from VHS to DVD. That HP Computer has a DisplayPort on the back, and you will need one of these adapters to work with your monitor. Speaking of which, a video card might also be in your future as well. Chances are it has a integrated video card that shares its memory with the RAM. So that’s going to add to the cost, plus a new power supply to support the new video card. Before you know it, the price will snowball on you and you are right back up to around $1000. Bottom Line: That PC will hold you over for about 12-18 months. Or longer. You've lasted this long. $250 isn’t bad and is under-budget. That said, you aren’t buying a modern computer by today’s standards and that’s why it’s so cheap. Though in your case, it will be an improvement.

DO NOT PUT ANYTHING ON THAT "HP RECOVERY" DRIVE. For you, "Drive D:" does not exist. Do not store any files on that drive and just leave it alone. That HD has the factory reset software and is meant to be left alone. Honestly, you need a new computer. In reality, trying to upgrade anything on this computer will be a temporary fix, at best. So finish Damien's classes, get some practice in and save up some money. If you live in the US, the Import Tariffs have hit the computer prices, and I'm seeing a $300-$500 increase in pricing for the same thing from a year ago. If the computer is made in China, or parts come from China, you are paying more. A realistic budget would be around $1000. More if you can swing it...like have $1500 saved up. That said, if your monitor is a good one and is in decent shape, you won't have to buy a new one, just a new display cable to go between the new computer and display. Those run about $5-$20 online if we need them. So by keeping your monitor, there is a cost savings. The new versions of Windows 10 have been screwing around with monitor profiles. So you might have to check to see if there are any updates to your calibration software. Of course, if you have an older device, like a Spyder4 Series or even a Spyder 5 series, there may not be an update available, so budget for a new calibration tool as well. The reason is the manufacturers are starting to "Orphan" older devices and won't provide any updates going forward. It's only money, right?

You should be able to stay with 20.0.7 for awhile. Heck, Damien uses CS6! In fact, Adobe still needs to get their act together with Catalina, so believe it or not, this is a blessing being stuck. Honestly, you aren’t missing out on much, if anything at all.

Today’s 16GB / 32GB is yesterday’s 4GB / 8GB. At 9 years old, yeah it’s time for a new computer. im going to need to see how your computer is setup. The “System” screen isn’t helping. I need a shot of your “Computer” screen with all the drives.

Well that HD would be fine for an external, it isn’t going to solve your main problem of the internal drive being too small. With a 256GB HD, you need to be hyper-anal on what is installed on that drive. Just the OS and one or two programs. That’s it. No data files, photos, or sessions. Bottom line, purchase a Samsung EVO 1TB SSD drive and have a local computer-shop clone/replace your main drive. In the long run, this will be your best bet.

If it’s not recommended, time for a new computer. Bummer. For me, I just manually copy stuff to the EHD or you can use a program called SyncToy from Microsoft. There are other backup programs that will automatically Sync to a folder on a EHD, so you do have options. Cloud Backup. Personally, I don’t use one. At least not for my photos. I’d rather have a monthly duplicated drive that is kept off-site. I do use the OneDrive that comes with my Office365 subscription, but that’s it and just has important documents and my wedding photos / video. I tend to keep things simple, but that’s just me. That said, it will be a topic for one of the FAQ Section questions. More to come later on this topic.

Now for the HD part. Can you trust 3 external HDs? Sure. Provided they are duplicates of each other with one located/stored off-site. Getting things off your main HD is really a discipline or a way of thinking more than anything. Also, it really depends on how fast your port is on both the HD and computer/laptop. For example, a USB 2.0 port on a 5400RPM 2TB drive is going to be a lot slower than say a 7200RPM Drive 12TB using a Thunderbolt 3 port. It’s all relative. Heck, just using a USB 3.0 port will yield better results. In a nutshell, it takes discipline and effort and really...having a plan in place and sticking to it. All too often people develop the habit of dumping everything on the C: Drive. Why? Habit...and it’s just “easy.” It’s what they know and stick with. The challenge today is not all C Drives are created equal. Most “Main Drives” in computes are 256GB or less, and are meant for the OS and a program or two. That’s it. No data files. Really, what I think needs to be done for you is to purchase a new and larger EHD, one that has a USB 3.1 port and is 7200RPM. You can use it now on your current laptop and when you get a new computer/laptop, you will get another performance boost. That’s what I did. I bought a fancy 12TB EHD that had USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 3. I used the USB port on my old computer and when I upgraded, I used the Thunderbolt 3. Instant performance boost without having to buy anything extra. Since TB3 is so fast, it’s like working off a main drive. I never have any main sessions on my C Drive (I have a Mac, so Macintosh HD) and work exclusivities off my EHD. This goes against what Damien recommends, and that’s fine. I also don’t use a “$79 Special” EHD purchased from a box store and use a solid Enterprise Grade HD from a reputable brand. It’s not cheap either. Hopefully, I answered your question.

There won’t be a drastic change between 6GB and 8GB of RAM but it will certainly help things. In reality, you need a better computer and I’m thinking it’s a laptop that you are running. More than likely you have a 2GB on the motherboard or a 2GB Stick and a 4GB stick in two slots. You will replace that 2GB stick with a 4GB one that matches your existing 4GB RAM module for the best performance. Fortunately, that small amount of RAM should be less than $75. Probably even around $50 or less. Yes, I would max out your RAM. Even though my recommended minimum amount these days is 16GB.

Yeah. I agree. Super High Resolution just makes everything so small on a screen. While it’s great to have all that resolution, is still a 15” 16” 17” (or whatever) area. 1920x1080 is perfect for photos. If you can afford a 2TB SSD upgrade, add that. No such thing as too much space. That being said, you are trading a bit of performance going from a m.2 drive to a classic SSD drive. In reality, a 1TB main drive is fine. I’m sure you can upgrade / add a SSD drive after the fact for half the cost, unless the laptop is a sealed unit. what I would do, is update to Windows 10 Pro. That’s worth the extra money and it’s cheaper now than if you bought it after the fact.

The latest round of Windows updates, I think it's 1903 really screwed up Monitor Profiles. The Spyder4 series is kind of old, and in addition to your laptop, I'd also set money aside for a SpyderX series since no updates for the Spyder4 or Spyder5 series software will be released going forward. It's only money, right?

Buy it!!

Looks good. I'd buy a DisplayPort Cable and use that to hook up to your Dell U2412m. Here is one from Monoprice. It's about $5.