looks like it was a light/ shutter speed problem after all. I put the new bulbs in, 85w CFL/400w equiv. I went from shooting f:2.8 @1/60 to shooting f:2.8 @1/125. big difference. tack sharp eyes. great color. I did the battery test shown above, it was good practice and made me think f what I was doing. Thanks for that.anyway, I think I fixed my problem for now.

