FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter X Instagram Tiktok YouTube Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe
Log In
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Restoration
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
Log In

Discussion Forum

Discussion Forum

## CAnon vs. Nikon ##

MikeSmith | Posted in Photo Gallery on January 11, 2008 09:28am

we’ve discussed this many times… and there is no good answer.. because the mfr’s keep leapfrogging each other with thier technology advances

but this is a good time to show us what ya got and what ya use for

workflow

me…… once i got out of the Kodak Brownie stage my first  real camera was a Yashica Twin Lens Reflex.. probably  1968 or so

 

then about ’73 i bought my first Nikon….   i didn’t want batteries, so i got a Nikon FM,

put a Data Back on it and used that exclusively until i went digital about 2000 or so…

 

in digital , i started with a Kodak… then i went to a Nikon 775  ( i think Luka has that one now )… and stuck with  my favorite.. a CoolPix 995 with a swivel body… very  handy, fairly compact… only limit is not enough megapixels

 

so … i had the Patriots buy me a new digital….  a Nikon D80…

anyways …… here they all are… together with my meager lens collection

View Image

here’s my Yashica & my FM

View Image

and here’s my digital

View Image

 

Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

Edited 1/11/2008 1:28 pm ET by MikeSmith


Edited 1/11/2008 1:29 pm ET by MikeSmith


Edited 1/11/2008 1:30 pm ET by MikeSmith

Reply
  • X
  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • pinterest
  • email
  • add to favorites Log in or Sign up to save your favorite articles

Replies

  1. rez | Jan 11, 2008 09:37pm | #1

    Little dark on those pics there Mike so I thought to lighten them up a bit.

    ROAR!

    View Image

    View Image

    View Image

     

     

     

    Peace out.

    1. TBone | Jan 12, 2008 02:23am | #18

      Getting caught up over here at BT. I've been reading DP Review.My history goes something like this for those of you who didn't see it before.:When I was a kid dad would let me play with his AE-1 (actually just bit the just last year). Then he dug his Topcon RE-2 out for me to use. Loved that thing. Solid as a tank. An old Oly P&S is in the mix somewhere. Then I got a Rebel 2000 for H.S. graduation. Shot nothing but black and white. Mostly night shots or overexposed and overdeveloped (lost a few rolls that way). Canon a510 showed up for college graduation and I took mostly crappy snapshots until it died after about a year of use.Now I've got a 400D with 480ex flash and BG-E3 grip. Lenses are Promaster...28-80 and 80-210. So I'm lens shopping. Thinking 50mm prime and something on the wider end. The new 18-55IS is fairly well reviewed.And that's where I'm at.

      1. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 02:36am | #19

        Check this site out for every EF lens ever made.

        http://lensplay.com/lenses/lens_query.php

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

        1. TBone | Jan 12, 2008 02:54am | #20

          Thanks.Have you seen this one?

          1. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 02:59am | #22

            No thanks I'll have to bookmark that one!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

    2. PD | Jan 12, 2008 03:46am | #25

      My first camera was a Canon FTb, acquired a few others including a Kowa6 medium format. I still have the FTb while it needs some work it will still take a good picture. Wife moved me into the digital age after the kids said I needed to get with the times and film was becoming obsolete. So I am the proud owner of a Canon D30. She stayed with Canon because a young kid who never heard of a FTb told here that any Canon lens would work on the D30 when she bought it. The FTb is older than the sales clerk. Needless to say I have to add some lenses and a new flash to the D30 so i can get back into taking pictures.In my work I run into a lot professional photographers and have found that most of newer news and sports guys have gone Canon, while a lot of the old timers have stayed with Nikon. But they are all digital, not a film camera in bunch anymore.

    3. calvin | Jan 12, 2008 02:31pm | #41

      Nice artillary Mike.

      Joyce got me a DX3900 Kodak in 2000 maybe, after seeing my interest in a job camera.   I expanded my subject matter with that point and shoot.  So, she got me a zoom and closeup lens for it.  Not too shabby, tho it blocked the viewfinder and made me use that back screen to frame the shot.  Even with that 3mp, got some pretty neat pictures.   I took that camera everywhere.

      Some background, in college she was a photojournalism major.  I'd spend some time shooting film with her and when a burnout wanted to sell a darkroom's worth of equipment for a song, I made the buy.  We set it up in our apartments freight elevator shaft.  Guess that brief run was what really got me.  When we moved outta that place all the stuff got packed away and no more shooting for 30 years.

      So ever vigilant of my interests she gave me the Nikon D100 with a 200 telephoto for Christmas..........'O3 maybe.  Now my goose was cooked.  Get up, walk the dog and if that sky had promise at first light, off I'd go down to the river for a sunrise photo-op.  Found out soon that telephoto could take some pretty close shots and explored the inerds of flowers.

      Seems Christmas is my time of year.  Joyce gave me a Macro lens the next one.  And along with that some close up magnifying rings-allowing even closer shots.  Hog Heaven!

      My excitement shooting pictures didn't wane.  I started going to the local nature photo club for some seminars.  Learned some things and took the dive and entered some shots in their photo contest.  All that did was push me even more when I looked at how they scored.  No awards, but encouraging numbers.  Since that first one entry I've picked up a few honorable mention ribbons.  But that's just fluff.  I honestly enjoy the #### out of taking pictures. 

      I wish I knew the science behing it.  F-stop, aperture, not sure what it all means.  Shot auto for quite a while, but then took a look at the readings and experimented a bit.  Learning every day now, retention seems to be a bit thin.  Digital allows me to take pictures like my golf game.  You swing enough times you're bound to get a good shot.

      So yeah shep, we need to get that 12-24 wide angle man.  We're being limited in shot selection.  I got an Adams offset head 5 wood a couple weeks ago-I love that club!

      Mike, no pictures from me of the gear but if Blodgett sees this thread we'll be in for a treat.  Whatya think-milk cartons, beer cans and shoe boxes?A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

      Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

      http://www.quittintime.com/

       

      1. MikeSmith | Jan 12, 2008 04:23pm | #43

        i was trying to impress one of my nephews at  New Year's.. showed him my D80..

        he proceeded to give me a couple lessons on  macro... took his lens , flipped it upside down and handheld it to  the body.. now his telephoto was a macro ????

        then  he proceeded to tell me about white balance and other esoteric stuff

        anyways.. what really blew my socks off was  he was learning all this stuff in a HS photography class... he knew more from this one year  than i've picked up in 40.... duhhhhh

        so.... looks like the next fest will involve a lot of  camera - show & tell , no ?

        golf tomorrow, god willing and  the creek don't riseMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

        1. User avater
          maddog3 | Jan 12, 2008 05:44pm | #46

          I'm still shooting film....with my grey haired old cameras
          my first was an A-1 w/ motor drive.... .... a 50-250 zoom from Tokina, I had other lenses, but I traded them and a few years later, in '86, my wife gave me a ....Nikon F3!
          I wasn't going to argue, it WAS a Nikon, so I started loading up on that stuff.
          20 years later I still have the Canon, along with (3) F3s, two have motor drives,
          16mm fish-eye Nikkor
          17mm ultra-wide Tokina,
          35mm PC Nikkor
          55mm micro Nikkor
          85mm Nikkor ........ my fastest at f1.4
          200 mm Nikkor
          500mm Reflex Nikkor..... very slow lens
          SB-11 strobe
          some reversing rings for close-up work with the 35 and 55
          and a PB-6 Bellows for VERY small things,
          several different viewfinders and focusing screens
          a few specialized filters...if I make it to the fest, I might bring some of it, but would feel odd surrounded by all the high tech gear you folks have.

          .

          .

          ., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

      2. MikeSmith | Jan 12, 2008 06:13pm | #48

        <<<Whatya think-milk cartons, beer cans and shoe boxes?>>>

         

        actually.... my vision is  a brand spanking new 40 gal . galv. garbage can...

        you know, new house, new baby... er in blodget's case.... new camera.. thus the new canMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

        1. User avater
          PaulBinCT | Jan 12, 2008 06:29pm | #49

          Sheesh...it's a trip down memory lane seeing some of that old gear mentioned.  I spent 30+ years in various parts of the photography business. Probably owned or used extensively nearly every camera there was from Minox (still have it) to a Sinar 8x10 P expert (stolen years ago). Exacta and screw mount Spotmatic F to Hassies, Rolleis, Leica, Linhof, Arriflex 16mm with crystal synced sound. Even once used the large format Polaroid system once (I think it was 40"x60"?).

          Best all around 35 I ever owned was a Topcon Super D (essentially the same as the RE Super mentioned earlier). Had every single lens they made for it, from a 25mm bellows mount macro, to a 300/2.8 which was very exotic at the time. 

          Still haven't made the switch to digital entirely.  In part because I have too many esoteric Canon and Nikon lenses that I can't afford to replace with digital.  Also, I just... don't like it... too sterile for me.  But, the quality of the processing and scans I'm getting now is so poor that I'm afraid this year I'll go down kicking and screaming. PaulB

           

          1. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 12, 2008 07:57pm | #51

            I share your sentiments regarding the quality of processing Paul,
            I was considering getting my own scanner. a Coolscan, since I have tons of negs. and trays full of slides. they're not that expensive and seem to bridge the gap between film and digital, that is until I finally breakdown and go digital. or die !! whichever comes firstwhat do you think?.

            .

            .

            ., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

          2. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Jan 12, 2008 08:00pm | #52

            Should do fine Mad.  I'm kicking mysel now because when I closed my lab, I was fried and gave away all the equipment in my digital dept (scanners, printers, etc etc etc) to my employees to try to help soften the blow of being laid off thinking maybe some of them could freelance...

            But the better Coolscans, or the Minolta equiv are great machines and I'd imagine are pretty cheap now. Let me know if I can help at all...PaulB

             

          3. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 12, 2008 08:07pm | #53

            OK Paul, I will take you up on your kind offer. those scanners don't seem too terribly expensive......Thanks.

            .

            .

            ., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

          4. MikeSmith | Jan 12, 2008 08:36pm | #54

            paul .... tell us more about Coolscan and such..

             i have trays & trays of slides... all edited... good quality.. never look at them anymoreMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          5. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Jan 12, 2008 08:49pm | #56

            Well, basically Mike I think the first decision is (as we tell people here all the time), what's your time worth?  Doing scans well is very time consuming.  At high res (and I'm reallyyyyyyyyy stretching my memory here), probably 3-4 mins per.  Especially with slides, the stack loaders are a must, but notoriously tempermental and unforgiving of slides in less than pristine mounts. Then you have to figure on some post scan work.  I don't care what the software says, you are going to have to tweak many scans. The Coolscans (I'm not real up on the model #s anymore) were great mid price scanners, we had several of them.  Minolta also made a nice scanner.  If you're buying used, really look at the cosmetics for any signs of thumps, or being stored in a dirty environment as cleaning these can be a horror show and they can get knocked out of alignment pretty easily. All of this presupposes 35mm, the scanners that take medium format are a different beast altogether. Whatever you do, don't get suckered into a flatbed scanner with a film adapter, they simply don't have enough res or dynamic range to be worthwhile.

            The alternative of course is paying... at times we used to use a place in Atlanta (I think) called Imagers. They did really nice work and in volume you could get a cost of around a buck apiece.  Remember this was 3+ years back so I make no claim as to what they are like now, or if they are even around anymore.

            HTHPaulB

             

          6. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 08:57pm | #57

            From what I've heard people talking about on photo forums is to get real top quality scans require a drum scanner and wet mounting.  Slides have to come out of their holders for that.

            What I would suggest, since I too have lots of slides, is a brutal editing of your slides and come up with the very best and take them in for scanning.  They will cost ya, but you'll have great quality scans. 

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          7. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Jan 12, 2008 09:06pm | #58

            I can't imagine most people here would have any need for wet drum scans. Back in the day a good one was 75 bucks and gave you 50 meg files, IIRC. 

            A good "pop" scanner, while it doesn't have the same dynamic range will give you a non interpolated 10ish meg scan (again, subject to my recollection) from 35mm and we used to make 20x30s from them all day long with a little massaging...PaulB

             

          8. user-204835 | Jan 12, 2008 09:14pm | #59

            Still have all my old camera gear from the 1970's when I used to freelance photography. Pentax K1000, 4 Pentax MX's, 2 Pentax LX's, and
            a dozen or so lenses. Started using the Pentax DL back in 2005, been using digital ever since. Sad thing, is the prices of used camera's have dropped in price the past year or two, the only old film type camera's that hold their value are the high end Nikons and Hassleblads.Otis

          9. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 09:28pm | #60

            Not arguing with you it's what I "here" at the other forums.  I think I've had a total of 2, 35mm negatives scanned for my daughter at our local pro shop.  I think 7 bucks each and each turned out about 25megs or so.  I would think 4x5 and up are going to be more $ and larger files. 

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          10. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Jan 12, 2008 09:50pm | #61

            Sorry if it sounded like I was arguing... not my intention at all.PaulB

             

          11. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 10:02pm | #62

            Oh no I didn't want to appear to be arguing with you.  You were the pro not me.  I was just reporting the low down on the street. <g>

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          12. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Jan 12, 2008 10:16pm | #63

            LOL... OK, either way ;)

            Hard to conceive though, of someone doing a wet scan for 7 bucks, talk about no profit.  I'd say it took us nearly 15 minutes to do one by the time we mounted the slide in oil on the drum, did the scan and then cleaned the slide off... guess I'm glad I'm not still in that business ;)PaulB

             

          13. TBone | Jan 13, 2008 02:12am | #85

            Are you feeling incredibly rich? Have you seen this lens?

          14. Scarecrow | Jan 13, 2008 02:19am | #86

            What you don't have one of those? 

            And I thought the  H3 was stupid pricey not to mention the 26K for the digital film back.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          15. Scarecrow | Jan 13, 2008 02:21am | #87

            Did you read the specs?

            "The Canon 1200/5.6L USM, the longest fixed telephoto lens ever built by Canon, contains 13 elements (2 Fluorite) in 10 groups and focus' down to 49.5'. With an angle-of- view of about 2° on a full-frame 35 mm camera, calling this lens a 'tele' is like calling King Kong a monkey.

            Built-to-order by Canon from 1993 to 2005, each lens was hand-crafted at the rate of about 2-per-year and a delivery time of about 18 months. Only a dozen-or-so were ever made. Who bought them? National Geographic magazine and Sports Illustrated are known to own a couple, the Feds probably have a few squirreled away somewhere, and a few well-heeled photo enthusiasts.

            Apart from a few minor cosmetic blemishes, this particular lens is extremely clean inside and out. Included with this lens is a leather slip-on 'lens cap', a fitted aluminum trunk case, and a prodigious measure of ego satisfaction. Weighing in at over 36lbs and an overall length of 33 inches, a sturdy tripod and pan/tilt head is highly recommended. Pack mule not included. "

            ROAR~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          16. TBone | Jan 13, 2008 02:30am | #88

            Yeah, I laughed more than a little at some of those descriptions.I particularly like the 49.5' minimum focusing distance or the 2° f.o.v.B&H, I believe, really only has it online for s---s and giggles. They apparently are planning on displaying it in the NY store.

          17. intaglio | Apr 04, 2008 10:33am | #260

            99351.60 in reply to 99351.59 

            I can't imagine most people here would have any need for wet drum scans. Back in the day a good one was 75 bucks and gave you 50 meg files, IIRC. 

            A good "pop" scanner, while it doesn't have the same dynamic range will give you a non interpolated 10ish meg scan (again, subject to my recollection) from 35mm and we used to make 20x30s from them all day long with a little massaging..."

            I'm only halfway thru reading this thread, and have a ton of questions, but this caught my eye.....what is a 'pop' scanner???

            I have been trying to get decent photos of my artwork.......my pro lab just started outsourcing all the film, and it is being scanned, then printed on photo paper (with chemicals).....but quality took a nosedive.  (is this the lack of dynamic color range of the scanner?).....So I thought maybe I could do better, knowing my own artwork.  Tried scanning a negative (shot under quartz tungsten with filters)..but on my cheaper scanner (CanoScan 4400F), it was awful...muddy, I'd describe it.  Next may try scanning a slide......   Digital still can't get the colors right, or the subtle tones of my paintings.  Yet, if everything is heading toward being scanned....

            I have two issues: transforming my art to digital for website viewing; and getting decent color matched (to the art) photos for my records and possible reproductions.  I've found the best for the first is scanning the original art.  But my scanner is too small for large paintings....so I may be looking at a better digital camera for that (have a Canon A60).  The second issue may have no perfect solution at this point in the digital revolution.  (for a picky artist, anyway).

            I have Minoltas, and MD lenses, not autofocus.  I love them and film photography.  If I go digital SLR, will have to switch to Nikon or Canon.  Some reviews favor Nikon for color......wonder which does better on subtle color tones?

             

             

             

          18. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Apr 04, 2008 02:19pm | #261

            Well, the easy question is what a "pop" scanner is.  That's just what lab guys called the small slide/neg scanners (primarily for slides...you'd "pop" one in).

            We did tonssssssss of artwork reproduction work and it was the hardest part of the business so don't dispair.  Most small scanners do a mediocre job with negs because of the difficulties in handling the orange mask of the film base.  Slide film, although it is much more demanding to expose precisely will give you more precise results in general whether you're using the slides themselves or scanning them...

            I find it very hard to believe that any major brand has inherently superior color... sounds like the "old" days when these arguments raged.  I've owned literally every major brand and type of film camera and with very few specific cases, such as Nikon's macros or fisheyes which were in a class of their own or Hasselblad's 80mm I never saw any discernable difference.  Best thing to do is shoot a high quality color scale under precisely controlled conditions and then look at the results, your artwork is too subjective to be used as a benchmark.PaulB

             

          19. intaglio | Apr 07, 2008 10:34am | #262

            Thanks for the tip about the orange tint of the film base affecting scans.  I was told years ago I'd get better results for enlargements to go direct from negatives (this was all film photography),but luckily I do shoot slides of my best pieces...will try a scan from a slide, just to compare. 

            The Kodak color scale is all bright vivid colors, not so easy to be exact on the soft tones of greys and pastel colors.  Perhaps I could make a color chart of my paint colors to test with. 

            Now, what do I use for viewing, and trust?: the camera LCD, or a computer screen (mine hasn't been balanced to color match...I heard there was a program that could do that).  I'd much rather use the LCD as I'm shooting pictures and varying white balance/lighting, with the art right there.

            One big problem in matching art is that the pigments (used in painting) look different under different lights.....so even under 5000K lighting, if the print matches the art, that print will look way off under outdoor lighting.

          20. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Apr 07, 2008 02:47pm | #264

            There's really nothing you can do about colors appearing differently under varying light sources.  There are two issues here.  One is that certain artificial lights (esp florescent and vapor lights) have "discontinuous spectrums", in other words there are chunks of wavelengths missing from the light they emit therefore even if they are the same color temp, they will not render colors the same as daylight.  Also certain pigments have...ready for this?...anomalous reflectance.  They reflect colors in ways such that your eye sees it differently than film or a CCD sensor.  The most famous example is a daylily...looks purplish (IIRC) and photographs black (at least on film). Again... nothing you can do.  The best you can hope for is too keep everything calibrated and matched against a known reference such that what the original looks like under a given light matches (as much as possible) to the repro under the same light source...

            HTHPaulB

             

          21. intaglio | Apr 08, 2008 08:27am | #265

            That's kind of funny, about discontinuous spectrums of even daylite color temperature lights...because printing companies always have the 5000K lights there for checking the first prints against the original. 

            I guess nothing can reproduce color as we see it; and then we never see it exactly the same twice.  All those variables: what color did we just look at before this one, what color is next to it, what are we comparing it to?....etc.  Nothing is ever as it appears.  My favorite is as the sky starts to light up, with pastel colors in the clouds, right before sunset.  If I look at the clouds and sky (& imagine painting it), the silhouetted trees on the skyline are black.  Yet if I shift my focus to the trees, my eyes adjust, and all the shades of green appear.  Are the trees green or black.  What effect caught my eye initially? What do I want to paint (or photograph)?  It would have no impact if it were painted or photographed as each part appears when the eye wanders over it.

            But that's all creative license, not the same as color matching.  Yet I'd guess all color matching has to include that, since I doubt any color system can match another (paint, or film, or digital) in the gradations (or steps, or notes, like a scale of music) between colors.  I'd almost say that's what makes a piece sing, the smoothness of subtle color changes.

          22. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Apr 08, 2008 02:30pm | #266

            As an aside... I should have qualified my mention of florescent lights.  There are virtually full spectrum units, very pricey.  If you really get into it, look for units from companies like MacBeth.  Too bad, when I closed my film lab we threw out half a dozen large inspection lights... I imagine Ebay has plenty.PaulB

             

          23. intaglio | Apr 09, 2008 08:59am | #267

            I hope to never get into it that much!  But am curious, if there is any connection between those 'full spectrum' and the 'full spetrum' one can buy for home use.  I'm guessing the professional ones will be 5000K, and home use lights will be under 5000K.  I know 'full spectrum' can be used when the light isn't actually balanced properly (just if it contains some of all of the spectrum, I believe I read?).  I had some experience with various halogen 'full spectrum' bulbs recently....3200K, 3500K: too warm for my painting studio use.

            Light boxes for viewing slides: how often should the fluorescent bulbs be replaced, to stay at 5000K?   Mine is several years old, and I just noticed it seems dimmer/warmer (since I'm viewing paintings on it--had never thought about it when viewing black & white etchings).

          24. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Apr 09, 2008 01:23pm | #268

            The home "full spectrum" lights aren't really... they're better than standard but nowhere's near real full spectrum.  I'd think with typical hobbyist use, bulbs oughta be good for a couple years so yours are probably ready for replacement. PaulB

             

          25. intaglio | Apr 10, 2008 08:42am | #271

            Mine are probably way overdue for replacement then!  Altho they only get used for a short time each year (art jury season), since I had been shooting more negatives than slides.  Plan to shoot more slides now, less negative film.

            What is your guess to the future of 35mm film?  Will it still be around in years to come?  Or will only medium & large format film stay?

          26. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Apr 10, 2008 02:43pm | #274

            My guess is that larger formats will go away first... they're a much smaller volume product and working pros will have to go digital whether they want to or not.  But I'm guessing 35 has a few more years before the volume makes it unprofitable... a shame.PaulB

             

          27. Scarecrow | Apr 11, 2008 06:22am | #275

            Here is a photographers work thats woth a look.  http://www.manipulator.com/

            Dial uppers beware.  Look at "end time" portaits of children and read her statement.  In regular portraits there is a great one of "Arnold".

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          28. User avater
            Mongo | Apr 15, 2008 02:00am | #278

            The "End Time" kids were crying because she made them undress and listen to her politics.<g>You know, people weren't suppose tot have kids in the 20s and 30s due to the depression. Nor in the 40s because of WWII. No one should have had kids in the 50s and 60s because of the impending nuclear war between the USSR and the USA, or in the 70s because of Vietnam and the birth control pill.Rock and roll music degenerating into the hair bands becoming popular during the 80s should have been the most depressing thing to prevent procreation.What happened in the 90s...Bush Sr and the Clinton's? Not enough to stop me, that's when my kids were born. Y2K should have been enough to stop birthing for a couple of years in the late 90s based upon predictions that the world was going to explode at the strike of midnight.The 00s? Unrest in the middle east? 9/11? Well, that fear of that was offset by the euphoria after the Red Sox thrashed the Yankees in 2004 and then swept the red birds to take the '04 series. Bush Jr? Oil at $110 a barrel? Life goes on.People who don't want to have kids should just not have kids. There's no need for someone to use the President of the United States as an excuse for them not being able to find someone to get them pregnant.<g>Her photos...I like them. A few of the "end time" shots are gems. Distinctive. Eye-catching at first, but the processed look wears on me after a bit.

          29. Scarecrow | Apr 18, 2008 09:40pm | #279

            check this out kinda creepy but strangley it works.  http://www.freakingnews.com/Mouth-Eyes-Pictures--1741.asp

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          30. MikeSmith | Apr 18, 2008 11:58pm | #280

            great, but where's the creepy part ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          31. Scarecrow | Apr 19, 2008 12:10am | #281

            I guess "creepy" is a subjective label.  Some I find "creepy" but visualy striking.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          32. MikeSmith | Apr 19, 2008 12:15am | #282

            some show the photographer's bias

            i liked the one of Hillary.. but wondered why they gave her gap-toothed eyesMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          33. Scarecrow | Apr 19, 2008 12:30am | #283

            I think the "gap" represents the pupil.

            The keith richards one IS creepy, and the oprah one is two.  While will smith is not nor is gollum.  You'd think gollum would be creepy but to me it's not.  And the one with "storm" aka halle berry she's just plain hot, ya can't mess with hotness!  Putin looks just plain evil!

             

             

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          34. Scarecrow | Apr 19, 2008 12:33am | #284

            Creepy!

            View Image

            LOL

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          35. User avater
            Mongo | May 28, 2008 04:17am | #288

            I didn;t dig far back into the thread, but I remember you mentioning you were getting a Nikon(?) scanner for your transparencies?How's it working out?

          36. MikeSmith | May 28, 2008 04:37am | #289

            it works great...!!!!!

            BUT... 1st things first.... first thing is i have to go thru  50 carousels of slides to decide which ones i wnt to scan

            some of these go back to say '65

            i'm somewhat bogged down.. had to take time off from photography to do some work.......

            bummerMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          37. User avater
            Mongo | Apr 22, 2008 09:21pm | #285

            That is peculiar. A very interesting effect, and I agree, it actually works!Keith Richards' is the creepiest one to me.

          38. TBone | May 16, 2008 06:08am | #286

            Our thread seems to have died...Question for you since I know you use Lightroom and CS2/3. I only have a limited amount of cash to play with and was wondering if you thought DPP and PSE6 would be a halfway decent substitute? A POTN search isn't really telling me what I need to know.I ask because PSE2 isn't really cutting it and PSE3 seems to be a useful upgrade.

          39. Scarecrow | May 16, 2008 06:29am | #287

            ya there is nothing wrong with DPP, I know lots of people that use it as their raw converter. Not sure about PSE6 if it can work in layers than I would use it. By using layers you can "undo" what you don't like and or use layer masks to make adjustments.
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          40. Scarecrow | Jun 06, 2008 09:43pm | #290

            Cat Scratch Fever

            View Image

            Sort of a faux-HDR w/B&W conversion.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          41. TBone | Jun 07, 2008 12:27am | #291

            Looks nice.I still haven't had a chance to load up CS2. Maybe sometime this weekend.

          42. MikeSmith | Jan 12, 2009 03:20am | #292

            saw a of the new Nikon D90.... trying to figger out  how to get oneMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          43. User avater
            Huck | Jan 12, 2009 04:31am | #293

            View Image

            wow, that looks like a real camera!

             

             

             

             

             

             "...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn

            bakersfieldremodel.com

          44. Shep | Jan 12, 2009 05:01am | #294

            My D50 is now some kind of camera dinosaur.

            But it's still not as bad as that camera Rez has.

          45. MikeSmith | Jan 12, 2009 05:29am | #295

            i got one thing going for me..... my daughter covets my d80Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          46. Shep | Jan 12, 2009 06:01am | #296

            But she's your daughter. How much are ya going to get selling it to her?

          47. MikeSmith | Jan 12, 2009 06:28am | #297

            not much..... probably not  even 

            daughters  have claimsMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          48. rez | Jan 28, 2009 08:51pm | #377

            Hey, that'll be worth a fortune some day as classic as an Edsel I'm tellin' ya!

             

            whatsamatteru got sumthin' against floppy disks?

          49. Shep | Jan 28, 2009 10:27pm | #378

            Between that camera, and your Bammer, yer gonna be rich! <G>

            I got a Wagner Power roller and one of those glazing removal thingies you could have for your collection.

          50. MikeSmith | Jan 28, 2009 10:52pm | #379

            you  got  a prazi  ?

             

            hey,  i  got a prazi too....

            never   bit  on  the Wagner  Power  roller  thoughMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          51. Shep | Jan 29, 2009 12:16am | #381

            yeah, that's the name.

            should be called worthless POS

          52. rez | Jan 28, 2009 11:27pm | #380

            Got bit a few years ago on a TV sales pitch for a roller that you would suck paint up into the handle and then work wonders.

            Had a dentist office it seemed I was continually doing and thought it might be the cat's meow for getting in and out quick.

            I tried using the smaller trim roller which came with the deal and used the same principle

            then realized I'd been snookered again with a piece of shid.

            Managed to quickly sell it for half of what I paid for it and figgered I'd got away easy.

             

            be the Big Easy

             

          53. Shep | Jan 29, 2009 12:19am | #382

            I bought the Power Roller when I got suckered into painting several rooms on a job.

            It works just fine for painting, but the cleanup took longer than all the painting time.

            Its been sitting in my basement since then, waiting for a worthy owner.

          54. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 12, 2009 09:54pm | #298

            Mike, Just bought a D90, ordered it late Thursday night. UPS is supposed to show up today.Thursday night I was holding my D70 camera body in my left hand and pulling on my left shoe with my right hand (can you see where this is going?) I had a little bit of a back spasm (old herniated disk), and as my left leg twitched down, my left knee caught the dangling "U" in the camera strap and ripped the camera out of my hand.I didn’t just drop the camera; it was PROPELLED it to the floor at a rather high velocity. The camera-hitting-floor thunk was so loud that Rebecca called down from upstairs…”Are you alright”? I was fine, but the camera?Turned it on, got lucky as it fired up just fine. Snapped a shot, the flash fired but the mirror didn’t lift, and got an “ERR” message. Ouch. Snapped another, it fired off three in a row with no file written to the card. Thought maybe it got switched over the burst mode, so checked everything. Same results. Off/On, remove/replace battery, soft and hard reset, reinstall firmware, swapped lenses, manual and auto settings, different memory card, no changes. Still ERR with a flash with the first "click" and a quick 3-frame burst with nothing being written to the card on the second "click". The anguish, the pain…the horror!Did some on-line sleuthing, seems as an owner I did everything I could to troubleshoot. Economically it’s not worth repairing. Even though I’ve had the camera for 6+ years…and took over 31000 shots with it…what a bummer. Repair is much more than it’s really worth, so…Ritz showed no stock, J&R was the same, B&H had the D90 at a very good price. I order a lot through B&H.And then I bought some accessories for the D90. I'm doing a lot of indoor theater shots this time of year with at-times difficult stage lighting, so I also picked up a nikon speedlight. Also splurged on a two-battery pack, I think it's the MB-D80. Got an ML-L3 remote control gizmo for grins, and also ordered the requisite new 8GB SDHC memory card. I'm hoping my current card reader will read the 8GB card. I've never had a problem with Sandisk, so I stuck with them. I just wish the D90 used CF cards instead of SDHC. Thankfully it does use the same battery (I think EL-3 or something like that) as the D70, so I can carry the old D70 battery forward to the new D90.Not sure how much I'll really need the speedlight, as the D90 has pretty good low-light/high-iso capabilities. But hey, Merry Christmas to me!And bless Rebecca’s little heart, no gasps of horror on her part when she saw the receipt. I may still try to get the old D70 fixed. I'll eventually send it out to get an estimate. Near and dear, that thing is. It’s been around the world a time or three while hanging around my neck.Dang...what's taking UPS so long to get here?

            Edited 1/12/2009 2:04 pm ET by Mongo

          55. MikeSmith | Jan 12, 2009 10:25pm | #299

            i got that same  battery pack/ handhold with my d80....  i can shoot flash for about a month  before i need recharging

            and...  it's more than a battery pack.. it's also a grip and  when you rotate for vertical  shots there is an alternate "shoot" button

            i got  all mine from  B&H  too,  had good experience with them

            funny...  when i ordered  my  d80, the guy at B&H looked up my past history and asked if i still wanted to send  things to my daughter's  college address from  '99

             

            i love that  MB-d80....  still trying to finnagle how i'm going to spring for a d90 setup

             

            have fun when the ups guy gets thereMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          56. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 12, 2009 11:49pm | #300

            UPS was here!Brought the camera...which makes me happy.First impressions...the camera takes drop dead gorgeous photos. The difference between the 90 and my old 70 is stunning, especially in low-light. Where the 70 needed a flash, or even a fill-flash, the 90 does not. And when nused, the 90's flash is a lot less harsh than the 70's flash was. Haven't pulled out the speedlight yet.The LCD screen on the back is just what my dimming vision needed. Large and excellent definition.The camera body is a bit smaller than my old D70, nothing nasty, it'll just take a bit to get used to. Haven't put the battery holder on, which will give the body a larger feel, because I I messed up. My D70 took a EN-EL3 battery, the D90 takes an EN-EL3e battery. Initially thought it might be a gimmick, but they are slightly different. Two electrical contacts versus three, and a slightly different capacity rating on the battery. Have to sit down on the couch and check out the menus. They appear well though out. Some function buttons are in different locations, so I'll have a few habits that I'll need to break.The UPS guy also brought a delivery of cork wall tile. Which makes me somewhat sad. I've got 3 gallons of contact cement to spread and about 200 sqft of cork to install...wanna take a road trip, Mike? I'll let you touch my camera...<g>

          57. MikeSmith | Jan 13, 2009 12:45am | #301

            i'll pass on that cork.. but thanks for the heads-up on the battery holder/gripMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          58. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 13, 2009 01:44am | #303

            When I pulled out the battery charger, it's a different model (MH-18 vs MH-18a), but the charging contacts are identical on the two chargers, as are the output ratings.Makes me wonder what the additional contact on the new battery is for. Oh well, looks like it's time to pony up another $35 for a new battery. The last thing I want to do is mess up anything electronic.I do like the extra heft that the dual battery holder provides. It does indeed make the camera more comfortable to hold, a more secure feeling when in the hand.Though the camera itself has tremendous low-light ability, the speedlight is impressive. It can really throw light out there.The liveview I don't particularly care for. That makes it function like a point-and-shoot where you compose your photo using the LCD screen instead of the eyepiece viewfinder.One thing I love already is the "info" button, which takes what is displayed no the small LCD window on top of the camera and replicates the same info on the large LCD screen on the back of the camera. It's huge and easy to read. Did I mention my failing eyes?The video capability is interesting. Liveview is used for that as well. Video does have limitations regarding autofocus and light metering, but it'll be nice to have in one of those "I wish I had..." situations. But if I knew I wanted video going in to a situation, I'd carry my little camcorder. Much superior, especially when filming in a dynamic situation where light levels and focal planes are shifting.I'm not sure how much of an upgrade this will be for you over the D80, but from the D70 it's pretty darn bueno.Over and out.

          59. wrudiger | Jan 13, 2009 04:49am | #304

            Congratulations on your bad luck with that D70!  Been lusting after the D90 for a while now - need to relpace the N90 and I didn't want to go lower in their numbering scheme (and no way could I afford to go higher!) <grin>.

            You're gonna love the Speedlight.  IMHO that is one area where Nikon has a step up on Cannon.  I often run mine at -2/3rds, even in daylight to get just a bit of light in eyes and fill a bit on the shadows.  Nikon's metering and flash work brilliantly together.  Happy exploring!

          60. diamond_dodes | Jan 13, 2009 05:21am | #305

            I'll have to have a good read at this thread when I have time.

            I'm a camera / photo fanatic and have almost always stuck with Canon's digitals. Always been happy with them. Not to bash Nikon at all though, they are also great cameras. I've had a few Nikon 35mm SLR's but never owned a digital. I know many people that do though.

            Currently I have a Canon 40D but am hoping to upgrade to the new 5D MKII (full frame!) when funds allow.

            I always have my Canon SD1000 point n' shoot in my pocket and use it to shoot everyday / work stuff.

            I have actually found myself shooting a lot more film lately. Mainly with my Canon AE1. I am a huge fan of old b+w / film grain and colour (done right!) , something that just cannot be achieved with digital (without applying post production p/shop filters and techniques but I just not interested in trying to make digital look like film!).

            View Image

            This is my daughter shot with my 35mm Canon AE1 with Kodak TX400 B+W film.

            View Image

            She just lost her first "baby" teeth!

            There's just something about film I have always loved. Saying that I would never give up my digitals.

            I cannot stand the film vs's digital argument. It's redundant. They both have their place.

            I have an extensive graveyard of broken digital point and shoots (lots of broken lcd's that could be repaired some day).

            I use iPhoto for organizing and batch resizing my photos for the internet / email and Photoshop CS for editing. I backup all my photos to an external hard drive and after a while delete them from my computer (20" iMac).

            Edited 1/12/2009 9:32 pm ET by diamond_dodes

          61. Shep | Jan 13, 2009 05:37am | #306

            I think Nikon vs. Canon is a lot like Ford vs. Chevy- both a good products, each with their strengths and faults.

            OK, maybe with the way the auto industry is right now, I shouldn't be using those 2 companies as examples, but I think you get what I mean. <G>

            I did film for years, too. I went digital about 4 years ago, and haven't regretted it one bit. Yeah, film still has some advantages, but the new high end digital SLRs just about make taking film pics obsolete.

            a couple of the big pluses for digital for me- most memory cards will hold hundreds of photos, even at high resolution, so I'm not limited to that 24 or 36 exp. per roll.

            And I can delete any of those hundreds of photos by simply pushing a button, without having to print them.

          62. diamond_dodes | Jan 13, 2009 05:51am | #307

            I got my first digital camera in 1998 i think and hate to think how many I have owned since then! ( probably 30+ now). Like you said digital has it's obvious +'s with memory, speed, todays available high resolutions, not having to even deal with film, saving money etc etc etc. I have been dieing to get my hands on a full frame camera though. That's one of digitals drawbacks for me and I have found it hard to justify the price of a full frame.

          63. MikeSmith | Jan 13, 2009 06:07am | #309

            you know anyone  wants to buy a Bessler 23C color enlarger ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          64. diamond_dodes | Jan 13, 2009 06:15am | #310

            I've though about developing my own photos again but I don't think my girlfriend would be too keen on the bathroom being converted to a darkroom, it's the only room in the house that would work. I've only ever developed b+w myself too. Never colour. I'll keep my ears open though. I did see a Bessler Enlarger on Craigslist not too long ago though. Was that yours?

          65. MikeSmith | Jan 13, 2009 06:22am | #311

            no.....i wonder what they were asking for itMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          66. diamond_dodes | Jan 13, 2009 06:29am | #312

            Just found the Ad again to check but there is no asking price.http://providence.craigslist.org/pho/971380162.htmlPhoto enlargers (Newport)1) One Bessler enlarger 23C with color filters included
            2) One Printmaker 35 enlarger by Bessler
            Both have lens attached.
            Make me a best offer on one or both. Reply to e-mail address.I've had a lot of good luck with craigslist. Maybe try it if you're trying to get rid off it?

          67. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 13, 2009 07:01am | #316

            I was seriously contemplating a full-frame sensor. But when I started looking onto full-frame digital sensors, light falloff sort of steered me away. Not that it's a nasty thing, but I don't have a top notch collection of fast glass. I have a couple of fast primes, a few standard zoom telephotos, and one fast zoom telephoto with VR that I absolutely love. My glass is good, but not great. So the DX sensor works just fine for me. It's smaller size sits in the sweet spot of the glass.

          68. diamond_dodes | Jan 13, 2009 07:13am | #317

            Yeah thats one of the reasons I haven't justified a full-frame setup yet. The glass can get just as expensive as the camera itself.

          69. MikeSmith | Jan 13, 2009 04:04pm | #318

            i looked at the full frame.. and read a lot of reviews
            they seem to be mostly hype..... with a very restricted list of consumers who might actually need the full frameMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          70. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 13, 2009 06:31pm | #319

            Mike, I've been reading up more on the battery issue. Looks like it's an issue for me with my old D70, but not for you with your D80. From what I've read your D80 uses the same EN-EL3e battery that the D90 uses.The third contact point is apparently to allow the camera to track battery life and overall usage. Doesn't seem related at all to how the battery actually powers the camera itself. Seems more like a communication thing between camera and battery rather than a power issue.

          71. MikeSmith | Jan 13, 2009 07:05pm | #320

            doesn't matter, really...

            if i give the d80 to my daughter she gets the battery pack / grip too...  so i'll be starting over

            drop kick the thing... or  give it to your daughter... it all amounts to the same thing 

             

            we  NEED  a new camera !

            luckily...  i don't need one at all... but the company sure gets a lot of use out of itMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          72. diamond_dodes | Jan 13, 2009 05:56am | #308

            Hah oh yeah and I've always been a Ford Truck guy ;-)

          73. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 13, 2009 06:50am | #315

            Black and white is my favorite, I love black and white prints. It takes all the distraction of color out of the way and lets you focus on the composition and subject. Light and shadow.Getting into printing black and white was the reason I bought the printer that I use for photos, the Epson R2400. It prints B&W with three shades of black/gray. Not even a hint of color. Nice results.Nice shots of your daughter!

          74. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 13, 2009 06:44am | #314

            That's something I'm looking forward to, is learning the capabilities of of the flash and how to best implement it.

          75. Ryan1 | Jan 13, 2009 09:19pm | #321

            Mongo,
            Did you check out the D300 before buying the D90? I've heard that the D90 is quite similar to the D300 in a lot of ways. I've been shooting a D300 for a year now and love it. The high-iso performance is the cats pajamas for sure. I haven't had a chance to handle the D90 yet, but the D300 is built like a tank.Also, you may very well already know about this, but if you enjoy using only available light in your photos, you really should consider picking up a 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor lens for your new body. Brand new at around $100, it is a real gem of a lens. Very fast.

          76. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 13, 2009 11:34pm | #323

            Ryan, I did get a chance to shoot a D300, I had one for about a week this past fall. Nice camera, and yup, very similar to the D90.With the exception of the D300's metal body, in a lot of ways I actually prefer the D90 over the D300.When you throw in the fact that the D90 is a little over half the price of a D300, for someone with my abilities and intentions the D90 was an easy choice.I plan on taking that savings and maybe getting another lens. I have a pretty nice Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR that is my primary outdoor lens, it works well indoors too. That takes fabulous photos. But it is a bit large to lug around all day when traveling.I'm looking at the 18-200 VR as possibly being my new "bum around" lens. It's smaller and lighter, it'd be a nice all-around lens to have on the camera when traveling.Cost-wise, the D90 plus the 18-200 VR cost about the same as the D300 body by itself. That came into play when I was making my decision.

            Edited 1/13/2009 5:19 pm ET by Mongo

          77. Shep | Jan 14, 2009 12:01am | #324

            I have the 18-200 VR on my D50. Its a great combo. And when/ if I ever upgrade to another body, the lens will go with me.

            The only complaint I have about the 18-200 is that it will creep when I'm walking around. When I start, its nice and compact, but at some point, its sticking waay out, like a college boy at a strip club.

            From a little research, I understand that's one of the few negatives about this lens.

          78. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 14, 2009 12:53am | #326

            Aw heck, a little spray adhesive on the barrel should take care of that!

          79. Ryan1 | Jan 14, 2009 01:13am | #327

            I wish I had a D3, I have the D300. The D3 is one nice rig though.The 18-200mm VR that you and Shep are talking about stays on my D300 90% of the time. It is a great walkabout lens. I love it.The lens creep is annoying, but can be solved by putting a wide rubber band partially on the barrel and partially on the zoom ring. It allows you to rotate the zoom ring but puts just enough pressure on it to prevent creep. Just look for a black rubber band and no one will know its there.

          80. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 14, 2009 01:18am | #328

            Don't know what I was thinking, but I kept writing D3 instead of D300. I'm gonna go back and edit.

          81. Shep | Jan 14, 2009 02:36am | #329

            I keep forgetting that rubber band, except when I'm out shooting and the lens creeps.

            I should go find one right now while I'm thinking about it, except my camera's out in my van, and I don't feel like going out in the cold.

          82. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 14, 2009 05:34pm | #330

            Shep,You ever run into condensation problems from leaving the camera out in the cold?

          83. MikeSmith | Jan 14, 2009 06:46pm | #331

            every once in a while...  i forget  and then try to use it indoors...

                usually  if it gets like that i leave it in the camera bag until it gets above the dew point.... hopefully  way above  including  the guts

             

            hey.........  i remeber another BIG  feature about the D90.... it's got some kind of automatic sensor  cleaner  for  dust  on the sensorMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          84. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 14, 2009 08:20pm | #335

            Yup, it does have a sensor cleaner.I've been so unproductive over the past couple of days. I've been playing with this thing for too many hours over the past couple of days. Been spending a bit of time with the speedflash, using it as a remote off the D90 body, having the flash behind or next to the subject being shot for back/side lighting, etc. Lordy I should have bought a speedflash years ago. Very nice.ISO 3200 is freaky good. Haven't pushed it to 6400. Getting better with the movie mode. One problem is that when I manually focus when shooting video, the on-camera microphone really picks up the sound of the focus ring being turned. "sccreeeeeeetch". I'm going to try it with some other lenses to see if it's just the one I've been using or if it's going to be an every lens type of thing. The 3" LCD screen on the back is to die for.I'm gonna be shooting a couple hundred shots tonight at a musical rehearsal under theater lighting. I'm really going to sample the low-light capability versus shutter speed (motion blur) as well as checking out the remote wireless function with the speedlight. I'm actually thinking of getting a second speedlight. I have to go make sawdust. I've got 19 drawer fronts that I need to make. I hate when work interferes with fun. Call a doctor, I got the D90 fever.

          85. Shep | Jan 15, 2009 12:42am | #338

            I don't usually leave it in my van, but I was using it the other day, and forgot to bring it in.

            Which reminds me; I should go get it before temps drop into the single digits tonight.

          86. Ryan1 | Jan 14, 2009 10:11pm | #337

            Or you can get a customized wrist band to hold it in place like the guys in this other forum...
            http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1039&message=27637492In that thread several methods to cure the 18-200 lens creep are discussed.

          87. Shep | Jan 15, 2009 12:48am | #339

            There's some good ideas there. But its still kind of disappointing that Nikon won't do anything.

          88. Shep | Jan 13, 2009 01:32am | #302

            hmmmmm

            I wonder if my wife would buy into that dropkick trick LOL

            I just bought the SB800 speedlight. Its so much better than the flash on my camera, that I wish I had gotten it much earlier.

            I looked at a D80 a while back. The LCD screen is so much nicer (bigger) than my D50's. And now that new D90 has twice the pixels mine does, and so many other features.

             

            I should go buy some lottery tickets so I can afford my camera habit.

          89. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 13, 2009 06:43am | #313

            Shep, Yeah, I'm not one to jump on the next best thing just because it's available. Heck, I held on to that D70 from when it was the new kid on the block and watched as the 40, 50, 60, and 80 came out after it.But man...the low-light capability of this D90 is impressive. And yup, I've been playing with the speedlight, it's a light cannon. I think it's gonna take me a while to learn how to use it though...

          90. BryanSayer | Jan 13, 2009 10:10pm | #322

            Why get a D90 when you can get an R?
            http://en.leica-camera.com/photography/r_system/
            or S?
            http://en.leica-camera.com/photography/s_system/
            And I suppose if you are a traditionalist, an M?
            http://en.leica-camera.com/photography/m_system/I mean, you do have 10 large to drop on the camera, right?

          91. MikeSmith | Jan 14, 2009 12:08am | #325

            nah...  we're just plain folks

             

            my first nikon   ( still have it  )  was an FM..... about '73

            all my old lenses fit the new camerasMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          92. BryanSayer | Jan 14, 2009 07:00pm | #332

            Mine was an OM-1 in 1975 or so.Unless you count the Contaflex my father brought back from Germany in the 50's, with a Zeiss lens!I do have the Digilux-1. Very nice, but Panasonic makes one with a Leica lens (they make the body for the Digilux). Sometimes I think of getting the Panasonic, with the 10X zoom.

          93. KenHill3 | Jan 14, 2009 07:17pm | #333

            Alas, all my Nikkor-S manual lenses will be going on Ebay, some big chunks of glass, too.

          94. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 14, 2009 07:53pm | #334

            WAIT WAIT I still have my F3s can you tell me what lenses you're getting rid of please?.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          95. KenHill3 | Jan 17, 2009 09:02am | #344

            I am sadly parting with the following manual (non-AI) lenses:Nikkor-S 55mm f1.2Nikkor-NC 24mm f2.8Nikkor-PC 105mm f2.5These were my pride and and joy when I did film. Also getting rid of a Nikkormat FT2 body.It took a little time and money for me to assemble all these pieces, but that is what I wanted to have back in the 80's. Wish I was gonna use them, but I know that having a digital compact camera now is what works for me. Using film and big glass is just not gonna happen again here.

          96. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 17, 2009 03:24pm | #345

            I will email you later if that's OK ?got to goto school right nowIjust read this and have to run our to school

            I will email you later if that's OK.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          97. KenHill3 | Jan 17, 2009 08:27pm | #346

            Yup. Shoot me a message.

          98. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 17, 2009 09:43pm | #347

            Cr@p! I just went to take a quick shot with my canon point-and-shoot and it's dead. Everything is functioning as far as I can tell, but there is no image on the screen. When I power it up, the splash screen comes up, but when switching to shooting mood, I get a black screen. All the menus and commands seem to work, it will fire and fire the flash, but the screen is black. I go to import the photos taken with black screen, and they import as black pictures. I'm guessing it's a failure of the connection to the sensor or something similar.I say cr@p because I was vowing that my next camera purchase would be a DSLR. But now that the full-sized sensor ones are here, I will have a hard time buying anything less that that. But they are still too pricey for me to justify.I'm heavily addicted to wide-angle lenses. When I was shooting film for a living, my "normal" lens was a 24mm and I also liked the 20mm a lot. I've got prime lenses for my old Canon F1 from 20mm up to a 300mm 4.5. Unfortunately they are dead lenses as far as the current crop of cameras is concerned. I get more utility out of the wide end than the long end, and the full-sized sensor really opens up that end of the range. So now I've got to decide between a smaller sensor, full-featured interchangeable lens DSLR, or a tweener...one of those non-interchangeable lens DSLRs. as a step up from the point-and-shoot till the full-frame sensor models get cheaper.I hate to get a whole bunch of money invested in one that will be feeling obsolete to me in a couple of years. Steve

          99. danski0224 | Jan 18, 2009 12:51am | #348

            I hate to get a whole bunch of money invested in one that will be feeling obsolete to me in a couple of years.

            You will not lose money on the lenses as long as the compatibility remains... my Canon AF lenses are compatible with current DSLR, but I did not get the L series stuff. Fortunately, I only have a couple.

            I don't think the Canon Rebel series lenses interchange with the full frame models. Haven't looked into the Nikon range... but if you want to spend less now, make sure the lens compatibility is there for later.

            The Canon 5D mk II is a nice piece of hardware. I don't think I would upgrade from that for a long time.

            The 5D is nice too, but used ones are too high priced.

            Someday.

          100. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 18, 2009 10:35pm | #352

            My film gear is Canon, and I have thousands of dollars in the lenses, all of which are no good for DSLRs. Bummer.Do the Canon lenses still focus backwards relative to Nikon? I'm a habitual manual focuser, and I'm wondering how hard it would be for me to change direction.Steve

          101. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 18, 2009 11:45pm | #356

            "My film gear is Canon, and I have thousands of dollars in the lenses, all of which are no good for DSLRs. Bummer."

            Are you sure they are incompatible?

            Now I'm Nikon, not Canon, but when I was looking for a company to go with, I thought that the only "odd lenses out" were the Canon EF-S lenses, meaning that they are not film-body compatible due to the mirror hitting the lens.

            I think all your old film EF lenses will work on DSLRs. It's just the EF-S mounts that are not backwards compatible with film bodies.

            I may be way wrong on this, but my brother-in-law is a canon guy. His DSLR body has a red mark and a white mark as for lens mounting registration makrs on the camer body, meaning it can take both "red" dot and "white" dot lenses. One of the color dots is for EF, the other for EF-S. So his DSLR can take both. Now if you had a Canon Rebel, which has the EF-S mount, then it would only have the red mark or the white mark. I forget which color is for which mounting system.

            In the Nikon family, I can use old film lenses, with some I lose nothing, with others I might lose some "automatic" capabilities.

            There are Nikon digital lenses that no longer have a manual aperture ring. So if I buy one of those I need to set it through the camera. There are other old lenses that don't communicate with the camera in terms of autofocus, so you have to manually focus those. Other older lenses don't send distance information to the camera, so you can't take full advantage of the new TTL flash automation.

            Honestly, I'd think that all of your old "film" glass is mountable and you can use the glass, but you might have to go "manual" versus "automatic" in one regard or another. But that sounds right up your alley.

            You've already touched on it, and yes, with small sensors you do lose some wide angle ability due to the crop factor.

            I'd just recommend asking someone before you abandon Canon for Nikon.

          102. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 19, 2009 12:15am | #358

            These are ancient FD lenses. Not compatible at all according to Wikipedia. The distance to focal plane from flange is shorter than the EOS series lenses, so adapters had to have special corrective optics that protrude forward into the lens barrel. Canon made one for a while and it only worked on lenses 200 mm and above, and had a multiplier effect of 1.26. It goes for around 1000 dollars when you can find one. Or so says Wiki. I read a review of an aftermarket one for about 125 bucks, but it sucks unless you are stopped down to at least F4 or F5.6. Which kind of defeats trying to resurrect all those fast prime lenses.

          103. danski0224 | Jan 19, 2009 04:33am | #359

            I do not own any Nikon equipment, so I am no help with the focusing question.

            If your lenses are autofocus, those are good with the new Canon stuff... at least mine are... last time I looked, the stuff I have for my Eos 620 will work with current Eos bodies.

          104. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 19, 2009 08:15am | #360

            The old FD lenses are from before they invented autofocus. Then have no electrical connection to the body. Back in the day we used to have to turn the lens to focus it. I used to practice focusing my 300 mm by standing on a highway overpass and follow-focusing on the cars as they aproached and drove away.Near as I can determine the FD lenses are dead in the water for EOS mount bodies.So with your EOS lenses which direction do the turn to go to infinity? With my old lenses it's clockwise when looked at from the front of the camera, and the nikons were always the other direction.

          105. MikeSmith | Jan 19, 2009 03:05pm | #361

            steve..<<<So with your EOS lenses which direction do the turn to go to infinity? With my old lenses it's clockwise when looked at from the front of the camera, and the nikons were always the other direction.>>>> ...why would you describe it from the position of facing the camera ?the operator is standing behind the camera.... enquiring minds want to knowmy FM with it's walking around lense ( 28 - 85 , f 2.8 ) i turn the ring counter-clockwise to infinitymy current nikon DX 18 - 135 doesn't even have depth of field markings on it, and the focus ring is very narrowMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

            Edited 1/19/2009 7:17 am ET by MikeSmith

          106. danski0224 | Jan 19, 2009 04:02pm | #362

            You have to turn the EOS focusing ring clockwise from the front of the camera.

            My folks had an entry level Nikon (I think) they bought for a trip a little over 20 years ago. It had a little pointer in the viewfinder to help with stop settings, but otherwise it was full manual.

            When I bought my SLR in 89, I went with the Canon EOS line, but only a coulple of lenses.

            I haven't shot any film pictures for several years. 

          107. Shep | Jan 18, 2009 08:58pm | #349

            One professional photographer I recently talked to about digital said you should spend your money on lenses, and consider the camera body almost disposable.

            technology is moving so quickly that a body you buy today will be obsolete in a couple of years.

            So get an entry level DSLR, and buy lenses that will work on a full frame camera. Then whenever you can afford to upgrade, you'll be ready.

             

          108. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 18, 2009 10:16pm | #350

            The ironic thing is that the F1 Body that I have was state of the art for decades. These electronic bodies are just such a moving target. It's a pretty hard swallow to consider a 3500.00 body disposable (as in the EOS 5D Mark II).I guess I'm going to have to knuckle down and do some homework.Steve

          109. KenHill3 | Jan 18, 2009 10:34pm | #351

            I'm not a photo geek, but it sure would have been cool if they had come out with a digital back for the F1. I understand that there was/is one for 2 1/4 like Hasselblad.

          110. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 18, 2009 10:39pm | #353

            For years there was a vaporware product that I keep waiting to appear. There was a company that was supposed to be developing a sensor built into a thing that looked like a roll of film with a sensor-tongue sticking out of it were the focal plane was. It was going to enable any SLR to become a DSLR. Died on the vine. Drat. I bet the major camera mfgs killed it off somehow to protect their markets.

          111. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 18, 2009 10:41pm | #354

            I think it's funny that it's an up-charge for silver-bodied DSLRs now. Back in the day black was the up-charge.

            Edited 1/18/2009 2:41 pm by mmoogie

          112. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 18, 2009 11:38pm | #355

            OK, so back to the OP of this thread:Canon vs. NikonI think what I'm going to do is jump into the entry-level DSLR, either Canon or Nikon. As I said in the past, I've been a canon shooter since 1978, but all my gear is obsolete as far as DSLRs are concerned.So I get to make a fresh start. If you were starting from scratch today buying into either the Canon or Nikon system, which would you choose and why?Who has the better optics?Who has the simpler interface?Who has the better entry level body?Who has the better mid-level body?Who has the better full-frame body?Steve

          113. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 19, 2009 12:04am | #357

            you asked about focusing earlier, my manual Nikkors focus to infinity clockwise.
            I have o idea how the Canons spin I thought it was the other way.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          114. MikeSmith | Jan 14, 2009 09:45pm | #336

            Helen bought a used Panasonic DMC-FZ5
            with 12x zoom ( 36 - 432 in standard 35 mm ) with a Leica lensa photographer had 3 and wanted to get rid of one.... i think it was about $125she loves that cameraMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          115. BryanSayer | Jan 15, 2009 11:27pm | #340

            Dang, what a great price. What resolution is the FZ5? I've got a 36" plotter that I'm dying to try out on a larger print. Just have to get the right picture at the right resolution.

          116. MikeSmith | Jan 16, 2009 01:03am | #341

            don't know....... i'd  GUESS  3 megs ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          117. HammerHarry | Jan 16, 2009 04:10am | #342

            Ah, the OM1.  One of my brothers mail ordered one from Hong Kong, back about 74 or 75...then, within a few years, we added two OM 1Ns, a couple of OM2, O-2S, OM F, G...when I married, turned out my wife had an OM1N as well...what it meant was that we had a tremendous array of lenses to borrow from each other...

             

             

          118. cap | Jan 17, 2009 07:31am | #343

            IF you want to shoot film again, have a look at the used high-end medium format systems, Hasselblad and Mamiya (RB-67).

            I've been a serious amateur photographer for almost 40 years, shot a lot of 'chrome film and earyl on, Plus-x and Tri-x.  My first digital SLR was the nikon D-70.  I've stayed in the Nikon system and really like digital. 

            About a year ago I was in a local full-service camera shop, and saw a case full of used Hasse equipment at crazy low prices (for Hasselblad).  Most all the commercial/studio photogs have switched to digital meduim format, and the old 500 C/M bodies and lenses, and the Mamiya RB-67s and lenses are going for cheap now, relative to their cost when I first wanted to shoot medium format.

            I'd shot some meduim format as a student (Mamiya-flex, 6x6 TLR) and dreamed of making huge negatives with the Hasse.  So I bought a 500 C/M body with waistlevel finder, two 120 backs, and a 60mm Zeiss lens for cheap.  I got a 45 angle finder and a 150mm lens on e-bay.  I shoot about 2 or 3 rolls (24 or 36 exposures) a month.  It's really fun. 

            I'm not giving up my D-300 and lenses, they're great for travel photography, and lots of other situations.  But for landscapes and portraits, the deliberate technique you have to use with a meduim format camera imposes a discipline that I can't bring myself to apply to a 35mm or small format digital camera.  The Hasse makes the whole photographic process so methodical and serious.   Having a very limited number of exposures creates a special value to each shutter release.  And having to wait for the results also changes the way I feel about the process.  Maybe I'm just getting old(er).

            The talk of rediscovering the joy of shooting film got me going on this.  To get an idea of what used med format stuff is selling for, try Keh Camera, or B&H Camera, both reputable companies.

            Happy shooting,

            Cliff

          119. intaglio | Apr 11, 2008 08:18am | #276

            One pro photographer/lab owner I spoke with thought the larger formats would stay, and 35mm would go first.  Perhaps he thought so because the larger formats are used by professionals, and photographer-artists.  Won't digital have to work hard to match a large format film?

            We've had black & white film artists like Ansel Adams for how many years?......and now we're going to trade it in for the obsolesence of digital?  Sure we can save to gold plated CDs.....but in a few years will we be able to read a CD?  I'm guessing we will spend lots of time moving our images from one storage system to another. 

            My feeling is, while it's still available, we should be enjoying the film and the darkroom work.  I really loved developing film and making prints;  perhaps why I enjoy doing etchings now.....an image being made on a metal plate is like an image appearing in the darkroom.  Somehow digital doesn't have that magic.

          120. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Apr 11, 2008 02:18pm | #277

            You're preaching to the choir ;) it's very sad...PaulB

             

          121. intaglio | Apr 07, 2008 11:08am | #263

            I found the answer to my question about viewing the colors with the LCD viewer......(http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d100.htm).  

            He also mentions one can get better resolution scanning a slide than shooting digital........(?)

          122. TBone | Apr 09, 2008 10:42pm | #269

            Not sure about the resolution question...but I'd take anything Ken Rockwell says with a very large grain of salt. The picture on his front page being the most mentioned and argued. Did Nikon really come out with a lefty model?But hey, what do I know?

          123. intaglio | Apr 10, 2008 08:50am | #272

            I believe he's right on the megapixel issue.......having lots of MPs simply gives you the ablity to shoot larger files (and print huge enlargements).  But probably you don't want to shoot huge files for everything, it's a handicap in other ways.  And I don't believe the large megapixel ability will make better images.  There's tons of other factors.

            I was enjoying Rockwell's reviews since he talked about technical things I was interested in.  Lots more informative than the usual reviews that just say 'great camera, takes great photos, wow....)! 

          124. caseyr | Apr 10, 2008 12:36am | #270

            If you are shooting static objects (like almost all artwork), you might be able to use a technique called "High Dynamic Range Photography". I haven't tried it yet, but Photoshop CS2 and above allows you to take several photographs with the camera in the same position but with different exposures and then combine them in Photoshop to get increased (or even exaggerated) dynamic range. If you only have a few objects that you want to "pop" the dynamic range, it might be a thing to try. The technique was developed for digital cameras, but you should be able to get it to work with scanned film images also. From a website:"High dynamic range (HDR) images enable photographers to record a greater range of tonal detail than a given camera could capture in a single photo. This opens up a whole new set of lighting possibilities which one might have previously avoided—for purely technical reasons. The new "merge to HDR" feature of Photoshop CS2 allows the photographer to combine a series of bracketed exposures into a single image which encompasses the tonal detail of the entire series. There is no free lunch however; trying to broaden the tonal range will inevitably come at the expense of decreased contrast in some tones. Learning to use the merge to HDR feature in Photoshop CS2 can help you make the most of your dynamic range under tricky lighting—while still balancing this trade-off with contrast."
            http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/high-dynamic-range.htm
            http://www.cybergrain.com/tech/hdr/

          125. intaglio | Apr 10, 2008 09:00am | #273

            Thanks, if I ever get into it that far...actually I don't have PhotoShop on my little laptop.  

            It seems the pro photo lab photographers I've spoken with, are feeling that having to go digital is just making them work longer to achieve the same results they get with film.  Most of them didn't want to have to go that way, but have been caught in the middle. 

          126. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 13, 2008 12:35am | #74

            here is a .pdf of the Coolscans from the Nikon site ; http://www.nikonusa.com/fileuploads/pdfs/2004_coolscan.pdfI have no clue what some of the stuff means either...:).

            .

            .

            ., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

          127. Shep | Jan 12, 2008 11:05pm | #64

            Paul-

            I think this has already been mentioned, but all the old Nikon lenses will work on any of their new cameras. except for the D40.

            Someone recently told me that the investment should really be in the lenses, and that the body almost should be considered disposable. I think that's a bit of an over statement, but I understood the meaning.

             

            BTW, thanks for the presents. I use the calculator almost daily.

          128. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 12, 2008 11:16pm | #65

            Lenses. Yes. That's one of the reasons I haven't headed into digital slr territory yet. My Canon lenses cost me a lot of money back in the day. It took me years to accumulate them. It really ticks me off that they are now obsolete. But if I'm not using them now, what are they really worth to me anymore?I will also be glad to consolidate all my prime lenses into a couple of good zooms when the time comes. Zooms were frowned upon for their less-than-perfect optics when I was coming up. They were also too slow compared to fixed length lenses. But it seems they are darn good these days.On a completely unrelated track...I sure would like to pick up a 5x7 view camera someday. I dislike the proportion of 4x5 or 8x10 because my eye is so trained to 35mm shape (which is darn close to the golden ratio by the way). But from what I understand 5x7's are far and few between, and I bet finding film for them is pretty tough.Steve

            Edited 1/12/2008 3:18 pm by mmoogie

          129. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Jan 12, 2008 11:39pm | #67

            I gotta imagine 5x7s are essentially paperweights now.  Even when film was still king, there weren't but maybe 8 films in 5x7 (probably TriX, TMax100, a color neg or two and one or two E6 films).  Now, I'd be amazed if there were any.

            A few months ago I wandered around Kodak's website just for jollys and you really had to look to find any film info at all.  Sad...but I guess that's "progress".PaulB

             

          130. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 13, 2008 12:07am | #69

            As an aside, I had a job in high school at PAKO Labs in Minneapolis. My job was sitting in the dark, splicing rolls of film together onto big movie reels for running through the processing machines. I sat there with about four other guys in pitch black for 8 hours, cracking open 110 cassettes or instamatic cassettes (what was that size...126?) or 35mm cans and feeding the tounge into the splicing machine. Talk about mind numbing.PAKO was one of the few places besides Kodak that processed Kodachrome.One of the highlights of the job (for a high school kid anyway) was when the announcement came over the PA that there were "nudes in reprints"...My folks thought it was great that I had a job in my chosen field. SNORT!Steve

          131. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Jan 13, 2008 12:26am | #72

            LOL... I knew Pako very very well.

            First lab I ran, the film processing manager came to me and asked if I kept a "shoebox"?  Turned out the guy I replaced had a system whereby the technicians that took the film off the racks would put 2 clips on if there were nudes, signaling the printer to run 2 sets.  He would put "his" set in the shoebox...freaking perv.  I told her that ummm, no... I wouldn't be doing that.

            True story from a lab trade journal years back. A big national drug store chain that ran it's own very big lab was hosting a tour one day.  The tour wound up passing through the locker area, where one of the attendees saw his gf's nude (private to him) photo blown up and taped to a locker door.  Bigggggggggg settlement... ;)PaulB

             

          132. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Jan 13, 2008 12:29am | #73

            I wonder (haven't looked into it) whether all the old lenses work or just the AI and newer?  Actually for me, using old style Canon is more important as I have a few very pricey ultra wide (including a rectilinear fisheye) that I use for photos of smaller rooms we've done... Ill have to do some homework.PaulB

             

          133. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 13, 2008 12:44am | #75

            How oldstyle? I think I still have one breechlock lens. If I recall there was a big change when the EOS line started up and all my F1 lenses are useless on any of the new stuff. Is that correct?Steve

          134. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 13, 2008 12:46am | #76

            Paul, the non AI lenses will work on newer cameras, but metering is stop down.
            I had an old 35mm that worked just fine. as I recall the diaphragm was NOT held open. turn the aperture ring and get a darker image thru the finder.

            .

            .

            ., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

          135. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 13, 2008 12:56am | #78

            and here is another link :
            http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm
            .

            .

            .

            ., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

          136. MikeSmith | Jan 13, 2008 01:40am | #82

            that's a great link...

             makes my head spin... ouchMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          137. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 13, 2008 01:50am | #84

            LOL......

            .

            .

            ., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

          138. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Jan 13, 2008 01:06am | #79

            When you say they work on newer cameras, I assume you mean film cameras... according to the chart the non AI lenses dont mount on most of the DSLRs.  Well, just another nail in the coffin ;)

             PaulB

             

          139. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 13, 2008 01:28am | #80

            I have been all over the place today, and went back to read it again! you're right it doesn't look like they mount on a D body..I just don't understand why.

            .

            .

            ., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

          140. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Jan 13, 2008 01:38am | #81

            Probably the aperture metering ring (or whatever it's called, I forget the nomenclature)...or something associated with it.PaulB

             

          141. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 13, 2008 01:47am | #83

            that may have something to do with it.I think the G lenses have no aperture ring but those are entry level glass.

            .

            .

            ., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

          142. Scarecrow | Jan 13, 2008 12:47am | #77

            The old FD lenses will not work on the new digital cameras.  All EF lenses that worked on canons film cameras will work on canons digital cameras.

            I had a few FD's I wish I could use, but no such luck.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          143. User avater
            CapnMac | Jan 12, 2008 11:21pm | #66

            the quality of the processing and scans I'm getting now is so poor

            I hear you.  I've actually been prowling about the corners of the market checking on ways to scan my own exposed filmstock--but that's a rare enough "want" to be very expensive, even remaindered.

            Trick of it any more is that you have to live someplace sizable to actually have a choice of places that develops color film not on a "one hour" machine any more.  And, most of the one hour machines run about the exact same way (barring operator error, why I go to Walgreen's rather than our CVS's, and $4.97 cheaper burnt to CD, too).

            Very spoiled by USB straight to PhotoShop I can tell you (and by being able to take "insurance" shots in the field, and no keep the "keepers" so you get twice or three times as many subjects in as with film).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

          144. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Jan 12, 2008 11:41pm | #68

            Your best bet if you want to go through the effort is to call some pro abs and ask if they use "dip and dunk" processors.  Those essentially eliminate any scratching and they are "small" enough (although ours ran 300 rolls at a shot) that there's probably still enough demand for people to keep em going. PaulB

             

          145. User avater
            CapnMac | Jan 13, 2008 06:23am | #96

            pro abs and ask if they use "dip and dunk" processors

            Just a couple left, and we are "the big town" that such work comes to, any more.  For the important film, I'll send to one of the two.

            Scary part is that Walgreens has their machine as calibrated as the local xerox tech can keep it--hard to tel lthe difference really.  And, for all of $5.56 for 24 burnt to CD.  And if I have a gripe, it's that they let the machine scan the film, and sometimes I want to do some dodging to the originals (or, the machine gets a 1/10th frame out of sync).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

        2. calvin | Jan 12, 2008 07:48pm | #50

          I realize now I might should have voted on a choice of cannon v. nikon.  Can't give an educated guess because my experience level is small.  

          I would hope the camera corps at Douds will plenty to shoot about.

          Trash can?  Very interesting idea.

          Played 27 monday and another 18 on wednesday (businessmans holiday).  Wow.  Greens hold fine, some fairway plugging.  Makes it hard to find the ball when it's twothirds in the ground.  Love the new Adams 5 wood.

           

          Best of weather Sunday.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

          Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

          http://www.quittintime.com/

           

  2. alwaysoverbudget | Jan 11, 2008 11:13pm | #2

    i'm still shooting with that 73 nikon,bought mine a couple years later,but i just like pushing the button and hearing that shutter click.

    i know i'm going to have to go digital before long ,but i'm waiting for someone to come out with a 9" screen so i can see the dang thing. larry

    if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?

  3. frontiercc2 | Jan 11, 2008 11:43pm | #3

    I'm nowhere near as seasoned as some others in this area, but wanted to go digital. Have a Nikon N65- great little starter SLR. Had some decent fast lenses for it. Figgered I'd go Nikon digital. Only their entry level digital SLR (D40) would not AF my existing lenses. Something about no focus motor in the camera. Pi$$ed me off why they would design something that existing Nikon owners couldn't use without scrapping their AF lens collection. So I started researching cannon, picked up a starter Rebel XT (didn't need the XTi bells and whistles) for a song, brand new. Love it. I would have bought the Nikon based on brand loyalty, but they shot themselves in the foot with the AF incompatibility.

    And I don't need a $1000 camera body, so moving up to the D70 was out of the question.

    Held onto the N65 and one all purpose zoom for going places I don't want to take the new camera.

    1. MikeSmith | Jan 11, 2008 11:57pm | #4

      yeah.. i kept looking at the D40, but couldn't develop the proper lust in my heart

      then when i came into some money, i read a review about the D80 and decided it was just what i was looking for 

      now.. i have to develop some workflow process......

      for cataloging i use Thumbsplus..

       for editing  i intend to use Capture NX  based on a Nikon class i took last Sunday...

      i also use Irfan view, but mostly just for resizing

       Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

    2. Shep | Jan 12, 2008 12:06am | #5

      you probably could have gotten a slightly use D50 for a reasonable price, which will take any Nikon lens. That's the camera I currently have.

      1. frontiercc2 | Jan 12, 2008 01:29am | #11

        I hear ya- Checked the usual sources, but was hesitant to buy such a complicated piece of mechanical / electronics gear without first examining it firsthand. Didn't trust E-bay for that large of a purchase. And my local camera store that sold used equipment is no more . . . . So other than E-bay, i didn't really see a good outlet for a used D50. Tried to buy one off of a meticulous friend, but his wife vetoed his D80 purchase. Just as well as the remote shutter setup on the Nikons reminds me of something I would Jury rig myself. I do a lot of small aperture shooting with long D.O.F. and need a remote shutter. The setup on the Canon is much better IMO. IMO Nikon discountinued the D50 only to replace it (in price and feature terms) with the inferior D40. So I switched to Canon at the recommendation of a friend and have been very happy with the Canon.BTW- Cut my photography teeth on a Ricoh KR5 Super II. Loved that camera but when the body went dead on me and parts were not available to repair I made the jump to AF. Traded the non-working body and a few mid-range lenses for the Nikon.

        Edited 1/11/2008 5:36 pm ET by frontiercc2

        1. Shep | Jan 12, 2008 03:25am | #24

          A friend of mine used to work for Hassalblad.

          I kept asking him when they were gonna give away samples <G>

  4. marv | Jan 12, 2008 12:06am | #6

    I shot thousands of shots with my N80.  I love the camera.

    I just recently bot a D100 on ebay for about $400.  I'm sure I will love it after the first 1k shots.

    Can you believe you can buy a mint F5 on Ebay for $500?  I'm tempted but swore I'd never buy another film camera.

    You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.

    Marv

    1. User avater
      CapnMac | Jan 12, 2008 01:49am | #14

      you can buy a mint F5 on Ebay for $500?  I'm tempted but swore I'd never buy another film camera

      Good lord, there are some deals on film cameras to be had, too.

      Was sore tempted back at christmas browsing cameras with no specific end in mind.  Been very tempting to have a dedicated B&W rig (like in the olden days, when I ruined perfectly good film stock to make Art <eyeroll>).

      Then, I saw a medium format the other day--bad as sirens and lotus eaters, really it is . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

      1. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 02:03am | #15

        Then, I saw a medium format the other day--bad as sirens and lotus eaters, really it is . . .

         Not to mention the lenes...ouch!  Nothing prettier than a wooden field camera.  View Image~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

        1. User avater
          CapnMac | Jan 12, 2008 07:39am | #28

          Nothing prettier than a wooden field camera

          Well, the hernia from humping the tripod, the gear boxes, and the like, not so picturesque <g>.

          Always wondered how old Ansel got all that gear to the top of nowhere while still in the good light . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

          1. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 07:44am | #29

            I think Adames had a old stationwagon to haul it all around.  I'll stick to my Xt and a superwide lens.  I do have a clunky aluminum tripod I've had since 79 that I use.  I can't believe the outragous price they want for a tripod and THEN you have to by the head and matching plate for your camera.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          2. User avater
            CapnMac | Jan 12, 2008 07:59am | #32

            I can't believe the outragous price they want for a tripod and THEN you have to by the head and matching plate for your camera.

            Dunno, for a field camera, it's really kind of hard to define "outrageous" <g>

            I do know a local non-pro photog who uses an old surveyor's tripod.  It's sturdy and packs into places reliably--light it is not, though <g>.

            Keep saying I'll watch for a theodilite, the better to log the picture locations <g>Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

    2. User avater
      Mongo | Jan 12, 2008 08:35am | #35

      Marv,Do be cautious buying a used high-end digital online. There's a lifespan to the shutter mechanism, meaning how many pictures it can take. and a professional photographer can use it up in a few years' time. Getting the shutter replaced is often times as expensive as buying a new camera.That info if from a pro photographer friend of mine.Mongo

      1. danski0224 | Jan 12, 2008 05:14pm | #45

        I remember reading warnings about the LCD display going bad or dark when my Canon EOS 620 was new... it still works today.

        Is there any way to tell how many actuations a digital camera has had?

        1. User avater
          Mongo | Jan 12, 2008 08:43pm | #55

          danski,You can sometimes read the shutter count as part of the EXIF data.Take a picture (it can be jpeg), do not process it at all with photoshop or any other program. Sometimes those programs discard a part of the EXIF data. Upload it to a posting site like Flickr, go to your photos page to view that photo, click on "more properties", and the shot count should show up as part of the EXIF data. This should work with dSLR Nikon and Canon, but it depends on the model camera and how much EXIF data that camera records to each frame. For Nikons you can also get the info from a utility called "Preview Extractor", but I think PE is Nikon only, not Canon.Canon? If the flickr process doesn't work, you can use a hex editor and a RAW file, but its a fairly convoluted multi-step process. There may be an easier way, but the hex editor is the only one I know of, as I'm not a Canon guy.Mongo

  5. Shep | Jan 12, 2008 12:19am | #7

    I don't even remember what my first camera was.

    I bought my first SLR about 1977. It was a Yashica FR, with an LED meter, instead of a needle. When that died, I bought a Yashica FX-103.

    I went for a number of years without taking many pics.In 2003, I bought a Hewlett-Packard point-and-shoot digital. I used that for a couple of years somewhat intermittently, because the shutter lag drove me crazy. It had to be close to a second long. People would walk out of the frame before it took a picture.

    In 2006, I bought a Nikon D50 SLR. Its a great little camera, and will take all Nikon lenses. I thought about the D70, but couldn't justify the extra expense for some more gadgetry, without the extra resolution. I do kind of wish the D80 was out then, I might have sprung for that.

    I currently have the Nikon 18-200 VR zoom, and a Nikon 70-300 zoom. I really want to get a WA zoom for interior shots. That's next on the list. And I played with Calvin's macro lens at TipiFest. That was pretty cool, too.

  6. Sojourner | Jan 12, 2008 01:10am | #8

    Just bought a D80 myself, and my film camera (an old Pentax) may never see the light of day again. The D80 is a nicely featured piece of equipment. But I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of a plastic bodied camera and lens housing.

    :^/

    soj
    (Have a swivel-body Coolpix mostly collecting dust as well, but it's still handy.)

    1. theslateman | Jan 12, 2008 01:16am | #9

      Mike,

      Used to use a 35 Pentax ME Super and a Canon AE 1 ,back when film was the accepted choice.

      Most of the pictures I take now are done with a Sony DSC  S85  a point and shoot thats good for work pics.

      A year ago I bought a D 80 with a nice variable lens at a local pawn shop. On Calvins suggestion I'm keeping that off the slate roof jobs- trying to save it for cleaner work and landscape shots.

      I'm going down to take some more on Sat. of the TF job.

      Walter

      1. MikeSmith | Jan 12, 2008 01:44am | #13

        walter... you bought a D80 at a pawn shop ?  wow...

         Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

        1. theslateman | Jan 12, 2008 03:16am | #23

          The owner lets me know when he takes in something that he thinks I might like.

          He took it in as a pawn, but the lady couldn't redeem it before the time expired.

          I basically paid for the lense on it- body was free.

          If he hadn't called me someone else would have scored a deal.

          Walter

          1. PatchogPhil | Jan 12, 2008 07:03am | #27

            Where is a reliable resource (online would be good) to find out info (and value) of some old photo equipment I inherited?

            I'd like to know what I've got and it's value before I try to sell it.

             

            Thanks

             

              

            Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?

          2. theslateman | Jan 12, 2008 01:41pm | #39

            Mike ,

            I've misspoken - it's a D 70 S not an 80

            View Image

             

          3. theslateman | Jan 12, 2008 02:22pm | #40

            I meant to address this post 41  to Mike

      2. PatchogPhil | Jan 13, 2008 02:52am | #89

        Hi Walter

        Wondering if you could advise me..... 

        Where might I find a reliable resource (online would be good) to find out info (and value) of some old photo equipment I inherited?

        I'd like to know what I've got and it's value before I try to sell it.

         

        Thanks 

        Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?

        1. theslateman | Jan 13, 2008 04:32am | #90

          Phil,

          I can't suggest anything- I have very little camera knowledge.

          I've learned enough to be able to operate the ones i have and post some pics here- but thats as far as my knowledge goes.

          wished i could be of more help to you.

          Walter

          1. TBone | Jan 13, 2008 04:57am | #91

            Ok, so I'm curious about something. Memory to be exact. Why do all Canon SLRs use CF cards and only some of the Nikon?Or perhaps more accurately...why can't we pick a standard and go with it? Except for the fact that SD cards fit better in P&S cameras.

          2. Scarecrow | Jan 13, 2008 05:32am | #95

            the Canon 1D Mk II and MKIII's in there various flavors can use both SD or CF.

            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

            Edited 1/12/2008 9:32 pm by Scarecrow

          3. PatchogPhil | Jan 13, 2008 05:07am | #93

            That's OK...  I jumped to a conclusion that you might be "in the know" since you had a pawn shop guy scoping out stuff you might be interested in.

              

            Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?

          4. theslateman | Jan 13, 2008 01:55pm | #98

            Phil,

            He usually calls me about tools and equiptment he takes in. The camera that he called me about was a fluke- he thought I told him I was looking for a good camera- which I hadn't, but it was too good a deal to pass up!

          5. MikeSmith | Jan 13, 2008 03:22pm | #99

            phil... big camera stores in your area will sometimes sell your equip. on consignment

            but , you'll get  your best price on something like craig's list...or ebay..

             the more sophisticated the site, the less you'll get

            BTW:

            wanna buy a Durst C23 enlarger ?  with all the assessories ?

            got a nice one in our darkroom Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          6. PatchogPhil | Jan 13, 2008 06:34pm | #100

            Is that the one with the flux capacitor or the fribrulating gonkulator?  :-)

            My photo needs are simple.....  digital.   Point,  shoot.  Tweak a little with photoshop.  Upload to Costco.  Pick up the prints.

              

            Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?

        2. TBone | Jan 13, 2008 05:00am | #92

          EBay can sometimes give you an idea.Otherwise check stores like B&H or Adorama to see what they have used. Depends on how old your gear is.

          1. PatchogPhil | Jan 13, 2008 05:08am | #94

            Thanks for the tips.

              

            Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?

          2. User avater
            CapnMac | Jan 13, 2008 06:34am | #97

            EBay can sometimes give you an idea

            And, if you use eBay, go ahead and use the advanced search functions, and check that box for completed auctions only.  That lets you weed out some ofthe dumber "buy it now" prices or 'reserve price auctions' as you search.

            Start with a very specific model and name search, and gradually reduce the precision until you get enough hits to get a baseline idea.  Not a bad idea to include misspellings, too, like Hasslebad, Lieka, and Cannon--boolean "OR" searches look like (hassleblad,hasslebad,hasslebad) and so on.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

        3. lwj2 | Feb 09, 2008 11:11pm | #155

          Phil -- coming into this late, but ennyhoo --take a look at KEH Camera's site, they're a used dealer and have a wide range of gear for sale, it'll give you an idea of the price range.http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/Home.aspxLeon

  7. mike585 | Jan 12, 2008 01:19am | #10

    I bought the wife a Nikon D40 with an extra lens for Christmas. She likes it a lot.

  8. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 01:39am | #12

    I started out with a Kodak something-or-other that shot 110 film.  At about 12 I had a darkroom under the basement stairs.  I use to crack open the cartridges and develop the film by hand in trays.  Also my dad let me play/enlarge negatives he took during WWII while he was in the merchant marines.  Man I wish I had those negatives now!

    Any ways moved up to a 35mm in about 74 it was a canon FTb.  Next came the AE1 in 76 but I couldn't stand the automatic-ness of it so I bought a F1 in 77.  (I only shoot in manual mode even today)

    While attending school for fine arts in 79 I bought a Yashica mat-124G and I still have it.  I liked the 2 1/4 format.  I let the photo bug die for quite a few years just taking snap shot every so often until digital finally caught up to film.

    Now I have the Canon 350D (rebel Xt)

    In my camera collection I do have:  Brownie 2 circa 1900. 

    No. 2 Folding Autographic Brownie (belonged to my grandmother, have pictures of my mother when she was 3)  circa 1929ish

    My old AE1 which my daughter used up until last year.

    My F1

    My Yashica Mat124G

    A 1950's Yashica Mat sans the lightmeter.

    Various FD lenses for the Canon's.

    I have pics but not on this computer, I'll post some later.

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

    1. MikeSmith | Jan 12, 2008 02:06am | #16

      scare..... you remind me of some of the power users on my Chief Architect  site

      your knowledge  is way  far out there.....

      in this workflow deal..

       they were talking about using a super browser like your  Adobe Lightroom.. i looked at it... but it seemed to me that when i do start to work with my  RAW pics, i'll be working in Capture NX... so all i really need is a sophisticated cataglog software...

      i've been using ThumbsPlus 4.0 for about  7-8 years and it looks like the newer  TP 7.0 will do what i want... so i'm more or less planning on those two being my process software

      my Designjet 500 can handle prints for large format

      so... if i get to that proficiency level i'd imagine a workflow like :

        shoot.... catalog in Thumbs.... adjust & finish in Capture NX.... print

      gotta get Blodgett & Calvin to chime in here too

       Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

      1. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 02:17am | #17

        you can download Lightroom and try it for free for 30 days.  It will handle all nikon formats.

        It may help by eliminating two programs thumbviewer and Capture NX. 

        But in the end it's what ever makes you comfortable.  Just get out and photograph.

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

    2. TBone | Jan 19, 2008 01:45am | #135

      Scare, (and anyone else that shoots Canon)Looking at a couple lenses to maybe buy and I'm wondering what y'all think as Photozone doesn't seem to be cooperating at the moment.I'm finding that my 28-80 is a little soft for my taste and also that I'm rarely shooting at the wide end, so I've kind of ruled out the 18-55mm IS.That leaves me with what I'm thinking are two options since I can't afford "L" glass.28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USMor28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USMAny input? And thanks in advance.Or is there on that I'm not seeing that goes as wide as 24mm or 18mm? (Preferably in roughly the same price range. I'm gonna stretch a little as it is.)

      Edited 1/18/2008 5:48 pm ET by TBone

      1. Scarecrow | Jan 19, 2008 02:49am | #136

        Don't have any advice for you, sorry.  My next lens purchase is going to be the 70-200mm f4L. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

  9. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 02:56am | #21

    Ok here are some of my favorite photography sites.

    http://lensplay.com/index.html

    http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/index.php

    The first one is lens play- just canon lenses.

    The 2nd on they review all lenses but high technical.  They do have some cool interactive graphs that you can input f-stop and focal length and see the various effects on lens performance.

    In the "learning catagory are:

    http://www.outbackphoto.com/

    http://www.luminous-landscape.com/

    http://www.radiantvista.com/

    Both outBack Photo and Luminous-landscapes are sort of general photo-webzines.  Good articles from capture/composition to the final print and everything in-between.

    Radiant vista has really good video's walking you through photoshop techniques that you can watch for free or some you can down load free for later.

    http://www.blackandwhitedigital.com/index.html

    This site has some good stuff on converting to black and white.  Yes it is very important to shoot in color and convert later.  I also use the "adaptive Equalization" plug-in for photoshop, it's free and its pretty cool. It can be found HERE

    Here is a site that has a pretty good explination of the mysteries of color management.   Color_management

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

    1. User avater
      CapnMac | Jan 12, 2008 07:47am | #30

      stuff on converting to black and white.  Yes it is very important to shoot in color and convert later

      Been all through the theories and "present knowledge" and such, but my poor old analog brain has this 'reflex' about the "grain" of real-live, genuine, "proper" b&W film stock . . .

      Or, I have this bias about "pixels" being very smart <g>Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

      1. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 08:02am | #33

        In reality I've divorced myself from the tech wars for the most part and I generally just focus on taking pictures.  As a result I read a couple of photorgaphers blogs.  Here is a guy from the PNW that shoots medium format and scans his negatives.  You might enjoy it BLOG

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

        1. User avater
          CapnMac | Jan 12, 2008 08:20am | #34

          I've divorced myself from the tech wars for the most part and I generally just focus on taking pictures. 

          Amen.  It's stil lvery cool to hear of the talented and skilled photographers out there who left film behind for the hassle, who are re-energized by digital, especially digital SLR (even if that's a bit of a misnomer).

          I find it so much easier to find a happy medium, too.  Which is why 6.1 MP is fine for me--especially since screen resolution of the jpeg winds up being far more critical.  I also find that my Pentax ME stil lkeeps a spot in the bag with everything else.

          That's a cool site--I'll have to go back with more bandwidth.  (Bandwidth is what keeps me away from most photo blog/fora.)  There's just something about a fully-saturated B&W shot that just 'grabs' the eye.  Wow.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

          1. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 12, 2008 09:03am | #37

            I didn't realize we had so many serious photographers amongst us. I was a professioanl photojournalist, photo editor and magazine art director in that order from about 1979-1991.My first camera in high school was a screw-mount pentax slr. When I started college I got a Canon FTb and when I got serious I bought an F1. I bought it in 1978 and it's an LA Olympics commemorative model. Didn't order that special, just got it by chance. As a working pro in the 80's I kind of regretted having gone down the canon road. Seemed everyone else had Nikon then, and all the monster pool lenses were nikon.One day while driving to work I stopped on the bridge over the Susquehanna River between Maryland and Delaware to photograph some fog on the river. As I was speeding up to get back into traffic on I-95 I looked in the rear view mirror just in time to see the FTb flying through the air and hitting the pavement behind me. Replaced the bits and pieces of the FTb with an A1. Those two were my workhorses for about 10 years. I've got 20, 35, 50, 85, 135,200 and 300mm lenses for those bodies. I had pretty much stopped taking pictures till my wife got me a 2 megapixel Canon powershot in 2000. Now I'm using a 4 megapixel canon A80. Shutter lag has pretty much stopped me from using the point and shoots for anything other than scenics and grip-n-grins, so I'm starting to think about getting a digital slr.Do the canons and the nikons still focus in opposite directions? I still like to focus manually, and don't think I would be very happy trying to re-train 25 years of focusing Canons.I'm kind of trying to hold out for a digi-slr where the sensor is the same size as a 35mm film frame so the focal lengths will be what I'm used to, and so I'll have more room at the wide end. Ten years of photojournalism trained me to use my 24 mm as my "normal" lens. When I wanted wide I grabbed the 20mm. I feel like I'm always shooting telephoto with the point-n-shoots.I did a job a few years back in exchange for an old Leitz Focomat enlarger and really would like to get a darkroom going again someday, but have no room for one now. When I retired from professional photography I was just making the transition from shooting 5-10 rolls of Tri-X a day to learning to shoot chromes. Still more comfortable with B/W, but digital makes color so easy compared to the old days when 1/2 stop off and you were out of luck.Steve

          2. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 12, 2008 10:05am | #38

            Steve, The Nikon D3 and the Canon EOS-1DS (not the 10mp EOS-1D) have 36mm by 24mm full sized sensors. Cha ching! The bodies are about $4k.The smaller sensor is one of the problems with the "older" DSLRs like my D70, causing me to lose out on the close end. I do have an 18mm lens for my D70 which is a 24mm film equivalent. Excellent.But flip it around to long range shots, and the smaller sensor now makes a 300mm lens om the D70 into a 450 mm film equivalent lens. So there's good and bad.Experimentation is the beauty of digital. Shot to your heart's content and delete the unworthy.Point and shoot megapixels are not the equivalent of the DSLR equivalent, you'll get much better resolution on a good 6mp DSLR than you will on a 10mp point and shoot. Some has to do with the sensor, some to do with noise levels, ISO ranges, etc.I upgraded my printer as well, I've had an Epson R2400 for a few years now. Stellar prints, especially black and white.The 2400, as well as some printers that have come along since, print B&W prints using only black ink. It has 8 ink cartridges, 5 color and three non color: Black, gray, light gray. So it prints B&W using only gradients of black. No tinges of blue or pink like CMYK printers can lend when doing a black and white print.If you plan on doing a lot of printing, consider some of the aftermarket continuous fill ink setups. I don't do enough to justify the need for CF, but I did buy refillable cartridges and buy my ink bulk. the quality is excellent at a fraction (20%) of the cost.With the R2400 printing pics from the D70 I can get some wonderful prints, the largest I print is 13" by 19".Now that lens-wise I'm in the Nikon family, the next body I buy will be another Nikon. Canon has excellent bodies and excellent lenses too.One of the better point and shoots that I've used is the Canon SD800, mainly because it's lens is a bit wider than virtually every other p-a-s out there.Shutter lag? Ugh. The SD800 is still better than most other p-a-s, but I'll take the instant of a digital SLR any day.I have no idea about Canon vs Nikon focus rotation. But like most new tricks, I bet your an old dog that has some learning left in you and you could adapt if needed.When you do start shopping, keep an eye on ISO and how noisy some cameras are versus others when you get into the 1200-1600 ranges. Most of the point and shoots are noisy at 400 and horrid at 800 and above. The base-level DSLRs are very often good up to 1200-1600, the better ones are excellent.Long live Photoshop!I have so much to learn about photography, but it is something that I do enjoy. Photoshop? I use about a tenth of one percent of its capabilities!Mongo

          3. MikeSmith | Jan 12, 2008 04:14pm | #42

            mmoogie... i'm not as well versed on  the technical aspects as these guys.. but a  little background

            my eyesight isn't good enough to manually focus anymore  ( corrected to  20/70 )

            so, i really need a great autofocus system,  which the new dSLR's have

            in the nikon line   all of the  lenses back to the '70's are still useable.. on all of the cameras.. with the D40 being the one exception

            i've seen , fondled,  &  pressed all the buttons on the nikon D3, and given the choice between a Movado watch and the D3... i'd take the D3...

            my D80 has the battery pack assessory which also duplicates some of the controls for vertical format.. it has a huge viewing screen which helps with my eyesight

            there are many good digital camera resource websights.. this is one of my favorites that someone here on BT turned me onto

            http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/d80-review/index.shtmlMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          4. danski0224 | Jan 12, 2008 04:30pm | #44

            In addition to the others mentioned, the Canon EOS 5D also has a 35mm size sensor. Street price new is around $2100.00 with a USA warranty.

          5. Scarecrow | Jan 12, 2008 06:08pm | #47

            Check out the Canon 5D's it's considered full frame and arguably one of the best cameras for noise and image quality currently available.

            They run about 2100 now but Canon is rumored to be releasing a replacement so the current 5D's should drop in price.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

  10. HammerHarry | Jan 12, 2008 04:57am | #26

    I have a lovely 35mm stereo transparency camera (from the 60s) that I used for a while....my father had a delightful Leica, along with the Rollei and quite a collection of other things...we used to spend a lot of time in the darkroom back then.  Then my brother bought an Olympus OM1 (mail order from Hong Kong!!!) and the next thing you know, we had 6 people in the family with OM1/OM2s/OMG, etc etc...which was great, because we had everything from an 18mm to a 600mm lens that we could borrow.  When i met my (now) wife, she even had an OM1n, which she had bought because it was one of the smallest slr bodies, and she found it fit her hands better.

    With the advent of digital, I hadn't found anything I liked as well as the old Olympus, but I just recently got a Nikon D40x, and I love it.

    1. User avater
      CapnMac | Jan 12, 2008 07:53am | #31

      I hadn't found anything I liked as well as the old Olympus, but I just recently got a Nikon D40x, and I love it.

      The D40 s good, no question--but I still like my Pentax *ist DL better.  The dimensions of it fit my hand better, if nothing else.  Being able to use all my K mount lenses (which means filters and such, too) was another definite plus.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

  11. User avater
    Mongo | Jan 12, 2008 08:52am | #36

    I'm a Nikon guy.

    Finally went digital in 2004 when I bought a D70. Big thing for me was ergonomics. The D70 was well thought of by users, and it also fit my paws just fine. On so many others that I checked out, my fingers were fighting each other while trying to use it. I really like the fit of the D70.

    My favorite lens is the Nikon #2139 lens, a 70-200 2.6 telephoto with vibration reduction. That lens cost twice what I paid for the camera, but it's absolutely supreme.

    I take around 8000-9000 photos a year.

    Mongo



    Edited 1/12/2008 2:17 am ET by Mongo

  12. ted | Jan 13, 2008 12:13am | #70

    Just a quick question. I have an old Niko F3 and F2 and a collection of lenses to go with them. Do the lenses work on the new Nikon digital SLR's

    1. MikeSmith | Jan 13, 2008 12:19am | #71

      they work on all the Nikons except the D40...

       i'm pretty sure they even work on the D40 , they just won't auto-focus on the D40

      now.. i could be wrong.. but that's what i think i figgered from all the discussions and reviewsMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

      1. User avater
        wyowolf | Mar 31, 2008 07:26pm | #255

        http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

         

        this guy has lots of info on Nikons, D40 ect... I also have the D40 nice camera.

         

        frank

         

         We were the winners, cause we didnt know we could fail....

        Waylon...

        "I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him."

        Aciores autem morsus sunt intermissae quam retentae.

        (Freedom suppressed and then regained bites with keener fangs than freedom never endangered.)

        Cicero, De Officiis

        " once i had woman with high hand, and i let her treat me mighty low man, she made a lover of my best freind, and now he treats me like a hasbeen..."

        1. User avater
          Mongo | Apr 01, 2008 07:45am | #256

          I like Rockwell. In small doses.His website was one that encouraged me when I was contemplating my Nikon purchase several years ago.

          1. User avater
            wyowolf | Apr 01, 2008 10:31pm | #259

            he certainly is a very verbose person... i did like the section on taking pics and setting up the camera that did help a lot... :)FrankWe were the winners, cause we didnt know we could fail....

            Waylon...

            "I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him."

            Aciores autem morsus sunt intermissae quam retentae.

            (Freedom suppressed and then regained bites with keener fangs than freedom never endangered.)

            Cicero, De Officiis

            " once i had woman with high hand, and i let her treat me mighty low man, she made a lover of my best freind, and now he treats me like a hasbeen..."

  13. jc21 | Jan 13, 2008 07:12pm | #101

    My first "real" camera was a Pentax K 1000 then later a Canon AE1 program. Used to really enjoy photography. Had the Time Life photography series which I found helpful. Drifted away from photography. First digital was a JamCam which was a freebee thrown in with a Gateway PC I bought. It exceeded my expectations (I had none) and actually took some decent pictures. Currently have a Canon Digital Elph 2.0 mp. Not the first choice for creative types but for what it gets used for (jobsite pics and pics of family/ friends), it's perfect. Rugged metal case and it fits in your pocket.

    1. MikeSmith | Jan 14, 2008 01:44am | #102

      hah, this fitting in your pocket shid is over rated..

      i got keys, chapstick, snotrag, cell phone, & change ... i think i'll leave the camera in a camera bag

      which brings up the next question... tradtional camera bag, or backpack ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

      1. User avater
        PaulBinCT | Jan 14, 2008 01:48am | #103

        Gadget bag...PaulB

         

        1. MikeSmith | Jan 14, 2008 02:10am | #104

          back to workflow.... been researching the cataloging software.....

          Adobe Lightroom..... IDimager Pro... Photoshop Elements 6.........and my current ThumbsPlus

          still convinced i want to work in Capture NX, so Lightroom sort of duplicates  a lot of those features

          so far ... i'm pretty sure i'll upgrade from ThumbsPlus 4.0  to  TP 7.0.... very fast easy, intuitive... one big deal.... easy drag & drop any number of  pics

          hey... are the Giants gonna pull this off or not ?

           

           

           

           

           

          Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          Edited 1/13/2008 6:10 pm ET by MikeSmith

          1. calvin | Jan 14, 2008 02:27am | #106

            And since you are delving into software, how bout a bit of a discussion on printers.  First, would it be worth it?  I've been using my reg. HP, same printer as invoices.  OK, but no real quality.  I've had meijer do a few and our local camera shop.  Better quality than I can do here for sure.

            Have given thought of looking for a good photo printer and of course epson has come up.  No number or any specific interest other than indiv. ink and probably 13x19 in size.  But, is there a certain point where your own printer is the ticket over going to the store?  Some shots I print just don't cut it.  Wasn't able to "see" that on screen, but it's evident upon printing.

            The use for the prints are mainly hang here, give as gifts and some for a photo contest.  Don't keep a hardcover memory book or packages of prints to look at later.  So, other than invoicing and printouts of pdf's, my photo needs aren't that big I guess-maybe a hundred a year.

            But.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          2. MikeSmith | Jan 14, 2008 03:03am | #107

            cal... course was closed today.. bummer... sun was out & 40 deg

            looks like the Epson 2400 is a popular choice for high quality large prints

            http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?oid=53540920

            about  $650..

              my prints are low dpi on my  18 x 24 plans .... HP tells me  i can get some wicked nice prints on my Designet 500 at a "high quality " stting  and a roll of  glossy HP photopaper''' looks like $120 for a 24" x 100' roll

            i think for prints i'll probably take my files to Sam's Club... or maybe RitzMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          3. calvin | Jan 14, 2008 03:15am | #109

            you got yesterdays (here) weather.  I didn't have time to give it thought, we went down to BG and watched the womens team play Ohio University.  Quality basketball from the ladies.  Several freshman (lots) with talent-they graduated all but two girls last year.

            Today, cloudy..........but again, no thought about it till later.  Might have been a solo play anyhow, not all as goofy as I.

            The course we usually play at is closed to the public, but the members are usually allowed to play.  Our 3 man is so consistant and long playing they lump us in with the alloweds.

            And, did a repair to the outside porch post bottoms as a courtesy last week-carte blanche.

            Thanks for the link, I'll give it some study.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          4. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 14, 2008 05:20am | #112

            I've had the 2400 for a couple of years. It prints great photos.Best thing about it is the 8 cartridges, three being blacks (black, light black, light light black, or K, LK, LLK),You print a black and white print? It's printed using only those three inks, so there's never any color shifting.Mongo

          5. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 14, 2008 05:16am | #111

            I looked at Capture NX, if I recall the main reason I shied away from it is that it did not have a "stamp tool" like photoshop. I use that stamp tool quite a bit.I started renaming my photos according to the date they were taken; yyyymmdd then description and photo number format. My daughters varsity field hockey game from 12 Oct 2007 would be:20071012 VFH 1, the next would be 20071012 VFH 2, etc.I use Irfanview to run batch renaming.If posting pics on a photo hosting website, I also use Irfanview to batch resize them.I keep all pics on a spare external hard drives.My workflow?
            1) load them to my desktop.
            2) Delete all the nasties and unwanted
            3) Batch rename with Irfanview, saving them to a new destination folder
            4) Use photoshop to tweak anything that needs tweaking. I always save the tweaked photo as a new file with a alphabet suffix. That allows me to keep my original photo files "just in case".Tweaked 20071012 VFH 1 would become 20071012 VFH 1b.When batch resizing, I also batch rename, adding an "X" to the end of the name: 20071012 VFH 1x.I hold on to the resized files, as they are the ones that I'll email to people, or post in websites. When interest wanes after a couple years and I no longer need them, I'll delete the resized files.5) When done and I'm happy, I delete the files off the camera's compact flash card. All my CF cards are Sandisk Ultra 2GB cards.

            Edited 1/13/2008 9:29 pm ET by Mongo

          6. MikeSmith | Jan 14, 2008 05:51am | #113

            Irfan view , huh?.... as in the free download i already have on all my computers ?

            to this point , i've always cataloged in Thumbs... and resized in Irfanview

            you think IV is a good cataloger , huh ?

            the dating system of naming is one basic way i'm going....

            my folders will use my job naming sequence... 2.....  (first year digit).... 7  ( 2d year digit)  then sequential job..... 14.....15....16, etc

            so , photos associated with RFH Ranch would be  2716_1_trees

            or 2716_2_excav

            your VFH with the date preceder becomes a folder, right ?

            my inclination would be to set up subject folders ( like VFH )  or in my case , certain repetitive themes like...."Beavertail".... or  "West Reach"......other than my jobs which work with the above  2716... i'd think my other folders wouldn't exceed say 20 .. so within those folders i could then use your dating system

            see any flaws  so far ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          7. wrudiger | Jan 14, 2008 06:55am | #115

            Been meaning to jump in here for a while now - this thread sure has a good head of steam!

            Started with an FE with a 55mm and an Angineaus 70-210 zoom.  They were my mom's.  The folks said "we're taking you to Africa cause it's the most awesome place on the planet" and I figured I ought to take some pictures, and mom wasn't going to use her's.  Took a few classes at the local camera store and got bit pretty bad.

            Went back to Africa but since my hand/eye coordination - and vision - just aren't that good I went to autofocus. N90s body & a bunch of nice f2.8 Nikon glass (but not the 300 - rented that one!).  Of course, going all that way I didn't want to risk camera failure while in the bush so got a spare N90 backup.  Handy when shooting slides & B&W.

            Since I started with Nikon I stayed with them, even though over time I ended up replacing all the lenses.  On the question of Nikon vs. Canon, from what I can see Canon has been more advanced on autofocus and stabilization.  Nikon, at least 10 years ago, had smarter flash linked to their D lenses and matrix meter. 

            I have found the metering and flash to be awesome, done a lot of fill and slight highlight with the flash (like getting a bit of gleam in the lion's eye).

            Started with a bag, quickly went to backpack.  And to a photo vest when doing a lot of shooting (holding flash, a couple of lenses & filters, several rolls of spare film).  Kinda feels like a full toolbelt - LOL.

            Ever since I bougt this house I've been spending much more time landscaping and in the shop, so the camera doesn't come out often.  Since I'm not using it all that much I can't really justify moving up to digital, though I know I'd use it more if I did - Catch 22.

            I use Photoshop and an Epson 1280 (the 2400 wasn't available then).  Here's a great site on all things ink jet:

            http://www.inkjetart.com/printers.html

            They were exclusively Epson till a couple of years ago when Canon got competitive on quality; they've added a few HP models now as well.

            One of my biggest issues with digital was unpredictable results from scan to edit to print.  I got Monaco EZ Color to synch between the 3 and that made a huge difference, especially when using different output media (high gloss, canvas, etc).

          8. Scarecrow | Jan 14, 2008 07:20am | #116

            One of my biggest issues with digital was unpredictable results from scan to edit to print.  I got Monaco EZ Color to synch between the 3 and that made a huge difference, especially when using different output media (high gloss, canvas, etc).

            People underestimate good color management and softproofing for your choosen output.  And it's really not that hard to do either.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          9. MikeSmith | Jan 14, 2008 07:52am | #117

            btw... one of the nikon instructors mentioned this site

            http://www.lifepixel.com/IR.htm

            they will convert your old digital camera to an Infra red camera...

             what do you know about this ?

            can i take infra red pictures for energy audit with the converted camera ?

            edit: found the answer on their site....

            <<<<

            Can the converted camera be used for thermal imaging?

            No, infrared converted cameras are sensitive to about 1200nm only, thermal imaging requires sensitivity from about 7,000nm to over 14,000nm.>>>>>

            oh well.....

            Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

            Edited 1/14/2008 12:00 am ET by MikeSmith

          10. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 14, 2008 08:27am | #119

            Have you seen photos taken with an IR camera? Cool. Sort of etheral.

          11. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 14, 2008 08:29am | #120

            That's an important topic. Good you brought it up. A bit of money spent beforehand can save a lot of hours and wasted paper later.Color correction, profiles for certain printers and paper combos...it's a quagmire!

          12. MikeSmith | Jan 15, 2008 01:04am | #121

            check out these tutorial movies for Capture NX  ... especially movie #2  ( 6 minutes )

            http://www.nikonimaging.com/global/products/software/capturenx/nxsp/movies.htmMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          13. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 14, 2008 08:15am | #118

            I might be misunderstanding you, but I use Irfanview to rename and sometimes resize photos. Now when it renames or resizes, it does output them to a folder on a drive of my choosing, so I guess in that regard it does catalog them. Yup, probably the same free download, I have version 3.9.8.0.

            In my system, yes VFH is a folder. Within that folder I have subfolders for all games that year.

            For construction, I'd have a main folder for each job. The folder would be named by date and job name:

            20080113 Smith House

            20080620 Mongo's House

            Within that folder I'd have the job broken down with sub-folders for each part of the construction:

            20080115 Transit/Survey/Site layout

            20080120 Clearing

            20080128 Excavation

            20080210 Foundation Formwork

            20080211 Foundation pour

            20080219 Framing

            etc,

            etc.

            Should you want to cross reference jobs, at a later date you could set up separate subject folders like Excavation and Framing. Within those subject folders, have shortcut links going back to the excavation and framing sub-folders in the original 20080113 Smith House and 20080620 Mongo's House job folders.

            I'd only do shortcuts so that if you make any changes to the pictures in the original folders then you'd see that changed version of the picture whenever you call up that job, no matter where you call it up from.

            An Excavation folder would give you one stop shopping for pictures of all your excavation shots. By simply pulling in a shortcut of the 20080128 Excavation folder from the Smith House into the excavation folder, the folders would be arranged chronologically.

            You discover that in one pic you accidentally caught someone peeing in the woods behind the excavator? Delete that pic and it'll be gone forever, and in every folder that it was linked to. If you had copied the pic to several folders instead of doing shortcuts, then you'd have to go through several folders to completely delete the pic from your files.

            That's the setup I use, I use it for family pictures, sports, work pictures, vacation shots, everything.

            Example, this Xmas I bought three digital photo frames, one for us, one for my mother, one for my in-laws. With the cross-reference system that I have set up, It was quick and easy to select certain folders and send about 4000-4500 photos to irfanview, batch resize them, and send them to output on a Sandisk SD card to go in the photo frames. I did that three times, one for each recipient. Some picture files were common to all three recipients, quite a few were unique. But I didn't have to search individually, as the cross referencing did that for me.

            Works well for me, but I'm sure there's a way that would work better for others. It all depends partly on what you need to do with your pics and partly what you want to do with your pics.

            Does Thumbsplus allow you to tag pictures and the tags identify them to certain folders? Or identify them when you use a certain search word? Anything like that?

          14. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 15, 2008 01:06am | #122

            One thing I left off the end: Reformat your card when you're done.

          15. MikeSmith | Jan 15, 2008 01:20am | #123

            i already picked that habit up...

            one of the tips i got was to use a card reader instead of direct connect  usb , camera to computer..

             i don't understand the reasoning behind that tip..

             do you download your camera direct or do you remove the card, put it in a card reader  and then download

            i can do it either way, just don't see  ( understand ) an advantage  of one over the otherMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          16. User avater
            mmoogie | Jan 15, 2008 01:26am | #124

            Saves batteries in the camera, and is generally faster is my understanding.Steve

          17. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 15, 2008 01:58am | #125

            I use a card reader.

          18. TBone | Jan 15, 2008 03:09am | #126

            Was playing around in the snow tonight. Most of what I took was ####. This is pretty much too...but I thought I'd share anyway.Maybe we can all admire each other's work?View Image

          19. calvin | Jan 15, 2008 05:17am | #128

            .View ImageA Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          20. MikeSmith | Jan 15, 2008 05:20am | #129

            looks like infra red with a vignetting filter... coolMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          21. MikeSmith | Jan 15, 2008 05:53am | #130

            ok, here's a couple from Saturday...out at Beavertail Light

            View Image

            View Image

            Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

            Edited 1/14/2008 9:54 pm ET by MikeSmith

            Edited 1/14/2008 9:54 pm ET by MikeSmith

          22. TBone | Jan 15, 2008 02:29pm | #133

            Nope, no infrared. Don't have the money for a dedicated body. Just played with it a little after the fact. The most noticeable being a soft focus filter.

          23. Scarecrow | Jan 15, 2008 07:37am | #131

            Is this the technique that makes your images look like they are minitures?  I've seen a couple of people do this.

            This I think is my best color image of 2007.  I was out taking pictures of covered bridges and this little guy ran right between my feet.

            View Image

            Converted in Lightroom and a few layers in photoshop.  Looks great on glossy paper.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          24. TBone | Jan 15, 2008 02:26pm | #132

            That is way cool. I like the saturated greens and yellows and thus the contrast.

          25. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 15, 2008 06:32pm | #134

            Stunning. Great colors and a nice 3-d effect. Really stunning.

          26. Southbay | Feb 09, 2008 03:30am | #144

            Nice shot. It is pretty rare to see a mouse in the woods, much less photograph one.

          27. Scarecrow | Feb 09, 2008 04:33am | #146

            Thanks, i use to see them all the time camping in colorado for some reason.  Not so much in oregon.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          28. smslaw | Mar 02, 2008 06:48pm | #183

            I saw this guy a few minutes ago. He (or maybe she) was very obliging about posing, even with the two dogs woofing.

            Nikon D70 with 70-300 AF

          29. Scarecrow | Mar 02, 2008 07:08pm | #184

            he looks alittle sleepy. <g>  I heard an owl last night as I was getting out of work but didn't "see" him. 

            Going today along the north shore (washington side) of the columbia river (Oldbeachbum recomendation) to try out my new Canon 40D and 70-200mm f4L that I picked up with my fed/state return swag. <g>

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          30. smslaw | Mar 02, 2008 08:20pm | #185

            he looks alittle sleepy

            He was looking into a very bright sun. here's a smaller file.

            Edited 3/2/2008 12:20 pm ET by smslaw

          31. MikeSmith | Mar 02, 2008 08:34pm | #186

            can't open a       .psd

            can you do    .jpg  ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          32. User avater
            mmoogie | Mar 02, 2008 09:48pm | #187

            Here ya go mike...Steve

          33. MikeSmith | Mar 02, 2008 10:45pm | #188

            great... there's a couple over in North Kingstown on an estate i used to caretake

            very hard to catch with the eye.... and almost never with a camera

            although there was a 3/4 grown one sitting on a front door stoop one day. must have been about 18"  high

            hard to tell who  ( who -who ) was more startled when i turned the corner and we came face to faceMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          34. calvin | Mar 03, 2008 02:21am | #191

            Well looky here Mike.  The neighbor called, I got my #### of the couch and walked up to the street.  It's in a tree about 10ft off the sidewalk.

            Think I'll grab the tripod and go up there a bit later.

            View ImageView ImageA Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          35. MikeSmith | Mar 03, 2008 02:44am | #192

            dam. calvin..... that's a nice shot !

             and truth be told

            first time i looked  all i saw was the mask   and i still thought it was

            a nice shot

            then i saw the owl... good camouflage, no ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          36. calvin | Mar 03, 2008 03:10am | #193

            Mike, I thought it was tree bark and a faux owl head someone had tacked on the trunk.

            I'm loading some more now.  A bit after final set he/she took off.  I'm thinking it would be a screech owl as they are common here.  They change from a reddish brown in the summer to the grey you see now.  Damn good camoflage.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          37. calvin | Mar 03, 2008 03:32am | #194

            photogenic rascal.  With the several second exposure I was asking alot for him to sit still.  I did get a couple b/4 he took off maybe for an evening meal.  I'll be looking up the block every so often now for another opportunity.

            I'll also go to the garden artists studio and see if I can garner a deal for a print.

            View ImageA Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          38. MikeSmith | Mar 03, 2008 03:45am | #195

            last fall at sunset i could hear about  3 - 4 hoot owls calling each other in the trees behind my house

             i figure  there were about two blocks from the first one to the last one

            i looked and looked .. but i could never see them... then after dark they were gone.

            amazing birdsMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          39. calvin | Mar 03, 2008 03:59am | #196

            We usually have one or the other here.  The great horned owl OR the screech.  Seems the smaller screech might be prey for the big ones.

            Cornell has a great bird site with both sound and print/picture descriptions.

            I've found the best time and season is no leaves-an hour b/4 sunrise.  You have to know the nooks and crannies and crooks etc of your trees.  Then it's not too much to pick out that unusual nonmoving object.  The best sight-and one I can't photograph with my limited experience-is when they take flight.  The great horned around here "fall" into flight.  They just keel over and get a glide b/4 flapping those pretty good sized wings.

            Not a wonder why many folks wouldn't want to lose a species.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          40. User avater
            Crash | Mar 04, 2008 11:25am | #197

            Nice shots, Calvin.  I totally missed the owl until Mike mentioned it. "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography."  Ambrose Bierce

             

          41. calvin | Mar 04, 2008 02:00pm | #198

            I try to be very observant.  If my neighbor hadn't told me where to look I know I wouldn't have seen a thing, and this tree is only 10 ft off the sidewalk-maybe 12 ft up.  Hopefully this is a usual resting or nesting spot and it hangs there into the summer.  Their coloring changes to a red phase.  I'd like to get that.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          42. smslaw | Mar 05, 2008 12:25am | #199

            I reported on this guy, a Barred Owl a few days ago:

            View Image

            I'm not home today, but this PM my dog found him on the ground, apparently hurt.  My wife called around and found a wildlife rehab place nearby.  She captured the owl and brought him to the rehab place.  Apparently, he had a broken wing and was very dehydrated and malnourished.  They have seven owls at present.  The deep snow has made prey hard to find and lots of owls are suffering. In spite of the broken wing, he has a pretty good chance at fully recovering and if he recovers, he'll be released after they fatten him up.  They apparently have a supply of freeze dried mice.

            Edited 3/4/2008 4:27 pm ET by smslaw

          43. calvin | Mar 05, 2008 12:47am | #200

            Lucky break for the owl.

            We also have a rescue group here that does some superb work.  Those that can't be released are used by the group for education. 

            Opportunities like this make you want to lug the camera around all the time.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          44. MikeSmith | Mar 05, 2008 03:13am | #201

            cal.. i was in Ritz camera the other day  and they had a new  auto -lens cleaner

             

            can double as a monitor cleaner too

            check it out

            https://emp.ucsd.edu/swf/screenclean.swfMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          45. calvin | Mar 05, 2008 03:18am | #202

            Man Mike, looks like the neighbor's.

            Of course it works on your glasses too.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          46. Shep | Mar 09, 2008 08:33pm | #210

            You're supposed to clean your glasses?

            Shoot, I figger I get them dirty enough, I won't need sunglasses.

          47. calvin | Mar 09, 2008 08:58pm | #211

            no wonder you can't putt.............

            at least that's what I have heard.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          48. rwjiudice | Mar 05, 2008 03:37am | #203

            Super!! Hey, I want to put that link in an email to my wife. How's that done? When I "copy" it just copies the letters, doesn't open the link. Help??

          49. MikeSmith | Mar 05, 2008 04:32am | #204

            i right clicked it

            https://emp.ucsd.edu/swf/screenclean.swf

            got  a drop down menu, and chose "copy shortcut"

            then i  did a    control - V to paste it hereMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          50. MikeSmith | Mar 05, 2008 05:05am | #205

            here's some surf shots off Beavertail last week.. these are D80 / 18-135mm

            View Image

            52mm, f5, 1/500,iso 320, shot in sports mode

            and looking west

            View Image

            700mm, f5.6, 1/500,iso 360, sports mode

             

            Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

            Edited 3/4/2008 9:08 pm ET by MikeSmith

            Edited 3/4/2008 9:12 pm ET by MikeSmith

          51. User avater
            Crash | Mar 09, 2008 05:37pm | #208

            Hey, Mike.  I bought DW a D40 for Christmas.  Here's our first test shot.  It's amazing how fast the technology has changed since our first clunky Olympus C-3030...

            View Image"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography."  Ambrose Bierce

             

          52. MikeSmith | Mar 09, 2008 06:10pm | #209

            crash....   30 years with Nikon SLRs...

            and  10 years with  Digital point & shoot

            now i've been to about  6 hours of training  to learn how to turn my D80 on

            oi  vai

             Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          53. User avater
            Crash | Mar 10, 2008 11:41am | #212

            Yea, and with a 1GB memory card it can hold about 500 6MB pictures.  I'll have to figure a new ratio to reduce the pics to post here.  That flower is huge!"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography."  Ambrose Bierce

             

          54. Scarecrow | Mar 11, 2008 12:03am | #213

            PHOTOSHOP DISASTERS

            Thought this was pretty funny.

             

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          55. MikeSmith | Mar 11, 2008 01:03am | #214

            i loved the controversy over coulterMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          56. User avater
            Mongo | Mar 12, 2008 05:24am | #215

            Someone needs to take her to an all you can eat restaurant.

             

          57. Scarecrow | Mar 12, 2008 05:49am | #216

            ya I always suspected she was an alien.  Photoshop is the best way to hide the adams apple btw....<g>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          58. User avater
            Mongo | Mar 06, 2008 10:10pm | #206

            Nice!I missed it at first, then I looked again after I saw "owl" in the name of the tagged file.Nature tricks us yet again!

          59. calvin | Mar 07, 2008 02:13am | #207

            The original camo, natures way.

            I'm hoping this owl remains in the tree through his color change-we'll see how he blends then.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          60. JohnT8 | Mar 27, 2008 05:02pm | #250

            Here is one you might be able to add some input to:

            http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=99268.466

            Amazing how many pieces there are to those Tulikivi deals.jt8

            "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."-- Mark Twain

          61. TBone | Mar 02, 2008 11:00pm | #189

            That sounds like some fun new gear to play with. Did you spring for the IS version of the 70-200?

          62. Scarecrow | Mar 03, 2008 01:11am | #190

            No I have an old beat-up tripod....far cheaper than IS <g>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          63. Scarecrow | Mar 15, 2008 09:54pm | #217

            TBone I took this hand held with my 17-40mm f4L at 30mm 1/60 sec f5.6.  This is one sharp lens!

             

            You can check out a larger version at my website.

             

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          64. TBone | Mar 15, 2008 10:18pm | #218

            Ain't no lie...that is sharp. I almost sprung for one about 3 weeks ago. Ended up buying the 28-105mm f/3.5-4.6 mkII. Then I got laid off 2 weeks ago...so I'm glad I didn't drop the $600.

          65. Scarecrow | Mar 15, 2008 10:40pm | #219

            Dude sorry to hear ya got laid off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          66. User avater
            maddog3 | Mar 16, 2008 06:44pm | #220

            wow nice and crisp.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          67. MikeSmith | Mar 19, 2008 12:22am | #221

            steve...   had some of the family over this weekend... got the bright idea to go down in the darkroom and bring up the projector and a couple trays of slides

            well.......

             one thing led to another  .....lots of the slides are starting to fade... some have spots on them

            anyways....  even if i edit and cull... i still have 100's of slides... some all the way back to 1965

            i took a batch to Ritz  to scan and put on dvd..... best price i got was  75 cents each

            nice job too... but 75 cents a scan convinced me to look around

            so i took the plunge and ordered a Nikon Coolscan V ED.... oughta be here before the weekend

            the mac is running fine.. just loaded Bootcamp and windows XP last nite

            gawrsh.... this is one time consuming  pastime..... digital photos

             Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          68. calvin | Mar 19, 2008 12:46am | #222

            gawrsh.... this is one time consuming  pastime..... digital photos

             

            Ain't that the truth.

            But when you get one like the cat-worth every minute......which by itself was pretty enjoyable anyway.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          69. User avater
            Mongo | Mar 19, 2008 02:29am | #223

            You are the zen-master, Mister Smith!I've been percolating over the Nikon you bought and the Microtek Artixscan M1 Pro.I'll be looking forward to feedback on the Nikon.

          70. MikeSmith | Mar 19, 2008 03:27am | #224

            i went thru lots of reviews... 9 out of 10 were positiveas far as i can tell.... this Coolscan V ED used to sell for $ 1200 until they introduced their new modelsnow Nikon lists it for $599.... ordered it from Sigma4Less for $549 plus $25 shipping + $39 for 3 year Mack warrantylooked on ebay.... all of the used ones were over $500 so they are holding their value
            Amazon has it for $899 but not in stock
            B& H has it for $550.... but not in stock
            Ritz is out of stock in the local stores.. and they want $599anyways..... looking forward to resurrecting some great memories with old negatives & slidesMIke
            EdMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          71. User avater
            Mongo | Mar 19, 2008 06:09am | #225

            I'd love to hear how that thing does with negatives. I have a lot of B/W and color 35mm negatives that I'd like to take digital. I read the specs, it sounds promising.

          72. User avater
            Mongo | Mar 19, 2008 06:24am | #226

            Question for you...I think earlier you mentioned you were looking at the Epson R2400 printer?I've had mine for a couple of years, no complaints.If you do pull the trigger, look into MIS inks. Excellent inks, compatible with Epson technology. MIS sells refillable spongeless ink carts, a chip resetter, refill syringes, bottles of ink, the whole shebang.It takes me about 10-15 minutes to refill all 8 cartridges at about 12% the cost of what new carts would run me.I do a lot of B&W printing, and as you probably know, there is no color bias on the 2400 because it only uses black, light black, and light light black ink to print B&W prints.

          73. MikeSmith | Mar 19, 2008 01:40pm | #227

            no... i'll just ship the dvd's to you and you can print them to offset your costsi'm not interested in printing at this time...i'm impressed with the equipment that Ritz has ...
            and it's a pretty easy systemload the pics at their kiosk..... ( or online before you go )go to dinner..... come back and they're doneabout 17 cents ( with a rewards card & a prepaid card )Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          74. Scarecrow | Mar 20, 2008 04:09am | #228

            Here is a image worth seeing and the story behind it worth hearing.

            GETTY IMAGES~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          75. MikeSmith | Mar 20, 2008 06:48am | #229

            playing with my new Coolscan V ED tonite...
            wow !those old slides look even better than when i took them
            gonna try some 35 mm negs tomorrowMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          76. MikeSmith | Mar 20, 2008 06:54am | #230

            haven't been there in a long timebut i got choked up the last time i was therethat and walking the wall at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorialcrying shame.....i still make my guilty donations to DAV as atonement... i'm whole & alive ... and they're notMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          77. Scarecrow | Mar 20, 2008 06:59am | #231

            That image that J Moore captured and the article just hits ya.  I've not been to either place so I can't imagine the emotions.  But you'd think that we would of learned something by now.  I'm starting to doubt our species survival in the long term.

             

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          78. theslateman | Mar 20, 2008 01:28pm | #232

            Mike,

            My pawn shop buddy called tues with a camera he thought I might like.

            Heres a picture of it.  A Nikon F 80  a 35 mm camera with FILM.  But it had a nice 70 - 300 mm lens   a Nikkor and a nice Slik tripod.

            Thought I'd keep the lense and sell the body.

            Walter

             

            View Image

          79. MikeSmith | Mar 20, 2008 02:25pm | #233

            it's great having friends in low places.
            is that an auto-focus lens ?amazing what those film cameras are going for ( or not going for ) these daysMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          80. theslateman | Mar 20, 2008 02:29pm | #234

            Mike,

            I believe it is. I'm not sure what  the body's worth with no lens, but I basically paid for just the lens anyway.

            Walter

          81. User avater
            maddog3 | Mar 21, 2008 04:48am | #235

            how much do you want ?.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          82. theslateman | Mar 21, 2008 12:11pm | #236

            I'm not certain just yet, but I'll give you first dibs when I'm ready.

            Walter

          83. User avater
            maddog3 | Mar 21, 2008 12:59pm | #237

            OK, Thank You.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          84. User avater
            maddog3 | Mar 24, 2008 04:21am | #238

            it's finally getting to be Spring
            so here is something I snapped last SummerJ&P Tropicana and bugNikon F3
            55/2.8 MF Micro / circular polarizer
            f8
            1/250 ...I think
            200ASA Fuji
            and cleaned up with Aperture from Apple.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          85. Scarecrow | Mar 24, 2008 04:26am | #239

            Nice one.  I've always been tempted to get a macro but just never seem to get around to it.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          86. User avater
            maddog3 | Mar 24, 2008 04:44am | #240

            Thank You, coming from you that is a very nice compliment.I think that was my second lens which makes it about 21 yrs. old hard to beat some of that old glass.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          87. Scarecrow | Mar 24, 2008 05:19am | #241

            You can tell it's spring time in the PNW when the Flamingos return.  Took this today.  

            View Image

             

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          88. User avater
            mmoogie | Mar 24, 2008 06:15am | #242

            nice...

          89. Scarecrow | Mar 24, 2008 06:43am | #243

            It's kind of cliche but even cliches work now and again. <g>

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          90. User avater
            maddog3 | Mar 24, 2008 01:54pm | #244

            man those are so perfect they almost look fake, I don't recall ever seeing baby ones.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          91. smslaw | Mar 24, 2008 06:30pm | #245

            Has the hunting season started up there yet?  Flamingo Pie is some good eatin'

          92. Scarecrow | Mar 24, 2008 06:42pm | #246

            Ya but it takes alot of the little ones to make a decent pie.

            In all seriousness, I've been watching this display grow over the last several months.  This wetland area is adjacent to Park & Rec maint. office and I'm sure it some sort of pratical joke.  There are all manner of ducks, geese and herons in this wetland.  I've even seen some egrets now and again too.

             every picture tells a story......

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          93. smslaw | Mar 24, 2008 09:00pm | #247

            every picture tells a story.....

            This one was taken in the Ngorongoro Crater-lots of Flamingos.

          94. Scarecrow | Mar 24, 2008 09:50pm | #248

            were you there?  lucky bastage!  This summer I'm going to Glacier NP for a couple of days and then down to Yellowstone NP if we have time we'll photograph Jacksonhole/Grand Teton  should be fun.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          95. smslaw | Mar 24, 2008 10:07pm | #249

            Sounds like a great trip. The crater photo was taken several years ago by my daughter when we went to Tanzania.  I took lots of photos, but all on film, so her digital ones are a lot more easily shared than mine.

          96. Scarecrow | Mar 27, 2008 06:47pm | #251

            Adobe announces beta) online photoshop express.  Sign up and use photoshop express online for free.

            http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopexpress/?promoid=CBTVM

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          97. TBone | Mar 28, 2008 10:32pm | #253

            I saw that. Thought it was interesting. What do you figure...it'll offer just enough to make people want to spend money on one of their full programs?

          98. Scarecrow | Mar 28, 2008 10:58pm | #254

            I don't know, but the article I was reading commented that alot of software in various industries was going to be "on-line" as opposed to being on your computer.  Wave of the future and all that.

            I supose if you wanted to play around, free isn't a bad price.

             

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          99. User avater
            CapnMac | Apr 01, 2008 08:10am | #258

            supose if you wanted to play around, free isn't a bad price

            With the limitation of band-width, of course.  Hard enough coping with resized photos for dial-up as is.  Can't imagine waiting to upload a raw file on dial-up just to 'effect' it up.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

          100. User avater
            CapnMac | Apr 01, 2008 08:06am | #257

            always been tempted to get a macro but just never seem to get around to it.

            Fair warning--after you get that first one, you will likely wind up getting a better one after that first.

            Oh, and Murphy will require that the better lens will be a different diameter than all the others (which, naturally, will be the least common in any nearby shop <sigh>).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

          101. calvin | Mar 28, 2008 02:35am | #252

            Sweeeet.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          102. user-54383 | Jan 31, 2008 04:44pm | #140

            Regarding workflow, does anyone here use Google's Picasa for cataloging/browsing? I've found it to be quite nice for handling lots of images, indexing, captioning, and for minor adjustments (cropping, rotating). It also has a nice red-eye feature. One of it's advantages is that except for a very few things (red-eye among the exceptions), it's "edits" are not applied to the original file, and can be undone/redone easily.The one drawback that I have found is that it doesn't support multiple people in the workflow (e.g. I and my wife working on the same pictures), and it's slow across the network (especially wireless).Does anyone know of a tool which supports multiple users working on the images, and works well over a network (e.g., storing the image files on a file server and accessing them from each individual's laptop)?Thanks,Eric

          103. MikeSmith | Feb 02, 2008 05:03pm | #141

            don't know... i use ThumbsPlus 7....and  they do have a network version, but i  don't use that one

            one of the "Super browsers " like  Lightable  ( sic ? ) might be what you want Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

        2. User avater
          mmoogie | Jan 14, 2008 02:17am | #105

          Dedicated camera bag is the only way to go.

          Now you've done it. Made me go up in the attic and dig out my gear just to show the original Domke Bag. Love that bag. Bought it in 1978 for about a eighty dollars if I recall. It saw hard daily use till about 1990.

          View Image

          Took a quick look at the lens collection and remembered that the 85mm bit the dust somewhere along the way, leaving the 35mm as the sole breech-lock lens. That Minolta flashmeter IV is a nice unit.

          Steve

      2. User avater
        maddog3 | Jan 14, 2008 03:06am | #108

        canvas bags.

        .

        .

        ., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

      3. Shep | Jan 14, 2008 04:53am | #110

        I have the backpack. It has several advantages over a regular bag.

        First, it doesn't look like a camera bag, so it's less likely to be stolen.

        Second, I feel that a backpack is easier to carry than an over-the-shoulder bag. Especially as it gets heavier.

        Third, the one I have, Tamrac Adventure 8, has an area separate from the camera section for carrying personal stuff- snacks, books, extra pair of socks. It not a real big section of the bag, but it's enough for me.

         

        BTW, I've signed up for 2 camera courses at my community college- basic digital photography, and the next level course. I'm tired of my camera being smarter than me. I want to at least end up par with it.

      4. Scarecrow | Jan 14, 2008 06:39am | #114

        I use a CamelBack H.A.W.G  carries all my stuff/water and then some comfortably.

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

      5. User avater
        CapnMac | Jan 15, 2008 04:07am | #127

        tradtional camera bag, or backpack

        Dedicated bag, not a pack.  That's a two-dimentional personal bias.  One dimension is that a "traditional" camera bag--for me--opens wider, so I can "get" to stuff easier.  My experience with packs is that they stratify vertically in increasingly less effective ways.  But, that's my experience, others' differ. 

        The other dimension is that, if I'm packing in to some location, I already have a backpack, one more is a bit of a pain.  But, that's my experience, too.

        I'm also in favor of the "made to the purpose: features in a decent camera bag.  Loops for corralling film canisters and the like.  "Just right" pockets for things, that sort of thing.

        And, there's always one more better thing out there, too (which is why I've got 2-3 bags now (and have given away another half-dozen over the years, too).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

      6. BryanSayer | Feb 10, 2008 12:35am | #162

        Photo vest (like a fisherman's fly fishing vest). Every shutterbug should have one.

  14. Scarecrow | Jan 27, 2008 03:48am | #137

    Hilarious photoshop lesson (not for dialuppers)

    PHOTOSHOP

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

    1. User avater
      Mongo | Jan 28, 2008 02:12am | #138

      Pretty darn bueno.

    2. User avater
      maddog3 | Jan 28, 2008 03:50am | #139

      Man Gravy?
      LMAO.

      .

      ., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

  15. Scarecrow | Feb 07, 2008 01:55am | #142

    Thought you might find this interesting: ERNIE PYLE

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

    1. TBone | Feb 09, 2008 02:59am | #143

      Nice link.Also, do you use your 17-40 as a general walk around lens? And do you find that you wish you had something a bit faster, i.e. Tamron f2.8 17-50 for about the same price? I'm trying to make some lens decisions and your input would be appreciated.

      1. Scarecrow | Feb 09, 2008 04:31am | #145

        Yup, it's my primary lens.  I usualy have my camera in manual and around iso200-400 and f16 doesn't seem to be a problem.  If I need to I'll put it on a tripod and use a cable release.  If some day I go full frame I may need something a little different.

        But I shoot a lot of landscapes there is some distortion in the lower regions (17mm).  Remember if you have a APS-C sized sensor "normal" is about 28mm.

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

        1. TBone | Feb 09, 2008 06:41am | #147

          Do you find it at all soft wide open? Or do you not notice what with stopping down for landscapes.

          1. Scarecrow | Feb 09, 2008 08:14pm | #148

            What do you mean by "soft"  It's a subjective term.  All lenses near/far focus decrease with larger f-stops (smaller numbers) but wether its "too soft" is relative to subject distance.  Here is a online depth of field calculator you can play around with. 

            I think what is more critical is contrast at wide open, and the 17-40mm is excellent!

            http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

            make sure you plug in your camera.  Then notice the near/far distance as you play with f-stops but also distance to subject is important.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          2. Scarecrow | Feb 09, 2008 08:28pm | #149

            One of the funniest and sadly truest articles on photography fourums I've ever read.  Keep in mind the images and photographers are iconic  from the 20th century.

            PHOTO CRITIQUE

            Enjoy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          3. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 09, 2008 08:44pm | #150

            LMAO, I couldn't get past the first one."..... If you don't care aboout your PROFESSIONALISM you are never going to get work as a pro believe me!!!...... "HAHAHAHAAAHAAAHHA.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          4. Scarecrow | Feb 09, 2008 10:09pm | #151

            ya like I said its funny but truthfully sad at the same time.  I visit some of the more popular photo forums and it is enough to make you want to puke.  The next time I hear some smuck use the word "pop" I'll scream.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          5. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 10, 2008 01:57am | #165

            what are some of the sites you visit ?.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          6. Scarecrow | Feb 10, 2008 02:24am | #166

            a big canon site is http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php

            Another is http://www.dpreview.com/forums/

            And smugmugs site: http://www.dgrin.com/

            But I've recently (for the last 6 mons) started reading some photo blogs.  3 I highly recomend are:

            http://georgebarr.blogspot.com/

            http://photomusings.wordpress.com/

            http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/blog_index.html

            one site I like because of two things his style is something that I don't try to reproduce but I like looking at, and he's 21 so has a different view of the world than I do.  but I think he has for his age a great "eye."  http://markfleming.pixyblog.com/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          7. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 10, 2008 02:48am | #167

            I'm on the way ...
            Thank You.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          8. Scarecrow | Feb 10, 2008 02:55am | #168

            probably one of the best forum type site is http://photo.net/community/

            The examples I gave you are the petty type...lol~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          9. Scarecrow | Feb 10, 2008 03:28am | #169

            Here is an interesting series of images, I would read the photographers bio first before viewing the images, it does add more depth to them.

            http://www.serialno3817131.com/index.html

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          10. MikeSmith | Feb 10, 2008 03:35am | #171

            pretty good....

            i  like this among many of the others

            "basic training blues"

            View ImageMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          11. Scarecrow | Feb 10, 2008 03:44am | #172

            here is another one: BRETT WESTON

            Brett Weston is the son of Edward Weston a contemporay of Ansel Adams and also a member of the famed  Group f/64 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_f/64

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          12. Scarecrow | Feb 10, 2008 03:46am | #173

            solders everywhere share a common thread male or female.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          13. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 11, 2008 07:28am | #177

            I'll call this one Home Sweet Home.

            View Image

            The water pooling on the cot, plus enough wind blowing through the poly to cause little ripples in the water puddle? Ah yes, it just brings it all back home.

          14. MikeSmith | Feb 20, 2008 04:44am | #178

            35 knots today from the SW.... figured it might be good at Beavertail

            View Image

            Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

            Edited 2/19/2008 8:45 pm ET by MikeSmith

          15. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 21, 2008 02:35pm | #179

            Taking photos? You should be out there on your boogie board!<g>

          16. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 10, 2008 03:58am | #175

            they look like soldiers everywhere...........miserable.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          17. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 10, 2008 03:33am | #170

            I see that,
            dpreview has some real smart alecks in the Nikon forum

            I think I'll like this one.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          18. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 10, 2008 03:52am | #174

            yep, it's a keeper.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          19. TBone | Feb 10, 2008 04:17am | #176

            I've been reading that one lately. And I thought I was getting lost in all the threads over at DP Review. Photo.net is worse. :-)I swear my wife is going to take my computer away from me between those 2 and BT.

          20. MikeSmith | Feb 09, 2008 10:56pm | #153

            i don't get it.. i agreed with all the comments... what am i missing ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          21. Scarecrow | Feb 09, 2008 11:03pm | #154

            all those images/photographers were some of the most important photographers of the 20th century. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          22. MikeSmith | Feb 09, 2008 11:13pm | #156

            i nu dat...Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          23. MikeSmith | Mar 02, 2008 02:45am | #180

            Steve....

            i was going to answer you in the hourly rate thread..... but most of what follows seems more at home over here

            i'm pretty sure i'm going to get a Mac Book Pro  Laptop

            i can  run " Parallel " and i can run "Bootcamp".... from discussions with  other Chief users they don't seem to have any problems  running windows aps on  Macs

            i still have 3 desktop  units and an HP laptop for a fall back position  ( the oldest is from 2000 )

            i usually upgrade my computer every time Chief comes out with a new version  ( about every  2 years or so ), so i'm a little past due

            i like the way     iPhoto organizes and displays  on Macs...... and i think i'll be processing with  Capture NX  .......

            i figure the laptop is a good way to get my feet wet and see if i really want to change over to Apple

            trying to overcome the olde dogs and new tricks syndrome......

             besides  i have to figure out how to use my wife's  I-touch..... she  hasn't got a clue

            i've been  going to the free saturday morning classes at Ritz trying to come up to speed on the digital  photography

            and i  get lost and befuddled with my cell phone..... 

             i thought i was sorta technologically advanced with my computer skills  ( not ).... but it  is just amazing how fast all of this stuff is progressing.. my grandson is 3... can you imagine  what we'll have by the time he graduates from High School ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          24. User avater
            maddog3 | Mar 02, 2008 03:28am | #181

            If you do decide on a Mac, try the Aperture trial..http://www.apple.com/aperture/action/I liked it and will be buying it this Springyou can import your iPhoto Library, camera, play around and when the trial is over you can import everything BACK to iPhoto so you lose none of your photos or changes.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          25. User avater
            mmoogie | Mar 02, 2008 05:18am | #182

            Mike,Yes, probably best to bounce it over here. Man, we sure have a bunch of ex and future photographers kicking around this board. iPhoto is what I've been using to organize, but it bogs down a little when you get a lot of images in it. To be fair, I'm running a version that's a couple of releases old, and it has gotten faster since then. Lightroom and Aperture are two of the big boys when it comes to organizing, but I don't really know anything about either of them. To me the critical program is the one you use to tweak the images. For that, there is no competition for photoshop.I'm bad about organizing. Always was when I was shooting professionally too. I have boxes and boxes of negatives upstairs and no database, but I betcha I could put my hands on any of my shoots (if I could remember having shot it) within about 10 minutes.These days it seems all I take pictures of is work stuff with a lousy point-and-shoot digital. I need to get a DSLR to start taking more serious photos. I can't seem to make myself use the old film-based gear anymore. But if I ever get my darkroom up and running, I'll break into black and white film again.I got an iPod Touch for the big five-o a couple of months ago. It's a kick. Would be more useful if I lived where there was ubiquitous WiFi, but I've been using it for a lite PDA. Of course for music on the jobsite boombox, but also for my address book and to-do-lists, and carrying around work photos, synched into it from iPhoto. I'm eagerly awaiting the software developers kit for it to be released, as it has the potential to be a very useful pocket computer, not just a jukebox.Any mac questions, fire away, either here or direct e-mail if you prefer.Steve

          26. lwj2 | Feb 09, 2008 11:28pm | #157

            Kind of like some jerk telling you that you need to hammer the nailheads over on the trim work to make them hold better, Mike.Leon

          27. MikeSmith | Feb 09, 2008 11:50pm | #158

            that's true.... makes  'em easier to pull out later tooMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          28. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 10, 2008 12:05am | #159

            not that it matters much but Henri Cartier-Bresson took most of his pictures with a rangefinder Leica, one lens and B+W film he would hide it under his coat or wrap it in a handkerchief while he walked around Paris and since that type of camera is very quiet, he was able to take candid photos of people who were relaxed and unaware .. but because of his stealth the pictures are sometimes a little out of focus, or even quite blurry but held in high regard nonetheless
            he used the same technique after he escaped from the Germans and worked with the French Resistance near the end of the War. the list of famous personalities he photographed includes Ghandi and Marilyn Monroe
            and I think he died not that long ago to see more of this type of photography, his friend Robert Capa is the man who took the first images of the D-Day landings in all their terror, and a very famous picture of a soldier at the moment he is shot during the Spanish Civil War.another student of this style is in the link from Scarecrow....... Garry Winogrand.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          29. BryanSayer | Feb 10, 2008 12:33am | #161

            Yeah, and all that light reflecting all over the place in "Moonrise Over Hernandez" is rather distracting...

          30. Scarecrow | Feb 10, 2008 01:15am | #164

            yup pity he blew out all those highlights....lol~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          31. TBone | Feb 09, 2008 10:32pm | #152

            I guess what I'm getting at...and mind you, I'm not a pixel peeper by any means...is that a couple of the lenses I've shot with recently appear to have a soft focus filter on them when the lens is wide open. Granted, they're not "L" level zooms but everything is a bit "soft" for lack of a better term.I'll have to take a look at that link.

    2. BryanSayer | Feb 10, 2008 12:23am | #160

      Yeah I read the article in the newspaper. Their reprint was kinda small. I'd like to see that 4X5 contact print.There was another really interesting article about 3 cases of negatives of Capa's found recently. They are supposed to be deposited at the international photography museum in NYC. Next time I go there, I'm going to see if visitors can see any of them.

      1. Scarecrow | Feb 10, 2008 01:14am | #163

        ya I saw that article too.  I wonder if anyone will try to print some of those negatives?

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

  16. WINSTALL | Jan 19, 2009 04:16pm | #363

    PENTAX............ PENTAX........... PENTAX I LOVE MINE.... DIGITAL

    As long as GOD makes "bad builders" and rich people... I will have a job
    1. johnAwalker | Jan 21, 2009 08:58am | #364

      Not trying to elbow in on the C v N debate, but... every lens that Pentax has made is still compatible with their latest cameras, so old film buffs can still use on old beautiful lens on their new DLSR, why didn't the others do this?cheers
      JohnPentax equipped :)http://www.johnwalkerbuilders.com

      1. Shep | Jan 21, 2009 03:43pm | #365

        Nikon does the same.

        1. mrsludge | Jan 21, 2009 11:40pm | #366

          Not entirely. To get a Nikon that'll meter with a "non-CPU" (i.e. non AF) lens, you have to go with a D200/D300/D700/D3. They'll attach to the D40/D70/D90 series, but you have to guess at the exposure via trial and error.

          I just went through this exercise b/c I have a few manual film lenses, a 55mm macro in particular, that I really wanted to still be able to use. For our first DSLR, I ended up with a gently-used D200, an 18-200VR, and a 50mm f1.8 (the $100 wonder). In the market for a speedlight at some point, but undecided which one (and the SB-800s have vaporized after being discontinued, with prices on used ones jumping ~$100).

          I'm amazed at how versatile this camera is- I've barely scratched the surface of learning how to take advantage of it. Hopefully, it'll be easy enough for the wife to just pick up and shoot, too.

          Here's a shot (w/ the old macro lens) of some bacon I made the other weekend:

          http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/dthull3/Cold%20Smoking/JD2_2437.jpg

          1. Shep | Jan 23, 2009 03:23am | #367

            I just got an SB800 flash. I haven't used it a lot, but it seems to be very nice. I have a D50 I bought about 4 years ago. I couldn't see spending the extra for the D70 at the time. I wish I had held out another few months, tho. I would have bought the D80.

          2. calvin | Jan 23, 2009 03:37am | #368

            If you don't mind, how much for the flash?A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          3. mrsludge | Jan 23, 2009 03:56am | #369

            I've been looking at these lately. The SB-800 has been discontinued, and there may or may not be a replacement out before too long. Gently used, $250 is a good deal. The new ones were going for ~$325, but prices have jumped up to ~$400 as the supply has dwindled.  The ones I've seen on Ebay lately have gone for more than $325.

            The SB-600 goes for under $200. SB-900 is north of $400.

          4. calvin | Jan 23, 2009 04:11am | #370

            Thanks.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          5. Shep | Jan 23, 2009 07:57pm | #371

            I paid $320. for it. I bought from B&H Photo, in NYC. I also bought my D50 from them.

            I went to their store once, several years ago. I'd advise leaving all cash and credit cards home if you go.

          6. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 23, 2009 10:23pm | #372

            "I went to their store once, several years ago. I'd advise leaving all cash and credit cards home if you go."

            Ain't that the truth.

            My weakness is the internet. I was on their website this morning, with 6 or 7 B&H tabs open. Oh the possibilities!

            I'm in the market for a fast prime, probably around 50mm, either 1.8 or 1.4. Leaning towards the 1.8, it has 9 aperture blades versus 7 on the 1.4, so it'll be a little nicer at shallower depths of field.

            So, lemme see...yup a fast prime. And why not another battery? I thought my D70 EN-EL3 battery would work with the D90. Nope. I need an EN-EL3e. So I have a dual battery pack with only one battery in it. Still works with just one battery, but I do shoot a lot and the extra capacity is appreciated, a backup is mandatory.

            And why not another flash? Here starts the slide down the slippery slope. I have no need for the SB-800 or its replacement, the -900. The SB-600 does everything I need and more. So I might get another SB-600.

            Interesting that a week ago when I bought my first SB-600 it was $175, now it's back up to $225. The D90 is $70 more and the MB-D80 is $20 more.

            Wassupwithat?

            So I'm watching the prices, waiting to pull the trigger. Or should I say, "waiting to click the mouse." And my wife is waiting to whack me over the noggin to knock some sense into me.

          7. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 28, 2009 07:57am | #373

            just got this email. a slow lens but it seems like a good price for a bazooka:http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/NZ0090K/alone, the lens from them is $479 so knock off a couple hondo for the combo.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          8. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 28, 2009 06:52pm | #375

            For someone who wanted the D90 and was just starting out with no lenses, I'd recommend the D90 with the 18-200 3.5 VR lens. The D90 has been bouncing around $850 +/- $30 and the 18-200 is around $625 individually, you might be able to shave off $100 by buying them as a kit. That'd still put it at $100 more than the kit you linked to. But with the 70-300 you'd need a second lens to get below 70mm.The 18-200 can be your everything lens. It can shoot up close, it can reach out fairly far. You have the VR for when you need it, you can turn it off when you don't, for moving subjects or shooting sports, etc. Plus it is a little faster (3.5 vs 4.5) than the 70-300 in the kit from calumet.When I started shooting I wanted the 300mm, mostly for sports, to reach out across the field. Heck, I really wanted 400, 500, or 600mm! What I've discovered is that there really isn't much effective difference in going from 200 to 300. 200mm is more than adequate, especially with a high resolution camera. Crop out the excess and you still end up with a nice close-up.Of course that's all opinion, based on what and how I shoot.

          9. JLuther | Jan 28, 2009 07:43pm | #376

            I've grown up around photography, my dad making his career out of that "hobby" and all his associates the same.  No one will ever settle the debate on who is better Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Olympus...  and so on.  Canon and Nikon are so fun to debate because they have both been on the forefront of photojournalism for years with good marketing and good technology.  Companies trying to compete for Canon and Nikon's share of their business exploit their weaknesses; i.e., Olympus with its built-in vibration reduction system and sensor cleaning or with Sony's new Alpha 900 taking a jab at full frame 26 megapixels sensors.  But back to Nikon and Canon, it is pure personal preference.  A great photographer can take better pictures with a point and shoot camera than a beginner with a Canon 5D Mark II or Nikon D3.  It isn't as much the equipment but how a photographer uses light and composition.

            That being said,  I could use the Nikon or Canon in an identical situation and not be able to tell the difference in image quality.  A professional could do the same and be able to show me the differences.  If you are making large scale reproductions, I can tell you that Canon has the edge in image quality.  Nikon renders human skin tones a bit warmer that some photographers prefer.  But both of these are not perfect arguments for preference because post-production work can make these differences negligable.

            Personally, I shoot with a Nikon d200 and am patiently and hopefully waiting to see if the d700 replacement will also shoot HD video.

             

          10. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 29, 2009 02:45pm | #383

            I'm probably going to be the last on the planet to switch to D, I know I have to say goodbye to my old film bodies on of these days, even after some abuse and being rained on a time or two they still work and are a joy to work with I don't think the plastic bodies will endure some of those things even with the advent of AF I still managed to take a picture without it, as some joy is derived from composing a shot instead of letting the equipment make decisions but we allow technology to once again turn us into operators rather than us having to do all the work.
            it's fine when a ditch has to be dug in January, but standing there pushing buttons just to take a simple sunrise and blur the car going by and add tones and filters and backlighting and reducing vibration, and framing and cropping ...... and and and and in the end I'm just not that dazzled by the gimmicks.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          11. mrsludge | Jan 29, 2009 06:05pm | #384

            FWIW, my new-to-me D200 and 18-200 lens outweighs either of my old film bodies (FG-20 and FA). I cringed when my wife's comment on picking it up for the first time was "this is heavy."  At least on the D200/D300/D700/D3, there's a metal chassis under there somewhere.

            I'm still reading up on the new camera, and the flexibility and potential for tweaks is pretty nuts compared to film. You can just pick it up and shoot, but there's a pretty steep learning curve to take full advantage.

          12. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 29, 2009 08:57pm | #386

            my F3s are almost 30 years old now and still functioning, I have had to buy new motor drives with one MD even saving the camera from severe damage once when I just dropped the damn thing and while their practicality in a digital world is almost zero, I doubt very much that their digital counterparts will ever enjoy the same longevity or durability
            even though when the F3 was new on the market..... real pros were bemoaning the loss of their workhorse batteryless manual F2s and rejected the new camera as they were the very first ALL electronic camera that was supplanted by F4 a ( real dud IMO )
            F5 and F6.
            just this past year Nikon finally stopped making the F3 quite a run for a a very well made camera IMOit seems too, that the digital ones don't seem to hold their value since technology renders them almost obsolete every time a new sensor is built.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          13. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 29, 2009 06:44pm | #385

            Good points, but don't forget, you don't have to use the bells and whistles on the DSLRs. There are menus that I think are gimmicky and I'll never use.And if you want to shoot manual, you can to your heart's content.It's sort of a paradigm shift. With film, you'd compose and take your shot, develop the film, then make prints. You could tweak your results in the darkroom. If you screwed up and didn't get the results you wanted, you file that knowledge away in your brain and try to shoot better the next time.With digital, you compose, shoot, then look at the LCD screen. I think my DSLR has 32x zoom on the LCD, so I can blow up a shot and see if I got the details I really wanted. I can check out the histogram and see what's up with that.If the shot is good, terrific. If not and only slightly off, I can tweak it in my digital darkroom, known as Photoshop. If the shot is horrible, I can delete the image and re-shoot in the spot.When I was shooting a play rehearsal in a theater the other night, I was going for a really shallow depth of field...about 1/2". In front and behind was blurred. The lens had a tendency to front focus in autofocus.A manual tweak here, a camera tweak there.During a break I plugged the camera into my laptop and downloaded the photos to the laptop. Now instead of a 3" LCD I could check them out on a 17" LCD screen. More tweaking, more shooting. I came out of that session with great shots. And I knew I had great shots, versus getting into a darkroom and hoping that I had great shots. The feedback can be instantaneous.Without a doubt I know where you're coming from in the "film versus digital" argument, because I was there about 5 or 6 years ago.Digital works for me, but I can certainly respect the fact that it doesn't work for everyone. Either because of how they shoot, what they shoot, or just by choice.Heck, in warm weather I still use a pinhole camera!Photography should be fun. It's art and science combined. And it should be personal. If it's not personal, then it's not photography. You're just taking pictures.

          14. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 29, 2009 09:20pm | #387

            you at least use yours in a professional capacity ?while I am just a hobbyist, I do enjoy playing with some of computer photo software like Aperture and Nikons NX2 demo to an extent but I doubt if I would ever grasp all there is in the big gun cameras since it took me years to learn how to use my old ones, .:)
            it just that the Mfrs' insist on cramming all this stuff into every new body as if we are incapable of producing an image without any of it heck it used to be tough enough trying to pick the right aperture and shutter.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          15. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 29, 2009 11:09pm | #388

            I'm not a pro, but I'd say a serious hobbyist. I do get compensated for some work though. Enough to pay for my equipment which makes it all good! And for me, taking photos for others forces me to take photos in different environments and thus it has forced me to work to become a smarter and better photographer.Despite bells and whistles on digital cameras, photography still comes down to iso, shutter speed, aperture, and lighting, with the lighting being natural or added by you. The biggest difference I suppose is that with film you chose the iso by choosing a roll of film. With digital you choose iso with a button.I don't know how you shoot film, but with digital, if I'm shooting a still subject I shoot full manual. If my subject is moving I shoot manual, shutter priority, or aperture priority. I mess with exposure compensation and flash compensation a bit here and there. That's it. All the other bells and whistles are superfluous to me. I don't set the camera to do any file manipulation at all. I'll adjust settings based on how the file looks or based on how the histogram looks. The histogram can show trends you can't see in a 3" LCD screen.The only time the camera goes into full AUTO is if I hand it to someone else who wants to take a shot.You are right in that as sensors evolve, older cameras will lose resale value. But that's important only if you want to upgrade, and how much better tomorrow's camera is when compared to the one you have in hand. Example, my 12MP camera can provide a better 8" by 10" print than my old 6MP camera could, and the difference is visible to the eye. And because of that, it was a worthy upgrade. Even if it was a "forced" upgrade because I accidentally drop-kicked and broke my 6MP. <g>And you are correct in that because of the drop in the market value of my old, outdated 6MP camera, economically it didn't make sense repairing it. I think I paid around $700 for my D70 body several years ago. According to Ritz Camera's website, in full working order it had a trade-in value of around $90. I'm not certain what, if anything, it would have brought on the open market. But when I called around the estimates I got for repair hovered around $400. For me it was better this time to take the $400 and put it towards a new $850 D90.However, upgrading from my 12 to an 18 or 24 or 30MP camera makes no sense to me. Now or 10 years from now. I have a "large format" printer of sorts, the largest photos I print at home are 13" by 19". While my eye can detect a difference between a 6MP and a 12MP file printed out at 13" by 19", the additional pixels gained by going from 12 to 24 don't make a visible difference. A friend, who is a true, full-time professional photographer, compared my 12MP and his 24MP Canon at 13" by 19", as well as on his calibrated monitor. At his request. To my eye and his eye, the quality of files looked equal as 13 x 19 prints viewed through a loupe, as well as when viewed blown up on his calibrated monitor. And that's not a Canon vs Nikon debate, it's a pixel debate.Getting into poster-sized prints, which he does on occasion? Then his 24MPs will make a true difference. So there is upgrading to keep up with the Joneses and to have the latest-greatest, and there is upgrading for better real-world performance. Not perceived performance, but actual performance.I'm not buying a new printer. Unless I break this camera, it'll be in my hands for until I wear out the shutter mechanism. I will say that as sensors go, better MP may not be the benchmark. Better light sensitivity will be. Better performance at higher iso's, etc. I could be wrong, but I think the fairly new Canon EOS50 has an iso 12800 setting, and I thought some other cameras were even higher. Not sure.So I see improvements in sensor light sensitivity as being valid upgrades that could provide better real world output from the camera, especially if you're someone who shoots in flash-restricted situations.I'm pretty happy where I am now.Except that I type too much.

          16. User avater
            maddog3 | Jan 30, 2009 12:45am | #389

            running one those newer cameras in manual seems odd to be sure so you given something else to think about.have you ever tried macro photography with your digital ?.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          17. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 30, 2009 01:33am | #390

            Nope, no macro. Probably someday, though. I'm really enjoying getting back into this.

          18. JLuther | Jan 30, 2009 01:41am | #391

            there are always situations were you'll want manual operation on your high tech dSLR...  macro is one of them.  Manual focus is the only way to go for good results in macro work.  The autofocus doesn't know what you are trying to keep in focus when working in extreme shallow DOPs.

            I would say that I use aperature priority in 80% of the pictures I take letting the camera chose the shutter speed and ISO.  My d200 tops out at ISO 6400 but the new d700, d3 and d3x get up to 25600 making handheld night shots possible and with ultra-low noise.  That's impressive.

            One of the better review sites I have found is http://www.dpreview.com

          19. User avater
            Mongo | Jan 30, 2009 03:00am | #392

            That's an excellent website. They've sold me the last six cameras (DSLRS and point and shoots) that I've purchased.

          20. MikeSmith | Feb 13, 2009 05:15am | #395

            mongo...  went  to  some  Apple  1-on-1  training  tonite  and  bought  the  upgrade  for   iLife

            which  has  iPhoto  09  in  it...

              iPhoto  09  has  facial   recognition   software  built in  so  you  can  teach it "faces"  and  then  tell  it  to  assemble  all the  pics  of   "Mary"  ...  or  baby  Mongo  into   folders

             

            pretty   coolMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          21. User avater
            BillHartmann | Feb 13, 2009 05:24am | #396

            "or baby Mongo into folders"You getting ready to make some Wanted Posters?.
            William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

          22. MikeSmith | Feb 13, 2009 05:33am | #397

            my ambition.....never  to  be  seen on  the  wall of  the  post  office

             

            it's  a small  ambitionMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          23. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 13, 2009 10:32am | #398

            I'm using iphoto '08. When I was looking at the on-line tutorials I saw that face recognition stuff offered on '09. Big Brother is watching!I really really really miss irfanview. I'm looking at Graphic Converter.I think a lot of apple's photo stuff is poorly arranged. Some is in iPhoto, some in Preview, some elsewhere. Other things are only in Aperture, which I don't have.I'm still learning the system, so it could just be me being lost.But man, I miss Irfanview! One stop shopping for the manipulations that I had to do.Just bought Final Cut last week and I've been playing with that. I'm about halfway through a 400+ page tutorial book. I like it so far.I bought Office for Mac (or something like that) for my daughter's laptop, it's licensed for three machines, so I might put that on my iMac.Where'd you do your 1-on-1, at an Apple Store? Do the Apple experts really all wear black turtleneck shirts? <g>I could probably use some tutoring, someone to answer the hundred and three "where can I find..." and "how can I do..." questions that I seem to come up with each day.I do have to say, I love the 24" monitor. JPEGs look glorious on it.

          24. MikeSmith | Feb 13, 2009 02:44pm | #399

            i wonder  how Irfan would  run on  Parallels ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          25. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 13, 2009 03:25pm | #400

            Mongo,I use Graphic Converter for resizing and opening oddball formats and such. It's pretty handy. You can get it here: http://www.lemkesoft.com/But if you want to get serious about manipulation, photoshop is the way to go. The Elements version is under 100 bucks and has about 99 percent of the capabilities of the full-blown version. I bought the full-blown one because I had upgrade pricing available to me from a student license from 7 years ago, otherwise there is nothing I need that isn't in Elements.Preview is not really for manipulation. It's mostly just a really quick way to look at stuff. They've added some manipulation ability over the years, but it's not really what it exists for.I really only use iPhoto for organizing stuff. I don't use it for manipulation at all. It's not particularly strong at anything but does an OK job at organizing. I've been thinking about lightbox or aperature for that, but I'm not serious enough about it to shell out money for a dedicated organizer.I'm not real thrilled with the data-base style file handling that iPhoto and iTunes are based on. It's a little too opaque about where the real files actually live and what happens to them when you modify things. When I modify things I usually drag the photo out of the iPhoto window onto the desktop, which makes a copy on the desktop leaving the original in its home in the iPhoto folder. I then do all my manipulations via Graphic Converter or Photoshop on that file on the desktop. If I'm keeping it which is rarely, I'll re-import it to iPhoto.Steve

          26. MikeSmith | Feb 13, 2009 03:59pm | #401

            steve....

            <<<<

            I'm not real thrilled with the data-base style file handling that iPhoto and iTunes are based on. It's a little too opaque about where the real files actually live and what happens to them when you modify things. When I modify things I usually drag the photo out of the iPhoto window onto the desktop, which makes a copy on the desktop leaving the original in its home in the iPhoto folder. I then do all my manipulations via Graphic Converter or Photoshop on that file on the desktop. If I'm keeping it which is rarely, I'll re-import it to iPhoto.>>>>

             

            opaque   is  a good  description......on  all  my other  organizers  ( thumbsPlus 7 ....  windows...or  just  Windows Explorer )  i  knnow  when  i  drag  a  pic... i'm  dragging  the  pic..  but   with  the  mac...  i  have  no  idea  where  that  sucker  REALLY  is...  and   i'm  usually   dragging  a  copy  of  a pic

             

            i  still  don't  have  my  mind  wrapped  around  the  inner  organizations  of  my  Mac  yet...  "Finder    "  doesn't  seem  to  be  the   true  equivelent  of  ExplorerMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          27. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 13, 2009 07:10pm | #402

            I absolutely agree with both you and Mike. There's just not the transparency in Macs that you have with PCs. And with PCs you can develop your on filing system and arrange it, name it and shuffle it how you want. With the mac you sort of have to conform to their methods. But you don;t really know what those methods are. iPhoto does seem to have great cross-referencing capabilities, and it can be very adept at organizing...but I still hesitate over some of it's restrictions. I think I just need to get used to the fact that I have to do it "the mac way" and not "my way."I have the full version of photoshop on my other PCs but not on my mac, and all this stumbling around over the past couple of weeks with this mac is helping me figure out what I exactly need to do the work I'm used to doing. Photoshop-lite is still more than I need, it'll be more than adequate for what I do.Photoshop elements is about $60, but the reviews on the apple site are not completely encouraging regarding how it interfaces with the mac. Not sure if it's the software by itself, or this particular version of the software...or just another case of PC to Mac capabilities not quite translating properly. Or it could be the users screwing things up.I've got to take a look at Aperture. View the tutorials, maybe try a free download. Lightroom is more than I want to spend, but I'd be willing to shell out a bit more cash to get something that won't cause problems down the road. And that will work as advertised. If Aperture or Lightroom can do what Irfanview did, that can save me the hassle and $ of Graphic Converter. Frankly, the main reason I started the change from PCs to Macs is I just want a stable platform. That's intuitive. That works. I'm tired of troubleshooting. I'm finding Macs aren't necessarily all they are trumped up to be. Of course it cold be operator error on my part. Time will tell.<sigh>

          28. MikeSmith | Feb 13, 2009 08:45pm | #403

            so..... maybe  i'm  dense  (  really  ?  )....

            but  can  you  run  IrfanView  on  Parallels  on  your  Mac ?

            you  are  running  Leopard  ,  right ?

            have  you  fooled  with  Bootcamp ?

             Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          29. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 14, 2009 12:16am | #404

            Yup. I'm on leopard. Haven't yet looked at bootcamp or parallels. Yet another thing to look in to. First, though, the important stuff...I have to wire up a battery pack and then add lights to a couple of hand-held candelabras, my son is playing Lumiere in his school's production of Beauty and the Beast. Anyone seen my soldering iron?Mike, you did the Apple tutoring, did you bring your own computer or did you use ones in the store?

          30. MikeSmith | Feb 14, 2009 01:25am | #405

            i  bring  mine....  but  i  think  they  can  also  use  the ones  in the store

            leave  your  wallet  and  credit  cards  home

            they  got  lot's   of  goodies

            i've  had  3   one-hour  1-to-1  meetings  so  far......  #1  &   #3  were  great

            #2  ...  just  ok

            where  is  your  nearest  Apple  Store  that   has  training  ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          31. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 14, 2009 05:05am | #416

            Nearest Apple store to me is up in Farmington CT, just west of Hartford. I'm guessing 50 minutes.I was in the Providence store a few weeks ago. The place was packed.

          32. MikeSmith | Feb 14, 2009 05:47am | #418

            2d 1-to-1.... i went in a little early... saw James Woods ( without his makeup)... had a good looking blonde with himstore does get some trafficMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          33. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 14, 2009 11:52pm | #427

            Bootcamp.Don't think i can do it. Instructions say you need a disk with Windows XP pro WITH service pack 2 on the disk. Can't load the XP then upgrade to SP2. My Pro is old and I downloaded SP2 from Microsoft's website.Not so fun fact. Last night I heard a "click click click" sound coming from the other room. Went in there and it was coming from a Western Digital MyBook external drive that I'd been using as external storage for one of the Dell desktops. Turned the MyBook off and went to bed.Went online to google this morning, the click click apparently is the death sentence for those drives. Hitched it up to the iMac, got all my photos (several thousand) photos transferred before it click clicked again. So some stuff recovered, some stuff seems lost.

          34. MikeSmith | Feb 15, 2009 01:46am | #428

            some  of  my  stuff  is  lost  too... because  I  can't  find it.....  it's  spanning   about  4  computers..

            it's  almost  like GroundHog  Day...  every  once in  a while  i'll  open  a  computer  folder .... and  lo &  behold...  that's  where  that  pic  wentMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          35. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 20, 2009 10:01am | #505

            "some of my stuff is lost too... because I can't find it..... it's spanning about 4 computers..

            it's almost like GroundHog Day... every once in a while i'll open a computer folder .... and lo & behold... that's where that pic went

            That's when you just have to load everything on your mac and let iPhoto sort it out for you. I did that and checked "do not copy duplicates" box. Didn't help. I ended up with over 48000 photos on the iMac. After going through them I deleted over 15000 duplicates. And triplicates. And quadruplicatoritisits. I'm now down to 33066 photos.

            My delete button sits about 1/8" lower in the keyboard than it used to.

          36. Scarecrow | Feb 20, 2009 06:01pm | #508

            Thats what I like about Lightroom.  I put all my photos in folders by year eg; 2009 Raw Orig.  Then under that by day taken.  Now lightroom doesn't move the images, what lightroom does is import the information "about" the images.  Once your done tweeking the image and export it either to the web or as a Tiff for further adjustments it makes a copy of the original and then adds the adjustments.  What is great about this is that the original raw file is never altered.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          37. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 14, 2009 03:59am | #406

            Mongo,

            The transparency thing with files in iPhoto and iTunes is a function of those programs, not apple's file system per se. It began with iTunes, and iPhoto followed soon after, I think.

            I'll explain the iTunes organizational scheme because it is more transparent than iPhoto, but it is essentially the same thing.

            iTunes mp3 (or AAC) files live in the following location: ~/music/iTunes/iTunes Music/ (~ is the unix notation convention for your home folder). There is also a file in the iTunes folder called iTunes Library that is a database (xml I think) that iTunes uses to find and play your files. That is why you can make all the playlists and such and still only have to have one copy of each music file on your drive. The database file contains all the organizational information and pointers the actual mp3 files. If you were to just drop an mp3 file in the iTunes music folder, iTunes wouldn't know it was even there, because its existence hasn't been written into the database file. That's why you must import the file through iTunes in order to have access to it.

            iPhoto does pretty much the same thing, but obscures the location of the originals altogether using the unix convention of "packages". Packages are a way to group together any number of files yet have them appear as a single file to the end user. When you install an application on the Mac by dragging it to the applications folder, you are really dragging a package with a custom icon that contains thousands of individual files that make up the program.

            Anyway, if you want to see where the actual photo files are, go to ~/Pictures/iPhoto Library. The iPhoto library file is a package with a custom icon. Right-click (or control-click) on the iPhoto Library icon and chose "show package contents" from the pop-up menu. You will see something like this:

            View Image

            Inside the folder labeled originals, you will find folders corresponding to each "event" in iphoto, and inside those event folders are the actual jpg files. Like this:

            View Image

            They didn't used to do it that way. At first iPhoto was like iTunes where you could see all folders and poke around in them if you wanted to. I think they chose to hide the originals and all the attendant files in a package because they don't want people moving them or renaming them or anything that will confuse the program.

            You can avoid all this nonsense by using a different photo manipulation program such as photoshop. However I suspect that any program that organizes and catalogues photos is also going to do it using some kind of similar database structure, But I'm just speculating.

            Photoshop Elements 6 for the Mac is supposed to be quite good, and ahead of the windows version as far as features go. The interface is quite different that regular old photoshop though.

            Graphic Converter is shareware, and you can use if for free forever if you want. I ran it for free for about 5 years, then when I had to upgrade for leopard I realized how much I depended on it and paid for it. You should try it out for a while and see how you like it.

            It's funny that you feel confused about where things are on the Mac because while I can function on a windows system, I generally feel like I'm walking around in the dark on them.

            Steve

          38. MikeSmith | Feb 14, 2009 04:13am | #407

            now   you   displayed  those  from   your  attachments...

            which  i  can  do  easily  on  my  HP  (  windows)

            but if  i'm  on  my   Mac  i  can't   figure  out  how   to  copy /  paste

            here...  i  right-clicked your  screen  shot...  hit  copy

            now  i can  paste  it  back in

            View Image

            i'll post   this  to  you..  and  switch  over  to  my  MacMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          39. MikeSmith | Feb 14, 2009 04:17am | #408

            ok... here's the Mac...i "double clicked it" and got a menu .... chose "copy image"now i'll select edit from the safari menu and choose "paste"....http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/at.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&guid=09358288-78FF-4868-B990-72FFB9B63DBA&frames=nonot quite what i was hoping for ....Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          40. MikeSmith | Feb 14, 2009 04:38am | #410

            here's some composition..i'll put in some double beaks <br><br>
            <img src="http://forums.taunton.com/n/docs/docDownload.aspx?guid=B544DACD-74B4-43F8-85DA-41ACE8702368&webtag=tp-breaktime">not so good, huh ?edited to put the closing pointy thing in... and take out HTMLdamn..... that's one of the only pics of hazlett in existenceMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / RestoreEdited 2/13/2009 8:54 pm ET by MikeSmith

            Edited 2/13/2009 8:55 pm ET by MikeSmith

          41. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 14, 2009 04:46am | #413

            You are missing the closing pointy bracket after the close-quotes.

          42. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 14, 2009 04:47am | #414

            also, don't need "HTML"

          43. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 14, 2009 04:21am | #409

            Mike,That's a function if Internet Explorer. I think it's the activeX controls ore something. I don't believe you can do it that way in Firefox on the PC.Anyway to do it on the Mac compose your message and click the box below the composing window that says "HTML formatting" or some such language (i forget the actual wording.Now you must manually type in your line breaks. I type this: <br><br> for double spaces.Now attach your photo.Now hit preview.Now right click on the link to the attachment that shows up in the preview. Chose "Copy link" from the popup menu.Now hit the revise button.Now where you want the image to appear type in the following HTML: <img src=""> and insert the link you copied in between the quote marks in that string of html.Now hit preview again to make sure you got it right, and you should see the post with the embedded photo in it.Now hit Post.Steve

          44. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 14, 2009 04:39am | #411

            On a photo note, I gotta say I sure am loving using an SLR again. What a joy to compose through the optics instead on the screen. I'm so much quicker and natural through the viewfinder.Steve

          45. MikeSmith | Feb 14, 2009 04:45am | #412

            i had almost forgotten that with my old Coolpix... lookig at tat little viewfindereven my year-old D80 is fantasticMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          46. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 14, 2009 04:58am | #415

            Here's a test to show mike the HTML

            This is where I would insert a picture:

            View Image

            See?

            Steve

          47. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 20, 2009 09:51am | #504

            "On a photo note, I gotta say I sure am loving using an SLR again. What a joy to compose through the optics instead on the screen. I'm so much quicker and natural through the viewfinder."

            I was taking photos a couple of nights ago and someone came up to me and said, "hey, your camera has live view, it's a lot easier to take your shots that way."

            I agree, I can't stand composing anything on a rear LCD. I never could stand taking pictures with my kids' point and shoots.

          48. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 14, 2009 05:38am | #417

            Interesting!I appreciate you taking the time to point that out. It helped me find one other thing, the "original" photo folder and the "modified" photo folder. I remember reading the mac was keeping the original file of photos somewhere even after I modified them with iPhoto, but wasn't quite sure about it.That just seems like a way to eat up hard drive space. What you said about using a 3rd party piece of software to modify photos outside of iPhoto makes sense.I'm going to spend a bit of time wading through "Finder" to see what buried treasure I can find.Thanks Steve, I really appreciate your help.

          49. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 14, 2009 06:13am | #419

            Glad to be of use. Once I figured out where the actual files were hiding, I relaxed quite a bit about the whole database method of dealing with the photos and the music. Once you accept it, it's actually a pretty efficient way to keep things organized, just a little opaque. It just feels better knowing what's going on. I actually appreciate that it keeps the originals unmodified. I equate it to always having the negative or slide safely tucked away. You mentioned a 24" screen earlier. You must be on a 24" iMac then?Steve

          50. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 14, 2009 07:04am | #420

            Yup, 24" iMac.Only bad thing about the large screen is I had to max out the track speed on the mouse so I can make it from one side of the monitor to the other without running off the side of the mouse pad.

          51. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 14, 2009 07:13am | #421

            I got a refurbished one last summer, and it's been perfect for me. Speedy enough for VectorWorks. I love the screen, and the lack of clutter on the desktop. I have an external drive on the desk right behind it for Time Machine, keyboard, mouse and nothin' else. Gives me lots of space to clutter up with other junk ;-)Makes a darn fine digital picture frame too, when you set the screen saver to display your pix randomly. I can see the pix great from 40 feet away in the kitchen.SteveEdited 2/13/2009 11:14 pm by mmoogie

            Edited 2/13/2009 11:15 pm by mmoogie

          52. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 14, 2009 07:52am | #423

            Does Apple sell refurbished like Dell at the Dell Outlet? Or do they sell them in the Apple Stores?I'm realizing now that I got a pretty good deal on this one, new, 24" iMac, 2.8ghz, 500GB hd, on sale for $1099. It came with 2GB, so I had them put another 2GB of DDR2 memory in for another $120 to max it out at 4GB. Set me back $1300 including sales tax to to carry it out the door. I was thinking of getting another one for my wife, but she needs a PC for work and doesn't want to mess with a mac until she's not working anymore. I shopped a bit about two weeks ago but was sort of shocked by the prices. Same configuration came to $2120 tax included. Ouch. This 24" iMac was actually $100 less expensive than the 13" macbook I bought for my daughter.I may keep my wife working so I don't have to buy her one.

          53. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 14, 2009 03:21pm | #425

            You can get refurbished from the online store here:http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=MTE3NjYRefurbished is usually about 200-250 bucks off list. I got mine for 1549.00 before tax. You got a heck of a deal on yours. Was it an open-box return or something? That price is usually what it costs for the cheapest, smallest iMac they sell. Did you hit it as they were transitioning to a newer model? I would look hard a t a used one from Craigslist too. The current generation of iMacs is pretty bulletproof. The first generation of any new apple design can be a ####-shoot because they are always trying some new form-factor that is usually pushing the envelope. The first generation white rectangular iMacs had some problems with bad power supplies, but this revision is pretty mature and has had no real hardware issues. I don't think you can do dual monitors with the iMacs. It usually takes a second video card to do that, and there is no place to put one in an iMac. I used to get full-sized towers and do dual monitors, but there is a huge gaping hole in apple's product lineup...no affordable tower. People in the Mac community have been gritching for years about the lack of a mid-range tower with some open slots.Steve

            Edited 2/14/2009 7:23 am by mmoogie

          54. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 14, 2009 06:57pm | #426

            It was new in box, but it was from the university co-op bookstore where my daughter goes to school. They are typically $100-$150 less than what you'd pay at an Apple Store, but then they were having a sale on top of that. We were there to just buy a macbook for my daughter, but the iMac monitor caught my eye. That drew me over to the iMacs, and then the sales boy came over with the "these are on sale this week" pitch.I wasn't even going to buy it, as I wasn't planing on buying the iMac for several months, as I was several weeks away from even starting a little home construction project; designing and constructing a bunch of built-ins (desk, filing cabinets, bookshelves) in our "home office". I wasn't going to purchase until the dust had settled and the paint dried.I finished the office last month and just got around to setting the iMac up a couple of weeks ago.I had three monitors on my Dell desktop, we used them for work for web demonstrations. I specifically asked the co-op sales boy if the iMac could run dual monitors with no hardware changes, he sad "yes." Dang, I'll have to look in to that. Not a huge deal if it can't because this 24" monitor is so large. But with the Dell I liked running Photoshop menus/palettes on one monitor and having just the photo I'm working on on the other monitor. Dang. I should have bought two!<g>

          55. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 15, 2009 03:08am | #429

            Mongo,

            I was wrong. The iMac has a mini-DVI connnector with support for dual monitors, either in extended desktop mode (double the real-estate) or video mirroring (same thing on both monitors). Sorry about the misinformation.

            Here are the specs from apple:

            Steve

            View Image

          56. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 15, 2009 07:41am | #430

            I discovered that today too. I'll probably go ahead and do that as I have an old 17" flatscreen that I'm not using. It'll be interesting to see if the Dell even comes close to the iMac calibration-wise.. I appreciate all your advice. I really dug into Finder today, the more I dig, the more tricks I pick up.

          57. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 15, 2009 08:52am | #431

            I ran dual monitors as far back as 1990. I used to art direct a couple of magazines using QuarkXpress on an SE30 with a 9" b/w screen hooked up to a 16" color second monitor. At the time that 16" seem huge! Used to park all the palettes on the b/w screen.Have you got David Pogue's "Mac OSX: The Missing Manual" book? Everything you could ever want to know is in there. I know I pimp it all the time here, but I can't recommend it highly enough.Steve

          58. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 16, 2009 05:05pm | #432

            OK, Does anyone here own a D2x ? I don't want to re-read the whole threadI think I'm going to look for one after reading the old reviews elsewhere. and would appreciate any opinions
            I was going to get a D90, but my old MF lenses will not work according NIkon, and I do prefer the heavier body anyway.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          59. Scarecrow | Feb 16, 2009 05:43pm | #433

            If you Nikon guys want to use your old glass, check out the Lumix G1. You can get an adapter for it and use your old glass.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          60. JohnT8 | Feb 16, 2009 06:10pm | #434

            400 posts about cameras and no photos in the thread!?

             jt8

            If you aren't embarrassed by your offer, then you are offering too much!  --DanT

          61. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 16, 2009 06:14pm | #435

            here, now sit down and be quiet.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          62. Scarecrow | Feb 16, 2009 08:29pm | #445

            Here ya go

            One B&W

            View Image

             

            One color

            View Image

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          63. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 17, 2009 04:44pm | #452

            nice did you use the Nik stuff on these.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          64. Scarecrow | Feb 17, 2009 06:20pm | #455

            No, but that B&W is about 10 curves masks to get the contrast right for the mountains and water. Tweeking one area and painting it out of other areas to balance it all.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          65. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 17, 2009 06:45pm | #457

            don't understand what you said.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          66. Scarecrow | Feb 17, 2009 08:19pm | #458

            What do you know about photoshop (I'm sure it applies to other software)layers?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          67. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 17, 2009 09:49pm | #459

            not very much,
            my editing consists mostly of ND filters, Polarizers and enhancing colors, never dabbled with adding layers or trying to figure out Photoshop, maybe editing a film image is different than digital ...... I don't know I am debating whether to go with Aperture or CaptureNX 2 I realize I don't use even a fraction of their capability, but I'm sure it will change with more practice
            since I am going to dive in to the digital fray shortly, the stuff I have read, is overwhelming to someone like me who knows absolutely nothing, I know I'll figure it out, it's just a lot of techno babble right now.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          68. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 18, 2009 03:12am | #460

            For a starter you could do a trial download of Photoshop Elements.Much of Photoshop's capability is directed towards graphic artists. Elements might have all you need for basic tweaking of photos.With me being new to iMacs, I'm messing with iPhoto. Basic stuff, but their "enhance" button, which is sort of like "auto everything" in one button, is way off from anything I'd like to see. To me it's too bright and oversaturated. But it's sufficient for basic stuff.I don't mess with RAW much at all. Some dig it, some dis it. For me it just depends what I'm shooting.Aperture is good with RAW and workflow. Same with Lightbox. Both can do "manipulation light".If you really want to manipulate files, then I believe Photoshop is it. I am trying to improve my skills, but honestly, I'll have to see what Elements offers. I can probably do everything I need on Elements instead of having to spring for a full PS for mac. I'd love to get a copy of Silver Efex. I enjoy black and white so much more than color. To me, B&W takes away the distraction of color and makes you focus on the subject and composition.I might be thinking of someone else, but is your wife a schoolteacher? There might be a way to finagle an educational discount, which is substantial. I think around 70%.

            Edited 2/20/2009 2:10 am ET by Mongo

          69. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 18, 2009 04:11am | #461

            yeah iPhoto is kind of wham bam presto .I think I tried something from Adobe a few years ago. I recall a CS on the folder
            don't know what's happening right now, but the downloads are not downloadingno, wife is not a teacher.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          70. MikeSmith | Feb 18, 2009 04:22am | #462

            i've  got  Capture  NX  ...  pretty  neat....but  i  don't  know  how  to   use  it 

            ....only  6  more  weeks  and   the  golf  course  reopens...  so  gotta  take    care  of  this  winter   stuff  now

             

            edit:

             

            along   those  lines  ...  Helen  and  I   only  have  3  more  carousels  to  look  at....  we  managed  to  throw  about  half  of  the  slides  away.....so  now  we're  down  to  about  23  carousels  each  about  half  full  (  40  or  so  )

            next  task  is  to  scan   the  winners in with  my  Nikon  Coolscan  500......  now  THAT  is time  consuming

            Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

            Edited 2/17/2009 8:26 pm ET by MikeSmith

          71. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 18, 2009 04:30am | #464

            try NX2 yet, I had both for a few days and I think NX2 has quite a bit more doodads, I'm having a blast with itfor the next few weeks anyway.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          72. MikeSmith | Feb 18, 2009 04:37am | #465

            i  can  probably  upgrade  for  not  much....

            still playing   with  iPhoto  '09  and  it's  facesMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          73. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 18, 2009 11:38am | #467

            When you feel ready Capture is available for a 60 day trial http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=61#Anchor-2and there are a few others in there that might be fun to play with.......
            .
            .. . . . . . . .

            Edited 2/18/2009 4:39 am by maddog3

          74. diamond_dodes | Feb 20, 2009 03:12am | #491

            Finally picked up a 5d on Monday! Not really had a chance to mess with it much yet but I love it.

            Took a few quick test shots on the way home from work today

            View Image

            Current Job - Addition / Remodel.

            View Image

            Creamer Pond. Tiverton, RI.

            Cant wait to really get into it.

          75. MikeSmith | Feb 20, 2009 05:39am | #492

            looks good.....   i bet a 5D is a Cannon,  right ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          76. diamond_dodes | Feb 20, 2009 05:44am | #493

            yeah
            Canon 5D - 12.8MP Full Frame DSLR

          77. Scarecrow | Feb 20, 2009 05:45am | #494

            did ya buy new or used?  If used how many actuations are on the shutter?

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          78. diamond_dodes | Feb 20, 2009 05:56am | #496

            Used - about 10,000 actuations. Bought from a real nice guy who kept great care of it. Came in original packaging with all accessories, manuals, receipts.

          79. Scarecrow | Feb 20, 2009 06:08am | #497

            Ifn you don't mind me askin what did ya give for it?  I'm eventually moving to full frame, wouldn't mind a 5d nor a 5dmkII.

             

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          80. diamond_dodes | Feb 20, 2009 06:15am | #499

            I found it on Craigslist. A lot of people are selling them to upgrade to the amazing MKII. He wanted $1300 for the body only. I got him down to $1050 (and $20 gas for the ride to Boston) . A steal in my eyes.
            If you're not comfortable with Craigslist KEH always has them used. They are a great online used dealer.

          81. Scarecrow | Feb 20, 2009 06:20am | #500

            There is one at the local photo store on consignment for 1275.00, but I'm wondering if I should save my pennies and go for the MkII.  I currently have a 40D.

            BTW are you SURE your manual focus FD lenses will work? 

            I do like the idea of 50mm is 50mm and not 85mm with the APS-C sensors. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          82. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 20, 2009 06:33am | #501

            >>are you SURE your manual focus FD lenses will work?<<I was wondering that too. I've got a bag full of them and had pretty much concluded that they don't, as the distance from the mount to the sensor plane is shorter in the EF series, which would rule out the possibility of any adapter for the old lenses. Actually, if I recall correctly, some of the longer telephotos can be adapted but won't focus to infinity.Steve

          83. diamond_dodes | Feb 20, 2009 06:33am | #502

            Well...
            I'd need a converter and I probably wont bother for now tell you the truth. Maybe some day.I done a lot of research on it and this is one of the better answers I came up with re: using FD lenses on EOS EF bodies... Not my words, copied and pasted from someones writings...The Canon FD bayonetmount has the shortest mount-to-film distance of all manual SLR lenses.
            Therefor, on any non-Canon-manual FD camerabody, the lens gets too far from the digital sensor.So the FD adapters must have some sort of glass/lens in it to counter that effect.On EBay you can find cheap converters like Hama that have such bad lenselements that they negatively effect the imagequality, or the very expensive Canon-ones: they however only work with specific top-notch lenses, as the adapter has a 'snout' much like the 1.4x and 2.0x extenders, prohibiting physical connection with other lenses...Because of their thickness and the lenselements, you also have to add a cropfactor... (1.25x).Then you have to manual-focus, without the split-prism and microlenses of the old Canon Fseries/Aseries/Tseries camera's as focus-aids...And then you have to meter 'stopped down' as the aperture also is non-automatic...

          84. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 20, 2009 06:47am | #503

            That's about the gist of it from what I've read. Might be worth it on some of the really long really expensive glass, but if I recall, the high-quality Canon adapters are rare as hen's teeth, and darn near a grand if you can find one.So in short, we're startin' over...Steve

            Edited 2/19/2009 10:47 pm by mmoogie

          85. Scarecrow | Feb 20, 2009 05:57pm | #507

            Exatly, everything I've read on the subject says it's pretty much not worth it.  Also something to consider is the advances in lens technology/coating over the last 20 yrs or so.  While some of these lens were Top-O-The line back in the day, not so much anymore.

            But I do know that Ziess DOES make some nice glass that will fit a Canon mount.  http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08091501Zeissforcanon.asp~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          86. MikeSmith | Feb 20, 2009 05:50am | #495

            what made you decide to go full-frame ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          87. diamond_dodes | Feb 20, 2009 06:10am | #498

            Mike,For one I just needed a new camera.Personally I liked the idea of full frame and was given a lot of recommendations from pros who shoot a lot of the same stuff as me.I shoot a lot of skateboard / live band photos with wide angles. Full frame has great low light performance with very little noise. The viewfinder is big.I can even take advantage of my old FD - MF lenses and get true 28mm , 50mm etc

          88. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 18, 2009 04:24am | #463

            I been playing with this for a bout a week:http://www.tiffen.com/dfx_v2_home.html
            .

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          89. Scarecrow | Feb 18, 2009 06:16am | #466

            "the stuff I have read, is overwhelming to someone like me who knows absolutely nothing,"How much film photography have you done? Have you developed your own B&W film? Color? Made prints?What do ya want translated from techno-babble?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          90. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 18, 2009 12:32pm | #468

            I bought an AE-1 when they offered a "Winter Olympics" special, maybe the late 70s
            it was really nothing more than a lens cap that had the Games logo on it.... but I think everybody bought a Canon back then ....... only rich folks had Nikons :) I never bothered to try making my own, instead I hung around folks who had darkrooms and enlargers.
            Mostly I just watched, since I didn't have room for any equipment, I recall the E6 kits but with labs all over the place I didn't see the point. still I knew all the words just not the techniqueI eventually became friends with a man who owned a pro lab and he actually liked some of work enough that he would develop them himself, I was humbled by that and began taking better pictures since he would offer his advice for free anyhow I have moved several times since all that and have lost or tossed most of the old prints and slides that where junk .
            I used all kinds of film from anyone who made it, Agfa,Ilford Kodak........even daring to use the Pro stock from Kodak I liked infrared B&W because I never knew if I was still framed right after putting the #87 filter on..so I guess maybe over 1000 rolls of film but now only 3 or 4 rolls a year and after shooting whole rolls of the same thing with every filter then made, you know the Red filter ,the Green, the Blue, Yellow...and about 2 dozen Cokin filters , I just leave the polarizers on my everyday lenses, which are a 16mm fisheye (no pola on this one)
            a 35PC, and my very nice 85 1.4and now that I have the time I will be trying to shoot Macro again with my bellows, that I have had for years, along with the extension tubes and reversing rings that have been collecting dustand I still have my A-1 too and it worksat any rate while I have been making a short story long, I have tried to grasp what some of the geeks at places like dp/review and nikonians are saying, not that I NEED to know it, I can follow instructions after all, but damn .jpg .tiff, RAW, .dng, .png WTF forgive me but I get the impression all the button pushing and adjusting is done to make digital look like film, I have to laugh since some of those people drop huge amounts of cash and then try to duplicate what they sneer at as a dying technology. eventually we will no longer take pictures, instead we can process an image .
            no more push,pull ....... just SAVE
            no more latent image, just a bunch of 0s and 1s, and batteries
            when I turn my camera off I don't have to worry about "losing" anything where a chemical process is replaced with inkjets on special inkjet paper woe is me
            .
            .
            .. . . . . . . . Edited 2/18/2009 4:36 am by maddog3Edited 2/18/2009 4:41 am by maddog3

            Edited 2/18/2009 5:02 am by maddog3

          91. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 18, 2009 02:24pm | #469

            MD,My Canon F1 is an LA olympics special edition. I've got the logo etched right into the body. Didn't order it that way, just came gratis.I shot 5-10 rolls a day for the better part of ten years and resisted digital for quite a while, but be not afraid. The technology is there for you to use as you see fit, but in the end it's just taking pictures.You have to learn enough to buy a good camera, and get familiar with the controls, but after that, it's putting the camera to your face, composing and shooting, same as it's always been. But you get the advantage of instant feedback.It is wonderfully liberating to take the picture and see it instantly. And as much time as I spent in the darkroom back in the day, I do almost no post-processing on the computer. A little sharpening, a little skew control (like using a PC lens) if buildings are involved, a little bit of making the whites white and the blacks black (equivalent of picking the right grade of paper) and that's about it.If you were a go-nuts-with-the-filters kind of guy, you will eventuallyy work your way into the software too. If you are serious about post-production manipulation Photoshop is the only way to go. There are about 900 million books on how to use it for photography. But to get started all you need is the camera and someplace to dump the pictures.Steve

            Edited 2/18/2009 6:26 am by mmoogie

          92. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 18, 2009 03:18pm | #471

            etched in is cool, I lost that special lens cap almost right away.I was all gung-ho when I started and bought everything even if I didn't know how to use it and now almost all of those filters are useless thanls to all the software available
            even when I drop film off, the machines just burn it till it looks average... sometimes I ask the operators to NOT do that and they get all pissy... I enjoy the looks they give me :)
            and then I have to try to put back what I saw when I took the picture, once they even managed to burn out a bolt of lightning.
            I wrote earlier that like you I pretty much just alter things slightly using very little of whatever demo I get my hands on. I do like Aperture, Capture, Tiffens Dfx and the one from the other day , NIKs ColorEfx. None of it is a must have though I did DL something overnight from Adobe .. Elements 6, so I'm going to play with that today, I peeked in there earlier and it has the usual buttons and menus everywhere .... ugh!so I am still looking at my options with the Dx2 being the favorite so far, even that Lumix will cost a bit more since I still need an adapter, so I may as well stay with the system I have.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          93. User avater
            AaronRosenthal | Feb 19, 2009 03:55am | #478

            F1 Montreal Olympics here.
            Still works.
            I also have the Rebel XT digital.
            I hate needing a stinkin' battery.Quality repairs for your home.

            AaronR ConstructionVancouver, Canada

             

          94. Scarecrow | Feb 19, 2009 04:00am | #479

            I've got an F1 but circa 77, I had a rebelxt but upgraded last year to the 40D.  Now the daughter has the Xt.  I lust after the 5d/5dmkII  Gotta get a full frame.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          95. MikeSmith | Feb 18, 2009 02:47pm | #470

            yeah...but the  septic  systems  are  happierMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          96. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 18, 2009 03:24pm | #472

            we could argue that there are lots of nasties used to make all this electronic stuff too..I read somewhere that Silicon Valley spews something 10X worse than CO2 into the atmosphere but nobody says boo about that. the chemical is used to manufacture chips.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          97. cameraman | Feb 18, 2009 10:19pm | #474

            Have been keeping a eye on your conversations, has sparked a lot of intrest...

            Intresting note: One of the major reasons for a chemical change with Kodak's color film chemistry back in the 70's, from C-22 to C-41, was not for quality. The EPA was getting in the great yellow god's case about the pouluntants being dumped by the labs. But Kodak wouldn't admit to it publicly!!

             

            Got ya both beat with special edition cameras, Hasselblad 500CM special edition when NASA to Hasselblad's to the moon. I didn't have to go to the moon to get one but I think it would have been cheaper!!  Did get a set of moon photgraphs, (8x10's) with it though, was supposed to have been made from the original negs..

            I am not quite sure if I really believed it though.

            P.S. I am a Nikon man.

          98. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 19, 2009 03:44am | #476

            never knew that about Kodak, nice bit of trivia, and your 'blad sure beats the heck out of my lens cap, got a picture?Nikon ....... me too !.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          99. cameraman | Feb 19, 2009 04:17am | #481

            In my 37 yrs in professional photog., I worked a few in a color lab. I got that bit of info from a Kodak tec. rep. at a trade show. Very early 70's.

            But now in the digital world I am back to the 35mm.

            My last of my film 35's are on Ebay, as I type.

            Some one mentioned a Topcon, that brought back my days at a newspaper while in high school.

             

            All interesting reading.

          100. Scarecrow | Feb 18, 2009 07:55pm | #473

            "I liked infrared B&W because I never knew if I was still framed right after putting the #87 filter on.."

             

            Well here is something to consider, you can pick up a used rebel (read cheap) and have it converted to IR only.

            Check out: http://www.lifepixel.com/

            Well digital is in a pratical sense no different than your film experience.  The only thing I would recomend (and I'm sure someone will argue the opposite) is other than your polorizer and ND filters you can pretty much leave the others at home.  As you've seen with NIK you can do all the "filter" work thru software and have much better control.

            Capture is pretty much the same with the addition of two things, white balance (color temp) and more flexible ISO (ASA) control.  ISO(ASA) becomes a third leg to the aperture/shutterspeed/ISO Film sensitivity.  To get more light sensitive "film"  just turn the dial to a higher ISO setting.  But turning the gain up will cause noise (grain) in your image.

            If your an old Canon guy why are you even looking at nikon?  You should not even be able to spell nikon. :)

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          101. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 19, 2009 03:32am | #475

            hehehe, not really :) 99351.48sorry for any confusion.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          102. Scarecrow | Feb 19, 2009 03:46am | #477

            Ah another one duped into believing nikon was a better camera. :)

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          103. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 19, 2009 04:08am | #480

            I'm so sorry.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          104. Scarecrow | Feb 19, 2009 04:18am | #482

            Well at least now I know why your looking at a Dx, it's for all your glass and not due to derangement. :)

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          105. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 19, 2009 04:25am | #484

            hey this is no act.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          106. Scarecrow | Feb 19, 2009 04:34am | #485

            Just wait till ya get knee deep into digital.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          107. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 19, 2009 03:08pm | #486

            hahaha , you just know I'll be whining about, what's this ? and why is that ? and how come ?.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          108. calvin | Feb 19, 2009 03:44pm | #487

            ha ha ha...............

            And who'll be the next victim.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          109. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 19, 2009 05:09pm | #488

            LOL, the list is short but very distinguished..
            .

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          110. Southbay | Feb 19, 2009 08:44pm | #489

            Deep in Digital. Well I'm getting there. I have a nice little Canon pack of cigs SD600 for the pocket that I've used for some really good shots. Have not enlarged anything. Bought a Nikon Coolpix 5700 on Craigslist. Not really happy with it, so I'm going to get a DSLR soon.I still use, very occasionally, my Olympus OM-1, that I bought while in HS, it's old and still works great. I have nice Zuiko glass - 50mm f1.4, 100 2.8 great lens! Also a 28 2.8, and a workhorse 65-200 f4 zoom. These lenses will only work full manual on the DSLR.Considering the Olympus E-520 or moving up to the Nikon D90.

          111. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 20, 2009 02:33am | #490

            what don't you like about the Coolpix ?.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          112. Southbay | Feb 20, 2009 08:29pm | #509

            I'm using it for concerts at a small venue, University Cafe at Stony Brook, where we have an acoustic Americana/folk series. The lighting isn't photo friendly, and I seem to get as good and better shots with the little Canon SD600. I I have to use - get to know - the Coolpix more. I'm using it on manual; auto gives varied results. With both cameras, the CCD is too small and the lens too slow. They are both well built cameras that, as expected, have their limitations. I will continue to use them.

          113. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 20, 2009 09:51pm | #510

            Do you shoot the Coolpix 5700 in RAW?If you're using jpeg, you might want to try RAW in situations where you have tricky lighting. RAW will give you an uncompressed and unaltered 5MB file from a 5MB camera, straight off the sensor. JPEG might give you a 2MB compressed file off a 5MB sensor, with the camera's built-in software adjusting color, saturation, sharpness, etc, to get the photo to look like what it thinks it should look like. Having the unadulterated RAW file with those extra pixels to play with can sometimes help you get a good print out of a lousy looking file. They are especially useful for tweaking exposure, white balance, etc, and they almost always need a bit of sharpening.In cases like that, low lighting, etc, I have to decide what's most important for that shot. If there is motion on stage and I want to minimize blur, I'll shoot shutter priority and set a shutter speed to eliminate blur. I might force iso if needed. You can usually lighten a dark photo sufficiently in post production, but blurs are there to stay.If I want to prioritize depth-of-field for a narrowly focused shot, I'll go aperture priority. Or I'll blur the background/foreground afterwards in photoshop.Where I'll take JPEG over RAW is if shooting burst mode. Say sports. The large RAW files can sometimes max out the buffer and write speed of the camera/card. I also shoot JPEG if just taking casual "snapshots."

          114. Southbay | Feb 24, 2009 07:09am | #520

            Thanks. I took only a few in RAW. iPhoto doesn't support RAW and they take forever to write to the card. I'll try it again when I get more serious lightroom software. I guess some version of Photoshop? I also have to educate myself for the digital age.

          115. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 24, 2009 07:34am | #521

            The version of iPhoto I have will import RAW. Don't know if you can work with them, but they import and are viewable.Steve

          116. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 20, 2009 10:00pm | #511

            Here's who I was supposed to shoot tonight in New Haven (this is not my photo):

            View Image

          117. calvin | Feb 21, 2009 01:55am | #512

            Jim, who's that?

            Dr Johns brother?A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          118. Scarecrow | Feb 21, 2009 02:33am | #513

            Looks like George Clinton.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          119. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 21, 2009 03:00am | #514

            Scarecrow hit it. George Clinton. Good ole Clinton and his P-Funk boys are in New Haven tonight. I have photo priviledges at the club they're apearing at.My son got in a car accident last night, so today and tonight my attentions are not aimed towards capturing Mr. Clinton in all his glory.

          120. calvin | Feb 21, 2009 03:54pm | #515

            Hope the boy is alright.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          121. MikeSmith | Feb 21, 2009 05:21pm | #516

            what cheer, netop ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          122. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 21, 2009 06:01pm | #517

            Thanks Big Cal, he'll be fine.

          123. calvin | Feb 21, 2009 06:04pm | #518

            Good to hear.

            He's fine and has learned a valuable lessen.  Could be the only accident in his life if he learned it real well.  Nothing like a little experience in life.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          124. Scarecrow | Feb 24, 2009 05:27am | #519

            Whatcha think, saw this in my shop.  Needless to say haven't used this nail pouch in awhile.

            View Image~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          125. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 24, 2009 03:01pm | #522

            nice mono, like the vignette too, looks like my stuff out in the barn in June !
            I can picture the pouch hanging by some old shop window
            so I have to ask if there is any way to get some natural light from the side ?.
            .
            .. . . . . . . .

            Edited 2/24/2009 7:02 am by maddog3

          126. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 24, 2009 03:51pm | #523

            I have been reading and reading , and I have a rather elementary question about megapixels,what is your opinion regarding the maximum number of them required to take a picture that is comparable to say ISO 100 print film ? let's hold off about how big the enlargement can be for a bit, and just decide on how many Mps to make a picture that a typical printer can print
            it would seem that a very small number can do the job...... but of course those cameras are outdated but not necessarily obsolete by technology and more gee whiz buttons.but the root of the discussion is how much is enoughI will guess that 6Mp is more than enough..

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          127. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 24, 2009 04:00pm | #524

            On the other hand Hasselblad has lowered there prices on there big guns making them more affordableThe Hasselblad H3D-31 kit (camera body, viewfinder, and 80mm lens) is now offered at a new, lower price of $17,995 and the H3DII-39 at $21,995. < this is a 39 Mp back
            .

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          128. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 24, 2009 05:01pm | #525

            re: megapixelshttp://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_megapixels_would_it_take_to_equal_a_35mm_film_maximum_qualityHere's one explanation, but I believe it's more complicated that that. There are some very complicated factors that go into it, and I read a very long and detailed explanation of it somehwere once, but cannot find it now.Size of the sensor plays into it as well, as the smaller and closer together the pixel sensors are, the more the image degrades. I'm thinkin' 10-12mp is about right on an ap-c sized sensor.Steve

          129. MikeSmith | Feb 24, 2009 05:34pm | #526

            mad... 

            do   you  have a Ritz  Camera  around  your  location ?

            i  went  to   couple  of  their  free  classes,  learned  a  lot  of  stuff  hands-on

            also  learned  about  some of the  printing options 

            they  have  some  good  discount  printing   deals  if  you  pre-pay..  and  their  printing  equipment  is current  generation...  printing  is  important  to my  wife...  me...not  so  much

            anyways....  my  understanding is that  sensors.. dust  control... megapixels...

            white balance....   all  interconnect

            most  people  will be  very happy  with  3 -  5

            digital  photo processors  who  want to tweak the  shot  will be  happy  with  10 - 12Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          130. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 24, 2009 06:16pm | #528

            Mike, first let me say that nothing is close to here, with the closest real camera store is about 30 miles away. or in Chicago not exactly nearby, and I would like to have a few digital classes.... since my film experience was earned thru trial and error with a lot of input from my friend at the labas far as printing I will probably end up having 1 in a 100 worth saving so I guess I could put those on one disc for when the time comes to make a trip worthwhile which will in all
            likelihood require more learning on my part since I will have to tell them what I want I.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          131. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 24, 2009 06:18pm | #529

            that's what I thought, there is no real comparison it is all in the eyes and it would also seem that we are still far away from from getting close to the fineness of old Kodachrome even though sensors and formats are getting bigger.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          132. Scarecrow | Feb 24, 2009 06:03pm | #527

            Quick answer I believe is 8MP or so.
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          133. Scarecrow | Feb 24, 2009 07:41pm | #531

            what is your opinion regarding the maximum number of them required to take a picture that is comparable to say ISO 100 print film ?I've been thinking more about your question. Based on what criteria? Dynamic range, or sharpness? How are you measuring "comparable to..."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          134. Scarecrow | Mar 01, 2009 02:22am | #544

            "but the root of the discussion is how much is enough

            I will guess that 6Mp is more than enough."

             

            Check out this article on 35mm film vs digital here~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            In America everybody is of the opinion that he has no social superiors, since all men are equal, but he does not admit that he has no social inferiors, for, from the time of Jefferson onward, the doctrine that all men are equal applies only upwards, not downwards..... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          135. User avater
            maddog3 | Mar 01, 2009 02:48pm | #545

            I had a hard time understanding comments like this one;.........." that 9 megapixel number years ago I had not taken into account is how digital cameras retain better contrast than film for fine detail. But then as the detail becomes finer still, the digital camera - unlike film - suddenly washes out completely. Today I accept that even for black and white images, digital cameras do a better job than I had anticipated."so "washes out completely " is a good thing his extrapolation of the sensor size to 39 for full frame, but then states it is still only 15 since the picture has some problems, and he also manages to blame the AF as being inaccurate as well blows the picture up to 24" X 36" and then prints only the central 40% because he is still concerned about the edges at that size,

            the sensor was not big enough,
            the lens was the wrong one,
            the AF had trouble focusing,
            and the f/stop was to small why doesn't he just go buy a medium format camera I know it's early , but I somehow feel dumber after reading that ......

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          136. Scarecrow | Mar 02, 2009 06:38pm | #546

            Well pulled the trigger and bought CS4 aaand Silver Efex Pro. Man are they ever sweet!Just doin' my part to stimulate the economy. :)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            In America everybody is of the opinion that he has no social superiors, since all men are equal, but he does not admit that he has no social inferiors, for, from the time of Jefferson onward, the doctrine that all men are equal applies only upwards, not downwards..... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          137. User avater
            Mongo | Mar 02, 2009 07:31pm | #547

            Which suite did you get? Any reasons for that one over another? Are you using it just for photos or do you do graphics design and web work too?I'm just trying to gather info to help me with my decision. I seem to be stuck in the "one step forward two steps back" phase.For me Silver Efex is a no-brainer. But I'm stuck on CS4.

          138. Scarecrow | Mar 02, 2009 08:43pm | #548

            I bought just CS4 Photoshop, not the suite nor the "extended" version. My daughter has the InDesign CS4 suite, since she does do design work.
            As I've said before I've a bootleg copy of CS2 so I'm pretty well versed in what features are useful for photography. And I figure since I bought CS4 full price my karma is back in balance, at least that is my story and I'm sticking to it. :)Up until recently Photoshop Essentials didn't do layers, so that kind of rules that out for me. Layers allow you to make changes then go back and edit those changes, they're not permanent. Beware the "one button" adjustments. Once you make them to an image and close that image you can not come back and undo that change as you skill grows.Ya Silver Efex Pro was a no brainer, I would of liked the whole suite but I'm not paying that price. I still don't understand they're pricing scheme.I spent some time at "adobe TV" learning how to customize my panels, The advances in CS4 as compared to CS2 are well worth the upgrade IMHO.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            In America everybody is of the opinion that he has no social superiors, since all men are equal, but he does not admit that he has no social inferiors, for, from the time of Jefferson onward, the doctrine that all men are equal applies only upwards, not downwards..... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          139. User avater
            Mongo | Mar 03, 2009 12:28am | #549

            I'm going to have to pow-wow with my son. He's taking a film class this year, I'm not sure if anything in the extended version would be of value to him. I have Final Cut Express 4 on the mac and Premiere on my PCs. If Lightroom was in the CS suite, I'd certainly go for that. But with Lightroom separate, that sort of has me scratching my head with these other options, including possibly going with Aperture.I agree regarding layers. I want to continue having that ability.Bootleg copy? You bad, bad man! On my PCs I had Adobe Essentials 2002 (Acrobat, After Effects, Dimensions, Font, GoLive, Illustrator, InDesign, LiveMotion, PageMaker, Photoshop, Premiere, Streamline, ATM Deluxe).I paid full price for my version of Adobe Essentials 2002. But full price for that was $4. In Moscow.<g>So, yup, if I pay their street price this time for a mac version, I suppose it won't be all that bad.

          140. User avater
            Mongo | Apr 06, 2009 04:28pm | #550

            Just scored a sweet deal.I do some photo and video work for the school. They have a 1x6 disc replicator, I was using it to burn several hundred DVD copies. In casual conversation with the school's tech person I remarked tht I had just changed over the macs and needed to get photoshop for macs."Oh, I can give you a copy of CS4."Not just PS, but the entire suite. <gulp> The school has a license for 500 seats, they're only using about 30, and since I do stuff that is school related, I seem to qualify.She's delivering the discs to my house this afternoon. Woohooo!Let the learning curve begin!

          141. Scarecrow | Apr 06, 2009 04:47pm | #551

            Sweet... Which suite?
            My daughter goes to college, she (I mean me) bought the CS4 InDesign suite (educational) for here at a substantial discount but there is a catch with educational software. You can only put it on one computer. Other than that....all the same.I'm lovein' CS4 and Sivler Efex pro. Now I'm lusting for a cinamatic monitor and a better graphics card. Will the madeness never end?AND a good friend of mine just gave me his old 60mm f2.8 Macro lens since he bought the 100mm one. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine...... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          142. MikeSmith | Apr 06, 2009 07:09pm | #552

            a bit of bad news... our local Ritz Camera just closed..
            now the nearest one is in Mass. or Ct.so my camera lust will have to be sated someplace else... and Bestbuy don't seem quite the samethe 4-5 salesmen at Ritz were all on pretty much a first name basis with meMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          143. calvin | Apr 06, 2009 07:19pm | #553

            Mike, our local non chain camera store (one of a couple) where I made pretty much most of my purchases will close May1.  A sad day for sure.  For the good people that worked there and also for us in need customers.

            If you purchase online I have a suggestion up in Kalamazoo, Mi.  Helpful knowlegable and a good price.  Norman Camera.  Smalltime.

            Opening Day at 2pm today!  Play Ball.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          144. MikeSmith | Apr 06, 2009 07:45pm | #554

            got  our  first  18  in  on  Jamestown  yesterday.....  but  Fenway   had  to  postpone  until  tomorrowMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          145. calvin | Apr 06, 2009 07:50pm | #555

            The Tribe is in Texas.  Wed. 3man started last week-45 maybe this wed.   Almost there.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

          146. Scarecrow | Apr 06, 2009 08:19pm | #556

            Hey this thread is for photography stuff, take it outside. :)Ditto on the local "den of photography." I try to support them as much as possible but I use them to go play touchy-feely with the equipment. But if they aren't reasonable on price....I read about the Ritz/Camera World/Wolf closures. Their business model was tied to film/prints.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine...... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          147. User avater
            Mongo | Apr 07, 2009 03:03am | #559

            Don't waste your time at the Ritz in Waterford CT, at the Crystal Mall. If it hasn't been shut down yet, it should be.

          148. MikeSmith | Apr 09, 2009 04:44am | #561

            took a ride  to ritz to see for myself....  turns out , the Warwick store was on the "closing list"...

             

            but mgmnt changed their mind.... decided to close the other 3 stores in RI  and leave Warwick alone

            kind of strange to be that publically confusedMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          149. User avater
            Mongo | Apr 09, 2009 08:09am | #564

            Well if you ever get tempted to visit the Ritz in Waterford CT, there's an Outback just around the corner.You can empty your wallet and fill your belly. And document the whole thing with a photo essay.

          150. User avater
            Mongo | Apr 28, 2009 07:09am | #565

            OUCH!

            View Image

            Nothing much to say except I'm glad it's not my son. But then again, my son is the goalie. He gets hammered worse than this in most games.

            I know the pic isn't germane to the thread. But hey, it is a photo thread...sort of?

            Edited 4/28/2009 12:14 am ET by Mongo

          151. MikeSmith | Apr 28, 2009 01:42pm | #566

            hey, CT Lacrosse..... my brother, out of New Milford, refs a lot of those gamesJim Smith.... look him up , ask him how his Yankees are doingMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          152. User avater
            PaulBinCT | Apr 28, 2009 04:06pm | #567

            Hey Mike... If you need a real, "old time" camera store (I'm sure they ship) call "The Camera Bar" in Hartford, ask for Andy and tell him I sent you.  We worked together for many years, great guy and his knowledge makes the guys at the chains look pathetic.PaulB

            http://www.makeabettertomorrow.com

            http://www.finecontracting.com

          153. User avater
            Mongo | Apr 28, 2009 04:38pm | #568

            I'll keep an eye out, but I don't need to ask him about baseball. As far as I'm concerned, I think his Yankees are doing great! ; )

            Ole Johnny boy has had me and my son a little worried with the number of pitches he's been tossing in the 9th inning. He keeps things exciting.

          154. User avater
            Mongo | Apr 06, 2009 10:29pm | #557

            I asked her which one they had and she replied "CS4."I didn't push further than that, but she said it had "everything on it." If it's the Master Suite with everything on it I'll be shocked.

          155. User avater
            Mongo | Apr 06, 2009 11:39pm | #558

            It's CS4 Design Premium.I'm already in love with "preview" ability that the PS clone stamp tool provides. Do you use Bridge?

          156. Scarecrow | Apr 07, 2009 03:08am | #560

            Bridge in the past has been a dog. I use Lightroom as a my bridge/camera raw tool.Wait till you get a load of the refine mask window.
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine...... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          157. Scarecrow | Apr 09, 2009 06:17am | #562

            Do you use or have used a tablet? Wacom came out with a new one recently.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine...... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          158. User avater
            Mongo | Apr 09, 2009 08:03am | #563

            You sir, are a funny man.I was on amazon last night reading reviews on the very same item. I pretty much have to sit on my hand and stop buying things for now.Well, after the teleconverter that I ordered yesterday arrives.<g> I had an external hard drive go bad a couple of weeks ago, so I need to replace that. I might get an external, or buy an internal and build a box for it.I need to do a cleaning of my mac's hard drive, then download lightroom and try that out. Then probably buy it.Oy!

          159. Scarecrow | Feb 24, 2009 07:25pm | #530

            Nope the only natural side lights would be the garage door windows just to the right of the pouch. And on the same plane as the pouch. I might have to go back out and try to use a reflector or something. I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to "studio lighting".~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          160. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 24, 2009 07:46pm | #532

            yeah me too, I tried everything though tin foil, gold painted stuff, pink boards, bounce lighting, slave flashes ........I had a real nice Osram with a slave switch years ago.... timed exposure manually firing the strobe off the camera , and whew I don't know what else oh yeah those aluminum reflectors and all sorts of lamps for fill lighting.your pouch makes a very nostalgic look and just triggered a picture in my head.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          161. Scarecrow | Feb 24, 2009 07:56pm | #533

            "your pouch makes a very nostalgic look and just triggered a picture in my head"Good that was my vision/reason for doing it as well. :)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          162. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 24, 2009 07:56pm | #534

            I've done a fair amount of artificial lighting. Simple rule: less is more. One primary source from whatever direction you like, with a reflector made of a white piece of anything directly opposite will give really nice modeling. Move the reflector closer or farther away to adjust the ratio of fill to primary light. Using something gold or yellow for the reflector if you want to warm it up.I always seem to keep coming back to the primary light coming from about 3/4 behind the subject and the fill adjusted so that the fill is about 3 stops darker than the primary light, and the exposure set so that the fill is about 1 1/2 stops below what would be "normal" exposure if you were measuring the fill as your primary light. Gives really nice modeling, a really rich value to the shadow side, and creates a nice rim lit effect.Also, for the primary light source, you want something big and diffuse, like a window with a piece of translucent cloth over it (or a soft-box on a strobe).I'll try to come up with some examples if you want to see what I mean.Steve

            Edited 2/24/2009 11:57 am by mmoogie

          163. Scarecrow | Feb 24, 2009 08:01pm | #535

            Sure I'd like that.I've done one commercial shoot using a light box (borrowed) and sort of felt my way through it. I'll try to post some results.I've been thinking of getting a flash for my camera and a "gary fong" light sphere to use in the dark woods of the PNW as a fill.http://store.garyfonginc.com/lsu-cloud.html~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          164. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 24, 2009 08:54pm | #536

            I'll dig some examples up tomorrow. I'm on the road today.

          165. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 26, 2009 04:48pm | #540

            you know after looking at that again I seem to recall taking a green tupperware bowl out of the kitchen and chopping a hole in the bottom to fit over the flash. I don't think it worked to good but I do remember all the yelling when she found out !I think I even tried different color tissue paper over the flash, and taping some gel filters over it too OK so now the little wheels are spinning, but I have some things to take care of the next few days.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          166. MikeSmith | Feb 28, 2009 04:01am | #541

            went to another 1-to-1 training at the apple store... i've been concentrating on the iPhoto 2009  program

            finally found all the switches for splitting  and merging photo groups and still playing with the facial recognition  thing

            one thing i noticed...

            the slides i scanned with the Nikon Coolscan 500 have file sizes about 37 MB.... wow !Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          167. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 28, 2009 04:35am | #542

            I'm getting more used to what I'll call the peculiarities of iPhoto. I recognize it as a great organizing tool as long as you conform to their methods. I've read mixed reviews regarding the '09 facial recognition. Is it working for you?37mb? Wow. More dots than you can print! Are you scanning 35mm film negative strips or still working on slides. If you get to it, I'd love feedback on the strips of negative.My brain dump:I'm still missing irfanview. Graphic Converter isn't giving me what I want. After messing with both, I think Lightroom is actually a better product, but I think I'm going to take the Aperture plunge. I believe it's good enough for me.I still want CS4, but honestly, I can really do everything I need with Photoshop Elements. I think I'm just in the "because I want it" mode rather than the "what I really need" mode.But I'm not rushing. Too busy and distracted right now to really apply myself to committing to one package over the other. I have to research some plug-ins.

          168. MikeSmith | Feb 28, 2009 05:14am | #543

            culled it down to about  1200 slides...from about  3000

            but  i still haven't scanned any negative strips

            take a day trip  and you can play to your hearts contentMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          169. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 24, 2009 09:38pm | #537

            mmoogie , you bring up an interesting idea, do you think a mini workshop would be feasible, nothing structured but maybe more like I did this @ 1/250 @ f5.6 with a 50mm and ISO 400 and using PS or Aperture I added some color and brightened it up a bit ...........yada yada yada
            .

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          170. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 26, 2009 05:40am | #538

            Should be easy enough. Just a matter of finding the time. I've not posted any examples yet because all of my professional work is upstairs in boxes and I have to dig it out and scan stuff in to post. What's readily available on the computer is crappy point and shoot stuff from my post-professional days. I'll look for some stuff this weekend. I'm under the gun to show some progress on a job where the client is coming up from the city Friday.Steve

          171. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 26, 2009 04:39pm | #539

            hey that would be great, I have a big flash that's just collecting dust, I just might have to drag it out and play with it a bit, but it's the same thing here, not enough time.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          172. cameraman | Feb 19, 2009 04:19am | #483

            Wasn't Canon what they used to shoot with in the Civil War???

            Boom Boom

          173. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 20, 2009 10:14am | #506

            "Ah another one duped into believing nikon was a better camera. :)"

            Marketeering 101: The better camera is the one the other guy owns.

          174. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 16, 2009 06:30pm | #436

            hmm where would I find this info ?? dp/review makes no mention that I could find anyway.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          175. Scarecrow | Feb 16, 2009 06:48pm | #437

            http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2009/01/new-life-in-old-glasses.html~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          176. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 16, 2009 07:04pm | #439

            great I spent all week reading the reviews on all the D bodies and then you throw this in the game :).

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          177. Scarecrow | Feb 16, 2009 07:14pm | #441

            Camera addiction is worse than tool addiction.We're doomed~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          178. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 16, 2009 07:32pm | #442

            :) I was just minding my own business a few days ago and WHAMO, it came over me like a wave, I am going to part with my old film bodies one of these days I just don't want to, and I really haven't enjoyed pretending I enjoy reading all the digital gibberish and nonsense.having to teach myself over again is something I don't look forward to, even if the picture samples make it easier to really want a new camera .
            it was much easier with film
            now it's all about compatibility
            and software, and editing and, and ,and.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          179. Scarecrow | Feb 16, 2009 08:10pm | #443

            "having to teach myself over again is something I don't look forward to, even if the picture samples make it easier to really want a new camera .
            it was much easier with film
            now it's all about compatibility
            and software, and editing and, and ,and"The basics of photography are still the same composition and exposure (aperture + shutter speed + ISO). But everyone now can have a darkroom in of your very own (Lightroom + Photoshop) All the tools are there they just look different but for all practical purposes work exactly the same on your image. Exposure, dodge & burn, masking, grain type, paper type etc.I'm currently agonizing over wither I should drop the $700 for CS4. I currently have a (um, er, hangs head kicking the ground) free copy of CS2.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          180. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 16, 2009 09:25pm | #447

            I am planning on using Aperture from Apple, and Dfx from Tiffen, I have been using the demos on and off for about a year and they seem to have more capability than I have technique CS2 huh....... bad dog.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          181. Scarecrow | Feb 17, 2009 06:12am | #449

            "I am planning on using Aperture from Apple,"If your going to use aperture then you've got to check out NIK software plug-ins.I've tried them all (for photoshop) they are really nice. You can download them and try them free for 15 days. My favorites in order are Silver Efex pro, Viveza, and Color Efex Pro 3.0http://www.niksoftware.com/products/usa/entry.php ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          182. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 17, 2009 08:33am | #450

            I'd LOVE to have Silver Efex Pro.

          183. Scarecrow | Feb 17, 2009 08:41am | #451

            Yup it's pretty sweet.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          184. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 17, 2009 04:48pm | #453

            I DL'd the Color Efx Pro and was playing with since 3 A.M. very nice, and easy to use.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          185. Scarecrow | Feb 17, 2009 06:16pm | #454

            "I DL'd the Color Efx Pro and was playing with since 3 A.M. very nice, and easy to use"LOL, just as long as you don't blame me for being tired today. Their "U point technology" is pretty impressive. What I can't figure out is whats up with their pricing. The complete collection for Aperture is $299, then you can buy the collection for photoshop + aperture for $599. But I'll never use aperture I just want it for photoshop, so WTF?!
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          186. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 17, 2009 06:39pm | #456

            yeah I thought the same thing when I saw the prices,
            why would someone need both
            .

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          187. Scarecrow | Feb 16, 2009 08:15pm | #444

            "I am going to part with my old film bodies one of these days I just don't want to, and I really haven't enjoyed pretending I enjoy reading all the digital gibberish and nonsense."Why get rid of them? I built a nice little wall display and stuck all my old cameras/lenses in it. Plus I've some other cameras I've come by over the years. I've got over 100 years of photographic hardware.Digital is pretty easy once you translate it, stay away from the technical flame wars, do what fits your needs and just enjoy taking pictures again.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          188. MikeSmith | Feb 16, 2009 08:33pm | #446

            i agree...if you can store them without too much trouble..

            they fetch next to nothing on the used market......

            the grandkids  might  enjoy them  Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          189. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 16, 2009 09:30pm | #448

            I'm sorry, I didn't mean I would throw them away, they have been nothing but reliable and a joy to use these past 24 years they have also taken quite a beating in the process, what I meant was the increasing scarcity of more than Wal mart and Walgreens for film, even the camera shop I used to go to has switched over to digital and no longer processes film.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          190. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 16, 2009 06:49pm | #438

            Try out this chart on the nikonians page. Read the notes below the chart. I've found this one to me more accurate and more inclusive then those posted on other websites.

            Nikon lens chart

          191. User avater
            maddog3 | Feb 16, 2009 07:06pm | #440

            yikes I forgot all about nikonians. good chart Thanks Mongo.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          192. User avater
            jonblakemore | Feb 14, 2009 07:46am | #422

            "Only bad thing about the large screen is I had to max out the track speed on the mouse so I can make it from one side of the monitor to the other without running off the side of the mouse pad."

            It sounds like you need the second most popular computer upgrade:Dual mouse pads! 

            Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA

          193. User avater
            Mongo | Feb 14, 2009 07:59am | #424

            Hmmm....I was thinking of hitching up a second monitor. Dual monitors, dual mouse pads. Just no dueling banjos.

          194. Scarecrow | Feb 01, 2009 08:08pm | #393

            Good post. I've exited the hardware flame wars for awhile now, it will never end. The only justification for up grading from my current canon 40D would be "will it make picturing easier?" the answer is usually no. My current debate with myself is do I upgrade from CS2 to CS4?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.... Bertrand Russell

            http://www.drawingwithlight.smugmug.com

          195. User avater
            mmoogie | Feb 09, 2009 06:16pm | #394

            So I'm now the proud owner of a Canon 450D (rebelXSi) with the stock 18-55 lens.I think I'll be quite happy most of the time with the stock lens, though I wish it was faster. When I was shooting film for a living my "normal" lens was a 24mm/f2.0. I had the 24 and a 35/2.0 and always found the 35 a little too narrrow, so I gravitated to the 24 all the time. I actually admired the feel of my compatriots' 28mm shots more, but I couldn't justify getting a 28 when I had a 24 an a 35 (this was back in the days when zooms were junk). I also had a 20mm/2.8 for small interiors and such.Anyway, I need to be able to occasionally take wider angle shots (closer to 20mm would be nice) than the stock lens will give me. (small rooms for example). I don't really think in these instances that quality will be critical enough for me to justify spending 500 bucks on a good wide prime lens. So I'm wondering if any of the wide-angle converter lenses that screw onto the front are passable. Anyone have any experience with them?Steve

            Edited 2/9/2009 10:17 am by mmoogie

          196. mrsludge | Jan 28, 2009 06:40pm | #374

            FWIW, Amazon lists the SB-600 at $189 via Adorama. That's the best price I've seen. Amazon's price is now at $203 (w/ free shipping).

            I picked up one of the 50mm f1.8 AF lenses. Even paid the $15 or so premium to buy from my local bricks & mortar store.  Definitely a great value at $110 or so.

  17. MikeSmith | Dec 02, 2009 09:56pm | #569

    Marianne & her husband were up with the two boys for Thanksgiving

    and lo & behold , my D80 got bounced on the floor by the one year-old..

     now it won't focus ...... it shoots okay in Manual, but not in auto.....

    I'm pretty sure I have to get it repaired... any suggestions ?

    I was planning on Nikon but thought you or anyone else might have a better idea...

     who knows... this might be the impetus I need to get that D90

    Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
    1. mike585 | Dec 03, 2009 02:53am | #574

      Better win some more football tickets first.

      1. User avater
        Timuhler | Dec 03, 2009 03:40am | #575

        View Image

        From Highway 101 Loop Trip Oct 31-Nov 1 2009

        I'm a Canon guy. 

        Canon 40D assortment of glass, kit 28-135IS, Sigma 10-20, Sigma 30mm1.4, borrowed Tamron 28-300

         

        http://picasaweb.google.com/TimothyUhler/Highway101LoopTripOct31Nov12009?authkey=Gv1sRgCMHTm6_6ncrlLg#

         

         

        http://www.pioneerbuildersonline.com

        View Image

        From Lot 30 Muirkirk

        http://picasaweb.google.com/TimothyUhler                                     

        Edited 12/2/2009 7:42 pm by Timuhler

        1. User avater
          mmoogie | Dec 04, 2009 04:26am | #577

          Hey Tim,How's that Sigma 10-20? I could really use something wider than the 28-55 kit lens. Steve

          1. User avater
            Timuhler | Dec 04, 2009 04:33am | #578

            I love it.  I've had a lot of fun with it and got a lot of use it over the last 5 years I've had it including a trip to Europe.http://www.pioneerbuildersonline.com

            View Image

            From Lot 30 Muirkirk

            http://picasaweb.google.com/TimothyUhler                                     

    2. User avater
      Mongo | Dec 04, 2009 12:06am | #576

      Ouch.When you say "it won't focus...it shoots okay in manual, but not auto" is that one issue or two? "One issue" meaning it shoots fine with manual focus but not autofocus, or "two issues", meaning 1) it won't autofocus, and 2) it also won't shoot in auto?For the autofocusing, as already mentioned, it might just be the lens. First I'd swap out lenses to see if the focusing isn't a function of the lens. When I dropped my old D70, I had a kit lens, the 18-70mm, on it. I thank my lucky stars I didn't have me $$$$$ 70-200 VR telezoom on there. While the camera was toast, the 18-70 lens still functions, but its autofocusing ability is temperamental. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.If it's a "two issue" thing with your D80 where none of the autofunctions work, then repair advice is beyond my pay grade.On advice from a shop I did try to reboot my D70, they said it might help. It didn't. Ritz said to not even try repairing it, as it's pretty much obsolete repair versus repair wise. You might be in the same boat with your D80.I still like the D90. I'd guess with your lenses and software/workflow, you'd probably stick with Nikon? I actually preferred the D90 over the D3. They have the 3000 and 5000 out now, they might appeal to you if you want a small body. Ergonomically, those small bodies would drive me nuts. My fingers would be tripping over themselves.The D90 is in my ballpark sensor-wise. I'll never need more than 12mp. The largest prints I make at home are 13" by 19". And the D90s sensor is good enough for the dark theater and dark european church interior shooting that I do. Nice files with no noise. Couple it with a fast prime and you'll think you're shooting in daylight.I think I've written before about the video capability. Realize that it is limited, in that when shooting video there is no autofocusing or auto metering. So using it to shoot outdoor sports where lighting and motion are fluid might prove frustrating. I still use it that way at times, but there are limitations. It's great and convenient for quick clips when you don't have a camcorder though. The picture quality is fine, I've burned it to DVDs and shown it on large screen front projectors.Supposedly the autofucusing and auto light metering can be solved with a software upgrade should Nikon ever pursue it. I haven't followed up on the forum talk though. So if you're looking for a recommendation, yes, I still like the D90. As a bonus, your D80 batteries are compatible with the D90. EN-EL3e. And do you have the dual battery holder, the MB-D80? That can be transferred from the D80 to the D90 too.

  18. MikeSmith | Dec 02, 2009 09:59pm | #570

    Paul... see my post to Mongo about bouncing my D80 off the tile floor

    Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
    1. User avater
      PaulBinCT | Dec 02, 2009 10:31pm | #571

      Ouchhhhhhhhhhhh ObiWan... not only do I feel your pain, I've had the same experience including long ago a 12 THOUSAND dollar Tektronix spectrum analyzer... literally got sick.

      Anyway, have you tried more than one lens?  If you're lucky it's the lens and not the body.  In either case, I'd call my friend Andy in my previous post at the Camera Bar in Hartford, be sure to tell him you're a friend of mine.

       PaulB

      http://www.finecontracting.com

      1. MikeSmith | Dec 02, 2009 10:44pm | #572

        i'll see if some of my old lenses want to autofocus on the d80...

        and you think Andy instead of Nikon , huh ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

        1. User avater
          PaulBinCT | Dec 02, 2009 10:51pm | #573

          Well, if Andy has a local repairman, as I used to (he since passed away) it will undoubtedly save you money and be faster.  But he will tell you upfront, he's a no BS guy. PaulB

          http://www.finecontracting.com

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

Video Shorts

Categories

  • Business
  • Code Questions
  • Construction Techniques
  • Energy, Heating & Insulation
  • General Discussion
  • Help/Work Wanted
  • Photo Gallery
  • Reader Classified
  • Tools for Home Building

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

A Practical Perfect Wall

Getting the details right for a wall assembly with the control layers to the exterior and lots of drying potential.

Featured Video

Micro-Adjust Deck-Baluster Spacing for an Eye-Deceiving Layout

No math, no measuring—just a simple jig made from an elastic band is all you need to lay out a good-looking deck railing.

Related Stories

  • Podcast Episode 695: Saving Bricks, Cut-and-Cobble Insulation, and Waterproofing Foundations
  • FHB Podcast Segment: Waterproofing Below-Grade Foundation Walls
  • Midcentury Home for a Modern Family
  • The New Old Colonial

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 333 - August/September 2025
    • A Practical Perfect Wall
    • Landscape Lighting Essentials
    • Repairing a Modern Window Sash
  • Issue 332 - July 2025
    • Custom Built-ins With Job-Site Tools
    • Fight House Fires Through Design
    • Making the Move to Multifamily
  • Issue 331 - June 2025
    • A More Resilient Roof
    • Tool Test: You Need a Drywall Sander
    • Ducted vs. Ductless Heat Pumps
  • Issue 330 - April/May 2025
    • Deck Details for Durability
    • FAQs on HPWHs
    • 10 Tips for a Long-Lasting Paint Job
  • Issue 329 - Feb/Mar 2025
    • Smart Foundation for a Small Addition
    • A Kominka Comes West
    • Making Small Kitchens Work

Fine Home Building

Newsletter Sign-up

  • Fine Homebuilding

    Home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox.

  • Green Building Advisor

    Building science and energy efficiency advice, plus special offers, in your inbox.

  • Old House Journal

    Repair, renovation, and restoration tips, plus special offers, in your inbox.

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters

Follow

  • Fine Homebuilding

    Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.

    Start Free Trial Now
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X
    • LinkedIn
  • GBA Prime

    Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.

    Start Free Trial Now
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
  • Old House Journal

    Learn how to restore, repair, update, and decorate your home.

    Subscribe Now
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X
  • Fine Homebuilding

    Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.

    Start Free Trial Now
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X
    • LinkedIn
  • GBA Prime

    Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.

    Start Free Trial Now
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
  • Old House Journal

    Learn how to restore, repair, update, and decorate your home.

    Subscribe Now
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell or share my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2025 Active Interest Media. All rights reserved.

Fine Homebuilding receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

  • Home Group
  • Antique Trader
  • Arts & Crafts Homes
  • Bank Note Reporter
  • Cabin Life
  • Cuisine at Home
  • Fine Gardening
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Green Building Advisor
  • Garden Gate
  • Horticulture
  • Keep Craft Alive
  • Log Home Living
  • Military Trader/Vehicles
  • Numismatic News
  • Numismaster
  • Old Cars Weekly
  • Old House Journal
  • Period Homes
  • Popular Woodworking
  • Script
  • ShopNotes
  • Sports Collectors Digest
  • Threads
  • Timber Home Living
  • Traditional Building
  • Woodsmith
  • World Coin News
  • Writer's Digest
Active Interest Media logo
X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Project Guides
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Online Learning

  • Courses
  • Project Guides
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • FHB House
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Follow

  • X
  • YouTube
  • instagram
  • facebook
  • pinterest
  • Tiktok

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 70%

Subscribe

Enjoy unlimited access to Fine Homebuilding. Join Now

Already a member? Log in

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in

Privacy Policy Update

We use cookies, pixels, script and other tracking technologies to analyze and improve our service, to improve and personalize content, and for advertising to you. We also share information about your use of our site with third-party social media, advertising and analytics partners. You can view our Privacy Policy here and our Terms of Use here.

Cookies

Analytics

These cookies help us track site metrics to improve our sites and provide a better user experience.

Advertising/Social Media

These cookies are used to serve advertisements aligned with your interests.

Essential

These cookies are required to provide basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website.

Delete My Data

Delete all cookies and associated data