stefan_g

On the default chrome browser on an Android device, pages from this site never seem to finish loading, I assume this is due to ad reloading. The constant jumping to the top and back severely impacts reading and even more posting.

Here is a jpg obtained with a screw-drive lens + teleconverter from this year's air show: No cropping or sharpening, just a bit of exposure adjustment.

I think you are using the wrong AF settings on your D600. If people are moving just a bit, AF-S (the setting, not the lens type) is not going to cut it. On my D750, switching to AF-C, and to 3D area mode made a huge difference compared to single point AF-S, which I was used to from my D70. I don't think the screwdriver lens is really the limitation. I have had good results at the Chicago air show with my 80-200/2.8 AF-D, with the blue devils (or is it angels?) zooming by so close a single plane would fill the whole image. Before investing in a new body just for the autofocus - the D600 IQ should be as good as the D750, so there's no reason to upgrade for that - I'd practice with different AF mode and area settings on the D600. If the lighting is very bad, then yes, you could gain from a D750. But as stated in an earlier reply, you are not that low in EV, so the D600 AF should work ok with your 35-70/2.8 AF-D lens.

Thanks for all the replies! For some reason the new photo.net unsubscribed me from thread updates, so I am manually updating my watched thread list now. Follow-up question #1: Does anybody have any idea what fraction of people are doing their own lens overhauls, and how many of them are happy with the results? I have successfully taken apart and chipped (as in, 'added a lens CPU chip', not 'chipped the glass'...) some of my AI and AIS lenses, but got stuck on disassembling the 20-35/2.8 mentioned above. Follow-up question#2: I've read that some older lenses malfunction on the D750 specifically; reasons given seemed to oscillate between 'firmware mismatch - lens firmware update fixes it', 'too much current draw - lens DC/DC converter replacement fixes it', and 'just too bad'. Could this be the case here, or does it apply to AF-S and later lenses only?

I thought about the same question for about three years (see https://www.photo.net/discuss/threads/d7000-does-it-still-make-sense-to-buy-one-now.487919/), until I could afford a refurbished D750. Here is a table comparing Nikon low light performance; all data are from DXO, and are scaled to the same resolution (8MP) for all cameras. You see that for low light you are better off (by one full stop) with an old full frame 35mm camera than with a new 24mm APS-C DX. Maybe a refurbished or used D600 or D610 is in your range. Ignore the prices in the table; they are from 2013.

I'd be interested to learn what people here are generally paying for lens CLA and repairs. <Br> I recently dropped off my 20-35/2.8 at APS in Morton Grove, IL, because the AF/manual switch was not working consistently anymore. A day later APS gave me a quote for $435, for replacing the main circuit board (the technician whom I talked with when dropping off and picking up said it tested bad), replacing/repairing the AF switch, and overall cleaning, greasing of the helicoid and adjusting to Nikon specs. They did not break out parts in the quote, and explained that parts for this lens are no longer available, but that they still have some in stock.<br> I do not doubt that their work is worth the money, but since for my strictly hobby purposes the price was a bit steep I picked up the lens without repair (and got the AF switch working again in the meantime myself). <Br> For just CLA they mentioned the following rates:<br> 20-35/2.8 : about $245<br> 80-200/2.8 push-pull : about $235<br> 85/1.4 AIS : about $150<br> I expected (or maybe just hoped) these prices to be a bit lower. What are people here paying at other places, for similar lenses? Are the CLA rates for AFS lenses even higher?

If your daughter-in-law can live without AF, the Micro-Nikkor 105mm F/4 might be a nice lens, with a really good working distance. It goes to 1:2 scale without an extension ring. I assume it won't meter on a D3000 series camera, but neither moss nor lichen will run away very far while you are determining the best exposure by peeking at the histogram. I liked it on my D70, and on the D750 I even get metering.

To be a bit more quantitative about the low light performance, here is a table (which I made and posted already a while ago) comparing the DXO low light ISO ('sport') ratings of different Nikon cameras: <p> <img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Qo4q9PWElI4/VOjTIGchdPI/AAAAAAAApFw/5PrYTBEJh-s/s400/Screenshot_2015-02-21-12-44-51%257E2.jpg" /><p> The fourth column shows the relative sensitivity in stops. The DXO ISO ratings are rescaled to 8 MPixel, and are for 'decent' color depth and noise, so depending on your demands your actual usable maximum ISO might be a bit higher.

Nikon has a concise summary of this feature for the D810 (at http://nps.nikonimaging.com/technical_solutions/d810_tips/highlight/), which clarifies that the camera finds the highlights (so this mode is NOT like spot metering where you have to pick the spot), and that a single bright spot (like a stage light) in the frame can throw the algorithm off: <p><em>"Bright light in frame: <p> The camera may treat the light as a highlight, leaving the main subject underexposed. Compose the shot with the light out of frame or use matrix metering."</em>

A while ago I made a table comparing the DXO low light ISO ('sport') ratings of different Nikon cameras. At most you are going to gain half a stop over a D700/D3: <br> <IMG src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/- Qo4q9PWElI4/VOjTIGchdPI/AAAAAAAApFw/5PrYTBEJh- s/s400/Screenshot_2015-02-21-12-44-51%257E2.jpg"> The DXO ISO rating is for 'decent' color depth and noise, so depending on your demands your actual usable maximum ISO might be a bit higher.

There is clearly vertical shake, just look at the doubled upper edge of the lips. That needs to be fixed before you can deal with any focus issues.

<p>There seem to be good deals out there for the D7000 (B&H $700, Abe's $680), but does it still make sense to buy one this late (3 years after introduction, D7100 already out for a while)? Alternatives would be to do nothing (keep using my D70), find a good deal on a D7100 (at $1100 it's about what I paid for my D70), or try to find a used full-frame (35mm) DSLR, if there are any in this price range.</p> <p>I'm not really taking all that many pictures anymore with my DSLR, since my phone camera is always at hand, and seems good enough for snapshots in good light, or even documentation at work. My interests used to be climbing and available light music/performance photography. In the latter I would always run into the high ISO limitations (noise) on the D70 (see example pic). The best camera in this respect would probably be a fairly recent model (to get a low noise sensor & electronics) with the largest possible pixels, for good low light performance, but the expense for a recent full frame Nikon seems unaffordable/not justifiable for my needs. The pixel count of the D70 is fine for me. Unfortunately progress (and Nikon's emphasis) has not been completely aligned with my needs, and low light performance has only been improving slowly over the years, with (correct me if I'm wrong) the best 35mm DSLRs maybe 3 stops better than the D70 (I.e. ISO 6400 usable vs. the D70's 800)?</p> <p>So, I'm debating whether now's the time to take advantage of the (end of life?) deals on the D7000. I have the three old screw drive f2.8 zooms, covering 20 to 200mm, and a few fast manual primes, some of them chipped.</p> <p>Here are two sample pics, to give you an idea of what I'm interested in, and my limitations.<br> <img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wgNV3JJQLB8/R1XwZ76qK3I/AAAAAAAAJyg/F8mo_k9GSqw/s640/D70-12484.jpg" alt="" /><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mRHJI0Y2T9c/SSynEClEiBI/AAAAAAAAJzs/SJOKwTx0jzQ/s640/D70_2-4070.jpg" alt="" /><br> Added: EXIF data don't seem to show up; the first one is at ISO 1600, 1/50s, f1.4 or 1.2 (I don't remember which lens it was, 35, 50 or 85mm), manual focus, the second at ISO 400, 1/125s, f2.8, 80-200mm/2.8 at 160mm, AF.</p>