stephen_schoof1

My only experience with a DSLR failing was when a D80's shutter opened and never closed again. This happened out of the blue. In 25+ years of using film bodies, I had an F100 and FM10 do something similar, but otherwise my cameras gave warning that they were getting worn out (occasional overlapping frames due to a slipping film advance, buttons sticking, etc). I had other problems come up, but nothing serious enough to prevent me from taking pictures until I could get repairs. Since I'm now (finally) fully digital and I do some backpacking where carrying a backup body is undesirable due to weight, I'm curious how commonly DSLRs give up the ghost in a sudden, non-field-repairable way. Are there ever warning signs? I have checked my cameras' shutter counts and they are well below the supposed ~100K limit, but does that even mean anything? I'm just looking for others' experiences. I know there's no substitute for carrying a backup, but how common are sudden, non-accidental failures, especially among the lighter DX bodies (D3xxx or D7xxx series) I use for hiking?

Thanks to everyone for answering. No. I import from the flash drive with Lightroom set to copy the images to an external drive, which is backed up by two other drives (one in a different location). The flash drive and laptop are used only as portable temporary shuttles. I like backing up onto a flash drive while traveling because I can carry it in my pocket in case the cameras (with cards) and laptop get stolen or lost. I realize Lightroom does not actually store the images, though it took me awhile to figure that out. My only concern in all this was that by grabbing and copying only the NEFs I might be missing some sort of hidden files that also contain information, though everyone seems to agree that is not the case.

Apologies in advance for what is probably a silly question. I've photographed for almost thirty years but only moved to digital for my serious work this past summer. My workflow has been to shoot RAW-only files (Nikon D3200 and D7100 at the moment), then move the individual NEFs from the SD card to my laptop (which does not have Lightroom) using Windows Explorer. Then I copy those NEFs, also in Explorer, onto a flash drive for backup. When I return to my desktop computer, I usually just import (copy) the NEFs from the flash drive into Lightroom and then follow normal backup procedures (external drives, etc). So my question is, is there anything wrong with this method of getting images into Lightroom (copying through Explorer rather than directly from the card)? The pictures look fine to me, the metadata seems to be there, and I can't imagine how any information would be lost. I have just an sRGB monitor and haven't made really large prints, though, and want to be sure I'm not losing anything. Again, a silly question, but some of my assumptions have been wrong before...

<p><a href="http://www.theslideprinter.com/services/e6-slide-developing/">The Slideprinter</a> (AKA Denver Digital Imaging) charges $8.95/roll plus $5.00 handling fee for the <em>total</em> order. Shipping with their mailers is free both ways and you can fit about 10 rolls comfortably in a mailer. So ((8.95*10)+5.00)/10=$9.45/roll for really high-quality processing and convenient ordering. Not the cheapest, but I recommend them.</p>

<p>From Adorama, I wouldn't worry. When I get less than 5 rolls from either them or B+H, the rolls are often in just the plastic canisters. Sometimes the expiration has been printed on a sticker on the canister, but I wouldn't worry if it's not.</p>

<p>Velvia 50 often has a much different (IMO, better) look than Velvia 100. Shoot it on a tripod in soft or golden light and be amazed.</p> <p>Provia 100F has similar hues to Velvia, but with less saturation and contrast. Very fine grained and pushes excellently to 200.</p>

<p>First, I'm sorry your father is in ill health.</p> <p>Second, I'm no expert on the specifics of all your questions, but I've shot slides for 25 years and recently digitized the majority of the good ones, so I'll offer my 2 cents:</p> <p>One vital piece of information I didn't see addressed is what final product you want out of all this. If you are just scanning for viewing on a monitor you can greatly reduce your scan time and file sizes by saving the images as low-resolution JPEGs and it won't make any difference. If you want decent-sized prints down the line, you'll have to go with high resolution JPEGs or (preferably) TIFFs or some other lossless format.</p> <p>Also, how many images are there? This kind of project can quickly become overwhelming and if you can weed out the less important images, it's good to do that from the beginning.</p> <p>Regarding your questions:<br> <br />1) Cleaning - what kind of shape are they in? The less unnecessary handling you give them the better. Dust should come off with a dry brush or blower and grease and other blemishes can be removed with <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/71147-REG/Photographic_Solutions_PEC.html">Pec-12.</a> You can also clean up the scans digitally of course, and ICE or some other software can make that easier.</p> <p>2) Scanning - see above regarding resolution. It really depends on your end use. I can't comment on Vuescan or the Epson software.</p> <p>3) Slides - just to be clear on the nomenclature, the piece of film is usually referred to as a negative (for negatives..) or slide (for positive film), and the paper or plastic holder is the mount. So to get the negative or slide out of your paper mounts, you would use a razor to make a slit down the wider outside edge of the mount, allowing it to be 'gently torn open' (see this <a href="/photo/18213354">picture</a>). One side of the mount is hinged, whereas the other is glued shut after the film is inserted, so it helps to cut the slit on the glued side. Then you can pull the film out with a tweezers, unless it has become stuck to the mount and then you'll have to do some more carving. As you guessed, this compromises the mount (though if it's done well the film can be reinserted and the mount taped closed). I would avoid doing all this if you can possibly figure out the order some other way, because at best it will really slow things down.</p> <p>4) Software - I can't say much about what all is available, except that I have really liked Lightroom for my purposes. It has all the controls I need to get the best out of a scan, and has plenty of keywording and organizational options. As with most things, there's a learning curve. If you are not particularly obsessed with photography there are probably simpler options that would do what you want. Hopefully someone else can chime in with one.</p> <p> </p>

<p>The extremely lightweight FM10 has its place - I like it for simple outings such as trail running or as a backup on backpacking trips. However I agree with the previous posters in that it is almost certainly not what you want. I had no idea they were over $500 these days - the quality just isn't there. Get any of the used models that have been mentioned instead. I can vouch for KEH's grading system and customer service.</p>

<p>No prepaid mailers, but<a href="http://www.theslideprinter.com/services/e6-slide-developing/"> Denver Digital Imaging (AKA The Slideprinter)</a> does free shipping both ways and great E6 processing.</p>

<p>50-speed Velvia has always been my favorite for color slides. I only dabble in color negative and B+W, so no favorites there, but they're all fun to try.</p>

<p>A couple summers ago I did a little test of slide film and high daytime temperatures and posted the results <a href="http://www.apug.org/forums/forum40/123178-velvia-50-heat.html">here</a>. Basically, after more than 100 hours of 100+ F temperatures, I couldn't see any meaningful detrimental effects on fresh slide film. If you keep the film out of direct sun and buried in your duffel or whatever when you're not using it for the day, you should stay considerably below those temperatures.</p>

<p>Don't forget that you can push-process those films as well. I once shot a roll of Velvia 50 at 100 and compared it side-by-side with Velvia 100F, Velvia 100, and E100VS (all rated at 100) and found that I preferred it over all the ISO 100 films in many (not all) situations. Definitely a different look than actual Velvia 100.</p> <p>Sometimes Velvia 100 looks good at 200, but contrast and saturation can be a bit extreme unless the light is really even. Provia 100F is much easier to control at ISO 200 and a I remember that a lot of people made it their standard ISO 200 film. And of course Provia looks great shot at its normal ISO.</p>

<p>It's probably best to contact Fuji directly to get an accurate answer.</p>

<p>For slides, I'd recommend pushing Fuji Provia 100F to 200. Your options are extremely limited but fortunately Provia is a great film. (Velvia 50 is great as well, and it's my favorite film, and Velvia 100 has its uses, but they are not really suited to your stated purposes.) I personally prefer slides because I like the format, but if you are going to work from scans anyway, you might be best off just shooting negatives. The Portras are all good.</p>