IPod, SB800,or?

[dan_daly1]

I've recently come into a few bucks (about $600). I shoot weddings

and events part-time with a local studio. I have my first shoot in

about 4 months coming up Dec. 3rd. (I was busy at the Chicago Fire

Academy.) The last wedding I shot I had problems with my F100 and SB-

28 DX. It didn't fire and a bunch of the altar shots came out dark

and grainy. It was a personal friend of the studio owner and he was

pretty unhappy.

 

I'd like to get an IPod video. Everyone I know raves about

them. I figure I can also use it to download photos in at a wedding

when I get a D200. BUT, I really should get an SB-800 to use on my

F100 and relegate the SB-28 to back-up duty.

 

Questions: Is it possible to use an Ipod in the way I intend,

somehow downloading pictures off one card while I shoot with

another? It doesn't seem like there is.

 

I cleaned the terminals on the camera and flash with a soft

pencil eraser and tried to get the problem to repeat. I couldn't. I

also had problem with the flash resetting itself to ISO 100 when I

had the automatic DX engaged. It happened no matter what settings I

had set up. Do I bring it to the Nikon repair (there's one here in

the Chicago area, I forget where). and hope they can figure it out?

Do I assume it's fixed itself? I have an FE2 and an SB-15 for back

up.

 

OR do I hust wait and save up for a D200? Thanks, Dan

[erickpro]

One should have backups for very important events such as weddings. An error means no more business with them and bad reputation. Buy the SB600 at least and the rest save it for an ipod nano or save it for a D200.

 

Do you really need an ipod?

Do you really need a flash that won't let you down?

Do you really need a digital camera?

[lex_jenkins]

Were you shooting in auto flash mode or manually calculating the flash? Sometimes in difficult lighting auto flash just doesn't work consistently. Nikon's new CLS flash system probably works as well as anything developed yet, tho'. No complaints from me.

 

I'm not sure an iPod is the best choice for photo storage and viewing. Check some of the other options. The Epson is a favorite, but also one of the more expensive models. There are several, tho'.

 

Yup, it should be possible to pop the media card out of the dSLR, plug it into the reader, have it transfer the photos while you pop another card into the camera and continue shooting. That's how they're supposed to work.

 

If there's corrosion or crud on your battery terminals a soft pencil eraser won't help.

 

Any significant corrosion can be carefully cleaned using cotton swabs moistened with a mild acid - white vinegar would be good.

 

Moderate corrosion or tarnish can be cleaned off with a *pen* eraser. Unfortunately these are pretty uncommon now. I have a couple I bought from an antique mall for a quarter apiece. You can buy the same thing from a photo store now ... for about five bucks!

 

You can also try a cotton swab moistened with Tarn-X to remove mild tarnish.

 

If the corrosion is bad enough it's probably eaten through the wires where they're soldered to the backs of the terminals.

[johnmarkpainter]

I know you just want an iPod....but just buy more cards. Do you REALLY feel good about

erasing a card that has been transferred to a storage device in the middle of a wedding? I

wouldn't.

 

jmp

[wilfred_wong]

i'm afraid that ipod is not a good choice as portable storage. things like that from epson would be a much better choice.

 

i don't know how to fix your flash, but i can tell SB800 is a good flash. if you shoot wedding/events, a good flash is a good investment... and SB-800 is compatible with most nikon digital and film body. unlike your SB-28DX which is not iTTL compatible and cannot use with cams like D70.

[ShunCheung]

If you are shooting weddings as a professional photographer, your equipment had better work and in case they don't, you'd better have backup equipment. In other words, you should have multiple flashes and cameras.

 

And should you shoot weddings with DSLRs in the future, I would bring sufficient memory cards to cover the entire weddings. It is not a good idea to copy images on memory cards onto storage devices such as an iPod during the wedding, erase the card and reuse it. It is a matter of time that you'll get mixed up under pressure and erase images that you haven't saved.

[dan_daly1]

That brings up the next question, how much memory is sufficient? I plan on shooting primarily JPEG Best, because I'm not yet adept at manipulting/editing images. I was figuring 3 GB would cover it. That's about 400 shots? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Dan

[b2 -]

I would trust an iPod as much or more than cards. I can not speak to which flash is best, but light is your life, get an extra backup flash. Perhaps via ebay and get both looked at. I have an extra flash deep in the bottom of my bag or out in the car when ever I shoot weddings. While the FE2 is your black-hole (everything's dead) back up, get a backup for your main camera. B2

[fourfa]

my experience transferring photos to a 3rd gen iPod has been absurd - it doesn't work 9 times out of 10, and drains the ipod battery in one shot if it does work. Oh, and it takes an hour with a fast card reader.

 

Be sure that they've fixed these problems with the latest ones before even considering it.

[patricks]

seriously, if you are going to shoot once-in-a-life-time-events like wedding you better get your act together.

 

iPod Video is a toy. Great for listning to music, stupid for watching video/photos as the screen is much to small (yes, I've tried it) and necessarily a good backup device.

 

SB800 won't help you more than the SB28 unless you know how to use it properly. but then again, if your SB28 isn't working properly, it would be the flash of choice if you need to replace it. personally, i wouldn't spend a lot of money on fixing an old flashgun.

 

i'd say, buy a new flash and perhaps a lightsphere II for the SB800. save the rest of the money for D200, if that is where you want to go, but with a budget of $600 I'm not sure that it is the best route for you at this point. If you start shooting the D200 for pro-engagement you'll need to worry about CF cards (3 Sandisk Extreme III 2 GB cards will eat your $600 right away), PSCS2 for post-processing, a fast/powerul Windows or Mac machine for postprocessing with a good monitor and calibration software, couple of external HDs for back-up etc.

 

My recommendation may be to pick up a mint used D70 for around $600 and use that to learn about digital photography alongside with your SLR equipment. Then worry about D200.

[chris hughes]

"iPod Video is a toy. Great for listning to music, stupid for watching video/photos as the

screen is much to small (yes, I've tried it) and necessarily a good backup device."

 

No, iPod with video is not a toy. It's a tool for organizing and listening to music. You're

suggesting it's a toy because you're expecting it to be something it's not. iPod plays music

and IMO it's the best MP3 player on the market. Video on the iPod is a necessary addition

but not intended to be the central focus of the device. Same for photos. iPod is not a video

platform and it's not a photo storage device. iPod is an MP3 player.

 

My advice is this: if you want an MP3 player, get an iPod. If you want something that

enhances or expands your photographic system, get the flash. The transfer speeds to iPod

through the photo connector are deathly slow. Transferring a 1 gig card can take more

than an hour. iPod is not a good field storage method. You'd be better off with a laptop

and a large capacity hard internal or external hard drive.

[patricks]

thanks for the iPod lesson. i had no idea that it was primarly a device for organizing and listening to music...

[david_h._hartman]

Dan, if your SB-28 is still acting up. If cleaning the contacts and such didn't fix the problem then it's not suitable as a back. A backup must be 100% reliable. If not chuck it!

[bernard_frank]

Come on. The iPod is a fantastic MP3 listening machine. And it can sync your calendars

and address book as well. Period. The photos thing is for amateur consumers.

 

Would you go and shoot a wedding professionally with a camphone?