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eye-of-searle

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Posts posted by eye-of-searle

  1. <p>Magic Lantern Guide Books are pretty good.  They have a ton of info not found in the manual.    You can find them at Amazon.  They make them for just about every relevant camera made.<br>

    One also place to learn is over at Flickr.  There is an entire group for the D80.  Just join Flickr and the D80 group and proceed to learn and ask questions.  I go by Eye Of Searle there and post from time to time.<br>

    I tried to give you some links but PN seems to block competition.    Just type in Nikon D80 Users in the search box at Flickr and you will find the group.</p>

  2. <p>Magic Lantern Guide Books are pretty good.  They have a ton of info not found in the manual.    You can find them at Amazon.  They make them for just about every relevant camera made.<br>

    One also place to learn is over at Flickr.  There is an entire group for the D80.  Just join Flickr and the D80 group and proceed to learn and ask questions.  I go by Eye Of Searle there and post from time to time.<br>

    I tried to give you some links but PN seems to block competition.    Just type in Nikon D80 Users in the search box at Flickr and you will find the group.</p>

  3. I would also suggest the Tokina 12-24 F4. It's an outstanding lens and it much less than the Nikon. I have never used the Sigman 10-20 but it seems to be right there with the Tokina is terms of overall quality.
  4. I've used Hitech ND grads for a while and they seem to be a great value. Never had any problems. Sure Lee are the best but for the price, Hitech is hard to beat. I've also used Cokin. They are about the same qaulity as Hitech but they have a more limited range of ND Grads. Just bought the Hitech 1.2 and can't wait to try it out.
  5. Unless you absolutely know for sure you will need the extra speed of the 1.4, get the 1.8. For just over $100, it like Juanjo said, a no brainer. You will be pleasantly suprised at it's abilities compared to the 18-200mm.

     

    The 1.4 is a better lens but by only the slightest margin.

  6. Bellagio Conservatory (daytime) and fountains at night.

     

    Red Rock Canyon - go in the early morning hours so the rising sun will light the canyon up.

     

    Stratosphere

     

    If you can rent a car, do it. I was there a few weeks ago and rented a car about 1pm one day and renturned in the same time the next day for about $50. Go to Hoover damn during the day then head about an hour north to the Valley of Fire for sunset. The next morning head out of Red Rock for sunset. The best $50 you can spend in Vegas for photos. I unfortunately did it backwards and hit Red Rock in the evening and VOF in the morning. Bad lighting with this schedule. Oh well, next time I know.

     

    Fremont is also a $15 cab ride from Bellagio and well worth it. Lot's of old school neon!

     

    Here is a link to some of my Vegas Shots from a few weeks ago.

     

    Vegas 07

     

    Jim

  7. I've had the Slik 700DX for about 5 years now. Beat the hell out of it. Still works 100% as new. From time to time (like once a year), I will tighten up a couple of hex bolts on the legs but that's all for mantainence other than cleaning. For the past couple of months, I have been using the Slik 700DX and my smaller Bogen 3001 with an ArcaTech ball head. Great combos. The only issue with the Slik is it's weight but's not that bad. The stability is great and the height is also very nice. This tripod can can very high and let's you work standing up when needed.
  8. Another vote for the 18-70 over the 28-105.

     

    I have both. When I switched the digital, I bought the 18-70 and it has prety much replaced the 28-105. When considering the crop factor, the 18-70 on the D80 is basically the same lens as the 28-105 on a film camera. I love the 28-105 but the 18-70's 18mm wide end is just more useful on a DLSR.

  9. Looks like mid to upper 70's until you get up higher. Guessing 50's to 60's in the upper elevations? During the day of course. Hell, I'm from Houston so anything below 90 in the summer is like winter to me. I think your right about Yellowstone, lower and warmer.
  10. Stephen, Nah I usually upgrade.

     

    Rick,

     

    Thanks for the info. Glacier does seem to be a bit further but it may be worth it. I hate crowds. I think I may want to hit Yellowstone in the off season to avoid the peak season. I hear it can be jammed packed durung the summer months. I would probably get out of the crowd by going deeper into the trails but getting in and out of the park might be a pain.

     

    I'm also thinking about going up before my wife and taking part in an "F8 And Be There" photo workshop at Glacier. It takes place a few days before my wife gets there. I could do the workshop, she could do her confernce and we could still stay a few days longer. Never done a workshop before but this one seems pretty amazing.

     

    http://stevekossack.com/workshops/Glacier2007.htm#weather

  11. Thanks for the advised so far guys. Been doing some more research and like a few of you mentioned, it's really a flip of the coin. So far, I'm leaning towards Glacier. The Crypts Lake hike seems to be "out of this world". You take a boat to the trailhead and then about a 6 hour hike along cliffs, ladders, tunnels, etc. That alone may tip the scale for us.

     

    Stephen, I do love the "partially funded" side trips. My wife get's to go all over the country and even out of the country on business trips and we try extend them into personal trips when we can. Saves some airfare and I get to get out and shoot while she is at her business events. Her boss is a good friend and he is cool with me going.

  12. I'm starting to research a trip at the end of July to Montana. My wife has a

    conference in Big Sky, Montana so we thought we would stay a few days extra to

    visit one of the above mentioned parks. We will probably have 3 to 4 days

    before or after the conference and I'm thinking it would be best to focus on

    one park. I don't want to try and cram too much into the 3 to 4 days.

     

    For those of you that have been to one or even both of these parks and if you

    had 3 or 4 days, which one would you recommend? We won't be doing any long

    multi day hikes with camping. Probably just some day hikes. I'll have to try

    and find lodging even though I know we are getting a late start on planning.

     

    We will one day go back for an extended time but figure while we are there we

    might as well take advantage of being nearby. I will be taking camera gear

    but that won't be the primary focus of the visit. At least that's what I'm

    telling the wife! ;)

     

    So if you had to choose, which one?

     

    Jim

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