aaron_ng

Even during the Nikon F5 film days, Tokina was already making their lenses mimic the appearance of a good-ringed

ED lens.

For Nikon film bodies, only the single digit F bodies have mirror lock up. And among those, only those with aperture

control dials will work fully with G lenses. So you are limited to the F5 and F6. You should be able to find F5 for cheap

in the 2nd jand market or eBay.

 

Forget the FM10, it's made by Cosina, not Nikon, and is mostly plastic. I'd go for a used FM2n instead.

What do you mean by crop factor? If you mean the DX mask, all that does is use the middle section of the sensor in

DX size and give you a 5mp image, which is what your D700 is also able to do. The 200mm f/2 has really shallow DOF when shot wide open, so it might not be suitable for kids/pet/random moving subjects. So the D3s might be more worthwhile if you need that 1 stop advantage over the D700.

For a long time, I was after an FE2, but due to the high price, I went for the FA. The only pluses of the FE2 over the FA is the needle metering and the ability to set an 8 second manual shutter speed. The FA does low light metering just as well as the FE2 when it is put into center-weighted mode and does similarly in AMP mode. AMP mode doesn't work properly in the portrait orientation.

 

I'd say, go F3HP if you are after a tough body with a tough shutter. Go for the FE2 if you need high sync speed, the ability to use normal flashes and a smaller body. Be prepared to pay for a CLA and possible spare parts which are no made anymore for the FE2.

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I'll be using the grand daddy of the 24-70 f/2.8 when I buy the D700. 35-70 f/2.8! Can be had for dirt cheap now!

Sorry, here are links to the photos. First one is with a UV(0) filter, while the 2nd pic is without a filter.<br>

 

<a href="http://aaronng.ozhonda.com/photos/2003%20-%20tp001-08.jpg" >Picture 1</a><br>

 

<a href="http://aaronng.ozhonda.com/photos/image04-04.jpg" >Picture 2</a>

The only lens that I have successfully used to shoot into the sun with minimal flare but a few small ghosts is

the AIS 28mm f/2 without a filter on.

I have the AI version 5/5 of this lens and it is great for the price. Optically it is good enough that you can match and exceed a 300mm f/4.5 non-AI (I have it and it is a dog) by just cropping the image from the 200mm f/4 down to 300mm.

I'm just going to port over all my lenses from my F4s to the D700. It's the camera that I've been waiting for. Got a 28mm f/2, 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/2, 105mm f/2.5, 105mm f/4 micro, 200mm f/4, 400m f/5.6, 35-70mm f/2.8D and 80-200mm f/2.8D

General consensus..... Get the 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/1.8 to start with. :)

I reckon they released the D700 first is because they would get more sales of the D700 as a backup body. Picture these two scenarios:

 

Scenario 1:

D700 is released first. Pros buy D700 as backup bodies to their D3. Rich consumers buy D700 as well. D3x is released, pros buy D3x and retire their D3 or keep all 3 bodies.

 

Scenario 2:

D3x is released first. Pros buy the D3x and make their D3 serve as backup bodies. Rich consumers who can't afford the D3 can't afford the D3x as well. D700 is then released. Consumers buy D700, pros don't because they already have their D3x and D3 setup, unless they need a smaller and lighter body.

 

Nikon would sell more cameras using scenario 1, the downside is that the D3 will become the unwanted child, like what the D2h became....

The "niche" seems more like a gaping hole. I for one am in there with my F4s......... I will be getting the D700, after passing on the D2h, D2x and D3.

Since you are new, start by dipping your toe into the water first. A 50mm f/2 or 50mm f/1.8 (AI or AIS) are

good starters. After that, you can find out if you need a wider or longer lens by shooting for a while. Bang

for your bucks lenses include:

28mm f/2.8 AIS or 35mm f/2 AI or AIS

50mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/2

85mm f/2

135mm f/2.8 (optional, find out if you need something in this focal length down the road. I didn't)

200mm f/4

 

For a nice all purpose lens which is sharp, the old 35-70mm f/2.8 AF (or AF-D) can be had for cheap. The

focus feel won't be nice and a bit short too, but it is a nice walkabout lens for the city.

Not sure if I missed the info in the article, but did anyone see any mention on how deep the buffer memory when shooting in jpg, raw 12-bit and raw 14-bit at 8fps?

I just wanted to add that the 950IS has the same sized 1/1.7" sensor as the G9. I have to say that the lens resolving power on the 950IS just doesn't give justice to the nice sensor.

Same reason why hard drive manufacturers say that 1GB is equivalent to 1000MB when it is recognized as being equivalent to 1024MB when it comes to the OS that we use.

As stated, they are the same camera except for the battery holder. However, that results in a consequential difference between the two. The F4 runs off 4 batteries and is unable to operate for long periods with rechargeable 1.2V AA batteries (4.8V is insufficient). The F4S with its 6 batteries is able to operate using 1.2V Ni-CD and Ni-MH batteries just because it has 7.2V to start with. There is a little LR6/Ni-CD switch in the battery grip that you have to set depending on the battery type you are using (LR6 for alkalines, Ni-CD for both Ni-CD and Ni-MH batteries).

 

Also, the F4s has a vertical shutter release that the F4 doesn't have.

 

Why don't you consider an F100 instead? They are going very cheap now.

I prefer the 400mm f/5.6. Much sharper than my non-IF 300mm f/4.5. Do you print full frame or do you crop after scanning?

Make sure you use one of those recovery programs and recover all you can before you send your card in. Once you send it in, it's bye bye to anything on that card. I use PhotoRescue PC, as it allows me to make an image of the card which I can then work on without fear of physical failure.

The F4s can ONLY focus on vertical lines. Make sure the area you are focussing on is vertically orientated. The orientation sensor only affects matrix metering and shouldn't be the cause of your AF problem. Have you tried focussing using an AF-S lens? That can eliminate whether the problem is caused by poor contact in the body's focussing motor.

Why don't you set yoru SB26's slave to "delay" instead of "simultaneous"? It's the "D" setting on the front slave switch.

I'd give a vote for the D80. Why? The number of used Nikkor AF lenses in the market is staggering. Why pass up the capability to pick up these lenses for cheap and keeping AF with the body?

Eww... the proper repair should have been to reinstall new focusing helicoils. I've had the unpleasant experience of dropping my lens and had the same issue. After replacing the helicoil, it was as good as new. Not cheap though as they have to realign the elements when they replace the helicoil.

For the price that used F5s are going for, there is no reason to go for an F4 unless you are in love with it (like I am).

If you don't need to rely on AF speed, the F4 is very nice. Downsides are weight and the number of batteries (as bad as F5).

 

If you need fast AF, good focus tracking or VR, then either F100 or F5.