unclebuddha

<p>Peter E, so what if it severely limits your photography if a resource manager has determined that's the best course of action? As our country gets more crowded, more limits will be needed (NOT less) to keep us from "loving our country to death". Just go hike Mt Whitney to see what unsupervised, ignorant, slobs will do to a pristine alpine environment. The area around Wupatki doesn't bounce back very quickly from trampling. And as resource extraction in the Southwest becomes more prevalent, the vistas that we cherish for their "wild nature" will become more and more scarce.<br>

Regards,<br>

Mark</p>

<p>Thanks folks. I'll tell her to start looking for a new body.<br>

Makr</p>

<p>Shun,<br>

I was kidding about the Canon thing. <br>

I agree that she should just move on. <br>

I was wondering if any of you experts had ever had this problem and knew a workaround. Sometimes it happens that someone has the clue I'm looking for and I just have to ask. I guess you don't but thanks anyway.<br>

Anyone else?<br>

Mark</p>

<p>Okay folks, I know I'm not welcome here since I shoot Canon but my mother-in-law has a D70 problem. She has babied the heck out of this camera and really only used it with a big IS, er, Vee Arr lens in a church for church pictures. Now, when she turns the camera on, the camera says she must re-format her memory card. She cannot allow the camera to turn off, or turn it off herself, without losing everything. She takes the camera home, on, and extracts her images. Same thing with different cards. I told her to send it in for a CLA and diagnostics. Nikon tells her that she needs to pony up $235 to fix the camera (but they haven't told her what the problem is). Any of you nice NIKONIANs know any fix for this? Is it even worth $235 to fix a D70?<br>

Thanks very much in advance and thanks for not beating the crap out of me because I use Canon,<br>

Mark</p>

<p>Brian,<br>

Very nice work. You must have had a very dark sky.<br>

Mark</p>

<p>Okay, so maybe ISO 800 would be too much on your Nikon. I shoot with Canon so I dunno! I would NOT shoot anything more than 30 seconds since I fear "hot pixels" from longer exposures. Wide open, focus at inf, 30 secs, lock her open and let her rip. If you want the items in the foreground slightly lit, try a big candle or something set up out of view in the foreground. I'll post up my latest effort when I have the time. Good luck.</p>

<p>I don't know what an intervalometer is used for but if you set your camera to "motor drive" and your shutter speed to 30 seconds and aperture to wide open and your ISO to 800 (with a first dark frame as stated) then you'll be fine. Make sure you turn off any VC if you have it (don't ask me how I know). Using a remote shutter release lock the trigger open and the camera will fire 30 second exposures for as long as the battery lasts or until the card is full. I shoot medium JPEGs too. Try to have something in the foreground (you knew this). Even if the moon is full, the picture will stun you. Have fun!</p>

 

<p>Pics posted in my gallery.</p>

<p>Sarah, allow me to add: If you are planning on shooting at night using your tripod, the cold will eat batteries. I usually sleep with one or two IN the sleeping bag with me (I slept with the whole camera, in plastic, last time out). You might try shooting some startrails on top with the rock house in the foreground. The full moon should make that REALLY nice. I use this <a href="http://www.startrails.de/html/software.html">http://www.startrails.de/html/software.html</a> .<br>

Watch the forest fire reports in the days before going. Last time out, a big fire in the Kern River valley made the hike VERY smokey and less than ideal.<br>

I'd use the DSLR for panos and such, a point and shoot (LX3) for my hiking partners. The polarizer will ruin wide angle photos if you don't already know that.<br>

Drink as much water as you can for the altitude. Do a hike at Cottonwood Meadows if you can before your Whitney attempt. Watch for Thunderstorms after NOON up high. Know your limits and turn back if things aren't right. (Sorry if I'm being redundant)<br>

Some pics of my first and second hikes at <a href="http://snakeoutdoors.homestead.com/index.html">http://snakeoutdoors.homestead.com/index.html</a><br>

Have fun!</p>

<p>Thanks folks. Had a nice time camping, perfect weather to sleep out with no tent. We used the BLM campground on the East side of the Lava Flow. I'll post pics soon. Got a nice star trails shot, some light painting inside a lava tube, La Ventana Arch, etc.<br>

Nice to be out in the desert with NO crowds.</p>

<p>Just read a story on CNN.com about the beaches and access. I think most are closed by now.</p>

<p>Got a spur-of-the-moment kitchen pass to go out to Albuquerque and spend a couple of nights camping. I'm planning on driving west to El Malpais. Anyone have any data on shooting out on the lava fields? El Morro monument? The Very Large Array is a little south (west of Socorro), will they let me shoot the radio telescope? I'm leaving tomorrow so lemme know! <br>

Thanks,<br>

Mark</p>

<p>I use around f8 and 30 seconds. Expose until I get a lightning flash and then cover the lens with a black baseball cap for the remaining seconds of exposure.<br>

Shoot, shoot, shoot.</p>

<p>Tony,<br>

It could be that the VR on your Nikon lens is CAUSING blur as well. If you are panning with the action, does it have a "pan mode"? I shoot with Canon so I am not familiar with the 55-200 VR. I do know that some of the Canon Image Stabilization lenses will try to dampen out a panning motion so the IS should be turned off when panning. (and if you aren't panning, you should! there will be some shots with an in-focus kid and blurred background that you'll really like!)</p>

<p>As to the card, I'm not sure the D40 can take advantage of a faster card for more burst speed, you'll have to read your manual or search for the answer in the Nikon forum here.<br>

Good luck and keep shooting!</p>

<p>Thanks fellas. I'm going to try and get out there next week. Still cold and gloomy here in the heartland of Kentucky.</p>

<p>Does anyone have a good feeling for how the desert wildflowers will be this year in Cal/Nev/Az? As I understand it, there have been good spring rains. Anyone?<br>

Thanks,<br>

Snake</p>

<p>North of Valley of Fire I understand the ghost town of Overton is open but you'd have to ask around to find out the truth. I like shooting some BW out near Boulder Dam and it is closer than V of F. If you are into some climbing (and there isn't too much snow) you can do some hiking on Mt Charleston and shoot the Bristlecone pines up on the summit ridge. The dry lake south of town on I-15. </p>

<p>Well, I tried shooting some test shots with a 70-200 f4L at a large indoor soccer club and they sucked. Between the graininess of ISO 1600, the bluriness of moving players, the flat light, and the fact that I couldn't find a good place to shoot from (not the ends because of the plexi-glass and not the sides because the netting was just a tad too small to stick the lens through) I just couldn't get anything I liked. Really disappointed because I'm a rank amateur and the venue wanted to hire me to take some shots for the wall. I suppose I could've rented an f2.8 lens but all the other minuses just took the fun out of it.<br>

Good luck and PLEASE let us see some examples of what you get!</p>

<p>YES! The one aspect I hadn't considered is the 'flattening' effect of a telephoto! Hmmm. Maybe I'll try to rent a 35 f2 for a festival and give it a whirl.</p>

<p>Thanks to all. A very enlightened discussion.</p>

<p>Thanks folks. My 50 seemed to work well at the festival but was too long for downtown Philly. I've been looking at the Canon 35 f2 as my walk around lens because my 17-85 IS is just too big.<br>

As to focus, why not put the Autofocus on multiple sensor and shoot from the hip at f8?<br>

Mark</p>

<p>I searched the archive to find answers to this question, I have often heard that a wide angle lens is best for street photography. So I've been looking at either the Canon 35 f2 or Sigma 30 f1.4 . I went to a festival this weekend and found that my 50mm 1.4 worked well. I"m shooting with a 50d. Am I missing something? Is it the wider DOF of wide angles that makes them more appealing?</p>

<p>Thanks,<br>

Mark</p>

<p>Thinking of sending a file off to Shortrun since they are a pnet advertiser. The $2 18x24 deal seems too good to pass up. Just wondering if anyone has used them and satisfaction with their results.<br>

Thanks,<br>

Mark</p>

<p>If it has rained you probably won't make it down the road to Toroweap so you could substitute the Paria Canyon watershed (Wire Pass, Coyote Buttes, the Wave (if you can get the permit). Be sure to take a polarizer for the red rocks.<br>

Take you time. Don't step on the cryptogamic soil. Have fun.</p>

<p>I have the LX2 and it is fantastic. Just make sure you keep the ISO set to 100, not Auto or above 100 as the noise can be a problem. You can even make pretty good videos with the dang thing as seen here:

(handheld in the Red River Gorge, KY). A little Giottos tripod and you are all set. I bought this camera after my mom-in-law raved about her Leica DLux 3 and I looked at dpreview and compared the specs side-by-side.<br>

Get the camera early so you can play with it!</p>

<p>Julie, not to be too preachy here but your griping about fees got me thinking. These folks out in the remote areas you want to see don't have much of a pot to piss in. Especially the Indians, they are more impoverished as a nation than other groups in the US. I'd hate to think they'd have to sell mineral rights for strip mining Monument Valley, oil exploration on the rim or within Canyon de Chelly, etc. Most folks complain that their tax dollars go to waste. Please consider these Photo expedition fees as WELL worth it! (except for Sedona, but why anyone goes there to worship their crystals is beyond me). <br>

Regards,<br>

Mark</p>