2Oceans

David even a used Gitzo Series 5 carbon fiber will run you well over $600. Really Right Stuff series 3 pods are supposedly stable enough to manage a ten pound 600 f4 and there is a used first generation (RRS is now on generation Mark 2) Series 3 at KEH right now for for $782 in Ex+ condition. I have always thought of a Benbo as a tripod for being creative and allowing unusual angles rather than for heavy lifting. If your not going too far from your car a used metal Gitzo series 5 (tele studex) Is reasonable and may be obtainable at a fair price otherwise your talking carbon fiber. The Manfrotto U shaped action head is affordable and substantial. I have never heard any criticism of that head. Some of the larger used Induro and Benro (probably lifted from the name Benbo) pods may work for you and you could find them at auction or sites like KEH for under $500. Make sure you check the specs out before you pull the trigger. Good hunting.

Anacsrita, The F70 (N70) is a very basic camera. It cost around $500 US new in 1995 and had autofocus and auto advance. I don’t consider it a classic the way I would a Nikormat or F2A. It has no mirror lock up and if you want depth of field preview you have to depress the lens release and partially turn the lens like you’re removing it so the aperture blades close down. It does have a competent spot meter though it can shoot in matrix as well. For color transparency I have always been partial to spot metering the subject directly and correcting manually based on a modified zone system or picking out the closest thing to 18% grey in the frame and using that with a spot meter as a reference. I enjoyed using the F70 and also owned the N90s with a vertical grip and F4s that were part of my autofocus film system and had underwater housings for those later two bodies. That said I would not recommend the F70 or its ilk. The electronics are now quite old and the rubber grips soften and become sticky. The F100 is probably a better over all choice, but its your money. Probably a good idea to lay hands on the camera first. I would say run a roll of film through the body but at the current price for film that would be too expensive. I still own my two F4s bodies and the dedicated underwater housing that cost a small fortune is a nice office curio that sits next to my war medals and the stuffed rattle snake that I picked up in Cabo back in the day. I would recommended purchasing an inexpensive dark bag so you can open the back of your camera in the field in the case of a failure and as well a tool to extract the tail of your film from the cassette. Good luck with it.

Ben, Owned the AF 300mm f4 IF-ED screw driver model for a 4-5 years and now the AFS 300 f4 version for 17 years and early on replaced the tripod collar on the AFS with a Kirk foot that braces the lens at two points. I could never tell the optical difference between the two lenses and don’t remember the difference in AF between the two. The AFS version has 77mm filter threads and accommodates my Marumi and Canon 77mm close up diopters though the older D lens thread is 82mm and you would need to use a step down ring. Very fond of doing close up photography with fixed lenses in the 200-300mm range and the 300mm AFS does a nice job, That said not sure that you sacrifice anything optically with the older screw driver model that is inexpensive but does not focus so close on its own. Both have aperture rings that allow me to use my now ancient “space age” Nikon auto extension tubes. The PF focuses a little faster and closer. Not sure is it is optically better but it is much smaller so that you can stuff more things in you camera bag. Have never been totally put off by the autofocus on the AFS version and always shot it on a tripod usually with a gimbal head for birds in flight. The PF has VR but the truth is when the light is waxing or waning there is not a 300mm lens around that can be used hand held or on a monopod consistently in low light. Vr or no Vr. The big advantage with the PF version would be to use a series 2 Gitzo rather than my much loved series 3 otherwise it would not change my photographic behavior. One might try to take more bad pictures by hand holding in hopes to get lucky. Have been using a Tamron 100-400 stabilized lens off and on in the last year or so. The big advantage is that its light but it still goes on a tripod for serious shooting. The Nikon 300mm f4 AFS version is listed at auction right now at 649 US dollars with a Kirk foot. With the 300mm f2.8 AFI your adding size as well as an antique internal motor that you may or may not be able to replace. Have never owned a 300mm 2.8 but understand they work well with 2X and 1.4X converters. I remember images of Frans Lanting posing in Antarctic in the 1980s with his bulbous Nikon 300mm f 2.8 and romantically dream of acquiring the same status some day. Since having professional friends who have either visited or wintered over at the South Pole where there is little wild lifeI figure my time is next perhaps in another life or by osmosis :) It’s amazing in a disposable society how Nikon gear including your 300mm AF IF-ED is still well made. Wish I had kept mine cause it would still work in its entirety on all my bodies except my D3200 but in manual focus. Good hunting.

“in a rural area it is useful to have the means to deal with wildlife threats. Do you really want to know?” Sandy, Actually I do on both. In this case I am referring to a bear but many years ago as a boy I was charged by a feral sow (pig) when we surprised each other while I was walking our dogs. Wild pigs have wiped out the honey creeper population in Hawaii by destruction of habitat and they are everywhere in southern CONUS. I think a cam especially if it can be monitored remotely would be fun and might help avoid an accidental confrontation with a bear if we know it’s close by to where we live. We have bird feeders out with suet and then there are bee hives. In the past when I have seen an isolated cub I left immediately. Discretion is the better part of valor. Like I said I don’t hunt because it brings me no pleasure but I am from the South and so still cling to my Bible that I plan to through at a charging bear. On the other hand some of my neighbors have bagged game in their driveways and their property. We don’t plan to let the local bear population control what we do but it would be educational to know if they are around and anything else. Anyway, was hoping for some advice on game cams and have started to look at remote systems so that I can enjoy my breakfast coffee and review the night/morning captures.

First thing I did. Something he picked up at Sams. Nothing special.

All, My family is currently living on a small pastured farm on the side of a mountain facing East toward the Blue Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley bordered on two sides with forest that joins to the National Forest. For those of you not familiar with our National Forest system, not National Park system, hunting is allowed when game is in season. We have black bear but nothing quite so formidable as the much larger brown bear found in the west. We walk our poodles around the fields and forest in the morning (yes, they are not real dogs, but trust they would agree with that assessment) and two days ago our oldest would not leave the front yard to start our walk. Wrote it off to not feeling well though she looked constitutionally fine. Not so ironically our second poodle who is from Washington, DC could care less and enjoyed the walk. That afternoon our biologist neighbor about half a kilometer away sent us video images taken with a game cam from his back yard of a large sow rooting around in the early morning. We have turkey and deer walk through the front yard at least 2-3 times a week as well as bobcat (lynx), rare mountain lion, and frequently fox and of course coyote that have become ubiquitous in our life time as surely they were in primeval America. Possum, skunk and raccoon are everywhere in the rural south though they were very common in the beltway area of northern Virginia when we lived there along with fox and coyote. No surprise there. It would be fun to get a critter cam for the back pasture that transitions to the relatively old forest that has little under growth due to the deer foraging. Any recommendations on what to get? They are not expensive and some can even be tied into the internet. Ten years ago or more you could mess with the cams at Howletts Wild Animal Park that allowed a remote viewer in America including Hawaii to pan with the Howlett’s camera. As well where should I point the camera? Into the field, into the woods or the transition or just randomly slap it on a fence post or tree and hope for the best. I am not a hunter and gain no excitement from killing though I respect those who hunt and value if not covet wild life and prefer to associate with them and I grew up in the shooting sports including clay pigeon and bullseye pistol shooting that were more popular in America during a different era. I enjoy hunting/ambushing with a camera. The only down side is that game cams are somewhat passive though it would be fun to get up in the morning to see what has passed in the night. Any thoughts? Good hunting.

John Gerlach shoots at normal sync speed but uses multiple flashes and radio triggers set at 1/64 manual power. The flash duration at this power is short enough to to freeze the subject completely and the lens is stopped down such that the scene requires to be entirely lighted by the multiple flashes. The out of focus false background is flash lighted as well. His hummingbird feeders are hidden behind a flower. All-in-all he creates an outdoor studio to capture some stunning images. I really like greg_scotts images as well. We raised a hummingbird chick the size of my thumb nail that had fallen out of its nest when we were living at the Point Loma sub base. He was precious sitting in a tea spoon. Fed it every two ours or so for several months with a syringe with some very expensive hummingbird nectar that came in powder form and was balanced for humming birds. I still remember seeing his/her thread like tongue sticking up into the clear plastic tip of the syringe. Later he grew up to terrorize the neighbor hood and insulted us after all we had done by moving next door. Isn’t that wrong?

Mary, Thanks for this. I did no know I could return to NikonScan. When setting up my LS-4000 for a few projects and occasionally for fun over the last 10-11 years I have been using Vue Scan that I actually like. Vue Scan has infrared dust removal that works well but I would not mind going back to NikonScan and Digital Ice. I have been using Windows 10 since late 2015 and prior to that was using 7 for about 5 years and prior to that I used Vista for a brief period. Somewhere along the line I missed discovering that I could go back to NikonScan. I was just yesterday looking at the discs that came with my LS-4000 and like the pack rat that I am have held on to them for 5 moves over the 18-19 years I have owned the scanner. I am looking forward to giving it a shot. Along the way I have used this scanner to recover washed out slides of snow in San Diego for a friend and his children and a series of 300+ wonderful Kodachromes shot in Oahu in 1948 for my spouse’s side of the family. Every now and then its fun to go back to it, like going back in time, though digital has pretty much taken over for me. Thanks

Agree with RJ. Back in the day the photographers I knew, mostly gifted nerds but with little to no income would sell plasma once a week. That was $20 that would buy a couple rolls of grey market film and processing. For less than the price of 100 roles of film or a basic N70 film camera from the mid 90s you can buy a D3XXX and shoot all day long with image quality that will knock your socks off compared to tight grained Velvia and Provia. I have been shooting manual flash for a few years now and enjoy the control that manual settings give. I shoot auto ISO with my speed cameras and moving objects but for scenics and macro revert to full manual everything. This thread piqued my interest and I have a few days on hand before traveling to back to work. After all its not like there is a highlight button like in Photoshop that allows me to light scenes differentially with a single flash and and single exposure. Wait a minute I can actually do that in Photoshop cant I ?? So yesterday I pulled out my D500 aging 28-105 D lens and SB800 to try and make sense of it all.......................... I will leave it at that and go back to shooting manual. Stay frosty.

Rick, I think the Adobe DNG Converter is still free and current. Any DNG converter in the last 7 years should work since the D800/e was released in 2012. Adobes is on version 12.2.1. I recently downloaded a version to go with an old copy of Elements I was playing with. Good hunting.

leslienicolephoto, I agree with Edward’s comments. Back when there were fewer carbon fiber tripods the general thinking was that three section tripods were more stable than 4 sections. That is generally true if your using a seismograph to measure vibrations but clinically never really mattered. It was overkill then and even more so now that there are so many carbon fiber pods. The series 3 Gitzo is the perfect balance and you will never regret purchasing it. As well it will retain its value. Again if this tripod is in good shape then it is a more than worth what they are asking. Ask to see if it comes with a base plate. Gitzo used to ship their center column pods with a base plate as an option. Mine came with one and the center column has been sitting in the box for many years but you may like the center column. Good hunting.

I currently own the older version of this pod with a base plate. The one your showing is with a center column and has anti rotating G-lock legs that makes it easier to open and close. It’s three sections and is a taller version. The price looks very good if its in good shape. It will last you a lifetime and is generally viewed as a professional’s tripod. I would get it at the price they are asking. Good hunting.

To make use of your monopod head to tilt with I would turn the quick release plate 90 degrees on the monopod and then regain the orientation by turning the monopod 90 degrees back. Good luck.

leslienicolephoto, When in France do as the French, Buy a used aluminum Gitzo "Giant" tripod. It once was a French made tripod so perhaps there are some used versions available through a camera store in your area. It will provide very good stability. If your trying to get directly overhead and need height a heavy duty light stand and a boom for 200-300 Euros would be my choice. The setup you currently have does not look any more stable. The super clamp will fit naturally on the light stand. Good hunting.

Chun, I actually try to buy American but unfortunately Argus and Brownie didn't make the switch to digital:D. My first cameras was a Mamiya 6X7 bellows fold up camera given to me by my dad in the early 60s. I used it on a tripod of course shooting black and white and I had to cock the shutter after using my father's borrowed Sekonic Autolumi to set shutter and aperture manually. C.P.M. I appreciate your thoughts. Other than Contax (Zeiss), Leica (Leitz) and Hasselblad the credible world of photography for me has always been unapologetically Japanese. Canon, Nikon, Pentax and on. Unfortunately no one stepped up to compete with Japanese manufacturers so they have a strong well earned and respected hold on the camera industry. I say unfortunately because I believe that competition is a good thing. But the Japanese prominence in the imaging industry was not handed to them and they did not steal it from anyone. As a boy the term made in Japan was a joke. They took nothing for granted. The Japanese industry embraced principles set by a man named Edward Deming that we largely ignore in the US. Their CEOs were and are more humble and don't make obscene salaries or receive crazy stock options to bury companies alive. If I were German I would force myself to spend extra on Leica to support the industry that puts food on the table for my countrymen and because Leica is truly great gear though very expensive. I have German colleagues who do and I would never ever fault them. If there were camera manufacturers in the US that made bodies and lenses on the level of accessories made by Really Right Stuff , Kirk or Wimberley I would seriously consider buying them but for the time their is no sadness that my camera gear is largely from Japan , the best in the world. Good hunting.

I think that part of the problem is that many of us up grade our systems piecemeal. In the last 30 years Nikon has had two optical TTL systems and one radio TTL system. Using manual controls obviates some of the complexity. I still have my 40 year old Vivitar and Sunpack manual flashes whose capacitors I cycle occasionally and I vividly remember my fathers bulb flash guns and Honeywell Strobnar. He had a Leica range finder, a Nikon F1 Photomic and a Hasselblad all taken at gun point somewhere he did not belong on the road just outside Santa Marta, Columbia. Of course they took the car as well. For a time I could still do math in my head and could even use guide numbers underwater with a full manual Nikonos III. I kind of miss the simplicity of it. Now days if your doing a lot of flash stuff even on an amateur level like myself it makes sense to invest in a system that is fully manual and will be somewhat consistent in its components and future proof. That said radio triggering is the way to go if your going to start out. I have always wanted twin 1000W monolights but to what end. Perhaps something smaller and less obvious for my next trip to into my backyard here in the somewhat tame Shenandoah Valley. Stay frosty.

Sorry but Andrew’s comment about batteries reminded me that today I went to my small mirrorless bag I carry everywhere to grab a few Duracell AA batteries I had bought last summer in a pinch and used partially. I don’t store my batteries in the flashes but still I broke my own rule about not using alkaline cells. I always use NMH cells but was traveling when I bought these. They were kept dry in a plastic baggy kept well climate controlled but had already started to show corrosion at the cathodes. No leakage. I cheated and got caught.

Rodeo made a good point. You can shoot the SB800 in manual slave and your master SB 5000 if on or off camera will need to be in manual as well to avoid preflashes that would influence the SB800. I tried it but did not gain any insight into the influence of the preflash that I could tell was firing. The sensor on the SB800 should easily pick up preflashes and discharge but was still firing when the main flash went off and my exposure corroborated that. So much for control. So TTL is still a mystery to me. Just to confirm I get to slave in the SB800 by pushing “SEL” for 2-3 seconds. I toggle two the right with the single tree button to the right upper quad and from there press SEL again and scroll down to SU-4 press select again and then press and hold select to get out of the menu and REMOTE is then displayed. I then use the mode button to select manual and can use the toggle in the middle to manually select power and bobs your uncle. GODOX makes a nice manual only flash for $60 that has a built in wireless link. The flash and the separate controller both have 32 channels to choose from for firing multiple flash guns all with manual control from one point. I love my Nikon flash guns but I can buy six GODOX flashes of the same power and a controler for $100 less than a single SB5000. TTL in my mind made sense when film was around and we could not review images in the moment. When I shot fil outdoors I only used flash for TTL fill/compensation with the TTL tuned down to - 1 2/3 to fill in shadows. Flash compensation in TTL is like using partial manual control over your flash gun anyway but the flash output is still influence by where the camera is pointed. Why would I want to do that when I could have total control. Especially in a studio but as well outside. Maybe in a very dynamic setting TTL makes sense. bdmott, I don’t know if you have ever looked at the strobist (Dave Hobby) web site. He shoots Fuji but I think most of his techniques are transferable to Nikon gear. I think along with Charles Needle and Tony Sweat he is someone I enjoy reading and listening to. Good hunting.

bdmott, So correct me if I am wrong do you want to use the D850 WrR10 combination to control the SB 5000 with the radio controlled advanced lighting system and then have the optical CLS on the SB 5000 control the SB 800 in full TTL? I would try it to see if it works but I am doubtful. An alternative would be to put the SB800 into slave keyed off the SB5000 and control power on the 800 unit manually. An easier way to go might be too use the SU-800 optical controller to control both 5000 and 800 optically with the CLS.. If your need is to keep hands off both units while controlling both differentially in TTL this would likely be the best way. I prefer full manual wireless radio systems and have pretty much stopped using TTL . I don’t currently own a radio TTL flash but have inexpensive radio transceivers to fire my SB25 and newer SB800 and SB910 flashes with manual settings. I see your picture is in scrubs so if your trying to do intraoperative photography full TTL may suit you better. Good hunting.

Heimbrandt Sorry, the lenses I randomly checked were the 70-200 f2.8 G IF Vr II, the old 28-70 f2.8 AFS, and the 16-35mm f 4 VR. Additionally I checked the ancient 105 f2.8 D micro and a 17-35mm 2.8 AFS. All had US stamps. My 200-400 f4 AFS VR I that I purchased 11 years ago used does not have a US stamp though I never saw this lens listed as a grey market lens. I think this covers close to a 25 year time frame. I don’t own the magnificent best in class 70-200 f2.8 E FL so I can’t matter-of-factly say though I am sure you are right regarding exceptions to having US stamped next to the serial number. Many of my lenses are well past the warrantee. I don’t bother with Nikon after a point. No sense sending something in just to get a no answer. For cleaning, adjustment and repair well over 30 years I have good service and good things to say regarding Kurts Camera in California, KEH in Georgia and Photo Tech / Chrysler Camera Repair in NYC. I have not had many grey market lenses if any serviced but I do not think that these companies will turn them away. I had the AF motors replaced in my 200-400mm f4 2 years ago by Photo Tech in NYC. Good communication throughout the process. Not cheep but I think I can get another 10 years out of it with my current SLRs. “So I have that going for me which is nice.” All-in-all if the lens is well priced especially the 70-200 f.8 E FL I would give it a go even if it were grey market but how to tell I don’t know because the US stamp is specific but apparently as you mentioned earlier not sensitive. As well I can’t convince myself to upgrade in this focal range for a DSLR but look forward doing so as I transition into mirrorless. Hopefully the newly released 70-200 for the Nikon Z system will be as good as the current 70-200 f2.8 E FL for Nikon DSLRs. I am optimistic. Good hunting.

Mark4583 l 1 The lenses distributed by Nikon USA will have “US” stamped next to the serial number. The three samples I just examined showed US in front of the serial number. Grey market lenses to not show US next to the serial number, were not intended to sale in the US but never the less are the same product. Grey market Nikons do not have a Nikon USA warranty. Good hunting.

Derek, Sorry for the late reply. Take a look at Nasim Mansurov’s late 20/16 PhotographyLife review of the NiSi filter system. I am a long time user of Hitech and Singh-Ray resin filters. The NiSi system is optically sharper than Hitech and as well the NiSi grad is made of glass. Good hunting.

benedikthoaxel, I have experience with Billingham shoulder bags and their back packs look equally distinctive and expensive. They have leather trim with canvas that is light compared with all leather. I think you can describe their design as classic. You could as easily wear one along side an A. Langs & Sohne wrist watch as a Glashutte. I have an all black Billingham shoulder bag that is extremely well made, but my favorite bags are Lowepro clam shell designs that are more functional for long lens nature photography than they would be for your intentions. I like companies like Billingham that make quality products that are not viewed as disposable and I don’t think you will ever be dissatisfied that you paid extra for a Billingham product. Take a look at all leather Oberwerth back packs. Their products are German made to go with your Leica gear. While Oberwerth is not on my list of must have bags I imagine I could not be dissatisfied if I owned one. Perhaps then the next step since price is not an object is to have one custom made. Anyway I am still a card carrying member of the bag-of-the-month club and I wish you great success. Stay frosty.

Chulster, For me this kind of repair is insane. I think I would need a beta blocker as much to steady my nerves as my hands and I would expect to fail anyway. The two ring version has been out and is still sold new since 1997. I sold my one touch in 2002 when I bought the two touch used with a broken focus select ring that I eventually had replaced. I have the version II 70-200 AFS 2.8 but the 80-200 remains my favorite. It’s very sharp and allows me to use old style extension rings. I would be more inclined to purchase a new circuit but my perspective is that time is something I tend to have less and less of just by the nature of things. My next lens in the 80-200 range will no doubt be dedicated for a future mirrorless body. I think the 80-200 is a great lens. Good luck.

IKokomo, If your shooting portraits you maybe able to get by with 12 MP . The D3s is a great camera. That said the D610 and D750 cameras are very good. I still use my D800e. It’s very sharp. Good luck.