rhaytana__tim_adams_

June 26, 2010

I'll join those suggesting you have a go with Capture NX2. You can download a trial version for free and should have it up and running in a half hour to hour, depending on the speed of your hardware. I grumbled a lot when I decided to do this after switching from Canon to Nikon, but have become a big fan of NX2, and only fire up Adobe when I have to deal with my now-vintage Canon .CR2 files.

April 3, 2010

It looks like you're having trouble getting an answer to this one, Sam ... so I'll chime in, to provide what little feedback I can. For what it's worth, I've found spot metering with my D700 to be touchier/more sensitive than center weighted or matrix metering. Little things throw it off. Second, I'll refer you to this 2008 post by this forum's own Shun Cheung, in which he discusses the D700's cross type sensors. You might be interested in his opinion that 'there are no good AF points near the top of the frame.' <a href="../nikon-camera-forum/00RWJC"> http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00RWJC</a> Third, Nikon's very own online support has been better than I've expected. I suggest that you try your question with them. <a href="http://support.nikontech.com/app/answers/list/p/19">http://support.nikontech.com/app/answers/list/p/19</a>

February 14, 2010

I can't imagine anyone referring to Dave Black as an other than fantastic photographer, and I think he shoots Nikon exclusively:

http://www.daveblackphotography.com/

I suggest starting with his Workshop at the Ranch series.

I presume, but don't know, that he's sponsored by Nikon in some fashion.

February 13, 2010

Out of consideration for sincere photo.net members, please let me supplement the post above by emphasizing that I don't intend to criticize or impugn the integrity of any individual contributing here.

An example of what I mean by this may serve best:

I used to own a 5D. If a major reviewer had criticized the 5D in a manner I felt unfair, I might have posted my objections to a forum like this one, and my objections would have been absolutely sincere and heartfelt.

But, I would have expected to be backed up by a chorus of mercenary shills. That's PR.

February 13, 2010

First, to get a couple of qualifiers out of the way:

(A) What follows isn't intended as an indictment of any particular contributor to this forum. Although I do regard these forums as magnets for public relations shills, I also am mindful of the adage that "the best public relations disappears." Your particular post angrily questioning Rob Galbraith may emanate entirely from your soul and your head, and not from any desire to enrich your bank account.

(B) I don't own the 1D4 and am not an experienced sports shooter. I am strongly inclined to think of Rob Galbraith as honest and unbiased in his reviews, as are many -- but certainly not all! -- of the contributors to this thread on Sports Shooter: <a href="http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=35406">http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=35406</a> . But, I could be wrong.

With that out of the way:

Is there some sort of unwritten rule that prevents contributors here from noting that forums of this type must be magnets, absolute magnets, for public relations shills? I have read only one article on this matter: <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2006/mar/15/business/fi-m8015">http://articles.latimes.com/2006/mar/15/business/fi-m8015</a> but a close relative worked in public relations, and it is simply unthinkable that things should be otherwise. These forums draw scads of page views and are major, major influencers of buying decisions. Establishing a shill account for shill messages costs nothing, and could do your client a world of good in terms of steering the public mind in the direction you want it go to.

As I am certain that the sun will rise in the east tomorrow, I am certain that any major negative review of an important camera is going to be answered by a colossal public relations salvo from the other side. How high is the percentage of shill postings? 70%? Higher?

And yet it's never discussed, never mentioned. Believe me, I'm not pointing any kind of finger at Canon. I would expect as-exuberant shill posters to ooze out of the woodwork were a Rob Galbraith or a likely-to-be-credible-and-unbought reviewer to offer a bad review of the latest Nikon, or Sony, or Hasselblad, or most anything else.

There, I've vented. Genuinely indignant Canon shooters and dollar-hungry PR shills, I hereby turn the forum back over to you.

December 9, 2009

This isn't really an answer, but for what it's worth: in several years of faithfully browsing Nikon forums, I've never read a post or part of a post suggesting so much as a hint of an advantage to shooting uncompressed. I shoot lossless compressed with my D700.

September 8, 2009

You'll probably be interested in this capture nx forum over at flickr:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/capturenx/">http://www.flickr.com/groups/capturenx</a> /

August 9, 2009

You might want to see the Flickr discussion group dedicated exclusively to Capture NX:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/capturenx/

August 4, 2009

I'll join the chorus suggesting a CF card reader. They're inexpensive, and far easier to hook up to the computer. I'd be very surprised if you were to regret the purchase.

July 6, 2009

When I owned an F100 years ago, a knowledgeable SoCal shooter recommended Dean's Camera Repair in Torrance as an alternative to Nikon El Segundo. I have no personal experience with them, but thought it couldn't hurt to share the name, just in case it offers a lead worth pursuing.

Good luck.

July 5, 2009

Sorry you're having these problems, Daniel.

Joining sportsshooter.com just to query other pros about this issue might be a lot of work, but that's the first site that occurred to me when I read that you'd like feedback from those who use their equipment as many hours/week as you do.

Good luck.

June 16, 2009

I haven't posed a question to 'em in a few months, but I think that the link I used is this one:

http://support.nikontech.com/app/utils/login_form/redirect/ask

My first impression wasn't positive. I asked a question, and received a response that struck me as inadequate. However, I then politely shared my concerns about the level of support with the tech, and that changed things. He referred my question to another staffer, and I wound up receiving really first rate support afterward.

So: if you think you should be receiving more thorough responses than those you've seen to date, it can't hurt to politely -- I'll emphasize politely -- share that view with them. You might be pleasantly surprised by the result.

(On the other hand: you might not be. I don't know how Nikon divvies up English inquiries among staff worldwide, if staff have been moved around or if other changes have occurred.)

June 3, 2009

When doing event photography in low light with low shutter speeds, looking around for something to brace elbow / shoulder / hands / something on before taking the shot. (In situations in which shots have to be set up quickly, and monopods and tripods aren't practical.) I've learned to do this without thinking, and am glad I have. Sure, I can exhale and hold my breath before clicking the shutter, or practice other techniques to still the camera -- but, in low light at low shutter speeds, it's great to have something solid as a support.

April 26, 2009

I think that frequent contributor -- and, I believe, moderator -- here, Shun Cheung, made a good point about the 14 -24mm awhile back (although I've forgotten which post I read it in, and am too lazy to do an extensive google search):

If you need this lens, you probably know it. If you don't, you're probably better off with the 17-35.

For what it's worth, I have the 14 - 24 and just love it, limitations and all.

March 26, 2009

I bought NX 2 from Cameta for about $119:

http://www.cameta.com/index.cfm/fa:display.showprod/Nikon-Capture-NX2-Full-Version-Software/productid:34136/

registered it with Nikon, and received what certainly appeared to this user to be a legit, brand new product. I think Cameta has a good reputation, too. OTOH, I haven't corresponded with Nikon about this, as Richard Williams has.

March 22, 2009

On second thought:

If this Nikon-wielding photographer -- http://www.photo.net/photos/johnrobinson -- uses Bridge, as he indicates he does, then I must look again at Whatever I Was Doing Wrong with ACR, that yielded results so much worse than what I get now with NX 2.

March 22, 2009

I second the recommendation to try out Capture NX 2. My own ACR vs NX 2 experiences are online at this link:

http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00S4dt

February 22, 2009

Michael Reichmann discusses this issue -- or touches on it, anyway -- in the video included in his review of LensAlign:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/lensalign.shtml

My impression of the bottom line: AF fine tune is better than nothing, but still sometimes a compromise. One chooses between using it and deriving some potential benefit, or not using it at all.

February 15, 2009

Hi, John: Were I in your shoes, I'd take a question of this type to the discussion forums at Strobist:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/

Good luck!

February 10, 2009

Hi, Paul,

First, please let me express sympathy that you're having these issues with a new camera.

I'm a new D700 owner, a recent convert from Canon, and -- although I'm using a different lens -- have been quite satisfied with the sharpness of the photos it produces.

The D700 offers an important feature, found (to my knowledge) on only a handful of relatively new cameras: AF fine tune, which can correct front and back focus issues specific to a camera - lens combination. Michael Reichmann on Luminous Landscape has a terrific introduction in his review and tutorial of LensAlign, a product that helps make the most out of AF fine tune. The link: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/lensalign.shtml

LensAlign costs about $140, but there are much less expensive solutions available.

I'm sharing this information because it might be related to your problem -- or perhaps one of the others responding has the answer.

Good luck.

February 8, 2009

In your shoes, I think I'd hie on up to the Nikon El Segundo center that Shun mentioned. My experiences with them have been few, but positive.

January 31, 2009

It's too early to tell for sure, but I think that the 'diffuse, diffuse, diffuse' approach worked.

I found this web site maintained by an obviously skilled photog: http://home.comcast.net/~dougsmit/bounceflashtoys.html

which discusses homemade diffusers. He mentioned clear bubble wrap; boy, do I have plenty of bubble wrap. I cut four sheets to size, gaffer taped them to the front of my Lumiquest softbox, and, in experimentation today, did not blow out at close range at ISO 6400, f3.2 and 1/25, with the flash pointed straight ahead. The shot was ugly, but it didn't blow out.

Cautiously optimistic. That's me. For now.

January 28, 2009

I bought the D700 partly because I read that the D700 includes D3-caliber autofocus. I'm coming from the Canon 5D, which made no pretense of offering first line autofocus, and don't have enough experience with other camera bodies to regard myself as a qualified judge.

But, FWIW, I'm very happy with the autofocus of the D700. Very pleased.

I've had other problems, particularly with the change from Canon to Nikon flash, as I've noted elsewhere ... but the autofocus has been a significant plus.

January 28, 2009

I love that shot, Eric!

I'm going to go the 'diffuse diffuse diffuse' route, and see if it works. If it works (or doesn't) I'll update here.

January 27, 2009

Thanks for posting.

I've got a thread going on about this at dpreview too, and just might possibly if I'm lucky be making headway.

I wish I could take 'er down to a lower ISO, but for event shooting, no can do. Or no want to do. People go into dark places, I follow 'em there, take pictures of subjects who are in a hurry and rarely pose for me. Even if the flash freezes action, I don't trust myself to hold the camera steady at less than 1/15th of a second at the absolute lowest, especially with that big (wonderful) 14-24 hanging off the end of the camera. I'd much rather have a high ISO, a reasonable safe to handhold shutter speed and a medium aperture.

I bought the camera for high ISO, and already am getting some excellent shots with flash at ISO 6400, albeit sometimes with struggle, compromise and chimping. I should mention, as a sidebar: I am getting better pix out of the Nikon rig than out of the Canon.

Diffusing the flash seems to be doing the most good so far, and is what I'll focus on when I next do further experimentation. Even if it's ungainly. Putting the wide flash adapter down helped, the diffusion dome helped some more, and still more help came from the addition of a big, ugly, effective Lumiquest on-the-flash-head softbox. I'll stick more stuff in there, if need be, and won't much worry if I draw juice from the Nimhs while doing so.

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Posts posted by rhaytana__tim_adams_