victor_virtucio

To shoot the D200 tethered, Nikon Capture Control v. 4.4.2 works fine. It takes 2-3 seconds per FINE jpg, maybe twice as long for RAW.

 

To shoot the D300 tethered, you'll need Camera Control Pro, which is the cheapest but efficient software for PC users.

If you're using your own equipment -- processing the photos yourself -- doing your own paperwork -- I'd say $25/hour is low as someone else's shooter.

 

T&I is a pretty lucrative business. Parents pay upfront for photos -- if you do your job right, it's pretty minimal time & effort. Better business than sports action photography, which is all speculative. For sports action, I'd take an hourly rate. But for T&I, I'd take percentage sales. In my area, I shoot for three hours + 1 hour of setup/teardown + 3 hours processing and paperwork -- using my own equipment -- I'll average 10 teams of 12-15 kids each -- I'll take home 20% sales which means in the ballpark of $400. Helluva lot better than $25/hour.

 

And that's pretty average in my area. I know of shooters who do much better than I do.

Hi Connie,

 

The OOF background that you seek (what's called bokeh in some circles) is best achieved with a long focal length AND shallow depth of field. Meaning, if you shoot with an 80-200 set at 200 mm and f/2.8, you'll get nice bokeh. The way you shoot cheer, from right in front and I'm assuming wide-to-medium focal lengths, you won't get a creamy out-of-focus background -- just soft focus.

 

Shooting cheer (which is 33% of what I do) means balancing between getting group shots to show off the routine and individual shots to showcase specific cheerleaders. You won't get good OOF backgrounds when shooting group shots (for obvious reasons) but for individual shots, sit as far away from the mat as you can and shoot long.

 

Hope this helps.

I think only the last responder understood the question.

 

The custom D80 settings I use are:

+1 sharpening

Normal Tone compensation

IIIA Color Mode

0 Saturdation

-3 Hue Adjustment

 

FWIW, I shoot Manual and switch between Center-Weighted and 3D-Matrix Metering.

 

Hope that helps.

I'm was shooting a beauty pageant a few years ago. As I filled a card, I downloaded them to my laptop I left backstage. So in the course of the night, I had two copies of everything -- CF card originals and the laptop duplicates.

 

That saved my ass because at some point during the final section of competition, my little CF card wallet that was on my belt opened up and I lost two CF cards somewhere (Velcro had given way without my noticing. Now my wallets are all zippers)

 

Ever since then, I make sure to build into my workflow opportunities to download full cards to either my laptop of Nikon Coolwalker so that I immediately had two copies.

 

Once I get home, I download the CF cards to my main computer, create a duplicate on an external harddrive AND THEN burn a set to DVD. After which, I consider it safe to clear my laptop (or coolwalker) and reformat my CFs.

 

It only takes getting burned once to learn a lesson.

 

But to answer the original question -- the Epson is a nice little beast. Quick downloads, but slow uploads. It beats the Coolwalker, but since that guy is still running, I've spent my $600 on other things. The Wolverine feels too plasticky to me in a way that makes me feel like it would not survive a bump. Just my two cents.

Thanks for the replies and for the QB instruction weblink -- I actually had already found it and was hoping for some more detailed experiences with a QB1+

 

I have the type that plugs into the battery compartment of the SB800 -- so there's no room for AA's.

 

I'm guessing maybe my cells aren't holding a charge. But before I put money into replacing them, I want to make sure that it's not a different problem, like with the top control part.

 

After unplugging the QB from the charger, all the lights turn off. When I push the on button, nothing happens. When I plug it into the flash, nothing happens. So for those of you out there who have had a deteriorating QB, do these symptoms mean my battery isn't holding a charge or do they mean my battery's on/off switch is dead?

 

Thanks.

My question is for users of the Quantum Batter 1+

 

I bought a used one at a recent camera fair. Paid $40 for just the battery, no

charger or accessories or manual. I have no idea if it really does work.

 

I've bought the charger and the necessary cord for my SB-800s.

 

What's supposed to happen when I charge it?

 

I plugged it in and the yellow light turns on and stays on for the duration of

the charge. Also, all four charging lights (the three green and one red that

are below the charge-level symbols) turn on and stay on. After 3+ hours, the

yellow light turns off (but the other lights stay on), so I'm assuming the

thing is charged.

 

I disconnect it from the wall and all the lights turn off.

 

When I connect it to my SB-800, the flash doesn't turn on and none of the

lights on the battery give any indication of being on. I push the little button

on it also and nothing happens.

 

Is this experience in line with a unit that's working?

 

Thanks for any input. I plan to take it to Batteries Plus to replace the cells,

but won't do that if the problems is something other than depleted cells.

 

P.S. I did a search of this and didn't find anything regarding actual step-by-

step instructions.

Here's the question:

Will I get better AF speed from a 70-300mm ED lens mounted on a D200 than

mounted on a D80?

 

In other words, will a better AF camera make a mediocre AF lens focus faster?

 

This isn't an exercise in academics. I have a 300mm f/4 ED and the 70-300

f4/5.6 ED. Another photographer and I are shooting a baseball tourney and I

want to lend him my 70-300mm since his longest lens is just the 80-200mm 2.8.

He's got a D80 and I have the D200. If he can get better results using my D200

with the 70-300, that's what we'll do. But if it's all equal, I might as well

keep my D200.

 

Thanks for any actual anecdotes that might shed light on this.

What camera do you shoot with?

 

With a D200, you can custom-name the prefix for the files. So instead of the default DSC_XXXX, it can be whatever you want. For me, I set the cameras to VV1_ and VV2 to distinguish between the two cameras. I download all to one file and batch sort by timecode, then rename to a common name.

Thanks for the advice.

My dilemma, however, is that this is a new problem. I've done several weddings with this D200 and only now has this problem cropped up.

Secondly, my second body was a D80 with a 12-24mm f/4 and SB-600. It didn't have this problem at all that night. Similar camera settings as the D200.

I will try the FV Lock. I've never paid attention to it before. I'm experienced enough with the 3-D Matrix vs. Center-weighted to know that this isn't the cause of the problem. But Using TTL-BL (which is my default) might be the case and will try just plain TTL.

Any other insights would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks.

Here's another example where the foreground is overflashed while the background is properly exposed, even though my subject takes up a third of the space and is in the center.<div></div>

I shot a wedding last night. One camera was the D200 + 28-70 f/2.8 + SB-800 on

a T-frame, attached by SC-17.

 

Settings were 3D-Matrix Metering, ISO 100-800, 0.0 EV, -0.3 Flash Comp, WB

Flash. I was dragging my shuuter to let background ambient bleed in.

 

During the reception, that setup was overflashing. The Bride and Groom -- both

dressed in white (the groom had his tux jacket off, revealing white shirt and

vest) would be 2+ stops overflashed and the only thing I could do was drop my

flash compensation to -1 or -2. But, when my main subjects were 15 feet away

from me, I'd have to change my flash comp back to -.3 or 0.0 to get a proper

exposure.

 

Any ideas what happend. I've never had this problem until last night.

 

Thanks in advance.

Attached are two photos, taken moments apart. I shot from a fixed position, the

Bridesmaids were farther from me than the B/G. No changes made to the camera

between the two shots.<div></div>

The other advantage of using Nikon Speedlights is the iTTL feature. Assuming you're not shooting into an umbrella or through a softbox, you can use the -800 as the master and the two -600s as slaves, set your ratios in your D80 and off you go.

 

Disadvantage obviously is that the flashes are underpowered strobes, really, so if you're doing large groups or long periods of shooting (more than 300 shots, say), the speedlights won't be able to keep up.

 

But that iTTL feature is convenient, fairly accurate and produces great results.

Go to Custum Menu #24. There you can set your default flash sync to 1//60, 1/30 and lower. You can't set default flash sync to 1/200.

 

Nikons have always defaulted its flash syncs to 1/60 in the days of film.

I shoot competition cheerleading regularly. Check out my site at <a href="httpl://www.mncheerpix.com" target="blank">www.mncheerpix.com</a>

<br><Br>

Here are some easy tips:<br>

1) For the D70s, keep your ISO no higher than 800 (400 is better). Shoot with your 80-200 wide open and shutter at 1/60 at a minimum.<br>

2) DO use flash. Dial down your flash by 1/3 to 2/3 under. When I shoot cheer, I strobe the gym with two or three AB 1600's. Otherwise, I use an SB-800 on camera.<br>

3) If you're using the 80-200, sit or stand off center (no more than quarter way from center) and no higher than the fourth row of bleachers (I'm assuming the competition will be in a gym). <br>

4) A better lens is the 28-70 2.8. Cheer is about ensemble performance, unison movement and working together as a team. The 80-200 is suitable to show off individuals and tight shots, but good cheer shots are about getting group formations, IMHO. Low shooting is also recommended, except for when you use the 80-200.<br>

5) Watch body language. Cheerleaders have prep movements that can help you anticipate shots.

 

Hope that helps.<div></div>

I think DH is needing a little more guidance than "If you like it, live with it."

 

I've never shot with the Sigma 18-50 2.8, but I have the 17-55 2.8.

 

It's autofocus is quick, it doesn't search back-and-forth. If you do a lot of action, this is important.

 

The 17-55 is pretty sharp wide open at 2.8. I shoot in theaters, in low-light conditions for dance and theater companies, so I need the sharpest possible at that aperture. If you don't need 2.8 most of the time, the 17-55 might be too much lens for you.

 

It's built like a tank. It's hefty and feels good on the D200. I don't have to baby it the way I might with a plastic-built lens (I have used Tamron and Tokina lenses in the past and have never been happy with the build quality)

 

So, if these three things are important to you, then by all means, spend $1500 on the 17-55. It's up to you to determine the cost-benefit of making the switch.

 

Cheers.

Let me nip one issue in the bud...

 

The $500 wedding is NOT based on the idea that wedding photography is your ONLY PAYING PHOTOGRAPHY GIG. Obviously, booking 52 wedding gigs at $500 is not the way to go -- plus, under my outline, that means you're only working 12 hours a week!

 

I wrote up that hypothetical situation for the photographer who earns his/her keep entirely through his/her camera but shoots a myriad of assignments -- headshots for local actors, family portraits during holiday season, high school sports in the fall and winter for community newspapers, etc.

 

And, the other side of the coin is the client. The younger set of brides and grooms are tech savvy, have owned at least one digital camera and two computers in their lifetime and are familiar with digital files. They like slideshows, hosting blogs where they post their photos and sharing photos and video via e-mail rather than in living rooms. Many aren't interested in the flush-mount 10x10 albums or in keepsake boxes. So, the low-budget photog can cater to that market.

 

Did I just fan the flames?

Every so often, established photogs vent about upstarts edging them out of

business by undercutting the established market for wedding photography.

<br><Br>I'm a firm believer in "You get what you pay for," but not everyone

else is. Some brides believe in "Pay a little, get a lot," and they'll hunt

for the bargains, snubbing their noses at high prices that bring high quality.

That's why I believe there is room for $500 photogs and $5000 photogs to make

a living in the same community. <br><br>Let's look at a $500 wedding, assuming

he or she is a digital photographer who does a decent job, doesn't miss any

important moments and produces clean, enjoyable images for the wedding couple.

She/he provides the wedding couple with photos on disk for their own reprints

and a proof book of 4x6s for viewing. <br><Br>

<b>$25/hour for the photog's time: $300</b><br> 1) 5 hours of coverage: 1 hour

pre-ceremony activity, 1 hour ceremony, 1 hour formal portraits, 2 hours of

reception/post ceremony <Br>2) of course, the photog should padd this with 1

hour for travel to and from.<Br> 3) 5 hours of post-process (I'm assuming 1-

for-1 shooting vs editing ratio, using batch processing followed by retouching

when necessary)<Br> 4) of course the photo should padd this with 1 hour for

travel to and from photo lab. <Br><Br><b>product expenses: $72</b> <Br> 1) 300

finished photos @ 17 cents per 4x6(plus 7 % sales tax) This is just a proof

book, all you want is to make sure the lab reproduces the colors you intended -

- $55<Br> 2) Photo album for the proof book: $20 <Br>3) DVD for digital files:

$2 -- DVD with case<Br><br> <b>overhead expenses: $8,200 (basically, your

credit card debt that you're working off</b><br>1) 2 digital slrs @ $1,100

each <Br>2) 2 pro-lenses (17-55 & 70-200, f/2.8):$3,200 <br>3) 2 external

flashes @ $350 each<Br> 4) Computer for post-process(2G RAM, 300G HD, Intel

dual core): $900 <br> 5) Photoshop CS2:$605 <Br>6) 6 2G CF cards: $600

<br><Br>So, with a $500 gig, you worked 12 hours, earned $300 ($80-$100

earmarked for taxes), spent $72 and put the remaining $128 to pay off your

overhead (credit card). <b>If you do 3 weddings a month from April to October

and 3 more weddings for the rest of the year, you gross $10,500 and net $6300

($1680- $2100 earmarked for taxes), and paid off $2688 of your camera debt.

</b> And this only represents 252 hours out of 1920 total work hours possible

in a year (40 hour work week, 48 weeks of work). Of course the challenge comes

in securing 21 weddings a year -- not an easy task at the $500 level.

<br><Br>Add that income to your other photo activities that fill out the rest

of your work week (headshots/model portfolios, family portraits, sports

photography, newspaper freelance, etc. -- which also pays off the camera

debt). If photography is truly your passion AND your business, you'll hustle

hard to get all the photo gigs you can.<Br><Br> Yes, I know I've excluded

things likes camera insurance and liability insurance. At the $500 level, you

can't afford it and take the risk, hoping that as your income rises, you can

make the necessary expenditures. <Br><Br> Two years at the most at this level

ought to build you a portfolio and referral client base to help you raise your

prices, provide more services and improve your quality for year-3 and onwards.

<Br><Br>Also, married with children and a mortgage makes things more

difficult. So, get into the photo biz before getting into the family biz.

hehe ;-)<br><br> Any comments? Flame away.

I previously used my D100's with Nikon Capture 4.3 for shooting tethered. No

problems.

 

I have a D80, but my Nikon Capture 4.3 won't recognize that a camera is

connected. The computer sees my D80, however. On the D80, I made sure my USB

mode was PTP -- same setting that my D100 needed in order to shoot tethered.

 

I have upgraded my Nikon Capture to 4.3.2, but that hasn't helped.

My questions: Do I really have to spedn another $99 to buy Nikon Capture 4.4

or another version of the software in order to use the D80 (and eventually D200

) tethered?

 

Any insights would be appreciated.

 

Thanks.

When I give a client a CD, that's been paid for with higher upfront fees of course, I have stamped on the front "Reprints Permitted www.vpaulphotos.com" and inside I have a Word file that states the use agreement between myself and my client. That takes care of 99 % of the photo labs out there. That rare one that is anal enough to require the client to get me to sign their own release -- I tell the client to take their business to another lab. There are so many out there that do fine work. You're right, those labs that are sticklers to the old model of business are hurting my business model, so I steer clients to businesses that help me.

 

In terms of resolution, I give them the full native resolution of my files -- so back when it was 6 MP cameras, that meant 8x12" at 250 dpi. 10 MP is 8x12 at 322 DPI. 12 MP is 8x12 at 350 DPI. And so on. And of course print ready to my and my clients' taste.

Rear Curtain Sync == flash fires at the end of the shutter

Front Curtain Sync = (default) means flash fires at the beginning of the shutter

Slow Curtain = good for flash use when you drag your shutter

 

None of those have anything to do with fill-flash.

 

To set fill flash, press and hold the flash button (on the side of the flash compartment). On the LCD, you will see a +/- and 0.0. While still holding down the flash button, turn the back command dial right to dial built-in flash down at 1/3 stop increments. Turning to the right turns flash up at 1/3 stop increments. The D80 allows for +/- 3 stops. So, if you turn the dial to -0.7, that means you will achieve a fill-flash that's about 2/3 under ambiant (assuming you're exposing for ambiant).

 

Hope that helps.

Hi folks,

 

I got the recent copy of Leica Fotographie International. It's got a

couple of articles about Leica entering the digital world

with professional photographers in mind.

 

One article interviews a couple of Leica engineers who say a digital R

is likely to be announced in the next LFI issue (end of June). They

said a digital M was not possible with current technology because the

rear elements of the M-lenses were too close to the film plane where a

sensor would theoretically sit. However, the R body has more than

enough room.

 

They left the door open to the possibility of a digital back or an

entirely new body. In the article, they indicated that they were still

determining what direction they'll head in.

 

I don't think this means a digital R is in the near future. I got the

sense that these articles confirm that Leica is working on a

professional solution for a digital camera and will not just have a

point-and-shoot digital line.

 

One of the articles have comments from others at Leica affirming that

the company realizes a digital line is important in order to remain a

viable company.

 

I'm at work and I don't have the magazine with me so I can't give

names in this posting. But I thought I'd write to see if others have

received the LFI issue and have any opinions on Leica entering the

digital world for its R bodies.

 

Personally, I'm an M user -- a classic M6 and 35 summicron and 90

elmarit. I also shoot with the D100 with a 24 2.8, 35 2, 50 1.8 and 85

1.8. I traded my M6 TTL and 50 summicron (current) for the D100 body

several months ago. The D100 is now my bread and butter body and the

M6 for personal projects or special situations when film is needed.

 

Looking forward to comments.

I was accessing my photos from within my account. I'd log in, then go to my workspace. I'll click on manage my portfolios and then when I'd choose a folder, some photos would be unavailalbe and some would be fine.

 

I first noticed this when from my web site. I have one of those free sites on geocities. I would create a link to my photos on photo.net from that site.

My images on my photo.net account keep coming up as "Photo Not

Available." Sometimes when I click on that message, I get to the

medium sized version of the photo. Other times, I get the thumbnail

but when I click on it, I get the "Photo Not Availalbe" Message. And,

it's not always the same photos that are having problems. They change

constantly.

 

What's up with that? Anybody have any insight? Is this just a

temporary, server-issue kind of thing, or did I max out on memory or

what?

 

Thanks for any help, especially from those who administer this site.

I read Van Riper's stuff on the online version of Washington Post. Are

there any other writers who regularly put out material about

photographers' experiences?

I'm not talking about reading stuff that has technical instruction.

I'm looking mostly for stories about what other photographers go

through in their daily work, whether they're photojournalists, wedding

shooters, commercial studio photogs, etc.

 

 

Thanks