hiroshi_shigematsu3

March 9, 1999

Please excuse me for my confusing English, Alan. Actually, it

should read; "The early Nikkor lenses have single coating and are

prone to flare." Hope this clears the things out.

March 7, 1999

1. Not much difference, but later F2s have better built-in meters and

AI couplings. 2. Yes, but later F2s with metered prism do not

necessarily have the "Photomic" designation. 3. F2 comes with

the DE-1, a standard non-metered pentaprism, while F2A comes with the

DP-11, a Photomic finder that has AI meter coupling and analog

exposure meter. 4. You can attach AI lenses on both F and

F2. 5. As long as I heard, there no longer is a supply

of variable resistors which are used inside the metered prisms of

these cameras. So, if it is true, the answer would be

"yes." 6. The old Nikon's (Nippon Kogaku, then) "S"

designation only means that lens has seven elements. Unless you

meant AI-S lenses, it is unlikely that old Nikkor will match the

performance of the newer ones. The early Nikkor lenses have single

coating, while the latest Nikkor have advanced multi-coatings, and

are prone to flare. Although, this does not mean you cannot get

excellent results with older Nikkor lenses. It is just like

different tools have different characteristics. Mark, if you

are interested in Nikon's history, <a

href=http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/society/index.htm>this link</a>

will serve you well.

March 5, 1999

I got my Nikon F Photomic Tn with working meter, 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor,

and a lens hood for $175 at a local camera show;-). This thig still

works! Also, this is a true full mechanical camera. I think

this would worth much more than FM-10/FE-10 and hold its value.

March 4, 1999

When I post it, for some reasons the link didn't work. So, I'll post

it again.

If all you are trying to achieve are pictures like <a

href=http://web.net-link.net/~cassino/thumbsb.html>these</a>, your

set-up maybe just fine. However, I find them rather underwhelming; it

is fine for the beginner, though. It is easier to show you the

pictures than trying to explain 100 times the difference between ones

taken with zoom and ones taken with prime alone. To use the examples

you suggested,

<a href=http://web.net-link.net/~cassino/birds03.html>this</a> is

lacking contrast as the black is not true black and possibly

suffering from flare as the entire picture looks kind of soft &

whitish. These problems seem common to the many low-cost zoom lenses.

Now, let's take a look at

<a href=http://web.net-link.net/~cassino/birds27.html>this</a>. This

is taken with 500mm prime, and you can notice the black is real

black, and there is a better contrast than the picture above. Also,

the focus is much sharper with this, and I cannot detect any flare

with this one. Let me ask you, Marcus. If you have a choice, which

kind of picture would you rather take:

or<a href=http://web.net-link.net/~cassino/birds27.html>this</a>?

March 4, 1999

"How much is good enough for my purposes and what expense can I

justify???" Good question! The answer is I sincerely don't

know that, but it seems you already answered your very question

yourself. Please don't get me wrong, but take a moment to

consider the following. First of all, your Bogen 3401B (a modified

#3221) with a 3410 pan-tilt head is not steady enough for the 560mm

f/8 lens you are trying to accomplish. After all, it is a

560mm lens and need a same (or greater, because of the slower f-stop)

steadiness for the tripod as if supporting a 600mm f/4 lens. You

need to invest a huge chunks of your precious money to the

tripod & head. Also, you mentioned that "I will probably practice

my tele technique with a cheap set- up." What you probably don't

realize is that it is much harder to get a decent photo with a cheap

zoom lens on a TC than a prime lens alone. It will take quite a

considerable technique to reproduce a presentable image with your

particular combo. You will be surprised to see how easier to get a

decent picture with a prime lens. There are less flare, vignetting,

and ghost problems; better contrast, sharper image even at wide open

(not quite so with the telephoto zooms) with prime telephoto lens.

These things alone can improve your photographs, I think. By

the way, I believe there is no such thing as a "tele

technique," but only a "photo technique" which can be learned

regardless of the focal length you use; you just have to be selective

on the subject. As you may already know, you can get (and learn)

great pictures with P&S. If you are interested in "photo technique,"

then, I suggest you to read the books by John Shaw and Arthur

Morris. If you don't have multi-thousand dollars just laying

around waiting to be spent (neither do I), may I suggest save up some

money on the TC and get a 300mm f/4? Actually, this is the route I

took, and I have never regretted my decision. This size of the

telephoto lens is not so expensive for the quality and light weight

enough to be carried around very often. The good news are your

current tripod is steady enough for this lens (even with 1.4X TC

attached), and it should work pretty well with, shall I say, TCs

(this is not true with most super-telephoto zooms like you

own). If all you are trying to achieve are pictures like <a

href=http://web.net-link.net/~cassino/thumbsb.html>these</a>, your

set-up maybe just fine. However, I find them rather underwhelming;

it is fine for the beginner, though. It is easier to show you the

pictures than trying to explain 100 times the difference between ones

taken with zoom and ones taken with prime alone. To use the examples

you suggested, <a href=http://web.net-

link.net/~cassino/birds03.html>this</a> is lacking contrast as the

black is not true black and possibly suffering from flare as the

entire picture looks kind of soft & whitish. These problems seem

common to the many low-cost zoom lenses. Now, let's take a look at

<a href=http://web.net-link.net/~cassino/birds27.html>this</a>. This

is taken with 500mm prime, and you can notice the black is real

black, and there is a better contrast than the picture above. Also,

the focus is much sharper with this, and I cannot detect any flare

with this one. Let me ask you, Marcus. If you have a choice, which

kind of picture would you rather take: <a href=http://web.net-

link.net/~cassino/birds03.html>this</a> or <a href=http://web.net-

link.net/~cassino/birds27.html>this</a>? Marcus, if you are

"working on the fix focal route as well", why not get a prime

lens, now, rather than getting a 3rd party TC? There are a lot to be

discovered if you take that route. And I'm sure you will be glad, in

the end, that you have done so. You probably thought your tripod is

steady enough for what you are getting into, but I'll tell you

otherwise. It is not only the size & wieght of the lens you are

mounting but also the focal length of the lens itself to determine

the steadiness of the camera support. Are you ready to shell out

another $400 or more for a new tripod+head in addition to the $150

for a 1.4X TC? It will probably close enough to get you a Minolta

300mm f/4 APO. Now, suddenly, prime route starts sounding much

better choice, isn't it? Also, getting prime lens is not so

expensive if you look for the used one hard enough. Since you are

willing to use 3rd party TC, you may look for the 3rd pary primes,

which is much better than your zoom, as well. Once you start using a

prime lens, you will become less likely to use your 80-400mm zoom.

You'll know why I'm against such lenses. Surely, "everything has

it's place. However, for 80-400mm zoom, it is very likely to end

up being either in a junk box or in a classified ad. once the owner

get a better lens. To me, 100mm & 300mm (and possibly 200mm) prime

lenses have better uses than such zoom lenses. Return of the

PRIMES!?

March 3, 1999

Not in Manual mode but, as you may already know, it can be done in

Aperture & Shutter-Priority mode. Just, press and hold the AE-Lock

button, then change either the shutter speed or the aperture. Now,

in Shutter-Priority mode, this can be quite tricky; with your thumb

holding the AE-Lock button, which finger to use to change the shutter

speed ! Anyway, as Bruce said, "with the aperture control under

the forefinger and the shutterspeed under the thumb it should be easy

to shift them together to maintain a constant EV even in Manual

mode.

March 3, 1999

Marcus, If you are satisfied with your results, .....there is

nothing to tell you. Just, go ahead and get that teleconverter for

your telephoto zoom. Since you asked for opinions, I'm telling you

that I'd rather not use your particular combination. Actually, I'm a

big fun of prime lenses so that I'd rather carry several

primes and a lightweight tripod than a big zoom lens. That

figures. I'd rather be selective on the subjects that can be

photographed with the equipment I have at that moment, than try to

capture everything that falls into my sight with "can do

everything" super-zoom like 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6. However, you are

free to disagree. After all, this is ONLY my opinion. I hope

you'll understand that.

March 2, 1999

Marcus, you said your 80-400 f4.5-5.6 is a travel zoom. Are you

ready to carry a heavy tripod with you all the time while you are

traveling ? While your camera may be able to AF at f/8, 560mm f/8 is

really slow. It's long focal length will enhance any camera

shakes, and you cannot get away with faster shutter speed because of

the large f-stop (unless you use a faster/grainer film). Even if you

could solve the camera shake, you will still miss the shots because

the subject(s) move(s) while the shutter is open. Again, slower

shutter speed becomes a big concern. As

above poster noted, I wouldn't seek out a cheap solution beyond 400mm

range. Be happy with your 400mm zoom, or get a realsuper

telephoto lens.

February 6, 1999

Scott, your assumption on the price is wrong. In Japan, Suggested

Retail Price for the EOS-3, F100, and Maxxum 9 are 185,000yen,

190,000yen, and 250,000yen (about $1,640; $1,690; and $2,215)

respectively. So the Maxxum 9 is the most expensive in the three.

Actually, by being the top of the Minolta line of SLR, Maxxum 9's SRP

is more like F5's. I don't know how this SRP will affect the actual

selling price in the USA, but I can expect Maxxum 9 being rather

expensive in the US, too. Now, the question is whether you would

rather get a F5 or a Maxxum 9 if the price is about the same. In

other words, would you rather pay more to get a Minolta for simmilar

or less function as EOS-3 or F100 ?

I know that whatever your choice is it is your personal preferance,

and that Minolta makes excellent SLR system. However, Maxxum 9's

price seems rather too expensive to me.

February 2, 1999

If your flash unit is non-dedicated to your camera, I wouldn't use

it. Period. I don't want to risk my expensive camera with such

thing ;-)

January 23, 1999

The URL I left is actually only one. I just copied the entire

address, and it ended up into two lines. But, you can get there

either ways.

Gary, you seem to be getting what I meant. AAA Camera's advertised

price can't be trusted! Period. If you are LUCKY, you might get a

Sigma zoom for the price of an AF-S zoom from AAA Camera; at least,

that is what I understand how their business practice is. They keep

fishing uninformed people with their VERY attractive "ADVERTISED

PRICE."

January 22, 1999

Who wants to buy anything from thieves like "AAA Camera" at "SOUNDS

VERY GOOD" prices.

Just check out here.

http://db.photo.net/neighbor/one-category.tcl?subcategory_1=Camera%

20Shops

December 22, 1998

FYI only. There is some information on AF-S zoom lenses at Nikon Japan's home page. Finally, you can read it

in English! Check out the following.

http://www.klt.co.jp/Nikon/PPD/Lineup/Lenses/index.html

December 22, 1998

FYI; finally, there is a official information on AF-S zoom lenses, too. Check out the following.

http://www.klt.co.jp/Nikon/PPD/Lineup/Lenses/index.html

December 22, 1998

I'm considering getting light stand(s) for this holiday season. I found out that B&H, now, sell Bogen Stacker series light stands. I searched B&H, Bogen, and Manfrotto's home pages for information on this new product but came out empty-handed. I just want to compare the specs with Bogen 3097, 7 1/2' lightweight pro. Would anyone please point me to the web site where lists the specs on these light stands? Specifically, I need to know the size, weight, maximum extension, and load capacity for these stands; I have the specs on Bogen 3097.

Thank you very much for any help you can provide.

December 21, 1998

Chris, everything what he said is a crap. Next time, you'd better stuff his mouth with his "USA" version lens

before he tells you any more crap.

December 18, 1998

Sean & Matt, your points well taken ;-)

December 17, 1998

Matt, I'm not trying to be rude here, but this kind of question can be easily answered with your little effort. I

see many people come up with questions without any effort on their parts, and that bothers me quite a bit; I

don't mean you are one of them. I mean if you bothered to go to your local camera store and asked them to let

you try out the new 300/4IS on your teleconverter and camera, you would get the most accurate answer to

your own question: seeing it with your own eyes. On the second thought, maybe you tried that yourself and

couldn't find the lens at your local store. If so, my sincere apologies here.

December 16, 1998

Matt, why don't you try it yourself if you are REALLY interested. Find a camera store who dares to let you try

that. Simple!

December 6, 1998

As far as I know, by reading through the web site, Mr. Yasuhara would refuse to sell you his T981 if you are

looking for some status symbol or premium on his camera. He claims it is strictly a user camera. Also, the

selling price in Japan would be 55,000yen (not 50,000yen); so it is about $458 at 120yen/dollar rate.

The T981 is a TTL metered mechanical shutter, manual exposure, and manual focus camera. It does have a

modern hinged back door. So, film loading should be easier than the screw-mount Leica. The viewfinder has

1:1 magnification (life size), and this is another selling point of T981.

Leica-style screw-mount cameras are getting old, and it is becoming hard to get spare parts for the camera;

Mr. Yasuhara claims. You can buy a T981 new and will be able to fix it, if anything goes wrong, because it is built

around today's technology.

November 30, 1998

Since I don't have any experience with Slik 700DX, I can't comment on that one. However, I do own Bogen

3221W for about a year; and I can recommend it, without hesitation, to anybody who can afford it. Unless you

put a really heavy stuff (600mm f/4 or 500mm f/4 etc.) on it, the tripod should handle the load with ease. Also,

the black-finish, spiked feet, and foam padding on the legs are well worth paying the extra for. I think Bogen

3221(W) is the best value you can possibly find anywhere. If you want lighter or steadier tripod and willing to

spend several hundred dollars, you can consider Gitzo tripods (especially, carbon fiber ones are nicer), too. It all

depends on how much money you are willing to spend, though.

November 30, 1998

Anil, check out this thread. There are a lot of very good advises on P150 that you can possibly hope for.

http://db.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000Bwe

November 27, 1998

What Dan Brown said is true. Nikon will start selling AF 28-105mm f3.5-4.5D (not AF-S as someone

claimed) on December 26, 1998 in Japan. The Suggested Retail Price for the new lens in Japan is

55,000yen, about $460US at 120yen/dallor rate. It has circular aperture opening with 9 blades and accepts

62mm filters. For those of you who can/willing to read Japanese, here is the link.

http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/jpn/whatsnew/af28105_98.htm

Also, AF-S 80200mm f2.8 is coming out on December 12, 1998 in Japan. Its SRP is 245,000yen, about

$2,040US !!! Anyway, whether you can afford it or not; here is the link for who want to take a close look.

http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/jpn/whatsnew/afs80200_98.htm

November 25, 1998

Yeah, Slik is everywhere. Because their tripods are cheaper and produce higher profit to the store owner than

Bogen's, who wouldn't want to sell them.

October 13, 1998

I'm posting this in a hope that this is an interest to some of you, or someone might benefit from my experience

and learn something out of it.

Rory Panton wrote:

Thank you for your advise! I am trying out the f3. I don't understand how the A button located on the shutter

speed dial works? When I put the dial on A and snap a picture the shutter opens but it won't close until I turn

the knob. Would you know if I am doing anything wrong?

rip3@hotmail.com

Hiroshi Shigematsu wrote:

I'm sorry to get back to you so late. My mail server was down.

Rory, this may sound silly question, but did you take the lens cap off when you pressed the shutter button? If

the lens cap is on, the camera will automatically choose the longest shutter speed, 8 second, at

Aperture-Priority (A) mode. Also, if you activate Mirror Lock-Up in "A" mode, the same thing happens because

the light won't hit the meter.

The other solution I can think of is to put new batteries. Maybe batteries are bad.

Another thing you should know about F3 is that shutter speed is fixed at 1/80s regardless of the exposure

mode until the film counter is advanced to #1.

The button in the center of the shutter speed dial unlocks the dial, which locks when set to the

"A"(Aperture-Priority) or "X"(1/80s flash sync speed) positions. The lever surrounding the shutter speed dial

activates the 10sec self-timer. When a red dot is visible, it is activated.

Rory, I still don't know in what situation you faced that problem; unfortunately, the information you gave me is

not enough to judge anything. So, my answer may be a little off the point. However, it sounds to me that the

light meter inside the camera isn't getting enough light so that the camera chooses 8sec shutter speed. I,

personally, never had such problem when I used my F3 correctly, of course. Check your camera and operation.

Just make sure everything is all right. Then, let me know if you could solve the problem. I always welcome any

questions. Good Luck!

Rory Panton wrote:

Thanks for the info Hiroshi. Where is the mirror lockup button on the f3? I had the batteries changed. Any

more help would be appreciated thanks.

Rory

The Answer:

On the face of the camera, next to the lens mount, and right below the shutter speed dial, there is a chrome

button. That is the Depth-Of-Field preview button, and you'll notice a lever surrounding it. That is the

Mirror-Lock-Up lever you are looking for. Press the DOF preview button, then, turn the MLU lever away from

the lens mount to activate MLU. However, if you activate MLU, you can't see through the viewfinder so that

you will know whether it is on or off by looking through it. Just below the DOF preview button are the

mechanical 1/60s shutter release lever and the exposure-lock button. I really hope you can solve your

problem.

I visited the above site that Geoffrey has noted. There was huge amount of information about Nikon F3, and

most of the stuff I told you is covered, too. If you only want to know how to operate your F3, it is the place to

go. I was amazed the way the pictures were used to effectively explain how to operate each of the controls.

As he told you, you can download the entire manual for your F3 there. If you don't have the Adobe Acrobat

Reader installed in your computer, click on the yellow button near the bottom of that page to install it. Then,

click on "FULL manual" to get your copy of it.

I don't know what else to tell you, but I hope you also do your own part of homework. I'm telling you this

provided that you have already told the way to get the information you need. I am more than happy to help you

if you try to do some of your own search, and can't find the answer. Rory, while I don't mean to blame you, the

lazy question usually gets lazy answers.

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