larry_s1

Does anyone have any info on the differences and relative speeds of

the various Nikon autofocus systems. I have a N70 - CAM 274. I was

looking at the N80 and D70 - CAM 900 and F100 Cam 1300 (also in F5).

I noticed some of the newer cameras have a CAM 2000 system.

Professionals are paid for results not the process nor the tools.

How can I determine if a non Nikon lens is a non-AI, AI-d or AI

lens. I am looking at some older MF lenses and my N70 can't mount a

non-AI lens.

You might get better prices in other cities.

 

Those are good places to shop, maybe not the best places to sell.

 

Camera Traders in NYC maybe a place to try. I know of places on Long Island - Brooklyn camera, Koh's Camera. Both have web sites.

 

What do you have?

Kodak also makes Portra 800 (120 and 35).

 

One advantage with NPZ is that I have pushed it with good results and it comes in 120. So if you need to push 120, this is the best option. Supra and Fuji Press (CZ) are available in 35mm only.

Often gray market is bought WITHOUT ANY Nikon warranty in what ever market it was bought in. That is B&H sells Nikon stuff it acquired (I bet from Nikon) without a USA or International Warranty. Thats why Nikon will not service it. Because it was sold WITHOUT a warranty. Ask B&H what gray market means.

Nikon's attitude on gray bothers me since they promote this market by selling their products to vendors without the usual Nikon warranty. Gray doesn't mean international. Check with places like B&H - there is no warranty at all (just B&H's).

 

From B&H:

 

The USA item is warranted by the manufacturer, typically for at least 1 year. The Imported item is warranted by B&H for 1 Year.

 

About USA and GREY MARKET (DIRECT IMPORT)

 

What are the differences as far as a customer is concerned?

 

How much the item costs, and where you'd send it for warranty service. Generally, "direct import" items cost less than their "USA" counterparts.

 

A "USA" warrantied item is a manufacture's warranty that would be repaired in any manufacturer's authorized service facility worldwide if the item required in-warranty service. The "direct import" item

would have to be returned to B&H Photo-Video Corp. in New York City if it required in-warranty attention.

 

Nikon sells the stuff and then washes its hands creating problems for consumers.

The "DX" designation means it projects an image circle optimised for the smaller sensor size of the current Nikon DSLRs and hence it cannot be employed on 35 mm bodies (unless the user is desperate to maximise lens vignetting and light loss. However the entire 16-24 mm range can be utilised even on the F5).

 

The full quote from the site referenced in a response above.

"DX Nikkor is designed exclusively for use with Nikon Digital SLR models" From Nikon USA Web Site

 

For someone who said "It works as an 18-24mm on a Nikon film body".

I have a 50 mm F1.8 that I have had for three years and have used

very rarely (less than one roll). The lens has had its caps on and

has been stored in a plastic bag.

 

Last night after I mounted it on my camera, I noticed a thread or

strand of hair in the middle of the lens between the elements. Just

floating in space. Needless to say I am upset.

 

How can this get in there? The back of the lens seems sealed. Can

this be there from the manufacturer (in my mind it must? I am going

to bring this in to Nikon but I am expecting a problem with them. I

have never had this problem, even with lenses I use often and with

lenses that are open on the mount end.

 

Any experience with this problem and ideas on causes?

Nothing was announced at PhotoPlus Expo. The Nikon reps position was we don't know anything.

 

Of course new stuff will eventually come.

Your english is very unclear. Are you saying what you expected was on the negative but not in the print. Then its the lab since some cropping occurs from 35mm to most print sizes.

The D denotes that it communicates distance with certain flashes. G is a new mount without an aperture ring that is used with newer cameras. The G lenses may not work with the F90. Check with Nikon.

 

When talking about lens the F-Stop makes a big difference in describing the lens. There are lens with the same focal length but with different F-stops that are completely different.

 

I elieve the lenses you are describing are designed to be sold cheaply to consumers. There are sites that discuss performace. But I wouldn't worry that much about it.

I think the lens is heavy for hand holding anyway, especially when taking a lot of pictures. I use a monopod for that reason in addition for improved sharpness.

 

Remember, the VR option does not help with subject movement just camera movement (sports and such).

Some programs say received by not postmarked by.

Monopods are not a replacement for tripods but are useful for fast moving situations and to opimize sharpness in other cases. Any shot at normal shutter speeds (say 2 to 3 stops over the 1/focal length rule) will be sharper with a monopod versus hand held. I am not steady so I use one often. When I shoot ballet performances I use an 80-200 zoom and I have gotten sharp shots at 1/40 at the 200 end, if I have the time to steady myself and work at being steady.

 

Also, sports photographers use them to steady heavy camera lens combos and to just hold the weight.

 

If you don't need to move fast use a tripod (landscapes). If you need to move around more (birds, sports, people maybe) use a monopod if you can, especially at lower than high shutter speeds.

Skip the Fuji 1600 and stick with Fuji Press 800 or Kodak Supra 800 or even Fuju NPZ (800) all pushed. I like those better. WIth one stop i get real nice 8x10's with some grain. I expect 8x10's from 2 stop pushed will be OK but with a little more grain.

 

I am lucky in that my lab on Long Island charges a very small premium to push. And they did a better job than a big name lab in NYC.

Shipping cost is another scam. I bought stuff from Samy's in LA and Camera World in Oregon and my shippng was $10 to $15 depending on weight. Thats an honest amount reflectiing actual shipping costs. These other places will charge very large amounts to make up the low cost.

 

Since every dealer has been advertising $1,699, I would be curious to see what they did ship (if they ship anything). A would guess you would get an imported F100.

Were your samples scans of prints or film?

 

From what I can see on my monitor, the samples show more grain in the light areas. See my earlier post.

 

The 2200 is sold in Europe (as the 2100) with software called the Grey Blancer which helps contol the tonal output of the 2200 with B&W. The 2200 comes without. Somebody else mentioned the RIP option.

I should have added that the 2200 does a good B&W job (thye have two levels of black). The quality is good but the tone is not neutral out of the box.

 

I am considering this option.

Color inkjet printers produce black and white prints using black ink only that look grainy because they are using one shade of black to produce all shades of greys. As a result the printer needs to spread out some black dots so when viewed you see a grey tome. The lighter the tone the fewer and more spaced the black dots will be. Hence the grainy effect (especially in light tones). When the color inks are used also, the colors can be mixed to produce a light tone and a smooth image while using plenty of dots. Thats why quad and hex inks get better results because there are more than one shade of grey in the printer.

What isn't sharp in the graveyard shot? The tombstones, the trees, the children, the school or everything? There is so much in that shot I am not sure what your concern is.

 

If you want to compare lenses you need to compare apples and apples. Put camera and lens on tripod, shoot a subject with small details (newspapers can work if you don't have a lens chart). Use a fine grained slide film so there is no processing impact. Shoot at various fstop shutter speed combos and focal lengths. Try and use a good loop to compare lens/camera combos. You may have to do this a few times to get distances right.

 

If there is something wrong with the Nikon you will find out. Generally I find that any of my lens are sharp enough. The problem occurs in their usage (handheld etc).

T-Max 400? For ballet and dance performances I use either Fuji NPZ (800) pushed 1 or 2 stops or Kodak Supra 800 pushed 1 or 2 stops. You can try the 1600 spead Fuji, but I think the 800 pushed is better.

 

If the stage is bright, you might get a way with 800 unpushed or maybe even 400. I would use color.

 

Years ago the color film wasn't good enough. Now it is so why not use it?

 

I often need the 2.8 lens but when I shoot MF I sometimes get away with a 3.5 lens I have.

If your results are "awesome", whats the problem?

These are necessarily different lenses as a lens can have multiple features. Such as the 80-200 f2.8 ED and D lens. ED for telephoto is beter and more expensive. D is better for working with flash and is found on newer lenses (note 50 1.8 non D was recently replaced with a D version).