ngythanh

I have a picture of sunrise over Mekong River taken on March 17, 2007.

How can I send it to you?

Regards,

ngythanh

http://www.trekearth.com/members/ngythanh/photos/Asia/Cambodia/

Hi Ken:

I think posting a similar question in the forum of TREKEARTH.com may increase your chance for feedback or tips.

Good luck!

ngythanh

http://www.trekearth.com/members/ngythanh/

Today, I received a tip offering me an alternative. Please advise me since I am an end-user who know next to nothing about technique. Thank you.

*************

Canon 10D Err 99

I fell in love with my Canon 10D the second I got my hands on it over two years ago. It�s an impressive camera. I�ve shot hundreds of thousands of photos in a wide range of environments with it: low-lit, foggy concerts; weddings; deep woods; windy hills; in air-conditioned homes, blazing-hot football fields, and icy winter storms. Overall I would say that it has impressed me every single day that I have used it.

But just a couple weeks ago I started having problems with the camera. Intermittently, it will fail to capture an image but instead flash a �Err 99� message. The only way to get rid of the message was to turn the camera off.

At first I ignored it as a simple glitch. But as the problem became a regular issue over the next week, I started doing some research. First I went to Canon�s website for information. Canon�s step-by-step troubleshooter was not helpful as it simply said the solution for Err 99 is to turn the camera off then on, or to reinstall the battery.

The issue become more troubling when I searched Google for this issue and found that it is a widespread dilemma. Worse, there is little consensus on what the Err 99 problem is.

According to what I have found on the Net, the main cause of the Err 99 problem is dirty contacts between the body and the lens. Most sites recommend cleaning the contacts. I did this with a cloth and cleaner, to no avail.

Today I contacted Canon technical support. The lady on the phone said that I may have damaged my camera by using a non-Canon lens. (I have a Tamron 28-75mm lens in regular use). I marveled at this, since the lens has served it well in the last two years. She suggested I mail the camera in to the service center for a quote.

I said that if third-party lenses really are dangerous for Canon cameras, Canon ought to warn customers that using those lenses is unhealthy for the camera. She said two things that seemed to contradict one another. The first thing she said is that Canon won�t claim that third-party manufacturers are not working properly because that would potentially offend manufacturers that create products that support Canon technology; she then said that Canon warns about using non-Canon lenses in product manuals. She also discounted the remarks from 10D users in web forums; she mentioned the 10D in her support department that has worked flawlessly for a couple years�using Canon lenses of course.

I accepted her explanation and went on my way. But I opened up all my Canon documentation that came with the 10D and I could find no mention of third-party lens dangers in the product manual. The closest thing I could find in the 183-page book was the phrase �It is compatible with all Canon EF lenses.� The only other precautions in the manual that came with my Canon 10D (printed February 2003) regarding lenses is to keep the contacts clean. Regarding �Err 99� the manual simply says, �An error other than the above has occurred. Remove and re-install the battery.�

An associate of Cord Camera, a large photographic retailer in central Ohio, told me over the weekend that I was lucky to have used the camera for over two years flawlessly. He said that the �Err 99� issue is widespread, and that some users have had the problem out-of-the-box. He said, �I think this is an issue that Canon is being very quiet about.�

After more research I found a solution that caught my eye. A few sites I found mentioned that cleaning the contacts ought to be done using a pencil eraser. I found this interesting, since I had only used a cloth.

I vigorously scrubbed the lens contacts with an eraser. Then I gently used the eraser to clean the camera contacts (holding the contacts face-down to prevent eraser rubber from falling into the body). I put the lens back on� and the camera shot a couple hundred frames without an Err 99.

While I have not yet tested the fix in a working environment yet, I am hopeful that this has solved the problem. If I don�t get the Err 99 in the next couple thousand shots, I will close the case.*

I still love the Canon 10D as a wonderful piece of photographic technology. I just wish that Canon would be a little more open and honest about this issue� not to mention stop using the scapegoat of third-party lenses. While there may be some issues with reverse-engineered, third party products, I don�t really buy the third-party argument. Some sites have stated that Sigma is remaking some lenses to be more compatible with Canon Digital SLRs� but Sigma�s website states, �All current production Sigma lenses for Canon autofocus cameras are fully compatible with the new Elan 7, Digital Rebel or EOS 10D camera.� I�m sure Sigma would not make such a bold claim if there were real reasons to believe that Sigma lenses cannot be used on Canon bodies.

I am especially concerned that Canon knows more about this problem but is not sharing it with its faithful consumers. I will remain devoted to Canon for some time� but the company owes some of the same devotion to those who use and promote Canon.

Shawn Olson, 08-22-2005

*Update: I have now (2005-09-09) tested the camera out with several thousands of shots and the Err 99 problem has not returned. It has not had a problem since I scrubbed the contacts with a pencil eraser.

Shawn Olson, 09-09-2005

[ http://www.shawnolson.net/a/1158/ ]

I have a Canon 10D and it worked well during my one-month trip to

Asia last March. After the trip [

http://www.trekearth.com/themes.php?thid=3432 ] , I didn't use much

since I didn't have much chance to get out of town. However,in

October I covered a funeral of my friend and everything was normal.

Recently, I listed it in eBay and the buyer, after receipt, emailed

me back that she got the "ERR 99".

Of course, as the seller and owner, I am responsible for the

problem. The question is, what can I and should I do to have the

camera fixed, whether I receive it back, or the buyer still want to

use it?

Please give me some tips and advice. Thank You.

"Is this closer to what you had expected? What camera? Try taking a piece of white paper along to get your white balance, be sure it fills the frame when you are setting the camera."

Thank You. Yes, it is beyond my expectation.

I used a borrowed Canon D30. Actually, I have tried with a sheet of white paper from PC printer but for some reason the camera didn?t expose even I pressed the shutter button several times. When I referred the DARK & BLUE result to the owner, he said he got the same problem, and asked me to just shot and fix later with photoshop (that is not what I want).

You are the first to give me a hand before I step back again. Please give me instructions (step-by-step) on how you did you do in order to obtain the reasonable photo of the sky as I described.

Sincerely,

I used film camera since 1969, and stepped in "digital" last week.

When shooting the afternoon sky with cloud, the result was the sky

too blue and dark, not bright. I tried custom WB setting with a

sample on the WHITE PART of sky, and another sample on a white car,

but all the exposures were too bad, if the frame contains about 2/3

of sky. When pointing the lens directly to subject without SKY &

CLOUD, the picture was acurate.

Please advise me what did I do wrong or miss here. Thanks.<div></div>

Mr. Scott Eaton:

You recently wrote that "Labs will be unable to help making prints after the fact either."

Please help me clarify: We will never be able to have the print from reversal film, or you meant "unable to make PROPER prints" from slide?

I saw many prints or enlargements made from reversal films. Are they printed directly or via several transmitting steps?

Thanks for all advice on this.

Steve QL:

I am submitting nothing new but just my agreement to your contribution. "It's the photographer not the camera that makes the picture. I don't remember who I'm quoting".

In fact, this quote already became a biblical rule. It does not belong to anybody alone:

Most of the quality comes from the eye of the photographer, not the hardware.

Jim Gries, http://blogs.msdn.com/jimgries/archive/2004/04/22/118006.aspx

It's not the camera gear that creates good images, it's the photographer.

David Rosen, http://www.kovr13.com/03mar01/032701d.htm

we should all remember that it is the photographer, not the camera, who makes the photo.

STEMPRA, http://www.stempra.org.uk/Compendium/TheBasicToolkit4c.htm

and in his LANDSCAPE FIELD GUIDE published by National Geographic, Robert Caputo repeats in page 48:

And always remember that it's not the camera that makes the photograph, it's you.

+++

Whatever result the test comes out with, the tester will surely learn a lesson. And the best lesson would be from failure or loss.

I am about to visit China & Vietnam for 5 weeks and I only shot color negative films in the past.

It's coincident that I have the same question and I was spending the last 2 weekends looking for myself a decision on switching to SLIDE films. And I learned at least 3 first lessons:

1). Slide films give me the chance (or force me) to learn from my immediate mistakes. Labs will be unable to help after my clicks.

2). I like the simple rule from Mr. Gebhart, "Astia and Sensia are the same film in my opinion and make the best all around film for street type shooting. This is the film I use if I am not sure what I will be shooting next, or if I know I will be shooting people." Yes, during shooting while traveling, I will not know what will happen in front of the camera. So I will arm myself with Astia.

3) I am a little bit nervous because the expensive trip while the subtle excuse is less than half of a f-stop. I don't want to spend on color print films and rely to the labs technicians. And I don't want to lose in the "confrontation" with new and unfamiliar film.

Shooting negatives, I just point-n-shot. Dealing with reversals, I found myself a novice with the new vocabulary: grey card, bracketing, skin tone, meter linearity, color response, exposure control... Well, I am glad I am starting over. From this point, I appreciate all advice and the dos-and-donts from all of you who are kind to give me a hand...

Thanks.

Richard:

I still look forward to see if you are done with the moving, so I could ask a question about ... "getting off the train on the Chinese side, cross the bridge by foot and go through customs and immigration on the Lao Cai side."

I read somewhere in the past about similar info but I could not confirm. Since you are the one who crossed the border at this point several times, I would like to ask for more details:

- Do we have to have "multi-entry visa" from both governments to cross the border again and again?

- How far the walk is? Any difficulty if we have heavy luggage?

- Please give me more details about the train running from Kunming to Lao-Cai.

- Do the police and custom and immigrations officers (Chinese & Vietnamese) allow photo taking here?

Thanks.

While working as illustrator in the same GRAPHICS SHOP of the Army's 7th Psychological Operations Battalion in Danang Vietnam in 1969, my buddies -- the photographers who ran the darkroom -- taught me on how to play with 100-feet bulk-rolls, for fun, not for economic reason since we served the military and all equipments are provided [G. I.].

Arrived here in the US, I played with Ilford 50 B&W and processed the re-loaded cartridges in my bathroom. Due to the current cost of B&W, the 100'-roll game saves us money.

While preparing for the next oversea 5-week trip, I just couldn't modify the budget to buy 100 of individual rolls of color reversal film. I must take the risk to buy one bulk-roll of Agfa RSX II Pro 100, 2 rolls of Fuji Velvia 50, 2 rolls of Fuji Astia 100. Now reading the tips from others here, I've got a fear that I may ruin my trip and ruin the ... savings. But it's too late!

I don't buy the open-n-close cartridges (reusable). All 3 Wal-Mart�s photo labs where I approached refused to give their used cartridges because they "sell to a company who recycles them". But all Walgreen's stores I came gave to me their cartridges by hundreds. They normally cut the necessary part and left a lead out of the cartridge: you don't need extra tool, except some invisible tape (in case you need to take off the tape to re-align your film end). There is only one issue: the proper DX CODE. If you are lucky, you will get enough empty cartridges with their pre-printed coded speed that fits your real film. The popular films being used most are in 100, 200, 400 and 800. My son ordered from somewhere in Japan for me the factory-printed stickers of all those speeds, so I just stick the new DX-code over the old one [if you are in the USA, I could mail to you about 22 stickers, but you tell me your film speed].

Last: I use a Watson Daylight Film Loader, and trust its counter. I may lose one exposure per roll (the portion that has been exposed when you open the window), but I had a problem in the past for having a roll of more than 36. With this method, a 100-feet roll gives out 22 individual 36-EXP rolls.

Hope this contribution helpful to you. Regards.

I have never been in China yet. My first trip will be in June 2004. While planning the trip, I was looking around for tips & info on how to deal with film processing locally [ I made a wonderful mistake to let my film processed in Vietnam during the 2001 Trip ], how to take along or ship film out ahead... I was also shopping around for camera, lenses, filter and films...

Regarding photographic items, I used to go to local camera stores checking interested models and prices, then compare against auctions in www.ebay.com , then bid at last few minutes [ they called this "sniping" ] from those who have at least 98% Positive Feedbacks.

About the film to be processed or taken out from China, I am taking lessons from =

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-one-category?topic_id=1821&category=Asia%20%2d%20China

and http://www.terragalleria.com/asia/china/

When your friend returns after the trip, please ask her to share her experience and findings.

Good luck to her.

2 weeks ago, I was in a worse situation (I deleted my own account longtime ago) and Bob Atkins made several attempts to help reset my dead account. I believe he will be able to help you. Please refer to this link= http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=007vzJ

Good Luck

Thank You both, Richard and Wentong.

Richard: The correct name for the market is BAC HA (North River). I like the second picture with 3 H'mong boys. And I love the middle one, especially his face and color of his shirt (from the same exposure in your website).

Could you please give me some more suggestion on the timing? I will board the Hanoi-Lao Cai Train Friday evening, June 18th. Where in Sapa should I stay and how to get to the Bac Ha Market from Sapa? I have heard that it is 100km away?. I intend to bring plenty of Fuji Velvia and Astia...

Wentong:

Please give me some more details & info about your experience in transportation around this area. Will you show us some pictures from this "paradise"?. May I have a tailor shop in Bac Ha Market making for my niece a tradition clothe right on the spot so I could photograph her at the market, or I must have it ready while in Sapa?

Any other suggestions are fully appreciated. Have a good day!

You have well done something that I am planning to do.

Actually, I failed to book a trip by train from China to Lao Cai ( as mentioned), so I take a 4-day tours to Beijing in June. After that, I will stay 2 days on my own (walking into the crowd) and fly down to Ha-Noi. I will be in Sapa the Sunday June 20, especially at the Bac-Ha Weekly Market. The rest of the trip will be around Hue (where I am from).

For HUE, I had a dream, and also a plan � a photographic plan. I am considering to discuss it with you in the near future, to see if you are interested in.

For now, I appreciate your rich info about the area I am looking into. If you agree, I will stay in touch via direct emails to not bother others in this forum.

Regards,

Richard: You have lived 4 years in Kunming, made several trips across the border and visited Sapa. So far, you rated 824 pictures of others but only uploaded ONE of your pictures to public.

QUESTION: Where is your B&W folder for H'mong people from Sapa, Vietnam?

Please be fair to share with us. Thanks.

***SORRY: I posted my question as PLAIN TEXT and it came out with errors. Let me try again with HTML*********

We would like to make a "stop-n-go" trip BY TRAIN from China to Vietnam. We confronted many different replies by Chinese Travel Agencies in Beijing saying that NO such train running from Kunming (China) to Lao-Cai (Vietnam) as shown in Mr. Luong�s photo [ http://www.terragalleria.com/asia/china/misc- china/picture.chin4949.html ].

Searching in the Railroad�s websites in both countries, they say YES [ http://www.passplanet.com/China/sw/trains_yunnan.htm and http://vietnamtourism.com/update_info/useful_reading/e_info/giaothong /border_cro/fr_cros.htm ] .

We read http://www.photo.net/china/ and http://www.terragalleria.com/asia/china/kunming/kunming.html and obtained good advice but still need some help here.

Suggestions and advice from anyone who had a similar plan or is planning such a trip are fully appreciated.

We would like to make a "stop-n-go" trip BY TRAIN from China to

Vietnam. We confronted many different replies by Chinese Travel

Agencies in Beijing saying that NO such train running from Kunming

(China) to Lao-Cai (Vietnam) as shown in Mr. Luong�s photo [

http://www.terragalleria.com/asia/china/misc-

china/picture.chin4949.html ].

Searching in the Railroad�s websites in both countries, they say YES

[ http://www.passplanet.com/China/sw/trains_yunnan.htm and

http://vietnamtourism.com/update_info/useful_reading/e_info/giaothong

/border_cro/fr_cros.htm ] .

We read http://www.photo.net/china/ and

http://www.terragalleria.com/asia/china/kunming/kunming.html and

obtained good advice but still need some help here.

Suggestions and advice from anyone who had a similar plan or is

planning such a trip are fully appreciated.

My wife told me there are books about Korea (South) available for

reference in general, but she ran into a dilemma while planing a

photo-trip to this country? We would love to hear from anyone who is

living there or had visited the peninsula with experience of scenic

locations and their dos and donts.

Please advise. Thanks.

I am in my ORIGINAL ACCOUNT that you helped reseting now.

This is to thank for your patience and great help. I was able to log on my ORIGIAL ACCOUNT now. I wonder if photo.net would condider 2 things:

1- When a subscriber click DELETE, system should ask for confirmation: ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT?

2- Once the account has been deleted, there should be an option (or form) to be submitted to photo.net to request for UNDELETION and RESET account.

I do hope that these options will save your time and subscriber's time.

Again, thank you for your great help and patience.

Best Regards,

ngythanh .

I am totally new to Medium Format. That reason prompted me to search around for advice to my questions similar to yours.

I am not sure if the following info may shed some light (or darkness?)� please just try:

- http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=003t28

Also, among the sellers in ebay who listed their locations as some abstract places in East Europe sky (!?), there are a few with addresses in the USA:

1) www.kievcamera.com >>> or >>> http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=kievcamera&include=0&since=-1&sort=3&rows=25

� Street address:

Kiev Camera, 2907 Aspen Woods Entry, Atlanta GA 30360, (770) 409-0026

[Georgia, USA � not Georgia � a new broke-out country from former URSS]

2) http://www.russianplaza.com

� Street address:

Russian Plaza, 1718 Garfield Place, Hollywood, CA 90028, (323) 957-9733 or fax (323) 463-8317 or email: contact@mail.russianplaza.com

Good Luck!

Due to my fresh boarding the MF territory, I am lost in names and

the ranges of Russian lenses, as MIR, KIEV, PENTACON, JUPITER, ARSAT

and ... "manufactured at Arsenal factory".

Most of the sellers of these names in eBay posted their location as

Ukraine or Russia or East Europe. There is one seller with Georgia,

Atlanta address.

Could anyone please advise me the quality of these lenses, their

compatibilities with current & popular medium format lenses, and

their pros and cons...

Also, what about the chinese camera SEAGULL? Is Mamiya 645E a

chinese camera under Mamiya name like japanese engine of Toyota

under GM's Chevy vehicle?

Please help! Thanks.

Dear Art:

� Thank you for taking time to write to me.

� When I said "...13 (were) overexposed out of 15 exposures, especially the shots I made upward pointing to bright buildings or shinning background" , I meant 13 exposures (out of entire roll of 15 exposures) were overexposed � they were exposed with a too-long-than-enough-shutter-speed and they were "too wash out", as you say.

� Actually, my Mamiya 645E was set on tripod, mirror lock up, film ISO dial set at 100 properly for Fujichrome Provia 100, circular polarizer filter, aperture f/22, lens set at A, shutter speed dial set at AEL and cable released was used. That means, I applied auto-exposure feature, selecting the fixed aperture for maximum depth-of-field, and let the camera decides the shutter speed. The other 2 exposures were taken at the subject by or below horizon and in normal daylight; they came out correctly.