daviddbfotoart

<p>You gave the photos to the couple. You also handed them copyright. You have no claim what so ever I'm afraid. </p>

<p>Roman,</p>

<p>I have photographed hundreds of dogs for a fundraiser book we've put together. (we're on our 3rd)<br>

Most of the shoots are morning and afternoon, and all of them will include a ball being thrown at me and the dog/dogs running at the camera full stretch. I do this 4 or 5 times, taking 15 or 20 frames each time, to get maybe 4 spectacular running shots.....maybe 2 in perfect focus, a few with the focus close enough to get away with it in print. I aim my CENTRE focus point at the dogs nose, hoping that the slight delay renders the eyes in focus. I find the centre point works so much better.<br>

I use the af button only for focussing, no point in attaching the focus to the shutter button for this type of photography. I am also using an old 80-200 2.8 that isn't that fast in focussing.<br>

Dont expect a photo of a moving dog to be sharp with anything slower than 1/500 sec shutter speed. <br>

If you can't get this shutter speed, it's simply too dark, and why the camera hunts. You're possibly asking too much of the camera.</p>

<p>I often come home from a day with 1000's of photos from up to 5 different shoots. I separate all the shots I take into their folders the same way in window 7 as I did with xp. Simply use windows. If you know what time you were at each job, use the time stamp in the details view. If it is being sorted into photo types, the new larger thumbnail view and separate viewing pain has come in very handy.</p>

<p>Thank you for your info. Very informative Edward. I'm not keen on firewire 800 as its a windows thing. Are there any internal card readers that connect via a sata connection?</p>

<p>I just purchased a similar computer, minus the blu-ray as it has no practical purpose unless you're producing video's, only 1 drive, but I'll get another, for scratch purposes, but I have a number of external drives for storage. The computer doesn't really need storage space, just enough for performance. 12gb of ram is possibly over the top at the moment. I have 6gb, and photoshop now works quicker than I can use it.<br>

I am under the impression that the HP monitor you've mentioned is a TN film, not an IPS monitor. I may be wrong. The monitor is the single biggest improvement you can make to your digital imagery. I have a Viewsonic pro graphics model with an ips panel as it was really cheap, and I can't justify a $5000 Eizo.</p>

<p>I know this would not be counted as helpful, but I've just loaded my old copy of cs2 on my new windows7 64bit machine, and bridge now recognises the raw files from my d300s, something it didn't do on the old machine. Strangely though, photoshop still wont open them. I'll get lightroom instead.</p>

<p>I have finally updated my computer from the dodgy old laptop I was using. The motherboard has usb 3 and esata inputs, and whilst the usb 2 reader I now have is a major upgrade from the usb 1 reader I was using, I'd like to know if there is a faster card reader on the market yet? I will often come home from a days shoot with upto 30gb of images.</p>

<p>Thanks for the question Steve, some of the answers were well thought and informative. I would like to send a message to Sinh though. You are soooo correct. After 7 years, 500 weddings, countless portrait and sporting events, millions of kids, dogs and other assorted animalia, my Nikon 80-200 2.8 has a loose outer casing screw. I'll buy another, coz Canon is for photocopiers. You're an idiot!</p>

<p>Easy problem to fix. Hit the person who suggested you use a portrait lens for sports. This is a very slow focussing lens, and although it's fabulous for stationary subjects, you'll need bright light...very bright direct sunlight to get any continuous focusing happening. Sell it to someone who needs it, and get the 70-200 nikon or sigma lens. both are heaps quicker.</p>

<p>Hi Cheo,</p>

<p>I've been using a 45ct-4 and a 60ct-4 with a D70 and D200 for about 6 years. Ever since I realised that if you're not using a dedicated nikon flash on the D70, you can use whatever shutter speed you feel like, up to 1/8000. It is the same on the D50 I believe, so maybe the D40. Got something to do with the electric shutter (?)</p>

<p>This gave me the options of using f2.8 in almost any light, using the flash on "w" (brief and low powered) perfect for f2.8 with the subjects about 3 metres away, f4 or 5.6 or bounce if closer. This also meant I could get up to four weddings on 6 AA batteries.</p>

<p>It takes a bit of practice, but with experience, you'll be manually controlling your flash output and exposure, and improve your photography by mastering this tool and ignoring this dreadful and tempermental iTTL concept...too many tries and find it such a dull light compared to the Metz. </p>

<p>The 60 is even better. Huge surface area of light. Metz are just so consistent.</p>

<p>David</p>

Would that involve having an actual registered version? :-(

Dumb idea that, Duplicate file finder. It should be called, "computer destruction for the over-excited"

 

Everytime I open photoshop CS2, it loads upto the start, and then tells me "an error in activation has been detected",

and shuts down. It wants me to reinstall the program, but no idea where the disc is.

 

What have I done, and how do I fix it?

 

Can I?

I am hoping some different views may help me reach my answer.

 

Firstly, I am an experienced wedding photographer, using metz flashes, all used manually. I have some, but very

limited studio lighting experience.

 

I am taking on some very basic (I'll emphasize "very basic") school family portraits. 2 lights, white paper roll

backdrop, 3 poses. A formula I have to stick to. I'll be shooting up to 60 families a day.

 

I have purchased 2 600ws monolights. What is the ideal umbrella? 100cm? 150cm? Bigger? Silver? White? Softbox?

 

After I purchase the backdrop system, the wife wont allow a $400 sekonic.

 

I need to know where abouts on the histogram I want the white backdrop, and what a well exposed family portrait on

a plain white backdrop looks like on a histogram.

 

I'm going to guess that f8 or f11 would work well with 3/4 (approx) power on the stobes in a standard, but sometimes

cramped environment. I'll be using a d200 and a 17-55 2.8.

 

Any other advice would be appreciated.

 

David

Surprised no-one mentioned the DOF advantages of FX. That will make the choice for me. Bigger chip, tighter DOF.

Hi Kerry,

 

First thing I do when I get a new camera is sit in a quiet place and spend an hour going through the menu's. Learn as much as you can before resorting to the manual, as this is often only useful if you have some idea as to what you're looking for.

 

I find the last item on the main menu, the "recent settings" or something to that effect. The top of the list is usually the "Auto ISO on/off" and it gets changed often, but it is something you must be conscious of. Set it to "off" by default, and only turn it on when you know you'll need it in certain situations.

 

99% of my shooting is done in manual, and I find my range of shots has increased. As much as possible, I prefer having everything turned off, and use the image making capabilities of the entertainment unit disguised as a camera in my hands.<div></div>

Eric, (and everybody else) thank you for the fantastic info.

 

I have never been and never will be a Mac Man. I don't mean to be condescending, but I cannot see any point to Mac over pc. I know my way around windows, I have uber amounts of software for pc, and I don't think a great deal about the dell panel monitors or the cinema displays.

 

My budget isn't huge, but enough to get a good looking case, an Intel Q6600 quad core cpu, 4, maybe 6 gig of pc6400 ram, 64-bit vista ultimate, a 512mb video card, and a samsung 245T monitor. The hard drive thing is more complex than I thought, and have found seagate 750 gig 7200 rpm, with a 32mb buffer, that has as good performance as the raptor with 16mb.

 

Anyway's thanks again.

I am wanting to build a computer, and after much research, googling and yelling

from "she who must be obeyed", I am much more knowledgeable about hardware than

I wanted or planned to be. This has made my decision so much harder, expensive,

but strangely, interesting.

 

I shoot weddings, and then come home to my pathetic excuse of a computer to

upload 8 or 9 hundred raw files from my d200's memory cards. I then load the

files into ACR, usually 400 at a time, and just generally fix white balance,

maybe exposure, then select all and save as jpegs, and then go and watch a

movie or two on TV! This is my biggest pain in the arse, and need to fix it.

 

Question simply put, how long does your computer take to save 400 raw files

from ACR, and can you leave a short description of outstanding features

influencing the speed? (ie: processor type, ram details, hard drive

configuration, motherboard, etc)

 

Thanks.

If mac's are only re-badged dells, whats the fuss with them? give me eizo or give me.......i dont know, but it'd probably be bad for my health.

I have just run that application on my d70, and it tells me that I have shot about 30000 shutter releases. Would this be since the repair on the shutter?

I am unable to corroborate your numbers, but I do notice the flash exposure is less at the higher shutter speeds, but with a 2.8 aperture, correct exposure at 1/8000 using m1/4 is still 5 metres away. Plenty for my uses, which is not shutter speeds, but shallow DOF in very bright conditions. (Tropical sun)

 

Harry, as Tom explained, the d70 can sync at anything with a third party connection to your flash, not necessarily a third party flash. As long as the camera doesn't know that there is a flash connected to it, it does what you want it too, not the other way around.

Get a metz. I have a 45 ct-4 and a 60 ct-4. I can sync any flash power with my d70 on manual at 1/8000 sec. I use this when shooting weddings in bright sunlight, allowing me to correctly expose, with flash say, group shots, at 3 frames a second, avoiding blinks. I have ultimate control over DOF in any lighting conditions, but also allows me to stop action in any lighting conditions.

I'm surprised no-one has talked you into buying another camera body. It's all good having all these lenses and accessories, but awkward with only 1 camera body.

 

I love my D70. It's my second behind the d200, and has permanently a 17-55 2.8 with 1 of 2 metz flashes attached, that I can sync at 1/8000 sec all day long at weddings on 6 AA batteries. (So a metz 45 or 60 ct4 would also come within your price range, and I feel is better than any flash nikon have made)

 

Alternatively, save it towards another d200, sure to drop a little in price when d300 arrive.

 

Even better, buy a used f5/f100 off ebay, a 50mm 1.4 and relive the beauty of transparency film.

 

Or get a hooker. :-)

Cannot thank you enough for the time spent telling me this info.

 

I am thinking the CLA on the Ftb is the way to go. It still has the old 50 1.8, but the fungus is getting a bit much.

 

Much appreciative of the list of lenses to look out for.

 

Funny thing about the lens thing is that I've forgotten costs on film lenses compared with APS sized sensor lenses, with crop factor and everything, it makes it a whole new ball game.

Thank you Kerry. If I went with the f100, may as well go f5, they sell for under $500 these days. What I really want is a great, bullet proof film camera. I shoot everything manual, and believe the lens maketh the photo. (with some help from a button pushing finger and a shutter) so all the auto bells and whistles are of no use to me what-so-ever.

 

I dont know my around a canon camera other than the manual basic controls found on late 70's early 80's cameras.

I'll make this brief but concise.

 

I am a wedding and portrait photographer. I use 2 Nikon digital bodies, I have

an old Nikon Fm2 and some pro lenses. I love shallow DOF, using natural light

with as little flash as possible. I use Metz flashes, all set to manual.

 

Recently I found my old Canon Ftb QL (?) given to me years ago by my father. It

reminded me of some of my favorite photos which were taken with this camera. It

has rekindled my love for the FD mount canon camera.

 

Now, some questions.

 

Do I repair this one, (ie foam inside gone, possible tuning issues)

 

OR

 

Go for a used F-1, AE-1, AE-1 program or T90 ? (but in my view, an ugly

camera to what I want in a film camera)

 

And, what is great (ie: legendary) glass available for these mounts. ie: wide

to mid zooms, wide, mid and portrait primes. Not really interested in anything

above 200mm.

 

And lastly, should I forget it, get a Nikon F3 with motor drive, use all my

current glass from my digital gear, and leave you good people to your learned

conversation?

 

Thank you in anticipation.