j_yee

<p>I also should add my vote to earlier responses that suggested taking the photos before the performance begins or during rehearsal or like when the band members first show up and are setting up. You just want a good picture of your child in the band surrounding. So, it can be "posed" with the people and instruments around. Using a DSLR, I have just walked up to the band members as they have been setting up and sitting and made the shot. Not all of them are there yet and others are milling around. So, I just walk in among them, get my son and some of his other performers seated around him.</p>

<p>My son was in concert band all his years in high school. I found that using a digital camera to capture from afar had mixed results. I actually had more success using a video camera to record the event. It seem to be more forgiving of the light conditions and the zooms are quite amazing. So, maybe record instead of shooting. You get sound and video :). Last resort is human intervention. Jazz they usually dim the lights for atmosphere, just ask if they can "lighten" up the stage for all the loving watchers. Teachers usually can have their ears bent :).</p>

<p>I was one of the last to place an order for a Katzeye screen for my D7000. I couldn't imagine using a camera without some manual focusing aids. Course, I have been a diehard film camera user and only just bought a used D7000 last year. I'm so use to manual focus - I focus where I want and the camera complies. Very weird initially fighting with a digital camera. Anyway, I understand that a matte screen allows best view for the electronic focusing, but I also still want the split prism and microprism collar for macro, low light and when I want control.</p>

<p>Me coming from my Olympus camera origins keep reaching for the aperture ring in front area of lens. Now using a D7000, I can see that Nikon places the aperture ring in the back of the lens close to the body....hard to manipulate on the 24-85, so the dial works better. But I do miss using the aperture ring, seems more natural shutter and aperture were both manipulated around the lens barrel area(your left hand did all the work and your right hand was just to fire the shutter) :)!!</p>

<p>Whatever you buy, time is important. I don't think you need to scan everything. Get a lightbox, group your film and pick the promising ones. Are you working to store all this film like a job, or are you looking to print some great pics to enjoy viewing and sharing them?...</p>

<p>That's the nice thing about manual cameras or setting your camera to manual. You prefocus, set the aperture, speed and then shoot with the animals in that DOF. Then there is no delay with focus. Close and wide minimizes movement. High shutter speed. Try flash too for stop action. I use the view finder rather than a back screen. I see more faster with my eye up close.</p>

<p>I know this is a camera site, but I did this using a Sony digital video recorder. I hooked up the AC adapter, put a tape in, focused the camera(it also has macro focus), and set it to record single frame(you can choose how many frames) at some interval. Left it to run several weeks. Worked great. The nice thing was the camera only came alive to take each frame and then went to sleep again. Considering video is 30 frames a second, single tape would be good for like 90minutesx60secondsx30fps = ~162000 frames. 365x12= 4380frames.</p>

<p>If also you're using a point and shoot film/digital, they usually have a prefocus lock when you half press the shutter button. So press the lense up to the fence, half press down on the shutter button to focus on the subject beyond the fence, then while still holding the shuttle half down, move the camera back to include the fence and press the shutter button all the way to take the photo.</p>

<p>This is the same trick you use to focus on your friends off center with some scenery in the background.</p>

<p>Why don't they let you shoot during rehearsal and turn up the lights? You get the light and the shots. They get sharp pictures of the production. The added light in the rehearsals should not distract the actors and since you're shooting B/W, color accuracy is not an issue. "Production shots" do not have to be actual play night shots.</p>

<p>The Macro designation is not that the lens will close focus. It is that when used with extension tubes or close-up screw-on lenses, you maintain decent working distance. Instead on having your subject just .5 inches from the lens, you are at a more reasonable 6-8 inches away. This way you have lots of room to work around.</p>

Well, your profile kind of says it. Photography is your creative outlet. You like taking pictures and you're good enough to have them exhibited. But, to make a business out of photography is to do a lot of grunt work to make the money. You create art. Much of the business is doing other people's biddings. I don't know if that's what an artist would want to do.

Well, the camera has manual where the shutter speed is what the shutter ring is set for, and auto where the camera meters off the film plane and releases the shutter. If it follows the shutter ring, I would think it's a problem with the switch on top that controls auto vs. manual.

That's the problem though. I haven't found any sample shots on the cam/dv sites. They are all focused on the video aspects.

I have been looking at digital camcorders with digital picture taking

capabilities. Some of these camcorders have 5-10 mega-pixal capabilities. Has

anyone used one? How good is the photo picture quality? The lure of these units

is space and weight savings when going on trips. If the picture taking quality

were excellent, then they'd be a double plus. I would be happy if they were

close to their photo-only 10 mega-pixal point and shoots like the Powershot or

Coolpix.

Off or on, I've never had any problems with the hot shoe contacts on my 23 year old OM-1N.

 

If you do use tape, I would suggest GAFFER tape. It's the tape of choice for all us sound and cable guys. Sticks forever, never leaves a residue.

Difficult to give advice with so little information. Are the pictures uniformly blurry? Is what you point the focusing grid at in focus or is the focus skewed to the front or rear? Did you remember to switch the lens focusing switch to AF instead of manual?

 

My wife's N65 doesn't keep any settings after you switch it off. It all resets so I don't think you could have changed any settings.

 

I did notice that it isn't very accurate focusing in low light conditions or slow speeds. Many lenses are f4-5.6 and it makes focusing kinda tough. I almost always use ASA 400 film to keep the shutter speeds fast.

 

My wife uses it exclusively in AF, auto mode, ASA 400 film and has no problems.

I have a Zuiko 24mm. It's very good but not wide enough for interior shots. I couldn't justify putting out the money to get an 18mm, so I tried out a Phoenix 19-35 f3.5. It's pretty good. I use it at 19mm f8-f11 and it's plenty sharp and contrasty for room shots. Some day I'll probably get a used Tokina 17mm f3.5 to try it out too.

re: Chip's remark about the people with slogans on their shirts. The voting laws state that you cannot have any campaign materials within 100 feet of a polling place. This is to protect people from harassment, coercion or lobbying as they place their vote. Any item that shows a political preference is not allowed. So, yes you can wear a shirt or button that says "vote". But you cannot wear any item that says what you're standing or voting for or what your stand is on an issue that is being voted upon. If you do so and do get into a voting area, one could present a case that all votes placed at that place and during the time you were present were unduly influenced and thus void.

The question we need to ask is how do the negatives look? I noticed that my OM-2n gets alot of excess light from the view finder and reads faster than actual.

Currently, they list (4)F4's of various quality. Exchanges can be delayed if they don't a camera of the same condition. Repairs take time. Like one of the others said, you could always buy new equipment. If you have a problem, it would be easy just to take a new box off the shelf. Used equipment supply I would think is quite volatile.

Seems a shame you didn't talk to John as you did Clint. Be curious what he'd offer.

 

You assume that your camera's problem was incorrectly fixed. You also assume that because one person wasn't able to fix your camera's problem on the first pass, that the next would do better.

 

I've used Camtech for my OM-1N and my lenses and can say that I've been repeatly happy with Camtech's work.

There are many sites with all things OM.

 

My favorite is:

 

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/olympusom1n2/index.htm

My first SLR was an Olympus OM-1n bought in 1981. I still use it.

 

Okay, this year, I broke down and bought an automatic exposure camera to augment my OM-1n. It's a used fancy black OM-2n.

Sounds more like you just half cocked the film advance and ran out of film lead. Just engage the film rewind. It will release the film sprocket and allow you to rotate the film advance lever the rest of the way. This is also how you do double exposures with manual cameras :)

Lots of money, want to experiment, buy what you want. A different brand body will make you have to operate differently. Could be good learning experience. I own an OM-1N...but I also have OM mount lenses. You own Nikon...stay with Nikon. I would choose the FM2 for their all manual operation.