megan_forbes

Have a look at this site: http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/custom_tone_curves.html

 

I use his White Wedding curve as it brings out the shadows without affecting the highlights, but some people like the low contrast "Provia" curve. The guy is a genius - certainly I'd make a complete hash of curves if I had to try to make my own :D

At least if he gets tired of his F80 or F100 you'll be able to pick it up cheap ;)

 

Seriously, some people just have to learn the hard way. With both pc's and camera's I've given up trying to explain certain things to people who just won't listen. A good example is a very clever guy I work with who will just never believe me that a larger DSLR 6MP sensor is better than a small prosumer 8MP sensor. Does it matter? At the end of the day as long as he's happy, probably not :)

I'm thinking about purchasing a TC 1.4 for use with my Sigma 70-300

Super Macro II, but thought I'd ask here first.

 

Does anyone have experience of this combination? Did it perform ok?

 

Thanks!

For this reason I purchased the D70 with the kit lens, but won't purchase any further DX lenses. The kit lens gives me a nice wide angle and will last me as long as the D70 (a couple of years I guess). For telephoto lenses I'm buying normal (35mm) lenses.

The D70 is a beast which begs to be tamed :)

 

As others have said, perservere with it and you will reap the rewards. My first shots were pretty awful, even with years of SLR experience. Now however, 4 months and 7200+ shots later, I hate putting it down- it begs to be used and I'm loving the results.

 

Good luck :)

I own a D70, but have used a D100 for some freelance work. To me it seemed that Nikon had done a good job of listening to D100 owner feedback, and made improvements according to that. I'm talking about small things - ISO and WB can be adjusted without leaving shooting mode on the D70, while with the D100 you need to change the top dial from M/A/S priority in order to change the ISO or WB. As I said - small things, but they make a difference :) I can't remember the others - image review seemed slightly slower... ummm... sorry :) Hope that helps a little - both are awesome to use!

The results are very good, especially if you turn on Noise Reduction on. I've not been into the country properly to try star trails, but did try a 30 minute shot of the lenscap, with NR on (so 60 minutes in total - for this reason NR will be no good at all for star trails - you don't want gaps in your trails! However, 5 minute shots with it off are fine, so you could take a sequence of these).

 

I took the following 6 minute shot in Scotland one night. The pink coming off the clouds is light pollution - can you believe that even the highest mountain in the UK is affected by light pollution? :( Hopefully I'll get out to Sweden soon for better tests :)

 

http://forbesweb.typepad.com/photos/long_exposures/moonlightbennevisw.html

Sam,

 

When I've had hoods with filter threads in them (not the bayonet type) I've always felt it was great to be able to screw my filters into them instead of the lens. The hood - especially if the collapsable rubber type - can stay on the lens at all times. Then the filters can be screwed in and out. That means that should anything ever go wrong, you will have stripped a cheap hood's thread, and not the thread on your actual lens. Not that I've ever stripped thread this way - but it's possible :)

Thanks David - I'm currently in the UK, so I believe we'll see the entire thing - providing our eyes can survive it of course ;)

Thanks, I'll look into the solar filter. Fortunately with a DSLR I can use the hit and miss method of reviewing on the LCD and not looking through the viewfinder at all (this will last for about 6 hours apparently), but I'd still prefer not to fry my camera :)

Venus is crossing the Sun on 8th June - a once in a lifetime sight.

I'm interested in shooting this with my D70 and 70-300mm lens, but

would prefer not to fry it or my eyes in the process...

 

I have a x8 Hoya ND filter and a polariser, but imagine this isn't

enough? Should I get an eclipse filter? Or hold a piece of welding

glass in front of the lens?

 

Any ideas/experience gratefully accepted. Thanks!

How and why would one mount a lens in reverse?

Nope, not at all! I can't even draw a stick man without it looking like a dying dog...

 

However, I love sight, and I love capturing what I see in the world around me. For me photography gives me a way of sharing the beauty God has given us with those who don't manage to see it for themselves, who allow themselves to be bogged down by the hectic pace of life today. I don't think not being able to paint or draw takes away from my enjoyment of photography at all, although I admire those who can do both :)

I believe AF (as opposed to AF-S) lenses have their autofocus driven

by the camera body? If this is correct, will the body drive Nikkors

faster than 3rd party lenses? (I'm specifically thinking of the

cheap 70-300G or the Tamron 70-300, but general theory on this would

be appreciated as well)

 

Thanks!

Originally my husband wasn't interested in anything but enjoying the results. Then we got the Sony F707, and his interest grew slightly with the instant results of digital. Now I've got a Nikon D70, and he has the Sony to himself - he loves it! He insists on shooting in M mode (as I do), and takes the good with the bad.

 

Now I wouldn't say it's a passion for him, rather it's become an enjoyable pastime for him to share with me as we travel, hike, camp, etc. Oh, and he always sets the tripod up for me, getting the spirit level just right. If I do it without asking him to help he gets hurt feelings :D. Men - go figure! (yeah, yeah, I love this cuteness really... )

In response to the lens question, I'd say definitely go for the 18-70mm, unless you never find yourself wanting wider than 50mm when shooting film? If so you probably won't miss the 28mm equivalent, but if you shoot at 28mm often I imagine you will be frustrated with 42mm at your widest.

I have yet to change the lens on my D70, in fact the sensor has only been exposed once, 5 weeks ago when I first recieved the camera. Yesterday my first dust spot appeared. The idea of cleaning my sensor sends me into a sweat, but not taking the lens off doesn't seem to stop dust getting in. Guess I'll just have to take the plunge...

Thanks Roberto, I have a feeling that is a little more expensive than £100

I have a basically non-existant budget for photo for the next couple

of months (my poor husband is still reeling from the D70 purchase),

but want to get a telephoto for wildlife to see me over the next few

months.

 

I've been looking at the cheapies, and am looking for any

experience/advice please. My two choices for approx £100 seem to be

the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 LD Macro and the Nikkor 70-300G.

 

Any thoughts? Thanks!

More AF-S lenses - G or otherwise ;)

Thanks - at least I'm clear on what I'll be getting :)

 

Out of interest - are there any third party 70-300mm which come recommended?

I've used PK mount MF lenses on old manual Ricoh camera's all my

life. After one week with the AF-S kit lens for the D70 however, I

feel completely spoilt and in love with AF-S. Yes, "in love" is a

good description :)

 

The lens has a nice range, 18-70mm, but as I love wildlife

photography I'm looking for a bit more range to go with it. Please

keep in mind, I'm not rolling in cash, so the much drooled over 80-

200mm VR is a little out of my price range right now!

 

As such I've been looking at the 70-300mm G and ED lenses, but

reviews seem to be conflicting. Ken Rockwell reckons there's

basically no difference between the two. One chap I read somewhere

reckoned the ED focused both quickly and silently... my local camera

club doesn't accept digital users - aaaaargh!

 

So my question is really this - how much slower would the 70-300mm

ED lens be in focusing, considering it doesn't seem to have the AF-S

designation, but rather just AF, than my 18-70mm AF-S kit lens? Is

the S misleading? Is the 70-300mm just as fast and silent, or would

it feel slow after the kit lens?

 

Thanks for any info :)

Like R Jackson, I can only agree. I'm blown away by the joy this camera has brought to me - mainly the fact that it always seems to be waiting for me, rather than the other way round! After using full manual film camera's for 18 years (think of the winding time between each shot), and the Sony F707 for the last 2, I find the D70 is easily replacing both in my camera bag (not that the old Ricoh kit won't always have a special place in our home).

 

After 6 days I've taken nearly 1000 shots on this beauty. Now if only there were another weekend day ahead of us... ;)

Thanks Jean, but the deal comes with the Canon EF-S lens, and I'll probably want to hang onto it :)

There's a kit on Ebay (co.uk) with the 300D, the normal kit lens, and the Sigma I've mentioned. I'm starting to get the idea it's a good deal :)