TerryRRR

<p>Does anyone know if/where there is a decent photo equipment store in Brasilia DF? I need a Nikon battery. Many thanks--muito obrigado!</p>

<p>That depends on whether you tick the option to override the embedded profile. I usually leave this toggled off...</p>

<p>Thanks Monika, that's very helpful. So for sRGB should I use the Nikon one or the IEC one two notches down on the screenshot list I posted? </p>

<p>Looking at the pulldown menu "Default RGB Color Space" in the Color Management section of NX2's Preferences, I cannot find any of the "normal" spaces (Adobe RBG 1998, sRGB, ProPhoto...). Instead I see a load of proprietory names (Nilkon, Lenovo and Canon). Can anyone explain this and suggest which ones would be "standard" sRBG and Adobe 1998? <br>

thanks, Terry</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thanks Cory. At the moment the WB is set to Auto, but I guess I could try changing it and do some tests. I'm running out of ideas, so will give that a try. cheers, Terry</p>

<p>Hi, thanks. The picture control in the camera is set to neutral and I have tried both sRGB and Adobe in the software. But the problem is still there. Terry</p>

<p>I recently decided to switch from Lightroom to Nikon software for editing and processing my D7000 NEFs. I almost always shoot RAW, though at times I'll set the camera for RAW+JPEG. Picture setting (I know this doesn't matter for the RAW, but it does for the JPEG when I shoot those) is neutral. The problem is that the images look terrible when opened in either Capture NX2 or View NX2: way oversaturated with a really bad reds--skin in particular is awful and sunburned-looking, almost posterized. <br>

I am using a new laptop with an admittedly uncalibrated monitor, but I do not think that is the problem because the same images looked great on the screen with LR, and also look absolutely fine in Faststone. It is only with VNX2 and CNX2 that I get this problem. I have tried both the Adobe and the sRGB colour spaces in the software and in the camera. Nothing seems to work. <br>

Any ideas much appreciated.</p>

<p>Thanks, Terry</p>

 

<p>This wasn't meant as a review or as an advert. I was just commenting on a few things I like about the lens. The picture of the little girl was shot at 4.5. I have no full frame or film bodies right now, so I can't tell you about that. I haven't done any kind of systematic tests...obviously vignetting isn't going to be an issue with a crop sensor anyway. I like the close focusing ability of the lens, but that's not really a deal maker or breaker. I live in a country where getting a lens chipped just isn't an option, regardless of cost, and in my case that fact alone could be a problem.</p><div></div>

<p>A couple of months ago I posted a question on this forum about using a Zeiss ZF.2 25mm lens on a D7000. In the end, I did buy the lens. I just wanted to share a few thoughts.<br>

--The lens cost a bit more than the D7000 body! This is fine, just a heads-up<br>

--The build quality of the lens is wonderful: really solid, metal, physical aperture ring, good drag on the focusing ring. It is heavy (not sure how much it weighs, but as the D7000 body is light, I find it balances best with the battery grip attached to the camera)<br>

--The lens is chipped, so it does talk to the camera's CPU. You can control the aperture either manually or with the camera's control dials via one of the custom functions. All the exposure modes work. <br>

--An added bonus of the aperture ring is that when shooting video with this camera, you can change the aperture on the fly. To do this, you need to enable Manual Movie Settings and set the exposure mode to M (and obviously toggle off the CF which allows the aperture to be set with the camera controls)<br>

--Most importantly: the images are beautiful, once you get back in the MF habit. Crisp, contrasty, nice bokeh. I sold my M6 last year, and was missing that Leica-ish feel. I don't shoot sports or anything I really need AF for, and the single-sensor confirmation light works well. The little arrows on each side tell you which way to turn the focus ring. This won't suit folks who want to take advantage of Nikon's superb AF system and lenses, and I'm not criticizing that system in any way. But if you are happy to shoot in a slightly slower manner, then you might want to look at a lens like this.</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks both for your input. <br>

@ Eliot: when you say fully compatible, do mean you are bringing in the compressed native files?<br>

@ Skyler, when you use the Cineform software, what are you converting the files to? Cineform 4:2:2?</p>

<p>I'm trying to figure out a good workflow for D7000 video files. Have trawled the web and found no consensus at all. I am on Windows, so FCP solutions are out. I also don't have the budget for full, professional NLE setup. I was thinking of Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD, about which I have heard good things, and which is reasonably priced. But then I wonder about the codec--I think you ideally should decompress convert the files before editing, ie not try to bring in native D7000 files. But what to use for this? Has anyone tried Cineform Neoscene?<br>

Thanks, Terry</p>

<p>Aha...I think you're right Mihai. Sorry...</p>

<p>@ Frank: I was also referring to the chipped version (ZF.2) --my understanding is that this works in all exposure modes, 'lacking' only AF.<br>

@Mihai: if you're consistently getting front-focused images, can't you fine-tune the AF settings on the camera?</p>

 

<p>Has anyone tried this combination? How easy/hard is MF with the standard D700 focusing screen? cheers, Terry</p>

<p>Hi Raul,<br>

for film, papers, chemistry and other supplies, try Silverprint (www.silverprint.co.uk). For old hardware, check out Aperture, near the British Museum: http://www.apertureuk.com/.<br>

best, Terry</p>

<p>Anybody watch True Blood???</p>

<p>It is a great lens. Just bear in mind it does not have built-in stabilization, and it is heavy. I don't like to handhold it much below 1/200 if I can avoid it. In low light situations you can select a higher ISO (D300 images look good at 800, and are ok at 3200). It has good sharpness even wide open, so you have some leeway there. But watch out for camera shake and go for a high-ish shutter speed. Or use Nikon's excellent SB flash system. I shoot pretty much exclusively RAW, and would recommend that too--the lens is expensive and having dropped that kind of cash on it, it is a shame to restrict yourself to JPEGs.<br>

Terry</p>

<p>Super lens on my D300. I bought a 20mm to take care of the wide end. Only thing is that it is big and solidly-built and the hood is huge. I tend not to use the hood unless I really need it.<br>

<br /> Enjoy, Terry</p>

<p>Thanks all, especially for the photos. I did actually check the Hasselblad site but neither the XPan nor the XPan2 is currently listed, even in the 'discontinued products' section.<br>

Terry</p>

 

<p>How much bigger is an XPan than, say, an M6? Does anyone have a side-by-side picture?</p>

<p>thanks, Terry</p>

<p>I've never used it on my D300. On those occasions when I use the family compact, I have no choice but to hold it at arm's length and squint at the little screen, but I hate it. I think I've spent too long with viewfinders to change. The only attractive alternative to viewfinder is a nice big ground glass on a LF...<br>

I'd probably feel differently if I did a lot of macro, tabletop or tripod stuff.</p>

 

<p>A compass. Actually I am not sure how it ended up in there...must have been some incredibly paranoid moment.</p>

John, I made a similar shift a few months ago, so while I am no expert, I can share some of those experiences, as I looked into many similar questions:

 

1) Memory cards: I have a couple of 8GB SanDisk Extreme IV cards which got good reviews and seem just fine. I mainly shoot RAW, and these cards will hold about 400 shots. This is plenty for me, as I don't tend to blast off huge numbers of images in one go. Perhaps this conservatism is just a holdover from many years of shooting film. I guess there is always a chance of card failure, so as long as I do not need to, and file sizes stay more or less in this ballpark, I will probably stick with 8GB cards for now.

 

2) When I travel, I almost always have my laptop with me for work. I have a little USB card reader, so if I am away for more than a few days, then yes, I download to the laptop. Because I am paranoid, I then make a backup to a portable, ruggedised external hard drive, and only then do I re-format the memory card (deleting all images). I am sure someone is going to say that a firewire connection would be faster, and no doubt it would. But I don't need the speed. If you do, then you probably want to look at the firewire options. By the way, your D700 will certainly come with a USB cable, so you could download directly from the camera instead of using a card reader.

 

3) I personally don't use Photoshop: Lightroom came out just as I was getting into digital photography, and it does everything I want to do (especially the new version). It has a RAW converter which I have found to be fine for Nikon RAWs (NEFs). I also have Capture NX which I got as a freebie when I bought a Nikon DSLR. I have heard that Capture NX, being Nikon's own software, does better RAW conversion than Adobe products. I have not really tested this out so far, but will probably have a look at it more systematically soon. As I said, I don't use PS, so I can't comment on pros/cons of using Capture NX before editing in PS.

 

Good luck! Terry

Thanks a lot...putting it on CH or CL works well.

 

Terry

Yes it is, thanks!