james_michael

Leo, there is also a 20-210mm model that is f/4 throughout the

range.

Obviously the f/2.8 is the best for low light, but I have the

75-300mm and it is a great lens for nature and anywhere you

have good light or a flash.

I have a 28-105mm AF-D that works as a great travel/general

purpose zoom. I also have a 75-300 AF that is a great lens, but a

bit large and slow. You can probably find either one used for less

than $200.

The SB-28, SB-50, and SB-80 all work great with the N65, but

may cost more than the N65. I have an old SB-22 that has a TTL

mode, but no way to do automatic exposure compensation.

Jean-Baptiste Queru was kidding I hope. With $2500 I would avoid the N55 and the APS SLRs like the plague and I would avoid cheap glass as well.

I would get an N80 at least and then a couple of really great lenses. At least one fast prime (50mm f/1.8) and a great travel zoom (28-105mm AF-D). Then I'd start thinking about wide primes (or zooms) and long tele-photo lenses. I'd probably go as wide as 20mm and as long as 300mm and then consider a 1.4 TC if I needed more reach.

A manual backup body or a cheaper AF body would also be worth considering (maybe an N65 or another N80). I think I'm out of money...

I just got a SB-22 from .bay (no manual) and want to use it this

weekend with my N65. I've read Ken Rockwell's review, but am still

confused a little about the different modes. I'll get a manual for it

soon, but need some help for tomorrow. I will probably end up keeping

it on TTL, but if I really get brave, I might experiment with manual

mode so I can effectively have flash exposure compensation.

Does the vertical slider do anything in TTL mode? I realize you can

get the min/max distance off the scale, but does it matter where the

slider is when using TTL?

Does the flash use max power in manual mode? So, If I'm using ISO 100

film and have a subject at 10 feet, I set the ISO with the slider and

then look for the bar whose right edge is nearest to 10 feet on the

chart to set the correct aperture? Then I can change either the ISO

or the aperture if I want flash exposure compensation?

Does MD mode use the shortest duration? If so, then could I use the

same process with the left edge of the bars?

Are the Aperture modes useful with a Nikon SLR? It appears that once

you set the ISO, the aperture is selected on the chart which gives

you only one possible subject distance. I just don't understand why

this is better or even different from manual mode.

Thanks for any help, I'm new to these old speedlights.

Robert,

First, we need to know what you intend to scan. Prints only have a dynamic range around 2.0 while negs are usually in the 2.8 range and slides are in the 3.2 range (all approximates).

The only purpose of bit depth is to provide dynamic range, so you want a scanner with enough dynamic range to scan the media you intend to scan. And like the others have said above, most of the specs are simply theoritical limits of the A/D converters and have no direct relationship to the actual dynamic range of the scanner.

In other words, it's impossible to tell anything about how good a scanner is from those 2 numbers. A better way is to simply ask which of two scanners is the best as many people here have experience with various scanners. If you are only scanning prints, it probably won't matter at all as any current scanner is overkill for scaning prints.

Peter, the N65 will work fine for you and you can find a used one pretty cheap. I believe the 70-210mm lens you referred to is a manual focus lens which will not work well (no metering) with the N65.

The 70-300mm G lens will work fine as well, but it isn't as good as the 70-300D ED which is about $265. The "ED" glass is much better for long focal lengths. The 70-300mm is great for outdoor sports and I imagine that the 300mm will come in handy. Handholding at 300mm simply requires a fast shutter speed (1/500 sec) which shouldn't be a problem even with 100 speed film on a bright day. 400 speed film will work okay but I wouldn't go to 800 speed.