Mike_R1664876643

<p>Thanks Dieter. And that's a good point on whether I really need another one at all. I need to give that some more thought. I have managed to take my 2531 just about everywhere, at least so far. When travelling I take the ballhead off to fit into my luggage. I got interested in having a smaller tripod while visiting Biggs camera shop in Charlotte. They had a tiny one there, too small actually for my camera, but it got me thinking. </p>

<p>I know this is a decision only I can make but I always value the opinions from Photo Net members more than any other board on the internet, so thought I would put it out there. I currently use a Gitzo gt2531 Mountaineer as my one and only tripod. While it's not a huge tripod I really want a smaller more compact tripod to complement it, while continuing to use the 2531 when I don't need to pack it or for shorter hikes. My main camera is a D810 and heaviest lens an 80-200 2.8. I've been looking at the Sirui N-2204x and the T-2205x carbon fiber travel tripods. The 2204x folds up to 18", and goes to 54" without raising the center post. The 2205x folds up to only 14", but only goes to 49" without the center post. I'm 5'10" so would need to lean a over a little with the 2205x unless I use the center post. I'm leaning towards the 2205x simply because it's a lot more compact than my gt2531, giving each a distinct advantage over the other given the situation. When I need something very light and compact I'll take the 2205x, and when that's not a concern, I'll use the gt2531. I am really set on the Sirui brand. They seem very nice for the price compared to say a Gitzo traveler or an RRS.<br> Any thoughts on this, or just in general about your preference for a travel tripod? Thanks in advance for any input you can provide. </p>

<p>I managed to drop my 6 month old (grey market) 24-120 f4 lens a few weeks ago about 3 feet onto pavement. At first the lens seemed fine, even the filter was ok other than having a small indentation in it. I continued shooting with the lens over the next few days. Later I loaded the images on my computer and noticed they were really out of focus and smeared other than in the center, something I didn't notice as I was shooting. It made me sick because the was really sharp before. I sent it off for an estimate and it ended up costing me $350 to fix. </p>

<p>I read some of the Breakthrough Photography filter reviews, but they seem to come across as being a little biased or sponsored by the company. Not sure how objective they really are, as at the bottom you see all these links to order their filters. That's not to say their filters may not be very good however, and I certainly hope to see the company succeed. I do know with B+W there is no doubt about their quality. I've had good experiences with both their 10 stop ND and circular polarizer. I even recently bought their four filter pouch to keep them in. So I'll probably go with B+W for my 6 stop. </p>

I didn't know the multi coated filters would be easier to clean. Right now I'm in the market for a 6 stop nd. Have been looking at the b+w non--mrc version which sells for $73. But also ran upon these nd filters by a company called Breakthrough Photography. They have a 6 stop with the MRC for $99 then a more expensive version that uses Short glass for $170. I was leaning towards the B+W because of the price and their use of Shott glass even on the $73 version. But having a filter that is easier to clean would be a big plus as well.

<p>I have the single-coated 77mm 10 stop B+W ND filter and it works great. I've never had any issues with flare. I couldn't see spending $120 more just to have the mult-coated version, particularly for an ND filter. </p>

<p>The one refurbished lens I bought from Cameta Camera, a Nikon 18-70mm DX, was excellent. Other than it came in a plain white box, the lens itself looked and performed just like a new lens.</p>

<p>I just got my new 50 1.8G and am very impressed with it. It's exceptionally sharp across the frame. I think this lens, with my wide-angle and tele zoom will serve me much better than a general mid-range zoom for my type of photography. And the money saved is nice too. Eventually I may replace my 80-200 2.8 with the 70-200 f4, but am in no hurry to do that.</p>

<p>Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. For now I think I'll go ahead and replace it with the 50 1.8G, and then later if I can find a good used or refurbished one for a good price I may pick up a 24-120. I wish I had bought the D810 kit for only $700 more, but didn't. </p>

<p>Yesterday while out shooting some landscapes I managed to drop my 50mm 1.8D lens. While changing lenses, it slipped out of my hands and rolled down a steep stream embankment where I couldn't get to it. Being just a $100 lens, I figured a broken leg, ankle, or copperhead bite would cost me a lot more than that so I gave up trying to retrieve it. I'm just glad it was my cheapest lens.<br> But now I need to replace it. All I have are the 16-35VR, 35mm 2.0D, and 80-200mm 2.8D, so I need either a new replacement 50mm lens or a mid-range zoom. If I go the 50mm route, would I be better off with the new G version instead? Or would a mid-range zoom be a better option? Since buying the D810 I've made due with just the 50mm for mid-range, but while the lens was very sharp stopped down I have to admit it's kind of a pain switching lenses so often. When I want something longer, I have to switch over to the heavy 80-200D, and of course only have the 50mm in the 35-80mm range. I've seen some good prices lately on refurbished and used 24-120VR lenses, so am wondering whether I would be better off going that route versus another prime. <br> Any input or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.</p>

<p>Jeffrey, I highly recommend the 16-35VR. I shoot landscapes as well. At least on my copy, it is very sharp border to border at 16mm on my D810, and in fact seems to perform at its best at the widest focal lengths, It's just a great lens all the way around. Very nice build quality and the VR is nice to have when needed.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the great advice. This helps me a lot. I've watched some of the mounting videos on You Tube and they always make it look so easy (and fun)! I want to hinge mount my prints to the backing board. Right now, I'm leaning towards using mounting board instead of foam core if I can find a good place to buy it from, hopefully pre-cut.<br> Currently I don't have a printer for larger prints so have been using Adorama for my photos. So far, I've been pleased with the results and their prices are very reasonable. However, I think when I have them do my next prints, I'm going to request a white border to give me room for the mat overlay without losing part of the image.</p>

<p>I'm getting ready to mount a few prints for a local display. I have a new Logan mat cutter I'll be using to cut the mats, which will be 16x20 and 18x24 in size. However, I need some help deciding what type of mounting board to use and the thickness. Do most of you use foamcore or regular backing board? What thickness? Thanks so much.</p>

<p>I bought the D810 but haven't even taken it out of the box yet, as I was waiting to see what deals Nikon came out with. Now I'm thinking about returning it and getting the D810/24-120 kit. That's the lens I was wanting to get for the D810, but see that they don't have a lens only rebate on it. $600 off on the lens is quite a discount.</p>

<p>. . . or I may even decide to not get it repaired and just sell my two DX lenses and stick with the FX format. At least that would offset some of the cost of my D810 and 'FX lenses, and simplify my equipment. </p>

<p>Thanks again. I called APS and over the phone he gave me a rough price range of $150-$350 for the repair. I just bought a new D810, but I still want my D300s as a backup and for casual picture taking, so will send it in to have it looked at.</p>

<p>Thanks Jack. I heard them mentioned before here, but couldn't remember the name. I'll give them a call tomorrow.</p>

<p>The shutter release button on my D300s appears broke. It's pressed down but won't pop back up. The rear display won't come on, live view doesn't work, and as soon as I turn on the switch the shutter fires. I just live in a small town and am not sure where I should send it to for an estimate and repair. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks very much.</p>

<p>Right Tang. The TB21 may be okay to get rid of the center column to get lower to the ground, but to replace the entire spider and only keep the three legs from a tripod you just spent $600 for, I would never do that. Really, If I wanted a tripod without a center column I would just get one already built that way, like a Really Right Stuff or a Gitzo Systematic. </p>

<p>I think the Nikonians website also tries to get people to buy products it sells on its website, so I do take with a grain of salt many of the claims. I would never spend $500-$600 on a nicely crafted Gitzo tripod, and then immediately remove the entire hub and replace it with a $170 Markins specialty hub just to get rid of the center column. That makes little sense to me. </p>

<p>I was going to go with one of the cheaper off-brand flashes, but decided to pay a little more for the SB-700 and have no regrets. It seems like when I buy cheaper I wonder if I second-guess my decision the whole time I own it. When I don't, I quickly forget about the extra I paid. Anyhow, I really like the SB-700, quite a bit better than the SB-600 I used to have.</p>

<p>I've got the GT2531, the 3-section version of the tripod you have. To answer your question, I had read where the tripod isn't quite as stable using the ground level set as it is with the column. It may have been on the Nikonians website. I think the ground level set is mostly just for those situations where you need to shoot at ground level, not really meant to be used that way all the time. Personally, I think my tripod is rock solid with the column, even extended a bit. But the Markins hub or base would probably be a much better option if you want to configure it for ground level shooting all the time and for maximum stability when not shooting at ground level. I've considered changing mine out too, but I like having the column for when you need a little more height or for fine adjustments. </p>

<p>It looks like the $300 discount got extended. For how long I'm not sure. </p>