danny_weber

I think the chance of this happening on an in-camera copy is minute, plus the original is still on the XQD card. I have never had a file garbled in a copy operation or even in many-generation copy operations. I could argue that my suggestion is safer, since the original is untouched in case there's a problem, but either argument is specious in my view--it just doesn't matter in reality. Danny W

I think Ed meant that his reply doesn't belong here. Danny W.

Rumors about new Nikon bodies suggest there might be more with XQD/SD, but they're just rumors. Using the D500 to copy other XQD camera cards to SD is a good idea. What do you mean by "2nd generation copy issue" ? Danny W.

An easy, if slow, way to transfer to a laptop is to copy in-camera to an SD card and pop that into the laptop. Danny W.

Of course I copy files to an external device as soon as I can, but not when I'm actually out shooting. :-) Danny W.

I have a fast XQD card and fast SD UHS-II (both Sony 64GB) in mine, with the XQD being primary storage and the SD set for overflow. If I have time, I copy files from the XQD to the SD, so I have a backup without affecting the camera's operation. Not sure what info about XQD cards you're looking for--they work fine, don't slow the camera down, are more robust and less easy to lose than SD cards, and copy really quickly into my computer. Danny W.

I picked up a 16-80 unused out of a kit for about half price to replace my 17-55, primarily for the weight savings but also for the improved range and VR. I've been very happy with it so far. The image quality is fine and the smaller aperture is a non-issue for me. Thom Hogan wrote a good, balanced review of it: Nikon 16-80mm f/2.8-4E VR DX Lens Review | DSLRBodies | Thom Hogan Danny W.

That sounds like a plan. Danny W.

The first photo is overexposed overall, so it could be Matrix metering calibration, A simple test would be to turn off the flash, take a photo, make sure the overall exposure is about right regardless of dark shadows on the subjects, turn on the flash and aim it straight up or to the side and shoot again, then aim it at the scene and shoot again. Danny W.

The OP has a problem with overexposure. If the flash is keeping the shutter speed too low, that could be a cause. Using Auto FP eliminates that possibility. Danny W.

About ten years ago I used a CS 5000 to scan about 60,000 slides and several hundred strips of negatives. Although it was probably the best scanner available, it has a reputation for accenting grain because of its hard light source. I found this to be true, so I scanned to TIFFS to allow post processing. Danny W.

When you set Auto FP, there is no upper limit to shutter speed when the flash is on--especially outdoors, this is important to prevent your ambient exposure from overexposing. I don't want the shutter speed to get stuck at a top of 1/250, in fact, exactly the opposite. The downside is that you lose power at higher shutter speeds, but this is a better result than having a limit to the shutter speed. Danny W.

I always have great results using Nikon automatic fill flash. On the flash set compensation to -1.7 as a starting point and the flash mode to iTTL BL. On the camera select Matrix metering and set the sync speed to 1/250 FPS (Custom Setting e1). The latter is important to prevent overall overexposure due to a low shutter speed. On cameras with pop-up flash, be sure the flash comp on the body is set to zero That's pretty much it. I've never used a D600, but it's worked for me with the D2h, D200, D300, D500, D750 and D7200. The only Nikon DSLR I've used that had flash issues was the D1, in which the flash implementation was widely acknowledged as being broken. Danny W.

I'll hit 20 in five months. Danny W.

There is no reason to think that a DX 70-200/4 would be any smaller or lighter than the current one, so you might as well enjoy the FX version. It's a great lens and noticeably lighter than the f/2.8 version, which I used for years before deciding I had gotten too old to want to carry it around. ;) The f/4 works really well on my D500. Danny W.

One advantage of third-party publications is that they'll tell you what works and what doesn't, while the manufacturer will claim it's all good. Danny W.

John, I posted my reply without reading the part where you said you already had third-party books--sorry about that. I agree with Ilkka, though, I find Nikon's literature on the D500 better than they usually publish, and the D500 Menu Guide does a much more thorough job of explaining what everything is for, if not how best to use it. As Ilkka said, I do my own tests and apply my findings to my own shooting situations. Danny W.

I'm a left-eyed shooter too and find the sub-selector to be perfectly placed for me. You might give thought to the fact that you are just one user out of many and that everything is a compromise. Meanwhile, rather than exhort Nikon to produce training materials to your liking, it would be worth buying one of the existing guides if you're struggling with how best to use the D500. Danny W.

<p>Drop-in filters are typically found only in lenses where a front filter would be impractical. I doubt they'll make the next version that large, but perhaps they'll prove me wrong in five or six years.</p>

<p>Shun, I assumed that the parts you filled in would have been obvious considering the discussion, but perhaps I should have known better, so thank you. I’ve been posting explanations here about using Nikon fill flash for probably eighteen years and by now I figured that everyone understood how it works. Note that I was the first person in this thread to point to flash sync speed—it should be really obvious to any Nikon flash user.<br> <br />BeBu, the way you’d like the camera to work makes absolutely no sense at all with a focal plane shutter. If you don’t understand why, it would be worthwhile reading an article on the subject. I doubt that any modern camera with an FP shutter allows you to use shutter speeds higher than the sync speed when flash is on, unless you have selected a sync mode like Nikon’sAuto FP, which fires the flash multiple times to constantly illuminate the photo frame while the shutter slit travels across it. As I said earlier, this causes you loss of flash range, but it’s better than not having the flash operate at all.<br> <br />As for your you belief about the F5, believing doesn’t make it so. I haven’t used an F5 since the year 2000, but you don’t have to take my word for it—here’s what the F5 manual says for Manual exposure mode on page 114:<br> <br />“If you set the shutter speed at 1/500 sec. or faster, camera automatically shifts to 1/250 sec. as soon as the Speedlight is turned on. The manually set shutter speed indication blinks in the LCD panel, while the viewfinder shows 25o.”</p> <p>Danny W.</p>

<p>You can't set a shutter speed higher than the flash sync speed in any exposure mode. It's designed that way so that you don't wind up seeing your shutter edges in your photos. It's been that way since the first Nikons with auto fill flash in the film days. However, if you have a camera and flash that supports Auto FP and set the sync speed to Auto FP, you have no limit on the shutter speed, but the flash range will fall off above the top sync speed. The only reason not to use this setting is if you are using non-compatible flash.</p> <p>Danny W.</p>

<p>Flash sync speed?</p>

<p>Funny you should mention ISO. I bought my first digital camera, a D1, in 2000. At the time I went out daily with three F5's, often with different film type in each one. The first day with my D1 I went from shooting surfers in full sun to dancers at an outdoor pavilion long after the sun set I was completely sold on digital. Finished off whatever film was in my cameras and never shot a film frame again.</p>

<p>Custom Setting C4 is monitor off delay.<br> As for the "old fashioned way" of changing settings, I've been using the "Release button to use dial" method on my D300 since 2007 and I think it was on Nikon cameras before that. The real old-fashioned way would be having a dedicated knob for each function. In any case, it's a great feature for those complaining about the location of the mode button.</p>

<p>I can't find a setting on mine that lets you toggle through the Mode settings just by pressing the Mode button. The "Release button to use dial" setting (f6) allows you to press & release a button and then turn the dial to make the setting. Half press on the shutter clears it.<br /> The metering pattern can be assigned to a button for one-finger operation--press & hold to switch from your current selection to another one. <br /> There are a number of custom settings that allow you to change the control operation to more closely match your style of shooting. I've had mine for three weeks and am still evaluating all the possibilities.<br /> </p>