charles_twiss1

"Film special" bodies, or to put it another way, cameras other than digital, are still widely used in nature. If, for example, your main aim is to deliver lectures, slide shows at camera clubs, bird clubs and the likes, then compared to 35mm transparency, digital is a poor second. Apart from poor quality from projected digital images, compared to slide, projectors are 12x the cost and more.

A Hassleblad out in the field, on landscapes for example, is far easier to carry and use, than a Nikon with a 600 f4 lens and tripod to support it. Trust me!

As far as the future of film cameras go - they're here for a long time yet! Nikon has not long introduced the FM3a, Hassleblad, Pentax and Mamiya the auto focus and Kodak and Fuji, new film emulsions. I'm confident to say, they know the market better than us and would not have invested thousands, if the end of film was round the corner.

But then who knows? Remember the home computer hitting the stores? Was'nt that going to be the demise of paper? We've never used so much.

And as for the CD killing off the cassette tape,-notice they're still being sold. DVD is now reputed to be the death knell for CD. We'll see. The only death knell I hear ringing, is for the social photographer. Who's going to pay hundreds of $s for wedding/portrait photography, when with digital and photoshop, they could do it themselves!

MANY THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME AND TROUBLE TO RESPOND. GREAT ADVICE!

I'm hoping to travel to Yosemite from UK. Does anyone know any good

RV rental firms, the best time of year to visit, is a fortnight long

enough in Yosemite and are there any restrictions on where you camp.

Any other useful info would be a bonus. Many thanks.

Now maybe I'm being stupid but why flip the monitor when you can flip and save the image? Then when you view, each image is the right way. Alternatively you are right, you could flip the monitor each type to change between portrait and view but it seems a right load of pratting around to me! But then it's digital....it's 90% pratting around!

You don't need cine speeds so why worry about it in the comparison?

Do you NEED multiple flash scales? On the odd occasion you might you can take a first reading and keep doubling each time the flash is fired...so you don't NEED these either!

Exposure compensation in 1/10th increments? Can you set the camera in 1/10 increments? If not these are useless. To compensate anyway, take the reading and bracket that exposure with the camera.

So...answer to your question, the Sekonic. If you feel it is more robustly made. But I know it will be more accurate.

 

If you do need the above look at the Sekonic L508, but it may go over your budget.

Depends on what you are photographing. On a portrait for example too much would be were the skin tone is bleached out. Or do you mean too MANY lights?

Mathew Lucker has given you all the answers apart from one. If what he says does'nt work, it's jammed....send it back.

William....next time you go for a crap, squeeze your head and get it all out!

Reference remarks by Yarn and David hartman. Same applies here in the UK. reps sell,,,that's about it. Nikons' technicians are'nt up with the gods either!

Having recently looked at a 300 f2.8 and converter and a 600 f4, there designers also need a size 9 up the backside.

Yaron....try and follow the plot! Yes a mm is a mm and 28mm is 28mm etc,etc. But on a digital camera IT IS THE SIZE OF THE SENSOR that determines the focal length, not the lens. The focal lens of ALL lenses on ALL digital is increased by a factor of 1.5. So, 28mm is still 28mm but yeilds an image as though taken with a 28mmx1.5=37.50 or approximately 35mm. To obtain a "true" 28mm effect you have to allow for the 1.5 extension so need to use an 18mm for a "near enough".

Diana, it can't be done. Manufacturers are not going to invest hundreds of thousands on your spec of lens when what they sell is selling. This is how digital works along with many other drawbacks. The need to download, file, orientate, correct density, colour balance, sharpen, crop, size, etc,etc,etc! And all this to produce something still not as good as a professionally well printed neg. Phew!!!

I have a Nikon F5 and on matrix metering gives exactly the same reading as a 1 degree spot reading from a £300 Sekonic! Your F801 metering may not be as good but do you need a seperate meter> Basically no. For landscape in mixed light or backlight on slide film...yes. On neg film...no...the printing corrects it.

Example of when to use.... overcast day, dull lighting, white swan on dark pond. Meter off anything that resembles mid grey. Grass is good. Bracket exposures for slide film.

Buy a cheap meter? NO use what you have and save your money. If you going down the route of light meters get the best you can afford but remember...the camera can usually meter better than you because any seperate meter, is only as good as the person using it and if you have little experience? You don't need a Cadillac to take your pig to market.

Now don't blow a gasket! I know how much you guys love your Leicas and I agree they are good. But there are better cameras around for this sort of work, especially weddings. Trying to do what you are doing, wide open aperture, moving subjects etc would be hard enough on any MF camera. Try it on a Hassleblad!

AF would not be foolproof. To focus on the chest at f2 would have the face unsharp due to the depth of field. (or lack of it!)But either AF, stop and pose or a flash shot with more DOF would be better than struggling to get it in focus. Especially looking at the picture produced....you have feet cut off, distortion and Leica or not, it still looks no more than a snapshot!

No! Nikon does'nt have a digital ringflash out yet but the SB28 will work just as well, Well almost! Film flash peaks at a different rate than required for digital but with experimenting, especially on this subject, you can get it to work OK. So any independant flash, Sunpak, Vivitar 285 etc will work, provided you "jiggle" aperture/output etc to get correct exposures.

The Nikon D100 is compatible with the Fuji S2 in that they share a similar power. The S1 may be underpowered to work your card. Try is in an S2 or format in the D100 and see if it works. If you use the mains power adapter from and S1 on an S2 it will fail to record the images, again because even the mains adaptor does not have the same power as that intended for the S2.

Nice picture well presented and shows obvious thought. Only dislike for me are the hands. Too close to camera making them look huge in comparison to the rest of the body. Overall though...first class for a first attempt.

Now don't get uptight! You asked for a critique so here goes. There's nothing there that hasnt been done before. Too many close stomach shots for me. Don't like the vivid coloured bacground (P/Shop?) as it distracts the eye. Shots outside in dress are boring and theres' too many in the same dress. Other than that... just pics of a pregnant woman.

Use a tripod! Don't bring the camera to your face. Focus etc and look over the camera, talking. joking etc with your subject while you're hitting the shutter. Camera height is important and also your height in relation to the lens. Don't let the subject look "over" or too far to one side of the camera.

Photo would not upload. Calculated there is about ten in the group. Oldest sit centre with each generation built around them building up into a triangle. You will need various size stools, boxes etc to build up height and shape and these should be hidden in the picture.

Alternative. Youngest lie face down with each generation leaning/lying across them building up to eldest at triangle centre. etc, etc, etc,

Could go on all day but it really needs demonstrating

A medium length (around 180mm) lens at F1.4 focussed on the eyes. Soften eyes further by holding a Hassleblad softar 2 over lens. A lot easier and quicker than Photoshop and a more realistic result than Mrs Mars here

Fuji Reala 100 iso. Knock the bollicks off everything mentioned.

Don't quite understand where you're coming from but presume you want an image of the face alongside the image of the arm. Yes?

 

If so, shoot the head and shoulder shot of the subject leaning on her arm and simply seperate them into two images. Either in Photoshop or by print montage.

You need to decide travel or nature! For nature the norm is long fast lenses. Big, heavy and expensive. Long length usually means lots of money or a lens that's more ornament than use. A 400 5.6 would be a poor substitute for a 600 f4 but you would need a truss to travel with a 600 f4!

If your intention by "nature" is not mammal, bird photography etc stick with what you have and spend the money getting there.

Never had a problem with my S2 but keep your eye on the battery power. Drops like a stone. Use Nihms they last much longer. Other than that a great camera.

The 18mm end of your lens will be the equivelant of a 28.8 lens on 35mm film which with a polarizer of normal thickness will vignette at this focul length. Say yes...you need a thin version and theres' no way around it. Unless you buy a cheap polarizer for a larger lens and try holding it with fingers out of the way and camera on tripod.

Depends on how far away you are from the subject. F8 will not give as much depth of field close up as it will with a lens focused on infinity. Focul length also plays a part. If you intend to spend the rest of your life on head and shoulders portarits from 10 feet away...it'll be ok. Otherwise, learn to focus or go autofocus...just in case you need to open up a stop or two one day.