daniel rufer

sorry, my mistake! Seems I copied the wrong URL :)<br>

The one I wanted was <a href="http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/pdf_filterkatalog.htm">http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/pdf_filterkatalog.htm</a>. Sorry...<p>

Daniel

The B+W flters are produced by Schneider-Kreuznach. Their filter site (and the pdf's) can be found at <a href="http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/filter_e/software_filter.htm" >http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/filter_e/software_filter.htm</a>.

Thanks to Michael I was able to have a closer look at the repair manual for the FM2n and I don't see an easy way to modify the shutter lock (actually I don't see a way at all without disassembling an FM2 and trying out whether some of the parts really do what I think they might do according to the manual).<br>

I don't think it is a good idea to try and probably break or misadjust some parts of your FM2n after what I've seen. Trying to locate that shop or asking at other camera repair shops if they can do it (or know of someone who could) seems a better solution.<p>

Good luck and let us know if you find a way (I found quite a few people with the same problem on forums).<p>

Daniel

Michael,<p>

If it isn't too much trouble to put me on the cc's in that repair manual email I would be very grateful! ;-)<p>

Thanks a lot!<p>

Daniel

I googled around and found some posts concerning this in the www.mir.com forums, where a Howard Passmann apparently had his FM2N modified by a shop called "Moras Camera" in D.C.<br>

You can find the post and his email here: <a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/messageboard/fmseriesmsg/NikonFMseriesMB/index10.htm" >link</a>. It's post #22. While this was back in 1999, it might nonetheless be of some help.<br>

Otherwise you might try to find a repair manual and have a close look at the shutter release button, perhaps you find something...<p>

Fooling the camera into believing that a motor is attached will probably not help much, as the shutter release will still be mechanically locked. There is a shutter release on the motor that is used instead of the one on the camera and the actual triggering of the shutter in the camera is done by an electrical signal over the 4 pin contact on the baseplate.<p>

Good luck!

just wondering: couldn't you tape a little white stripe on the focussing ring and the barrel next to it, then focus ("with you wall and chalk"-method or something) to the hyperfocal distances of some apertures that you want and each time mark that setting on the stripe (ending up with one mark on the barrel and several on the focussing ring)? It could be anywhere around the lens.

Besides the problem of the tripod "leaning the wrong way", you are also severely restricted in adjusting yout camera position, as you effectively reduce your ballhead into a device that rotates only along one axis (two if you have a panning base).

Eric, thanks. I didn't know that. Well I never owned or worked with a grey card, the bit about a spotmeter being calibrated to 18% grey is from memory (I think I read it here on PNet a long time ago).<br>

Now I searched the forums and found more info and it seems I was indeed wrong, thanks for the info.<br>

The important part remains: know (and test) how your meter behaves and how you have to expose to get the result that you want, regardless of the exact reference point your meter sets.

Well this is all nice and well... under one particular setting, namely that you are using a medium with 5 stops latitude (like slide film) and that the latitude of the scene you are shooting is also exactly 5 stops (which is probably more often not the case).<br>

If your "brightest spot" is something like a white cloud and you would be interested in a shade covered foreground (which might easily be more than 2.5 stops darker than the cloud), this foreground would be underexposed etc.<p>

The generally "proper" way to use a spot meter is to identify the point/object in your scene that you find the most important, then decide on how light or dark you want it to show up on the picture, then set the exposure accordingly and let everything else fall where will.<br>

Remember: a spotmeter is calibrated for 18% grey and does not fancy thinking like a matrix meter or any weighing like a center weighted meter. So if you point your spotmeter on a flower petal and expose "properly" (no over/underexposure) this petal will turn up a 18% grey dark (which is likely underexposed for a bright flower petal). So you have to decide that you want the petal brighter and expose with say 1 stop "overexposure" compared to your spotmeter reading.<p>

A spotmeter is also useful to check whether your scene fits into the latitude of your film (slide film has approx. 5 stops of latitude, print film has more) by taking reading on the brightest and darkest parts of teh scene in which you want to retain at lest some detail. If these reading differ by more than your film latitude you have to either sacrifice detail on one end or use fill flash etc.<p>

Some rule-of-thumbs (for slide film): your skin (if you're white, sorry don't know for coloured skin) is approx. 1 stop lighter than medium grey, which also makes it a "grey card + 1 stop" that you always carry with you; bright snow/sand etc that should still show some texture can be exposed 2 stops lighter than medium grey (on slide film, with 5 stops latitude). Be careful with "tree foliage and grass is always around medium grey", as this is quite often not the case.<p>

Hope this helped a bit...<p>

Hafe fun!

... is a tripod collar on the lens!<br>

The scope converter is indeed a really nice piece of equipment and if used with a good lens gives very nice results. But unless you can mount your lens on a tripod like a spotting scope, you end up having problems (VR unfortunately doesn't work =)<p>

Look around for a used one, I have seen several in the last year in pretty good shape for less than 80 US$ (bought mine for approx. 50 US$).<br>

Good luck!

Or you might build something like that:<br>

<a href="http://www.readymademag.com/feature_12_slidelamp.php" >slide lamp</a><br>

Dang! Never answer the phone while writing what starts out as the first answer to a post... You might end up third, simply repeating what others have written before. =)

Hi<p>

The MC-30 release cable works with both the F5 and the F100. When fitting it to the F100, make sure that the cable goes towards the finder-prism, then the plug should go into the socket quite easy (it has a ridge on the plug that needs to be properly aligned, and thus will only fit in one way). It does not go in very far though and to attach it securely it can be screwed on, but it should work even without being screwed on. Check for bent pins on the plug if you had problems inserting it.<br>

Concerning the exposure level indicator with flash: if the flash is on, the camera sets shutter speed to 1/60 (unless you use the "slow" flash mode, where it can go up to 30sec) and there is obviously not enough light for a proper exposure at f/5.6 and 1/60s WITHOUT FLASH, indicated by the exposure level indicator going to the negative. However, if you take the shot, the flash will go off and there will be plenty of light, more than you need at 5.6 and 1/60 (unless your target is quite far off). Then comes the magic of TTL, which shuts the flash off at the exact moment when it has produced enough light for the - now correctly exposed - shot at 5.6 and 1/60.<br>

So don't worry about the negative indicator; what you have to worry about is: if after the shot was taken the flash-ready lamp blinks for about 3 seconds and (perhaps, depending on the settings of the flash, not sure with the SB28) the flash beeps, then the full flash used all the power it had, which might not have been sufficient and therefore the shot might be underexposed. Unless this happens, you are in the green.<br>

You might want to dial in some compensation on your flash though, depending on the situation and your taste.<p>

A manual for the F100 can be found here:<br>

<a href="http://www.nikon.com.sg/CATALOG/F100_UserManual.pdf" >http://www.nikon.com.sg/CATALOG/F100_UserManual.pdf</a> <p>

Have fun with a great camera!<p>

Daniel

Jami, you are welcome! Thanks!<p>

One thing I forgot to mention: usually there is some indication when the flash fired at full power (meaning, the camera fired the flash, but the flash put out its full power exactly when, or (most often when this happens) before the TTL meter told him to stop. Thus there is a chance that the picture turns out too dark. Nikon flashes usually signal this by blinking a LED for a few seconds and/or beeping. When everything went fine (the flash was stopped by the TTL meter instead of by exhaustion), the LED does not blink but stays dark and light s again to indicate that the flash is recharged.<p>

Good luck in your next tests. Have fun!<p>

Daniel

It could be that the flash is not powerful enough. If he shoots with a 200mm macro, he might be too far off for the flash to illuminate properly.<p>

The EM-140DG has a guide-number (GN) of 14/m (ISO 100). the GN is calculated as "GN = f/stop x Flash-to-subject distance" at ISO 100 and distance is in meters (or you take feet, then your GN is 46/ft).<p>

Therefore: assume you shoot ISO 100, and have your camera set to f/8, the calculation goes 14=8x? -> result: ?=1.75m! So at f/8 the maximal distance where your flash can reach FULL power is 1.75m. At f/2.8 it's 5m and at f/22 only 0.6m. These maximal ranges can only be extended by setting higher ISO.<p>

If your target is outside that range, it will not receive the MAXIMAL flash output, which can still be ok if used a s fill flash only, but might turn out to be insufficient if the flash is the main light source. Any sort of TTL flash can only work it's magic within it's operating range, which is on the smaller side for macro flashes (hey, they are MACRO-flashes, not TELE-flashes).<br>

Big flash guns like the Nikon SB-80DX (sorry, don't know Canons equivalent) have much higher GN's (SB80-DX has 56, meaning at the same settings you have 4times more reach). But they are a different sort of flashes, not made for macro and less suited for it.<p>

Hope this helps.<p>

Daniel

I heard the view from the top of Mont Blanc is great... :)<p>

Sorry, couldn't resist. <br>

On a more serious note: much of the alps have received large amounts of snow in the last weeks and therefore avalanche danger is very high (at least here in switzerland). If you are not experienced in this kind of environment, pay extra care and do NOT mindlessly venture into or below every slope that look like great photo opportunities because nobody has been there before and they still look "virgin". Avalanches can detach spontaneously under such conditions and slopes do not need to be steep for that (between 28 and approx. 50 degrees is usually most dangerous, but even less can be sufficient for an avalanche, and avalanches can travel long distances). Ask at the local tourist office or better the alpine guide office in chamonix as to where there might be avalanche risk.<br>

They can also tell you where you can go to get good shots I guess. I can't, as I have only been there once when I was still a kid and I don't remember much.<p>

Have a great time!<p>

Daniel

Well, it might be considered cheating... but whenever I fly and there MIGHT be a problem at the gate because I have too much carry-on baggage, I usually go to a duty-free shop and ask for a plastic bag and put some of my carry-on in that. Then it simply looks as if I have some duty-free stuff in addition to my carry-on, and they never complain because of duty-free stuff. Once in the plane you can easily repack.<p>

Daniel

Hello Arnab<p>

Glad you like the Explorer! (told you you would :)<br>

Concerning the "stepping" in tilting the off-center column: that comes from the design of the contact, where two plates join together in discrete intervalls, you have to loosen it to the point, where the space between the plates gets large enough to slip into another configuration (sorry, lousy description, look at it and it becomes clear). The reason for this is simple: if it was a continous movement, it would be two flat plates and movement would be stopped by tightening enough for friction to increase to a level where the cantilever is no longer strong enough to make the thing slip.<br>

Now: if you tried to tighten that with a B1 ballhead, an F5, some heavy lens and a flash with the center column at 2/3rd or more extended, you would have to tighten like a berserk to have it stop slipping (with the current design this works without a problem, besides the one from preventing the whole tripod falling over, which is easily solved).<p>

As for the loud "Clack" when closing the leg-locks: I simply used a bit of tape around the legs where the leg-lock hits, about 1-2mm thick and it is like a little padding. This reduced the "clack" tremendously and the legs still lock perfectly.<p>

I hope this helps a bit. Enjoy that Merlot! Cheers!<p>

Daniel

oh... I wonder if I just jeopardized my health insurance with the statement about me feet being "screwed in"... well at least they are still "firmly screwed in" hehe..

<p>

Time to stop working and go home...

Concerning the "inifinitely adjustable legs" (though I am not certain I really understand what you mean by that):<br>

they offer a great deal of flexibility when setting up your tripod. Like spreading one leg all the way out and having it very short, while the other 2 are at a more "normal" angle and more extended for setting it up at a steep slope or against a wall that would otherwise be in the way of the third leg etc.<br>

It is true that all tripods that allow seperate spreading angles and stepless extension of the legs are harder to setup with the baseplate horizontal, but for that there is a bubble level (and when you need a tripod for architecture or something where you shoot with the camera exactly horizontal or vertical only, you probably wouldn't look at the explorer anyway). So all in all, I found the ease with which the legs can be adjusted in many ways to be very comfortable.<p>

As to the loud "clack" when closing the lever to fix the legs: that is indeed true and annoyed me instantly even when it was not critical to me (as it would to a wedding photographer or a stalking wildlife shooter). But it can be very easily "fixed" with 2 layers of scotch tape (the textile type, that offers a little cushioning). The lever still locks perfectly while the noise reduction is tremendous.<p>

Concerning the feet rattling loose: I have never had this problem and in fact my feet are still extremely tightly screwed in and I doubt they will ever get loose. But I guess that perhaps a little Loc-Tite (the lacqueur like red fluid used to secure screws while still allowing to unscrew them again) might help.<p>

Daniel

Hello Arnab<p>

I own the aluminium version as well and had tons of stuff mounted on it (one of my "experiments" was the 80-200 f/2.8 with a diopter, teleconverter, tubes and the PB-6 on my F100... the whole assembly was pretty heavy and pretty long and the center column was cantilevered to one side and my camera bag was hanging on the other side as a counterweight, so certainly a whole lot more than 3.5 kg!). The tripod can easily handle your 3.5kg and more even when fully extended (not the center column though, as at some point things will get a little flexible), but you might invest some money in a good head, that can also handle that sort of load.<br>

I chose the aluminium version over the CF, as CF would only save a minor amount of weight while being more than double the cost. Durability/ruggedness is no issue unless you want to pry open a bunker door with it. I took mine through some rather severe trials already and it shows scratches of being knocked and bumped around but still works like a charm. I also disassembled and cleaned it completely (after using it in a swampy environment) which is easy to do and is a good idea when dirt gets into the legs and they start to sound a bit scratchy when extending. But unless you soak it in dirty water or perhaps let it stay outside in a sandstorm the legs are rather well "sealed" against dust. I am usually more cencerned about the ballhead, which I protect with a cushioned pouch-like cover.<br>

It is true though, that the aluminium is a real pain to operate in the cold, as these legs will be cold as hell and your fingers will feel that really soon. Either buy or make some of these leg wrappers, which makes it a lot friendlier to touch in the cold and to carry on your shoulder as well. They also protect your tripod legs.<br>

The legs have a small indentation so that the sections do not rotate in respect to the others, making it unnecessary to have the middle section fixed before fixing the lowermost section and the other way round when collapsing, like with some other gitzo tripods. So you can loosen and tighten every section whenever you want, regardles of whether the others are fixed or not. This makes height adjustments easier in my experience.<br>

For macro work (like you do), there is no better tripod in my opinion. It offers versatility that most often cannot be reached with "regular" tripods or only with more difficulty. I am extremely happy with mine.<p>

Daniel

Hello Tristan<p>

I just checked, and the max apertures my F100 indicates me are as follows (approximately, as its a bit hard to guess the exact setting with the barrel marks):<br>

- 70 -100: 4<br>

- 100-140: 4.2<br>

- 140-185: 4.5<br>

- 185-220: 4.8<br>

- 220-260: 5<br>

- 260-280: 5.3<br>

- 280-300: 5.6<p>

So at 200mm you are approximately at f/4.8.<p>

As for why people bother with zooms: well some zooms like the 80-200 f/2.8 AF-D are of "prime-quality" and there are only few primes that could be said to be better. The 70-300 certainly is not one of these zooms, and almost all primes are better, I agree with that. But have you ever experienced the difference of rock climbing or a several day tour in a high alpine region (read: climbing, glaciers, sleeping in a tent or biwak-bag) with a FM2 and a 24-85 f/2.4-4 and 70-300 f/4-5.6 vs. a FM2 with a 24mm, (a 35mm), a 50mm, a 85mm, (a 105mm), a 135mm, a 200mm and a 300mm prime, even if the teles are slow ones? The weight difference alone is going to kill you, not to mention your inability to handle all these lenses and change to the one needed in difficult situations when you cannot move and have no spare hands because you are hanging on a rope etc.<br>

I agree that shooting with primes is a joy and often people would be better off with primes, but not due to the fact that all zooms are lousy, but because the ones they have are. A good constant f/2.8 zoom like the 80-200 or the 70-210, the 35-70 and so on are at least as good as most primes (and of course they are heavier again as their slower counterparts. That's why I dont bring my 20-35, 35-70, 80-200 f/2.8 lenses on an extended tour...)<p>

Have fun<p>

Daniel

Well.. drift alignment is certainly not the simpler method you asked for, but if you want to achieve good polar alignment, it is a very effective method.<p>

A very detailed how-to can be found under <a href="http://www.darkskyimages.com/gpolar.html" >http://www.darkskyimages.com/gpolar.html</a><p>

I hope this helps! Have fun and clear skies!

<I>They should have done it in May-August, when it would have made no difference to Germany and nobody goes to Egypt anyway!</I><p>

Well.. they couldn't, as from april-october it was in Basel (Switzerland) =)<br>

I think the exhibit is "on tour" to raise funds for the museum to be able to maintain it further.<p>

Why not visit Bonn as a stop-over on your way back?<p>

Daniel

I once saw a photographer who used a self-made U-plate to shoot moss from very close to the ground. He used this to take shots of "green rolling hills" or "looking into forests" on a millimeter scale. It looked rather impressive (what I saw through the viewfinder), He actually got closer to the ground with his lens in an upright position than I got with my head without tilting.<p>

Imagine yourself a L-plate that has a third section parallel to the part attached to the camera (so that you have a lying U-shape with the camera in the center of the U, attached to one "leg" and the other "leg" somewhere over the camera, where the flash usually is).<br>

On the outside of that second leg, he had a quick-release plate attached and was thus able to reverse the center column and hang the whole thing beneath it while still maintaining an upright position.<br>

If you want you can also attach a quick-release plate to the side and bottom of this frame, so that you have complete freedom of how to mount your camera :)<p>

I guess that you could also fashion something that attaches to your hotshoe on one side and to your tripod head or macro slider on the other side, but I would strongly advise against it, as you will loose flash capability and submit your hotshoe to stress that is unnecessary (and for which it might not be designed to support).<p>

Whatever solution you pursue: have fun in designing it, more fun in building it and ultimately even more fun in shooting with it!

<p>

(And finally: let us see the results :)

<p>Daniel