david_chananie

Thanks everybody for all your great help. I'll let you know what my daugther finally gets. All best.

Perhaps you should check first with the people you want to sell your calendar to and find out from them what they want? If you can find a market first you can develop a calendar later. That way you can develop some experience with this business and procede from that base.

Thanks, everybody, this information so far is great. My daughter is 20, will use the camera after the trip, I'm sure, leans more towards point and shoot than towards a heavy duty SLR, will be doing some hiking, and will not take her laptop computer with her. I have Photoshop Elements she can use, and can provide her with a mini-tripod to take with her. We talked it over last night, and this is as far as I know. I appreciate the effort you have all taken on this. Thank you. If anybody has any further ideas, please let me know.

Thanks guys, those answers are helpful. I'd say the prosumer level would be the right level for what my daughter needs. Megan draws and paints well, but is not particularly involved in the mechanics of picture taking. I guess she'll be hiking, she is athletic, and from the pictures I've seen of New Zealand, the countryside is breathtaking. So, a lighter, smaller camera would be easier to deal with. I don't know if she'll want to take her laptop with her. If other people support these recommendations or have others to offer, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks.

I think the Vivitar Series 1 70-210 is preferable. I compared it with the Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 by photographing the edges of sheets of newspaper with a tripod mounted camera, using a cable release, across a range of apertures. The slides, when viewed with a 4x loupe, showed the Vivitar produced images which were only slightly less sharp and crisp than those gotten with the Nikon. Please remember, though, that the lens was produced before the quality of Vivitar Series 1 lenses declined.

I own both, and they are both excellent lenses. I have earlier variants since I shoot with manual cameras. With the 80-200mm, I found myself using the extremes of the range the most and not taking as much advantage of the mid-range. The 180mm is a lighter lens than the 80-200mm, and I find over the years that I can hand hold it a lot better to shoot in lower light than I can the heavier lens. I also found that I got tired of lugging the heavier weight around all day. The upshot is that I tend to use the 180mm more often.

The photographer who shot the cover photo for the book the Garden of Good and Evil had a gallery which may exist that was worth visiting. Some of his pics were quite nice. There is a large park with a lovely white marble fountain and pool that is intriguing. If you like the ocean and beachy kinds of things you can head over to Tybee Island, which is about a twenty minute drive. I like to photograph oaks with Spanish moss. There is a synagogue which looks very much like a church, supposedly the second or third oldest continuously operative one in the country, which is an interesting architectural challenge to photograph. I was able to do so by hanging out an upper story window of one of the houses facing it, thanks to the kindness of the people working there. I'm sure there's lots more I didn't get to see.

Hi all, I'm writing to solicit your advice. I know zilch about

digital cameras. My daughter is going to travel to New Zealand and

wants a digital camera which will be user friendly, have a telephoto

capability, and be able to take panoramic pictures. The maximum cost

would be $1,000 US, but under $500 would be preferred. I've searched

in the archives and come away baffled because Greenspun's reviews of

cameras in 2001 are outmoded and finding current information has

proved difficult. I don't imagine my daughter will want to print

anything larger than an 8 inch by 10 inch. I would appreciate your

suggestions about models to consider. Thanks.

I used the 55mm lens for copy work for hundreds of photos at the National Archives. It served very well, and I had no difficulty with its moving on me. The lights were turned on only when you were taking the picture, but were shut off otherwise. Another photographer used the 60mm for his copy work. We both found the flat field of these lenses advantageous.

David Snider makes documentaries and is an expert in Final Cut Pro. He taught Final Cut at a workshop I took when I was learning how to make a video. I don't know if he works on weddings, but he works hard and is reliable. he can be reached at rave@his.com or you can email me for a phone number. His work has appeared on national television. Hope this helps.

One place to check out is http://www.danheller.com/ for a site by someone who makes his living doing this. Also, you should join this group and learn from the professionals there, all of whom make their livings as stock photographers STOCKPHOTO@yahoogroups.com. The latter group should certainly keep you abreast of what is going on in the field. All best.

The best advice I got when I was considering a Rollei was to just buy the one in the best condition I could find and start shooting. The 2.8 lenses are reputed to be sharper in the corners and edges than the 3.5 lenses, but if you shoot stopped down to get more depth of field, you won't notice. You would stop down two more stops with a 75 or 80 mm lens than with the normal lens in a Leica. The Minolta Autocord stopped down to f8 will produce a negative which is indistinguishable from that produced by a Rollei at f8, in my experience, but the build quality is not as solid. The Yashica 124G is ok, not as solidly built as the Rollei, and seems to me to provide a somewhat softer image. In any event, the Yashinon lens is reputed to be better than the Yashicor lens.

 

The amount of detail which you can print from the 6x6 cm negative is wonderful. Some Rollei models are heavier than others. Also, they come with at least three different types of bayonet mountings for lens caps, filters and such. The bayonet I peripherals are far cheaper and more readily available than are the bayonet II, and peripherals from Yashicamats can be used on Bayonet I mounts. As I recall, Bayonet III equipment is for the 2.8GX. I am oversimplifying, but Bayonet I tends to go with f3.5 taking lenses, and Bayonet II with 2.8f lenses.

 

I was shocked to learn that Rollei TLR fans agree Rollei produced a BAD model which they would not let their friends buy. It may have been the model A, but my memory is vague on this point, so you'll need to check this out if you want to pursue these. I'm sure Jerry Lehrer remembers which model it was. He is quite knowledgeable about Rolleis. Ferdi Stutterheim maintains a list of recommended repair people for Rolleis; the list includes repair persons in Europe.

 

Hope this helps.<div></div>

My understanding is that a property release is needed for commercial purposes. If the picture were being used for editorial purposes, such as appearing in a newspaper, where first amendment protections apply, you might be able to get away with it. However, here an image is being used for sale, so you need the property release. I photographed a house in Buford, SC where requests had been made for spreads in magazines and denied, but I was able to get a property release. Just northern charm, I suppose.

I keep a Canonet GL 17 in the car, and a Yashica T-4 in my briefcase. They both have a good lens, and neither costs too much in case of loss.

My 55mm has served me well, very sharp, nice results. I have used it as a normal lens, and it does fine. John Shaw referred to the 105 mm lens as his money shot lens in one of his books, i.e., that it is his most useful lens for nature work. Nobody has mentioned the 180mm f2.8 lens. Many believe it is a better lens than the 200mm f4, and, once it was introduced, eclipsed the latter in the marketplace. Do remember you can also use a 5t or 6t filter for occasional close up work. A whole lot cheaper. Just a thought.

You might consider getting an adapter and using a Carl Zeiss Jena lens with your Nikon gear. I was able to buy a 500 mm lens for $500, and 300mm lenses are frequently available on ebay for between $300-400. With a good quality 1.4x or 2x, you can get some decent shots. That makes this type of photography much more affordable.

shooter please (S) David

CompUSA charges $95 for their technicians to look at your ailing computer. Add on the cost of replacement parts if they figure out that something needs to be replaced. Now notice that Microsoft no longer supports Windows 98, so you probably should replace that as well. Observe that a brand new computer that totally outclasses what you have sells for $500. At what point do you decide repairing your computer is no longer cost effective? It's a puzzle, at least for me.

Mora Camera Service, 4027 Brandywine St. N.W., Washington, DC 20016 (202) 362-9866-67. I've used his services for years.

You might wish to consider Minox binoculars, which are sold under the Leica label. For used binoculars available on ebay.com, you might wish to consider binoculars from the 1940s made by Bausch & Lomb, and from a later period binoculars made by Carl Zeiss Jena.

Just thought I'd mention February 15 is Sherry Krauter's birthday if

anybody would like to send a card or something.

Hi, I have an 80mm Carl Zeiss Jena intended for the 6x6 camera. You can use it with an adapter on a Nikon or Canon. Takes nice pictures, and you use the center portion of the lens, so you get the maximum sharpness the lens has.

My lenses have scale markings on the barrels. I put the infinity marker on the distance scale opposite the f stop I'm using. The paired f stop marker to the left (on my lenses) shows me where to read off the minimum distance I should use. Between those distances, the photo should look sharp enough. For example, I'm looking at my 50mm lens. If I set the infinity marker opposite the f8 indicator, the corresponding f8 indicator to the left allows me to read off 4 meters as my lower distance. So, from 4 meters to infinity will have sufficiently sharp focus. If I want a wider range than that, I can set the infinity marker opposite the f11 indicator, and read off opposite the f11 indicator to the left 3 meters. So, my shooting range would be from 3 meters to infinity. I understand more modern lenses no longer have markings on the lens barrel so this wouldn't work for those. Hope this helps.

Might you find a polarizing filter helpful on the beach? When I've shot on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale, I've been pleased with the results. Just a thought.<div></div>

Have one couple set up in the foreground and set up the light for them. Have them and the waiter, if any, sign the model releases. They freeze when you shoot. Use a slow shutter speed to capture the ambient light and everybody else in the room. All the other customers should come out blurred in the picture, hence unidentifiable, hence you don't need model releases for them. Try this out beforehand so you can see the results to decide if this is the way to go.