charcoal

Well, some shots didn't load. I'll just send the one at f/11 for comparison.<div></div>

To give you an idea of the degradation that occurs at smaller stops, here are shots taken with the 55/2.8 Micro Nikkor. The pictures are extracted from the corner of the overall picture.<div></div>

Pemaquid Point and Marshall Point are very good sites.

 

See if you can pick up The Photographer's Guide to the Maine Coast by David Middleton. It has a wealth of information.

For stream photography, try Greenbrier, Little River Road and especially the Roaring Fork motor nature trail.

Bruce -

 

I think that it is called squaw root.

 

Don

Kevin -

 

For Na Pali shots from a boat, you definitely want to take the sunset tour.

I don't know about the rest of Hawaii, but I have been to Kauai three times. In addition to the Waimea Canyon suggested above, I'd say that the Na Pali coast is not to be missed. The aforementioned helicopter trip will generally cover it from the air, but I suggest one of the sunset cruises as you will find the best light at that time. The helicopter trip will also take you near the Mount Waialeale summit with some absolutely outstanding waterfall photography. We used Jack Harter helicopters with an open window) and were very satisfied. Be advised that some helicopters have three seats across the back; don't get stuck in the middle seat.

I have a Really Right Stuff universal L bracket that clamps on to the camera plate by way of the screw type clamp. The L bracket itself is held on to the tripod by a clamp that uses the lever. I prefer the lever. However, the lever clamp has three positions: the closed (clamped) position, the mid-way position that permits the plate to be slid in from the end and the fully open position that permits the clamp to be simply dropped into the clamp. Sometimes one of my clamps is reluctant to close when in the fully open position, so I generally just use the second position.

I have tested five different lenses (zooms and primes)at a series of stops and on all five f/16 is definitely inferior to f/11. It is an easy test. Simply set your camera on a tripod and focus carefully on a subject with lots of detail, then run through the available stops. You'll readily see where performance starts to deteriorate due to diffraction.

Lacy -

 

Get a D200. Not all of the bells and whistles are useless. Read the manual thoroughly, then go into the menus and set up the camera as you desire. Once you get it the way you want it, you will seldom need to go back into the menus again. Pay particular attention to the section on Optimizing Images, where you will want to choose the Custom setting. Once in this section, choose Normal (or at least something other than Auto) for Sharpness, Tone Compensation and Saturation, as otherwise the camera will automatically apply corrections of its own.

 

Now, on the exterior of the camera, set the camera to the center focus sensor and lock it there. Set the metering pattern to center weighted, set the ISO to 100, set the mode to either aperture preferred or manual and set the white balance to Daylight.

 

Put on an AI/AI-S lens such as a 35mm f/2, which will give you a focal length comparable to a 50mm on a 35mm film camera.

 

You now have a camera that will behave very much like a digital version of an F3, except that your right thumb will atrophy because there is no film advance lever.

 

Finally (tongue firmly in cheek), turn off the LCD display and never, ever look at it to check composition or the histogram. That way, when you get the pictures up on the computer you will have the closest possible digital equivalent to getting your slides back from the processor.

 

Actually, that's the way I have my camera set up, except that I generally choose Auto white balance to avoid using color correction filters, I often use Matrix metering and have been known to sneak a peek at the LCD in particularly difficult lighting situations.

 

Good luck,

 

Don

Geoff -

 

Hashim is giving good advice about warming up your photos, but it may be overkill. The D200 is set for 5200 K as ordinary *daylight*, and *shade* is way up at 8000 K. If that is too warm for you, *flash* will set the camera to 5400 K and and *overcast* will set it to 6000 K. You can also set the color temperature directly to whatever seems to be correct to you.

 

Don

Andy -

 

The Na Pali cliffs on Kauai are not to be missed. Try a sunset cruise to get the best light, as the cliffs face West to Northwest.

 

The Waimea Canyon on the western side of the island is likewise very impressive. As you are on a cruise, you may be limited in what you can see, but I'd not be surprised if they have a tour bus trip up to Waimea Canyon. Also on a cruise, they may just as a matter of course sail over to the Na Pali cliffs.

 

If you have a bit of time on Kauai, a helicopter trip (try Jack Harter - his helicopters are camera-friendly) is well worthwhile. That's the only way to see Mt. Waialeale, the wettest spot on earth with more waterfalls than you can count.

 

The entire island is very scenic; just about any location is suitable for some great photography.

 

Have a great time!

 

Don

I have the older Nikon macro devices including the BR2, E2 and the M tube for an

old 55/3.5 Micro Nikkor. I understand that the BR2 should be replaced with a

BR2A ring to avoid interference with some of the electrical contacts on the

camera. Does anyone have any knowledge of or experience with using the other

tubes with the D200 or similar camera?

 

Thanks.

 

Don

1:1 is 1:1 regardless of format. However, because of the differences in enlargement to get to a standard print size, the subject will appear 1.5 times larger on a standard print made from a 1.5x digital camera as compared to a standard 35mm camera. By the same token, the subject will appear larger on the 35mm print as compared to one made with a medium format camera, and so on.

I have one for my Leica III, which is the same as your IIIa except that you have a 1/1000 sec shutter speed. Here are the instructions:

 

Step 1. On Part A (the synchronizer disc) tighten fully the propelled screw (i.e., the set screw), then turn to the left 8 full turns. Lift up the setting lever and set to EL, V or P. Make sure the lever drops into place. Slide Part A onto Main Shutter Speed Dial. Turn until Speed Index Line is lined up with the index mark of the shutter speed you intend to use, as indicated on the Leica dial.

 

Step 2. Hold Leica with the back of the camera facing you. Take Contact Block with the words Geiss Kontakt facing you and slide all the way into the accessory clip on the top of the Leica.

 

Step 3. Attach PC cord to Synchronizer Outlet and connect the other end to the flash unit.

 

Notes:

 

EL - For use with strobe units at 1/30 second (or slower)

V - For use with focal plane bulbs (Nos. 6, 31, FP26, 2A, etc.)

P - For use with 20 millisend bulbs (Nos. 5, 25, 11, 0, 40, 22 etc.)

 

Note that you are limited to 1/30 sec with an electronic flash but can reach as high as 1/500 sec with a number 6 or 31 bulb.

 

I've used my unit many times with no failures.

 

Good Luck.

 

Don

Arnab -

 

I just attached my 105/2.8 Lester A. Dine (Kiron) to my D200, set the combination on a tripod and took some readings. The CPU data were set for the lens.

 

At f/8, I got 1/25 sec when focused at infinity, 1/13 sec when focused at 1:2 and 1/6 sec when focused at 1:1. This is just what would be expected, and it was identical whether I was using a matrix or center-weighted metering pattern.

 

For spot metering on a brighter portion of the scene, I got readings of 1/80 or 1/100 sec at infinity (the actual value seemed to be between them), 1/40 sec or 1/50 sec at 1:2 and 1/20 or 1/25 at 1:1. Again, all seems to be in order.

 

I don't know what to make of your consistently random result. I did at least rack the lens back and forth several times during the experiment and the results were always the same.

 

Good luck, and please keep us posted.

 

Don

Jeff -

 

A 16 x 20 print requires a magnification of approximately 17, based on the 24mm short side of a 35mm negative. For a 50mm lens, roughly 2 in., that's a viewing distance of 34 in.

If you're desperate and have no means of trimming the leader, the following will work. Set the camera for a time (not bulb) exposure and release the shutter. Take off the lens, and you'll be able to guide the film properly into the film channel. Replace the lens,take the camera off the time exposure and proceed as usual.

Let's try that again...<div></div>

Nikon 4500

David -

 

I have two of these. In one, I carry an F3 with RRS camera plate in the main compartment, usually with a 35-105 AIS mounted. This lens protrudes almost exactly 4 inches from the camera with the hood attached. One of the side pockets contains a 180/2.8, which is 6 1/8 inches with front and rear caps plus a filter. It's a tight fit; you'll not get anything bigger in there. The other side pocket contains a small wide angle with hood and caps attached, a polarizer, a graduated ND filter and a 4T close-up lens, plus a few very small odds and ends.

 

The other Off-Trail 1 contains my *ist DS with 18-55 attached. I know that the *ist DS is smaller than your 300D, but I can just squeeze the DS in even with an RRS plate and L bracket attached.The one side pocket contains 4 spare AA batteries, 2 CR-V3 spares for emergencies, and the same filters as above. The second pocket now contains a 50/2 backup lens.

 

I've used the film combination for some years and found it to be very versatile and easy to use and carry. I've used the digital version on a 10-day trip to Acadia and found it to be completely satisfactory as well.

 

I think that you'd be pleased with the set-up if your 28-135 will fit.

John -

 

With Raw Shooter Essentials, the RAW files stay in the original directory where you first placed them. RSE then creates two sub-directories under that directory. One is named .RW Settings and the other Converted.

 

Suppose you have a RAW file called flower.PEF (Pentax RAW) in your main directory. The .RW Settings subdirectory will, after conversion by RSE, contain a small (110 byte, in my case) file called flower.PEF.rws. The Converted subdirectory will contain the converted photo, named flower_RSE.jpg if you converted to jpeg.

 

RSE will not modify or move the original RAW photo in any way.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Don

Brad -

 

Try "The Photographer's Guide to the Maine Coast" by David Middleton and Bruce H. Morrison. They discuss Stonington and Deer Isle as well as many other extremely photogenic sites in Maine. I think that you should also be sure to visit Pemaquid Point.

 

Don

Pentax recommends that the shutter speed be 1 / (focal length x 1.5) for the ist DS (with an APS-C sensor) for hand-holding the camera.

Another old trick to avoid the deformation that Robert just mentioned is to pinch the filter ring at just one place on the edge and try to unscrew it that way. Good luck!