bruce_garrett

Hi Diane

I have used a Coolpix 8700 and 8800 as my first foray into digital photography.

The 8800 is an excellent camera capable of outstanding results.

For landscapes and scenics you are limited by the 35mm widest setting but in Program

mode set to Landscape at Extra Fine jpeg on VR you shouldn't have any problems. With 8

megapixels you can zoom in and crop and still retain reasonable definition and large

prints are possible.

There is a Wide Angle Adapter (WM-E80) available for the 8800 that increases the widest

setting to 28mm. It does exhibit quite serious linear distortion but might be worth a try.

You cannot get around slow write times if you want to retain high definition even with the

fastest CF cards. I have shot RAW images as well as Extra Fine jpeg and after adjusting the

RAW file the difference between the two is negligible with much slower RAW write time. But

there is a distinct improvement in quality when using Extra Fine jpeg over standard jpeg.

The manual can appear daunting at first but if you simply concentrate on your areas of

interest (ie landscapes) it will become less confusing. The 8800 is a complex camera and

has many functions some of which you may never use. The transition from film to digital is

a steep learning curve because digital has many more facilities that are not available in

film cameras. It's now rather more than focus, aperture, shutter speed and film speed.

If you set up the menus before you go out shooting it speeds things up considerably. But

in daylight simply shooting in Program mode should ensure a high success rate... at least

until you master the other settings by trial and error.

You might take your N70 plus a 24mm or 28mm prime as a back-up to your 8800.

Hope this helps... happy shooting.

Bruce

Hi Paul

The steves-digicams review pretty much sums it up.

The S1 is small and light with fast start-up and shot to shot times and the image quality is

very good considering the spec. It is easy to use and build quality is exemplary.

For a definitive small digital point and shoot the only downside is the limited flash range.

Think twenty first century Contax T3.

Bruce

Perhaps you can see it in your heart to stop being one miserable person!

Lighten up?

Bruce

File... hot metal... can of paint... this has got to be a wind up... or am I just missing it

completely?

Acquire a mint F5. Any problems and just bash the little ragamuffin with it... and carry on

shooting.

Happy to help.

Bruce

Hi Anupam

Just the one... sorry for my pedantry.

Bruce

If I see 'warrantee' misspelled yet again... what is it with you colonials?

Mint boxed sounds better than mint... if you're aiming to upgrade your gear in the future

it makes sense to keep the boxes. This gives the impression you are the original owner

and bought the stuff new... as long as the number on the box matches.

There is a market on the big auction site for mint(?) camera packaging but the serial

number gives cause for concern.

If you plan on actually using your camera, retaining the packaging is irrelevant.

Just my two cents.

Bruce

Succinctly put Rob.

Nikon needs a bridge model between the F80 and the F6.

So what would a new F100 1.1 offer... 1005 element colour matrix meter, MLU, vertical

release, 8 fps, metal back, smaller, lighter, cheaper...

Nah... cold, dead hands etc.

Bruce

Thanks for the heads up Andrew.

Dixons website currently lists the F100 as Out of Stock at this price with no mention that

they are demonstration models. Even so, GBP 499 is a very good price... I just bought a

mint boxed F100 for GBP 450 which seems to be the average price in this condition.

This could be an omen if Dixons are offloading their stock... goodbye F100?

Bruce

The motordrive in the F5 is pretty brutal (oxymoron)... you can feel the torque twisting the

camera into your right hand.

If you aren't happy with the sound you might compare it to another F5 as a point of

reference... but as the F80 is little more than a toy, the build quality will make a big

difference. The motordrive sounds 'different' when film is loaded compared to shooting

dry.

Sound out your F5 with another at your local store and see what happens.

Bruce

Try Fixation (fixationuk.com) ...full service for an FM2 is 75.00 pounds plus parts.

Grays of Westminster send all their repairs there.

Bruce

Hi Frank

Many thanks for your very useful input.

I bought the F100 a few days ago and checked each function to ensure all was well. The

Custom Reset function does not work to spec... hence the query.

Bruce

Thanks for the confirmation David.

My concern is that I am not getting the flashing Custom icon as mentioned in the manual.

Some other F100 users report the same 'problem' so I'm wary that this might indicate a

fault.

Bruce

On my F100 to reset the Custom settings to default I press the CSM and Mode buttons

simultaneously and hold for more than two seconds. The manual tells me I should then

see a flashing Custom icon but this doesn't appear. Am I missing something?

Any advice much appreciated.

Bruce

The foam light seals seem to be in remarkably good condition considering the age of the

camera... or they have already been replaced.

With film loaded the movement in the back is now considerably reduced with no light

leaks.

Many thanks for all the advice.

Bruce

I have just bought an FE in good condition plus a Beater for spares if necessary.

On both cameras there is a fair amount of 'play' in the left hand side of the back.

Is this normal?

Thanks for all the advice. Seems the FE2 screen is the way to go.

Bruce

Many thanks for the link Luis.

Have already looked into this quite extensively and after much research... including the

mir site... have yet to discover any objective comparison between these two screens.

Bruce

Hi

I just bought a Nikon FE and want to add a brighter focusing screen. I understand the

FM3A screen will fit and there is a Beattie Intense Screen available for the FE.

I realise I have to adjust compensation when using either of these screens but which is the

more effective?

Any advice much appreciated.

Bruce

For future reference: if the 8800 is left in Playback Mode when switched off the lens will

not extend when the camera is switched on.

This will protect the zoomed section of the lens when carrying the 8800... simply switch

the Mode Dial to any Shooting Mode and you're ready to shoot.

Also if carrying the camera in a bag this will prevent damage to the lens if the On/Off

switch is accidentally bumped.

Bruce

Hi Lacy

The universal description 'Mint' is generally accepted as meaning 'As New'... that is

completely unmarked in any way.

Unless you can obtain some kind of recourse on the description of your 120 film back, I

would hang fire until the 90 day feedback period elapses... then post negative feedback on

the seller.

You have two choices... ask for a refund or nail 'em.

The latest Nikon View 6.2.5 is a free download from the US Nikon Support website without

registration. I use this on my PowerBook G4 running OSX 10.3.8 and it works fine.

Hope this helps.

Bruce

Many thanks for that... the specs for the WM-E80 quote 80 grams and 53.5mm.

Bruce

Try oldtimercameras.com ...they have copies of the AX Manual.

Bruce

Has anyone used the WM-E80 Wide Angle Converter on their Coolpix 8800?

Is there any compromise in image quality and are there any downsides?

Any input much appreciated.

Bruce

Hi Invisible

I believe the D70 ships with Picture Project 1.0 software in the US and UK. A free upgrade

to Version 1.1 can be downloaded from the Nikon Support website.

However an earlier program called Nikon View is also available and is preferred by some

for its improved navigation over Picture Project.

The latest version of Nikon View is 6.2.2 and can be downloaded free from Nikon Support

along with the upgrade.

Both programs can be run in parallel for comparative purposes.

Bruce