mr-mike

Here's a question for you optics experts. Comparing the

magnification power of binoculars vs. a camera lens, what is the

relative power of a 300mm or 400mm lens compared to typical 8x30

binoculars? Just trying to figure out equipment for a safari!

Lex - I'm sold on just using the zoom on its own and upsizing from the RAW file if necessary. But what I really wanna know is what a perpendicularity consultant is, and why someone might need you to testify in court. Does it have something to do with Viagra?

Thanks for the answers. I'll look back for others. I'll see if I can get hold of one and take a couple of test shots. Manual focus is probably fine, since I'm unlikely to be very close to any subjects... and if I am, the pictures won't matter to me, as I'll be lunch.

 

Thanks again...

I assume you meant 800mm f/8?I can live without the functions -- kind of like shooting an old Nikon F!

I am going to Africa on safari, and was planning on using the D2X

along with the 80-400 VR zoom as my main rig. I admit that, in 35

years of photography, I have never used a teleconverter. I have no

idea if there is one that will work with this body and lens combo.

 

I suppose I could go into B&H or such and ask, but I find the

answers here more reliable. Anyone know if a TC will work? If so,

which one should I get? My option would be to rent and lug along

something longer than 400mm, but I have no idea if I really will

need the extra length, and would rather toss a TC in the bag.

 

Any advice? (The longest fixed lens I have is an ancient 200mm AI

manual focuser.)

I have a couple of hundred pictures which were shot in Adobe RgB

inadvertently. My local photo printers cannot handle this color

space, so I need to change them all into sRGB. Is there an efficient

way to do this in Batch?

I will try my old 2GB card in the D2X at first opportunity and see if the card is the source of the issue. As far as I know I have the most updated Nikon View, but I'm gonna check!

 

The pixellation problem does not happen on all files, but is common at areas of high contrast...I'm going to try to upload one shortly... meanwhile, check out the odd "ghost" profiling on the attached picture...

No, I get pixellation when I'm working with the files after pre-processing them w/ Capture 4.2. It's unpredictable, and might have something to do with image sizing... I don't ever get it with images from my D2H, oddly enough.

 

As to the xfer problem, I have been using the copy function and skipping Nikon View, but I miss the ability to rename pictures as I download them.

Well, it sure rang mine!

 

I love my D2X, but the software seems to need some debugging... Having problems with pixellation and now this xfer problem... hmmmmmmmm

"An unexpected error occurred. Try Again" (Nikon Transfer balloon with a BIG RED X!

I have been having a problem transferring files from my D2X. (I

updated Capture to 4.2.) When I try to use the Nikon View 6

automatic transfer either from the camera or from a card reader (the

card is a Lexar 4GB 80X WA) it gets through about 4 images, then

sends an error message about a problem. The only way to transfer if

open the card up manually from the "My Computer" screen, then copy

the files using the copy function.

 

Any idea what's going on?? Has Nikon left a bug in the software, or

is it just me? I like being able to rename files when I Xfer them,

and this is a pain in the ......

No... it showed up in the prints as well (printed at 100%)

I am working on a file shot in Nikon RAW (the new one for the d2x).

I edited it in Capture and saved it as a 16-bit .tif. When I work

with the file, I notice pixellation on the edge at a transition from

bright white to dark that is not there in the RAW file.

 

Oddly, it only appears on some levels of magnification (every other

click) and not others. It was there when I printed it. I tried

resizing the image and using Biucubic resampling, then printing at

100% which made it a bit better, but it's still pixellating.

 

Any idea what's up? I'd attach it, but it's WAY too big a file, and

if I shrink it, it will all look crappy.

It never fails to amaze me how you can get a quality answer to any question, even at 7:00 on a Sunday morning!! Thanks... I found it. Before I updated, it opened automatically, now I will see about setting it back.

Is it just me, or did Nikon do away with the Exposure tool for RAW

files in the new Capture 4.2.1?? I can't find it anywhere, and I've

got plenty of time to look while my 20MB files from the D2X open up.

 

Is there anyone who can open a file in less than 30 seconds? I'm

running XP on a 2.4mHz P4 chip with 1.5GB of RAM. Scary.

 

That Exposure tool is one of the most convenient things ever

invented. I guess it was too good to live.

Interesting threads... I downloaded the updates to Capture in sequence, and now it is working, at least in Caribbean time... it takes about 30 secs-1minute for a RAW file to open up, and manipulations are slow as molasses. I certainly hope they come up with an improvement -- this is so slow it makes the files virtually useless. I'm going to post this question elsewhere as well... am I missing something, or did they get rid of the Exposure adjustment tool from Capture 4.0?? What the hell is the matter with them?? That's only the most important tool in the whole kit on many shots!

I just got my D2X and tried to open up my first raw shots using

Capture 4.1.2. Couldn't do it -- "not supported." JPEGs opened fine.

Tried Photoshop CS -- it couldn't open them either. What the hell is

going on?? DO I actually have to install Picture Project and use

that trash to work on my pictures? This can't be!

 

Any idea what could be wrong? Do I need Capture 4.2? Do I have to

spend another $100, or can I upgrade somewhere for free. I couldn't

find an upgrade on nikon's site.

After a couple of weeks, I see that the last answer was right. My D2X just arrived, and the D2H went on vacation back to Nikon. I guess we've discovered a systemic failure. Perhaps a recall is in order?

MAck warranties have been around a long time, and I have had good luck with them. They recently repaired a computer that broke, quickly, with no problem.As far as I know, Mack repairs it, not Nikon. They seem like a pretty big outfit. Personally, I'd just buy the camera and take my chances after the warranty expires. But then, I'm a gambler...

 

I am curious why you'd buy a D2H when the D2X is (sort of) available. I am waiting for the D2X I ordered, and, once it comes and I get a minor glitch in my D2H repaired, I'll probably offload the D2H.

My D2H has an intermittent wierd problem -- occasionally when I

press down the shutter button, it pauses, making a sound like the

shutter has opened (mirror has raised) but the image stays in the

viewfinder until I press it again, and the exposure is made. It

feels and sounds as if the mirror lockup is on, but the mirror does

not go up! It's very odd -- anyone else get this? It's kind of like

a false start.

One thing is clear from the introduction of the D2X: Digital photography is subject to the exact same product cycles as computing has been for the past 20 years. Every 6-12 months, the "state-of-the-art" will become obsolete as there are gains in technology. This does not mean simply "memory" upgrades as with chipsets, because capturing the data is only one part of the story. The more complex and, frankly, more subjective nature of "image quality" makes DP even more prone to this quick obsolescence phenomenon.

 

What is cool is the way the two main competitors seem to have developed "signature" image qualities that they manage to translate from camera to camera -- I wonder how long this will keep up.

 

I'm looking forward to delivery of my D2X, and to comparing it to my "old" D2H. This may be an expensive hobby, but it's a lot cheaper than cars, and a lot more creative!

 

(BTW, I have about $40,000 of completely useless old Mac computers in my basement, the ones that Apple kept telling its beta users were absolutely going to justify our investment in them. They were lying. At least Nikon has been true to their word about the usefulness and backward adaptability of their equipment!)

You opened up the can, so here is a worm.

"

You're still much better off just making the ultimate windows upgrade and buying a any Mac, even the $499 Apple Mac Mini..."

 

Better off with a Mac? You mean the computers made by Apple, the most venal, low-rent greedy and useless computing company in the world? The company that promised 15 years ago it would support developers and do everything it could to be certain its loyalists got all the same software and more that Windows users could get, and then did the exact opposite? The company that treats its customers like idiot cash cows whom they regularly milk? The company that puts out last-generation computers, sells them at premium prices before it makes them widely available, then gives them to resellers, and then undercuts its resellers prices at their stores?

 

The only reasons Mac still exists as a brand are:

 

1) People illogically hate Bill Gates because he was smart enough to dominate the software universe by making great (if imperfect) products and opening up the platform to all comers. Yes, he is a tough businessman, but he is also the most generous man IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND when it comes to charity. Wozniak and Jobs? They give nothing to anybody.

 

2) A couple of video programs for Mac became the industry standards because the "artsy" types in the business were anti-Microsoft and bought Apple's BS user interface and "kinder gentler" image, even though their business practices are FAR WORSE than Microsoft's.

 

Don't throw off those snide anti-MS remarks because you have been suckered in to Apple's overpriced, slick-looking machines. I have 6 XP machines that run flawlessly, and cost 50% of what a Mac would go for. When they need service for anything, I can choose from hundreds or thousands of techs, or do most of it myself. Apple basically says "send it in, we'll fix it, and charge you an arm and a leg, no matter how minor the problem."

 

OK. I'm done.

Thanks for all the help!

 

From when I first downloaded their instructions, they added a red lettered "IMPORTANT" note that only one file can be copied at a time, which explained most of the other issues. Rather important you might say. Also, when I first got their email notification, I went to the site to check it out, and got the instructions. When I had problems, I went back again, and tried to go to the link, their servers were down. (That's when the text was likely added)

 

FYI, I am not dyslexic, have two Master's Degrees, was a technical writer for IBM when in college, spent 20 years as a bond and derivatives trader on Wall Street (where I made the money to buy this camera), built my own computer, and for a 47-year old guy am generally considered pretty adept technically.

 

(To an old timer, a root directory is a set of commands that are coded to direct different functions, not simply a "root menu" or "top menu" in a file library.)

 

Anyhow, it worked fine this time.

I just went to the site, and their instructions were written by

idiots for geniuses or morons. I'm not sure which. They say

to "format a CF memory card". OK, I want to use the 2GB card already

in my camera, with no images on it. They tell me to look in my

manual to find out how to format a card -- my manual which is 1000

miles away from here. Strike one.

 

First they say to take no action on the removable disk dialogue box

that pops up. OK. Then they say to use it to copy files. Strike 2.

 

They say to copy either firmware A or B to the card. Well, which one

is it, and how the hell am I supposed to know which one to take, or

is it both?. They also to be sure you've copied the update into the

root directory of the card. How the hell do I do that? Strikes 3

through 9. I'm out.

 

Does anyone know what to do? I don't want to screw up my great

camera because Nikon had someone with their head buried up their own

ass write these instructions.

The D2H is the most awesome piece of equipment I have ever touched. I use it for everything from travel to sports and snapshots, and love it. I only wish I could shrink it so it wouldn't be so bulky for traveling. I recently used it for some horse jumping shots, side by side with my F100, and it was so much faster and smoother/more accurate in focusing, it made me feel really good about all the dough I dumped on it.

 

I also let a couple of Canon pros mess with it (with the 80-400 VR lens) and they were pretty taken aback. I compared my print quality (at 8x10) off a basic JPEG and a RAw file, printed on an Olympus 440 dye sub at home, to their film and dslr prints off their high MP DSLRs, and I really felt mine were higher quality, even though I was picking from the only 40 or so shots I took, and they had up their "best" shots to pump sales.

(I'm about to post one or two for comments in the gallery, though the file size will shortchange the image quality.)

 

The D2H is a great weapon and an awesome toy if that's what you want. I look forward to opportunities to challenge it. I'm going to sell all my old film Nikons on eBay soon and get the D2X as well if it makes a quantum leap, but that's hard to imagine! BTW, life is short, and you can't spend money on gadgets when you're dead!