pronai

All Portras, including UC are very discreet with saturation on skin tones. Having said that, I tried this only on europeans.

The saturation comes in on greens, some very selective reds, some special orange - some others I did not find. I had a shot in Scotland after a shower out in the hils and while the skin color was as usual, the color of the grass and a red flower where too saturated. Reala would have had those less saturated, but skin would be orange-red. But do not expect it to pull colors out of a dull day, that is hard to do (at least to me) with Portras generally as they need quite a lot of light. UC is selective on colors and can give you nice output even on an overcast day if you bear in mind the need of excess of overexposure.

NC on the other hand is very good for strong light where normally shadows will make things black and white.

Portras are rated very discreetly and i.e. 160 could be happily rated as 100. You can not go wrong whith overexposing them even a couple of stops unless you have lots of sunshine.

Overally a wonderfull set of films. My favorite.

Hi,

 

I need to prevent I do own an F100, not a F80, but the metering should be the same story.

The Matrix metering is able to cope with quite a bit of situations and suprisingly, possibly using the 30000 scenes database, exposes well under non standard conditions like white cloudy sky, pictures with no more than 30% of coverage by sky, all daylight and fast changing situations. It is however harder to use it in low-light condition or in particularly harsh condition (backlight, shadow patches etc.). For that it is better to use center weighted with AE-L and reposition to composition. For spot metering, it seems to me that you would need to know the zone system to be able to use it as the spot is not color sensitive and therefore you end-up reading a color information mixed with light information with a color-blind metering chip.

It is worth to mention that matrix metering is generally the fastest way to get a picture, center weighted would be the mid-way and spot metering would be the slowest way to get things right.

The spot metering with manual exposure could also reveal how much dynamic range do you have on your picture. That is very usefull in filter considerations.

I have the seller to send me a replacement. All good if the end is good. Thanks

I have ordered and now received a Nikon Polariser from Abay and some

confusion arises. It is a second hand filter and it does have a huge

amount of very light surface scratches. Someone tried to clean it, I

presume. Now that would, if understood correctly on my part, produce

soft focus. The surface looks fine unless you watch it from close

with a strong source of light. Should I return the filter or hold-on

to it? It is the question to either keep the scratched Nikon Filter

and have softer focus (how much softer actually?) and not to have

vigneting or to use my smooth but vigneting Hoya. Alternatively spend

some additional money to get a 77mm polariser, but then the lens

shade I have is useless (ought to use with Nikon 20mm AF). What would

you recon?

I am not sure exactly of the scope of your question but I will try to give an answer.

Well, honestly I tried both the real filter and Photoshop and it is not the same at all. The real filter does have physical effect on the temperature of the light and is like a transparent color shade. The Photoshop thing is more like an even airbrush. It is the same as to get a layer filled with a particular color and make it transparent.

If you have some picture already taken without white balance (you do have D70, do you?) set correctly or daylight film in tungsten without filter, you can help it in Photoshop by making color balance adjustments, or changing properties of the blue channel (like applying more contrast while only blue channel switched on) or using the filter tool. You would probably use some combination of these.

On the D70 of course you have white balance settings which would allow you to change, in the custom-ones the temperature of the shot to achieve the same (or probably better) effect. That is still post processing.

I am going to do that - just sent and order for a Tiffen ND grad 77mm (I am a cheap guy).

In the meantime I have received the Nikon Polariser and more confusion arises. It is a second hand filter and it does have a huge amount of very light surface scratches. Someone tried to clean it, I presume. Now that would, if understood correctly on my part, produce soft focus. The surface looks fine unless you watch it from close with a strong source of light. Should I return the filter or hold-on to it? It is the question to either keep the scratched Nikon Filter and have softer focus (how much softer actually?) and not to have vigneting or to get a vigneting Hoya. Alternatively spend some additional money to get a 77mm polariser. What would you recon?

I do not know the Tokina. If you are looking for any 20mm for Nikon, while considering the Nikon 20mm AF-D bare in mind that you can use max 1 filter, normal size and that you would have some barrel distortion (probably all 20mm would have some). Otherwise I love the lens.

When speaking abbout panning, the VR function recognizing panning mainly means that the system is set to react to vertical vibration and horizontal vibration is ignored. The lens, as forementioned by others should have VR off. Even on it does not make the panning smoother. I think it was the video heads or now fluid foto heads used for nice smooth panning. For the vibrations, there is also mirror lock-up which helps, but that I think is not on D70's feature list. I have seen somewhere (never tried myself actually) a setup where the lens was mounted on a tripod and the camera was additionaly supported by a monopod.

Also, maybe if we asked kindly the collegue describing his technique with keeping the camera still by pressing your cheek against it if, I understood correctly, might describe it a little more, it sounded interesting to me to give it a try.

Hi,

 

I have an F70 (that is roughly the same camera sold in Europe). I enocuntered this problem whenever the camera complained about something not right. In programs P and S the camera does not like the aperture ring anywhere else then the orange number which is the biggest aperture number. It did it once because of the wrong way I did put the film in. It also did it when used whit SB50-DX when a zoom lens was on and set to more than 50mm which is the max reach of the flash. I also had the camera in repair once because it did the same thing - wrote an Err on the screen. Having said that it was not intermitent but happened and was there. The mirror sticked locked up between 2 frames. Since I found, when it happened again that all you need to do is touch the mirror from its lower part.

But that is out-of-scope regarding your problem. I would double check the aperture ring and lock it (there is a small switch on the lens so that an accidental turn of the aperture could be avoided) while on programs P and S or use A which gives you more control over the exposure anyway. Also would check the compatibilty of any accessoires, if used and check with your local Nikon service centre(the guys in the camera shops all gone to digital now). If the forementioned is no way the problem you are encountering, check with the service centre.

I use the 20mm AF on a full frame body and the usual super-wide angle distortion is apparent mostly near the edge only. That should not be seen on digital I presume. I like it but a friend using the same Tokina as yourself is shooting similar quality landscapes than I do. The distortion and perspective on his is slightly worst though.

I chose mine because I had it cheap and I did not regret it on image quality neither, but that is an individual point of view. It does provide life feel pictures.

The step-up thing sounds interesting, certainly I did not think about it that way - my fault.

The step-up sounds like a valid option even though I do not like workarounds for these things. I know I am too demanding but I would like to use the bayonet hood on the lens too.

For the slide-in filters - yes, I am using it but it doesn't provide the flexibility on the go. If I walk for a week with a group of people from whom I am the only photographer and we are on an adventure trip out in the woods, I do not have time to switch filters in the Coquin holder. I can survive the fixed horizon but can not survive withouth a ND grad after I got used to it. Therefore the srew-mount. It looks like some step-up would be necessary unless there is a thin ND grad screw-in available but need to figure aout which would be feasable with the lens hood.

I do not have experience with N75 but do have a long-lasting-one with N70 (F70 here). Before buying an F100 it was my only body serving very well. It does all you need, in fact all F100 does apart a couple of bits. The main difference would be speed. The autofocus is slow, the shutter lag can be felt the user interface is a quite fine but there is no way you set things up while looking through the finder. N75 uses the same user interface as the F100 making it faster to operate.

You might also miss the depth of field preview button on N70. It could be done by unlocking the lens and turn it a bit but there is nothing like instant preview button. The N70 is also an older camera and therefore might be more and more incompatible with current accessoiries i.e. the double flash feature from SB50-DX does work, but only if you set the camera to M (manual), as mentioned already the VR lenses would be non-VR if used with and also the G lenses would be usable only in P and S programs as there is no second command wheel to allow aperture settings from the body. Having said that you would probably not buy VR lenses if you go for the cheap N75 option, but you certainly would mind the extra price of the aperture ring on the lens.

 

On the other hand the N70 is known to be compatible with all of the Nikon lenses wich are at least AI including the F3-AF ones (that is more than F100 could be said about), is a predecessor of the higher class N80 rather than of the N75, also it is considered faster than N80 in all aspects but the user interface. It does have a solid build with metal internals and plastic coat (matching the build style of the F90x) and lasts forever on the Lithium batteries it does use to run. If you consider yourself an ethusiast, would want to acquire cheaper old lenses including manual-ones and are after the flexibility and backwards compatibility then it is, especially now with the pricetag, well worthwhile.

 

Having said all of that, as I do not know what are your intentions needs, it is hard to put a decision forward. Try to think about the lenses you would use, the objects you would like to have on your pictures and the skillset you have to put it together. Do not read the brochures with the list of features as they would not be fair in comparing a mid class past model to a low class new model camera.

When considering digital I found that my lenses would be no great use even though they are the same mount. I am still using film after all.

 

You are finding yourself at the very same point - ideal for film, mid-telephoto for digital. For the current sensor size you need to use a diferent lens to be able to get decent wideangle. Even a wonderfull 20mm would be a 30mm on your digital..... You might want to get with that and sell your current lenses on ebay, buying DX wideangles and carry on without film, or you might sell your digital body and wait for the sensors to get to the 35mm size.

Thanks for the answers.

 

To 77mm, I tried a step-up ring on a different lens (58-62) and I still got vigneting, I think from the step-up ring itself.

I do know that the problem is the angle of view of the lens against the 62mm screwmount. I do know that I need slim filters. I do know Lee and even Coquin P will not result in vigneting but for my purpose they are not a choice.

I would like to ask kindly for an advise of what particular filter you would have used with this lense for ND grad screwmount, if the Nikon polariser is the right choice or what other filter wich would hold lens caps would you use. The HMC Hoya, the extra thin Tiffen and the likes do not have the front screw-in thread which makes them hard to use with lens caps.

Hi

 

I have a problem with my Nikon 20mm f2.8 AF. I do experience

vignetting with it if I use anything more than a standard filter. I am

looking for a polarizer and a neutral density grad to use with but

both are generally the ones with possibility to turn the glass against

the crew mount which makes them thicker. If I use it with a Coquin P

series I do not experience any vignetting if the holder is kept

straight. Said that, I know that there are som small differencies

between the D and the non-D version of this lens. Is there a

difference in position of the filter screwmount of the lens though? I

love the lens but I find the 90 degres of coverage not straight 90 if

vignetting.

 

Questions of mine: is it worth to sell my current 20mm in favour of

the D version because of vignetting? Which filters should I use with

it for polariser and neutral density grad. I was told Nikon polarizer

should be quite good for avoiding vignetting as it is stepped-up. I am

about to get one now but would you happen to know if I could use some

lens cap with it and what sort if so?

 

Thanks a lot

 

Peter

Hi,

 

I was in the rainy situation now and will try to repeat it as it was a wonderfull experience. The photos are crap because I was crap at taking them. It was easier to get something when the sunshine was there.

I did not regret to not to use the cheap camera for the rain approach. I have learnt a lot, I think, and It seems that f100 can withstand a lot. It helped me a lot to have silica everywhere. A good one was to have a couple of small napkins eache in a sealed plastic bag used to wipe the camera after use.

It seems funny now how much time and energy I spent by drying clothes, napkins etc. while other where cooking and looking after themselves and their sleeping bags. It costs a considerable amount of enrgy.

I suppose it is more of skill you obtain with practise than a real piece of equipment.

You might want to try this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=40004&item=3816918073&rd=1 as a cheap option.

Be carefull about the selenium-ones as they are aging. With that sort of range you will not get anything not on batteries anyway. For proper one, look at ebay. Something like:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=708&item=3816923267&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

I got it new for a bit more than your limit and it is ok.

Thanks a lot for all of the answers. I believe there would need to be something inexpensive for me (like the plastic bags with an old filter or similar. I looked to the rain covers and they mostly do not represent a viable solution either because you can not use them with a cheap lens like 28-80 3.5-5.6 afd, which I would prefer to use to an expensive prime in wet conditions for obvious reasons. I would not go for Nikonos neither or for other expensive solutions as this will be a one-off. I will probably risk a bit and the rest of the time I will use plenty of plastic bags to seal the camera, the camera bag etc. Should see.

I know people tend to buy less expensive cameras for situations like this, but hey, why did I buy that f100, for resting it on a shelf in my flat?

At the end of the day, I read stories about people using Electronic Nikon and Canon cameras in the rainforests and I am only going to have a long trip in the wild in eastern europe. True that in the wettest part of the year at that place but ...

Hi, I was wandering how close to possible it is to use an f100 with a

mid range nikon lens in not so great weather conditions.

I tried a couple of times with both my f100 and f70, but always had

access to some refuge at the end of the session so to make sure that

all of the kit is dry.

Now I am planing an action in the wild for about a week or so and it

is very likely that it will be raining every day. I know that I should

not hold the camera on the pouring rain for all day long, but am I

risking too much if I thing to use it at all having no chances to dry

it properly for a couple of days and planning to use it in the wet

again and again?

In the past I either used a P&S or did not take photographs at all,

but the atmosphere of a foggy wet day is sort of a thing I would love

to get to my film.

I would like to use my f100 coupled with one of my lenses or

potentially a new lens. My choice is of a 50mm f1.4 afd, 20mm 2.8 af

or a 28-80 f3.5-5.6 afd, or alternatively of a 24-85mm f2.8-4 if I

decided to buy it. I though I would use the lens shade to protect the

front element. To protect it a bit further I am already using a

skylight filter on all of my lenses.

Thanks