polizonte

<p>Shun,BeBu, Mike, thank you for advice - the D800 is my all-time favorite Nikon but I will wait for now. </p>

<p>Shun Cheung, please let us know, where is the D800 selling for $2700? The lowest legitimate price I have found lately is higher than hat I paid one & two years ago, closer to $ 2997 (US).</p>

<p>I am leery of "demo" cameras and totally avoid discounted "open box" DSLR's (e.g. dis-PLAY) that have high mileage and have been abused by unscrupulous customers and store employees. I can understand how a buyer might be tempted to buy such items, I would like a second D800 camera body also. The price increase of $200 for a new D800 is disappointing; maybe this DSLR has been very popular and its production limited so that there is no need to discount to clear out stock. </p>

<p>When I bought JBL speakers back in the 1970's I had to pay a "fair trade" price ( price fixing); so this practice will be called something different for each generation of consumers.</p>

<p>I bought two SB700 strobes for my D800's because they work so well, are portable and lightweight. Latest worthwhile purchase is a Promaster off camera TTL cord; it seems to work well w/ the D800 & SB700 but I would use a vintage Vivitar strobe only as a slave unit. </p>

<p>EF 135mm f2 L (nice contrast, no distortion); 2nd place, EF 200mm f2.8 L ii, 3rd place 35mm f1.4 L <br>

50mm f1.4 USM (mine was very sharp at 5.6 -f8) when I owned 5Dmkii, 6D <br>

Favorite EFS, most fun for the buck lens was the 60mm f2.8 when I owned 40D, 50D bodies.</p>

<p>Off topic: I attended a wedding in Colombia, the photographer used Canon 6D & 5Dmkii cameras (and 3 assistants) but all the off-camera flashes were Nikon.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I saw a similar situation with a friends DX camera and SB400; I cleaned the hot shoe and flash contacts and it started functioning normally. Good luck.</p>

<p>I was looking for a less expensive FX camera, that used CF cards and opted to buy the 5Dmkii body; currently the camera w/ 24-105mm kit lens sells for $2399, an even better deal. Much appreciated are the viewfinder, body size/feel/weight, and reasonable image file size. Fast focus, high ISO performance, and video capabilities were not my priorities so I am quite happy with this camera.</p>

<p>A few things about the D700 that have bugged me: 1.Even when the camera is turned off, the onboard flash can pop up in the carrying bag, if the flash button is (accidentally) touched; I think the D600 has to be "on" for this to raise the flash. 2. A number of times, with heavier lenses, I have accidentally moved the camera AF-S/AF-C lever and later noticed my photos were out of focus; this might not happen with the D600 due to the arrangement of the controls. The D800 feels more familiar but at my age I can't justify the extra cost.</p>

<p>I agree with Dan South's observation; having used D700's since 2008, photos that I recently took during a vacation with a Canon 5Dmkii seem to be visibly more detailed when viewed on my 21.5 computer screen. A modest increase in dynamic range from a D600 would interest me more than higher resolution.</p>

<p>I own three Nikon D700 bodies with decent lenses; I used a 5dmkii + 35mm L & 135mm L for a few weeks here in NH and on a vacation in Colombia. I was amazed, this is the only other camera in my price range that I have liked. At the current price this camera is an absolute bargain. </p>

<p>I have been using an aluminum Bogen/Manfrotto 3036 since the early 1980's which weighs about 11.6 lbs (5.7 kilos) with the 3029 pan/tilt head that came with it. Once used with medium format film cameras, it now supports a D700 + 70-200 VRii nicely. It would be nice to have a lighter set-up but the 055 series legs have click stop/detents - for landscape on rough/uneven terrain; the old tripod handles well with one leg on a rock, in brush, and another in sand plus it has rubber tips and spiked tips. For me, this is the trade-off, easy leg adjustments/stability vs. light weight. <br>

I used a quick release plate adapter on the original head but have recently replaced it with the a 804rc2 head and leave a quick release plate permanently in place on all my cameras.</p>

<p>The "flip levers" on the legs of my Manfrotto 3036 have snapped off in cold weather, closer to 32f/0C; I ordered the replacement parts ordered from B&H. I have used Manfrotto since the early 1980's but I do not trust the integrity of the lightweight/non-metalic parts.</p>

<p>I owned a pair of 40D's back in 2008 and sold the bodies and lenses to buy a D700 which I liked so much that I bought a second body the following year. Recently with the price drop, I bought a new 5Dmkii and a refurbished 35mm f1.4 L (the focal length not covered by my Nikon lenses) - $1,000 less than a new D700 & 35mm 1.4 G would have cost. As a former owner of a 40D and current owner of a D700, I am amazed at the 5Dmkii's resolution and low light performance; I post process minimally in LR3, reduce the noise a bit and with the 135mm f2 L focusing is quite fast.</p>

<p>I agree with Dan Brown, the 16-85mm DX is a nice travel lens, reasonable range @ a price that won't break the bank. Much more bang for the buck on a DX camera than the 24-70; sharp enough at the 24mm and less distortion.</p>

<p>What a coincidence, just before the recent review was published, I bought a used Canon 50D from Hunt, a used EF 200 f2.8 L ii from EP Levine, plus a new EFS 60 macro for a family member. He bought an XT in 2008 and has been using an EF 28-135 kit lens I gave him the following year. <br>

Read the <strong>photozone</strong> 15MP review of the EFS 60 macro; it states that the "...tested sample was a little better than the one tested on the old 350D tested a couple of years ago." Do you think it could be due to lens sample variation?</p>

<p>Though not a ball head I can rcommend a Manfrotto 804RC2: not too heavy but has a 4 kg. wt. capacity. It is a pan & tilt with level & quick release, and works very well with my D700 and Nikon 70-200mm VR ii and 200 and be purchased online from photo.net sponsors for less than $80. Good luck, Tom</p>

<p>Henry Posner, thank you, I found the levers for my vintage Manfrotto at the B&H website and the one suggested by Chuck Pere. Only 2 levers needed to be replaced but as a preventive measure, I bought 4; total cost with standard shipping was $15. While waiting for delivery I looked at a number of tripods in the $170 range and none seemed to have the same features as mine. The 3036 legs although connected to a center tube move independently (compared to studio tripods) and without click stops, predetermined angles. The center post is geared; the overall weight and conventional tilt & pan as opposed to a ball head are things I have grown accustomed to over the years.</p>

<p>I wish to thank all of you for your suggestions - Henry's link (Info Manfrotto USA) responded very promptly. I believe I bought this tripod from B&H. The replacement parts are either expensive(upper leg assembly), even used parts from resellers. It is almost cheaper to buy an 055XB tripod to couple with my old 3029 head with quick-release plate adapter. </p>

<p>Henry, thanks for the email address, since this a long discontinued model, the repair shops that I have contacted do not have the same lever. I could not locate the levers on bogenparts.com website.</p>

<p>This old tripod weighs about 12 lbs., extends to a height of about 7', has a geared center and a water level. Purchased 30 years ago for medium format cameras, it would be quite costly to replace. Now that I have a D700 and a 70-200 VR ii, 105 micro, the extra weigh is still of value.</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice - I will try to contact Manfrotto about the levers, they are cast aluminum.</p>

<p>Today was a cold day and I broke two levers that lower the leg sections of beloved Bogen Manfrotto 3036 (purchased in the early 1980's) - I really like this tripod and hate to part with it - also because I just bought the quick release accessories for the tripod, my monopod and three cameras only a few months ago. Has anyone ever had such a repair done?</p>

<p>Jose, the 14-24mm, 35mm, 105mm set sounds like a manageable alternative (lighter/more economical + better coverage) and warrants waiting for reviews of the new 35mm; I also find the 105mm easier to use than the 60mm for my amateur close-ups. Thank you forum members everyone for your insightful suggestions.</p>