subhasis_laha

<p>I notice folks are divided on the prospect of a D400:<br>

(1) Because D300(S) has not been updated for so long and Nikon USA claims the D7100 to be the flgship DX, some think there will not be a pro-level D400 ever.<br>

(2) Others argue that so many folks want a pro-level D400 and Nikon cannot leave money on the table. Also, Nikon Europe claimed the D7100 to be only top Enthusiast-level (not pro-level) DX body. So, there will be a D400.<br>

I think, it can go either way. But, many (but not all) folks having opinion (1) or (2) as stated above are very sure of their position and almost jump on people stating the other opinion. I find that very amusing!!</p>

 

Thanks a lot, Ellis, for finding out the answer to my question from Nikon so quickly! I like the answer too!

Thank, Ellis, for the links!

 

It is amazing to see that much detail even in the ISO3200 photos at full resolution. I wonder if these photos are straight out of the camera or post-processed.

I have both the Mini Trekker Classic (same dimensions as the recent AW version) and the Sligshot 200. I highly recommend both of them for somewhat different purposes. For longer hikes with heavier lenses (e.g., the 80-200/2.8), the Mini Trekker is a very useful and comfrtable backpack. On the other hand, if you are more into street shooting &/or need to take stuff out of the bag more conveniently, then Slingshot 200 is hard to beat. It is very well designed, should be able to fit your equipment with ease and can be swinged around to the front to take the camera out very easily. The Mini Trekker is more comfortable, but the Slingshot 200 is comfortable enough for the amount of stuff that it can fit (for example, I can fit my D200 with 18-200 VR with attached lens-hood, 50/1.4, Tamron 90 macro, 1.4x TC, SB-800, a small 12" folded reflector, Polarizer, etc., a small table top tripod, 2 extra camera batteries plus a few other small items in the Slingshot).

 

Subhasis

There are a couple of newly announced Gitzo carbon fiber 6x tripod legs that are somewhat similar to the present G-1325 tripod. However, this information is from Gitzo's beta version of their web-site (www.gitzo.com) and hence may not be 100% accurate. They have three versions of this new tripod, all with no center column as the G-1325:

 

(1) GT-3530S: 3 sections, max height 50.4 inches, photo tripod

 

(2) GT-3530VLS: 3 sections, max height 58.3 inches (same as G-1325) - but comes with 75mm video bowl adapter and probably retractable spiked feet

 

(3) GT-3540LS: 4 sections, max height 57.5 inches, photo tripod

 

All these legsets have specified load capacity of 18 Kg (cf. 12Kg of G-1325). None of them has exactly the same specifications as the current G-1325. However, they all are about 4 lbs in weight - so about half pound lighter than the current G-1325.

 

BTW, Edward states that the new generation Gitzos with non-twist leg locks have less robust joints. That is probably true for Gitzo's 1st generation 6x tripods. The above models are all 2nd generation 6x tripods that have anti-twist as well as G-lock leg joints: Gitzo claims these G-lock leg locks are newly designed with faster and more secure operation, FWIW. So at this time nobody knows how robust the joints in this newest generation of tripods are actually going to be - with some luck, they could be even better than the old joints. We will have to wait till these tripods are actually available. I have not seen any official release date yet, however, some folks on the web claim that they contacted Gitzo, Europe and found that the release date is going to be early 2007.

 

Subhasis

Lisa:

 

If you can relax your budget by 10%, you could buy the Nikon 17-55/f2.8 DX for $1100 after Nikon rebate (rebate valid till July 31 purchase date). It is excellent optically and otherwise - will meet pretty much all of your needs, especially low-light needs. Only if you are doing very tight portrait (head only), you will need a longer lens like the 85/f1.8.

Of the Hoya filters, it is advisable to get the "Pro 1" version that is slim to avoid any vignetting induced by the filter. I use that filter on the 18-200 without any problem. I have no experience with these B+W UV filters.

Tom:

 

The flash blocker is readily available at Adorama:

http://www.adorama.com/INKSG31R.html?searchinfo=sg-31r&item_no=1

 

I got it from there last week. It is nicely designed except for the fact that taking it out of the flash hot-shoe is a little clumsy.

Thanks a lot, Dan!

 

Ordered two from there just now .. still in stock.

 

Subhasis

Arnab, I will mention a few other places (other than the ones mentioned in the above replies) that seem to have good service and that are getting the D200 (body only) from time to time: Roberts Imaging, KEH, 17th Street Photo and J&R. However, I have not bought anything from them myself. I am recommending them based on other's comments on Photo.net and DPReview.com. Good luck in finding the D200 body - it is becoming more easily available these days. I found mine after three days of calling a number of places last week.

 

Subhasis

Arnab, I got my D200 from Buydig late last week. This is the first time that I bought anything from them. My overall experience is positive. The saleperson on the phone was very professional - no pressure tactic at all. I ordered in the afternoon and the camera got shipped the same day. I had the camera in hand after two days with the standard shipping rate (though it is steep at $35). Only two minor things that could be better: (1) Padding was missing from the top in their package, though it was there on other 3 sides. (2) There is no serial number on the invoice. It does not appear to be a big deal. However, as Lex recommends, it might be a good idea to ask them to put it in the invoice when you are ordering it.

 

Also, I got alarmed by the included warranty paper that fortunately turned out to be a non-issue. You can read all about that here:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00GE8D&tag=

 

Subhasis

Lex, I am not sure about the exact amount of camera gear that you need to carry in the bag. However, have you considered the Lowepro Slingshot 200 bag? Though it is like a back-pack with one strap, getting access to your equipment is easy by just swinging the bag around to your front. I got this bag recently and am very impressed with the little details that went into designing this bag. It is very well-made, comfortable to carry, has reversed zippers with low noise and no velcro as lid fasteners.

 

Subhasis

Thank you very much to all of you for your detailed answers. This is what makes Photo.net such a great community.

 

Lex,

 

You seem to indicate that the sales invoice should have the camera serial number. In the past I have bought stuff exclusively from B&H (if on-line) and Helix Camera (in-town) and the serial numbers were always included in all the sales invoices. The D200 Buydig.com invoice does not have the serial number of the camera.

 

Richard,

 

You have used Nikon service for your D70 bought from Buydig. So, not having the serial number on the invoice does not matter, I guess. Right?

 

Bob,

 

You have started me thinking about the extended warranty.

 

My thanks to all of you again. I look forward to enjoying my new D200 now :-)

 

Subhasis

The good news is that I received my D200 from Buydig.com today. It

appears to be factory fresh with serial number 3049xxx. However the

warranty form is different from what I have received with other

Nikon products in the past - it is a single sheet of white paper

(5.7"x8") with "Nikon Digital Imaging Limited Warranty" written at

the top. It has the usual Nikon verbage, but without any serial

number or product type written on it. It does not have the usual

multi-page format with part 1 in white and part 2 in yellow; neither

does it have the usual boxes for the owner to write down name,

address.

 

BTW, along with this single sheet of white paper, I also received a

folded paper that is yellow on the top and says "return this card to

register your purchase...". However, this is NOT a warranty form in

any way - it is merely a product registration form.

 

I am feeling a little nervous. Please let me know if the warranty

form (single sheet of white paper) that I received is the same as

that is normally included with USA D200 bodies or not.

 

Thanks a lot.

 

Subhasis Laha

Eric:

 

Look at the "Panorama Tutorial Photography" of this page for a clear description of how to find the nodal point of a lens: http://www.brucedale.com/home.htm

 

However, this requires a special plate that you may not have.

I second what Scott recommended. I have the 1.4x Tamron version that is identical to the Kenko Pro version, except for the cosmetics. It retains AF and performs very well with my Nikon 80-200 AF-D (2-ring, non-AFS) lens.

I just subscribed for 36 months. It would be nice if the confirmation message could be changed to show that the subscription is indeed for 54 months (or 18 months, as applicable).

 

Thanks for making this convenient arrangement.

Neil:

 

There are some reviews of this lens at the top of this page:

http://www.nikonlinks.com/new_links.htm

I am also debating between these two lenses. I will go to the store to check how they handle. However, I have a very specific question:

how does the bokeh with the new version of these lenses (Tamron 90mm Di and Sigma 105mm DG) that are designed to work better with digital SLRs compare? For the earlier version, Tamron had an edge in smoother bokeh. Is that still true with the newer version optimized for digital or not?

 

Thanks.

"D2X : 12.4 MP, 5 fps, 15 NEF picts buffer. -- Crop x2 = 8fps / 6.9 MP" - from the original post:

 

If I believe these numbers, then crop of x2 matches up with the figures in the followin way: assuming it is 12.4 MP using Nikon's regular 1.5x multiplier, if I apply 2x focal length multiplier on the same sensor, I get 12.4 x (1.5/2) x (1.5/2) = 6.98. So, it could be really a 2x multiplier of focal length (same as 2x crop) to get to 8fps.

One word of caution against the 3410 head: if you are using a camera

with a vertical grip (such as the N90S with the MB-10) along with

your 80-200/2.8 Nikkor with the tripod mount, then you cannot mount

the lens on this head. However, it is not a problem without the

MB-10. This is because of the nature of the QR plate on the 3410

head. I do not know if the same is true with the 3030 head.

 

<p>

 

I have been using the 80-200/2.8 Nikkor on the 3410 head for a year

now and have been very happy, except for one small thing - the thin

cork layer on the QR plate gets slightly twisted (rotated) over time.

I imagine, the QR plate on the Bogen 3030 will have the same

problem. However, it is not a big problem unless the cork gets

completely out of alignment or falls off.

Let me indicate you a slightly different choice: I have the Bogen

3401 legset with 3410 pan-and-tilt head. The 3401 leg is very

similar to 3021 with the additional capability of attaching the

center column horizontally. However, the features I like a lot are

that 3401 goes down 2" lower to the ground level compared to 3021 and

comes with an additional short center column. Now about the head:

3410 is about twice as expensive compared to the 3030 head - however,

it comes with 3 bubble levels (two linear and one circular), the

handles are much nicer and easier to operate and the head is a lot

sturdier too. It also has graduated scales in all directions. I

would recommend the 3410 head very highly

I understand that the inkjet photo printers (such as Epson 870) have photo-friendly features (e.g., smaller droplets, etc.) and offer higher quality prints of photos compared to a general-purpose ink-jet printer (such as Epson 760). I would like to know what do I lose with a photo printer that I could have with a general-purpose printer other than the fact that the photo printers are usually more expensive??

Please pardon my ignorance here: are there two separate motors in Nikon AF bodies - one for autofocusing and the other for film transport OR there is only one motor with approprite gears to perform both functions?

 

<p>

 

I am particularly curious because the newly announced N80 body has a continuos film advance speed of 2.5fps while that figure for N70 is 3.7fps. If there is only one motor, then it could mean slower autofocus speed with the N80 (compared to N70) though the N80 does focus detection and lens movement in parallel (I do not think the N70 does that). Thanks in advance.

Check out the following page on Canon Malaysia web-site for detailed

English description:

http://camera.canon.com.my/what_new/product/EOS1V/index.htm