colda

<p>I've had this problem on a D200, considering that I've got 2x800's and 2x600 which all do this (only occasionally) on the D200 and not at all on my D300, S3 or S5 I could only conclude that it's the camera and not the flash</p>

<p>Upon investigation I found that on the D200, the flash units didn't feel as secure as on the other bodies (there was a slight bit of movement), the problem was partially fixed my gently tapping the sides of the flash mount on the D200 until the flash units had a snug fit - I say partially as I noticed a random flash the other day - will check the mount again later</p>

<p>'96 (I think) - a Kodak DC25 - was running a kids footy team and wanted to do a weekly newsletter with images</p>

<p>ear plugs, plastic bag, ball bungees, deoderant, maglite (2xAA sized), leatherman, duck tape (wrapped around an old credit card), knife, carabiners, tissues, pens and pad, marker pen, ipod shuffle, modafinil, mints, bar towel, water bottle, hat, gloves</p>

<p>sorry peeps, but I just couldn't get on with my 18-70 - really like my 17-55 and 18-200 though</p>

<p>I'd suggest the SB-80DX, it's basically a SB-800 but without the iTTL and CLS functionality, so all 800's accessories fit perfectly and they can be found for under £100 on ebay</p>

<p>I remember looking at a Sunpak PZ42X - that's a very powerful and versatile unit that's not expensive</p>

<p>I'm also in the UK - I went with the Elinchrom d-lite 2 kit which I really like, although if I were to go through the process again I'd probably go with the Bowens system for the simple reason that Elinchrom accessories are expensive.</p>

<p>From the 3 kits that you've listed I'd go for the Lasolite Lumen8 SV's - I saw some at an expo and they look nice, they are the most powerful of the 3 sets and they use the 'S Type Bayonet' (like the Bowens system) - the Interfit kit also uses the same fitting, never heard of the elemental D's</p>

I'd keep the D70, either camera will end up gathering dust so you may as well maximise your return, also as has been pointed out already,the D70 shares the use of CF cards, also the D70 has the 1/500s flash sync and (but I'm not sure on this point) the D70 would be more suitable for any venture into IR photography (on the basis that I believe it has less IR blocking)

<p>I use these triggers and they work just fine, although I have a SB800 and 2 x SB600's (and 2 x SB80-DX's) I prefer to use the triggers rather than CLS, I'm used to working with studio lighting and tend to prefer using the flash units in manual mode (like studio strobes).</p>

<p>There are times where I use CLS i.e. I recently took so promo pics for a local band, some of the shots were taken in a rehearsal studio and it would have been difficult to keep climbing over a load of gear to adjust the units</p>

<p>So, yeah - it will work (in manual mode) and your flash units will be fine</p>

I take back what I said earlier (comparing to the Sigma 30/1.4), if I can get one for £150 or less then the credit card is ready and waiting :)

<p>Nice, but even a Nikon nut as myself struggles to justify this over Sigma's 30/1.4</p>

<p>Now, if they were to offer a 24/2.0 DX I'd be in heaven (still miss my 24/2.8 which got made redundant by the 17-55)</p>

I never really liked mine and don't miss it one bit, but at that price you should go for it. If I had the chance to pick one up for £50 over here I wouldn't hesitate for a second

<p>woohoo! - i'm there (colda) - nice one Josh :)</p>

<p>That's a pretty desperate move to restore the following that's moved over to Nikon :)</p>

<p>Well, I had the 50/1.8 AF and sold it when I go my 50/1.4 AF-D (as I also have a 50/1.4 AI). A year later I ended up getting another 50/1.8 AF-D because I wanted one to keep in my day bag aswell as in my main gear bag :)</p>

<p>I'm one of the people that like to support my local store, that said I also buy from the internet. I do all my research online in the case where the purchase is what I deem 'safe' then I'll buy online i.e. I bought my 85/1.8 from a far east based ebay store whereas I paid a bit more an ordered my Sigma 10-20 from my local store, the thinking being that the 10-20 carried a risk of being a bad example to I wanted the facility to exchange it if needed.</p>

<p>I do like to spend time in my local store and nearly all my purchases from them are 2nd hand items, when an item is listed on the shop's website that I would like I tend to compare with what I can expect to pay on ebay and if the shop's price is not much more then I'll go in and have a play with the item (and purchase if I want it)</p>

<p>I have run a business in the past and am fully appreciative of the costs involved but I have to say that some of the tone of the comments on this thread have left me wondering if I'm as welcome in the stores as I thought I was, there are certainly times where I'll go into a store (not always my local) and browse without making a purchase, now I fear that I'm going to be branded as a time waster and a one of the people that are causing the death of such outlets. Certainly, I can be sure of myself in the fact that I'll put my money where my mouth is and make the purchase when I want it but the owners/assistants (of stores that I'm not known to) do not know that, from what I'm reading on here, if I browse for an while (maybe because I'd rather be in a photo store than clothes shopping with my wife) without making a purchase then I'm thought of rather badly - this unwelcome feeling certainly does precious little to make me want to part with my money!</p>

<p>An example of this being a reality, a few years ago I was working in a town where there were two stores, both chain owned (Jessops and Photo Optix), I would wonder around at lunchtime and naturally drift towards photo stuff, the Jessops store tended to be busy, had only one person that really knew anything and there was no real opportunity to chat, I bought a few bits from there but no real big purchases. The Photo Optix store was quieter with knowledgeable staff, although there were not as friendly, I remember trying to buy a monopod, there was nothing in the shop that was suitable and the idea of finding out a price on a Gitzo 1564L was clearly a burden, I was also in the market to purchase the 10-20 (just after it was released) but the eventual price quoted was a joke, again I purchased 'bits' from them (filter rings, film) but their customer care and salesmanship was dismal. In reality, due to the price and my preference I planned to purchase from my local store anyway BUT if the staff at Photo Optix had been welcoming, helpful and friendly then they would have had every chance of making some good sales</p>

<p>for what reason do you want as many photographers as possible?</p>

<p>Is using a car battery and an inverter (of suitable spec) out of the question? - certainly a lot cheaper :)</p>

<p>Hi Preston<br />I agree with Peter concerning the fact that all too often bands play in terrible light but disagree on the D300 not being a good choice of camera for the task, whilst the D3/700 certainly has the upper hand with regards to low light performance the central concentration of the AF points is limiting<br /><br />I use a D300, well my wife tends to use it more than me as I prefer the Fuji S5 (dynamic range and ability to hold well saturated colours up to ISO3200 wins it for me). Be aware that sensors are very sensitive to red light and will blow out far too easily on this channel.<br>

<br />The constantly changing colours and lights are a positive thing, it's the use of these that give you the ability to be very creative with your images, it's a case of snatching that moment where the lights, movement and come together, it really helps to know the music that you are photographing such that you are aware of the structure of the song and know what the guitarist is going to do in the bridge, what the singer does as the chorus starts, etc.<br>

<br />Most of our work can be found on <a href="http://www.puttyfoot.com">www.puttyfoot.com</a> but for example, last Friday we did a shoot at a local small venue, the lights consist of a few bare spots on the stage and a multi-colour fast changing array hitting the stage, pics are in the most recent set (Hip Route - Valdez - Diablo 13) on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/puttyfoot">www.flickr.com/photos/puttyfoot</a><br>

<br />I love working with studio lights and getting creative with flash but never use flash for live music event (most of the time it's banned anyway)</p>

<p>I spent 3 years doing the same thing - tried a couple of attachments and even bought a Zenitar 16mm none of which I liked, eventually I bought the 10.5 and my only regret is not buying it 3 years ago - it's truly an awesome lens!</p>

<p>I'm just getting starting in doing a photoblog, only a few pics up so far but mostly taken with the 10.5 - <a href="http://colda.blogspot.com">http://colda.blogspot.com</a> (am assuming that it correct, firewalled at work so can't click to test it)</p>

In that case Jeffery, if you have the opportunity you should try the S5 - about £420 new you can't go wrong, and it's the kind of camera that can easily fill a specialist need and be an excellent back-up to the D700x in the future :)

<p>I have a D200, a D300, an S3 and an S5 (the Fuji's only bought recently) Jeffery, in your last post you state that you would be willing to sacrifice low-light capability for better resolution, I'm the exact opposite so not sure how much use my post will be to you</p>

<p>When I upgraded from the D200 to the D300 I have to be honest, I was not impressed, losing the group dynamic focusing mode upset me and the high ISO images, whist certainly much cleaner than the D200 have got a far to 'processed/plastic' feel to them. Within a week I wanted to return it and go for used D2X instead, fortunately the dealer was less than helpful and I ended up sticking with it, I say fortunately because after a week of learning how to use the D300 I loved it and was more than happy with the autofocus system, although the look of ISO 3200 images continued to bother me</p>

<p>The announcement of the D700 seemed like the way to go as far as the low-light capability goes but the majority of my work is football (and the stadum lights at lower league clubs are not the brightest) and live music. My decision not to go with FX comes down costs, my use of telephoto lenses and also the simple fact that FX lenses are nice and sharp on DX as they just use the good bit in the centre, I started on digital so never really needed my lenses to be like they used to be. So instead I put my money into a 10.5/2.8 and a 17-55/2.8</p>

<p>Fuji's S3 has had my interest for a long time and the chance came to buy a good example and a good price, I used it alongside the D300 during the summer and simply loved it, with the drop in price of the S5 I couldn't resist. The S5 has now become my primary camera I won't go on about the S5 too much on this thread, just to say that the ISO 3200 images are more pleasing in my opinion as they are more 'real' and do not lose saturation (like the Nikons do), and of course the dynamic range is awesome</p>

<p>So, I'm very much in camp DX and also am happy to sacrifice resolution for better looking images, am I the only one that's very happy shooting at 6mp?</p>

<p>Fuji S3 with a Nikon 18-200 (and a 50/1.8)</p>

<p>One point with replacing the rubber panels (I recently did this for my D200), you can budget approx £50 to buy the panels from Nikon UK - so, at £200, I'd walk away</p>

<p>As you are strongly in the land of film, I'd recommend you take a look at a Fuji S3 (guide: £250? used) - I find the results much more 'film friendly' than my Nikons. With buying an S3 there is no actuation count but wear to the 'FUNC' and 'PLAY' buttons are a dead giveaway of heavy usage</p>

<p>This was taken during a recent photo shoot for a local band, the cat wondered into the room and got involved for a few shots before getting bored and wondering off</p>

<p>Taken with a Fuji S5 and a Nikon 17-55/2.8</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

Hmmm, seeing as you are pretty handy with repairs would it not be worth restoring/repairing cameras as a bit of a sideline? this way your stockpile of parts will be at least self-funding and almost certainly profitable. No need to put yourself at risk with other people's gear in the early days - just buy tired or faulty stuff on ebay, fix them up and sell them on.