david_gard

<p>I am a pro freelancer doing newspaper and magazine work. I am using a loaner Dell with Photomechanic and CS2 on xp pro. The loaner has been a good (and free) computer, but it is time to get a proper machine. I am thinking Macbook Pro.<br>

My workfow is this...a first edit and batch caption in Photomechanic, import and second edit in CS2, caption, transmit and move on with life. I do no printing at home and rarely print work images.<br>

The question is this...In CS2, I am using only about 5 or 6 tools. Levels, curves, lasso, USM, spotting as needed. Can a cheaper program like Elements or Aperture do these things for me? A $700 program on a $2000 computer seems obscene to me. I tried to downlaod the free elements trial to no avail. Because the Dell is borrowed, I do not have admin priv to download programs.<br>

One of main concerns is file info. Photomechanic lets me batch caption, then I load in specific captions in CS2. Does Elements or Aperture let me access this info as well?<br>

I appreciate your thought. Thanks.</p>

noah<div></div>

Here is the info from the Paramount website..

 

http://www.paramountcords.com/pockwiz.asp

I use PW Plus II on my 550ex flashes all the time. You need the Paramount sync cord Cat# PW-MHSF1, miniphone to Hot shoe female cable. Works like a charm and will fire any strobe with the PWs.

I remember seeing a documentary about Steve McCurry, the National Geographic photographer who took the famous photo of the Afghan Girl. His right hand was banged up from covering so many wars-n-stuff. He was using a N90 Nikon film camera, left handed, with a shutter release on the accecsory outlet on the left side of the camera, I believe. If I recall, he held with his palm, focused with is middle/ring fingers and uses his index finger for the shutter. I think it was the same dohickey that went on MD12 and MD4 motors for a vertical release. Is it called the AR-3? Do any of the modern Nikon DSLRs still use this outlet?

Conrad,

 

I had the following thought as I was waiting for my estimate at Canon..."What am I willing to pay to get this old 20D fixed?" I was expecting several hundred dollars and a tough decision...fix the 20D, which would then be worth no more than $600 on the open market, or scrap it and buy a new 40D. I agree, $182.33 is not too bad to get a new lease on life.

 

And, get this...$144 of that $182.33 is labor! The parts come to $26.40, which sounds absurdly low for a new shutter. Of course, the $182.33 is an estimate. Let's see what it really comes in at. I'll keep you posted.

Conrad,

 

FYI...Just dropped my high mileage 20D at Canon in Jamesburg for a new shutter and CLA. The bill is going to be $182.33.

 

Good luck.

Good question. When I say trunk, I mean the back of my super sexy minivan, so I crack windows on really hot days. I have never worried too much about the temperature of the 10D in the car. It lives in a bag with lenses, stobes and other misc. goodies I don't use on a daily basis. I probably should bring it in every night, but that would be one more bag to bring in. With laptop and lenses and lights and main cameras, I would be hauling stuff all night. As it is, I bring in 3 bags per night. I do not get called out on emergency photos too often, but, from time to time, I do need to be out the door in 5 minutes, so the fewer the bags to lug out to the van, the better. Besides, I usually need that 5 minutes to get pretty. I would like to know what temperature specs Canon designs their gear to. I would assume that heat is a bigger problem than cold. The inside of a car doesn't get that much colder than the outside, but a hot summer day makes for toasty cameras.

The Story...I am shooting an evening of boxing in Atlantic City 3 weeks ago.

Big HBO boxing night. Right before the big, final championship bout, my MkIIn

dies. YIKES! So, I get to shoot the big event with a 20D. The images turned out

ok, but was I stressed out. The 20D performed well, but what a time for my

front line camera to quit. The MkIIn is still at CPS.

Yesterday, my 20D freaks out at a cross country assignment. What are the odds

of this? Two busted cameras at one time. I had a borrowed and beaten MkII to

switch to, but when I return the MkII today, I will be left with my 10D as my

only functioning dslr.

Now the 10D is a fine camera as a "keep in trunk" rescue camera, but I don't

want to rely on it as my daily user while I wait to get the busted cameras back

from CPS. But I keep it around, in my trunk, because it is worth very little to

someone else in trade or sale, but it is worth very much to me as a save-my-

butt rescue camera.

The Moral...I read on this and other forums of folks trading in their older

cameras to buy new ones and I always think to myself "how much are you really

going to get for your older camera, especially in trade". Keep it if you can

afford to. I know that not all folks can afford to keep a stable of cameras

lying around, but my recent luck has shown me that one backup camera, or two if

you make a living as a photographer, can come in very handy.

Now, I'm off to drop the 20D at CPS and to look at a 40D. And to find my old

EOS 1 and a few rolls of film to throw in the trunk for a couple of weeks. With

luck like mine, I may need it.

At least Fuji is now making a F camera in black.

What is the best, reputable NPPA-like organization for wedding/event/corporate

photographers? I am a 15 year newspaper photographer and I am beginning to dip

my toes in this area. I need to learn about the ins and outs of this side of

the business and I do not want to waste my time with sub-standard groups. I

also want to go to a trade show and, again, do not want to waste my time and

money by going to the wrong one.

Thanks for the advice.

I would clamp a monopod to something sturdy in the back and use a remote trigger for the camera. What do you ride? A bike that has a luggage rack would be the easiest to mount a monopod to. For a tank mount, I just saw this neat gadget at newenough.com.

 

http://www.newenoughhp.com/accessories/cameras_&_camera_mounts/power_stands/mantis_motorcycle_gas_tank_mounting_system.html It may be a little pricey, but it is an elegant solution that will not fall off. Michael Axel...Fellow Katana rider here, '91 1100. Hi.

I will look into the Canadian canon folks. I will also keep an eye on your lens, but my bank account can't handle the price a clean lens demands. Good luck with the sale and thanks for the reply.

I coulda won a beater 400mm 2.8 Version I off of *bay yesterday, but was

hesitant because of the condition of the lens and because Canon no longer

services this version. Does anyone have a US, northeast preferred, shop to

recommend for this kind of work? It would be nice to have a reputable shop on

file for the next beater big lens that turns up. btw, I bailed after $1650 and

it sold for around $1900 US. Not bad.

Thanks.

A word of warning. Last year, my newspaper issued Canon 1D mirror was covered with some kind of greasy scum. "What the hell is this?" I said. I wiped it off and then realized that it was residue from melting plastic. I had left the camera, 16-35 lens pointing up, no lens cap, on the back seat of my car and the sun had melted a 1/2 inch "path" into the plastic just above the mirror. The camera functioned perfectly, and a couple of months later, I took the camera in for its annual CLA. It told them that the melted plastic did not need to be repaired because it did not change the function of the camera. CPS said that they were required to bring the camera up to factory specs and, $650 later, they had fixed the problem by, I assume, replacing the mirror box. My newspaper paid for the repair, but I would have been sick if I had been made to pay. I got off lucky.

These prices are based on the average trade in figures from 2 pro shops in NJ, so I feel the values are accurate. Lets say a mint 16-35mm goes for $1200 on ebay, and I can only get $900 for mine, that is still a substantial profit. I recently saw a beater 1D at one of these shops selling for $1000. I do agree that the 70-200mm seems a bit high at $900, but I don't have to buy all the gear. I am already skipping the damaged 50mm 2.5 macro. I would be completely honest with the history of the gear and set low reserves. I guess any equipment I am stuck with I could trade in at the above mentioned shops for something useful, like a 4x5 field camera. Ah, 19th century technology good. I may be turning into a ludite. Cool.

Thanks to all for the advice. For the record,I did not post the question to solicit offers on the gear. I have been a professional photojournalist since I was 19 and I am tired of working until 11pm every night, tired of working weekends and holidays, tired of having dinner with my family only 2 days a week, and tired of driving 40,000 miles a year. I am a very good photojournalist, but I am not good enough to get hired at the top tier newspapers that offer good pay and stability. Newspapers all over are facing huge problems of disappearing ad revenue and declining readership, and I am unwilling to gamble my future on an industry in such flux. Any other newspaper job would face the same issues. I am 36 and my plan B has always been to become an elementary school teacher. It is one of the few careers that has ever appealed to me. That and being a motorcycle road racer, but lets get real. I wouldn't look good in full race leathers. I didn't expect plan B to become plan A so soon, but life is unpredictable. So teach I will. I have done about 12 weddings in my career and I hated every single one of them. I have great respect for good wedding photographers, but I am not one. I am looking forward to a new career challenge, and I am looking forward to making photographs for myself again. Or not making photographs. My choice. And, a teachers pension is starting to look mighty good, as is summers off with my 4 year-old son. If I fail as a teacher, I can always re-enter the business, but it is time for a change.

Thanks again,

David

I am a professional photojournalist about to be laid off, along with

7 other fellow photographers. The staff will go from 12 to 5, and

there will be an abundance of company supplied digital gear lying

around afterwards. My employer is offering to sell each of us our

photo kits at trade-in prices. I am thinking about purchasing the

gear and then flipping it on ebay as a way to boost my severance

package. Ethical? Who cares. My research into completed ebay

auctions says that my $2700 +/- investment could reasonably generate

sales of $4500 +/-, an $1800 +/- profit.

The risk is that the gear would not sell and I would be stuck with

gear that I am not interested in owning. I am getting out of the

business now while I am still young enough to pursue another career,

so I have no interest in any digital SLR gear. I own a Leica M kit

that will be my only photo gear. Simple is good.

The company offer is...

Heavily used but recently CPS serviced Canon 1D...$550

Lightly used 10D with grip...$350

Good cond. 16-35 2.8.....$650

Good cond. 70-200 2.8 IS...$900

Prices have yet to be agreed on for the 1.4x, 550ex and 420 ex.

Would you take the risk?

Lucas,

I have a 28mm 2.8 Elmarit, 3rd gen, #3245xxx, that is not being used enough to justify owning it. It is in excellent condition and comes with a hood and box. I can send photos if you wish.

One important thing to keep in mind...Your wife's father gave it to

you. He received it from his father. I would not even consider

selling it if I were you. It sounds to me like this was your

father-in-law passing on a treasure to the next generation of men

in the family. This sounds like more than just a camera. If you

were to sell it, the amount of grief and pain you may cause your

father-in-law could be HUGE. Even if the gear is worth $2000 or

more, are you willing to risk hurting him and pissing off your

wife? If you don't want it, tell him about it. He may want the

camera back if he knows you are just going to turn this heirloom

into cash for disposable digital gear.

The Fuji press releases say these new digicams are going to be

released in October. I was going to buy the F10, but I will wait for

the reviews, which should be along very soon. The e900 looks

promising.

And, of course, you know that if you drop a card, the pictures will

then be out of focus ;-)

Doc,

I am a photographer for a daily newspaper. I used a microdrive

until one of my coworkers dropped hers from waist level. The

disc inside shattered into a million little pieces. She had a full

days worth of assingments on it that were gone. After that, the

whole staff stopped using microdrives. This same coworker has

sent more than one CF card through the laundry with no ill

effects and I have dropped cf cards with no problem. Granted,

we may be harder on cards than the normal user, but drops

happen.

So, is the soon to be released (October) Fuji e900 the camera many of

us wanted the f10 to be? It's more money ($500) but if they have put

the sensor of the f10, with it's low noise at high iso abilities,

into a camera with manual controls, this may be the first digicam

company to get my money. I have been resisting digicams that could

not deliver what I wanted, choosing to use my Leicas and trusting the

lab to make a good print. I even thought of buying a film scanner. I

really wanted to buy the f10, but the timing was wrong for me. I am

actually excited about this silly point and shoot camera.

Andre, I use Givi 45L cases on my Katana 1100, and I believe that there is no better accesory for a serious biker than hard luggage. Some say that Givi bags are a little pricey, but there are very few options around for putting hard luggage on bikes that don't come with 'em from the factory. Once you have owned a bike with hard luggage, you may never go back. They turn a bike into a real, usable vehicle for commuting, camping, shopping etc. The nice thing about the Givi Monokey stuff is that you can mount the same bags either on top or the sides, depending on your space requirements. And the racks are pretty good looking when no bags are attached. Depending on what you ride, you could probably get a rack and a single 36L bag for around $250 or so. I recently saw a place online that sells 36L bags for around $130 each. I may just get 'em to have a smaller bag setup. I am done buying Leica gear and now spend my time and money on my bike.

Good Luck,

David