josh_miller6

<p>Anyone know about Silent Lagoon? </p>

<p>Anyone know exactly how to get to Bonsai Rock at Lake Tahoe? I have looked a fair amount just south of Sand harbor. Where you you actually park and find it.<br>

Thanks</p>

<p>As a working photographer all that needs to be said is you get what you paid for. I don't shoot a 600 so I use the sidekick rather than full wimberly, but all told with lens plates, tripod, ball head, flash brackets, side kick... I would easily say that I have $1500 into it, but the tripod is the most important part. <br>

If its just a hoby try saving some money and shoot a smaller lens. Because if you arn't willing to carry and use the big tripod you aren't going to really get good results with a 600.</p>

<p>Anyone know where to park and hike out to get a good angle from turtleback dome in Yosemite</p>

<p>Anyone with experience using the 1.7x and possibly 2x on the Nikon 200-400? I know the 1.4x is perhaps just as sharp as the strait lens, but what about these converters?</p>

I called epson they said the 3800 and up all have a cleaning process called CL2 which only uses a small amount of ink. They said it rarely needs to run a full power clean. Does this fit most experience.

 

By clog I don't mean a full clog just one or more colors is not coming out right so I have to run a clean.

Well I have been using a 2400, but it often needs the heads cleaned and/or uses half the ink cartrage doing the head cleaning. Is the 3800 going to be as big at wasting ink or is the more Pro level going to help that?

I am about to invest in a 3800 or possible the next size up. I often do large print runs and then put my current

printer down for up to 3 months at a time with no use. It always clogs while I am away. Does anyone have

experience with the 3800 and how long it takes before the heads begin to clog?

 

Is there a way to keep it running longer term?

You asked about my 105. It is the AF version but not the newest VR one. As far as bodies I

use D200's and am pondering the new full frame D3.

I am looking to ad an extension tube to my bag. I would use it for greater macro on my 105 macro and

closer working distance on my 500f4 P lens. Does anyone have experience with the Auto Extension Tube

Set? I would like to metering on my lenses and my auto focus on my AFS lens. Any thoughs?

In answer to the questions I had been trying to set the comander mode on the 800 with M

rather than A or iTTL. I figured that that ment manual mode and thus would only fire the

main flash. But it still seems to want to fire the pre flash. I guess the preflash is to tell the

600 how much power to use. If I set the flashes indvidually and use the 800's SU-4 all works

well.

I am asking this question because I don't want any type of flash from TTL. I am setting my

flashes manualy using a hand held meter. When I have the 800 trigger the 600 on manual

comander mode not iTTL mode it fools my meter. When I have the 600 triger my 800 as an

SU-4 no problem. I want to have the 800 trigger the 600 though.

I was wondering if there is a way to turn off the preflash with the SB-800 and 600 set up if I am using it in

manual mode. I use the 800 as the comander and 600 as slave and the preflash fools my hand held light

meter. Is this just a fact of life or can something be done.

Padding is for sallies! It adds extra wight and bulk. Get a small chest pouch for the body

and one mid range zoom. Mount it to your sholder straps so the wight is off your neck.

Why carry a camera if you can't get it out while on the move for good hiking photos. A

large part of my published hiking/backpacking photos are shot hand held while still

wearing my pack.

 

Carry a good wide angle for landscapes in your pack as well as a small short lightweight

2lb tripod in pack as well. You aren't going to use the landscape lens or tripod without

taking off your pack to take time to compose so why carry it in your hands. Thats what

trekking poles are for. I hardly ever get the gear out of my pack untill the light is good.

The view might be grand but if the light sucks its unusable.

 

If you think wildlife carry a cheep 70-300ED lens. It is light and sharp enough if you stop

down. If you are truely backpacking and not just walking a mile or 2 with a camera don't

take anything more (save CP and GND's). Save wight and space by using your clothes as

padding. You just have to come to terms with not always having the big 500mm or 3lb

zoom lens if you want to go farther afield than everyone else.

 

When I do a trip if Photography is my primary focus I maybe carry a little over 10lbs. If I

am participating in an activity such as climbing or guiding where photos are not the only

reason why I am out I carry about 7lbs.

I am working on shooting some barn owls for an upcomming magazine article and was hoping I could get

some advice. I have a pair living in a super dark barn. First I can maybe go in the barn at night while they

are hunting and rig 2 slaved flashes and set up some type of perch for them with the flashes. Would I

then put a mouse in a kill pan and wait for them to land on the perch to get the mouse?

 

Any one with experience shooting in dark barns with this species.

You asked about why I was testing them at such close range "what are yo trying to prove?"

I was trying to make sure that the sensor was absolutely getting the "message"

 

I seem to be having the same issues with my gear as your wedding pro friend. Not

working reliably. Sometimes it works and it works well, other times it does not. I will do

some testing at different ISO and down to f1.4 but I know it has enough power first off

because when the flash doesn't have enough power it tells you how much it underexposed

by. I reguarly use this to figure out how much more ISO I need to allow my flash enoght

power.

Lots of questions about technique and all that. Well if can tell you that it is not the flashes

being under powered, because one shot will be right on and the next underexposed the

other way around. I can visually check to make sure everything has a ready light before

firing no difference. I can point with no umbrellas and same results. It is not a lack of

power issue. It is a consistancy issue.

 

Something else I have been noticing during more testing yesterday is that the dam things

sometimes only fire a preflash. That can even be when I hold the comander 3 inches from

the sensor on the slave. The main strobe does not fire. I am giving up I think and won't

waste my time with iTTL for mulitple flash. It works great with one 800 for fast stuff.

I changing nothing about the shoot. Not shooting a white background. I am adjusting flash

compensation on flash for each channel.

I have been having problems with my Sb-800 and 600 set up. No matter how much compensation I dial in

everything comes out under exposed. I can remove umbrellas and point them at my subject from 5 feet

and they still under expose. If I just set one flash on iTTL it does fine, so it is not a power issue. I use a

TTL cord to place my master 800 off camera and then use it to control the 600.

 

My other problem is that some times in the middle of a shoot the hole system just stops working. I get

pre flashes, but the flash does not fire during the shutter. I get solid black no flash pics.

 

After searching the net I find other people talking about this under exposure problem as well. Does the

system just suck? should I just give up on TTL and go all manual. I was really hoping to avoid this

because of speed and ease.

I too am having problems with consistant under exposure no matter how much compensation

I give the flash system. Even with direct flash from 5 feet away at high iso. Is this just the

system just sucking and I should use my light meter?

I am about to buy a big Teli (500mm) and I want to consolidate some of my other gear. I have been

thinking about unloading my 80-200 AF and 300F4 for one AFS lens in this range and an extender. I was

hoping that someone had experience as to how well the 80-200AFS and 70-200 AFS VR lens preform with

a 1.4 and 1.7 extenders.

 

I know the VR is nice but I can get a used AFS for half the price so if it works well with the extenders

(shapness and AF) this eliminates my need of the 300F4.

 

Anyone with experiences?

So I have not done this hike but I guide and carry cameras on a regular basis shooting pro

quality materail. I would tell you that as far as the tripod if you want pro materail you have

to carry a "real" tripod. I carry the lightest weight Gitzo Carbon Fiber that comes to waste

high. I put the smallest RRS head on it. The set up was not cheep maybe $450 but it

weighs less than 3lbs and gives me publishable results with up to a 80-200 2.8.

 

As far as lenses on the PCT you probably would want to only carry a all in one or possibly

2 say 18-70 and 70-300. I shoot Nikon but I would tell you Pro lenses are too heavy for

such a trip. I carry consumer gear in the back country and just stop down on a tripod.

 

For bodies I used to carry a D70 and now I carry a D200. The weight is a little more but

this is the part that is going to bring you the results and the biger avalable print size. I

would never carry anything with a vertical grip or anything like that. Pre digital I would

carry an F100.

 

As far as power... Sort trips (up to a week) just carry extra batteries. I am preparing for a 3

week shoot on the Grand Canyon and I invested in a Brunton Solaris solar pannel. They

have different sizes and you can get a small one that may take all day to charge one

battery but you have all day so no sweat. Just take 2-3 bats.

 

The other thing you must think about is card storage. No more mailing the film home and

opening your resupply box for new film. I have been using a Wovereen Flash Pro storage

device, and am currently doing some product testing with the new Hyperdrive Space. Take

one or two if you want back up of these.

 

Starts to sound like a lot of gear. I would guess camera, lens, tripod, card reader, and

solar pannel 15lbs. Just camera gear 8lbs.

 

Last thought... Rig a chest pack on to your backpack sholder straps, don't wear a chest

harness.

 

Good luck.

Josh

Are you saying a 2min exposure at ISO 100 is better than a 30 seccond at ISO 400?

 

What about a 20 min exposure?

 

Anyone with true life experience with this stuff? I need the materials to be publishable.

So I plan to do some night photography on an upcoming shoot. I was wondering what experience people

have with shooting long exp on digital. Is it better to shoot at a higher ISO or for a longer shutter speed?

My first attempt at lightning this fall sucked. I shot ISO 1600 at f1.4, should I shoot at a lower ISO and

just bulb my shutter as required?

 

I have the Long exp noise reduction set in my camer, but what will give me better results?

 

Specifics... I am shooting with a D200 and I have a 50 1.4 so I can get about as wide open as it comes. I

need to be able to shoot stars, glowing tents, and possibly lighning.

 

Thanks

So what is the verdict here? Should I be thinking about 2 mono lights if I am goint to

continue shooting more big room weddings.

 

My take from all the talk is that there are many techniques for all situations (nothing new

here), but that maybe for the big stuff most people are using mono lights. Whether that be

one bounced or my personal choice 2 shot into umbrellas or maybe a white wall.

 

Bottom line do I really need to spend the $1500 to gain more consistant and quality results

across a wide range of situations?