peterafle

<p>Thanks for the link, Rob. So assuming dpreview is right, if I want 1:1, I should use the zoom setting *two* levels below the max...</p>

<p>O wise and generous Nikon-shamans --<br>

During image playback on a D-90, is it possible to limit the extent of the zoom on the camera's LCD display, such that it will stop at 100% or "actual pixels"? When I am zooming in to check focus or sharpness on an image I have just taken, it appears to zoom to a magnification greater than 100 percent, which seems pointless to me, since at that point, the display is pixelizing the image. If I had my druthers, I would like to see a menu option to stop the zoom at that point, but I don't see any indication in the manual or elsewhere that this exists. Perhaps this is something that could be considered in a future firmware update?</p>

<p>Alternatively can someone confirm for me that the zoom setting one-step-before-maximum corresponds to 100% or "actual pixels"? In case it matters, I shoot in NEF mode.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance, most learned ones.</p>

<p>Pete</p>

<blockquote>

<p>You seem to think that more expensive cameras <em>take better pictures. </em>THEY DON'T. The main advantage of more expensive bodies is that they <em>take pictures better.</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Amen to that... very well put. <em><br /></em></p>

<p>From the original post, it seems like convenience -- specifically not having to change lenses -- is the #1 goal. <br>

With that in mind, I would have to say that if the price is acceptable, then the 18-200 is a very, very convenient lens. I have taken literally thousands of images with mine, and I have taken it on trips as far afield as Bali and Iceland. <br>

If I am in a situation where I don't want to have to change lenses, and where I have good light (or can use flash) then it is the "swiss army knife" I would reach for. It is definitely a little soft at 200mm, and there is some distortion at 18mm, but overall, it sounds like it could be just the thing for David's girlfriend. If she wants a low-light lens, this isn't it, and it's not a great birds-and-wildlife lens, but given what she's replacing, I have a feeling she's going to be pretty happy with it...<br>

All the images in <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/PeterRafle/2009_10_03_DFCA_Rocktoberfest?authkey=Gv1sRgCK2Y15z93ZO59wE&feat=directlink">this album </a>were taken with the Nikon 18-200 VR.</p>

 

<p>Adorama sells a third-party version, too: http://www.adorama.com/CZDRD70S.html although the genuine Nikon is surprisingly affordable.</p>

<p>I'm (almost) speechless. This is one of the most consistently excellent collections of WeDnEsdAy images I can remember...everyone really brought their best this week! I could spend all morning singing the praises of every single picture. Instead, I am going to list my entirely subjective favorites in each arbitrarily chosen and defined category.<br>

Favorite Bird: This one is a tie: <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=997829">Rick Moran</a>'s harrier -- wonderful light, super sharp, and a great capture (by you and the bird); and <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4237857">Paula Wang</a>'s barn owl -- i like the way the shadows focus the eye on the face of the owl (Runner up: Bogdan's turkey) Honorable mention and congrats to <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3918094">Phil Burt</a> on his first eagle -- may there be many more.<br>

Favorite Portrait: <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4434969">Mark Gordon</a>'s muddy still from "Lord of the Flies" (runners up: <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=322656">Brandon Wu</a>'s Na'vi Princess and <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=35389">Eric James'</a> Kuskokwim boy) Also a WaRm WeDneSdAy wElCoMe to <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=6033363">Pat Lau</a> with a lovely shot -- but was there any Nikon in it? ;-)<br>

Favorite Still-Life: <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5576216">Jana Hughes</a>' chandelier -- it's hard to believe the real colors were even more vibrant (honorable mention to <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3949752">Gej Jones</a>'s rusted chain)<a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5576216"></a><br>

Favorite Macro: <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5735871">Enrique Rabelo</a>'s bird's eye view -- not bad for a first try at macro! :-)<br>

Favorite Flower: <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=380414">Oskar Ojala</a>'s simple but lovely spring flowers (honorable mentions are too many to list!)<br>

Favorite Landscape: <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4420899">Anish Mankuthel</a>'s castle; runner up <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5800409">Don Martinich</a>' s California valley<br>

Favorite Bug: <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4768482">Alejandro Held</a>'s "Gata Peluda" -- honrable mentions to all the dragonflies, especially <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4141009">Rick Dohme</a>'s smiling dragon, and to Lil Judd for not letting pain keep her from finding beauty in a humble spider. Hope you feel better soon, Lil!<br>

Favorite Other: <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2403817">Rodeo Joe</a>'s skydiving team. Also wins for best descriptive caption. :-) Runner up: <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=478782">Dave Lee</a>'s B-17 - I'm a lifelong airplane nut; perfect match of shutter speed for those four big props.<br>

See you all next WeEk!<br>

PR</p>

<p>Not enough time for photos this week -- actually, I took some shots over the weekend, but ran out of time for editing -- so here's another from my friend's band's gig two weeks ago. As usual, I'll be back later once I've had a chance to properly assess this morning's exhibition. So far, it's among the best WeDNeSdaYs ever!<br>

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

<p>A set of extension tubes might be an option to explore. They will let your 50mm focus very, very close indeed. I use an old set of "dumb" tubes that work only with manual focus/aperture lenses. But for under $100 USD, these <a href="http://www.adorama.com/MCAETNKAF.html">http://www.adorama.com/MCAETNKAF.html</a> will let you explore the world of macro with your 50mm lens while maintaining auto focus and auto aperture control (bear in mind that macro work almost always uses manual focus). <br /> <a href="../photodb/folder?folder_id=962928">All the images in my Macro gallery</a> were taken with a 50mm lens and extension tubes on a D90. For reference, the white bell-shaped blossoms are about a centimeter long.<br /> I also found <a href="http://www.edbergphoto.com/pages/Tip-macro-tools.html">this link</a> to be very helpful in explaining the pros and cons of the various options for macro photography.<br /> Good luck!<br /> PR</p>

<p>I agree with Peter that if your goal is firing multiple flashes with the D90, the simplest way is to use the built in CLS system, and add an SB600 or two. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Other than the slight increase in power and included bounce card on the 800, how much would I be able to do with an 800 plus my 600 that I can't do with 2-600s?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Since the SB800 can act as a CLS commander (the role the pop up is playing now), that option would let you mount the 800 on-camera and trigger your 600 remotely via CLS. It would also let you add additional 600s later and still have a flash on camera.<br>

The SB400 and the 283 can't be triggered this way, though. If your goal is to fire all of your Vivitar and other assorted flashes off camera, you may want to to look at radio triggers. Cactus makes inexpensive ones that get decent reviews, or you can pony up more cash for PocketWizards or other high-end triggers. <br>

Check Strobist.com for myriad options and good explanations of how they all work (or don't work) together.<br>

If you tell us more about what you are shooting, and what lighting problems you're trying to solve, it would help folks here give you more specific advice.</p>

<p>Will do Shun -- no KR bashing was intended, in fact, the point was that both Peter H and I both found Ken Rockwell's user's guide to the the D90 to be very helpful in getting acquainted with our new cameras, and I would recommend it to other newcomers to the D90. </p>

<p>

<p >Took me a little while to find time to come back and comment this week. Work always seems to interfere with my photographic obsession... As always, every image gave me something to think about, and I loved the themes that cropped up -- so many marvelous ducks and geese and swans and flowers!</p>

 

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3944538">Jeff Lipsman</a>’ delicate wild radish</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3911606">Chris Court</a>’s focus stacked insect – you may see room for improvement, but I think it’s amazing! Well done! (I need to learn more about this technique.</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=24372">Shun Cheung</a>’s fantastic hummingbird (my favorite for the week, too)</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=127625">Sanford Gerald</a>’s lilies</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=786707">Tiffany Brook</a>’s gosling – the point of view makes this even better</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=323291">Dieter Schaefer</a>’s wildflowers</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=550529">Thomas Gerstendoerfer</a>’s blue band shot – I always enjoy your music shots; you’ve inspired me to do more of this myself</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5102155">Jens Frederiksen</a>’s flower – I like the color and contrast in this image</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2206786">Narayan Kovvali</a>’s delicate cherry (?) blossoms</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2115481">Alpo Syvänen</a>’s Viking boat</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2186708">Tony Hadley</a>’s dramatic sunlit island – I’d love to see a big print of this</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=172915">Lex (perpendicularity consultant) Jenkins</a>’ smoochus interruptus – priceless. </p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=1998172">Louis Meluso</a>’s black and white chrysanthemum</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3742560">Adey L</a>’s and <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4584593">D Taylor</a>’s smiling ducks</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=997829">Rick Moran</a>’s osprey takeoff – great capture, and a nice composition, too</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3934868">Richard Armstrong</a>’s maple flower</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5223897">Raaj Kovinthan</a>’s backlit orchid</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5159294">Doug Rice</a>’s knockout punch – the lighting may have been tough, but this is a great shot nonetheless. </p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5950500">Gabriel Hasser</a>’s self-portrait with TLR – very imaginative and a cool result</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4434969">Mark Gordon</a>’s young swans – the still-brown feathers, and the way they are battling the waves made this particularly evocative and romantic.</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3692468">Paul Howard</a>’s spread egret</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4860036">Raden Munim</a>’s trumpets</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5490485">Juho Niva</a>’s crocus</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2087284">Keith Gierman</a>’s ‘gator</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=35389">Eric James</a>’ camera toss – I love the result, but the idea of launching my camera into the air makes me sick to my stomach. Please tell us more about how you did this!</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=1183736">Marc McCoy</a> Not sure what it is, but I like it. Loved the Silly Putty™ last week, too…</p>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=488147">James Symington</a> – better late than never – a lovely palette</p>

<p > </p>

</p>

<p>Mark's second link there, Scott Kelby's "Digital Photography Book", is really good. Very easy to understand, and full of great tips and ideas.</p>

<p>Good Morning Nikonistas!<br>

I don't get out much, but last Friday, I was able to sneak out to see a friend's band at a local restaurant. They put on a great show, and this guy, their singer, pulled off bold and unexpected covers of Sade's "Smooth Operator" and Prince's "Purple Rain." Not your typical bar-band fare...<br>

I'll be back later with comments - looks like another fabulous exhibition of raw (or should I say NEF?) talent and artistry!<br>

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

<p>I am not ashamed to say that I downloaded Jen Jockwell's guide and went through all of his suggestions on the menus and custom settings, and it really helped me get oriented on the D90. In fact, it was so helpful, I sent him 5 bucks. I hope that doesn't get me banned from Photo.net.<br>

It definitely took me a month or two of shooting to get a sense for what I wanted in the MyMenu list -- and I am still tweaking it. I have settled on "AutoISO Settings" for the top item, but the others entries are a work in progress. It's also pretty easy to re-arrange them on the fly for specific situations. I keep the Nikon manual on my bedside table, and I look things up as I need answers. <br>

I shoot NEF/RAW almost exclusively, so I splurged and got a pair of 4 GB cards. That gives me 260+ on a card, which is more than enough 99% of the time. I have a handful of 1 and 2 gb cards as backup, so I think I'm covered.<br>

I agree on the off camera flash - a second 600 isn't in my budget yet, but I have messed around with the off camera options. It's very, very cool, once you break the code on the CLS channels and settings on the camera and flashes. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Many users here see that it's plastic and don't give it a chance, <strong>but so long as you drop it</strong> it's an excellent, sharp lens with very good color rendition</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I think you left out a word, Andrew... :-)</p>

<p>Peter H:<br>

Try setting the Fn button to call up "First item in My Menu," then fill My Menu with the settings you use most often (I have it set to bring up the AutoISO settings, then filled the menu AF modes, BAtt Info, PictureControl modes, and a few other settings I use most often). One button gets you to your favorite settings really efficiently, and it's a huge time saver -- I actually got this tip from the site-that-dare-not-speak-it's-name-but-which-rhymes-with-Ben-Bockwell.<br>

If you really like the feel of a bigger camera, consider the Meike version of the MBD80; I got mine at Adorama -- it works great at a fraction of the price of the Nikon version. I thought I would only use it occasionally, but I haven't taken it off my D90 since I got it. </p>

<p>Kikas -- yes, you have it right. For a given focal length, focus distance and aperture, the DOF will be the same, regardless of the lens. The advantage of a faster lens like the 35/1.8 is that the larger apertures allow you to take photos in less light while keeping the shutter speed high. And you are right that moving to larger apertures will reduce the DOF and change the creative effect -- although that shallow depth of field is often (but not always) a good thing.</p>

<p>+1 for the SB-400 -- It should be just the ticket. The ability to bounce the flash also makes a tremendous qualitative difference in the light from the flash. The other great feature is its small size -- when you're not using it, you can easily slip it into your pocket. </p>

<p>@Steve Levine-- I went from D50 (a fabulous camera) to a D90 last year. The benefits: ENORMOUS LCD screen, better viewfinder, more AF points, two control wheels (so you can control aperture and shutter separately in manual mode without pushing other buttons), better high-ISO performance, more buttons (faster access to certain things you have to use menus for on the 50), DOF preview button, much greater control over white balance. The ability to zoom in and out on the LCD with dedicated + and - buttons alone was almost worth the price of admission. Those are just the things that come to mind. That said, I shot tens of thousands of pictures with my D50 on three continents; it never once let me down. The D50 taught me a tremendous amount about photography, and I only upgraded once I started feeling like these were things I was missing. There are a few downsides: the D90 is bigger and heavier than the 50, and the files are much bigger, so fewer on a card (although the 90 will read SDHC cards (over 2gb) which the 50 won't) and that takes more disk space. Overall, I'm really glad I made the move, but I'm also glad I didn't upgrade until I had wrung everything I could out of the D50. My 12 year old son is now starting up the learning curve with the D50, and I have no doubt he'll get several good years out of it before he inherits my D90...while I upgrade to a D7, of course... :-)</p>

<p>Without seeing the mount you're talking about, I hesitate to give a specific answer, but I've mounted lots of manual lenses, ancient extension tubes etc. on my D90 without any problems. The contacts on the camera that connect to the electronics on AF lenses are recessed so they don't touch the old manual AI lens mounts. Nevertheless, I would be very gentle the first time you attempt to connect a new lens or accessory. Proceed slowly, and if you feel any unexpected resistance or other issue, stop.</p>

<p>Put me down as a fan of CaptureNX2</p>

<p>I actually do 90% of my image processing in CaptureNX2. I would say that if you are a Nikon shooter using the NEF/RAW format, you should definitely consider it. Do some searches on this forum -- there has been some discussion of qualitative differences between conversions in NX versus conversions in Adobe Camera Raw and other programs, with NX coming out ahead. One advantage is that your images will appear on screen as you saw them on your camera's LCD screen, reflecting your PictureControl settings, where that is not necessarily the case in Adobe Camera Raw. If you aren't shooting in NEF, then this is obviously less important to you. My personal feeling is that when I am adjusting images in NX2, it feels more like working in a darkroom -- it seems more "photographic" to me, but that's a personal, subjective judgment. The interface does take some getting used to -- it's not as slick as Lightroom or PS. On the other hand, CS takes a lot of study to really master, too. </p>

<p>I can't justify hundreds of dollars for CS, and I find that NX2 does almost everything I need to do to my images. It runs very well on my computer. That said, it won't do everything -- it doesn't do text, for example, so if you want to do watermarks, you'll need another program. I use a combination of PS Elements 6.0, GIMP, IrfanView, and Picasa for specific other operations.</p>

<p>Tell us a little more about what you do in CS3 -- what sort of operations are you mostly performing? IF it is mostly levels, color adjustment, sharpening, etc? Or are you doing extensive manipulations, complex masking operations, digital collages? What needs is CS3 not meeting for you?</p>

<p>You may have already done this, but if you haven't, download the 60-day free trial of NX2 from the Nikon website and give it a try. </p>

<p>Francesco -- Ah, the old polarizer trick! :-) I think my eye was fooled by the combination of the polarized clouds and the reflected light off the bright cobblestones, which brightened up the shadows on the riders shirts and the tires. I thought you might have combined more than one output from a single RAW file, or something -- either way, the result is great! Wish I could have been there!</p>

<p>Too many inspiring images to mention, as usual! Suffice it to say that if your shot had a flower or a bird or a child or an adult or a landscape or an animal or an inanimate object in it, I loved it. However, here are a few that made me stop and linger and think.<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2206786">Narayan Kovvali</a>'s yellow flower -- I like the bug's-eye point of view and the bokeh on the house in the background.<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5735871">Enrique Rabelo</a>'s ninja feet -- great composition and unusual pov<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2418329">Lil Judd</a> -- Once again, I'm speechless. Talk about an inspiration to keep trying. Great colors, great focus, great photo. <br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4641068">Greg Kowalczewski</a> -- You risked your face and an expensive lens to get the shot, but the result is worth it!<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5759412">Tom Serio</a> -- Anyone who can make me see the space needle through new eyes has accomplished something.<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=172915">Lex (perpendicularity consultant) Jenkins</a> -- "The Polaroid Hipsters" is going on my list of great names for bands.<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4860036">Raden Munim</a> -- The lovely isolation of your periwinkle from the background caught my eye.<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3670956">Eric Arnold</a>'s Rocketship -- Great subject, great caption, great photo.<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5658107">Francesco Pessolano</a>'s dramatic shot of the Paris-Roubaix classic -- did you work some HDR magic on this one, Francesco?<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5661879">Vineet Rajasekhar</a>'s mesmerising lights<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=997829">Rick Moran</a> -- now <em><strong>THAT</strong></em>'s an Osprey!<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=550529">Thomas Gerstendoerfer</a> -- As a bassist myself, I really appreciated the intensity of this shot.<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=628662">Tim Holte</a>' Lake Michigan goose<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2300756">Issac Sam</a>'s tiny bee<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=475624">Ofey Kalakar</a>'s black and white flowers and fence made me dizzy and disoriented, in a good way.<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5102155">Jens Frederiksen</a>'s handsome rooster. Why do I feel like you risked your face and your lens for this shot, too?<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4151244">Doug Santo</a> -- I can't resist a hummingbird; this one is very pretty, and a perfect balance between sharpness and the blur of the wings.<br /> <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5982840">Jamie Harre</a> -- love how the blur infuses this shot with the feeling of action.<br /> I'm sure there will be more later, but thanks as always for sharing. This thread has become the highlight of my week... <br /> PR</p>

<p>WoW! Another wIlD and WoNDerFUl WeDNesDaY! Seems like I wasn't the only in a macro frame of mind this week. This is a shot of the centimeter-long blossoms on the blueberry bushes in my garden, once again taken with my late father-in-law's vintage extension tubes and the E-series 50mm lens from the Nikon EM he bought my wife's mother in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to get her into photography.<br>

I'll be back with comments on the spectacular offerings later in the day, but I can already tell this is going to be a great thread...<br>

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

<p>Thanks for the compliment, Jessica -- I want to learn to take close-ups like Roberta's too... :-)<br>

I just sent you a note.</p>