johnclinch

<p>My concern would be off axis performance in lenses designed for APS-C. These are are often starting to show softness and image darkening in standard use. With this adaptor they will need an image circle that is pretty much full frame. So so mounting a 18-xx aps-c zoom just won't work.</p>

<p>i think the nest we can hope for is that full frame wide lenses will work with the field of view that they were originaly designed for. So a full frame 28mm lens will work as a full frame, although a stop faster. Although this might give live to all those old manual focus wide angle lenses.</p>

<p>My Minolts 5400 is happily scanning away under its orginal driver on a windows 7 64 bit machine</p>

<p>It is being run from the XP virtual machine. You need the profesional or ultimate bundle for this option but it working just fine.</p>

<p>Have you noticed that you can have lightroom beta 3 free until April 31st 2010.</p>

<p>I am using lightroom 3 at the moment. It is great at what it does but it has 2 things missing that I can't really do without.</p>

<p>A proper curves tool<br>

The ability to use masks as a means of selective adjustments</p>

<p>In your posistion I'd use photoshop 7 for these functions. Currently I use GIMP (which is free) for these extra functions.</p>

<p>Elements doesn't have a proper curves tool either (and I think it doesn't do layers and masks)</p>

<p>I use ACR and CS3. In general I shoot manual exosure, auto white balance.</p>

<p>I then open all the images at one in ACR from bridge. I'll then work on one exposure and try to get an unclipped histogram, mainly using fill light, high light recovery and exposure. I then select all and the images and synchronise (buttons for this above the thumbnails of the other images). I then check the histograms of the other images. Once I'm happy I'll save as 16 bit tiff and open in photoshop. From there I photo merge, flatten then edit in my normal way. Curves, layers masks etc.<br>

<a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2478/3880673965_6bc2a351aa_b.jpg"></a><br>

I have no idea if aperture priority would be better, but this has always worked for. I use a Nikon D70s, your camera proably has better dynamic range. For your aready shot images I would get them as close as possible in ACR. If they have to be different exposures then let it vary smoothly across the files</p>

<p>You'll probably hate this aesthetically but it shows a very high contrast scene as a 360 pano. Its then wrapped round on its self via rectangular polar coordinnates transformation<br>

<a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2478/3880673965_6bc2a351aa_b.jpg">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2478/3880673965_6bc2a351aa_b.jpg</a></p>

<p>Sorry John. I ignored this part of your question, partly because I don't have a great numrical answer. But looking at a few of you recent posts then I might be able to give you an idea.<br>

Before I bought my DSLR I was either scanning slide film or using a point and shoot. The dynamic range of a DSLR shooting RAW is huge in comparison. It it rare for me to run out of range. Thats on a D70s.</p>

<p>I noticed that you posted about slide fil underexposed by 2/3 of a stop. On a DSLR in RAW you'd could normally remove that so well with the exposure slider, in the RAW converter, in under a second and no would be able to tell. The exception being if there are really deep shadows. Print film has a better dynamic range but I'm less familiar so won't comment</p>

<p>this shot used RAW conversion to balance the bright sky. Probanly the two RAW conersions were 2 stops different in exposure<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3180/2992648902_7500d053c8_o.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>I think I read that a D3 is nearly in forget neutral grads territory</p>

<p>Get a NEF file and a RAW converter then play. I think you'll be surprised</p>

<p>Let me know if you need a NEF</p>

<p>Buying photographic equipment is about knowing what you want and or need.</p>

<p>I would love more dynamic range. I use multiple RAW conversions rather than Neutral Grad filters. Some times the sky is blown beyond revovery. So if I trade my D70s for a D90 I wouldexpect improvement in this regard.</p>

<p>The poster above never has dynamic range issues. But does use high iso. Great he knows his needs</p>

<p>IMHO lots of people buy cameras based on the needs other people tell them they have. The same goes for lenses</p>

<p>So start with working out where your current gear not able to meet your needs. Then work out what you need to meet these needs. It might be a flash gun, new lens, tripod, body or RAW converter</p>

<p>I wonder if a more general book would make sense. Who knows what else you are missing</p>

<p>Currently I'm using the Photoshop Bible and find it has plenty of information on layers.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>A couple more tips<br>

As well as using the camera in Manual batch process all the RAW files on the same settings. You cannot set each one separatley for max dynamic range.<br>

Before I had CS3 I had problems with dynamic range and stitching. Using Hugin (which is excellent and free) I would stich the panorama twice with seperate conversion for the sky and land. I had to trick the program into indentical stitching buy renaming folders etc. I would then combine with the results as layers with a mask. Here is an example. Shot at 18mm on a D70s, so although other cameras have better dynamic range even a D70s has enough to recover the sky in many situations</p>

<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3041/3058920543_c991e93d09_b.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="473" /></p>

<p>Water fall etc. are a problem with stitching as they change with time, but should be OK with a long enough exposure</p>

<p>I think a used 18-70 is the way to go<br>

the other plus is that its a true ring motor for its AFS. For a lens of this type you get fast focusing<br>

the zoom range is OK. Its my only lens<br>

So all the photos on my flickr area taken since march 2007 were taken with this lens <br>

non are corrected for vignetting or distortion. Some are cropped<br>

<a title="my flickr site" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/">My flickr site</a></p>

<p> </p>

<p>Its possible what your friend meant was "Shots in SRGB will not exploit all the colours your printer can produce"<br>

I'm an amatuer and happily live in an entirely SRGB world.</p>

<p>Every photo on the net is SRGB (or should be)</p>

Edward as some one who was thinking of buying Capture NX in what way isn't it that good?

thanks

John

I own the older Minolta and it works just fine for me

The 5400 dpi is a bit of a myth (like the 12MP pint and shoot)

Yes it will produce a large file. But with my slides and negatives I don't think I was getting more detail from the higher dpi

I almost always use it at 2,700 dpi to give files about the size of a 10MP camera

They print very nicely 12" by 18"

My hunch is that the Nikon will be equal int the ability to record fine detail

Actuall Hugin is avaible for windows and MAC as well and all for free. It is by any standardsan amazing piece of software. For example it estimate lens distortion and vignetting and correct for them, all by just examining your input images (or you can input information from the PTL lens data base). Enblend will cleverly cut round people who have moved, where possible. Everyone should have a copy

On the speed front I wouldn't worry. I have stitched 35 6Mp images on a computer with 512 Mb of RAM. It helps not to ask for to big an output, well at least until you are sure you need a big output. Just save the project then ask for a big output when you need it. They claim to have created giga pixel images with hugin.

You may find this useful, it describes stitching a long wall of graffiti

http://www.dojoe.net/tutorials/linear-pano/

The bottom of this tutorial describes what you want, but it describes it as impossible for anything other than a flat object. Simply put the borders of each photo have a different perspective, they simply can't be matched

http://slash72.club.fr/gurl/MODES-PROJECTION/en_prefecture_rectiligne.htm

If possible stand along way fron the object and use a telephoto lens from one point.

Best of luck

Take lots of CF cards, so you don't need to review shots. Take a spare charged battery. Although my D70s would easily do 3 days on one battery. If you are worried you could buy a grip and uses lithium AA's.

http://www.justcanon.com/acatalog/Canon_Battery-Grips_for_SLR.html

Routeburn huts do not have power oulets, or they didn't in the 1990's

Just found this leaflet, which confirms that they don't

http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/southland/routeburn-track-brochure.pdf

If you are doing the guided walks then the huts are different, check with your operator

Think about a water proof case to store your camera

Any way enjoy. I'm sure you will

I think you need to check whether PE6 meets your colour management needs. It certainly does more than older versions but it does not have full colour management. My memory is that its fine for tethered printing but cannot convert to profile for sending out to a third party printer.

Bur check with some one who really knows

Slrgear.com does an excellent comparison of these lenses

However the numbers quoted above are not from objective reviews but user ratings.

I own the Nikon and like it, but some times wish I had closer focusing.....

sorry for not responding before

Ok if I'd used iso 400 either I would have had the correct exposure and camera shake, wrecking the photo. This is the worst option by far, once its blurred its blurred

Or it would be very under exposed. Dealing with the under exposure makes more noise than using iso 1600

One of the best bits of advice I've ever had is that for low light you are better off with high iso and the correct exposure, than a lower iso and the wrong exposure. It is also true that hi iso is better than too slow a shutter speed.

My camera is a D70s, no hi iso demon but 1600 iso images run through Capture one le are fine, if the initial exposure was correct.

This is a iso 1600 panorama in a once in a life time situation. I am glad I didn't try 400, although I did use 1000 on some.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/237/460158359_c925800587_b.jpg