janvanlaethem

<p>Thanks. The only way I can be absolutely sure is to order 2 batteries from a different source. This camera takes 2 batteries in the battery compartment. Polarity has been double checked and the contacts cleaned off, just in case.</p>

<p>Hi,<br>

I have bought an Olympus 35 EC but can't get it to work. There are fresh batteries in the camera, but the battery check light does not light up when I press the shutter button. There is film in the camera, but when I wind on it doesn't stop, so I guess the shutter isn't cocking. I could wind on to the very end of the film.<br>

Does anyone know how to solve this? The batteries come from my regular battery supplier, so they can't be faulty.<br>

Also, what position does the guide number ring have to be in for non-flash photography? I can't find a clear answer in the instructions.<br>

Thanks</p>

<p>Jan</p>

Thank you for the very informative answers. I will first try it out on the F3 to see how I go, with and without the M2.

 

I do have a BR-2A ring which I picked up at a local camera store, I think it will be great to use this lens and others in reversed position. The bellows is something I might want to use at some point, but I will look into that at a later stage.

 

Jan

Hi Lex,

 

Thanks for your very informative answer. I'm not sure how I can distinguish a regular pre-Ai lens from another that has been AI'd. I've heard about these conversions, but don't really know where to look at.

 

From you post, I understand that I could use the 55mm in conjunction with the M2 on any Nikon camera, so it would be safe to mount on my FM3A and my F3HP. I also understand that I could use the 55mm lens on its own on the F3HP, provided I lock the meter coupling lever of the F3 in the up position. Is this correct?

 

I'm fine with stop down metering or even using a hand held meter.

 

Would this lens also be a good performer in reversed position or on a bellows?

 

Regards

 

Jan

Can anyone help me to identify this Micro Nikkor? I understand there are several types available. I think this is a pre-

AI version and that the extension ring is the correct one to get to 1:1 magnification.

 

I have put some pictures in this folder

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=871299

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Jan

FM3A and 50mm f/1.2

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/6126133

Thanks for your answers. I've decided to leave the finders as they are, but will try to unscrew the eyepiece, as Peter suggested, and see if there is any dust in there that could easily be removed.

 

Jan

Thanks for the link, Lex. I really like his DIY tilt and shift project:

 

 

Jan

I have noticed that my high-eyepoint finder DE-3 and action finder DA-2 have several dust specs inside them. Nothing

that really prevents focusing, but nonetheless I'd like to know how to clean them out. Can I just remove the screws

on both finders, open them and clean them out, or is there something I need to know first? I have a set of small

screw drivers but no other specific equipment, nor any previous experience with this.

 

Any comments are welcome.

 

Thanks

 

Jan

The thin focusing ring takes a little bit of time to get used to, but I never found it a hindrance. It's a great lens to have if you like the 40 to 45mm focal length. On an FM series camera it also makes a great combo to have around at all times, light and small.

 

If you find one, make sure it comes with the NC filter and dedicated lens hood. They show up from time to time on keh.com, which is about the only place I trust with second hand equipment. It's amazing how a store can advertise this lens as mint and when you try it out in person the lens has a scratch on the front element!

I bought my first Nikon camera at a local camera store. Their prices were in line with the rest of the stores in the same area, but I chose that particular store for their service. I remember the owner took his time to explain the camera to me. Since then I have made several purchases at the same store and always find the same friendly, professional service.

 

I have also shopped at larger stores (either electronic stores or photography chains that had stores in every large city) and find their service usually below average. I have a feeling that Vistek falls into this category. They usually only look at the profit they make on that day. Any purchase they complete means money for their pocket. They seem to forget that there is such a thing as a repeat customer. I think in your friend's case, they could have made at least a gesture to lower their price a little bit, cutting back on their profit. A happy customer will usually come back for more purchases. By telling your friend it was tough luck, even if he/she accepted the price they advertised, they basically tell him/her they couldn't care less.

I'm glad you found out what a prime 50mm can do for your photography. Some 15 to 20 years ago (am I showing my age now??), almost every SLR was available either as a camera body by itself or as a kit with a 50mm lens. Usually the amateur to advanced amateur cameras were sold with a 50mm f/1.8, the professional cameras came with a 50mm f/1.4. The 50mm AF (I have the non-D version) was the first Nikkor lens I ever owned and I still use it today. It is usually the first lens I grab for a one-camera-one-lens set up, and it is always in my camera bag when I travel. It is so small and light it would be a shame leaving it at home.

 

I think it is sad that the prime 50mm lens is much overlooked today and usually never considered by someone starting out in photography. Zoom lenses offer great versatility, but I think they also make you a lousy photographer.

 

As for the prices they go for on ebay, that is just a trend I see more and more often. I've seen several second hand items sell for 2 or 3 times what they are worth new in a shop. That is probably down to two reasons: the people bidding not doing their homework before and getting into a frenzy once they are outbid. On the few purchases I've made so far on ebay, I set myself a limit I will no go over, no matter how badly I want it. There will always be a similar item up for sale and you may still find it new if you look for it.

"Despite all the digital buzz these days". What do you mean? I haven't noticed anything. Are you referring to those cameras that store data on a sensor and don't eat film?

Just what I needed, another camera for my own private little Nikon museum. Got an F3 a couple of years ago, if I do get the F4, I'll probably want an F and F2 as well. Oh boy, I'm in trouble...

 

How do you find the F4 compared to the F801s in terms of size and weight? I guess it must be perfect for handholding in low light with a fast prime lens. Interesting note about the 45mm AI-P, I couldn't resist getting one, it hasn't come off the F3 since I got it. It must be a perfect match for the F4.

Great pictures, I especially like the one called "Relax".

 

I have a similar experience with Nikon as Luis and Rick: my first autofocus camera, and my first Nikon for that matter, was an F801s, the F4 was way out of my league at the time. I have fond memories using a friend's F4 though, I may be tempted one of these days to get one myself...

John,

 

Sorry to learn about your lost gear. Tim has already given you some good advice. You may want to look into another camera body that will give you better compatibility with the existing Nikon lenses. If you do, you'll be spoilt for choice. If I were you, I'd keep the D40 as a back-up and get the D-80, plus a fast 50mm f/1.8, which will have the same field of view as a short tele on your DSLR. You will need fast optics if you are going to photograph your children and the indoor tournaments. In the first case, to get a sufficiently fast shutter speed to photograph them well, especially indoors, without blur and potential autofocus problems due to lower light levels. In the second case, even if you work on a tripod, you'll appreciate a faster lens and a brighter viewfinder image, which will help you with composition.

 

At a later stage, you can add a tele or telezoom, but fast telelenses are not cheap. I'm not sure if you'd want to look into a macro lens to replace the Tamron. If so, the Nikkor 60mm AF may be an interesting option.

 

Just a question though: as an organiser of scrabble tournaments, why would you restrict yourself at shooting from a distance of 10 meters? I'm sure that you can shoot from a distance of 3 to 5 meters without disturbing your subjects, if you tell them what sort of pictures you'd like to take and what they will be used for. As you've found out, shooting from a far distance in dimly lit interiors with a slowish telezoom is not going to make it easy. Also, to rely on "getting lucky with maybe one shot in a rapid burst of ten" isn't what I'd recommend for this kind of picture taking. Just take your time to compose carefully, watch your subject's expressions through the viewfinder and take a few pictures when you think their expressions and the light are good. Taking rapid series of shots in these situations is only going to fill up your memory cards quicker and are not going to guarantee good pictures. This would be my approach, of course this is a personal opinion and your experience may be different.

These threads may be of interest to you:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DHUv

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00HqpT

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00J1wL

I'm with Vivek on this one: use it for available light, shallow depth of field shots etc. It's a great lens, it offers a lot of possibilities not available with slower lenses.

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/6126133

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/6131927

Thanks for your remarks. I do take loads of digital pictures with a digital compact, also bought a digital movie camera to capture those special moments. My family lives in a different country, so this is a great way of sharing pictures.

 

But the photo project I started is meant to be something different. Eventually I'd like to make a book, displaying her first year pictures (or at least a selection of the best pictures) in black and white. This will be meant as a gift to my wife and additional copies to be sent to my parents and my wife's parents. I hope I can keep up with it, sometimes it's difficult to find a new angle and not to repeat the same kind of picture. But I'm committed to take one picture a day and that picture needs to be spot on, both metering and composition. If I did this project with a DSLR, I know I'd be taking more pictures and deleting the ones I didn't like. Call me old fashioned, but I just like my film cameras too much not to use them.

 

Thanks Mike for posting the link to your pictures. The remark "I'm starting to get the hang of this now. If I cry, they pick me up. I can keep my mom up all night if I want to. Boy, is that fun." under the caption A MONTH AND A HALF is spot on, this is exactly what we are experiencing now!

Thanks for your answers so far and for the very informative pictures. The lens and lens hood combo would be used on film cameras. I'd rather have a metal screw in lens hood than a rubber one. If I can find the Heliopan hood Juanjo is referring to, that would be great. Otherwise I'll just get another brand, as long as it doesn't vignet and does a proper job at shading the lens, that's fine with me.

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum to post this, but I hope someone can

give me some advice.

 

I've started a little photo project to coincide with the birth of my daughter,

now one and a half months ago. I've set aside one camera, loaded with black and

white Ilford film, and I've committed myself to take one picture a day. In each

picture I want to portray a situation that produces itself during that day.

I've just got my first roll of film back from the lab, now I need to get some

prints made or scan the negatives.

 

I would like this project to be some sort of record of her first year, although

I hope to persevere for a longer period. The reason why I chose to do this with

film is precisely because of the archival characteristics of film. As a side

note, this doesn't prevent me from taking loads of pictures with a digital

compact camera, but still, I want the project to be strictly film: I force

myself to take one picture every day and I only have one frame a day. This kind

of makes it more of a challenge to me.

 

Has anyone done the same kind of project, maybe with a different subject, and

would like to share his/her ideas or suggestions? Any comments are welcome.

 

Thanks

 

Jan

I'm wondering which lens hood I should use with the 50mm f/1.8 AF. I found

plenty of information about the 50mm f/1.8 AF-D (recommended hood HR-2) or the

50mm f/1.8 AI and AI-S (recommended hood HS-11 or HR-4), but nothing

specifically about the early AF version I own. It has the characteristic thin

focus ring and plastic distance scale window of early AF lenses. It is referred

to as the "AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8s Original version (MK I)" on this webpage:

 

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/50mmnikkor/i

ndex7.htm

 

From what I've been able to find out so far, there are subtle differences in

the distance between the front lens element and the filter threads on most

Nikon standard lenses, so a lens hood designed for a specific 50mm lens may not

be the correct one for another 50mm lens.

 

Does anyone know what the correct lens hood is for this lens? Unfortunately I

misplaced the original instructions that came with the lens. My preference goes

towards a metal lens hood, rather than rubber hoods or metal snap on hoods.

 

Thanks

 

Jan

As far as I can remember, the Sigma DP-1 was announced at Photokina in September 2006 and due to be released in February 2007. Then the body went through some changes, the most noticeable one the inclusion of a hot shoe on top, with the option to use an external viewfinder. It was then confirmed in March 2007 at the PMA show to be available in May the same year. We're now facing a similar scenario one year later.

 

In my opinion it is still a great concept in theory and one that caught my attention when I first read about it. But then again, time hasn't stood still since. One and a half years between announcing a product and putting it on the market is a long time. The Sigma should deliver outstanding image quality if it wants to justify the higher price vs. other compact digital cameras. Entry level DSLRs have become so good over the last 6 months that the DP-1 will have some fierce competence on that market segment too.

 

If it does prove to be successful, maybe we could see further developments, like a faster wide angle lens or a 35 or 40mm version. Just like the Nikon 28 TI and 35 TI film cameras.

It seems we're finally getting the Sigma DP1, it should be available this

spring.

 

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08013108sigmadp1.asp

 

No word on price yet, I hope Sigma doesn't overprice it. This camera should be,

at least in theory, the ideal travel camera. It's been a long wait, but I look

forward to seeing it's performance.

Thanks Henry, Michael and Ken. So, if I understand it correctly, the inner ring on the lens is for filters with 43mm thread and the outer ring, which I believe is 48mm, for the lens hood.

 

I found a replacement lens hood on this link

 

http://www.cameraquest.com/abrah35nrf.htm

 

but it is still quite expensive. In actual shooting situations with the 3.5cm f/1.8, have you found much problems with flare?

 

I've seen the deeper rear lens caps marked "W", they show up from time to time. I've never found a front lens cap, but I'm thinking of buying a lens hood and an Op/Tech Hood Hat if the dimensions are right (see http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/197129-REG/Op_Tech_USA_8001262_Hood_Hat_Mini.html). I use this combination on various Nikon F mount lenses and find it very practical to use and to give adequate protection.