rossb

Here is the Condor grab shot I took with the Green filter. I think it could have been an awesome shot if I was prepared for it but like I said it was a sudden event and I just snapped it. Nikon FM2n with 50mm lens and the Green filter that I was using for wildflower photos. .

San Juan Bautista Calif. Minolta 35mm

It's a long road home. FM2n/HP5 at 800

I just got the MF and only have the 80mm lens. I have not even finished the first roll yet.however looking into the bright wonderful viewfinder it all looks like a normal perspective to me. I am good with the 80mm. I may buy the 55mm next year but I would not need another lens.

I have been around for 12yrs. I have 3 nikon 35mm cameras and probably will only rarely contfibute to the digital threads going forward as i am not up on the upgrades and stuff. Still i am a nikon user. I just bought a 645 so probably the MF forum will be my main interest going forward.

I try to keep it around $300 a year. Mostly film and chemcals. I probably spend more then that on coffee.

Well you can evaluate the negatives yourself to determine if exposure and focus accuracy are optimum. Lab scans are a hit and miss affair in my experience. In my area they have all closed anyway. Currently I scan 35mm with a Plustek scaner and just purchased a 645 myself and am shopping for an Epson V600. My experience with cheap labs is dirty and scratched processed film and well processed film from places in the US such as Dwayne's. However I bought the stuff and develop myself. Basically you just need to find your own way to high quality processing and scanning. I guess if it was me I would concentrate on one of the cameras for the learning purposes. I shoot 35mm and a 645 both in b/w and develop at home and scan at home. It's a great hobby but time consuming. The 645 gives me 15 shots for 5 dollars plus about a dollar or two for b/w chemicals. Have fun with it.

I try to keep things simple and affordable and may buy a wider lens then my 80mm sometime. Checking keh i could buy a 55mm lens for a very low price and it would take the same filter size as my 80mm. Basically both would use the same 58mm size filter. Anyway that would work for me.

It would be easier to park on the West side as it's easy entrance from Hwy 101.

For viewing Condors in the High Peaks it does not matter which side you park on. The hike up is the same as far as I can tell. I have actually never hiked from the West side but you can see the parking lot from the High Peaks trail at the summit. However the hiking is better from the East side and you can go through the caves and past the reservoir on the way up. If your coming down 101 from the North then it would be no big deal to take Highway 25 to Pinnacles when you get to Gilroy. I think with any digital camera and zoom lens you would get some nice photos. If you want head shots like in your pictures then it may take a big birders lens or many trips to get your shot. Just a regular zoom lens in the High Peaks will allow you to get some nice photos of the birds with rock backgrounds or a rock and sky background. Just depends on what is going on that day. Today the only Condor I saw was the one that the lady took a snap of. Other days I see many Condors out. Before I came upon the lady taking snaps of the bird with her ipad I saw the bird coming in and took a quick shot of it landing with it's wings open and braking for the landing. I had a green filter on the camera as I had been taking photos of wildflowers and it was sudden like so I am not sure until I see the pic if it's going to be bunk or not. There was an obstructing rock right there also and it may have cut off to much but I am not sure. I believe my exposure and focus was good however. Not sure about the green filter and it's not a choice I would have made. The Green filter will lighten blue sky so that is probably not ideal but we shall see. Your Condor shots are awesome.

The normal lens is the diagonal of your film/sensor size. So for a 6x6 (60x60mm) the normal lens is 84mm or 80mm lens.. The normal lens for a full frame 24x36 is actually 43mm but somewhere or sometime it was rounded up to 50mm instead of down to 40mm.

I forgot one camera. This lady was standing on the trail and Condor 36 landed on a rock 20 feet from her and she took a snap with her ipad. Condors just sitting kind of look like a black round ball with a ugly head sticking out. She snapped it! I did not see a photo unless it decided to fly off and stretched out those massive wings but we chatted for a while and the bird seemed happy just sitting there so I moved on down the mountain. I have gotten pretty close to Condor 36 a few times. I heard the Condor folks named it "Tiny". Anyway I hope Nikon does well with their new camera. It seems real nice to me but I do not care about dual cards or any of that. If I had one I would just shoot it like film and that would be maybe 12 pictures on a 6 hr hike. Maybe an entire roll or 36 pics on a digi snapper if my Grandkids are doing something as I want pictures of them. I do not actually care about landscapes or Condor photos. I just take them because I am out there.

Well I am back from the 6 mile hike. I did not see a ton of people out hiking today but the camera count was: DSLR 4 (entry level models), Point and 2, Film 1 (me) and no cell phones taking photos. I am surprised at the count. But it is what it is. All the camera carrying people were over 60. Young hikers had no camera's at all that was apparent. Obviously there were many cell phones in peoples pockets but I did not see one being used for anything. There is cell service with verizon in the High Peaks and I took my phone out and texted my wife as she likes to know I am there. It's the half way point on the 6 mile hike.

People just buy what they buy and that determines what will be for sale. I am just chatting about camera's. I am not anti DSLR or digital but I shoot film for a hobby, I have a Mirrorless camera that I rarely use and I have a cell phone. I have several film camera's. If somebody gave me a Nikon D7500 I would be happy to have it. However I would not purchase one as I could probably buy a Hasselblad 501c for about the same money. Anyway I am hiking the High Peaks at Pinnacles National Park this morning and will do a camera count. Lets see who shoots what on a beautiful day in a beautiful National Park on one of the most popular day hikes in this area. I am a Pinnacles National Park volunteer but today I am hiking for myself because I want to take pictures. When I am working I cannot manage a camera other then my cell due to the weight of my Search and Rescue backpack. There are clouds out there today and it's a photo day. I am trying to hike 2 or 3 times a week until June 8th as I am going to hike Half Dome and I want to be in the best shape I can. I am very excited about having a permit to hike Half Dome. I will carry my Nikon FG with a 28mm lens and a contrast filter set (the lightest set up I own). I will have my cell phone also of course and will log into Strava to record my hike and post that to facebook. I will take video with my cell of the water falls. I am shooting HP5 at 400 on the hike.

Maybe the cell phone is the next level for many photographers and the reason camera sales are falling into place as the market dictates. People want USB charging, immediate uploading to social media and they want their photos in their pocket to share as they go about their day. They do not even want prints any longer. Just maybe photography continues to change by popular demand.

I agree with advertising. A company needs to tell you about their products. Maybe Nikon could get CostCo to c

There will always be a group of people who are interested in photography to the point where they will purchase a camera with features that are not within the scope of a cell phone. However people that own cell phones are photo enthusiasts. I use my cell phone for pictures all the time and I do my best to snag the best snap I can with it. . Most of the time it's the only camera I have with me and I use it. Just yesterday I was showing visitors to Pinnacles National Park a video of a water fall that I have on my phone. . During the storm the water fall was huge and yesterday it was just a trickle. They enjoyed seeing it very much. I am a Pinnacles National Park volunteer and I am out on the trails quite often. My job is Preventative Search and Rescue.. Anyway that's another story but the bottom line is I am out there and I do notice the camera types that people carry. Everyone has a cell phone, a few DSLR camera's of mid level from time to time. And the Pro Line camera folks are around from time to time also but usually stay near their cars where all their stuff is. The good news is a Nikon 7500 with a kit zoom would be awesome for great photos of the Condors if you are willing to hike up to the High Peaks. My volunteer pack is so heavy I just cannot manage a camera also so I just watch the awesome show with my little binoculars (8x32). Sometimes I hike up for photography when I am not a volunteer but I shoot film and my longest lens is a 50mm. I have taken a few Condor pictures with it but a tele is really the deal for that. Anyway digital photography is not going away but it is shrinking. Some people using a cell phone would might buy a camera with other features or capabilities. I would not know really what people would want to buy. Here is a Condor shot with a 50mm lens on film. Just imagine how exciting it would be with a nice Nikon D7500 and a kit zoom.

Old Truck in a nearby orchard. Mamiya 645..

It's hard to say what Nikon or anyone should do. Sony and Fuji have some real nice mirrorless camera's out already and photographers that shoot them are not likely to jump ship to a Nikon mirrorless system at this point. Cell phone people are not going to buy those camera's. They just want a new cell phone. Anyway I am skeptical that a mirrorless camera will help Nikon. But what would I know about big business. Nothing actually.

I do not know what folks will do. I stopped buying Nikon products because they do not sell anything I want. However I am not waiting for them to bring out something that appeals to me as they are not going to. Even if Nikon makes a mirrorless camera who is going to buy it. Ordinary people use a cell phone for photos these days. I spent the day hiking at Pinnacles National Park as I am a volunteer on the Search and Rescue team. Lot's of people hiking and taking pictures with their cell phones. I did see one girl with a little point and shoot camera however. I did not see a DSLR today but I have seen them out there from time to time. I do not carry a camera when working as my pack is heavy already with the gear I need to carry. I carry binoculars so I can see what people are doing easier.

Digital camera's is a shrinking market and I think Nikon's plan is to downsize. If the 7500 flops financially then that will be a huge situation. I would not know if they are going to come out with a mirror-less camera or not but that boat sailed a long time ago and Nikon decided to stand on the dock.

I have a camera with EVF and to me it seems like a bad Sci Fi movie looking in there.. It does give you a preview of your picture. It kind of took away pre-visualization and replaced it with a preview. I took a picture with it last December 21st and it came out real nice. But each camera type will have it's followers. Just look at the features that you would like to have and shop accordingly. Fuji and Sony are very popular with the folks that enjoy EVF. I just bought a medium format film camera and it has a mirror and it does not bother me at all. I just want it to flop around in a fine fashion for many years.

New Idria, Silver Mine factory. Shot about 10 years back and I do not remember exactly what I used but probably Fuji Reala and color conversion. Minolta X570 and 45mm prime lens as that was the only camera I owned back then. Now my son gives me a 35mm camera nearly every week. Today he gave me a F100 and a FG both mint. I do not know what to do with them all. They are even loaded with Arista 100.

Well I hope the camera does well for Nikon.

Best of luck to you.