david_h._hartman

September 2, 2006

But for me the 5.6 aperture, causing split prism

blackout, and dim overall focussing, was the real roadblock.

-- Neil Parker

There are two possible solutions to this problem: the R screen

and the U screen. The R screen is like an E screen with a spit

image rangefinder designed for f/3.5 to f/5.6 lenses. I think the

A and K screens are designed for f/2.0 to f/3.5 and acceptable

for f/1.4 to f/4.0. This is my general feeling and not an official

Nikon specification. The U screen has a Fresnel lens designed to

gather light more efficiently from longer focal length lenses,

100 or 200mm and up depending on the camera. The viewfinder is

much brighter and some cameras require focus screen

compensation. The F4 requires removing the prism and a tool

such as a TV tuning tool. A special tool was supplied with the F4s/F4.

The F5 uses custom function 18. The R screen is available for the

Nikon F through F3 and can be adapted for the F4 and F5. The U

screen is available for the F through F6.

F/5.6 is pretty slow for a 300mm lens, too slow for a general

purpose lens at least for me. I don't like using a lens slower

than f/4.0 with a split image rangefinder. The slowest I can live

with if I must is f/4.5.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

September 2, 2006

John,

You will probably find AIS & AI Nikkors and better Series-E

Nikon lenses the best choice. Some AF-D Nikkors are quite

comfortable on the F3 and should not be over looked. If you own

AF Nikon SLR(s) and DSLR(s) you may want to mix and match auto

and manual focus lenses. Some AF Nikkors have a very short throw

(degrees of rotation) on the focus control and are not well

suited to manual focus. These should be avoided. Note that the F3

has no means for setting the lens aperture though the body so G

type Nikkors need not apply. With the use of stop down metering

and or a hand held light meter you can use many fine pre-AI

Nikkors.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

September 1, 2006

Nikon new 85/1.4 (77 mm filter size) is excellent

lens for portraits. --Frank Skomial

The problem with the 85/1.4D AF Nikkor is its close to

angle of view of a 135/2.8 AIS on film. This means the working

distance needs to be longer and so the perspective is flatter.

Head and shoulders images shot with an 85mm have an aloof feel to

them.

The 58/1.2 AIS Noct on DX would make an excellent replacement for

an 85mm lens on 35mm film but for its price. The 60/2.8D AF Micro

and especially the 28 and 35~70/2.8 AF zooms would make an

excellent replacement for the 105/2.5 but the maximum aperture is

not large enough to blur backgrounds significantly so they dont

qualify.

Nikon does not have full system of lenses for the DX formats and

they dont appear to be working on one. If they are they

should drop some hints at the very least. Time was when Japanese

companies planed for the long term and broke into new markets

with better products. They deferred quick profits for greater

market share and profits later on. Now I cant see that

Nikon management cares about the long term heath of the company.

DX has been around long enough that Nikon management should have

a viable replacement for the 105/2.5 AIS. No f/2.8 lens can fill

this void on the DX formats. This is nothing less than

mismanagement. On top of this Nikon management is breaking about

ever rule of good customer relations. Its no wonder that

Nikon is loosing customers to Canon. I worry that Nikon will go

the way of Konica and Minolta. This might have been unthinkable

some years ago but Nikon is going for the short term and long

term health is ignored.

If I were just starting in photography today Id buy Canon

for the very reasons that I started with Nikon in 1970.

Regards,

Dave Hartman.

September 1, 2006

I could never focus it fast enough or accurately

enough in any action situation, tons of fuzzy pics when I tried

to use it for a foot race I covered. --Neil Parker

Just guessing but does this lens have a long throw on the focus

ring? I have an 80~200/4.0 AIS Nikkor and the throw is about 270

degree (three quarters turn) which make the 80~200/4.0 AIS quite

easy to focus accurately but very difficult to focus rapidly

particularly on a moving subject. The hand position may need to

be changed to continue focusing and this guarantees a lost shot

if the subject is in motion.

If the zoom range is right the 75~150/3.5 Series-E is much easier

to focus on moving subjects. The 80~200/2.8D ED (with collar) is

a better choice for a manual focus camera than the 80~200/4.0 AIS

if the size and weight of the AF lenses is not too much.

Obviously these lenses are quite short of 300mm but perhaps the

handling considerations are similar for the 80~200/4.0 AIS and

100~300/5.6 AIS. At 300mm and only f/5.6 I cant see the 100~300/5.6

AIS as a general purpose telephoto zoom. I can accept a 400/5.6

lens as the size, weight and especially the cost of faster 400mm

lenses is considerable.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

September 1, 2006

Here's to your batteries health...

<a href="http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-23.htm"

target="_new">http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-23.htm</a>

<a href="http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm"

target="_new">http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm</a>

Enjoy.

August 31, 2006

Richard,

The 50/1.2 AIS (I dont own one) should give good ability to

blur backgrounds and its a pretty good focal length on DX

for a three-quarters portrait. Its similar in angle of view

to a 78 to 80mm lens on 24x36mm depending on the specific DX DSLR.

Id give the lens a spin. I think Id like one what

based on what Ive read here at PHOTO.NET and Bjorn Rorslett

give it a decent review here...

<a href="http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_norm.html"

target="_new">http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_norm.html</a>

What Id really like is a 70/1.4D ED-IF AF-S but such is not

made. If one ever is, and I think Nikon is slack not to make such

a lens, it will probably be a 70/1.4G ED-IF AF-S. Since I own

three cameras that accept G type lenses I could live with this

though I would not be overjoyed.

If this 50/1.2 AIS can be had for a fair and reasonable price Id

grab it. If you find that you dont like the lens youll

probably have little trouble reselling it.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

---

Please, at about 360g and accepting a 52mm filter the 50/1.2 AIS

Nikkor is neither heavy nor large. It is certainly not heavy and

large compared to a 17~55/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Nikkor which weighs

about 755g and takes a 77mm filter. Neither lens is what Id

call petite but neither is a burden to use for general

photography. Although the latter is more than twice as heavy and

large it is extremely useful and many consider it their bread

and butter lens.

The 50/1.8D AF and 45/2.8 P Nikkors are certainly smaller and

lighter but neither offers much ability to significantly blur

backgrounds to make the subject stand out. I own a 50/1.8 AF (Japan)

and a 50/1.8 AI Nikkor and I find neither well suited to

portraiture. For whatever reason I find the bokeh quite nice at f/2.8,

both lenses, but less so at f/1.8 and f/4.0. These lenses dont

come close on DX to replacing the 85/1.4 AIS, 85/2.0 AIS or 105/2.5

AIS on 24x36mm. The 85/1.8D AF, 85/1.4 AIS & AF-D and 85/2.0

AIS make a good replacment for the 135/2.8 AIS & AI on 35mm.

On there respective formats these lenses are very suitable for

tight head shots but less so for head and shoulders views.

To get the perspective I want for a head and shoulders shot a 70mm

lens is great and the 28~70/2.8D ED-IF AF-S and 35~70/2.8D AF

often get recommended. If significant background blurring is not

desired they are both good choices. If blurring is desired then

neither is as f/2.8 at 70mm just doesnt do it.

August 30, 2006

I know nothing about F stops or shutter speed but am

looking for a blurred backgroud and my subject sharp. --Joyce

Otazo

Unfortunately the lens you own has too small a maximum aperture

to do much blurring of your background. What you need is a 50/1.4

to 85/1.8mm lens. The shorter the focal length the larger the

maximum aperture you need to get pleasingly blurred backgrounds.

The 50/1.8D AF Nikkor is often recommend but it doesnt blur

backgrounds much even wind open. I own a 50/1.8 AF Nikkor and Ive

tried. Its a nice sharp lens but a little short and does

not have a large enough maximum aperture.

If you want to try shooting portraits with blurred background

with the lens you have forget the picture modes and use the

Aperture Preferred exposure mode. That the large capital "A"

on your Mode Dial. The camera will set the shutter speed for you.

There was a time when all of us here didnt know much of

anything about apertures. There is a time to learn. What you want

to do is zoom to about 85mm and set your aperture to the maximum.

Im guessing that will be about f/4.8. Try to get your

subject as far away from the background as possible. Im

going to repeat this as this gives the only hope for this

technique with your current lens. Move your subject as far as

possible from the background. I dont think this will give

you the results you want but its the best I can recommend.

In truth selecting a lens for this kind of portrait is a problem

with Nikon DX DSLR(s). The lens Id like is a 70/1.4D ED-IF

AF-S and this lens just is not made by Nikon. Some use a 28~70/2.8D

ED-IF AF-S or 35~70/2.8D AF. I own the latter. The maximum

aperture of f/2.8 is not wide enough to do what my 105/2.5 AIS

did on 35mm film at 70mm. 70mm is a pleasing focal length for a

portrait on a Nikon DSLR but the maximum aperture is too small

with currently available lenses.

The best lens I can recommend for you is the 85/1.8D AF Nikkor.

Its a little longer than Id like but f/1.8 at 85mm

will blur background quite easily. I own a Nikon D2H and an 85/2.0

AIS Nikkor. This is the lens I use for this type of photograph.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

PS: get some books and do some reading. Check out the <a

href="http://www.photo.net/learn/" target="_new">Learning

Section right here at PHOTO.NET</a>. The basics of

photography is not that difficult. Its not rocket science.

You can do it!

August 30, 2006

Oh my gosh...111 pages of instructions? I love my old

manual cameras! --Janet Cull

If it make you feel any better you can use the F100 just like

your old manual cameras. I generally use my F100 and F5 in manual

exposure mode or aperture preferred mode. I often use manual

focus lenses and when I use AF lenses I mostly use them much like

manual focus. I disable the AF at the shutter release with custom

setting 4:1. I press the AF-ON button to focus and release to

lock. Its manual focus logic with AF ease and speed.

When you get the PDF manual go over it and experiment. Decide

what custom settings to use and make a list of your personal

settings. If you do not change the custom settings here and there

you can really simplify the use of the camera. If you do change

them often youll never know what the cameras going to

do. This may not work for other but I set the custom settings and

leave them. With the F5 there are two banks of settings I use 4:1

in one and not in the other. About the only setting I may change

with the F100 is to set 4:1 back to 4:0 (default) when I want to

AF activated at the shutter release.

One of the things that make a camera like the FM2n or F3 so nice

to work with is you know what the camera is going to do. With the

F3 you have aperture preferred and manual mode but you select

shutter speeds or set and release aperture preferred mode with

the same control. Tailoring the custom settings on an AF SLR or

DSLR and then leaving then alone can do the same thing.

If an when you do experiment with custom settings be disciplined

very consistent and return everything to your preferred settings

before putting the camera away. The next time you shoot the

camera will perform just as you expect. I think youll get

as comfortable with your new F100 as with older camera like the

FE2, FM2n or F3/F3HP.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

PS: Ill attach a custom settings chart for the F100. You

can easily edit the personal settings with a program like

Microsoft FrontPage Express. The version Im using came free

with Windows NT. It works fine under Windows 2000 and should work

under Windows XP. You can also edit the personal settings using

Notepad. Check it over as its never been professionally

proofread.

August 30, 2006

Nikon keeps the lid on body serial numbering.

--Walter Schroeder

Which is a major disservice to the customer. It probably has to

do with the gray marker. Maybe its just

paranoia. They seem to hold on to this information years after

products are discontinued.

When I called Hasselblad for information needed to order a custom

eyepiece for an NC-2 Prism I asked about the age of my camera.

The tech guy asked me for the serial number then took a minute or

so and he told me the year and the month of manufacture. I wonder

why Hasselblad didnt care and Nikon does?

---

Mihut,

Why dont you ask the store you are considering to show

records of when a particular camera was received. If they say

they wont or cant tell them you will buy elsewhere.

If they are convinced that you are a serious buyer they might. I

used to do business with a store that just tossed me their

wholesale catalogs. I bought from them in preference to a nearby

mail order store because of better service and an open account so

they didnt care. I think its worth a try.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

August 29, 2006

The original list price was $19.95 US, $29.95 Canada.

August 29, 2006

It's only a guide and it's primarily for 35mm snapshots printed at 3x5 to 4x6 inch. I try to stay well above if possible.

August 29, 2006

Unfortunately no, this cannot be eliminated. Any

form of i-TTL flash will always use a preflash, there are no

exceptions (Nikons rules not mine). DHH

Im sorry this is not clear. You cannot eliminate the

preflash with any form of TTL flash with your camera but no form

of manual flash will use a preflash. CLS or will always use a

preflash or series of them. You might have read between the lines

and figured this out. My suggestions above to use manual variable

flash and SC-17, 28 or 29 cord are specifically to eliminate the

troublesome preflash.

I should have mentioned using manual exposure mode as aperture

preferred may cause problems with a slow shutter speeds or a Hi

warning. Its best to take full control of the shutter here.

I think you are using a D50. In that case your top flash sync

speed is 1/500 second (page 131 in your manual). When writing I

just ignored this as I would automatically use manual exposure

mode with manual flash.

Im not sure how well the FV Lock (flash value) would work

with no bird at the feeder or flower. You might use the FV Lock

when your subject is at the feeder or flower and then wait for it

to return. The FV lock is a toggle, press to lock, press to

release. I own flash meters so Id prefer to do the job all

manual but you might fine the FV lock useful.

The FV lock does not eliminate the preflash but it does separate

it from the event by pre-flashing well before the shot and locking

the flash exposure. Again its a toggle so you do it once and

then you are free to take many shot of the same subject and the

same flash to subject distance.

Im sorry about the sloppiness above. Hope I didnt

mess up too much here.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

August 29, 2006

Im open to any opinions for either of these

two. --Darla Love

Darla,

At todays prices do you need to chose? I recommend that you

buy both.

I prefer the FM2n when using fast prime lenses in low light where

I will not be using flash. I particularly like the red LED +0-

meter display at night compared to the FE2s invisible

needle.

If Im going to use flash or shooting in daylight I prefer

the FE2. In daylight the FE2s needle and flag meter display

is easy to use and exposure compensation is easy to achieve

without messing with the exposure compensation dial.

When using flash with the FE2 you get standard TTL flash with any

Nikon SB-24, 25, 26, 28 and with the SB-800 (or 600). This means

the speedlight you buy for your DSLR will work great with the FE2.

If but only if you buy an SB-800 it will work with the FM2n also.

The SB-600 lacks an electronic eye on the face so it lacks Auto

Flash for non-TTL Flash cameras like the FM2n and F2As. The SB-800

offers Auto Flash for these and others.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

August 29, 2006

I bought mine on close out for about $5.00 (USD). I wouldn't pay $73.00 for it.

August 29, 2006

Thanks Yaron for a good laugh!

---

Brian,

I agree with those who recommend the D200. I own a D2H and most

of my glass is manual focus AIS and AI. A couple of my lenses go

back to the mid and late sixties. I also like my AF-D glass and

wish I had more. I tend to prefer manual focus prime lenses and

auto focus zoom lenses. I mix and match.

So how do you use AIS and AI Nikkors with the D200? If you use

center-weighted metering you just install them as you do on your

F3 and FM3a and start shooting.

If you want to use matrix metering then you need to inform the

camera of the maximum aperture of your lens. You can do this two

ways. One is you set a custom setting and then use the Function

Button. You press the function button and roll the command dial

to set the focal length and roll the subcommand dial to set the

maximum aperture. The camera remember pairs of focal lengths and

apertures so if you only have one 105mm lens and it's a 105/2.5

then once the information is in the camera you select 105mm and

you start shooting. You can also set the non-CPU lens

data using the shooting menu.

The procedures listed above for matrix metering are reasonably

easy and fast enough for most photography but for events

photography and PJ style photography I recommend AF and zoom lenses.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

August 29, 2006

BTW, she is comparing the digital images to photos

taken previously on Velvia 50. --Thomas Hardy

This sounds like a job for the Curves Pallet in Photoshop. Try

pinning or dragging down the quarter tone slightly then drag up

the three-quarters tone a bit. This will increase the mid tone

contrast and also the mid tone saturation at the expense of shadow

and highlight contrast. Velvia 50 is not only a high saturation film

but also a high contrast film. Im sure this will give your

friend the look she wants. For best results shoot NEF.

Regards,

Dave Hartman.

August 29, 2006

Is there a way to eliminate this metering flash

while using iTTL? --Matt Adams

By metering flash I believe you are referring to the

i-TTL Preflash used by the SB-600 and 800. Unfortunately no, this

cannot be eliminated. Any form of i-TTL flash will always use a

preflash, there are no exceptions (Nikons rules not mine).

You can check the upper left corner of the LCD panel on the SB-600

or 800. If you see a double lightning bolt there will be a

preflash. Note that neither of these speedlights will show a

feature or mode that is not available to the camera on which it

is installed. This is a good thing. It will save many mistakes.

If you see a mode offered by the flash, it's available to your

camera.

If you are using on camera flash, switch to manual mode. Determine

the proper exposure before the event. Humming birds are fairly

predictable when feeding. I assume you are photographing them at

flowers or a hummingbird feeder.

To get a shorter effective flash duration you can use manual,

variable power. For example the effective flash duration of the

SB-600 at 1/8 power is approximately 1/6,600 second. The

effective flash duration for 1/16 power is approximately 1/11,100

second. Please see page 88 in your SB-600 manual.

Im quite sure that 1/8 and 1/16 power will not be enough

power for a proper exposure if the flash is on the camera. You

can move the flash closer to the subject by using an SC-17, 28 or

29 TTL cord and a light stand. By moving the flash closer to your

subject you make the inverse square law of light propagation work

for you. The closer the flash is to the subject the more intense

the light but also the distance from the light to the subject

becomes quite critical. Take measurements, take notes and be

precise. If you need more distance than one SC-17 cord allows you

can use up to three. You can also straiten an SC-17 TTL cord in

near boiling water.

If you do not own light stands and are on a tight budget try to

find some used Smith-Victor steel light stands. These should be

quite inexpensive.

I hope something here helps. Good luck!

Best,

Dave Hartman.

August 28, 2006

Tell me guys, what can be wrong here?--Edward

Ng

A focus error is the most plausible answer. There are a number of

other possibilities. The D100s viewfinder and focus screen

are not suitable for critical focus.

When I test a lens on charts I use a DW-2, DW-4 or DW-31, 6x high

magnification waist level viewfinder. I focus with a 1,000 watt

quarts flood lamp then turn off all lights and make the exposure

with electronic flash with the camera set to B. This

eliminates focus errors to a considerable extent and it

eliminates vibrations so its as close to a pure test of the

lens as I can possibility do. In consideration of film flatness I

dont let the film sit in the camera and get kinked.

Considerable care is need in setting up the camera to assure that

it is perpendicular to the test target. My test film was Kodak

Tech Pan developed a little flat (N-1) for continuous tone

printing.

The distance for all lenses must be the same. The test is only

valid for a given distance. For example I tested many of my

lenses at 2m (6.6) as that is a typical portrait distance.

A more general distance would be 5m (16.4). For general

photography you need a much larger test subject than a sheet of

newspaper.

Is this a real world test? Not for most of my use but it gives

some useful information about a lens. From there you take the

lens into the real world and use it to gain a practical knowledge

of its strengths and weaknesses.

---

Its customary to ridicule lens testing but it gives useful

information. As long as testing isnt the whole object its

not a bad thing. Its also customary to downplay the

importance of the sharpness of a lens. Sharpness is the easiest

feature of a lens to check off so why not do that first. Its

far from the only important issue and sharpness in the real world

can easily be more about the skill of the photographer than the

quality of the lens. Sometimes sharpness isnt even desired

but if a lens has it, its easy to loose. With a DSLR youve

got a mild soft focus filter with you at all times if you shoot

RAW.

---

As I've swapped lenses over the years I'm really

wondering if different batches or individual lenses are better

than others. --Michael Axel

Michael,

I tested three 105/2.5 Nikkors, AIS, AI and IC under the

conditions noted above. The AIS was best, the AI next and the IC

last. The difference was greater between the AI and IC, than the

AIS and AI. These lenses all have the same optical formula so the

only plausible explanation is sample variation. All were good

lenses but the AIS and AI were better in terms of sharpness.

I own some "legendary" lenses that are no

where near as good as what others think. --Michael Axel

Id love to say my 105/2.5 AIS is my sharpest lens but its

not so. The lowly 50/1.8 AI and the 55/2.8 AIS Micro both best the

105(s) by a clear margin.

Another feature of the 105/2.5 is that its not as sharp

wide open and doesnt achieve its sweet spot until f/5.6

where other lenses I tested achieved their sweet spots about a

half stop or so earlier. This is a result of 105/2.5 being

designed to give beautiful background rendition wide open and at

portrait focus distance. This is a true feature. By sweet spot I

mean general area center sharpness.

In some cases as one stops down you can see center sharpness

begin to fall off as edge sharpness is still increasing.

Diffraction doesnt just start at f/16 or f/22. Its

there all along. I find with high resolution film that if a lens

doesnt achieve its sweet spot by f/5.6 that its

not going to be very sweet when it does. Lens contrast is a

factor in image sharpness but diffraction tends to take this away.

A an enlarger easel you measure the loss of sharpness when a lens

is stopped down deeply.

---

Shun..all of the lenses...is ~10 inches from the wall...

--Edward Ng

Edward sleep in peace: this test distance is only valid for a close-up

lens. Try a distance of 5 meters, about 15 feet, for something

more appropriate to general photography. There is a reason why

brick walls are popular as test targets ;)

If you dont have a place to test with proper controls

believe you results from general photography. Forgive me but

poorly done tests are much less than useful.

The reason for formal lens testing is to gain knowledge quickly.

If you have a few months or more of experience with a lens and

the test does not agree with your experience believe your

experience as the test is surely flawed.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

August 27, 2006

What do you think the fact that there is no aperture

ring on this wonderful lense? Some said it doesn't matter but

some care... --Leon Chen

Adding an aperture control ring to a AF-S, VR lens would be quite

a technical challenge. The aperture linkage used on AIS Nikkors

would go right through VR components. If an aperture control ring

is required then you buy the excellent 80~200/2.8D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor.

If you need AF-S and VR then you buy the 70~200/2.8G ED-IF AF-S

VR. For those with a fat wallet and classic film SLR(s) and AF

SLR(s) and DSLR there is always the option of buying both. My

wallet is not fat just now so I own the 80~200/2.8D ED AF, if it

was Id own both.

Im not a fan of the G-type lens, not at all, but this lens

is special and I own three AF cameras that support AF-S and VR so

Id like one. Two other G type AF-S VR lenses that Id

love to own are the 200~400/4.0G ED-IF AF-S VR and the 105/2.8G

ED-IF AF-S VR Micro. The latter would be used mostly for candid

portraits on film but would also be useful for low magnification

close-up and PJ & PR type photography.

---

Now I just need to convince my wife. --Robert

Budding

Buy her something extravagant then buy yourself the lens. Its

only plastic (though it feels like a ball and chain ;)

Best,

Dave Hartman.

August 27, 2006

Amanda,

When I asked a camera repairman friend the same question his

answer was, How long to you intend to keep the camera?

Please notice that this is a 20 plus veteran camera repairman.

DSLR are different from film cameras. The cost of repair can be

very high. If you plan to keep the camera several years then Id

buy a warranty extension.

Who to buy from? I do not trust Best Buy and would not buy one of

their extensions. The only place Id buy a DSLR warranty

extension is from B&H Photo in NY. That doesnt mean

there are not other reliable venders but there are many

unreliable ones to avoid. I guess Ritz would be OK.

For things like computer hard disks I buy from Costco as they

will replace one for several months unlike businesses like

CompUSA which will only replace a dead one for 14 days. I made

use of an extended warranty on an EPSON 1280 printer and long ago

bought an extension for CB walky-talky which never needed service.

I imagine the sales people get a good commission for selling

warranty extensions so they are eager. The extensions are a form

of insurance and Im sure the profit margin is good. I

normally avoid them, never bought one for a film camera or a

lens, a DSLR is different so I bought, inkjet printers are a

fairly new technology and my two samples clogged on successive

calendar days so two were replaced. The third and final unit I

gave to charity unopened.

My two cents is yes for DSLR(s) and no for most everything else.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

PS: for fire, theft even dropping a camera a home owners

personal articles floater is a good idea at least on the core of a

system but won't cover repairs not due to an accident.

August 27, 2006

I let the flash fully charge, and I turned off the

pre-flash, but does anyone know if there's another setting that

would cause the excruciating delay? -- Michael Axel

If you were using TTL flash (balanced or standard) you cannot

turn off the preflash. Its a requirement of i-TTL flash and

there are no exceptions. Im not sure what you did?

My guess is auto focus it the problem. You might check out custom

setting 2: Auto Focus starting on page 88 in your manual but the

Nikon D50 is not feature rich like the D200 is in this area.

With the D2H I separate AF activation from the shutter release

and give AF-S release priority. This assures that the camera will

take the shot when I press the shutter release not when its

good and ready. If the image is out of focus there is no

question, its my fault not the cameras. The can be done

with the D2X, D200, F5 and Im quite sure the F6.

I dont know if you were trying any picture modes. If you

were the camera changes the AF modes automatically for you (whether

you want this or not). Also if you were using picture modes the

flash modes may change automatically. Im sure you can work

this out. I hope something here helps. If not you have the D200.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

August 27, 2006

There is an SB-28 on KEH.com today going for $109.00 in EX+ condition. 320g, ISO 100 guide of 35mm - 36m / 118 ft. This unit full supports the F5. There are several at just over $100.00 (USD).

August 27, 2006

I was under the impression that the off-axis

positioning of the SB-15/27 helped to cut down on red-eye rather

than contribute to it. -- Eric Bogaerts

I dont think I really said that it does contribute to red

eye but I was rambling and so I was not clear above. The side

mounting likely reduces the chance of red eye some while causing

the unpleasant shadows. The SB-15s flash tube is still

quite close to the lens so I would not count redeye out at least

on a camera like the FE2, FM2n and FM3a. On an F3 or F2 the SB-15

and SB-27 is further to the left so the chance of redeye should

be low with short to medium lenses. I"m still not as clear

as I should be; I hope this makes some sense.

Since the mid seventies Ive been mounting speedlights above

the lens and as high as possible. I used to use an anatomical

left side flash bracket (Sunset and other various brands) with a

Hasselblad extension arm. This worked great with a Hassie or

Rollei TLR but not so well with a Nikon because it didnt

keep the flash above the lens for vertical shots. The Hasselblad

bracket I used extended at about a 45 degree angle to the right

to counter the flash shoe possition of the left side bracket.

If I have the advantage of a 8 to 10 foot white ceiling (2.5 to 3

meters) my preferred method is to use 90 degree bounce with a 3x5

fill card on a cobra style flash. This can be done for both

horizontal and vertical shoots. Even with the flash over the lens

there are harsh shadows on the face and under the chin. With

bounce flash there are soft but deep shadows. The 3x5 fill

card fills the shadows left by bounce flash quite nicely.

For a bit more effort a flip bracket is great but this is not

what William is looking for. Though I do not normally recommend

them as compared to the SB-800, the SB-600 is probably the best

match for William.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

August 27, 2006

The SB-15 does not offer balanced TTL flash nor does it offer

variable manual power. It also does not offer flash exposure

compensation. The SB-15 offers full manual power and 1/10 power

or motor drive mode, thats all. Its got to be about

as bad a choice as I can think of for balanced fill flash with

most any camera.

Ive used the Vivitar 285 for manually balanced fill flash

with a Nikon FM2 and Rollei 80/2.8 Xenotar. The calculator dial

isnt the best and the calibration of the 285 is typically

over-rated but once you know the unit its fairly strait

forward to get results.

Ive used manual balanced flash and TTL balanced flash with

a Nikon SB-24 and a Nikon F4s & F5. Given the price of used

Nikon SB-24(s) today I dont know why anyone would buy an SB-15.

I mostly use my SB-15(s) in MD mode to trigger a Norman P2000X

studio strobe. In the past Ive used the SB-15 with a 105/2.8

AIS Micro-Nikkor with the SB-15 flipped over the lens and the

bounce head pointed down slightly. Im thinking here of the

Nikon F2As and F3 as the flash will always be to one side or the

other with a camera whos hot shoe is centered over the

prism. I also use the SW-6 wide angle diffuser when using the SB-15

for close-up(s). Having mentioned the SB-15s bounce head I

must say the power is really lacking for bounce flash under most

all conditions.

If all one wants is a speedlight for short distance snaps at a

low price then maybe the SB-15 is the right unit but price has to

be the deciding factor. The guide number of the SB-15 is only ISO

100, 18m / 25 ft. The SB-15 weights about 260g. If we are

pinching grams this is only 40g less than the SB-600. While Im

giving weights for various speedlights I might as well toss in

the SB-24. Its weight is 390g. As to bulk I cant see

the SB-15 as having much advantage over the SB-800 and I dont

believe there is any advantage over the SB-600.

A some point one needs to ask themselves if saving a few grams is

the object or image quality is. If image quality is then the SB-15

is pretty low on the scale. There is not much one can do to

modify or improve the light over raw, on camera flash. With an SB-24,

a 3x5 card, rubber band and a white ceiling you can have bounce

flash with a fill card. This is far better than what little the

SB-15 offers.

The recycle time of the SB-15 is more than double that of the SB-600

when both are loaded with alkaline batteries. It is faster with

NiMH but then so is the SB-600.

The SB-600 offers a much better feature set for the Nikon F5 or F6

as it offers standard and balanced TTL flash and variable manual

power from full to 1/64th. Its a cobra style flash so the

flash is farther from the lens. The SB-15 is normally mounted to

the left side of the lens casting rather ugly shadows to the

other side of the subject. Since its low it going to give

that deer in the headlamps look even more and its more

likely to give red eye. The SB-27 mounts the same way as the SB-15

so the ugly shadows and red eye problem are much the same.

---

William,

The SB-15 and SB-27 are two flash units that will give you

exactly the kind of light and image you do not want. Im

really sure of this. Ive owned an SB-15 since about 1982 so

I have a certain affection for the little devils but compared to

todays speedlights they have many drawbacks. The worst is

the P&S light quality that you get for anything but close-up

photography as described above.

In a lot of situations I prefer to avoid flash if the ambient

light is nice. If I can get the image I want with a fast prime

lens such as a 50/1.4, 1.8, (I dont own one but a 35/1.4),

28/2.0 or 20/2.8 thats the way Ill do it but

sometimes there is no choice.

Well thats my two cents. If you still want the SB-15 or SB-27

v. an SB-600 or perhaps an SB-26 thats fine with me.

Regards,

Dave Hartman.

August 27, 2006

I usually don't use much of flash, most of time I

found flashes are too bulk and too bright provide stiff image. I

was looking at the line up, The SB-15 & SB-27 are the small

buddy that is not so heavy to carry around. --William Wu

Too bright, stiff image? This is a matter of use or misuse of the

device. If you dont know too much about flash maybe you

should study the better use of flash. Flash used extensively by

the finest photographers.

To bulky? Have you looked lately? The SB-800 is quite small and

more powerful than the speedlights you are considering. The flash

tube is farther from the lens when mounted in the hot shoe. Im

guessing here but when you say too bright and provide

stiff image you are probably talking about the hard look of

on camera flash. There are lots of ways of getting the flash off

the camera and there are light modifiers you might consider.

The SB-15 is a nice little unit. I own two of these. Im not

planing to sell them but they are less than idea for use with a

Nikon F5 as they do not fully support the F5. The do not offer

balanced TTL flash and they dont offer variable manual

flash. They have no built in slave capacity such as an SU-4 mode.

They have no distance priority mode. When used in auto mode they

offer only two apertures per ISO setting. I cannot recommend the

SB-15 for use with the F5.

So what about the SB-27? The SB-27 has a guide number of ISO 100,

30m / 98 ft. and weighs 340g with the head set to 35mm. The SB-800

has a guide number of ISO 100, 38m / 125 feet again with the head

set to 35mm. This means the maximum range of the SB-800 is 125%

that of the SB-27. The recycle time of the SB-27 is about 0.5

seconds faster on four AA NiMH cells but its 1.1 seconds

slower when the SB-800 is power by 5 AA NiMH cells. The SB-800

has more reserve power for a second or third flash in quick

succession so practical recycling time is likely a wash. The SD-800,

the holder for the fifth cell, adds 11g to the SB-800 bringing

the weight to 361g so we have 340g v. 350 or 361g. Not a

significant difference. As far as bulk goes there is no

significant difference either though the SB-27 is slightly

smaller. Stowed in your camera bag or mounted on your camera

there is no significant difference in size and weight to be felt.

The only thing one might notice is slower recycle times when the

SB-800 is powered by five AA NiMH cells.

The SB-15 is significantly smaller and lighter than the SB-16B.

In the same way I once thought I might like an SB-27 but as

technology improves the SB-800 has taken the advantage away from

the SB27.

If the cost of the SB-800 it too high you might consider the SB-600.

The SB-600 weighs 40g less than the SB-27 and has the same ISO

100 x 35mm guide number. The recycle time is 0.1 seconds faster

than the SB-27.

As far as bang for the buck I think the SB-800 with more power,

more features, more accessories and the more versatile Cobra

Style is the best light speedlight available for the Nikon F5.

For the F3? I recommend an AS-17 adapter and any of the SB-24, 25,

26, 28, 80 and SB-800 speedlights. I think the best would be the

SB-25 or 26 for price and SB-800 best over all.

Best,

Dave Hartman.

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