teru

<p >I've done some searching and haven't been able to find a consistent answer so I'm hoping someone can help me out.</p>

<p >I realize that conditions can be highly variable, but taking the most general settings (clear night, stars visble, no moon) is there a exposure rule for star trails that's similar to the Sunny 16/Looney 11 rules? Or if not, is there an aperture/shutter/ISO combination that works for most occasions?</p>

<p >BTW,</p>

<p >I'm using a D700. What's the max time that I can leave the shutter open without getting negative results from amp glow?</p>

<p >Also, sice the use of Noise Reduction essentially doubles the amount of time needed to take a photo, can I turn Noise Reduction off and then take a lens cap photo using the same exposure settings later on to use for noise subtraction?</p>

<p >Example, say I take 4 photos each at f/8, 15min, ISO100, all with NR off. Can I shoot a 5th photo with the lens cap on using the same f/8-15-100 exposure and load it into Capture NX to use as a noise reduction reference pic for the first 4 photos?</p>

<p>I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction for advice/inspiration on bikini studio shoots. I'm ok at coming up with poses for outdoor bikini shoots but when it comes to an empty studio (no props), I find it challenging to come up with interesting ideas.<br>

Practice makes perfect so I've booked a studio and model to try out some ideas. My initial plan is to one shoot using a white background and bright lights and another using a dark one with low key lighting. With the low key one, I'll probably take a shadow & highlight a nudes approach but what to do for the white one?<br>

Are there any albums here in photo.net that I should look at for ideas? I've used the Category search using "Fashion" but the findings have been slim.<br>

Thanks.</p>

Thanks to all.

 

I won't be doing the printing myself so I have no idea what sort of printer will be used, and most of the shop assistants aren't too clear on the tech details.

I have a few JPEGs that I'd like to make into 12 x 18 prints for normal wall hanging. The files are 10MP (3872x2592)

so printing them as 12x18 would equate to about 215dpi.

 

In terms of quality, would it be better to print them as is or to resize them to 300dpi (i.e. 3600x5400)? 300 dpi is

better for detail, but resizing usually degrades details, so at what point is printing at a lower dpi better than resizing?

 

BTW, the contents of the photos range from landscapes to portraits, so the level of detail present will change from

pic to pic.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Actually, I already have an ok idea on hyperfocal distances. It's just that all of my previous exif viewers didn't provide hyperfocal distance info, so it wasn't until I switched to exiftool that I noticed that many of my Sigma 10-20mm shots shot at 10mm have a setting of 0.62m. This seems to be a problem since often times the object of my focus is near or at infinity.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but do I have any way to change the hyperfocal distance chosen by my camera/lens? Looking at many of my 10mm shots, I've found that regardless of the auto/manual focus distance, the hyperfocal distance is very often 0.62m. With my other lenses, the hyperfocal distance is usually a more appropriate value.

BTW, the 10mm sample above is a 100% crop from the original, much wider photo.

<P>From an earlier shoot. 10mm focal length, manual focus, distance = 6.31m (which is my Sigma's equivalent of near infinity, because as Chris pointed out, it's best not to 'hit the stop')

 

<P><img src="http://images4.fotop.net/albums2/teruphoto/Temp/DSC_7943c.jpg">

 

<P>The weather wasn't bad, because I got this photo using my 24-70mm

 

<P><IMG SRC="http://images4.fotop.net/albums2/teruphoto/Cityscape/Victoria_Harbor_7935.jpg">

Hmm, that's right. But let me look through my files for a sample @ infinity (I used manual focus on several shots). I'll upload another photo when I get home.

I have a question about my Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM.

 

<P>On several occassions, I've tried to shoot cityscape photos with my Sigma @ 10mm with the intent of cropping

them in PP to get a panoramic effect. However, I've noticed that all my shots come out with terrible focus everytime.

See sample:

 

<P><IMG SRC="http://images2.fotop.net/albums2/teruphoto/Temp/Sigma_8835.jpg">

 

<P>100% crop:

 

<P><IMG SRC="http://images2.fotop.net/albums2/teruphoto/Temp/Sigma_8835_crop.jpg">

 

<P>Is this a problem with the lens or an issue with ultra-wides in general? Do they have problems resolving the

details of small points of light?

 

<P>My Sigma should be OK because it's taken sharp 10mm shots before:

 

<P><IMG SRC="http://images2.fotop.net/albums2/teruphoto/Architecture/HKCEC_3358.jpg">

 

<P>and even did well inside a cave:

 

<P><IMG SRC="http://images2.fotop.net/albums2/teruphoto/Okinawa/087_Okinawa_7293.jpg">

 

<P>Any ideas?

The rubber finish on the handgrip and the left front panel of my F65D has

become sticky, most likely because the surface has begun to break down from

finger oils, etc. I tried cleaning with warm soapy water and with a mild

detergent but after drying, the parts are still sticky.

 

Anyone have cleaning tips? I did a site search and got conflicting answers

(ammonia, alcohol, sanding) so I wanted to make sure before trying any of the

methods.

 

Also, I don't want this happening to my D80, so is it a good idea to wipe the

rubber areas after every use? Or will excessive wiping lead to faster decay?

 

BTW, I live in a humid area (normally 75~90%) but I keep my gear in a dry box

set to 50~60%.

FYI

 

I posted a similar question on another forum and the general answer was that 2 clicks from full zoom gives the best view.

I know about the 300dpi rule for calculating image resolution for printing

(i.e. for a 3" x 2" print, the JPEG needs to be 900 x 300 pixels) but I was

wondering about the relationship between the sharpness of an image viewed on

an LCD vs. its sharpness in print. In other words, how sharp does a JPEG need

to look on my PC in order for it to be a sharp print?

 

Say for example I view a 10MP picture on my PC with the LCD resolution set to

1280 x 960. Obviously, the entire 100% image won't fit onscreen, so I have to

view it at something like 35%. If this image looks sharp, will it be sharp

when printed at 4R/8R/larger?

 

I often hear people say things like "viewing at 100% on a 19-inch monitor is

like looking at a X by Y foot print..." and I was wondering what sort of

calculation was done to arrive at this conclusion.

This is probably a silly question but I already looked through the User Guide

and did a Forum Search and couldn't find an answer.

 

Assuming I shoot full sized images (I usually default to NEF + JPEG Fine) and

the playback is set to a single image, how many presses of the Zoom button do

I need to hit before I get a 100% magnification? I want to use my LCD to check

for image sharpness and need to know how large to magnify the image before

checking.

 

Thanks.

It might be an issue with AF-A then because in AF-C mode, the focus tracks when I move towards and away from the subject.

I was doing some tests last night when I came across something strange. With my

D80 in AF-A focus mode, I noticed that it was able to continually adjust its

focus as a I walked towards my subject but not away.

 

Example:

 

Test 1

 

Standing 3m away from my subject, I pre-focused it and started to walk towards

it. The lens would continually adjust its focus to compensate the difference in

distance.

 

Test 2

 

Standing 0.3m away from my subject, I pre-focused it and started walking away.

The lens didn't adjust at all.

 

Is this normal? I tried the experiment using AF-S, HSM and AF lenses and got

the same result each time.

Sigh...I guess I'll just have to make due with my 2G SD cards for backup and use the 4G SD HC as a constant.

My friend gave me a 4G SD HC card that works fine with my camera but can't be

read by my Epson P-2000 or EagleTec ET-MRE1312U-W card reader. I've searched

for drivers but haven't been able to find any.

 

Any ideas? Or is it pretty much a given that the P-2000 won't read a 4G SD HC?

 

Thanks!

The appeal of the MB-D80 to me isn't the extra battery power but the improved grip when shooting in portrait orientation. The balance and of the camera is so much better with the grip attached. So to answer your question, if you rarely shoot vertically then you can probably skp the grip and just carry the extra battery along with you. Of course, having the MB-D80 + MS-D200 gives you the option to use AA batteries, which are much more readily available in the field than EN-EL3e's.

This is probably a really stupid question, but aside from the obvious testing

of the dials and buttons, is there anything else I need to test out on a new MB-

D80? The store I got it from has a 1 week no-questions asked exchange policy,

so I want to make sure that mine is functioning properly. I've read about

people having issues with unstable contacts/misfires.

 

<P>Things I've tested so far:

 

<P>On/off switch (duh...)

<P>Shutter (half press, full press, continuous shooting)

<P>Both dials work fine

<P>AE lock + Flash lock work properly

<P>Both battery compartments work. Can't test it with 2 batteries though since

I only have 1 EN-EL3e.

<P>The AA battery adapter works.

 

<P>Aside: This is the first camera I've had with a vertical grip and it feels

great. Slightly bulkier in the front grip than I'd like, but still comfortable

enough to shoot with.

Finally figured it out. Apparently, Group A needs to be set to +1.7 ~ +2 comp when the Built-in is set to TTL. Either that or set the Built-in to -- and Group A to TTL, 0 comp.

 

Here's the full procedure:

 

1. Set the D80 to TTL flash (CSM menu 22).

2. Place the flash on the hotshoe.

3. Turn on the flash.

4. Half press the shutter. The flash's LCD should light up.

5. Press mode until the TTL slave mode appears (TTL Lightning --- lightning). Make sure that the LCD is still lit, otherwise you might not be able to access this mode. Using selection, set the channel to C3. So what you should see is:

 

TTL Lightning --- lightning

1 C3 SL

 

6. Turn off the flash.

7. Take the flash off of the camera.

8. Turn the flash back on. The red light should be flashing.

9. Set the D80's flash to Commander (CSM menu 22). Choose one of the following:

 

A) Built-in TTL 0

Group A TTL 1.7

Group B TTL 0

Channel 3

 

B) Built-in --

Group A TTL 0

Group B TTL 0

Channel 3

 

Happy shooting!

<I>E.g. it instructs you to place your Sigma in the hot shoe on the camera, so the flash will read camera settings, then you possibly can remove the Sigma from the camera shoe and use it as a remote flash. </I>

 

<P>I tried that method already to no avail.

 

<P>To be fair to Sigma, I think this was Nikon's doing. I was able to use wirelessly flash perfectly with my D70 and now all of the sudden things have changed.

 

<P>D70 + Sigma wireless

<P><IMG SRC="http://imagesl.fotop.net/albums2/teruphoto/20060610/May_2465.jpg">

 

<P>Seems that everytime Nikon releases a new camera, they always alter just enough so that 3rd party equipment becomes incompatible. Can't really blame them though. Sigh...if I can't figure it out, I'll probably get a SB-600 and hope that the Sigma can still be used as a secondary light.

<P>Has anyone been able to find the settings to get the Sigma EF-500 to work

wirelessly with the D80? I took my Sigma EF-500 DG Super NA-iTTL to have it

upgraded with D80 compatible firmware and it works perfectly well as a hotshoe

flash, but in CSM i-TTL wireless mode it underexposes:

 

<P>Hotshoe (with bounce card):

<P><IMG

SRC="http://images4.fotop.net/albums2/teruphoto/D80/Sigma_0446_hotshoe.jpg">

 

<P>Wireless:

<P><IMG

SRC="http://images4.fotop.net/albums2/teruphoto/D80/Sigma_0454_wireless.jpg">

 

<P>I've set my Sigma on slave mode (the big lightning, 3 dashes, and smaller

lightning), channel C0. This is the same setting that worked with my D70. On my

D80, the Built-in, Group A and Group B are all set to TTL and channel is set to

3. I've tried different settings but this is the only combination that makes

the Sigma fire when the D80's flash fires.

...and he's ok with it, because he recently switched to another brand so his Nikon mount lenses are just gathering dust. But the thing is, he doesn't want to sell any of them even though he doesn't use them. Which is just as well, since he pounds the heck out of all his gear (part of the reason he decided to switch brands was because his current gear needs to be replaced anyways, so he figured he'd give the competition a try).

I wish there was a way to edit these posts instead of having to reply.

 

Anyhoo, sorry for asking such a dumb question. I did a seach on RAIN COVER and found what I needed (I didn't know what they were called until just now). Newbie mistake. Sorry to take up space. Admin, please feel free to delete this thread.