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Daniel.... your response is pretty funny.... by the way, if you want to complain abt Bob's hospitality at photo.net.

He gave you an immediate response, and the link after all. It is his own website, so you are really leveraging upon his generosity if you glean any info.

hmm, for the D30, there is also a pin on the camera body that you have to engage to get the AF confirmation working, if your adapter has the IC chip.

Anyway, in the past, I had no problem.

hahahahahah

Leica is also not innovative because M8 uses the same M-mount that has been around for 54 years!

...and the size of her biceps is not flattering.

I am not a professional photographer, but it seems the photo may also benefit from using a lens of slightly longer focal length.

Some of the 50F1.4 have clearance problems. I have two, one works, the other doesn't.

I halso have the adapter in the photo and others. Will check later when I get home.

Mervyn Yan's answer that warranties are useless:

(1) because you can eventually get the camera fix;

(2) he doubts you will send in for service within 3 years.

cannot be useful advice because:

(1) repair can cost an arm and a leg;

(2) all sort of things happen, including rangefinder misalignment, jammed shutter, faulty circuits.

The whole point is how much one values the warranty. Personally, I would buy from the dealer if the premium is less than 20%.

This is interesting.

Within the main church in downtown Harbin (I was there a few years ago) there is a museum, discusssing the Russian heritage. Your photos could even be of interest to them, complementing their collection.

Also, Harbin Brewery is the first brewery in China. This is a good influence.

Hobbyist. 50% manual, 50% aperture. Most often I shoot aperture mode first, and if it works (or doesn't), switch to manual using the suggested reading and make appropriate adjustments.

Even if I shoot in AV mode, I still keep an eye on shutter speed as show in VF and adjust aperture accordingly.

Charles:

A good question, and I like to hear your opinions as well.

I like the 45mm because of its form factor, bokeh, and as you say, the v. good colour rendition which reproduces subtle hue changes, well saturated but not gaudy colours. There are other qualities, such as low geometrical distortion, corner sharpness which are less important to me.

WJ refers to the "PoP" factor. I think other lenses (and I have to think of my film days) also can do it. The primes I have include 60mm F2.8, which also have good colour rendition. The 35mm F1.4 I have can also produce POP, even though the colour is less saturated (Also I find the corner sharpness less than impressive. The 85mm F1.8 produces contrasty bokeh if you stop down to F2.8. The 85mm F1.4 is by all accounts better.

So I really think the other Nikon system have other good lenses. Even the 80-200 F2.8 is not bad. Given the high contrast of most lenses, a 3-D effect is not difficult if there is good subject isolation. If you close down the aperture, it is harder to say because the excess contrast in some lens robs the pictures of the subtle color changes.

As I said, I have not done pixel-peeping and compare all the Nikon lenses I have, which in any case is not extensive. So it is a judgement based on slides. I have some prints though, but there is even more difficult to gauge. The 45mm is a nice Tessar, and I like it better than say, the Cosina 40mm Ultron. But other companies have lenses that produce awesome 3-D pictures.

But you make it sound as though you doubt whether other Nikon lens can create the 3-D Pop.

I like the lens. In fact, I have two of them. They are almost a permanent fixture on my ***ahem*** Canon 5D.

However, it is not the only lens in the Nikon lineup that can produce the subtle colour changes and 3D-feel. Indeed, other brands, like Leica, are also comparable.

Wilson says "Any camera that allows user to control flash sync mode, flash output, and exposure compensation would do." True.

Any PnS that allows one to control shutter speed/ aperture, and also the flash output of the onboard camera? (I am not talking about a manual flash mounted on a hotshoe).

The reach would be quite nice if I put a 1.4x extender on it, and then use the olympus converter to hook it up to a 3/4 system.

An effective "5000mm"F5.6 35mm equivalent

Leica goes so well with 35mm, I find.

but if you have a IIIF, a 50mm makes more sense - you would get one eventually. As people say, an Elmar, although personally I find a collapsible Serenar, or collp Summicron also works - you may eventually want a fast lens anyway. I also think a Summitar is nice.

Anyway, one lens you should get, if you get a 50mm, is a 25mm VC lens. In HK, it is less than US$200 inclusive of viewfinder. Makes the IIIF an excellent snapper, and also a wide alternative to any pocket digicam you may be carrying.

I used a FE10, still do. There are reports of how crappy they are, but mine still works fine! One think I like is that they are relatively light. The late Galen Rowell is said to prefer them on hiking.

That said, a 2nd hand, well-maintained manual Nikon would probably be a better buy, esp the FM/FE series. The viewfinder (with aperture and shutter speed info) is particularly helpful.

I have a simple question of my own.

How does one change the ISO setting for film?

I am primarily a Nikon user, but sometimes I still use my D30. It is certainly viable. The question is, at this price point, are there better alternatives.

I think a D30 is justifiable, but see if you can negotiate an even lower price.

Also, one critical thing that I don't think any one has addressed - the ability to use EF-S lenses when you have a small sensor. Very important.

Ramblings of a mad man.

I have no idea why someone would think you can stick a 645 size sensor in a FZ body that weighs 1.5 kilos!

I have a Pentax 645 camera: the size of a 45mm-80mm lens is huge. And it is F4. Imagine a 500mm equivalent that's F2.8. Hard to believe people want a camera the size of a Canon HD1 rather than a smaller one like the Sony R1, which is more interesting, and cheaper!

Yet Sony R1 is not really as popular as their pocket camera. Guess people want smaller cameras rather than large one.