Gary Naka

MUCH more weight. That blasted tripod is almost half the weight I have to lug. Lugged it it ONCE, never again. If I can't wheel it in a cart from my car, I don't shoot my 4x5.

With a GOOD tripod, 3 vs. 4 sections should not be a stability issue. It however could be a logistical issue. If packing size is a consideration, for a given height tripod, the 4 section tripods pack smaller than the 3 section tripods. My small Bogen/Manfrotto 3-section tripod will not fit into my suitcase. It it were a 4 section tripod, it would fit. So for travel, I have to use yet another tripod.

That depends. Do you already have Olympus gear, and how much? I have enough that I am committed to Olympus. So yes, I would buy another camera. But I would wait for the EM1-mk4, since I have the mk2. And depending on release price, I plan to by another lens, the 8-24. Panasonic lenses may or may not work well on the Olympus. With Panasonic lenses on an Olympus, you cannot use dual IS, it is either OIS or IBIS.

Heck no. Go ahead and do it like a portrait. In my mind so little of that is done today. Many places, including studios, take the easy way out with an umbrella. It makes me miss the old portrait guys who knew how to work the lights. Personally, as [uSER=10861465]@brian_niemi|1[/uSER] said, I would not use the shoot through umbrella, the light is too uncontrolled, especially in the confines of a house (vs a studio). The regular umbrellas may work, but I would rather use the softbox, since you have them, for better control of the light. As brian said, the main light in your diagram seems kinda high. 6-6.5 feet is pretty close to the ceiling. But it depends on the look you are trying to get. And the issue of reflection off her glasses. Food for thought. Some ideas of main light position, is to simulate the angle of a low sun, or an open window. There are MANY different portrait lighting methods. Play with it, and try different lighting setups, to see what works for YOUR daughter, the outfit(s) she wears and the look(s) you and she want. Read some of the old portrait photography books. Just because a portrait book is from 1980 (or earlier), does not mean the content is obsolete. Portrait photography is real old, and there are MANY good books out there on the subject. I personally think some of the better books are the old books. Cuz the guys back then really knew how to work the lights to create a look. Today some/many seem to take the easy way out and use an umbrella. Go in, sit down, and shoot. Little or no adjustment of the lights to match the subject. GOOD lighting seems to be a lost art. Find some portrait pics/books so you can show her what you are trying to do. Sometimes showing people a pic, makes it a lot easier than verbally trying to guide them into a pose that they don't understand. I am really bad about verbally giving posing instructions. Get her involved, as you shoot together as you try different ideas. Make it a family thing, If she thinks of something new or fun that she wants to try, go ahead and do it. That way it isn't "a chore to do for daddy." Tip: Get one of her dolls, to "stand in" for her, as you work on refining the shot. I got a mannequin head, so I don't subject my wife to dozens of flashes in her face. There is only so many flashes that someone can take before it stops being fun, and becomes a chore. Portrait photography is a "rabbit hole" of styles, ideas, etc. Take LOTS of notes of the different setup that you try. What worked, what did not work, what changes need to be make etc. What ideas you and your daughter have and tried. And what things she and you want to try later. Seemingly minor but important stuff like, "popped the circuit breaker for the living room, so had to run an extension cord from the bathroom to power the fill light." A pic of your setup is a good idea, as it may record something you forgot to write down. The better your notes, the easier it will be to set up, a year from now when you take her pics next year. At some point, you, your wife and your daughter might want to try photo makeup. Example, some people (like me) have oily skin that reflects too much light, creating a hot spot on their face. Makeup can dull or kill that reflection. Gud Luk

My personal preference is to have the camera level with the eye. Yeah I'm old fashioned. I think the posture is affected if the head leans forward to look downward. I do not like the camera higher than the subjects head. Kids (and adults) today have BAD posture, in part caused by so much time on the computer. So you have to coach them to sit upright, and not slouch. I would also shoot from a tripod or camera stand with a remote on the shutter. The reason is old fashioned portrait photography. You can maintain a relationship with the subject when you are looking at her, and she can see you. It is much harder when the photographer is hidden behind the camera. The old portrait photographers could really connect with the subject.

I should have take a pic of the setup they used at the high school. The Student ID pic / underclass yearbook pics were shot in production fashion. I think they shot about 1,000 students a day, for two days. There were 5 or 6 stations, similar to the pic below. Because of the volume, the stations were setup for fast shooting and minimal fussing with the setup. I think the average time was about a minute per student, maybe faster. This is an edited shot (to mask the student). I think I stood on a chair, to shoot over the photogs shoulder. As I recall they only used one light in an umbrella, high and I think to the right of the camera. I think the white panel on the left functioned as a reflector to lighten the left side of the face. As you can see, there was no background light used. As you can see, the camera is on a stand, so that the photog would not have to kneel down. The stand locked in the distance of the camera from the student, so that the pics were consistent from student to student. If you look at the pic, the height of the camera is close to the standing photog's head, so it is angled down a bit. IOW, the camera was NOT level with the subject's eye. I do not remember if the other stations had the camera at a similar height, or if the photogs adjusted the height to the different students. This setup is much simpler than in my day where I "think" they used 2 or 3 lights. But my day underclassmen was also production line shooting, with no adjustment of the lights for individual students. Even in my day, I do not think they used a hair light. Senior yearbook portraits, however, were shot in the studio, like a traditional portrait. This is a LOT simpler than what you are planning. You are doing something more like a traditional portrait shoot.

Suggestion for lenses: THINK REALLY HARD about what you will shoot, as that will drive your lens requirements. Example, if you don't shoot wildlife or sports, you may not need a long lens, and buying one may be a waste of money. Lens selection is full of trade-offs. If you want ONE general purpose lens, the 18-140 does a pretty good job. It is what I use on my D7200. The 18-300 and 18-400 give you more reach, and are great for a 1-lens travel kit. But these bigger super zooms also get bigger and heavier. With the super zooms, you just turn the zoom ring, you do not have to change lenses. convenient. If you are OK with a 2-lens kit, then pair a shorter GP lens like the 18-55 or 18-70 (what I have) and a longer 50-200 or 70-300. Short lens: The 18-55 and 18-70 are smaller and lighter than the super zooms, so easier to carry on a regular basis. There were times when I used the 18-70 because I did not want to carry the extra weight of the 18-140. Between the 18-55 and 18-70, I would go with the 18-70 for the slightly longer reach. Another option is the Tamron 17-50/2.8. The NON-stabilized version. Long lens: Your wildlife pics may/will call for a long lens. Specific recommendation depends on what animal and how far. To relate a long lens to a binocular, divide the lens focal length by 35 to get magnification. So a 200mm lens / 35 = 5.7x. Make sure you get the STABILIZED version of these lenses. See the stabilization section below. Longer is not necessarily better. The longer the lens, the bigger and heavier it generally is. A 35/1.8 DX is real nice to have when you want to shoot indoor or in low light, where the zooms are too slow. You MUST look at the lens compatibility chart. There are lens types that will NOT function on your camera, so you do NOT want to buy those. Stabilization: A stabilized lens will compensate for YOUR motion. It will NOT compensate for the subjects motion. So at slow shutter speeds, if the subject is moving, it WILL be blurred. For Nikon it will be a VR (Vibration Reduction), for some others IS (Image Stabilization). For longer lenses, like the 50-200 or anything that reaches over 120mm on the long end, I REALLY recommend that you get the stabilized version of the lens. Longer lenses which are stabilized lens are makes it MUCH easier to hold and shoot, than non stabilized lenses. I grew up on non-stabilized lenses, and now that I have used stabilized lenses, I won't willingly go back to a non-stabilized lens. For short lenses like the 18-55 or 35, IMHO, stabilization is really not needed. However, it will let you shoot in lower light, by letting you shoot at a slower shutter speed. Regarding 3rd party lenses. Sigma. The Sigma zoom ring turns in the opposite direction than Nikon. This may or may not be an issue for you, it is for me when I shoot sports. IMHO, better matched to a Canon user. Having said that, if you are shooting slow, it likely won't matter. If you turn it in the wrong direction, just stop and turn in the other direction. The Sigma 17-50/2.8 has a VERY STIFF (hard to turn) zoom ring , which I did not like it. I have not seen any reviewers mention this issue. Tamron. Their zoom ring turns in the SAME direction as Nikon. At school we use the 17-50/2.8, 35-150/2.8-4, and 70-210/4 at school. I like how all of these lenses work. 17-50/2.8. Can you use the 17-50/2.8 instead of the 18-55 or 18-70 as a GP lens? Yes. But it has tradeoffs. It is bigger than the 18-55 and the long end is shorter than the 18-70. But it is faster than both of the Nikon lenses. I understand that the optics of the stabilized version is not as good as the optics of the NON-stabilized version. We use the non-stabilized version at school.

From my perspective, it gave Nikon the chance to "clean slate" their lens to camera connection, and design a LONG TERM solution. While the F mount has stayed the same since the 1960s, the method of communicating between the lens and camera has been changing; pre-AI, AI, AF, AF-S, AF-P, G, E, etc. making true backwards compatibility impossible. Those of you with different generations of Nikon F mount lenses and cameras know what I mean. When I bought my D7200, I did so specifically because it had an AF motor in the body, to autofocus the mechanical AF lenses that I had. The D3xxx and D5xxx do not have an AF motor in the body, so cannot autofocus the mechanical AF lenses. When I plan to buy a F mount lens, I have to check the compatibility chart, to make sure that the lens will work on my camera, because not all will. This is something that the consumer really should not have to do. The Canon guys are snickering at us.

Given what you said, I would say the dry fit is not rebuildable. But, if you are industrious enough, you might be able to build a new bottom, load it with 5 NiMH cells, then "attach" the new bottom to the old top. How practical or even possible this is, I have no idea. I have had zero success in restoring dried out AGM SLAs. Gel cells might be different. I add distilled water, then let it sit for a week, hoping that some of the distilled water will soak into the electrolyte to make it active. Sometimes they start to take a charge, but in the end, they all failed.

About rebuilding the battery. I have no idea what the inside of the Metz battery is like, if and how it can be rebuilt/recelled. I usually make that decision after opening the battery case and studying what is inside. Then determining it it can be rebuild/recelled and what replacement cell I can use. Sometimes I have changed cell chemistry, sometimes not. Charging is a matter of process. After a shoot, I charge the batteries. So they are put away fully charged. Prior to a scheduled shoot, my SOP is to charge my flash batteries a few days prior to a scheduled shoot. When I shot more randomly, I did a top off-charge every other month. With NiMH batteries you can charge them at 0.5 to 1C, so all you need is a n hour or two before the shoot, and you can top up/charge the battery. Make charging a standard routine, and it stops being an issue. You can also look for tabbed low discharge NiMH batteries.

Gel cells DO self discharge. In your 6 month storage, it may have discharged to just above the level that will still power the flash. There is voltage and there is current. The battery could even be at 6v, but not able to generate enough current flow to charge the flash. Years ago, I experimented with using a 6v lantern battery for a flash. It did not work. When I put a set of four NiCd batteries on the flash and measured the current, the peak current drain was over 5 amps. The lantern battery was simply not able to push that amount of current. If the battery is cracked and swollen, I would consider it dead. All you can do is to try to rebuild the battery with new cells.

The Nikon charger for my D7200 had 5 contacts, and the charger for my D70 has 3.

Unless you really know what you are doing, I would not attempt to solder directly to the ends of the battery. I buy the cells with tabs for that kind of stuff. I can safely solder the tabs, without risk of over-heating the cell itself. Unfortunately, these ultrasonically welded battery packs are a PITA to deal with. You have to be CAREFUL when you cut them open. And REALLY REALLY CAREFUL if it is a Lithium pack. Then the fun of "trying" to figure out how to reassemble the pack that you cut open.

Yeah, I figured the mfg was playing games, with rigged capacity numbers at a LOW discharge rate. So I lowered the discharge rate as far down as the tester could go, and I still got LOW results. Interestingly, their AA NiCd cells did meet the rated capacity. Next step is to get another brand or two of NiMH cells and test them. It is just that I bought more than enough AA batteries, so I really don't need any more.

The voltage curve of a gel cell and NiMH are different. The gel cell will gradually decrease, whereas the NiMH will be flat then drop, like a knee curve. That depends on what the capacity of the gel cell is vs. NiMH. The next question is, are the NiMH cells REALLY 5000mAH cells? If the actual capacity is 4000 or less, then well, it won't last as long as you think it will. I say this because, I have new Tenergy NiMH cells that tested at significantly less than their rated capacity. In fact the two sets of batteries (total over 20) sub-C and AA, NONE tested near their rated capacity.

Some NiCd packs did have temp sensors. My Lumedyne packs have them. But that is my ONLY NiCd pack that had a temp sensor. The other packs were simply plastic cases around the cells, no electronics. Temp sensors work in two ways. #1 - Tells the charger the battery temp, and it is the charger that stops charging. This requires another battery contact to the charger, to communicate to the charger. #2 - Opens a temp switch in the battery, and stopping the charge. This is internal to the battery, thus not requiring another contact to the charger. This is how the Lumedyne battery pack works. Note1, The battery cannot be used, until the battery temp has dropped enough to allow the temp switch to close. Note that the battery case is plastic, and plastic is a heat insulator, so the heat will take a long time to dissipate through the plastic case. Note2, This temp switch could open when the battery heats up under HEAVY drain. Not too likely in the case of a dSLR, but possible in a flash. Some batteries use only one method, others (like some laptop computer batteries) use both, for safety. If your camera battery charger has only TWO contacts, it is #1 relying on electronically detecting the full charge point, and maybe #2 having a temp switch inside the battery to catch the full/overcharge heating. #2 above. Note, I have not seen any non-OEM Lithium camera battery charger with more than two contacts. If the battery does not have an internal temp switch (#2 above), and if the electronics miss the full charge point and keeps charging the battery, then there is nothing to prevent an overcharge. Murphy visited me, and I have had this happen with NiMH batteries, which got SO HOT, that I could not touch the batteries with my bare fingers. Unlike NiCd and NiMH, Lithium batteries do NOT have vents. When Lithium batteries overcharge, gas is generated, and that gas causes the battery to swell. While I only have a small sample of swollen batteries, I have not seen a swollen battery "unswell." A swollen battery could get stuck in the camera, and that could be a PITA to remove. Worst case, the camera has to go into the shop to get the battery removed. I do not know how the various Nikon batteries and chargers communicate. BUT . . . I have seen first-hand, where Canon T7 batteries would not charge in a 3rd party charger, and the 3rd party batteries would not charge in the Canon T7 charger. We decided that we did not want to deal with the operational confusion this created, and stopped using 3rd party batteries. So you need to check the situation for YOUR camera battery.

I second the recommendation to check out repair shops. My somewhat local repair guy just retired and the shop is now closed :( So I have to find a new repair shop. I shoulda had him CLA my Nikon F2, last year. The comment about electronics is close to spot on. Discrete components and standard ICs "could" be replaced, by the tech or outsourced to a good elec shop. The issue is with custom ICs and other custom components. If those fail, you are out of luck. Replacement parts have to be scavenged. The newer surface mount components will require another level of skill to deal with.

Agree on the servicing issue. The ring resistors for the Nikon wears out, and as I understand, replacement are hard to find or non-existant. The F2 was in production from about 1972 to 1980. That is about 45 years ago. That also means that Nikon stopped making spare parts for the F2, MANY years ago. And the inventory of spare parts has been gradually drying up. So while the F2 (and similar vintage cameras) can be serviced (CLA), if replacement parts are needed but not available, that may be the nail in the coffin. In my case, my fall back for the internal meter, is to use a hand meter.

In the past where film was SLOWer than today, and we often shot in low light, the f/1.4 was the standard, simply for the speed. The difference between f/1.8 and 1.4 is just under a stop. Not a heck of a lot, and if you don't often shoot in LOW light, you may not notice. Today, I am more inclined to go for the f/1.8.

I use the age indicator on my D7200 as an indicator that the battery will need to be replaced soon, but NOT to tell me to replace it. I use actual run time to tell me when to replace the battery. My experience is, a good battery will last me the entire weekend plus Monday. If it only lasts a day, it is time to replace it. Note this is for a D7200 dSLR, not a mirrorless, which SUCKS power. This is what I told the kids on the school yearbook staff. The camera battery should last the weekend, or at least a double game (JV + Varsity). If it does not last a double game, it is time to throw it out, and replace it. The idea of carrying spare batteries (plural), because they were keeping bad batteries was dumb. Bad batteries should be thrown out and replaced. Not being a battery engineer, I do not know if you can predict when a camera battery will, "fall off the cliff," and die. I remember similar to [uSER=2403817]@rodeo_joe|1[/uSER] with NiCd batteries. I would charge them, but they would only hold a small charge, and die quickly. This is why I number my batteries, so I can keep track of, and remove batteries that are failing. I recently bought a AA/AAA battery analyzer so I can test my AA and AAA batteries, because of the question about some of these AA batteries. I found that not one of my 24+ Tenergy NiMH batteries, even came close to their rated capacity. They were ALL at least 20% low. Paying extra for their "high capacity" batteries, was a total waste of money. NOT buying that brand NiMH again. Oddly, their NiCd batteries did match their rated capacity. Not being privy to the specs, and not wanting to cut open a lithium battery, I do not know how the Nikon chargers use the extra contacts on the charger. I was told by a battery engineer that the 3rd contact on lithium batteries is for Positive Temperature Control (PTC), to tell the charger that the battery is overheating and to shut down. Is this implemented in camera battery chargers, I do not know. But interestingly, I have never seen a 3rd party charger with more than 2 contacts, + and -, no PTC contact. I have had a few instances where NiMH batteries were overcharged and got HOT. As in too hot to hold and remove from the charger with my bare fingers. The difference is that a NiMH battery has a vent, a lithium battery does not. So an overcharged lithium battery will generate gas and swell. If the Nikon batteries have PTC, I would hope that the 3rd party batteries are implementing PTC.

This is the alternate method that I use. It is especially helpful when it is hard to find the Bay-60 filter that you want, or Hasselblad did not have it.

I have not seen either of the clips/retainers that are on the reels that you have. I do NOT use the center clips, 35mm or 120. In my experience, if I do not perfectly center the film when I put it under the clip, as I roll the film onto the reel, the film will tend to drift off center and kink. Instead, I just push the film into the center, and use my finger to hold it in, while I start turning. With the film loose in the center, the film will self-center, and not kink. Once I have a turn on the reel, it won't slide out. For me, it was easy. When I bought a bunch of used 120 reels at a shop, I asked them if they had a dummy roll that I could try. I rolled it on correctly, the first time. All those years of loading 35mm film came back. Even though the 120 film is wider and more flexible, I had no problem. The good Nikor reels helped. Next I want to try a 220 roll.

Take the camera to a repair tech with the film for the tech to look at.

I can see going for 3rd party batteries when: You have several cameras, and thus need several batteries. You are doing multi-day shoots/trips where you are away from power long enough that you need several batteries. You are using a mirrorless, where you NEED several batteries to do a day of shooting. Mine just SUCKS power, and will go through FOUR batteries in a full day of shooting. A couple years ago, I got a practically new (very low cycle count) Nikon battery from MPB for $11. I've seen good prices on KEH also.

I do not agree with that. I have had many NiMH batteries that have deteriorated to where one of my chargers will NOT charge them, and cycle charging did NOT help. I think there are simply so many charge/discharge cycles that a battery can go through, before the chemical reaction is not able to be reversed, or reversed enough to give you a usable charge. Discharging completely is a tricky term. Batteries have a certain MINIMUM voltage spec. If you drain the battery below this, you could damage the battery. Not being a battery engineer, I don't know how the battery is damaged. But there are enough cautions that I've read, that there has to be some truth to it. And some chargers will NOT charge a battery that has been discharged below a certain point. In the case of lithium batteries, if you drain the battery too low, the charger will simply refuse to charge it. BTW, why the question? How MANY batteries do you need?