bob_s__n.e._mass_

<p>If it were my choice I'd go with the D600. The image quality is nothing short of fantastic, and the high-ISO performance (important for indoor sports photography) is wonderful. I have one- my 2nd digital SLR (had a D200 for years, which is also a great camera but the high-ISO performance falls far short by comparison. Fortunately you have a 70-200 AF which should match the sports application. Good luck!</p>

<p>I got mine in mid-December, have had zero problems, and love it. But I'm just a sample of one! Go for it! Bob</p>

<p>I just went through that decision myself to replace an aged D200. A friend who's a part-time pro recommended that I get the D7000. His argument was that DX lenses are cheaper and lighter than FX equivalents and you get plenty of resolution with the D7000. However, I already have 2 FX lenses (f1.4 50mm and f2.8 105 mm micro) plus an 18-200 DX. My logic was that, while I'd get more pixels from a D7000 than a D600 with DX crop, the flexibility of FX OR DX on the D600, coupled with the slightly larger size of the D600 (I have big hands), coupled with the new pricing to get the f3.5-4.5 24-85mm kit lens plus the D600 body for $2000 US sold me on the FX path. I'm just an amateur photographer, and for some these reasons may not make sense, but they worked for me! Cheers- Bob</p>

<p>Thanks all- can anyone recommend a safe solution/technique to clean the contacts? For external contacts I normally use an eraser but wouldn't want to chance debris from the eraser getting into the camera body. Thanks again- Bob</p>

<p>Sorry- I don't have an answer but wanted to post that I've also recently had focus problems with my 18-200. My problem is that, more frequently than not now, it just will not autofocus. Switches on the camera (D-200) and the lens are set properly. Other autofocus lenses I have work fine, so it's not the camera. Are there others out there with autofocus problems on this lens (mine's about the same age)? I too am not sure it's worth repairing. Thank you- Bob</p>

<p>I' ve routinely used the 4 gig Sandisk Ultra II Compact Flash cards in my venerable D200, but not the 16 gig- don't see why there'd be a problem. Bob</p>

<p>Currently, they're out of stock everywhere that I've checked except at Cameta Camera, who are asking $1499.95 for one. Does anyone have an update since this thread died out in November, or any suggestion where to find one at a more reasonable price?</p>

<p>Jim- good point about the gloves- I think I'll toddle over to Best Buy with a pair of ski gloves and do a "live" test on their display model to see how that would work. On the other hand, pushing small buttons on a joystick control is no easy task with bulky gloves on either!<br>

At this point I'm on the fence- I actually bought the Best Buy model a few days ago but dare not open the box due to their onerous "restocking fee" rules. I have about 11 more days to return it but can also return it for 2 weeks after Christmas. It was only $130, by the way- about $10 cheaper than I can find the FH20 for.<br>

Given the larger display screen I'm leaning towards keeping the FH22 for my daughter but haven't made a final decision.<br>

Thanks for your help, and Merry Christmas! Bob</p>

<p>Jim- thanks for your response.<br>

Both fh20 and fh22 models exist. I emailed Panasonic and they finally came back with "Dear Valued Customer, Thank you for your inquiry.The DMC-FH22 is still available for purchase and it is still being manufactured.This unit is only available from select location.We hope this information is helpful to you. Thank you for contacting Panasonic. "<br>

The cameras are the same EXCEPT the fh20 has a 2.7" monitor LCD and conventional arrows-with-center-button control, while the fh22 has a 3" touchscreen LCD.<br>

It seems strange that Panasonic would engineer and manufacture that different a model and only sell it through 1 outlet. Should I be concerned about that in your opinion?<br>

Thanks- Bob<br>

<br /><br /></p>

<p>I'm attracted to the Panasonic DMC-FH22 P&S for my daughter or the Panasonic DMC-FH20. The former has a 3" touch-screen LCD while the latter has a smaller (2.7", I believe) convential LCD with a joystick and a couple of extra buttons for control. However, except for Best Buy, I cannot find any other store which carries the FH22- it isn't even listed on Panasonic's own web-site. I have two questions:</p>

<p>1. Has anyone used the FH22 and what is your experience with it?<br>

2. Does anyone have an idea why it is generally unavailable? I'm concerned there may be a reliability problem or other reason why it's essentially off the market, as far as I can tell, and am concerned that only one retailer is currently selling it, while virtually everyone carries the FH20.</p>

<p>Thanks for your help!</p>

<p>It is not clear whether this is your first camera or your first upgrade to a DSLR. If you are new to photography, I'd recommend a point-and-shoot, which is easier to use, less expensive, and can take excellent photographs, albeit with limitations. If, however, you're upgrading to a DSLR, the Nikon 3100 is likely an excellent choice. I recently bought its predecessor, the Nikon D3000, for a friend who was upgrading to a DSLR, and was impressed with its flexibility and quality of the photographs it produces. Again, as an entry-level DSLR, it lacks features a higher-end (and more costly) camera may have, and the lens is, after all, a kit lens, but I believe the camera is a good balance between function and cost. At the same time, I strongly recommend that you buy a copy of Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure", which is a treasure-trove of tips and suggestions to take better photographs and exploit the power of a DSLR. I wish you happiness going down this path!</p>

<p>Shun has a good idea. I know nothing of selling or pricing photos (pure amateur photographer I) but had done a lot of business negotiations in the past. The expression "the first one to name a price loses" is worth paying attention to. Also, the exclusivity should be worth <em><strong>far</strong></em> more than usage rights IMHO.</p>

<p>A zoom lock at 18mm is REALLY DUMB. The old design didn't creep at that setting (even my copy that doesn't just creep but practically falls open)- only in the middle ranges. Seems like this "improvement" is a foul ball.</p>

<p>According to the Nikon site, "<strong>Zoom lock switch </strong>Secures lens barrel at its minimum length." So it's not clear that it can lock the lens at any zoom setting. Has anyone tried or bought this lens- will it lock at any setting? My copy of the previous design creeps so badly I keep a rubber-band on the barrel to hold it to a particular zoom setting, and I'd love to see this lens provided with a feature that would lock at any zoom position.</p>

<p>OK as a walking-around lens, but not not the sharpest. However, as an amateur I'm quite happy with the results and have taken many tack-sharp photos with it. But it's obviously a compromise given the enormous zoom range.</p>

I got my wife one several months ago and it takes fine pictures, is fully manual, and she loves the long zoom range. The one obvious shortcoming is JPEG only. I have no experence with the other cameras Constance mentioned, but if you want a P&S that takes pretty darn good pix with a nice long zoom range you might find this does the job for you. The one thing I've noticed, especially with a lot of green in landscapes, is that the color rendition of my D200 is noticeably better than the P80's.

I have the 105/2.8 VR micro and LOVE it- sharp as a tack. It's a bit large and bulky, though.

I don't know about the D70 but on the D200 you have to set any lens with an aperture ring to the smallest aperture otherwise you get the situation you described in your question.

I just bought a P80 for my bride of 44 years to replace her old P&S. So far I've only done my own test pix comparing it to my D200. We leave for a trip to France in a few days where the real "testing" will be done! First observations are very positive- good white balance in different lighting conditions (I've had WB issues with other P&Ss), very good noise perf. up to ISO400 (heck, I just shoot up to 800 in my D200), intuitive menues, easy to use, surprisingly good lens performance in its class (geez- an 18x zoom!!!). It's a very nice P&S and that's what she wanted- she wasn't interested in a DSLR because of weight, predominantly, and size next. My only gripe so far (which I knew before-hand) is no thread for a protective lens filter (yep, I'm one of those people who buy them for all my lenses- in 40 years of photography they've saved my lenses twice). I can't compare it to the cameras mentioned earlier in this thread but I was really interested in the Canon G9 until reading the review of it in dpreview- and the optical VF on it really stinks, as do all of Canon's P&S optical VFs. Of course I haven't seen a P80 review yet but this upcoming trip forced a decision- and the P80 was bought where I can return it (unless of course it's damaged) after the trip if we're not pleased.

 

But Conni- I think I'll keep and continue using my beloved D200- I just NEED that 50mm f1.4 lens in poorly lit cathedrals! Of course, I could always carry a P&S and a BIG tripod instead. ;^)

 

Seriously, if you're that happy with your P&Ss I hope you can sell the D300 and lens collection for not much of a loss- let me know- I may be interested in buying it! Cheers- Bob

This is a bit redundant with Dwight's response, but I keep the images on a large USB drive that's permanently "tethered" to one of the computers on my network. Then I bought two USB portable drives (very convenient- they're powered through the USB cable)- each smaller than a paperback book. I copied all images to both, then keep one at another location. When I add images to the "tethered" drive I copy the new images to the USB portable drive I keep at home and swap it with the one at the other location (to keep things straight I have a large label on each of the drives with the latest date of the copied filed on it.

 

Simple but safe- and the USB portable drives have gotten quite inexpensive- look for them on Amazon or buy.com, for example.

 

Hope this helps- Bob

 

And to all of you in the States- have a happy and thoughtful Memorial Day!

Wow- great shots! What lens or lenses did you use for these?

I'm considering purchasing my significant other a new P&S camera. Her old

Kodak, which is developing problems, had a 4x6 aspect ratio option. Is anyone

familiar with a P&S camera with that option that also has reasonably intuitive

menus, an optical viewfinder, and a 3x or longer optical zoom? Price is less

important than performance. Many thanks- Bob

Jerwin- You have some really nice photos there- and I noticed that you had only took 30 pictures on the camera before taking those! The book "Understanding Exposure" by Peterson already recommended is perhaps the best book I've read on creative photography. You can get it on Amazon for less than $20 U.S.

 

The wonderful thing about a digital camera is- it costs nothing to take photos and look at them. So learn the best way- by experimenting. Low light, bright light, closeups, portraits, landscapes, fast-action sports shots, shots of birds and vehicles in motion. The more you use the camera the more you'll learn, and it's FREE.

 

On your question of dynamic range- that's the ability of any camera to capture detail in dark and bright areas of a photo. The wider the dynamic range, the more detail you'll get across a wide range of brightness in your photos. To my knowledge there's nothing you can do to "control" it- it's a fixed capability of the camera (if I'm wrong I'm sure others will correct me). It depends on the sensor in the camera and the electronics between the sensor and the digital storage in the camera.

 

Happy learning! Bob

I have and love my D200, but for a 50%+ price difference I think I'd go with the D80 and put the difference in glass. Glass is a keeper, bodies are less so.

But you can only get to those stops if you paid enough fare when you got on the bus. Otherwise get off at f11 ;-)