kurt_garcia

A little too late but next time try to get above the subject and have them comfortably pull their chin toward the camera. Also, throw some light natural or flash from behind the subject.

Good luck!

This is very sad news indeed. I will remember him and his family in my prayers. Kurt (USA)

Bob here is more homework: read this from KR. Both Nikon and Canon users will find it interesting. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3/sharpness-1.htm

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Harry, I have also switched from Nikon film to Canon digital. I switched to Nikon digital first but was disappointed. Once the whole loyalty thing wore off I sold off my gear and invested in Canon. As you figured I carry a 5D for close action and a 30D (soon to be a 1dsmk3) for distance. Major reasons for the switch were image quality, ISO and service. Heres a link to help you decide. http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Nikon-D200-vs-Canon-EOS-5D-Head-to-Head-Review-/Performance--Image-Quality.htm

Good luck in your research since both companies are great.

Bob, do your homework! I thought I did and ended up with the wrong company. Although the D300 has fixed some issues the D200 it still has issues with ISO and image qualily. Yes it handles the ugly noise issue but causes the image to fall apart. Read, read and read more. Try kenrockwell.com he has both cameras and good insight. This link ultimately helped my decision. http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Nikon-D200-vs-Canon-EOS-5D-Head-to-Head-Review-/Performance--Image-Quality.htm

The good thing about this site is Nikon users found reasons for choosing Nikon and Canon users found reasons for choosing Canon. I took a huge loss on my equipment but have made it back in happiness and $.

Jen since my previous post I have sold all my Nikon gear and invested in the competitor. It

was because Nikon refused to accept fault and remedy the problem. I could go on but I can

tell you I am incredibly happy with my choice to change. Remember its your choice!

I shoot weddings with a 50mm 1.4 but tend to keep it between 4-5.6. As others mentioned

before ISO on a 5D or other Canons is fine at 800 and even higher. I tend to keep my flash

on manual about 1/4 power and control it with the flash +/- compensation. This way the

flash recycle time is very short to stop motion blur and add fill flash.

I apologize for being a late comer but this information has been very useful. Juha asked if you were shooting Nascar. Well Indy, Nascar, and Triple-A sports is exactly why I am in the market for a super telephoto lens. The 400 f/2.8 and the 500 f/4 are my two top choices.

 

I asked one of the Getty Images photographers last week at Infineon why he shot the 500 f/4 and this is what he said: The Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS weighs 3.3 lbs less than the 400 f/2.8 IS thus making it more portable for foot travel. It is also slightly easier for panning shots because it is easier to balance because it was not as front-end heavy. He also mentioned that is was about $2000 less expensive. On the flip side he said the airlines might allow you to carry on the 400 case but the 500 would need to be checked. I think I?m sold on the 500.

Next to my 70-200 IS f/2.8 the 50mm f/1.4 is my favorite lens. In fact it never leaves my second camera during group events. I would say that I am very hard on my gear but continually blow the dust and clean the surfaces after every shoot. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one if it breaks after the warranty period.

 

Doug- I hope you weren't led to believe this industry was inexpensive. I suggest you send it to Canon and let them tell you how much it would cost to repair. You make the call!

I second Puppy Face's comment. I created the problem(not Canon) but it was quickly remmedied by the rebate department and had my 5D+70-200 IS rebate with in 4 weeks of subbmittal. Very happy! Bob is right most happy people stay quiet. Not me!

Jeff & Justin,

I live 3000 miles away (California) and still managed to buy over $5G's worth of equipment from B&H in the last month. I would be hard pressed not to find a reason to stop in every day! There must be a therapy group for this behavior.

 

So what I'm hearing is that I will not see a rebate check until early summer! Will they expedite if my wife gets involved?

 

Newly converted from Nikon,

Kurt

Judy,

I am sad to inform you that my D200 has been sent back to Nikon a second time for further analysis. There was a obvious Auto-focusing issue the first time I sent it back. This time the images are flat out blurry. I am confident that my images are out of focus but Nikon says they are. Maybe we should share Nikon case numbers so we can all refer to them. Lenses 28-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8.

Mike welcome to my world! I will first tell you that you are not alone.

Here is another resent posting of a similar D200 user.

Since I got mine back last week it is focusing better but is still focusing behind intended target. I will be calling Nikon again today to discuss what my options are. http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00JX1A

 

Kurt

N-, I just got mine back from Nikon with the exact same problem. They just fixed the adjustment and said this issue doesn't happen often. I don?t believe it. I also got mine from B&H. Is this a trend? Send it back!

Kurt

By the way here is where I got my test information.

http://focustestchart.com/

Hopefully some of you are still monitoring this thread. After months and months of tests I think I have found why my d200 images appear fuzzy. With my 28-70 I took a few shots and noticed that at 28mm the focus point was slightly behind where I thought the focus should be. I had a friend with a d80 use my lens and his focus was right on. I have attached a cropped image of the test. Let me tell you I am almost ready to use the Nikon gear as a boat anchor.<div></div>

Alain, please keep us posted since I have both of the problems you are describing. Including the "hard to turn back wheel". Just curious how many of us have actually opened a case with www.nikonusa.com to let them know that we are encountering the same fuzzy/out of focus issue? Could there possibly be a bad batch of d200's? I purchased mine in June.

 

Kurt

Stu my friend you are not alone. Since purchasing my D200 in June I have been extremely frustrated with the sharpness. I own a 28-70 2.8 and a 70-200 2.8 VR. Not the best and surely not the cheapest lenses. I switched from the Minolta 35mm. To my surprise my $1000 12 year old Minolta creates much sharper images! Or does it?

Once again sharpness is subjective. Our frustration might stem from the fact we can view our digital image at 200% and higher.

 

Try this test and write the forum with your results please.

 

Take an image that you think is relatively sharp and have it printed at a quality lab. Print it at 4X6 and maybe 18X24. You might be surprised at the results.

 

Kurt

A few sugestions:

Bump your ISO to 800 or higher. Keep in mind your photos will be noisier/grainer. Noise can be removed in post-process with programs like noise ninja or neat image. Get the free versions and try for yourself.

Shoot in manual mode or Aperture priority and choose the lowest possible f/stop setting possible. Full auto will also chose the lowest setting.

Shoot with a mono/tri-pod for camera stability. This will eliminate blur due to camera movement.

 

Good luck!

Kurt

Photoshop CS2 already mentioned. Take a community college photo course and get the student version for half the price! Same version and upgradable.

As much ram as you can get Photoshop is a hog!

and get a fast harddrive 7200 if possible.

Because I'm new to Digital the noise of the D200 was the only surprise. I accidentally left the ISO to 500 and shot a wedding. The images were much grainier than expected. My only saving grace was using Neat image to clean up my mistake. I understand that the Canons may handle this better. But the images from my buddies 20D were too cold for my liking and I cant be happier about the true color. Hope this helps!

Kurt

I have had good luck with Auto white balance. You can also take a few practice shoots in a matter of seconds trying different settings for different lighting. Practice this and you will be able to dial it in in seconds.

K-

I have been real happy with my B+H UV filter on my 70-200VR. Not familiar with IR but will recommend you at least include the B+H equipment in your comparison.

 

Good luck!

K-

I took a few hand held shots that came out pretty nice. I'm guessing that your shutter speed was too slow. Next time take a few shots with VR on and off. Remember the moon is moving faster than you think.

k---

Here is an article that I found very useful. Read it close since he explains its use with a D70 and D200. Not too sure if the D50 can act as a commander.

 

 

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/ittlslave.htm

 

Here is another link to help you when shooting with a flash.

http://nikonimaging.com/global/technology/speedlight/index.htm

 

 

K---