victor_ho2

Email nikon usa. They have a help/question line and will answer. You have a legitimate serial number and need a foreign language version. This should not be an obstacle to getting the US version. What's the difference. Picture project is provided with the camera.

No E6 and E4 are completely different sets of chemicals. E6 is the latest. I'm not even sure that anyone develops this stuff anymore. It will likely be a national lab where you will need to send the film.

My recommendation is monopod. A tripod is unwieldy in a fast moving game. Not my choice but apparently it's the way 99% of pro sports guys work. I've not seen any tripods.

German the article you site is correct - AF on is especially relevant. As for Mark - I use shutter priority. It lets me set the shutter speed to 1/500 if allowed and then everything else falls into place. Without the shutter speed you can't stop the action.

 

Adjust in bright sun. I once shot a marathon from a helicopter at 1/4000 in bright sun. Movement and vibration of the helicopter didn't interfere.

 

In dim light I went as low as 1/30 with a VR 80-400. It was a tennis match. Getting decent shots was indeed a challenge. There was plenty of noise and a whole lot of discards. It was more like old grainy black and white. The mother and player were delighted with the results. All they had before were distant shots, no ball, from a point and shoot. It's a world of difference getting close in with a long lens.

I reference the advice I received from a pro sports photographer who gave me some simple tips.

 

What has worked for me - use a shutter speed of 1/250 or 1/500. You need to stop the action. In dim light this may be nearly impossible and so you may have to compromise and not get stop action. Focus on the eyes or face. Hands, feet, rackets, balls and such can have blur and not be a bad photo.

 

I let the ISO run on 'auto.' It will run up as high as 1600 if the light is low. Noise is not an option you can control in low light.

 

Focusing to catch the action - use the auto lock focus button - separate the focus and shutter release. That way you can fire the shutter and focus even while the subject is on the run. It sounds redundant but this really helps. The manual will tell you how to use or set this feature. Use the motor drive on continuous and fire in bursts during critical moments. You'll end up with a lot of discards but hopefully you'll also have a few photos that capture the critical action.

 

Use a monopod. It will help to steady a heavy camera. Most sports is done with long lenses. Focus in close on the action. It's what separates a point and shoot from a pro shot. Go loose and get a wide view. It's harder to get a well composed shot without it looking too busy or confusing.

 

For most sports the critical moment is when the ball is in the frame about to be struck or just struck. Pan and follow the action. Finally trust to luck that you're in the right place and have anticipated that the action has moved into your viewfinder. For this you need to know your sport and the flow of action in order to anticipate where the players will be on the field.

 

Good luck.

Simply rate only photos that merit a high rating. No one has posted complaints because they got a high rating.

 

Then those folks out there with bad stuff will be none the wiser that you don't feel their work is good. Those folks can have at each other to their hearts content. Some people believe that their work only merits high marks. No low ratings means - peace from harrassment? It's wearying.

Phenomenal shot of the turtle. You definitely have given me inspiration.

Is it true ...? Is there someone with definitive knowledge on this ...

 

Dave Perkes - "Lead bags are a total waste of money and give a false sense of

security. The operators increase the x ray power to see inside; which is

potentially far more damaging, than the very slight risk of affecting high speed

film. The only time I have had film affected is when I used one; so never again."

 

In another thread this was a comment about using leaded containers to limit film

exposure. I am not aware that TSA has variable machines. This would not be a

surprise. There is some risk to long term exposure to radiation. The machines

are not shielded well at the open ends. We assume that a distance of about six

feet is sufficient to avoid excess exposure to passengers. However, our

industrious TSA workers are closer to the machines for longer and closer

exposure. OSHA standards would indeed be interesting to read. I have not seen

TSA workers wear radiation badges that x-ray techs wear to check for chronic

exposure. And what's with those wild and crazy colors on the monitors ... as

though explosives and weapons show up in "blinking red" or something as to

signal contraband. X-rays are black and white - it's a density thing.

 

While I have a keen curiosity regarding the X-ray machines and film, I don't

recall seeing anyone ever adjusting the exposure. More likely the TSA would

simply use the highest setting and not bother with adjusting the setting

constantly. Beaurocracy being what it is, the most expedient way is to keep it

simple and leave the machine at max. And that's what they have hand checking

luggage for.

 

Another reason - with sufficient shielding, the average x-ray machine cannot

penetrate the container no matter how much exposure is used. Again, I don't know

how much shielding is built in. The containers are not very heavy.

 

I think that international travel standards are more lax from my observation. So

foreign travel has more vagaries and the leaded containers may indeed be

helpful. Nonetheless, I have not had any problem using leaded containers and

have had no film damaged. Of course, I've gone digital in recent years ... much

more room in my luggage now :)

There are lead photobags that hold twenty rolls in the canisters. Or there are also leaded film holders - Hama - that hold four rolls. I have used and carried both through airport security. Curiously they never seem perturbed by an x-ray opaque bag or film container.

Batteries - are they fresh? Can you check that they are live. A voltmeter can tell you. Put in new batteries. Clean the battery terminal metal gently with a pencil eraser.

 

My recollection is that the meter is on when the film advance is open slightly. The (-) means the meter is not functioning. The F2 was a used camera? Did they tell you the meter was functioning when you bought the camera? Is there an instruction manual?

I hope it's panorama and not drama. I just checked - Manfrotto 3001. The center post comes out and will reverse in the down position. It will be awkward but it should do what you want. I also had a Slik - model unknown - that would also reverse. There must be a more elegant solution though.

Yes, I thought that ratings started at 4 and went up or down from the average. Still, it's subjective. Meanwhile thanks for the statistical analysis. It's nice to know I fell in the statistical distribution.

Thanks. Just looking for a reality check. I have tried to be honest in the past and where possible I have attempted to give postive input to this site and contribute to this community.

Dieter Hoffman, Eppo Smit - my apologies. I can't find the particular photos of

yours that I rated last year that drew such unconcealed ire. And to everyone

else who got a low rating from me - my apologies as well. Since I don't know any

of you, no harm is implied or intended.

 

I just now discovered the comments made to my site. I realize that I'm more than

six months late in responding.

 

There were a few happy comments for a nice rating. You shot some good stuff that

I liked. A good rating does not mean that the photographer should not strive for

improvement. But no highly rated photo drew ire - as in "Gee! You rated me too

high."

 

And to those who got low ratings - I didn't like the photos. It's subjective.

What's the difference if you like it and I didn't. You folks seem to have great

confidence and no lack of opinion. I had no idea how unhappy it can make someone

to get a low rating. No harm or insult was intended. And if I am out of line

then you'll have all those 7/8 ratings so that I don't count. And in the event

that you receive low ratings without comment, you should use some introspection

to examine yourself. If you seek teaching, there are courses. Even comments can

be off base.

 

The three photos I have posted are not because I have only shot three

photographs. My ego is not tied to your reviews.

 

I have heretofore only been casually following the threads about rating ire. I

haven't rated anything in some time and really don't intend to do so again. I

see no need to raise such animosity. For Eppo and Dieter, I single you folks out

because your comments were really excessively reactive. Other folks on this site

should know to avoid you. As in - "I gave you [me] a 3/3. I wanted to give you a

1/1 but you won't see it" - Eppo. Your ire seeks to intimidate someone from

giving an opinion. Revenge is really not very pretty.

The point and shoot had plenty of potential. I had the camera set for close up so that getting close to the subject not should have been a problem. I used wide angle to compensate for narrow angled composition. The light was favorable. I just never had a chance to sneak up on the fish. Sorry I don't have the hang of posting pictures to this thread.

 

All in all this is about learning a new trick. I don't expect to get shots like the professionals and National Geographic. But given the options available with digital, underwater photography is within the grasp of so many more casual and even serious amateurs. I saw quite a variety of equipment on disply - some hard housings like the Canon etc, some disposable one time use cameras, and some serious housings complete with two light set up. After I fried my point and shoot I was so glad that my most recent try wasn't with my D70. The dedicated waterproof camera from Olympus is supposed to go underwater to around 10 feet. But what is the real maximum depth? I'm still pushing my envelope of skills.

Yes, I agree. There's no such thing as composing a shot. You can't see the LCD. Just point and shoot. I tried to swim as close to the fish and coral and then trusted to a bit of luck. I was pleasantly surprised to come away with a few good shots.

 

I keep forgetting about extended warranty with some of my credit cards. Still, if I'm not mistaken, salt water and cameras is deadly combination. You really can't revive the camera. The price point is such that replacing the camera is easier than fixing except when you have a camera specific housing and the camera is no longer being sold.

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I have previously posted this commentary to underwater/nature but the underwater

forum seems to have a problem and hasn't been updating. At the suggestion of

photo.net administrator I post this again.

 

 

 

I have a Nikon L3 [now outdated] point and shoot that I decided to fit with a

housing for underwater photography as Belize is known for its reefs. I am not a

serious diver. My family and I planned to snorkel.

 

Looking around I settled on a Fantasea FL-3 housing. There was a certain price

benefit consideration. I found that the cost to get a digital SLR housing to be

too excessive. Cheaper plastic bag type containment was rated to about 10-15

feet. Snorkeling below the surface, I wasn't going deep but didn't want to take

a chance. Fantasea wasn't cheap but it did come with a one year insurance

warranty for the camera.

 

The Fantasea housing allowed for use of almost every button on the Nikon L3

except to turn the camera on and off. The camera goes to sleep mode if not used

for a minute or two. Then it shuts off if the camera isn't used for two to three

minutes. Therefore, press the shutter every minute or so. The only buttons I

really needed were the on off switch and the shutter release button. I really

wasn't in need of editing functions during the dive. And... there's no button

for on/off!

 

We made two morning snorkel dives on a reef. We were in good light and not in

deep water. So, the photos were made without flash even with the auto flash on.

It's a definite challenge to photograph fish when the subject and photographer

are moving in three dimensions. Color cast was green but perked up with

Photoshop, except, reds which were lost rapidly.

 

The change in temperature from 90 on boat to 80 in water caused fog to form in

the camera housing so the LCD and then the lens fogged. I got about 30 shots.

Some shots were of the divers - myself, wife and daughter. The rest of the shots

were taken of coral and a few fish. On the second dive I shot a few photos and

then saw a water level in the bottom of the camera housing. Holding the housing

upright and swimming back to the dive boat with the camera held upright was to

no avail. The camera was fried.

 

Returning home I contacted Fantasea about the warranty insurance. They were very

cordial and my claim is pending. Absolutely no hassle so far.

 

Some observations: The Nikon L3 camera is now discontinued by Nikon [planned

obsolescence]. Therefore if I replace the camera and it is damaged again I will

have an underwater housing and no camera to go with it. There is no further

insurance warranty at this point. Fantasea offers to test the housing and will

replace it if there is a defect in their equipment. If it is owner error then

they charge $100. Or, another option, is to pay $50 and get the upgraded housing

for the next Nikon [plus a new 1 year warranty]. This is very generous, indeed.

So in conclusion there is still some way to go for a casual underwater

photographer. And, I'm just glad I didn't fry my digital SLR. I don't think

we'll be snorkeling again for a long time. :(

I've been getting email from the UK Lottery saying that I've won hundreds of thousands of pounds. I never bought a ticket and never bought one in the US since I can remember. They didn't ask for money. They only stipulated that I speak to no one else about the winnings. I guess I'm not going to get the money now. Anyone else who wants to try is welcome, I forward you the email. Send me $50 dollars cashier check please. :)

I recently had ocassion to shoot a tennis match late in the afternoon with bright contrast and shadows. It was a mess to try to meter. The automatic metering looked like the image was overexposed. Highlights looked blown away. I used a 1 stop underexposure figuring I could salvage shadows in Photoshop. It was harder to fix the underexposed shots. The overexposed shots actually became richer with level adjustments and then I just fixed the shadowed faces. There is also exposure compensation which will fire off three or four frames to bracket and let you choose the best exposure. But for sports, you really are glad to capture the critical moment when you fire the shutter.

IMO go back and look over all the holiday and family reunion pictures you ever took and try to see what worked and what didn't. Bounce flash in tight quarters is better than direct. Bring enough battery power. Put yourself in the place of an invited guest and realize that just like anyone else you would be gracious and let some nervous designated photographer have his way. Once you have their attention any small group will gladly move and pose in a more pleasing way. Don't shoot while people are eating or talking - you know how unflattering that looks.

 

If you don't have more confidence then practice technique on your spouse. Afterall she got you this gig.

Stephen: Great composition. The pics look a little overexposed but that may be my computer. ISO 200 or comparable compensation would probably work. Shutter 1/1000 works to stop action. Try panning with different shutter speeds to get some creative blur.

Some questions: Do you get a startup tone and then a '?'. Does the computer remain dark and won't start?

 

Some things to try: Try the installstallation disc that came with the computer. Load that and run Disk Utility. Don't install or erase but run Disk First Aid. This will tell you if the disk is ok or not. If the icon for the hard drive doesn't show up then you have a problem.

 

Techtool 4 is a good program to repair your disk. It can take a long time to run and repair if your hard disk is large.

 

If you really are unsure then a Mac tech may be able to help. Check for an authorized mac repair tech. There are some great ones in NYC but I don't know where you live. Or, call Apple tech support. If it matters then they may be able to help.

 

I've had hard drives fail to boot and Techtools has bailed me out short of erasing my drive. And each time I promised to "backup religiously." At least all my images are backed up three ways even if nothing else is done. I use two external hard drives and DVD for backup. Good luck.

Nikon DSLR's have highlight feature that blinks. Also histogram graphic screen

April 22, 2007

Returned from Belize 2 weeks ago. No problems in either direction. They seem to have relaxed the liquids rules as people were carrying bottles of liquid [water etc] aboard and no one was unhappy. Security in Belize is pretty much what goes on in the US. At the small local airport there was none. In Belize city there was the usual x-ray machine. Little hand checking going on. My camera carry on had - three cameras, one video, lenses and accessories. It never ceases to amaze me that all that goes through without a peep. I guess I don't look threatening.