Barry Clemmons Photography

<p>Did you format the card in the D300 prior to using it?</p>

<p>Whenever I post a question here I realize that I am going to get a plethora of answers possibly going in many different directions. That is exactly what I am looking for, to draw on the experience and opinions of all the members. In the end I have to sift through all of the responses and make my own decision. I never post a question just looking for everyone to agree with the direction I am leaning. That is what is so great about this forum, the ability to get help from people all over the globe with the same love of photography as myself.</p>

<p>Mary, I have to disagree with you about the RRS BH-55 ballhead. It depends on what is clamped to that BH-55. When I am walking through a wooded area with a 600mm f/4 lens and body over my shoulder, I can't imagine having anything else holding on to my gear. I never worry that the BH-55 will fail because it is rock solid when used with a RRS Arca Swiss style lens foot or plate. It is bulky and heavy as you say, but necessary as far as I'm concerned. Now if you are talking about using it with a D5300 and kit lens then I would agree it is overkill. But that is why RRS makes smaller ballheads.</p>

<p>I have two large panorama prints on metal hanging in my home. One is 7' long and was made by stitching three handheld shots together with a small amount of cropping. The other is 6' long and was made from nine bracketed shots. I then cropped about 20% off the top and 20% off the bottom for the final print. Both were made with the 12mp D3S and 24-70mm lens. I have had more comments about those two prints than any of the others in my home, including several made with the D800E. My point being that while more megapixels is always useful, they are not always necessary to make good quality shots/prints.</p>

<p>I'm probably not unique in the fact that I have wasted more money over the years on tripods than any other photographic accessory. If I added the price of all the early tripods together I could have purchased a high end Gitzo that would have lasted a lifetime. Gitzo is now the only brand I purchase, but Manfrotto is also good quality. For your setup the minimum payload rating I would use is 6.8 kg (15 lbs), but that is just me. Everyone has their own budget though that has to be factored in. I have been fortunate in that I have never had a tripod fall over, but I have had a leg to collapse. In that case I was standing next to it and was able to catch it. I use the same philosophy when purchasing tires for our family automobiles. In both cases I want to protect what is riding above them. If you end up purchasing the setup from your friend, see if it is possible to install a hook on the bottom of the center column. That way you can hang a camera bag or something else to provide more stability. I also believe the maximum height for this model is 169 cm (66.5 in), but that is with the center column fully extended. I try not to shoot with center columns fully extended if possible.</p>

<p>Shun, unfortunately I don't have that. I haven't experienced the flare issue since I try to not shoot directly into a light source if I can avoid it. I have tried to create the flare issue tonight by using Liveview and putting a light source near the top left, but so far do not see any of the flare effects described by others. I sent my D750 in since the serial number was in the group affected according to Nikon. I agree that it is risky anytime you send a body in, but as I pointed out I have always had good luck with Nikon service in the past. I knew they would do a complete cleaning of the camera body and sensor as well as check AF performance, so I looked at it as a chance for a free complete service of the body. I was surprised that they replaced all of the exterior rubber. I guess that was necessary if they had to completely disassemble the camera. Only downside is that now the rubber on my battery grip looks old. :)</p>

<p>I sent my D750 to Nikon when the service advisory first came out (Shun is now rolling his eyes). :) The service was very quick and I would have had it back in seven business days (that includes shipping time both ways) if not for the snow in the northeast and the fact that someone at Nikon transposed my address which added three days. I was somewhat intrigued by all the items performed during the service. Here is what was listed on the Invoice Repair sheet:<br> Replace Front Body<br> Replace Rubber Grip<br> Replace Rewind Side Rubber<br> Replace CF Cardholder Rubber (Not sure why it says CF)<br> Adjust Auto Focus Operation<br> Checked Communication<br> Firmware Upgrade<br> Clean CCD<br> General Check & Clean<br> I must say that it looked as good as the day I originally received it. I also checked the shutter count and found that it was 185 higher than when I sent it in. I also found that most menu items had been reset to factory, which I somewhat expected. I haven't had time to run a complete check yet but did confirm that the focus is fast as before. I know that many of you have said you would not send your D750 in unless you were experiencing an issue, but I have had very good luck with Nikon servicing the few times I have had to send a body or lens in. Plus I knew that I would not be shooting with the D750 for a couple of weeks and it was a good time to send it in. Just wondering if anyone thinks the above listed service items are in line with servicing the flare issue.</p>

<p>One of the primary reasons for the price drop, in my opinion, is the weak yen vs dollar value at the moment. The yen has been dropping steadily over the past several months to a level not seen in a while. Of course December brings Christmas gift buying as well for some folks and that is another reason. Will there be a D7100 replacement soon? My guess would be yes since CES is the first week of January in Las Vegas and usually brings new product announcements.</p>

<p>Buy from an authorized Nikon dealer. Remember, if it looks too good to be true it probably is.</p>

<p>One of the best spots to get photos of surfers and wind surfers on Maui is Hookipa Beach on the north shore just past the town of Paia. The world renowned "Jaws" surf area is also just past Hookipa. This is also the beginning of the Road to Hana trip which I would highly recommend as well. If this is your first trip to Maui I would also suggest sunrise or sunset from the summit of Haleakala. If you go for sunrise, be sure to stop for a great breakfast at Kula Lodge on the way down.</p>

<p>For the past 2-3 years, all I have used is the LensPen SensorKlear II. That gets rid of any dust, but for oil residue a wet clean will be required.</p>

<p>Have been to Hawaii numerous times, mostly in the March timeframe because that is prime whale season. You didn't mention which island you will be visiting, but the majority of whales are around Maui. It is really worth booking a whale watch while there if you have time. My favorite is through the Pacific Whale Foundation on Maui. March is not the best time for flowers in Hawaii, but there really isn't a bad time to go. One other thing about March to consider is that there is a better chance of getting caught in a rain shower based on which side of the island you happen to be on.</p>

<p>Remember that Mercedes and BMW now produce cars here in the U.S., but the quality control standards are still dictated from Germany. I haven't noticed anyone here returning their U.S. made models in order to get one made in Germany.</p>

<p><em><strong>"No need to switch. Use both (invest both). Keep both lenses."</strong></em><em><strong><br /></strong></em><br> <em><strong><br /></strong></em>If I were only using an entry level body and lens this might be an option. A lot of the people who would use this body are nature photographers using either the 500mm, 600mm or 800mm lens. That would require an investment of somewhere between $11,000 and $16,000 plus other accessories in order to use both systems (considering they already have the Nikon setup). If tomorrow Nikon came out with a new top of the line DX body that did what everyone wants and even more but the price for the body was $14,000, I wouldn't be interested in that option either.<br> <em><strong> </strong></em></p>

<p>I forgot to mention that this shot is also a 33% crop. Detail in feathers is not showing up as much when I look at it here.</p>

<p>Shun, I know you like to photograph hummingbirds. I was able to get a shot of one while lit on a feeder. This was made with the TC-14E III, 600mm lens on the D7100 using ISO 2000 and normal processing. There is still plenty of details in the feathers in my opinion.</p><div></div>

<p>Shun, unfortunately I do not. Over the years as I upgraded a lens I would sell the older one. I wish like you I had kept some of them, a couple in particular.</p>

<p>Is there a reason Nikon couldn't make the TC-14E III compatible with the older lenses? If not it is odd that they would do that, especially since they designed the TC-20E III to be compatible with them.<br> It is easier for me to see the difference between the II and III version of the 1.4 on my larger desktop monitor as opposed to my laptop. In my opinion though, it is not large enough to have to carry both the II and III to cover the older AF-S lenses. Nikon in most cases tries to be as backward compatible as possible. That is one of the reasons I have stayed with Nikon for so many years. I don't have any of the older AF-S lenses that I would use with the TC, so I will probably be selling my version II.</p>

<p>Shun, there is a noticeable improvement with the III version that isn't as evident when I post them here for some reason. I don't know if it is enough to warrant replacing the II version or not, but it is a little sharper in my opinion. Color rendition also appears slightly better with the III.</p>

<p>And finally the 600mm using the TC-14E III.</p><div></div>

<p>This is the 600mm shot using the TC-14E II.</p><div></div>

<p>This is the 300mm with the TC-14E III.</p><div></div>

<p>Okay, I was able to do some quick shots outside today comparing the TC-14E II and TC-14E III on both the 300mm f/2.8 G VRII and 600mm f/4 G VR. All are shot at ISO 100 with MUP using a remote shutter release and are cropped at 100%. The 300mm shots are f/4 and 600mm are f/5.6. This is the 300mm using the TC-14E II.</p><div></div>

<p>I use Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) on a cotton swab. It dissolves quickly and is good to pick up bits of dirt, grease or oil. </p>

<p>Johnathan, try sliding the autofocus switch on the side of the lens from M/A to M and then back again. You might also clean the contacts on the lens as well as the camera body (even though you mentioned your other lenses work). By the way, your English is fine.</p>