jamespjones

<p>Hi Lauren, It seems that the discussion has devolved a bit into the virtues of different systems. I want to point out the obvious first: Window light is classic and beautiful. You can do an awful lot with windows and a large reflector.</p>

<p>Don't feel like you have to have a studio setup - you may not be quite ready for it and it is a very different process than shooting by natural light. But, if you're looking at studio equipment the low hanging fruit is the flash system associated with your camera manufacturer. They often can be controlled off-camera directly from the camera itself. It isn't the cheapest DIY solution but if you're shooting 5 times a week (a remarkable number) then it may be the easiest to grasp.</p>

<p>Hot lights (continuous lighting) are easy to use and you can pick up a set for cheap - look up Smith Victor. But, they aren't the best for stills (great for video). Probably safer than halogen work lights though. The things John talks about up above are accurate - but maybe over your head. Certainly a discussion of the three components of lighting may be lost on you for now. BUT, as people point out, there is a lot to learn and it is a lifelong adventure to master lighting.<br>

A word of caution - lights on stands can become liabilities. It sounds like this is your business now. If you're doing this for work then you should get insured. Homeowners insurance won't cover a business related liability. Consider joining your local camera club.</p>

<p>Myself I brought my Contax G2. Cause what the hell; why not. You get to have fun with film and no one feels threatened (except maybe the Leica users....). If I had a Fuji X100 I would use it. <br>

The only thing that caught me off guard was when the groom walking down the aisle with his just declared bride asked me for my camera which he then used to shoot a self portrait of the two of them with the wedding behind them (the old travel - arm out to the side photo).<br>

He didn't know I was shooting film. I didn't know he was planning to grab my camera. We both were surprised.</p>

<p>Anyone know where I can get panoramic prints in Tokyo or Yokohama? I'm looking for something fairly big - as quickly as possible.<br>

Thanks!<br>

James</p>

 

<p>I think the discussion is missing the component of actual photographs. Without those we are just airing our preconceptions.</p>

<p>Sprint developer is nice from an ease of use standpoint anyway. 1:9 ratio. Used a fair bit in schools I think.<br>

http://www.sprintsystems.com/</p>

<p>whoops here it is:</p><div></div>

<p>One more for the road:</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I don't know about all the picking and choosing. I think the tolerances are tighter than people give credit. This is from my Sigma 50-150mm.</p>

<div></div>

The easiest way is probably to do one long exposure and use a flash handheld manually to light the subject. In effect painting with light.

<p>I had a D70s as my quaternary backup until recently. But, I've heard they magically die on the shelves of the local camera shop (used section). I think they like being exercised. I moved that camera along to someone who loves it more. I'm also getting rid of my D90 (my new quaternary backup). I'm sure other people love the D90. It just never grew on me. It would sit idle for months. Onward and upward.</p>

<p>I lost track of who was advocating what. But, with dual card slots you can cover your bases. I've had a few bad SD cards but I haven't run into bad CF cards yet. The SD cards were 2GB cards. Who knows what was causing the problem.<br>

That said I feel comfortable shooting with large cards from a data integrity perspective. The danger is loss or theft. I only feel comfortable due to usage of dual cards slots. When we are shooting on location, depending on the kind of shoot, we backup wirelessly during the shoot if we can. The more redundancy the better.<br>

Before the D300 came out I remember thinking that the D2x was a killer machine. Then the D300 was the D2x killer. It still is a great camera. I sometimes have to remind myself not to get too caught up in the marketing hype. Shoot what you need to shoot for the client if you're a pro. Have fun and get whatever you want if you are an enthusiast. <br>

Congrats on the D300s. Great camera. FWIW I enjoy the 3D focus tracking (or whatever it is called). Check it out.</p>

<p>Nice Michael.</p>

<p>My family is in Japan. My thoughts are with them. All the time now.</p>

<p>Please, no more discussion of the merits of prayers vs. thoughts. Just let it go and do what you can, if you can help, to help.</p>

<p>Hello,<br>

I know almost nothing about the Minolta line of lenses. I shoot Nikon, Canon, other things... Pentax... etc. But never have I owned a Minolta until now. I snagged a Maxxum 7 for a bargain.<br>

What are the classic lenses for this camera? I know the modern Zeiss lenses work with it; but if you were bargain hunting and looking for good glass for the Minolta what would you recommend?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi Bob,</p>

<p>If it were my life's work -> I would hire an expert. No question. Please consider it before running any software.</p>

<p>Sweet goodness... Lex you get extra credit pulling out such an old reference. I haven't thought about the Well in a long time.</p>

<p>Hi Left,<br>

First off, this is a wonderful gift. Here are some alternative ideas: For $3600ish you can get a Sony Alpha 850 + Zeiss 24-70mm lens. Add some memory and an offbrand 70-300mm and you've got quite a camera (~$4000).<br>

Bang for the buck on the Nikon side: D300s ($1600), Tokina 12-24mm ($400), Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 ($450), Nikon 80-200mm F2.8 ($1100), SB-600 ($220), Nikon EN-EL3e Battery, Sandisk 16GB Extreme SDHC x 2 ($220) = $4030 or $3200 if you get the D90.<br>

If your dad likes people pictures he will appreciate the depth of field of faster glass. I would also consider dropping the 80-200, going with the Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 and adding the Nikon 85mm f1.8 (though with the sigma it may be redundant - but lighter). The price ends up being about the same.<br>

Just throwing ideas out in the mix. Personally I think the D90 would probably do the job and with the remaining $800 you could then add a good tripod, mono-pod, ball heads, bag, some filters (like PL), and perhaps Photoshop elements.</p>

 

<p>Thanks Dieter<br>

ah yes... sitting on a lonely page (22) of text at the very end with an asterisk - though I would have liked the phrasing of radiating outward more - that makes it more obvious. From the Fuji S5 manual:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>* Due to characteristics of the LCD used in the Vari-Brite<br /> focus area display system, a thin line outside the<br /> selected focus area may also be displayed or the entire<br /> viewfinder may be illuminated in red under certain<br /> conditions. These are not malfunctions.</p>

 

</blockquote>

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

<p>I may have answered my own question - I see it on my D70 now that I'm looking for it. So, is this a relic of the past or do the newer CAM systems exhibit this behavior too?</p>

<p>I just noticed that on my Fuji S5, which is basically the same as a D200 on autofocus, there is a very faint line that extends from the selected auto-focus point out to the edge of the frame in the viewfinder. Whichever is the selected point the line extends to the closest side. It is extremely faint but now that I see it I think it may become annoying. Have I just never noticed it before? I'm not using the dynamic autofocus - this happens in group or single point autofocus. I turned the grid on and off to see what happens but it exists either way.<br>

thanks,<br />James </p>

<p>Hello,<br>

There are two immediate possibilities. One is somehow you have set a +2 or 3 exposure compensation (don't know what the max is on the Nikon 3000). Second - if the above advise from John regarding reseting the factory setting doesn't help - check your lens. See if the aperture is actually closing when you press the shutter down (and the aperture is set to something small like f16). I had a diaphragm in a lens stuck once that gave me similar results.</p>

<p>I'm not sure I understand the question being posted. Do you mind clarifying what you are asking?</p>

<p>I have tried the three programs you describe though I don't think I've used Vuescan for C-41. <br>

I found that after playing around a bit that Silverfast gave me more of what I was looking for. I still put all my images through ACR (you can put tiffs and JPEGs through ACR), but by creating my own profiles and saving my preferences I get closer to my goal the first time with Silverfast. There are some weird quirks to the programs I find that that I have to be careful in my area selection as well as sometimes clicking on and off the marque for some frames. But all in all it works well. Still not perfect.</p>

<p>Out of the trio of Better/Faster/Cheaper, I would take a better/faster solution and happily pay for it. </p>

<p>Although I too want to encourage the use of slide film (mostly so it is still there when I want to use it) I end up shooting a lot of C-41. So, a good C-41 would be very nice. I like the way C-41 holds highlights.</p>

<p>*remove duplicate</p>

<p>Like any city Tokyo has districts and every 3-6 hours the vibe is changing. My thoughts? Get on a train and get lost for a while. Hook left at the little street with the gate over the entrance. The side streets often contain more interest than the main streets.</p>

<p>If you're shooting on a train don't try to be overly covert. I believe the law requires that you have a camera with an audible shutter if you are on a train.</p>

<p>Good luck and enjoy the food too.</p><div></div>