bob_flood1

"... if you happen to have metallic pins in your spine as I have. Worry not, they will not set off any alarms either."

True for pins, not for artificial joints. My hip has set off every airport metal detector I've gone thru since 2002 (when I got the hip).

Other places: I have a friend who has travelled to Taiwan and South Korea in the past 4 months, and he had no problems taking a lot of electronics, but all of it was clearly marked with the name of his company. He had similar experiences in eastern Europe (Romania and Bulgaria) about a year ago. He took his personal camera, too, and had no issues come up.

Sorry I didn't use YOUR favorite phrase for third world/developing world. Nevertheless, you knew what I was talking about.

When the US and others insisted that airport security be upgraded to include x-ray and metal detection, most of the poorer countries agreed based on the US providing the hardware. We did - our old stuff that we replaced with the pulsed x-rays systems. The pulsed systems were developed to reduce weight - less shielding required means much lower weight, and when you have to install a battery of them in a large airport, that weight is a serious structural issue.

Been thru gate security in South Africa? Argentina? Georgia (former USSR)? The expectation is that you will have removed anything that can cause an alarm - so an alarm is a big deal. People do miss flights getting it sorted out.

And the kind of radiation field necessary to wipe out a memory card would kill the person carrying it. Tests on computer chips at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory found them to be pretty much impossible to fry except at megarad doses, the kind that would not only kill a mammal, but sterilize the remains such that there'd be no decay. If a pass thru a machine causes a problem with a card, it was magnetism, not radiation that caused it.

In the US, western Europe, Japan, and Australia, the gate security x-ray machines work like an electronic flash - a pulse is used to generate the onscreen image. So little radiation is used that film isn't harmed unless it goes thru an awfully large number of times. Checked baggage goes thru a CT scan that delivers 200-300 millirem, and that will ruin film.

But computer chips aren't affected - theoretically, a photon could happen to hit a spot just right to flip a zero to a one or vice versa, but you'd have a bad time trying to find it in the image.

In "third world" countries, things are different. They use the old continuous beam x-ray machines (mostly old hand-me-downs from us), but the radiation isn't the problem - the tube can emit a pretty good magnetic field in the course of producing the x-rays. Putting cards in your pocket will probably get you caught in the metal detector and could cause serious hassles and maybe a missed flight. Best to save your images onto CD before you get to the airport so you don't have to worry.

As I've had my D80 only a short time (about 48 hours now), I can't say for certain, but my D70 experienced a throughput lag when shooting some ospreys in Oregon last summer. I was happily shooting away when suddenly the shutter wouldn't fire - the buffer was full and I couldn't take another shot until it transferred some to the card. If you might shoot in rapid succession, a faster card is worth it. If you don't shoot that way, the speed won't matter.

Cards - something to think about: I use 512nm and 1 gb cards instead of a 4 gb card. They can break, get lost, etc, and I don't like the idea of having too much on any one card because of that risk. So I buy smaller cards and carry a bunch. The D80 file sizes (I always shoot RAW) are such that I wouldn't go anywhere with less than 3 gb total card capacity. I write the day's shooting to CD each night, freeing up the cards for the next day.

I assume you will have a car; if not, plan to shoot on the strip.

If you have will have a car, and you don't want to spend much of your time driving, Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire will do nicely.

Red Rock - from the strip get onto I-15 southbound and keep to the right. In short order you will come to I-215 - take it westward. It will go around to the west side of the city and turn northward. Get off at Charleston, and turn left - west. Red Rock is just a couple of miles from the exit. Total drive, about 15 miles. Classic western red rock mountains, very limited wildlife (burros), some horseback riding by locals, not likely to see hard rock climbers (wrong time of year). Red Rock is a National Conservation Area and charges admission. I'm sorry but I don't what the charges is these days - us handicapped folks get in without charge.

For Valley of Fire, from the hotel get onto I-15 northbound. About a half hour northeast of the city you'll see the exit for Valley of Fire. It's another half hour or so to the entrance (depending, of course, on your drving). It's a state park with an admission charge of $5 or $10, if I recall correctly. More red rock landscape than Red Rock Canyon, but not mountainous.

If you don't mind the drive, go to the south rim of the Grand Canyon - about 5 hours from the strip (over the dam). If you've never seen it, you gotta go. The north rim is closed in winter, but the south rim won't be terribly crowded in winter, so it's a good time. If you get lucky, you could have some snow in you shots. Get on I-15 north, then onto US93/95 south. When they split, stay with US93 (and cross the dam). In Kingman AZ, get on I-20 east, and get off at Williams for the road out the canyon.

Death Valley is potentially a day trip. You can spend a lot of time exploring it, but you can also see a lot in a short visit. Artist's Point is a personal favorite on mine, along with the dunes at Stovepipe Wells. You might be lucky and get the emergence of the wildflowers, and Badwater could have a lot of water - miles of it in some years. Makes for great early morning reflection shots of the Panamint Mountains. You'll need a map for the trip - there are several ways to go over and come back from Vegas.

Zion is a 3.5-4 hour drive and a good location, too. Bryce is another hour farther, which makes it a difficult day trip. If you can spend a night, Bryce is a great place - the landscape is unique.

My first recommendation would still be the Grand canyon - a long day trip or an easy overnighter, but there's no other place like it on this planet.

The linear resolution difference between 6 and 10 mpix isn't very much, but the 10 mpix will tolerate Photoshop adjustments and tinkering better than 6 mpix.

Alternatives: merging photos may work. I've done it with landscapes with real success, but the framing gets tough for a macro shot. For a planned "portrait" orientation shot, I take three horizontal shots, from top to bottom, with the images overlapping by about 1/4 of the image. Be sure to set the focus manually and don't change it during the 3 shots. Same for exposure - set it manually and use the same setting for all 3 - otherwise you get an obvious border when the shots are merged. Using a 6 mpix camera and 25% overlap, the merge will yield an image of about 15 mpix, and that will enlarge satisfactorily to poster size - 20X30 - and probably beyond.

Alternative 2: the film suggestion - you could pick up an old Nikkormat body without risking much money and try Velvia with professional scanning of the slide. If it doesn't work to your liking or just isn't your cup-a-tea, you could resell the body and move on. A low risk option.

When you make your choice and try it, please get back to this forum and let us know how it turned out - inquiring minds want to know.

Bob in Las Vegas

Very limited experience, but I've been to western Washington twice, both times in July, and the weather was the stuff the Chamber of Commerce dreams of - little to no rain, clear blue skies, just enough popcorn cumulus to make the sky interesting. The Skagit Valley is beautiful - it's where the florists get their flowers (literally). If like to shoot flowers, that's the time and place to do so. Baker and Ranier are accessible, but the snow will be old and not very clean or smooth. The ferry into the islands from the Seattle area are a deal, the San Juans are beautiful.

This winter's weather should mean lots of snow in the mountains, which will mean strong river flows and waterfalls well into the summer months. I never made it to the Olympic Peninsula, a major regret that I may get to fix in retirement.

I've also been into central and eastern Washington a little, and there are interesting places to shoot, but nowhere near the variety of the west coastal area.

Bob in Las Vegas

You need to specify what time of year and if possible, what part of the state you have in mind. A one-size-fits-all answer won't fit anything very well.

Bob in Las Vegas

This is for Dave: Late March is spring wildflower season here. If we get as wet a winter as predicted, the flowers in Death Valley will be great, and there may still be fairly extensive water at Badwater. Badwater usually has an acre or a few of standing water, but following an above average winter, there can be miles of water, all of it knee-deep. In Feb and Mar 2005, I got shots of people boating (kayaks and canoes) at Badwater in the warm sunrise light with the Panamint Mountains reflected. Mid morning I got the mountains and Ansel-Adams-sky reflected in that water. Wildflowers were everywhere.

Another great opportunity will be Antelope Valley in California for the mother lode of poppies. It's west of Vegas - just north of the San Gabriel Mountains, west of the town of Lancaster. A little south of there, at the true edge of the mountains, Leona Valley has some intersting backroads with flowering trees.

Bob in Las Vegas

Red Rock faces east, so it's better for sunrise shooting - you just get silouettes (sp?) at sunset. Valley of Fire can be very good at sunset if you want to drive across the city and out there. Death Valley is a 3 hour drive from the strip and has Dante's View, Zabriski Point, Artist's Point, and the dunes at Stovepipe Wells easily available in one day. Expect water at Badwater and snow in the Panamints on the west side of the valley.

Zion is about 3 hours from the strip and would be grgeat with snow, less so in winter without snow. Sedona has to be 5-6 hours each way (haven't tried it in one day).

Bob in Las Vegas

This is a bit late, but I feel it's work saying. I have the 18-70 and have been very happy with it. It has some barrel distortion at 18 mm, but it only matters if I have obvious verticals in the image and shoot at 18 mm. Moving up in focal length a small amount eliminates the problem.

I tested the 18-135 at a local store and was, frankly, astonished that Nikon would make such a lens. No barrel distortion at 18, but it has the worst pincushion at anything over 50 mm I've ever seen. Any vertical lines in the image will be unmistakeably curved.

I strongly recommend avoiding the 18-135 and buying the 18-70.

Bob in Las Vegas

Julie, all of this discussion has been about Nikon lenses - have you considered a third party lens? A friend loaned me his Sigma 170-500 f5 about a year ago, and I used it to shoot some hard rock climbers in a canyon west of Las Vegas. I shoot everything using a tripod (arthritis makes it mandatory these days), and the images had very good sharpness. I don't know if Sigma glass has variations in quality in their production runs, and that is something to consider. But at half the cost of the 80-400 Nikkor, and with the additional focal length, it might be worth a look. The f5 aperture (f6.3 at 500 mm) worked satisfactorily with the autofocus of my D70 in open sunlight and in full shade. The cost might even let you get a 1.4X or 2X to get very long focal lengths. Autofocus wouldn't work, but the focal length might be worth it.

If you can get to a camera shop that has one on the shelf, I recommend that you take your camera, mount their lens, take a few shots, and let the images help you make a decision. If they have the 300 Nikons, take a few shots with them, too. It might simplify your decsion.

Bob in Las Vegas

Don't expect any leaves - although you might find some in still water eddies in the river. It's unusually warm now and forecast to stay that way past Thanksgiving. So snow is unlikely.

For sunrise, I suggest Checkerboard Mesa (above the tunnel, in the east side of the park). You can also get some interesting light as the sun comes up in the north end of Zion Canyon. My favorite for sunset in in Kolob Canyon in the northwest corner of the park (it has its own entrance and is not connected to the main canyon). The main wall faces west and gets some great late day light. You should have blues skies and a good chance of some "Ansel Admas sky" cirrus clouds.

Snow really helps Zion in winter, but with or without, Zion will not disappoint you. Have fun.

Bob in Las Vegas

If traveling across the country is practical for you, the advice about southern Utah, the Grand Canyon, and Death Valley can all be fit into the same week. Zion and Bryce are great any time of year, and look exceptional with fresh snow. Don't worry about being able to get around if it snows - it doesn't snow a lot and it typically doesn't last very long in the lower elevations. If you're up to it, Angel's Landing in Zion is amazing. Look for accomodations in Springdale, Utah for the Zion area; Ruby's near Bryce is very good, too.

The north rim of the Grand Canyon is closed in winter, but you can get around the canyon to the south rim in reasonable time, and the canyon in winter offers more intriguing weather effects than you'll find at other times of the year. Lodging can be had inside the park, and somewhat less expensive right outside the south gate in Tusayan.

Of course, Death Valley is much more comfortable in winter than mid-summer. Late winter and spring is the peak tourist season for them, so your vacation time works well. Places like Artist's Point, Dante's View, and the dunes at Stovepipe Wells can keep you completely occupied. You can stay at the resort in Furnace Creek or the hotel at Stovepipe Wells, but neither will be bargains. But if you want to stay in the park, the only other choice is camping.

Death Valley is an easy day trip out of Las Vegas (2.5 hours from my house to standing at Badwater), and Las Vegas usually has some excellent hotel bargains Sunday thru Thursday (but the week from Xmas to New Year's is probably not a time to hunt bargains here). Avoid the weekends here - prices are much higher. There are a couple of local landmarks of interest, too - Red Rock Canyon on the western edge of the city has some excellent western red rock formations and is popular among hard rock climbers, and Valley of Fire State Park an hour northeast of the city has more extensive red rock formations and petroglyphs.

I've been here 6 years now, and the variety of landscapes within a few hours of Vegas is remarkable. If traveling this far across the country fits your plans, it's a good opportunity. Wherever you go, have a great time.

Bob in Las Vegas

You've gotten some advice so far. My wife and I were in Zion on Saturday (9/23) and the color development seems to be about on its normal schedule. The main canyon will probably peak the last weekend in Oct or the first in Nov.

Don't overkook the Kolob Canyon part of the park - it's accessed with great ease from I-15 about 40 miles north of St George and offers great scenery and a good variety of trees (aspen, of course, maple, cottonwood, etc). And it will have 10% of the people in Zion Canyon.

Zion Canyon will be best on a weekday - if you can, avoid the bigger weekend crowds by hitting Zion Canyon on weekdays and go into the higher country (Kolob, etc) on the weekend.

The Narrows will be open, but that requires walking in the water, sometimes chest-deep, depending how far upstream you go. And it will be K-K-KOLD water! But if you're up for it, there's no place quite like it.

The trams run until the end of October, with only those with handicap placards allowed to drive (that's me). But the trams do a good job - the crowds will be bigger in Zion Canyon than in Kolob, but at that time they won't be anything like the summer crowds, and the trams can handle them. Trams come by the stops regularly, and parking locations are pretty limited, anyway.

Go up thru the tunnel into the higher, eastern side of the park. You'll find some great foliage among the rocks up there, although it peaks more toward the middle of Oct at that elevation. There's a hike along some narrow ledges (if I can do it, you can do it) starting right by the upper end of the tunnel, taking you to a great overlook above the central canyon.

For close-ups of deer, try being around the Zion lodge in the late afternoon. They graze on the lawn and are largely unafraid of people, within limits (don't expect to pet them).

If you have the time, Bryce is unique, but it's not the place to find fall color. Then again, it doesn't need it.

North of Zion there's an east-west road over Cedar Mountain ending in Cedar City. It's lloks like a good prospect for fall color, but don't bother. The area has been hard hit by insect problems, and major parts of the pine and aspen forest are dead up there.

A few hours drive to the south is the north rim of the Grand Canyon. You'll find significant areas of aspen across the plateau as you head out the canyon, and some of the vegetation in the canyon changes color.

Above all, have fun.

Bob in Las Vegas