reuben demanuele

<p>Hi All, </p>

<p>I would appreciate your help.<br>

I have realized today (it might have been happening for quite some time) that as soon as I switch on my d800 with this lens attached there are 3 out of 5 times a couple of clicks from the VR mechanism which also manifests itself as jumps in the viewfinder.<br>

I am also seeing one element close to the aperture blades which is "floating" when I move the lens with my hands....movement seems to be a few mm in either axis.<br>

the lens focuses and exposes as normal, and I suspect that the VR is still working (because I have tried taking shots with VR on and off and the images with VR on are sharper (for shutter speeds between 30 and 200mm).<br>

I have tried new charged batteries (showing age 2 and 3 respectively) no difference<br>

I have tried switching on and off the camera with the VR in the on and off position in several combinations. No difference<br>

Is this behaviour normal? I currently do not have access to Nikon repair facilities so even if the lens is damaged I shall probably switch the VR off and continue to work with the lens till a repair is feasible. <br>

Reuben</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Dear Shun, <br>

You are correct in stating that the filter I was using was a cheap one. It was...<br>

I have no doubt that i would not be able to isolate the effect of a filter on a "normal" image...but there have been too many instances where I have isolated image degradation because of a good quality filter since I got my D800...it could be just me...but i feel better taking the filter off if my environment feels safe enough</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p>Thanks Gentlemen, </p>

<p>Advice taken on board and distilled. Hoya filters on the way for use when the lens is in potentially traumatic situations, to be taken off with the lens cap in other circumstances...</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hello there.<br>

have just increased my lens collection with a couple of expensive specimens (at least for me)...I was thinking of buying a UV/protective filter for the front element. However I have had bad experiences in the past with such filters reducing image contrast and sharpness.<br>

Its been ages since I purchased any filters, so I would appreciate it if someone can point me in the direction of the best filter for protective purposes....I know that i have to pay some money for such a thing and that it will not be perfect anyway but there will be situations where i simply do not trust myself or the environment I am in, and therefore filters would be a necessary evil....</p>

<p> </p>

<p>thanks alot for the contributions Guys...</p>

<p>There is no way I can rope in a qualified team to help me with my video skills. i had tried roping in my wife once as a "tripod assistant".....didnt work :)<br>

so whatever I do, I will do on my own. I will continue looking analytically at professional products and I have started reading Mascelli`s work to gain some "aesthetic insight"...</p>

<p>To be honest I am 42, and something it just feels like learning new stuff is difficult :)...that`s why I want to challenge myself more and more.<br>

I have given myself 6 months at the end of which, I want to present to myself a 15min video, properly edited...that would be a great achievement for me...</p>

<p>R.</p>

<p>hI aLL, </p>

<p>I recently ugraded to a D800, with which I am absolutely happy. I have also "access" to my wife`s Nikon J1.</p>

<p>I only shoot semi professionally, in that my prime motivation is "artistic" pleasure...seeing my images printed is the profit i look for. I do the occasional family party/baptism/wedding...but to be honest i consider them more a favour i do for friends.<br>

I have read some stuff on the net and a couple of ebooks on how to shoot decent video with the 2 bodies and I have developed the following basic "rules"</p>

<p>1. use a tripod/monopod to keep "big Bertha" as still as possible<br>

2. do not zoom<br>

3. manual focus. <br>

4. manual exposure<br>

5. plan composition/lighting as I would a photo so that what i am shooting is interesting/aesthetically pleasing<br>

6. am saving up to buy a decent microphone to improve my sound. decent sound is an intrinsic part of video<br>

7. I am learning to look at the TV/Cinema as a learning instrument to see what the professionals do and how they do it...<br>

8. I have access to video editing software and I am starting to play with this slowly<br>

My problem is shifting mindset...<br>

the biggest learning curve is not the equipment but myself. How can i learn to recognize video opportunities in the way that I do with my photography...how can i train my ionner photographer to start looking for video opportunities.<br>

If I can do this, then the technical skills will follow, as will the equipment<br>

I understand that aptitude is built in, and that i might just not have a videographer in me...but I have always challenged myself by learning new things, and most of the time I profit on a personal level from what I learn...its the turn of vdeo now</p>

<p>Help me, please!!!</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p> </p>

<p>thanks for the responses guys...</p>

<p>thanks for the hints...One thing which i would consider as a fantastic use, would be as a large "liveview". is this at all possible?</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi there, </p>

<p>i have just bought one of the above android tablets and while it is extremely useful for day to day work and living, I was just wondering whether there are any applications which could be of use during my photography. I use a nikon d800 as my main body...</p>

<p>any hints would be of course welcome...</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p> </p>

Thanks for the correction Gentlemen,

I was misguided by a reply on a Nikon support website stating that it was made out of polycarbonate. In the meantime I

made some tests and it is obvious to me that the most stable approach is definitely to remove the grip for tripod based

work....so hats off gentlemen to a quality plate designed for the d800 on its own ;)

Many thanks.

Reuben

<p>Gentlemen, </p>

<p>thanks for the rational sound advice...<br>

I will buy a dedicated L-plate for the d800 on its own to be used for tripod work.</p>

<p>i will use the battery grip for hand work...To be honest i am really happy because it fits my large hands perfectly and I feel much more stable working with the camera +grip combination. <br>

many thanks for helping me clarify my thoughts</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p>just to confirm I read on the Nikon support site that the nikon grip is actually polycarbonate as well. It is not made of the same material as the body</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Many thanks for the responses...</p>

<p>I will probably end up buying a generic L-Plate since it seems that the Kirk products will not work with anything other than the Nikon battery grip.<br>

My more disciplined self however is telling me to do things the proper way and avoid using a battery grip on a tripod altogether because of the added flex it coud introduce because of<br>

1. flex at the joint between camera and grip<br>

2. polycarbonate material of the grip<br>

3. increased distance of the centre of gravity of the camera from the tripod mounting fulcrum which could increase the amplitude of any vibrations (especially with a lens like the 24-70 attached)<br>

what do you guys think?</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p>Dear Jose, <br>

Can you give me an example of a universal L-plate please?</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p>Dear All, </p>

<p>I have just received a meike battery grip for my D800. I am perfectly happy with the battery grip...works as advertised on the box, with no issues. My only problem at this point is that I need a new markins/arca-swiss/kirk compatible tripod release plate to match the d800 with battery grip...Once I am buying something I would ideally prefer an L-Plate...<br>

has anyone purchased anything which fits properly? i have read some posts saying that some lplates only fit the nikon grip....so i would love to receive a heads up from someone who has a successful combo.</p>

<p>many thanks</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p> </p>

<p>many thanks for the replies gentlemen, </p>

<p>Given that the humidity where I live, I feel more comfortable with the airtight container with silica gel solutions!!.</p>

<p>many thanks</p>

<p>Andrew, </p>

<p>I feel for you....put it this way though...the cost of a new 70-200 is probably much more than repairing the 80-200!!</p>

<p>Dear All, </p>

<p>I have slowly amassed a small number of film cameras which do not get regular use. I am slowly realizing that to ensure that they remain in as good a condition as possible, I must store them appropriately. Can anyone here correct me if I am wrong in my assumptions;<br>

1. remove battery where relevant<br>

2. camera unloaded to avoid any strain on springs/mechanism <br>

3. no film in the camera<br>

4. stored in plastic bags to avoid ingress of dust and humidity, pollution etc<br>

5. silica gel in each plastic gel to further reduce humidity.<br>

6. take them out occasionally to use them for a roll or so so that any lubricant is moved around the mechanism</p>

<p>can anyone else contribute anything I should be doing?</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Attn Andrew;<br /> I have just realised that you had posted a shot of a tennis player earlier in the thread...<br /> I must say i assess my softness at f2.8 as less than that of your tennis player on page one of the thread. It might be the case that your specimen of the lens needs some internal adjustment/calibration. My advice to you is not to purchase any lens before evaluating reclibrating what you have at a repair facility... the cost would be much less :)</p>

<p>R.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi Andrew, <br /> we are in broad agreement on our findings...<br /> My lens needed focus adjustment as well, but i managed to compensate for it at 200mm with a setting of -9. However, i was still not happy with the sharpness for close subjects at 200mm f2.8 as you say.... My poor man`s solution was to consider the lens a 80-185mm f2.8 lens with an added bonus of being usable at 200mm at f4.0. I re calibrated the lens at 150mm (with the reasoning that most of the time i used the lens in the middle of its zoom range) and am now perfectly happy using the lens between 80 and 185mm, even wide open...<br /> If I use the lens at 200mm, then i ensure an f stop of at least 4.0.<br /> I am still hesitant to go for the 70-200mm lens when considering the reports that it does not really have a focal length of 200mm. this sort of defeats the purpose of buying it in my books. Of course it has a host of other features....but I will hold back for now and make the most of what I have.<br /> I cannot justify the purchase of the 70 200 based simply on image quality improvement in my case.</p>

<p>Reuben<br>

p.s. the following is a crop from a jpg (medium quality) from my d800 of a subject at 5metres apprx distance with the 80-200mm lens at 200mm f5.00. its a sharp shot and If I remember correctly the picture control mode was standard, so there was no excessive sharpening in camera...I do have to say that the chief source of illumination was direct flash (which is why there are blown out highlights from reflections from the subjects oily skin) so my handholding technique was not really relevant :)</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>hi there, </p>

<p>it seems that part of the equipment which i have cleaned up is a bowens illumitrans slide copying machine with several lenses. unfortunately it does not include a nikon f adaptor. is there any way i can use the bellows part of the device for macro and where i could find an adaptor for my nikon</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi there, </p>

<p>I have just been given a tonne (literally) of film development equipment. I think this was commercial quality equipment because it came from a family who used to develop film for a living<br>

1. I have an enlarger for sure...this is a de vere dichromat.<br>

2. there is a large horizontal machine which seems to be a paper processor/developer of some kind. <br>

3. there is a box of miscellaneous equipment which i have not been through yet.<br>

I have no use for this equipment because while I have developed b&w film in the past, I simply do not have the space for a darkroom. I am trying to sell it on, give it to charity etc...<br>

I definitely do not want to throw away something which could be of use to someone else...<br>

If the worst comes to the worst, is there anything i could use in my digitally based photography...I have done some googling and it seems enlarger lenses are of good optical quality, maybe there are some filters of any sort?....ANYTHING not to waste</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p> </p>

I am impressed with the sharpness of this lens......

I don't know if anyone can confirm my findings. I can actually discern a difference in sharpness with.the lens plus filter and

the lens on its own. To be honest the filter in question is a cheap one....but the combination of d800 and 300mm lens is

iincredibly sharp

Reuben

<p>Thanks to you all for the excellent response.</p>

<p>Yes it is the Af-s version, so thanks you all answered my question admirably :)</p>

<p>Assuming one wanted to use the combo for near macro photography, what would you use...the teleconverter approach or the canon 500d approach?</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p>Dear All, </p>

<p>I have just added the lens above to my arsenal. I am planning to use it amongst other things for "near macro" shots. Could anyone tell me which is the latest version of the official nikon 1.4 teleconverter which works with this lens. I have seen several versions on the net, and to be honest I am lost between all the different variants.</p>

<p>Also does anyone know where one could purchase a used or new Canon 500D close up Lens?</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>Reuben</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Dear All, </p>

<p>I am planning a vacation with my wife to south korea in September. Could I ask for some advice please?</p>

<p>1. what is culturally acceptable in terms of taking photographs of people etc (for eg street vendors, markets, street photography)<br>

2. any particular hints/suggestions as to photo locations etc<br>

3. do museums and historical sites allow the use of a monopod or tripod?<br>

4. what is the air/light like in late september...this may sound kind of stupid, but in my experience each location has its own nature of lighting...<br>

Is the sun harsh?<br>

is there alot of atmospheric pollution/smog outside of Seoul?<br>

5. Are there any photography museums worth visiting in Seoul. I always try to visit wherever I am as i find this inspires me.<br>

6. Last but not least...how do prices of photography equipment compare please?<br>

Sorry for all the questions....<br>

Reuben</p>

<p> </p>

<p>An Update....</p>

<p>I have done some simple testing over the weekend to understand the performance of the 80-200mm better. Before doing the testing I calibrated the d800/lens combination using the AF fine tune feature. I also used a tripod and took most test shots twice to check whether there was any difference between live view and normal focusing.<br>

The weak point of the lens is at 200mm, f2.8 when focusing on subjects which are less than 6 metres away from the lens. If the above combination is avoided the improvement in performance is drastic and extremely pleasing.<br>

Indeed i was extremely pleased with the crispness of the images I took when doing some landscape and architecture subjects with the lens at 200mm and at f5.6 and f7.1 on a tripod with live view focusing.<br>

I would think that the 80 200 can be a very useful lens on the d800 depending on the type of photography it is used for. It will not be a good close up/macro photography lens choice for example, but it would be indeed extremely competent for landscapes, architectural details and any other subject which is relatively far away from the photographer.<br>

I have decided to postpone any purchases of the 70-200 for now because<br>

1. The 70-200 does not really focus at 200mm anyway (or at least this is what my research has indicated).... One lens is soft at 200mm/f2.8 while the other is not really at 200mm anyway :)<br>

2. the number of times I have used the lens for close quarters work is practically nil. I have an 85mm prime which i resort to for portraits etc.<br>

many thanks for the advice to you all.</p>

<p>Reuben</p>