raymond_ocampo

By the way, how do I build a link? As you can see it doesn't translate well when I copy and

paste. Thanks.

http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?

p_faqid=14470&p_sid=4XsOfiVi&p_lva=61

Content Description / Modifications:

An issue was found with Capture NX v1.3.0 on Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) systems only where the potential

for data corruption was present under certain circumstances. This issue has been resolved with this

update. Full Mac OS 10.5.x support is not yet determined.

----------

At least an update finally arrives to help with corruption issue, but take note of the last line above. I guess

we are still Beta testers for them.

As always, this decision will depend on your own needs as a photographer. I used to have the 18-135mm kit lens and it was okay to bring all-around especially if I wanted to save on space. However, the lens isn't as sharp and distortion is horrible (which is okay since I end up using DxO software anyway). There is vignetting even for DX standards, but I leave it as is more often for feel of the photo.

I am now using the FX 24-70mm which is obviously built more for a full frame. However, whatever limitations and distortions that arise albeit very minimal is now gone when using it for the D300 DX body that I pair it with.

I now have sharp images with unnoticeable distortion which I don't have to bother correcting anymore. The cool vignetting is now gone.

The trade-off by upgrading to this lens is weight, size and versatility to be an all-around lens. However, I'm a mid-range shooter so I already evaluated this limitation in place of the lens distortion that I will be getting if I patronize one of the kit lenses.

I am planning to purchase the 14-24mm FX lens to supplement the 24-70mm, but I still don't find the need to use a wider angle than at 36mm (1.5 crop factor of 24mm). Even if I want it I guess the purchase will go to waste just as my 105mm lens purchase (although fun to have) didn't give me enough reasons to use it as I thought I would.

For fun family events, I think the 18-200mm should be best. The size, weight and cost factor is perfect to bring all-around without fear. I'm just waiting for a revised version before I decide to purchase one in the far future.

So how will you plan to use either lens?

I don't really depend on VR, but I did find that I could use up to two stops on my 105 f/2.8

lens. Telephoto lens users can definitely make use of VR, but then if it's mounted on a tripod

being that heavy of a lens already...

Happy Holidays as well, Nick.

Brooks, thank you for the link. Much better to go read and search than that thick booklet by

my bedside.

I think Nikon's own packaging is sturdy enough for normal handling. As long as there is no

dropping of the package from a few feet.

I've complained to Amazon a couple of times about their packaging especially of high-priced

items like these, but all I get are apologies.

Nick...you clearly don't have a D300 otherwise you would have pointed me out to the page

that helps me out because I did read the f*cking 421-page manual and couldn't find it.

Fellow D300 owners who will also experience this thickness will understand if I have missed

it out.

Can someone who owns a D300 help me take out the red focus square(s) which appears as well on the

LCD viewer. It's nice to see which part of the photo the camera focused on, but I would like an option to

simply see the whole photo as well.

Thanks for the assistance.

Can someone please explain what x-sync exactly is? I'm coming from cinematography working with

continuous lights.

I'm using PocketWizard Plus II which is going to a Nikon D300 and Photoflex Monolights (Starflash).

The Nikon manual states the x-sync is at 1/250 (which I either dial in manually or go all the way to the

left past BULB and an "X" will appear to tell me it's at x-sync.

However when I fire the strobes I still see a very faint black bar at the top of the photo which obviously

tells me the flash hasn't caught up with the curtain. So I drop the speed down to 1/200 and the photo is

more uniformly exposed.

My former camera is a Nikon D80 x-sync is at 1/200 (which also produces a faint black bar at the top).

Where am I going wrong in using x-sync? Is this a standard for which other manufacturers can sync their

strobe and camera equipment with each other? I thought by following and setting to the recommended x-

sync of Nikon then I can get proper exposure, which is not the case.

Is this black bar caused by the cheap Photoflex lights that I have which can't fire fast enough?

Thanks for any help and input regarding this concept.

When I got my 24-70 lens, I simply placed an order from Amazon, BH and Ritz. Then cancel

the other two stores. BH had it in stock first.

If you are intent in getting the lens now, just place an order from any of the official retailers

and they will ship when it becomes available. They come in trickle. So the longer you wait

and watch until it finally shows to be "in stock" will be the day everyone else's order was

fulfilled.

RAW is exactly that - a "raw" image. This is exactly what the sensor captures. The JPEG

images you see arise from the same RAW images that come from the sensor. The

wonderful results you are seeing are the result of the in-camera processing.

This is the same result as bringing your negatives to a camera store and telling them to

print it out. When it comes back everything is corrected by them.

If you want complete control of your own work, shoot RAW and develop your own photo.

If you want automatic correction and have the camera decide what the picture should look

like, shoot JPEG.

What Jason said, your battery needs to be fully charged or running off an AC power (apart

from having a lens attached).

Lensbabies - http://lensbabies.com/

It works like a tilt-shift lens.

IMO, any SLR lens will help you learn. Moreover you already have the perfect lens to learn

manual shooting - the 50mm f/1.4. It's shooting tons of photos with varied lenses that

will teach you the quality of each as well as limitations to help you gather aesthetic choices

on why you want to go with one or the other. Because most of the time, it's the artistic

intent in all of us on why we choose our framing.

However as you stated, if you're looking for "serious glass" then I'm afraid USD1,500.00 is

not going to buy much.

If I had money to equip my camera bag with three lenses they would be the:

1. 14-24

2. 24-70

3. 70-200

All of them are above USD1,500.00...each.

I have a D80 and initially equipped it with the 18-135 kit lens. The distortion is not my

liking, but I think it's perfect for those family photos. I don't know how much more

distortion the 18-200 is producing. But hopefully at twice the price, it should be better.

With my recent purchase of a D300 and 24-70 f/2.8, the D80 is now my back up with a

105mm Micro-Nikkor f/2.8. As a mid-range shooter, those two lenses are what I set to

purchase from the start. I can practice depth of field from each focal length as well as do

macro photography with a 1:1 ratio.

In any case what will be in the bag will defer per person depending if they are

photojournalists, nature photographers or happy snappers.

Yup, looks like flash sync speed. The light doesn't reach the top portion as fast enough so

you will need to drop the shutter speed.

What's your strobe set up?

And also as Geoff said, lots of sensor dust on the pic.

Again the lens choice will depend on your needs and budget. Unless you have time to try

out better lenses in the Nikkor line up the 18-200 kit lens may be the only choice for

most.

I would certainly consider this lens if I know I would need to shoot at higher aperture

numbers. However the lens distortion is awful. They may get away with it for artistic

reasons. But pros are not excused from this. That's why gold ring lenses slice up the

zoom in smaller increments to drastically minimize those nasty pincushion and barrel

distortions.

If I could only afford all three of these 14-24, 24-70 and 70-200...

This is a tough question such that people will have varied opinion on it due to different

taste. I would strongly suggest to try it out yourself in the store where you will be picking

up your camera. You will have to see it to appreciate it's needs or not at all.

Also to help you decide, if you don't know why you would need to use one then you don't

need it. In any case compared to the price of a D3, it's a very cheap alternative to turn it

into a "pro" setup with a lot left over for more accessories or another gold ring lens to add

to the line up.

Furthermore the build quality is definitely top notch. It matches exactly the material of

the D300 (including in terms of weight).

You can add the battery pack not only because you want high speed shooting, but because

you are after battery life where you want to go on shooting throughout the day without

thinking of swapping batteries in the process. In this case, a spare EN-EL3e is all you

need (which I'm sure a lot of us already have on hand). So another charger or battery cap

is not necessary.

If you want to go high speed shooting, why not use rechargeable AA batteries which can

be used with the supplied battery holder. I'm sure we all have rechargeable batteries for

our flash and wireless units. Again, no need to spend for the EN-EL4 battery, charger and

cap.

I enjoy using the MB-D10 battery pack with my D300 because of all of the above. It helps

me enjoy using the camera and grip it comfortably horizontally or vertically.

HOWEVER, all these benefits come at the expense of weight. They said it's made from the

same magnesium alloy material as the body of the D300/D3, but it's still heavy on it's

own. Then couple that with batteries and a lens...and a flash...and since we're adding stuff

might as well include a dumbell to it. :)

Size is not a question as we already know and factor in that adding the BP makes it bulkier

already. So again, if you really don't see the need to use it and question the price, then it's

not worth adding.

Tried my D300 as well and it records NEF+JPEG files in all three quality settings. Same

firmware as you have.

I would also suggest to try and reset the camera to factory setting in case it goes back to

normal. Try pressing the two buttons at the top with the green dots (the "QUAL" and "+/-"

buttons) for a few seconds to do a quick reset and see what happens when you set it to shoot

NEF+JPEG again.

This is a mid-range lens and good for events like I sometimes do. I don't always use a

tripod even if I bring it with me because it would be inconvenient to always set one up

amidst the crowd. So I don't think the reason they eliminated the VR is because they know

the pros use a tripod.

This new lens from Nikon features Nano Crystal technology. However does anyone know why they decided

on not implementing a VR on this pro lens? It would be nice to be able to salvage a stop or two while

doing handheld.

Any theories or actual news highlighting the decision from Nikon.

Thanks.

I've been reading thru the DxO forums and other photo threads and can't believe the amount

of bugs and complaints that's coming out from real-world testing the software. I'm a Mac

user so I'm not affected, yet, by this latest release. I wonder why and how at Version 5 they

can make a major slip up like this.

In any case, I'm entitled to a free upgrade and now I'm wary of installing it over V4.5.

Perhaps I will wait for the brave testers to report their finding first.

Lil, thanks.

I read on the Nikon USA site that higher fps won't occur with the EN-EL3e batteries. You

would have to use 8xAA or EN-EL4a.

So I am curious if these high fps don't occur because they didn't test it with the EN-EL4a

which would require the optional attachment.

I am still waiting for mine from Ritz. I wonder why it's out of stock when it's readily

available elsewhere. Might as well cancel my order from there and suck up the shipping

charge from B&H as well as lose the 20% discount on Ritz c/o PayPal.

Thanks for the info on the package contents. I was specifically interested to know if I can

run EN-EL3e batteries without buying any optional adapters and I got my answer.

I was disappointed to see that with the extra grip, I still don't get higher fps in 14-bit mode.