jerry_gitomer1

<p>I purchased a Nikon F with an older Optech strap that came with the same leather tab and round rings shown in your image.<br>

I suspect that both the leather tab and the circular ring were provided with the Optech strap. <br>

If I recall correctly the strap attached to the ring is used to attach the strap in a "non standard" way (at the moment I am in a wheelchair and can't go downstairs to check the camera) and the tab is to protect the body from being scratched.</p>

<p>As the charts in Patrick Thrush's reply show fluorescent light is discontinuous. I was once told that if it was necessary to shoot under fluorescents to set the shutter speed to less than the AC cycle rate. In the United States we have 60 cycle current so you would shoot at 1/60th or slower. In Europe where 50 cycle is common shoot at less than 1/50th of a second.<br>

The theory is that if you shoot at higher shutter speeds you will not capture a full cycle of the discontinuous light and as a result your colors will be off.<br>

When shooting under fluourescents you should set the white balance in the camera to fluorescent, set your shutter speed so that you can capture a full cycle, and shoot raw so you can fix things in post processing.<br>

Of course the best solution is to not shoot under fluorescent lights.</p>

<p>For the Minolta lens, that is the <strong>1:1.7 </strong><em>50mm MD ø 55mm </em>[ Rokkor-X Minolta ].<br>

For any lens the number following the slashed o is the size in millimeters of the filters that can be mounted on the lens. Filters were frequently used with film cameras when using black and white film in order to achieve special effects. For example a red filter will add drama to cloudy skies. <br>

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<p>If at all possible you should hang your rugs rather than lay them on the floor. Shooting large rugs laying on the floor will result in highly distorted images (keystoning) and uneven lighting (leading to distorted colors). Ideally you should have your camera mounted in a tripod and positioned so that the lens is centered both vertically and horizontally. <br>

As far as lighting is concerned, in my opinion, your best bet is to use flash rather than either daylight or constant lighting because it is more consistent (light bulbs change color value over their lifetimes while flash light values are constant from first use up to the day the flash dies). <br>

As far as hanging rugs is concerned the mechanism for a shade wide enough for a pair of sliders should be able to handle the weight and are available with a geared mechanism.<br>

Jerry</p>

<p>If you have an unlimited budget a 105mm Micro Nikkor is the way to go. <br>

If you are on a tight budget I suggest you look at a Micro Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 manual focus lens. Admittedly finding the right settings for your work can take an hour or two, but if you keep track of distances from the work as well as your camera settings you can duplicate your setup in minutes. <br>

If you look at the macro photography forums you will notice that many (most?) serious macro photographers shoot in manual mode. This is because of the additional control over the results since it is the photographer rather than the camera selecting the focus point.<br>

Although you didn't mention lighting it is just as important as camera and lens. You can buy an inexpensive pop up light tent (under $30) large enough for jewelry. Studio flash is great, but you can get away with a couple of inexpensive continuous studio lights (under $75).<br>

If the budget permits you should also be looking at a decent tripod and a focusing rail. <br>

Jerry</p>

<p>If you have an unlimited budget a 105mm Micro Nikkor is the way to go. <br>

If you are on a tight budget I suggest you look at a Micro Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 manual focus lens. Admittedly finding the right settings for your work can take an hour or two, but if you keep track of distances from the work as well as your camera settings you can duplicate your setup in minutes. <br>

If you look at the macro photography forums you will notice that many (most?) serious macro photographers shoot in manual mode. This is because of the additional control over the results since it is the photographer rather than the camera selecting the focus point.<br>

Although you didn't mention lighting it is just as important as camera and lens. You can buy an inexpensive pop up light tent (under $30) large enough for jewelry. Studio flash is great, but you can get away with a couple of inexpensive continuous studio lights (under $75).<br>

If the budget permits you should also be looking at a decent tripod and a focusing rail. <br>

Jerry</p>

<p>I used to develop E-6 (which, if memory serves, is even more sensitive to temperature than C-41) using a large tub. I poured each of the chemicals needed into bottles which I put in the tub. I then filled the tub with hot water until the water reached the high side of the allowable temperature and followed the directions. <br>

As long as you are careful in observing the proper times and temperatures for each phase of the process you will be okay.<br>

<br />Jerry</p>

<p>Unless you plan on printing your photos at sizes larger than 8x10 your Nikon Coolpix L22 is more than adequate.<br>

What you have to work on is your lighting and the surroundings. One trick to reduce reflections from glasses is to have your subject tilt the glasses by lifting the temple bars near the ear about half an inch. This will reduce or eliminate the reflections. You can eliminate the shadow behind your subject by having the subject move away from the wall and, if you are using studio lights or a flash, by positioning your lights above the midpoint of the subjects face. One other thing that would have helped your photo would have been to have your subject in front of a light colored background so that his dark hair would have stood out from the background.<br>

In addition to the book recommendation above I suggest you visit your library and study the portrait images of various photographers such as Karsh, Weston and Paul Strand. Compare how they pose their subjects, their composition, their lighting, etc.<br>

The photographers I named above were active in the 1920-1960 timeframe. Their equipment was excellent in its time, but today an inexpensive digital camera is good enough to come surprisingly close in producing quality images at 8x10 or less. (Over 8x10 the larger format film cameras they used will blow away almost any DSLR image.)</p>

<p>I suspect your biggest problem is lighting and not your camera.<br /> I suggest you ask your question on the lighting form and please specify which model camera you have, how you want to use the images, and be more specific about why you are dissatisfied with your images. Also, be sure to include either an image or a link to an image.</p>

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<p>Have you looked at slide copier attachments for a DSLR?<br>

<br />They are both less expensive (starting at $60) and much faster (several slides per minute) than using a scanner.<br>

Jerry</p>

<p>Processing chromes is no more difficult than processing B&W with one exception.<br>

When processing chromes you MUST keep the temperature within a narrow range. The method I used was to fill plastic tubs with water at 110F and place my containers of developer in the tubs. From start (loading the film in tanks) to finish (hanging the developed chrome film up to dry) takes less than 30 minutes.<br>

When using plastic slide mounts with a little practice you can cut and mount a 36 shot roll in less than 10 minutes.<br>

Jerry</p>

<p>If your budget is less than $600 US the following will work.<br>

Camera body: A refurbished Nikon D3200 (approx $330 from an authorized Nikon retailer)<br>

Just make sure it is a Nikon factory refurbished camera body. (An authorized Nikon retailer is your best and, pehaps only, source for these.)<br>

Lens: A used Series E 100MM f/2.8 (under $50 from KEH.com)<br>

This is an inexpensive (due to construction - not impaired optical quaility) manual focus lens. Since you will be shooting static subjects manual focus will work well for you.<br>

I like the 28MM because for photographing art because it allows you to have the camera relatively close to the art work and doesn't have the distortion the most of the wider angle lenses do.<br>

Tripod: a used Manfrotto (Bogen) tripod with a 3-way pan-tilt head (you can buy these new for as little as $100 US)<br>

If you are into post processing you MAY be able to get away without a tripod and use your post processing program to correct for any keystoning and/or image tilting<br>

Lighting: Ideally a couple of inexpensive continuous studio lights (a kit with light stands, two lights, two softboxes and two bulbs will cost less than $170 US from B&H)<br>

If you can't afford the $170 a couple of shop lights for $40 US each will work.</p>

<p>Jerry</p>

<p>If you are focusing on a three dimensional object the problem may due to a combination of very narrow depth of field when shooting macro and your camera not being able to isolate an area to focus on.</p>

<p>The macro gurus are almost universal in stating that when shooting you should switch to manual and control where the focus point is.</p>

<p>A quick test is to set up for autofocus and take a shot of a magazine or newspaper page (or even you computer screen). If AF doesn't work for the test you have an equipment problem.<br>

Jerry</p>

<p>I know that "back in the day" the professional photographers I knew would standardize on one brand and type of color film or slide film in order to be sure of consistent results.<br>

They would buy one or more "bricks" from the same manufacturing batch and then test to determine the exact characteristics of that particular batch. (The pros I knew tended to specialize in product shots where accurate color was critical). </p>

<p>Jerry</p>

<p>I think that the rapid change in digital cameras is driven by manufacturers trying to gain market at the expense of their competitors (including camera phones) than by the desires of their existing customers.<br>

<br />Sure, we all ask for more from "our" manufacturer, but being realistic how many D5x00 owners will upgrade to the new D5200? How many D600 owners will upgrade to the D610? I am confident that the answer is not very many. </p>

<p>So, why do they come out with new models at ever decreasing intervals? The answer is one advertisers have taken to heart -- the word NEW attracts the attention of prospective buyers and he who has the newest sells the most.</p>

<p>Jerry</p>

The digital camera makers are dependent on semiconductors and the semiconductor industry.

Semiconductor companies live by constantly improving, innovating and reducing the cost of the their product. Anyone who falters dies. The camera makers, like the computer makers, are forced to constantly innovate for fear of losing their customer base and their businesses.

As long as the semiconductor industry continues to double component density every 18 months as it has for over 30 years no camera maker dares to freeze their product line and stop development of new models.

Paul Strand's Blind Woman is my favorite because of its raw emotion. Of all the photograph's of people I have seen it is, to me, far and away the most vivid of them all.

A very close second is Edward Weston's photograph of the toilet. At first you don't realize what it is. When you do you have to be in awe of the vision that enabled Weston to create pure art in the form of a photograph of an everyday object viewed from an unusual perspective.

Being old enough to collect Social Security I like the new type size.

(By the way, if you don't care for the larger type size just hold down CTL

and press either + or - to change the size.)

I also like seeing the number of responses to an original post.

But, the most important element of any site is the content -- and that

hasn't changed. Photo.net's content is still excellent.

The problem does not lie with the film makers, but with the ever declining number of places that are willing to sell and/or process film.

Just last week when I called my local Ritz Camera shop to see if they had elitechrome 100 in stock I was told that Kodak has discontinued color film, but that they had Fuji Astia and Sensia. (I was lied to by the clerk) I needed the film and since no one else carrying slide film would be open when I could get to the store I bought a roll from them. Apparently Ritz is no longer carrying Kodak color film because sales have slowed to the point where it isn't profitable for a chain the size of Ritz to carry the product. That certainly isn't Kodak's fault.

Today I dropped off the slides for developing -- actually to be sent out to one of the few remaining processors in Southeastern Pennsylvania and must wait a week or two until the processor has enough slide film to justify mixing a batch of chemistry and setting up a slide processing run. This certainly isn't Fuji's fault.

The problem is that demand has shrunk to the point where it is no longer profitable for the vendors to carry and process a full line of film. The customers have voted, digital has won and the merchants are providing the customers with the products and services their customers want.

Have you considered a Honeywell Repronar?

If you can substitute a DSLR for the Pentax camera that comes with the Repronar it should be fairly easy to calibrate the setup and, once calibrated, making copies of your mounted slides should be a very fast process. In fact if you make a mounting jig by cutting out a piece of plastic you could probably shoot 6 to 10 slides per minute.

Have you considered the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8? New they sell for about $115.00 and you can buy a used one from KEH for as little as $65.00.

It is fast, sharp and inexpensive.

Well, using Ellis' 60x60 inches from 6x6 centimeters and assuming you are only concerned with resolution you could start with:

35 mm - 24x36 inches

120 (6x6) - 60x60 inches

4x5 - 96x120 inches

The problem with this line of thought is that it totally ignores your personal preferences. Rather than ask others for their thoughts why not conduct the following test. Using both 35mm and 6x6 cameras shoot the same subject from the same distance using a tripod, the normal lens(50 mm for the 35mm camera and 80mm for the 6x6) and the same film.

Develop both negatives and use them to make a series of enlargements, for example 4x6, 6x8, 8x12, 12x16, 16x24 and so on to the limits of your equipment. When you compare them you will be able to determine the limits for each format based on your own preferences. (For 4x5 just use double the size of the 6x6 and for 8x10 use four times the size of the 6x6).

Hope this helps you.

Jerry

Arthur,

I disagree with your position.

Yes, if I was in the market for a D3 I would love to get my hands on it on day one, but as an amateur I am not dependent on my equipment to put bread on my table. I think it is laudable for Nikon to take measures to see to it that those who do depend on their equipment to earn a living get first crack at the new equipment.

Also, I must say that your position that a manufacturer have enough product on hand at announcement time to fully satisfy demand is not, due to economic cosiderations, realistic.

"Jerry, I'd be interested to know what processing method/chemistry you use for your 35mm slides. I also have delivery/pick-up complications. + +"

Kevin,

I use the E-6 kit sold by Freestyle Photographic Supplies (www.freestylephoto.biz). For temperature control I use a dishwashing tub in which I set the chemicals and the fill using tap water at 110 Fahrenheit. When the water temperature drops to 104 I start developing.

From what I have read on the subject I believe that the temperature for the first developer is critical and that the temperature when making transitions from one chemical to another (or to wash water) should be as close as possible. By keeping everything in the same water bath the temperatures when making the transitions are the same.

I carefully follow the instructions for the time of each step.

One problem is that once mixed the shelf life of the chemistry is less than two weeks. In my case this is what makes paying outrageous prices for developing and mounting more economical than doing it myself unless I have four rolls of 36 exposure to do.

Hope this helps

Jerry

Developing at home is easy. (I have developed both 120 black and white and 35mm slides in my bathroom.)

The keys are to maintain consistent temperatures and keep track of the time for each step.

From an economic standpoint it is probably more cost effective to have others do your developing.

The benefits are not quite immediate gratification (you can develop either black and white or slides in less than 30 minutes) and the fact that you are not dependent on the processing schedules of service providers.

(In my case if I take slides in I have two choices;

1- drive 25 miles, drop off my film, wait 4 days, drive 25 miles, pick up slides, curse the idiot who mounted them, remount at least 6 slides.

2- drive 5 miles, drop off my film, wait 10 to 14 days, drive 5 miles, pay outrageous price, pick up slides.)