alan_huett

March 12, 2011

I think some of the Nikon SLRs show you histograms of the area you are currently zoomed into - you can check if yours does either in the manual, or by shooting two coloured panels side-by-side and zooming in to each in turn checking the histogram. This is as close as you are likely to get on any SLR I know of - remember even shooting RAW the histograms are from JPEG, so picture control settings apply.

February 26, 2011

As mentioned, it is all about "apparent size" i.e. how big the light looks to your subject. If you have a giant softbox or umbrella, then it can be a good distance from the subject, or you can use a smaller light and place very close (ideally just out of frame). Stand where your subject is and look at the head of a bare flash six feet away - it is very small; now add a small hotshoe softbox, it is still small. Move it to two feet away and it is bigger, move it to one foot and it is bigger still, but is it as big as the area of the wall you could light?

Anything you can handhold will be quite small so you will need to be close, as will your camera. Otherwise you will need an assistant or a weighted lightstand (you don't want it to fall over if you are outside). You can use a boom, but I find this is tricky to compose and light whilst avoiding hitting your subject on the head with the softbox and flash.

Using a wall or ceiling, you are creating a giant (hopefully) light source and so the light and shadows are soft and flattering. You could get a similar effect if you had a good diffuser with the same apparent size shining on your subject.

So for groups you need a big source for soft light, since it is unlikely you can all the group close enough to a small source to light them all softly. So the easiest way is to bounce off a big surface. Outside you might want to use soft ambient light, overcast day, or shady side of a building and use the flash to fill in the shadows and brighten up the picture a bit. Using small strobes, even several of them, lighting a big group is very hard - you are better using all the power of the strobes into/through a big bedsheet or wall. If this loses too much power, then set them bare to fire just over the closest of the group and hope the edges of the light cone hit the closest members, and the main beam hits those further away, so making the light even over the group.

If you are determined to get some gear, may I suggest buying Joe McNally's Hotshoe Diaries book first? It takes you through several of his shoots in an entertaining and informative fashion and is well worth the money - you will save more on cheap, fragile gear than you will have spent on the book. Whilst he recommends pro-level, expensive gear for regular use, the principles will let you make/try your own DIY/bedsheet stuff first and you will know what you need.

February 21, 2011

The NEF files are RAW files - data straight from the sensor without any processing by the camera. If you are also getting JPG images, it is likely that the NEF files are duplicates of the JPG files (can you see all the photos you took as JPGs? Are they full-size?).

The camera can record both the processed image (JPG) and the RAW data (NEF) at once. Unless you have software to allow you to process the NEF images, then you can set the camera for JPG only and this will save you space on your memory card (since JPG files are much smaller than the NEF). Check your settings and if you are set to RAW+JPG change this to JPG (high or normal should both be very good quality).

Once you are comfortable with using the camera, you can experiment with taking some RAW / NEF images and converting them yourself - this can be rewarding, but you will lose some in-camera effects such as Active-D lighting, distortion control, and picture controls. Most of these can easily be performed/replicated in a good RAW processor (such as Lightroom), but this software costs money and unless you use it a lot isn't worth a big spend.

So, if you have all the pictures you think you took, and the JPGs appear to be full-size - ignore the NEF files and carry on as normal (set your camera to record JPG only). If you are missing JPGs then get the free Nikon software mentioned by the poster above and convert them to JPGs and set the camera to JPG only. If you want to adventure into the world of RAW processing, and buy some software, then go for it (and set the camera to RAW+JPG or RAW only) - prepare to spend more time at the computer fiddling with your images.

February 15, 2011

I wouldn't worry about the pop-up flash contributing to the exposure - it might be good to get some on-axis fill, especially

if you can get the SB600 well off-axis and it is really dark. I would start out with the pop-up set to -1 to -2 EV and the

SB600 to 0EV and go from there.

It's best to keep the SB600 in front (and to the left, if i remember the location of the sensor window) of your camera so it

can see the pop-up master. A small monopod can be handy here for the "strobe-on-a-stick" technique.

February 13, 2011

I had the same issue on my 50 1.8D (on a D40 and D90). I have moved to the Nikon 1.4D and have not seen the same

issue (on a D90) - although I haven't tried to explicitly reproduce the problem. I would imagine that the newer G version

would not have the issue either, due to improved coatings to control the sensor back-scatter. If the all the blacks are

really purple (and this is not a monitor calibration or CA on the edges), then perhaps your lens has other issues - I have

found the 1.4D to be a great lens without much more weight or bulk than the 1.8, although it is a lot more expensive. I

use a rubber hood on the 1.4D which is convenient and reduces flare.

December 3, 2010

The question is a common one and comes about because Nikon's wording can be confusing. In my understanding, you should not turn off the camera when VR is active/working. E.g. when you press the shutter to activate VR and then release it, it takes a second to lock the VR in the static position. You can sometimes hear this as a click or clunk and the whine of the VR gyros stops. Before this locking mechanism engages the VR elements can "float" a little and so might be damaged if you throw the lens about. However, turning off the VR switch on the lens is uneccesary.

Quoting form the NIkon 70-200 manual:

"Do not turn the camera power OFF while the vibration reduction mode is in operation. Otherwise, the lens may emit a chattering noise if the camera is shaken. This is not a malfunction. Turn the camera power ON again to correct this." (I interpret ths to mean that the VR mechanism should not be actually working (e.g. reducing vibration), when the camera is switched off. Contrast this to the explicit, "turn the switch off" language below.)

"When the lens is mounted on a tripod, set the vibration reduction ON/OFF switch to OFF. However, set the switch to ON when using a tripod without securing the tripod head, or when using a monopod." (Again, this backs up my interpretation, since here they tell you explicitly to move the switch to off, rather than using the confusing "operating" language).

I have several VR lenses and habitually leave the VR on, but I do make sure allow the VR to lock and turn off the camera before switching lenses.

December 2, 2010

I will give you an opinion from my own experience using my D90. I bought the Sigma 30 f1.4 (used) since at the time Nikon didn't make a 30/35mm f1.8/1.4 (I didn't want the 35mm F2). Shortly after I got the Nikon 50mm f1.8 (used). I have rarely used the Sigma at all since. I then gave the 50 1.8 to my sister and bought the Nikon 50mm 1.4 D (non-AFS, used). To be honest, I wish I had saved the extra cash an got another 50 1.8 - I don't think the difference in image is worth that much to me.

I find the 50mm easier to use than the 30mm (it isn't helped by the erratic focus of the Sigma), and mostly I am trying to get closer to fill the frame rather than backing up.

I am currently holding out for a used 85mm f1.8 for even more length whilst keeping the lens fast and compact. But if you want width the Sigma can be a great lens if you get a good copy (mine is a bit dodgy I think).

December 1, 2010

The Nikon version have been released - there is a good write-up here:

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-10057-11055

It looks like the RF issues have been largely fixed and the feature set, including hypersync is pretty sweet. They have also re-optimised some of the TTL features to allow for use of larger light modifiers (increasing the power of the first metering pulse) and squelching the master flash output for better recycling performance. You can also mix Canon and Nikon flashes with manual power control.

November 29, 2010

The Nikon versions of the PocketWizard TTL triggers are not yet available (they say mid-Dec) - check their blog or products page to see what features are going to be offered. I would imaging they will be similar to the Canon versions.

October 2, 2010

Black Rapid had a similar issue with one of their metal connector clips - they sent out replacements with letters to tell all users to replace their old connectors with the new ones. The straps are much copied now, and not cheap, but it is good to know that they stand behind the product and fixed the issue.

I would not use a bolt snap for this application - they are a little long and I don't like the way they can open accidentally. I would use a screw-lock carabiner-like device, I rarely need to unhook the strap anyway, so the screw lock is fine.

July 27, 2010

When I have used the flash in the past at f/16 my exposure indicator shows the photo way underexposed.

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You do realise that the viewfinder meter will show you the ambient exposure, even if the flash is on the hotshoe? When fired the flash will attempt to expose the subject correctly (assuming TTL mode) - so you can't rely upon the camera meter to know if the flash is powerful enough. If the flash needs more power it will flash the approx. number of EV it has underexposed by in the flash display LCD.

So yes, try ignoring the meter and trusting the TTL system - you might be surprised. Alternatively if you want the background/ambient exposure, set the camera manually to expose this correctly and use the flash to light the subject (again in TTL mode) - you should then get a good ambient exposure with the subject frozen by the flash. This may work better if you underexpose the ambient by a couple of stops - as long as you don't go above 1/200 shutter speed you won't lose any flash power to the autoFP system. If you still need more power, then zoom the flash head to match your focal length, get the flash closer to the subject or raise ISO.

The diffusers and ring flashes are all good ideas, but it is worth getting the flash off the hotshoe with a cord or other trigger device, especially when working close - the 105mm might cast a shadow on the subject at close ranges. One of the Nikon TTL cords might be a good choice, you can hold the flash to one side with/without a diffuser for more interesting lighting.

So, in summary, trust the TTL system - set your camera for your best ambient exposure and blaze away.

July 5, 2010

I was in Costa Rica a couple of years ago and I used my D40 with 70-300 VR all the time. It's a 5.6 at the long end, and for wildlife you will always be at the long end. But it was light enough for me to get around with, even though I had had my right wrist screwed back together the week before.

I got some pretty good bird shots - of course they would have been better had I had an 80-200 and a D700, but I didn't. I think the high ISO, f5.6 is a good compromise for weight and portability, so leave the 80-200mm at home. Take the 85, a normal/wide zoom and maybe the telezoom for the jungle/wildlife stuff and leave it in the car/hotel on the other days.

You can see most of my good shots on Flickr, almost all were at 320-1600 ISO - <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahuett/sets/72157607045926421/with/2815883060/">Birds of Costa Rica </a>

June 27, 2010

The less bright focus screens have a more rapid focus "fall-off" - e.g. more difference between in-focus and just out-of-focus. You can see this in inaction on a modern (any of the digital nikons, perhaps not the D2 or 3) focus screen - set your fastest lens to wide open (e.g. f1.4), look at the screen carefully. Set aperture to 2.8 and hit the DOF preview - observe that the apparent DOF changes only very slightly. Now take the pictures at f1.4 and 2.8 - there is likely a bigger difference than you saw. Modern screens are very bright since they are etched/cut to collect as much incoming light as possible. This is great for composing with kit lenses and slow zooms, but it means you lose some of the DOF info, since the screen is collating some of the o.o.f. light together with in-focus light. The effect is apparent until about F4 (for my eyes on a D90).

June 26, 2010

You may have red-eye reduction turned on - change the flash mode on the body to get rid of the "eye" icon.

Also check that you have got the flash set in direct / hotshoe mode and not a remote mode.

Finally, you could try FV-lock and see if this helps at all, but I think the red-eye flashes still go with FV-lock.

June 6, 2010

You need to make sure that the SB600 can "see" the IR light coming from the SU800 - I read the manual and couldn't tell if you can tilt/twist the SU800 - if you can tilt the commander towards the flash. Make sure the SB600 IR sensor window (round, shiny, like the front of a TV remote) faces the SU800, or wherever you are bouncing the signal from. You can use the sync cord you have to link the SU800 and camera if required.

Apparently the SU800 has a "close-up mode" that is set with a switch in the battery compartment - make sure this is not on since it will not work correctly with an SB600 if it is on. If you can see a "macro-mode" type flower in the SU800 display you need to switch the close-up mode off.

Secondly, make sure that you tell the SU800 that you are using just one flash group, and that this group is matched to the setting of the SB600 (usually group A), also the channels have to match (I think default is 2 for the Sb600). Since you have just one flash, one group is good enough, set the other groups to --. This way the SU800 will not wait for signals from these groups, nor will it try to control flashes that aren't there.

If the pictures you are getting are too dark, you can use flash compensation on the body as normal, or you can dial in compensation on the SU800 (these are cumulative, so +1ev on the body will add to +1ev on the SU800 to give +2ev, likewise +1ev with -1ev will cancel out). CLS is good, but sometimes you do need to add a bit more light depending on the subject - make sure you are not standing between the flash and the subject or this won't work ;-)

Once you have settings that are good you can use FV-lock (check your camera manual for this) to fix the exposure and the delay between shutter press and flash fire should be minimal. You could also set the SU800 to fire the flash in manual mode and dial the flash up or down from the SU800 unit - by ditching the auto-exposure of CLS you will get consistent flash output and this can also minimize delay since there are no pre-flashes. Either full manual flash control or FV lock will reduce the blinking and flinching of animals too.

I can second the recommendation of Hot Shoe Diaries by Joe MacNally, it's a good read and will open up many creative avenues.

Good Luck,

Alan

February 15, 2010

Most Nikon DSLRs have an LCD overlay in the finder - this gives you the focus indicators, gridlines etc. So there is an LCD screen you are looking through that can turn opaque (black) where needed to show various things. LCDs work via polarization, letting light through a polarized filter, or blocking it to get a black symbol. When it is unpowered this overlay defaults to a random level of polarization, thus darkening the viewfinder - add power and the liquid crystals all align and "untwist" a bit to a less polarizing state. More or less power to specific areas generates a fully twisted and thus fully "dark" polarized state.

A slow lens will also affect viewfinder brightness down to about f2.8, anything faster than this adds little light due to the way the focus screen is optimised via prismatic laser cutting.

January 26, 2010

we can use EC to increase the flash out put and can save the battery power right ????

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NO!

Whatever setting you change, EC or Flash comp. you will affect how much power the flash outputs. In any TTL flash mode you are asking the flash to expose the scene in accordance with the camera's meter. Therefore the flash will output enough power to "center" the meter needle. If you have altered the center point of the meter with EC then you will alter the flash output, just as you would have altered it with flash compensation. In either case, you are asking the flash for more power (either by asking for overexposure via EC, or directly asking for more flash via FC).

The only way you will save flash battery power, given the same aperture, is by raising the ISO. To expose the scene at given aperture/ISO setting you need a certain amount of light from the flash, nothing about the metering will change this. The effect of FC and EC in manual mode is very similar (there may be specific situations when they are not the same, for example backlit subjects with TTL-BL metering). EC does not make the camera more sensitive to light, only ISO can do this.

If you increase, flash output, you will use more battery. A flash has to use the same amount of battery to give an amount of light, no matter what the EC settings on the camera. However you increase the power, you need more energy from the batteries. If battery power is a problem, you will have to shoot at wider apertures, or raise the ISO.

January 25, 2010

The easiest way to understand this (IMHO) is that exposure compensation works exactly the same in all modes. All it does is bias the internal meter of the camera.

In the non-manual modes the camera effectively re-centers the exposure by changing the appropriate setting (aperture or shutter or ISO). The camera shows you that it has done this by displaying the set compensation in the viewfinder meter. E.g. you are in A mode and f5.6 and 1/200, you ask for +1EV and the camera sets f2.8, 1/200 - the camera indicates you are overexposed by one stop in the viewfinder.

In manual mode the camera does not change any shutter or aperture settings (except for ISO if you have Auto-ISO set). You have asked the camera to give you control over the settings and it will not take over from you. However, it will show you the bias in the viewfinder meter. E.g. Using the meter you set to expose correctly at f5.6 and 1/200, then set exposure compensation +1EV. The meter needle will now move to show that the shot is under-exposed by 1EV, so you move your settings to f2.8 1/200 (you recenter the needle in the viewfinder meter) - you now have 1 stop +EV.

YOU have to re-center the meter "needle" to get the desired compensation - that's why it is a manual mode. So you use the camera exactly as you would without exposure compensation, frame, meter, set the exposure and shoot. Only with exposure compensation set, your meter's center point has been moved to give you the appropriate compensation. You could get the same effect just by doing the calculation in your head, but it can get complicated if using flash etc.

January 23, 2010

Don't waste money on dessicant - stick some white rice in your oven on a low heat for half an hour (maybe whilst you cook a nice casserole or some short ribs). This will make it nice and dry, or if you are in a cold, dry climate, just use it as it comes from the cupboard. Put it in a baggy and "immerse" your lens in the dry, cooled rice. Leave it for as long as you can spare it. The rice will soak up residual moisture quite effectively. This will even work for electronics, allegedly. Obviously the greater the volume of rice to lens, the more water it can absorb.

Alternatively I have also heard that the heat from an old CRT monitor or TV is too low to hurt most components, but sufficient to dry out residual moisture. Obviously, take care not to drip water into the back of the unit.

January 22, 2010

The SB800 will certainly do this. The SB900 I'm not sure, but I would assume so.

January 16, 2010

What ever you decide to do, don't be afraid of getting lenses second-hand. If you buy from a good online retailer, or a local store, you can get great value and still have a return policy (usually 7-14 days), just in case anything is really wrong. The nice thing about good local stores is you can handle the lenses, and see if they are too big or heavy for your use. I find that some of the 2.8 lenses (e.g. 70-200 VR) are just too big and heavy for me to want to carry around, although their image quality is superb. Some stores also allow you to rent lenses, this is good for a special trip or application, then you can decide if you want to buy.

For macro I think it is hard to find a better lens than the Nikon 105mm, but it is not an ideal portrait lens. A used 85 f1.8 wouldn't break the bank and would be a great portrait lens.

Wildlife and sports are both very demanding (expensive) since ideally you need long, fast lenses. These are heavy and expensive. If you can survive with the f5.6 aperture at 300mm, the 70-300 VR is a great lens, easily portable and usable without support.

However, I would wait until the photoshows in Feb before buying a long lens, there are rumors of a 80-400VR replacement (possibly 100-400 VR), this might be better for wildlife. A 300mm f4 would also be a good buy, if you feel you can do without the range below 300mm, but you may need a support (tripod/monopod) since this doesn't have VR.

January 2, 2010

Are you wearing a baseball cap? If you depress the flash even very slightly it assumes you are shutting it off, or it didn't deploy properly and you will lose the flash.

December 6, 2009

This is a (bonus) feature - there is no full-speed mechanical shutter on the D40, so the shutter is simulated for high speed by "gating"the sensor electronically (basically the sensor output is only recorded for the short period required, but the sensor is exposed for a longer time by the slower-moving shutter). Therefore it will sync at high speed without needing a focal-plane sync mode. However, I think you lose some flash power, since the "gating" can be shorter than the flash pulse itself.

You can trick the camera into doing this with on-camera flash by covering all but the center contact pins, the flash will trigger, but the camera will not recognise that it is mounted. The untricked on-camera sync speed is limited by the firmware to 1/500 to avoid light loss due to "missing" the main flash pulse and to give some headroom for the trigger timings. I am not sure what happens when you use the speedlight FP-sync high-speed modes with the D40, but I assume it works just fine.

October 23, 2009

Michael - if you have a cold shoe on the umbrella adapter it may be shorting the pins - try covering the metal shoe with electrical tape and see if this helps.

Curtis and Robert - it might be worth removing the batteries from the unit when it is turned on. This is like a hard reset and may fix it. Otherwise, if you have an intermittent short or static issue inside the unit you will need to send it somewhere to be repaired.

You should also check that the flash is fitting snugly inside the hotshoe and the shoe itself has no play. Some models (I think it might have been the D70/s) had an issue where the hotshoe loosened from the body, either totally or just electrically. This would be somewhat testable by gently wiggling the flash in the shoe or moving the camera around with the flash mounted to put a little torque through the contact.

October 16, 2009

Dan, the newer bodies allow you to control more than one group. My D90 allows two groups, the D700 also allows two. The SB800 or SU800 will allow three groups.

In TTL mode moving the lights will not necessarily change the lighting intensity on the subject, since the power is controlled via the camera meter and pre-flashes, this will only work if you set the power level of the flashes in a non-TTL mode. In which case you can change the power remotely anyway from the camera.

Marten, if you have two 800s I think you have enough lighting options already to keep you busy learning for a while (this has certainly been my own humbling experience). You might want to consider getting a TTL cord for one 800 and using it off-camera as a commander for the other. You then have more flexibility in placing the second light, since if it sees the subject it is likely to see the control pulses too. The Nikon TTL cords are not cheap (or very long), but third parties such as Calumet carry longer, cheaper models. Depending on where you want your lights, this can be a useful solution, especially if you work with your lights in close. The wireless TTL modes work well indoors, where the pre-flashes bounce around, but outside are more temperamental.

Finally, you can move out of TTL mode entirely and use the SU4 mode of the 800s. This triggers the light in response to any other flash pulse, so you have to preset your power levels manually on the flash units. It is more sensitive than TTL since there are no control pulses and you can trigger it using your on-camera flash.

I would do one of the above relatively cheap or free solutions and check back in 6 months or a year to see if RadioPoppers or Pocket Wizards have sorted out their solutions to your satisfaction (and budget). You will also have a far better idea of what you need from a TTL vs manual setup and how much fiddling with your remote flashes you can tolerate when "in the field".

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Posts posted by alan_huett