graham_marsden

<p>Sharpness isn't the only criteria. If you want to do any shallow depth-of-field work you can open up the 50mm prime lens to <em>f</em> 1.8 or even <em>f</em> 1.4.</p>

<p>You just can't do this with the 17-55mm even if the 'sharpness' is acceptable.</p>

<p>Sorry Hans. I hadn't realised we were discussing a G-lens.<br>

<img src="http://file.walagata.com/w/radiogandy/DSC_4624_0.JPG" alt="" /><br>

Above is a picture of the 50mm Nikkor which I was talking about.</p>

<p>If I've completely missed the point I apologise....... cheers G</p>

<p>My 50mm prime often does the same thing on my D80. Make sure the aperture ring is set firmly to <em>f</em> 22 or whatever is the smallest aperture. The F-- error then disappears and thereafter the lens can be used normally.<br>

If you already do this I apologise, but sometimes simple solutions can be overlooked.<br>

. </p>

<p>Hi folks.<br>

The rubber covering for plug-in gadget sockets on my D80 is beginning to really annoy me.<br>

<img src="http://file.walagata.com/w/radiogandy/CIMG5025-for-Nikon-forum.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /><br>

Would some terrible fate befall me if I just ripped it off and binned it? I carefully close it, but next time I take out my camera, there it is flopping about in the wind.<br>

Other users views would be most welcome.<br>

.</p>

<p>You've got all the advice you need above. I find a 4stop ND works well, plus of course, around f22 and a tripod. But it depends how blurry you want the water to be. If you can set your camera with all the above settings in place, you will find a 1 second exposure gives a reasonable blur.<br>

This is just a personal view now - please don't overdo it. The effect is becoming a bit of a cliché and I don't like it at all. I prefer water to look like water, not candy-floss.<br>

cheers G</p>

<p>Please add me to the list of 'satisfied users' for the Nikkor 70-300mm VR. As soon as I saw the very first shot on the LCD I knew the lens was a winner. Can't fault it for the money !<br>

.</p>

Hi Dave. Could you provide a link to the source of the $9 extension tubes please? I'd love to have one in my lens bag.

 

I don't think it would be a breach of forum rules because you are not actually advertising for them are you.

.

Now the D90 is being sold there will inevitably be bargains available on the D80. The D80 is a classic DSLR and

the exposure problems mentioned are nothing compared to all the camera's advantages. It is so easily dealt with

anyway by dialling in minus .7 of a stop and leaving it there. Often, for grab-shots, I use the 'Auto' setting

and the camera makes brilliant decisions all by itself.. Go for it !

Hi. I speak as a D80 person (still saving up for the D300). Purists will be horrified, but don't forget the Auto setting

for grab shots. It surprises me what great decisions the camera can make.

.

When I bought my D80 (with the 18-70mm Nikkor) nearly 2 years ago I was offered the Tamron 70-300mm for a low price so I bought it. Throughout t the time I've had it it has annoyed me - it sometimes doesn't seat firmly in the mount and won't auto-focus, the auto-focus itself isn't precise and in anything other than perfect light it 'hunts' backwards and forward. The so-called macro setting is all but impossible to use.

 

It's easily the worst lens in my lens collection and I can't wait to buy the Nikkor 70-300 VR which according to a friend is brilliant.

Of course, in real photography days of light-proof bags, film, developer and things, lost bokeh was no problem.

<IMG SRC="http://mars.walagata.com/w/radiogandy/Icons/befehl.gif"> Whoever found it would return it instantly to

your cave having taken the trouble to blur the edges for you so it no longer looked like accidental bits of

lens-flare.

Thank you all very much. I obviously need to do further research based on your ideas. Control via USB from my

laptop appeals. And I have e-mailed Adidt re Peter's suggested 30 ft cable - his comment that it works on

<b>his</b> D80 was persuasive.

<IMG SRC="http://mars.walagata.com/w/radiogandy/Icons/photo_0.gif"> thanks again to all responders

Hi guys. I am disabled but I much enjoy photographing our garden birds with my 300mm.. My current practice is

to tripod mount my D80 at the open window, pre-focused on the bird feeders.

 

Is there an alternative to the remote-cord MC-DC1? The cable isn't long enough for my room design. The

trouble with the cordless release device is that one needs to be in front of the camera to operate it.

 

cheers G

Some v.good points made above. But 60yrs of photography have taught me one lesson though.

 

Dont buy cameras from friends, or sell them to friends. Many good friendships have ended there. Give is fine !

Good point Galen ! I was ultra careful and used the 'red straw thing' to direct the liquid to the thread only.

 

It was a last resort and the Camera Shop had quoted me 60 pounds sterling.

I know Ken Rockwell is a little controversial sometimes but this user guide to the D80 is actually very good. -

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d80/users-guide/index.htm. Well worth a read. And he doesn't mind if you

print a copy for your own use.

Got to admit guys in the end I took a really brutal approach. I squirted it with WD40 (<i>do you have that in USA?</i>) left it half and hour and then put the filter in my bench-vice and twisted the lens. It offered no further resistance. I gave both a good clean up and no harm was done.

Hi Mae. Don't worry about asking questions ! Could I recommend that you download

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d80/users-guide/index.htm as a good free user guide. Ken can be controversial

but, as a fellow D80 owner I find his guide very helpful.

 

He doesn't object to you printing a copy for your own use. ..<IMG

SRC="http://mars.walagata.com/w/radiogandy/Icons/photo_0.gif">

I think enough background to hint at the environment is best. I thoroughly dislike the modern practice of throwing the background so much out of focus that the picture looks as is everything except the main object has been given the 'gaussian blur' treatment in CS3.

 

In the UK Camera Club scene, the look I'm talking about is nearly always used in natural history pictures and the Judges seem to favour it.

 

Give me some identifiable bokeh anytime.

I think that pound for pound, or dollar for dollar ( for you guys) - The Sigma wins. Before buying mine, a friend lent me his Nikoor 12-24mm to see how I got on with wide-angle. I prefer the Sigma.

 

In my opinion, it's crisp throughout its range and the aperture limitations are understandable at that price-tag. Distortion at the edges is CS3-able, as is a touch of vignetting.

 

The only way to avoid distortion completely is to go back to plate cameras and tip and tilt lenses. My graphic designer son-in-law says his Hasselblad 903swc with 38 mm Carl Zeiss Biogon lens gives a 90 degree view with no distortion at all - but mortgages are tricky these days ?

.

I firmly agree with the Ken Rockwell article which Robert gives you a link to. Basically KR is saying that, after messing about in Photoshop with those enormous and unwieldy RAW files, you finish up with something not noticeably different from a good JPEG.

 

If you are a beginner to DSLR John and you are going on holiday, my advice would be take 100s of JPEGs and enjoy your photography.

.

The Sigma 10-20mm is very good. This snap isn't an award winner - just an example at 10mm.

 

<IMG SRC="http://mars.walagata.com/w/radiogandy/_DSC6739.jpg">

As Lil says, it's "up to the individual". I love my 18-70mm and it lives on my D80 body.

 

With 2nd hand stuff it depends on the price and condition. I recently bought an old Vivitar 200mm prime on e-bay for $30 and it's superb even if heavy.

 

Can't comment on VR lenses because I don't own one.

I agree with Ron. Those who say you don't need pola filters anymore because of CS3 should try removing unwanted reflections in glass with Photoshop.

 

I don't know if it is my D80's fault but I seem to get more vignetting with my pola filter than I used to in old film days. Is this common ?

As many of the chaps above say, - if you <b> can </b> get the 18-70mm to go with the body, it's a cracking lens to start out with. Personally speaking, for your Asia tour I would stick to JPEG.s - you will get so many more, probably 3 times as many pictures on each card, and they are so much quicker and easier to deal with than RAW. I'm with Ken Rockwell <i>(just google the name and have a look)</i> in that most times I can't tell the difference in the finished result anyway.