paul_sargent

Apart from polarizers and ND filters, I would say that that it's not worth bothering with physical filters.

Polarizers can't be replicated in software because you are filtering light based on a attribute that isn't captured by the camera (The polarization of the light). If the information isn't there the software can't filter on it.

ND Filters are useful to let you open your aperture up (to shorten the depth of field) in bright conditions. Basically you'll know if you need it.

GND Filters are 'maybe' in my book, just because they can reduce the dynamic range in an image to a range that the camera can capture (i.e. by darkening a very bright sky). As Shun says above, the fact that the graduated band is in a fixed position is limiting though. HDR style exposure is an alternative, but involved and only usable in certain circumstances.

Colour filters on the lens can basically be replaced with white balance adjustments in software, unless you're doing something really extreme.

Colour filters on your lights/strobes on the other hand, are essential if you doing anything studio or flash based.

Sounds like the camera thinks it's operating the motor to autofocus, but it's not working. When you focus it, it sees that the image is in focus and fires.

If it's an autofocus lens, then it could be dirty contacts or the motor in the lens has gone (except you've tried two). If it's a lens without a motor (i.e. driven by the drive screw) then it sounds like the focus motor in the body has gone.

As for the mirror problem, it could just be things are getting stuck now.

In general it sounds like the electronics survived, but the mechanical parts got gunked up.

Apart from cleaning the contacts to the lens, none of it sound particularly user serviceable. Sorry, but I think you may be looking at a bill of some kind to get it working again.

<p>If you're just looking because some stock photo place won't accept images under X-MegaPixels then you're being silly. Just send them up-rezzed TIFFs (done in a non-silly way). Strip the EXIF data and they won't know.</p>

<p>Remember:<br>

6 Mpix = 3k x 2k<br>

10 Mpix = 3.8k x 2.5k<br></p>

<p>It's not a big difference.</p>

<p>Apart from that a D40x is probably going to annoy you because you'll lose features.</p>

Because raw data is linear there's normally excessive amounts of detail stored in bright areas. The compression only operates on the top half of the exposure range and reduces the amount of data stored to be more comparable to the shadow range.

If we were talking audio, they tweak down the volume a bit when they record a loud bit. Then they reverse it later. End result... they have to store a smaller range of values.

No big deal in my book if you're doing normal photography. A bit of a pain if you're doing scientific measurements.

Must admit I've got a D50 rather than a D70, and on that you can't explicitly set TTL-BL (I don't think), but that's certainly the mode you want if you can set it (The BL is for 'BaLanced fill'). I think it's the default, which is why I said 'just pop the flash'.

James: I wouldn't have thought changing to 'rear curtain sync' would effect anything. That's mostly important for moving objects.

Pop the flash up, and take the shot.

Forget about things like front/rear/slow sync, and you shouldn't need red-eye reduction (Your subject's pupils should already be quite small given you're outside in the sun). Just plump for simple automatic flash.

I think the exposure system assumes that bright areas + dark areas + flash = fill in flash. If you need to do anything it'll be some flash compensation to dial the level of the flash up or down, but I doubt you'll need to.

Make sure, if your lens has an aperture ring, that it's set at the smallest aperture (biggest number). Normally there's a lock on the lens to make sure it can't move from this position, but there may not be.

That's normally what 'Err' means for me. I think in general it means it can't control the lens in some way, so cleaning the contacts may be another option. I've heard of crud getting in there before now.

I doubt it's a battery issue. Probably just that the wireless trigger adds a delay and makes the sync speed lower.

You're seeing the effect of the shutter blocking that part of the frame when the strobe fires.

I've seen this, and it struck me as a stupid, stupid, stupid way of conducting business.

RGB images are 3 bytes per pixel.

CMYK images are 4 bytes per pixel.

A 50MB RGB image will be 16Mpix (ish).

A 50MB CMYK image will be 12.5Mpix (ish).

Are they really happy with a lower res CMYK image? I doubt it, but they're too dense to realise the difference. Start to talk about optical resolution vs pixel density, and 'WHOOOSH!'. They don't understand the technology.

It's just a number that gave them the resolution they needed when scanning 35mm. A D80 shot well will easily challenge the resolution of a scanned 35mm image. (Flame suit on)

Just uprez whatever you have. If it's a sharp image, suitable for print at the size and resolution they work to, it'll all be fine. They'll just be buying bigger hard drives sooner.

I did some analysis on this a while ago for my own interest. What I found is that the shadow detail is not compressed at all, and that from about 0EV upwards (i.e. the midtones and above) the number of tones used to store details is reduced.

Thing is that because of the nature of raw CCD data, the highlights tend to have a huge number of tones in them. So what the compression does is (very roughly speaking) even out the amount of detail stored.

So yes, some detail is lost in highlights, but it's done in an intelligent way that I believe shouldn't affect image quality.

...but what do you care what I think. Try it out and see for yourself.

You should also know that digital sensors tend to be far less sensitive to UV light than film was. I'd say it's debatable if the benefit is worth the reflections introduced by the extra glass.

Of course some people want them just for lens protection.

Personally I wouldn't bother and just be sure not to klonk my lens on anything.

I think it's a couple of months before anybody is going to get a look at this one. I don't think a price has even been announced yet.

It probably going to be optically similar to the non-OS version that's been out a while, so that a look at reviews on that one. That lens certainly has limitations, but that's what you get on a small 11x zoom lens. Yes the Nikon probably going to be better (although still not perfect), but it's also likely to be more expensive, especially as most places can't seem to get hold of them.

iTTL and iTTL-Balanced are your friends, and just because you're shooting in 'M' mode on the camera doesn't mean you need to shoot 'M' on the flash.

Personally I find I get much more control using the iTTL modes and then adjusting +/- by a number of stops, rather than the manual mode. This is especially true in multi flash set-ups.

If you do want to use manual mode then just remember that guide numbers tell you at what distance (in meters or feet) you'll get 'correct exposure', when shooting at ISO 100 and f/1.0. If you use the distance display on the SB-800 then it does the adjustment for ISO and aperture automatically, reading the values from the camera, and tells you the 'correct exposure' distance.

I would say forget guide numbers (they're a pain). If you're going to use manual, let the flash crunch the numbers by using the distance display.

...but it's far easier to just use iTTL. It's really good!