davebecker

<p>Shun,<br>

Learn to be a bit more diplomatic in your responses to others. Often times your response/knowledge is indeed limited.</p>

<p>Big T-Storm rolling in....with a custom white balance set, close to the original NEF file with minimal tweaks in PS.</p><div></div>

<p>Marc,<br>

Nice. I would suggest setting a custom white balance on the D70 for IR capture. Easy to do with the D70 and the NEF file will be closer to the final image in appearance. Use grass under bright, sunny conditions to set.</p><div></div>

<p>OK, wish you had been clear with your question.</p>

<p>Both my Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D and 35mm f/2.8D stop down to f/22. Not sure i understand your question. When seeking maximum DOF and quality with either of these lenses, f/22 does not deliver. I doubt that I ever stop down beyond f/11-12.<br>

Dave</p>

<p>I use either a large plastic trash bag or in this situation a large, thick towel. Most cameras can take a few drops without damage.</p><div></div>

<p>I'd suggest the D7000 over the D90 without reservation. Compatible with your current lenses. The 12mm-24mm Zoom will provide a wide 18-36mm focal length on either the D90 or D7000. The D7000 is a fabulous little camera. <br>

Dave</p>

<p>I've never understood this sort of thinking. Why would you pair mediocre glass with this wonderful high-rez camera? In this focal length (or any other) find a used Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8 and reap the benefits of great glass. You'll probably be able to sell the Nikon depending on condition for close to what you paid for it. Certainly not so with a third party lens. Example: I purchased new a Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR/AFS in 2003 for $1600, used it for 7 years and sold it last week for $1570. If you want to shoot macro, buy a Nikon dedicated macro. The D7000 allows you to utilize older MF Nikon ais glass of which there is a large selection available including MF macro lenses.<br>

Regards,<br>

Dave</p>

<p>William,<br>

See posts #6 and 7 above. Can't get more specific as to PS color settings than that.<br>

Dave</p>

<p>William,<br>

See posts #6 and 7 above. Can't get more specific as to PS color settings than that.<br>

Dave</p>

<p>I just did - I shoot with a D700 along with a D3s and D3X.</p>

<p>Dave</p>

<p>Eileen,<br>

I leave all of the other boxes unchanged in the color preferences. Only 'Convert to Working RGB' is checked. When I need a print these days I send the image out. If it's a give away, I'll use costco; serious print I use a fine art printer here in St. George Better quality and cost. My Epson does a super job of printing invoices though!<br>

Don't get too worked up about all of these settings in PS. The image comes first.</p>

<p>Dave</p>

<p>Eillen,<br>

I consider myself a better photographer than PS expert. I try to get it right while shooting and spend as little time in PS as possible. Frightens me! Time is money for me and I try to turn projects around fast. I tend to shoot and scoot. Anyway if this helps I'm working with these color settings and I and my clients are satisfied: North American Prepress 2 with 'Convert to working RGB' checked. The top setting will then revert to 'Custom'.<br>

Dave</p>

<p>Eileen,<br>

Calibrate your monitor using the appropriate software/hardware products such as x-rite or the Spyder 3. Calibration of your monitor is essential if you're going to match monitor results to the finished prints. Not sure why you convert the files to jpg to work in PS unless your uploading to a printing service that only accepts jpg files such as Costco. I'd still work with the files as .tiffs or .psd. If you're using Costco as your printing service, you can download their printer profiles as well.<br>

Dave</p>

<p>James,<br>

Try to stick to the topic of photography and save your political views for other forums.<br>

Dave</p>

<p>Neglected to mention aircraft - avoid an area under commercial air routes, they'll add light as travel across your image.<br>

Regards,<br>

Dave</p>

<p>William,<br>

Not sure why the above posters are making this so complicated. This is actually simple to do and with better results when shooting film.<br>

Here's how I would capture the shot you've posted above. Place the F3 on a tripod with Ball head. Use a cable release. I'd suggest slide/transparency film (iso 100 or 200) as during processing no auto corrections will be made. I'd use a fast Nikon Manual Focus lens from 24mm to 50mm. I prefer the MF ais lenses because they have a hard stop at infinity so you know you're obtaining excellent focus. Set the aperture at a stop or two down from maximum aperture meaning if you're using a 50mm lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.4 I'd be shooting at f/2 or f/2.8. Depth of field will not be a problem - you're focused at infinity and should you choose to place something in the foreground (such as the trees in the photo above) they are far enough from you to be in sharp focus at infinity. You're going to be making quite a number of exposures at different exposures. I believe the F3 has a 'B' mode. Use it and start shooting away! Exposures of anywhere from 20 seconds to several hours. The longer the exposure the more the stars will "trail". You could also try "painting" the trees in the foreground with a flashlight for a few seconds. Experiment. Fresh batteries, a good flashlight, plenty of film (I'd suggest Fuji Provia 100), proper clothing and a location that's very dark without auto traffic. The attached shot shows what happens when you think you have a dark sky however with a long exposure I'm getting the glow of Las Vegas in the distance. Enjoy yourself and try a number of different shutter settings. <br>

Dave</p><div></div>

<p>I sure wouldn't want Nikon written all over my case. I use a Pelican and cut the foam to fit. Add a couple of Pelilocks as well if you feel it will provide added security. </p>

 

<p>Very helpful, thank you.</p>

<p>David,<br>

None of these Nikkors you specify are ancient. I'm using 20+ year old MF AIS lenses such as the 15mm f/3.5, 28mm f/2.8 and the 180mm f/2.8 ED on both a D700 and D3 with excellent results. The 400mm f/3.5 I used on a D2Xs also with fine results a couple of years back. The wonderful appeal of the Nikon system (on specific bodies) is this backwards compatibility. The 85mm f/1.4D optically performs great on either the D700 or D3 although I wish Nikon would upgrade to AFS. The 80-200 f/2.8D although a wonderful lens would likely be disappointing on the D700/D3. I say that after comparing to the 70-200mm f/2.8 AFS/VR which is stellar. The 80-200mm was one of my favorites on the F100/F5/F3. The others you mention I can't comment on - no experience. Don't sweat it. Make images you like - I doubt anyone but a equipment geek would ask what you made it with.<br>

Regards,<br>

Dave</p>

<p>Like many on this forum I've been frustrated with Nikon's lack of software updates. I've tried repeatedly to get Nikon Scan 4 to run with my Coolscan 9000 without success. Happy days are here again! Today I made one last effort. Instead of installing the software from the CD, I downloaded it from the Nikon USA web site. I did NOT download and install the 4.02 update. Rather than crashing when launched, it now works perfectly. I made a couple of strip 645 transparency scans using ICE with multiple scans and all functions work fine. I've used Vue Scan and it is excellent software but it never cut it for strips of 645 film. I tried the demo of Silverfast as well and again I had issues with the individual frames lining up properly. <br>

As stated above I'm running Mac OS 10.5.8 (leopard) on a 2 X 2.66 Dual Core Xeon with 12 gigs of RAM. I doubt if I will be installing Snow Leopard any time soon now that Nikon Scan is running as it should.<br>

Could the recent install of the Silverfast Demo have anything to do with Nikon Scan now working? Could the 4.02 update be the issue?<br>

Regards,<br>

Dave</p>

 

<p>Sanford,<br>

What is a Panasonic M43?<br>

Dave</p>

<p>Sanford,<br>

What is a Panasonic M43?<br>

Dave</p>

<p>Howard,<br>

Try a bit of Tungsten WB just as the sky starts to show color. I have an example of this on my page where concrete is being poured pre-dawn for our new St. George replacement airport. <br>

Regards,<br>

Dave</p>

<p>Old thread however someone may search for info relating to the Nikkor 15mm f/3.5 so here goes. It's interesting that none of the above responders actually indicate they have used this lens. I own both the 14mm f/2.8 and the 15mm f/3.5 AIS lens. For architectural work I prefer the 15mm. Just great for interiors. Flare can be an issue particularly outdoors with the 15mm, the lens hood serves only to protect the front element from bumps rather than flare. The attached image shot with 15mm f/3.5 Nikkor- D700 @ iso 1250.<br /> Regards,<br /> Dave</p><div></div>