mtan

Upgrading is a part of life. New improvements don't necessarily make previous versions obsolete. Inferiority is a function of comparison, not of action. Take pictures. Be happy.

Gokce,

 

Looks like they've finished alot of the restoration. When I visited last year there was quite a bit of scaffolding in the center of the museum. Is it completely open now?

The problem is scale. It's not a matter of photos/shoot as much as the total number of photos you will be managing.

 

No matter what folder strategy (shoots, dates, etc.) that you use, you may run across a case where you want to search ACROSS folders and not INSIDE of them. This is where an DAM (Digital Asset Management) tool comes in handy.

 

Considering that you've spent ~ 2K on your current setup, what's another 10% (or less!) to manage what you will be creating?

<i>"Your old "film lenses," as long as they are Nikon AI/AI-S, including AF, will work on digital SLRs, although some may produce more chromatic aberration, vignetting, etc. on digital."</i>

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Since the image circle on older lenses was designed to cover 35mm film, and 35mm film is larger than the DX sensor, I believe it's less vignetting.

"If this is all your friendship is worth, a used N90S, I woould not invest anything in the camera or friendship. Wow."

 

I second James' response.

Ron,

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Fair enough. I make a distinction between you sharing your opinion, and myself using your words to share mine.

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Glad that you feel that way.

<i>However, if I take that same picture of a fire hydrant with fire trucks in the backround, or maybe a dirty dog doing his thing right next to it, then I got a story. What I'm syaing is what ever happened to "A picture should tell 100 words".</i> - Harry Joseph

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<i>"I don't think it necessarily needs to. It should tittilate the imagination, provoke an emotion and provide visual stimulation as do other forms of art."

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I think Ron Matt sumarized it all.

</i> - Harry Joseph

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<i>The beauty in a well lit still life, a spectacular sunset etc. has no 'story' pre se. But it stimulates an emotional response that's probably different for all viewers.</i> - Ron Matt

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Am I missing something here, or is there some selective reading going on? Ron, if I've misrepresented you in any way, feel free to correct me.

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For my two cents, I think that photography captures what exists, and the capture of what exists can change due to time, perspective, manipulation, or distortion, all either intentional or accidental. Some of it is interesting, some of it is mundane. Just like photography.

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BTW, Mitch, those are some nice photos.

While I enjoy taking photos, I don't understand the vitriol that Rockwell has for spectators. In every single one of his analogies (possessions, sports, media, art) there have always been haves and have-nots, and assigning a value to people (e.g. lower level of non-photographer) on either side of that divide smacks of elitism and condescension to me.

 

I think critics and analyzers (who occasionally take photos) also have a place in this world. And so do arm-chair sports enthusiasts. I assume that a good portion of his readership falls into the same categories that he's critical of. Ironic.

Dave,

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Make sure your video card supports dual-DVI that the 30" requires. There are a few that don't.

"I think its a mistake to replaces a D70/D70s for a D40x or a D80 just to get a 10MP camera,thinking you have better camera or better performance"

 

Denys, that's exactly my point. It's not JUST the upgrade from 6 to 10MP, it's more. From the D70 to the D80: Better viewfinder, bigger LCD, lower base ISO, arguably better out-of-camera image quality, etc.

 

Now whether or not these extra features is worth the upgrade price is debatable, but I don't think it's unequivocally a mistake.

"I do not believe beginners or near beginners receive much benefit from frequent changes of equipment."

 

Ken, I'm something of a new beginner -- I don't have much experience w/film, and I have zero when it comes to developing my own prints. However I wholeheartedly agree: frequent changes of equipment tend to retard skill development rather than enhance it.

 

That being said, I believe that the D80 is a better camera than the D70, and if people have the money for it, who am I to tell them that what they have is good enough?

 

I appreciate the comments.

A few people have already mentioned focus speed, but you also gain a decrease in noise, and most of the AFS lenses are also M/A which means that they have manual override of focus without having to switch on the camera body. I believe the 18-55 and 55-200 are the only AFS lenses which do NOT have this feature.

 

For the glossary of these lens-related the terms, check out the Nikon Imaging website.

"I don't even see the real advantage of the higher megapixel rate unless one is using the camera to make a living and the client/market demands the higher mp."

 

I don't understand. You don't see a real advantage, but you acknowledge that there is one to be had with more MP?

 

"The D 70 is not a perfect camera. However, if you already own it, why take the loss to buy the flavor of the month?"

 

Calling something the flavor of the month is one way to trivialize what you've already rationalized. Most would regard the D80 to be a better camera than the D70 -- it's a matter of how much money vs. how much improvement. If the D70 is working for you, that's fantastic. Others have made a different analysis and have obviously come to different conclusions.

Is this your first go-around with external drives? If so, expect that even USB2 or Firewire drives to be slower than anything you've got internally.

 

If not, check the USB setting on the port (like Matt Laur said).

 

Lastly, do you have a PC or Mac, and how fast are the external drives (5400rpm, 7200rpm, etc.)? It may help others diagnose the problem further and provide a better solution.

Like others have mentioned here, it looks like a focusing problem, which may be either your choice of AF mode, AF sensor, or (less likely) an AF default in the lens itself.

 

On the bright side, the flotsam in the middle of the frame is quite sharp. ;)

""I saw lot a people put for sale the D70/D70s to buy the D80 because is 10 MP,better camera."

 

Maybe they wanted a better viewfinder too?

 

Also the people who have chosen 35/DX DSLRs instead of medium format may have done so because convenience and cost tend to factor into the decision as much as absolute image quality.

 

I'm having trouble figuring out what the main point you're trying to make. Is it that 6MP is good enough? Selling a D70 for a D80 is foolish decision? MF is better than a DSLR? Help me out.

I would choose the 18-135 since I prefer framing tightly in many cases, which isn't an option with the 18-55. As for the performance difference, others here have referred quite a few good sources.

 

The quality of advice you would get would improve if you described which focal lengths and subjects you prefer shooting, and as a followup if you're planning on acquiring (or currently have) lenses that cover your preferred focal lengths.

 

If you're looking for a one-and-done sort of lens, the 18-135 is obviously a better choice than the 18-55.

I'd stay away from the Nikon AF 70-300mm F4-5.6G. I don't think it's a bad optically, in fact I've heard it's pretty good for the money. However the focus ring looks awfully thin, which may be a problem on a D40.

"Thanks for asking... yes - a bit faster and perhaps a little more focal range... maybe overlapping the mid-range between the 18 - 70 70 - 300. Most of what I do seems to fall in-between and I was hoping to get more speed and minimize - somewhat - the lense switching."

 

You're not going to be able to get 1) More focal range, 2) faster, 3) Nikon, and 4) Minimize lense switching all for under $600.

 

I would prioritize which things you want or find the most limiting, and go from there. To me, it sounds like you're going to have to choose between lense switching and max aperture, since you have a decent focal length covered.

"Similarly there is a reduction of DOF between 35mm and a cropped APS size sensor and an even more marked difference between that and the tiny sensors of point and shoot digitals; which have an extremely wide DOF."

 

I had to read this a couple of times to make sure I understood it correctly, but it's correct: for a given aperture, as the sensor size decreases, the depth of field increases.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is diffraction limitation with small apertures. I've noticed it in some of my pictures at small apertures (F/22 and up) and some claim to even notice detail loss as low as F/11 -- but I personally haven't. I'm not sure if that's a function of my shooting skills or my observation skills.

 

Lastly, you may already know this, but keep in mind that focusing distance also plays a big part in the amount of DOF. For a given aperture and focal length, the farther the focusing distance, the greater the DOF.

Leonard,

 

I'm not sure if anyone can accurately answer how likely this is to happen since they don't know exactly how the flange cracked off.

 

Was it due to impact? Was it due to extended stress? A better build can help in some of these situations, but not in others.

 

Bottom line, if you're worried about build quality, get a more sturdy lens (I hear that the 18-70 had a better build), and be prepared to pay a little more for that.