markp

I've not had lenses converted by any of the people you mention, but I have corresponded with John White in the past about some other Nikon issues, and he is an extremely kind and generous with his knowledge.

 

Based on my positive experience with him, as well as on the fact that I know several individuals who *have* had lenses AI'd by him and have been 100% pleased, if I were going to convert a lens today I'd not consider sending it to anyone else.

 

Good luck,

Mark

I don't know what the deal is, but the exact same thing was happening with the LS-50 (Coolscan V) earlier this year. I ordered one in April. Every store I checked with in the US didn't have it. Mine was backordered then re-backordered all summer long. Finally arrived mid-August. So much for my spring/summer scanning project.

 

Good luck,

Mark

I've experienced this, and have attributed it to outgassing. However, I've noticed that my few Tiffen filters haze over regularly and severely, whereas my few Hoya and more numerous Nikon filters do not at all. I've concluded that the compounds from which the Tiffen glass is made react to the outgassing effect, whereas the others don't.

 

Cheers,

Mark

I used to own this lens. I found it to be excellent in terms of sharpness, contrast, and color rendition. I later owned Nikon's 35-105 f/3.5-4.5 AIS zoom, and the Pentax was superior, hands down. I have a 16x20 print hanging on my office wall that I shot with the Pentax 35-105 on a Super Program, and it gets Ooohs and Ahhs from my clients daily. Based on my experience, I'd certainly recommend it.

 

Cheers,

Mark

Have you checked the knowledgebase at www.nikontechusa.com? I'd start there - they won't tell you how to take apart and fix the camera, but at least might be able to identify the problem. If you find nothing helpful there, well, used 775's can be found as low as $50 on ebay. Perhaps it's time for a replacement or upgrade...

 

Good luck,

Mark

Do note that the AF-D version of the 28mm f2.8 lens uses a different optical formula than the non-D version. If you are specifically looking for an AF lens, most everyone I know who has used both (including myself) tends to argue pretty strongly that the optical performance of the D version is superior. I'd recommend holding out until you can find a 28mm f2.8D AF lens - they're plentiful and cheap on the auction sites and online classifieds. Perhaps not quite as cheap as the non-D version, but well worth the small price difference, IMO.

 

Cheers,

Mark

The hairline crack issue in the N90s prism, with "twin" hairline cracks originating from the two screws below the Nikon logo on the prism, is common with the N90s and F90x bodies. When the N90s was new, this issue was widely discussed on the Nikon e-mail lists. I owned two N90s's with such cracks; still have one.

 

Nikon USA never acknowledged it as a design problem, but I recall hearing from some Canadian email listmembers that Nikon Canada replaced would replace N90s top deck assemblies under warranty, and attributed the cracks to over-tightening of the two screws at the factory. I knew several people who used jewelers screwdrivers to slightly loosen the screws to prevent the problem from occurring on their cameras.

 

It doesn't represent impact with a speedlight attached, but at the time most of the listmembers I communicated with attributed it to simply the force of sliding a speedlight in and out of the hotshoe; the high torque of those screws thus caused the plastic to crack.

 

Both of my N90s's developed the problem when about a year old, though they were never subjected to impact. However, once the cracks were present and about .5-.7cm long, they never worsened and cause no functional problems.

 

I've never seen the full-out holes in the prism as pictured above. That's ugly! But, seems some electrical tape would be all that's necessary.

 

Oh, Liang-Wu Cai had a FAQ on the N90s in the '90s, which briefly discusses the prism crack issue. The page hasn't been updated in years but it is still active:

 

http://web.mit.edu/cai/www/nikon/N90sFAQ.html

 

Cheers,

Mark

I'm a Nikon shooter, macro/close-ups are my "specialty" (at least my favorite subjects), and I have both Nikon's 105mm f2.8 and 200mm f4 macro lenses. In the two years that have passed since I bought my 200mm, I've used my 105 perhaps twice. My 200 is my most-used lens.

 

As others above have stated, two features make the longer lens the superior optic for macro work:

 

(a) the extra working distance, and

 

(b) the narrower angle-of-view, which allows you to better control your backgrounds.

 

My recommendation would be to go for the 180, primarily for those two reasons.

There are two simply awesome areas very near you for autumn color, which can be done in short roadtrips. And one more a little farther away...

 

ROADTRIP 1:

 

Take the Great River Road up north of Clinton, Iowa, to the little town of Sabula. When the fall colors peak there, which is usually the week before 10/15 or so, the area right around Sabula, IA and Savannah, IL (directly across the river) is great. Sabula is on a little peninsula that feels as if you're on an island in the middle of the Mississippi river. It's surrounded by tree-covered hillsides on all sides. I've had great luck with migrating birds there in early October, (don't know if you have a long lens).

 

Cross the river to the Illinois side, and near Savannah is Mississippi Palisades State Park. Drive around or hike one of it's many trails - the park's tree-covered bluffs are awesome for fall color landscapes.

 

Then, depending on how much time you have, the road that goes from Mississippi Palisades north to Galena, IL, is quite colorful. On the weekends, farmers sell pumpkins from carts along the roadside on this road, and old, quaint roadside shops line the road in places. These all make great autumn subjects. Galena itself offers a lot to photograph in autumn, as well.

 

ROADTRIP 2:

 

The other way down the river, near Muscatine, is Wildcat Den State Park. There is an historic grist mill set in the trees that's a great subject. The park is forested, and features several hiking trails leading to bluffs for very nice autumn color landscapes. In the upper part of the park is an oak savannah with many giant burr oaks. In the lower part are hiking trails and at least one stream. I lived in the Quad Cities for a few years and this was one of my favorite places to go in mid October at peak leaf season.

 

ROADTRIP 3:

 

Farther north, way up in the northeast corner of Iowa, the area right around Effigy Mounds National Monument (near Marquette, IA) is also wonderful for fall color. This could be combined into a trip to the Winona MN area, as Kent and others have already recommended.

 

Enjoy!

The little waterfall on Hwy94 just outside Munising on the way to Chatham, is Wagner Falls. It's very nice in the fall. Also Munising Falls on the East edge of Munising, is right in town.

 

Some other popular waterfalls in the Munising area for fall photography are Au Train Falls and Laughing Whitefish falls, both west of Munising. All of these are noted on most maps of the area, and the waterfalls are lovely in early-mid October with the fall leaves hanging over the water and fallen leaves on rocks. Do note that these are all very popular with photographers - last fall I was with a friend at Wagner Falls, and vans and buses of photo club trip participants kept arriving to shoot.

 

The Pictured Rocks boatride can be nice, but take highspeed film or set your digital on a high ISO to compensate for the boat movement. The roads and hiking trails in the Pictured Rocks park have some nice subjects in fall, especially the birch and maple forest. Note that the trees right along the lakeshore turn color LATER than in the forest away from the lake, due to the temperature moderating effect of the lake. I did the boatride on the last day of October that the boats were running last year, and the trees right along the shore hadn't even turned yet.

 

If you have a 4WD, you can explore some of the logging roads in the Hiawatha Forest. Fall color subjects are bountiful here. But be sure to get a gazateer map (the discount stores in the UP sell them) or a forest service map at the forest service office on the main street in Munising, so you can find your way back to the highway - it's easy to get lost on the logging roads without a map.

 

Also, a little over an hour east of Munising is Grand Sable Dunes near Grand Marais, which is awesome for landscapes, and Au Sable Falls there is excellent for fall photography.

I agree with those that think this is way too much stuff. I've done several Europe photo trips - both with large kits (multiple bodies and several lenses), as well as with one-body/one-lens kits. On my last two trips, on one of them I just took my Rollei 6008 + 80mm, and on the other I just took a Nikon N90s + 35-70f2.8 (which was my point-n-shoot at that time). I have had MUCH more fun - and have been much more productive photographically - on trips with the minimalist kits.

 

I would recommend your body and just two lenses at the max - if it were me, probably the 80 and either 40 or 50 (whichever one you prefer the perspective, but not both). But I'd take them in a small, discrete pack or shoulder bag that you can wear under your arm or slung over one shoulder so it hangs on your FRONT.

 

The Paksafe is a good idea, but only for locking up in your hotel room when your gear isn't with you. I wouldn't wear the Paksafe around on the street - you'll make the frontpage of the local newspapers. Of course, if you take a smaller kit in a smaller bag, your gear can just go everywhere with you.

I have visited India, though not the same locations as you (I spent about a month in Western India - Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad). But it doesn't matter. India is an absolutely fascinating, cultural treasure. As others above have said, you must go on this trip. As a landscape photographer, there's no question that Agra will be worth your visit.

 

I'm primarily a nature photographer, too, but I found the people, cityscapes, markets, street scenes to be irresistable subjects. My trip to India was one of the most photographically productive, as well as personally enriching, experiences of my life.

I'll enter again this year. Haven't decided exactly which images yet, but we have until November 30. This is my year, I can just feel it.

 

Mark

>>Doesn't Nikon carry parts for ten years from the end of production?

 

>I've heard that about Nikon bodies, but not lenses.

 

I've posted this story on this forum before, but it's relevant here. I sent an F3 in to Nikon USA for a repair, less than 2 years after the F3 was discontinued. After several weeks passed, Nikon sent the camera back to me unrepaired with the "parts no longer available" box checked on their repair form. They included an offer for a discount on a Class-B (refurbed) F100.

 

I sent the F3 to Authorized Photo Service in suburban Chicago, and had the camera back in my hands, fully repaired, in about 5 days, for far less than what Nikon charges for it's "Major repair" category.

 

Based on my experience, I believe the story that Nikon USA carries body parts for 10 years after end-of-production to be a myth.

 

Mark

One of the most common criticisms of the 45CF is its lack of rear movements. However, I noticed that the Toyo website claims it has rear tilt, though not the other common rear movements. Does it actually have rear tilt, or is this an error on the website? Thanks!

I'll toss in another recommendation to stay with Nikon flashes, and try to seek out a bargain on an SB-28. Look around and be patient, and you can probably find a bargain since there's a large migration these days to the SB-800 for the new digital bodies.

 

I bought an SB-28 on the 'net earlier this spring, in mint condition, hardly used but without the instruction book or case, for merely $100. The SB-28 provides a full set of features for the N90s and is more compact than the SB-25 or SB-26.

 

There are many Nikon SB user guides available free on the 'net, so don't worry if you don't get an instruction book with a used unit; Nikon USA also sells paper copies of IB's.

I've occasionally seen AIS lenses referred to in the Japanese and other Asian photo literature as Ai-S or just S. If this is, in fact, what you're referring to, the Ai-S lenses are manual focus lenses. I've owned two samples of the 28mm f2.8Ai-S over the years, and both were excellent performers. The "D" version is the latest autofocus version of the lens.

 

Image quality between the two lenses is very similar. After acquiring a D version of the lens, I found its optical performance to be very slightly better than my beloved 28mm AIS, but it was very close. If I hadn't done a side-by-side test I'd have never been able to tell the difference.

Another thing to keep in mind, which may or may not be a big deal to you, is that there is no aperture readout in the N90s viewfinder when using manual-focus lenses. There is, however, focus confirmation in the viewfinder.

I started with a non-D version of this lens, and have owned my current 35-70 f2.8D since March 1996. It's simply an outstanding lens in terms of sharpness, color rendition, and contrast. I owned a second D-version sample of it for a while, too, when I was doing a lot of PR/event photography several years ago. The ones I've owned have been consistently excellent from sample to sample.

 

As others have mentioned, the 35-70 f2.8 is often criticized for "not having enough range." Fine - no, it obviously doesn't cover as much range as most other mid-range zooms today. But if you need a killer lens and can live with the 35-70 range (I sure can, I just cover the rest with something else!), it can't be beat by anything near it's price level. And somewhere I saw a side-by-side test that showed it to beat the 28-70 AFS in terms of sharpness at 70mm. The only negative of the 35-70 is that the filter ring turns during focus, which is a minor annoyance when using a grad ND or CP filter.

 

All that said, I did also buy a 24-85G last spring to use as a lightweight, take-anywhere, "I'm only taking one lens" lens. It's a decent lens, too, but the image quality in the 35-70mm range is no rival to that of the 35-70 f2.8. The 24-85G is the more contrasty of the two, but actually too much so for my use in critical situations. My opinion overall is that the 24-85G is a very capable consumer zoom, and for the most part I do like it for what it is. But the 35-70 is a superior professional workhorse that rivals/beats my older primes in the same range.

 

If I had to choose just one of these two, there'd be neither a question nor a minute of hesitation: I'd keep my 35-70.

 

Cheers,

Mark

A buddy of mine and I went there to photograph about a decade ago. Your question is not too broad - the whole country is only less than 65 miles across. A few of my favorite spots:

 

(1) the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich, near the Guatemalan border. When I was there one could take a bus from Belize City to the nearby town of San Ignacio, then hire a taxi to get close to the ruins. At that time, there was a final hike (half mile? mile?) from the end of the road, including a river crossing (handcrank ferry at that time, though we hired a kid in a dugout canoe who happened to be going downstream, to take us across). The ruin was fantastic, and it's surrounded by misty, humid, dense jungle.

 

(2) The ruins of Altun Ha, north of Belize City off the road to Cozumel. Parts of this ruin are very nicely excavated, and the whole thing was beautifully maintained. When I was there, there was no public transport to Altun Ha, but we hitched a ride most of the way in the back of the pickup of some archeologists from Korea who were going to another site. Interesting hike the rest of the way (the route, on gravel jungle lanes, was clearly marked). Great Mayan landscape/architecture, especially in the early evening mist.

 

(3) The islands (cayes). We stayed on Caye Caulker for several days, and took daytrips out to other islands by boat. Many of the islands are in small clusters, so you can set up a tripod on one and catch sunset over nearby ones. Very beautiful. Good birds, too, if you're equipped for (and interested in) that.

 

(4) For architecture, Belize City itself is interesting, in a clapboard kind of way. Some very colorful buildings. Be careful with your cameras here, though: when I was there, at least, there were a lot of thieves on scooters and pickpockets who would try to grab an expensive camera and run. Belize City is a real melting pot, so it's a great place for street photography, if you're into that, too.

 

I would definitely research the current situation in terms of travel and security; I know travel has boomed there and I'm sure it's quite different. It's also possible visitors to the ruins I've mentioned may be limited now, so check it out first. I recommend the Lonely Planet books for Central America (I'm sure there's also a good current general map at lonelyplanet.com).

 

I want to go back and visit Placencia. Punta Gorda, and Dangriga sometime, on the central/southern coast. I've heard they're good for photography, as well. There are now several national parks that weren't there a decade ago, too. I'd recommend a Google search on "Belize National Park" to see what you get in that area.

 

Have fun!

Mark

If you're seriously considering a 35-80 AF lens you should know that there were two versions of this lens. The first version had a metal lens mount and a rubber focus ring. The second version had a black plastic lens mount and a very thin plastic focus ring. The first version is optically superior, by a large margin, and is capable of producing images that actually compare favorably to those from much more expensive lenses.

 

If it's the second version you're looking at, don't even consider it. The drawback of either version is that, as a slowish variable-aperture lens, it is f5.6 at 80mm, which I found to be too limiting for many uses when I owned one. If you're going to be doing strictly landscapes, or some other sort of outdoor shooting in sun, it will be okay most of the time as you'll shoot at f8-f16 much of the time anyway. But, I would concur with the others above in recommending the 50mm f1.8 lens as your first AF lens, instead, which you should be able to find used in mint condition for $50-60. Versatile, fast, and extremely sharp AF lens.

 

I recall Nikon ads saying that the N90s was 20-25% faster to AF than the N90.

Gordon,

 

I'll offer a second for Charlie Waite's "Seeing Landscapes" book. It deals only with landscape composition - no equipment overviews, lengthy focal length discussions, or anything like most of the other "how to" books. Waite simply shows a photograph on each page, and discusses why it's composed the way it is, major decisions made for the shot, and how it all came together. Some facing pages are different compositions of the same, or similar subjects, with discussion of decisions that went into each version, which is helpful. I recall that the only equipment content has to do with the occasional mention of why a particular focal length or film format was chosen for an image.

 

By the way, the producer of John Shaw's videos is "Frank Hughes Productions." I'm not sure of the website on which you found the Shaw videos already, but a search of that name might bring up additional sources and perhaps even alternative pricing. (I've no affiliation with Hughes or any vendor of the videos, just happened to remember the name).

 

Before buying, if you have a good public library in your community, you might check to see if they have the Shaw video series. As it happens in my city, not long after I moved here I discovered that a local camera club bought and donated the entire Shaw series to the public library, so I've seen the entire series many times for free. Perhaps your library has some or all, as well.

 

Good luck, Mark.

I bought a refurbed F5 from Pro Photo Supply in Portland a couple of years ago. Aside from the "refurbished" stamp on the box, there was no way to tell it was other than brand new, but it was hundreds less than the new price. I seem to recall the warranty was 90 days, which I thought enough for me to get a lot of film through it in case of problem. I've had no problems whatsoever, and would buy another Nikon refurb with no hesitation.

If you're in the US, Nikon USA has these. The back for the N90s is pretty cheap - at least the one I ordered a couple years ago was only $25 or so. I think Nikon sells the caps for a couple dollars each, but I've heard some people say they were sent some for free. If you order a back, perhaps they'll "toss in" the caps Call Nikon Service (1-800-NIKON-SV) and ask real nice!

 

You might also check www.keh.com first, though - I've seen replacement backs listed in the Nikon pages of their site from time to time at very low prices. They're used, but if someone swapped their back for an MF-26, for example, you could get a used one in like-new condition.

My multiple bodies are dedicated to specific functions. I have four primary bodies, and each has different film for different use and has been custom set to maximize how I like to use that film. When I grab a particular body, I know what film is either already going to be in it, or how the DX-coding and custom function settings are set to maximize the particular film I shoot in that body. Additionally, each camera is kept in a bag with lenses and accessories for that body's primary use. Some swapping of lenses and accessories is necessary, as I don't have four completely independent setups, but with just a minute or two of swapping flash cords, a lens or two, and a Stroboframe, for example from one bag to another, I'm ready to move from one project to another of a completely different type.