jack flannery

<p>Give nobody anything. A light. Spare change. Conversation. Nothing. Protect your stuff!</p>

<p>My first digicam was a Nikon 950. Why can't they reengineer that?</p>

<p>I concur with the Olympus. I bought an EP2 and it is great. My motorcycle camera.</p>

<p>SD cards are a lot easier to lose. </p>

<p>I have a friend who absolutely loves his Sigma 150mm macro. He uses it for inanimate studio work.</p>

<p>I just bought the 17-35 and shoot it with my D700. I will never part with it and it is on my camera 99% of the time. </p>

<p>I use B&H exclusively and have never, ever been disappointed. I'm sure the other guys like Adorama are great but I will spend a little more to make sure I don't get hosed in the end. I would suggest you do the same. </p>

<p>I recently purchased an E-P2. It is very good. </p>

<p>I had my camera and 17-35 in the trunk of my motorcycle with a jug of soap. It leaked. The camera seems to be OK but the lens doesn't focus. Does anybody have any idea how much it would cost to get the lens disassembled and cleaned. The focus is very tight so I think some fluid leaked in. What a bummer.<br>

jack</p>

<p>Hi,<br>

I upgraded to a D700 from D200 and rather miss DX a bit. I also ride a motorcycle exclusively so weather protection is important and I would hate to frag my camera in weather. I'm thinking about getting a second body and used D300's and D2X's are about the same price. I consider the D2x because of the ergo's and rain protection. Frankly, I would like to handle a "pro grade" body without spending a bunch of cash. I would use it for mostly daytime photography. The D700 is magic BTW, and a definite upgrade from the D200, a fine camera in its own right. Any opinions? Thanks.<br>

Jack</p>

<p>Hi,<br>

I generally shoot in A mode and the main command dial changes exposure compensation whether the +/- button is pressed or not. Is there a way to turn this "feature" off because I have to check it all of the time. Thanks.<br>

Jack</p>

<p>I replaced a D200 (well, it is on "permanent loan" to my brother) with a D700 and couldn't be happier. I couldn't have been happier with the D200 either and when I look at the Best Buy deal (of the year!), I'm thinking buying another one. The D200 was my first foray into the DSLR realm. There are arguments about which sensor format is "better" but I can tell you, you can take some amazing pics under very low light with the D700. I shot some using hi-2 in a very dark room and even liked those. That being said, the D300 is no slouch either. Gee, I bet that helps. </p>

<p>Hi,<br /> I picked up one for 175 bucks used. Couldn't be happier. It is light and fast, and takes great pics besides. It fits in a pocket very well. I walk around with it and my 45mm pancake. Self-admittedly, I am not all that critical of lenses.</p>

<p>I am a new member here but I wanted to post a few comments. My first SLR camera was a Canon A-1. The battery went dead in a place where I couldn't replace it. So I sold it and got a F2 because it was just about the only mechanical camera out there at the time (and the last, as far as I know). If the battery went dead, I could still shoot. When I was a "geologist in training", I had a rattlesnake incident and wound up rolling a boulder over my F2 in a soft bag. One little dent and that was it. Fast forward to just about now. I went to Wolf Camera in Denver was going to buy a D80 but picked up a D200. Ahhhh, that feels good. Bought it, the 18-135mm kit lens, a Sigma 12-24mm zoom and I was outta there. First of all, the 18-135 amazed me. The thing was decently sharp, it autofocussed, and all in all, a pretty amazing bit of optical engineering as far as I was concerned. The Sigma even more so. A couple of days before Christmas, I checked out the price of a D700 at B&H and bought one. Great, the focal lengths were "what I was used to". It sure wasn't a need for need, but a need for want. The D200 and 18-135 is now on "permanent loan" to my brothe, but I find the D700 a simply amazing piece of machinery. I took some photos in a dark room the other night at HI2. That's like ISO 25k+ and the images were really good. So I got thinking about it. ISO 25k+! A pretty sharp 18-135 zoom that I used on the D200! I've upgraded a bunch of glass and stuff but jeeze, the tools that we are available to us are simply amazing. I spent $500 for a 70-300mm zoom that works on FX. I have a pretty sharp photo of a sea gull flying overhead from my D200, full zoom, handheld and panning. VR, high ISO, amazing sharpness, all of this stuff has me fascinated. But after all of that? The F2 is still the best camera I have ever used.<br>

Jack</p>

<p>Memory and storage is like a toilet. You don't really want them around, but when you need one, you REALLY need one.</p>

<p>I have a friend who has a D90. Although I have extremely limited use (none) for video, I've seen some stuff he did with his. It was great. Post some video of young Eliot playing. You will enjoy your new "toy". It takes some great stills too.</p>

<p>I "upgraded" from a D200 to a D700. The D200 was my first DSLR and I recall being amazed with it and the 18-135m kit lens. I still am. I used a F2 for years, sold it and got a Coolpix 950 (like $800). The D200 is now on "permanent loan" to my brother and he is amazed too. The D200 will definately stand the "digital" test of time, which seems to be about 2 years, but the build quality will last much longer. People complain about high ISO noise but crap, I used to shoot with Kodachrome 25 and 64 all of the time. Why complain about a little noise at 800? Did they even make 800 speed film 25 years ago?</p>

<p>I sometimes think we (meaning me) get a little too gadget happy these days. I went nuts with lens purchases a couple of weeks ago. I attribute my recent NAS affliction to vicodin, foot surgery, and boredom. The one jewel I obtained is a 45mm P from a fellow in Japan. OMG, the out of focus highlights are perfect. Perfect! If I got rid of the litany of optics I have recently acquired, that is one I would keep. I sort of wish my bro would send the D200 back so I could fire a few shots with this lens, but I will get home soon enough. Rockwell goes on about how it is a collectors item with iffy optics, too expensive, not sharp, get the 50mm 1.8 instead. I strongly disagree and my fifty is for sale. It just might be the finest lens I have ever used, realizing, of course, a photographer could take fine pics with a $80 point-and-shoot. I took a few shots in a very dark room at ISO 3200 and 6400 with it, and all I can say is wow. The current technology with the D700 is simply amazing, especially in low light. Now if I could only walk around and explore the new 45mm for a bit. I sure wish Nikon would make a 85mm version of the Tessar.</p>

<p>What a beautiful young lady! You are going to wear out some cameras with her as your subject. Lovely shots. Cheers.<br>

Jack</p>

<p>I have had this lens for exactly 24 hours. The pics I have shot with it are pretty amazing. The OOF is simply wonderful. It will take me a bit of getting used to, but it is much better than my 50mm 1.8, which has an undeserved reputation as far as I am concerned. I might sell that. I will keep this. </p>

<p>I have just received this lens yesterday. Initial snapshots show it is extremely good on my D700. So good, in fact, that I just might install the Katz eye in this body. I had used the cheapo 50mm f1.8. I am now going to sell it. <br>

Jack</p>

<p>Hi Garrett,<br>

I shot with a F2 for years using primes. About a decade ago, I purchased a Nikon 950 and got rid of the F2 (boo, hoo). The D200 was my first DSLR and it is a great camera, albeit with all of the shortcomings previously mentioned. The one thing that bugged me was DX. Great for reach, not so good for wide angle. So I checked B&H and got a smoking price on the D700. This camera is the ticket for me but if it was much more than $2300, I wouldn't have bought it and carried on happily. Your Nikon primes will work on it as long as they are AI and manual focussing isn't that big of a deal. I skipped the D300 because it didn't offer enough for me to take the depreciation of the D200's value to get the Next Great Thing. Photography is a hobby for me and I do it strictly for fun. $650 is a fantastic deal from Best Buy. You could buy that camera and get years of enjoyment. Mine is on a rather permanent loan to my brother and he really likes it. After all, your F2 is what, coming up on it's 40th birthday? I doubt any of these DSLR's will even work in 40 years but that is the digital philosophy I suppose. But today, both the D200 and the D700 are both great cameras for different reasons, be it economy or performance or sensor size. And D300 owners will say that camera is also, and I am sure they are right. I sure wouldn't mind one, especially when Best Buy will have them for $650 in a year or so.<br>

Oh, and I just got another F2 for no reason other than I wanted it. In my opinion, it one of the best cameras made. </p>

<p>I have just gotten the Composer yesterday. I haven't had the chance to use it much but it looks to be extremely fun. I took a few outside snapshots this morning and all I can say is this is one piece of equipment that will require some practice. It is a very simple piece of kit, but if I have one criticism of it, it would be the lack of an aperture ring. This is not a deal breaker at all and nobody can complain about the "bokeh not being smooth" because the aperture is perfectly circular. That and one can create their own special aperture disks. I am really looking forward to using the Composer and now I'm thinking about the wide-angle and macro converters. It seems a little expensive ($270) but nobody else sells anything like it that I know of. I've seen some shots online that were just stunning, especially some flowers shots. I am using it on a D700 and now I'm thinking about buying a used DSLR and converting it to infared. That would be cool.<br>

One odd thing is only the Lensbaby rear cap will work. Others just fall off for some reason. <br>

Jack</p>

<p>D200 was my first DSLR but I used a F2 for years. I picked up a D700 for FX and "loaned" the D200 to my brother. More megapixels or greater sensitivity doesn't really interest me all that much. More dynamic range might. Anyway, this is what I would like to see (along with the many good ideas so far).<br>

- customizable ergos. Not all hands are the same and wouldn't the ability to modify the grip be nice?<br>

- customizable menus. One could do the design on a computer and then upload the new interface. There is an awful lot of menu items that I don't always need. I realize the menu banks are sort of like this but it could be taken a lot further. </p>

The F2 is basically a Swiss watch, built out of rock. Make sure the shutter is accurate and fix, or find, the DP-1 meter. I am a geologist that used a F2 in the field and had a boulder roll over it (rattlesnake, jump, dislodge boulder, down it went, over the camera). Only one small dent. I doubt a F3 or newer would survive that. Besides, the thing doesn't even need a battery to fire. I just bought a F2 body again, and haven't even seen it yet. F2's are very organic to use. The epitome of simplicity, yet very good in accuracy once you get used to it. I am looking forward to using the thing. F2's will be around when every digicam built today will be obsolete by the "next great thing". Heck, I'm thinking about getting rid of my D200 for a D300 and it's a year old. Thinking about it, quite possibly the best thing you can do is sit on your couch and just fire the shutter for a while so the mechanics get loosened up.

Jack

The Chieftains are one of the few "bands" that I will not miss. Are they Greatness or what? Nice shot!