biomed

I would recommend taking along a hiking pole that has a tripod mount on the head. I believe Leki makes one. This will allow you to use the pole for hiking and photography. For a camera I would consider taking along a point and shoot with a wide angle lens that shoots in RAW. I have a Canon S70 that has a 28-100mm equivalent lens that is a terrific camera. Even though the S70 has been discontinued you may be able to buy a used one or get one of the more recent cameras that have a wide angle lens. This combination should serve you well both in terms of camera and weight. All the best on your long hike.

 

MM

Thanks Richard. I agree the ring flashes are expensive so I'll look into using a couple of off-camera flashes. By the way, those are some incredible macro shots. Are you using extension tubes or bellows with your macro lens?

 

Thanks.

MM

Does anyone know which of the macro flash units, Konica Minolta/Sony/third

party, will allow me to stop down to at least f/16 when used with my Tamron 90

mm f/2.8 macro lens (the film version lens) on my Sony A-100? I own a Vivitar

macro flash unit that I previously used on my Maxxum 9xi but which only allows

me to stop down to f/8. So I'm looking for something to get me more depth of field.

Thanks.

 

MM

Just wanted people's feedback as to whether the 40D has enough to justify being

about $500 more than a new 30D (as per B&H prices). I shoot mostly landscapes

and macro. Thanks.

 

MM

I'm not thrilled with the Minolta software in the 5400 II scanner. I've read

that the best software to use with this canner is Silverfast. Should I get the

SE version or the Ai version?

 

Thanks.

MM

I'm using Photoshop Elements 5 to process the raw files and will be using it to size all the images. Then I'll be using Roxio Easy Creator to burn the images onto a DVD. I have a 1080i HD TV.

I would like to create a slideshow to be viewed on a widescreen TV. To what

height and width dimensions, in pixels, should I save my images so that they

look their best on the widescreen TV? I will be buring the images onto a DVD

to be played on a DVD player. Could I use the same DVD to view the slideshow

on a 4:3 TV with the only difference being that there will be black bars at

the top and bottom of the image, or do I have to burn a different DVD with new

height and width sizes for each image?

 

Thanks.

MM

I'd like to know the pixel dimensions to use in saving my images

that will be used to make cd and dvd slideshows for viewing on a

computer monitor. Can I use the same dimensions for slideshows

viewed on a TV?

 

Thanks.

M. Mehtar

I'm now leaning towards the Nikon Coolscan V because of its better build-quality. I have about a thousand slides that I will scan and more later as I continue to shoot slide films. Seems like the scans from both the Nikon V and Minolta 5400 II are about the same. One more question: Is the quality of a scan from the Coolscan 5000 much better than the Coolscan V and is the $500 difference worth considering the Coolscan 5000?

 

Thanks.

M. Mehtar

I'm in the process of purchasing a film scanner to be used primarily

on 35mm slides. I have a few kodachromes but mostly will scan

ektachromes. I am thinking of getting either the Minolta 5400 II or

Nikon V. Since I will be scanning slides, some with dark shadows, I

was wondering how important multi-pass scanning is to bring out

shadow details? The Minolta has multi-pass but the Nikon V does not.

I'd appreciate the comments from users of these scanners and their

ability to bring out shadow details. Thanks in advance.

 

M. Mehtar

Does anyone know of any review(s) comparing the two models of these

scanners? According to Minolta, the new model does a better job with

negatives. However, there is no mention of any improvements in slide

scanning. I am only interested in the 5400 for slide scanning.

 

Thanks.

MM

If you're looking for a wide angle digicam then this is among the best. Its 35mm equivalent is 28-100mm.

 

I've had mine for about a week and so far:

Good: excellent image quality; easy to use; full manual control (but not as functional as a digital slr); great for lanscapes because of the 28mm wide end; saves in RAW format.

Bad: electronic viewfinder is difficult to see sometimes; optical viewfinder only shows 80% of image; slight distortion at the 28mm end; only goes up to 100mm (important if you want a longer telephoto end).

 

You might also want to consider the s60 which is a 5MP camera with the same features as the s70 and could be bought for about a hundred dollars less. There isn't that much difference in quality of the images from these two cameras. Might be a better option since you're looking for a backup.

I can buy a used Coolscan 4000 for the same price as a Coolscan V.

I've read that these are basically the same scanner with the 4000

being able to do multisampling and batch scanning. I will be

scanning slides and was wondering which of these two scanners would

be better for me. I won't really need to do any batch scanning (the

batch feeder is also expensive). Has anyone done a side by side test

of these two scanners? All opinions would be appreciated.

 

Thanks.

MM

Thanks Michael for your answer.

 

MM

I'm interested in getting a macro flash unit for use on a 9xi and

600si cameras. What is the difference between the 1200 AF and 1200 AF

(N) units and will either work on my cameras without the controller.

 

Thanks.

MM

Thanks everyone for your help. I was able to find a used OS-1100 online. It has the tripod socket which is what I need. Thanks again.

 

MM

I have a 5200i flash with an OC cable and would like to mount the

flash on a bracket that uses a tripod socket. Is there an adapter

available for this from Minolta or another manufacturer? I've been

to my local photo stores here in Central Connecticut and no one has

anything for my flash. The standard adapters fit other makes but not

Minolta. If someone can direct me on this I'd appreciate it very

much.

 

Thanks.

MM

I'm interested in buying a digital camera and would like one with

manual focus. Besides the DSLR cameras are there any non-DSLR

cameras that offer manual focus? I'm looking for a camera that isn't

too big as I plan on taking it on hikes.

 

Thanks.

MM

Thanks Jack for your posts. They are very helpful. I appreciate it very much.

 

Thank You.

Does anyone know of any reviews comparing these 2 scanners? I'm

looking for a 4000dpi (or higher) scanner with multi-pass scanning

and these 2 scanners fit the bill. If anyone has used or tested both

scanners I'd appreciate their comments and impressions.

 

Thanks.

Ken,

After you've scanned some slides, could you please let me know how the scanner does with them. I'd appreciate it very much.

 

Thanks.

Has anyone used the new Scan Dual IV? I'd like to get people's

impressions on this scanner. Are there any reviews out there on this

scanner? I have tons of slides that I want to archive and maybe

print some at no more than 11X14.

I too am interested in getting the Epson 1640 Photo scanner and was wondering how good it is in handling 6X6 and 6X7 slides. I'm looking at getting a scanner that scans 6X6 and 6X7 good enough for printing 8X10s and also 35mm slides for printing 8X10s as well. Due to a limited budget I can only afford a scanner under $500. I'd appreciate any advice.

 

Thanks.

I own a Pentax 6x7 camera and would like to buy a flash for it. What are people's experiences with the one's they are using and which would they recommend? I also own a Yashicamat 124G and would like to be able to use the flash on that camera too. Your experiences/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.