dan st. germain

Thanks Aaron. It seems that the 85mm 1.4 is quite soft from f2.8 to f1.4? Do you agree? I would have liked to see the comparison using a 80-200 f2.8.

 

Thanks for the conducting the test!

Thank you everyone for the help. I'm sure from my perspective that the quality of the 1.8 would be sufficient especially in the difficult shooting conditions noted by Joe. And since I'm not a professional photographer and I'm not trying to sell prints, I'm confident the quality of the 1.8 would be sufficient for me.

 

I'm not too worried about the very narrow DOF of the 1.4/1.8 since I'm usually 50-60 feet away and that would give me a few feet of DOF.

 

I think Aaron actually exposed one of my unarticulated concerns. That is, the high ISO noise produced by the D70 in difficult lighting conditions such as these concerns me. It has definetly killed a few otherwise good shoots. I guess I could get noise ninja or equivilent cheaper than springing for the 1.4.

 

So even though the cost will ultimately guide the decision, I have to admit that I'm worried that even though the 1.8 will produce good quailty images in normal conditions....the 1.4 would also help lower the ISO in these difficult conditions....and it may be the difference between good and very good shots or static verses action shots.

 

Thank you for the help.

I've reads dozen of posts about these two lenses and thought I had figured out

what I would do until I read one that said the 1.4 was less than one stop

difference from the 1.8. Being surprised, I obviously don't understand optics

as well as I thought.

 

So I guess I want to confirm that 1.4 is in fact less than one stop less than

1.8? ...and if so how much less?

 

I was considering getting a new lens to help me take pictures of my daughters

ballet shows. I've been doing it for about 4 years, only shooting at

rehursals with no flash. I use a D70 with the 80-200 2.8 typically wide open

with the ASA set to 800-1600 (I get worried with the ASA at its max because of

the noise). I typically shoot with it set at 80mm, and shoot when the girls

are at or close to a static point. The shutter speeds are usually around 1/80

but sometimes faster in hot spots on the stage. I shoot in bursts and bracket

the exposure. I also typically spot meter though I do use some center weight

metering too. Sometimes I adjust the metering up or down based on the color

of the tutu, which are often white/dark. Its evolved into a far more dynamic

process than I ever thought.

 

So the thought was to considering getting a faster lens to help get better

pictures and also to get more action shots like during a jete or pirouette. I

was considering the 85mm 1.8 and 1.4. I thought the 1.8 would get me one stop

and the 1.4 would get me two. So if I was typically shooting at 1/80 at 2.8,

I might now be shooting at 1/160 at 1.8 and 1/320 at 1.4. Shooting at 1/320

or so would be great...and I think 1/160 will be too slow to stop action

during a jette or pirouette!

 

So how much less than one stop is the 1.4? Any thoughts that could improve my

process?

 

BTW I am also the lighting designer for the production company and do my best

to flood the stage with light during the rehursals and even out the "wash".

I went up to the Canon web site and it says the E18 code indicates a lens error. Does anyone have any ideas other than a Canon repair shop?

Ok I put new batteries in the camera and it turns on. The LCD screen comes on for a few seconds (10 or so) and then it beeps a bunch of times and flashes an "E18" on the bottom left corner of the LCD screen and turns off. The lens stays out.

 

I'm looking through the manual but it doesn't say what the "E18" error is?

 

As far as the water goes....its my wifes camera she took our son for a train ride and they got cought in a pouring rain. I let it dry for a week to 10 days.

I'm hoping someone can help. My Canon A70 got very wet and now it

doesn't work. The lens is in the out position and when I hit the

power "on" button the green light blinks twice, the screen blinks on

for a second, and then it turns off. After it got wet I took the

batteries and card out and I let the camera dry out.

 

Any advise?

I can see the histogram. That's a no brainer. Its the specs I was hoping to see.....or not lose. I use Photoshop CS and the most recent Adobe plugin. I'll try Henry's suggestion. Thanks!

Nikon D70: when I take nef/raw shots I get on-camera screens that

show the histogram and image specs. Is there a way to see the specs

after I import them into Photoshop CS. I thought this was one

attribute of a NEF/RAW file.......that is retaining image info.

I know I'm a little slow this morning, but just to confirm my understanding. Then on my D70, my 18-70 DX will have a "field of view" of 18-70mm and my 80-200 EDIF will have a "field of view" of 120-300mm. On my N90S, my 18-70 DX will have a field of view of 27-120mm and my 80-200 EDIF will of course have a field of view of 80-200mm.

 

Right?

Stepanie,

I'm not going to touch the prime vs. zoom comments but I agree with the recommendation for the 28-105 based on what I've read and heard.

 

I do own a 80-200 2.8 zoom and use it twice a year for my daughters

ballet recitals. Based on these experiences, I need the 2.8 and 800 speed film to be sucessful without a flash. I also try to wait for them to stop moving and hold a pose to take a picture because even with a 2.8 lens and 800 speed film the shutter speed is low. So based on these experiences I think you may struggle with the 28-105 given the larger aperture. One solution may be to go to the dress rehersals, where at least at my daughters ballets, cameras and flashes are allowed.

 

Good luck!

Ok I know this is one more crazy D100 question but here goes. Who is

buying a D100; professionals, non-professionals, advanced amatures,

amatures? It seems that everyone is buying them and they are not

just for professionals anymore. I know the price tag is not cheap

($1500), but it would only take 5 to 6 roles of film a month for one

year to pay for it. Even relatively active non-profesionals can meet

those numbers. Is my perception correct that D100s are not just for

profesionals anymore and that amatures can justify their purchase

too? I'd love to move from my N90s to a D100 given that I have an

advanced computer, a copy of Photoshop, and a printer but I seems

strange and for some reason I feel guity that I'm considering buying

a digital camera for non-professional use. I mostly take portraits

of my kids and landscapes. Can the group tell me....who is buying a

D100 (professionals, advanced amatures, amatures)?

This is a one time deal, I hope. A friend asked me to take pictures of thier kids for xmas cards this weekend and I'm mid-roll right now with Velvia in my N90s. I think I'll just use my F2Mn, which is also mid-roll with B&W, but its easy to do a mid-roll change. I've read most of the archives about getting the camera re-programed and maybe I'll get it done someday. I will also get one of those little gadgets for pulling out the leader for the next time I'm in this situation. But I have to take the pictures tomorrow and I'm too busy at my real job to stop at a camera store to get one of those gadgets.

 

Thanks for the advise and for stopping me from ruining my camera.

I want to change the roll of film (Velvia) in my N90s after a few

exposures. I plan on manually removing the film in a black bag.

Will I have problems with the N90s after doing this. Should I hit

the rewind buttons on the camera after I do it? It seems to me I've

read posts about problems with the N90s after doing this.

Any advise?