tim_dalton

<p>When storing flashes for longer than a month, the flash should be exercised. Turn the flash on & let it charge for several minutes. Charge & discharge the flash a few times. This keeps the capacitors from drying out.</p>

<p>Michael, those adapters adapt a 67mm threaded filter to a Bayonet 60 (Hasselblad) lens, which I already have one. I need to adapt my Hasselblad filters to a lens with 67mm threads.</p>

<p>I have not been able to locate an adapter (step ring) to fit a bay 60 filter onto a lens with a 67mm filter thread. Is there such an adapter? Thanks!</p>

<p>I originally posted this in the Lighting Forum as 'How I modified my Stroboframe flash bracket'. Thought it might have a better use in this forum. Here is the link:<br>

http://www.photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/00U2Zm</p>

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<p>A spring for what?</p>

<p>No need to loosen or remove camera to replace battery.</p><div></div>

<p>An earlier modification I made was to saw out the base plate so the battery door would open while the camera was mounted.</p><div></div>

<p>Camera in vertical position, latch closed</p><div></div>

<p>Camera in vertical position, latch open</p><div></div>

<p>Pivoting</p><div></div>

<p>Camera horizontal latch open</p><div></div>

<p>My main complaint with my Stroboframe camera flip flash bracket was that it would flip on it's own unless it was tightened down so much that it made rotating the camera a frustrating chore. My latest modification solved that problem. I made a sliding latch which opens & closes with ease & holds the camera in position ( vertical & horizontal)</p><div></div>

<p>I've only had this lens for a week now & haven't photographed a wedding with it yet but I think it will do great. My first impression was, this lens is heavy, but after having it on the my D200 it balances very well. I've just been playing around with it in spare minutes & I must say that I'm impressed. 135mm @ f2.8 @ ISO 1600 which I figured would be terrible, was surprisingly good. Optically it's better than it's cost, & mechanically it's, well heavy. There are a few CA's but not bad. I first thought the (non-removable) tripod mount was in the way but I've positioned it to where it might just function as a support in the camera vertical position. And the lens shade is so deep that I'm unable to remove or replace the lens cap with it on. When are camera manufacturers going to produce a lens cap that a person can hold onto? Overall I'm pleased, expecially for the cost.</p>

<p>In video tutorials that I've watched on using the graduated filter, the pointer is a cross with double horizontal bars which is visible over the photo. This is not functioning, the pointer disappears when placed in the area around the photo or over the photo. Holding down the space bar makes the pointer visible as a zoom tool if the pointer is over the photo or as a pointer if the pointer is in the gray area around the photo. Why is the cross with double horizontal bars not visible, how do I make it visible?</p>

<p>Matt, thanks. Looks like that will solve my problem.</p>

<p>My background light will not adjust low enough to keep from overexposing the background. I'm now photographing at f4-f8 instead of f8-f11, and the light overexposes at it lowest setting & I can't move the light any further from the background. I use 20-40* grids inserted in the reflector but I need to reduce the light output. Any suggestions? Is there some kind of neutral density filter available for a 7" round reflector? And I realize that if I put some kind of solid filter in the reflector that I won't be able to use the modeling light. I'd prefer not to use a solid cover which would block air flow. I was considering nylon mesh over the grid.</p>

<p>Steve,<br>

Yes the camera battery. I'll download the manual for the 1D MKlll. I'll read about the battery charger & the refreshing process. Although the 30D battery won't fit that charger, perhaps the manual will explain the process & I can apply that refreshing process to the 30D's batteries. Thanks!</p>

<p>Edward, Steve, I've recently ordered (haven't received yet) the Maha MH-C9000 advanced battery charger ( http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/maha-mhc9000-advanced-battery-chargerbrfree-deluxe-storage-case-included-p-405.html?SP_id=&osCsid=enaboqnji1aur2m75mms1bnoc2 ) to charge my AA (flash), & eventually AAA batteries. Don't follow link unless you want the most technologically advanced AA/AAA battery charger in the universe.</p>

<p>Steve, can you explain to me how the refresh mode on the Canon charger functions, the process of how the charger refreshes the batteries? Would refreshing a camera Li-Ion battery be similar to the process of refreshing AA Ni-MH batteries?</p>

 

<p>I watched a program on this recently & most of the cost of converting a home to solar energy is for installation of the solar panels. In the near future, roofing materials will be designed to collect solar energy & will be part of the building process, there will be no extra installation cost. Also the design of a building structure can greatly increase it's ability to collect solar energy & shed the wind & cold. And how much will electric companies be charging for electric 10 years from now? It certainly won't be free.</p>

<p>Solar powered laptops would be great. But I suppose it would need some type of battery anyway.</p>

<p>H. Ting, so a lithium (camera) battery will only be 80% efficient after one year, 60% efficient after two years (stored at room temp.) After 2.5 years the battery would only last half as long as a new one?<br>

Nadine, Steve, Howard, It's possible that my friend is removing the battery from the charger before they are fully charged. She recharged a fully discharged (camera not functioning) battery recently while I was there & pointed out to me that the done light was on after only a few minutes on the Canon charger included with the camera. I suggested that she leave the battery on the charger & that the camera manual should say how long the battery should be charged. I suppose it could be the charger but it's the same situation on two batteries. I've downloaded the manual for the 30D & reading about charging the battery it says 90-100 minutes to recharge a battery, when the light is on solid the recharge level is at least 90%. Then it says after the light is solid to continue to recharge the battery for an hour to attain a full charge. Does this mean it would take 1.5 hours to reach 90% charge & another hour to charge the other 10%? I recharged two of my (fully discharged) Nikon camera batteries today, one recharged to 100% [my Nikon cameras menu gives a percentage of charge & battery condition (thank you Nikon), the Canon 30D only has the battery segments] in about two hours (charger light on solid), the other recharged to 96% in about the same time (charger light on solid). I put it back in the charger & checked it after about 20-30 minutes & it was up to 97%. The Nikon manual specifys 135 minutes to recharge the battery & that continuing to charge the battery after fully charged can impair battery performance (Nikon didn't provide a charger that can trickle charge after a full recharge). But my batteries are doing good, it's the Canon 30D batteries that are not doing so good.</p>

<p>The Canon camera batteries are Real Canon batteries.</p>

<p>How is it possible to recondition a camera battery? I recently recharged 4 slightly used AA NiMH batteries until the charger told me they were done. I put 2 of the batteries in my Canon compact camera & it would not function. So I checked the voltage & the batteries were not anywhere near fully charged. I put them back in the charger & after a few minutes the charger told me one of the 4 batteries I was charging was done, so I removed battery & then placed it back on the charger, and I had to do this with 2 or 3 of these four batteries before the charger would recharge them fully. So I've just ordered a battery charger which will supposedly recondition AA & AAA batteries. Fully discharge then fully recharge, repeat several times to recondition the batteries. A friend has had a Canon 30D & two Canon camera batteries for about a year & half. Now the batteries only last a fraction of the time when new. The Canon charger will say fully charged after a few minutes of charging a fully discharged battery. Then after charging the batteries for long enough to fully charge & placing in camera, the camera reads fully charged battery, but battery will not last long at all. I don't believe these batteries have been used enough to need replacing. Is there a way to recondition Canon camera batteries?</p>

<p>I have both the Nikon 18-70 & the Tamron 17-50. I've only used either for a few weddings. After the last wedding I just did (which was with the Tamron), I put the Nikon 18-70 back on my camera after frustration of the Tamron's slow or inability to focus in low light. I may change my mind on this but the Nikon 18-70 is a very good lens. The Tamron is a better lens except for focusing. That's my only complaint with the Tamron but I wish I had purchased the Nikon 17-55 lens.</p>

<p>I have the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 lens. It is constructed very well, sharp as any lens I've ever had, & has beautiful color and bokeh. My only complaint is that it is slow to focus sometimes (my Nikon 50 f1.4 w/o HSM focuses quicker).<br>

I tried three of the Tokina 16-50 f2.8 lenses. The chromatic abberations were too much, the bokeh was terrible & they were not sharp at f2.8. I was very disappointed because it is built so well & had quick focus.<br>

Although I have no experience with it, I suggest the Nikon 17-55 f2.8 which should be high quality & quick focus (but then how did wedding photographers manage before Auto Focus was invented?). And what about the Nikon 80-200 f2.8 lens.<br>

You could buy two or three lenses for the cost of the Nikon 17-55 f2.8 lens. But what percentage of photographs would the 17-55 cover compared to the other lenses? And I think the lens will hold value better than the camera.</p>