johnny_anderson

<p>The D90 doesn't have mirror lockup but you can use Live View and get the same result. The mirror is locked up in the Live View mode.</p>

<p>I like the GGS Glass Screen Protectors. They are multicoated glass and give a very clear view of the LCD display. The D90 version comes with one for the rear lcd and one for the top lcd display. They run around $12 to $16 on Ebay. They can be removed buy slipping dental floss or light weight mono filament fishing line under them. I've had 3 of them on different DSLR's and they are all I use now.</p>

<p>Take the D90. it's an excellent camera and as you already know will give you great pictures. As far as lenses, I'd take a wide angle (35mm) or if you have it a zoom in the 10-24mm range. You'll also want something in the 55-200 or 70-300mm range for compressed image shots of the rolling hills. I lived in Spokane, WA for over 20 years and am familiar with the Palouse area. The 70-300 would also come in handy for wildlife photos and there are all types of wildlife in the area. There are a number of game preserves around the Spokane area if you like wildlife photography.</p>

<p>I have bad back problems and the D90 is a godsend when it's giving me problems. I always get great pictures if I do my part! Enjoy the trip, the Palouse should be great this time of the year and not too hot yet.</p>

<p>Look in paint stores for painters tarps that may be big enough. You could also check with canopy companies that do cloth canopies for buildings. Get some metal saw horse brackets and 2X4s from your local Home Depot or Lowe's. Build a over sized saw horse big enough to tack the tarp on to.</p>

<p>I hate tripods, too heavy - inconvient - hard to carry! I use my monopod all the time with lenses 200mm or longer. VR lenses are nice but it's my observation that the monopod gives me sharper photos. I put a ball head on mine so vertical shots are easy to do. Monopods can be used in attitudes where tripods would be a pain to setup. But for the ultimate support, tripods are the best way to go. I just haven't found a need for one since I bought a monopod 3 years ago.</p>

<p>Go to a gun shop and price gun safes. They weigh 300 to 1400 lbs depending on size. You want one that weighs enough that two people can't carry it out of the house. Costco had Winchester safes on sale recently. Keep your gear locked up, it's the only way to keep a thief from getting your gear.</p>

<p>You can also check your local locksmiths to see if they carry used safes. But I've found that a lot of the time the gun shops can beat the locksmiths on price. In Washington state there is no sales tax on gun safes, so check your local state tax regulations. I've noticed that Home Depot sometimes carries gun safes (at least in my local area).</p>

<p>Picture quality, ability to make sure of getting the picture - not getting half a roll of bad pictures, I can now shoot as many pictures as I want - something I could never afford with film. I shot film for over 35 years but love digital, and the lenses and cameras are amazing.</p>

<p>You didn't say what camera you are using and you may need to download and install the latest camera raw file add in for PSE8. Here's a link to the mac 5.6 version of camera raw. Follow the instructions for placing the file in the correct folder and it may cure your problem.</p>

<p>http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4621</p>

 

<p>When you buy the MB-D80 grip (fits the D90 also) it does not come with a battery. I purchased an extra Nikon battery when I bought my battery grip. The grip will work fine with just one battery, as Peter said the balance is off a bit with one battery.</p>

<p>Yes, the zone system has been adapted to color photography. Spot metering should help locating the correct point for mid tones. The problems is translating the BW zone midtones to color midtones. Here's a couple of links:</p>

<p>This is link is for the March 2010 issue of Outdoor Photographer magazine.<br>

http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/how-to/shooting/the-digital-zone-system.html</p>

<p>I found this DVD to be very helpful.<br>

http://www.photoshopcafe.com/video/products/zones.htm</p>

<p>I sure there is more info on the net but these two came to mind first.</p>

<p>Mercedes, if you haven't done so already, purchase a copy of "Understanding Exposure by Bryon Peterson". It is well worth the price and will make your photography experience a whole lot more enjoyable, much less stressful. It will show you how to set up you shots for corrrect exposure and depth of field. Then practice, practice, and practice some more.</p>

<p>As others have stated buy a tripod to prevent blurred pictures.</p>

<p>"After having that conversation, I started noticing lots of posts such as "I have this shoot coming up and have no idea what to do", etc. Is this common? Is this how photographers really get their start? Should I forgo practising at home and really just jump right in? Any thoughts are appreciated."</p>

<p>This is one of the problems I see with digital photography. Someone buys a DSLR, puts it on auto and shoots a few hundred photos, and then thinks they're a professional photographer. This is a disaster waiting to happen.</p>

<p>IMO you did the right thing in declining the shoot. You knew you were not ready to take on the job and followed your best instincts. You'll know when you are ready to take on assignments. You'll be very familiar with your equipment, have the right equipment for the job, and be confident in your photographic ability. This all takes time and practice, practice, and more practice. You'll get there at some point and you'll make great photos, it just takes practice.</p>

<p>I had the 70-300 VR and it was very sharp at the 300mm end of the range. There are better lenses but for the money the 70-300 VR is a great lens. It just depends on how much you're willing to spend for better lenses.<br>

This picture was taken with the 70-300 VR at 300mm. It was taken with a D60, F8 at ISO 400. The focus was on the head as I wanted to see how well the small feathers and water drops would show up.<br>

<img src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e11/gunfighter48/duck2-1.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>I went thru this process about 3 years ago. I read all the reviews I could find on the Cannon and Nikons that I was looking at. Got on over a dozen forums and read what the users thought of those two brands and the different models. I paid particular attention to the problems people were having with both brands. Both brands have their specific problems. I also went to the local photo shops and fondled each brand and played with the menu selections. I chose Nikon after all of this process. I didn't come to that decision lightly, I shot Cannon film cameras for over 30 years.</p>

<p>I liked the ergonomics of the Nikons better and the menu system was much more intuitive (to me). The Nikon CLS flash system works better than Cannons. Cannons seemed to have more problems with focus, a lot more people sending their cameras and lenses to Cannon to have them calibrated together. But you may have a totally different opinion. It's like the difference between Chev and Ford, everybody has their opinions as to which is better. Really pay attention to the problems people have with each brand and then decide which will work better for you. All the top cameras on the market are capable of making great pictures, the photographer is usually the limiting factor to making great photos.</p>

<p>I've had a D60, then a D80, and now the D90. The D90 is just great, meters better than the D80, the autofocus is spot on (at least in my copy), and has enough options to keep me busy for a long time to come. The high ISO pictures is where it really shines, very low noise for the higher ISO ratings (800 - 3200). Live view is a help with macro shots or shots at odd angles. This will last me for a long time!</p>

<p>When you look at a $1000.00 + lens and think it's not that expensive!</p>

<p>Ansel Adams cropped many of his famous photos. He always tried to pre-visualize the photo before it was taken. If it wasn't possible to get it on the negative then he did what was needed in the darkroom to get the print that he wanted.</p>

<p>Ed Weston cropped his photos. I think it would be nearly impossible to find any of the top photographers that don't/didn't crop their images.</p>

<p>Here's a list of the serial numbers and the countries they are tied to:</p>

<p>Serial numbers beginning with:<br /><br />2 - Japan<br />3 - USA<br />4 - Europe (excluding UK)<br />5 - Canada<br />6 - Australia / New Zealand(?)<br />7 - Asia (excluding Japan)<br />8 - UK<br>

I heard that the 4 and 8 have been combined now to cover Europe.</p>

<blockquote>

<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://bythom.com/" target="_blank">http://bythom.com/</a><br />I do not have the D90 but I have the D300 and 700 and they are excellent</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Get Thom Hogans Ebook they are just excellent. He goes into a lot of detail if you want it but also shows you how to set it up quickly. He gives some very good tips on the inital setup. I've had the Ebooks for a D60, D80, and D90. They are all excellent.</p>

<p>Your looking at 1000mm + the 1.5 crop factor for an equivalent focal length of 1500mm at F16. Mirror and tripod vibration are going to be a major problem. You will want to keep your shutter speed up in the 1/250 to 1/750 range and have a good tripod. To accomplish that you're going to need to boost your ISO up to whatever you need to get the faster shutter speeds. Do a google search on astrophotography, there are 1000's of sites that will give you some suggestions on photographing the moon.</p>

<p>I have a 8in - 2000mm - F10 Meade SCT telescope and when I bump the tripod while veiwing the moon it takes 5 to 8 seconds to settle back down to a stable image. That's with a pretty good equitorial mount with tracking motor.</p>

<p>I want a camera that gives me the lowest noise at the highest ISO that I can afford. You will find that many times you don't have enough light and the only cure is add more light or use higher ISO. Adding more light is not always possible, especially if your doing landscapes!<br>

I want a camera that meters and focuses accurately.<br>

I want a lens system that gives me enough choices at prices I can afford.<br>

I want to be able to change critical features without digging thru tons of menus (WB, ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed, etc.).<br>

I shot Canon film cameras for nearly 35 years but when I went digital I went with Nikon. I liked the menu system and ergonomics better. Nikon makes some great prosumer lenses at decent prices. But each person has to choose what's best for them.</p>

<p>Gain usually refers to the strength of a signal (how much the signal is amplified). When the image captured by the sensor is converted to a signal it can be amplified. My guess (and it is a guess) is that when the image is converted into a signal it has a set strength at the base ISO of the camera. That strength can be inceased or decreased by a certian amount. My guess is that the higher the ISO the more the signal is amplified and the lower the ISO the less it is amplified. I have no idea what the default signal strength is with digital cameras.</p>

<p>I used an Opteka battery grip on a D60 that I owned. It fit very well with no wobble and stayed tight on the camera. I really liked it. All of these types of grips for the D60 use the infrared sensor on the camera if you want to use the vertical shutter button. You have to set the camera to use the infrared sensor, not real convenient. I never used the vertical shutter button on the grip, just turned it vertically and used the shutter button on the camera.</p>

<p>I used the Copper Hill products to clean the sensor on a D80 that I had and it's not hard to do. It takes some caution but the Copper Hill site has complete instructions on how to clean the sensor. When using the wet method the biggest caution is not to use too much fluid on the swab used to clean the sensor(actually the filter over the sensor). You don't want fluid to leak under the filter and get to the sensor. I used too little the first and second try but by the third try I had figured it out and everything went just fine. (I'm the over cautious type.)</p>

<p>You have to pan along with the plane. Put the plane in the view finder and move the camera to keep the plane in the same spot in the viewfinder. It takes some practice but it's not hard to do. You won't get a lot of keepers at first but it will get better with practice. The hardest pictures to get are when the plane is directly in front of you, as it's apparent motion is greatest at that point. It's easier to get good pictures as it's coming towards or going away from you.</p>