dr._james_penn

<p>Frank:<br>

My years in Japan taught me that manners are incredibly important to the Japanese. I cannot believe that Nikon UK upper management have simply ignored this problem. I tend to think that more than one exec will be given a fresh reaming for the impertinence shown. Apparently in the UK, Nikon execs simply have no manners at all, or they have forgotten how pricy their products are, or perhaps they feel you are not worthy of their attention -- since you did not recently purchase an electron microscope from Nikon. Then again, when I read a letter like yours, I immediately put Nikon off the list and go to one of the many other vendors of electron microscopes.<br>

Best of luck with this,<br>

Doc</p>

<p>I can't honestly address the lens question, but one contributor mentioned batteries. I have been in the aerospace business for many decades. In that time a lot of battery technologies have been evaluated. The most absolute ridiculous has been Chinese batteries of both Gel-Cell and Li Ion. The statement that the batteries are to Nikon (Sony, Canon, etc.) specs is total bull puckey. Electrically, that may be be true, but chemically they are the most garbage batteries I have ever evaluated. I do mean garbage. Literally the contaminant levels rival a high school lab experiment. These batteries are NOT to ever be used in mission-critical applications -- per DoD regulations. If you expect any battery to live anything close to a useful life, be sure it was NOT made in China.<br>

Jim<br>

Dr. James Penn, Ph.D., Sc.D., Ph.D.</p>

<p>All of the battery based responses are valid -- and good advice. The one thing no one has mentioned is that most xenon flash systems work by charging a capacitor to produce the voltage dump that the flashlamp requires. No matter what, the cap has to recharge every single time. Over the years caps have gotten better and more application specific (i.e. faster recharge for photo flash), but no cap charges instantly.<br>

The ones on your iPod circuit board are quick, but still can be measured. For we old timers' the whine of a thyristor going quiet was our cue to use the flash. Sometimes it seemed like forever. I hate to say it to anyone from the 'I want it yesterday' generation, but patience, in this case, is a virtue.</p>

<p>Doc Penn</p>