moses_sparks
-
Posts
305 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Events
Downloads
Gallery
Store
Posts posted by moses_sparks
-
-
Wow, never heard of iFootage before but their products look fantastic. I ordered a Gazelle Uprise TC5S this morning, the specs appear to be exactly what I need. Thanks for the tip Arthur! Any suggestions for a lightweight fluid head that would pair well with these legs?
-
1
-
-
Thanks for the feedback guys, I guess I'm going to have to compromise on either the working height or the flip locks. Of the two I think the working height is probably the bigger issue, so twist locks it is...yuck :)
To answer some questions above: The heaviest rig I will be mounting is a Sony A7R4 with grip and 100-400 GM lens, it weighs about 6 pounds. I want to be able to shoot at eye level without stooping over. I have a beautiful old Manfrotto 055cxPro3 but with the Kirk head it is 30" long and weighs a little under 5 pounds. Not terrible, but too long for a suitcase of course.
-
Dear Moses,
1. This Manfrotto (link) has flip locks and comes close to both the weight and height without raising the center column: less than two inches short and only a half pound over.
2. It's great to see you on photo.net. We've lost the participation of too many of our battleship class photographers, so I'm happy to see your post. This isn't just flattery, because
3. You might be able to use your resume to get a shop to convert a twist lock Gitzo or something to flip locks. I'd first try Samy's in Los Angeles, assuming that's where you are.
Hi Hector! Thank you for the kind words, I have been away from photo.net for a long time, just got too busy with the business and raising a couple of kids. Still on staff at NBC Universal and still freelancing for some great Fortune 500 clients, although pandemic has shelved all of that for the moment. So instead I get up before dawn every day and go look for things to make pictures of...could be worse :)
I actually have the older version of the tripod you noted, love it but I can't get it into a suitcase.
Take care!
-
My new "career" as a nature photographer (since entertainment/corporate/fashion work is GONE for the time being) has forced me to acquire some new equipment for the task. The last thing I need to get is a travel friendly tripod and I simply can't find one that works for me. Can anyone tell me if this mythical beast exists?
My must-have list:
Lightweight, like in the 3 pound range. Presumably that means carbon fiber. I have a nice Kirk BH-3 head already.
55" maximum height WITHOUT using the center column (or close to that at least)
Lever locks...I can't stand the twist locks.
The lever lock thing alone eliminates a ton of possibilities. It seems 90% of what's available are twist locks, but I've never had anything but bad experiences and frustration with them so that's a deal breaker for me.
So far I've looked at pretty much all the "travel tripods" out there including Peak Design, Manfrotto BeFree, Sirui, Gitzo, Benro...nobody has one that goes high enough or has lever locks.
I appreciate any suggestions you kind folks may have.
Thanks!
-
Zeiss Batis 18mm ultra wide angle lens for Sony E full frame cameras. New condition, original hood, box, caps, and manual. I bought this lens for a trip to Europe (didn't want to carry my heavy 16-35) and have hardly touched it since. It is immaculate and perfect in every way. Incredible sharpness, color, and close focus. It's also really lightweight and easy to carry. Images have that famous Zeiss pop and clarity!
$850 including shipping within the USA, or local meet in the Los Angeles area.
Payment via Paypal please.
ZEISS Batis 18mm f/2.8 Lens for Sony E
-
Nikon AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f2.8G ED macro lens, brand new in box (USA version). This is the latest version of the 60 macro with ED elements and Nano Crystal Coating. I purchased this lens for a client job that never happened but I was already past the 30 day return period when they bailed on me. Lens has been removed from the box and tested (it's perfect in every way) but never left my house. These latest generation Micro Nikkors are incredible lenses: super sharp at all apertures and distances, rounded diaphragm gives beautiful bokeh wide open, and autofocus is fast and silent. This is as good as it gets for macro of course, focuses to 7" and true 1:1 magnification, but the focal length makes this lens as useful for portraiture and general photography as it is for closeup work.
I don't do macro work unless specifically requested by a client, so I don't have a need for such a superb lens just sitting around. My loss is your gain.
$500 including Fed Ex shipping within the USA. Paypal please.
-
Think Tank Streetwalker Hard Drive backpack, it simply doesn't get any better than this for full featured photo backpacks. I looked at every brand available before buying this one and it simply outclassed all the competition. I bought this for flying with a full Nikon system, including a pair of D4's, 14-24, 24-70, and 70-200 2.8 lenses, plus speedlights, a 15" laptop and lots of accessories. It carried all of that with ease, but the pack itself is still slim, lightweight, and carry-on legal for all flights. I used this exactly twice and it is like new in every way. I have since downsized my travel kit to mirrorless gear and I don't need a backpack of this size.
Includes the rain cover and tripod straps. Case is rugged, built to protect your gear and last. Asking $150
-
<p>Peter / Francisco,<br>
Do you find the beta of LR3 to be stable? I was worried about using it for client work (I'm a commercial photographer)<br>
If the noise reduction is really good I would definitely prefer using Lightroom rather than a separate piece of software since I already do all my RAW conversion, processing, and editing in LR.</p>
-
<p>I've searched through some threads, but with some of the recent product releases available I wanted to find out what are the favored noise reduction applications among this group.<br>
I shoot with Nikon D3 cameras and process the RAW files in Lightroom 2.7. Lightroom has a version 3 in the works that will supposedly have a much better noise reduction algorithm, but it's anyone's guess when it will be available in a production version.<br>
Files from my cameras are very nice up to ISO 3200, at 6400 they're still very usable, but there's a distinct grain to them that I would like to reduce without softening the image too much.<br>
The apps that have been recommended to me are Noise Ninja and DXO. NN is very reasonably priced at about $80 but I haven't been knocked out by previous versions I've used. I hear DXO is very good, but it's about $300 and has a lot of features I may or may not ever use.<br>
I need to download both and test of course, but what is YOUR favorite?<br>
Thanks.</p>
-
Well, if Phil is 8 feet below the OP I guess I'm about 10, but in the interest of "closure" of sorts I'll jump in anyway.
I downloaded and installed the new firmware update for the D3 and I'm happy to report it DOES correct the AF assist issue with the flash.
The D3/SB800/14-24 combo now works perfectly at the wide end of the flash.
Since the D3 and D300 share similar AF components and were released at the same time I have to think there will be a firmware update for the D300 that will correct this issue in that camera too.
Best of luck.
-
Joseph,
I just shot documentation photos of the aftermath. The fire started early Sunday morning and was out by the time I went to the studio on Monday.
I don't know if there are even AP or Reuters shots of the actual fire, it's not like news photographers can just drive onto the lot, it's a secure facility and you have to get clearance, etc.
The only fire shots I've seen were taken by firemen on the scene with cell phones.
-
To Joseph: Thank you, can't wait to try it out.
To Gabriel: Seems I now have a 14mm lens on a full frame camera that will AF in total darkness with amazing image quality at ISO 3200, and I'm located in SoCal too...let me know if you need to hire a photographer to shoot your raves :)
Actually I spent most of today shooting fire damage for my employer, NBC Universal. Now THAT was a spectacular light show!
-
Well, I just checked Nikon USA's site and the newest D3 firmware update does indeed list the AF assist as one of the corrections...nice!
I'll be downloading that tonight.
I'm posting here because I think Joseph is probably correct, since it was identified and fixed on the D3 it would make sense that there would be an update for the D300 too. Hopefully that will resolve this problem for Gabriel.
Of course this is Nikon we're talking about, so who knows when it will happen.
I will sign off with this last editorial comment...
I have been shooting Nikons professionally for more years than I care to admit, and for the most part I have always believed that they made the best products available for my needs. The lenses and flash systems never had a real equivalent from Canon, nor did the cameras themselves IMHO. Sensors were another story, and like many pros I came very close to changing systems when I saw the huge advantage Canon had for low light-high ISO work, something I do an awful lot of.
The D3 and the fantastic new lenses (14-24 and 24-70) arrived just in time for me, and I am very excited about the new capabilities they have brought to my work.
But having said that, I feel compelled to say that Nikon is absolutely the most mysterious company on the planet as far as understanding what they are doing and why! This whole AF assist thing is exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about. The issue of their raw converter, Capture NX, is another. Leave it to Nikon to design and build the absolute best DSLR seen to date, and then force hordes of it's users to go to a third party solution by offering what is arguably the worst user interface ever conceived in a software program.
Purely my views of course, your mileage may vary. Sorry for the tangent.
The firmware is good news, I will take my happy endings where I can get them :)
-
Well, I guess for my situation at least, I will install the new firmware and see if it corrects this AF assist problem. That will be very interesting if it does, because I discussed this with Nikon Technical Service, and they assured me this was inherent in the camera's design.
Their explanation as to why it worked fine with every previous camera was that "it never should have, but somehow it did...?
They finally "corrected" the flash to camera interface in the D3 and D300 so that it only provides AF assist in the 24-105mm range as stated in the SB800 manual".
I asked if they could "break" my D3's to work the same as my D2X...they didn't find that as funny as I did :)
-
Ilkka,
Have you personally verified that the D3 firmware upgrade corrects this issue?
I'm aware of that upgrade but avoided it up till now because the first one actually created a new problem for some owners, where some raw files in a high speed burst sequence would be corrupted.
Nikon subsequently pulled that upgrade, fixed the corruption problem, and put out a new upgrade.
I still haven't upgraded because I've been through this before...just as all new cameras will inevitably have a few bugs when they are first released, the same thing can happen with firmware upgrades.
Both my bodies are working just fine so I wanted to give this some time before installing the upgrade, BUT, if it fixes this problem it would be worthwhile.
As you probably know, Nikon (and Canon) both routinely issue firmware upgrades that correct or enhance functions which they make public, but also address problems they DO NOT make public or even acknowledge. You don't get "full disclosure" from these guys, they would rather quietly include a bug fix in a firmware upgrade than announce it.
If it's only for the D3 it wouldn't help Gabriel, but it would sure simplify my life!
Thanks.
-
Gabriel,
I have the same issue and posted it on another forum, got no useful feedback at all because people who don't need this functionality don't see why it's a problem..."just use manual focus!"
As you already know that's not a good solution.
After researching thoroughly here's what I found: This issue is unique to the D300 and D3 cameras (I don't own a D300 but have a pair of D3's). Using the fisheye and SB800 on D2X, D2H, and D200 cameras was no problem at all. Even though the specs say the flash AF assist functions down to 24mm focal length, it will in fact work just fine with any lens down to and including the 10.5 fisheye. I owned all 3 of these cameras and confirmed it with testing.
The same combo will NOT activate the AF assist on a D3 or D300.
I sold my 10.5 fisheye and replaced it with the new 14-24 zoom. With that lens AF assist functions down to about 18mm and then it shuts off. It's absolutely maddening, but this is part of the camera design, not a malfunction.
My personal feeling is that this is a serious design flaw on Nikon's part...every one of their previous DSLR's would work just fine in this situation, but their newest $5000 flagship camera WON'T?!
What logical explanation could there possibly be for stepping backwards and REMOVING that functionality in an otherwise state of the art camera?
I'm quite sure someone will post here and justify this goof on Nikon's part, but as someone who's owned every pro Nikon body since the original F I don't buy it. I love my D3's but this is nuts.
OK, rant over.
Solution? The best one I've found is zooming my 14-24 to the long end (24mm), using the AF assist light on the flash to lock focus, then zooming back to 14mm.
This is usually done with the camera hoisted above my head so it's cumbersome at best and puts me at risk for missing "the decisive moment", but it does work pretty well and I've gotten fairly fast with it.
Just so you know, I don't shoot raves, but I shoot tons of entertainment events, red carpet stuff, and weddings, and I use the technique at all of those.
For you it would mean acquiring a 14-24 zoom, and that's a $1700 P.I.T.A. you probably don't want, but I don't know of any way to make this technique work with the fisheye on your D300.
Good luck, and if you DO find a workable real-world solution, please share it!
-
Hi folks, looking for some guidance...
I'm a commercial photographer in Los Angeles, been shooting professionally for
about 20 years and I have done close to 300 weddings, among many other types of
jobs, BUT...
A commercial client of mine has asked me to shoot her son's Bar Mitzvah. I've
only done a few of these and it's been at least 10 years since the last one.
Can someone tell me what are the most important shots to get? They are looking
for the traditional kinds of things. I don't have any concerns about equipment
and tech stuff, just want to be sure I cover all the "must have" shots they
would be expecting to see.
This is the kind of thing I would normally file under "just say no" but it's an
important client, they really want me to do it, and they know I'm not a "Bar
Mitzvah" photographer per se', so I agreed, but I still want to do a good job
for them.
Thanks for your help!
-
Just tell her there was a "wardrobe malfunction"...hell, it worked for Janet Jackson :)
-
Hi Gup,
I'm not going to get into the whole film vs digital thing because it's so tedious and completely pointless in 2005.
I don't think it's even a question of whether "digital is as good as film", it's more like "is digital good enough for the purpose you want to use it for?"
What I will do is answer your question directly based solely on my own experience, and that answer is YES.
I currently shoot 20-30 weddings a year. I used to shoot most of the portrait work with a Mamiya RZ67 and all the candids with 35mm color neg.
I now shoot the portraits with a D2X and the candids with D2X and D70 bodies, and for me, this kit provides more flexibility, creativity, and consistent quality than anything else I've used.
I don't really get many requests for giant blowups, and it seems that in my part of the world anyway (Los Angeles) that is a bit passe'. It's an 8x10 world for me, with the occasional 11x14 or 16x20. A MEDIOCRE D2X file prints nicely at 16x20...a great one will take your breath away. Color, contrast, sharpness, and overall tonality is just superb.
Is it as good as the 6x7 negs I used to shoot? I don't know, and I don't care enough to rent one to find out (sold both of mine last year). All I know is, I look at the prints and I'm not missing a thing. I'm pretty critical and they are certainly good enough for me. The clients' expectations are generally WAY below what cuts it for me.
And by the way, Ellis is correct. DPI and PPI are not the same thing and there is no direct correlation between them at all. Graphic Designers still use "DPI" because most do not understand the difference. But thats's another story.
I also love the digital workflow. There's a serious learning curve to get good and fast at RAW processing (I have never shot a jpeg in the 3 years since I went to digital) but the degree of control I have over the work and final product cannot be underestimated.
The expense to get started is also an issue. If you shoot Nikon, the D2X is the way to go and that's $5000. It will also put serious demands on your storage and computer resources. You will need lots of CF cards for a wedding, and anything below 1GB is not worth messing with (although it might remind you of loading film :) and if you have a computer that's more than 3 years old the huge files will probably drag it to a crawl when you are processing.
But that's the cost of doing business, and if you are shooting professionally it's not a question of whether to go digital...it's a question of when...if you want to compete that is.
I hope this is helpful to you.
-
Kirk Enterprises makes a nice "shorty" SC-17 cord that is perfect for
use on flash brackets. It's about a foot long I think. I have a couple
of those for my D1X/SB80 setup. But the SC-17 does not support iTTL
with the D70 and SB800.
Kirk hasn't gotten around to making a short version of the SC28 or
SC29 cords, does anyone know if someone else has?
Thanks.
-
Couldn't find anything about this here for recent cameras...
Can those of you with hands-on experience comment on the flash
accuracy you get with late model Canon gear, ie. the 1D MkII and 550EX
flash?
I'm particularly interested in how it performs in fast moving event/PJ
type situations where you can't always meter and lock exposure.
I'm a longtime Nikon user with a variety of bodies (D1X, D1H, D70). I
use the D1 cameras with my SB80 flashes set to Auto because I find
that flash accuracy and consistency is hit-and-miss at best using
either standard or D-TTL. It is MUCH better with my new D70 and SB800
combo, and THAT's what I would be comparing against.
It's a huge issue for me, and one of the primary reasons I went Nikon
for film cameras many years ago.
But now I have a shot at a new job, and the equipment they have
in-house is (take a wild guess)...Canon. I don't have to use it, but
it's an opportunity to check out all the options and make a decision
one way or the other.
I like my Nikons very much, but I'm not married to them, and the
company will equip me with whatever I want (within reason). I just
don't want to spend all my time trying to correct bad flash exposures!
Thanks for the feedback.
-
Chuck,
I agree it's a pain in the ass to keep having to update flashes in the Nikon system, but the good news here is that the D70/SB800 combo is so much more accurate than any of the older camera/flash combos there's no comparison.
You can actually use this like an F100/SB28 rig, i.e. point & shoot and know that you have the exposure right (provided you have the range/ISO/aperture equation correct of course).
And the SB800 is backward compatible, so even though I bought one to use on the D70 it works in all modes on my D1X and D1H bodies.
Just looking for that silver lining...:)
-
Mike,
I own the D1X, a pair of D1H bodies, and a D70, so I'll give you my impressions.
D1X - You won't find a D1X for $1000, and if you do, something's wrong. This camera still sells for close to $4000, less the $500 rebate Nikon USA currently offers on it. Handling and speed are first rate. Image quality is quite amazing at ISO 400 or less, starts getting pretty noisy at 800, and is not really usable to me above that. Color and skin tone are very accurate and unmatched in the Nikon line except for the D1H.
D1H - Still my favorite, even compared to the D2H. Overall image quality and sharpness are better then the D1X or D70, just slightly behind the D2H. Images won't take extreme cropping or enlargement as well as the 6MP cams, but at 13x19 or smaller they are better in every way (cleaner, less noise, purer colors, smoother tones) and the files are MUCH faster to edit because of the size. Skin tones are just drop dead gorgeous if you nail the lighting and exposure. Very usable at ISO 800 and even 1600 in the right circumstances. A nice used D1H would be a great camera if you don't mind the weight (it's big and heavy).
D100 - Nice camera, but the D70 does everything better.
D70 - Great little camera for what it is. The meter and built-in flash are superb...they almost never fail to nail the exposure. Controls and interface are really well designed. The camera is small and lightweight and just fun to shoot. It is not great at moving subjects in my experience, the AF is just not quite fast or accurate enough. Shots that a D1H or D1X would nail often are a little soft because it didn't quite nail the focus. Color is very nice, but not terribly accurate. Skin tones for instance are kind of pale and flat looking at the default settings, much better if you tweak them by adjusting hue and using sIIIa color mode, but then they become a bit oversaturated for me. Not bad by any means, but by comparison to the D1 cameras they just don't look as nice. Hard to beat this camera for a first DSLR though.
D2H - This one's out of your price range, but since it was mentioned above...great camera, great image quality, but has a couple of deal-killers for me (maybe not for you). Flash sync tops out at 1/250th, and with a minimum ISO of 200, just can't deal with high contrast scenes where I have to mix fill flash with bright sunlight (D1H and D1X sync up to 1/500th...MAJOR difference, plus the D1X will go down to ISO 125). The other problem for me is the lack of a firewire interface. I have to be able to firewire into a laptop and this camera is USB2 only...I don't have those ports on my portables :)
I hope this helps with your decision.
Moses Sparks - NBC Universal
-
Jay,
Can you comment on the flash performance of the D70?
(I assume you are using an SB800 with it).
Nikon claims this combo is far more accurate than previous models and that's what I'm really interested in.
Thanks.
Does this tripod exist?
in Accessories
Posted