Sabin

<p>Thank you for your advice Rachelle, it is very much appreciated.</p>

<p>Hi,<br>

I’ll be in Kyoto during the Aoi Matsuri this year, can anyone recommend a good spot to photograph this festival? Is it worth to get the paid seating for a better vantage point?</p>

<p>Thank you very much.</p>

<p>Thank you all for the input. I’ll wait until I can get a good deal on the Sigma and go with that lens.</p>

<p>Thank you very much for your advice. The main reason I’ve narrowed my search to these two lenses was that both have auto focus. There might be cheaper (possibly better) manual focusing lenses out there but when traveling the less time it takes me to take the photos and move on the better. That is why I am looking for a lens with fast and accurate AF that can capture reasonably sharp images.<br>

@ JDM von Weingberg I’ve come across a few sites (links bellow) which indicate that the number of photos required when using a fish eye lens is 6 to 8 plus 1 zenith and 1 nadir – total 8 to 10 photos compared with 14 to 22 photos with a 14-24mm lens. This makes a lot of difference in the time it takes to edit all the photos as well as trying to stich them all together.<br>

<a href="http://www.panoramic-photo-guide.com/virtual-tour-360-photography/how-many-photos-what-focal-to-make-a-virtual-tour.html">http://www.panoramic-photo-guide.com/virtual-tour-360-photography/how-many-photos-what-focal-to-make-a-virtual-tour.html</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.vrwave.com/">http://www.vrwave.com/</a> <br>

Under normal circumstances and for best results it is always indicated to use a panoramic head Nodal Ninja 3 or 4 (or something similar) however when traveling light I want to try (hopefully with decent results) using a "philopod", piece of string with a weight at the end which is centered on a point on the ground ( a little stone or coin).<br>

@ Dieter There is not a lot of difference in the price of the two lenses in Australia, approximately $150, which I’m happy to pay provided there is a significant difference in the quality of the photos I can get.</p>

<p>I’m contemplating purchasing a fisheye lens to use mainly for 360 ° Panoramas.<br>

It would be used on a Nikon D800. I already have a wide angle lens the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8g lens, (which I’m very happy with) however from the research I’ve done it appears that it better to use a fisheye lens for this type of panoramas. Easier post processing, fewer photos required, etc.<br>

The two lenses I’ve looked at are the Nikkor 16mm f 2.8 fisheye and the Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye lens.<br>

Does anyone have any experience with these two lenses, is there much difference (optically, sharpness) between them , better autofocus?<br>

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

<p>Hi Ryan, I’m sorry to hear about your accident.<br>

Something very similar has happened to me a few years back, I fell in a river while holding my Nikon D300 with a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens attached to it, I was fully submerged for only 10 to 15 seconds but was enough for a lot of water to get into both camera and lens.<br>

I’ve sent the camera to Nikon for repairs however they could not guaranty that either camera or lens could be repaired or offer any warranty on the work they were performing.<br>

I chose not to spend hundreds of dollars without a guaranty that the repairs would work.<br>

Several days later when I received the camera back from the workshop I could still see droplets of water in the camera and lens so I’ve tried the bag of rice method but as others have pointed out the rice is not absorbent enough to make any difference for the amount of water that has entered the camera.<br>

I would be reluctant to put the camera in the oven to dry because it is very easy to cause heat damage to the plastic, rubber and other camera parts.<br>

I took a chance and placed the camera and lens (not connected to each other) on the dashboard of my car and left it in the sun for several days. After a week or so I put in a new battery and turned the camera on, to my surprise the camera came back to life and has worked ever since.<br>

The only permanent damage that I am aware of is the on-camera flash which no longer works other than that no problems.<br>

The lens on the other hand has not been as lucky, I’m no expert but I suspect that because I left it in the full sun the rubber seals in the lens have softened and got damaged because it is very hard to manually zoom in and out and there are several spots left on the glass inside the lens from the dried water droplets.<br>

Strange enough the auto focusing still works great. I no longer use this lens and have since replaced it.<br>

Best option would be to have the camera checked by a qualified repairer then decide if it is worth the cost to fix it.<br>

You can attempt to take the camera apart let it dry then put it back together and hope it still works, otherwise I suggest you leave it in a sunny well ventilated area to dry for a week or two and then try it.<br>

The chances of it working again are slim but you never know. I wish you the best of luck and I sincerely hope you can get it working again.</p>

<p>Thank you all for your input, I have tried converting to sRGB in PS and it seams to have fixed the problem, at least on my computer, we’ll see what happens when I try to print them..</p>

<p>And Pic2</p><div></div>

<p>Hi, <br>

I edited this photo using Photoshop CS5 and somehow I ended up with two different shades of brown.<br>

When I open the photo in CS5 or in Windows Photo Viewer (using Windows 7) the colours looks like Pic1 however if I press play slide show Pic2 appears with a different shade of brown.<br>

I tried printing this photo at one of the local photo labs and I get the same shade of brown as in Pic2.<br>

I am sure I must have done something wrong during the editing process but can't work out what and how do I go about fixing this.<br>

Any suggestions and advise will be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.<br>

P.S. My monitor has been calibrated using Spyder3 Express and I am a Photoshop novice.<br>

<img src="/photo/17393852" alt="" /><img src="/photo/17393853" alt="" /></p><div></div>

<p>I'm very sorry to hear the news. Sincerest condolences to Nadine's family and loved ones, she will be sorely missed.</p>

<p>Thank you all for your quick and informative replies. I am glad I have posted the question because before today I never knew about the RRS Wedding Pro, it appears that there are a lot more brackets out there than the ones I looked at before. <br>

So far the RRS Wedding Pro and the Custom bracket look like good contenders for my current set up, the only drawback with the RRS Wedding Pro is that you have to get a completely different L-Plate for different camera bodies, there isn't one plate fits all and I would like to upgrade to a full frame camera when the replacement for the D700 gets released and of course when the budget allows.<br>

John, the reason I was considering purchasing a bracket is that I am trying to use my SB900 as a fill in flash and by using a bracket I hope to eliminate the problems resulting from having the SB900 mounted directly on the hot shoe, red eye, harsh looking lighting and if shooting indoors shadows. Like I've mentioned before I have almost no practical experience with shooting portraits, however from all the research I've done so far this seemed like the best option. <br>

Nadine, unfortunately I think the Sunpack 120J are very hard to come by nowadays (at least in Australia), as an alternative I might try just the SB900 on a stand with maybe a snoot or a speed grid attached. Not sure how the SB900 compares to the Sunpack 120J in terms of performance but for the time being will have to do.<br>

Once again thank you all very much, your suggestions have helped a lot.</p>

<p>Hi,<br>

I would like learn a bit more about portrait photography and just like with all other types of photography practice makes perfect. At the moment I am using a Nikon D300, I also have a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 and a Nikon 50mm f1.8 and a Nikon SB900.<br>

I have purchase a little strobist kit (stand, umbrella, sand bags, Elinchrom radio triggers) however I like shooting outdoors and the umbrella and stand are not always easy to use due to weather conditions.<br>

I have done a bit of research and found a few alternatives like Custom brackets, Stroboframe or the Manfrotto 233B flash bracket.<br>

Has anyone used any of these brackets, are they any good or is there a better option out there that does not "break the bank"?<br>

Any advise and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.</p>

<p>Ouch... this brings back some unpleasant memories and feelings for me from a little while back when I took a bit of a swim with my D300 and a 24-70mm 2.8 lens attached. Fortunately for me, my D300 has dried out fine and it still works, however the lens never stood a chance. Looking at your photo it seems that my lens has some company now somewhere in ....Nikon heaven. May they all rest in peace or pieces whichever the case might be. On a more serious note, I am sorry for your loss.</p>

<p>I've had my D300 for almost 2 years now and I have changed lenses often but I have never had any dust related problems so far. I use the self cleaning almost every time I change lenses and I also use a blower to clean the sensor once every few months. However I was unfortunate enough to fall into a river recently where my camera was fully submerged for several seconds and as a result I ended up with a few spots on my sensor where a few drops of water have dried and left marks. I have contemplated using a swab to remove the marks however I was worried of doing more damage than good, as for the time being the spots are only visible in some photos and in most cases I think they can be cloned out in CS.</p>

<p>I use a card reader. Never had any problems so far.</p>

<p>Thank you Mark for your suggestion. In the mean time I have sent both the camera and lens to Nikon Australia for servicing and after they had a look at both have advised me that it would not be cost effective to have either one of them repaired. The cost of repair would exceed the replacement cost. So a couple of days ago I received back my equipment and strangely enough there were still small droplets of water in my lens. I have kept both the camera and the lens on the dash board of my car in full sun for two days and today for the first time since the accident I inserted the battery and a CF card in my camera and to my amazement it does still work. The lens on the other hand does not. You have to force the lens to zoom in and out (manually) but it can still be focused and also there are water marks on the inside glass.<br>

As for the camera the only thing that I found that does not work is the inbuilt flash. I have attached my SB900 to the camera and it does fire just fine so it seems that it might just be the globe (is that what you call it?) from the inbuilt flash that might have shorted out. If the is the case can it be replaced?<br>

I have not had enough time to play around with it for too long but I'll try it out this weekend with another lens and I'll post some photos. I still can not believe it still works. Whether this is only temporary and it will fail catastrophically in the near future remains to be seen, I won't get my hopes up.</p>

 

<p>As some of you have mentioned, probably sending the equipment to Nikon to asses the damage will be the best way to deal with this. My initial question was put out there to see if there was any way of minimising the damage (if that was in any way possible) by drying it quicker and not doing something that would increase the chances of me causing even more damage. At the end of the day I should have looked into getting some kind of insurance for my equipment, I do not own a lot of equipment but what I have purchased was of good quality and relatively expensive. I am usually very careful with my equipment but accidents do happen. This has been an expensive learning curve for me. Contacting my insurer will be one of the first things I do once I purchase a new camera and lens to see if they do offer any cover for this type of equipment (in Australia) I assume they do.<br>

I have changed my internet provider and I do not have access to that email address Shun that's why it could not be delivered, I do apologise. I have since changed my email address on this site so this should not happen in the future.<br>

Shun I am not sure why the person from Nikon thought that the lens would stand less of a chance than the camera to be salvaged, I am assuming here but I think the camera itself would be better sealed that the lens hence less of a chance of a lot of water entering. I have taken the battery and memory card out as soon as I got out of the water and I have plugged the card in my computer and it works, it did not get wet, however I am sure that some water has definitely entered the lens and even other parts of the camera. Thank you all once again for all your suggestions, it is very much appreciated.</p>

<p>Thank you all for you suggestions and best wishes. I have contacted the Australian Nikon service and repair office earlier this morning and ,as I expected, I was told that it is most likely that neither one will be able to be salvaged. The person I spoke to was quite helpful and suggested to send both camera and lens so they can have a look at them and that the camera would stand more of a chance of being repaired than the lens, however even if they could get it working there is no guaranty that the water has not weakened some of the components to the point that they could fail at any time.<br>

So I have decided to try and dry it as well as I can before I attempt to turn it on again and if it does not work I'll send it to Nikon so they can have a look at it.<br>

As for the lens, the person I spoke to at Nikon today, told me that there are a few electronic components inside the lens and it is more than likely that those have been damaged beyond help. Not really knowing how the lens actually operates, I am wondering, do those components influence the optical performance of a lens or does it only help with the auto focusing mechanism of the lens? Provided that I can dry the lens properly and of course assuming that the lens does not rust, can the lens still be used (focused manually) or is it a complete "write-off" ?</p>

 

<p>Hello everybody,<br>

I am desperately seeking advise on how I can salvage my camera and lens.<br>

I was unfortunate enough to fall into a fresh water creek today while holding my Nikon D300 and Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. The camera and lens have been fully submerged for probably no more than 8 seconds, however I think that was probably 8 seconds too long. As soon as I got out of the water I have turned the camera off, I have removed the battery and memory card and headed straight for home. I have just arrived home after a 40 minutes drive.<br>

Probably the first question is what would be the best (correct) way to dry the camera and lens?<br>

Secondly what are the chances of actually being able to salvage them?<br>

Thank you all, any advice would be very much appreciated.</p>

 

<p>Hi </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I have travelled with and without a lead lined bag for my films and I alway have them in my carry-on luggage as most of the others have mentioned I have never experienced any problems (damaged or deteriorated film) with my films being x-rayed while travelling. A few members have mentioned that you might have problems in some airports if you have your films in a lead lined bag, I personally never been questioned or had the luggage hand checked and I travelled trough Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Austria, just to name a few. However as Emilio mentioned I encountered an airport staff member once that was a little bit perplexed on why I was still carrying a film camera around and asked if he can have a look at it. I found that in most cases if anything like this happens the best thing to do is be polite and courteous explain your situation and you should be fine. Keep in mind that every time you travel might be different, if in doubt you can always contact the airports you plan to travel trough regarding any restrictions.</p>

 

<p>My mistake Dean, just a typing error it was meant to be 70-300mm.</p>

<p>Accidents can happen to anybody, I agree with Matt and Luis, since you borrowed an SB600 in good working order you should replace it with the same thing. How would you feel if someone else breaks your equipment and gives you an inferior product as a replacement?</p>

<p>Nikon D300, </p>

<p > All Nikkor: 24-70mm f2.8 with Kenko PRO1 D UV filter</p>

<p > 50mm f1.8 with Hoya UV filter</p>

<p > 70-3000mm f4-5.6 with Hoya UV filter</p>

<p >Spare CF cards</p>

<p >Lens cleaning kit</p>

<p >A couple of pen torches, I shoot low light and I tend to forget to take them with me so I always have them in my bag.</p>

<p >And I always keep a tripod in the boot of my car, just in case.</p>

 

<p>Thank you all for the prompt responses. I have changed the power settings for the pop up flash to "--"on my D300 and as some of you have mentioned the flash still fires however the actual power or amount of light coming from it is minimal and does not really affect what you are trying to photograph. Mind you I have only tried it on some inanimate objects and it seems to work, I'll have to try it with a person to see if it does cause people to blink or make them uncomfortable in any way. <br>

</p><div></div>

<p> Hi,</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I have a Nikon D300 and an SB900, I know you can use the SB900 as a remote flash off camera however you have to fire the pop up flash to activate it. I do not have much experience so I might have gone about it the wrong way. I have recently bought a strobist kit and experimented with some outdoor portraits. My dilemma is that while the SB900 works great it is when I try getting in close to the subject the pop up flash is creating to much light overexposing the subject. I was looking at purchasing a Elinchrom El Skyport Universal Trigger Set. I know these are mainly used with studio lights but I had a look on YouTube and I've seen other people using them successfully using a adaptor to fit them on an Nikon SB800. I am wondering if anybody here has used this remote trigger or if there is a better alternative? I am aware that there are a lot of more expensive (and probably better) products out there, power packs and other lighting equipment, however I am not making any money from my photos so I am trying to make the most of the equipment I currently have. Can anyone offer any suggestions, has anybody used the two (D300 and SB900) with a EL-Skyport Universal Trigger? Do you think the Skyport trigger is a good option, I have heard that the cheaper ebay alternatives tend to misfire? Has anybody had any major problems with EL-Skyport Triggers? </p>

<p >Thank you very much.</p>