andylynn

This is relative. An F3 in good condition is about $200 from a reliable vendor and an F5 about $400. When film shooting was still big those were worth well over $1000. Now that demand for film gear is much lower, nobody's bothering with cheaper stuff and a larger percentage of film camera buyers than before are buying high end film cameras. That's why flagship models are still sellable.

I'd be shocked if tech support couldn't fix it. That's a $1600 lens, you shouldn't be able to actually kill it just by unplugging a USB cable.

<p>Higher end P&S like the RX100 and the Fuji X20 are great in good light, but they've still got tiny sensors compared with what you're used to. If you want to stay in the larger sensor segment, look at any of the Sony NEX series (or the Alpha-branded cameras that are replacing them, e.g. the Alpha A5000, which sells for about $450 with kit lens) or the lower end of the Fuji line (X-A1 with kit lens for around $500).</p>

If you're outdoors, if there's a slope or stairs you can try an arrangement like Michael has which wouldn't require a wide angle. If not, put them in rows and try to arrange them in a bit of an arc instead of a line, so the people on the ends are the same distance from your camera as the ones in the middle. If you put them in a line, stand too close and use wide angle, the people on the ends will be noticeably farther from you than the ones in the center and will appear short in the photo.

Let's suppose you wanted to crop to 70mm equivalent because it makes the math easier. You'd be using 9mp in a sensor area about the same size as M4/3 and you'd have the equivalent of an f/5.6 lens. There's nothing really wrong with that, but to me it doesn't seem like a very good use of $2800 worth of camera.

<p>I've had both those lenses in the past, and honestly didn't find much difference between them. In performance they're so similar you'll never see a difference in a shot.</p> <p>I wouldn't go out of my way to get the newer lens, if the camera you're looking at is usually sold with the first version.</p>

<p>KR wrote that he shot that image in JPG medium res, medium quality, and then ran that through a program called Perfectly Clear (which is one of those consumer photo autocorrecting apps). Given all that I think it's actually as good as you could hope for. Some detail has been lost as you'd expect with all-JPG processes and not using full res, but the camera and lens clearly did their parts well, and for all the complaints one sees about KR I think he's done a good job.</p>

But if you plan to get a NEX 5n I don't think there's any point in also getting an EPL1.

There was a short window when I had both the 1st and 2nd version lenses. I couldn't tell the difference in the optics.

If he's got no loyalties you know of but would want small I'd second the recommendations of the Fuji X20 (which is a P&S upgraded - I use one all the time) or X-A1 (entry into Fuji interchangeable lens system - good if this is the kind of person who's want to get a couple of lenses and work towards becoming serious).

A D800 will make any focus issues show up in ways a D3S will not. When I went from a D700 to a D800 I had a few lenses I thought were perfect that I had to go and fine tune.

<p>I have an FM2n that I got on eBay that's in mint condition - except that the film advance lever will advance the film whether or not the shutter has been fired. If I dry-fire the camera with the back open and then work the lever, it will turn the spool, advance the counter and reset the shutter normally. Then I can work the lever again. At the beginning I feel something catch a bit then give easily. For the rest of the action it has a bit less resistance, the spool turns and the counter advances, and at the end of the action the shutter gets nudged a bit.</p> <p>Can anybody tell me what's going on here and what to do about it?</p>