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mdma

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Posts posted by mdma

    D3100 vs Canon Rebel XS , given that full format digital may be a reality soon

    in Nikon

    Posted

    <p>Unless you know a replacement model is around the corner, get the camera and lenses you need now, not what you think you may need in 2 or 3 years.</p>

    <blockquote>

    <p>So what I buy now is just a 2 year throwaway item.</p>

    </blockquote>

    <p>If you can take good pictures with it in 2011, you'll be able to take good pictures with it in 2013. Technology may improve, but your DSLR wont suddenly get worse :) The number of 5D MKI users still around attests to that.<br>

    Have you looked at the 1100D? Id say its more comparable to the D3100. I've had a D3100 since day 1 and i've been quite pleased with it. However the lenses for my F801s/N8008s wont AF with my D3100. You'd be in a similar position (Id guess) as a N6006 user. <br>

    Depending on how extensive your lens collection is, It may be worthwhile getting a D90 instead. </p>

     

    A walk in the park

    in DSLR & Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Well whatever lens/film combination you used Efim, its very good! Ill jump on the bandwagon, since I have loads of park pictures - one is close to my home and its where I take all my "eBay specials" for testing :)</p><div>00YiZt-357919584.jpg.fd434b7a12868f86bb678daf41e175ea.jpg</div>

    F801s - strange and erratic meter readings

    in DSLR & Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Well everything is now back to normal...must be dementia setting into the old girl!<br>

    <strong>Raymond</strong>, yes you're quite right about AIS and S/P, I havent used it in so long I just assumed S worked like A. But now with reasonable meter readings back, the "S" flashes just like "P".<br>

    <strong>Eric</strong>, thats assuming I want another F801s! I bought this one on a complete whim, waking up from a dream where I had one (it was 1988 in my head). A quick google search showed a mint example boxed with multi-control back for £30, so I thought it was destiny and bought it. <br>

    As a camera though its somewhat lacking, my EOS 5 is considerably better for my purposes. Still, its worth keeping (if working) to use my dads set of Nikon AIS 28/50/135mm primes when I want to.</p>

    F801s - strange and erratic meter readings

    in DSLR & Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Hi<br>

    I need some help understanding whats going on with my F801s today. I havent used it for a few months, and I just attached a 50/1.8 AIS Nikkor and switched it on. Straightaway the exposure compensation logo started flashing, despite the exposure compensation being set to 0.0 (Hold down the button to bring it up right?)<br>

    Then there are the readings - it'll tell me that cloudy <strong>2pm daylight</strong> outside at iso 200 and f1.8 is <strong>2 seconds</strong>, but also indicate that the same setting <strong>indoors</strong> is "Hi" - that is to say beyond <strong>1/8000</strong> maximum shutter speed! Switching it on/off/replacing the batteries doesnt help much - the readings are then just reversed, but that doesnt tally with what my D3100 is reading.... Changing the metering modes doesnt make a difference (though it cant matrix meter with an AIS lens) <br>

    All of that is in Aperture priority. The F801s wont work with an AIS lens in Program - the P just flashes. Worringly, this is also happening in Sutter Priority, ignoring any of my dial inputs. The camera becomes responsive in Manual mode but it's readings seem very low - 1/60 outside (f1.8 iso 200 again) while my D3100 + AFS 35/1.8 is telling me its more like 1/2000.<br>

    No film is in the chamber, but thats never stopped correct readings before.<br>

    I would appreciate any thoughts on this strange behaviour, thanks.</p>

    Cheap, Effective Flatbed Scanner with the sole purpose of scanning Polaroids

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Hi Nathan<br>

    Someone recently asked about a 35mm film scanner for about £100 or less, and I explained how I find my Epson V330 (£80ish from Amazon I think) to be OK but inconsistant. What I didnt mention is just how good a flatbed scanner it is - I really cant fault it in that respect. <br>

    I haven't scanned Polaroid's, only enlarged prints. By default the scans come out slightly overexposed and under-saturated, but this helps to preserve more of the fine detail and it's pretty simple to add more shadow and colour to get a very close reproduction of the actual print, I find.<br>

    The only other scanner Ive used was a Canon Lide 20, which was Canon's cheapest scanner circa 2005/6 for about £40/50. It was terrible at scanning photos, but the new equivalent models may be better.<br>

    Anyway, I hope you find one that does the Job.</p>

    Best scanner for around or under £100/$160

    in The Wet Darkroom: Film, Paper & Chemistry

    Posted

    <p>I've been using a V330 for about a year now (£75ish from Amazon new) , and while I can say it is capable of pretty decent results, its not without its flaws, namely inconsistency. Sometimes it'll produce a faint thin purple/yellow line across the picture (something trapped in the light path), other times it wont. Sometimes it'll focus properly on mounted slides, other times they come out with a measurable softness. By default the images are slightly overexposed with "flat" colours (little saturation) - though this can be seen as an advantage. It doesnt do Medium Format at all, and only scans one strip of negatives at time (so you better hope they're cut into sixes rather than fours...)<br>

    Epson have been ruthlessly logical in staggering their low/mid/high end models (approx £100/£200/£400+), and at the time £200 for a v500/600 was way out of my league. Now, for me personally at least, I realize it would have been better to stump up the difference, or look into buying used.<br>

    Also, the software is OK and it seems well built too.<br>

    To summarize: I'd say this is a good value for money scanner, just not a great one.</p>

    Nikon N8008s - My first autofocus SLR

    in DSLR & Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Great pictures! Not such a big fan of the rounded corners (especially without the black border) but thats just my personal preference.<br>

    The F-801s is a favourite of mine, i got one last october in pristine condition and just fell in love with it. Compared with the EOS 5/A2 (European camera of the year 1993!) I find it easier to use with a better viewfinder, and just plain better looking :) Admittedly the AF isn't nearly as fast though. </p>

    Favorite Photography Apps

    in Casual Photo Conversations

    Posted

    <p>Another vote for Dropbox, it just works.<br /> My favourite camera related app is easily Camera+, for post-processing of your iphone photos, though its also able to take photos within the app (I dont use it as such, simply because you cannot switch to video mode).<br /> It has a good selection of effects and they work well, especially when you combine multiple ones (though that involves saving and re-opening the file).</p>

    Need some advice on some film bodies

    in Beginner Questions

    Posted

    <p>You'll have to come to you're own decision about whether to start on film or digital. Im sure there a plenty of discussions regarding this on Photo.net (and indeed the rest of the internet!), but it sounds like you've already decided on film. Good! thats how I started last year, and wouldn't do it any differently!<br>

    None of those are "bad" cameras for beginners, and all will serve your purposes well. My first SLR of any kind was a EOS 300 (EOS Rebel 2000 in US) with a 28-90mm f/4-5.6. Its good, but I wanted a faster lens, and for less than 2/3 of the price of a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8, I picked up a OM-1n with 50mm f/1.8. <br>

    It was, frankly, a revelation. Simple, ergonomic, small and light; a professional tool that was still at home in the hands of this rank amateur. I replaced it with the OM-2n last year - I find its kept everything that was good about the OM-1n and improved it in several areas - it takes modern batteries for example. <br>

    OK Ill stop singing the praises of Olympus now! Though as a somewhat subjective final point, I think they have the best (easiest to use) standard focussing screen in manual focus cameras.<br>

    My friend has a Spotmatic; handling her left me impressed. He also has a 35mm Canon Rebel of some description, and is clearly reaping the benefit of being able to use his DSLR (450D) lenses with it. I can't really make an informed comment on the Minolta. <br>

    The price is a bit high if they are body only, but it really depends on the condition. My black OM-2n was approx $150+, but it was near mint. <br>

    To conclude:<br>

    1. If your main priority (other than to learn the fundamentals of photography) is to save money, buy a secondhand DSLR as per JC Uknz suggestion. Then <em>maybe</em> buy a SLR. In the long run there is no cheaper alternative. <br>

    2. If your second priority is to save money/convenience, buy the EOS Rebel G, some lenses, and a Canon DSLR when you feel ready. <br>

    3. If overall expenditure isn't of great importance, buy one of the other film SLRs (preferrably the Olympus/Pentax). The initial outlay is lower, I think they're more fun to use, you wouldn't learn the basics any less from them, and their "retro" looks draw lots of positive comments :) Also you woudnt be automatically obliged to only buy a Canon DSLR in the future, which may not be the best DSLR for you.</p>

    D2(Xs?) still used by Nasa

    in Nikon

    Posted

    <p>Saw <a href="http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/for_discovery_a_farewell_spin.html#photo23">this</a> which piqued my interest and led to some googling. A D2 varient, no?<br>

    They definitely have <a href="http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=34490578">D3s's</a>, so its interesting that they're still hanging onto the older model. Then again, the current Nasa budget probably doesn't need the burden of replacing <a href="http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/16317/nikon-photography-gear/">76</a> perfectly decent cameras!<br>

    I wonder if they have any F3's knocking about...</p>

    Nikon D 3100...worth price difference?

    in Nikon

    Posted

    <p>Hi John I'm a D3100 owner, my thoughts...<br>

    Take into account the D3100 is smaller and lighter. You're fiancee may appreciate this, or equally may not care.<br>

    I find the viewfinder alright, yes its tiny but its very usable. <br>

    Easily the worst thing is that the interface is more menu-driven than most cameras, hence some "missing" control buttons mentioned by Elliot.<br>

    The second worse thing is the lack of ability to autofocus AF-D lenses. I feel this has somewhat stymied my ability to choose future lenses and prevented compatibility with my beautiful, mint 1990 F-801s, though these may be a non-issues for you.<br>

    I can vouch for decent image quality at high ISO, and it stood up fairly well against the German winter - snow/moisture had penetrated the lens mount but got no further; all the buttons worked fine.<br>

    That bundle sounds like a good deal, but I'd definitely go to a store and handle a D3100 first. Im sure they'll have a D90 too for comparison, if you dont have one yourself. <br>

    Finally - Congratulations!</p>

    Minolta Maxxum 7000 - Landmark AF camera

    in DSLR & Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>The even more observant would have noticed I dont have the standard AAA battery holder.</p>

    <blockquote>

    <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="434">

    <tbody>

    <tr>

    <td colspan="2" width="147"><strong><br />Maxxum 7000 & 5000 battery holders</strong></td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td> </td>

    <td>4 AAA batteries</td>

    <td>BH 70S</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td> </td>

    <td>4 AA batteries</td>

    <td>BH 70L</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td> </td>

    <td>1 2CR5 lithium</td>

    <td>

    <p>BH 70T</p>

    </td>

    </tr>

    </tbody>

    </table>

    </blockquote>

    <p>Instead I have the BH-70L, though it still somehow manages to fit into the ever-ready case. Figure that out!</p>

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