harry_templeton

November 20, 2012

Been a long time but i scanned for the first time in a very long while and all i can say is

Wow am I ever impressed!.

A nikon scan Batch scan (with af/ae) of 3 6x6 slides took about 8 minutes, the previews took about 3 minutes and the

dual pass scanning worked flawlessly on the one slide that i tried it. Took j

I followed your instructions to leave the editing for later,

The LS9000 is attached to the previous model metal faced iMac and it is FAST! I thought it had only done one scan when

the holder came out after just. 7 minutes, but looked in the folder and all 3 were there.

Blazing fast scans, saves quick, never crashed. Gorgeous quality images in minutes, soo much better than a flatbed.

Im going to scan for a few hours tomorrow and catch up on my scans!

Thanks so much for the settings help and the newer computer combo is a dream to use!

November 4, 2012

Ma fan, you did a pretty nice job on that test shot.

If you want more directional light, you could try using one or two lights on the subject. One (main light) set much stronger than the other (fill light).

Then you can use the other lights on the background to take out some of the shadows there if you want a lighter overall background.

For a white background and 3 lights, you could take a look at this link, i found it really helpful:

http://www.zarias.com/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/

The whole series on white backgrounds is good, he is doing portraits and using flash, but it is very much the same idea for your set-up. You can use two lights for the background and one for the subject, and just do some tests until you find a result you like.

November 4, 2012

For sure, do some research, and the forums here are a good place to start. There is a lot of knowledge out there.

If you need a camera manual to go with whatever you choose, http://www.butkus.org/chinon/

is where i found mine. They have a lot of links there, too.

A fun point and shoot (well, almost point and shoot) 35mm camera could be an old rangefinder, like a Canon A35 F, Yashica rangefinder, or an olympus trip35 etc. The problem is finding one that works right. They are pretty cheap, easy to use (auto exposure, but manual focus) and a lot of fun! They are also very small and numerous

I think you should try to buy one either in-person or from an online vendor where you can return it if it doesn't work like the seller had stated it would. Im not sure what the situation for online buying in the UK is, so i cant help you too much in that regard.

Good luck with your search!

November 4, 2012

I have the 1.8D, which on my camera can use AF. So the 1.8G AFS is more or less the same thing, and it has functional AF on your D3100. From that, i think you will love it.

I use the 50mm lens more than any other lens, and I like the 75mm equivalent focal length. You seem to be finding it similarly useful, its a nice useable lens with a ton of applications. low-light, certain sports, all kinds of portraits, street shooting, etc.

Although I do not have a 35mm prime, one of my friends has a 35mm f/1.8. He loves it and has taken some truly amazing shots with it, its a good people lens, similar to the 50 but different. Both are amazing value and great lenses at any price.

With lenses like these, its really a personal preference type choice, pick one that you like and go with it!

And do stick with that telephoto: if you want to shoot certain portraits or sporting events, the longer lens is invaluable. It can be tough to use at first, but like previously posted, just give it another try and see how to make it work for you

Good luck and have fun!

September 24, 2012

I have a D7000, and I found that the main issue with video is just that of me being a very inconsistent focus puller. (video AF sucks) I actually used the camera's video about 6 times, and ive been happy enough with results. Sometimes I'm shooting a sports event and I want to capture a crowd going wild or a coach giving an amazing pep talk or whatever. I used video for a school project, and it worked fine. Even with no shotgun mike, the sound was better than anyone else's videos, and the image quality was superb for how dim the light was. I was at Arlington Cemetery and I wanted to capture the changing of the Sentries at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The one time I was super glad about video was when there was an outrageously funny school assembly and I had my camera bag with me. 1st rule of photojournalism: Be there, with a camera, ready to shoot when s*** goes down. I uploaded it to facebook and turns out, I was the only one filming who got decent results b/c people with iphones couldn't capture much in the dark theatre.

That said, the video is not easy to use. I gave up on the AF almost immediately. Still its fine for occasional video, and I'm a photographer, not a videographer. Ive taken around 30,000 shots on the d7000, and I have taken 6 videos. 5000:1 photos:videos ratio. And climbing on photos every day. Video doesnt seem to get in my way.

February 2, 2012

Ok, I've scanned a few batches of velvia on the 9000. Still linked to the old mac, but i found some workarounds in the options menu to prevent it from stopping the scan in the event of a hard drive error and it works fine if a bit slow to save etc. fine for now.

Very pleased with results and hands-off batch scanning means i only need about 20 minutes to prepare for scanning. It still takes 1-2 hours from scan start to saving the files for 16bit RGB @ 4000 DPI for 2 or 3 6x6 frames, but I don't have to do anything once it goes. Multipass scanning is remarkably slow, but does seem to help a bit with shadow detail adjustments in post.

I put in slides, adjust holder, put in holder, preview, get settings and offset right, press scan, and then leave. I ate lunch and went for a haircut, came back, still scanning. Did 2 hours as a teacher's assistant in a photography class. Came back, finally done scanning.

as for results, this scanner is AMAZING! shadow detail coming out of seemingly nowhere when I edit the files, noise is only an issue for really weird tonal adjustments. Colors are perfectly matched to what I see when I put the slides on a light table.

Thank you so much for the help! Scans are looking good and results are easy and consistent.

January 15, 2012

on second thought, i love the rolleiflex's bigger film. I might bring the N-70, the 28-105, and the rolleiflex, and the lumix compact. Then i have wide, telephoto, and standard lenses covered, as well as snapshots. The vivitar 28-105 lens is actually quite good. Manual focus however, but it works great anyways.

I won't have any apertures bigger than f/3.5, but thats decently fast for daytime, cloudy days and deep shade, and usable for indoors and twilight. With the Rolleiflex, I've tried the fast B&W films and underexposing Portra 400, and the results were promising. So that would be the low light camera. I've done braced 1/8 second shots no tripod, worked decently well.

January 15, 2012

Alright, Thanks guys!

Conversation definitely seems to help, it keeps both the subject and me busy with something. When i have a decent amount of time for a shoot (over 20 minutes), i like to talk a bit before i shoot, or as i do final adjustments and the subject does their hair etc. Then of course as I shoot, running commentary as well as some casual conversation.

How do you recommend i try to deal with a subject who is obviously rushed for whatever reason (they need to get to practice etc. and only have 10 minutes to shoot)? This is kind of going off topic but its a pressing issue that pops up time and time again and it seems you could help me out with it.

Jeff i could not agree more about pre production. I always check lights, charge batteries, set camera to deal with expected conditions, pack equipment, etc the night before i shoot. When the editors give me enough time, i plan poses and back up poses and lighting set ups well in advance. The one thing i never thought to check was if my tape worked properly. Overnight, it decided to lose stickiness, not helpful when I'm trying to attach mylar sheets to the walls as DIY reflectors.

No rollers means no crud or scratches in the film i presume? More even development? better archivability? Some other advantage?

The 'autopilot' is probably a big advantage to pro models, but i think it might be less stressful for me to just work with a friend and not have hourly fees running in my head. Time pressure does NOT help me at all when i am shooting. Also, i need practice getting people to pose, so having to explain every little detail might even be helpful to me.

Ill check out photo Camel. Thanks!

Thank you,

Harry

January 15, 2012

Alright, I'm leaning towards bringing both nikon 35mm bodies, or just one of them (either is good) and two lenses, a 50 1.8 and a 28-105 manual focus zoom.

400 speed Portra is probably what ill bring the most of. Some Ektar and portra 160 for brighter light. (i could load one camera with fast film and the other with slower film).

Big question is: X-ray safety. I am going through 2 airports i believe, 4 over the whole trip. And the 400 might get pushed to 1600 at times. Do i just put the film containers in a ziplock, keep the cameras unloaded, use those clearish plastic containers, and show it to the security/customs people?

Is it easy to get a hand inspection? do i just show them "look here in these plastic containers, this is film. its in a metal canister and it has a leader sticking out, no danger here." and then walk on? it'd be 15+ rolls split among 3-4 people (to avoid the customs rules about 'professional equipment')

Is an X-ray likely to damage 400-1600 speed film if i cannot get an inspection?

January 14, 2012

Okay so now for the question I SHOULD have asked:

In addition to practice, do you have any specific tips on how to improve my poise/efficiency/confidence when working with a model? (whether a professional or a friend) and for when working in a time crunch?

January 14, 2012

Dear all,

I seem to have caused some serious misrepresentation of myself through my remarkably poorly worded and quite frankly dumb question. Sorry for the confusion.

I do a fair number of portraits. And i already know that lighting is important, make up is important, posing is important, framing is important Those i can improve on by shooting constantly and forcing myself to use different techniques, to avoid falling into the 'speedlite through 32 inch umbrella @ 45 degree angle to subject' rut. Thus, i experiment and try to have fun with my subjects. I shoot from low down with a wide angle lens towards the jovial smirk of a 6'-7" top ranked goalkeeper. I gave a volleyball star a sledgehammer after seeing her devastate countless opposing teams with her smashes at the net.

i agree completely that the interaction between subject and photographer is critical, personally I feel that this 'human element' is even more important than the lighting or any other aspect of the photo. (and i am really concerned about my lighting). Everything else will flow if the interaction is truly there. That is what separates my good shots from my GREAT shots.

My favorite portrait shots that i did for newspaper were partly the result of really 'clicking' with the subjects. In those photoshoots, i finally felt i had succeeded in achieving nearly every goal i had set out for myself. I finally had captured a subject's personality and through their poses, outfit, and accessories, tried to complement the articles being written on those athletes.

The same is true for my street portraits. If i had just shot and walked on rather than taking 15 minutes asking each subject about their life story before even turning the camera on, the shots would be comparatively dull and the eyes of the subject would show their potential distrust. Instead, I have two lovely shots with a link between the eyes of the subject and eyes of the viewer that seems to hold more mysteries than any amount of my interviewing and listening could ever have revealed.

Please don't take this as a cocky or defensive or ignorant response. (well actually it is a bit defensive, but i feel i have misrepresented myself as a photographer and need to correct that)

The 'human element' is what makes or breaks the shot in my opinion. It would appear that you seem to share this same sentiment.

Film choice and logistics just happened to be on my mind at the time. Sorry for the confusion.

Peter: that is a great idea about the mannequin head. It can't refuse to do a portrait session no matter what time it is. I will try that for sure.

I assume that your use of 'technical' means lighting, posing, framing, exposure, processing scanning etc? Practice make perfect, easy solution there. But any tips on posing would be very much appreciated.

In all honesty, thank you for your advice. I will definitely find a mannequin to practice my lighting on without wearing down a friend's patience.

Craig: Thank you for answering the posted question! I see your point: can never have too much film. If i don't use it all ill just shove it into the fridge. And ill just budget the dip-and-dunk into my expenses,. And yes, I do my own black and white.

Jeff: again i realize my error: stunningly poorly phrased question by me @ midnight led to some confusion about whether I have priorities straight, which based off of my question means you gave great advice encouraging me to focus on the actually important factors of the image.

To set the record straight: I was not for a second suggesting that film type is important to the final image as anything more than a minor aesthetic decision. The model, posing, lights, framing. And the human connection. Those can make or break images. Film or sensors just record it.

And if I can find a locally based magazine or general portrait photographer who needs an assistant, that could be a great summer job. This could be hard to get a job in though.

On the point of models, I think that I may just stick to using friends as models. There is a huge variety of people to choose from at my school. The chemistry would already be partly there, and I could choose someone based off of the fit between my vision and their persona and appearance. Some people may be a perfect fit for a couple ideas i have running around in my head. The hard part is getting those ideas into the final print.

I hope you guys don't take any of this the wrong way: your advice was absolutely spot-on based on my stupid question, just a bit redundant if you had actually met me in person and we had a talk about portraits. I am not at all angered or offended as the advice is still relevant in the sense that i should keep it in mind that the tools do not matter, only the result.

Thank you,

Harry

PS: i think i will also do some natural light shoots. Cloudy skys make nice soft light and then i can concentrate my attention on the model and posing and framing. Ill take your advice and go one step at a time.

January 13, 2012

Hello all,

I had set my mind on doing my portrait portfolio work (fashion and magazine type shoots) with my Rolleiflex 3.5C and mostly using Kodak Portra 160 film and also some Pan-F+ 50. I will be using studio lights for most of it and also small flashes off camera if i cannot bring the bigger lights. I will do my own scanning (on the nikon 9000ED, thank you very much for your assistance with figuring out how to use it, it works well with the newer computer i have it hooked up to).

I need some help planning:

<ul>

<li>How many rolls of film to take on a typical shoot?</li>

<li>Where should I buy: small price differences make a big difference when I'm buying lots of 5 roll pro-packs.</li>

<li>Dip and dunk vs Roller process: some places near me still do dip and dunk for c-41. is it worth the extra: I can pay $5 per roll at Samy's or other places that do 120 film for roller processing, or $8 per roll at A&I for dip and dunk. </li>

<li>Should I consider shooting slide film? Astia perhaps??</li>

<li>Where should i go for slides, and also is there a cheaper dip and dunk C-41 processor?</li>

</ul>

Basically: i want to know where i should buy and develop the film when using such large volumes of it.

Thank you,

Harry

PS: do not even think of starting something about 'the dying gasps of kodak' or some melodramatic junk like that. I like their color negative film. If you want to suggest a Fujifilm product that you think is as good or better, or cheaper to buy, I am happy to try it and see what i think. I use some Fujifilm negatives and i have used Fujichrome Velvia for slides. But do not tell me not to use Kodak films unless you have a heck of a good reason that does not involve their financial stability or lack thereof. For slides, I have very little experience, some help would be nice.

January 11, 2012

Yes, we are using local guide companies etc. I agree completely about using local companies when traveling and avoiding chains that leech money out of the community. Local guides are great. Often they have amazing stories to tell and can give tips about the best local spots for food and entertainment that an outside based worker might not know. We're also doing several days of community service at a Cusco children's center, which i will enjoy immensely. There's something really special about knowing that you personally touched someone's life, whether they're in your hometown or halfway across the world. No DSLR is not a problem, a part of me wanted to take film anyways. i don't know why, maybe its the way skin is rendered and the colors are unique. And for black and white. black and white film is wonderful. Ok ill look up the duties/rules for equipment. No tripod or tabletop sized would be easier by far than lugging a full tripod up a mountain. How dark is it in the cloud forests? Any EV values? I've heard it can be very dark even in daylight.

January 11, 2012

Ive done a lot of 4-5 day backpacks, but yeah you're right, I don't want to carry something heavy like the manfrotto, it'd be too much of PITA to lug that thing all the way up a mountain pass. I take better photos when I'm happy to have my equipment, not cursing at it. the manfrotto is overkill anyways for such light cameras, i just like the precision of the tripod and the heft is good when i don't need to move far. But yes id rather save weight on tripods, i was just saying that saving money is more important than carbon fiber leg sets for me.

Most of my backpacking has been in the 4000-12000 foot range in forested or mountainous regions, similar to this hike's main sections. I also do beach backpacking often, the lost coast in NoCal is gorgeous. Most of the time my pack has been 40 pounds or so, 50 on exceptional days or if i get shafted into carrying really heavy stuff. 30 pounds is a very light pack for me. It should be pretty light here actually, the large/heavy food and water supplies are cached at campsites.

that leaves in a nutshell: Raingear, warm layer, Sleeping bag, ultralight thermarest, 10 essentials, 1-2 changes of clothes, plus water and snacks for the trail. thats under 15 pounds i think. I usually don't pack much personal gear on backpacking trips. Cameras and film will be a rare exception in this case.

I think a table top tripod would be good also because they set up so fast: i hate keeping people waiting when I'm not actually composing, just getting ready. It would only work really well for the Rolleiflex, the others would require rocks to perch it on if i wanted to look into the viewfinder.

Ive shot velvia 50, but it hasn't come back from the lab yet. It was the first film i shot in the rolleiflex.

Tmax 400 and Efke 25 i have not used, but i have heard good things. A real slow film like the Efke could be good. Tmax if i want different look than Tri-X i guess. Ill give them a try soon.

I can't remember if we are doing Huayna Piccu, i hope we are. Ill suggest it to the trip leaders, and see if were doing that.

How much film? and how much of each speed? suggestions for 120 and 135 please? Ill probably bring a few rolls of black and white. I shoot film much slower than digital. id bring the compact digital for sure. it takes up very little room, theres a pocket just right for it in my camera bag.

Do you recommend a warming filter? or just a UV filter? or nothing? for the blue cast i mean.

January 10, 2012

Well the WSJ was about the difficult time they had in printers and ink (finally turned a small profit margin apparently) and the fact that large companies will typically fall behind when they cannot innovate fast enough, as with digital backs and competition from Hasselblad Phase One etc. as for profits from film:

http://www.photo.net/film-and-processing-forum/00ZqnD

</blockquote>

ask ron andrews where he got his stats, thats actually a realistic number, i only heard non-numerical generalizations not statistics. Someone mentioned the fuji strategy on that forum as well: stop making crud products just to broaden your 'market range' and focus on a few quality items: maybe some printers designed for extreme color accuracy but not large format so demanding semi-pros can afford them: there is a market for that. Focus on unique products: Case in point Fuji X-1. Digital rangefinder without the leica price and with a sharp prime lens. Add in lovely design and no-frills feature set and of course it's a winner. I'm no design innovator, but those things sold FAST. come up with something new and special, and it will sell and endear itself to buyers. And then make FILM!! Its a niche company's dream: a relatively small but dedicated and loyal buyer demographic who will continue to buy your products as long as you don't screw them over. Consumers are smarter than companies think, many investors are often less intelligent than we would hope.

and really, can we please have no more new threads about the coming apocalypse that is not determined yet. Its 2012, when the big fissures start spewing water out of the ground and create worldwide tsunamis at the end of days, i think kodak will be one of the smallest priorities on my mind compared to getting the heck out of here.

But all Mayan apocalypse jokes aside, can we just consolidate the threads into already existing ones so i don't freak out over nothing every time I log in to photo.net? Im sure many others share this sentiment.

- Harry

January 10, 2012

Hello all, I am going on a school-sponsored trip to Peru lasting 12 days in mid-June. we will be staying in Cusco and then hiking the Inca Trail to Maccu Piccu. I may not be back to this area for a very long time, so i want to have memorable shots that i can enlarge/print digitally to a good size.

I cannot bring my DSLR: my parents are afraid of thefts and damage. The warranty/insurance requires at least partial recovery of the camera. The D-7000 is not an option, I'm not going to argue with them about something small like this. I do not want to bring a digital point and shoot, the dynamic range and tonal qualities often leave me wanting something more and i do not compose well with them in comparison to larger/less automated cameras. In brief, they encourage me to, well, point and shoot, then walk on.

Of course, this means i will be bringing some sort of film camera. I have a Nikkormat FT3, a Nikon N-70, and a Rolleiflex 3.5C Xenotar. I am comfortable shooting with any of the cameras, and I cannot make up my mind. they all work properly and consistently. Weight is not a consideration, the pack will contain much heavier things than a 35mm SLR or 6x6 TLR. If i take an SLR it will be with a 50 F/1.8D and a standard zoom of some sort. The Rollei has that lovely 75 f/3.5 Xenotar lens and the big huge 6x6 frames but no meter. with color negs and sunny 16 I'm fine without one. Maybe ill bring a compact digital camera for tricky metering and random snapshots.

I would want a slow film or two, and then Kodak Portra 400 for anything and everything. Ive seen great results with that film at 3200 ISO. Ektar 100 and portra 160 are the other films i will probably bring, and then a few rolls of Tri X. but suggestions would still be nice.

Also, a slide film Might be good to have, any suggestions? I've used velvia, but the lab still hasn't gotten it back to me yet. :/ The last 1 day dip and dunk E-6 place near me, A&I, just stopped doing slides. :( sad times.

How much film should I bring? my guess is 15-20 rolls if i go with 120 film, and probably 10-15 rolls for 35mm. Does this sound about right for someone who shoots a fair amount going on a trip with people who may or may not have that much patience? Id rather have too much film than too little.

few more questions (sorry, i just want to be sure i don't show up with the wrong tools for the job) Tripod: i have a manfrotto 3221 tripod w/ a 3030 head, but it is not a good fit in a backpack. I don't mind the weight, its only about 7 or 8 pounds last time i checked, it just doesn't fit. its too tall for my pack.

However, i have tried a few table top tripods etc. and those might be perfect. Any recommendations for a small budget one that works well?

What light conditions can i expect on the inca trail? It goes up to 14000 feet, and i have summited mountains over 14000, but i can't remember how the light is different if at all. I know there is more UV radiation, but is anything else different in terms of exposure or color?

Also, what is a typical exposure reading for inside a cloud forest at different times of day (morning, afternoon, sunset, clear, cloudy etc.)? and for out in the open at high altitude?

I will be taking landscapes, street photography, documenting the trip, some wildlife if we get lucky, and some snapshots here and there as well just for the heck of it. Sorry for the long post, but i just wanted to get the questions out there all in one go.

Thank you for your help, Harry

January 10, 2012

just went on the kodak website and the wall street journal, and as expected, film seems to be the only thing that kodak CAN do properly these days. management? forget about it, they're hopelessly confused. but film, film they can make! they have a very new cinema film in fact, samples look like a beauty. http://motion.kodak.com/motion/index.htm get a load of that slogan:

Tired of hearing that film is dead? Well, so are we.

</blockquote>

A toast to that, long live the Eastman Kodak Company. It would take a total idiot to kill kodaks film production even from a soley economic point of view, its almost the only thing making a consistent profit for them. Their printers barely made them any money after all that huge investment, and Phase One/mamiya/leaf and Hasselblad stole their place in the high end MF digital back market because kodak failed to innovate fast enough. But film lives on.

by the way, I'm loading some ektar into my rollei right now. No worries.

January 9, 2012

As Vince said, the problem with meters of any type is that they are very accurate but also very stupid. It can only tell you how to make whatever you point it at turn into middle gray. With chiaroscuro, this is not likely to work. the shadows and highlights probably won't add up to middle gray in the meter. They may, but they very well may not. digital test shots let you see what you are getting for a certain reading.

I don't always use a digital camera to preview, in fact i rarely do for 35mm in Average conditions. You are shooting a relatively difficult to meter subject so i strongly recommend it. But challenging yourself is part of the fun!

If you use FP4+ or Pan F+, i found a good reciprocity chart that has worked well for me, can't remember where it was from but it works well.

You can bracket widely, Black and White film is tough stuff.

I'm learning by leaps and bounds, guys!

</blockquote>

Haha you will never stop learning with film my friend! Id say I'm still learning every time i shoot a roll after a few years of film. Im sure people with several decades of experience still find something new or overlooked every now and then. Just remember to have fun with it! it can be frustrating at times (my second roll of film was blank, it slipped out of the take up spool at the start of the roll so it never got exposed. That has never happened again thankfully.) but the rewards are great when you print with an enlarger and watch your images emerge under the safelight.

January 9, 2012

I think you should buy a d7000 body and some top quality lenses. Its got low noise and brilliant AF, good tracking and very fast. If it can focus for high school night games and indoor sports, it can focus anywhere. and i don't have very fast tele lenses. I use a 70-300G AFS VR 4.5-5.6 and never felt slow or unreliable in focusing. I can have football guys come flying over the sidelines, and all but the last frame when he was about to land on me were in focus (i barely got away).

you can customize it to put often used settings at your fingertips or separate shutter and AF-on into two buttons.

With an f/2.8 zoom, you won't even have to use the ISO 6400. You can be at 1600 in simply terrible light and the noise will be nearly impossible to find. It has sort of conservative NR so detail is still there at 6400. I could consistently make very nice 5x7 prints at 6400, and on a good day maybe an 8x10 would still look nice. On newsprint (my most commonly used but least favorite of all printing materials bar toilet paper and cardboard), noise is a non-issue, composition contrast and color are all that matter and this camera is great for that. It gets out of your way when you shoot and you can trust it to work in all kinds of conditions.

50mm f/1.8D is my top recc for lenses. fast and light and a good focal length. and its absurdly inexpensive for what you get. probably my favorite lens. Good MF if you have an old nikon is a neat bonus.

35-70 2.8 is the last gen pro zoom and is a great lens. i borrow one every now and then and they cost half as much as a 24-70 for a mint one. If you have a separate wide angle you will almost never miss the extra zoom of the 24-70. this is a very nice lens, all metal and very sharp.

70-300 is nice, i got mine essentially open box for way less than a new one. very sharp and never vignettes b/c its a FX lens. But with your budget, a 70-200 would be better in low light but much heavier and bigger. or an 80-200 f/2.8, the recent one is very good i have heard and it is much less expensive than the 70-200 for almost the same lens.

18-55VR is surprisingly good. don't laugh. when used well it is very sharp and very inconspicuous. I did a few street portraits with this lens and i am still stunned by the detail in the face. it focuses quite close. Im sure the more expensive wide angles are excellent as well.

As for video, the image quality is excellent, but be prepared for sticker shock when it comes to buying your own set up. occasional renting is easy but its terrifyingly expensive to buy if you want to do digital cinema. Family vids are kinda tricky b/c of the shallow DOF that makes it so good for cinema, you need a tripod and either lots of light or high ISO. When i went into the video department, the salesperson replied to my wide-eyed sticker shock with "the rental department is your friend." truer words were never said. Rent a decent sound, focus, and support system depending on your needs and base it off the D7000, you'll love it. Its a wonderfully versatile camera.

one caveat is the small buffer and lack of a PC socket. Nikon probably wants people to wait for the D400 for those. Tightwads :P . But reduce to normal compression (quality priority) Large JPEG, and you get 80 shots no slowing, and up to 100 total. An inhibitor kicks in after 100 frames.

I use this camera a lot. 20,000 shutter actuations, 16,000 of which are no doubt from sports games, and still no issues. rain, shine, heat, cold, this thing shoots and i can rely on it to take what i tell it to. I use my D7000 for all kinds of shooting: portraits, sports, travel and much more. If you can't decide, rent one and see how you like it. They were sold out for months for a good reason.

January 7, 2012

oh what has this world come to?

Haha this is classic. Im a teen and I'm pretty sure my beat up rolleiflex can't play angry birds or surf the web. The first time i used it on the street, some tourists asked me if they could take MY picture!! too bad i had slow film and it was getting dark or i would've taken theirs too.

Medium format tablets, really i ask you...

This is on about the same level as when my mom had to explain the concept of 'String' to some sales people at a hardware store. One guy almost got the idea, but took her to the ribbon aisle. she then said that string wasn't for gifts but it was "that stuff you tie newspapers with."

for obvious reasons, that did not help clarify the situation at all. Newspapers, it seems, are a foreign concept to the modern world.

January 7, 2012

Les: i mean the scanner has the firewire 400 6 contact connection of course. But the dell desktop does not. it has no firewire connections. It does have about 6 usb 2.0 ports however, so thats why i need a connector for firewire 400 into usb 2.0.

So you recommend saving as .TIF files instead? they're both lossless/uncompressed so i guess its all the same general thing when i open them.

Thanks for the reference!

Mauro: I can see why that would be true, but even the standard 120 holder seems quite good.

January 7, 2012

Les: I did find a windows desktop with a decent spec. theres an unused screen and ill just hook everything together and update nikon scan to work for vista and give it another go! Now i just need to find a firewire to USB 2.0 connector. A wonderfully cheap solution indeed. Thanks!

Mauro: the operations/communications department found the film holders. its got all the original equipment now: 35mm strip, 35mm mounted slides, and 120 strip. Film flatness is excellent, the 120 holder has that smart little locking tensioner, makes a huge difference.

Everyone:

This is what i gathered from your advice:

use more or less the factory default settings. save any post-scan processing for later in photoshop.

Save as .NEF and open up in ACR afterwards for sharpening contrast etc then save as DNG (i archive all raw files as DNG's in case support of a particular proprietary format is lost in a future ACR update)

8 bit or 16 bit RGB color, nothing but AF and AE and set it to the right film profile for color negatives? Batch scan, and I'm good to go?? sounds simple enough. Digital ICE on for color, off for black and white. Ill probably have some time next weekend to try it out. Ill take some of my good 35mm color negatives that I know print well into the scanner and see how it does.

Thanks for the help!

January 7, 2012

Sorry Dean, forgot that you only were using one candle. a brighter one would shorten exposure but do nothing for contrast issues of the bright flame.

However, if you shoot by moon AND candlelight with the candle close to the face/object, you can get a weak fill from the moon and reduce the contrast slightly. you could go outdoors or go by a window. Just adjust contrast grade and exposure times for the print to get the values you want.

January 7, 2012

Vince has an excellent point with dilute developers and stand development, i completely forgot about stand developing as a compensating method. It should yield a very good negative for you, low in overall contrast but with good separation of tones.

Then you can just print through to the desired contrast and brightness. If you don't have access to Rodinal or Diafine, HC-110 can be diluted very heavily for stand developing. as Vince said, do some research.

personally, i love pan f Plus at EI 40 for the gorgeous skin tones and fine grain with good sharpness, but its awfully slow so you're going to have a really long exposure when you take reciprocity failure into account. For that reason, i think Tri X, Hp 5, Tmax 400 or 3200, or Ilford Delta 3200 are much much easier in this situation.

if you want a film in between Pan F plus and the faster films, i cannot recommend Plus-X enough. beautiful film. its being retired but its great. very nice tones in d76 1:1 but still fine grained enough for quite nice enlargements. a bit finer than FP-4 in the same soup. if you don't have plus X, FP-4 is a worthy replacement. I am also sure you will find many people who like the T-grain 100 speed films, I just haven't used them yet..

another idea would be to use a really bright candle! or three candles in a fixture! if you angle the candles they should give similar light to one candle.

January 7, 2012

Les: I would love to have that convenience but buying another computer is completely out of the question. I just won't have the funds for at least another year or two. if i can find a windows computer that isn't being used and has adequate speed, i will try nikon scan on it. then its just a cheap USB 2.0 to Firewire 400 dongle, and ill use my lacie portable back up drive to take files back to the macbook for editing. that would be an excellent solution.

Ill keep my eyes open for a windows desktop computer, maybe someone in my family has one they aren't using, my grandparents just got an iMac, don't know what happened to the windows one. that computer was not fast, but I've played some pretty graphics intensive games on it so it should be able to keep up a lot better than the old iMac.

Charles:

ill research dual boot systems, that could work well if the windows computer idea doesn't turn out.

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Posts posted by harry_templeton