Nikon SLR/D-SLR fans

[martinaee]

Yeah even thought I only got to do film myself a tiny bit (I wasn't even a photo student) I still think it's kind of sad that it's going away. There still were students doing film work, but I have a feeling that's going to be less and less at a lot of places. It's just a really cool process by itself. I was successful at putting the film in the canisters in the dark though when I did it

Digital is nice though because it does allow learning to be very quick if you apply yourself. If you really get yourself out there you can learn through shooting and seeing results and what is happening. I know a pro grade DSLR looks daunting, but I'm trying to convince my GF that it's fun and I can teach her if she'll let me.

Oh yeah those twin lens cameras are sweet. I kind of want one just to have because some of them look so bad-***. One with a ground glass viewfinder.

 

[will]

Oh yeah those twin lens cameras are sweet. I kind of want one just to have because some of them look so bad-***. One with a ground glass viewfinder.

I picked up a couple off ebay - the viewfinders were kind of dim - found out the mirrors were shot. They are front surface mirrors ( no glass on top of the reflective surface ) I found that the small square makeup mirrors will work. They are very thin and can be cut easily to size. I replaced the mirrors and used them a few times.

Back to the DSLRs - I agree that the learning can be quick - instant results, The post processing is easy on the PC. Fortunately - there is no paper waste, no chemicals to deal with.

When I bought the D5200, I spoke with the sales person for awhile. I asked if there was any buyout for the N90s I have - The used market right now is for the old manual cameras, mostly for the schools that teach the basics -

 

[PCC]

Film cameras these days are dirt cheap. Some cameras fare better than others. For example, my old FE2 sells these days around $100 which is a little bit more than 1/4 what I paid for it brand new back in 1983. The F4s sells around $200 which is 1/9 what it cost brand new. The N8008s that I just picked up sells for around $50 which is roughly 1/9 what they were brand new. The N8008s and F4s are advanced AF film cameras with Matrix metering and automatic film advance while the FE2 is a manual film camera with the only automation being the Aperture Preferred auto exposure mode. The only other mode is full manual.

With regards to the Nikon 1 series, I guess Nikon is trying to set itself apart from the rest of the crowd when it comes to interchangeable lens non-DSLR cameras and I can respect that. They need to make products that sell and make them money to allow them to move forward and it pays for the research into tomorrow's cameras. It's certainly not something that I would buy for myself nor my family, but, I certainly wouldn't try to talk someone out of one if they're looking at buying one. I am looking at the Sony a6000 as a possible next camera for my family to use. With an adapter I can use my old Nikon lenses and even my cousin's Canon lenses. It's an extremely versatile camera system.

Since my last update I've picked up a my cousin's N8008s with an AF-Nikkor 35-135mm zoom lens. I just purchased a MB-20 for the F4s to make it an F4. Also, I recently purchased an AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. The 1973 AI'd 35mm f/2.0 that my nephew returned to me with my old FE2 has been pressed to use on my D610 and I'm finding that it's a great lens. It's sharp except for the far corners and it's contrasty as well. It's become my favorite lens.

 

[PCC]

I purchased a pre-AI 50mm f/1.4 from fleabay last week and it arrived yesterday. This morning I took it apart and repaired it. While I had it apart I also took the opportunity to convert it to AI by milling the aperture ring to clear the metering prong of my cameras. The only things wrong with that lens was that a retaining ring had popped out of its groove and that allowed the aperture setting ring inside the camera body to come loose which meant that the external aperture ring was not working. Since it was wedged inside the body it prevented the lens from focusing to infinity. Someone had tried taking the lens apart from the flange side and they ended up bending the fork that actuates the aperture mechanism when a picture is taken so that the aperture would not return to wide open because it was dragging inside the lens body. I got that straightened out as well. Now the lens works like new and it even looks almost like new.

 

[xdayv]

Been stucked with the D800E for a little while now.

 

[PCC]

I've been on a bit of a buying binge lately. I bought two 50mm f/1.4 AI lenses, one was dismantled but complete and the other missing a trim ring and has a dented filter ring. Moved the trim and filter rings from the first one to the second one and now that one is looking much better. Works fine either way. The one with the dented ring and missing trim will be my user lens.

More recently, I bought a grab bag of assorted Nikon lenses and parts. Got a 105mm f/2.5 K-type lens (first of the rubber focus rings but before AI was introduced). It had its share of issues but the glass is good enough to take great photos with so it's a keeper. There's a K-type 35mm f/2 in there that's missing some parts that I want to assemble into a video lens. The rest are not worth the effort but are enough to keep me entertained when I'm bored at home on a rainy day.

I stopped by a local camera store that also deals with used equipment and consignments and found a complete set of extension tubes still in their original boxes that look to be barely used for $100. The set includes: PK-11a; PK-12; PK-13; and PN-11. That's a bargain! Now need to go back down there to buy it.

 

[will]

We took a trip last week. I finally got into the habit of changing the settings from P,M,A,S and got into the different modes. It does in fact make a difference in the resulting images. Landscapes have greater color, beach images look brighter.

SO - it looks like the different modes do more than adjust the speed and lens opening.

I still have not found any documentation as to what is actually being changed..

 

[PCC]

P, M, A, S explained:
P = Programmed. The camera decides on everything. You can spin one or the other wheel (I haven't used this feature so I'm not sure which one) and the camera adjusts accordingly so there's a manual override there. The ISO can be manually set or you can use Auto-ISO.
M = Manual. You decide on everything including whether to be off on the exposure or not. You can set it to Auto-ISO and that will bring the exposure into what the camera thinks is right.
A = Aperture preferred. You select the aperture and the camera selects the shutter speed. ISO can be manually set or you can set it to Auto-ISO and the camera will adjust the ISO as needed as the shutter speed drops into potential blurry picture shutter speeds. Mostly, A mode is used for landscapes since the Aperture controls depth of field and you want DOF when shooting landscapes.
S = Shutter preferred. You select the shutter speed and the camera selects the aperture. ISO can be set manually or you can set it to Auto-ISO and the camera will adjust the ISO when you run out of f-stops on either end. Shutter preferred is preferred for sports and fast action photography since you are controlling the shutter speed and this can stop fast action or give the impression of speed due to intentional motion blur.

By now you should understand that there are three things that affect exposure and they're all interrelated: Shutter speed; Aperture opening; and sensor/film sensitivity, known as ISO. For any given scene you are balancing the amount of light hitting the sensor/film with the aperture, varying the exposure time with the shutter speed, and changing how sensitive the sensor is by changing the ISO. For film you are either shooting the entire roll at the rated ISO or intentionally pushing it for more speed along with the accompanying push in development. If you make one change, one of the other two or both need to be changed to compensate. A scene that is exposed correctly at 1/500 second at f/8 and ISO200 would expose correctly at 1/1000 second and f/5.6 at ISO200. Likewise, 1/500 second and f/5.6 at ISO100 would give the same results.

To throw a wrench into all this, Nikon changes other things when you use the scene modes. That's why, when you use landscape mode, the colors are more vivid. Overcast mode changes the scene to deemphasize blue, etc. You can go into the menus to manually set the camera to make all photos vivid if you want. All this is only relevant if you shoot JPGs. RAW does not have any filters as it's the raw data and this raw data is used to generate a JPG and they can further manipulate the image in the process of creating the JPG image.

 

[will]

Thanks for a more detailed explanation. I am an old school photographer. I had assumed ( wrongly ) that the different modes offered by Nikon only affected the speed, aperture and ISO ( if on auto ). The computer and sensor in the camera can do a lot of other things which affect the image, kinda like photoshop in the camera. This can be contrast, color balance, hues and even the focus.

So - the mode settings can really yield better images for the type of scene you are photographing.

 

[will]

This comes under the 'DUH' factor..

I have a backpack that I keep my Nikon setup in. This is 4 lenses, 2 camera bodies, 2 flashes, batteries, chargers and other odds and ends. When I travel, I pick what I need for the trip and scale down on the camera equipment, Usually 1 DSLR, 1 underwater camera and maybe 2 lenses. I picked up a smaller camera bag and was in the process of setting up the velcro dividers. I would fold the divider in half, then make an attempt to get straight where I wanted it. This would take a few tries and lots of peeling the velcro apart.

DUH - I put a small piece of cardboard on each side, move the divider where I want it, then simply pull the cardboard out.

 

[PCC]

Thanks for a more detailed explanation. I am an old school photographer. I had assumed ( wrongly ) that the different modes offered by Nikon only affected the speed, aperture and ISO ( if on auto ). The computer and sensor in the camera can do a lot of other things which affect the image, kinda like photoshop in the camera. This can be contrast, color balance, hues and even the focus.

So - the mode settings can really yield better images for the type of scene you are photographing.

Yeah, I had an epiphany about six months ago when I realized that, unlike film where you get what you get so you had better get it right to begin with, you have some leeway with digital. The trick is to shoot in RAW for the things you think you're going to want to mess with. For family photos I typically shoot in JPG since I'm not usually going to retouch those. If I'm out taking photos of places and things, especially with tricky lighting, I try to remember to shoot in RAW. One trick that my D610 allows me is to expose for the highlights and pull the shadow details out later. You can pull about two stops of shadows out and get amazing results.

 

[PCC]

Here's an example of the last thing I mentioned:
Original photo

Same photo with the shadows brought out

 

[qmtu]

Just joined the forum this weekend.

I used a Nikon N6006 and N8008 in the film days.
My first digital camera was a Nikon Coolpix 900, followed by Nikon Coolpix 990.
After that, Nikon D1x, Nikon D70, Nikon D200, Nikon D90, Nikon D700, Nikon D600, and Nikon D4.

Now I just have Nikon P7000 (unused), Nikon D700 (unused), Nikon D600 (less used), and Nikon D4 (most used).

My most carried camera is a Sony RX1.

Hmm, sounds like I need to sell off some.

 

[angerdan]

sounds like I need to sell off some.

And focus more what you capture.
Also the lenses are important.

 

[bykfixer]

My first Nikon was digital. I was raised by Pentax shooters and used those in the film days along with a belle & howell p&s.

Actually my first digital was a 1.0mp pair of binoculars.

But after a couple of Hewlett Packard P&S I took the plunge for a D80 w/18-135 and a 70-300vc.

Next was a D700, a nice Nikon flash and a battery pack.
Then a D7000 replaced the D80 for it's lack of noise in low light at decently quick iso levels. Also bought a 400 and 600 flash.

The D700 has an old non cpu 35-70 and the reliable 70-300vc, a macro 60mm 2.8 and a 1.8 50mm for weddings etc. The 7000 has supplied 18-55, a 55-200 and a 55-300. All Nikon lenses.

Lot's of memory cards, several bags, tripod/monopod options and many flashlights for different effects.

I shoot 100% RAW and use Faststone image viewer. No photoshop here. If I dial it right, I rarely need it...so on those rare occasions I get my wife (a Canon shooter) to fix it.
Being a Canon shooter, she's very familiar with photoshop.

 

[martinaee]

Yeah, I had an epiphany about six months ago when I realized that, unlike film where you get what you get so you had better get it right to begin with, you have some leeway with digital. The trick is to shoot in RAW for the things you think you're going to want to mess with. For family photos I typically shoot in JPG since I'm not usually going to retouch those. If I'm out taking photos of places and things, especially with tricky lighting, I try to remember to shoot in RAW. One trick that my D610 allows me is to expose for the highlights and pull the shadow details out later. You can pull about two stops of shadows out and get amazing results.

That's not just a benefit, but more is HOW I shoot with my Nikons (or at least with my D800 as it's good enough in Aperture Priority that I can trust the exposure to be what I'd want if I could shoot each shot in manual).

I primarily shot in manual for years with my D50 and then D90 and while I still do on my D800 I find it so nice to shoot almost exclusively in Aperture Priority with a negative 1/3rd stop compensation. This makes it usually JUST under blown out for any highlights in the scene if I'm in full coverage metering mode. The D800 has such ridiculous ability to bring back dark images that you really don't have to worry. So even if you are shooting a very contrast-y day with bright sunlight on the ground you can shoot for that and then recover any shadows you want with ease. Of course if you are going for a particular exposure effect you put it in manual and expose for what you want, but you see my point. Often for my personal work I just want an all around properly exposed image with no blown highlights and this lets me get that pretty easily and frees me up to primarily focus on composition/subject/etc. I should say I'm talking mainly about nature photography and street photography here. Obviously for portraiture or studio work you just put it in manual mode. I like raw files to be like how most videographers would want their footage--- not blown out or clipped on either end so you have leeway to make your shot exactly what you want it to be in post.

It's ridiculous how "spoiled" you can become with an amazing piece of tech like a D800 or practically anything else today. I took out my "ancient" D50 today which I primarily learned photography on when I was in college. In a weird way I'm thankful I learned on it because I saw again today how slow and clunky it is and how absolutely horrible the metering and chimping are on it. It really made it probably closer to a film camera for me than if I had learned on one of the nicer cameras from today just 10 years later. It really makes you slow down. Not that I think people can't learn on a really nice camera these days, but you might not see the intricacies of exposure choices if you let the camera do everything for you in one of the semi auto modes available.

 

[lonelyboy]

I have F4, F6 and FM2, still using film for photography now.

 

[martinaee]

I have F4, F6 and FM2, still using film for photography now.

I did a tiny bit of film photography, but I wish I had gotten the chance to shoot on a pro film Nikon body. I guess I still could if I wanted to look into borrowing or renting one from somewhere. I wouldn't do it much, but it seems fun to play around with.

 

[NoNotAgain]

I've got an F2H that does 12 frames per second as well as the 250 frame exposure back. Goes through film rather fast. Can't use high frame rates in cold weather though as it will rip the leader off the film.

I have the same set up for the F3 titanium with high speed winder. Processing your own film is the way to go though. Loved the ergonomics of the F4.

I used to photograph at most of the east coast Nascar tracks as well as Orioles baseball games. All of my newspaper photographer buddies resisted the change over to digital until forced. Then they were forced into Canon, well atleast until the Canon deals stopped.

Canon was paying most of the photo agencies to use the EOS system and their big white lenses. I can at least still use all of my long and fast lenses on the new pro level bodies fully metered. Had friends that lost their butts when Canon dropped support for their flagship F1 with the EOS.

 

[bykfixer]

I like the direction this page has gone.

Film required educated guessing and use of potential carcenogens, but imo made for better photos when an expert in the dark room worked their magic. But digital in the hands of an expert who knows his/her camera strengths and weaknesses are rivaling those film works of art these days.
I have friends who still swear by their D 2 and D50 cameras. Of course they have newer for fast moving/low light times.

I relied on "Fox Photo" to get mine done and only dabbled in the dark room with an oatmeal canister pinhole camera in high school.

But I honestly think knowing the basics of aperature, shutter speed and what not helps the digital photographer as well.

I know that knowing the basics helps me get succesful 'decent' shots for work with a p&s camera. I can tweak some of the sensors reaction by knowing things like portrait setting gives me a larger aperature automatically while sports mode is good for stop motion... Stuff like that comes in handy as I take photos of activities on a construction site with my handy dandy shirt pocket sized camera.