D7000 Liveview switch

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 15:36:58 -0500, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

In article 1774374209441418833.263615nige.danton-
, says...

"Ian" wrote:

Hello Nigel. These switches are small and it might be that the mechanism is
binding/jammed and that moving it gently and slightly in different
directions might free it. I've found this with other small switches where
the switch mechanism has very little leeway in movement for it to bind. I
suspect they are much more of a compromise, mechanically, than switches of a
larger size.
The inbuilt flash of my DSLR had problems for a while and needed a push to
pop up (this had to be a prompt push otherwise the camera would decide that
the flash was faulty and go into fault mode). After a while the flash
settled down in its pivots and is now back in normal working order.

Coincidentally, it's partially freed itself now. It's still very stiff and
is slow to return, but at least it's sort-of working. I've rarely used it
in the past but I've recently bought a set of extension tubes to try macro
photography.

Switching topics to macro: it's much (much) harder to focus on the subject
than I'd anticipated. My set up is an 18-105 lens (the only lens I have),
tripod, aperture priority (smallest f-stop to maximise the depth of field),
and outdoors. I'm just experimenting with flowers right now and am using
all three extension tubes. One of the difficulties is getting enough light
on the subject. All that said, it's good fun.

Do you have a focusing rack? If not you might want to get one. This
one works fine http://www.amazon.com/Neewer%C2%AE-Focusing-Close-up-Shooting-Standard/dp/B009SJ7UWU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420403549&sr=8-1&keywords=focusing+rail
or http://tinyurl.com/o78k9hh

--I have one of those that I found in a box of
stuff obtained at an estate sale, and a Manfrotto that costs about five
times as much and I don't find a lot of difference between them in terms
of performance.

Being able to move the camera precisely in small increments will make
macro much easier--the rule is that you set the lens for the
magnification you want and then move the camera to get focus.

--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

"J. Clarke" wrote:

Do you have a focusing rack? If not you might want to get one. This
one works fine http://www.amazon.com/Neewer%C2%AE-Focusing-Close-up-
Shooting-Standard/dp/B009SJ7UWU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420403549&sr=8-1
&keywords=focusing+rail--I have one of those that I found in a box of
stuff obtained at an estate sale, and a Manfrotto that costs about five
times as much and I don't find a lot of difference between them in terms
of performance.

Another item I didn't know existed. I'll order one, thanks for the
suggestion.

Being able to move the camera precisely in small increments will make
macro much easier--the rule is that you set the lens for the
magnification you want and then move the camera to get focus.

Are these lamps any good?

http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER®-Macro...d_bxgy_p_img_y

--
Nige Danton - Replace the obvious with g.m.a.i.l

me wrote:
You might try a sparing application of some contac/control cleaner and
lubricant. AKA tuner cleaner back in the day of the mechanical rotary
TV tuners. This was useful in helping cure then main switch issues
associated with aging Nikon CP-990s and similar cameras.

Will do, thanks.

Remember to block off the viewfinder if using auto exposure with
liveview.

I didn't realise I was supposed to be covering the viewfinder. Is that to
stop stray light?

--
Nige Danton - Replace the obvious with g.m.a.i.l

"Ian" wrote:

That's good news on the switch and it is what I hoped would happen. The jam
will hopefully not happen again.

Macrophotography is good fun but has its challenges as you are finding out.
May I suggest a couple of things?

Please do - I'm appreciate the benefit of other people's experience

1) Using the smallest aperture makes sense for depth of field but lenses
usually perform best when stopped down only 2-3 stops from fully open. For
example, when I use aperture priority with my 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 lens I'll
probably use f6.3-8.
2) You may find it easier to take photos if you use only one extension
tube despite the resulting image not being as large.
More tubes = dimmer viewfinder.
Try using all three tubes then try using one tube. Load the images onto your
computer and compare the images after zooming so they are the same size and
see what differences you can see.

Interesting. I'll try this out. Thanks for the suggestion.

I used this technique when deciding whether to buy a 150-500mm lens or keep
my 70-300mm lens. When I used these lenses at the long end (500mm and 300mm
respectively) and zoomed into the images so they were the same size I found
that the images from the 70-300mm were sharper and had better contrast than
those from the 150-500mm lens. The tests saved me from buying the bulky and
heavy 150-500mm lens.
I have a 60mm macro lens (approx 96mm on my APS-C DSLR) which I use for
macro work in my garden (flowers and insects). I don't take it on holiday so
use my 15-85mm for macro work and the results are not at all bad. The 60mm
lens is a luxury and one I would not have bought at new price. I bought it
second-hand from a dealer I can trust (LCE in Nottingham and Derby).

I could be tempted to buy a macro lens but only if I'm sure I'd actually
get a reasonable amount of use from it.

--
Nige Danton - Replace the obvious with g.m.a.i.l

PeterN wrote:

Welcome to the macro world.

Thanks!

The above are just my macro preferences. More importantly, many lenses
will have noticable diffraction at the smallest aperature. You might want
to check the manufacturers website. Not every image needs to be, or
should be sharp in all areas. You can use partial image blur creatively.

Understood.


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/97242118/1%20Needs%20A%20Shower.jpg

Fabulous photo, thanks for sharing.

--
Nige Danton - Replace the obvious with g.m.a.i.l

On 2015-01-08 04:49:47 +0000, Nige Danton said:

me wrote:
You might try a sparing application of some contac/control cleaner and
lubricant. AKA tuner cleaner back in the day of the mechanical rotary
TV tuners. This was useful in helping cure then main switch issues
associated with aging Nikon CP-990s and similar cameras.

Will do, thanks.

Remember to block off the viewfinder if using auto exposure with
liveview.

I didn't realise I was supposed to be covering the viewfinder. Is that to
stop stray light?

If you are using LiveView light entering through the VF which is not
covered by your eye/face can have an effect on the AE. If you are
shooting all manual it isn't going to matter. Nikon usually includes a
plastic, slide-on cover for the VF on their DSLRs. Otherwise just use a
Post It Note.

--
Regards,

Savageduck

Savageduck wrote:

If you are using LiveView light entering through the VF which is not
covered by your eye/face can have an effect on the AE. If you are
shooting all manual it isn't going to matter. Nikon usually includes a
plastic, slide-on cover for the VF on their DSLRs. Otherwise just use a Post It Note.

ok, thanks. I have one of those covers and understood what it was for, but
didn't realise it should be used when using using liveview (and
autoexposure)

--
Nige Danton - Replace the obvious with g.m.a.i.l

On 2015-01-08 6:12, Savageduck wrote:
On 2015-01-08 04:49:47 +0000, Nige Danton said:

me wrote:
You might try a sparing application of some contac/control cleaner and
lubricant. AKA tuner cleaner back in the day of the mechanical rotary
TV tuners. This was useful in helping cure then main switch issues
associated with aging Nikon CP-990s and similar cameras.

Will do, thanks.

Remember to block off the viewfinder if using auto exposure with
liveview.

I didn't realise I was supposed to be covering the viewfinder. Is that to
stop stray light?

If you are using LiveView light entering through the VF which is not
covered by your eye/face can have an effect on the AE. If you are
shooting all manual it isn't going to matter. Nikon usually includes a
plastic, slide-on cover for the VF on their DSLRs. Otherwise just use a
Post It Note.

sooo... the nikons are using the meter by the prism in liveview?
live and learn!

--
The Goog: Do NT... Be EVIL!

On 1/8/2015 1:52 AM, android wrote:

sooo... the nikons are using the meter by the prism in liveview?
live and learn!

Quoting Nikon, "Since the imaging sensor constantly streams data for
the LCD display during Live View operation, the mirror must be
continuously held up while Live View mode is being used."

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And...ing-modes.html

So I doubt Nikon is metering by the prism, but perhaps some light
can escape from the prism past the mirror while it's in the up
position. That would be consistent with reports I've seen about
long exposure photography with the D7100.

--
Mike Benveniste -- (Clarification Required)
You don't have to sort of enhance reality. There is nothing
stranger than truth. -- Annie Leibovitz

On 1/31/2015 10:18 PM, J. Clarke wrote:
I could be tempted to buy a macro lens but only if I'm sure I'd actually
get a reasonable amount of use from it.

A good 100 macro also makes a nice portrait lens you know.

I found that for my own tastes, a 100mm or 105mm macro lens was too long
a focal length for portraiture when paired with an APS-C format camera
like the D7000. I do occasionally use the 105mm f/2.8VR micro with the
larger format D800, though.

--
Mike Benveniste -- (Clarification Required)
You don't have to sort of enhance reality. There is nothing
stranger than truth. -- Annie Leibovitz