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Finally got it.



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 26th 05, 05:36 AM
Sheldon
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Default Finally got it.

I got my D70 today. I've just been using it in Auto mode, and tried some of
my older Nikon lenses on it in manual mode. So far my impressions are that
it is extremely fast, both focusing and shooting. It feels like a "real"
camera, very solid and nice to hold. JPEG photos look very good, but it's
gonna take me awhile to get past the learning curve. Also, the controls
seem to be well placed, including all the buttons. Everything just seems to
fall into place when you hold it.

One nice touch is that the diopter adjustment works extremely well. I wear
contacts set to monovision: My left lens is set to distance while my right
is set to reading. I was very concerned about this, hoping I wouldn't have
to get new contacts, or wear glasses all the time. One quick adjustment on
the diopter and everything just snapped into focus.

You get an adaptor that holds 3 CR-2 batteries for emergencies, but three of
these things cost almost as much as a spare rechargeable, so I've already
ordered a second battery and an AC adaptor (why is the AC adaptor so
expensive compared to the other models?). I got the AC adaptor in case I
have to clean the CCD. Figured it was cheaper than a repair if the battery
gave out.

Thanks to all for the help, and I'm sure I'll have more questions as I
stumble through the manual. Can't wait to get my micro lens back from
conversion. That should be fun, although the lens that comes with the "kit"
focuses pretty close.

Also, hard to get used to the Auto feature lowering the shutter speed to the
point where you can't hand-hold it. I'm learning.

Sheldon



  #2  
Old January 26th 05, 05:53 AM
Christopher Pollard
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On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 21:36:17 -0700, "Sheldon"
wrote:

You get an adaptor that holds 3 CR-2 batteries for emergencies, but three of
these things cost almost as much as a spare rechargeable,


But the idea is that in an emergency you can go to a shop and buy some. They
also have a high shelf life, so you could keep three for emergencies and they'll
still be good as new when you need them.


Also, hard to get used to the Auto feature lowering the shutter speed to the
point where you can't hand-hold it. I'm learning.


You'll soon learn to get away from auto.

--
Chris Pollard


CG Internet café, Tagum City, Philippines
http://www.cginternet.net
  #3  
Old January 26th 05, 07:35 AM
Sheldon
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Default

"Christopher Pollard" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 21:36:17 -0700, "Sheldon"
wrote:

You get an adaptor that holds 3 CR-2 batteries for emergencies, but three

of
these things cost almost as much as a spare rechargeable,


But the idea is that in an emergency you can go to a shop and buy some.

They
also have a high shelf life, so you could keep three for emergencies and

they'll
still be good as new when you need them.


That I understand, but they are affected by temperature more than the
Lithium Ion. Back in the good old days we used to duct tape hand warmers to
the backs of our Nikon F motor drives to keep them going in cold weather.
:-) Ski photos in cold weather would suck the life out of our batteries.


Also, hard to get used to the Auto feature lowering the shutter speed to

the
point where you can't hand-hold it. I'm learning.


You'll soon learn to get away from auto.


Yeah. I keep forgetting I have to get into P mode if I want to make my own
choices. Not much different with the better p&s cameras.

Thanks for the input.

Sheldon



  #4  
Old January 26th 05, 03:34 PM
Alan Browne
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Default

Sheldon wrote:

I got my D70 today. I've just been using it in Auto mode, and tried some of
my older Nikon lenses on it in manual mode. So far my impressions are that
it is extremely fast, both focusing and shooting. It feels like a "real"
camera, very solid and nice to hold. JPEG photos look very good, but it's
gonna take me awhile to get past the learning curve. Also, the controls
seem to be well placed, including all the buttons. Everything just seems to
fall into place when you hold it.


Congrats!

I reccomend that you shoot in "A" mode as much as possible and control the DOF
for the desired composition. "A" mode is 'semi auto' in that you choose your
aperture and the camera computes the speed based on the meter reading.

(or "S" where motion control is a priority).

Really learn the metering system. Examine the histograms and adjust exposure comp.


You get an adaptor that holds 3 CR-2 batteries for emergencies, but three of
these things cost almost as much as a spare rechargeable, so I've already
ordered a second battery and an AC adaptor (why is the AC adaptor so
expensive compared to the other models?). I got the AC adaptor in case I
have to clean the CCD. Figured it was cheaper than a repair if the battery
gave out.


These chargers contain a DC-DC converter, not just a simple xfrmr-rectifier, so
they do cost more.

Also, hard to get used to the Auto feature lowering the shutter speed to the
point where you can't hand-hold it. I'm learning.


Shoot "S" priority to be in control of the shutter speed.
Shoot "A" priority to be in control of DOF.
Use a tripod.
Focus manually too.
Post results.

Cheers,
Alan

--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.
  #5  
Old January 26th 05, 05:40 PM
Sheldon
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Default


"Alan Browne" wrote in message
...
Sheldon wrote:

I got my D70 today. I've just been using it in Auto mode, and tried some
of my older Nikon lenses on it in manual mode. So far my impressions are
that it is extremely fast, both focusing and shooting. It feels like a
"real" camera, very solid and nice to hold. JPEG photos look very good,
but it's gonna take me awhile to get past the learning curve. Also, the
controls seem to be well placed, including all the buttons. Everything
just seems to fall into place when you hold it.


Congrats!

I reccomend that you shoot in "A" mode as much as possible and control the
DOF for the desired composition. "A" mode is 'semi auto' in that you
choose your aperture and the camera computes the speed based on the meter
reading.

(or "S" where motion control is a priority).

Really learn the metering system. Examine the histograms and adjust
exposure comp.


You get an adaptor that holds 3 CR-2 batteries for emergencies, but three
of these things cost almost as much as a spare rechargeable, so I've
already ordered a second battery and an AC adaptor (why is the AC adaptor
so expensive compared to the other models?). I got the AC adaptor in
case I have to clean the CCD. Figured it was cheaper than a repair if
the battery gave out.


These chargers contain a DC-DC converter, not just a simple
xfrmr-rectifier, so they do cost more.

Also, hard to get used to the Auto feature lowering the shutter speed to
the point where you can't hand-hold it. I'm learning.


Shoot "S" priority to be in control of the shutter speed.
Shoot "A" priority to be in control of DOF.
Use a tripod.
Focus manually too.
Post results.

Cheers,
Alan


I'm pretty familiar with a lot of this stuff, except it did take me awhile
to figure out why I couldn't do much in Automatic mode. So far all I want
to do is take some shots and make sure all is working well. I have a lot of
photos of my foot, and other things around the living room. :-) No time yet
to go out and get serious with the thing. After all, I've gotta pay for it.
:-(

Compared to my P&S, I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to play a
bit with depth of field. Really adds a lot to many photos, especially
portraits.

Thanks.

Sheldon


  #6  
Old January 26th 05, 05:49 PM
Robert R Kircher, Jr.
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Default


"Sheldon" wrote in message
...
I got my D70 today. I've just been using it in Auto mode, and tried some
of my older Nikon lenses on it in manual mode. So far my impressions are
that it is extremely fast, both focusing and shooting. It feels like a
"real" camera, very solid and nice to hold. JPEG photos look very good,
but it's gonna take me awhile to get past the learning curve. Also, the
controls seem to be well placed, including all the buttons. Everything
just seems to fall into place when you hold it.


snip

Also, hard to get used to the Auto feature lowering the shutter speed to
the point where you can't hand-hold it. I'm learning.



Sheldon,

From one newbie to another, I just went through the same learning curve with
my Canon 300D. I made the mistake of starting out in Auto mode and was very
disappointed. Soon there after I moved to Program mode, gained back the
control I had with my manual camera and haven't gone back to Auto since.
I've been very happy.

The second thing I did was to start shooting in RAW mode and using Capture
One for RAW image manipulation and conversion. After C1, I use Photoshop
for any further editing, although my PS skills are very limited. Note that
PScs has RAW conversion built (free download) in but I have PS7.

In any event, the quality of the final images are much better then anything
I was able to get from Auto mode.

--

Rob





  #7  
Old January 26th 05, 07:49 PM
Alan Browne
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Default

Sheldon wrote:

Compared to my P&S, I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to play a
bit with depth of field. Really adds a lot to many photos, especially
portraits.


Then "A" or "M" mode. I say "M" 'cause I shoot portraits without TTL flash
(either studio strobes, natural light or sometimes hot lights). An incident
meter (or spot meter that can do flash as well) is of course a key tool, but
with a digital camera you can find acceptable exposure via the monitor/histogram.

If you have a lens with close focus (pref. a macro but 50mm f/1.8 isn't bad)
then there area all kinds of things you can find around the house to practice on.

Cheers,
Alan


--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.
  #8  
Old January 26th 05, 09:24 PM
Jeremy Nixon
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Default

Alan Browne wrote:

Focus manually too.


Not with a digital... until someone makes one with a proper focusing screen,
at least. It's next to impossible to manually focus a D70, even with an
f/1.8 lens, which is about my only complaint with it.

Luckily, Nikon's autofocus can be mastered; I can get it to focus on what
I want, even though branches or whatever. The only defect with Nikon is
that it's a bit slow in initial target acquisition sometimes, which can
get annoying if you're shooting wildlife or something. I'd really want
a proper focusing screen for that situation. (I understand that Canon's
autofocus does somewhat better at that, but that one thing is far from
enough to get me to switch.)

--
Jeremy |
  #9  
Old January 26th 05, 09:52 PM
Owamanga
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Default

On Wed, 26 Jan 2005 20:24:22 -0000, Jeremy Nixon
wrote:

Alan Browne wrote:

Focus manually too.


Not with a digital... until someone makes one with a proper focusing screen,
at least. It's next to impossible to manually focus a D70, even with an
f/1.8 lens, which is about my only complaint with it.


I've had good success doing this, with the kit lens.

Luckily, Nikon's autofocus can be mastered; I can get it to focus on what
I want, even though branches or whatever. The only defect with Nikon is
that it's a bit slow in initial target acquisition sometimes, which can
get annoying if you're shooting wildlife or something. I'd really want
a proper focusing screen for that situation. (I understand that Canon's
autofocus does somewhat better at that, but that one thing is far from
enough to get me to switch.)


If you think you can focus faster than the D70, why not switch it to
manual, and use the little green "you've got focus" light at the far
left of the viewfinder to assist you. I do this to prevent the AF from
hunting when using long lenses.

Keep the designated focus area locked to the center one, and then the
process is similar to using a split-screen. Focus, re-frame, shoot. I
also keep CSM-16 (AE lock on half-press) switched off to allow matrix
to work properly. Keep your eye on the subject, and you'll see the
focus light illuminate in your peripheral vision.

I too would prefer to use the old screen, but we do the best with what
we have.

--
Owamanga!
  #10  
Old January 26th 05, 10:02 PM
Alan Browne
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Default

Jeremy Nixon wrote:

Alan Browne wrote:


Focus manually too.



Not with a digital... until someone makes one with a proper focusing screen,
at least. It's next to impossible to manually focus a D70, even with an
f/1.8 lens, which is about my only complaint with it.

Luckily, Nikon's autofocus can be mastered; I can get it to focus on what
I want, even though branches or whatever. The only defect with Nikon is
that it's a bit slow in initial target acquisition sometimes, which can
get annoying if you're shooting wildlife or something. I'd really want
a proper focusing screen for that situation. (I understand that Canon's
autofocus does somewhat better at that, but that one thing is far from
enough to get me to switch.)


The Maxxum's use "accumat" screens which are fairly easy to focus except in very
low light. There is a special version of the screen for very shallow DOF (at
the expense of some light loss in the viewfinder). The Accumat is a very good
screen and Leica (or is it Hasselblad?) buy it from Minolta for their cameras.

AF in general, regardless of the camera maker, is not as accurate as manual
focus, assuming the VF allows you to do so.

OTOH, MF with an AF lens is also harder as there is less "drag" resulting in
'nervous' manual focus. MF lenses are naturally "draggy" and it damps out fine
finger movement.

Cheers,
Alan



--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.
 




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