Thread: Camera purchase advice requested

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

I've been playing with the new toy today. So many knobs and buttons. Apatuere priority. Shutter speed priority. I think I'll leave everything on auto.
Here is a photo I took with the old Fuji when it was working.


And now with the new camera


They are completely different cameras. I think I'll enjoy this this new camera as much as I enjoy the Bronica (but for different reasons). I think I'll try a bit of timed night exposures with this one (I used to love doing these with the Yashicas).

THAT was one very sad Happy-Snappy ! - You've chosen well

Yashicas ?- 'NOT' Electro 35's by any chance? - We've got a pair of them, pity about the hassle of batteries....

It does'nt matter about having to touch the lens-barrel at the end of a TIME exposure, as the fraction-of-a-second camera shake is only a tiny % of the total time. Put your hand in front of the lens as you move the T lever to 'close'.

Auto ISO ? - Is'nt TECHNOLOGY wonderful ? - Just imagine being able to wish for - and receive - differant film speeds for every pic???

We had it back in the Olden Days, and it was called Push/pull-Processing. - Bit of a nuisance as the whole roll of film got the same treatment...


One of the advantages of the 5x4 GRAFLEX over the new-fangled 35mm cameras..... -

Rip Van James

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

The D7000 has two SD card slots. It can be configured to save a photograph as RAW on one card and JPG on the other. I think this is what I'll do.
After reading the manual further, I've realised this camera is capable of way more than I expected. As I may have mentioned earlier, I think I'll get back into night time exposures which I really loved doing. I didn't think a digital could do timed exposures, but reading the manual, apparently this one can.

I usually shoot the two CF cards in the D3s as RAW & JPEG/Video. Depending on what you are doing though it is handy to also have the overflow setting to give you two cards if you find yourself in a position where you can't change cards over.

The RAW & JPEG doesn't allow for the DR and WB bracketing, you have to shoot JPEG only for this to work as it's something that can be achieved post process on a RAW image. But I find it handy to have the JPEG images to quickly review if I need to.

Also set the RAW to 14 bit lossless compression as this saves on file size and doesn't loose vital information as the name implies. The compressed format does loose data and 14 bit is a significant step up from 12 bit.

This is a rather straight forward article to explain it better: Raw Conversion made easy by Thom Hogan

Originally Posted by dmdigital

I usually shoot the two CF cards in the D3s as RAW & JPEG/Video. Depending on what you are doing though it is handy to also have the overflow setting to give you two cards if you find yourself in a position where you can't change cards over.

The RAW & JPEG doesn't allow for the DR and WB bracketing, you have to shoot JPEG only for this to work as it's something that can be achieved post process on a RAW image. But I find it handy to have the JPEG images to quickly review if I need to.

The D7000 can use DR with RAW only as well (not sure if you are saying it doesn't...). By DR I mean it copies the raw file onto both cards at the same time.

If you install the Nikon software you can view raw files in explorer, just like they were jpegs. If you do this there is no need to ever shoot raw+jpeg. Raws are just as flexible for me.

My workflow is simple - I view everything in lightroom (so format is irrelevant) and I have set up two user exports. One is jpeg1K and the other is jpeg3k. So I right click on any image and the option is there to export at 1024 pixels or 3000 pixels in a lightly compressed jpeg.

Given that the jpegs from the camera are typically too large to email to people I would always be scaling them down. So the fact that I shoot raw adds no extra processing at all to me.

The only time I shoot jpeg is when I need the extra buffer size. The one feature where the D7000 is weak is the buffer size/speed when shooting multiple images in succession. The 6fps continuous doesn't help here either... Generally I shoot multiple images at Cl which I have set to 4 per sec.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by superquag

Yashicas ?- 'NOT' Electro 35's by any chance?

FX-D's as stated earlier in this thread. In the mid to late 80's I used to wander around Melbourne at night taking photo's of whatever I thought interesting.

Originally Posted by superquag

It does'nt matter about having to touch the lens-barrel at the end of a TIME exposure, as the fraction-of-a-second camera shake is only a tiny % of the total time. Put your hand in front of the lens as you move the T lever to 'close'.

Still uncomfortable about it though.

Originally Posted by 300+

The D7000 can use DR with RAW only as well (not sure if you are saying it doesn't...). By DR I mean it copies the raw file onto both cards at the same time.

If you install the Nikon software you can view raw files in explorer, just like they were jpegs. If you do this there is no need to ever shoot raw+jpeg. Raws are just as flexible for me.

My workflow is simple - I view everything in lightroom (so format is irrelevant) and I have set up two user exports. One is jpeg1K and the other is jpeg3k. So I right click on any image and the option is there to export at 1024 pixels or 3000 pixels in a lightly compressed jpeg.

Given that the jpegs from the camera are typically too large to email to people I would always be scaling them down. So the fact that I shoot raw adds no extra processing at all to me.

The only time I shoot jpeg is when I need the extra buffer size. The one feature where the D7000 is weak is the buffer size/speed when shooting multiple images in succession. The 6fps continuous doesn't help here either... Generally I shoot multiple images at Cl which I have set to 4 per sec.

Cheers, Steve

By DR I mean Dynamic Range Bracketing. You can also shoot RAW + smaller size JPEG.

As for small buffer size ... 9fps or 11fps and a larger buffer is no better than 6fps and a smaller buffer You always need more memory no matter what the device. I do the same if I really want high frame rate. I mostly shoot CL or when bracketing I go to CH as the shutter stops when the bracketing is done.

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

.......
Still uncomfortable about it though.

Put your Wizard (subscriber) HAT over the lens as you close it....

Be Brave !

I'm a Wizard!! How did I get to be that.
Oh, I see now. Volumes of useless posts typed in darkened rooms.
Had more of a play this morning. This is where I spent last night.



That is taken with the 300mm at 300mm. I would really like to get something like

AF-S NIKKOR
500mm f/4G ED VR

Powerful, lightweight super telephoto, ideal for nature and sports features Nikon’s VR II image stabilization and Nikon Nano Crystal Coat for exceptional performance.

Another pic at 300mm


I'd show you the photo's of the cars I took but they're of Mercs. Did catch a glimpse of a gunbuggy I think.

yep good choice - between the D7000 and the D300s you are comparing grapes with grapes I bought the D300s but would have been just as happy with the D7000 if it had come out when I bought the camera.

I think a great one lense does all is the nikon 18 - 200mm VRII.

I'm now saving my pennies for the nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII and the tonkina 11-16mm f2.8

will put up with my old nikon film lenses until then, then save again for one inbetween and manfrotto tripod (already have a mono pod and love it) and a SB900 flash and a cordless remote and a and a and a etc. Around about the time I have all the goodies the D800 / D4 will be out and I will dream about them.

much like I do with landys as a new one comes out
my only real comment is when you buy new lenses buy the very best you can and do a heap of research as even the not so good ones are expensive and the really good one bloody expensive but if you get it and it isn't right for you then you hae wasted considerable $$$