PHOTOGRAPHIC THREADS: camera queries, any photo tech stuff!

[ranunculus]

As an aside to this universal praise for Nikon (Nikkor) lenses, can I caution that there are problems with the sometimes superb Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-135mm ED lens that is often packaged with the Nikon D80.  Mine (and many others according to the web) has failed in the field and the autofocus sensors refuse to work. I have tried all the 'repair' options (cleaning the sensors, trying other lenses, etc.), but it seems I must now return it to Nikon and pay them a fixed fee simply to 'get a report and a quote for goodness knows how much' for the replacement of a tiny sensor that I know has failed.  Anyone else been afflicted and actually managed to get a sensible quote?  

It is, of course, just weeks out of warranty!

[Casalima]

On a much more modest level, I did end up buying the Canon Powershot SX10IS. I have had very little time to play with it, but I am very happy so far. It seems to be just what I was looking for - good colours, good macro, very high quality point&click + much more for when I finally have time to read the (unprinted) manual!
Acer palmatum 'Butterfly' this morning.

[Carlo]

Paddy,

If you've got the 18-200, why consider the 70-200? That 's a tremendous amount of overlap for a slight gain in speed.

[Maggi Young]

On a much more modest level, I did end up buying the Canon Powershot SX10IS. I have had very little time to play with it, but I am very happy so far. It seems to be just what I was looking for - good colours, good macro, very high quality point&click + much more for when I finally have time to read the (unprinted) manual!
Acer palmatum 'Butterfly' this morning.

Chloe, you have no idea how pleased I am to find there are "real" people reading this thread, too  ..... I was despairing of a post in a language I can understand  ..... and I like your Acer flowers, too!!


 I have a feeling that there IS a meaningful and useful discussion going on here, even if it is all flying WAY over my head!

[ranunculus]

Are you referring to Nikonii pseudocameron, pseudotobin, pseudobalistrieri and pseudobookerii, Maggi?

[Maggi Young]

Nothing "pseudo" about them.... I'm as sure as I can be that they are all REAL!! 

[Paddy Tobin]

Carlo,

Perhaps, there is a little of the "toys for boys" in my considerations. It does strike me as an excellent lens, better quality than the 18 - 200 that I am presently using and with better speeds, as you say.

I'm only thinking - I do a lot of this before spending my money.

Paddy

[Carlo]

As do I, I've got several lines of thought going at the moment myself...

[Anthony Darby]

I think the advice in this thread (or should we be renaming it bayonet? ) very useful.

[Paddy Tobin]

Anthony,

The advantage of this thread and the advice contained therein is that the people who offer the advice are practical users of the cameras or equipment mentioned and also most probably have similar uses for their cameras. This is what makes it so good. There are plenty of reviews one can read about this lens, for example, but a few words from someone who has actually handled it is far more beneficial. Also, the word of people on this thread is more trustworthy - no commercial involvement etc.

Certainly, I took the advice offered when considering a macro lens for flower photography and have been delighted with it ever since.

Paddy

[David Nicholson]

Those of you who have seen my pictures will know that I am very much a point and shoot person. I use a Fuji FinePix S5700 digital compact and restrict myself to auto settings or to the range of specialist settings built into the camera. I do have trouble with blues but I seem to have more trouble with reds which, for the mainpart, seem to come out a shocking pink shade. Can anyone tell me how I can improve this, but not too many big words please

[Paddy Tobin]

David,

I'm not familiar with your camera though I did use a Fuji finepix 9900(or some such) for about a year.

Is there, by chance, a control on your camera for "White balance"? Setting this to the prevailing light conditions would help get the colour tints correct. You may have a control knob for sun, shade, shadow or the likes. This is the white balance setting.

You could also edit the photographs on the computer to correct the colour balance but if you can set the camera to do it properly in the first place it would obviously be much better.

Paddy

P.S. David, I had a look on the internet at the specifications for the S5700 and it seem you have 7 settings for white balance!  So, next time, set the appropriate white balance setting before you shoot!

[Carlo]

White balance MAY assist with the problem, but if all your other colors are coming out spot on, then post-processing with Lightroom, Photoshop or another of the image manipulation programs is the only resort to getting true color represented (and it's quite easy...).

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for that Paddy, I'll have a read of the instruction book and then give it a go.

Thanks Carlo I did have try at amending the colour with Irfanview but it wasn't very successful, still, it is free

[Eric Locke]

David

I am  not familiar with your particular camera, but if you can alter the white balance manually instead of the preset levels you will get better results. Reds and deep pinks can be a big problen to render correctly but I have found that if you can take the photo in slight shade rather than in sunlight the colours are much better.

Eric