[nitrous]

Guys,
I got a vanguard tripod in decent nick that's missing a "thingy" at the top thats needed to mount/screw the camera on to the tripod.
I'm posting a picture of the top. Help me know the thingy thats missing.

[C300]

Originally Posted by nitrous

Guys,
I got a vanguard tripod in decent nick that's missing a "thingy" at the top thats needed to mount/screw the camera on to the tripod.
I'm posting a picture of the top. Help me know the thingy thats missing.

The 'Quick Release Plate' is missing. You should be able to find the compatible plate on ebay.

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by Ricci

Same here. The other modes are more like weighted presets - sports mode will use fast shutter speeds and bump ISO/aperture, while night scene will increase aperture and/or ISO but also set slow shutter speed as needed. Portrait mode will use wide aperture for bokeh , and so on.

I use Aperture priority 80-90% of the time. Remaining is mostly split between manual or shutter priority , and occasionally Program Auto or the green Auto.

Thanks Ricci! So I am not the only one. But its fun at time to shoot the same object/scene using various modes and see the difference.

Haven't got much of a chance to shoot pics outdoors, but hopefully that will change tomorrow.

Regards

[W.A.G.7]

Quick question here.

I am going to Kanha N.P this Tuesday (24th May). I already have a D5000 with a Nikkor 18-55 kit and 55-200 lens to do the duty. But, is there any place in Pune from where I can loan/borrow a larger lens say 200-400 or a Sigma 150-500 for 8 days? I don't mind even if the lens does not autofocus on the D5000 body, I am ok with MF. Also will a teleconverter work with the 55-200 lens? If yes, which one and where can I borrow it from?

[Speed-Gladiator]

Originally Posted by C300

The 'Quick Release Plate' is missing. You should be able to find the compatible plate on ebay.

Yes the QR plate is missing on your tripod. once I lost my QR plate of my tripod and struggled a lot to get one as it was not at all available in India. So I have to go for a custom made one from a camera repair shop in majestic, Bangalore. That was not of good quality. Finlay I could managed to get one from B&H.

[shajufx]

Few more tests from D700.
ISO-6400, 50mm at 1.4, 1/20 sec, only light in the room a 5 watt bulb after midnight. I was surprised to see a very usable image. Although ISO-6400 gave only 1/20 shutter speed (Aperture priority, high ISO NR is off) I feel the image is overexposed at such a low light, I can imagine the potential of this gem !


And this is a fun testing with the Tokina 12-24 f/4 DX lens. See the area getting cut on an FX sensor at 12mm. Anyway its Riju's lens yet to be returned.

[rajb3125]

Originally Posted by shajufx

Few more tests from D700.
ISO-6400, 50mm at 1.4, 1/20 sec, only light in the room a 5 watt bulb after midnight. I was surprised to see a very usable image. Although ISO-6400 gave only 1/20 shutter speed (Aperture priority, high ISO NR is off) I feel the image is overexposed at such a low light, I can imagine the potential of this gem !

As you go higher than ISO2000, D700 will automatically try to over-expose a tad bit. Anything above ISO3200 if the image is under-exposed there is higher chance of noise creeping in but as image gets exposed correctly/over-exposed noise vanishes.

With my experience, I just leave D700 to M mode with 1/160, f4 and let the flash in TTL+A+FL and go nuts. 99% of my images indoor turn out perfectly exposed, despite the ISO. Oh and I let ISO vary between 200-3200

Turn on High ISO NR and put the camera in Manual mode

[moose56]

I have been looking for a canon 550d in hyderabad from past few days and every shop i contact all i hear is "saar out of stock " . The only place the camera is available is at reliance digital and they are selling it for almost 39
-now i am going to dubai next week so shall i buy it from there?
-will the warranty be valid in india ?
-are SLR camera's troublesome and a warranty with the camera is a necessity ?

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by rajb3125

.....I just leave D700 to M mode with 1/160, f4 and let the flash in TTL+A+FL and go nuts. 99% of my images indoor turn out perfectly exposed, despite the ISO. Oh and I let ISO vary between 200-3200 ....

I was already using M mode since few months, as the D700 is new to me, was curious to check the Aperture Priority before shifting to M mode ! I agree the M mode is where creativity is going to be excelling. But I did not get your comment on flash. I have SB600 and use a very different combination of shutter speed and aperture whenever I use it as bounce flash or through umbrella. Here I mentioned the low light photography test absolutely without artificial light (eg. very low light areas where flash is not a possibility or banned or disturbing to the people around). Do you keep the ISO in AUTO mode ? Somehow I feel happy controlling everything myself, not letting the camera do anything for me

Originally Posted by moose56

....
-now i am going to dubai next week so shall i buy it from there?
-will the warranty be valid in india ?
-are SLR camera's troublesome and a warranty with the camera is a necessity ?

Middle east prices are nothing great to talk about. If International Warranty is not there, you cant claim it in India. Mine is the 3rd body and never got anything with B&W, hope that explains the necessity. Its a personal choice anyway, some people will not get peace of mind if its without proper B&W. Btw, my D700 was sold to me with B&W, because first buyer got it that way. May be thats important when you are spending over a lakh ! Generally speaking, nothing can go wrong for a well cared DSLR.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by moose56

I have been looking for a canon 550d in hyderabad from past few days and every shop i contact all i hear is "saar out of stock " . The only place the camera is available is at reliance digital and they are selling it for almost 39
-now i am going to dubai next week so shall i buy it from there?
-will the warranty be valid in india ?
-are SLR camera's troublesome and a warranty with the camera is a necessity ?

If you are planning a purchase abroad, check if the Canon warranty is local or international.

Nikon has a local warranty i.e. applicable only in the country of purchase on DSLRs while it issues an international warranty card on lenses, flashes and film SLRs. As Shaju said, Nikon will not touch a grey market item even if you offer to pay for the repair/adjustment. They (as do Canon) have a serial # tracking system that can pin point exactly which country a particular camera was shipped to.

If warranty is important to you I would suggest you purchase in India. Nothing much goes wrong with a new DSLR provided you take due care of it. However, a warranty is to cover those "what-if" or rare situations when something goes out of whack.

In the end it's your choice.

PS - I read on Canon's site that purchases in Singapore carry a S'pore and India warranty

Cheers!

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by shajufx

Mine is the 3rd body and never got anything with B&W, hope that explains the necessity. Its a personal choice anyway, some people will not get peace of mind if its without proper B&W. Btw, my D700 was sold to me with B&W, because first buyer got it that way. May be thats important when you are spending over a lakh ! Generally speaking, nothing can go wrong for a well cared DSLR.

What?

I am a bit confused. Is your camera a third hand body? Or is this the third time you are buying without B&W? The reason I am intrigued, and possibly would not touch a used DSLR is the shutter count. I know that is taking nitpicking too far, but to give you an idea - the D90 has a rated shutter count of 100,000. If you take 3000 snaps a month, that would mean that you can use the camera safely for only about 3 years. I dont know the true effect of shutter count, but I guess if I keep my D90 for about 5 years I will not be able to sell it.

What are the thoughts on the forum.

[tifosikrishna]

Originally Posted by shajufx

I was already using M mode since few months, as the D700 is new to me, was curious to check the Aperture Priority before shifting to M mode ! I agree the M mode is where creativity is going to be excelling.

Can't we achieve the same creativity with Aperture Priority + Exposure Compensation? How is M mode so different from Aperture/Time priority, unless one wants extreme exposure than what the meter suggests?

Originally Posted by shajufx

Middle east prices are nothing great to talk about. If International Warranty is not there, you cant claim it in India. Mine is the 3rd body and never got anything with B&W, hope that explains the necessity. Its a personal choice anyway, some people will not get peace of mind if its without proper B&W. Btw, my D700 was sold to me with B&W, because first buyer got it that way. May be thats important when you are spending over a lakh ! Generally speaking, nothing can go wrong for a well cared DSLR.

I too thought Middle East prices will be very high, however I recently bought Canon 15-85mm IS lens there and it was priced lower than what I could get at B&H Photo Video Digital Cameras, Photography, Camcorders. I was surprised to know even prices of Camera bodies were also comparable.

Originally Posted by moose56

I have been looking for a canon 550d in hyderabad from past few days and every shop i contact all i hear is "saar out of stock " . The only place the camera is available is at reliance digital and they are selling it for almost 39
-now i am going to dubai next week so shall i buy it from there?
-will the warranty be valid in india ?
-are SLR camera's troublesome and a warranty with the camera is a necessity ?

Canon UAE warranty is not valid in India. I bought my lens at Jacky's and retailer asked me to register my product online, however I couldn't register it in Canon India site.

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by typeOnegative

What?

I am a bit confused. Is your camera a third hand body? Or is this the third time you are buying without B&W? The reason I am intrigued, and possibly would not touch a used DSLR is the shutter count. I know that is taking nitpicking too far, but to give you an idea - the D90 has a rated shutter count of 100,000. If you take 3000 snaps a month, that would mean that you can use the camera safely for only about 3 years. I dont know the true effect of shutter count, but I guess if I keep my D90 for about 5 years I will not be able to sell it.

What are the thoughts on the forum.

I guess Shaju meant that the D700 is his third DSLR body. Anyway coming to shuttercount, its just a guideline regarding the longevity of the shutter mechanism. In most cases a camera with a shutter longevity of 100,000 actuations will last more than that..maybe the shutter speed will not be as accurate as it used to be. Eventually, you'll need to replace the shutter mechanism (which is a costly affair). For most people, the rated shutter count is more than enough although professionals can easily hit the mark within a few years.Ofcourse the shutter may fail way before the rated count..thats when it hurts the most.

Having said that, these days when camera bodies (especially in the amateur/semipro range) are getting updated every 6 months, its not a good idea to stick to a DSLR body for more than 3 years. The same cannot be said if you are using something like 1D/D3s, 5DII/D700 etc as these bodies have much higher shutter count lifespan.
The best quote I have come across reagarding shutter count :"If your car could only do 100,000 miles, would you be driving it 1000 miles a day?”

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by typeOnegative

..... Is your camera a third hand body? ....but I guess if I keep my D90 for about 5 years I will not be able to sell it.

No buddy, I meant 3rd body in use (D60, D90, D700), not the 3rd hand ! I am very choosy when it comes to used stuff, I wont pick up something unless I know the seller very well or has a common contact whom I can trust 100%. Although my latest deal came through a very reliable contact, I got help from our team-bhpians to personally inspect the item and confirm. It was a smooth deal. Seller flew down to Bangalore to hand it over. Same thing I did too, I carried the stuff to another state for my D90 buyer. So, you see, we are all very sweet people to deal with , except that we could not meet each other in my Mumbai trip !

About the D90 life, no camera technology can go beyond 3 years considering the speed its upgrading every model. Price trend is mostly downwards as we get good brand competition as well as technology racing neck to neck.

Originally Posted by tifosikrishna

Can't we achieve the same creativity with Aperture Priority + Exposure Compensation?.........I too thought Middle East prices will be very high, however I recently bought Canon 15-85mm IS lens there and it was priced lower......I bought my lens at Jacky's.....

Off course you can use your creativity in any mode, but AUTO mode is always auto mode. Aperture, Shutter, Program modes are 50% Auto if my understanding is correct. I did not say Mid East prices are high, I said there is nothing great to talk about compared to the Indian prices. Warranty is always a worry as many things are sold there with exclusive country specific warranty. Half my family is slogging there since many years, so I do these comparisons of many gadgets throughout the year. I know people who run Jacky's, one of my friends is a partner too. But I have not bought even a memory card from them till date

[R2D2]

The D700 and Canon 5D Mk2, 7D, have a shutter life of 150,000 actuations and the pro bodies' shutters i.e. Nikon D series and the Canon 1D Mk 3 and Mk 4 bodies have a life of 300,000 actuations. If buying a second hand body it is very important to check the # of actuations. Take a photograph and check the EXIF info in KUSO Exif viewer or Opanda.

You will not get even a brand new body with zero shutter actuations. It varies from single digits to even as many as 100+. Some folks have had been shipped bodies with several hundred actuations from internet merchants and that too in the US where they have solid no-questions-asked return policies. Imagine if you were shipped such a camera body in India! Another reason, IMHO, not to order expensive photographic equipment over the 'net.

Shaju, I trust you checked this whilst signing up for your D700.

Cheers!