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Pembe Emir
{K:1347} 10/31/2007
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this is great as well:) best wishes, olga
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Joggie van Staden
{K:41700} 10/22/2007
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Hi AJ
The high ISO definitely introduce a lot of noise. With my D70 I never went over 800ISO due to the high noise levels. As can be clearly seen in this shot it also descrease the depth (3d qualities), colour tones and sharpness and would also be dissapointed. I would definitely look at a macro lens and I suggest you stay with the Nikon - you might be able to lay hands on a second hand 105mm Micro (like mine) which is a great performer and also stops down to f2.8. Looking at your portfolio I think you should not live without a macro! Regards. Joggie
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Len Webster
{K:25714} 8/21/2007
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I love this kind of shot but have never been able to capture anything like it for myself. Your commentary might prove to be the basis of a manual!
Many thanks for comments elsewhere, too!
Best
Len
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AJ Miller
{K:49168} 8/15/2007
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Doyle: thanks for the suggestions. My understanding is that while the SB800 will handle higher speeds, the D70s is limited to 1/500 when working with Nikon speedlights. It needs to be fooled into thinking it is a non-Nikon flash (by taping over the contacts) or have a non-Nikon flash installed. There's a long thread about this on photo.net and is also confirmed by
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/syncspeed.htm !
I haven't tried either type of external flash, having used only the built-in flash so far. But I don't want to go any further down this road until I know the results are going to be worthwhile!
The lens may be a limiting factor, also, especially since in macro mode it will be restricted to F5.6.
But it still seems like I've got a long way to go to bring the ISO down from 1250 and regain some sharpness. All of which is pushing me towards reopening that Minolta box.
AJ
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John Hatz
{K:156973} 8/15/2007
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ohhhh my.... that is a great technique, and I think I must try to find a way to play with flashes, yes, I have heared about flashes that can sinchronized VERY FAST for catching really fast things like bullets!!! Back to water dear AJ and here you get a lovely icy 'statue', very well seen image.
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Doyle D. Chastain
{K:101119} 8/15/2007
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"I cannot use the on-board flash at speeds over 1/500. "
WHAT???? Dude . . . no need to tape over the contacts . . . why not the SB800 speedlight which also gives remote flash use? It certainly can get the faster speed. I can't argue the 105mm micro - I love it! This lens, f/4 seems restricted. The 105mm Micro will allow you to open to f/2.8. Research the SB800 . . . it DOES go over the 1/500! Auto FP High Speed Sync Mode provides ample fill-in flash when shooting in bright light with fast aperture lenses to achieve effective blur in the background. When the mode is active, the camera automatically uses high-speed flash synchronization to make shutter speeds available that exceed the camera's own flash sync speed. I couldn't be happier with mine . . . period.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/sb800.htm
So THAT'S how you got those amazing shots . . . a MAGIC camera!! :P
Regards, Doyle I <~~~~~
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John Bohner
{K:8368} 8/15/2007
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I am not an expert...but... Its my understanding that the flash itself happens very very fast. In some cases in a few millionths of a second. this is much faster than a shutter could ever hope to match. There is also the issue of coordinating the time of flash with the 1/500 or so of time that the shutter is open. Perhaps a more productive path would be this. Dim the ambient light so you can leave the shutter open for many seconds (low ASA/ISO and high f number help). Then fire the flash manually when you see the drop where you want it. Let the flash and perhaps a white card reflector provide all the light for proper exposure. I did this in school and we got great images of the inside of a breaking ballon.(we triggered the strobe by sound). Its a thought anyway. Good Luck.
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AJ Miller
{K:49168} 8/15/2007
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Well, thank you Willem for your generous comment. But as you might gather from my "about" I was hoping for something a little more perfect here. The graininess is no doubt a result of the high ISO, and the lack of sharpness results from the low DOF at the settings used. The D70s will not flash above 1/500 (unless you use an external flash and "modify" its behaviour, or use a non-Nikon external flash). BTW, this is already sharpened on the computer and my attempts at sharpening further resulted in intrusive artefacts.
I love this sort of photography, Willem, and will keep searching to improve on it!
AJ
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Willem Arend
{K:734} 8/15/2007
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This is a very nice photo, Sir! A picture is a connection between us and the realities that we see but (fortunately!) don't have much control over. There are no perfect pictures, because there are no perfect realities. This photo could be just a tad sharper, clearer and less grainy, but really just a TAD, and this can easily be done on the computer. As for flashing, does a Nikon D70 not have an "Always Flash" setting on it? That setting is mostly meant for fill-in flashes on backlit subjects, but you could also use it for your purpose?
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