Graham 0 Report post Posted August 9, 2006 I agree as well, this is turning out to be a fun, friendly and enjoyable forum, and I'm grateful to be here with you guys. About the bee, I just hope it's not an African bee, because there are loads of them in the flowers out back. I tried for the past couple of evenings to get a nice bee shot, but the little buggers don't stay put, instead land and leave in less than a second. So, I decided to try using a 1cc syringe, filled with maple syrup, put the needle tip deep into the middle of the flower, and inject a tiny drop. Now the bee’s land and pose nicely… I had to look at the exif data the camera embeds into each photo, to see what settings I used, because I finally got some nice exposures today. I cut and pasted the data below… Nikon D200 2006/08/08 17:01:17.1 RAW (12-bit) Image Size: Large (3872 x 2592) Color Lens: 105mm F/2.8 D Focal Length: 105mm Exposure Mode: Manual Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern 1/160 sec - F/9 Exposure Comp.: 0 EV Sensitivity: ISO 160 Optimize Image: Custom White Balance: Auto AF Mode: AF-S Flash Sync Mode: Front Curtain Auto Flash Mode: Built-in TTL Auto Flash Comp: 0 EV Color Mode: Mode II (Adobe RGB) Tone Comp.: Normal Hue Adjustment: 0° Saturation: Normal Sharpening: Normal Image Comment: © 2006 Graham Owen Long Exposure NR: Off High ISO NR: Off Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madkasel 0 Report post Posted August 9, 2006 Amazing shots. And wow, Graham, that bee is amazing. Brilliant trick with the syrup! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2006 Neat pic of a rainbow I snapped after a storm on the way home from a fishing trip last year Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sturgeon_Catcher 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2006 Nice data output Graham. Have you figured out how to override or maintain these elements? That has got to be some camera if you can. Nice trick with the maple syrup. Don't take it to the bank on the italian. I've never seen an african. That one does look a little fuzzy on the thorax. Usually this is an indication of a young bee - but the abdomen should have some fuzz as well. Not sure how I would deal with a nest of Africans. BAdd!! Nice shot though. Very nice. later Fred Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sturgeon_Catcher 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2006 Nice rainbow Steeldrifter. They are a hard element to catch in all of its brilliance. Later Fred Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sturgeon_Catcher 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2006 Thought I would have some fun with an 18mm Fisheye lense. This is a really cool lense for closeups of flowers. The focal point is inches from the subject if desired. Covered bridge in Connecticut. Housatonic river is below. Now for the fisheye....... I did turn the lense to vertical but isn't that an interesting effect? Your eye just kinda gets stuck. later FRed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graham 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2006 Steeldrifter, Nice rainbow pic! I wish it would rain around here more often, dry season is April - Oct, with no rain for about 7 months straight. Sturgeon Catcher, Cool bridge pics, the fisheye lens effect is amazing. You asked if I can change the settings in my camera. Yes, there are four shooting memory banks, with many settings, as well as four custom memory banks, with even more settings. I left one memory bank with camera defaults, one set up for flash, one for action and the other general shooting settings I use most often. One cool thing is that I can plug a usb cable into my camera and change all of the settings using Nikon Capture Control software. It's easier that way when compared to looking at the lcd screen on the camera. For studio type work, you can control everything the camera does from a computer, including focusing, dof preview, and clicking the shutter. You can even buy an optional wireless system for this type of studio work, but it's not something I need. Back to the shooting and memory bank settings, these settings can be named and saved using Nikon Capture Control and instantly re-programed into the camera. Pretty cool stuff... Graham Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madkasel 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2006 Pretty cool stuff... Graham Understatement of the day!!! Someday I'll own such a camera, this I swear! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sturgeon_Catcher 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2006 Too Cool!! No fooling. The camera I shoot with is considered relative to man reaching the moon. Think where photography has come in 45 years. Sticking with my old ones....just had two restored all the way to screw heads. $800 a piece and worth every bit of it. I have to individually step through each of these functions...trying to remember all of them...then write it all down...run to the shop and make sure no adjustments are attempted..... That's the fun of it for me.... All those steps individually complete a concept I have presupposed. Did I get it??? When I first started with this camera...I had no meter and only one operations manual that primarily addressed buttons and nobs. The first rolls I only got one or two out of twenty four. Finally, I understood the meter and then it was a go..... To have that ability as you have Graham with the shots I have taken over the years..... You are gonna have fun with that camera Graham. Maple syrup????????? Who thinks of maple syrup to hold a bee??? later Fred Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graham 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2006 Hey Sturgeon Catcher, I have wanted a quality camera for many years, but I used to be relatively satisfied with my old Sony point and shoot. I never set anything, except for macro mode for fly tying pics, and just pointed and clicked, very simple and easy. Last year I received some digital photos, one from a pro photographer who took a pic of me with an Atlantic salmon in the Chilean Andes, and several shots from a buddy who is a photo editor of a fly fishing magazine. Once I saw the quality, sharpness, contrast, huge file sizes, suitable for cropping, I was hooked. Luckily the cost of quality digital cameras has decreased considerably in the past year and I’m sure that trend will continue. I have actually invested more in lenses than the camera, because the lenses will last a lifetime, and not become obsolete in a few years like the camera. I’ve seen friends digital cams encounter electronic problems where they just don’t work anymore, including higher end cameras. I’m sure my camera won’t last a lifetime, but the lenses will. Yesterday I spent my lunch hour scouting for places to practice outdoor scenery shots, drove about 30 miles up into the mountains behind L.A. and took a few photos. Taking scenery pics at noon with the sun straight over head really doesn’t work well; the contrast is too harsh, too many bright spots mixed with deep shadows, etc. I could have kicked myself in the butt for not bringing a tripod, which is essential for getting good depth of field using slower shutter speeds. I took a short hike into a ravine where I found a lot of ferns under the trees, and I think a nice pic could be taken here with a warmer colored less intense early morning sun, illuminating the ferns with angled light coming in beneath the trees. I placed three pics below, focus is not sharp, contrast sucks, composition needs work, but I think I’ve found an area fairly close to home to practice using my camera, and hope to get much better shots next time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graham 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2006 Sweet looking rainbow shot Steeldrifter. I actually wrote a long winded post, clicked to send, and I think the FTF site was down for a few minutes earlier today. So the message above was a redo. And I forgot to retype how interesting the bridge shots are, especially with the fish eye lens. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fly time 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2006 Here is a pict of a sunset at the pond where I fish at, its evenings like this standing there with a fly rod in my hand, that makes me enjoy breathing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graham 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2006 Hey fly time, What a beautiful looking pond, and your pic with the pastel colors on the water and in the sky looks incredibly peaceful and serene. Awesome pic!!! Graham Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fly time 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2006 Yeah, its beautiful in the early mornings, and late in the evenings, and thanks for the kind words. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sturgeon_Catcher 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2006 Hey fly time...... Nice shot and a really nice looking fishing hole. Love to see rises on such a morning. Breathing and on the hunt!!!! later FRed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
