The flash output level of a Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash
To answer this question, I ran a test with a flash light meter to measure the output of the SB-600. Read More…
Running coaxial PC cable between PC sync ports is a common way of synchronizing flash with the shutter curtain of a camera. However more and more cameras and flashes come without PC sync port. The PC sync port now appears to be a legacy thing left for only the high end cameras. D200 and D300 have it but D40, D60, D80, and D90 do not.
The PC sync port can be very useful for some special cases. For example, this Nikon shooter wanted to use an iTTL flash on camera while still being able to fire his radio slaves.
This can certainly be done. I have talked about it in my earlier post titled Mixing Flash Modes. What he need is a hot shoe adapter that has all the required electrical connections to pass through the signals while adding a PC sync port. If you don’t need to maintain iTTL functionality, this device should work. Otherwise you need something just a few wires more sophisticated. The following is what I found for a little over $12 from eBay. Read More…
Nikon School is bring a Capture NX 2 seminar to Atlanta, GA on Saturday February 6, 2010. If you just haven’t got a handle on Capture NX 2 even after reading all the tutorials I have collected for you, this four and half hour butt-numbing sit-and-listen seminar may finally untangle the mess in your brain. According to the announcement, Nikon Technical Sales Representative, Terrence Campbell, will teach you everything from the tools and basic operation of the program to advanced photographic editing. You will learn how to turn your good shots into incredible ones. All for just $79.
For details, check out the following:
Do you have a Nikon flash that is dead because of a broken flash bulb? One obvious path to resurrect it is to send it in for service. If you are handy and really understand how to follow safety procedures, you can save some expensive repair charges by doing it yourself.
It doesn’t appear very difficult.
One guy ordered a replacement bulb for ~$20 (including shipping) directly from Nikon and fixed his Nikon SB-80DX. Another guy fixed his SB-600 with a $8.52 replacement bulb. If you are motivated enough to try it yourself, be really careful! Some safety tips on camera flash capacitor probably help.
Contact Nikon Parts Department
- Phone: 1-310-414-8107
- Fax: 1-310-322-6979
- Hours: 7am – 3pm PST Mon – Fri
Many new digital SLR cameras now come with a feature called Auto ISO, which automatically adjusts the ISO sensitivity of the camera based on pre-programed algorithms and user preferences such as maximum allowed ISO and minimum shutter speed.
Is this feature useful?
The typical support argument for the Auto ISO feature goes like this: Camera lenses have the maximum aperture limitation. At a given ISO, the required shutter speed to achieve proper exposure may be too slow to stop motion or avoid camera shake even when the aperture is at its maximum setting. In this case, the ISO setting of the camera needs to be raised until a usable shutter speed can be obtained. This previously human-involved process can be automated by the Auto ISO feature.
Still need to see some more convincing arguments or have some questions answered about the usefulness of the Auto ISO feature? Professional photographer Steve Simon shared his thoughts on the Auto ISO feature in Nikon DSLR camera in two discussion threads on Flickr:
Nikon USA Learn & Explore learning site has posted some really nice video tutorials in which Joe McNally brings you on location and shows you how to control the color in flash photography. The video tutorial has two parts:
In this set of video tutorials, Joe brings you to Good Springs, Neveda, a ghost town. You will learn from Joe as he steps in a historical place called Pioneer Salon and goes through location assessment and the actual shooting process. The success criteria of location photography is that the photos should be able to capture the mood of the environment and invoke feelings in people who sees the photos even though he/she may be millions of miles away. The focus of the tutorial is about achieving such goals by the choice of color and control of color. Read More…
Nikon has released the updated version of their 300mm f/2.8G lens, AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II, and a new full frame compatible teleconverter, the AF-S TC-20E III.
With its large aperture, optimized sharpness across the whole frame, the lens is perfect for action and sports photojournalism and wildlife photography. But soccer moms and dads need to look elsewhere due to its weight and affordability.
The lens features the latest VR II vibration reduction that is claimed to provide stabilization up to 4 stops slower shutter speed than what is normally possible. Exclusive nano crystal coating reduces ghosting and internal flare. Three ED glasses minimizes chromatic abbreviations. Read More…
If you are looking for a geotagging solution for Nikon DSLR cameras, there are the Nikon GP-1 and many other third party options (low cost options). Most of the units I have talked about are direct tagging units, which are capable of directly writing (via camera) the GPS location information (latitude, longitude, altitude, and UTC time) in the photos. Another types of geotagging devices are also available that are basically GPS loggers that log the movements of the camera at a fixed time interval. The location information needs to be synced to the photos later using geotagging software on desktop computers. It adds some extra work and it is not as accurate because the unit may not be logging a location when a photo is taken. But it can log locations (waypoints) when the user is not taking photos. So it does something more than just geotagging.
If you are not happy about the limitations of existing geotagging GPS devices, a new start-up company in China called Shenzhen Easytag Technology Co. has developed a device called Easytagger that can do both direct photo tagging and track logging for about the same price as the Nikon GP-1. Read More…
