The Camera Spider

Nikon 18-200 F3.5-5.6 VR 2 Demonstration / Review

radmin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:25:47 +0000

Supplemental information: the VR uses quite a bit of battery. Probably as much as the flash at near full power. Also, the VR "sleep" behavior I demonstrate is true of all VR I've tested. I went to the store and tried 5 different VR lenses and they all went to sleep if you held the lens too still. This only happens when you brace yourself or rest your elbows on something. I doubt you could hold it still enough free-standing. "Normal" mode will attempt to actually lock on and hold that position where as "Active" mode simply dampens movements but does not attempt to out-right stop them. NOTE: be sure you turn off vr for any long exposure! The lens will "drift" causing any long tripod exposures to appear motion blurry. Kind of ironic.

Tamron Lens Sale/rebates on Amazon

The Spider — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:47:37 +0000

Following the nice Sigma sale Amazon just had (maybe it is still going - I am not sure) Amazon has a number of Tamron lenses with discounts.

Tamron Discounts on Amazon.

Between Tamron and Sigma, I have had better luck with Tamron. The outstanding Tamron 17-50 f2.8 is one of my more heavily used lenses. For some the range is too limited, but you can't fault the image quality for the price.

Anyway, if you have been considering a Tamron lens, this might be a good opportunity to save a bit.

Symptoms of Oily Aperture Blades

The Spider — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 20:13:57 +0000

Oily aperture blades is one of the maladies that can effect old camera lenses. Oil gets onto the blades when the grease in the focus gearing breaks down and leaks. Age and heat are typically what causes the grease to break down i.e. a lens left in a car on a hot sunny day. The blades should be absolutely dry, they do not need lubrication.

The primary symptom of oily blades is usually over exposure on shots where aperture is set smaller than wide open. So for example with a 85mm f1.4 lens, wide open is f1.4. If you set f5.6 on the camera and take a picture it comes out overexposed for no good reason.

What is happening is that while focusing, the camera holds the lens wide open so you have a bright viewfinder and the AF unit can do its job well. When you press the shutter release the camera closes the lens to the specified aperture and takes the picture. With oil on the blades, the blades don't move or not quickly enough to get to the correct position. The result is that you end up with an aperture more open that what was specified on the camera.

There are a few ways to check and see if this has happened to a lens.

Visual inspection is the best way. Obviously if you can see oil, you have identified its existence. Remove the lens from the camera and shine a flash light into the lens and look down on the blades. In most cases you can get the best view looking through the front element but you can also try the rear. Oil will appear as a circle or little triangular wings. Clean blades will look consistent and dry. Patterned discoloration is generally a sure sign of oily aperture blades. In large aperture prime lenses this technique is usually very easy to do. For zoom lenses it can be very more problematic.
Check "snappiness" of the blades. With the lens off of the camera, pull the aperture actuator back to open the blades. It should retract smoothly without stickiness or inconsistent resistance. When released, the blades should snap closed. If they stick in place or close sluggishly, this may indicate oil on them or a broken return spring.

Some lenses will operate fairly well even with oil on the blades and in other cases the blades might become completely stuck.

The difficulty in cleaning blades varies considerably between lenses. In any case for this job you will need the right tools, instructions and care. If you decide to give it a try, take good pictures or make a video of the disassembly, so you know how to put it back together. Work over a tray or have some way to capture parts if they drop from your work or a spring fires them off.

Of course, for rare or valuable lenses please consider a reputable repair shop. I have heard good reports about Keh’s repair service

Nikon CLS Demonstration Video

radmin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 02:24:29 +0000

A simple and nice example of using the Nikon flash system. One remote flash that is fired by the camera's on-board system. In macro photography like this it is important to note that the main on-board camera flash is not contributing to the exposure, it is only triggering the flash. Otherwise the on-board will cause reflections and glare that a remote flash wont.

On my Sony A700 this is a problem because you can't turn off the on-camera flash. So a trick I used was to tape a piece of exposed film over the flash. This way the signal light could still trigger the remote flash while not contributing to the overall exposure. (if you do this make sure the camera is set to wireless mode or you will melt the film to your on-camera flash... not ideal). Obviously the Nikon system is better.

A quick demonstration using Nikon's CLS with SB-800's and a Nikon D200

Nikon SB-900 Usage and Features Video

radmin — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:22:58 +0000

Ok, one of the stranger sounding and feeling camera oriented videos I have seen, but at the same time quite interesting and helpful. I certainly have been wanting one of these flashes for awhile, and this only further whetted my appetite more. Time to spin a web and capture one as it passes by... right after I get a degree in "flashology" so I can understand how to use it...

This video demonstrates the basic hands-on demonstration on Nikon's new professional-grade speedlight of SB-900.

Check prices on the Nikon SB-900.

Nikon D5000 / D90 Videos

radmin — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:21:48 +0000

From Youtube, obviously A little sales material'ish, but still interesting.

We put the new Nikon D5000 to the test for one day with two kids, Maddie and Lockie, and let them loose in Sydney to find out how they would go capturing their day on camera. See more @ My Nikon Life: mynikonlife.com.au

Join award-winning photographer Chase Jarvis, along with his well-known staff, as they take us behind the scenes for advance testing of the Nikon D90.

Sigma Lens Sale!

The Spider — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 20:25:34 +0000

Amazon is offering 10% off of Sigma lenses sold by Amazon (not 3rd party sellers). You can check out the list of available lenses here:

Amazon Sigma Sale

The sales code is: SIGMADAD

Amazon often has excellent prices to begin with, so an additional 10% is nice. If you have Prime, you can get free 2 day shipping as well. I do most of my online shopping since it comes tax and shipping free. It is more convenient than shopping local.

I buy most of my camera equipment from eBay, but let me give you another example. I purchase a fair amount of computer components for work. I can usually find a better prices at other sources, like Newegg and others, BUT with tax and shipping cost Amazon is almost always cheaper AND faster.

Good luck finding your deal

RC Helicopter Camera

The Spider — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:12:02 +0000

Really an amazing and fun use of technology. I'd love to have a setup like this. The first video gives you the essential idea of what is possible.

And you too can scare farm animals with your flying camera...

Cool! The Spider wants a ride!

Holga 120N

radmin — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:42:19 +0000

The Holga 120N is a cool, cheap plastic medium format film camera. These are very popular for those who like to experiment with their cameras. They are capable of producing amazing quality photos.

Search results below

HOLGA MANUAL CAMERA 120N EXCELLENT CONDITION NICE AND CLEAN
	$40.00 Time Remaining: 5d 1h 45m Buy It Now for only: $80.00 Buy It Now \| Bid now \| Add to watch list

Holga 120N Plastic Lens Medium Format Camera Electric Blue 297120
	$39.99 Time Remaining: 24d 5h 21m Buy It Now for only: $39.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Holga 120N Plastic Lens Medium Format Camera Fuschia Fusion 307120
	$39.99 Time Remaining: 24d 4h 37m Buy It Now for only: $39.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Holga 120N Medium Format Fixed Focus Camera with Lens 144120
	$29.99 Time Remaining: 24d 4h 56m Buy It Now for only: $29.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Holga 120N Medium Format Camera Pretty in Pink 178120
	$39.99 Time Remaining: 24d 3h 34m Buy It Now for only: $39.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Holga 120 N Medium Format SLR Film Camera
	$45.00 Time Remaining: 6d 4h 41m Buy It Now for only: $70.00 Buy It Now \| Bid now \| Add to watch list

Holga 120N Medium Format Fixed Focus Camera Commando 188120
	$39.99 Time Remaining: 24d 4h 56m Buy It Now for only: $39.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Holga 120N Plastic Lens Medium Format Camera Orange Burst 306120
	$39.99 Time Remaining: 24d 5h 21m Buy It Now for only: $39.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Holga 183120 120N Medium Format Fixed Focus Camera
	$39.99 Time Remaining: 12d 2h 52m Buy It Now for only: $39.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Holga 120N Gretchen Bleiler Edition Camera Snow Forest 294120
	$59.99 Time Remaining: 24d 5h 22m Buy It Now for only: $59.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Here is a nice gallery of photos from this camera.

Added Lomo LC-a Section

The Spider — Sun, 30 May 2010 03:36:37 +0000

The new Lomo LC-A section, includes comments on the camera's batteries (important), specs and some pictures of mine.

One of the Spider's favorite cameras, the Lomo LC-A. Its an old plastic Russian film camera. People call it a rangefinder, but it doesn't have a rangefinder "finder", so it is really a point'n'shoot. In any case, it is still wonderful (and cheap).

The LC-A produces unique images and the camera itself encourages quick, informal shooting. I expect no more than one good shot per roll -- but I am generally surprised at how interesting that one shot is.

I think everyone should try the Lomo out at one time or another.