Buying D1X.. few questions..

[Jennie53231]

Hi, I posted earlier about the D1X and how everyone liked it, and i got all postive responses. Thank you. I currently have the Oly E10 and own a children's photography studio,and i am looking for a "better" camera. The Nikon is pricier then i wanted, but i LOVE the images it produces. I do have a few questions though..

I read that one concern about it is it collects a lot of dust. IF im only using "one" lens will I have this problem. And if SO how do you fix it? Do you clean on your own? And how? is it hard?

And i've read it does NOT come with a lens. What lens would you recommend for me to get? how much are they?

Thanks for your help.
Jennie
http://www.babycakesphotography.net--Murph

 

[Ron Reznick]

Jennie, with a single lens that doesn't pump a lot of air (old-style push-pull zooms and long-range zooms tend to do that sort of thing), dust will be a very small problem. Even when you change lenses it's not a disastrous situation -- I clean my camera out with canned air (carefully, so as to avoid spraying propellant) and have no major problem.

With regards to lenses, you have to decide:

1. What focal range you need to cover;
2. What quality your standards require;
3. What you are willing to pay to achieve #1 and #2.

I would highly recommend starting out with a $90 50mm f/1.8 -- it will not stress the budget at all and the performance of the lens is truly remarkable. Once you see what you can do with that, you'll have a good reference to work with when deciding on a zoom lens (it sounds as if you plan on using one, since you are considering working with a single lens for the most part).

I think that you will find that few zoom lenses will come even remotely close to the performance of the 50mm f/1.8, and when you want to shoot in fairly low-light situations, that 50mm will do a marvelous job at f/2.8... far, far better than any zoom at that aperture. The f/1.8 lens is built a little less well than the $250 50mm f/1.4D, which does a better job at wider apertures, has a slightly greater amount of distortion and is a little less of a performer at f/8 to f/16 than the f/1.8 lens. The 50/1.8 is well worth that $90 though, most especially because it will give you a sharp, light, fast lens that will tell you what your camera can do, and very likely prevent you from accepting any low-grade lenses that would eventually annoy you with their lack of performance, causing you aggravation and loss of money when you inevitably decided to sell them and get a better lens.

Depending on what you shoot most often, and what your budget is, there are a number of good lenses to recommend. I do suggest that you take a little time to read this lens article:

http://digital-images.net/Lenses/lenses.html

Remember that I'm rather picky, and that tends to affect what I have to say about lenses, but the principles mentioned there should assist you in making decisions.

There are other good places to learn about glass... but you need to define your needs first.

Ron--Ron Reznick http://digital-images.nethttp://trapagon.com

 

[Ger Bee]

The dust is an issue that is being looked at with growing experiences.

There seems to be enough reports to suggest that two types of dust particles settle on the CCD. One will blow away effectively with a normal “photographic” clean air – compressed air – but for the photographic quality. And the other is a “stickier” kind, which needs more attention.

Nikon recommend the use of a mains adapter to activate CSM (custom function) N0.8 which exposes the CCD for cleaning without activating it – this can be done with an external battery too – but as you are in a studio the mains is probably a better idea.

The dust issue may affect you in the studio more than any other environment because of the small apertures one may be using. The dust becomes most prominent with small apertures and clean even backgrounds – typically a clear blue sky is mentioned as the ideal medium to spot the dust. Keeping a lens on the camera all the time will slow and inhibit but will not stop the gradual and eventual build up of dust on the CCD.

If you are living near a Nikon service centre I’d recommend that you visit it with the camera and watch how the technician cleans the CCD. I say this because most D1x(s) arrive with dust on the CCD from transport – and many have complained of CCD dust after Nikon cleaned and posted it back. One very experiences user, Stephen Livick could corroborate this if he sees this.

In brief the CCD cleaning is a technique, which needs and AC adapter or an external battery – clean “photographic” air and for the more determined cleaning a CCD swab (N-Type) and Eclipse fluid.

With the camera on mains power activate CSM 8 and in an upright position blow out any dust in the whole CCD and housing area – this in many cases is all there is to it. For the stubborn dust and slush one needs to employ a CCD-N swab (Nikon Type) with a little but sufficient Eclipse fluid and pass the swab once only along the length of the CCD. This takes a little practice and getting the fluid right is a trick too – too much and one has flood – which needs further cleaning as it now only spreads the slush around and the actual pass of the swab – the trick is to have the swab perpendicular at the very end of the CCD thus taking up dust immediately and gently sweep down the CCD length (gently here means a contact firmness but not a brute force – if you are squeezing fluid out of the swab it is too heavy – if the swab remains dry it is too light a pressure) and the final trick is to sweep into the opposite end and lift away perpendicularly – the idea is that all the dust has been swept to one end and lifted away.

Too much fluid will release dust in the wake of the swab and will leave a fluid pool at he other end of the run. This will manifest itself in a debris trail visible at the top and bottom of the CCD possibly accompanied by streaks and a horizontal debris deposit to the right side of the CCD (assuming left to right sweep). I’ve often just ignore these and carried on shooting – but in your studio this is “probably” not good enough so it would need to be cleaned again. If the swab is too dry then it streaks the CCD surface – these will go away in time but will not necessarily respond to a second cleaning immediately – they seem to last a week or so. Again in my shooting I could ignore them but again for the studio this would show – particularly for product photography – people photography may not show this as much.

For all this I do not consider the dust problem a problem but it could get better support from all manufacturers – they tend to throw us to the wolves and let us fend for ourselves – Nikon will clean your CCD free of charge at least a few time during warranty on request.

What I have written may sound frightening but in your shooting situation your are unlikely to experience the same or the same extent.

 

[Jennie53231]

Thanks for that Info. Ron

I photograph babies/children/families. My studio is not that big ( 12 ft by 16 ft)... So the "one" lens I buy I'd like to be able to do close up's as well. After knowing this, What would you recommend? I know nothing about lenses. I will deft. check out that link when I get a moment Thanks, Jen

Jennie, with a single lens that doesn't pump a lot of air
(old-style push-pull zooms and long-range zooms tend to do that
sort of thing), dust will be a very small problem. Even when you
change lenses it's not a disastrous situation -- I clean my camera
out with canned air (carefully, so as to avoid spraying propellant)
and have no major problem.

With regards to lenses, you have to decide:

1. What focal range you need to cover;
2. What quality your standards require;
3. What you are willing to pay to achieve #1 and #2.

I would highly recommend starting out with a $90 50mm f/1.8 -- it
will not stress the budget at all and the performance of the lens
is truly remarkable. Once you see what you can do with that, you'll
have a good reference to work with when deciding on a zoom lens (it
sounds as if you plan on using one, since you are considering
working with a single lens for the most part).

I think that you will find that few zoom lenses will come even
remotely close to the performance of the 50mm f/1.8, and when you
want to shoot in fairly low-light situations, that 50mm will do a
marvelous job at f/2.8... far, far better than any zoom at that
aperture. The f/1.8 lens is built a little less well than the $250
50mm f/1.4D, which does a better job at wider apertures, has a
slightly greater amount of distortion and is a little less of a
performer at f/8 to f/16 than the f/1.8 lens. The 50/1.8 is well
worth that $90 though, most especially because it will give you a
sharp, light, fast lens that will tell you what your camera can do,
and very likely prevent you from accepting any low-grade lenses
that would eventually annoy you with their lack of performance,
causing you aggravation and loss of money when you inevitably
decided to sell them and get a better lens.

Depending on what you shoot most often, and what your budget is,
there are a number of good lenses to recommend. I do suggest that
you take a little time to read this lens article:

http://digital-images.net/Lenses/lenses.html

Remember that I'm rather picky, and that tends to affect what I
have to say about lenses, but the principles mentioned there should
assist you in making decisions.

There are other good places to learn about glass... but you need to
define your needs first.

Ron
--
Ron Reznick
http://digital-images.net
http://trapagon.com

--Murph

 

[Jennie53231]

WOW! This is a lot to consider before buying this. It does seem like it maybe more of a problem/issue then I imagined. I have a Mikes Camera shop near me which is a highly known camera place. Would they be able to clean on the spot? I guess i'd have to call. I wonder if i'd be able to do it on my own? Is it as hard as it sounds? And where do you buy all of this stuff to clean it? Jennie

The dust is an issue that is being looked at with growing experiences.

There seems to be enough reports to suggest that two types of dust
particles settle on the CCD. One will blow away effectively with a

normal “photographic” clean air – compressed air – but for the
photographic quality. And the other is a “stickier” kind, which
needs more attention.

Nikon recommend the use of a mains adapter to activate CSM (custom
function) N0.8 which exposes the CCD for cleaning without
activating it – this can be done with an external battery too – but
as you are in a studio the mains is probably a better idea.

The dust issue may affect you in the studio more than any other
environment because of the small apertures one may be using. The
dust becomes most prominent with small apertures and clean even
backgrounds – typically a clear blue sky is mentioned as the ideal
medium to spot the dust. Keeping a lens on the camera all the time
will slow and inhibit but will not stop the gradual and eventual
build up of dust on the CCD.

If you are living near a Nikon service centre I’d recommend that
you visit it with the camera and watch how the technician cleans
the CCD. I say this because most D1x(s) arrive with dust on the CCD
from transport – and many have complained of CCD dust after Nikon
cleaned and posted it back. One very experiences user, Stephen
Livick could corroborate this if he sees this.

In brief the CCD cleaning is a technique, which needs and AC

adapter or an external battery – clean “photographic” air and for
the more determined cleaning a CCD swab (N-Type) and Eclipse fluid.

With the camera on mains power activate CSM 8 and in an upright
position blow out any dust in the whole CCD and housing area – this
in many cases is all there is to it. For the stubborn dust and
slush one needs to employ a CCD-N swab (Nikon Type) with a little
but sufficient Eclipse fluid and pass the swab once only along the
length of the CCD. This takes a little practice and getting the
fluid right is a trick too – too much and one has flood – which
needs further cleaning as it now only spreads the slush around and
the actual pass of the swab – the trick is to have the swab
perpendicular at the very end of the CCD thus taking up dust
immediately and gently sweep down the CCD length (gently here means
a contact firmness but not a brute force – if you are squeezing
fluid out of the swab it is too heavy – if the swab remains dry it
is too light a pressure) and the final trick is to sweep into the
opposite end and lift away perpendicularly – the idea is that all
the dust has been swept to one end and lifted away.

Too much fluid will release dust in the wake of the swab and will
leave a fluid pool at he other end of the run. This will manifest
itself in a debris trail visible at the top and bottom of the CCD
possibly accompanied by streaks and a horizontal debris deposit to
the right side of the CCD (assuming left to right sweep). I’ve
often just ignore these and carried on shooting – but in your
studio this is “probably” not good enough so it would need to be
cleaned again. If the swab is too dry then it streaks the CCD
surface – these will go away in time but will not necessarily
respond to a second cleaning immediately – they seem to last a week
or so. Again in my shooting I could ignore them but again for the
studio this would show – particularly for product photography –
people photography may not show this as much.

For all this I do not consider the dust problem a problem but it
could get better support from all manufacturers – they tend to
throw us to the wolves and let us fend for ourselves – Nikon will
clean your CCD free of charge at least a few time during warranty
on request.

What I have written may sound frightening but in your shooting
situation your are unlikely to experience the same or the same
extent.

--Murph

 

[Steve in CT]

Jennie,

See my response to your other thread on the subject of dust. Don't be intimidated!

Steve in CT

The dust is an issue that is being looked at with growing experiences.

There seems to be enough reports to suggest that two types of dust
particles settle on the CCD. One will blow away effectively with a
normal “photographic” clean air – compressed air – but for the
photographic quality. And the other is a “stickier” kind, which
needs more attention.

Nikon recommend the use of a mains adapter to activate CSM (custom
function) N0.8 which exposes the CCD for cleaning without
activating it – this can be done with an external battery too – but
as you are in a studio the mains is probably a better idea.

The dust issue may affect you in the studio more than any other
environment because of the small apertures one may be using. The
dust becomes most prominent with small apertures and clean even
backgrounds – typically a clear blue sky is mentioned as the ideal
medium to spot the dust. Keeping a lens on the camera all the time
will slow and inhibit but will not stop the gradual and eventual
build up of dust on the CCD.

If you are living near a Nikon service centre I’d recommend that
you visit it with the camera and watch how the technician cleans
the CCD. I say this because most D1x(s) arrive with dust on the CCD
from transport – and many have complained of CCD dust after Nikon
cleaned and posted it back. One very experiences user, Stephen
Livick could corroborate this if he sees this.

In brief the CCD cleaning is a technique, which needs and AC
adapter or an external battery – clean “photographic” air and for
the more determined cleaning a CCD swab (N-Type) and Eclipse fluid.

With the camera on mains power activate CSM 8 and in an upright
position blow out any dust in the whole CCD and housing area – this
in many cases is all there is to it. For the stubborn dust and
slush one needs to employ a CCD-N swab (Nikon Type) with a little
but sufficient Eclipse fluid and pass the swab once only along the
length of the CCD. This takes a little practice and getting the
fluid right is a trick too – too much and one has flood – which
needs further cleaning as it now only spreads the slush around and
the actual pass of the swab – the trick is to have the swab
perpendicular at the very end of the CCD thus taking up dust
immediately and gently sweep down the CCD length (gently here means
a contact firmness but not a brute force – if you are squeezing
fluid out of the swab it is too heavy – if the swab remains dry it
is too light a pressure) and the final trick is to sweep into the
opposite end and lift away perpendicularly – the idea is that all
the dust has been swept to one end and lifted away.

Too much fluid will release dust in the wake of the swab and will
leave a fluid pool at he other end of the run. This will manifest
itself in a debris trail visible at the top and bottom of the CCD
possibly accompanied by streaks and a horizontal debris deposit to
the right side of the CCD (assuming left to right sweep). I’ve
often just ignore these and carried on shooting – but in your
studio this is “probably” not good enough so it would need to be
cleaned again. If the swab is too dry then it streaks the CCD
surface – these will go away in time but will not necessarily
respond to a second cleaning immediately – they seem to last a week
or so. Again in my shooting I could ignore them but again for the
studio this would show – particularly for product photography –
people photography may not show this as much.

For all this I do not consider the dust problem a problem but it
could get better support from all manufacturers – they tend to
throw us to the wolves and let us fend for ourselves – Nikon will
clean your CCD free of charge at least a few time during warranty
on request.

What I have written may sound frightening but in your shooting
situation your are unlikely to experience the same or the same
extent.

--
Murph

--Steve in CT

 

[Jennie53231]

Hi Steve, I read it. I think i replied back to yours too. Thanks, jen

See my response to your other thread on the subject of dust. Don't
be intimidated!

Steve in CT

The dust is an issue that is being looked at with growing experiences.

There seems to be enough reports to suggest that two types of dust
particles settle on the CCD. One will blow away effectively with a

normal “photographic” clean air – compressed air – but for the
photographic quality. And the other is a “stickier” kind, which
needs more attention.

Nikon recommend the use of a mains adapter to activate CSM (custom
function) N0.8 which exposes the CCD for cleaning without
activating it – this can be done with an external battery too – but
as you are in a studio the mains is probably a better idea.

The dust issue may affect you in the studio more than any other
environment because of the small apertures one may be using. The
dust becomes most prominent with small apertures and clean even
backgrounds – typically a clear blue sky is mentioned as the ideal
medium to spot the dust. Keeping a lens on the camera all the time
will slow and inhibit but will not stop the gradual and eventual
build up of dust on the CCD.

If you are living near a Nikon service centre I’d recommend that
you visit it with the camera and watch how the technician cleans
the CCD. I say this because most D1x(s) arrive with dust on the CCD
from transport – and many have complained of CCD dust after Nikon
cleaned and posted it back. One very experiences user, Stephen
Livick could corroborate this if he sees this.

In brief the CCD cleaning is a technique, which needs and AC

adapter or an external battery – clean “photographic” air and for
the more determined cleaning a CCD swab (N-Type) and Eclipse fluid.

With the camera on mains power activate CSM 8 and in an upright
position blow out any dust in the whole CCD and housing area – this
in many cases is all there is to it. For the stubborn dust and
slush one needs to employ a CCD-N swab (Nikon Type) with a little
but sufficient Eclipse fluid and pass the swab once only along the
length of the CCD. This takes a little practice and getting the
fluid right is a trick too – too much and one has flood – which
needs further cleaning as it now only spreads the slush around and
the actual pass of the swab – the trick is to have the swab
perpendicular at the very end of the CCD thus taking up dust
immediately and gently sweep down the CCD length (gently here means
a contact firmness but not a brute force – if you are squeezing
fluid out of the swab it is too heavy – if the swab remains dry it
is too light a pressure) and the final trick is to sweep into the
opposite end and lift away perpendicularly – the idea is that all
the dust has been swept to one end and lifted away.

Too much fluid will release dust in the wake of the swab and will
leave a fluid pool at he other end of the run. This will manifest
itself in a debris trail visible at the top and bottom of the CCD
possibly accompanied by streaks and a horizontal debris deposit to
the right side of the CCD (assuming left to right sweep). I’ve
often just ignore these and carried on shooting – but in your
studio this is “probably” not good enough so it would need to be
cleaned again. If the swab is too dry then it streaks the CCD
surface – these will go away in time but will not necessarily
respond to a second cleaning immediately – they seem to last a week
or so. Again in my shooting I could ignore them but again for the
studio this would show – particularly for product photography –
people photography may not show this as much.

For all this I do not consider the dust problem a problem but it
could get better support from all manufacturers – they tend to
throw us to the wolves and let us fend for ourselves – Nikon will
clean your CCD free of charge at least a few time during warranty
on request.

What I have written may sound frightening but in your shooting
situation your are unlikely to experience the same or the same
extent.

--
Murph

--
Steve in CT

--Murph

 

[Ron Reznick]

Jennie,

At that range and for that subject matter, it's likely that you will want a low-distortion zoom lens in the normal range. The three options are the 28-105 f/3.5-4.5D, the 35-70 f/2.8D and the 28-70 f/2.8D AFS (the 24-85 f/2.8-4D is another option, but personally I don't like that lens much due to greater distortion and a lack of sharpness at wider focal lengths).

As your camera-to-subject distance is going to be between 3 and 10 feet, if you can at all afford it I'd highly recommend that you consider the 28-70 AFS, as it offers near-prime-lens performance in this range at medium-to-small apertures. It's a big honking beast of a lens, and quite expensive, but it really is the class act for a zoom in this range.

Ron

Jennie, with a single lens that doesn't pump a lot of air
(old-style push-pull zooms and long-range zooms tend to do that
sort of thing), dust will be a very small problem. Even when you
change lenses it's not a disastrous situation -- I clean my camera
out with canned air (carefully, so as to avoid spraying propellant)
and have no major problem.

With regards to lenses, you have to decide:

1. What focal range you need to cover;
2. What quality your standards require;
3. What you are willing to pay to achieve #1 and #2.

I would highly recommend starting out with a $90 50mm f/1.8 -- it
will not stress the budget at all and the performance of the lens
is truly remarkable. Once you see what you can do with that, you'll
have a good reference to work with when deciding on a zoom lens (it
sounds as if you plan on using one, since you are considering
working with a single lens for the most part).

I think that you will find that few zoom lenses will come even
remotely close to the performance of the 50mm f/1.8, and when you
want to shoot in fairly low-light situations, that 50mm will do a
marvelous job at f/2.8... far, far better than any zoom at that
aperture. The f/1.8 lens is built a little less well than the $250
50mm f/1.4D, which does a better job at wider apertures, has a
slightly greater amount of distortion and is a little less of a
performer at f/8 to f/16 than the f/1.8 lens. The 50/1.8 is well
worth that $90 though, most especially because it will give you a
sharp, light, fast lens that will tell you what your camera can do,
and very likely prevent you from accepting any low-grade lenses
that would eventually annoy you with their lack of performance,
causing you aggravation and loss of money when you inevitably
decided to sell them and get a better lens.

Depending on what you shoot most often, and what your budget is,
there are a number of good lenses to recommend. I do suggest that
you take a little time to read this lens article:

http://digital-images.net/Lenses/lenses.html

Remember that I'm rather picky, and that tends to affect what I
have to say about lenses, but the principles mentioned there should
assist you in making decisions.

There are other good places to learn about glass... but you need to
define your needs first.

Ron
--
Ron Reznick
http://digital-images.net
http://trapagon.com

--
Murph

--Ron Reznick http://digital-images.nethttp://trapagon.com

 

[Jennie53231]

Ron, can you tell me where i can buy that lens???? the 28-70 AFS. How much is it about? Thanks, Jennie

At that range and for that subject matter, it's likely that you
will want a low-distortion zoom lens in the normal range. The three
options are the 28-105 f/3.5-4.5D, the 35-70 f/2.8D and the 28-70
f/2.8D AFS (the 24-85 f/2.8-4D is another option, but personally I
don't like that lens much due to greater distortion and a lack of
sharpness at wider focal lengths).

As your camera-to-subject distance is going to be between 3 and 10
feet, if you can at all afford it I'd highly recommend that you
consider the 28-70 AFS, as it offers near-prime-lens performance in
this range at medium-to-small apertures. It's a big honking beast
of a lens, and quite expensive, but it really is the class act for
a zoom in this range.

Ron

Jennie, with a single lens that doesn't pump a lot of air
(old-style push-pull zooms and long-range zooms tend to do that
sort of thing), dust will be a very small problem. Even when you
change lenses it's not a disastrous situation -- I clean my camera
out with canned air (carefully, so as to avoid spraying propellant)
and have no major problem.

With regards to lenses, you have to decide:

1. What focal range you need to cover;
2. What quality your standards require;
3. What you are willing to pay to achieve #1 and #2.

I would highly recommend starting out with a $90 50mm f/1.8 -- it
will not stress the budget at all and the performance of the lens
is truly remarkable. Once you see what you can do with that, you'll
have a good reference to work with when deciding on a zoom lens (it
sounds as if you plan on using one, since you are considering
working with a single lens for the most part).

I think that you will find that few zoom lenses will come even
remotely close to the performance of the 50mm f/1.8, and when you
want to shoot in fairly low-light situations, that 50mm will do a
marvelous job at f/2.8... far, far better than any zoom at that
aperture. The f/1.8 lens is built a little less well than the $250
50mm f/1.4D, which does a better job at wider apertures, has a
slightly greater amount of distortion and is a little less of a
performer at f/8 to f/16 than the f/1.8 lens. The 50/1.8 is well
worth that $90 though, most especially because it will give you a
sharp, light, fast lens that will tell you what your camera can do,
and very likely prevent you from accepting any low-grade lenses
that would eventually annoy you with their lack of performance,
causing you aggravation and loss of money when you inevitably
decided to sell them and get a better lens.

Depending on what you shoot most often, and what your budget is,
there are a number of good lenses to recommend. I do suggest that
you take a little time to read this lens article:

http://digital-images.net/Lenses/lenses.html

Remember that I'm rather picky, and that tends to affect what I
have to say about lenses, but the principles mentioned there should
assist you in making decisions.

There are other good places to learn about glass... but you need to
define your needs first.

Ron
--
Ron Reznick
http://digital-images.net
http://trapagon.com

--
Murph

--
Ron Reznick
http://digital-images.net
http://trapagon.com

--Murph

 

[Mel]

Jennie,

What Gerald told you is all correct and he simply wants you to be aware of this problem when spending so much money. BUT as Steve has also pointed out, it is not as tramadic as one might think. Moving from the E-10 to the D1X as many of us did here, will be a bit of a adjustment if you haven't previously shot with a film slr. All here who accomplished this were already quite adept in various brands of film slr usage. ANY of the current pro digital camera's will have a dust issue. Changing the lens and exposing the inner workings can only lead to "eventual" dust particles. Again, as Steve has detailed to you, you will be able to clean the CCD yourself and satisfactorily with a little practice. Also the back of the lens (as someone also stated) is probably the #1 most likely area to transfer dust to your CCD and can be dealt with by simply applying canned air prior to making the switch. As previously stated, if you can go with the 28-70 AFS Nikkor, this one lens will probably do everything you want in your particular studio situation. The cost is around $1200 depending on where you shop and others here can dial you in on exact places to obtain both camera and lens at the best possible pricing. You see Jennie, these folks here are a wealth of not only information but also "direction". So go for it! Get the D1X and don't hesitate any longer. It WILL be a better camera and take better shots than your E-10. If cash is a direct issue (as it is with most of us), start out with the 50mm 1.8 or maybe better 1.4 as again previously suggested. You will be able to do a lot of work with this simple but very sharp and effective lens for $90 or $250 vs. the big outlay of $1200 with the 28-70. But again, the 28-70 AFS is the cats meow for all around lens with this camera. Just MHO. THEN, once you have your gear, come back and I am sure one of the more experienced posters (Gerald, Mike, Steve, Stephen, actually many) can get together with you more directly to "properly direct" you with the CCD cleaning and just about anything else regarding this camera. As I say, we/they, have already been there. Use this knowledge. Don't be intimidated by the minor dust issue. The D1X is a great camera. You will hear about quirks, but as I stated in your other post, ALL will have little quirks. These are machines and simply can't be perfect. Make you money however, this camera will more than pay for itself. It already has for many of us.

Good luck!

Mel

Hi, I posted earlier about the D1X and how everyone liked it, and i
got all postive responses. Thank you. I currently have the Oly E10
and own a children's photography studio,and i am looking for a
"better" camera. The Nikon is pricier then i wanted, but i LOVE
the images it produces. I do have a few questions though..

I read that one concern about it is it collects a lot of dust. IF
im only using "one" lens will I have this problem. And if SO how
do you fix it? Do you clean on your own? And how? is it hard?

And i've read it does NOT come with a lens. What lens would you
recommend for me to get? how much are they?

Thanks for your help.
Jennie
http://www.babycakesphotography.net
--
Murph

--Mel

 

[Ron Reznick]

Jennie, probably the best price available would be at B&H Photo in NYC, or another major dealer that matches their price. Better sit down...

It's a $1400 lens.

If you can accept somewhat lesser performance, the $660 35-70 f/2.8D is worth considering. You will step down one more performance level going with the $325 28-105 f/3.5-4.5D, but gain some closeup ability due to the longer telephoto focal length.

To get top quality at that range and not spend a lot of money, you need to work with three prime lenses. To be honest, working with the prime lenses will gain you better performance to a very noticeable degree, but you will need to switch lenses to change the field of view.

The prime lenses I'd consider if you want to make zero compromise would be the 35mm f/2D, the 60mm f/2.8D Micro and the 85mm f/1.8D. These three would cost you a little over $900 and outperform the 28-70 AFS quite handily at short-range, are much smaller and less intimidating to the subject, but of course you have to change lenses.

Ron

At that range and for that subject matter, it's likely that you
will want a low-distortion zoom lens in the normal range. The three
options are the 28-105 f/3.5-4.5D, the 35-70 f/2.8D and the 28-70
f/2.8D AFS (the 24-85 f/2.8-4D is another option, but personally I
don't like that lens much due to greater distortion and a lack of
sharpness at wider focal lengths).

As your camera-to-subject distance is going to be between 3 and 10
feet, if you can at all afford it I'd highly recommend that you
consider the 28-70 AFS, as it offers near-prime-lens performance in
this range at medium-to-small apertures. It's a big honking beast
of a lens, and quite expensive, but it really is the class act for
a zoom in this range.

Ron

Jennie, with a single lens that doesn't pump a lot of air
(old-style push-pull zooms and long-range zooms tend to do that
sort of thing), dust will be a very small problem. Even when you
change lenses it's not a disastrous situation -- I clean my camera
out with canned air (carefully, so as to avoid spraying propellant)
and have no major problem.

With regards to lenses, you have to decide:

1. What focal range you need to cover;
2. What quality your standards require;
3. What you are willing to pay to achieve #1 and #2.

I would highly recommend starting out with a $90 50mm f/1.8 -- it
will not stress the budget at all and the performance of the lens
is truly remarkable. Once you see what you can do with that, you'll
have a good reference to work with when deciding on a zoom lens (it
sounds as if you plan on using one, since you are considering
working with a single lens for the most part).

I think that you will find that few zoom lenses will come even
remotely close to the performance of the 50mm f/1.8, and when you
want to shoot in fairly low-light situations, that 50mm will do a
marvelous job at f/2.8... far, far better than any zoom at that
aperture. The f/1.8 lens is built a little less well than the $250
50mm f/1.4D, which does a better job at wider apertures, has a
slightly greater amount of distortion and is a little less of a
performer at f/8 to f/16 than the f/1.8 lens. The 50/1.8 is well
worth that $90 though, most especially because it will give you a
sharp, light, fast lens that will tell you what your camera can do,
and very likely prevent you from accepting any low-grade lenses
that would eventually annoy you with their lack of performance,
causing you aggravation and loss of money when you inevitably
decided to sell them and get a better lens.

Depending on what you shoot most often, and what your budget is,
there are a number of good lenses to recommend. I do suggest that
you take a little time to read this lens article:

http://digital-images.net/Lenses/lenses.html

Remember that I'm rather picky, and that tends to affect what I
have to say about lenses, but the principles mentioned there should
assist you in making decisions.

There are other good places to learn about glass... but you need to
define your needs first.

Ron
--
Ron Reznick
http://digital-images.net
http://trapagon.com

--
Murph

--
Ron Reznick
http://digital-images.net
http://trapagon.com

--
Murph

--Ron Reznick http://digital-images.nethttp://trapagon.com

 

[Roger Woolman]

I'm not sure anyone mentioned to you that a 50mm is effectively a 75mm on a D1X. The 28-70mm a 42-105mm etc.

I'm impressed that you had the balls to set up a commercial photo-studio not knowing much about photographic equipment at least!

Best of luck.

Roger Woolman
http://www.themusicphotographer.com/

 

[Jennie53231]

Thanks Mel and everyone else who have helped me with my questions. You are so encouraging ))))

I would LOVE to get the "cats meow" lens... Where could I get the BEST deal on everything? Would you be able to email me this info?
[email protected]

Once I get this , I will be looking to you all on advice on cleaning it

Im so glad you all are here for me!
Jen

What Gerald told you is all correct and he simply wants you to be
aware of this problem when spending so much money. BUT as Steve has
also pointed out, it is not as tramadic as one might think. Moving
from the E-10 to the D1X as many of us did here, will be a bit of a
adjustment if you haven't previously shot with a film slr. All here
who accomplished this were already quite adept in various brands of
film slr usage. ANY of the current pro digital camera's will have a
dust issue. Changing the lens and exposing the inner workings can
only lead to "eventual" dust particles. Again, as Steve has
detailed to you, you will be able to clean the CCD yourself and
satisfactorily with a little practice. Also the back of the lens
(as someone also stated) is probably the #1 most likely area to
transfer dust to your CCD and can be dealt with by simply applying
canned air prior to making the switch. As previously stated, if you
can go with the 28-70 AFS Nikkor, this one lens will probably do
everything you want in your particular studio situation. The cost
is around $1200 depending on where you shop and others here can
dial you in on exact places to obtain both camera and lens at the
best possible pricing. You see Jennie, these folks here are a
wealth of not only information but also "direction". So go for it!
Get the D1X and don't hesitate any longer. It WILL be a better
camera and take better shots than your E-10. If cash is a direct
issue (as it is with most of us), start out with the 50mm 1.8 or
maybe better 1.4 as again previously suggested. You will be able to
do a lot of work with this simple but very sharp and effective lens
for $90 or $250 vs. the big outlay of $1200 with the 28-70. But
again, the 28-70 AFS is the cats meow for all around lens with this
camera. Just MHO. THEN, once you have your gear, come back and I am
sure one of the more experienced posters (Gerald, Mike, Steve,
Stephen, actually many) can get together with you more directly to
"properly direct" you with the CCD cleaning and just about anything
else regarding this camera. As I say, we/they, have already been
there. Use this knowledge. Don't be intimidated by the minor dust
issue. The D1X is a great camera. You will hear about quirks, but
as I stated in your other post, ALL will have little quirks. These
are machines and simply can't be perfect. Make you money however,
this camera will more than pay for itself. It already has for many
of us.

Good luck!

Mel

Hi, I posted earlier about the D1X and how everyone liked it, and i
got all postive responses. Thank you. I currently have the Oly E10
and own a children's photography studio,and i am looking for a
"better" camera. The Nikon is pricier then i wanted, but i LOVE
the images it produces. I do have a few questions though..

I read that one concern about it is it collects a lot of dust. IF
im only using "one" lens will I have this problem. And if SO how
do you fix it? Do you clean on your own? And how? is it hard?

And i've read it does NOT come with a lens. What lens would you
recommend for me to get? how much are they?

Thanks for your help.
Jennie
http://www.babycakesphotography.net
--
Murph

--
Mel

--Murph

 

[Jennie53231]

I dont know much about anything. I started doing pictures of my daughter when she was about 4 months old. you should see them COMPARED to my stuff now (lol). Anyway, my friends liked my pics and so on, and it turned into a business. I started off with the CanonG1 just bouncing the flash, or using natural light/reflectors. Then i movd into the E10 and now im looking at the D1X! ))))) Check out my web site when you get a moment. Only been opened 2 months http://www.babycakesphotography.net I think in some pictures my lighting is off, im STILL LEARNING Jen

I'm not sure anyone mentioned to you that a 50mm is effectively a
75mm on a D1X. The 28-70mm a 42-105mm etc.

I'm impressed that you had the balls to set up a commercial
photo-studio not knowing much about photographic equipment at least!

Best of luck.

Roger Woolman
http://www.themusicphotographer.com/

--Murph

 

[Trent Mulkern]

Roberts Imaging (Talk to Christy) probably has the best pricing on the D1X at http://www.robertsimaging.com/site/ . Call for their best price as their web site lists D1X MSRP which is not what they sell it for. I'm sure they will sell you the lens as wellm or anything else you may need.

Photo Solutions sells the Eclipse cleaning fluid and N-Swabs (due out this month). Their web site also has complete instructions and demo on CCD cleaning. A search on this forum will also provide you the needed information.

Regards,
Trent

I would LOVE to get the "cats meow" lens... Where could I get
the BEST deal on everything? Would you be able to email me this
info?
[email protected]

Once I get this , I will be looking to you all on advice on
cleaning it

Im so glad you all are here for me!
Jen

What Gerald told you is all correct and he simply wants you to be
aware of this problem when spending so much money. BUT as Steve has
also pointed out, it is not as tramadic as one might think. Moving
from the E-10 to the D1X as many of us did here, will be a bit of a
adjustment if you haven't previously shot with a film slr. All here
who accomplished this were already quite adept in various brands of
film slr usage. ANY of the current pro digital camera's will have a
dust issue. Changing the lens and exposing the inner workings can
only lead to "eventual" dust particles. Again, as Steve has
detailed to you, you will be able to clean the CCD yourself and
satisfactorily with a little practice. Also the back of the lens
(as someone also stated) is probably the #1 most likely area to
transfer dust to your CCD and can be dealt with by simply applying
canned air prior to making the switch. As previously stated, if you
can go with the 28-70 AFS Nikkor, this one lens will probably do
everything you want in your particular studio situation. The cost
is around $1200 depending on where you shop and others here can
dial you in on exact places to obtain both camera and lens at the
best possible pricing. You see Jennie, these folks here are a
wealth of not only information but also "direction". So go for it!
Get the D1X and don't hesitate any longer. It WILL be a better
camera and take better shots than your E-10. If cash is a direct
issue (as it is with most of us), start out with the 50mm 1.8 or
maybe better 1.4 as again previously suggested. You will be able to
do a lot of work with this simple but very sharp and effective lens
for $90 or $250 vs. the big outlay of $1200 with the 28-70. But
again, the 28-70 AFS is the cats meow for all around lens with this
camera. Just MHO. THEN, once you have your gear, come back and I am
sure one of the more experienced posters (Gerald, Mike, Steve,
Stephen, actually many) can get together with you more directly to
"properly direct" you with the CCD cleaning and just about anything
else regarding this camera. As I say, we/they, have already been
there. Use this knowledge. Don't be intimidated by the minor dust
issue. The D1X is a great camera. You will hear about quirks, but
as I stated in your other post, ALL will have little quirks. These
are machines and simply can't be perfect. Make you money however,
this camera will more than pay for itself. It already has for many
of us.

Good luck!

Mel

Hi, I posted earlier about the D1X and how everyone liked it, and i
got all postive responses. Thank you. I currently have the Oly E10
and own a children's photography studio,and i am looking for a
"better" camera. The Nikon is pricier then i wanted, but i LOVE
the images it produces. I do have a few questions though..

I read that one concern about it is it collects a lot of dust. IF
im only using "one" lens will I have this problem. And if SO how
do you fix it? Do you clean on your own? And how? is it hard?

And i've read it does NOT come with a lens. What lens would you
recommend for me to get? how much are they?

Thanks for your help.
Jennie
http://www.babycakesphotography.net
--
Murph

--
Mel

--
Murph

 

[Frank57344]

Jennie,

I have 25 years of photography experience and am still learning. Go for it! I visited your web site, your pictures are in general soft and noisy because E-10 is attached to a zoom lens. Nikkor 50mm 1.4D is the sharpest lens I have ever used. You will see a big difference. The following pictures were taken with my Nikon D1X, 50mm 1.4D or 16mm fisheye, fine JPEG, no post-processing applied, but resized.
http://www.pbase.com/faisoft/rose_parade_2002_usa&page=all
Frank

I dont know much about anything. I started doing pictures of my daughter when she was about 4 months old. you should see them COMPARED to my stuff now (lol). Anyway, my friends liked my pics and so on, and it turned into a business. I started off with the CanonG1 just bouncing the flash, or using natural light/reflectors. Then i movd into the E10 and now im looking at the D1X! ))))) Check out my web site when you get a moment. Only been opened 2 months http://www.babycakesphotography.net I think in some pictures my lighting is off, im STILL LEARNING Jen

I'm not sure anyone mentioned to you that a 50mm is effectively a
75mm on a D1X. The 28-70mm a 42-105mm etc.

I'm impressed that you had the balls to set up a commercial
photo-studio not knowing much about photographic equipment at least!

Best of luck.

Roger Woolman
http://www.themusicphotographer.com/

--
Murph

 

[Mel]

Jennie,

1st Roger brings up a "very good" point about the multiplication factor and what the lens (any lens) will do on the D1X. Not critical at this stage but definitely something you will want to keep in mind. I am sure he won't mind you refering to him again when you have a question about it.

As for the 28-70-AFS lens pricing. I purchased all my equip from Norman Camera in Kalamazoo, Mich. They tend to be a bit higher than most of the other outfits, but excel in customer handling and product returns. You might try Ron here as I know he has some knowledge about lens pricing as well as everything else in digital, or Trent or any of the main guys. Trents info is already here to check out. This area is not my forte. I don't (admittedly) always get the best deals, although I do lean toward obtaining the best products. STILL, the best is not always the most expensive, so do research and then do some more.

You can of course always ask me anything. I will more than likely not know the answer but will help you link up with the right person. I have mostly done law enforcement photography but have in the last few years done quite well in sports pj work. Many here have done both studio and pj and a few wide angle boys out there too. I guess you just have to do what you're doing now (post the query) and you will eventually narrow to those who specialize.

The 28-70AFS "cats meow", really will do you right.

Mel

I would LOVE to get the "cats meow" lens... Where could I get
the BEST deal on everything? Would you be able to email me this
info?
[email protected]

Once I get this , I will be looking to you all on advice on
cleaning it

Im so glad you all are here for me!
Jen

What Gerald told you is all correct and he simply wants you to be
aware of this problem when spending so much money. BUT as Steve has
also pointed out, it is not as tramadic as one might think. Moving
from the E-10 to the D1X as many of us did here, will be a bit of a
adjustment if you haven't previously shot with a film slr. All here
who accomplished this were already quite adept in various brands of
film slr usage. ANY of the current pro digital camera's will have a
dust issue. Changing the lens and exposing the inner workings can
only lead to "eventual" dust particles. Again, as Steve has
detailed to you, you will be able to clean the CCD yourself and
satisfactorily with a little practice. Also the back of the lens
(as someone also stated) is probably the #1 most likely area to
transfer dust to your CCD and can be dealt with by simply applying
canned air prior to making the switch. As previously stated, if you
can go with the 28-70 AFS Nikkor, this one lens will probably do
everything you want in your particular studio situation. The cost
is around $1200 depending on where you shop and others here can
dial you in on exact places to obtain both camera and lens at the
best possible pricing. You see Jennie, these folks here are a
wealth of not only information but also "direction". So go for it!
Get the D1X and don't hesitate any longer. It WILL be a better
camera and take better shots than your E-10. If cash is a direct
issue (as it is with most of us), start out with the 50mm 1.8 or
maybe better 1.4 as again previously suggested. You will be able to
do a lot of work with this simple but very sharp and effective lens
for $90 or $250 vs. the big outlay of $1200 with the 28-70. But
again, the 28-70 AFS is the cats meow for all around lens with this
camera. Just MHO. THEN, once you have your gear, come back and I am
sure one of the more experienced posters (Gerald, Mike, Steve,
Stephen, actually many) can get together with you more directly to
"properly direct" you with the CCD cleaning and just about anything
else regarding this camera. As I say, we/they, have already been
there. Use this knowledge. Don't be intimidated by the minor dust
issue. The D1X is a great camera. You will hear about quirks, but
as I stated in your other post, ALL will have little quirks. These
are machines and simply can't be perfect. Make you money however,
this camera will more than pay for itself. It already has for many
of us.

Good luck!

Mel

Hi, I posted earlier about the D1X and how everyone liked it, and i
got all postive responses. Thank you. I currently have the Oly E10
and own a children's photography studio,and i am looking for a
"better" camera. The Nikon is pricier then i wanted, but i LOVE
the images it produces. I do have a few questions though..

I read that one concern about it is it collects a lot of dust. IF
im only using "one" lens will I have this problem. And if SO how
do you fix it? Do you clean on your own? And how? is it hard?

And i've read it does NOT come with a lens. What lens would you
recommend for me to get? how much are they?

Thanks for your help.
Jennie
http://www.babycakesphotography.net
--
Murph

--
Mel

--
Murph

--Mel

 

[Curzon from Holland]

Hello jennie,
I've just bought my D1X. I also bought one lens:
Nikon AF Nikkor 24 - 85 mm 1:2.8 - 4 D (with Macro).
This is a perfect lens for portrets. But read the following:

1) You may already be aware, but do you know that you must multiply the focallength of a lens by 1.5? This means that a normal 50 mm lens will act as an 1.5 x 50 = 75 mm lens on a D1X. The lens I bought will act as an
36 - 127 mm lens. This is a perfect range for portrets.

2) This lens has a MACRO feature. This means you can stand very, very, very close to a subject and still make sharp pictures.

3) Try to borrow a D1X before buying it and try it out.

4) If you buy a D1X you'll have to buy other stuff: 2 batteries, a charger, 2 or more compact flash memory cards, Use 256 MB or even 512 MB cards. Here are 2 links to sites about these cards:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/mediacompare/
http://www.robgalbraith.com/reports/2001_02_17_compactflash.html

The first link is a test of these cards. The Ridata 512 MB, the Viking 512 MB, the Kingston HiSp 256 MB and Vikong 128 MB are mentioned as fastest cards. This is important if you want to shoot several pictures on a row (so you can choose the best to print).

5) Think about how you want to unload the memory cards during a shoot. Do you use a laptop, computer or other device to transfer the pictures?
If you want some tips, let me know.

If you have any questions, you can email me at [email protected] .
Good luck and Happy New Year.
Bert

And i've read it does NOT come with a lens. What lens would you
recommend for me to get? how much are they?
Jennie
http://www.babycakesphotography.net

--curzon from Holland

 

[Joe Hoddinott]

Jen,

I've been looking at lenses from 17th Street Photo

http://www.17photo.com

They have some great prices and I have heard some nice things about this place as far as shipping and customer service. I have a friend who delt with them for her camera and equipment (the E-10 actually ) and she has nothing but good things to say about them.

--Regards,Joe H.

 

[Jennie53231]

Hi Thanks! I just send U an email off line. I'd love to talk w/you more about this. That "lens" sounds like what I need. I want to be able to do macro shots too (of babies hands, feet, etc). How much does the lens cost? E-mail me off line if U dont mind :O) Jennie

1) You may already be aware, but do you know that you must multiply
the focallength of a lens by 1.5? This means that a normal 50 mm
lens will act as an 1.5 x 50 = 75 mm lens on a D1X. The lens I
bought will act as an
36 - 127 mm lens. This is a perfect range for portrets.

2) This lens has a MACRO feature. This means you can stand very,
very, very close to a subject and still make sharp pictures.

3) Try to borrow a D1X before buying it and try it out.

4) If you buy a D1X you'll have to buy other stuff: 2 batteries, a
charger, 2 or more compact flash memory cards, Use 256 MB or even
512 MB cards. Here are 2 links to sites about these cards:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/mediacompare/
http://www.robgalbraith.com/reports/2001_02_17_compactflash.html
The first link is a test of these cards. The Ridata 512 MB, the
Viking 512 MB, the Kingston HiSp 256 MB and Vikong 128 MB are
mentioned as fastest cards. This is important if you want to shoot
several pictures on a row (so you can choose the best to print).

5) Think about how you want to unload the memory cards during a
shoot. Do you use a laptop, computer or other device to transfer
the pictures?
If you want some tips, let me know.

If you have any questions, you can email me at [email protected] .
Good luck and Happy New Year.
Bert

And i've read it does NOT come with a lens. What lens would you
recommend for me to get? how much are they?
Jennie
http://www.babycakesphotography.net

--
curzon from Holland

--Murph