The Nikon 80-200mm AF f/2.8 Zoom lens is my favorite lens. it was Nikon’s best telephoto lens from 1994-2004. This is not the Vibration Reduction / Silent Wave motor version that costs much more. This lens can be had used and in good condition for about $550-$600. I purchased mine about 2 years ago for nearly $900. The lens is heavy; however, it gets you in close and takes really sharp photos. The lens is great for street photography, portraits as well as some wildlife shots. I have even used it with extesion tubes and it does great as a closeup rig by allowing you to keep your distance from the object you are photographing. So, it will work great, “in the meantime”, until you get that Nikon Micro lens that is made just for closeup work. Overall, this lens delivers great results time after time.

The collar ring on the lens is also handy. When you mount it to a tripod, to move from landscape mode to a vertical format, you simply loosing a thumbscrew and turn the camera and lens 90 degrees.

This one of the most cost-effective Nikon lenses that you can buy today. There are better lenses for more and there are cheaper lenses that are not nearly as sharp. This one falls into that “sweet spot”. You won’t regret having purchased it.

Looking for a great buy in a good piece of glass? Look no further than the Nikon 50mm AF f/1.8 lens. It is great for low light situations, makes tack sharp photos and a used one in good condition can be found for under $100. It is exceptionally light and great for travel. The lens is a prime lens in that it has one focal length. Prime lenses tend to make sharper photos than zoom lenses. So, you legs have to be the “zoom”. On the other hand, when it comes to economy, this is a great lens to have on hand in your growing arsenal of lenses.

Technorati Tags: lens, 50mm, nikon, nikkor, fast. camera, DLSR, glass, economical, equipment, gear

The Time Lapse Feature 

The Nikon Camera Control Pro’s time lapse feature is really nice. You can select the number of exposures for the camera to make as well as the time interval. The settings I chose for the test was 1 minute and 4 exposures. I was not concerned with the setting or the lighting since this was just a down and dirty test, so I set the camera up in the doorway of the dining room and started the series of photos. The first exposure is taken immediately when it is started. I then sat in each of three different chairs. I then went into Photoshop and lasso selected each of “myselves” and deleted the background. I used the first exposure  as the base image. Here is the result:

My brother Tom and my other brother Tom

TIP: Get a USB cable gadget called a USB Repeater Cable. You can get them for around $15. They are 16 feet long and allow you to add your regular USB cable to it. This extends the length a great deal without losing any signal on the bus. I purchased mine from New Egg: COMTOP 16 ft. USB Repeater Cable  NOTE: Regardless of where you purchase your cable, make sure it is USB 2.0 and not the slower USB 1.1

After I purchase an AC power adapter for my D-series Nikon DLSR cameras, I want to setup a time lapse series in the studio on a subject like a seedling coming out of the soil or something along those lines. This software is another tool that will allow a great deal of creative thought for results. Maybe mold growing on some food…a leaf drying up…the sun rising in the morning…

Technorati Tags: nikon camera control pro remote software time lapse digital photography USB repeater cable interface DSLR

First Look

My first attempt at using Camera Control Pro was very positive. My initial test was with my Nikon D80. There is a software update patch that will allow Nikon D40s and D80s to work with the software. Your camera must be in PTP mode and not Mass Storage for the software to detect your camera. Once that is done, the software will see the camera and the control window will appear. There are slider bars that allow you to change camera settings. The two “shutter button” controls are AF and Shoot and Shoot (assumes focus has been established previously).  Once the camera shutter releases, the image is transferred to the folder you have already specified on your computer. You can open a preview window and view the image(s) in varous zoom sizes up to full sized. The image files are NOT stored on the SD card in the camera, but only on your computer’s hard drive.  The naming convention can be set in the software.

The images move from the camera to the computer screen in a matter of only a few seconds or less. The software is $69.

I will make another entry once I have tested the software interfacing in the studio.

Technorati Tags: nikon software camera control pro remote usb capture studio portrait time lapse