Hey gang, I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion on tripods for a trip to Iceland. I have 2 tripods. One is a lightweight Dolica Proline which I have had for several years and it is very compact. The other is a Sirui S-2205-N which I am using with a Sirui K-40X ball head. The Sirui is pretty much a monster for handling weight. The Dolica can handle my weight limits, but I wondered what others had done in their travels to Iceland. My goal is to take some longer exposures with ND filters and of course capture the Northern Lights. I may use an attached speedlight if necessary. The main concern I have is wind and what others found to consider on this trip. Either tripod will be packed as non carry-on due to just the airline bag requirements for size. Thanks for reading.

The specs for the Nikon ZF indicate the IOS range is to 64000. This sounds impressive. Do people that have used the Nikon ZF find that low light photos at high ISOs such as 32000 or 64000 really work, re not too much noise.

I have a Fujifilm X-T3 which tops out at 12800 and even at that level there is quite a bit of noise. This fall I will have grandchildren playing night soccer under high school lights.

Is the ZF that much better? Even other Nikon models do not list that high of an ISO.

Thanks for any information.

My current plan is to upgrade to the Fujifilm X-T5 and pair it with the Fujifilm XF 50-140 f2.8 lens. As an APSC model I know that the 50-140 is equivalent in focal length to 75-200 full frame. I also know that typically they say full frame is one stop of light better, so 12800 would equate to what I could expect for 25,200 full frame, But 64000 is another 1.x stops better. Before investing I am trying to better understand what Nikon is offering with the ZF.

Some thoughts about going mirrorless, which I did about a month and 3000 pictures ago. (Nikon Z611). The mirrorless viewfinder is both good and bad. While composing the shot, pre-exposure, the screen looks a bit wimpy and “digital”. It is not rich and saturated as a mirrored viewfinder and the contrast range is limited. The brights can look washed out even when the histogram (the little one in the viewfinder which I really like) is telling you the exposure is fine. The jpeg from your RAW file that you see after making the exposure looks great. It’s just that pre-exposure shot that lets me down.

I like seeing the exposure change when I manipulate the controls, particularly in dark situations. The thing I miss the most on this camera, is not having a focus point lock. My last three Nikon digital cameras had a little toggle switch to lock the focus point to where I want it to be, but my Z611 has a mind off its own and I keep finding the focus point has shifted from where I left it. This is one of the biggest complaints about this camera I’ve on various NIKON forums.

The number one most annoying thing for me is the “Sub selector” (joy stick). It’s placed right where your thumb hits it when you pick up the camera, and, for the most part does the exact same thing as the “Multi Selector” which is right below it. It sticks up and wiggles and you end up moving it by accident and that shifts the focus point all over the view finder. There is nothing it does that other controls don’t do, and I would disable it if that was an option. It’s not.

The day I received the camera our Symphony Orchestra called me to shoot part of their live concert that had changed in the one day since we shot the rehearsal. This camera has a silent mode that doesn’t make a sound. This was great to use in a situation where I had to deal with an audience. No one even knew I was taking pictures. This is great.

Also, on the plus side, this camera focuses blisteringly fast with my fast, professional lenses. It is the fastest focusing camera I have ever had. The manual for this camera was obviously written by someone who already knew all about it and thought they could leave out information and no one would be bothered. I’ve wasted lots of time trying to figure out things that were barely or incompletely explained.

Regrets about going mirrorless? No. It was time to go full frame and chuck the mirrors. Is it as great as some say? No. It gobbles batteries, the EVF has room for improvement, there are too many controls on the body and no focus lock. In time I will master it and use its many strengths to make great picture. I’m always up for a challenge.

What do others think?

I decided to post these images because of recent discussions about whether or not people should use 2x extenders. I know these are birds, but putting them in the bird subsection will prevent the converter discussion.
The photos are taken with a Nikon 400f2.8s lens. The built in 1.4 converter is being used and coupled with a 2x converter. The wren also has a 5mm extension tube for closer focus.
So, the question is are these photos sharp enough, or should people not use the converters and attempt to gain the extra reach by cropping. I believe that any loss of image quality from using the converter is more than offset by the additional reach and the ability to come closer to filling the frame, but I thought it would be interesting to see where any discussion would go. Those of you who believe that no one should use teleconverters, go ahead and have your say. The photos will be posted in the first reply.

Prior to heading for the Eclipse I took my cameras in to Nikon for sensor cleaning.

When I went to pick them up the manager told me that my lens mount on the D850 was bent.

I questioned how that could happen because I do not recall doing anything that would cause that.

He asked if I keep my lenses mounted when the camera is in the camera bag. I said yes.

He said that if my 200-500 or 80-400 were mounted it is very possible that it could get bent in the bag when lugging it around.

Thinking about it, with the battery pack on the D850 and the 200-500 mounted, it really does not lay flat at all.

So from now on, I am going to disengage my long lenses when packing my body and lenses.

Cost to repair, $350.

We had a specially made maple wood plaque made for a photo , the wood maker suggests an epoxy to adhere the photo to the plaque, I am not familiar with any expoxy, these 2 were suggested, any recommendations? I was going to have Staples print the 8x11 photo on glossy paper, is there any special paper I should use instead.

The plank/photo will then be coated with a clear epoxy resin.

He is suggesting an epoxy product called Promise TableTop Epoxy Resin.
ArtResin is another brand that the web suggests for glossy printed photos.

Is printing to metal a good choice for wildlife?

This is the first time I will be using Bay Photo to print my bird picture on metal.
I have read everything I can on the subject and still have questions?
1. Not sure if I should print to canvas or metal for wildlife?
2. High Gloss, Mid-Gloss, Satin, Sheer Glossy, Sheer Satin, & Textured
3. Which is better a floating back which pulls the picture from the wall or just wire hang it?
4. I was thinking of going with the rounded corners and no frame?
I have attached a photo of what I’m thinking of printing.
Like to hear your thoughts and advise