A totally snide remark which contributes nothing to the discussion.


Completely false. In my many years of collecting and trading SLR lenses I have encountered many lenses with damaged filters attached, mostly with the filter ring so damaged that the filter could not be removed in one piece and I had to slit the filter ring with a hacksaw and take the filter ring out in pieces. In almost all cases, after removing the damaged filter the lens filter ring was in perfect condition and would readily accept new filters.

That said I do agree that filters provide very little if any impact protection to a lens. They can protect the lens filter ring from damage as well as protect the lens coating from scratches and/or deleterious affects of over exuberant or improper cleaning. And naysayers to the contrary, UV filters are effective at high elevations (5000+ feet) where UV radiation is much more intense than at lower elevations.

Not entirely correct. The modern bodies are by default set to control aperture through the body software and get a bit discombobulated if it detects the lens is not at its smallest setting. However you CAN use the aperture ring on lenses so equipped. Should you desire to manually set the aperture manually on this lens, or use a vintage film lens where you HAVE to set the aperture manually, fear not; Nikon has you covered, there is a setting for that.

Not exactly sure where to find it on your body, but on my D610 I go to MENU> CUSTOM SETTING MENU> f: Controls> f5: Customize command dials> Aperture setting> and select either "Sub -command dial" or "aperture ring". Select "aperture ring" to manually set the aperture using the aperture ring. Note that if you select "aperture ring" you MUST use a lens with an aperture ring, this setting will not work with "G" lenses or the new "E" lenses which do not have an aperture ring.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

I have had a D610 for a couple of years now, a great camera, taken 1000s of photos with never a problem. As others have said the oil on sensor problem happened with the D600, never the D610. Buy it, you will love it. I consider it a "poor man's D750", does pretty much most of what the D750 will but without the bells and whistles. I also have a D3X which I love but the D610 is the camera I usually grab unless I have some really serious photography in mind.

Do you calibrate the old Luna Pros? I generally use my Luna Pro SBC but do have one of the older ones that used the PX625 batteries. It is quite a bit off compared to my SBC & digital camera meters. I inquired at a few online shops and for what they wanted to calibrate the Luna Pro I could have bought a nice new digital meter!

Could you be more specific about what information I provided that was different in the links you provided? I did note that both you and Rick Olsen mentioned that use of overvoltage batteries could have exposure inconsistencies depending of the light level. I cannot address this as my experience in replacements for mercury oxide cells is limited to Konica cameras and I have not encountered this problem with my Konicas. Can you quantify how much exposure variation have you noted in your Leicas?

The Silver Oxide site said Wein cells have two air holes, I said one, I just checked some Wein cells I have and by golly the DO have two air holes so I stand corrected.

Were there any other inconsistencies between my post and the articles you mentioned that I missed?

It also ignores the fact that many people, myself included, prefer to manage photos themselves and don't need or want a photo manager.

I use the Ameristep Doghouse blind for hunting. It is quite roomy yet its light and folds up into small, roughly 24"x8"x8" bag. I can sling the blind and a folding chair over my back and hike for as long as I want with no trouble. It has screened windows on three sides, the screens can be opened, the window shutters can be adjusted anywhere from fully open to fully closed and each window has a reduced sized "porthole" to still allow good visibility while minimizing exposure to the critters you are watching.

http://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=ameristep%20doghouse%20ground%20blind

"The best processing software" is an extremely subjective statement and needs to be qualified to a specific user audience. For a general cataloging and light duty editing tool, ok. Lightroom is a great cataloger and the editor is fine for a user with moderate editing needs; for serious editing needs Photoshop, Elements and PaintShop Pro have much more powerful editing tools. But to say "Lightroom is the best processing software" without specifying the user audience is kind of like saying a station wagon is the best Formula One race car because it has the most luggage room.

The 1.35V batteries are mercury oxide cells which have been outlawed in this country and MOST of the world for quite some time. I use common #675 zinc-air hearing aid batteries in my Luna Pro and a number of my Konica cameras. The #675 battery is smaller in diameter than the original PX-625 mercury oxide cells but they still work fine as-is.

If the loose fit in the battery chamber bothers you, find a small O-ring at the hardware store to fit around the zinc-air cells to take up the extra space. The zinc-air cells are also a little thinner than the mercury oxide cells so sometimes I have to ball up a tiny wad of aluminum foil and place it on top of the cells to take up the extra depth.

The Wein cell is also a zinc-air battery EXACTLY the same as a #675 hearing aid battery except the Weins are much more expensive and have only one air hole in the bottom vs four in the hearing aid batteries. Supposedly having only one air hole gives them a longer service life but I have used both and can't see much if any difference myself.

Zinc-air batteries do have a short service life of 6-12 months or so, but they are pretty cheap and they come with the air holes sealed to prevent premature discharge, so an 8 pack for $8 or so could last you 4 years or better.

I also have this adapter for my Nikon F Photomic which very nicely solves the loose fit problem:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIKON-F-PHOTOMIC-FTN-TN-METER-PRISM-BATTERY-ADAPTER-/152002598077?hash=item23640f94bd:g:BAoAAOSwLVZVg1vu
If you do use this adapter, follow the instructions exactly. The polarity of mercury oxide cells is opposite that of current batteries so it is quite easy to get either the batteries or the adapter in upside down and it will not work that way. I rushed the installation the first time and it didn't work; I went back and followed the instructions step-by-step, and it worked perfectly - and its damn convenient to boot!

You can also use silver oxide LR44, AG12, 357 or 303 batteries - these are what I use with my Nikon adapter. Silver oxide batteries are 1.5V vs 1.35V for the mercury oxide cells. The increased voltage will make the meter think it is seeing more light then there actually is, so the meter will give you readings that will result in underexposure of 2/3rds to 1 f stop. To compensate set your ISO (ASA on the Luna Pro) to one stop faster - for example, if you are using ISO 100 film, set the Luna Pro to ASA 200 and you will get the correct exposure readings from the meter.

Note that you must use SILVER OXIDE batteries, not alkaline batteries. Alkaline batteries drop in voltage significantly over their service life and will give you inconsistent meter readings over time. Sliver oxide batteries have a near-constant voltage for their entire service life and will give you correct meter readings all the time.

I use propane for heat, hot water and cooking, use roughly 350 gallons/year. My contract is for $1.649/gal. There was an outfit a couple of towns over just starting up, they were offering it for $0.999/gal. Your price must be a New York thing. I guess that's what what happens when they outlaw fracking!

Agreed, but my dogs recognize the sound of the truck as it comes up the driveway and start barking anyhow....

Nor do I. Keep your eye out for sales - I recently picked up Corel Paintshop Pro X7 for $39.99 & Photoshop Elements 14 + Premiere Elements for $79, both on sale at B&H. They are both often offered at a discount price throughout the year. The PSP X7 was just prior to the release of PSP X8, but from what I was able to find out there wasn't enough new in X8 to make me want to pay full boat. I use PSP most of the time, I find it more intuitive and easier to work in than PSE and most Photoshop Tutorials work quite well in PSP. I only bought PSE for a couple of features that PSP doesn't have.

About a year and a half old, but may help somewhat - at least for the SX-50 vs SX-60 part. Personally out of this group I'd go with the Nikon Coolpix P600....

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/best-superzoom-2014/best-superzoom-2014-A.HTM