Orphoto and all!

After reading Hip Coyote's OP, I thought I would Google "Audio Notes" and found as a Nikon user, this link to a Nikon Z9 article from its manual about this feature:

https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z9/en/08_voice_memos_01.html

Old articles from DP Review and Nikonians mention a few other cameras that have this feature: Canon 1D and Nikon D2X. If one researches, other cameras with this feature are available. In another article, a Z6 was mentioned as well.

Be well! Ed

Photolady2014 and all!

Very nice images!

They bring back memories of my camera club's 2007 15-day trip circumnavigating Colorado, first landing at Denver and traveling south to the Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs. Then on to Pueblo, the Great Sand Dunes NP, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP and the Silverton train. At the time, a train ride and lunch package were offered but as the trip was in the late Spring, we missed the lovely foliage of your images. We visited Mesa Verde NP and the 4 Corners, Vail and other various towns, meandering back to Denver for a day or so.

Be well! Ed

You have the option to use or not, Nikon's Active D-Lighting and if you don't use this setting in-camera, you can apply any of its effects while editing when using Nikon's free NX Studio software.

The first screen capture is a photo from a series shot on October 15, 2022, taken of a model at the annual NYC
Pin-Up Meetup group's American Airpower Museum Shoot with late afternoon lighting around 4:30 PM. Using a Nikon D810 full-frame camera set on Auto exposure, the image came out pretty normally with contrastly lighting. On the capture's right are the buttons and sliders; you can see the setting of "Auto" set under "Picture Control."

The "Picture Control" menu is usually used hand-in-hand with "Active D-Lighting." It appears in the camera's "Photo Shooting" menu: "Auto, Standard, Neutral, Portrait, Landscape, Monochrome and Flat." With the sub-menus, you can further adjust the degree of "Sharpening, Clarity, Contrast, Brightness and Saturation" depending on your subject or not! With "Picture Controls" the differences between "Auto, Standard, Neutral, Portrait, Flat, etc." are subtle while the "Vivid" setting is noticeably contrasty!

With ADL, you can also change any of the settings later. One advantage of doing so in the software is you can actually see the effect(s) of your image on a monitor. At first, most users will not have any idea of what the various choices do. It is very helpful to see the changes on a "normal, average, evenly lit and exposed" image to get an idea of the results possible.

Using "Active D-Lighting affects the relationship of highlights and shadows. There is another drop-down menu of "Active D-Lighting" settings (with the screen capture, the menu disappears but it is there to pick from): "Auto, Extra High, High, Normal, Low or Off." Again, you have a choice of setting one or none when you are shooting or later when editing, choose the setting that you prefer. In the second screen capture, you can see that the original value was "Normal" and is now set to "Extra Hi 1." Shadows are opened but the highlights are also slightly affected. The highlights would have to be slightly darkened or an in-between setting chosen.

The third screen capture shows the effects of "Extra High 2."

These are just two of Nikon's camera and software tools to help the photographer.

Be well! Ed

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moosus!

Since you tried your iPhone successfully, why not try downloading the MC to your computer via the camera and a USB cord?

The camera should appear as an external drive and allow you to download the images.

Be well! Ed

Bridges and all!

The Eastern State Penitentiary is a great site to visit. My camera club visited Philadelphia a few years ago. It's near the Philadelphia Museum which has the statue of Rocky in front. The Penitentiary is mainly a single-story prison with a central area where the cells are in rows radiating out like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. The cells have skylights that would allow prisoners to do penance and pray for their crimes and behavior. Due to the rising use of drugs both in and outside the prison as well as overcrowding, the prison closed in 1970. It has deteriorated except for some areas and is very photogenic as you can see in Bridges' photos above.

In 1842, Charles Dickens visited the United States to see Niagara Falls and Eastern State Penitentiary. He later wrote, "The System is rigid, strict and hopeless solitary confinement, and I believe it, in its effects, to be cruel and wrong...."

A great day trip! Be well! Ed

Jerry!

If you go to www.ninite.com, you can get many of those plus a host of other software for free and also get them to download with "clean" versions that are free of nag pages or ads, etc.

The site will automate the downloads and updates as well and can do so serially, one after the other, even unattended. This is especially good for easy installation of programs when setting up a new computer.

Be well! Ed

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buckwheat!

When I first dabbled with Dalle-E, the prompts and results were posted on the site for others to see and basically became public domain. I also noticed the warning for images NSFW which were not allowed. There are probably young and sensitive eyes that are the reason why. I haven't played with AI lately and understand how fast things
are moving in the AI world and from your post, things such as that are still prohibited.

I did do a number of AI images for creating backgrounds where I could drop in figures, etc. I will explore more when I get some time.

Be well! Ed

Jerry!

Did the vendor include super-long extension cords with that price?

Be well! Ed

leftyD500!

I wish to buy your Z 24-200mm lens. PM sent. Thanks. Ed

From the August, 2022 issue of Fast Company Magazine:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90775177/the-long-history-of-heels-from-a-symbol-of-mens-power-to-womens burden#:~:text=Heels%20were%20first%20invented%20in,the%20stirrups%2C%E2%80%9D%20says%20Steele.

High heel shoes were invented by men, first in Persia in the 10th century and they were originally designed for men. “Wealthy men wore them to give them additional height and when they rode on horseback, the heels clicked into the stirrups.” “But when Persian royalty traveled to the French courts in the 17th century, they brought the trend with them, and soon heels were widespread among men in European courts,” says Valerie Steele, Co-curator of a Fall exhibition at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, located on the New York City campus of the Fashion Institute of Technology, called "Shoes: Anatomy, Identity, Magic."

Be well all! Ed

Hi all!

I would love a retro-looking camera such as the original Nikon F SLR or the Nikon SP Rangefinder which would use regular Nikkor DSLR lenses with the F-mount. Tons of lenses out there looking for a dedicated digital body!

Be well! Ed

3kids3cats!

I can't believe that what you want to buy isn't available elsewhere from a specialized photographic vendor such as KEH, MPB, Roberts or one of the retailers such as B&H Photo, Adorama, Unique, Hunt's or Kenmore? What is in the "bundle" that would make it special? Renewed by whom? These guys have been in business for ages and are happy to make any problems right!

Living and having my own photo studio and custom lab here in NYC for over 40 years, I feel I have a bit of experience with buying and selling lab equipment, cameras, lenses, computers and other essential business products with all the above-mentioned sellers as well as many defunct ones in the "Big Apple."

I don't know your budget but in the photographic world, $100 is not that much and would it be worthwhile if the "bundle" was disappointing and had to be returned? As an Amazon Prime member myself, I do scour the reviews before buying anything and when it comes to cameras, especially "renewed or "refurbished" I'll stick to an OEM or one of the above vendors who have a more rigorous inspection and repair department. This year I had no qualms about buying 2 Nikon Z5 bodies refurbished by Nikon and sold for a good discount from new.

Be well! Ed

[quote=Elfoto1975]I am planning to get the Mount Adapter FTZ II
I am looking for a macro lens that is not that expensive I really want to try macro photography but I am not in a position to spend lots of money. Are there any suggestions for affordable macro?[quote]

elfoto1975!

The Nikon FTZ II adapter runs around $250 or less and will only work with those AF Nikkor lenses that don't require a screw drive built-in to the camera body and lens, mainly the newer Nikon AF D and G DSLR lenses. Older Nikon lenses work manually only. A budget answer to an affordable macro lens is Nikon's own 60mm Micro F2.8 (older one currently selling for used under $150) not the newer 60mm f/2.8G AF-S Micro Nikkor AF ED lens which goes for close to $400 used and is fully compatible with FTZII adapter. An alternative to the FTZII adapter is the first one, FTZ which does not allow tripod mount detachment. I have 2, the cheapest was $120 on eBay.

See: https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/lens-mount-adapter/mount-adapter-ftz-ii.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-Overview

I would suggest a "dumb" non-Nikon-made FTZ adaptor and/or even a set of Z-mount extension tubes. Both items run around $40 per set on eBay or Amazon. Even cheaper would be a set of close-up #s 1, 2, 3 and 10 filters, fitted to the diameter of your current Z lens. They might not be the sharpest but they're "quick and dirty!" This would be the easiest and least expensive way to see if macro photography is your cup of tea!

"Dumb" FTZ adapters run around $25 and have no electronics built-in and are also obtainable for non-Nikon mount lenses as well. I use Fuji, Canon and Pentax auto and manual lenses and appropriate adapters with my Nikon Z5 all the time for macro.

Be well! Ed

Bruce!

I took photos with my Nikon D810 last year and I was unable to download them using a card reader (even though they appeared on the camera's viewing screen; however, using a USB cord, connected from the camera directly to the USB socket on my laptop I was able to download them. The card has since worked without fault since then.
Another time, the USB cord was shorted. Sometimes, strange, unexplainable things happen!

I would be happy to send you an activation code for a one-year subscription to San Disk's Rescue Pro Deluxe recovery program. A while back I bought a dozen SanDisk memory cards and inside was the "free" recovery program. I have been giving them away to friends and members of my camera club and have a few left.

Send me a PM and I'll forward the activation code. Be well! Ed

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Very interesting site.

There is a great film from 2001 called "Winged Migration," a very beautiful production that captured the birds' formations as if you were flying alongside them.

A trailer here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301727/?ref_=tt_mv_close 7 short clips here too!

Be well! Ed

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