I am preparing to embark on a slide duplication project. I have many thousands of slides that I would like to duplicate digitally and am establishing a system to do this en masse with a Nikon D 800 recording the images. These slides (all slides) were originally intended to be viewed using a dedicated projector with a specific color incandescent light source. My question is how to best illuminate these slides -not using said incandescent light source - to obtain the best color match?

I am envious of those that had clear views. We had "lake effect" snow here in northwest Indiana. There may have been a hole eventually, in the overcast that, would have allowed viewing the eclipse, but at 5 degrees who could wait it out. I'd run out every so often - no moon, head back in. I haven't been in position to photograph the blood red moon in 37 years and that was (of course) with film so I could not play with ISO, so only got pictures of the partial eclipse. Really had fun, though, with my then 14-year-old son, seeing the moon being blotted out and turning red.

Having seen something to the effect that Costco was closing their photo processing labs in an earlier UHH post, I put that question to my local Costco lab technician. "Yes," she confirmed, they will all be closing over the next five years, "unless they start making money!" Another "brick and mortar" based business being forced out by internet businesses. It's a damned shame. I used to have lots of places to get my stuff printed, places where I got to know the technician and could get really good work. Soon it'll only be a couple of big outfits and, even if they do good work, you'll never have the opportunity to work directly with the technician. Just like it's almost impossible to interact with a knowledgeable camera salesperson!

Oops. My age is showing. ISO setting, not ASA.

Ignore B & W versus color during shoot. Deal with it in post-processing when you're not so harried.

You can never go wrong following the advice of Gene51. Like Gene, most of us here learned our craft using flash, but with modern digital cameras, household lighting will work just fine. Just control your lighting and correct for color.

Controlling your light may mean eliminating normal room lights, blocking window lighting, etc. Depending on how sophisticated you want to go — I guess not very - you probably want a broad, softer, light source, difficult to achieve with typical home lighting. That is why we use umbrellas or aim a flash unit at the ceiling above the subject or behind the camera, but this is more difficult with non-directional room lights. The light source should be behind, and a little above the camera, up to forty-five degrees off the axis of the camera-subject. Achieving a soft lighting effect with multiple lights without distracting shadows will not be easy. EXPERIMENT! (You may want to play with lighting arrays with a stand-in to avoid subject fatigue.) In some cases, just indirect window lighting works better! (Mixing window and room lighting can create really difficult color problems.) Fill light might be wanted, especially if your Texan grandson wants to wear his Stetson — have some one hold a reflector (if available) down low to reflect up onto his face, or just put a big white sheet on the floor under and in front of him You are just looking for light quality and direction. Boost your sensitivity (ASA rating) if more light is needed! You can put it on auto.

Color correction may consist of just setting your WB to auto –- but test it. Or fix it in post (having made sure to avoid mixed light types).

Lens selection, to provide a natural looking portrait at a comfortable working distance, with your APS-C sized sensor, should be in the 50 – 90 mm range for head and shoulders shots; 30 – 50 mm for full length shots. For most portraits, an aperture of f/5.6 is almost always great, and unless you are particularly shaky a shutter speed of 1/60 will work.

Posing your subject can be challenging. Relaxed is good — give the boy a beer (him not you, and just one). Make sure there is adequate room behind him, good separation between him and the background. If it doesn’t show (easy with head and shoulders shots) a light on the floor directly behind him illuminating the background (not too bright, balanced with the subject lighting) is helpful. I liked that you are thinking of sitting him; try some turning him around on a kitchen chair with his arms resting on the back of the chair, it’s a good look for a guy. You will not want him square to the camera, standing or sitting; he should be facing a little to the side, try some up to 45 degrees off axis. Have him cock his head a little. Is he comfortable, RELAXED! Good, now you can have a beer too.

A thought provoking thread. Thanx.

Yes, Unique has been my "home" camera store for a couple of decades. Back then I believe they were located in Florham Park. A decade ago we moved to Indiana so I can only get to Unique when visiting family in Jersey, but I always make the effort --- it's worth it!

The earth's rotation is being slowed down by the gravitational pull of the moon, by the tides. Is the added resistance of these minuscule fans stuck up into the air moving around the earth adding to this slowing? I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

I shot for decades without a backup on film; then I went digital and shot without a backup (one card slot). During that period, I went from rank amateur to advanced amateur, to pro, shooting sports, social events and weddings. I always carried a second camera as a back-up, but made only one recording of an image at a time! Shooting digital, I shot primarily jpg's as I always had to turn the images over quickly, and use as little post processing as possible--- get it right in the camera! When, after having been retired for a couple of years, I bought a D800, I suddenly had two slots and the ability to record a backup image. I immediately set up to record one jpg and one raw, which has worked very well for me. My jpg's are properly exposed and composed and are all I need for the vast majority of the images I take. The raw images are there whenever I have less than an optimum image to work with, or need to create a larger than usual print, or do something more creative in post processing. This is the best of all possible worlds.

During the years while shooting many thousands, perhaps millions, of digital images recorded on CF cards, I only had two images I knew that I did I shoot (out of several hundred shot that event) not show up when I down-loaded the card. I never figured out what happened so I retired that card and the problem never recurred. I find that there is no reason to record duplicates on a second card to protect against card failure! (I use Sandisk cards exclusively and swear by them.)

Having read through 5 pages of responses I'll prove my ignorance and join in now. I have a very solid Manfrotto monopod, which replaced another solid Manfrotto monopod destroyed by twenty-five years of heavy usage. It is great for supporting a heavy camera/lens combination for long periods, particularly when mobility is important as with the sports I photographed for so many years. (I found that I had a problem using the camera/long lens combo's without a ball or tilt head -- even the slightest vertical adjustment was unnatural and uncomfortable. I don't know how others do it. I was forever on my tippy toes or bended knee, and uncomfortable.) For nearly all my usage I had a small ball head between the lens foot and the monopod, and, yes, it is too floppy, but the way I held the assembly by the ball head, it worked for me. No question, a tilt head is the right answer!

I had intended to buy a Sirui tilt head but the price just went up 25% (to $103.95 at B&H) and I was already balking at the price. The Manfrotto tilt head should work (Manfrotto puts out a good product for the price) but their quick release is not compatible with the Arca QR system I use -- a deal breaker. The Newer system is priced right and looks OK but I suspect it would have the same QR compatibility problem, plus too much cheap plastic in its construction (but that is just a guess on my part). So, for the time being, I'll stumble along with my small Manfrotto (bought when it was still sold under the name Bogen) ball head, at least until I convince my self to pop for the Sirui or really put out for an RRS tilt head.

As for a gimbal head, I haven't used one but question its adaptability for a monopod. It'd take some getting used to and is pretty bulky and heavy if you are on the smaller size. Plus, even the Nest Gimbal Head, the least expensive (and lightest) anyone here would recommend, would cost many times what you paid for that monopod. I definitely recommend you borrow one and try it for a while before putting your money down. Sorry, but without considerable trial and error for yourself, my recommendation would be for you to spend on the order of twice, or more, what your tripod cost for a decent tilt head. Good luck.

Gene 51 is right! Photos are over exposed --- "exposing to the right" should provide the maximum dynamic range. ISO should be set at native value, or lower (ISO 100). Make sure you've got the correct hood in place to keep flare at a minimum. Fixing problems in post is never the ideal solution, and if you are shooting high volumes, can be time prohibitive.

I disagree. You have adequate depth of field, even at f/2.8 at most distances you're shooting football at. Are you enlarging portions of the picture? That could be your problem.

Can't take a picture without the lens! The only time I would have a camera with the body cap attached rather than a lens would be if it is in long term storage (i.e., not my current camera of choice, but one that I am hanging on to for some reason - I have some film cameras stored that way) or I am in the process of shipping it off for repair or ???

They can not, but they can be recreated by a memory jogged by a decent photograph.

It’s about time we fixed the sales tax inequity that had local stores penalized for being local while the internet suppliers had an automatic “discount”! I don’t like paying taxes any more than anyone else, but they are a part of life — a necessary part. So now, when you order through B&H or Adorama, or ..., your local and state governments will not be starved of the funds required to keep it going. Oh, and by the way, legally you were always responsible for those taxes, it was just that the internet store avoided the expense of collecting and remitting them (incidentally showing that automatic discount); you had the duty of calculating them yourself and remitting them directly to your state. (No, neither did I.)

I started in photography many years ago when there were camera stores on every corner in Chicago’s Loop, where I worked. (There were also pawn shops on every block where great values in used cameras could be had.) I found the sales people in those camera stores invaluable. Alas, there are only about three camera stores in all of central Chicago today, and yes I still love browsing in Central Camera, though I get there very seldom now.

I then spent a quarter century in New Jersey, where there were a lot of good camera stores, now nearly all gone. I worked briefly in Sandrian’s in Clinton which was a fine shop but alas went out of business about five years ago. But Pete Sandrian in discussing the demise of his business didn’t cite the internet competition as the primary cause, but rather the loss of the developing and printing business brought about by the digital age! Pete stated, “developing film and making prints were 50% of Sandrian’s business”.

Since returning to the Midwest, I have only a single local camera store within an hour, and they have not kept up with my needs, so I am forced to go on-line too often. For instance, I needed a new card reader but they just didn’t have any. And I have not been satisfied with their printing services and find myself using Costco. None-the-less, I do try to buy from them as much as possible.

I do have a favorite camera store though, back in New Jersey where I have family and visit once or twice a year: Unique Camera in Fairfield, New Jersey. It is a well stocked shop with knowledgeable sales personnel that are happy to show you all the latest gear. I recommend you drop in when you are in the area — they are on Route 46, but hard to spot, particularly if you are eastbound.