Seems appropriate for fellow "hoggers".

http://imgur.com/Lldoq

I feel the Nikon School is a decent, one-day workshop. It is entirely lecture based, so you don't get to try the tips as they are presented. There were two, one-day sessions in my area last year- beginning and advanced. The presenters were polished and entertaining. They had enlargement photos on display that used all the Nikon cameras, including the D40.

My only complaint lies with their heavy promotion of Nikon Capture. I know that once you take your photo you have to do something with it- tune, save and print or view, but Capture is not the only way to do that. In short, it would have been more useful to me if they presented more camera tips.

Buy the camera and get $10 off a memory card! Can't pass up that deal.

That lens is probably a bit soft wide open. I agree with using a smaller aperture to get a sharper image. If you keep your background far behind your subject it will fall out of focus. Give that a try and let us know how it works.

Thank you for the tip on the split image focus screen. Has anybody used one? Is it a permanent installation or can you just use it when needed?

Thanks Douglass,
I know about that feature, and it is always a good option. However I would still like to see it on a larger screen. The big advantages of zooming on the LCD are the cost and convenience of not carrying anything else

I have some manual lenses that I use on my Nikon D90. The green focus dot has too broad a range for me to get fine focus. Is there anything out there that doesn't cost a lot of $ that will let me get live view on a laptop computer or Ipad2? I have seen postings about using an Eye-Fi card, and jailbreaking the Ipad, but I don't really want to do that. I don't really need to control the camera from said computer. I just want to view a larger screen.

Thanks

Here is the link on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Cowboystudio-Photography-Portrait-Continuous-Umbrellas/dp/B003WLY24O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329012183&sr=8-1

Cowboy Studio has a great deal for a triple-lighting kit with 3 umbrellas, 3 cfl lamps, stands and carrying case. Excellent price of $60. Of course these are not highly durable, professional stands and umbrellas, so they won't hold up to rough handling. However they are a great way to get started. I've used mine and am very happy with it.

For $10-20 you can get a reversing ring for your lens. You have to use manual settings and focus by moving the camera. However to get started this can yield good images without spending a lot of money.

Almost sounds like a full-frame camera with a lens designed for a cropped sensor.

I once worked at a place where the manager told me that "Your best friend is your complaining customer. The ones who don't complain never come back."
My guess is the owner of that business doesn't want to lose customers who don't want to deal with snobbish employees. If you want to keep the local, independent place in business then the owner should be made aware of the people who represent his business. At that point it is up to him to correct or remove the problem. With today's high unemployment rate, ti would seem that a suitable person could be found to fill that position.
It is nice to be able to go to a local establishment and try out a piece of equipment before you buy it. And it is great to have a place where knowledgeable employees can answer your questions.

Jack,

Thank you. I really appreciate your efforts. I was actually busy all day and didn't get a chance to call. Will probably be busy early tomorrow. Would it be ok for me to call you in the afternoon or should I wait until Monday?

Ken

A coworker/friend of mine has done some fabulous work with digiscoping birds. Check out his blog: http://jerryjourdan.blogspot.com/ for some excellent photography.

The telescope belongs to my son and is a 6" Orion Skyquest. The photographs I plan to take are more of a casual nature, so I don't really want to modify it for astrophotography, and I can't really afford a lot of money to put into it. If the Barlow adapter doesn't work, then I will just have to live without that capability.