Thanks guys. I didn't want to start undoing things and end up with springs and levers all over the floor. It came off with no fuss at all. MT, these are definitely a hefty set of legs and there's little chance I'll ever extend the center because with the legs down it comes up to my nose! I'm going to get it back together now, and as soon as the flood waters recede (we had quite a blow and a lot of water down here last night), I'll be heading out to give it a test run at the cape.
Thanks again guys!!

My sister-in-law, who is an avid birder, gave me an older Bogen/Manfrotto 3021 tripod with a Bogen 3055 ballhead that she used for her spotting scope. Its a heavy set of legs and I am hoping I can mount my Opteka gimbal mount on it for use with a big lens but I can't figure out how to remove the ballhead assembly. Anybody out there know how these come apart? MT Shooter, I believe you may have some knowledge of this equipment - can you offer any tips on separating them?

Hi Lynda,
I have the same camera and lens set-up. I sometimes add a 1.4 extender for better reach when shooting birds and wildlife. I am currently using an Oben CC-2320L 3-section carbon fiber tripod with an Oben BB-2 ball head. I'm very happy with it's performance and weight-wise it sure beats my old Bogen/Manfrotto 3021. It cost a few hundred but it works fine. Oben is a house brand sold thru B&H Photo. You can check out the entire line of Oben tripods and ball heads on the B&H Photo website. They have quite an extensive selection. I chose the model I have so I could get good height extension (eye level) without having to raise the center post.

I purchased the Tokina SD 12-24 f4 (IF) DX II a short while ago and have been very satisfied with the quality and sharpness. I took the time to research many of the wide angle lenses on the market and decided that this lens would be the most affordable choice for me. It retails for $549 at most camera stores ( I bought mine from 17th Street Photo). I'm a Nikon shooter and have tried to stick with Nikon lenses but I couldn't afford paying the $ Nikon wanted for their lens. Reading the reviews convinced me to give the Tokina a try and I have been impressed with its performance.

My kids gave me a 1.5TB Western Digital external hard drive last Christmas. I think you can get them at places like Staples and Best Buy for ~$100 or less. Even though I shoot mostly in raw format, it's taking a while to fill it up (it will hold up to 300,000 jpegs).

After you turn the camera on you can select a White Balance setting (if you are using M, A, S, or P as your shooting mode) by hitting the MENU button on the back of the camera, go to the SHOOTING MENU, move down to WHITE BALANCE and hit OK. Now you can make a selection based on your light source and/or personal preferences. Remember, if you are shooting in AUTO or any of the AUTO PRESETS the camera will not allow you to select a White Balance setting because it defaults to an Auto White Balance. For more info on "fine tuning" your White Balance selection check out pp 70-72 in the D40x manual. I hope this helps.

I have the Epson Stylus Photo 1400 and it does a great job. I got it at Staples last year for around $200. If they still carry it, that price may even be lower now. Staples also carries the ink cartridges (#79) and a limited choice of Epson paper at pretty reasonable prices.

I shoot a lot with the Nikon 300mm f4 and use the Nikon 1.4 teleconverter to give some extra "reach". It is totally compatible with the lens and gets very sharp image results.
Al

Hi Mikey 69,
You asked about "one good book" that might help you with Elements. My personal recommendation is "The Photoshop Elements 9 Book for digital photographers" by Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski The authors are knowledgable pros who also happen to be able to write in a way that is funny, insightful, and easily understood. I highly suggest you go to your local bookstore and peruse it first to make sure it is what you would be willing to plunk your $ down on because it isn't cheap (~$50). I find it to be an invaluable tool and reference guide that I turn to often and it's written so you can skip all around to find specific instructions on specific techniques or problems without having to read every page from 1 to 436 (yeah, it's a pretty good sized book). That's my 2 cents - hope it helps you. Al

It is probably a fairly young starling starting to show it's winter coloring. Their beaks get darker and the flecks on their chests become more pronounced as the season progresses.

As to my earlier response to your question - I stand corrected I mistakenly was thinking gb not mb. A 32mb card is small. A 32gb card is huge (sometimes I just get sooo confused). Anyway, a good idea to think about is picking up a few extra cards with a bit more memory capacity. I shoot a lot of wildlife and carry a book of cards (mostly 4gbs) whenever I'm out and about. It never hurts to have another card just in case, and that 32Mb card you are using is way too small.

Hi,
The easiest way to learn to use a camera is simply to take pictures and review the results you get at different settings. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you are looking to gain a better understanding of how f-stops, shutter speeds, etc. can affect a picture when you shoot it. I highly recommend some reading that will really help you gain insight into the how, when, and why of using different camera settings. There is a great 3 volume set by Scott Kelby titled "The Digital Photography Books Boxed Set" that is a wonderful and entertaining way to learn about digital photography. Browse your local bookstore and flip thru some of the pages - I think you'll find his way of writing very easy to understand and immensely helpful.

Hi,
Here's a few ideas for you. I'm sure you are aware that anytime you put a memory card in your camera you should format it by going to the setup menu and selecting "format memory card". If this is new to you then what this does in the simplist terms is it "synchs" the card to your specific camera and makes for a much happier experience (especially when you try to download all your shots to your computer). Just a word of warning - whenever you format a card any pictures on it will be lost so make sure that you have saved your shots to whatever program you use to store and organize your photos before you format the card. Next go into the shooting menu and select "image quality" so you can set the camera for the type of image files you will be using (since you are new to digital, a good starting point would be 'JPEG fine'). Now go to "image size" in the shooting menu and select 'Large'. At this point your card should be properly prepared for whatever shots you send it. A 32mb memory card at the above settings should now be able to store hundreds of high quality images for you.

Most likely you are seeing vignetting on the outside edges/corners of the picture. A quick set of test shots will help you determine at what focal length it occurs. If you have a lens shade attached try shooting one picture at 18mm and another at 135mm - if you see vignetting at the 18mm setting but not when zoomed to 135mm try removing the lens shade and reshoot at 18mm - did it go away? Lots of times you will see some vignetting at the wide angle setting if you leave your lens shade on, and if you use a filter on your lens that can increase the chances of vignetting as well. If you need to use a lens shade and a filter for your work there are shades with wider flaring and filters with thinner dimensions that can be purchased and are designed specifically to cut down on vignetting when working at wide angle settings.

Hi Walter,
Browse your local bookstores and flip thru any you find on the D3100. The manuals that come with today's cameras are very technically written and hard to follow along with, but you may find a book on your camera model that is written in a more reader friendly version at a place like Barnes and Noble or Atlantic Books. A good website for general info and easy to understand manuals on different camera models is: shortcourses.com but unfortunately a short course manual for the D3100 isn't listed as of now. Check back at that site once in a while because the fellow who runs it is always adding things. Al