my new d70...help me please

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Today I purchased a Nikon D70 from Jessops. I can return it for a refund
within 30 days if I don't want it. I'm going away next week for a month so
I need to get acqainted with the camera asap. It's now midnight and I have
to wait until tomorrow before I can go back to Jessops to tell them that the
user manual is missing.... Anyway, here are some immediate queries that I
have and I wondered if anybody could provide any answers.

1. Can I leave the battery in the charger for hours on end? I have a
compact digital camera and the manual for that says that their battery is ok
if left in the charger.

2. I have a number of Nikkor and Sigma lenses which are fully compatible
with my Nikon F 55. Jessops insist they will be ok with the D70 (allowing
for the 1.5 times change). Are they really going to be compatible. I tried
a couple of them and don't see any problems yet,

3. One of my interests is macro photography, for which I use a SIGMA 105mm
1:2.8D lens with a CENTON MR40 ring flash. Again, Jessops insist the lens -
flash combination will be ok with the D70. However, I tried it and the
Centon flash won't fire. This was on auto. The cameras own flash fired ok.
When the CENTON is attached to the camera and switched on the pop up flash
of the Nikon does not pop up. On setting "P" I see that switching on the
Centon changes the shutter speed in the monitor display but won't fire.
It's as if the camera knows the flash is there but won't fire it.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Cheers. I know nothing else is missing because the container box has a list
of contents. I will be able to get a manual from Jessops later tomorrow,
but I don't know if it will explain how I can get the ring flash to work.
Nikon has a support number to ring and I'll do that, problem is time... I
have to be in work!


"Malcolm Stewart" <malcolm_stewart@megalith.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in
message news592p8$ed6$1@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
> "mat" <mat12033@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news591qb$4pl$1@nwrdmz02.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com...
>> Today I purchased a Nikon D70 from Jessops. I can return it for a refund
>> within 30 days if I don't want it. I'm going away next week for a month
> so
>> I need to get acqainted with the camera asap. It's now midnight and I
>> have
>> to wait until tomorrow before I can go back to Jessops to tell them that
> the
>> user manual is missing.... Anyway, here are some immediate queries that
>> I
>> have and I wondered if anybody could provide any answers.
>
> Sorry to hear of your problems - it takes the gloss off your purchase,
> doesn't it.
>
> Until you've got the manual you won't know what other items are missing...
> Leads, cleaning cloth etc.
>
> Have you tried the Nikon website for your manual? It may be under a
> heading
> such as "Support". Or go to Google Groups and look in the archives. You
> can't be the first to ask this question.
> --
> M Stewart
> Milton Keynes, UK
> http://www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm
>
>
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"mat" <mat12033@hotmail.com> writes:
> 1. Can I leave the battery in the charger for hours on end? I have a
> compact digital camera and the manual for that says that their battery is ok
> if left in the charger.

Hours, yes. Months might not be good fo rit.

> 2. I have a number of Nikkor and Sigma lenses which are fully compatible
> with my Nikon F 55. Jessops insist they will be ok with the D70 (allowing
> for the 1.5 times change). Are they really going to be compatible. I tried
> a couple of them and don't see any problems yet,

Yes.

> 3. One of my interests is macro photography, for which I use a SIGMA
> 105mm 1:2.8D lens with a CENTON MR40 ring flash. Again, Jessops
> insist the lens - flash combination will be ok with the D70.

Check the D70 manual, you may have to fool around with the flash
mode through one of the LCD menus.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

mat wrote:
> Today I purchased a Nikon D70 from Jessops. I can return it for a refund
> within 30 days if I don't want it. I'm going away next week for a month so
> I need to get acqainted with the camera asap. It's now midnight and I have
> to wait until tomorrow before I can go back to Jessops to tell them that the
> user manual is missing.... Anyway, here are some immediate queries that I
> have and I wondered if anybody could provide any answers.
>
> 1. Can I leave the battery in the charger for hours on end? I have a
> compact digital camera and the manual for that says that their battery is ok
> if left in the charger.
>
AFAIK yes you can - when the light stops blinking it is charged. After
using and charging the battery a couple of times, you will get
incredible battery life. Aftermarket batteries are available at about
25% of Nikon price, and seem fine. There is no warning that I have seen
in the Manual that they can be "overcharged" by being left in the charger.

> 2. I have a number of Nikkor and Sigma lenses which are fully compatible
> with my Nikon F 55. Jessops insist they will be ok with the D70 (allowing
> for the 1.5 times change). Are they really going to be compatible. I tried
> a couple of them and don't see any problems yet,
>
If they are AF, they will be *fine. If they are AF and not "D" lenses,
then you lose colour matix metering - no big deal. If they are MF, then
you get no ttl metering at all.
* with some exceptions...see manual :-)
> 3. One of my interests is macro photography, for which I use a SIGMA 105mm
> 1:2.8D lens with a CENTON MR40 ring flash. Again, Jessops insist the lens -
> flash combination will be ok with the D70. However, I tried it and the
> Centon flash won't fire. This was on auto. The cameras own flash fired ok.
> When the CENTON is attached to the camera and switched on the pop up flash
> of the Nikon does not pop up. On setting "P" I see that switching on the
> Centon changes the shutter speed in the monitor display but won't fire.
> It's as if the camera knows the flash is there but won't fire it.
>
The Sigma 105 D (or DG) EX macro will be _great_. The D70 AF may not
thrill you in low light/low contrast situations - and with this macro it
is a lot of AF winding from 31cm to infinity and back. (use the focus
limiter). That should be improved with a firmware update available in a
couple of weeks. If manual focusing with the Sigma 105mm, the focus
indicator light (bottom left of viewfinder) is absolutely accurate from
my experience. (Apparently it is not accurate with a few Nikkor lenses).
The built in flash will work with the Sigma 105 as close as 1:2 or
better(sans-lenshood), closer than that you will get a lens shadow.
Your ring flash will (*should*) work on manual - but no ttl - and that
would drive me nuts. Sigma have a new i-TTL ring flash that should work
much better on the D70. About $500 though IIRC.
Not sure what you do - but with colour balance able to be set in camera,
(or changed later if shooting raw) and a high usable ISO range, a couple
of very cheap halogens on telescopic flexible mounts do the trick for
me, but I like to use shadow rather than eliminate it.

The manual is not an optional accessory for the D70. Despite being 200+
pages, much of it you will need to read to get the most from the camera.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Manual is downloadable from Nikon. It can be hard to find but it is there.
Also you may need another flash. I was going to buy a very nice, used, top
of the line Nikon flash from a friend until I discovered that it wasn't
compatible. I had to buy the newest SB800 from Nikon. I think you can get
some other earlier flashes to work but the compatibility is poor because
some of the functions won't work. If you can't find the manual, email me
and I can find it.

Doug

"mat" <mat12033@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news591qb$4pl$1@nwrdmz02.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com...
> Today I purchased a Nikon D70 from Jessops. I can return it for a refund
> within 30 days if I don't want it. I'm going away next week for a month
> so I need to get acqainted with the camera asap. It's now midnight and I
> have to wait until tomorrow before I can go back to Jessops to tell them
> that the user manual is missing.... Anyway, here are some immediate
> queries that I have and I wondered if anybody could provide any answers.
>
> 1. Can I leave the battery in the charger for hours on end? I have a
> compact digital camera and the manual for that says that their battery is
> ok if left in the charger.
>
> 2. I have a number of Nikkor and Sigma lenses which are fully compatible
> with my Nikon F 55. Jessops insist they will be ok with the D70 (allowing
> for the 1.5 times change). Are they really going to be compatible. I
> tried a couple of them and don't see any problems yet,
>
> 3. One of my interests is macro photography, for which I use a SIGMA 105mm
> 1:2.8D lens with a CENTON MR40 ring flash. Again, Jessops insist the
> lens - flash combination will be ok with the D70. However, I tried it and
> the Centon flash won't fire. This was on auto. The cameras own flash
> fired ok. When the CENTON is attached to the camera and switched on the
> pop up flash of the Nikon does not pop up. On setting "P" I see that
> switching on the Centon changes the shutter speed in the monitor display
> but won't fire. It's as if the camera knows the flash is there but won't
> fire it.
>

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"mat" <mat12033@hotmail.com> writes:
> Anyway, thanks to everyone for their comments and help. I will download a
> manual and ring Nikon support as well for their ideas on how to get the
> flash working.

Try checking custom setting #19 to make sure the camera knows the
flash is in manual mode. If it's set to TTL, that could be your problem.
See page 150 of the manual.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Paul, does the SB-600 do any of that stuff.... ? The SB-800 is just so frappin'
expensive.

Tim




"Paul Rubin" <http://phr.cx@NOSPAM.invalid> wrote in message
news:7x7jifii21.fsf@ruckus.brouhaha.com...
"mat" <mat12033@hotmail.com> writes:
> Anyway, thanks to everyone for their comments and help. I will download a
> manual and ring Nikon support as well for their ideas on how to get the
> flash working.

By the way, ring flashes make for very flat lighting. Get yourself an
SB-800 to go with the D70. It comes with a little stand so you can
set it off to one side of the macro subject, and then the D70 can use
its own built-in flash ("Commander mode" ) to send timed pulses to the
remote flash to get TTL exposure without any cable going to the remote
flash. Use the diffuser to get some nice soft light, and having it
coming from the side gives a 3-D look. Wireless flash automation is
one area where Nikon is still beating Canon.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

At Amazon at least, the difference in price is a full $130.00 !!
That's not a whole big leap from saying its twice as much... yes, no?
Does it do another $130 worth of cool stuff? I'm asking sincerely....

T




"Paul Rubin" <http://phr.cx@NOSPAM.invalid> wrote in message
news:7x1x8mc054.fsf@ruckus.brouhaha.com...
"Destin_FL" <mounttimmy@yahoo.com> writes:
> Paul, does the SB-600 do any of that stuff.... ? The SB-800 is just
> so frappin' expensive.

The SB800 has a few features that the 600 doesn't, but the 600 does
most of it. The way I see it though, they're both frappin' expensive,
so you might as well buy the 800 and get it over with, instead of
buying the 600 and wishing you got the 800. I did that already with
the N8008, starting with an SB-22 and later coughing up for an SB-24.
The price difference between the 600 and 800 is not that large, and
there are some used 800's around.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <SO9ee.2378$cf5.1102@lakeread07>, mounttimmy@yahoo.com says...
> At Amazon at least, the difference in price is a full $130.00 !!
> That's not a whole big leap from saying its twice as much... yes, no?
> Does it do another $130 worth of cool stuff? I'm asking sincerely....

Besides the extra power, there are additional automation modes
(auto aperture), strobe effects, and mixed-mode support for
multiple flash photography.

If you start doing serious flash work, the extra power is enough
reason to go with the SB-800. For bounce flash, or shooting
into reflectors or through diffusers (especially *big*
diffusers, big enough to really have a softening effect on
the light), the extra power will make a big difference in
the effective range of the flash.

Diane