Merco_61

The HK-20 won't fit, but the HK-22 for the AF-S is usable AFAIK. The HK-30, HK-31 and the HK-26 should work as well as the interface is unchanged. The HK-30 i still in production but expensive. You could check with Grays of Westminster if they have something.

What lenses do you have? There are some DX lenses that were nice with the D300 and don't play too nice with the higher density sensors.

Is your software set to import and show both? There are settings in most software that displays raw+jpg as one file only.

Sweet and Tender Hooligan

The Smiths

Import model, 1 year warranty by seller gives it away. It is a grey import.

The D800 doesn't have more problems with resonances than any other body, but the high resolution reveals them more efficiently than other bodies. What is your lens, focal length and shutter speed when you encounter these vibrations?

There are some things that are worth trying before giving up and sending the body and lens in. Which of the F error codes do you get? Is it F-- or Fee? Does the minimum aperture sensing post activate the switch fully? Have you tried cleaning the contacts on body and lens with De-Oxit? Have you checked that the contact block in the lens is firmly in place and that all the springloaded contacts move freely? Have you checked that the bayonet is firmly in place on the body?

The reason for the auto-opening aperture is that it is much easier to achieve critical focus wide open. Minolta lenses work the same on their native bodies. The spring-loaded auto aperture was what made the SLR competitive with the rangefinder for PJ use when it arrived.

Remember that I am a product of the slide-film era... Getting things right in camera was a necessity in those days.

With careful use of the dFine plugin for either PS or LR, ISO 1600 is quite usable from the D300. dFine is part of the free Google NIK filters. I have often been surprised by the low noise the D7200 produces, and it isn't too expensive either... Otherwise a D610 or D750 and a set of the f/1.8 primes is a relatively affordable route into FX.

Myersnaf, if you play around with the online DOF calculator at dofmaster.com, you will soon get a feel for how the DOF works. Your choice of distance will determine the perspective, your choice of lense will determine the angle of view and your choice of aperture will determine the DOF for a given print size and viewing distance.

Calculations are nice, but don't beat shooting lots and developing a feel for how things work.

The Kingstons don't have the greatest reputation and are not recommended by Nikon. Nikon usually only recommend Lexar and Sandisk cards.

Does it work with another lens? F-- means that there is a communication error. If the camera works with another lens, the contacts on your new lens are probably oxidized. If the camera doesn't work with another lens, the lens mount and the contacts there are suspect.

I love this. Beautiful, simple, and poignant. Peter, I'm curious about the rapid fall-off of the light on the candle--was that achieved in post-processing, or was it done in camera?

Nothing is done in post, except for the crop. I used a piece of black felt as a background and to flag off stray light on the sides. The candle is 100% stearin and produces less light than a candle with wax in it even if it burns cleaner. The slightly over-long taper reduces the light output further. The texture next to the flame is from creases in the felt.