zener

Thanks for the suggestions folks.  I think I figured it out.  I thought I'd update in case anyone ever has this issue and finds this thread.  Merco, you were onto it with your comment.  And thanks Benigan, I'm going to try that Faststone viewer.

The Nikon Tech guy that I got on the phone was really no help.  He only suggested uninstalling NXi and Capture, and re-installing, and knew nothing about the sidecar file.  I did that, as still had the same issue.

So I started googling my problem and ran onto the manual page about converting files.  It seems I have to run it through the "convert" process instead of just "saving", which I thought was only for Raw files.  My old View2 software just saved the changes when you saved and/or renamed the edited image.  Apparently NXi just saves changes in the "sidecar" file, in case you want to process further in Capture, then you have to run through the convert process, to truly save it all.  I don't really like it because the manual says because of re-compression, you can lose some quality.  Doesn't sound optimal.  I set the slider to 100% for best quality, but not sure how well I'm going to like it.

I'm sure I'll get used to the new Nikon programs, but overall I'm disappointed with the new Dell Windows 10 laptop.  It's supposed to be a step higher than my old Windows 7 laptop from about 8 years ago,  but the display on the older one looked better.  This new one seems to put a greenish dull tint to my photos, like a cheap LED flashlight.  I may even exchange it.  My pics looked way better on the old one, with ancient Nikon software.

Questions:  Is that how you all save JPEG files in NX-i, through the "convert" button?  Are you losing much?  Is there a better way around it?  Sorry for the "beginner" questions.

Zener

Yes, I hope you learn it.  It's a great wrap, and works great on the tripod, among other things.  If you're doing weddings & pro shoots, you could wrap with straight black or silver.  Other than that, there are hundreds of colors and patterns. 

Here it is on a couple of vintage Maglites.  Old pics from my Nikon L610.

Nikon Shooter, you could wrap it with duct tape, or electrical tape with the white letters.  Will look nice at the next wedding.

It is almost weightless, especially with the inner strands stripped out.  I even considered just doing an 6 or 8 inch hand grip toward the top, but you wouldn't get the grip factor on your shoulder. 

Does anyone else play with knots & parachute cord?  I got this idea after seeing Merc's leg warmers.

I wanted to try posting my first photo on the forum and make sure my image size & image host site all jive, so I thought I’d show you all my knotless paracord handle wrap I just did on my new / used tripod with fluid head (which I’m VERY impressed with, by the way, especially for the video cam).

Around 22 feet per leg - 550 cord with the inner strands stripped out so it will stretch out and lay flat.  Makes for a comfortable grip, and keeps things from sliding if you carry them on your shoulder.

I have these grips in different colors on my shovels, hoe, lawn mower handle, ax, machete, cheater bars, and Maglites, and they work great.  I don’t think I’ve had one come loose.

I guess I could have gotten them more even, but this was a trial run anyway.  I may change this to a different color and do the full tube.  This took about two dollars worth of rope.

Sorry for the crappy photos, I'm an amateur.  Maybe I could have gotten better ones if I could have used my tripod  .

Cheers  ~Zen~

Thanks for the suggestions, folks.  I got the "D5600 for Dummies" book a couple of days ago and started reading it, and also Scott Kelby's 3 volume set of "Digital Photography", which also seems great from what I can tell so far.  Got them all for cheap on ebay.  Plus, I have the online 400 page Nikon manual, and sections of this forum I want to read.  Lots of reading this fall, in addition to the hundreds of "trial & error" shots I'm taking, experimenting with the camera settings and menus.  I'll get there.

Next will be to learn the post production process.

Zen