Oct. 2001
President's
Message
Portrait of Jim and Kathy Jones
Photo FAQs
Photo FAQs
Eric Kissa
Q.:I am
thinking of buying a Nikon N90S with a Nikkor AF 28-105mm lens. The autofocus
of the Nikon F100 with this lens is really fast but the N90S fits my budget
better. The N90S is not available here in Portugal and I would have to
buy it from England. Will I be disappointed with the autofocus speed of
the N90S after having tried the F100?
A.:The
N90S is a competent camera and a very good buy. The faster autofocus speed
of the F100 is not significant for most shots. I have found other features
of the F100 to be more important:
- Depth-of-field indication in all exposure modes (S and P in addition to M and A).
- Aperture setting with a control dial.
- Autobracketing with two frames. (The N90S with MF-26 requires at least 3 frames).
- Selection of the autofocus and spot metering area.
- Automatic rewind (Custom menu 1-1)
These features may not be important to you. I still use a N90S as well as two F100 Nikons (Each one with a different film). Regardless of which camera you buy, the F100 or the N90S, you will not be disappointed.
Q.:Would image stabilization help me to get sharper pictures?
A.:Image stabilization (IS), alias vibration reduction (VR), is very helpful when you
- cannot use a tripod
- cannot use a monopod
- do not use a fast film, and
- the movement of the object
being photographed does not require a fast shutter speed.
This means, image stabilization
is useful for hand held shots with longer lenses when available light,
film speed or required depth of field limit the shutter speed. Photographers
who use stabilized lenses swear by them. However, the objective of image
stabilization is not only to reduce the minimum acceptable shutter speed,
as emphasized by the camera manufacturers. The real objective is to get
sharper pictures. Built-in stabilization is not always needed. Tests have
shown that a properly used monopod can reduce camera vibrations as effectively
as the stabilizer built into the lens.
Image stabilization (IS or VR) does not make a tripod obsolete. A tripod
does not only stop or reduce vibrations, but it helps to compose the picture,
use graduated filters, and meter the exposure carefully. A tripod allows
the use of off-camera flash, as well as reflectors. Heavy telelenses,
with or without IS, need a monopod or a tripod anyhow. Unfortunately,
image stabilization of most IS lenses does not work properly when the
camera is mounted on a tripod. Recently Canon has improved the image stabilization
system and new Canon IS telelenses reduce vibrations of the lens on a
monopod or tripod as well.
Image stabilization is not
instantaneous but requires at least a second to stabilize the lens. This
may be a problem for some shots.
Another disadvantage - stabilized lenses are heavier and cost more than
their conventional counterparts..
Q.:Why do not Canon and Nikon pro cameras have a built-in flash? All Minolta cameras have one.
A.:The Minolta Maxxum 9 is the only pro camera with a built-in flash. Canon and Nikon believe that pros prefer to use a detachable flash for the following reasons:
- The output of a built-in flash is weak (GN (ft) around 40 for a ISO 100 film) and useful only for fill-in flash.
- The built-in flash drains camera batteries.
- A detachable flash can be hand held for optimum lighting.
- The lens or the lens hood may shadow the flash.
A recent Popular Photography lists lenses which shadow the built-in flash of Canon, Minolta and Nikon cameras. Some of the information is misleading to say the least. The article states that "28 mm to 200 mm non-CPU Nikkor lenses and Series-E lenses except 200mm f/2 lens can be used with the built-in Speedlight" of Nikon N80. Non-CPU (Manual focus) lenses can be mounted on Nikon N80 and focused manually but the exposure meter does not work. No TTL metering or auto exposure.
I use a small and light detachable
flash (SB-23 GN (ft) for ISO 100 is 66) on my Nikon cameras when the big
ones are too bulky to carry. Of course, I wish occasionally that the camera
had a built-in flash but considering the limitations, I am happy without
one. .
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Send questions concerning photographic
equipment (cameras, lenses, accessories, filters), photographic techniques
(other than digital), and film, as well as information on international
photographic exhibitions, to: ekissa @aol.com.