[Brett Colvin]

Thanks Tim!  I appreciate the comment.  We get a few migrating through this neck of the woods each year in February and it’s an event that I always look forward to.  Here’s a juvenile bald eagle (they don’t get adult plumage until sometime in their 5th year):

[Brett Colvin]

10/0 is about right. I accidentally popped one goose hunting a couple years back.
It didn’t taste too bad, a lot like California Condor or Whooping Crane.

;D Nice Mark.  Condor – the other white meat.  Here’s another from the weekend:

[Brett Colvin]

My only comment is that Nikon is releasing the D5200 around December 6th.

[Brett Colvin]

Hi Craig,

My first DSLR was a D70 – you’ll love it.

I started out with a very cheap DIY rig pretty much identical to what is described in this Strobist post:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html

In the beginning I didn’t use a speedlight, just a desk lamp and daylight balanced (full spectrum) 26-watt flourescent bulb.

Standing light from a lamp works well as you learn, because the camera’s meter can read the scene and very few adjustments are usually required.

You do want to use a tripod because depending on background color and illumination your shutter speeds may be on the slow side.

This is going back to about 2009 but here is a typical result from this basic setup:

[Brett Colvin]

I would echo Jay and John’s comments.

[Brett Colvin]

To answer your question: No, Nikon teleconverters are not compatible with the consumer zoom lenses.

[Brett Colvin]

My suggestion would be the Canon S95:

Canon S95 on Amazon

The S100 is a fairly small upgrade for a few bucks more:

Canon S100 on Amazon

I really like the large, f/2 aperture on these – nice and compact with excellent image quality.

[Brett Colvin]

Most of the time I use a Pelican 1450 in this scenario – that model has worked great.

[Brett Colvin]

Hey Buzz –

95% of my shooting on my D200 has been with the 12-24mm f/4.

Zach

That statement is practically a recipe begging you to move to FX.

[Brett Colvin]

Zach, why not pick up a D700 to replace your D200?

+1

Not long ago I picked up a 2-month-old D700 with 800 shutter actuations at a fire sale price.

[Brett Colvin]

Very cool images in this thread.

[Brett Colvin]

That’s a right proper streamer box – well done.

[Brett Colvin]

I think you’d be very happy with something like the Nikon D5100 based on your comments and price range:

NIKON D5100

[Brett Colvin]

Get one.

[Brett Colvin]

Interesting John – some of the same has been taking place down here.  I guess I’m going to have to bite the bullet and get out to South Dakota to experience pheasant Nirvana one of these days.

We don’t have whitetails down here, so I always enjoy seeing your shots.  I hope you get a few nice bucks on the sensor.

Beautiful shot of the rooster btw.

[Brett Colvin]

Thank you John.  What is the cause of the downturn up there – climate?  In my neck of the woods it’s pretty tough to find wild birds on public land too.  The season is only 15 days long and ditch banks have given way to pivots over the years so there’s been a lot of habitat loss.

Last season I didn’t get a single rooster so it was nice to put a few in the vest on Friday.  How has the whitetail rut been up North?

[Brett Colvin]

@Kelly – very nice, and that’s a cool melanistic bird.

[Brett Colvin]

Eric – I agree with your points.  Small shops/home use are actually a great place for Macs overall.  They are consumer devices and that’s where they shine.

I will add one a couple additional points on the iMac:

1) The graphic designers at my firm love them, and tolerate the support issues because of the sheer awesomeness of the display.  The iMac is a beautiful piece of industrial design for sure.
2) Depending on use, monitors often outlast computing hardware.  When you go with an all-in-one, the two are married and you often end up scrapping the $1000 monitor Eric mentions because something else got buggered.
3) Applecare doesn’t cover accidental damage, where many of the PC OEMs offer service plans that do.  If you have kids and an errant lacrosse ball sometimes flies through your workspace, that’s something to consider.

I get to use both and am pragmatic about the pros and cons of each.  Your dollar buys you more performance in the PC world hands down.  Windows 7 is stable, efficient, and you won’t have to re-buy any software you already own in order to make the conversion to Mac.

On the Mac you will love your time looking at the screen more.  Details in your images will pop and you’ll get more personal satisfaction out of the ownership experience.  Get Applecare, and you’re covered if you have quality issues.

[Brett Colvin]

I’m in possibly a unique position because I support both Macs and PCs in a business environment where the computers are used 8-10 hours per day 5 days a week.

I can honestly say that in terms of failures, the 27″ iMac has been the worst unit I’ve ever deployed in 15 years of desktop engineering.

[Brett Colvin]

I like the framing of the angler in the reeds, and think he would stand out a lot more in a lighter shirt.

[Author]

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