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Continuing on the Benro subject:

I just bought a new Benro KS-1 ballhead and MC-66 carbon fiber monopod off ebay for under $200 shipped with a spare QR plate.

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Zach, the C-027 is listed as 2.2 lbs and is 46″ high without extending the post.

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Zach, if you haven’t yet pulled the trigger on a new pod you should really check out Benro tripods.

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Carter, before you buy a D50, google d50 overexposure.

A good friend of mine just switched jobs and had to buy a new camera since the one he’d been using belonged to the newspaper he was leaving.

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Paul,

I had a Renzetti Traveler for years and loved it.

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I used to do that to, but after too many times of wishing that I had shot something in RAW rather than JPG, I switched to RAW full time. If you don’t need the RAW file you can convert it to JPG or TIF before you archive and discard the RAW file, but you can’t create a RAW from either of the other formats.

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Steven,

It’s going to be tough to find just one bag that’ll suit all your needs.

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Am I the only one that’s disappointed by Ross discontinuing the Canyon series?

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theboxkid-

check out these two excellent posts over at stripersonline.com on spinning deer hair.

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Zach, I agree with what others have said- stay away from the 34007- they’re dull out of the box and, while easy to sharpen, don’t hold a point very well.

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When you say skipjack to me, I think of it as a bonita, which is a saltwater fish similar to tuna.

It’s always interesting to read threads like these.

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Ian,

I agree with what Zach said- don’t skimp on the tripod- it’s not worth the frustration.

If you can live with an aluminum finish then this tripod: http://www.nikonians.org/dcforum/DCForumID23/16741.html
is a good deal and should work great for you.

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Simon, Zach’s spot on about resale value, but in some cases the 3rd party suppliers have exploited holes in Nikon’s line so that their lenses are the only economically viable option.

The 3rd party lenses do seem to be a lot more “hit or miss” than Nikkors- it’s rare for Nikon to come out with a dud of a lens, whereas the other suppliers have a more varied field- there are some stellar lenses out there, but there are also a handful of lenses that are just plain bad.

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I hadn’t thought of the additional magnification as being an advantage, but now that I think about it, I guess if I’m using the macro capabilities of the lens, I’ll want a pretty tight focus anyway.

I think what I really need (read: want) are two lenses, a fast prime for general use, and a macro lens.

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Zach covered fill flash pretty well, I just wanted to chime in with an endorsement of the SB600.

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Hey Zach,

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Zach, I’m getting to know a few people in the industry, and it seems to me that it’s all about the “good old boy network” when it comes to choosing photographers, writers, etc.

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Last night I remembered that I left Jim Levison off my photographers list:

http://www.jimlevisonphoto.com/

I love checking out the online galleries of all these guys.

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Zach, good collection of links.

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For those that are homeowners- you can get an additional rider on your policy that will cover your camera gear.

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