***DSLR/Photography MegaThread***

Well my AF Nikkor 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED lens just crapped itself. Won't zoom without a wicked grinding noise and a lot of force. Won't focus at all. Makes all kinds of rattly sounds when I shake it.

At least this was an inexpensive lens when I bought it. I think I paid less than $150 for it on eBay when I bought my D100 like five years ago. It's a shame this thing tanked, because it is a REALLY light and compact lens. The problem now is that I don't have anything to put on the D200 for my wife to use, and I'm not keen on going out and buying a DX lens just to put it on the backup camera body.

I wonder how much it would cost to repair it? Probably more than its worth. Might be fun just to yank it all apart, too. I could do a photoblog about it!
 
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FlyBoeingJets said:
Well my AF Nikkor 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED lens just crapped itself. Won't zoom without a wicked grinding noise and a lot of force. Won't focus at all. Makes all kinds of rattly sounds when I shake it.

At least this was an inexpensive lens when I bought it. I think I paid less than $150 for it on eBay when I bought my D100 like five years ago. It's a shame this thing tanked, because it is a REALLY light and compact lens. The problem now is that I don't have anything to put on the D200 for my wife to use, and I'm not keen on going out and buying a DX lens just to put it on the backup camera body.

I wonder how much it would cost to repair it? Probably more than its worth. Might be fun just to yank it all apart, too. I could do a photoblog about it!
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I have that lens too and like it a lot because it is so light and compact. I lent it to my mom last year to take to Africa and the mount got tweaked during her trip. I sent it in to Nikon in El Segundo and they fixed it for less than $100. The cost probably depends on the problem. I just sent my 18-200 VR in on Wednesday because it was grinding inside and won't focus. We'll see what they say. At least I have the 28-200 in the interim.

Why not send it in and see what the estimate is? It's pretty easy. I just filled out the Nikon Service Web Form and sent it UPS ground for just a few bucks.
 
FYI - I got the estimate back on the 18-200 VR and they want $93 for a level B2 repair and $12 for shipping it back to me. For a $700 lens I'd say that's worth it.


Also: I see that Canon is offering an 18-200 VR now to go with the new Canon 50D. Previews of both on Dpreview.com now. The 50D at 15mp looks pretty awesome especially if it can really do those high ISO numbers. You gotta love the way Canon and Nikon keep trying to one up the other and we photogs keep getting cooler toys as a result.
 
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This shot of St. Louis reminds me of those. This is by a guy (Todd) who has really been helping me out via Flickr.
It's his first album cover.
 
SO I just wanted to say THANKS to you guys for pointing me in the right direction with the D30, the 17-55 2.8 EF-S lens and the 580EXII flash. Having this ability has given me a new inspiration to go out and take more pics. In fact I'd really like to get into some concert photography and may look into doing something like that and I might be able to use some old connections to do so, hopefully.
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So this is a quote from this thread on Dec 16th. Things have come so far, so fast since this time. I became one of the top Derby Dolls photogs very quickly. (Oh yeah, I found out that they are going to paint murals of a few of my Derby Dolls pics at their rink, that should be incredible.) I started shooting for LAist.com then became a regular contributor. I hit up a local bar and took pictures there, used them to get into the Warped tour and then sent those to Nine Inch Nails and just got accepted for a photo pass next Sunday. I feel that NIN is pretty much top tier so if I can shoot them I can shoot anyone.

This is where the fun really begins.

Oh yeah, I also got permission for the first time since the Kings moved to Staples Center to photograph live Kings games. This should be great for me, LGK and ultimately the Kings fans. At the end of one of those December posts of my wishes and goals I stated, "In a perfect world I should shoot Kings hockey". Looks like some dreams do come true.

The purpose of the original post was to thank all of you guys for telling me which camera to buy, which lens and flash. So I guess I owe you another thanks for helping me get this far and I feel like the door is just beginning to open.
 
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Mike,

Congrats on all that. I've been digging your stuff from Warped, and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the stuff. Now, if you're ever not able to get to Kings games to shoot, I want to offer my services of keeping that Staples Center photo pass nice and warm for you! I'd give just about anything to be on the glass with my glass during game time. I don't often get jealous, but dammit...I sure am now!

I don't think there's a single regular poster in this thread who hasn't improved their ability over the last (almost) two years thanks to the interaction of all of us, the suggestions, the tips, the tricks, and the knowledge that everyone else shares. I know I have! So I'll say "thanks" as well, and I hope this thread keeps going for the foreseeable future.
 
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On August 14th, I got some great shots at the Dodger game vs the Phillies. I sent them all off to the guys on 8/21 for signatures and I already got one response from Jayson Werth. What a nice surprise in the mailbox.

Click Here for the original shots.

I sent 2 photos to each guy. Jayson decided to keep one for himself which is quite flattering honestly. He replaced it with a limited edition photo from the team and even responded to my note that I included with each photo. What an awesome guy.

Thanks for the idea Glenn. I totally stole it from you when you did it with the Spring Training Photos. Take a look at the note and the reference to Dodger Doctors. LMAO!


My Shot
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Hey, cool!!

I don't think I'll be doing that ever again. The response was so abysmal from the players I sent to. Never got anything back from Martin or Lowe at all, and never anything really personal like what you got from Werth except from Gonzo. ****ing Kent just signed all three and sent them back. Loney signed one and sent it back.

Oh well. Was an experiment anyhow. Glad to see yours was successful.
 
FlyBoeingJets said:
Hey, cool!!

I don't think I'll be doing that ever again. The response was so abysmal from the players I sent to. Never got anything back from Martin or Lowe at all, and never anything really personal like what you got from Werth except from Gonzo. ****ing Kent just signed all three and sent them back. Loney signed one and sent it back.

Oh well. Was an experiment anyhow. Glad to see yours was successful.
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I'm looking at it as an experiment as well. I wouldn't call it successful, yet... I sent to 9 different guys. Of course I sent them out when the Dodgers were on an abysmal road trip so I'm hoping to get at least 1 response pretty quick now that they're back at home. I figure Kent's got plenty of time now that he's fresh out of surgery.
 
FlyBoeingJets said:
The sunset at Burbank last night was ****ing RAD!!!!

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Great shot. The awesome cloud colors may have come from a volcanic eruption in Alaska :

Yesterday SpaceWeather News (SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids) reported that observers in the U.S. and Europe were seeing unusually colorful sunrises and sunsets because of a recent volcanic eruption in Alaska.

It may be worthwhile to watch the sky for the next few days for unusual sunrises and sunsets. Be sure to have a tripod-mounted digital camera ready to record what you see. Best results will probably be had with a wide angle lens or a zoom lens set for the widest possible field of view.
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