[PRCo] Re: going digital

[Fred Schneider]

And for everyone on whom you pour hot lead, another nazi comes over  
the ramparts.

On May 30, 2008, at 8:53 PM, Richard Allman wrote:

> I am using a Nikon D80 . I was a slow and late entry to the digital  
> age but
> must confess to being a believer. To say nothing of the diminishing  
> menu of
> films out there. I use the same 18-135 zoom lens as Ed. I am very well
> pleased except at the extreme of telephoto focal length. For  
> digital, 35mm
> is "normal" lens length. The extreme of wide angle I must confess I  
> haven't
> tried much since I don't much like the effect and distortion. In the
> 27-100mm range I am quite satisfied. My understanding is that Canon  
> was the
> standard and we Nikon'ers were waiting for some catch up. I think  
> we're
> there. Regarding Ed's comments about the cost of printing, as a  
> long time
> darkroom mole, currently the cheapest available fiber based paper  
> is 86
> cents a sheet from one of the discount outfits. When adorama is  
> having a
> sale, I can upload digital images to them and in 3 business days  
> have great
> 8x10 color prints back at $1 a pop.Somewhat more when sale not on, but
> searching around the internet, great deals are to be found. At our  
> East Penn
> Traction Club slide contest, two years ago we brainstormed re: how  
> to allow
> for digtal entries. This year, of the 13 categories, 10 of the  
> winners were
> digital-the old order changeth and the times they are a-changin'. I  
> am still
> getting acquainted w/ features of the D80; on a recent visit to  
> PTM, on an
> admittedly gloomy day weatherwise, to experiment  I shot fully in the
> automatic mode. With minor corrections easilly accomplished, I was  
> well
> please w/ almost 90% of my images. My current greatest photoquest is
> fighting the photonazis who masquerade as transit security forces  
> and tell
> law-biding railfans that Homeland Security forbids all rail  
> photography, as
> Bob Dietrich, Jack May, Fred sauerberger were (erroneously) told in
> Baltimore on 4/30/08. We have heard in recent days that thanks to the
> interventions of Walter Zullig, a fan and attorney, Maryland ACLU  
> is taking
> the cause. To the ramparts sons of freedom!
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Edward H. Lybarger" <trams2 at comcast.net>
> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 7:27 PM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: going digital
>
>
>> It's the second line, not the second sentence, too!
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
>> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf  
>> Of Edward
>> H. Lybarger
>> Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 4:27 PM
>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: going digital
>>
>> I currently use a Nikon D100, which is now two generations  
>> obsolete.  If I
>> were replacing it today, the cameras I would consider are the D80  
>> and the
>> D300.  The former is about half the price of the latter, but has  
>> some nice
>> features (such as an LCD screen you can actually see).  My lens is an
>> 18-135
>> mm digital-only zoom from Nikon.  That's the equivalent of 27-202  
>> mm in
>> film-speak lenses.  I use it much more frequently near 18 than  
>> anywhere
>> close to 135.
>>
>> You should also plan on buying a good dedicated flash unit.  The  
>> pop-up
>> flash is so good as to be almost worthless!
>>
>> I also use my N90s old-fashioned film camera with the 24-120 lens.
>> Depends
>> on the application; I can always scan the slides and print them if
>> necessary.  For vacations and the like I prefer film.  For family
>> gatherings
>> and museum events, the digital provides instant prints or digital  
>> files
>> for
>> publication.  Anything you see in Trolley Fare with my name on it is
>> digital.
>>
>> Digital prints are not cheap, although the printers are.  I use a  
>> Canon
>> i960, which is horribly dated but produces great color prints.   
>> I'd like
>> to
>> buy something that would give me the equivalent color but greatly  
>> improved
>> B+W.  B+W demand is small, so they're not plentiful or cheap.  John
>> B+Bromley
>> does great B+W on an Epsom model.  My wife gets great color on a  
>> Canon
>> unit
>> that cost under $100.  Ink and paper are the cost drivers (and profit
>> centers for the manufacturers).
>>
>> I'm locked into the Nikon system because of the lenses.  Canon makes
>> excellent products as well.  John Polyak uses their system and would
>> probably tell you what's available there.  If I didn't use Nikon  
>> products
>> I
>> would probably use Canon's.
>>
>> Digital has made me lazy.  I haven't printed a picture in my  
>> darkroom in
>> about eight years, though Fred and I did some in his on a couple
>> occasions.
>> I will occasionally still make a copy negative or ten where I want  
>> more
>> than
>> a digital file.
>>
>> Longevity of digital files is a subject that uses up lots of  
>> bandwidth and
>> is often discussed by those dedicated to the museum employees' full
>> employment act.  Rules of thumb:  Back up your files daily on a  
>> separate
>> hard drive; it is highly unlikely that both will fail simultaneously.
>> Store
>> on CD or DVD as well; use name brands and do not store them in the  
>> sun or
>> other heat.  Think about recopying after a number of years...but I  
>> don't
>> know what that number is.  5?  7?  There's lots of hoopla out  
>> there about
>> how all this digital stuff will disappear, just like the magnetic  
>> tapes
>> will
>> all be wiped out.  Keep in mind that I have some audiotapes that were
>> recorded in 1951, were stored in the attic, and still play just fine.
>> Likewise some VCR tapes, though not quite as old, of course.   
>> Remember
>> that
>> scaring people equates to an industry unto itself, but use common  
>> sense!
>>
>> We can talk more next time you're at the museum.
>>
>> Ed
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
>> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf  
>> Of Dennis
>> F. Cramer
>> Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 10:15 AM
>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>> Subject: [PRCo] going digital
>>
>> Greetings,
>> As a retirement gift to myself, I am considering moving into the  
>> world of
>> a
>> digital camera and am looking for recommendations.  I have used a  
>> Canon
>> T-50
>> with 3 different lenses (50 mm, 28 mm and a 70-200 mm zoom) for  
>> the past
>> 28
>> years.
>>
>> I do not want a point and shoot camera and would like to be able to
>> eventually buy additional lenses.  I would like to start with a  
>> zoom lens.
>>
>> What are the advantages and disadvantages of digital over film?
>>
>> Do any of you have any specific recommendations?
>>
>> I take a shoot a wide variety of subjects both indoors and out.
>>
>> Dennis F. Cramer
>>      Trombone
>>
>>
>>
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