Hiya and a question

[Kellie]

Long time, no post. It's been a very busy summer and when you can't visit a board every day is easier to end up in lurkdom. It also allows more time for actually taking pictures. I'll try to drop in more often. I see the bickering is still popping up regularly. LOL

To keep this on topic - I FINALLY got a tripod and ball head. I decided light weight wasn't the most important feature. My main criteria was ball head and quick release so I ended up with a Bogen / Manfrotto 3021N legs and 488RC0 ball head. I love this combo, but am considered exchanging the legs for the 3021Pro because the center column can be converted to a lateral arm which I think would come in handy for macro stuff. Otherwise I'm very glad I went for a sturdy, quick set up. I have used the tripod a ton and actually took it on a short hike last week.

I haven't bought any more lenses and am feeling very content with my current gear. I think I will eventually add a wide angle lens (probably the Tokina 12-24), but I'm in no rush.

Oh, my question...I got a rocket blower and while it works for most of the dust, I can still see a couple particles when shooting the sky at f/22 (which I would never normally do). Should I live with this, try to clean the sensor myself, or take it to a shop and pay $60 for someone else to do it? I'm a neat freak and even though they don't show up in most pictures, I don't like the idea of the specks being there.

[jcon]

Glad to know youre still around and kickin Kellie!

I know I am not in the majority here but I dont like blowers, they can actually put more dust on the sensor. I use Sensor Swabs with 1 drop of Eclipse Optic Cleaning Solution. Two swipes across the sensor and youre done! It also doesnt leave the stuck on dust that most other ways do.

Sensor Swabs.. http://www.pictureline.com/products/..._Small_(EACH)/


Optical Solution... http://www.pictureline.com/products/...eaning_System/

[toriaj]

Hi Kellie, good to see you, you were missed. FWIW, I use a blower, which has made a big difference to me. I've never cleaned the sensor. I change the lenses indiscriminately out in the field with no regard for dust If I see any huge pieces, I use the blower. Every now and then there will still be some dust in the image, and I clone it out in post-processing. I'm sure one of these days I'll need to buck up and clean the sensor, but it's been 15 months since I bought my camera, and that day has not yet arrived

[rawpaw18]

Wow, it's Kellie. Nice to hear from you.

F22 at the sky, you probably could see spots when your cam was brand new.
If it bothers you that much then swab as per Jason's suggestion.

If it doesn't show up in my photos then I usually let it go for a while, still worried I might damage something so I clean more as an as needed basis.

Nice to have you around, and if you want to bicker about something, I'm up for a good old fashioned forum brawl.

[Rooz]

good to see ya kell.
i didn;t notice any bickering...did i miss something or am i immune ? lol

[tcadwall]

Rooz,

Quite simply we have become immune. - Not want to pick on anyone - you sometimes see a thread - and you already know 1 or 2 of the people that have likely posted to it - as well as what they probably wrote. So when you actually open it, you aren't suprised at all. Once in a while you are shocked that you didn't see an abrasive post that you were expecting!

That IS immunity. Of which we must have.

On the other hand, I can remember a thread that went the direction of Macintosh computers, and I actually got a little ruffled... It caught me with little sleep and fresh off of some issues with some software that was working fine on everything but a Mac - again.... (LOL - Hope I don't start it up again)... But really I have ignored some stuff I guess. I remember thinking the other day that a particular poster was not nearly as aggressive as they used to come across... I MUST be IMMUNE!

[Prospero]

Glad to see you again on this forum, Kellie.

I have used the sensor swabs and sollution that Jcon mentions and it works quite well. The rocketblower I used before the swabs already cleared up most of the dust, though.

I must say I haven't seen much bickering around here either. Ever since Wrestlingreport was banned, it has been really quiet around here .
Anyway, I usually stop reading every time a certain person starts posting a long list of lenses that cannot focus on the D40, so that's why I probably miss most of the bickering here

[aparmley]

Hey Kellie -

You'll like the pro21 legs, I have the exact same set up as you and fine the center columns functionality very useful! The only weak part of this set up is the ball head - it drives me crazy when I lock the ball head in place and then watch it sag and now my focus point is no longer on my intended object of focus. I'd upgrade ball heads while you're at it.

[achuang]

Hey Kellie -

You'll like the pro21 legs, I have the exact same set up as you and fine the center columns functionality very useful! The only weak part of this set up is the ball head - it drives me crazy when I lock the ball head in place and then watch it sag and now my focus point is no longer on my intended object of focus. I'd upgrade ball heads while you're at it.

I'm in total agreement with you Andy, my ball head always does that and it's frustrating sometimes. Also I hate that mine doesn't have a separate pan lock, so it's hard to do panoramics.

[Kellie]

Andy - I haven't had any sagging issues yet. Actually, I have been quite impressed with how well it stays in place even while adjusting the legs. It locks quite well. How long have you had yours? This one also has pan lock.

I'm glad to hear WR got banned! And the bickering isn't as bad as it used to be, but it's here and there if you look.

P.S. I'm buying my mom a D40 for her upcoming trip to Nepal and Thailand. She has a CRAPPY old p&s and knows nothing about photography. She's more likely to pop up the flash in low light than change lenses, so fast primes AFing aren't an issue. She wants something very compact, so I'll probably get the body with the 18-135mm. I plan to teach her how to use it so she won't be stuck in auto.