Make a shoulder strap for your tripod

This idea was inspired by my Mother; I was lugging my tripod around Southend, and she asked why I didn't have some kind of handle for it. She thought I might somehow be able to attach a strap from a bag to it. So I came up with this. Thanks Mum :)...Full HowTo Here

Blog Counter I was using Bit the Dust....!!!

Luckily I check count daily and was able to transfer count 62,395 since Dec. 17,2207 over to new counter. So the View Stats will be way off since starting fresh with only the original count to start with.

Yesterday was the 5th month since beginning with passing 62,000. So even subtracting 2,000 for any posting count etc... that is 60,000 in 5 months with a 12,000 hits per month!

Thanks all and hope the Blog Has been Useful to you.

D40 "Blog of the Week" - SweetPea

See her Blog Here

Almost Arrested Taking Photos at Union Station

As some of you may know, I've been testing out a Gigapan panorama photo system over the last week, after I received a loaner of their robotic camera mount from Carnegie Mellon's robotics lab.

I brought it in to NPR to demonstrate it to colleagues and go on a photo safari to photograph the architecture at Union Station.

Apparently, as far as Union Station's security operations are concerned, that's a criminal offense, since we nearly got arrested...Full Story Here

Lens Test: Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM AF

Few lenses made for the digital arena can deliver the creamy defocused backgrounds that are possible with this f/1.4..

Sunny Weather is Here Time for "Understanding Polarizers"

Care, Feeding & Proper Use

There are few more important things that a nature photographer can do to improve his or her photography than becoming familiar with the use of the polarizing filter.

What can a polarizing filter do for you? Among other things it can darken the sky, remove reflections from water, and make foliage appear less shiny. Colour saturation is also significantly enhanced.

It is the only filter for use with colour film that can do all of this...Full Article Here

D40 "Photostream of the Week" - mullenite's

See his stream...Here

Tamron 28-300mm VC for Nikon

As well as adding motors to its existing lenses, Tamron has also started building motors into its new Nikon-compatible lenses. The 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 VC lens offers a 10.7x zoom range with the company's proprietary optical stabilization system. DX-format users get fields of view equivalent to 43-465mm (in FX terms)....Full specs Here

Saving money while using legendary lenses

For those wishing to save a little money by purchasing used Nikkor lenses, this is a great time to buy. It's especially true for those preferring to use Nikon Manual Focus (MF) 35mm bodies.

The introduction of newer Autofocus (AF) designs has driven down the price of their predecessors, creating remarkable value in some cases. Even those using AF bodies can find some great bargains out there in lenses that are one or two generations back.

Here are some thoughts on what I perceive to be some of the better values out there right now. These are all lenses that I have some personal experience with, so it's not just an academic discussion.

If a lens is absent from the list, it doesn't mean it isn't good; it just means that its cost to performance ratio isn't quite as good (or it means I forgot to include it)...Article...Here

The Digital Photography Show

Can listen to the shows...Here

HDR Tutorial - New and Improved for 2008!

I hope this tutorial describing my evolving HDR techniques proves useful to you! I receive a lot of emails from people who stumble across my photography asking how I do this. Rather than sending a super-long response, I made this little tutorial because I was feeling particularly open-source one day. I keep this blog and try to post one interesting picture per day. About 75% of my work is HDR, so if you hang out on StuckInCustoms.com, I’ll do my best to keep fresh images for you to see every day!

Also, many of you come here JUST to swipe my Photomatix Coupon Code - it is “StuckInCustoms” and here is the discount link. The nice people there were nice enough to give my fans a discount code, so I am happy to share it since I believe in their product.

Okay let’s get started!...Here

"Flickr Funny Pic of the Day" - Chicken Heads

Chicken Heads PDX, originally uploaded by orb9220.

PictureTown now has 2GB free storage

With my Picturetown’s state-of-the art storage network, your files are safe. And, unlike many other photosharing sites, you can store photos and videos of any size. The service offers up to 2 GB of free storage. You can also subscribe to the my Picturetown Gold service and store up to 20 GB of images. (The Gold service is available in the U.S. and Japan only.).... More Here

Tamron SP AF70-200mm F/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro

Tamron announced yet another lens at this year's PMA show, the SP AF70-200mm F/2.8 Di LD (IF) MACRO. This fast telezoom gets in close thanks to its 0.95m minimum focus distance, realizing a magnification ratio of 1:3.1 at 200mm. Plenty of coatings keep stray light to a minimum whilst a removable tripod mount and clutched focus ring (Canon and Nikon only) help speed up operations. Canon users will see the lens first with release scheduled for March. Nikon, Sony and Pentax fittings will follow....Details Here

The myth of UV filters?

I hear it daily. "Always protected by a UV filter" in the for sale adds. "UV filter saved my lens." Etc. It seems people are terrified they might actually take a photograph on a lens that doesn't have a UV filter on it. And absolutely for certain when you buy a lens the salesman (online or in store) makes you feel like you just crawled out from under a rock if you don't buy a UV filter to protect your investment...Full Story Here

The “Tripod Police” Take Things Up a Notch

Just when you think the intense fear of tripod’s has gone as far as it can go, this happens: Matt, RC, and I went for an early morning shoot at Grand Central Station yesterday, and each of us carried that most-hated of photographic accessory; the dreaded tripod. We had a special shooting permit to use tripods in the station (more on this later this week), but it was what happened after the shoot that took things to a new level...Full Story Here

Mpix - Online Lab for the Photographer

Mpix... The professional online digital imaging lab for both the professional photographer and the advanced amateur...Check them out Here

Thom - New Body, New Lenses May 12th - June 16th

Thom says he’s being told that new lenses and a new body are on their way:

The Buzz
Apr 19–Current rumors out of Japan have Nikon introducing the D90, D3x, plus lenses, in the second week of June. I’m tightening my D90 (or whatever they decide to call it) prediction date to between May 12th and June 16th.

Others are betting on new AF-S updates to the 50mm and 85mm.
That sure would be nice, I’d love an AF-S 50mm f/1.4 VR (aspherical, please). I’d also love a modern Noct, but I’m not getting my hopes up....Here

60 Photography Links You Can’t Live Without

I’m pretty much addicted to photography. Methods, gear, news, you name it. It really is kinda scary.

To keep my addiction in check when I’m not shooting or shopping, I need a steady flow of photo content to keep the shakes and withdrawl symptoms from popping up so I put together a list of what i consider to be some of the best photo-related content out there.

Read on for more photo link porn than you can shake a stick at including 25 blogs, 20 AMAZING photographers, and some other fun stuff that will make those days you feel stuck at your desk wishing you were shooting go a bit smoother…Here

Helpful Resources from the D80 Group

Helpful group for learning.
D80 Users Group

HOT TOPICS AND HELPFUL LINKS ...
1. Interactive Tutorial on Camera Setting - [Beginner/Intermediate]
2. Sensor Dust and Cleaning - [All Users]
3. Autofocus Test Chart - [All Users with New Lenses]
4. Comparative Noise Tests - [10 Nikon DSLRs, D1 through D40x]
5. Finding Reputable Dealers - [Check here before ordering online]

OUR UNIQUE "MASTERING YOUR D80" SERIES ...

These tutorials and discussions enlist the combined expertise of all our members as both mentors/instructors and students at the same time. We encourage everyone to participate and learn. These threads are always open for new contributions/discussion.

Basic Tutorials
Tutorial #1: Spot Metering
Tutorial #2: Focus and Sharpness
Tutorial #3: Digital-Vari Programs
Tutorial #4: Exposure
Tutorial #5: Action Photography
Tutorial #6: Focal Length, Perspective, Etc.
Tutorial #7: Post Processing, Before and After
Tutorial #8: ISO Settings and Available Light Photography
Tutorial #9: Flash Photography
Tutorial #10: Composition
Discussions and Projects
Discussion #1: Introduction
Discussion #2: Monochrome
Discussion #3: Something New
Discussion #4: Happy Holidays
Discussion #5: Differences

Hope this helps and drop SoCalBob a thanks