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Fill light = highlight recovery for shadows, basically – it does about the same thing at the other end of the histogram.

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There are a coulpe of ways to get the same magnification settings with nikon. The MP-E 65 is basicaly just a billows system put on a lens.

The thing is that the MP-E is optimized for shooting at high magnification. I’ve done some high mag stuff other ways and the results haven’t ever looked as good. There are some Nikon optics that could maybe give comparable results on a bellows (Ultra-Micro Nikkors and stuff), but they’re rare and expensive. Nikon used to make some *seriously* hard-core macro gear back in the day (take a look at this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270835456131?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649) but they don’t any more, sadly 🙁

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I find the lack of space stations disturbing.

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As CISS says, spot metering is very useful. In order to really use it properly, you should understand Ansel Adams’ zone system

Right – and this kind of gets to why I would not tend to use spot metering for that kind of shot. Thing is, your spot meter wants to make things neutral, so to spot meter off a white heron you’re going to need to dial in, maybe +1.6 EV of exposure compensation or you’re going to get a grey bird and a badly underexposed background.

Alternatively, you could just forget the spot meter and try setting an EV of -1 or so…

It really depends on how you want to work, though. I tend to work by trial and error rather than trying to get the first shot perfect. Spot meters are more for the latter kind of folks in most cases 🙂

But however you choose to work, it’s important to work out what your light meter is telling you, and when and how to overrule it when you need to. The best automation will only ever get it mostly right most of the time…

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That’s it. I’m buying a farking tiger this winter.

/maybe just renting one.
//good stuff this week.

http://www.walkingwithlions.com/animal_rentals_tiger.htm

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So no cages = no zoo animals? What if it’s an animal they let roam free at the zoo?

I think no enclosures was only meant to apply to potentially domestic animals:

Horse in enclosure = domestic horse
Tiger in enclosure still = wild tiger

?

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There’s a gold ring on the best Nikon lenses, but they aren’t all that consistent about using it – originally it specifically meant ED glass (back when that was quite rare) but now they just put it on the top models (except that some don’t have it, e.g. my 17-35 F2.8 does, but the 135 F2 DC and 80-200 don’t…)

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I carry 3 telephoto’s in my camera bag.

Technically, there are probably four:
70-200mm
500mm
135mm
100mm macro
(plus possibly the 24-70 at the long end)

(The definition of a telephoto is a lens in which the distance from the front element to the imaging plane is shorter than the focal length of the lens. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephoto/)

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…although that looks to be a little big to use as a sig….

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I wish I could figure out why my clear sky chart never posts correctly.

Try taking out everything after .gif in the image URL:

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I forgot one: Zeiss ZF 21mm F2.8. It’s not as fast as the 24/1.4 and it’s not as wide as the 14-24, but it’s reportedly really, really good…

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I wouldn’t consider any of the nikon wide angle primes apart from the 24/1.4. The others are older and are not that great optically – modern zooms are better.

The other fast & wide lens that might be worth considering is the Tokina 11-16mm F2.8 – It may not be quite as good optically as the 14-24 (probably the best wide angle zoom yet made), but it’s got a decent reputation performance-wise and it’s a lot smaller.

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I was told that there would be no math.

If I’ve learned one thing, it’s “there is always math”.

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If everyone on the list entered in all 12 contests represented by the sliding quarter, then they would be the same.

That’s not right is it? Unless I’m missing something, all it would need for them to be different is a significant variance between the NVC and the standard vote totals for the contests in that quarter?

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One B which I should have probably used in place of the #3 I posted:

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