Posted on 03/19/2011 3:46:37 PM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER
I didn’t mean coral snake...I meant copper head. My bad.
Amen to his “not looking for trouble”, and to a moccasin’s propensity to chase. I like snakes, and find many of them truly beautiful, but moccasins....whew, those fellas really do actively SEEK trouble.
Growing up, a friend of mine lived on a lake, and a neighbor, (retired Commander, if memory serves), was out fishing in his little rowboat when a moccasin decided to join him. IN the boat : o
He shot a hole in the boat whilst dispatching his new traveling companion, (some big gators in that lake as well), and found himself in a race to shore with the moccasin’s mate in hot pursuit : o : o
And one more - my sister used to work for the water department, doing quality control and testing runoff from various industrial sites and processing plants. She had a long stick used to reach down and get samples, and she said that she would use it as part of her advanced warning system as well for the locals ; P She said that moccasins were the ONLY critters that would hear her making noise, and consider it an opportunity to meet someone new and interesting ; }
Prayers for Japan.
Tatt
(Hi, 'scuse me for butting in)If you get one of the 'regular' (aka AFFORDABLE) Canon DSLRs, with the APS size sensor, not the 'full size' $2,000+ 'Pro' models, your old 28-135 lens will give you the equivalent of a 42 - 203 zoom lens, if on a 35mm camera (x1.5 factor).
And as to your old 'supplementary flash'. One word of caution - DON'T!. Not without putting a Voltage Reducer onto your Hotshoe and connecting your old flash's sync cord to that. Or you can fry all your new cameras electronics.
It all comes down to the flash's 'Trigger Voltage' and with our old SLR's it wasn't an issue. note: The 'Trigger Voltage' has nothing to do with how many batteries you put in your flash.But all is not lost B&H Photo in NYC sells a 'Wein Safe-Sync Hot Shoe to Hot Shoe High Voltage Sync Regulator' for $47.19 (Free Shipping in USA). Other places may have it but I've been dealing with B&H for a decade starting with getting my Kodak Portra Film from them. They are THE store for pros.
I almost made the mistake of putting my old Sunpak 522 'potato smasher' on my new Nikon DSLR, But I was doing Marco shots with my new Flash Ring and avoided the disaster. [I would have cried at the after affects ;-)]
So sorry for butting in.
Good Luck and Happy Clicking
What a cutie! I have never seen one standing like that.
They used to get in our fenced back yard, and oh my, if we let the terrier out at night, what a ruckus until either we finally managed to corral the pup, or the ‘dillo found a quick exit strategy.
Sure do love life in the south :)
Prayers for Japan.
Tatt
Hi,
All Nikkor F Mount lenses 'ever made' will mount to any Nikon -- D90 or on the 'the cheaper Nikon bodies'. But even with the D90 not all Nikkor Auto Focus lenses will work except in Manual Focus mode. (On some combos you have to worry about the mirror and rear of lens, Nikon has a complete list))
BTW, Last Fall I bought one of those 'Cheaper Nikon bodies' (D3000) because I didn't want all the Bells, Whistles, and Switches like on the D90, or even the D3100 which was coming out. And I wasn't alone on that subject. As a Pro Photographer responded to the 'hobbyist' Reviewers whining about the D3000 not taking Videos:
No. The Nikon D3000 doesn't take videos. That's because it's a CAMERA. If you want to take videos buy a Camcorder!That pretty much shut up the 'hobbyists'. Another 'whistle' I definitely did NOT want was 'live view' and the D3000 fit that bill as well. So I'm pleased as punch with my 'cheap' Nikon D3000. All my old Nikkor AI lenses work on it too. I just have to use manual focus and metering. But after shooting SLRs for about 41 years, and Nikons for 33 years, I kinda know what f/stop to start at @ 1/200 sec.
ps: I was a 35mm Film Luddite. Waiting for DSLRs to come close to matching film quality without me needing a 2nd Mortgage. It was SWAMPSNIPER & these threads who helped me make the transition. He is my Digital Guru.
I think y'oughtta make some hi-rez ones available through some of these "wallpaper" sites (with your (C) symbol, of course):
http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper
http://www.wallpaperweb.org/
http://www.ewallpapers.eu/
http://www.photo2search.com/
http://www.highresolutionwallpapers.co.cc/
I could have gone all week without seeing that bad boy.
The cat used to bring in presents for me until she brought in a live one. It was wrapped all around her and deposited it in the middle of the living room floor. It was between me and the ol’ shotgun so grabbed my cast iron skillet. I was screaming at and cursing the thing so loudly that my neighbors called .... two days later .... to see if I was ok. Everyone lost that day. The snake is no more, the cat immediately became an indoor cat, and now I’m stuck with a litter box.
As Indie says, “Snakes, why did it have to be snakes.”
I too have never seen them stand like that. Also unusual to see them in the daylight.
I think what happened was the wind was blowing toward me and he did not smell me. I just stood there and he eventually got very close.
I could tell, every now and then that he got a whiff of me as he would alert. When he was around 20 feet away, I made a noise by walking on some dried leaves. He immediately sat up and I was fortunate to have the camera pointed at him.
At times he got right under my feet but that is actually not a good position to photograph them.
Thanks for the input, esp. re the flash. $47 for a converter would be a lot cheaper than buying a nice flash-will check that out for sure.
Yes, I knew there was a conversion factor re SLR lenses to DSLR use. I was considering a Canon Rebel T2i - with 18-55 IS lens. I see the package running $700-$800.
The conversion makes the good lens I already have quite suitable for most outside nature photography and an 18-55 lens would cover close range. Sounds like a good combo.
Yes, I have dealt with B & H. Good company. Have also had good experiences with Adorama and Beach Camera (don’t know if they’re still around as it’s been at least 5 years since I’ve been in the market for serious photography gear).
Thanks again.
And I meant no offense on the lens conversion factor thing. A lot of experienced SLR photographers switching to digital don't know about it - like I WAS. (It confused me and I did a lot of reading then saw it was due to the 'APS' size sensor).
And the 18-55mm 'kit lens' that Canon, Nikon, etc, all sell with the Body is an excellent 'all around' lens. For any Family Gathering it's all you'll need.
Like for a Birthday you put the Camera Dial in 'Portrait Mode'(1) (Marco), and zoom that lens in on the cake(2).When I bought my Nikon D3000 I got the Two Lens Kit. [I waited and waited until B&H had an 'authorized' Nikon Sale, which they still undercut on the 'authorized' price. Can't recall exactly but the extra savings was considerable.] The 2nd lens is a 55-200mm. And at a 300mm equivalent w/ film its all I've needed so far. I'm sure Canon has a similar 'Two lens kit'.Ditto for Macro shots of Flowers. Turn the Camera Dial to Portrait Mode and the lens does the rest.
Some 'experts' say the Nikon D3000 is a waste and 'obsolete' but I specifically wanted the D3000 because of the features it had. And the Bells and whistles it didn't have and I did not want. I still like a 'Basic Camera' that lets me be in control. Not where the camera is controlling all the settings, and me.
(1) 'Portrait Mode' is how Nikon has the Marco function labeled. Don't know offhand how Canon delineates it.
(2) This is where you have to *worry* about getting too close as your on camera Flash will trigger and it'll create a shadow. That's when I got a Bower Flash Ring from B&H. (Don't be 'cheap' like I was, get the one that works with your Canon 'TTL' meter, it's about another $30.00)
Canon has similar names: Landscape (mountain symbol), Macro (flower symbol), Portrait (silhouette symbol), Fast shutter (person running). Those are probably universal.
I agree with spending a bit more and getting exactly what you want instead of cutting corners. Not that you have to have top of the line, but often you end up dissatisfied with a cheaper product and end up getting the upgraded one anyhow.
What IS that thing. It might cause me to give up gardening - lol. In NM, aside from clay, rocks and no water, we do have snakes. The Bull snakes are the good guys who eat the rattlers and rodents. The problem is, when I see a snake I am not cool, calm and collected - like, gee, what is this? I just leave and go find a snake killer.
Still a dark, wintry frozen tundra up here in NW Connecticut. I think "globull warming" must have turned our part of the country into Siberia this year... one of our worst winters in many years. Snowed like mad here yesterday, and we're expecting another "wintry mix" tomorrow into Thursday. Make it stop already!
Wow, look at that little guy... he looks prehistoric! Are they dangerous? I didn't realize armadillos were common (?) in Florida...
Just an armadillo.
They are not considered dangerous tho he looks like he could really claw you if he wanted to.
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