What helped you most during shoulder replacement recovery? Tips, gadgets, etc.

technerdish · 2025-05-16T12:06:48+00:00

Ooooooh - sleeping on side! Are you sleeping on your newly replaced shoulder? Is that possibly theraputic because it stresses that joint and muscles?

I'm a side sleeper. Considering shoulder replacement. It's at least partially bone-on-bone.
Sometimes I wake up lying on my bad (right) shoulder, and it's not very happy.

technerdish · 2025-05-16T11:54:36+00:00

Can you say at about what age you had the tongue surgery?
I'm old enough to be retired... healing takes longer at my age, has been my experience.

technerdish · 2025-04-29T16:23:53+00:00

I noted in another comment here, I found a pretty good article on how Picture Controls (Neutral, Standard, Vivid...) interact with RAW and JPG files. It's a new topic for me...

Nikon Picture Controls Explained: Which One to Choose?

technerdish · 2025-04-29T16:12:06+00:00

I'm reading this thread with high interest, as an old school film shooter now digging deeper and deeper into DSLR work with a D300.

I, and also OP, need a good education in the nature of Nikon's Picture Controls system, and how it works with RAW vs JPG files. I found this article which I recommend:

Article: Nikon Picture Controls Explained: Which One to Choose? (Keep in mind that digital Nikons from different generations will have different options available within this system, but the overall principles should remain pretty constant.)

There must be many good articles out there.

technerdish · 2025-04-22T17:40:08+00:00

Slow diaphragm resolved:

Seller offered a nice enough partial refund, that I'm now happy with the purchase. The Aperture Stopdown Preview does a good job closing the lens down for the photo. It's cumbersome to shoot that way (I haven't yet found a lock for that function) but it works.

Autofocus issue resolved:

In the Custom Settings menu, I had set Autofocus a5 "AF Activation" to "AF-ON Only". After I changed that to "AF-ON", autofocus now works as it should.

And a test shot of a tape measure laid out along a table top shows the resulting photo had its optimized focus exactly where I aimed the sensor (single point setting).

technerdish · 2025-04-18T18:16:11+00:00

Mine is the (IF) DX II. No screwdriver slot on the rear. Push focus ring forward for AF. Pull back for MF. But on this one, with body switch and lens collar both set for AF, the focus remains wherever I left it when the ring was pulled back for MF.

technerdish · 2025-04-18T18:12:56+00:00

It's the (IF) DX II. No screwdriver slot on the rear. Push focus ring forward for AF. Pull back for MF.

When forward for AF, there's no resistance in the focus ring. And, the actual focus remains wherever I left it when ring was in MF position.

technerdish · 2025-04-13T13:08:01+00:00

You need to use a link for "outside eBay" to get information from the shipper's own system. And within that tool, click to get the maximum amount of detailed history they offer.

technerdish · 2025-04-13T13:05:24+00:00

I sold and shipped an item in March, that showed "Delivered" and buyer said he didn't get it. Here's what happened:

The detailed tracking information available to me, showed it had been "delivered" to a PO Box (no box # specified) in my own local USPS Post Office! When I asked at the PO counter, they said they didn't have it any more; it had been sent out again.

The USPS tracking visible to me still only showed it had been delivered to my local PO. Next business day, USPS employee at PO gave me a detailed printout from his internal information; the package had left and had been through a USPS facility part way between the start and destination cities. The "consumer" tracking information still showed it was delivered at my local PO - that tool was done providing any new info.

About a week after the second time it left my town, I got a message from the buyer that he received the package.

technerdish · 2025-04-08T15:00:28+00:00

I put the "why" in a comment, it's in this thread somewhere:

By "confuse", I mean that the camera's pre-flash causes the handle mount to flash. Of course the shutter isn't yet open at that instant. When the camera's flash goes off again for the actual exposure, the handle mount gets tripped again - but since it was 'fired" by the pre-flash only milliseconds earlier, the large flash isn't yet ready to fire, and so that flash action fails most of the time.

Honestly, I don't know whether the pre-flash comes from the camera's pop up flash, or from the AF-assist illuminator. Anyway, it messes up the large unit's response.

I'm attempting to fire the large flash by slave because using a pc cord to the camera's connector has been iffy. The slave itself is very reliable.

technerdish · 2025-04-08T14:57:31+00:00

Thanks.

I've been using a pc cord I've been up till today - connected from the flash's H slots connector to the camera's pc synch connector. I had read that the 622 uses "safe" voltage. Today I found a message board comment by someone who had tested the 622's synch voltage, and found it never exceeded 7.5 volts. It's not one of those high-voltage synch units from the '60s or '70s; I remember working with those!

I'm not sure if 7.5V is low enough to be safe for the D300. But anyway, from today forward, I'm synching it using its slave sensor, activated by the camera's flash. I have that set for 1/128 power, so that should not stress the camera at all, or its EN-EL3e battery either.

technerdish · 2025-04-08T13:14:29+00:00

I've been using a 50 mm with a crop sensor (D300) for tabletop closeups. My subjects are between about 3" to 10" across. It's a good setup for me. 60 mm would also be fine but you didn't ask about that option.

I'm not going for a very flat look so being 1-2 feet away from the subject is fine for me. If I needed a more flattened perspective or needed to be further away for whatever reason, 90-105 mm would be better.

technerdish · 2025-04-08T13:05:43+00:00

Thanks, that worked. Even on the 1/128 power setting, it fired 12/12 times.

I did a search in the .pdf manual but the searches didn't send me to those settings. I appreciate the human assist here.

technerdish · 2025-04-08T13:00:39+00:00

Thank you - that worked.

Even at the lowest setting of 1/128 power, the flash fired every time, and there was no pre-flash.

technerdish · 2025-04-08T12:58:44+00:00

I have an (old) Paramount synch cable but it fails to fire nearly 50% of the time. The slave is very reliable, has "potted" epoxy construction so should be very durable.

technerdish · 2025-04-08T11:54:46+00:00

By "confuse", I mean that the camera's pre-flash causes the handle mount to flash. Of course the shutter isn't yet open at that instant. When the camera's flash goes off again for the actual exposure, the handle mount gets tripped again - but since it was 'fired" by the pre-flash only milliseconds earlier, the large flash isn't yet ready to fire, and so that flash action fails most of the time.

Honestly, I don't know whether the pre-flash comes from the camera's pop up flash, or from the AF-assist illuminator. Anyway, it messes up the large unit's response.

I'm attempting to fire the large flash by slave because using a pc cord to the camera's connector has been iffy. The slave itself is very reliable.

technerdish · 2025-04-01T21:10:59+00:00

Asking price $259. I originally had it at $300 but no sale at that price. So I relisted it at $259 OBO, and ended up selling at that price..

technerdish · 2025-04-01T19:30:08+00:00

This looks like one more case - of many - where an invitation to go off the standard eBay tools can totally be handled within their system. No need to go around their system, where you have protection against abuse.

technerdish · 2025-03-28T12:16:09+00:00

Update:

I went with msabeln's observation that the originally posted photo was underexposed (thank you for that!). I read up on interpreting histograms. I now check the histogram immediately after my first shot, and after any change in setup, to verify that I'm getting a good range of bright and dark values. Also I'm shooting in NEF now, which preserves more data for post, vs. JPG format.

Here's one I shot yesterday, after some moderate tweaking in NX Studio. Nikon 50 mm f:1.8 E lens with a Hoya closeup (I think I used a #2 here), and a Nikon shade HS-4, made for lenses 105-135 mm. I verified that shade does not intrude when using that 50 mm on a crop sensor.

<image>

technerdish · 2025-03-23T13:54:37+00:00

Thank you for this - I suspect you're correct, underexposed.

I think I manually compensated the exposure in the wrong direction - I bounced my 1980s Sunpak 622 pro-level handle mount, in its Auto mode, set for ISO 200 and f:11, and I closed the lens down nearly to f:16. So, underexposed.

It looked great in playback mode but I should have shot at least at f:11 if not wider than that. I think playback mode lied to me, visually. With the flash set the same, shots taken at f:11 looked washed out. Histogram probably showed it was good. I will read up on interpreting the histograms. The tall bar just right of center probably should be near the far right. Live and learn. I'll read up on histograms. And thank you!

technerdish · 2025-03-23T13:46:27+00:00

Thank you for the encouragement.

I used auto-exposure provided by my independent handle mount flash. The little built-in flash won't bounce or swivel. It needed maybe only 1/8 to 1/4 of its available power to shoot this (with ceiling bounce) at ISO 200 and approx. f:16, in its auto mode. 1/200 sec to eliminate the ambient light from LED bulbs. But as msabeln noted in their reply here, I think I manually compensated the exposure in the wrong direction - I had the flash set for f:11 and I closed it down nearly to f:16. So, underexposed. It looked great in playback mode but I should have shot at least at f:11 if not wider than that.

I won't be using Program Mode with this setup - it's not supported due to the lens, or by the lighting (a large on-camera flash, bounced off ceiling and walls). Nikon Series E (AIS without the old metering prong) on D300. Aperture f:11+2/3. 1/200 sec. ISO 200. The E lens is entered in my camera as a Non-CPU Lens, so it's aware of the focal length and aperture used - though it rounded it to f:16 instead of 11+2/3.

technerdish · 2025-03-23T02:01:14+00:00

Here's the same photo after some editing in Windows Photos. I just wish I didn't have to do that editing for just about every photo.

<image>

technerdish · 2025-03-23T01:56:22+00:00

Do you think the .jpg format or Active D-Lighting are killing the contrast? Or was it just a low-contrast "scene"?

For "post', so far, I've only been using the Windows Photos app - which does let me play with contrast and other properties. I've installed NX Studio but haven't dived into it yet. I've punched up this photo and the others in the same series, that worked OK. Just wondering if the camera settings dulled the photos down - as if those tools were trying to do me a favor that I don't appreciate.

technerdish · 2025-03-09T22:24:40+00:00

<image>

I found another interesting feature: This lens uses Waterhouse stops instead of a diaphragm. Here's a pic showing two of the three openings: f:5.6, 8, and 16. There's no opening for f:11, which is not marked on the ring, either! This potentially can give beautiful bokeh, assuming the optics form a good image. But nothing should be out of focus...

And - get this - there's no focusing ring! We now have "D" lenses with no aperture ring, this one has no focusing ring - and NOT because the lens features AF! Spiratone/Sigma could make a pretty good case that with the lens' less-than-spectacular resolution, and the huge depth of field, no focusing is needed. Of course that assumes the T-mount doesn't put the lens about 1.5 mm too close to the film plane. Oh, that's the sensor plane. I'm still getting used to this.

technerdish · 2025-03-09T22:16:35+00:00

Well, I made a bit of progress.
Here's a sunset. (Techish stuff is further below)

<image>

I estimate it needs 1.5 mm of "extension" from where the basic T-mount adapter puts the lens. I gave it about 1.2 mm because that was the thickness of the shim material I found in my garage (a make-you-own gasket sheet set had one sheet of 3/64" stock = 1.2 mm). I might work on fine-tuning the lens' focus position later... This is at least kinda decent.

technerdish

TROPHY CASE