Getting More From Your Nikon Digital SLR

Terms of Endearment
Click here for Nikon Lens Nomenclature
Click here for a
Glossary of Terms  from DP Review

Your Camera At A Glance (Meeting #1)
D40             DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide
D40X           DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide
D50             DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide
D60             DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide
D70             DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide
D80             DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide
D90             DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide
D100           DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide
D200           DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide
D300           DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide

D3000         DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide
D5000         DP Review        Autofocus     Rockwell User's Guide

Proper Exposure: Some On-Line References
Click here for an explanation of proper exposure using the "bucket o' light" model.
Click here for a somewhat more technical explanation.

Color Temperature
Click here for a link to Jim Altengarten's article "White Balance and Color Temperature in Digital Photography" written for exposure36 Photography.
Click here for a color chart showing the relative color temperatures and their related Kelvin temperatures.

Steady As She Goes...
Click here for (my hero) Joe McNally's take on steady shooting.
Click here for more steady shooting tips (Warning: Images of Canon cameras!)

Opanda Download
Opanda allows you to view the EXIF data which is recorded whenever a digital photo is taken. I also allows you to see the exact shutter actuation number of any given shot.

Photozone Lens Reviews
Photozone offers reviews on a variety of lenses, both genuine Nikon and third party lenses. It is probably best to consult this site when comparing the performance of two similar lenses, or deciding whether the Nikon 70-200 2.8 lens is worth the over $2,000.00 price tag.

Bob Atkins Lens Reviews
Some additional equipment review. Remember, take everything with a grain of salt!

Shutter Actuations
Click here to find out how many shutter actuations your camera should deliver before it dies.

Strobist Links

I am a great Strobist fan (I even have the coveted OCF refrigerator magnet). Click here for the Main Web Site

Light Modifiers For Built In Flashes
Click here for information on the Gary Fong Puffer. See a video by clicking here.
Click here for information on the Lumiquest Soft Screen Diffuser. See a video by clicking here.
Click here for information on the Kobre Lightscoop. See a video by clicking here.

Light Modifiers For Add-On Flashes
Click here for information on the Lumiquest 80-20 Pro Max System.
Click here for information on the Gary Fong Light Sphere.

Colored Gels.
While the 2 gels that come with the SB-900 are usually adequate, additional gels can be used to provide a closer match between ambient light and your speedlight.
Click here for information on the Strobist Collection of color correction gels from  Rosco.
Check this out...Here's a gel holder specifically for the Rosco/Strobist gels. Hooray!
Click here for information on the Lumiquest Compact Gel Holder with color correction gels from  Lumiquest. Click here for a video.
Click here for information on the Honl Color Correction Filter Kit of color correction gels from  Rosco.
Speed Strips will be needed unless you want to permanently attach Velcro to your flash. Click for Honl or Lumiquest.
Click here for information on the SB600/SB800 color correction gels from  Nikon.
Click here for some basic information on using gels.

Fundamentals of Location Lighting
Click here for the page "Lighting 101:  Traveling Light". The are additional links that explain why certain items made the list.

Portable Lighting
Click here for a tutorial on setting up an umbrella.
Click here for information on umbrella selection.
Click here for more information on Tom's little umbrella.
Click here for more information on the Manfrotto Compact Light Stand
Click here for more information on the Adorama Umbrella Holder
Click here for more information on the
Westcott 43" Optical White Satin Umbrella
Click here for an E-Bay link to an inexpensive radio controlled wireless flash.

Cheap Flash? Check out the Vivitar 5200. Check E-Bay by clicking here.

Using an older electronic flash on your digital SLR? Read this article from Shutterbug Magazine, October 2009.

Need To Rent A Lens or Flash?
Click here for
BorrowLenses.com, located at 428 Peninsula Avenue in San Mateo, CA 94401.

Problem Solving in the Real World
Click here for instructions on how to photograph a LARGE group. A must read.
The San Francisco Gazette is a society paper displaying photos of local celebrities.


Wedding Photographer's Shopping Cart
Bits and Pieces that make life fun!
Click here for e-bay listings for the Nikon AS-10: This allows you to attach a Nikon SB600, SB800, SB900 or an SB-80DX securely to a cold shoe. If you're going to buy the Adorama umbrella holder (see below), you'll get all the necessary hardware.
Click here for more information on the Adorama Umbrella Holder.
Click here for the Zumbrella 36" shoot-through umbrella. Less light is lost when shot through a Zumbrella.

Battery Bliss
For those of you wondering about the AA batteries in their SB800's and SB900's, you might like this article describing the voltage curves of traditional single-use alkaline vs. NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) rechargeable batteries. Click here. This is an old post referenced by Strobist.com.