An Older Nikon Newbie - Gear Questions

[DenisFitzgerald]

After a 15 year hiatus from photography I've decided it was time I got back at it and boy how some things have changed. For now I plan to stick with film and just bought a pristine Nikon F5, (box, cards, and all that - not a mark on the thing) and have a 500 f/4 P lens floating around somewhere between here and Germany. Years ago I had a couple F4's and the longest lens a Tamron 70-210 2.8 that I used on a Gitzo 320 with one of those solid Kirk stubby columns and a GraF Studioball and that worked pretty well although the Studioball wasn't all that great mechanically. I picked up a nice used G320 and had kept the Kirk unit, I plan to add an AS Z1 and probably a Kirk clamp if they come off back order soon or maybe with the AS clamp if they don't. I got the tripod before I decided to get the 500 so at this point I'm wondering if the G320 is enough support for the 500 and if not what older non carbon Gitzo would I need? I'm not so much opposed to the carbon but rather, spending that much for now if I can find a good non carbon (cheaper) version.

PS - I'll also be adding a TC-14EII soon and likely the TC-17 and TC-20 later on.

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Hi Denis. I think you have underestimated how much things have changed, even in the last 5 years! I know of no one, certainly not here at BPN, that still shoots film for avian photography, though some certainly once did, and quite successfully. i.e.Artie Morris.
If you are interested in film photography I would suggest finding a site dedicated to it. regards~Bill

[John Chardine]

Hi Denis- You may not want to hear this but the biggest single thing you could do, gear-wise, is to replace your film camera with a digital camera. Digital surpassed film in quality several years ago, which is an eon in the digital world. A big challenge with film and bird photography will be speed or ISO setting. With the 500/4 you will want to be using fairly high shutter speeds. In great light, you will just not have enough of it unless you can find good ISO 400 or 800 film.

[Bill Jobes]

Greetings Denis,

As one who shot film as a photojournalist for a number of years, I can say without qualification that making the move to digital is the way to proceed here.

You can buy a boat-load of gear with the cash you save on film and processing.

And the major bonus is the flexibility you gain in 'developing; your images in your computer 'lab.'

Once I got over the 'romance' of shooting film, digital was easy to accept.

And after you're immersed in digital, if you choose to go that route, you can do what some of us do from time-to-time, and that is dabble in film. Just for olde tyme's sake !