Understanding and Optimizing the Nikon D90 D-Movie Mode Image

d90 will be here tomorrow.

d90 will be here tomorrow.

Thank you everyone for all the great info. This web site helped me so..... much with my dvx100a and now I am looking forward to the d90. Bought it for a still camera upgrade from my d40. The video side of the camera was just a plus. Good to see the great things being done with it on the video side. Keep up the great work. Can't wait to get it!!!
 
touching on the filters a bit more... this probably applies to another topic, but the base I'm building on now is d90 so I thought I'd ask here....

I'm looking for a good set of NDs solid ones as I primarily want to keep the DOF of my Nikon primes in bright daylight. I have a steadicam merlin as well and with d90 - its size and portability is a huge plus. I can just carry these things in my backpack.
I do have a redrock mattebox but dont haul it around...
so a screw on ND is a plus.

- what are your thoughts on which route should I go? 4x4 or just a 77mm screw on?

- another question, what happens if two solid ND's are used at the same time? how does the exposure adjustnebt of them add up?
 
i've no idea but i will in five seconds: if one filter removes 50% of the light and another filter behind it removes another 50% they remove 75% together. 50% is one stop and 75% is two stops, so there's your answer: the number of stops add up. ok, now i can forget it again and leave space in my brain for more important things knowing that i can always figure it out again later. :-)

/matt
 
mattsand said:
i've no idea but i will in five seconds: if one filter removes 50% of the light and another filter behind it removes another 50% they remove 75% together. 50% is one stop and 75% is two stops, so there's your answer: the number of stops add up. ok, now i can forget it again and leave space in my brain for more important things knowing that i can always figure it out again later. :-)

/matt
Click to expand...

so if i have a ND that reduces exposure 2 stops, it will do so regardless, even if there's another ND in place already in front of it...?
 
A big thanks to the OP for posting such helpful info.

A specific question: I'm new to the Nikon system and am curious what manual lenses (or any lenses) you would recommend.

So if my understanding is right, if I get a completely manual lens I would be able to control the aperture from the lens itself?

Thanks!! :thumbup:
 
alexandroff said:
so if i have a ND that reduces exposure 2 stops, it will do so regardless, even if there's another ND in place already in front of it...?
Click to expand...

No, the little (but very clever) gnome that lives in the filter checks it constantly and if something is put in front of it he very quickly repaints it in a slightly different color. It's hard to know exactly which, he's a bit moody. :-)

/matt
 
it's just two polarizers, isn't it? get two at $30 each, place one in a non rotating ring or glue it stuck, screw in the other, and voila.

/matt
 
From what I understand, this method might introduce some problems with reflections and vignetting.
 
Step-up ring and good multi-coated filters might come close to the asking price of the Vari-ND though.
 
my gut feel is that variND is of crappy quality though... i think the price is based on "concept" or "convenience" type of thing...

variND certainly wont be B+W type glass....

i went the route of getting a set of 77mm B+W solid NDs .3, .6, .9 and a step up ring off of ebay.
 
alexandroff:
I haven't seen any complaints about quality on the web. On the contrary, they praise it. What made you come to this conclusion?

Matt:
That's a great link!...However, they don't have any Pol-Fader larger then 58mm (I need 77mm/82mm). Also, high quality PLs seem to start at around $150. Are you talking about best value PLs?
 
you don't need circular, linear is fine. also double coated or multicoated is probably fine, just avoid the cheap stuff.

/matt
 
An idea for exposure control

An idea for exposure control

As a new owner of the d90 I have an idea for exposure control that seems a little simpler than some others. I would like the experts opinion.

I go directly to LV in manual mode, open up my lens to the desired F-stop, adjust the exposure control EV to +1 to 2, fill my imager with a highlight from the scene, then press AE-L.

My idea is to use the EV +1 to +2 to keep the shutter slow, then to meter a highlight to keep the ISO down. Will this work?

One of my problems with the technique of doing the AE-L @F5.6, then opening up to F1.8 is that the problem of overexposure is only going to get worse.

The only problem I see with my technique is in those settings where you can't fill your frame with enough of a highlight to fool the metering into decreasing the ISO. That is when some controlled lights source could come in handy.

Thoughts?
 
I discovered a skill how to tackle the jello effect under fluorescent light! Well, may be I'm not the 1st one.... In LV-mode, slowly , I mean really slowly, pan your camera and frame something "half bright & half dark", the jello effect will suddenly disappear, then lock it by pressing the AEL-lock! (I did it with an ordinary 50mm AF-D Nikkor Lens) It was inspired by Kholi, trying to override its behaviour. The theory is to tell the camera to move to a slower shutter speed range so that the fluorescent light will be less flickering. (Kholi, correct me if I'm wrong!)
 
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