How to converse your battery

Are you always running out of battery power just before you take that perfect picture with your digital camera? Here are some tips to conserve your batteries when you are out “snapping away”.

1) Turn off your digital camera when not in use. If you are in a situation where you must snap pictures quickly, this may not apply as turning digital cameras on and off take a few seconds, and may cause you to miss a picture-taking opportunity. However, if you are taking a leisurely stroll and can afford a couple of seconds before snapping a still subject, by all means, conserve your digital camera’s energy!

2) Many digital cameras have a regular viewfinder and an LCD viewfinder. While the digital LCD viewfinder has its benefits, it can drain battery power. Turn it off when applicable and use your regular viewfinder for taking pictures.

3) Don’t stop after taking every photo and look at the picture in your digital camera’s playback mode. Granted, you sometimes need to look at photos immediately after shooting them in order to make sure your exposure is correct, the lighting is ok, etc., but doing this does use up your digital camera’s battery power.

4) If you are using MicroDrive media, be forewarned that these miniature hard drives may take up quite more power than Compact Flash cards.

Taking care of you new battery pack

Normally, a new battery pack comes in a very low charge condition and must be fully charged before use. Refer to the user manual of your portable electronic equipment for charging instructions. A new battery pack needs to be fully charged and fully discharged or “cycled” as much as five times to condition them into performing at full capacity. Your equipment may report a fully charge condition in as short as 10 to 15 minutes when the new battery pack is being charged for the first time. This is a normal phenomenon especially for Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) and Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) chemistries. When this happens, remove the battery pack and let it cool down for about fifteen minutes then repeat the charging procedure.

“Conditioning” (fully discharging and then fully charging) is necessary so as to maintain the optimum performance of a battery pack, and is recommended at least once a month particularly for Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries. Failure to do so could result in reduced charge capacity and can significantly shorten the battery packs useful life. Lithium Ion batteries do not require conditioning. It is normal for a battery pack to get warm when charging and during use. However, if the battery pack gets excessive hot, here may be a problem with the portable electronic equipments charging circuit and should therefore be checked by a qualified technician. Rechargeable batteries undergo self-discharging when left unused for long periods of time. This is normal particularly in the case of Ni-MH and Li-ion chemistries. For best results, always store a battery pack fully charged. It should be removed from the equipment and kept in a cool, dry and clean place. The amount of runtime a battery pack produces depends on the power requirements of components in your electronic equipment.

Don’t let under-charged batteries keep you from taking great photos. If you infrequently use your digital camera, you may think that you after you use your digital camera, recharge your NiMH batteries, wait a few weeks or months, then use your digital camera again, that your batteries will be charged and you’ll be ready to snap photos, right?

Oops… Do that and you’ll be stuck with a non-functioning digital camera or one that just blinks a picture showing a dead battery.

Rechargeable batteries don’t stay charged forever. They tend to lose a little bit of their power every day. If you charge your batteries and frequently use your digital camera, you will probably never notice this loss of power. However, after a couple of weeks, the power loss may be noticeable, and after a couple of months or longer of non-use, those once ready-to-go batteries may have lost enough power to make them unusable.

Don’t get caught in this trap. Always charge your batteries before every trip, and make sure to use a battery charger with a sensor that prevents over-charge.

The Sony DSC-W170 has all the comforts of an easy-to-use point-and-shoot, but its dazzling agility and sleek, compact body pack a powerful punch. It features an enviable 10.1 megapixels, Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom lens, and all of the advanced shooting functions you expect from Sony. Face Detection and Smile Shutter technology helps elicit stunning detail from special moments, while Intelligent Scene Recognition lets you capture the mood as you remember it. Whether displayed on the 2.7-inch LCD screen or your HDTV, the DSC-W170 conveys your creative vision with precision and style.

Reviews:

By Brandie Woodward (Amagansett, New York):

I just got my Sony Cybershot today to replace my horrible Casio Exilm, that I was so disappointed in. I took this out of the box, and I immediately loved it before even putting the battery in. It is the perfect size. I myself don’t like the extremely thin cameras. I find them more difficult to get a good grip on to take a good photo. This is very comfortable to use, and I love how easy the controls are and the handy dial to change the photo settings. It is still small enough to fit in your pocket. The color is so nice. Just so you now it is not really red, it is more of a magenta or deep pink color. So, if you want a deep red color, you might be disappointed. I took some test photos of my cats, and I loved them. They were ten times clearer then they would have been on my Casio camera. The color came out so nice. The video is nice too. I like also you just pop the battery out to charge, and the charger is not big and bulky with a long cord. You just plug the battery in, and the whole charger just plugs into the wall. I have a mac so I didn’t need to use the software or install anything for it, so I cannot comment on installation, but I am sure it is not a big deal if you have a PC. It works great with iPhoto. The only thing I was disappointed in, is that you cannot adjust the zoom when filming in video mode. I am so happy with my choice, and I am selling Casio camera on Ebay. Highly recommend!

By M. L. Chesner (Shelton, CT):

This is a great little camera. It takes very good pictures in all light situations, but is especially good in low light when compared to other digital cameras. I brought this along on a recent outing to New York City and didn’t use the flash at all. As with all cameras, not every picture taken in low light is perfect, but this camera does a better job than any other camera I have owned which includes other Sonys. It is about the size of a deck of cards, so although it is larger than some cameras in Sony’s lineup, it is still small enough to fit into your jeans pocket without feeling like the whole world knows what you are carrying.

Capture smiles as they happen. The 7.2-megapixel Cyber-shot W120 features innovative Smile Shutter technology which photographs smiles as they happen. Built to impress, this model boasts a Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom lens for high quality close-ups and Sony’s Double Anti-Blur solution for crisp, clear images. For speedy recovery, the BIONZ image processor gets you ready for the next shot. In addition, it has Face Detection technology that detects up to eight faces and optimizes focus, exposure, and color for accurate, natural photos of family and friends.

Reviews:

By Deanoism:

It’s just about perfect, for me. Of course, I’d like the quality and control of an SLR in a tiny package, but for something this portable it does a fine job. The onscreen descriptions of the settings are just fantastic, the ISO (low light) mode has to be seen to be believed…very little noise, even without flash. Pictures are mostly sharp, though without flash you still have to maintain a steady hand, as with any camera. Very balanced and realistic color. It’s a very intuitive camera that lets you concentrate on your composition and not worry too much about exposure, which I think is what a small point and shoot should give you.

I also love the 16×9 modes for stills, haven’t done any video with it. I’d recommend getting a clear shield to stick on the screen, like I did…seems very scratchable otherwise. If I lost it I’d probably get the same camera again. I’m pretty conservative with my reviews, I’m sure many people would give this an unabashed 5 stars, and I almost did, but you still get the occasional surprise when you shoot something that should have turned out fine but didn’t for some reason….I think it’s just where the tech is at right now, but this camera rocks, no doubt.

By E. Woodbury (Washington D.C.):

My wife and I recently upgraded from our Sony DSC-P8 to a Sony DSC-W130. So far we are extremely happy. We shopped around quite a bit before settling on the new cybershot, and spent a good deal of time trying out other brands. In the end, the Smile Shutter brought us back to Sony. It sounds like there is no way it would work, but it really does. We have two young children that are remarkably hard to catch smiling. With the new Sony, all we have to do is turn on the smile shutter and the camera does the rest. So far, we haven’t missed a smile with the 3 year (with teeth) and have caught a few of the 4 month old (no teeth). It makes a difference.

The other feature that has been great so far is the burst mode. With my old camera, the missing time between shot resulted in a lot of blurring. The new camera manages to focus each shot much better. We played around with some moving targets, and the pictures came out great. One major drawback of burst mode, however, is that you can’t use flash. I took a bunch of pictures indoors and the quality was ok, but not great. The flash just turns off when you switch to burst mode.

The video recording is great on this camera. Obviously not camcorder quality or anything, but very good for what you’d expect from a point and shoot. The sound quality still isn’t that great, but much much better from my older camera. It seems like it balances the audio in the first few seconds. If the first few seconds are loud, the whole video will be softer. If you start out soft, however, you bury the needle when it gets lounder leading to some distortion. You also can’t zoom while in video mode - something they don’t tell you.

The flash recharges after about 1-2 seconds, which is great. It also is pretty effective for long distances.

I like the menu configurations, especially now that I’ve had some time to play with them.

Picture quality is great, but I’m upgrading from a 2MP camera, so it probably wouldn’t take too much to wow me. We took a ton of shots and were impressed at the level of detail when we zoomed in on our computer.

Overall, we are very happy with this camera. It has some limitations and problems, but for the money (and for being a point and shoot) it is great.

By B. Moore (Belcamp, Maryland USA):

I also own a Sony A700 but it is a big camera to lug around all the time. I wanted something small that I could throw in my purse to carry all the time. This camera is wonderful. I get great shots in all kinds of light, the pictures are clear, close-ups are amazing, it’s fast and the battery lasts a long time. The only thing that I would change to make it even better, is more optical zoom.

Extremely compact and lightweight, the LCS-CSD carrying case keeps your Cyber-shot digital camera safe from harm without cramping your style. Constructed of durable, long-lasting black nylon, the LCS-CSD was designed to hold your camera safely and securely wherever you go. It can be carried either over the shoulder, strapped to a belt loop, or by hand. It also includes a built-in accessory organizer, perfect for Memory Stick media or spare batteries.

Features Include:

• Compact, lightweight and extremely durable nylon construction
• Designed for your Cyber-shot digital camera
• Protects your camera from occasional bumps and bruises
• Can be carried on a belt loop, over the shoulder or by hand
• Includes a built-in accessory organizer
• Emblazoned with the Sony and Cyber-shot logos

Compatible Models:
Sony DSC-F88, DSC-L1, DSC-L1/B, DSC-L1/LJ, DSC-L1/R, DSC-M1, DSC-P1, DSC-P10, DSC-P100, DSC-P100/LJ, DSC-P100/R, DSC-P150, DSC-P2, DSC-P20, DSC-P200, DSC-P3, DSC-P30, DSC-P31, DSC-P32, DSC-P41, DSC-P5, DSC-P50, DSC-P51, DSC-P52, DSC-P7, DSC-P71, DSC-P72, DSC-P73, DSC-P8, DSC-P9, DSC-P92, DSC-P93, DSC-T1, DSC-T33, DSC-U10, DSC-U20, DSC-U30, DSC-U40, DSC-U50, DSC-U60, DSC-V1, DSC-V3, DSC-W1, DSC-W1/B.

Reviews:

By W. Roberts (Ohio):

After dropping my Sony Cybershot and cracking the LCD screen, I was in search of a better camera bag, and this is it. It is totally black, with only the Sony and Cybershot logo in white letters. I use the shoulder strap, but it also has a belt clip. Note that this belt clip has a snap so you don’t have to take your belt off each time you move the bag! It has just enough pockets and no more. Just places for spare memory cards and batteries and maybe a set of car keys. Not really enough room for a cell phone, unless you put it in with the camera in the main compartment. Here’s the best part: The main camera compartment zipper has two pulls, so you can have them meet at the top, and leave the wrist strap of the camera hanging out, so you can get your wrist in the strap before you even open the bag to prevent accidental dropping. Believe me, the best chance to drop a camera is when you are removing it from the case!

By Schul Vedelmeyer (San Jose, CA USA):

Some of the other reviews here have marked this bag down due to its size, but it fits some Sony cameras very well. Best advice is to check out the fit before you buy. For me, the DSC-V3 sits inside perfectly, without being too tight or too loose. There is no moving around when the case is closed.

There are three compartments to this bag, the bottom front, the top front and the main compartment. The bottom front can hold about 4 AA batteries (either horizontally or vertically), while the top one is a little smaller, perhaps holding memory sticks or flash cards but can also fit 4 AAs. The top one has a small mesh pocket on the inside to prevent the items from slipping out, while the bottom and main compartment have nice “side guards”, which come up about 1″ on the bottom and 2.5″ on the main compartment. These side guards are nice in case your zippers aren’t fully closed, to prevent smaller items from slipping out.

The included shoulder strap is pretty worthless, but at least it includes a small strip of padded rubber on the nylon strap. I’d recommend replacing it with the one that came with your camera (if it came with one and you’re not using it).

Padding is decent. Best on front and bottom, ok on back and weak at the side zippers, though there a small bit of padding on the side. The back “belt” clip is a snap button which holds pretty well under stress (so far).

Downsides is the quality and noise of the zippers, and not too much of an inner zipper guard for the main compartment so the camera coming out can rub against the plastic teeth.

Overall I am very pleased with this case, especially compared to the other selections out there. Ignore the reviews where the guy wants to put his charger, his connectors, flash, tripods, shooting lamps, assistants and their wives all into this little bag. It’s a COMPACT bag that is meant to hold just your camera and a few small items. If you have a V series Sony camera, especially the V3, I highly recommend it.

Sony’s worldwide reputation for creating unique, attractive, high-quality, advanced technology products rests on a long line of innovations embraced by people from all walks of life. With a diverse product lineup serving a variety of lifestyles and industries, Sony continuously strives to introduce new products and technologies to meet changing market needs.

Reviews:

By E. A. Brown Jr. (Rome, GA USA):

I just purchased the new Sony DSC-W50 and wanted a case to protect it. This is a great case in my opinion. Soft and plush inside, but firm and protective on the outside. The camera is held firmly in place from the moment you first slide it in the pocket. The additional small zippered pocket on the outside is handy for extra memory sticks, or maybe even an extra battery. The belt loop is very handy, and there is even a metal ring so that you can attach it to a carabiner or something of the like if desired. However, what I like most is that it will protect your investment and look good doing it. I think it’s one of the best buys out there. It can be had for less than $15 delivered from several sellers through Amazon.

By BlueMonkeyBrains (CA):

I bought this case for my Canon SD300 that I had recently purchased. I was looking for a small compact camera case that still have some type of padding or support. While at the store, I compared the case meant for the Canon to many others. I picked up this one mainly because it had much more protection compared to the Canon case, and it came with an extra zipper in the front, perfect for that extra memory card/battery you need to carry around. Even the inner lining of the case is exceptional, with fuzzy material soft enough not to scratch the LCD screen. My SD300 fits perfectly in the case, and although they may not be the same brand, it definitely was a great buy.

By G. Kwan:

I bought this for my Sony N1 digital camera. Buying online I was worried that it would be too small or too bulky but it’s absolutely the perfect size. The price is great especially for something that is Sony. I like the fact that it has a strap that you can snap onto your belt. There’s also a small zippered pouch on the inside front that you can put an extra memorystick or even battery. The only thing that could make this case even better would be a clip for those who don’t wear belts but still wear pants.

Take stunning shots in a variety of conditions. This 8.1-megapixel Cyber-shot digital camera features an Intelligent Scene mode which automatically selects the right settings for your environment. Smile Shutter technology is also included, letting you instantly capture smiles the moment they happen. A 2.7-inch LCD, Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom lens and Sony’s Double Anti-Blur solution are also there for crisp, clear images and tight zooms. All this combined with an attractive body make the W150 an excellent choice for capturing the moment no matter where you are.

Reviews:

By D. Savaya (Sterling Heights, MI USA):

I think this camera is perfect. It takes great pictures all on its own. There is no need for you to know about the aperture, focal length, lighting, ISO settings, etc. Simply put the camera in easy or auto mode and shoot to your heart’s content. The picture colors are amazingly accurate and vibrant.

The smile shutter feature is pretty cool also. Simply put the camera in smile mode push down the shutter once and wait for your subject to smile. You’ll be able to take six smile shots without having to press the shutter button.

Another cool feature is the in camera editing. Say a subject did not smile as big as you had hoped, you are able to go into the editing feature in the camera and make the smile more evident. To me, that’s cool! You are also able to remove redeye, sharpen the picture and crop the picture all by using the camera. You no longer have to upload them to the computer to do these fixes.

The battery life is very good and you don’t even need a memory stick to shoot up to 10 pictures because of the installed 15 MB of memory. It’s not a whole lot, but it helps if you are in a pinch for a shot and a memory card is not handy.

The screen is very clear and very large. The colors are accurate and very bright. The camera is lightweight yet not flimsy. It feels like a solidly built camera.

I really haven’t seen anything to complain about. I think everything this camera offers for the price is well worth it. I am very happy with the black color as well. I think Black goes with everything and that’s why I didn’t choose a different color.

If you are on the fence about this camera, I can just say that my experience has been very positive and I think yours will be as well.

By MangoMania:

This camera is great compared to many many many similarly priced cameras I tried out. It takes pictures really fast and is ready for the next one very quickly too. These were big considerations when I was shopping around and this one is the fastest. The camera takes great pictures with the automatic settings compared to others that didn’t seem to know when flash or other adjustments should have been necessary/unnecessary. The smile shutter is cool but I don’t think I’ll use it often. The 5x zoom is great. The in camera image alteration is neat too, especially the feature to make people appear smiling. Good for a lot of laughs. The rechargeable battery seems to be holding up well. I love the deep red but the sheen makes it appear pink in some lights. It looks bigger than other cameras but really is at most only 2-3 mm wider than the canon elph sd1100/750.

To keep the camera to remain durable and produce a good image, the required special care, including how to protect your camera from all types of weather. Here the tips how to protect your digital camera from rain, snow, hot or cool weather.

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A lot of people feel that when it’s raining or snowing, extremely hot or cold, the camera automatically has to stay safely indoors. I do have to admit, that is a good way to protect your camera, but you end up missing some great shots.

On the other end of that spectrum, some people are careless about their digital cameras. They don’t think anything of leaving their cameras in stuffy car when the temperature outside is 100 degrees. All cameras hate extreme heat and extreme cold.

You invested hard-earned money into a digital camera. When the weather’s bad, be it hot, cold or raining, you don’t want your camera to be damaged.

Get a good camera bag

One thing you can do to protect your camera while traveling or hiking or exposed to the elements is to invest in a good, high quality camera bag. There are plenty of them out there and a lot of them are weatherproof. Bogen and Lowepro are two makers of quality bags.

Not only will a good bag protect your equipment from the weather, but they will also keep all that equipment you carry around safe and secure.

Use a UV filter

It’s also a good idea to use a filter such as a UV (ultra-violet) or skylight filter to protect your lens. They’re much cheaper to replace then a lens any day of the week.

Rain tips for your camera

There are a few things you can do for your camera if you happen to be stuck outside with holding it, and weather really becomes a factor.

If the weather turns to rain, you can put your camera under your jacket, shirt, hat, anything that will shield it. If you’re interested in getting some pictures of the weather, you can put your camera in a plastic bag and make a hole big enough for the lens. Just use a rubber band to secure the bag to the lens.

How to beat the heat

Avoid leaving your camera in the extreme heat if you’re outside. Laying a light towel over it will help shade it from the sun. Don’t use dark colors, as they will just absorb the heat.

When it’s cold outside

When its gets cold out, one thing you can do for your camera is try to keep it as warm as possible. Again, putting it under your jacket works well using, your body heat. Keeping your camera as warm as possible will hopefully prevent condensation from occurring.

If condensation does happen, open the battery and memory compartments, empty them and keep the compartments open until they dry out. Don’t take your camera back outside if there is condensation in/on it. It is possible it will freeze.

source: cameras.about.com

Review
By Sidarta Tanu (Richmond, VA USA):
I don’t even know where to start. This lens produces sharp pictures and great color and contrast. And for its price (which seems to climb recently), it is worth more than 5 stars rating. I initially get this lens for low light action and sport photography (as this lens is famous for being one of the fastest lens together with its brother 50mm f/1.4), but I also found out that this lens is also perfect for portrait and other general purposes (macro etc). This is definitely a very versatile lens.

As much as I want to encourage everyone to buy this lens right away, let me mention some of the limitation that you would see (which I think will be helpful to go over before deciding to buy this lens):

First, being a prime lens, you will need to move your feet a lot to compose your picture. If you are used to zoom lens, don’t underestimate this limitation. It takes me a while to get used to it, and sometime I still find people looking at me wondering why I am moving forward and backwards. the good news is that most of the time, they don’t think I’m weird, but they are actually wondering if I’m a professional photographer.

Secondly, the focal range of 50mm, which is considered the normal lens and great for portrait lens. but on a DSLR (which I assume most of you use nowadays), this lens become a 75mm equivalent which is in the border of a short tele lens. I actually like the 75mm equivalent though I often have to move backwards when taking picture of a group of people.

Third, in some situation the autofocus might not able to focus (which is common for many other lens too). It is hard for the autofocus to lock when aiming at a wall that is one color (usually black or white), or on a clear sky (day or night). This kind of makes sense to me actually. IN these situations the AF assist light doesn’t help either so you can opt for manual focus or set the focus to infinity when you can’t find focus lock on scenic/landscape or sky photography. So far I don’t have many problems with the autofocus.

Sharpness increases as you stop down to f/2.2 or f/2.5. I actually use f/1.8 most of the time and the results are still nice. Personally, I’d rather use f/1.8 aperture settings than stopped down (e.g to f/2.8) and compensate with higher ISO setting which often gives me grainy picture. But if your object is not moving (static) then it is better to stop down to f/2.8 or more.

If you are wondering whether you should get a fast lens or a lens with VR, here’s my take: VR does help a lot (and produce better/sharper picture than equivalent faster lens without VR) if the object is static. If the object is moving (sports/action) then VR feature doesn’t really help and fast lens (like this lens) will be a far better solution. Using tripod (and a remote) will substitute for the need of VR feature. In general I would recommend getting a fast lens with VR feature (and usually it is expensive) such as the 70-200 f/2.8 VR, but if one can only get for one or the other, then find out what do you want to use the lens for and then use the guideline mentioned here.

Here are the summary of pros and cons for this Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF lens:

Pros:
1. Very fast (f/1.8)
2. Very sharp pictures (especially when stopped down to f/2.2, f/2.5 or more.)
3. Great for sport/action photography
4. Great for indoor and low light situation
5. Great for portrait
6. Bokeh is almost as good as many expensive Nikon tele-lens
7. Fast autofocus
8. Good for wedding photography (or no-flash event). However, if this is your main objective then you might want to get the 50mm f/1.4 version or 28-70mm f/2.8 lens)
9. 75mm equivalent which can be considered a short tele lens (I actually like the fact that it’s 75mm equivalent vs 50mm in DSLR. if you need more zoom, you can get the Nikon 85mm f/1.8, or the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR)
10. Inexpensive

Cons:
1. Being prime lens, you need to move your feet a lot to adjust/compose
2. Autofocus issue on some situations (read detail above)
3. Plasticy build
4. Autofocus is not the most silent but very reasonable
5. 75mm equivalent with 1.5x multiplier on DSLR (many people find this is an odd range for normal lens. I actually like it)

Bottom line: This lens is so versatile (and inexpensive) that I think everyone should own in addition to all the lenses that they already have. Being a very fast lens, it enables me to take pictures in low light (sport/action photography) that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to do.
After knowing its limitation, I would predict that 99% of you that decides to buy this lens will find this lens very useful. And if you decide that you don’t like it (which I think not more than 1%), I’m sure there will be a lot of people who wouldn’t mind buying it from you (with some discount of course).

Again, I would recommend everyone to get this lens. In some ways I can say that this lens makes me a better photographer.

Happy Photographing!

Buy the product from amazon.com:

Description:

MBD 10 For Nikon D300 Digital Camera includes MS-D10EN for use with EN-EL3e battery

Reviewed by Gerald Khoo (Singapore):

When using the MB-D10 with the D300, you will find that it is a great improvement from the MB-D200 (the D200 vertical grip). For one, it is made of magnesium alloy, and is much sturdier. It is also weather sealed like the D300 body. It fits nicely and firmly with the D300. It also has an additional multi selector, which is a great added feature. The MS-D10 (holder for AA batteries) also comes in a very nice pouch. Of course with such improvement comes the price increase as well!

If you want to achieve 8fps on your D300, you can use the EN-EL4/a battery with your MB-D10 or AA batteries (8 pieces). The ability to use AA batteries is a real plus point. Imagine having a long trip where you may not have access to charge your EN-EL3e batteries. Having the ability to use AA batteries means that you can carry a bunch of them and still be able to shoot… even deep in the wilderness.

Another advantage of the MB-D10 is that it is not L-shaped, which means that you can easily slip it into your camera bag and pull it out when you need it. To mount the grip, you do not need to remove the battery from your camera and marry the grip to the camera as how the D200+MB-D200 was designed to. It does not take as much space and not as awkward as grips that are L-shaped. This is a versatility of the MB-D10, but also has some getting used to.

Here are some areas which either you like or hate or take some getting use to:

1. The battery in the camera need not be removed to use the grip. So for those who leave the grip on all the time and want to use 2 batteries at a time, it would mean that you would need to remove the grip each time you want to remove the battery in the camera. It would be nice to be able to swap both batteries without having to remove the grip, but the design is such and we would have to live with it. What I’ve decided to do is to remove the battery in the camera and just use the one in the MB-D10. Besides, you can get a lot more shots with the D300 than the D200 for the same battery charge.

2. The shutter release button on the MB-D10 is a bit too sensitive, which means that you can quite easily trigger the shot. The sensitivity between the shutter-release button on the camera and the grip is different, so when switching orientation of the camera, you’ll need to be aware of the sensitivity so that you do not accidentally take a shot which you did not mean to do so.

3. The MB-D10 can take the EN-EL4/a battery. However, the battery chamber cover for the EN-EL4/a is not part of the package, and you would need to purchase it separately. The battery chamber cover is BL-3.

Buy the product from amazon.com:

The 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor lens is a compact, lightweight, 11.1x zoom lens that is ideal for high-performance, everyday photography, and it incorporates advanced features such as Nikon’s Extra Low Dispersion (ED) glass, Silent Wave Motor technology (SWM), and Enhanced Vibration Reduction (VR II) in a DX-Nikkor design engineered exclusively for use with Nikon DX format digital SLR cameras. With a remarkable 18-200mm focal length range (picture angle equivalent to a 27-300mm lens in 35mm format), the lens conveniently covers everything from wide landscapes to tight portraits and action photography. Advanced Nikon engineering has lent the lens a compact, lightweight design that offers excellent handling characteristics and superb optical quality.

Beyond the lens’s incredible optical versatility is the benefit of Enhanced VR II Vibration Reduction, an innovation that makes it possible to take substantially sharper handheld pictures at slower shutter speeds than would otherwise be possible. This provides the distinct advantage of being able to shoot more effectively in a much broader variety of challenging conditions. With the new Nikon VR II advantage, users can take pictures at shutter speeds as many as 4 stops slower than they ordinarily could shoot without the image-degrading blur associated with camera shake at slow shutter speeds. Nikon’s VR technology further enhances picture-taking potential with a choice of two modes to match most shooting conditions. VR Normal Mode primarily compensates for camera shake, and includes automatic panning detection, as well as automatic tripod detection. VR Active Mode effectively compensates for vibration in situations where it is more pronounced and more frequent, such as when shooting from a moving vehicle.

To further ensure outstanding optical performance, the 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor features two Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass elements and three complex aspherical lens elements that provide for higher resolution, high-contrast images while minimizing chromatic aberration, astigmatism, and other forms of distortion. The lens also features Nikon’s compact Silent Wave Motor technology (SWM), which combines fast and precise autofocusing with super-quiet operation, as well as Internal Focusing (IF) construction that allows the lens to focus without changing its external size, improving balance and handling chrematistics.

All of Nikon’s DX Nikkor lenses are engineered exclusively for use with Nikon DX format digital SLR cameras, making the lens smaller and lighter while providing exceptional center-to-edge-to-corner image quality and overall optical performance.

Major features of the Nikon 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor lens:

• Offers a broad 18-200mm focal range (11.1x zoom) for use in a variety of situations (equivalent to a 27-300 mm lens in 35mm format); VR II Vibration Reduction system offers the practical equivalent of using a shutter speed 4 stops faster
• Two ED glass and three complex aspherical lens elements minimize chromatic aberration, astigmatism, and other forms of distortion while ensuring high resolution and contrast
• Incorporates a compact SWM (Silent Wave Motor) for quiet focusing. Delivers high-level optical performance that is specially designed for use with the Nikon digital SLRs
• Employs a seven-blade, rounded diaphragm opening that achieves a natural blur for out-of-focus elements
• Enables focusing from as close as 50 centimeters (20 inches) from the subject through its entire focal range
• M/A mode for rapid switching between autofocus and manual focus operation
• Internal Focusing (IF) design simplifies the use of circular polarizing filters
• Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC) offers superb color reproduction while minimizing ghosting and flare
• Flower-shaped lens hood HB-35 (included) greatly reduces stray light, enhancing image quality

Reviewed By S. L. Miller

By now there are enough pro reviews out there for experienced shooters to read the handwriting on the wall. No, this is not a 17-35 and 70-200 wrapped into a tiny package. You can’t have that for any amount of money. The 18-200VR is NOT meant to challenge the exotics like my 70-200VR or the 200-400VR. It’s not even meant to take on a prime. It’s designed to be the ultimate one lens solution when you don’t want a bag full of heavy glass along for the ride. It features moderately fast (but not very) optics, vibration reduction and a lot of work to keep CA and distortion down. This it achieves with some success, but distortion is still obvious at 18mm. Distortion is sever enough at the wide end to require correction in post (easy to do), but this is NOT lens for those who shoot architecture professionally. This type of distortion is TYPICAL for a lens of this type.

I’m sorry, but those who have panned this lens either got a bad one (quite possible with early batch issues reported) or just don’t understand what a walk-around lens is for. This is what we all hoped the 24-120 VR would be, but unlike that lens it gets much more done for just 200 dollars more. Anyone who says there are lenses like this for less…well where? No other superzoom is this sharp, has so little CA and throws in VR II as well…and in a small package!

Now…how good is it in the real world? VERY GOOD. It’s a match for the sharp little 28-200G which means it’s only a bit less sharp than the 70-200VR which costs twice as much. My first images with this lens were stunning, detailed and fairly sharp to the edges above F5. Close focus gives near macro results and again this lens is SHARP! Focus speed is quite fast of course, but I feel that the 18-70 kit lens is a hair quicker. You could shoot all day with this miracle and do it all without feeling like you need a giant lens. If, like me, you find yourself shooting mostly in the 35-200mm range on a DSLR, this lens makes a lot of sense. It also displayed deeper color saturation and contrast than either the 28-200G or 50mm 1.8. Did I mention that I’m impressed?

Build quality is good, but not great. It’s hard to be impressed with any lens build when compared to the 70-200VR. The 18-200 zoom is a bit stiff, the manual focus a bit loose. I suspect Nikon dialed up the zoom stiffness due to early problems with lens creep early on. It’s not creeping at all. The size of the lens is only a bit bigger than the kit lens, perhaps as bulky at the Tokina 12-24 if you have one of those.

VR II exceeds all expectations I was able to shoot sharp shots at 1.10th sec exposure. But remember this is NOT fast glass. A moving object in dim light will be blurred at such slow shutter speeds. Thus far this is an impressive effort from Nikon. Even an experienced shooter could find this lens on the camera most days and be happy. “Average” shooters will need nothing more because this lens is that good. The only areas for improvement given the real limits of optical design are in the build quality, which could be a bit better. In the end, even at 700 dollars plus, this lens is pretty hard to resist.

And no, this is not a “kit lens with VR.” The kit lens only reaches to 70mm. The kit lens also can’t do near macro work as this lens can. The kit lens is also not as sharp. And of course this lens has the latest version of VR that works superbly. There is simply no other lens like this on the market currently. Again, if you’re thinking that this lens should be perfect and doesn’t require compromises to achieve it’s design goals, please do your homework before buying. If you need a zoom to cover this range at F2.8, with no distortion and small size please call Mr. Scott aboard the Starship Enterprise.

For those who question the sharpness of this lens, be aware that there are online tests showing it’s even sharper at the corners than the legendary 17-35 2.8! Against my 70-200VR I see a SLIGHT sharpness advantage with the 70-200, but only visible with a 100% crop. Or to put things even more in perspective, this lens works nicely on a D200. Search the forums for yourself. Most D200 owners are reporting great sharpness even with pro bodies.

This lens is simply a ton of fun for people who like to take pictures

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