Professional Help Needed

[Johnny Stout]

I've had my Nikon 8700 for over a year now and am mostly satisfied with the
pictures I'm getting but want to simplify my procedures if possible.

A friend is shooting knife shots and his camera (not a Nikon) is connected
directly to his laptop, when he takes the picture it immediately is shown on
the laptop where he can edit the picture, or delete it, if it isn't
satisfactory. He doesn't have to switch out of the shooting mode. This is what
I'm wanting to do. I know that I can download the picture and then edit it,
but am wanting to stay in a live situation.

My questions are, (1)is anyone here doing a similar procedure using the Nikon 8700?
(2)If so, what setup is required in the camera? What do I need to look for in
a laptop to accomplish this? I don't want to invest in a laptop if the 8700
isn't capable of doing this.

Any help or suggestions will be appreciated. I'll gladly call anyone on the
phone that can help me with this.

TIA

[EdStreet]

not that difficult with most digi's on the market today, well the good ones that is. All it takes is the PC transfer cable and the software on the pc to capture the images as they come in, most cameras ship with software to do real time stuff. you can also do wireless links on some setups.

Ed

[SharpByCoop]

I wish it was that easy. Maybe someone can give you specifics.

I use a Canon program and Canon ####### specific to that program AND my camera to achieve that. Yup, it sure is a bonus.

I also own a Nikon 8700. Never heard of it being capable. I'd love to learn.

Coop

[EdStreet]

Here's the lowdown,

nikon capture does the job.

# Remote Camera Control - controls most shooting settings, and allows images to be downloaded directly to a computer. Version 4.1 adds support for the D70 and controls, including bracketing when used with the D2H or D70.

[SharpByCoop]

I stand corrected and informed! Excellent. Thanks!

Here is the website with the specifics. It DOES say that the 8700 is covered also.

http://nikonimaging.com/global/produ...ure4/index.htm

Coop

[SharpByCoop]

Johnny,

As an aside, I have an IBM laptop (I am using it right now in Napa CA) which is only used for on-the-road imaging and wireless internet & emails, and in my studio for previewing my work. It was worth the investment for me.

Coop

[SVanderkolff]

JIm
How much is the capture 4 software. I could not see price on the website, or is it not visible until after you download it?
Thanks
Steve

[SharpByCoop]

Steve,

I found it cheapest and probably reliable on Amazon for $84.00 USD. Pretty fair.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...photo&v=glance

The upgrade to Capture 4.4 is free, as long as you have the previous version. That upgrade link can be found on DPReview.com.

Coop

[Johnny Stout]

Originally Posted by SharpByCoop

Johnny,

As an aside, I have an IBM laptop (I am using it right now in Napa CA) which is only used for on-the-road imaging and wireless internet & emails, and in my studio for previewing my work. It was worth the investment for me.

Coop

Coop, thanks for the info. I'm still shopping for a laptop. Would you buy the same one today, or is there a different on the market that you'd consider?

[Johnny Stout]

Thanks for all the replies. I got the Nikon Capture ordered tonight from Amazon.com. Now I'm shopping for a laptop. Any suggestions? What brand? Size of screen? Ram, HD size?

All help appreciated.

[EdStreet]

As for laptops the new table swivel monitors are quite nice and very light, unlike the older boat anchor versions. Anyways my standard recommendation for computer is as follows.

At LEAST 512megs of ram for standard stuff, if you’re doing graphics, desktop publishing, multimedia and the like then you want at LEAST 1 gig. After 512meg the price starts to jump drastically and 512 is usually the cut off point.

DVD +/- rw/dl/ram and as fast as possible but the higher you go the more $ you run into. Reason for + and - is you have extreme portability, if your doing graphics or multimedia this is a must.

If you’re doing games then a superior video card will easily set you back a good hefty chunk of the total purchase, otherwise just use the standard one built in.

If your data is worth saving it's worth a backup so get at least 2 hard drives of equal size and use a mirror setup, or raid 5, or higher. Sata is quite reasonable now and good performance,

As for laptops you have to look at battery life, there's a huge trade off between run time and performance. You must decide which you want, one of the super long lasting Toshiba’s or one of the extremely powerful alienware laptops that's a portable desktop unit. On that note most laptops are not designed to be used 24/7 so you will be replacing things like fans and drives every several years.

With the current state of computers CPU speed is all but a mute issue. Just find the mark where the price jumps drasticaly and go with that one.

Ed

[EdStreet]

forgot to mention, with harddisk dont' get carried away with the gobs of massive space they have now. you want something that will hold up down the road and you want to look for longevity and performance and not capacity.

Ed

[SharpByCoop]

Johnny,

You will get 10 better answers from guys like Ed who are much mre computer savvy than me.

That said, mine is an IBM Thinkpad 1.5ghz, 40gb HD, 256 Ram, CD recordable drive, and WiFi wireless, with a 15" TFT screen. I paid extra for the TFT screen because you can see it clearly even at an angle. The Thinkpad series are VERY dependable, so I was told by another local expert. I use it as my running slideshow also when I am not processing or downloading images at a show.

If you don't plan on editing or using it as a primary computer you can get away with a LOT less. I paid $1300 for this one three years ago and now you might pick one up used for $500. Worth every penny. I still don't have a need for better.

Keep looking.

Coop

[tmickley]

I'd say Dell, IBM or Vaio (Sony) brands you won't go wrong. The cheapest will dissappoint you soon, the most expensive ones are cutting edge and over priced.

[Johnny Stout]

Thanks to all that offered help on selecting a laptop. Ended up with a Gateway today from Best Buy. Caught a Presidents sale and saved $250.00 with an insant rebate. Got a 80g HD, 512 mb ram, 15.4" screen. I think it will suit my needs, at least for now.

I'm waiting on my Nikon Capture 4 software and will give an update on how the Nikon 8700 performs.