Just FYI. I get asked frequently about becoming a member of the Nikon or Canon professional services, and I think there is a lot of mis-information tossed around about it. First off, you must be able to prove that you are a working professional photographer and be sponsored by another NPS/CPS member in order to be considered for membership, which is free for Nikon pros (Canon Professional Services charges a fee up to $500 a year for their membership.)
You do not get discounts on equipment.
You do not get to "test" equipment before it becomes available to the public.
You do get to borrow certain equipment up to once a year per item at no charge - if the equipment is available when you want it (forget about getting long lenses during the superbowl, olympics, world series, etc.). They ship the item to you free but you must pay for return shipping. You normally get to use the equipment for a week and then have to ship it back. I use this service to get a backup body if I need one for a special event, or an odd lens that I don't have and need for something special - or for any equipment that I just want to test out before I purchase it. The Canon Pro Service does the same thing if you are a full paying member.
If you have an equipment breakdown that is going to take a while to get repaired, you can borrow equipment until yours is fixed.
You do get bumped to the head of the line when ordering new equipment, but you still have to order through your local dealer, like Bedfords, and wait just like everyone else if there is a backlog for orders. Some Nikon equipment is difficult to get and there is a long waiting list - for instance Ed's 600mm lens he noted recently. I was asked to order the lens through my NPS account so that Ed could get his without the long wait (oops, I may not supposed to have said that and may need to retract this!). I got a couple of big lenses last year in a week or two while everyone else was on a six-month or longer waiting list. NO DISCOUNT, you just get the item quicker, although this does not always work. I ordered my D3x last year the same way, although it was delivered right along with the first batch of them that Bedfords received.
PRIORITY REPAIR SERVICE? I have found that generally you really don't get any quicker service when sending equipment in for repair than normal, however you are SUPPOSED to get quicker service. I'll give you an example. I sent a lens in before Thanksgiving for an adjustment using the special NPS PRIORITY repair label. When I did not hear back from the repair facility after they had the lens for a week I called them and was told that due to their backlog of camera and lens repairs, they had not even OPENED any boxes that had arrived since before Thanksgiving! (this was yesterday) I sent a note to the NPS office asking them to look into it (different than the repair facility). Within ten minutes I got a note from Nikon about my lens, and then within SIX HOURS my lens had been repaired and was on the plane for overnight delivery back to me - all at no charge. That is the kind of service I do expect by being a member of NPS, although in this day and age you sometimes have to stand up and yell a little bit in order to get it. Kudos to Nikon for making this happen.
If you are a working pro and use Nikon or Canon equipment, I highly recommend becoming a member of NPS or CPS (although you have to pay for the Canon version).
Posted by Bill Dark on December 10, 2009 at 8:51 AM
Thanks for sharing the details on how to take advantage of these programs. I'm sure there are some folks that will want to check into it.
BTW, does an L-bracket come with the D3x, or will you be using it on the S?
Posted by TIMERNST on December 10, 2009 at 9:12 AM
Hey Bill, you are talking about the X that I had for sale? I sold it a couple of days ago to a lovely young lady and her mom who picked it up at a program. And as a first time in history for me, yes, the L bracket fit the new body instead of having to buy a new one!
As an aside, I normally buy an off-brand battery to use as a backup to my regular battery since the branded ones are so expensive and the generic ones are very good. The newer cameras seem to last forever anyway - literally thousands of images. Well, I put a one-year old generic battery up against a new Nikon battery during the night in sub-zero wind chill conditions shooting long exposures with the S (11 degrees with a HOWLING wind put the wind chill way below zero). The generic battery went dead with about an hour's worth of use with little chimping. Temps this cold can really drain the life out of them in a hurry so that was no big surprise. I put in the Nikon battery and shot for another couple of hours in the cold, including at least a couple hundred 30-second exposures. After all of that the Nikon battery still showed a full charge - insane! By the way, the new S is a lot of fun to shoot at night....
Posted by TIMERNST on December 10, 2009 at 9:33 AM
As an aside #2, I'm just now looking at the RAW files taken this morning with the new "S" camera from Nikon - ISO 12,800 is pretty nice for star photos, 25600 is still usable, but 51,200 and 102,400 are really just novelty acts - you would never want to actually shoot at these ISOs. Oh yes, 6,400 is really SWEET! Low-noise pinpoint stars at f4 at last...
Posted by Tim Ferrell on December 10, 2009 at 10:02 AM
I considered this long ago. Its not hard to be considered a pro and get on this program(it didn't appear to be anyway). But there is really not that much in it for someone who is not an "everyday pro". Although I would like to test a couple of lenses. I would like to compare a 500 f4 to a 600 f4.
The off brand batteries I have had always died after a year. I have canon batteries from 4 cameras ago that I still use. I think that really makes them less expensive.
Posted by Bill Dark on December 10, 2009 at 10:39 AM
I'll bet it was a lot of fun shooting this morning, especially considering the results you were able to achieve with the latest Nikon. I suspect with the cold, crisp air and cloudless sky, you came away with some incredible shots. The one of the old barn at Boston is pretty darn nice - hope you'll post some more.
Posted by TIMERNST on December 10, 2009 at 10:49 AM
Hey Bill, did you see the one at the end of the Journal when the wind knocked my tripod over? That is how hard the wind was blowing - enough to create a work of "art!" I was mostly just testing the equipment out to see if it lived up to the hype.
Tim - Actually it is a lot tougher these days to be accepted - you must have the equipment, prove your professional status with recent tear sheets, and be sponsored by another NPS member in good standing. They look at each applicant on a case-by-case basis. It can cost them quite a bit of money to support any given NPS member and they are very careful with their cash these days. Canon now charges for all but their basic membership (which doesn't get you any equipment loan), up to $500 a year no matter what your pro status (you still have to be approved by them first of course).
The camera companies don't make their own batteries - they get them from the same factories as all the rest (all from China these days). I've been using the same generic batteries in my Phase One system for three years now - saved me several hundred bucks over the name brand. I don't see any difference in their performance with the original battery that came with the back - they are all in the same rotation (this back eats batteries - lucky to get 250-300 exposures out of each). Some of the generic batteries are indeed lower quality, but for just a backup battery that only has to last until the original battery is recharged it does make sense to use them and the savings can be hefty. Other than my Phase One system, I've never used a digital camera for more than a year anyway so I don't worry too much about battery life!
Posted by Bill Dark on December 10, 2009 at 11:05 AM
I can't remember the last time the wind blew that hard at night. I'm not surprised it was strong enough to blow over a tripod and camera - hope your lens is OK. Considering your location at Boston, I imagine it was REALLY blowing. There's not much of a wind break anywhere around. Must'a been colder than a well digger's behind in January...
Posted by TIMERNST on December 10, 2009 at 11:09 AM
Actually, you know, when digging a well after the first few feet you would be below ground level and not only away from the wind but also the earth would be a lot warmer down in there, in fact above freezing in most parts of the world. I wonder where that saying came from? Probably from someone who was trying to dig a well in the rocks of the Ozarks where progress is measured by inches instead of feet!
Posted by Bill Dark on December 10, 2009 at 2:33 PM
I tried to determine the origin by googling the phrase, but could only find this cocktail recipe...sounds pretty good!
Ingredients: 1.5 oz Makers Mark Bourbon
2.0 tbsp Chocolate Mix
1.5 tsp Maple syrup
0.75 cups Water
1.0 tsp Butter
Directions: combine water and milk then heat. next combine chocolate mix, maple syrup and butter. then add 2 tbsp of cappachino mix and 2 tbsp of sugar. heat again until butter melts. then add bourbon and stir.
Note: I saw nothing in the ingredients about how much milk, so, I guess you could just substitute a little more bourbon.
Sounds really sweet Bill, just give me the Makers Mark and a few ice cubes please.
Posted by Karla Hall on December 10, 2009 at 11:21 PM
Can't wait to see what you are going to turn out with that S Tim! It's exciting to say the least!
I guess you need to tether that rig in high winds, huh?
Posted by TIMERNST on December 11, 2009 at 7:51 AM
Hey Karla, I'll only be using the S as a star camera so it will mostly be just for fun - I guess everyone needs a hobby! I've got long steel spikes on my tripod legs but forgot to jam them into the earth the other night - I think it was a combination of the frigid conditions and a slightly-skewed version of Bill's recipe above that caused me to forget!
I can only afford the cheap stuff, and in fact find that when mixing with anything the cheap stuff actually tastes better. The only hooch that I consume straight these days is via a trick that my old buddy, Boyd Norton, taught me back in the Wyoming high country - keep Bombay gin in the freezer or in a snowbank - it gets slightly thick and goes down quite smoothly...
Posted by Karla Hall on December 11, 2009 at 8:09 AM
I'm glad you can afford such a hobby. It makes it fun for the rest of us!
If you are making sellable prints from your "hobby" that's even better, right?
Easy on the hooch next time you are out in the high winds..
Posted by Randy Wilson on December 14, 2009 at 3:14 AM
The saying I always heard was about a ditch digger's behind in January, which would explain why his behind stayed cold, unless he was digging a really deep ditch.
Discussion
14 repliesYou do not get discounts on equipment.
You do not get to "test" equipment before it becomes available to the public.
You do get to borrow certain equipment up to once a year per item at no charge - if the equipment is available when you want it (forget about getting long lenses during the superbowl, olympics, world series, etc.). They ship the item to you free but you must pay for return shipping. You normally get to use the equipment for a week and then have to ship it back. I use this service to get a backup body if I need one for a special event, or an odd lens that I don't have and need for something special - or for any equipment that I just want to test out before I purchase it. The Canon Pro Service does the same thing if you are a full paying member.
If you have an equipment breakdown that is going to take a while to get repaired, you can borrow equipment until yours is fixed.
You do get bumped to the head of the line when ordering new equipment, but you still have to order through your local dealer, like Bedfords, and wait just like everyone else if there is a backlog for orders. Some Nikon equipment is difficult to get and there is a long waiting list - for instance Ed's 600mm lens he noted recently. I was asked to order the lens through my NPS account so that Ed could get his without the long wait (oops, I may not supposed to have said that and may need to retract this!). I got a couple of big lenses last year in a week or two while everyone else was on a six-month or longer waiting list. NO DISCOUNT, you just get the item quicker, although this does not always work. I ordered my D3x last year the same way, although it was delivered right along with the first batch of them that Bedfords received.
PRIORITY REPAIR SERVICE? I have found that generally you really don't get any quicker service when sending equipment in for repair than normal, however you are SUPPOSED to get quicker service. I'll give you an example. I sent a lens in before Thanksgiving for an adjustment using the special NPS PRIORITY repair label. When I did not hear back from the repair facility after they had the lens for a week I called them and was told that due to their backlog of camera and lens repairs, they had not even OPENED any boxes that had arrived since before Thanksgiving! (this was yesterday) I sent a note to the NPS office asking them to look into it (different than the repair facility). Within ten minutes I got a note from Nikon about my lens, and then within SIX HOURS my lens had been repaired and was on the plane for overnight delivery back to me - all at no charge. That is the kind of service I do expect by being a member of NPS, although in this day and age you sometimes have to stand up and yell a little bit in order to get it. Kudos to Nikon for making this happen.
If you are a working pro and use Nikon or Canon equipment, I highly recommend becoming a member of NPS or CPS (although you have to pay for the Canon version).
BTW, does an L-bracket come with the D3x, or will you be using it on the S?
As an aside, I normally buy an off-brand battery to use as a backup to my regular battery since the branded ones are so expensive and the generic ones are very good. The newer cameras seem to last forever anyway - literally thousands of images. Well, I put a one-year old generic battery up against a new Nikon battery during the night in sub-zero wind chill conditions shooting long exposures with the S (11 degrees with a HOWLING wind put the wind chill way below zero). The generic battery went dead with about an hour's worth of use with little chimping. Temps this cold can really drain the life out of them in a hurry so that was no big surprise. I put in the Nikon battery and shot for another couple of hours in the cold, including at least a couple hundred 30-second exposures. After all of that the Nikon battery still showed a full charge - insane! By the way, the new S is a lot of fun to shoot at night....
The off brand batteries I have had always died after a year. I have canon batteries from 4 cameras ago that I still use. I think that really makes them less expensive.
Tim - Actually it is a lot tougher these days to be accepted - you must have the equipment, prove your professional status with recent tear sheets, and be sponsored by another NPS member in good standing. They look at each applicant on a case-by-case basis. It can cost them quite a bit of money to support any given NPS member and they are very careful with their cash these days. Canon now charges for all but their basic membership (which doesn't get you any equipment loan), up to $500 a year no matter what your pro status (you still have to be approved by them first of course).
The camera companies don't make their own batteries - they get them from the same factories as all the rest (all from China these days). I've been using the same generic batteries in my Phase One system for three years now - saved me several hundred bucks over the name brand. I don't see any difference in their performance with the original battery that came with the back - they are all in the same rotation (this back eats batteries - lucky to get 250-300 exposures out of each). Some of the generic batteries are indeed lower quality, but for just a backup battery that only has to last until the original battery is recharged it does make sense to use them and the savings can be hefty. Other than my Phase One system, I've never used a digital camera for more than a year anyway so I don't worry too much about battery life!
Ingredients: 1.5 oz Makers Mark Bourbon
2.0 tbsp Chocolate Mix
1.5 tsp Maple syrup
0.75 cups Water
1.0 tsp Butter
Directions: combine water and milk then heat. next combine chocolate mix, maple syrup and butter. then add 2 tbsp of cappachino mix and 2 tbsp of sugar. heat again until butter melts. then add bourbon and stir.
Note: I saw nothing in the ingredients about how much milk, so, I guess you could just substitute a little more bourbon.
I guess you need to tether that rig in high winds, huh?
I can only afford the cheap stuff, and in fact find that when mixing with anything the cheap stuff actually tastes better. The only hooch that I consume straight these days is via a trick that my old buddy, Boyd Norton, taught me back in the Wyoming high country - keep Bombay gin in the freezer or in a snowbank - it gets slightly thick and goes down quite smoothly...
If you are making sellable prints from your "hobby" that's even better, right?
Easy on the hooch next time you are out in the high winds..