Brian

Just think, that support call just paid for itself. Glad you got it working.

IPS screens give better viewing angles and are more consistent color wise from edge to edge. But you still have the angle problem that you are describing. That's why I don't recommend laptops for photo-editing. But people are so damn determined to use a laptop, and I've given up trying to persuade people...it's a waste of time and energy. Its better to use an external display, which will remain at a single viewing angle, and be in an environment that has consistent ambient light. Basically, you turn your laptop into a desktop.

So you are getting a un-mount chime when you play videos off your internal drive? I'm confused.

Oh no! That was a bad choice. El Capitan has way more issues than Yosemite. Hopefully your problems will be minor, but I think you are going to hate life right now. No, you can't go back to Yosemite.

I'm going to have to troubleshoot this when I get home to my Mac. @Christina Keddie, could you lend a hand?

Hmm. Are you using a USB Hub? Does it have its own power?

No. For a "Proper" MBP for Photo editing, you start with the $2499 MBP and upgrade a few things. By the time you are done, it's around $3600 or so. Which an insane amount of money to spend on a laptop. I'd rather you purchase a Windows laptop instead. The low-end Macs just aren't worth it. That 13" Mac Laptop you are looking at is equivalent to buying a $400 Windows Laptop. Apple really wants you to go big or go home. Which is a shame, since they weren't always this way. Even the 21.5" iMacs are underpowered and not worth it.

Also, what camera body are you shooting with?

You have a lot of black (the dark sky) and this circle thing with a little detail (the moon). That's what your camera is thinking. You don't have as much "stuff" or data in the file. As long as your resolution (image size before cropping) is fine then you are good. If you want to check, take a photo of anything right now. Don't change your camera. Then compare file sizes.

Welcome to El Capitan!! Aren't you glad you updated? It sounds like either the OS is corrupted or the latest round of OS updates didn't install correctly. That format the HD and doing a fresh install of everything seems likely.

Oh, handles noise better than a D800 / D800E. Nikon isn't talking about a D4. Different class of camera.

Well, you do have 36 million pixels crammed into the same physical area as your D700 & D4. What I think you are seeing is known as "Sensor Grain" and not noise. I have heard of problems with the D810 and long exposures creating hot pixels and amp noise. This isn't an example of that. I'd say this is normal and really wouldn't show up on a physical print. I'm going to move this to the land of misfits. Let's see if any other D810 users have a similar experience.

Drives don't care what they are hooked up to, they just needed to be partitioned and formatted with the Operating System. The only gotcha is if you are running a 32-bit version of Windows, as it tops out at 2TB. If you want a big 3TB or larger single partition, you will need a 64-bit Operating System. As for which drive, what is your budget? I'm not a fan of the $79 special from a box store, the drives I typically recommend are a little expensive for some.

Either the drive isn't getting enough power, OR more than likely it's about ready to die. If you are hearing "click-a-thump...plunk...click-a-thump........plunk..." or similar sound, it's not a port problem. It's a drive getting ready die problem. I'd get all your data copied over to a new HD ASAP.

You know what? I gave you bad advice. I'm sorry. My formula was based on photographing a computer CRT monitor, which had a higher refresh rate than a typical TV. You might have to set your SS to as low as 1/25 if you are photographing a Tube TV. Also, it's recommended to photograph the TV at a slight angle, probably to counter distortion and help with possible glare. Flat screen TVs might need a SS as high as 1/125 or 1/250 maybe 1/60. It really depends on the refresh rate and you will need to fiddle. Plus figuring out WB to make things look correct. Try Apertures between f/4 - f/8. ISO 200 should be fine.

Keep saving up for that 70-200 f/2.8G VR II. YES, High ISO and sports go hand-in hand. Especially if you want to keep your shutter at 1/500th or faster. Football Games are tough. You think with the bright lights on the field, you could keep the ISO down. Well, think again. I found that I live at ISO 3200 and want to be at 6400 (or more). The only other things that's tougher to shoot in my personal experience is an indoor basketball game. Newer technology almost always trumps older tech. The D750 is a good choice, but since you are shooting sports, you might want to hold out for the new D500. The D7000 isn't that great at the high ISO range and it's not much better than my D300s.

I'm wondering if there is a way to default your monitor and then try calibrating? Hmm... Monitors do change over time though, so as long as your prints are matching, I'd say you are fine.

These point & shoot cameras aren't meant to do that, typically. You might have to invest in a DSLR, but you don't need anything fancy. An old Nikon D40 and a prime lens will do just fine.

More info is here, including a link to the manual.

Kodak Brownie Camera on eBay Its $14 Shipped. They were extremely popular and are easy to find. They sold for $5 in 1953, which is around $45 in today's money.

In case you misplaced your manual, here it is: Sony DSC-HX200 Manual This should help you set your camera to a manual mode and turn off the focusing.

It's best to do this with the camera mounted on a tripod. Set your camera to Manuel Mode, and choose 1/60 for the Shutter Speed and f/8 for the Aperture. The ISO should be set to 200. I would focus the camera on the edge of the TV with the lights on and then switch to manual focusing, this way the camera won't try to focus. Then turn out the lights. You should be able to take photos of the TV. Remember, you'll need to think as if your camera is shooting outside in daylight, since the room is pitch-black and the TV is so bright. If you leave your camera on a auto mode, then it will try to compensate for the dark room and bump up the ISO. That's why you are getting lots of "Noise" or "Grain" in your photos.

Oh, there is the Nikon D810a, which is built for Astrophotography. Have you considered switching sides? Maybe rent a D810a and 14-24 f/2.8 or even a 24mm f/1.4? Just a thought.

Well, then you will only have one lens to work with. The 50 will be "Wider" due to the angle of view change. To get the "look" as your 50 does on your rebel, you'll need at least an 85mm lens. Most folks get the Canon 85mm f/1.8, since it's cheaper than the 85 1.2L, but the 85 1.8 is NOTORIOUS for chromatic aberration. (Purple/Blue Fringes in high contrast areas. Think tree branches against a bright sky. Lots of purple and blue around the edges.) I usually recommend a Canon 100 f/2.0 lens. NOT THE MACRO LENS, THE PORTRAIT LENS. It's the 135 f/2.0 counterpoint. The Canon 100mm f/2.0 is the lens I think you should buy with your FF body purchase. Of course, since you are doing Astro Photography, you could go really wide.

Now I'm sure some folks are interested in...say it with me now!!! "What's a good laptop for photo editing?!?!!" I am so sick of this question. Believe it or not, a laptop for photo editing pretty much matches up with a desktop for photo editing. At the minimum you are looking for: i5 or i7 CPU 8GB RAM Minimum / 16GB Preferred A 1TB HD Separate and dedicated Graphics Processor with at least 1 GB of dedicated video memory Most importantly, a display that is IPS based. That's IT. Seriously, don't over-think. Basically, a low-end gaming laptop or desktop with a IPS display will be fine for photo editing. Don't make it harder and get all worried about specs and sales mumbo-jumbo. Five things to look for. 1-2-3-4-5. That's it. Now finding an external monitor that is IPS based is pretty easy. On a laptop, it's difficult and you usually have to do some searching. So if IPS isn't stated in the sales literature, more than likely it's a TN (Twisted Nematic) screen, which is great for watching movies, playing video games, answering e-mail, wasting time on Facebook, etc. Everything but photo editing! For that, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED you purchase a IPS based panel. IPS screens have a much larger viewing angle and are consistent color-wise from edge to edge. Which is a good thing when you edit photos. Here is a Asus 15.6" Republic of Gamers Laptop that has all of my requirements. If you look in the product highlights, it has everything a person should look for. So if you aren't keen on Asus, that's fine. Just find another brand that has all of the same specs. Oh! One more important thing! If someone does purchase a laptop to edit photos, it is a VERY GOOD IDEA to purchase one of Acratech Viewing Angle Gauges. This little thingy attaches to the back of the display. When you see the hole filled, you are at a good angle for editing photos. If you see the hole either empty or the little nub not filling the whole, you need to adjust your laptop's display angle. It comes in Silver and it comes in Red. They are both $14.95 and if it were me, I'd get the RED. Why? Because chances are, it's gonna get lost at some point and Red is easier to see or to remind you to take it off before storing your laptop.