Nikon still loking after its DX users

Many folk thought that Nikon would phase out DX bodies after the introduction of the FX sized sensor in the D3. Just released is the new 35mm AF-S DX f/1.8 Nikkor which should show that Nikon is fully supporting the continuation of the DX sized sensor and this should prove to be an awesome lens for DX shooters.


I was quite excited when I first heard of the 35mm f/1.8, I would love a fast AF-S lens around 35mm (28mm would be even better) but I missed the fact it was designed as a DX lens. As I am shooting only shooting FX format these days I miss out but it will be a great lens to have in the arsenel for those of you shooting DX cameras. I do have a project comeing up later this year that I am considering using a D90 as my main body and if I do then this little pupple will come along too.

It is definitely one of Nikons stranger looking optics looking more like an enlarger lens (do you remember what they look like?) than a wide angle lens for a SLR. Gone are both the aperture ring (G series) and the distance scale. This allows Nikon to save on price, weight and moving parts. When was the last time you looked at your distance scale anyway? The only time I use mine is when shooting landscapes and that is not what this lens is designed for.

Slated to ship at the beginning of March 2009, click here for more info AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G




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Top 10 Photography (related) Tools from 2008

2008 was a great year to be a photographer. Tonnes of new tools we released to make our lives easier and help us 'create' more. Here is my list of some of the most important things that happened in the world of photography to help us as photographers from last year. These aren't in any particular order just follow the link to see then and why I think they are so great.

1. Nikon D3. This camera has opened up new worlds in photographic posibilities. Being able to create huge saleable images at 1600 ISO(I have made 1 meter gallery prints at 2000ISO!) is fantastic. Add to this the great auto focus cababilities of the camera, colour and contrast of the sensor and it all adds up to one of the greatest leaps in digital photography since the dawn of time.
   
2. 14-24mm f2.8 Nikkor Lens. This on a D3 (or D700) is just amazing. When I first picked up the D3 with this lens attached I knew it was for me the wide view and superb sharpness across the zoom range (even at f2.8) is a fantastic effort from the lens makers at Nikon. Couple this with the huge viewfinder on the D3 and you will be hooked.
3. Canon 5D MK2. A mid range camera that puts Canon's pro models to shame, bring it on.
4. Photoshop CS4. I don't know how they do it but each time Adobe releases an upgrade to Photoshop it is worth the price to grab it. New navigation, upgraded adjustments (the sdjustment panel is great) better panaorama tools and overall improvements in speed all to make my time in front of the computer that little bit easier.
5. Nikon D90. This has to be the best value for money around in digital camera. Not the cheepest but what you get for around $1500 is fantastic. 12MP, 5FPS (same as a D3x!) 3 inch LCD and movie mode! Possibly the best travel camera around.
6. Intel Core i7 CPU. A strange one to the list but I recently upgraded my main desktop computer to an i7 based machine and the productivity increase has been fantastic. The processing power of this new computer saves me hours per week. Think about it, if you can save just 1 minute per image due to a faster computer then that adds up to hours saved per week which in turn adds up to days saved in front of the computer each month and with big files this new computer saves more than just one minute per file. This leads to less time in the office and more time for shooting which is after all what I love!
7. Vista x64 (Service Pack 1). Yes you read it right, I love Vista. It got a really bad wrap at launch due to a number of issues that were all true that I won't go into here but if you are manipulating large files then 64 bit Vista is for you. The advantage of 64 bit (over normal 32 bit Windows) is that it can access more memory (RAM) which leads to faster processing in Photoshop. When stitching panorams Photoshop loves RAM and it flies with the 12GB available under Vista x64, my old 32 bit version would struggle with large panoramas often having to stitch them in multiple stages of even by hand! (x64 can access a maximum 128GB of RAM but I don't have quite that much, yet.)
8. Nikon 24mm PC-E - I have been wanting a wide angle tilt shift lens for a long time. Canon has had their's for an age and when it came along in the form of the 24mm PC-E it was a dream come true. No more forgetting to manually stop down the aperture it dose it all automatically using electro magnets (E). Now that is clever.
9. Lightroom 2(.2) Lightroom has been a big part of my workflow since it's creation a couple of years ago and the quick release of version 2 has introduced a bunch of features meaning I have to delve into Photoshop even less. Gradients, local adjustment brush and a bunch of other feature upgrades make it a defenate upgrade for all LR 1 users.
10. Nikon SB-900 Speedlight. Nikon have always had a fantastic flash system and this has been added two recently with the SB-900, more powerfull, more inteligent and more customisable it is quite a big leap in technology over the 800. Unfortunatly it is a great deal larger too but that I can live with. (I kept my 800s for their smaller size!)
    

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Panorama and High Dynamic Range Workshop

After a number of requests recently we have decided to run a Panorama and HDR Photography Field Workshop. This Adelaide based trip in late March (Date TBC) will cover all the details of how to capture and process images for Panoramic and HDR shots. The day will begin with a photo-walk starting at the Festival Theater where we will learn about 'seeing' and 'designing' panoramic compositions.

We will wander the city street shooting, talking and learning all the finer details of how best to capture both panoramic and HDR images. During lunch we will concentrate on the computer side of the process, how to stitch panoramas to create various final outputs from straight panoramic images to polar panoramas (see below) and Flash and Quicktime VR movies.


We will also take this time to go through the process of HDR creation using Photoshop and Photomatix. The afternoon will again be spent shooting some more, creating panoramic and HDR images of the Adelaide City Streets and surrounding areas.


While we haven't finalized the details of the course yet we do expect the demand for to be high so if you are thinking that you may want to spend the day with us please get in contact workshops@craigingramphoto.com.au and we will put you on an no obligation first come first served wait list. More details to be confirmed later this week.

Happy Snapping!
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How to Shoot Men in Lycra ( Tips for Shooting a Bike Race)

I have been spending my time over the last week covering the Tour Down Under. It is an amazing event and has been superbly organised. Everything has gone like clock work so far and we're talking about one of those Swiss Precision time pieces here. Covering the event is gruelling and I'm just taking photos, don't know how hard it must be for those actually in the race!



In the past I have I have done my fair share of Mountain Biking photography but this is my first time coving a road race and boy is it different. I have learnt a lot since Sunday and I thought I would share a few tips with those of you who are in Adelaide and are thinking of heading out to capture the event or lookinag at trying you hand at shooting some road racing.

1. Drive the course before hand and do it in the reverse direction. This is so you can scout any good locations looking in the direction you will be shooting
2. Use multiple bodies if you can. I have been using 3 bodies every day. One remote , one on a long lens and one intermediate or wide lens. This is crucial has you will not have time to change lenses as the wizz past. And bot do they fly, even up hill!
3. Use the longest lens you have. This is great for creating out of focus backgrounds to make your subject pop and for compressing perspective to make the peloton bunch up. I have been using the 200-400 and took the 600 for a spin today.
   
4. Use a wide lens to incorporate the scenery it can also draw the viewer into the frame if you can get close enough to the riders.
   
5. Check, Check and Check again, all your settings on the camera as you don't have time to chimp you images.
6. Have the sun on your back. The race is held either side of noon for most events, the worst possible light for us photogs. Having the sun at you back will mean the rides faces are in the sun avoiding back lit images.
7. Use fast shutter speeds. I have been shooting aperture priority around f4 at 400ISO to get nice fast shutter speeds around 1/1000 of a second. Freezes the sweat falling from their brow (I love that shot!)
8. Try some slow shutter speeds too. I have had sucess (and a load of duds) with shutter speeds as low as 1/80 of a second. With good panning technique you get some graet images showing loads of movement giving a different feel to the mornormal 'static' shots.
9. Use a little fill flash. Don't fire your flash at full ppower into the eyes of a rider going into a corner at 60kph but a little judicious flash use can work wonders
10. Wear a hat and carry a drink but don't drink too much as there is no time to stop for a pee!
    

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D3 and D700 firmware updates

Nikon have posted updates for both the D3 and D700 camera. Nothing ground breaking here just some update, minor fixes and a spelling correction (?!?) Still nice to see they are still working on sorting us out when they can. More details after the jump...

D3

The following improvements have been made in version 2.01

• Geodetic information is now displayed in ViewNX Ver. 1.2.0 or later and Capture NX 2 Ver. 2.1.0 or later for images captured with the GPS Unit GP-1 mounted on the camera.
  
• Autofocus-response performance in focus mode C (Continuous-servo AF mode) with relatively dark subjects has been increased.
  
• When the AF-ON button is pressed, the monitor turns off and a focus point can now be selected using the multi selector.
• Photo information displayed in full-frame playback has been modified as follows:
  HI-, LO- has been changed to Hi, Lo
  WARM TONE has been changed to WARM FILTER
  COLOR CUSTOM has been changed to COLOR BALANCE
• Manamah, displayed in the Time zone options for the World time item in the setup menu, has been changed to Manama.
  
• An issue that, in extremely rare cases, resulted in noticeable black dots in images captured with Long exp. NR in the shooting menu set to On has been resolved.
  
• When the Speedlight SB-800 was mounted on the camera with flash mode set to Distance-priority manual (GN) mode, and then the exposure meters were reactivated or the camera was turned on, the distance information displayed on the SB-800 changed. This issue has been resolved.
  
• An issue that, in some rare cases, caused images captured with the following lenses to be under-exposed, has been resolved.
  AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
  AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED
  

D700

The following improvements have been made in version 1.01

• When Custom Setting a4 Focus tracking with lock-on was set to Off in Continuous-servo AF, the lens drive moved gradually without achieving focus. This issue has been resolved.
• When the Speedlight SB-800 was mounted on the camera with flash mode set to Distance-priority manual (GN) mode, and then the exposure meters were reactivated or the camera was turned on, the distance information displayed on the SB-800 changed. This issue has been resolved.
• When the Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 was mounted on the camera and an EN-EL3e battery inserted in the camera but no batteries inserted in the MB-D10, and SB-900 flash mode set to TTL auto flash mode, the flash mode changed to A mode when the exposure meters turned off or were reactivated, or the camera was turned off or on. This issue has been resolved. (This issue has also been resolved with SB-900 firmware Ver. 5.02.)
• An issue that, in extremely rare cases, resulted in noticeable black dots in images captured with Long exp. NR in the shooting menu set to On has been resolved.
• Manamah, displayed in the Time zone options for the World time item in the setup menu, has been changed to Manama.

You can download the updates from here

And before you ask Manama is the capitol of Bahrain.

I am not going to update my cameras until next week as I don't want to take any chances as we have a busy week shooting the Tour Down Under. More to come on that one!

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D3x, the results are in...

Well I managed to get my hands on a D3x for a short while and yes it is amazing. The files from that camera blow everything else I have seen away, compared with other DSLRs anyway. Actually the files are comparable with medium format digital backs and surpass both 35mm and 120 film that's for sure. Now I am not going to run an in depth review here. There are plenty of great detailed reviews around, what I am going to tell you is my opinion of the camera as a working photographer specialising in wildlife, nature and adventure sports photography in as few words as possible to help you decide what is best for your photography.

Firstly the D3x is based on the D3 body so its controls are the same, great from a workflow point of view. You can just get on with shooting as you have with the D3, that is if you didn't have to wait for the camera to crunch these huge files! After shooting with the awesomely fast D3 the D3x feels like it runs at glacial speed. A whopping 1.2 frames per second is slow even for my landscape work. I will write that out again so you know it isn't a typo, one point two frames per second! I have the buffer upgrade on both my D3s so it feels like I can shoot at 8 fps for ever but the D3x on the other hand, well you have to wait. This goes for downloading and processing the files too. My desktop machine can handle the files, (a quad core 3GHz machine running 8Gig of RAM) but my notebook (a 2 year old dual processor 2GHz Dell with 4Gig of RAM) well it dies. Lightroom, Photoshop and Capture all struggle keeping up and as I do a lot of processing while out on the road I would have to factor a new laptop into the purchase as well. Speaking of dollars how well does an RRP of $12,000 fit in? Well it is a lot of cash but not too much for such a camera that can holds its own against >$20,000 medium format backs. All the complaints about the D3x costing too much is just crazy. It is worth what people will pay for it and that is what Nikon are asking. I think Jaguars are expensive but I am not complaining I just won't rush out and buy an XJ8...

So Will I grab one? No. Not just yet. As a day to day camera I prefer the speed of the D3 over the file size of the x. The combination of the extra expense and the slower camera does not add up for me and my business. I do have a couple of projects coming up where the extra file size will be awesome but that is in the future and things and opinions do change.


And here is an example of the fantastic files this thing produces. Not my normal thing but check out the single hair in the left of the frame. Thjis is a 100% crop taken from the image below. And Little Miss Stubborn there has very fine hair! Awesome stuff. This is where I think this camera will excel, portraits and studio work where speed (fps) isn't critical.

And where to from here? How about and D700x? that sensor in a slightly smaller package would be awesome and I would drop 10 grand on that in an instant. Read more...

High ISO in Flash Photography

It is great to have the option to crank up the ISO when the light is getting low and still get usable images at 800, 1600 and even 3200 ISO the the D3, but have you thought of using higher ISOs when shooting flash? Using higher ISOs allows us to shoot with a smaller aperture to increase depth of field which is a no brainer. But another great advantage is to using higher ISOs to reduce flash recycle times. This is especially important when shooting with small battery powered strobes like Nikon's SB units. This means we need less light for a correct exposure and we can therefore dial down the power of the flash unit. If it takes 1 second to recycle the flash at full power we can shoot at 1 frame per second to get a flash lit exposure. If we up the ISO by 2 stops we can reduce the flash power to 1/4 power allowing us to get more than 4 frames per second. (We get more than 4 frames per second because the flash is recharging as soon as the first frame has been fired.) In the above sequence shot at 1/250 sec f.5.6 at ISO 400 I managed to fire off 11 frames at 8 frames per second before the flashes ran out of juice. And that is without external power packs (SD-8a or SD-9.) Not bad for a strobe that can fit in your pants pocket!

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