Nikon Df Real User Experience - Wayne Goodman on GetDPI

Image Source: http://www.getdpi.com/forum/nikon/49999-four-days-nikon-df-andalucia-spain.html

 

The new, retro-styled, D4 sensor-equipped Nikon Df is extremely attractive to me. Wayne Goodman has posted his pictures and experience in shooting his new Df in Andalusia, Spain.

 

(Click Here) to read his post on GetDPI forums.

 

Wayne comments on the fact that while others find the array of knobs on the Df a little challenging, the iso knob is the only one he finds inconvenient. One of the great techniques on a camera that has really, really good high iso performance is to set it on Auto-ISO and stop worrying about it. Then, you can go into Manual exposure mode, for example, and simply pick the f-stop and shutter speed you want, letting the camera adjust iso to get the exposure right. Wayne did this, and was very happy with the results. Even on the couple of occasions where the camera had to go to iso 12,800 (!), he was mostly satisfied with the result.

 

He also finds that he really prefers the optical finder to the now-common electronic viewfinders (EVFs) of today. He comments that the "quiet" shutter mode is pretty effective. While the focus system on the Df is not Nikon's highest technology, he found no fault in it.

 

The shots he shares in the post and in his flickr page were made with the Nikon 24-85 zoom. Wayne and I share the same opinion about this lens. Extraordinarily convenient when you don't want to change lenses, the image quality simply doesn't match great Nikkor primes. Oh well, you can't have everything in just one lens.

 

I continue to be interested in the Df from afar. If my D700 were to die (unlikely), that would be my replacement. For now, I'm holding and watching (and drooling just a little).

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Memorial Day Triathlon

My wife did a sprint triathlon on Memorial Day Weekend. Held in Warrenton, Virginia, this event was for a veterans benefit organization. The sprint triathlon included a 300m swim, 12.4 mile biking segment, and 5k (3.125 mile) run.

 

(Click Here) to read about the event.

 

I set out to cover the event for my wife in three shots: Swim, Bike, Run. I ended up dropping in a couple of other shots I happen to like.

 

Swim, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 70-300 4.5-5.6 AF-S VR Zoom at 300mm

iso 400, f5.6, 1/500 sec

 

 

Bike, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4.0 Zoom at 56mm

iso 200, f9.5, 1/250 sec, fill flash (on camera flash)

 

 

I had some much sharper images of her on the bike, but I like the feeling of motion in this one.

 

Run, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 70-300 4.5-5.6 AF-S VR Zoom at 165mm

iso 200, f8, 1/75 sec

 

I love this shot below of her running to the transition point between swimming and biking.

 

Transition, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4.0 Zoom at 52mm

iso 400, f5.6, 1/500 sec

 

And the obligatory celebration at the finish line:

 

Made It!, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4.0 Zoom at 70mm

iso 200, f13, 1/250 sec

 

I'm proud of her for making it to the finish line. It's a real achievement.

 

I don't usually shoot zoom lenses, but they were perfect for this event. I'm not altogether satisfied with the sharpness of the 24-85mm zoom. I adjusted the fine focus parameter for this lens on my D700, but I'm not sure that I found the best overall set point. I think I need to re-examine that. I know that the lens is capable of sharp images, but I think it probably varies according to the focal length and distance. Something to work on. In any case, the 70-300 VR is a really nice lens, and not changing primes was quite convenient. As I often say, different horses for different courses. Take whatever equipment works for you in a given situation.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

When the Inner and Outer Worlds Converge

 

Image Source: http://munchow.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/when-inner-and-outer-world-become-one/

 

I read a thoughtful post, about the simultaneous exploration of the outer world and the inner world of the photographer himself (or herself) in the making of photographs, on Otto Von Munchow's blog.

 

(Click Here) to read the entire post on munchow.wordpress.com, including some thoughts from Henri Cartier-Bresson, a master of sharing the inner and outer worlds and where they converge.

 

One of the concepts that Munchow brings up is "tunnel vision," the exclusive focus that one gets when fully absorbed in photography. He mentions that when he achieves this state, he can be sure that there will be some good images in whatever he's taken. But, he cannot usually say which ones, until he reviews them.

 

I am very different in that way. I certainly experience this focus on the subject, process, and myself - "tunnel vision." However, I usually know which images are going to be the best from the set, even when I'm shooting film and cannot review them on the spot. Of course, there are sometimes surprises, both positive and negative. Those "missed the focus by that much" to use Maxwell Smart's expression (sorry, it's an old TV show, called "Get Smart"), and those rare images that didn't make an impression while shooting but just jump out at you when you see them developed. However, I can usually pinpoint the three or four best shots before seeing them.

 

Below is a case in point. I was initially attracted to the water droplets on this lotus leaf. As I was working on different angles and approaches, the shadows and textures became much more apparent. In fact, the line of the shadow taking on approximately the shape of a yin-yang symbol finally popped into my head, and I captured it. To me, this embodies how I felt about this place, this moment, and myself, photographing lotuses on the grounds of a Buddhist temple. I knew I liked this one before reviewing it.

Lotus Leaf and Water, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, 24-85mm f2.8-4 Lens

iso 100, f16, High Dynamic Range (HDR) composite of three exposures

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com