So, How Is the Nikon D810?

I'm still getting my feet wet with this camera, but check this out:

 

Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodius, by Reed A. George

Nikon D810, Nikkor 200-400mm f4 AF-S VR G Lens

iso 1600, f5, 1/2000 sec.

 

The detail in the print I made of this shot is just stupendous. iso 1600? Not a problem at all.

 

At 6400, I do see image quality start to drop off, but still quite impressive. At 1600, it's lovely.

 

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Nikon D810 and Df - The Best Combination Available Today?

Well, I've been thoroughly enjoying my Nikon Df for some time now. The low light capabilities of this camera are spectacular.

 

I've recently purchased a Nikon D810, specifically to take advantage of the increased resolution (36 megapixels) for nature photography. Mounted on my Nikkor 200-400mm f4 AF-S VR G lens, the D810 should allow me more freedom in cropping, which is always useful in wildlife photography, especially with active species like birds.

 

I've only had my D810 out a couple of times so far. One was this morning, shooting birds on a kayak outing. Here's a tightly-cropped shot of a swallow hitting the water surface.

And here's a 100% blow-up (cropped even more).

What I've found so far is that while the D810 does allow significant cropping, it doesn't handle high iso noise nearly as well as the Df. Of course, that's well-known in the Nikon crowd, and makes perfect sense, given the much higher number of pixels crammed into the same sensor real estate as the Df. The shots above were made at iso 1600, and noise is quite visible on my screen, looking at the images in Lightroom.

 

Here's a snapshot of DxO Lab's comparison of the two cameras:

 

Image Source: http://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Nikon-Df-versus-Nikon-D810___925_963

 

As you can see, the D810 wins in overall score, color depth, and dynamic range. But, it performs significantly worse in low light (high iso). Again, no new information here, but it's helping me to form my opinion of this pair of cameras and how best to use them.

 

Basically, the D810 will fill my need for high resolution and cropping ability when shooting wildlife in good light. Or anything else in good light, for that matter. The Df will remain my go-to camera for more challenging lighting situations, and when cropping is not as necessary.

 

So, I think that for me, yes, this is the best combination of Nikon bodies available today.

 

I have to get the D810 out in the field again, and shoot at lower iso settings. I'm sure that's going to really impress me.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Live Music Concert- Scott Miller at Jammin' Java - Shot With the Nikon Df

Last Sunday (July 19, 2015), I went to a live music show at one of my favorite venues, Jammin' Java, in Vienna. (Click Here) to check out Jammin' Java. They have a very full schedule of interesting shows. Most importantly for this evening, Jammin' Java is indoors. It was still in the 90s and very humid outside, even after sunset.

 

 

Scott is a very interesting guy - professional musician and Virginia cattle farmer. (Click Here) to check out his website.

 

Once again, my Nikon Df is the master of darkness. Shooting with my favorite prime lenses (28mm f1.8 AF-S, 50mm f1.4 AF-D, and 85mm f1.8 AF-D), I was able to shoot at either 1/125 or 1/250 of a second and still have enough depth of field to be useful. This meant iso values of 3200 or even 6400 - no problem at all for the Df. I love this camera.

 

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Today's Photos From Japan - Grill Master

Food is always one of the highlights of visiting Japan. We ate lunch at an amazing restaurant in Tokyo called Wakanui, which features grilled meats. Here's the grill master at work:

 

Grill Master, by Reed A. George

Nikon Df, Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS Lens

iso 3200, f1.4, 1/250 sec.

 

The grill master was very impressive to watch. He used a metal probe to check the internal temperature of the meats. An electronic thermometer? Certainly not. He would insert the probe deep into the meat, then press it against his lower lip to sense the temperature with his own neurons. I like that.

 

Grill Master No. 2, by Reed A. George

Nikon Df, Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS Lens

iso 3200, f1.4, 1/250 sec.

 

I have found myself wondering why I carry any camera other than my Lumix LX-100 when traveling. These photos are part of the answer. Shooting at f1.4 at 50mm focal length, and getting these kind of results at iso 3200 are the sole domain of the Nikon Df in my camera set. These are jpegs straight from the camera, just converted to black and white and cropped in Snapseed, on my iPad.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Tokyo Nightlife, With the 50mm f1.2 AIS Lens

Tokyo Nightlife, by Reed A. George

Nikon Df, 50mm f1.2 AIS Lens

 

Here's a little montage of images I made while walking one of the backstreets near Monzennakacho Station in Tokyo. The 50mm f 1.2 lens not only allowed me to capture the images in near complete darkness at reasonable shutter speeds, it also allowed me to use selective focus to narrow the viewer's attention to an individual's face. I shot each of these from outside the bar's window. All of the surrounding distractions blur into the foreground or background.

 

That said, manual focusing was quite difficult. Even with the very wide aperture and a Nikon 1.2x magnifier on the Df, I missed quite a few shots. Great fun, though!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Kitchen Door

Last night, I went to a live music performance at Jammin' Java in Vienna, Virginia. I caught this scene out of the corner of my eye, quickly mounted the Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF-D, and captured it.

 

Kitchen Door, by Reed A. George

Nikon Df, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF-D Lens

iso 7200, f2, 1/125 sec.

 

It's absolutely amazing how well the Nikon Df does at high iso settings. In fact, I find that much of the time I actually use Auto-ISO settings, since I really don't have to worry about digital noise. In this case, that's what I did. I set the camera to spot meter, set the shutter speed to 1/125 with the camera in Manual exposure mode, the f-stop to f2, and just trusted the camera to pick the correct iso. The sensor in the Df gives me nearly complete freedom in these types of shooting situations.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Continuing the Quest for a High Speed Color Film - Fuji Natura 1600 is Next

I recently tried a new film, CineStill, which lists the ability to push it to very high iso levels as one of its features.

 

(Click Here) to read a little about CineStill. I bought mine from Freestyle.

 

I shot two rolls of CineStill at a house concert, which should have been the perfect test location. I shot it at iso 1600, and asked The Darkroom (thedarkroom.com) to push it one stop in processing. I'm not ready to enter a verdict on CineStill yet, and will write more about that later. Suffice it to say, I don't think I'm done looking for a great color film for low light concert shooting. Once I find one, I will do my best to replicate the look in Lightroom, exactly as I've done for Ilford Delta 3200 for black and white images.

 

On my way to the flight home from Japan, I found five rolls of Fuji Natura 1600 color print film.

 

Fujifilm Natura 1600 Color Print Film

 

At a little less than $10 per roll here in the Tokyo Narita Airport, it's about the same price as CineStill. I'm looking forward to giving Natura a try.

 

If it works well, I'll have a good basis for defining a new color look in Lightroom. That's the possible upside. The possible downside is that I'll fall in love with the film's look; it's essentially not available in the USA at all, as far as I can tell. I saw a couple of questionable-looking ads, at about $20 per roll. I won't be doing that.

 

Anyway, once I've thoroughly evaluated CineStill, I'll post the results. Of course, I'll also post any results I get with Natura. More film fun!

 

Surprisingly, this is the only photographic product I purchased on my trip to Japan. I saw a few interesting products, but nothing good enough to part with my cash.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

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

 

 

A Little Live Music with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

I've been working a lot lately, and not getting out for enough shooting. I have roughly kept up with my posts, but it's been a stretch.

 

Last night, after a full day of science, I headed out to see Jake and the Burtones at LoCo Joe's Coffee in Purcellville, VA. Here are my favorite shots from the evening.

 

Forgive the brevity; I'm a little short on time this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This final shot was made with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 and Series 2 kit lens at iso 6400. Not bad. The remaining images were made with the Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4 and Olympus 75mm f1.8 lenses at iso 1600 and 3200.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Dreaming in Monochrom(e) - High ISO Analog!

I've been playing around, using my Leica M4-2 film camera as a test to see if I really want a Leica Monochrom digital rangefinder. (Click Here) to read more about it.

 

I said at the outset that I understand that shooting black and white film in a Leica M4-2 has its limits in terms of emulating the amazing new Leica Monochrom digital black and white rangefinder. For example, the Monochrom is noted for its great performance at high iso settings.

 

Well, I decided to "push" (quite literally) the high iso limits of the M4-2 by push processing Kodak TMax 400 film to iso 1600. It was quite simple. I just shot at exposure settings for iso 1600 instead of 400, then instructed my favorite processor (The Darkroom, www.thedarkroom.com) to push the film two stops. This cost an extra $2 in processing costs. Pretty reasonable.

 

Here are some results from a concert I attended. I'll start with one of my favorite local performers, Melissa Wright and her band Mink:

 

 

Mink, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Kodak TMax 400 pushed to 1600

 

And a few more, these of the band Dry Mill Road:

 

 

 

Dry Mill Road, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Kodak TMax 400 pushed to 1600

 

All of these shots were made with my Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f1.5 and Leica Elmarit 90mm f2.8 lenses.

 

As you can see, the contrast is pretty high in these shots. They don't have the amazing dynamic range of the modern digital monochrome. But, the film grain is quite nicely controlled in my opinion. In fact, I think these look better than equivalent shots with my digital rangefinder Leica M9 would at iso 1600. I may have to do that comparison to further convince myself. Already this little project is teaching me something about how much I can do with film and the M4-2. I haven't pushed a roll of film in years, and I feel that it frees me up to take the M4-2 along for shooting musical events that I would have only really considered the Nikon D700 for in the past. I'm pleased with that.

 

I also want to continue to extend this, seeing how TMax 400 holds up at 3200 and maybe even 6400. I'm sure it will start to degrade significantly at 6400. But, I think I may be able to pull of 3200 with no real problem.

 

From what I understand, Kodak TMax 3200 is no longer being produced, but Ilford Delta 3200 is. I used the Ilford film in the past, but found the grain to be very high at 3200. I liked that film much better at 1600. Considering that the Ilford 3200 is more than twice the price of TMax 400, I'm not sure I have much motivation to give it another try, especially when I can get this type of performance from the TMax.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Too Much Emphasis on Low Light? Look for Good Light

 

Key West Cemetery, by Reed A. George

Lumix DMC-GX1

 

It really is easy to get caught up in technical capabilities of our cameras, focusing on what they can do in near darkness, rather than looking for good light, wherever it may be found. Frequently, the low light that necessitates super high iso and low noise performance isn't really that good.

 

Why am I thinking about this? I read a post along these lines on prosophos.com.

 

(Click Here) to read that post.

 

It reminds me how much we did (and some of us still do) with film cameras, where the realistic limit of iso is about 400, okay maybe 800 or 1600 by pushing the film. Delta 3200 was always so grainy at that iso setting, I always used it at 1600 max. Today, a digital camera that shows noise at 1600 is looked down upon by most.

 

Anyway, this inspires me to worry less about low light, f1.4, and iso 6400. I'll get out and look for some good light.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Finally! The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 is Announced and Looks Great!

 

Image Source:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/08/01/panasonic-reveals-lumix-dmc-gx7-enthusiast-mirrorless-camera

 

I have not been using my Micro 4/3 camera system much at all this year. Focusing more on Leica and film cameras, I just have not had the time to use it all. I did invest in a DMC-GX1 for a pittance earlier in the year, and took it along on a trip to Key West, Florida.

 

(Click Here) to see some shots I made with the GX1 on that trip.

 

The GX1 works very, very well in my hands. But, we Panasonic fans have been waiting for a next generation of GX cameras, bringing the sensors up to date with the state of the art, especially as it concerns high iso performance. Well, it's finally here, or at least announced.

 

(Click Here) to read about it on dpreview.com

 

What are the great features? Well, first, the GX7 reportedly has an all-new sensor with improved signal-to-noise performance. This means that it will indeed perform better at high iso settings (low light), with less noise. The maximum iso setting is now 25,600, though I would bet that the maximum useable setting is somewhat lower than that, if you don't want to deal with a lot of sensor noise. We'll see.

 

It also has in-body stabilization, which has been in Olympus cameras for some time, but never in a Lumix Micro 4/3 body. I hope this will work well with my older Micro 4/3 lenses that have stabilization built into the lens.

 

The next GX7 also has a built-in electronic viewfinder (EVF), rather than the accessory finders required for previous GX cameras.

 

Finally, the GX7 provides "focus peaking," which allows you to know when you're in focus when you're using manual focus.

 

These cameras will be in high demand for some time. They'll sell lots of them. I can't wait to see just how good the new sensor is.

 

There's more news from Panasonic as well. They have announced a new Pana-Leica "Nocticron" 42.5mm f1.2 super fast lens. This will be a wonderful portrait lens, taking advantage of the compact Micro 4/3 design, yet with a sufficiently fast maximum aperture to produce shallow depth of field, a common desire in portraiture. More on that later.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

My Shot of The Acoustic Burgoo Wins the Piedmont Virginian Photo Contest!

The Acoustic Burgoo, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, 100-300mm f4-5.6 at 100mm

iso 6400, f4, 1/100 sec.

 

My photo of the local band, The Acoustic Burgoo has won first place in the Arts/Music category in Piedmont Virginian's 2012 photo contest!

 

(Click Here) to go to the Piedmont Virginian's website.

 

The hard copy magazine will be on shelves in early July.

 

Once again the Lumix G3 comes through for me, even at high iso settings!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

I Was Tempted By The Fuji X100S, Sony RX1, and Leica X2 - I Think I'll Pass For Now

Image Source: www.amazon.com

I have been traveling for the past week or so with my Leica M9, Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 compact camera, and my Skeletons From The Closet camera for March, the Zeiss Ikonta folder.

 

I have been sorely tempted by the three fixed lens cameras mentioned in the title of my post. All three, the Fujifilm X100S, Sony RX1, and Leica X2 offer a lot of excellent features. However, I'm pretty convinced that if I were to buy a fixed lens camera, I would want a 50mm equivalent field of view, as opposed to the 35mm field of view of each of these cameras.

 

On this trip, I brought my Summilux 35mm f1.4 lens for the M9. That lens is my Whole Lotta Leica pick for March. While it's an amazing lens, I have felt throughout the trip that I'd have been happier overall with a 50mm lens. Of course, the M9 lets me change lenses, which I am not shy about doing. But, if I bought one of these new fixed lens cameras, I would not have that option. So, I am staying out of that market for now.

 

If I were going to go for it, it would be between the Fuji and Leica. I've now handled both, and they are extremely nice cameras. I've also handled the Sony, and like it. Just not to the tune of the price difference.

 

I wrote a couple of days ago about how I essentially traded in my year-old Lumix DMC-G3 kit for a new DMC-GX1 through Amazon (the GX1 is $275 brand new right now!). The new GX1 is waiting for me in its box until I get home. I'm thinking that the GX1 with the Lumix 20mm f1.7 pancake lens should give any of these cameras a run for their money, and for much less of it (money, that is). If I considered the combination of a flexible compact camera and a fixed lens higher image quality camera combination for travel, I would have thought about the Lumix DMC-LX7 (which I continue to explore and enjoy immensely) and either a Fuji X100S or Leica X2. Now, I'm thinking the GX1 with 20mm f1.7 will be the higher end choice. The GX1 is very compact, and yields great image quality. I know this from my experience with the DMC-G3, which shares the same sensor as the GX1. With the 20mm f1.7 lens, it's a very nice little package. And, I have the awesome 25mm Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4 if I really want the 50mm equivalent field of view.

 

Kirk Tuck recently wrote a post about comparing the high iso performance of the Fujifilm X100S with his Sony NEX, using the excellent comparison tool at dpreview.com. His conclusion is that the hysteria over the X100S may be warranted by the features of the camera, but not by high iso performance alone.

 

(Click Here) to read Kirk's post, entitled "New "Holy Grail" of Cameras Spanked by the Real Deal." How controversial that title sounds!

 

I decided to do the same comparison between the X100S and the GX1. Here's a screenshot of the raw images at iso 800:

 

DPreview iso 800 Raw Comparison of Fuji X100S, Fuji X100, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1,and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

Image Source: http://www.dpreview.com/previews/fujifilm-x100s/6

 

You can easily switch iso level for all of the cameras in the comparison using the dpreview tool. I decided that iso 800 is important for me, as I need that level fairly often on travel, especially in cloudy weather. However, the f1.7 lens on the GX1 will need it less often than the f2 on the Fuji or f2.8 on the Leica.

 

My conclusion from this comparison is that, as expected, the LX7 really lags the other, larger sensor cameras in performance at iso 800. But, surprisingly, I like the GX1 result more than the Fuji cameras. While the Fujis certainly have a smoother image rendition, it is at the cost of detail. When considering raw files (before noise reduction is applied), I prefer to retain as much detail as possible. So, I think my GX1 will perform very well in comparison to the X100S at iso 800. The same trend applies at iso 1600 and up. Plus, I can change lenses when I want.

 

How about those LX7 results? Well, it's a compromise. The LX7 has so many features, including a nice zoom range, in such a tiny package, I'm willing to keep the iso level low to preserve image quality.

 

So, if you've followed my musings thus far, I won't be buying one of the new fixed lens wonders from Fuji, Sony, or Leica any time soon. I'd be more inclined if any of them came with a 50mm equivalent lens.

 

Now, I will admit that I'm still very attracted to the Fujifilm X20 for the flexible end, as competition for my LX7. I handled an X20 in Tokyo, and it's very impressive. The optical viewfinder is very nice, and it feels like a real camera. But, for now, I'm sticking with Panasonic for both cameras.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

Backstage at Danny Knicely's Big Winter Concert! Nikon DSLRs Are Unbeatable in Challenging Light

 

On Friday, January 25, 2013, I had the great fortune to be on the guest list with backstage access for Danny Knicely's Big Winter Concert, held at Franklin Park Arts Center in Purcellville, Virginia. This year's concert featured Danny Knicely, Aimee Curl, Nate Leath, and Darren and Matthew Olwell.

(Click Here) to read more about Danny Knicely's musical pursuits. He does a Big Winter Concert every year. Each one is different, and this year's was a blast.

I shot this show with two Nikon DSLRs - my trusty D700, and a D300, which I picked up a while back from KEH for a spare. Other than the difference in sensor sizes, the two cameras are nearly identical. All of the controls are in the same places, with the exception of how you open the little cover to the CF card slot. I can live with that. The D300 is not quite as good as the D700 at high iso levels, so I wasn't sure how happy I'd be shooting it at this show.

Making the Set List

 

It Goes Something Like This...

 

Aimee Curl on Bass

 

Darren Olwell Amongst Cables and Instruments

 

Nate Leath Working the Bow (my favorite shot of the evening)

 

Aimee and Danny

 

Audience and Family Members Joining the Fun Onstage

 

It Really Is Winter Here

 

Franklin Park is a spectacular place for attending performances.

 

(Click Here) to go to Franklin Park's website.

 

So, how did it turn out, photographically? Since I carried both the D700 and D300, I was able to use primes, and carried only the Nikkor 24mm f2.8 AF-D, Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-D, and Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF-D lenses. The 85mm stayed on the D300 all evening, taking advantage of the crop factor of the smaller sensor. In shooting performances here before with the D700 alone, I have always carried along the awesome Nikkor 180mm f2.8 AF lens as well. I didn't need it at all this time.

 

On the D700, I shot the 24mm much more than the 50mm, but did use both. The wide angle of the 24mm lens on the D700s full frame sensor really made shooting in the tight spaces backstage very easy.

 

Most of my shots throughout the evening were taken at iso 3200. Yes, I can see a difference in the noise with the D300, but at iso 3200 it cleaned up very nicely and easily in Lightroom. The final shot above was taken at iso 6400 with the D700.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed using the two Nikon bodies in tandem. It was nice to reduce how often I had to change lenses, which is a weakness of using prime lenses, rather than zooms. However, the primes are faster, sharper, and lighter than zooms. I am very pleased with the results.

 

I also enjoyed every minute of the performance, and hanging out with these extremely friendly musicians. I feel very fortunate to know them.

 

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