December 31, 2008
The Nikon D3 brought incredible image quality to the usual reliability of their cameras and unbeatable optical quality of their lenses. The multitude of settings make the D3 a high-precision camera that can be configured in a personal way, depending on shooting style.
When my D3 first arrived, it was with huge excitement that I unpacked it, fired off a few frames just for the thrill of hearing the shutter whir by in continuous high-speed drive … and then proceeded to change the settings to my preferences with Nikon cameras. So here is an overview of my preferences for the D3, and the settings that I changed immediately upon getting the camera out of the box:
(And here’s the link if you’d like to order the Nikon D3 from B&H.)
Oh, go on, you know you want one!
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The Nikon D700 has the same remarkable image quality that the Nikon D3 has, but in a smaller more affordable camera. This makes sit an excellent alternative to the top-rated Nikon D3. And of course the multitude of camera settings and custom settings make the D700 a camera which can be configured in a highly personal way, depending on your shooting style and needs.
Here is an overview of my preferences for the D700, and the settings that I changed immediately upon getting the camera out of the box:
(And here’s the link if you’d like to order the D700 from B&H.)
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One of the advances that the Canon EOS-1 D Mark III bodies made over the previous generation 1-series D-SLRS, is in an easier menu system – especially the ‘My Menu settings’. So while the menu system of the mk3 makes it easier to adjust settings, My Menu settings allow you to change a few of them on-the-run without having to delve into different parts of the mk3 menu.
Here is how I had my cameras set up:
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December 22, 2008
Nikon D700, Nikon 85mm f1.4 … @ f1.4
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Canon 1D mk3, Canon 85mm f1.2 II … @ f1.4
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Canon 1D mk3, Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS
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Nikon D700, Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR macro
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For more info, check the comments …
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December 14, 2008
The final series of flash photography workshops for 2009 took place in Texas, with two dates there. It’s been a wild ride this year, presenting a total of 24 workshops across the USA .. and in addition to that maintaining a full schedule as a wedding photographer here in NJ. The workshop format and material have constantly been adapted and changed and improved. Even the gear that I bring with me to the workshops have been adapted and improved. The response I get during and after the workshops have been so positive that, even now at the end of this year’s workshops, it just leaves me energised for next year.
This image is from the workshop in Austin .. the very energetic Juliana, as photographed by Emil Harsa. This is from the section of the workshop where we worked with speedlights and softboxes outside. But this time we were working on the edge of the sidewalk, huddled against the side of the building to avoid the cold gusty wind .. and I thought I had left that behind in New Jersey! But still … a huge amount of fun!
Thank you to everyone who attended the workshops in Dallas and Austin, and thank you to our models.
Here is a report by Lynn Michelle on the workshop.
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December 13, 2008
settings: 1/250th @ f2.8 @ 400 ISO, with +1.0 flash exp comp
In previous postings I have mentioned that the specific settings for a photo aren’t often of direct value to us in figuring out the method of exposure. But the one setting that is of huge importance when using flash, is your camera’s maximum flash sync speed.
When the ambient light levels are low, then your shutter speed can vary appropriately, depending on what you want to achieve. But once you work in bright conditions, or have your subject against a bright background, then most often it just makes the best sense to work at maximum flash sync speed, as in that image above.
There is something very sweet happening at that point, and I believe it is imperative for every photographer that use flash, to know what is happening, and why. I would venture as far as saying that this blog posting contains some of the most essential information I can give you about flash photography.
So let’s work through some of the basics …
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December 12, 2008
I get daily emails where I am asked for suggested camera settings to start off with. And I have to explain that giving specific settings are mostly meaningless since the scenarios we encounter vary so much. Which also means that anyone giving you specific advice such as: 1/60th @ f5.6 @ 800 ISO with -0.3 flash compensation … is lying to you.
Far more important than specific settings, are the methods how we get to correct exposure, and the methods how we get to certain preferrable settings (eg, a high enough shutter speed).
In terms of the combination of aperture, shutter speed and ISO, here is a useful algorithm:
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In terms of flash photography, the only setting I can give that you absolutely have to be aware of, is your camera’s maximum flash sync speed. There is something very sweet happening there. But that is the topic of a seperate posting.
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There really is no shortcut for knowing the fundamentals. You HAVE to know how shutter speed and aperture and ISO settings inter-relate / exposure metering / depth-of-field / and so on. There is no shortcut. You have to know these basics to be able to grow as a photographer. This topic was touched on in a previous posting here: things you need to know. An innate artistic sensibility will only take you so far when you don’t have the technical grasp to translate it into the images you want to achieve.
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December 4, 2008
Something I really like about the Canon D-SLRs, even though it seems a small point, is that they have lugs for the camera strap at the bottom of the camera. This allows you to hang your camera in a vertical position off your shoulder. This image showing the 1Dmk3, should make it clear. (Cute model not supplied.)
I find this much more comfortable than having the strap attached to the two lugs at the top of the camera. With the strap attached to the grip’s side, the strap doesn’t fall over the eyepiece or is in the way when you swing your camera to your eye. I also find it more comfortable to tuck the camera and lens like this under my elbow, than if the strap was attached in the usual way.
The Nikon D-SLRs don’t have this though. They only have the camera strap lugs at the top, and I missed that simple little feature on my Nikon D700 and D3. But then someone pointed me to the Camdapter Hand Strap system.
With the Camdapter attached to the bottom of the camera, I’m now able to dangle my Nikon camera from a vertical position as well. I don’t use the Camdapter for the hand strap, but simply for attaching the one end of the camera strap the bottom of the camera. (Still no model, just the camera.)
It’s a simple solution, and the attachment is very solid. (The skew angle at which I attached it, is on purpose.) Not only is it more comfortable for me to attach the camera strap this way, I also find it easier to reach for my camera when it hangs like this from my shoulder, when the grip is open like this to my hand.
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gear — Neil_vN @ 10:10 pm
