ISO comparison – various Canon and Nikon cameras
ISO comparison - various Canon and Nikon cameras
I had a number of people ask about more details about the Canon 6D and whether I would recommend the Canon 6D (affiliate), or Canon 5D mark III (affiliate). It's tough enough to give advice at best of times, since the decision to buy a top-notch camera is a nuanced one. There are so many factors that come into play - your budget, weight of the camera; ergonomics; features & specification. Everyone has a different requirement of their camera gear. So when I was able now to get my hands on a broad enough Read more inside...Maximum flash sync speed, and the Nikon SB-900 / SB-910 speedlight
Maximum flash sync speed, and the Nikon SB-900 / SB-910 speedlight
Because of the way the focal plane shutter works in DSLRs, shutter speed doesn't affect our flash exposure ... while we don't go over maximum flash sync speed. When we go into high-speed flash sync, our flash output drops. (The linked article there explains it thoroughly.) However, when we work with ambient light (and intend to add flash to our subject), then a change in shutter speed has an indirect effect on our flash exposure. A change in shutter speed will mean a change in aperture, and this is what affects our Read more inside...review: Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G lens
review: Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G lens
At the same time that I photographed Anelisa for the review of the Nikon 28mm f/1.8 AF-S lens, I had the brand-new Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G lens (B&H / Amazon) on my other camera body. For every place that I photographed Anelisa with the 28mm f/1.8 lens, I also shot similar images with the 85mm f/1.8 lens. In a way, these two lenses complement each other, if you like working with a dual prime lens setup. A nice wide-angle view with the one lens, while the 85mm is a sweet portrait lens. Wanting to show off the shallow depth-of-field, I Read more inside...review: Nikon AF-S 28mm f/1.8G lens
review: Nikon AF-S 28mm f/1.8G lens
To test out the Nikon AF-S 28mm f/1.8G (B&H / Amazon), I met up with Anelisa in Brooklyn to try my hand at some environmental portraiture. With such a wide field-of-view, you inevitably have to include the background. I wanted to show the effect of the shallow depth-of-field of this lens, so I shot at f/1.8 or f/2.0 throughout. When you use a fast (i.e., wide aperture) wide-angle lens, and have sufficient distance between your subject and the background, that shallow depth of field can be used to great effect. It can be tricky Read more inside...Using Nikon’s built-in Time-lapse photography feature
Using Nikon's built-in Time-lapse photography feature
Among the loads of features of Nikon and Canon's latest cameras, is an item which is of specialized interest - Time-Lapse Photography. At the upper end of the spectrum, time-lapse photography is best done by shooting sequences of RAW files. More on that topic here: Camera settings for Time-lapse photography. However, the built-in Time-Lapse feature makes it really accessible. You can immediately see the footage you shot, in-camera. Wonderful to make adjustments to settings or composition or timing while on location. With Read more inside...lens review: Nikon 50mm f/1.4G vs Nikon 50mm f/1.8G
lens review: Nikon 50mm f/1.4G vs Nikon 50mm f/1.8G
The 50mm lens in general is an interesting optic. Not necessarily for what it does, but how it seems to have fallen out and back in favor over the years. For example, in the 1970's pretty much all 35mm film cameras shipped with a 50mm lens. Zooms weren't something that just came with the camera as a kit lens. It was the 50mm lens that was the "kit lens". So the first thing the serious amateur would do, is dump the 50mm lens and get a zoom lens to get some variety in their photographs. Then over the years, more compact and slower Read more inside...Auto FP flash setting for Nikon D300s & D700
Auto FP setting for Nikon D300s & D700 - high speed flash sync
The Nikon D300s and Nikon D700 have a custom setting to enable high-speed flash sync - custom fucntion e1. However, you have the option of setting it to either 1/250 Auto FP, or 1/320 Auto FP. I've often been asked which is the preferable setting ... and you know, I never quite knew either. So it was time then to systematically check this out and see what actually happens at either setting - 1/250 Auto FP and 1/320 Auto FP - for both the Nikon D300s and D700 ... Read more inside...using the new Nikon D3100 for its video capability
Melissa & Dennis - their wedding day from Neil van Niekerk on Vimeo.
