May 8, 2014 | Field Reports
Wow … just talked about the Glass Limo yesterday on GearHead Wednesday and today it and the rest of the ThinkTank Backpacks line are part of a killer promo this month! Besides free shipping, along with the “No Rhetoric” Warranty, you will also receive with your order the ThinkTank award-winning Camera Support Straps V2.0 along with their Camera Strap V2.0! Here’s the scoop …
Our friends at Think Tank Photo just announced a special “Gear Up For Summer!” special offer. Buy one of their highly acclaimed backpacks and they’ll include a Blue Camera Strap V2.0 and Camera Support Straps V2.0 (a $44.50 value) for free!
Take a load off your neck, shoulders, and back by using Camera Support Straps V2.0 along with the Camera Strap V2.0. These straps keep your camera’s weight off your neck and shoulders and transfer the load onto your backpack’s shoulder straps and waist belt. You’ll hardly notice your camera is there even though it will be ready to go for hassle-free shooting.
Think Tank’s backpacks are renowned for three design principles:
· Capacity — Their backpacks are the most efficient shape for carrying the most amount of gear in the smallest package. They’ve got you covered whether you’re hauling around multiple bodies with a vast array of lenses and support gear (like a laptop and tablet), large telephoto lenses or a lightweight, stripped down kit.
· Portability — Flying with your gear? All of their backpacks are sized for US Domestic and International carry-on on regular sized airliners. They’ve got bags for commuter and regional aircraft, too.
· Quality — Lesser bags use inferior hardware, materials and manufacturing techniques. Professionals choose Think Tank Photo because they know they only use the best YKK zippers and other high quality materials. They know you can’t afford to have a broken bag while on a trek.
And don’t forget that by using my link you receive a Think Tank product free with your order, free shipping, and the best customer service in the industry. Offer valid through May 31, 2014.
May 7, 2014 | Field Reports
Got a gear question you want/need answered? I want to help and answer it. Send your gear questions to me at Gear Questions and I’ll do my best every Wednesday to answer as many questions as I can. There were more questions this week than I could get to, so thanks and keep them coming. Keep in mind the answers are just my $.02 worth and you have to take what works for you and your photography and embrace it and ignore the rest. So here’s this weeks questions ….
Hey Moose…
Some years ago I got a bottle of “Lens Cleanse” that you had recommended. Best I ever used but it’s gone and I can’t find the company, just Hoodmans packaged wipes. Is this the same an is it as good? Would really like another Bottle of the original.
Thanks for sharing.
Peter
Peter, great question! What is known in the industry as “Pink juice,” LensClens is the only fluid I use for all my needs accept the sensor. As for the Hoodman wipes, I have a couple of those in my camera bag to clean off the sweat from my camera LCD on those hot days.
I have the Nikon 800 mm 5.6 lens. Can you suggest a bag to put it in on a plane trip (carry on)?
Allan
Allan, when it comes to getting just the 800mm around, I use the ThinkTank Glass Limo and if carrying the 800mm with other gear when it comes to a roller, the ThinkTank Airport Security. But the majority of the time I use the photopack we use to sell, the MP-1 because it fits in the overhead of any aircraft on the planet.
Hi Moose,
I am a Nikon user and have just bought a Wimberley gimbal Head WH-200 to use with a 500mm AFS VR Nikkor and a TC14EII converter. My question relates to when if ever, would you use VR when the Gimbal is in the unlocked down position? As you know the lens has Nikons Tripod Mode available. I am really confused about VR with slow and fast shutter speeds and Tripod Mode with the Wimberley and would appreciate your advice.
Regards
Michael
Micheal, most folks are confused about the VR. To start with, my general rule of thumb is if the lens is on stable ground (dirt, cement, etc), set it to Normal and if on unstable (in a boat, plane), set to Active. I personally don’t use the Tripod mode that’s because I have found when using proper long lens technique, VR does not come into play. If you don’t have good handholding or long lens technique, the VR might help you get a sharper image. Also keep in mind that I personally never lock down all the controls. You can find more advice on getting a sharp image on my YouTube Channel which has a number of videos on this topic.
Hi Moose,
In one of your videos on YouTube I saw you using as Wimberley head with a quick release.
Would you care to share your findings on this and where it can be ordered ?
Kind regards,
Chris
Chris, very observant! I love the PG-CC platform from Really Right Stuff, you’ll find it here.
Hello Moose,
I have been using Capture NX2 for several years and have come to depend on the raw processing features of Nik U-point technology. With this feature being eliminated from Capture NX-D, I’m looking at NIK software and related plugins as a replacement. Most of my work is shot indoors with extremely high ISO so the U-Point technology was and is a critical part of my digital darkroom workflow.
My question is twofold, First, does the Photoshop with NIK software plugin allow for U-Point controls to be used on RAW images or is the NIK software only used on TIFFS of JPGs. Second, does the Photoshop/Nik Color Effects combination have the same sharpness and color fidelity as Capture NX2, or is there a better raw processor for NEFs. I’m REALLY trying to avoid having to process the raw files in one program, then go into ANOTHER program to complete the final edits with U-Point controls.
BTW, we met at a Photoshop World in Orlando many moons ago and I’ve been a daily visitor to your website since! Please keep up the good work!
Thanks!
Mike
Mike, I wish I could answer your questions as thoroughly here as they need to be, but this is a GearHead post rather than digital darkroom forum. But to answer your question in general, yes, you can do what you seek in ACR & Photoshop, I don’t know about Lightroom since I don’t use it. I do wonder why you have so much noise though in this day and age of technology. I would suggest you head to my YouTube Channel where there are many videos on my digital darkroom techniques and a number of them combined should give you the one answer you’re looking for.
And thanks for coming to Photoshop World! It’s a great place to learn and get inspired!
May 6, 2014 | Field Reports
“with the first click of the camera, there is dust on my sensor again! Help!” Yeap, that happens all the time and there are two common reasons for it. First, if you clean your sensor the way I do, there is the risk of small “fibers” from the sensor swab coming loose inside the mirror box. You’ve gotta check for these after cleaning. The second cause for this I’ve not really talked about because to me, it’s much scarier than cleaning the sensor and that’s the mirror. You can see my quick click of the mirror above. It is set at a very precise angle on a very sensitive mechanism and is how we see through the lens when viewing through the viewfinder. If you use your sensor loop and look at your mirror (not raised for sensor cleaning) you will see dust. That mirror slaps up and down during the image capture process and if there is dust on that mirror, it will instantly get blown into the mirror box and will find its way to the sensor. So while you just cleaned the sensor, it instantly has dust on it probably from the mirror. But cleaning the mirror is much scarier than the sensor because it is a very sensitive and precise instrument. I don’t recommend anyone touching their mirror! I have a very fine cleaning brush that I use to clean it off but again, I don’t recommend this to folks. If your mirror is dirty, take to a tech but this might just be why your sensor is dirty the first click after cleaning it.
May 6, 2014 | Field Reports
Ya, I need the speed which is one of the principle reasons I shoot the D4s. One of the reasons for that need for speed is to be able to let the camera capture “the” moment while I’m concentrating on getting the elements in the frame the place I want them, nice and sharp (image below shot at 1/80). Besides loving the sound of that shutter makes slamming away at 11FPS, there is an actual method to the delight. I comeback with images like this.
Shooting with the D4s / 200-400VR2, I was very excited to add to the arsenal this weekend the new Lexar 256GB (yes, GB!) 1066x card! Why? As I demoed in my D4s video, the FPS and buffer of the D4s just don’t quit. I need a card that does the same and the Lexar 256GB delivers … bigtime! It just don’t quit, here, see what I mean
What you have here are 417 images starting at the time stamp of 2:27:01 and ending at 2:30:24. The action at Planes of Fame airshow is just that intense as they have aircraft after aircraft after aircraft doing racetracks around the crowd. There is no let up for over twenty minutes. Shooting the style that I do, I needed both the body and the card delivering the speed so I can concentrate on just the subject.
And what’s up with the bandaid on my thumb? Well, it was 99degrees in the pit on Saturday. The action in the sky wasn’t the only thing that was hot. The zoom collar on the 200-400 got steaming hot, so hot that I ended up with a waffle iron blister on my thumb. With the Lexar delivering that kind of performance with the D4s driving it, there simply was no cooling off period. The lens was in my hand and up to my eye the whole time. Understand, if you’re shooting a stamp collection, you simply don’t need this kinda speed but if you’re doing any kind of action, this might just be the option for you!
Apr 30, 2014 | Field Reports
Got a gear question you want/need answered? I want to help and answer it. Send your gear questions to me at Gear Questions and I’ll do my best every Wednesday to answer as many questions as I can. Keep the questions coming, your question might help someone who doesn’t know quite how to phrase their question. Keep in mind the answers are just my $.02 worth and you have to take what works for you and your photography and embrace it and ignore the rest. So here’s this weeks questions ….
Top of the morning Moose!
I’m in the process of buying a new camera and I’m not sure if I should go full frame or get one with a crop factor. My current camera is a Nikon D5000 that I have had for 4-5 years now. In the local camera store they told me that a D7100 would be a good upgrade. However, this is not a full frame camera and I’m wondering whether this will be an issue. I mostly do wildlife-, bird- and landscape photography so I know from a zoom point the crop factor cameras have got an advantage. Is the full frame factor necessary if I would like to take my photography to the next level? The price difference is roughly $500-700 here in Sweden and I’m thinking if I don’t get the full frame now I will want to get it in a year or two. If you were in my shoes (20 years old, hobby photographer and nature enthusiast, 4 years of camera experince, haven’t got too much money), what would you do?
Would greatly appreciate an answer!
Marcus
Marcus, understand that “full frame” is truly not a very accurate term. With cameras from 11×14 down to whatever Point & Shoots are, each is a “full frame” unless you’ve turned on some internal cropping. In the Nikon DSLR we have DX and FX format and IMHO, there is no difference in image quality between the two. Now with all that trivia said, let’s delve into your question from a creative’s point of view.
The D7100 is an excellent camera, the camera store gave you very good advice! Moving up to a FX format will not in itself take your photography to the next level. Loosing that 50% gain in focal by going to FX most certainly will because you will have to get closer to wildlife to get the same image size you enjoyed with DX.
As far as what I would do, I would invest in the best lenses I could, spend money on time in the field and get the body that makes those two things possible. Understand that I have always bought the very best I could afford at that time and then put all the rest of my energy in behind that gear. Time is still the most important ingredient and I have no doubt you’ll make the most of that!
I noticed in your review of the D4s a large Cintiq in the background. It appears larger than the 13HD. Is it a 22HD or 24HD. If so, I would love your thoughts. I just set up a 22HD Touch and although the learning curve is huge, I love it.
Bernie
Bernie, good catch! Yeap, that’s the Wacom 24HD you saw in the background of the D4s video. I simply cannot function without Wacom products, the 13HD on the road and the 24HD back in the office. You might want to watch my video on setting up the 24HD or Express Keys, that might take a little of the slant out of that curve. The reason I’m so dependent on the Wacom products is because they are one of the few ways I can actually by time! They so speed up the digital darkroom experience that they are literally essential tools. There’s not much else out there that I can say that about. Hope that helps.
Hi Moose,
i do own a Nikon D 800 and a 400mm 2.8 afs II and i like to use tis combination a lot, however the never ending thought of improving my results force me to ask you the question if there is a substantial optical quality improvement with the new 400mm 2.8 VR? Thanks for answering.
Regards
Peter
Peter, ah, the 400f2.8, the one lens I probably should never have sold. Great lens, don’t know how I’d use it these days but what a beaut! Is there an optical difference between the AFS II and the VR models? If there is, it’s just a tad so that’s not why I’m telling you the VR is better. The fact that it has VR isn’t why I’m going to tell you it’s the lens to own. The autofocus speed is improved as well, but that’s not it. It’s not because it’s the newest one either. Nope, to me the fact the VR focuses down to 9.2feet compared to 10feet is why, in my book, the VR is the lens to own. You get all those other benefits, a tad sharper, faster AF performance, VR and newest, but in my book, it’s the MFD that makes it worth the price. Now if you’re sports, this probably isn’t a big deal. If you’re going after birds, it can be a game changer. Hope that helps.
Apr 28, 2014 | Field Reports
Oh baby, this is an epic edition! 62 pages (normally 28), 161 images (normally 30), 5 videos (that’s kinda normal), GPS mapping for all the locations (OK, that’s cool), some amazing slideshows and Pg28 Digital Darkroom lessons (now pg 62) are just part of what’s in the latest version of the BT Journal! Romancing the Oregon Coast was literally a year in the making with Brent really knocking it out of the park incorporating all this material under one cover. If you are a subscriber (thank you!) then you will see the new issue appear in Newsstand waiting for you to download it. If you’re not, you can pick up just this issue or subscribe via iTunes.
Yes, we are still working on the Android edition. Anyone who also gets KelbyTraining iPad editions are aware of how long it took them to bring their app to the Android. We are dealing with the same issues but with just two working on it. So, we are still working on it, you are not forgotten!
