New 80-400 AF is FAST!!
The Nikon 80-400AFS
B&H got into my hands the new 80-400AFS just prior to my leaving (again) and I’m so glad they did! I was always a fan of the original 80-400, the sharpness, not its focusing speed. The flexibility this lens with its focal length range demanded that I get the new one and test it. So on my drive around MN today, I gave it a quick, initial test drive and first opinion is, damn, schweet!
The lens is not inexpensive but I think you more than get your money’s worth. The one big issue with the original was its focusing speed and that was the first thing I wanted to test drive. In MN, it wasn’t hard to find something moving by really fast. There isn’t an inch of snow here without sled tracks! Well, shooting with the D4, the 80-400 had NO problem locking on, staying locked on and delivering sharp images frame after frame. Now this is not a conclusive test of its focusing speed, but I know that old 80-400 couldn’t even have done this subject. I have more speed tests coming but my results so far encourage me to push the limits further. (both photos taken at 400mm, f5.6)
photo courtesy Nikon
When it comes to the lens itself, it’s quite the lens, more than I was expecting! Its ALL metal housing while heavy feels great. The best part is when mounted on the D4, the 80-400 is perfectly bounced. I really like that! The tripod collar is a winner and like the original 80-400 or 300f4, you can rotate it 40 degrees and remove it. The shade, well I’m not really thrilled by it but that’s a little nit. The zoom is smooth but I don’t think from first testing, it’s a true zoom. Its minimum focusing distance is good, not great.
The reason though why I acquired the 80-400AFS was for wildlife & aviation photography. Yes, I have the 200-400VR2 and it’s not leaving my bag. But this lens which is 1/3 the price and who knows what fraction the size, it a great option for lots of photographers! You could have this one lens and cover a WHOLE lot of subjects and that’s why I’m shooting it. As more unfolds, I’ll post but I am very impressed by the 80-400 so far!
RRS iPhone 5 Case
I know, some will say that now I’ve gone over the deep end. And perhaps I have but I do shoot a lot and I mean a lot with my iPhone. When I moved up to the iPhone 5, I went looking for a case and it just so happened at the same time, Really Right Stuff came out with their XC-iP5 case. It’s a very simple, very strong (RRS standards here) case that does a great job as a case, but wait, there’s more! Like everything RRS, there is a clamp just for the case so you can attach the iPhone to a tripod, the B2-Xj2. You have to be asking by now, “Why go to all of this for an iPhone?” And that’s a very valid question! Well, I like to share simply clicks taken with the iPhone on social media but I never just make a simple click. I often use TrueHDR 
for just about every shot, it’s simply a great photo app! It works by tapping on the highlight and going click, tapping on the shadow and going click and then the app combines the two images. The camera has gotta hold still for both images for it all to work. The other app I’m really 
having fun with is Cycloramic. This little gem permits you to capture a complete 360 but it does it so simply and accurately, even I can do it! And finally, there is SlowShutter, a great app my bud Kevin turned me onto. This app actually takes control of the shutter speed of the
iPhone permitting a slower shutter speed for, you guessed it, blurred water (used for the Yosemite Fall photo). What does this all have to do with the RRS iPhone 5 case?
You gotta have it sharp, even coming from the iPhone. Often, it’s an after thought when I shoot with it. I’m already shooting with the D4 and often, I’m wearing gloves. So using the Manfrotto 492LCD Micro Ball Head I can attach the iPhone to the hotshoe of the D4 and go. The bottonline, I wanted a way to take a sharp image with the iPhone that was not only effecient but looks cool. The RRS iPhone 5 case does that and, oh ya…protects the phone too!
Nik Collection by Google
Just released:
The Nik Collection by Google: photography first, for professionals and more
Here on the Google+ Photos team, we’re busy building tools for all kinds of photographers. Today, and for all the professionals out there, we’re bundling the complete set of Nik plug-ins as the Nik Collection by Google. We’re especially excited about three things:
1) It’s more affordable. The entire set of plug-ins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture only costs $149 (versus the previous $499).
2) It’s really powerful. The Nik Collection by Google gives you tools for everything from noise reduction and HDR imaging to creative effects and image sharpening (and lots more).
3) It’s free to try. You can visit niksoftware.com for a 15-day free trial of the Collection.
If you’ve already purchased one or more Nik plug-ins in the past, then don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In fact: we’re going to upgrade you to the entire Nik Collection by Google for free. Just keep an eye out for emailed instructions in the next few days.
Once you’ve got a Nik Collection shot that you’re excited about, feel free to share it with the Google+ community. Simply tag your public pictures with #nikcollection , and we’ll reshare some favorites from the +Google+ page. We can’t wait to see what you’ll create!
Nest
Bet you were thinking bird nest, weren’t ya? When Nest first came out, a number of my friends jumped on their band wagon and installed them. They said they were neat, cool, invited by the guy who invited the iPod but I didn’t hear much else. Well, I finally heard someone say, “It saved us money” so we finally pulled the trigger and bought one. Why did it take so long? $300 for a thermostat, yikes! I ordered one from Amazon (1st gen, didn’t need 2nd gen that does air conditioning) and when it arrived, it took less than 5min to install. It’s just like anything you might get from Apple, simple, straight forward and works. It saw the home network, it saw when I installed the app on the iPhone and it saves us money! The first month, the bill dropped $274 and the second month, another $62 drop. The key is that it “learns” you habits to minimize energy use. It also has a “Away” feature so when you’re not home, the home is not being heated to the same extreme. In this day and age when saving energy (that environment thing) and saving money (saving for 800f5.6 thing) is a good idea. I can honestly say, Nest works!
Simple Clicks – A Matter of Time
