Feb 8, 2012 | Field Reports
(photos courtesy of Nikon)
Understandably, the emails are arriving asking the question which body to buy. Rather then just putting up the link for the post from the last time I answered this question (D3 or D3x?) because the way to the answer hasn’t changed, I thought I would just write a little something here. First and foremost, it is quite possible the best body for you is the one you own right now! No one feels the pressure of having a new body like me as the emails arrive asking questions I don’t have answers to until I have that body in my hands. Then there is that, “It’s new and I’ve gotta have it” feeling. Seriously, there is nothing better then the smell of new gear and the thrill of taking it out for the first time. But that new body doesn’t guarantee you better photographs, it just don’t work that way. My recent piece pretty much spells out my belief that photography is a marriage of photographer AND gear. Now if you’ve settled on buying a new body (and LOTS of your have which is so cool for so many reasons) which one of these should you buy?
The only way I can help is trying to explain how I go about it. I ask myself, “What problems do I have with my current gear that the new gear might solve?” And since I am a business, that solution must include not only the photograph but also making money on the investment. The D4 vs. the D3s to me is a pretty much a slam dunk between the faster FPS, better High ISO and 1080p, the D4 solves a problem I’ll have in about 35days I know the D3s won’t. I know because last year, the D3s didn’t get the photo. Now what about the D4 vs. the D800/800E? In this one scenario, the D4 still wins out but what if we change things up a little, lets say D3x vs. D800/D800E? Now you have my attention because the D800E (which honestly, like the D3x is only right for about 10% of the shooters out there) produces bigger files more then twice as fast at less than half the price. Just like I rely on the D3x / D3s right now (and BTW, they still produce gorgeous images even with the introduction of the D4/D800), I can see the D4 / D800E serving the same roll in the future.
Here’s the hardest part of making this work for you as I see it. You’ve gotta have the experience to know the problems and the imagination to think of how those specs on a page can solve them. To be honest with you, most of you know the specs for the D4 & D800 better then I and that’s cool. The advantage I have though is even without knowing all those specs, shooting everyday I run into more problems I need solutions to. When I watched Scott Kelby’s Google+ presentation with the NPS guys, I heard enough then to order the D4. I remember all to well when the F5 came out and we didn’t have the web to share all of this information wondering how a camera body with a faster FPS was worth the investment. If you’ve never shot with a D3x, how would you know if the D800 is worth the extra pixels? Many don’t even know they are shooting using an anti-aliasing filter to know if shooting without one would be a benefit (without, you do run into the real possiblity of moire issues).
I am incredibly encouraged to hear all who have pre-ordered either body. Not only is it a sign that things are getting a little bit better out there, it also means photographers are still willing to push their photography further. None of these bodies by themselves will make you a better photographer. Sticking with the camera body you have now until you “learn” it won’t necessarily make you a better photographer either. It is the combination of photographer and gear that pushes the photographic envelope. Give yourself the time and you will see the rewards no matter which way you go. You gotta remember above all else, photography has to be fun! And on that note, take a look at this…now we’re talking fun!
D800 3D
Feb 7, 2012 | Field Reports
Pre-Order D800 Here / Pre-Order D800E Here
“Why buy a camera missing a filter and pay more for it”? That’s the $64 million question in my inbox right now. Understand, I don’t have a D800, not seen one even, all I know if what you might know reading the material now available from Nikon. I do understand the theory behind removing the anti-aliasing filter and I know the quality hoops Nikon goes through with their products. So if I were going to buy a D800, it would be the D800E to go for ALL the quality that sensor can deliver. I’ve been pounded about the 4FPS…you have to understand that’s radically faster then the D3x 1.8FPS in a smaller and less expensive package. To me, that’s a huge leap forward. This is not a D700 upgrade, this is a whole new camera in a totally different league. Is this the camera for you? There are two reasons why I would say the D800E isn’t for 90% of folks(to repeat, this camera is not for everyone!), it captures too much information and it’s too slow. It’s like what I said about the D3x, it’s a lot of camera for the vast majority of shooters. Being a “D800” might be confusing, it’s not in the same category as a D700. With that being said, lots of folks will own this bad boy and when you have problems, I’ll be here to help you!
Feb 6, 2012 | Field Reports
Pre-Order D800 Here / Pre-Order D800E Here
Nikon has announced the D800. As per the announcement: D800, built for today’s multimedia photographer includes a groundbreaking 36.3MP FX-format CMOS sensor, Full HD 1080p video at 30/25/24p with stereo sound, class leading ISO range of 100-6400, expandable to 25,600, 4 fps burst rate and Advanced Scene Recognition System with 91,000-pixel RGB sensor. I’ve not seen the camera, not seen any delivery date yet but here’s the USA Official Page announcing it. Here’s the Japan page with the D800 / D800E announcement. The specs sound darn impressive and should make a great addition. Here’s the D800 Brochuree you can download. When I know more worth posting, I’ll do so.
Here’s a D800 Video…pretty sweet!
Joy Ride from Sandro on Vimeo.
Feb 6, 2012 | Field Reports
We are being flooded today with calls and emails asking about new, rumored Nikon gear. Sorry, but I find out about it the same to as you. I’ve not been part of a new product announcement since 1997 and even then, it’s Nikon to announce and not Moose. I’m using this format for saying this because it’s fast. I know what you know, in 2012, Nikon has announced amongst other things, these cameras:
Nikon Coolpix S3300
Nikon Coolpix L26
Nikon Coolpix S4300
Nikon S 6300
Nikon Coolpix S30
Nikon Coolpix P310
Nikon Coolpix S9300
Nikon Coolpix L810
Nikon Coolpix P510
And I’m told there is some pricing deals right now
But I’m sorry, I have no new gear announcements to make.
Feb 6, 2012 | Field Reports
Photography has brought me many treasured friendships, one being Chris Bridges. Chris and I talk about everything from photography to the Discovery show Gold Rush and History’s Pawn Stars. Chris is an excellent photographer though he won’t say so. I was totally shocked but very pleased that he created a blog to SHARE his talent and thoughts with us all. Click on the photo above and see for yourself his talents!
Feb 6, 2012 | Field Reports
I mentioned on Google+ I was traveling with just the iPad on a business trip and had a number of folks ask I explain how I’m making the iPad do more then just be a movie machine. I normally travel with two notebooks, a Dell m4500 & m6500. The m4500 is the mobile office for image processing to communicating. The m6500 is the teaching / presentation notebook. And both notebooks can back up each other. On this trip, I would be spending more time traveling to and from then in meetings, there was no “shooting” involved so I decided to just go with the iPad and it did not disappoint!
My needs for business were simple, a professional presentation tool. Nothing shows off images like a iPad but there is more to that then that. I wanted the iPad to look like a tool and not a toy so I have a very clean and simple leather case for it. A finger printed, greasy screen just doesn’t fly when making presentations so I depend on the Wacom Bambo pen to navigate on the iPad. It was interesting to see I wasn’t the only one at the meeting like that. I needed to be able to find images, for that I use the Photo app that comes with the iPad. While I’m not in love with the Photo App (or any for that matter) in how they permit me to organize my images, I do love that I can easily access them and send them via email, insert into Word Docs, just a number of things really quickly and easily.
Using Pro Show Producer I can create elaborate presentations that with their pluggin, can be loaded on the iPad. With the iPad VGA cable, I can plug the iPad into a projector or monitor and play my Pro Show Producer presentations which include music anywhere. Even though these meetings were all about wildlife, I still was asked about my cockpit panos so I have Pixeet 360 on the iPad to show them off. I have to tell you, the iPad made my experience a whole lot easier and more effective. There were a bunch of iPads at the meeting, all being used for business. It was great easily seeing folks during the meeting and not having to peer over a notebook screen. The iPad in a Keyboard Case was great and popular tool!
I did take my Kensington bluetooth keyboard with me, just didn’t take it to the meeting. I use Pages A LOT to write and the Bluetooth keyboard just works better for me when I’ve got more then a couple of sentences to write. And like normal, I had a request for a 500 word piece which I quickly cranked out and emailed to the client. I have my invoice template in Pages so I can invoice quickly as well. I like that! Having the 3G version makes it really nice to respond to emails and do other web work from anywhere. While I have movies loaded for air travel, our son just made us aware of HBO GO which, if you have a HBO subscription is totally free. Have a wireless connection in a plane, room or lobby and you have a massive library of visual content to enjoy.
One thing I do not use the iPad for is uploading and manipulation of my DSLR images. Between no HD space, not able to deal with file size and no open file naming ability, it’s just not an option. But that’s about the only limitation I find for the iPad. The number of projects and sales we have been able to finalize using just the iPad is staggering to me. I’ve only touched on the ways I use the iPad and have come to depend on it but hope it helps answer some of the questions folks had about it as a business tool.
