Jan 1, 2010 | Field Reports
02.15.10
This is my MAIN body! What does that mean? It’s the body I turn to for most of my photography. You might be asking, “You rely on a body that shoots 1.8fps for wildlife?” Yea, I do. There are a number of reasons for this but the number one is the file quality the D3x produces. The next would be going for quality and not quantity. And lastly, it’s because I use techniques like Peak of Action to make the shot when it presents itself.
Some quick stat: D3x – ain’t cheap! D3x – 14bit, uncompressed Nef = 26MB: Tiff from said file (above) processed by NX2=143MB! 16GB card holds 426 Raw+ Jpeg, counter says 213 when card is first loaded. Cannot load D3 setting into D3x using card load option. Frames Per Second shooting 14bit, uncompressed at CH My goal is not to convince you that you need to buy a D3x or justify its price. I just want you to see the detail I see. Here are a couple of side by side photos taken with the D3x and D3 using the 70-180macro. The orchard images were taken at f/38 and the stamps at f/11, manually focused, 14bit raw. The files are straight from the cameras other than the Zoomify which have to be switched to 8bit (all are now Jpegs, conversions by the programs).
You make the call, but you might not see the difference in the narrow band the web offers (not sure I can now that it’s posted). And the reality is the vast majority of you are not likely to be a future D3x owner. You can find a whole lot more about the D3x on the site by checking out this link.
You will find
Jan 1, 2010 | Field Reports
02.15.10
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP3635.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
Controlling exposure in our photograph is very important. We have a number of tools to do that, none more important that the Split Grad Neutral Density. I personally rely on the .09 Lee 4×6, here you can see why. Shooting at Swiftwater Lake, making a straight shot you get this image. But this is not what folks saw the other day in the blog. The “glow” above the mountain line brought in a number of emails. That glow is from using a split grad at the point of capture which darkens the sky and opens up the foreground.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP3637.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
By simply holding the filter again the front of the lens (as in using my hand to hold the filter) and then lowering the gradation down while looking in the viewfinder, the filter does its job. The final image effect can only be accomplished by using the split grad at the point of capture. It’s a vital tool, it’s key.
Jan 1, 2010 | Field Reports
02.15.10
The SC-28 and SC-29 are important accessories to the wildlife photographer. Being able to take the flash off camera is important. The SC-29 cord on the right has an AF illuminator built into it. Not always necessary but it can be at times so it’s the cord I choose to shorten for use on the tripod with the Wimberley Flash Arm. Both cords have a “hot shoe” attached to the top of the camera body end so the GP-1 can be attached when the cord is in use. All modifications were done by me.
Jan 1, 2010 | Field Reports
02.15.10
The teleconverter, the wildlife photographers best friend but not for the reason most think. The teleconverter is a tool permitting the photographer to narrow the angle of view and isolate the subject better with narrower DOF. These main attributes of the teleconverter seem to get lost with the main obvious attribute, a bigger subject in the viewfinder. One of the drawbacks of the teleconverter is their sucking up of light. You getting nothing back for their hunger, you simply have less light to work with. In the case of the 1.7x, you loose one stop and 1/2 of light and the DOF is only 1/2x or half of that of the prime lens. For the last two years, about as long as the new firmware for the D3 permitting AF operation with it has existed, the 1.7x has been my prime teleconverter. I have all three, use each when the subject requires it.
The Trio, 1.4x, 2x & 1.7x
Jan 1, 2010 | Field Reports
02.15.2010
The D3s is a beautiful camera and there is no way once you heat that shutter slam 8fps you can’t fall for it. Does it produce a better file then the D3, that’s the question most ask. Yeah, it does but you probably won’t see that improvement if you don’t take your images above 11×14 in size. Where will you see an improvement? The one biggie I feel is improvement over the D3 that’s not been documented nor that’s been in the press. And that’s the AF, the D3s is all new and it works just sweet!
Since you can’t see through the viewfinder when in Live View which is required for filming with the D3s, the grid of the E Screen isn’t available nor is the Virtual Horizon. Nikon thought this through. So when in Live View and you depress the Info button, you have a number of options you can see on the Monitor and one of them just happens to Virtual Horizon as you see here. Now what if you want to see the subject at the same time? I think that’s a work in progress but you simply hit the Info button to turn it off.
The D3s high ISO is just simply amazing! Shooting at ISO 1600 to the outrageous 10,465,877 or whatever the hell the top end is produces results I simply didn’t believe. The images I posted last night taken of dark subjects in low light with -1.5 dialed in had NO noise that would bother you in a 24×30 print. That’s just damn impressive!
The big news about the D3s is its video capability. The D3s is not a video camera, it produces beautiful video clips because it can only shoot a 5min clip. Its 720p while numerically sounds not top notch, in connection with Nikon optics, the results are damn stunning. It’s a great start to a system you know will grow in time.
The D3s is my “2nd” body so typically is on a strap on my shoulder.
You will find my D3 settings here. While not 100% applicable to the D3s, they will more then get you in the ballpark. Better yet would be watching the video that I produced with Kelby Training on the D3s.
Jan 1, 2010 | Field Reports
02.15.10
The teleconverter, the wildlife photographers best friend but not for the reason most think. The teleconverter is a tool permitting the photographer to narrow the angle of view and isolate the subject better with narrower DOF. These main attributes of the teleconverter seem to get lost with the main obvious attribute, a bigger subject in the viewfinder. One of the drawbacks of the teleconverter is their sucking up of light. You getting nothing back for their hunger, you simply have less light to work with. In the case of the 1.7x, you loose one stop and 1/2 of light and the DOF is only 1/1.7x or 59% of that of the prime lens. For the last two years, about as long as the new firmware for the D3 permitting AF operation with it has existed, the 1.7x has been my prime teleconverter. I have all three, use each when the subject requires it.
The Trio, 1.4x, 2x & 1.7x
