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 (use the search to check past answers). 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. And if you want to comment, head to my FaceBook page. So here’s this weeks questions ….
Hey Moose;
My question involves teleconverters. What is the difference in using the DX crop mode on a full frame camera verses the new Nikon 1.4 III teleconverter?
Thanks as always…
Ray
Ray … excellent question about something that confuses many. There are actually many differences, some apply to shooting a DX format camera as well. DX Crop (cause that’s what the camera menu says), is known also as High Speed Crop (HSC) (as in the instruction book) and when this is activated in your FX camera, two things happen. You see in the viewfinder the image being “cropped” by a grayed out border. You are now only capturing 50% of the FX area or as most think of it, you have increased your focal length by 50%. I use this a lot in my D4s, Df and D750 and have a quick button setting to activate it. The other big benefit of HSC is it increases your frames per second (FPS), how much depends on the camera body. The last thing that happens with HSC is the final file size is smaller while quality is maintained. The TC-14eIII (or previous 1.4x teleconverters) increase the focal length of the lens by 40% by changing the angle of view. They also suck up one stop of light changing the effective f/stop for exposure while reducing the DoF. So in comparing HSC and the 1.4x, HSC does not change angle of view but does increase image size while not sucking up a stop of light or reducing DoF. The 1.4x does increase angle of view, sucks up light while maintaining MFD. When it comes to actually using the two, my personal preference will always be the 1.4x over HSC. This is because I prefer the narrower angle of view and reduced DoF. I use HSC when, well, to be honest, I’m too lazy to walk back to the vehicle and get a longer lens.
Good Day Mr.Moose
In past videos, I believe you have used both the 13” Wacom(for travel) and the 22” Wacom(for the office). I have read recently that a 27” Wacom Cintiq is now available. Have you used this new product? If yes does it meet your criteria of (please pardon me, but I have to paraphrase) , do some thing that your current gear does not do, solve a problem that your current gear does not, or something along those lines.
Thanks a bunch for all you wisdom
PJ
PJ, an excellent question and very relevant. Just so we have all our ducks in order, I dote on the Wacom 13HD and 24HD using them nearly every single day. The 13HD is what travels with me and probably gets used the most because, I seem to be on the road the most of late. The 24HD is the center piece of my digital library back at the office and is a tool that makes me money. Now to the question, the 27QHD Wacom, will I be upgrading to it? As I need my reading glasses more and more, I sure am tempted, there is no doubt. But I won’t be doing so anytime soon. The reason is kinda simple, the 24HD works beautifully still for my needs. Don’t get me wrong, the resolution of the 27QHD is really tempting but at this point, I’ll be sticking with the two Cintiqs I’ve got now. Great question PJ!
Hey Moose!
Can I borrow your 800? Just kidding…I shoot Canon, wouldn’t help anyway. But on a more serious note…
What is “special” about a pancake lens? I can see the obvious size/weight advantages, but if you’re putting a lens like that on a D4s or a 1DX, that’s kinda like leaving the tailgate off a dump truck to save weight. And you’d hardly be inconspicuous for street shooting, when you have a shoe box in front of your face anyway. Is there a special optical quality to them? Why would you shoot, say, a 40/2.8 pancake over a 35/1.4?
Thanks for your blog. Now if you could just do a workshop in British Columbia. Or Washington. I might even be able to convince the CFO at home that Oregon was doable….
David
David … I am amazed how many shooters I go out with of late who have the 800mm lens, Nikon or Canon! It’s great to see this incredible focal length being used. But no, you cannot borrow my 800mm :-)
The Nikon 45f2.8GN (sorry, no nothing about the Canon version) is an old lens that was all about flash. The GN stands for Guide Number and you could set the GN on the 45f2.8 and as you focused the lens, it would change the f/stop giving you the right exposure. The modern version does not have this feature so why did it come out? I can honestly say, I have no clue. While I have two 45f2.8GN in my collection, I’ve seen the modern version only once that I can remember. But like any lens in photography, it can serve unique rolls, everything from needing a small profile for a housing to sex appeal. It’s a great lens to use on a bellows for macro, but I don’t think folks do that anymore. It is very sharp, it does focus very fast but your question could really fit any photographer’s gear purchase. Why do they own what they own is often a mystery to me.