Posts Tagged ‘nikon’
Some Shots With The Nikon D600
I had a chance to shoot with the brand new Nikon D600 this weekend. It’s so new that I have no way to post process the camera’s RAW files on my computer, so the frames in this post are camera-processed JPEGs with a little oomph added to them in Lightroom.
The D600 feels just like using a slightly heavier, fatter D7000 with an FX format sensor. Typical of Nikon’s latest digital cameras, the image quality is quite fantastic, but a couple of things immediately bugged me with this camera. First of all, the AF system covers a very small center portion of the viewfinder compared to most other DSLRs, and in practice it seems a little silly selecting between the 39 AF points, all of which are sardined into that little center area.
The other thing? Maximum native flash sync on the D600 is 1/200 instead of the 1/250 I’m used to with Nikon bodies. The small flash lover in me goes “awwwwwwwwww.”
Of course, there’s a lot to like about the camera too. It’s relatively small and light weight for a full frame shooter, it’s packin’ an awesome sensor, and the price makes FX more accessible than ever before. But eh, I already have a compact full framer that I’m pretty happy with =)
Images: Nikon D600 + Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G / Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G
A Few New Tools
Nikon D800 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G | 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 (VSCO’s Kodak Tri-X 400)
The weekend was a little busier than I anticipated, but I still managed to squeeze in some time behind the D800’s finder. I also added Lightroom 4 and the newest, D800-compatible version of VSCO to my software tool-kit. I don’t always process with VSCO, but I always love the result when I do:
We also found this little gem at a camera sidewalk sale today. I can’t believe how incredibly fun it is to shoot with the Olympus XA! This thing is going everywhere with me :)
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Images: Nikon D800 | 50mm f/1.4G | 24mm f/1.4G
Megapixel Madness
Nikon D800 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G | 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100
It’s impossible to appreciate fully by simply viewing the downsized images I’m posting here, but from what I’ve seen so far on my monitor at home, files from the Nikon D800 look downright stunning. It seems that the big headline feature of the camera is its 36 megapixel sensor. I guess I can see why, because this thing captures an incredible amount of detail:
Same image as above, cropped. Really really cropped.
Besides the amazing sensor, however, other key elements of this new camera system are really impressing me so far. I can see definite improvements in metering, autofocus, and especially in handling over my older D700. I’m in love.
Happy shooting this weekend :)
The Many Faces of Julian Ojeda
A few shots of my little nephew before heading to dinner with family over the weekend. We had to grab him out of his cozy stroller, which he wasn’t thrilled about. But even still, he charmed us with his notoriously varied facial expressions. Love this little guy.
Look at him. Already giving his mom attitude.
Meeting Suki for the second time!
Like I said, he wasn’t too happy to be out of his stroller, but once we put him back in there, he really started modeling for the camera:
From here, all we had to do is entertain him. In return we get the many faces of Julian:
I think Julian out did himself with this look though. The best face of the day, hands down:
Such a ham.
Images: Nikon D7000 + Nikor 50mm f/1.4G AFS
Growing Up Too Fast
Nikon V1 + 1 Nikkor 10mm f/2.8 + SB-N5 | 1/20 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200
My great nephew Julian is now a touch over one month old, and wow, kids grow fast! Last night, he met up with the entire family for the first time. Of course, uncle Jonathan has a camera in tow.
The dimly lit house we gathered at was a great place to test out the new flash unit I just received for my Nikon V1. The lack of a built-in flash in the V1 seemed like a curious omission from the camera at first. Nikon instead opted for a separate unit, the SB-N5 Speedlight, which attaches to the camera using a proprietary connector.
Proprietary connector?! My first reaction was “why not a regular old hotshoe I can mount my SB-900 to?” Then again, an SB-900 is nearly double the size of the camera body itself. Not a combo I’m likely to use anyway. This smaller SB-N5 unit feels way more practical in use, and what makes it rock compared to a typical built-in flash is that it can tilt and swivel, much like its bigger SB brethren.
I set exposure manually at the camera. Wasn’t too worried about the low shutter speeds since the flash would help me freeze movement. From there I just rotated the flash head where I wanted it in order to wash light off part of the white ceiling above me, relying on the camera to vary flash output automatically. The whole experience felt just like using the iTTL flash system with my Nikon DSLR. It worked, and worked well.
Nikon V1 + 1 Nikkor 10mm f/2.8 + SB-N5 | 1/40 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200
Nikon V1 + 1 Nikkor 10mm f/2.8 + SB-N5 | 1/25 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200
Nikon V1 + 1 Nikkor 10mm f/2.8 + SB-N5 | 1/40 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400
Nikon V1 + 1 Nikkor 10mm f/2.8 + SB-N5 | 1/20 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200
Nikon V1 + 1 Nikkor 10mm f/2.8 + SB-N5 | 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400
Of course, the SB-95 is nowhere near as powerful or versatile as Nikon’s real hotshoe flashes, but for indoor shots with bounce and for outdoor fill, it’s a must for a V1 owner.
Kyoto in Black and White
I recently went over some of the images I took on what till this day I still consider to be my favorite photo walk ever. Thinking about exploring the rain soaked streets of Kyoto on our most recent visit to Japan brings back some great memories of that beautiful city.
These photographs were originally processed in color, but I spent the night yesterday converting them into a simulation of Kodak Tri-X black and white film. VSCO rocks, y’all.
I miss this place.
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Images: Nikon D300s + Tokina 50-135mm f/2.8 | Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC
Josh and Vanessa
My entire family took a day off last week to go on a little day trip with my cousin Josh and his new fiance Vanessa. Josh popped the question last weekend, and I gotta say, I haven’t seen him this happy since…..ever!
Anyone who knows me and Josh well knows that we’re not just cousins. I think of him as my brother, and really, the second best buddy I have on earth (the first being my wife, of course). He’s lived in New York for the last five years now, and his fiance is from Colombia. Since we’re all so far apart, this past weekend was actually the first time I had a chance to meet Vanessa in person.
Josh and I have always shared similar interests, photography being the latest endeavor that we both have really embraced in the last few years. In a very short amount of time, Josh himself has built up an extensive photographic portfolio, and he has become an outstanding portrait and wedding photographer in his own right.
He and Vanessa didn’t have any specific plans for engagement photos in mind, but I did bring the camera along during this day trip with our family. Every now and then we’d stop to take a few frames, and I picked just a few of them to display on the blog.
It’s not every day you get to do a shoot for a fellow photographer, but I must say, Josh’s extensive experience behind the camera made my job a whole lot easier than I imagined. We put our heads together and collaborated throughout the day, which is cool because you never seem to run out of ideas.
These two hadn’t seen each other in months. Can you tell they’re happy to be together?
They spent a couple more days in New York together after leaving San Francisco, and then parted ways once again as Vanessa returned to Colombia. Now it’s time to ramp up for the wedding that I’m totally not shooting, because I’ll be in it =)
Congrats Josh and Vanessa. Love you both.
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Images: Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 | Nikkor 50mm f/1.4
