tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8781370152293761042024-03-13T12:03:44.852-04:00The Nikon CompanionA Blog for Intense Users of Nikon DSLR and ILC CamerasDarrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-74121099630171924442020-02-18T17:20:00.002-05:002020-02-18T18:32:24.471-05:00Nikon Z6, Z7, and Z50 Firmware Update Fixes Subject Tracking<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">In Nikon’s effort to continue to add functionality, features and support to our Z series cameras, Nikon today has announced a major firmware update.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">Improved Focus Tracking Functionality </span></b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Subject-tracking AF can now be initiated via the Fn1 or Fn2 button on the camera or the Fn1 or Fn2 button on the lens.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Subject tracking is started by pressing the AF-ON button or by pressing the shutter-release button halfway with AF-C (continuous-servo autofocus).</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Subject-tracking AF enabled in photo mode has been changed to more closely resemble that of the 3D-tracking option for digital SLR cameras.</span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">Animal detection Autofocus</span></b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Custom Setting a4 (Auto-area AF face/eye detection) adds dogs and cats to the subjects supported by face- and eye-detection autofocus. As a result, the camera can now detect and focus on the faces and eyes of dogs and cats. Animal face detection (but not eye detection) is also available in movie mode.</span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">CFexpress additional brands added</span></b></div>
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<li><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Added support for ProGrade and Lexar CFexpress memory cards (Type B).</span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">NIKON Z6 Firmware 3.0</span></b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><a href="https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/353.html"><span style="color: #007fac;">https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/353.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=878137015229376104" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">NIKON Z7 Firmware 3.0 </span></b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><a href="https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/352.html"><span style="color: #007fac;">https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/352.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">Nikon has also released a firmware update to the Z50:</span></b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Added support for the focus limit switch available on certain Z mount lenses (as of February 12, 2020, only the NIKKOR Z 70</span><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">–</span><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">200mm f/2.8 VR S). The lens Fn2 button is not supported.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Movie footage shot in self-portrait mode is now filmed using AF-F (full-time autofocus), regardless of the option selected for autofocus mode.</span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">NIKON Z50 Firmware 1.10 </span></b><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><a href="https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/354.html"><span style="color: #007fac;">https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/354.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">Keep on capturing time…</span></i><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><br /><b>Darrell Young</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">Darrell Young is an active member of the <a href="http://www.nikonians.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #007fac;">Nikonians</span></a> User Community, Nikon Professional Services (NPS), Professional Photographers of America (PPA), North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), and the author of 24 photography books from <i>NikoniansPress</i> and <i>Picture and Pen Press</i>, through <a href="http://www.rockynook.com/?ref=13" target="_blank"><span style="color: #007fac;">Rocky Nook</span></a>. You may <a href="https://masteryournikon.com/books/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #007fac;">review a few of Darrell’s Nikon books here</span></a>. He has been an avid photographer since 1968 when his mother gave him a Brownie Hawkeye camera.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">This website was created to support the readers of his educational books, photography students, and clients. Visitors to this website will find articles and reviews designed to inform, teach, and help you enjoy your photographic journey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">Join Darrell on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/MasterYourNikon/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #007fac;">Facebook</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/masteryournikon/"><span style="color: #007fac;">Instagram</span></a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/DigitalDarrell" target="_blank"><span style="color: #007fac;">Twitter</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;">Copyright </span><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "cambria" , serif;">©</span><span style="color: #191e23; font-family: "noto serif" , serif;"> 2019 Darrell Young, All Rights Reserved<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-3186549700387765462014-06-26T00:35:00.002-04:002014-06-26T00:45:09.306-04:00Nikon D810 Released<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Digital SLR camera D810</h1>
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June 26, 2014</div>
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An effective pixel count of 36.3-million pixels for the sharpest, best image quality in Nikon history</h2>
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TOKYO - Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the release of the D810, a Nikon FX-format digital SLR camera.</div>
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The D810 is a digital SLR camera that boasts incredibly superior definition and image quality made possible with a new Nikon FX-format CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter, adoption of the latest EXPEED 4 image-processing engine, an effective pixel count of 36.3-million pixels, and a standard range of sensitivities from ISO 64 to ISO 12800. Not only does it offer extremely accurate AF, but vibrations generated inside the camera have been reduced to maximize the resolution of its 36.3-million pixels for sharp and clear images. The camera also supports recording of smooth, extremely sharp 60p full-HD (1920 x 1080) movies. What's more, high-speed continuous shooting at up to 5 fps with the FX-format image area and up to 7 fps* with the DX-format image area is possible for excellent response to a wide variety of scenes.</div>
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D810 Development Background</h2>
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The D800 and D800E, added to Nikon's lineup of Nikon FX-format cameras in March 2012, drew great attention from professional and advanced amateur photographers as digital SLR cameras offering superior image quality nearly equal to that of medium-format cameras. The performance of these two cameras was well received around the world, earning them a number of prestigious awards, including a respected Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) Award 2012 and a European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) Photo Award presented to the D800.<br />
Developed with this background, the D810 offers the best image quality in the history of Nikon, as well as functions that increase the certainty and reliability of this superior image quality, to respond to the expectations of photographers who demand superior clarity, sharpness, and image quality from their photos.</div>
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D810 Primary Features</h2>
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<li style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.83; margin: 0px 0px 9px 2.5em; padding: 0px;">The first digital SLR camera in Nikon's history to offer a minimum standard sensitivity of ISO 64 at which superior clarity and image quality with rich tones is achieved<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.83; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px;">
A minimum standard sensitivity of ISO 64, at which the same broad dynamic range available with ISO 100 is possible, was achieved through the adoption of a new FX-format CMOS sensor and by increasing the volume of light information that can be accumulated. This enables suppression of loss of detail in highlights (blown highlights) and beautiful rendering of subjects with rich tones, even when a fast lens is used in bright surroundings. In addition, collaboration with the same EXPEED 4 image-processing engine adopted for the D4S achieves a broad range of standard sensitivities up to ISO 12800 (Lo 1, Hi 1, and Hi 2 settings are also available).</div>
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<li style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.83; margin: 0px 0px 9px 2.5em; padding: 0px;">Further increases in imaging flexibility: The Picture Control system, Nikon's exclusive advanced system for image processing<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.83; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px;">
A new "Flat" Picture Control option has been added with the D810. Less in-camera processing is applied to images captured at a Picture Control setting of "Flat" than to those captured at a setting of "Neutral", enabling maximization of the amount of subject information acquired. The "Flat" setting prevents loss of detail in highlights and shadows, as well as over-saturation of colors, enabling adjustment of image quality and post-processing for richer tone characteristics, including contrast and colors. In addition, a "Clarity"*<span style="font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: 4px;">1</span> option has been added to adjustment settings for each Picture Control, allowing users to make images sharper or softer without over-emphasizing outlines and edges in images, and each setting can be adjusted in increments of 0.25 step*<span style="font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: 4px;">2</span>, enabling more precise adjustment that makes it easier to achieve imaging that better reflects user intent.</div>
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<li style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.83; margin: 0px 0px 9px 2.5em; padding: 0px;">Extremely precise AF and superior vibration suppression that maximize the resolution of the 36.3-million-pixel effective pixel count<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.83; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px;">
In order to make the most of the incredibly high pixel count of 36.3-million effective pixels, the precision of the 51-point AF system has been increased with adoption of the Advanced Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus sensor module and improvements to the focusing algorithm, ensuring exact autofocus acquisition on the intended portion of a still subject. In addition, mechanical operation of components such as the mirror and shutter has been improved for significant reduction in the amount of internal vibration generated. The end result is a system capable of maximizing the superior rendering performance of NIKKOR lenses and the superior definition of the D810's CMOS sensor.</div>
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<li style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.83; margin: 0px 0px 9px 2.5em; padding: 0px;">High-speed continuous shooting at approximately 5 fps in FX format and approximately 7 fps* in DX format makes capture of a broader range of subjects possible<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.83; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px;">
Adoption of a new CMOS sensor and the EXPEED 4 image-processing engine makes high-speed continuous shooting at approximately 5 fps in FX format and approximately 7 fps* in DX format possible with the D810. This makes capture of a broader range of subjects/scenes possible with excellent response with not only still subjects, but also moving subjects such as wildlife and sports scenes.</div>
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<li style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.83; margin: 0px 0px 9px 2.5em; padding: 0px;">Full-HD movie recording with which picture quality and operation has been significantly improved<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.83; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px;">
The full-HD movie recording function, capable of recording extremely sharp and clear movies exhibiting significantly fewer moiré patterns and jaggies, and less color aliasing, supports 60p recording for smoother expression of subject movement. In addition, operation has been improved with Auto ISO Sensitivity Control in M exposure mode, enabling exposure control with aperture value and shutter speed locked and automatic adjustment of only ISO sensitivity, as well as a highlight display that shows the brightest areas of the frame in which detail may be lost with display of slanted lines. Beautiful time-lapse movies with which variations in exposure between frames are controlled can also be generated in-camera.</div>
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D810 Additional Features</h2>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 16px; padding: 0px;">An electronic front-curtain shutter that prevents blur in images with minimization of vibration resulting from the operation of mechanisms with shooting</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 16px; padding: 0px;">Highlight-weighted metering, with which exposure values that reduce loss of detail in highlights (blown highlights) are determined, convenient for capturing theater scenes and the like</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 16px; padding: 0px;">The first Nikon FX-format camera with an OLED viewfinder display; an optical viewfinder with frame coverage of approximately 100% that offers better light transmissivity and colors, and makes it easier to achieve the optimal focus when fast lenses are used</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 16px; padding: 0px;">A 1229k-dot LCD monitor with bright RGBW array equipped with the "Monitor color balance" function that allows users to adjust monitor colors</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 16px; padding: 0px;">A "Split-screen display zoom" function that displays enlarged views of two separate areas of the frame side-by-side for checking level if the building is aligned with the horizon with live view photography</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 16px; padding: 0px;">Advanced Scene Recognition System, which utilizes a 91K-pixel RGB sensor, for highly precise automatic control over auto exposure (AE), autofocus (AF), and auto white balance (AWB)</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 16px; padding: 0px;">RAW recording at an image size of "Small"</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 16px; padding: 0px;">Multi-area mode full-HD D-movie that allows users to choose between two movie formats (image areas), FX-based and DX-based</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 16px; padding: 0px;">Improved movie sound quality with "Wind noise reduction" and "Frequency response" ("Wide range"/"Vocal range") settings</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 16px; padding: 0px;">Optimal layout of operational controls, and a grip sized and shaped for a firm, steady hold even when large lenses are used</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 16px; padding: 0px;">Effective sealing for superior resistance to dust and water</li>
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<li style="color: #666666; font-size: 10px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; padding: 0px; position: static; zoom: 1;">Except where noted, all specifications provided apply to use at an ambient temperature of 23° C (± 3° C) with a fully charged battery, in accordance with Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) standards.</li>
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Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-69935616703244315712014-05-29T15:08:00.002-04:002014-06-07T21:46:56.957-04:00Why Postprocess Images?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Some have asked what is the point of postprocessing images. Here is an example of why I shoot in RAW and postprocess afterwards. This image was taken in RAW+JPEG mode so that I had a RAW and a JPEG image to work with. The image on the left is a camera-created JPEG, with no postprocessing (the famous SOOC). The image on the right is a RAW image after minor postprocessing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2j0u-9Oj7Dg/U4eFIG4pcUI/AAAAAAAAJOA/RaCSd_RCcrw/s1600/WhyPostprocessImages+-+Darrell+Young.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2j0u-9Oj7Dg/U4eFIG4pcUI/AAAAAAAAJOA/RaCSd_RCcrw/s1600/WhyPostprocessImages+-+Darrell+Young.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Click picture for larger view</i></td></tr>
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<i><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; text-align: left;">(</span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Shooting specs: Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR lens at 34mm, 0.3 sec at f/14, ISO 50, on tripod, with Hoya HD circular polarizer, SD Picture Control).</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Notice how my interpretation is quite different from the camera's? That's the point!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Camera-created images will rarely have the snap of a postprocessed image. Notice how I have pulled a bit more detail out of the water, where the camera burned it out. RAW images simply have more "headroom," or the ability to access a larger amount of highlight and dark image data. At the same time, I <i>selectively </i>raised the brightness, increased contrast, and added a small amount of extra saturation to the colors. If you had done the brightness and contrast increase as a global operation on a JPEG, the background would have improved, but any detail in the water would have been obliterated.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Years ago, I didn't like using flash. I told everyone that I just liked natural light photography. Secretly, flash was never one of my strong points in photography. Later, I learned how to use flash and suddenly, I found I really enjoyed flash photography. I honestly feel that shooting RAW and then postprocessing is similar. Many photographers don't have the tools or know how to do serious postprocessing, other than global adjustments. Therefore they don't "like" post processing. Later, they aquire some good software tools, learn some techniques, and finally understand the limitations of SOOC.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The camera's built-in software can rarely give you an ultimate picture, for the simple reason that the camera is an averaging device. It wants to make things as average as possible. Unless a person seriously tweaks their Picture Controls, or uses full manual, the SOOC image is created according to the standards of the software programmers at Nikon.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The human eye can probably see twice as much dynamic range as even the best of production cameras. Therefore, no JPEG image can even come close to capturing the full range of what the human eye can see. There must be a way to add to that dynamic range to make it closer to what a human can perceive. The RAW image, with its greater "headroom," contains significantly more detail to call upon. When converted to JPEG, the image can contain a better representation of what the human eye initially saw.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Therefore, in reality, a postprocessed image is more accurate than any JPEG image can possibly be. I know these are fighting words to some, however, other than photojournalists who have no time to postprocess images, the majority of fine artists postprocess their images for a serious reason. To capture reality more closely to what they perceived with their own eyes.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This is why many photographers—especially landscape artists—shoot in RAW and postprocess the image. You have more detail to work with and the final JPEG image can look better after postprocessing.</span></span><br />
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<i style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Keep on capturing time...</i></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #660000;">Darrell Young</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://masteryournikon.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DarrellYoung150Blue.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #b09e86; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Dancing clouds on Blue Ridge Parkway" src="http://masteryournikon.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DarrellYoung150Blue.jpg" height="135" scale="0" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Darrell Young is an active member of the <a href="http://www.nikonians.org/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Nikonians.org">Nikonians</a> User Community, Nikon Professional Services (NPS), Professional Photographers of America (PPA), North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), and the author of 15 photography books from <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">NikoniansPress</em> through Rocky Nook, including <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://amzn.to/QB519C" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1933952954/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1933952954&adid=127RDBVKSTPWAEF5EK75 • 446 clicks via bitly">Beyond Point-and-Shoot</a></em>, <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://amzn.to/17dtDlP" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Mastering the Nikon D610">Mastering the Nikon D610</a></em>, <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://amzn.to/SyRBjm" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937538052/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=planetnikon-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1937538052&adid=13AGBQKE28F7JY5H47F2 • 3163 clicks via bitly">Mastering the Nikon D800</a></em>, <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://amzn.to/14NYu80" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="http://www.amazon.com/dp/193753832X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=193753832X&adid=0TZ7F1D6CA9Z08JAF3WG • 1644 clicks via bitly">Mastering the Nikon D7100</a></em>, and the upcoming <a href="http://amzn.to/1dG7StN" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mastering the Olympus OM-D E-M1</em></a>, to name a few. He’s been an avid photographer since 1968 when his mother gave him a Brownie Hawkeye camera.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">His website, <a href="http://www.pictureandpen.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="PictureAndPen.com">www.PictureAndPen.com</a>, was created to support the readers of his educational books, photography students, and clients. Visitors to his website will find articles and reviews designed to inform, teach, and help you enjoy your photographic journey.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Join Darrell on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DigitalDarrell" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Digital Darrell on Facebook">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DigitalDarrell" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Digital Darrell on Twitter">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://plus.google.com/104785745976388509718/posts?partnerid=gplp0" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.363636016845703px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Digital Darrell on Google+">Google+</a></span></div>
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Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-57102187808449843612013-03-28T15:01:00.001-04:002013-03-28T15:02:37.294-04:00Mastering the Nikon D600 by Darrell Young<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 18.99147605895996px;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</strong><br />
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March 28, 2013</div>
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<strong>CONTACT:</strong><br />
Joan Dixon<br />
Rocky Nook, Inc.<br />
Ph: (805) 687-8727<br />
Fx: (805) 687-2204</div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://press@rockynook.com" href="http://press@rockynook.com/">press@rockynook.com</a></div>
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see: <a data-mce-href="http://www.rockynook.com" href="http://www.rockynook.com/">www.rockynook.com</a></div>
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<strong>Mastering the Nikon D600</strong> – New from Rocky Nook Santa Barbara, CA— March 28, 2013 – Mastering the Nikon D600 by Darrell Young provides a wealth of experience-based information and insights for owners of the new D600 camera. Darrell is determined to help the user navigate past the confusion that often comes with complex and powerful professional camera equipment. </div>
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This book explores the features and capabilities of the camera in a way that far surpasses the user’s manual. It guides readers through the camera features with step-bystep setting adjustments; color illustrations; and detailed how, when, and why explanations for each option. Every button, dial, switch, and menu configuration setting is explored in a user-friendly manner, with suggestions for setup according to various shooting styles.</div>
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<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a data-mce-href="http://amzn.to/12d7r9U" href="http://amzn.to/12d7r9U"><img alt="Mastering the N" class="size-full wp-image-635" data-mce-src="http://masteryournikon.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Mastering-the-Nikon-D600-at-500px-wide.gif" height="800" src="http://masteryournikon.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Mastering-the-Nikon-D600-at-500px-wide.gif" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; border: 0px none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="532" /></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px 5px;"><a data-mce-href="http://amzn.to/12d7r9U" href="http://amzn.to/12d7r9U">Mastering the Nikon D600</a> by Darrell Young</dd></dl>
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Darrell’s friendly and informative writing style allows readers to easily follow directions while feeling as if a friend dropped in to share his knowledge. The learning experience for new D600 users goes beyond just the camera itself and covers basic photography technique. For a review copy or more information please email press@rockynook.com. Please include your delivery address and contact information.</div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #336884;" style="color: #336884;">About the Author</span></h2>
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Darrell Young (Digital Darrell) is an information technology engineer by trade. He’s been an avid photographer since 1968 when his mother gave him a Brownie Hawkeye camera. Darrell has used Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses since 1980. He has an incurable case of Nikon Acquisition Syndrome (NAS) and delights in working with Nikon’s newest digital cameras. Living near Great Smoky Mountains National Park has given him a real concern<br />
for, and interest in, nature photography.</div>
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He loves to write, as you can see in the Resources area of the Nikonians.org community. He joined the community in 2000 and his literary contributions led to an invitation to become a Founding Member of the Nikonians Writers Guild.</div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #336884;" style="color: #336884;">Additional Resources</span></h2>
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For more information about the book, including table of contents, author bios, and cover graphic, see: <a href="http://www.rockynook.com/book/0/264/mastering-the-nikon-d600.html">http://www.rockynook.com/book/0/264/mastering-the-nikon-d600.html</a><br />
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<em><strong>Mastering the Nikon D600</strong></em><br />
Darrell Young<br />
Published by Rocky Nook<br />
978-1-937538-19-4, 568 pages, $39.95 US, $41.95 CA<br />
Soft Cover 6”x9"<br />
To place an order:<br />
order@oreilly.com<br />
1-800-998-9938<br />
1-707-827-7000</div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #336884;" style="color: #336884;">About Rocky Nook</span></h2>
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Rocky Nook’s books are distributed worldwide by O’Reilly Media. Rocky Nook was founded in early 2006 in Santa Barbara, California, and is closely associated with dpunkt.verlag, a leading publisher of books on technology based in Heidelberg, Germany. The focus of Rocky Nook's publications is on digital photography.</div>
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However, other areas related to modern photography, such as imaging and computer technology, are also important to us. Our mission is to demystify the cutting-edge developments in digital photography, providing practical instruction to enhance the skills of amateur and professional photographers. Our books offer in-depth information on technological advances in the digital photography workflow. We strive to support the efficiency and creativity of our readers, with the ultimate goal of fostering outstanding image quality.</div>
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For information about the book and about Rocky Nook, see: <a data-mce-href="www.rockynook.com" href="http://masteryournikon.com/wp-admin/www.rockynook.com">www.rockynook.com</a></div>
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Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-36524475783155015392012-12-20T23:29:00.003-05:002012-12-20T23:44:30.083-05:00You Don't Know WHAT You Don't Know!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The real problem we all face when coming over from the film or point-and-shoot (P&S) world is a simple thing:<br />
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We do not know WHAT we do not know.<br />
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There is so much to learn when coming from the camera-does-it-all world, or the film world. White balance, RAW vs JPEG, postprocessing, workflow, Color spaces, histograms, software, etc. In the beginning, we know that we don't know, but we don't know WHAT we don't know. The only way to know what we don't know, is to be exposed to something new and realize we didn't know that. Only then do we know we didn't know that before. This may sound silly, but it's actually quite profound.<br />
<br />
When I first started learning about the video standards in HD-SLR cameras, I had no idea what I didn't know, so I bought an extremely complex book for a lot of money so I could peer into what I don't know and figure out where to start. Once I did that, I started learning what I needed to learn right away, and added to it new things as I went along. Learning WHAT I didn't know, by looking through a book, helped me tremendously. The bottom line, if one has no idea something even exists, then one doesn't know WHAT one doesn't know.<br />
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Never be ashamed to hang it all out there in front of experienced people. They will look upon your plight with understanding, remembering the time that they didn't know WHAT they didn't know. Make mistakes, screw it up good. Post your errors. Only then will you learn WHAT you need to learn.<br />
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Once you've learned the new things you must now learn, you will be way ahead of the game. All of us went through this. No matter our backgrounds, we all haven't the foggiest idea of what we need to learn first, until someone helps us. If you are in a position to help a newbie. Do it! Someone helped you, you weren't born with the knowledge you have now. You know WHAT the new shooter doesn't know. Help ease the transition!<br />
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<i>Keep on capturing time...</i><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b></div>
Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-4745575124682787362012-10-19T08:04:00.002-04:002012-10-19T08:04:33.156-04:00Nikon D800/E and Eye-Fi Card Incompatibily Warning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Eye-fi upload for Eye-Fi X2 Pro cards does not work properly in Ad hoc
or Direct mode in the Nikon D800/E cameras, due to the design of the SD
port (more metal in the camera’s body, blocks the signal). I was able to
establish ad hoc (Direct) contact with my laptop computer using an 8 GB
Eye-Fi X2 Pro card when I was testing for my book; however, I was only a
few feet away. The problem is simply that the D800/E camera has such a
strong metal body that the Wi-Fi signal from an Eye-Fi card cannot make
it out of the camera very well, seriously reducing the card’s signal
range. <br /><br />This has also been a reported problem in the older
M-series Leica DSLR cameras because of their metal bodies, so much so
that Leica has included a glass plate, in their brand new M series line,
over the SD card slot, to allow Eye-Fi signal to escape.<br /><br />Eye-Fi posted the following information on their website:<br /><br /><a href="http://support.eye.fi/cameras/nikon/d800_/_d800e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://support.eye.fi/cameras/nikon/d800_/_d800e</a><br /><br /><i>“Eye-Fi
engineering has found and confirmed a compatibility issue with the
Eye-Fi card that impacts the use of Direct Mode in the Nikon D800. We
are currently investigating an issue with the D800's SD slot that
appears to contribute to a lack of steady signal while the Eye-Fi card
is in Direct Mode which makes the Direct Mode feature incompatible with
the camera. The Nikon D800/D800e passes all other wireless network tests
and is compatible with wireless transfers via a wireless router.”</i><br /><br />I
called and spoke to Eye-Fi about this issue. A senior technician was
pulled into the conversation. Even though their paragraph above states
that the card is compatible with normal (non-direct, non-ad hoc) Wi-Fi
image transfer with a Wi-Fi router in the middle, the senior tech said
the company does not list the Nikon D800/E as compatible (in any way)
with “any known” Eye-Fi cards.<br /><br />This is a troubling situation, for
the simple reason that Nikon has included Eye-Fi support in the camera
for a device that has insufficient signal strength to be used at any
useful range with the D800/E. The technician stated that you may or may
not be able to use an Eye-Fi card to communicate with your tablet,
smart phone, or computer. It varies according to the signal strength of
your Wi-Fi router (for internet transfer), and the send/receive signal
strength of your tablet, phone, or computer (for Direct or Ad hoc
transfer). Because of the inconsistency, they now list the card as
incompatible.<br /><br />I have included this information in the errata
document for my book, which can be downloaded, but wanted to post it for
the benefit of those who are considering purchasing an Eye-Fi card to
use with their D800/D800E cameras. Even though Nikon has given the
camera Eye-Fi support, it may or may not work well, or at all, for you!<br />
<br />
<i>Keep on capturing time...</i><br />
Darrell Young </div>
Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-17655518962202862722012-09-13T01:27:00.001-04:002012-09-13T01:29:31.390-04:00Nikon D600 – The Enthusiastic Enthusiast’s Camera<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Nikon® D600 is a D7000-style, advanced-enthusiast camera, on steroids. It’s the next step for an especially enthusiastic enthusiast who simply must have a full-frame sensor and needs the 24 megapixels for larger image size. It is not only an amazing still camera, but like its big sister the Nikon D800, can stream uncompressed, clean video, with no camera overlays from its HDMI port to an external recording device, such as an Atomos Ninja-2.<br />
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<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="D600_24_85_top_KM.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="638" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_24_85_top_KM.high.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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For the photographer who has always desired a full-frame (FX) HD-SLR but couldn’t afford the extra cost, the Nikon D600 changes everything. For only US$2099.95, you can acquire an FX camera with image quality like the very expensive Nikon D3X (at lower ISOs). All those Nikkor prime lenses you’ve been collecting and the new FX Nikkor lenses you’ve desired can now be used to their full advantage.</div>
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<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="D600_24_85_front34l_KM.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="551" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_24_85_front34l_KM.high.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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Briefly, let’s look at the most important specs of the camera:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Available September 18, 2012 for US$2099.95 (or US$2699.95 with AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-5.6G lens )</li>
<li>24.3-megapixel FX-Format CMOS sensor (35.9 x 24mm) </li>
<li>EXPEED 3 image processing engine</li>
<li>100% Viewfinder coverage with glass prism</li>
<li>3.2" LCD Monitor with 921K dots and ambient-light auto brightness control</li>
<li>Uncompressed, clean HDMI output (no overlays)</li>
<li>Weather-sealing on most critical points</li>
<li>ISO range: 100-6400 (extended to: Lo-1 or ISO 50 and Hi-2 or ISO 25,600)</li>
<li>39 point AF system with new MultiCAM 4800FX AF Module</li>
<li>Nine cross-type sensors, with seven AF points active to f/8</li>
<li>2,016-pixel RGB sensor for exposure</li>
<li>AF modes: Single point, Continuous AF, Dynamic AF, and 3D tracking</li>
<li>EN-EL15 Li-ion battery (Same as D800 and D7000)</li>
<li>5.5 fps shooting speed at full FX resolution</li>
<li>Shutter tested to 150,000 shooting cycles</li>
<li>Maximum shutter speed of 1/4000s</li>
<li>Flash sync speed of 1/200s</li>
<li>Locking Mode dial to prevent accidental adjustments while shooting</li>
<li>Two SD card slots with latest SDXC and UHS-I2 high-speed standards</li>
<li>Built-in flash (guide number of approximately 12/39 m/ft, ISO 100, 20°C/68°F)</li>
<li>U1 and U2 User settings like on the D7000</li>
<li>Several SCENE modes</li>
<li>Auto DX crop mode</li>
<li>One-touch access to Picture Controls (new dedicated button)</li>
<li>Built in Time-lapse function</li>
<li>Built-in HDR mode</li>
<li>Built-in Speedlight Commander Mode for Nikon CLS control</li>
<li>New MB-D14 battery grip</li>
<li>Built-in AF motor </li>
<li>H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Video compression</li>
<li>Full HD (1080p) with 30p, 25p, 24p, HD with 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p</li>
<li>29 minutes and 59 seconds (or 20 minutes Full HD) movie segment length</li>
<li>Headphone Jack for monitoring sound</li>
<li>Live view photography and Movie live view modes</li>
<li>Measures approximately 141.0 x 113.0 x 82.0 mm (W x H x D) and weighs approximately 760 g</li>
<li>Ready to shooting in 0.13 seconds with a 0.052 second shutter release</li>
<li>WU-1b Wireless Adapter is available (50 foot range)</li>
</ul>
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Positioned between the Nikon D7000 and the Nikon D800, the D600 fills a gap that has needed filling for several years. Before now, the only way to own a DSLR having an FX sensor and an affordable price was to buy a used 12-megapixel Nikon D700 or save your pennies for the 36-megapixel Nikon D800. </div>
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<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="D600_24_85_left_1.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="458" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_24_85_left_1.high.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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Now you have a real choice! There is no need to settle for an older model, when a brand new Nikon D600 provides all the new features expected in a modern HD-SLR camera, at a price that the everyday photographer can afford. Sure, this is not Coolpix pricing, but you are not a Coolpix shooter, you are an advanced enthusiast.</div>
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<i>Keep on capturing time…</i></div>
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<b>Darrell Young</b></div>
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Download Nikon D600 Brochure here: </div>
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<a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://chsvimg.nikon.com/lineup/dslr/d600/pdf/d600_20p.pdf" style="color: #663300;">http://chsvimg.nikon.com/lineup/dslr/d600/pdf/d600_20p.pdf</a></div>
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Here’s the official press release:</div>
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<b>PERFORMANCE THAT FUELS THE PASSION: THE NEW NIKON D600 PUTS FX-FORMAT IN FOCUS FOR PHOTO ENTHUSIASTS</b></div>
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<i>As Nikon’s Smallest, Lightest and Most Affordable Full-Frame HD-SLR, the D600 Packs in Powerful, Pro-Grade Photo and Video Features with Wireless Sharing and Capture Capabilities</i></div>
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MELVILLE, N.Y. (September 13, 2012) – Today, Nikon Inc. announced the 24.3-megapixel (MP) D600, a camera that is designed to deliver the image quality and performance benefits of a full frame FX-format sensor to the enthusiast looking to take their dedication to the next level. The Nikon D600 offers a remarkable value, merging the perfect combination of a lightweight, compact form factor and superior image quality, making the leap into FX-format photography more attractive than ever. </div>
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<img alt="D600_DoubleSlot_2.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="521" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_DoubleSlot_2.high.jpg" width="600" /></div>
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Whether shooting stills or Full HD video, advanced features and Nikon technologies like the newly developed high resolution CMOS sensor and EXPEED 3 image processing engine are designed to meet the needs of the most demanding creative vision. Additionally, Nikon’s new optional WU-1b wireless adapter allows users to shoot high quality HD-SLR images and transfer them to their mobile device, making it easier to stay connected, without the need for wires.</div>
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<img alt="D600_24_85_right.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="458" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_24_85_right.high.jpg" width="600" /></div>
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“For many, image making is so much more than a hobby; it is a way of life that changes the way the world is perceived. The Nikon D600 represents a new category of camera for this user and demonstrates Nikon’s devotion to the passionate photographer who is always looking for new ways to express their creativity through their photos and HD videos,” said Bo Kajiwara, Vice President of Marketing, Planning and Customer Experience, Nikon Inc. “By offering users the advanced FX-format and key features inherited from our professional cameras, along with new functions like optional wireless capabilities, Nikon is inspiring photographers by providing an imaging experience that satisfies like never before.“</div>
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<img alt="D600_back.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="480" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_back.high.jpg" width="600" /></div>
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<b>Superior Image Quality</b></div>
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Nikon’s FX-format offers photographers exciting image quality possibilities, from dazzling dynamic range and exacting detail to stellar low-light ability. The D600 employs Nikon’s newly developed, large 24.3 MP FX-format CMOS Sensor (35.9 x 24mm) to offer photographers a versatile camera that provides amazing image quality and sharpness, with ample resolution to tackle almost any project. Because the needs of the advanced amateur varies widely, the new CMOS sensor provides a wide ISO range from 100-6400 (expandable from 50-25,600) to give photographers maximum low-light flexibility yielding clean images with minimal noise and accurate color. The full ISO range can also be used while capturing HD video in challenging light. Nikon’s exclusive EXPEED 3 image processing engine interprets the massive amount of image data flowing from the sensor to quickly process images and HD video. The result is striking images and impressive HD video that exhibits faithful color reproduction and tonal range throughout the frame.</div>
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<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="D600_bottom.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="399" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_bottom.high.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b>Precision Technology Engineered for the Enthusiast</b></div>
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Enthusiasts of all types demand the best from their gear, and the Nikon D600 is a camera engineered with intuitive features that give photographers an edge in the field. Whether shooting lush landscapes, action sports or the elusive animals of the Serengeti, Nikon’s Scene Recognition System and 2,016 pixel RGB sensor excels in any situation. By recognizing the scene prior to capture, the system meticulously analyzes factors such as color and brightness with extraordinary precision and compares all the data using Nikon’s exclusive 30,000 image database. The result is enhanced AF performance and flattering exposures.</div>
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<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="D600_front.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="480" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_front.high.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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For precise AF performance in a wide variety of shooting conditions, the D600 features a 39 point AF system with the new MultiCAM 4800FX AF module. This AF array is well suited to a wide variety of shooting styles and disciplines, offering AF modes to let users select a single point, continuous AF, Dynamic AF or use 3D tracking to keep pace with a moving subject throughout the frame. Additionally, the system features nine cross type sensors for maximum accuracy, while seven AF points are fully functional when using compatible NIKKOR lenses and teleconverters with an aperture value up to f/8 for extreme telephoto applications.</div>
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<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="D600_LCD_menu_E1.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="485" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_LCD_menu_E1.high.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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To keep up with action sports, active wildlife or the photo opportunity that unexpectedly arises, the D600 is ready to shoot in 0.13 seconds, with a 0.052 second shutter release. The camera emphasizes speed and performance, from overall operation and image processing, helped in part by the exceptional EXPEED 3 processing engine. The camera is also capable of bursts of images at 5.5 frames per second (fps) at full resolution with full AF, to capture decisive moments. To further enhance speed and workflow, images and video can also be rapidly transferred to dual SD card slots that are compatible with the latest SDXC and UHS-1 high speed standards.</div>
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Enthusiasts will also appreciate other thoughtful features made to appeal to more advanced photographers, such as the 100% frame coverage seen through optical viewfinder. The wide and bright view makes it easy to compose in a variety of conditions, and affords the ability to enjoy shooting for hours on end with minimal eye fatigue. Additionally, the D600 features several scene modes and features to enhance creativity, including one-touch access to Picture Control functions through a new dedicated button. Photographers can also shoot images in High Dynamic (HDR) mode for amazing highlights, and create awe-inspiring time lapses with ease.</div>
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<img alt="D600_MB_Mgbody_2.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="549" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_MB_Mgbody_2.high.jpg" width="600" /> </div>
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<b>Experience Full HD</b></div>
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The Nikon D600 has advanced video features that are ideal for those ready to embrace the world of HD-SLR video, as well as those already enjoying its benefits such as manual control, depth of field, low-light ability and lensing options. This camera gives users the ability to record Full HD at varying frame rates and resolutions including 1080p video at 30, 25 or 24p, and 720p video at 60, 50 and 30p. When shooting HD video at the highest quality setting, up to 20 minutes can be recorded, or up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds in normal quality for added convenience when shooting static shots such as interviews and events. The large 3.2-inch 921K dot LCD screen makes it easy to preview images or video captured, navigate the menu system or confirm critical HD focus, while automatic brightness control adapts seamlessly to changing lighting conditions.</div>
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Sophisticated video features help to increase the production value on any project, including full manual control of exposure, and the ability to switch between FX and DX-format (1.5X) at Full HD for a telephoto boost and alter depth of field. Users can opt to focus manually or can take advantage of the full-time AF while recording to help ensure faces are in focus or track a moving subject. Additionally, videographers have the ability to capture audio with the onboard microphone or record stereo audio externally using the mic input. Audio can be monitored through the headphone jack and levels can be displayed on the LCD with peaking. </div>
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In addition to the ability to play back HD video and images through the HDMI terminal, users are also able to experience pro-grade video features in the Nikon D600. For monitoring and streaming applications, the image can be displayed on the LCD screen while simultaneously shown on another monitor through the HDMI, with or without shooting data. What’s more, the D600 adds the ability to transfer uncompressed video via the HDMI connection, which can then be routed to a digital recorder or similar device. </div>
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<b>Remote Sharing and Capture</b></div>
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Photography is a form of expression, which can now be shared more ways than ever before through social networks and online communities. To accompany the D600, Nikon has also announced the optional WU-1b Wireless Adapter that allows users to connect wirelessly to the camera. A companion Wireless Mobile Adapter Utility application for Android™ based mobile devices is also available at no additional cost. 1 Furthermore, an application for the iPhone® and iPad® mobile digital devices will be available on September 15, 2012. </div>
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<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="" class="mt-image-none" height="517" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/WU_1b.high.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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When connected, users are able to share their images taken with the D600 through their mobile device to their social circles, as well as send and download images from their camera to a compatible device.3 The adapter also allows users to remotely fire the D600’s shutter from up to 50 feet from the camera, which is ideal for capturing photos from unique vantage points.</div>
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<b>NIKKOR, Speedlight and System Compatibility</b></div>
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Supporting the D600 is Nikon’s heritage in optical excellence, more than 70 NIKKOR AF and AF-S compatible lenses for maximum versatility. Those with DX-format lenses will also be happy to know that these lenses can also be used on the camera as well as the ability to set DX crop for stills or video to extend the reach of telephoto or telephoto zoom lenses.</div>
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<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="D600_SLup_front.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="598" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_SLup_front.high.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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The new Nikon HD-SLR is also a gateway to Nikon’s renowned Creative Lighting System (CLS) which illuminates a whole new world of creative image making using multiple Speedlights. A built-in Speedlight commander can control multiple Speedlights such as Nikon’s SB-700, SB-910 or Wireless Close Up Speedlight System, and the camera can also control up to two individual speedlight groups for further creative control.</div>
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<b>Constructed to Inspire</b></div>
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Built to withstand the wide variety of shooting conditions enthusiasts face, the body of the D600 is sealed and gasketed against dirt and moisture. The camera uses magnesium alloy top and rear construction to provide a lightweight camera with maximum durability. The shutter has been tested for 150,000 cycles, and sensor cleaning is also employed. The battery is rated for approximately 900 shots, affording photographers the ability to shoot all day. Additionally, the optional MB-D14 Multi Power Battery Pack extends the grip for comfort and can effectively double the battery capacity when using two batteries.</div>
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<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="D600_MBD14_front.high.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="626" src="http://blog.nikonians.org/digitaldarrell/D600_MBD14_front.high.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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The D600 is also built with an emphasis on handling with thoughtful ergonomics and button placement, in a body that is compact enough to carry comfortably on any excursion. The hand grip has been improved for comfort, while the overall impression from using the camera is reassuringly solid. To avoid accidental engagement, the shutter button has been recessed, while the Mode Dial can be locked.</div>
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<b>Price and Availability</b></div>
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The Nikon D600 will be available on September 18, 2012 for the suggested retail price (SRP) of $2,099.95*, for body only, or with the AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR for the SRP of $2,699.95*. The WU-1b will be also available on September 18, 2012 for an SRP of $59.95*. The MB-D14 Multi Power Battery Pack will be available in late September for an SRP of $322.00*. For more information on the new Nikon D600 and other Nikon products, please visit www.nikonusa.com.</div>
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<b>About Nikon</b></div>
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Nikon, At the Heart of the Image™. Nikon Inc. is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance for its award-winning consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Inc. distributes consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, NIKKOR optics, Speedlights and system accessories; Nikon COOLPIX® compact digital cameras; 35mm film SLR cameras; Nikon software products and Nikon sports and recreational optics as well as the new Nikon 1 advanced camera with interchangeable lens system. In 2012, production of NIKKOR lenses surpassed 70 million, creating a new milestone in Nikon's heritage of superior optics. For more information, dial (800) NIKON-US or visit http://www.nikonusa.com, which links all levels of photographers to the Web's most comprehensive photo learning and sharing communities. Connect with Nikon and other photographers on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/nikon and get the latest news and information from Twitter by following @NikonUSA.</div>
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1 Android and Google Play are trademarks of Google Inc.</div>
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2 iPad ,iPhone and iTunes are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.</div>
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3The Wireless Mobile Adapter Utility Application must be installed on the smart device before it can be used with the WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter connected to the Nikon D600. The application can be downloaded free of charge from Google Play™. for use with an Android platform smartphone (2.3 series or later) and tablet (3.0 series or later). For the iOS mobile platform, the application can be downloaded free of charge from iTunes® online store on September 15, 2012 for use with iOS version 5.1 or 5.1.1.</div>
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*SRP (Suggested Retail Price) listed only as a suggestion. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time.</div>
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Specifications, equipment and release dates are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer.</div>
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Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-522957428186777412012-08-21T16:09:00.001-04:002012-08-21T16:25:45.899-04:00Mastering the Nikon D800 - New from NikoniansPress and RockyNook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td align="center" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1zajhka4ctkrcf7jn7svc94o8pu8eu69htq3kj51o" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="O'Reilly Media and rocky nook" border="0" src="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1z15qft98hrm81um25l979pu7k6cqk3nvr81gjkv8" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" valign="top">CONTACT: </td><td align="left" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" valign="top">Mary Rotman<br />
(707) 827-7119<br />
<a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="mailto:rockynookpr@oreilly.com" style="text-decoration: none;">rockynookpr@oreilly.com</a></td><td style="color: #222222; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" valign="top"> </td><td align="left" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" valign="top">Joan Dixon<br />
Ph. (805) 687-8727<br />
Fx: (805) 687-2204<br />
<a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="mailto:joan@rockynook.com" style="text-decoration: none;">joan@rockynook.com</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td align="left" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px 20px 5px; padding: 12px 20px 0px 28px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><em>Mastering the Nikon D800</em>—New from Rocky Nook</span></td></tr>
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<a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1zgsj30ff30tstmj06f30mkie7vvj5t2ismha04f8" style="text-decoration: none;"><img align="right" alt="Mastering the Nikon D800" border="0" src="http://covers.oreilly.com/images/9781937538057/cat.gif" style="margin-left: 1em;" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="mailto:rockynookpr@oreilly.com?subject=Review%20request%20for%20Mastering%20the%20Nikon%20D800" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Request Review copy" border="0" height="26" src="http://oreilly.com/images/oreilly/btn-request-review-copy.png" style="padding: 15px 0px 0px 35px;" width="131" /></a><br />
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<div>
<b>Santa Barbara, CA</b>—August 21, 2012—<a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1z13q22l7b5jpn2rcl8b12pg95timqlhejqn7327g" style="text-decoration: none;"><strong>Mastering the Nikon D800</strong></a> (Rocky Nook, $39.95 USD), by <strong style="text-decoration: none;"><a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1zr1vk2eke7h1gsnkp34ueae69o7fot6k5va9chfg" style="text-decoration: none;">Darrell Young</a> </strong>provides a wealth of experience-based information and insights for owners of the new D800 camera. Darrell is determined to help the user navigate past the confusion that often comes with complex and powerful professional camera equipment.<br />
<br />
This book explores the features and capabilities of the camera in a way that far surpasses the user's manual. It guides readers through the camera features with step-by-step setting adjustments; color illustrations; and detailed how, when, and why explanations for each option. Every button, dial, switch, and menu configuration setting is explored in a user-friendly manner, with suggestions for setup according to various shooting styles.<br />
<br />
Darrell's friendly and informative writing style allows readers to easily follow directions, while feeling as if a friend dropped in to share his knowledge. The learning experience for new D800 users goes beyond just the camera itself and covers basic photography technique.</div>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>For a review copy or more information please email <a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="mailto:rockynookpr@oreilly.com" style="text-decoration: none;">rockynookpr@oreilly.com</a>. Please include your delivery address and contact information.</b><br />
<div class="page_toc_entry" id="author-bios">
<div style="margin-bottom: -1em; margin-top: 1.8em;">
<strong>About the Author</strong></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Darrell Young (DigitalDarrell) is an information technology engineer by trade. He's been an avid photographer since 1968 when his mother gave him a Brownie Hawkeye camera.</span><br />
<br />
Darrell has used Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses since 1980. He has an incurable case of Nikon Acquisition Syndrom (NAS) and delights in working with Nikon's newest digital cameras.Living near Great Smoky Mountains National Park has given him a real concern for, and interest in, nature photography.<br />
<br />
He loves to write, as you can see in the Resources area of the Nikonians.org community. He joined the community in 2000 and his literary contributions led to an invitation to become a Founding Member of the Nikonians Writers Guild.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-top: -0.8em;">
<a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1z2461a5gt6i25lk7pocv4gd3con7i38hlk1dtqsg" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">View Darrell Young's full profile page.</a></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-top: 1.8em;">
<strong>Additional Resources</strong><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">For more information about the book, including table of contents, author bios, and cover graphic, see: </span><a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1zoqicejeb6bnqic3l22486tkqn3kn3s00o9ft1g0" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9781937538057.do</a><br />
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Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-66427156964985085092012-04-27T10:00:00.000-04:002012-04-27T10:32:57.362-04:00Beyond Point-and-Shoot—New from Rocky Nook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am happy to announce this morning that my latest book, <a class="bbc_url" href="http://amzn.to/xwbuji" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">Beyond Point-and-Shoot</a>, is now "In Stock" at Amazon.com. <br />
<br />
I wrote this book for a new DSLR or ILC (mirrorless camera) photographer
who has come over from the point-and-shoot world and is a bit
overwhelmed by the complexity of the more powerful cameras. <br />
<br />
It assumes no previous knowledge of photography and explains every
photographic term used for those who are learning the language of
photography.<br />
<br />
Thank you in advance for buying my book. It is available in
print currently, and will be available in Kindle/iPad/Android eBook
versions within about a week. Here is a link to the book on Amazon.com: <a class="bbc_url" href="http://amzn.to/xwbuji" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">http://amzn.to/xwbuji</a><br />
<br />
Following is the official press release:<br />
<br />
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<td style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" valign="top">CONTACT: </td>
<td align="left" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" valign="top">Mary Rotman<br />
(707) 827-7119<br />
<a href="mailto:rockynookpr@oreilly.com" style="text-decoration: none;">rockynookpr@oreilly.com</a></td>
<td style="color: #222222; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" valign="top">Joan Dixon<br />
Ph. (805) 687-8727<br />
Fx: (805)
687-2204<br />
<a href="mailto:joan@rockynook.com" style="text-decoration: none;">joan@rockynook.com</a></td></tr>
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Point-and-Shoot</em>—New from Rocky Nook</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">Learning
to Use a Digital SLR or Interchangeable-Lens Camera</span></td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 28px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 28px; padding-top: 16px;"><table align="right" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
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<a href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1z26coaivmc8j1hfrpcbesoh9pk2hlsunmcouav0g" style="text-decoration: none;"><img align="right" alt="Beyond Point-and-Shoot" border="0" src="http://covers.oreilly.com/images/9781933952956/cat.gif" style="margin-left: 1em;" /></a></div>
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<div>
<b>Santa Barbara, CA</b>—There are two types of new photographers: those
satisfied with their low-cost point-and-shoot cameras, and those more
enthusiastic photographers who recognize the limitations of low-cost equipment
and want to improve their pictures. No longer satisfied with simple snapshots,
the enthusiast moves up to a more complex digital camera—one with
interchangeable lenses and manual controls—to satisfy their artistic
urge.<br />
<br />
Assuming little to no knowledge of photographic terms, techniques,
or technology, <a href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1zmjslhlhmtjioamvdlurl9st4b0uuc6sm2r9jm5g" style="text-decoration: none;"><strong>Beyond
Point-And-Shoot</strong></a>(Rocky Nook, $29.95 USD) is intended to help smooth
the transition from photographic newbie to "real" photographer who is
experienced, in-control, and passionate about their craft. Author <a href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1z3h08c1v3r6ajrr933j4s2ihoeqq18v2ngeo1tuo" style="text-decoration: none;"><strong>Darrell
Young</strong></a> explores various
types of interchangeable-lens cameras, focusing on those with larger imaging
sensors, such as digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. <br />
<br />
Learn how to get the most out of
your camera's automatic and semi-automatic exposure modes, as well as how to
move beyond those modes and take full, manual control of your camera. Watch your
photography improve as you discover how to apply important photographic
principles, such as depth of field, white balance, and metering. With this
newfound knowledge you'll move beyond point-and-shoot and begin taking truly
great photographs.<br />
<br />
Additional topics include:<br />
<ul>
<li>Camera types
</li>
<li>Lenses
</li>
<li>Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO
</li>
<li>Metering and shooting controls
</li>
<li>Lens focal lengths and angles of view
</li>
<li>The histogram
</li>
<li>Color spaces
</li>
<li>Sensors
</li>
<li>Filters
</li>
<li>Image file formats
</li>
<li>Managing digital noise
</li>
<li>And much more!</li>
</ul>
</div>
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>For
a review copy or more information please email <a href="mailto:rockynookpr@oreilly.com" style="text-decoration: none;">rockynookpr@oreilly.com</a>. Please
include your delivery address and contact information.</b><br />
<div class="page_toc_entry" id="author-bios">
<div style="margin-bottom: -1em; margin-top: 1.8em;">
<strong>About the
Author</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: -1em; margin-top: 1.8em;">
<strong><br /></strong></div>
Darrell Young (DigitalDarrell) is an information technology engineer by
trade. He's been an avid photographer since 1968 when his mother gave him a
Brownie Hawkeye camera. Darrell has used Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses since
1980. He has an incurable case of Nikon Acquisition Syndrom (NAS) and delights
in working with Nikon's newest digital cameras. Living near Great Smoky
Mountains National Park has given him a real concern for, and interest in,
nature photography.<br />
<br />
Darrell loves to write, as you can see in the
Resources area of the <a href="http://nikonians.org/" style="text-decoration: none;">Nikonians.org</a> community. He joined the community in 2000
and his literary contributions led to an invitation to become a Founding Member
of the Nikonians Writers Guild.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-top: -0.8em;">
<a href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1z192u85s0o5hs8kmdggo9k5e2gj81r6pvj53tdhg" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">View
Darrell Young's full profile page.</a></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-top: 1.8em;">
<strong>Additional
Resources</strong><br />
For more information about the book, including table of
contents, author bios, and cover graphic, see: </div>
<div style="margin-top: 1.8em;">
<a href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1zab9t40tp9ih49smpjqkueodoshrfr9e9b0lf648" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9781933952956.do</a></div>
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<td style="color: #222222; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" valign="top"><a href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1zoulv4jhmfag5c4oocmkmkrp716a3jt8js1oon7o" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Beyond
Point-and-Shoot</a><br />
Publisher: Rocky Nook<br />
By Darrell Young<br />
Print
ISBN: 9781933952956 Ebook ISBN: 9781457165160 <br />
Pages: 140 <br />
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Rocky Nook's books are distributed internationally by <a href="http://post.oreilly.com/rd/9z1zfubbfc1kkbhj61f18o619ot0astrbdgv6tb7uvo" style="text-decoration: none;">O'Reilly
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</div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-23846753814327747882012-04-19T10:33:00.002-04:002012-04-19T10:39:00.990-04:00Nikon Releases the New Nikon D3200 24 MP HD-SLR Camera with 1080p Video<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="uiHeader uiHeaderBottomBorder mbm" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">
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<h2 class="uiHeaderTitle" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" tabindex="0">
<em style="color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Nikon D3200 Provides New D-SLR Shooters a Powerful Combination of Effortless Operation, 24.2-Megapixel High Resolution and Wireless Connectivity to Mobile Devices</em></h2>
</div>
</div>
<div class="mbl notesBlogText clearfix" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; word-wrap: break-word; zoom: 1;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5em;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="photo_img img" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/530399_372002966176682_199334683443512_1043769_1141667462_n.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 493px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"><strong>Nikon D3200 Available in Red and Black</strong></em>
</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="caption"></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5em;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5em;">
<strong>MELVILLE, N.Y. (APRIL 19, 2012)</strong> – Today, imaging leader Nikon Inc. introduced the new 24.2-megapixel Nikon D3200 HD-SLR; a camera designed for photo enthusiasts ready to step up to a D-SLR or for the busy family memory keeper with an active lifestyle who demands a camera that can keep pace. From low-light to fast action, the D3200 delivers the amazing image quality Nikon is known for, either indoors or outside. Whether new to photography or upgrading from a point-and-shoot, the D3200 features Nikon’s acclaimed instructive Guide Mode to help unleash the photographer in everyone. From candid action shots to staged portraits that flatter, the Nikon D3200 provides the power to capture every moment easily and beautifully with stellar image quality and in stunning Full HD (1080p) video.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5em;">
Ready to tag along for any outing, the Nikon D3200’s compact, lightweight body makes it easy to pack for a quick day trip or the long haul. A host of advanced features, including a super high resolution 24.2-megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor, Full HD (1080p) video recording with full time autofocus (AF) and 4 frames-per-second (fps) high-speed continuous shooting mode, prepare the D3200 for challenging lighting conditions and fast paced action. Also, Nikon D3200 users will be able to take advantage of the new WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter. When connected to the camera, this optional adapter can wirelessly send images to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, preview an image before shooting and control the camera remotely.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5em;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5em;">
“When every moment is as precious as the next one, having a camera that takes the guesswork out of photography is important,” said Bo Kajiwara, director of marketing, Nikon Inc. “The Nikon D3200 HD-SLR offers effortless functionality and easy-to-use connectivity to mobile devices that answers the call for a capable, entry-level D-SLR that will change how you share amazing images with your friends and family.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5em;">
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<strong>Stunning Images to Last a Lifetime</strong> The new Nikon D3200 delivers outstanding image quality no matter the user’s skill level by leveraging Nikon’s renowned technologies. The new 24.2-megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor allows for incredibly sharp images with stunning detail and less noise, while Nikon’s EXPEED 3™ image processing engine helps to create clear, lifelike images and video with vivid colors, smooth tonal gradations and low noise.</div>
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The Nikon D3200 grants users impressive performance in low-light, affording the ability to shoot with assurance even during night games and school plays. With a native ISO range that extends from ISO 100 to 6400, the D3200 can also be expanded to a high of ISO 12,800 for extreme low-light situations resulting in previously impossible photos. Additionally, Nikon’s Scene Recognition System works in tandem with the camera’s 3D Color Matrix Metering II to recognize factors such as color and brightness for balanced exposures, accurate AF, faithful white balance and beautiful flash photos.</div>
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<strong>Effortless Operation</strong> Beginner photographers as well as those looking to expand their repertoire of shooting techniques will appreciate the Nikon D3200’s Guide Mode which provides step-by-step photo instructions to capture amazing images. Easily accessible through the Mode Dial found on top of the camera body, the Guide Mode walks beginning D-SLR users through the process of set-up, shooting, viewing and deleting images. Because it asks the user what kind of creative photo technique they would like to learn, the Guide Mode has been widely acclaimed for its ability to build confidence and give users the tools to create amazing images. As more people discover the benefits of replacing their camcorder with a D-SLR, the Guide Mode also walks users through the best video settings to create home movies with blockbuster flair. For those with a more advanced skill level, the Guide Mode features helpful Assist Images that serve as a visual reference to inspire users and illustrate the desired result, while guiding them through easy-to-follow techniques.</div>
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Further taking the guesswork out of photography, the D3200 also includes six Scene Modes. Photographers can set the Mode Dial to Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close-Up or Night Portrait, and the D3200 will automatically adjust camera settings for optimal results in a variety of conditions.</div>
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<strong>Beautiful Home Movies in Full HD</strong> When images alone can’t tell the whole story, the Nikon D3200 offers the full HD experience of high quality 1080p video. Users can create memorable, cinematic quality videos at 24 or 30 fps and easily share HD content online with friends and family or on their own HDTV via the HDMI output.</div>
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Continuing down the path that its predecessor, the Nikon D3100, started, the D3200 implements full-time AF during video recording to help capture crisp video even during the most action-packed situations. To boost the production value of any home video, the camera offers manual or automatic exposure control, and a stereo microphone input to attach an optional external microphone such as the compact ME-1 Stereo Microphone. Furthermore, the D3200 offers other HD-SLR advantages including the ability to create a shallow depth of field, amazing low-light video performance and NIKKOR lens versatility.</div>
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Capturing videos on the D3200 is simple, even when in Live View. With a dedicated video record button and easy access to the Live View switch, users can capture video clips before the moment is gone. Additionally, videos play with astonishing detail and clarity on the D3200’s 3-inch, high resolution 921,000-dot LCD screen.</div>
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<strong>A Camera to Keep Pace with an Energetic Existence</strong> An active lifestyle requires a capable camera that is ready at a moment’s notice, and the Nikon D3200 packs powerful technology to tackle just about any challenge. Delivering up to 4 fps in high-speed continuous shooting mode, the D3200 helps ensure that important, spontaneous and easy-to-miss memories are captured, from a baby’s first smile to a game winning grand slam. Additionally, the D3200’s advanced 11-point AF system allows the user to find and keep focus while maintaining a clear view of that subject. This advanced focusing system is ideal for capturing tricky subjects like a dancer mid-leap during the big recital or a dive for the line drive in centerfield.</div>
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The Nikon D3200’s power is amplified when combined with the versatility of Nikon’s legendary NIKKOR optics and powerful accessories. Compatible with Nikon’s dedicated DX-format lenses and over 50 FX-format lenses as well as Nikon’s Speedlight System, the Nikon D3200 puts creativity at the user’s fingertips. The optional WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter for the D3200 allows the connected user to easily share photos taken on the D3200 to an Android™ platform based smartphone or tablet, so friends and family can enjoy the moment almost as quickly as it happens.1 Android platform users are able to wirelessly transfer images from the camera to a mobile device, preview the image before shooting photos, and even remotely control the camera from up to 49 feet. The Application for use with an Android platform smartphone (2.3 series) and tablet (3.x series) is expected for release in May 2012.2 Additionally, an Application for the iPhone® and iPad® mobile digital device is expected for release in Fall 2012.3</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"><strong>WU-1a wireless adapter plugged into camera</strong></em>
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<strong>Price and Availability</strong> The Nikon D3200 outfit with the versatile AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR image stabilization lens will be available in late April 2012 for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $699.95* in either Black or Red. The optional WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter, sold separately, will be available in late May 2012 for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $59.95*. For more information on the Nikon D3200, NIKKOR lenses, additional Nikon D-SLR cameras and accessories, please visit www.nikonusa.com.</div>
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<em>*Suggested retail price listed only as a suggestion. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time. 1 Android is a trademark of Google Inc. 2 The Wireless Mobile Adapter Utility Application must be installed on the smart device before it can be used with the WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter connected to the Nikon D3200. 3 iPad and iPhone are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Specifications, equipment and release dates are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer.</em></div>
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<strong>Press Contacts: MWW Group</strong> Geoff Coalter | gcoalter@mww.com | 201.507.9500 Robin Theis | rtheis@mww.com | 201.507.9500</div>
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<strong>About Nikon</strong> Nikon, At the Heart of the Image™. Nikon Inc. is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance for its award-winning consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Inc. distributes consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, NIKKOR optics, Speedlights and system accessories; Nikon COOLPIX® compact digital cameras; 35mm film SLR cameras; Nikon software products and Nikon sports and recreational optics as well as the new Nikon 1 advanced camera with interchangeable lens system. In 2011, production of NIKKOR lenses surpassed 65 million, creating a new milestone in Nikon’s heritage of superior optics. For more information, dial (800) NIKON-US or visit http://www.nikonusa.com, which links all levels of photographers to the Web's most comprehensive photo learning and sharing communities. Connect with Nikon and other photographers on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nikon and get the latest news and information from Twitter by following @Nikon_USA.</div>
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</div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-91231415940375116552012-03-29T12:01:00.000-04:002012-09-19T23:40:43.434-04:00Photographing the Appalachian Mountains with a Nikon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One of the reasons I am so excited by nature photography is the fact that I live only a few miles from the best of the Appalachian Mountains. I am quite excited right now because next month, October, is the month for spectacular color in "my" mountains. Each year I make a pilgrimage to three areas in particular: Great Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Cherohala Skyway. Let me tell you about my favorite spots in each place.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Great Smoky Mountains</span></b><br />
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I've been going to the Smokies for over 40 years and haven't tired of it yet. When I find myself walking around in Cades Cove, I often close my eyes and just listen to the sounds. I sense the history of the ancient mountains surrounding me and feel like I'm a time traveler. I imagine myself standing here 1000 years ago when the Cherokee Indian nation lived a peaceful life here in the cove between the ridges. It isn't hard to imagine a Cherokee hunter standing where I am standing. He is looking for game to take back to his family and walks quietly with his bow at the ready, stalking a white-tailed deer. He gets the shot.<br />
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I find myself doing the same, stalking a white-tailed deer and getting the shot—with my Nikon and AF Nikkor 80-400mm VR. The deer are quite tame in the Smokies since they are rarely hunted and are used to seeing people.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zyER0Pq6e38/TnNaAC9Qk3I/AAAAAAAAATw/oh59fq1iYz8/s1600/FemaleWhiteTailDeer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zyER0Pq6e38/TnNaAC9Qk3I/AAAAAAAAATw/oh59fq1iYz8/s1600/FemaleWhiteTailDeer.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Female White-tailed Deer in early spring (still in winter coat) at Cades Cove, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, USA</b></td></tr>
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The Cades Cove area of the Smoky Mountains teems with wildlife. It is not uncommon to see deer, bears, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, salamanders, newts, birds, and fish, all in just one day. When you come to the Smokies, bring large memory cards and extra batteries, you'll need them.<br />
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Just down the road from Cades Cove is an out-of-the-way place that few know about. It is called Tremont. The middle prong of the Little Pigeon River flows through this area. It is a nature photographer's delight, with world class views of an often roaring mountain-fed river having many cascades and waterfalls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R-VJ9hriJTQ/TnNdKGiwtNI/AAAAAAAAAT4/qpip5UGiKm0/s1600/Tremont3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R-VJ9hriJTQ/TnNdKGiwtNI/AAAAAAAAAT4/qpip5UGiKm0/s1600/Tremont3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Little Pigeon River at Tremont in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA</b></td></tr>
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To take a flowing stream shot like this one, you'll need to use the following equipment and guidelines:<br />
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<li>Set<b> Shooting Menu > Long exp. NR</b> (long exposure noise reduction) to <b>On</b>.</li>
<li>Turn off VR (vibration reduction) on your lens.</li>
<li>Shoot on an fully overcast day only! </li>
<li>Use a tripod.</li>
<li>Use a circular polarizer.</li>
<li>Use a wide to short telephoto zoom like the AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm, 18-105mm, or even the 18-55mm. </li>
<li>Set your camera up on the tripod and frame your shot with the zoom lens.</li>
<li>Use the polarizer to remove most of the reflections from the water, darkening it. </li>
<li>Set the camera's aperture to f/22 giving you maximum depth of field.</li>
<li>Focus 1/3 of the way into the scene and use a remote release cable to fire the shutter. If you do not have a release cable, use the <b>Custom Setting Menu > d Shooting/display > Exposure delay mode</b>. This will result first in a one second delay to let vibrations die down; then the camera will fire a long exposure of from 4 to 10 seconds, blurring the water in a wonderful way. </li>
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The overcast day removes a great deal of the contrast from the scene, which is good because a digital camera cannot record the huge contrast between streamers of sunlight and the darkness in the woods. I have shot hundreds of these wonderful stream images and really enjoy looking at them.<br />
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Plus, they sell well as fine art images. Here's a great book I have read, telling how to sell your images as fine art: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933952555/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1933952555&adid=00SR34WW0HK9SK1EY9XM&">Marketing Fine Art Photography</a> by Alain Briot (published by <a href="http://www.rockynook.com/book/137/marketing-fine-art-photography.html">Rocky Nook</a>). I highly recommend Alain's book if you are interested in selling your images as fine art. It will teach you all the tricks!<br />
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There is an area just outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park called Foothills Parkway. It has many overlooks that view the mountains of the park. You can get nice "smoky" pictures early in the morning before the sun burns off the mist. At sunset you can get some really nice shots. During the day you will simply be amazed. Here are three shots from Foothills Parkway West:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AboH3jnkilo/TnNjNcZIvII/AAAAAAAAAT8/Rbdp8Wr4XZc/s1600/FoothillsParkwayWest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AboH3jnkilo/TnNjNcZIvII/AAAAAAAAAT8/Rbdp8Wr4XZc/s1600/FoothillsParkwayWest1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sunrise on Foothills Parkway West, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, USA</b></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vsO9rKs9zts/TnNktUZKy5I/AAAAAAAAAUE/KBOjTIbBKVI/s1600/FoothillsParkwayWest2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vsO9rKs9zts/TnNktUZKy5I/AAAAAAAAAUE/KBOjTIbBKVI/s1600/FoothillsParkwayWest2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Autumn Morning on Foothills Parkway West, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, USA</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N71gzji9P7I/TnNkAn3v3TI/AAAAAAAAAUA/nTscVlYsY6M/s1600/Sunset1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N71gzji9P7I/TnNkAn3v3TI/AAAAAAAAAUA/nTscVlYsY6M/s1600/Sunset1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sunset on Foothills Parkway West, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, USA</b></td></tr>
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I took the pictures above with my Nikon on a tripod, using smaller apertures in the f/8 to f/11 range, Matrix metering, and Aperture priority auto mode (A). All you have to do in the Smokies is be there and be willing to shoot! Nature will put on a show for you. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the autumn of the year is one of the most beautiful places on earth. F/8 and be there!<br />
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Here is an excellent photographer's guide to the Smokies, called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0881508551/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0881508551&adid=15956AVVBZSM3CQDNYFN&">Photographing the Great Smoky Mountains</a> by Jim Hargan. Jim tells about the best places and picture angles for enthusiastic photographers.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Blue Ridge Parkway</span></b><br />
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The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 mile National Park stretching from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Cherokee, North Carolina, USA. Except where the parkway runs through local cities, such as Asheville, North Carolina, the entire parkway is wilderness territory. Bring plenty of food and make sure your car is full of gas, there are no gas stations, although there are exits from the parkway into smaller towns where gasoline and lodging is available.<br />
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Along the parkway you will experience protected mountain views with nothing visible except for amazing mountain scenes. The Department of the Interior will not allow any man-made construction to be seen from the overlooks for 25 miles away from the mountain. You will experience a true wilderness environment on an easy to drive paved roadway. Plan on taking two or three days to drive the parkway. More if you stop as often as most photographers to get simply breathtaking views from thousands of feet up. Here is a shots from Waterrock Knob at 6292 feet (1917 meters). Following that are a couple of different Blue Ridge Parkway views.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ye8nZDsHVEU/TnNpZFKz80I/AAAAAAAAAUI/eYQ9rDg9lgU/s1600/Colorful+Leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ye8nZDsHVEU/TnNpZFKz80I/AAAAAAAAAUI/eYQ9rDg9lgU/s1600/Colorful+Leaves.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Waterrock Knob, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, USA</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LkNGQX8eAiE/TnNqPGB6dII/AAAAAAAAAUM/ef6224p9vV4/s1600/CarOnBlueRIdgeParkway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LkNGQX8eAiE/TnNqPGB6dII/AAAAAAAAAUM/ef6224p9vV4/s1600/CarOnBlueRIdgeParkway.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Automobile Driving Along Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, USA</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v1pP5dbhQus/TnNrM7jI1pI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/Rchnm2SJ0lk/s1600/DevilsCourthouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v1pP5dbhQus/TnNrM7jI1pI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/Rchnm2SJ0lk/s1600/DevilsCourthouse.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Devil's Courthouse Butte (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>5760 feet, 1755 meters) on </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, USA</b></span></b></td></tr>
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All of these pictures were taken with a Nikon DSLR (either a D2X, D300, or D300S). In years past, I often used older manual focus AI Nikkors for scenics like this, especially the 35mm f/2. Plus, I always used a tripod and remote release cable for this type of shot. The last couple of years I've been using a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UC5YSQ/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B000UC5YSQ&adid=1P5FXHZJB46EXPER7VF3&">Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro lens</a>. It is amazingly sharp and has become my favorite landscape lens. Less hassle since I can frame better. All of my landscape shots are made with a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LWHCK8/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B000LWHCK8&adid=1XV28A0EYR4RQ2EYS64H&">Hoya circular polarizer</a> to remove reflections from the colorful leaves, deepening the natural color saturation. When you shoot landscapes, please use a polarizer and dial out reflections. You will make images that lesser photographers only wish they could make.<br />
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Jim Hargan also has a book on the Blue Ridge Parkway called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/088150873X/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=088150873X&adid=0MXJ4042YZV2CTKY9MY9&">The Photographer's Guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway</a>. Books like Jim's make it a lot easier to find enjoyable spots and learn how to best shoot them.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Cherohala Skyway</span></b><br />
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In comparison to the Great Smokies, the Cherohala Skyway is not a well known place, so there are less people around. This only adds to the opportunities for superior photography.<br />
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Back in 1958 at a Kiwanas Club meeting in Tellico Plains, a joke was made that the only roads into North Carolina from Tennessee were the original roads made by settlers taking wagon trains west in the 1800's. An idea was proposed to bring attention to this fact by having a wagon train from Tellico Plains to Robbinsville, North Carolina. This was done and developed into a tradition. Once a year, from that time forward, the wagon train would make its trip. This caught the interest of local and national political leaders. Over forty years later, a 52 mile two-lane blacktop highway was created at the cost of over $100 Million Dollars. On October 12, 1996, the Cherohala Skyway was officially opened.<br />
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In April 1997 North Carolina recognized the Skyway by declaring it a "Scenic Byway." Later it became recognized as a "National Scenic Byway." The name Cherohala comes from the combination of two national forest names. The <b>Chero</b>kee and Nanta<b>hala</b> National Forest names were combined to form the word <b>Cherohala</b>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1poN8rKlNm0/TnN1zym9MzI/AAAAAAAAAUU/4Sr-0GeWAok/s1600/Bald+River+Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1poN8rKlNm0/TnN1zym9MzI/AAAAAAAAAUU/4Sr-0GeWAok/s1600/Bald+River+Falls.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bald River Falls in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, USA, near the start of Cherohala Skyway.</b></td></tr>
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Cherohala Skyway begins in Tellico Plains of Monroe County Tennessee and ends 50+ miles later in Robbins North Carolina. That fifty mile drive across the National Scenic Byway is one of personal enjoyment and beauty.<br />
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In my experience, it takes about three or four hours to make the drive. I'll stop at the overlooks and sit for a few minutes—enjoying the deep mountain view. The wind is invariably blowing and provides a respite from summer heat. My favorite time to travel the Cherohala Skyway is in Autumn since the colors are often spectacular.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ykuxNFz0ZN4/TnN2i4umfsI/AAAAAAAAAUY/4s1eSvuWip0/s1600/Cherohala+Skyway+View+in+Autumn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ykuxNFz0ZN4/TnN2i4umfsI/AAAAAAAAAUY/4s1eSvuWip0/s1600/Cherohala+Skyway+View+in+Autumn.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cherohala Skyway View in Tennessee, USA</b></td></tr>
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When shooting on the Cherohala Skyway, plan to have a tripod with you since it can be a bit windy. It might be good to bring some hooks so that you can hang your camera bag from the bottom of your tripod for extra stability. Learn how to use High Dynamic Range (HDR) techniques in order to capture the sometimes high contrast you'll find. Shady roads and bright skies can be hard to capture without using advanced techniques like HDR or by using a graduated neutral density filter. (More about HDR later.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jzdx7DErQv8/TnN3oBEb3wI/AAAAAAAAAUc/iQamDfCcV94/s1600/Cherohala+Skyway+in+Peak+Fall+Color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jzdx7DErQv8/TnN3oBEb3wI/AAAAAAAAAUc/iQamDfCcV94/s1600/Cherohala+Skyway+in+Peak+Fall+Color.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cherohala Skyway in Peak Autumn Color, Tennessee, USA</b></td></tr>
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It's always much more fun to have a companion or two with you on the Skyway. I often take photographer buddies with me. We'll set up our tripods and see who can take the best pictures. Later it's a lot of fun to compare the images and see who got that coveted masterpiece for their blog, album, or wall. The Cherohala Skyway is like a short version of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Instead of the hundreds of miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the 50 miles of the Cherohala Skyway is about a half-day's trip; when time is allowed for stopping at the most impressive overlooks. If you are on the parkway with a bunch of fanatical Nikonians—like I often am—you might even wring a full day out of it.<br />
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When you are traveling the Skyway, you can pull off on the wide shoulders of the road and at overlooks for some really spectacular images. Bring large memory cards for your camera and prepare to come home with some of the most beautiful images you've ever taken. Also bring lots of food and gasoline, you'll not want to leave soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b1cftwIXoYU/TnN4PKTpsLI/AAAAAAAAAUg/i4q--FbdI-w/s1600/Cherohala+Skyway+Scenic+in+Peak+Autumn+Color2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b1cftwIXoYU/TnN4PKTpsLI/AAAAAAAAAUg/i4q--FbdI-w/s1600/Cherohala+Skyway+Scenic+in+Peak+Autumn+Color2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cherohala Skyway Overlook in Peak Autumn Color, Tennessee, USA</b></td></tr>
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The only "problem" I can detect on the Skyway is that it ends in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina. To get back to civilization one has to either reverse course back down the Skyway, or travel toward Maryville Tennessee on a road called the Dragon's Tail. This road is highway 129 from Robbins NC to Maryville TN. The Dragon has an enormous number of deep curves that allow a biker to lay their cycle over on its side in a sweeping turn. For this reason the Skyway is frequented by sometimes hundreds of motorcyclists and sport's car drivers as they travel toward the twisty Dragon road at the end of the Skyway. Plan on allowing a couple of hours travel time into Maryville due to the heavy cycle, sport traffic, and endless curves of the Dragon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nwDypMeQ5Sw/TnN47hse5DI/AAAAAAAAAUk/a-m1Q0It12k/s1600/Cherohala+Skyway+Motorcycles+in+Autumn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nwDypMeQ5Sw/TnN47hse5DI/AAAAAAAAAUk/a-m1Q0It12k/s1600/Cherohala+Skyway+Motorcycles+in+Autumn.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cherohala Skyway Bikers, North Carolina, USA</b></td></tr>
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When you're driving along the Dragon's Tail, there are now many pulloffs that allow you to get out of the way of the enthusiastic bikers as they lean into the curves with gusto. Please do let the bikes and sport's cars get by since many of them have traveled a long distance to get to the famous road and want to enjoy themselves. There have been many many accidents due to the disparity between the speed of the bikes and cars. Also, be prepared to have your picture taken as you drive along the Dragon. There are a number of websites that station photographers along the Dragon and take your picture as you drive by. They even photograph the family van on the move. You can then go to one of the websites and buy your photo as you drive along avoiding bikers.<br />
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<b>A Little More on HDR While on the Cherohala Skyway</b><br />
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As I mentioned earlier, I am beginning to prefer shooting HDR in the contrasty mountains. It's especially easy to use HDR since I bought the low-cost <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CIP12U/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B002CIP12U&adid=13Q91D6RGM8F4D1D97QE&">Photomatix Pro software</a> for my computer. It makes the combination of HDR images much easier to accomplish. An alternative is Nik software's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YUN49C/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B003YUN49C&adid=0H3D00PKZC9E6QVNYDMX&">HDR Efex Pro</a>. Here is a great new book on HDR technique by Jack Howard: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933952636/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1933952636&adid=010HR6HFDMCNN8SP5VEC&">Practical HDRI, 2nd Edition</a> (published by <a href="http://www.rockynook.com/book/170/practical-hdri%2C-2nd-edition.html">Rocky Nook</a>).<br />
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Following is a sample HDR picture with three separate images combined, each having a 2-stop difference in exposure. I was able to capture the darker water, and the bright sunlit foliage and sky all in one image with HDR. Using HDR doesn't mean your image has to look garish and strange. It can simply be used to capture dynamic range in your images that would be very difficult if not impossible otherwise, as my image proves. Get <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1933952636/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1933952636&adid=010HR6HFDMCNN8SP5VEC">Jack's HDR book</a> and learn how!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8r8K4hcvDbs/TnN6YgCH_3I/AAAAAAAAAUo/i67FKeFkX9E/s1600/Bald+River+Falls+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8r8K4hcvDbs/TnN6YgCH_3I/AAAAAAAAAUo/i67FKeFkX9E/s1600/Bald+River+Falls+HDR.jpg" /></a></div>
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There is one final book I'd like to recommend for those who want to travel through these lovely mountains. It is named, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0760325928?ie=UTF8&tag=cleanimagesco-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0760325928">Backroads of North Carolina: Your Guide to Great Day Trips & Weekend Getaways</a>, by Kevin Adams. It will help you find, visit, and photograph the Blue Ridge Parkway and Cherohala Skyway.<br />
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Alternatively, do a Google search on Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, or Cherohala Skyway and you'll find a plethora of free maps and guides to the areas. If you see a white Jeep Wrangler parked alongside the road, and a few guys with Nikons and tripods, stop and say hello. I'm sure it'll be me and my Nikonian buddies. Thanks for taking a trip with me. See you in the mountains!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a></div>
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Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-44579957171003348062012-03-04T22:35:00.001-05:002012-03-04T23:14:25.750-05:00Are You Committing Copyright Infringement on Pinterest.com?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Are you?<br />
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I was happily following the crowd on Pinterest.com re-pinning pictures I thought were lovely into various "boards." Then I thought about what I was doing and deleted all boards with Pins from others. It's called COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT people! Probably 90% of the pins on Pinterest.com are pictures stolen from websites.<br />
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I then read the <a href="http://pinterest.com/about/terms/"><b>Terms of Use</b></a> on Pinterest.com and found I had agreed I would only pin images for which I owned a valid copyright. I also agreed to "hold them harmless" and pay for an attorney for me AND THEM if we/they were sued. OMG! This is NUTS! Read the Terms of Use friends!!!<br />
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Here is a juicy paragraph from the terms [italics mine]:<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">"<b><i>You </i></b>acknowledge and agree that you are solely responsible for all Member Content that you make available through the Site, Application and Services. Accordingly, you represent and warrant that: (i) <b><i>you either are the sole and exclusive owner of all Member Content</i></b> that you make available through the Site, Application and Services or you have all rights, licenses, consents and releases that are necessary to grant to Cold Brew Labs the rights in such Member Content, as contemplated under these Terms; and (ii) <b><i>neither the Member Content nor your posting, uploading, publication, submission or transmittal</i></b> of the Member Content or Cold Brew Labs’ use of the Member Content (or any portion thereof) on, through or by means of the Site, Application and the Services <i style="font-weight: bold;">will infringe, misappropriate or violate a third party’s </i>patent<i style="font-weight: bold;">, copyright, </i>trademark, trade secret, moral rights or other proprietary<i style="font-weight: bold;"> or intellectual property rights,</i> or rights of publicity or privacy, or result in the violation of any applicable law or regulation."</span><br />
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If you are using Pinterest.com and pinning other peoples work, a good portion of which is stolen, you are stealing too and can be prosecuted for copyright infringement.<br />
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But, loads of people are doing it, right?<br />
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Yep! However, if you only knew the glee with which some photographers sue infringers (rightfully so, I might add), you will get any images you've pinned from others off Pinterest.com as soon as possible. If a photographer with a registered copyright decides to sue Pinterest.com and you by proxy, YOU will have to pay the fines and attorney fees for Pinterest and you. You agreed to that when you checked "yes" to the <a href="http://pinterest.com/about/terms/"><b>Terms of Use</b></a> upon creating your account.<br />
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Here is the indemnity clause at Pinterest.com [italics mine]:<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">"<b><i>You agree to defend</i></b>,<i><b> indemnify, and hold Cold Brew Labs, its officers,
directors, employees and agents, harmless from and </b></i><b><i>against any claims,
liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including, without
limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees</i></b>, arising out of or in
any way connected with (i) <b><i>your </i></b>access to or <b><i>use </i></b>of the Site,
Application, Services or <b><i>Site Content</i></b>, (ii) your Member Content, or
(iii) <b><i>your violation of these Terms.</i></b>"</span><br />
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Valid registered copyright infringement cases sometimes result in HUGE PUNITIVE FINES (six figures or more), not to mention the very sizable attorney fees! Want to lose your house? Do you want to take the chance? Not me!<br />
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I still have a Pinterest.com account. However, I currently only post pictures of my books, hoping people will steal the pictures and post them all over the web, giving me free advertising in the process. Any actual pictures I post on Pinterest in the future will be ones I do not mind other people pinning all over creation. If I own the copyright to an image, I am safe in pinning it. However, if YOU repin it, and I catch you ... whoooooeeee! ;-)<br />
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What a dangerous world we live in!<br />
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<i>Keep on capturing time...</i><br />
<b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/">www.PhotographyWriter.com</a></div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-46636236372223561182012-02-06T23:52:00.002-05:002012-02-07T01:30:04.448-05:00Nikon Announces the Nikon D800 and D800E, 36 MP Full-Frame (FX) Monster DSLRs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
EXPECTATIONS SURPASSED: THE 36.3-MEGAPIXEL NIKON D800 IS THE MULTIMEDIA HD-SLR THAT SHATTERS CONVENTIONAL RESOLUTION BARRIERS FOR MAXIMUM FIDELITY <br />
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The New Nikon D800 Offers Unrivaled Resolution and Features Designed for a Variety of Demanding Professional Photographic and Multimedia Disciplines, Videographers and Filmmakers<br />
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MELVILLE, N.Y. (Feb 6, 2012) – Today, imaging leader Nikon Inc. announced the highly anticipated D800 HD-SLR, engineered to provide extreme resolution, astounding image quality and valuable video features optimized for professional still and multimedia photographers and videographers. A camera with an unmatched balance of accuracy, functionality and image quality, the Nikon D800 realizes innovations such as a high resolution 36.3-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor, a 91,000-pixel RGB Matrix Metering System, Advanced Scene Recognition System and many other intuitive features designed to create the preeminent device for the most demanding photo and video applications. <br />
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Whether shooting high fashion, weddings or multimedia content, Nikon’s highest resolution sensor to date, a groundbreaking new 36.3-megapixel (7360 x 4912 resolution) FX-format CMOS sensor, affords flexibility and astonishing image quality to satisfy a myriad of client requests. The Nikon D800 incorporates the latest 91,000-pixel 3D Color Matrix Metering III and the Advanced Scene Recognition System, coupled with an improved 51-point AF system for images with amazing sharpness, color and clarity. With its compact, lightweight D-SLR form factor and extensive video feature set, the D800 allows photographers to transition to multimedia to create an immersive story. Professional videographers will appreciate practical features that go beyond NIKKOR lens compatibility and Full HD 1080p video, such as full manual control, uncompressed HDMI output, and incredible low-light video capability. With this innovative combination of features, the D800 celebrates resourcefulness and a dedication to the flawless execution of an epic creative vision. All of this is driven by Nikon’s latest EXPEED 3™ image processing engine, providing the necessary processing power to fuel amazing images with faithful color, a wide dynamic range and extreme resolution.<br />
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“Whatever the project, visionaries need a tool that is going to help them stay on-time and on-task. The Nikon D800 re-imagines what is possible from this level of D-SLR, to address the needs of an emerging and ever changing market; this is the camera that is going to bridge the gap for the most demanding imaging professionals, and provide never before seen levels of SLR image and video quality,” said Bo Kajiwara, director of marketing, Nikon Inc. “The D800 is the right tool for today’s creative image makers, affording photographers, filmmakers and videographers a versatile option for capturing the ultimate in still image quality or full HD content, with maximum control.” <br />
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<b>Extreme Image Quality</b><br />
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The new Nikon developed 36.3-megapixel FX-format (35.9 x 24mm) CMOS sensor realizes Nikon’s highest resolution yet, and is ideal for demanding applications such as weddings, studio portraiture and landscape, where there is no compromise to exceptional high fidelity and dynamic range. Nikon’s first priority is amazing image quality above all else, and resolution of this magnitude affords photographers the ability to portray even the smallest details, such as a strand of hair, with stunning sharpness or crop liberally with confidence. Photographers also shoot with the assurance of NIKKOR lens compatibility, because only a manufacturer with decades of optical excellence can provide the glass to resolve this kind of extreme resolution.<br />
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For shooting with minimal noise in a variety of lighting conditions, the D800 features a wide native ISO range of 100-6400, expandable to 50 (Lo-1)-25,600 (Hi-2). Nikon engineers have created innovative ways to manipulate light transmission to the sensor’s photodiodes, giving users the ability to shoot with confidence in challenging lighting conditions. Internal sensor design, an enhanced optical low pass filter (OLPF) and 14 bit A/D conversion with a high signal to noise ratio all contribute to a sensor capable of excellent low light ability despite the extreme resolution. Every aspect of this new FX-format sensor is engineered to deliver amazing low noise images through the ISO range and help create astounding tonal gradation and true colors, whether shooting JPEG or RAW. Images are further routed through a 16-bit image processing pipeline, for maximum performance. To further enhance versatility, users are also able to shoot in additional modes and aspect ratios such as 5:4 to easily frame for printed portraits or a 1.2X crop for a slight telephoto edge. For even more versatility, photographers can also take advantage of Nikon DX-format lenses for more lens options and enhanced focal range (1.5X), while still retaining sharpness and details at a high 15.4-megapixel (4800x3200) resolution.<br />
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Contributing to the camera’s rapid performance and amazing image quality is Nikon’s new EXPEED 3 image processing engine that helps professionals create images and HD video with amazing resolution, color and dynamic range. From image processing to transfer, the new engine is capable of processing massive amounts of data, exacting optimal color, rich tonality and minimized noise throughout the frame. Despite the immense data, the new EXPEED 3 also contributes to energy efficiency, affording the ability to shoot longer. <br />
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The D800 also features the Advanced Scene Recognition System with the 91,000-pixel 3D Color Matrix Meter III to provide unrivaled metering in even the most challenging of lighting conditions. At the system’s core is a newly designed RGB sensor that meticulously analyzes each scene, recognizes factors such as color and brightness with unprecedented precision and then compares all the data using Nikon’s exclusive 30,000 image database. Additionally, this new sensor now has the ability to detect human faces with startling accuracy, even when shooting through the optical viewfinder. This unique feature is coupled with detailed scene analysis for more accurate autofocus (AF), Auto exposure (AE), i-TTL flash control and even enhanced subject tracking. The Color Matrix Meter also emphasizes priority on exposure of the detected faces, allowing for correct exposure even when the subject is backlit. Even in the most difficult exposures the D800 excels, such as maintaining brightness on a bride’s face while retaining the dynamic range to accentuate the intricate details of a wedding dress beside a black tuxedo. <br />
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Advanced new automatic systems make it even easier to capture amazing images. The camera features a new enhanced auto white balance system that more accurately recognizes both natural and artificial light sources, and also gives the user the option to retain the warmth of ambient lighting. Users can expand dynamic range with in-camera High Dynamic Range (HDR) image capture, and enjoy the benefits of Nikon’s Active D-lighting for balanced exposure. Another new feature is direct access to Nikon’s Picture Control presets via a dedicated button on the back of the body to tweak photo and video parameters on the fly, such as sharpness, hue and saturation.<br />
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<b>True Cinematic Experience</b><br />
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The Nikon D800 has a compact and lightweight form factor that’s preferable for a production environment, yet is packed with practical and functional features. The D800 is ideal whether the user is a filmmaker on location or in the studio or a documentarian in the field who requires portability and the NIKKOR lens versatility and depth of field that only a HD-SLR can offer. Filmmakers have the choice of various resolutions and frame rates, including Full HD 1080 at 30/24p and HD 720 at 60/30p. By utilizing the B-Frame data compression method, users can record H.264/MPEG-4 AVC format video with unmatched integrity for up to 29:59 minutes per clip (normal quality). This format produces higher quality video data without increasing file size for a more efficient workflow. The optimized CMOS sensor reads image data at astoundingly fast rates, which results in less instances of rolling shutter distortion. The sensor also enables incredible low-light video capability with minimal noise, letting filmmakers capture footage where previously impossible or expensive and complex lighting would otherwise be necessary. Users are also able to have full manual control of exposure, and can also adjust the camera’s power aperture setting in live view for an accurate representation of the depth of field in a scene. Whether shooting for depth of field in FX-format mode, or looking for the extra 1.5X telephoto benefits of DX mode, the high resolution sensor of the D800 allows videographers to retain full 1080p HD resolution no matter which mode they choose to best suit the scene. Users are also able to easily compose and check critical HD focus through the 921,000-dot, 3.2-inch LCD monitor with reinforced glass, automatic monitor brightness control, and wide viewing angle.<br />
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For professional and broadcast applications that call for outboard digital recorders or external monitors, users can stream an uncompressed full HD signal directly out of the camera via the HDMI port (8 bit, 4:2:2). This output signal can be ported into a display or digital recording device or routed through a monitor and then to the recording device, eliminating the need for multiple connections. This image can also be simultaneously viewed on both the camera’s LCD and an external monitor, while eliminating on-screen camera status data for streaming purposes. The D800 also includes features concentrated on audio quality, such as a dedicated headphone jack for accurate monitoring of audio levels while recording. Audio output levels can be adjusted with 30 steps for precise audio adjustment and monitoring. The D800 offers high-fidelity audio recording control with audio levels that can be set and monitored on the camera’s LCD screen. A microphone connected via the stereo mic jack can also be adjusted with up to 20 steps of sensitivity for accurate sound reproduction. What’s more, recording can be set to be activated through the shutter button, opening a world of remote applications through the 10-pin accessory terminal.<br />
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<b>Wield Speed and Performance with Astonishing Accuracy</b><br />
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Whether shooting the runway or fast moving wildlife, the enhanced 51-point AF system of the D800 delivers blazing fast AF with tack-sharp results. Nikon has enhanced the Multi-Cam 3500-FX AF sensor module and algorithms to significantly improve low light acquisition, for precise focus to an impressive -2 exposure value (EV). The focus system utilizes 15 cross-type AF sensors for enhanced accuracy, and the system also places an emphasis on the human face, working in conjunction with the Advanced Scene Recognition System to provide accurate face detection even through the optical viewfinder. The camera also utilizes nine cross-type sensors that are fully functional when using compatible NIKKOR lenses and teleconverters with an aperture value up to f/8, which is a great advantage to those who need extreme telephoto focal lengths (single cross type sensor active with TC20E III). For maximum versatility in all shooting situations, whether photographing portraits or static subjects, users are also able to select multiple AF modes, including normal, wide area, face tracking and subject tracking to best suit the scene. <br />
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The D800 delivers upon a professional’s need for maximum speed when it counts. The camera is ready to shoot in 0.12 seconds, and is ready to capture with super-fast AF and response speed. To photograph action in a burst, the camera shoots up to 4 frames per second (fps) in FX mode at full resolution, or up to a speedy 6 fps in DX mode using the optional MB-D12 Battery Pack and compatible battery. Further enhancing the speed of the camera and overall workflow, the D800 utilizes the new USB 3.0 standard for ultra fast transfer speeds. <br />
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<b>Construction and Operability</b><br />
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The body of the D800 is designed to offer a compact form factor and a lightweight body for the utmost versatility. The chassis is constructed of magnesium alloy for maximum durability, and is sealed and gasketed for resistance to dirt and moisture. Users are able to easily compose through the bright optical viewfinder, which offers 100% frame coverage. For storage, the D800 has dual card slots for CF and SD cards, and offers users the ability to record backup, overflow, RAW/JPEG separation, and the additional option of shooting stills to one and video to the other. For high speed recording and transfer, data can be recorded to recent UDMA-7 and SDXC / UHS-1 cards. The shutter has been tested to withstand approximately 200,000 cycles, and the camera also employs sensor cleaning. The D800 also features a built-in flash and is compatible with Nikon’s acclaimed Creative Lighting System, including a built-in Commander mode for controlling wireless Speedlights. <br />
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<b>D800E - Maximum Resolution Unleashed</b><br />
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In addition to the D800, Nikon will also be releasing a supplementary model for those professionals who demand even higher resolution and D-SLR versatility; the D800E. This model treads in medium format territory for studio work or landscape photography when there is no exception to only the highest fidelity and sharpness. This unique alternative model will effectively enhance the resolution characteristics of the 36.3-megapixel CMOS sensor by cancelling the anti-aliasing properties of the OLPF inside the camera. By doing this, light is delivered directly to the photodiodes, yielding an image resulting from the raw light gathering properties of the camera. A color moiré correction tool will also be available within Capture NX2 to enhance the D800E photographer’s workflow. <br />
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<b>Price and Availability</b><br />
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The Nikon D800 will be available in late March for the suggested retail price of $2999.95 The D800E version will be available in mid April 2012 for a suggested retail price of $3,299.95. For more information about these models, NIKKOR lenses and other D-SLR cameras please visit www.nikonusa.com. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Nvnhcq1kTg/TzDBJSXiNHI/AAAAAAAABe4/KEBwSOq5HnI/s1600/D800E_24_120_fronttop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Nvnhcq1kTg/TzDBJSXiNHI/AAAAAAAABe4/KEBwSOq5HnI/s1600/D800E_24_120_fronttop.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nikon D800E, a camera with no low-pass filter for maximum sharpness</td></tr>
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<b>About Nikon</b><br />
<br />
Nikon, At the Heart of the Image™. Nikon Inc. is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance for its award-winning consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Inc. distributes consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, NIKKOR optics, Speedlights and system accessories; Nikon COOLPIX® compact digital cameras; 35mm film SLR cameras; Nikon software products and Nikon sports and recreational optics as well as the new Nikon 1 advanced camera with interchangeable lens system. In 2011, production of NIKKOR lenses surpassed 65 million, creating a new milestone in Nikon’s heritage of superior optics. For more information, dial (800) NIKON-US or visit http://www.nikonusa.com, which links all levels of photographers to the Web's most comprehensive photo learning and sharing communities. Connect with Nikon and other photographers on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nikon and get the latest news and information from Twitter by following @Nikon_USA.</div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-73402813209678212722012-01-13T19:58:00.004-05:002012-01-19T16:49:06.392-05:00Beyond Point-and-Shoot - Learning to Use a Digital SLR or Interchangeable-Lens Camera<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There are two types of new photographers: those satisfied with their low-cost point-and-shoot cameras, and those more enthusiastic photographers who recognize the limitations of low-cost equipment and want to improve their pictures. No longer satisfied with simple snapshots, the enthusiast moves up to a more complex digital camera—one with interchangeable lenses and manual controls—to satisfy their artistic urge.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-16c9qADo4Fk/TxDQn69ez9I/AAAAAAAABZQ/yOh48DeQpoY/s1600/BPS_600px.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933952954/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1933952954&adid=127RDBVKSTPWAEF5EK75&">Preorder from Amazon.com here</a></td></tr>
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<span id="goog_453919846"></span><span id="goog_453919847"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
<br />
Assuming little to no knowledge of photographic terms, techniques, or technology, <i>Beyond Point-And-Shoot</i> is intended to help smooth the transition from photographic newbie to “real” photographer who is experienced, in-control, and passionate about their craft. Author Darrell Young explores various types of interchangeable-lens cameras, focusing on those with larger imaging sensors, such as digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras.<br />
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Learn how to get the most out of your camera’s automatic and semi-automatic exposure modes, as well as how to move beyond those modes and take full, manual control of your camera. Watch your photography improve as you discover how to apply important photographic principles, such as depth of field, white balance, and metering. With this newfound knowledge you’ll move beyond point-and-shoot and begin taking truly great photographs.<br />
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Other topics include:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Camera types and categories </li>
<li>Choosing a camera system: DSLR vs. ILC </li>
<li>Lens types, focal length, angle of view, and filters </li>
<li>Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO sensitivity </li>
<li>Controlling exposure, depth of field, and subject motion </li>
<li>Using scene, auto, semi-auto, and manual exposure modes </li>
<li>Understanding image formats: JPEG, TIFF, and RAW </li>
<li>Using the powerful histogram for better pictures </li>
<li>White balance, color space, and RGB bit-depth</li>
</ul>
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My newest book is planned for release in May 2012. It is available for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933952954/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=cleanimagesco-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1933952954&adid=127RDBVKSTPWAEF5EK75&">pre-order on Amazon.com</a>.<br />
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<i>Keep on capturing time...</i><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
See my Nikon books here:<br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a><br />
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<br /></div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-6707911079320156852011-12-18T11:31:00.003-05:002011-12-18T11:44:59.946-05:00Nikon D7000 – Battery Tips<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This article is an excerpt from <b><i><a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp">Mastering The Nikon D7000</a></i></b>, published by Rocky Nook and NikoniansPress.</span><br />
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Many of us have purchased or received new cameras recently. The Nikon D7000 is certainly one of Nikon's most popular cameras at this time. This article describes the care and feeding of the lithium-ion battery and how to use it in the camera. However, since all Nikon DSLRs use lithium-ion batteries and have similar chargers, menus, and insertion methods, the principles in this article can be applied to virtually any modern Nikon.<br />
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If you’re like me, you’ll open your camera’s box, attach the lens, insert the battery, and take your first picture. Wouldn’t it be a better idea to wait an hour to charge the battery, and only then take the first picture? Sure it would, but I’ve never done that, and I bet you won’t either. Nikon knows this and doesn’t send out new cameras with dead batteries.<br />
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Most of the time the battery is not fully charged, but it has enough power to set the time and date, then take and review a few pictures. Think about it. How would you test a brand new battery? You’d charge it and see if it will hold a charge. Do you think Nikon is in the habit of sending out batteries that are untested? No! So most of the time, you can play with your new camera for at least a few minutes before charging the battery. I’ve purchased nearly every DSLR Nikon has made since 2002, and not one of them has come with a dead battery.<br />
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When my latest camera arrived, the battery was about 68 percent charged. I used the camera for an hour or two before I charged the battery. However, let me mention one important thing. If you insert the battery and its charge is very low, such as below 25 percent, it might be a good idea to go ahead and charge it before shooting and reviewing lots of pictures. You may be able to set the time and date, and test the camera a time or two, but go no further with a seriously low battery.<br />
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Included in the box with the camera is the Nikon Battery Charger MH-25. The battery will only fit on the charger in one direction, as shown in figure 1.1. An orange indicator light on the charger will blink until the battery is fully charged. When the blinking stops and the light stays orange, the battery is ready for use.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ys9S_YP1WtA/Tu4Sh6sw1AI/AAAAAAAABW4/lcOI1nkI4os/s1600/Nikon+D7000+Charger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ys9S_YP1WtA/Tu4Sh6sw1AI/AAAAAAAABW4/lcOI1nkI4os/s400/Nikon+D7000+Charger.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 1.1 – Charging the camera’s battery with the MH-25 charger</span></b></span>
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The D7000 uses a Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery pack. While this type of battery doesn’t develop the memory effects of the old Nickel-Cadmium (NiCad) batteries from years past, there can be a problem if you let them get too low. A Li-ion battery should not be used to complete exhaustion. It has a special protection circuit that will disable the battery if one of the cells goes below a certain key voltage. You’d probably have to run it all the way down and then store it in the camera for a few weeks to actually cause the battery to disable itself. However, a good rule of thumb is this: When your camera’s Li-ion battery gets down to the 25 percent level, please recharge it. I don’t let mine go below 50 percent for any extended use.<br />
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If you can hold yourself back from turning on the camera until after the battery is charged, that would be the optimum situation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pMa928PS0Ik/Tu4THh56dhI/AAAAAAAABXA/UC8matTGHyk/s1600/Nikon+D7000+Insert+Battery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pMa928PS0Ik/Tu4THh56dhI/AAAAAAAABXA/UC8matTGHyk/s1600/Nikon+D7000+Insert+Battery.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 1.2 – Examining and inserting the battery</span></b></span></td></tr>
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Figure 1.2 shows how to insert the battery into your camera. On the left side of the image you can see the battery from the top and bottom. Notice that you insert the battery with the rounded side up and the flat side down. Below the word “Nikon” on the battery’s top is a small, faint arrowhead. Insert the battery in the direction of the little arrow, as shown in figure 1.2.<br />
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In the picture, the little door on the bottom of the camera’s grip is open and the battery is partially inserted in the correct orientation. Push it all the way in until the yellow battery-retention clip snaps into place, and close the Battery-chamber cover (battery door).<br />
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The yellow battery-retention clip holds the battery in place even when the Battery-chamber cover is open. To remove the battery you will need to open the Battery-chamber cover and push the retaining clip toward the door hinge. The battery will pop out when you have done it correctly.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F2qoMQVHkJ8/Tu4TvfyjhqI/AAAAAAAABXI/VLQ8f3iwYYU/s1600/Nikon+D7000+-+Battery+Screens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F2qoMQVHkJ8/Tu4TvfyjhqI/AAAAAAAABXI/VLQ8f3iwYYU/s1600/Nikon+D7000+-+Battery+Screens.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 1.3 – Battery info screen</span></b></span></td></tr>
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Please use only a Nikon brand EN-EL15 battery pack in your camera. This particular battery has a special circuit that talks to the camera and enables the 0–4 Battery age scale shown on the Battery info screen (see figure 1.3). It tells you when a battery has outlived its usefulness and should be disposed of—going beyond just telling you when it’s low on power.<br />
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In figure 1.3, image 2, you can see a picture of the Battery info screen. Notice that it shows the Bat. meter, which gives you the amount of voltage charge or power the battery has left as a percent value. The Pic. meter shows the number of images taken since this battery was last charged and inserted. Finally, the Battery age scale tells about the life of the battery and whether it needs to be replaced. It uses a scale of 0 – 4, or five steps of life. The Battery age scale has nothing to do with the amount of power that the battery currently contains. It shows how much useful life the battery has left until you need to recycle it and buy a new one.<br />
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<b>My Recommendation</b>: A genuine, new Nikon EN-EL15 battery for the D7000 is usually less than $60 USD when purchased online. Why buy a cheap aftermarket battery made who-knows-where and use it to power the circuits of your expensive camera? How can you be sure that a cheap non-Nikon battery even has the correct circuit for Battery info communication? How can you know that the cheap cells won’t short-circuit and burn your camera to a cinder? Li-ion cells are somewhat finicky and require careful manufacture and charging control. Personally, I’ll only trust the real thing—a Nikon brand EN-EL15 battery—to power my expensive camera.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a>
</div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-54495311959139979922011-12-09T00:10:00.000-05:002011-12-13T11:51:29.644-05:00Using a Macro Lens or Closeup Diopter Filters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sometimes you want to get very close to your subject. Maybe you've found a flower that is attractive to you, or a bee taking pollen. Maybe you need to photograph some coins or stamps from your collection for insurance purposes. Any time you need to take a picture up close, you need a macro lens. A macro lens is especially designed for close-up pictures. Most genuine macro lenses are also prime lenses (see previous section) not zoom lenses. They don’t look much different from a regular prime lens except that the internal lens elements are designed in such as way that it is easy to make “life-size” images.<br />
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A true macro lens (figure 1) has a 1:1 ratio, which means it can take a picture of an object and render it in its normal size. A bee on a flower is the same size in the picture as the real bee on a flower. That is hard to do with a zoom lens—or a regular prime lens—because they will not focus close enough.<br />
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Some zoom lenses are advertised as "macro" zoom lenses. Those lenses can focus closer than most zoom lenses but they are not true macro lenses. Most macro zooms are limited to about half-life size or a 1:2 ratio, which means a bee on a flower would only be half its normal size in the picture. You just cannot get close enough with most zoom or regular prime lenses. For maximum close ups only a true macro lens with a 1:1 ratio (lifesize) will do.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Alvh-JSnzoQ/TuEEaKiQuhI/AAAAAAAABVM/B6hk25OfsT4/s1600/MacroLens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Alvh-JSnzoQ/TuEEaKiQuhI/AAAAAAAABVM/B6hk25OfsT4/s1600/MacroLens.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 1 – AF Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 Macro Lens</span></b></td></tr>
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In figure 1 is a picture of a real Nikon macro lens, the AF Nikkor 60mm "Micro Nikkor." Nikon calls their macro lenses by the name <i>Micro Nikkor</i>. Most other lens brands use the word Macro. In figure 2 is a macro image of a compact flash memory card with a couple of SD memory cards lying next to it. Notice how realistic the close up image looks. It is a true macro shot taken with the Nikkor macro lens above.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zaN6gJ48TEA/TuEF6LXTtPI/AAAAAAAABVU/iy5wtgcT8LU/s1600/MacroLensCloseup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zaN6gJ48TEA/TuEF6LXTtPI/AAAAAAAABVU/iy5wtgcT8LU/s1600/MacroLensCloseup.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Figure 2 – A picture taken with the AF Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens</b></span></td></tr>
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Real macro lenses are a bit more expensive than standard prime lenses because they are a specialty prime lens. They have special features to make the picture look its best, such as “flat-field” design, which keeps the edges of the picture from curving in a distracting way. Macro lenses are highly corrected lenses, which mean the lens elements are carefully designed to give maximum quality and lack of aberrations (color shifting or shape warping). They are optimized for up close work. That does not mean you shouldn’t use a macro lens to take a picture of a more distant object, they do fine there too. They are simply made to do their best work at 1:1 distances (extreme close ups).<br />
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For maximum image quality, it is a good idea to use a real macro lens. However, there are substitutes that cost a lot less money. Let’s consider one low cost way to get extreme close up images without the expense of a macro lens, screw-on closeup filters.<br />
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<b>Close Up Diopter Screw-On Macro Filters</b><br />
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The lowest cost way to take close up pictures is to use a set of close up diopter filters on your lens, such as the four pictured in figure 3.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45qIi9mSMT0/TuEGnYnOCWI/AAAAAAAABVc/R850SlMYgLg/s1600/Macro_Filter_Lenses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45qIi9mSMT0/TuEGnYnOCWI/AAAAAAAABVc/R850SlMYgLg/s1600/Macro_Filter_Lenses.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 3 – A set of close up diopter filters for macro shooting on a budget </span></b></td></tr>
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These filters cost only a few bucks online and do a reasonably good job with making extreme close ups. I bought a package of four filters with diopters (magnification factor) running from + 1 to +10 (figure 3).<br />
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These filters simply screw into the front of your prime lens (or zoom lens) and add magnification to the lens. It is sort of the same principle as using a magnifying glass. You screw the filter onto the front of the lens and it magnifies the close-up subject. There are different diopter “powers” in the filter set so that you can increase or decrease the magnification. The main limitation of diopter close-up filters is a very limited amount of focus control and somewhat lower quality images. They are not as convenient to use by any means, in comparison to a true macro lens. However, they do a pretty good job on taking extreme close up pictures and are much lower in cost.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XuYCuQnYC2o/TuEHEfFBQuI/AAAAAAAABVk/SxqZnFJ7cCg/s1600/Macro_Filter_Closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XuYCuQnYC2o/TuEHEfFBQuI/AAAAAAAABVk/SxqZnFJ7cCg/s1600/Macro_Filter_Closeup.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 4 – Same subject as in figure 2 shot with diopter close up filters</span></b></td></tr>
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With a diopter filter on your lens it cannot focus sharply on anything farther away than a few inches; therefore, the filter cannot be left on a lens for any other purpose than shooting the macro shots. While these filters can’t possibly give you the same quality edge to edge as a true macro lens (figure 2.30), they do provide the photographer on a budget with a way to make interesting close up pictures without spending a lot of money. Look on the back of your lens’s cap to see the correct size of filter to buy. The filters must match the screw-in filter size of the lens you will use them with.<br />
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<b>Extension Tubes and Lens Bellows</b><br />
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You can get by without a true macro lens or screw-on filters—by using either<i> extension tubes </i>or a<i> lens bellows</i>. I’m not going into any detail about these two options in this article because they require knowing some advanced techniques, such as stop-down metering (no automatic lens aperture), and how to shoot without your camera’s light meter active. I'll cover these ways of shooting macro in a future article. However, remember that these two alternatives exist and check them out when you feel ready (do a Google search on the terms for info).<br />
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If you are serious about excellent macro photography and can afford to buy an extra lens, get yourself a true macro lens. It is a lot less hassle to use and gives you much better quality.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><div>
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</div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-55721454299717398802011-12-08T12:45:00.000-05:002011-12-13T11:51:41.494-05:00Eye-Fi Pro X2 8GB Wi-Fi SD Card Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Have you ever needed to transfer images to your notebook computer, but had no USB cable with you? Have you ever been shooting an event and thought how nice it would be if your images could quickly show up on a nearby computer? Would you like to shoot in your home studio and have the images go directly to your laptop for processing, with no wires or extra software purchases needed?<br />
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Until recently, there were only a few choices that would allow you to do the things mentioned previously. You could buy a Nikon® WT-4 Wireless Transmitter for about the same cost as a mid-level DSLR camera body. Or, you could plug in an actual wire and hope you don’t trip over it.<br />
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For most of us, wireless (Wi-Fi) image transfers were a pricey proposition—until Eye-Fi® offered a low-cost solution. For a very reasonable price, you can buy an Eye-Fi® wireless memory card for a camera that supports SD/SDHC; such as the Nikon D300S, D7000, D90, D5100, D5000, D3100, and D3000. They are virtually identical to a normal SD card, but allow you limited-distance wireless image transfers directly to a Wi-Fi enabled computer of your choice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y6FNb4daU8E/TkKGPlsDJUI/AAAAAAAAAN0/ie1KQsoRgPA/s1600/Eye-FICard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y6FNb4daU8E/TkKGPlsDJUI/AAAAAAAAAN0/ie1KQsoRgPA/s200/Eye-FICard.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Eye-Fi 8GB Pro X2 Wi-Fi Card for Nikons that can use SD cards</td></tr>
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The Eye-Fi® company makes several SD/SDHC cards with built-in Wi-Fi transmitters. The picture above shows my personal Eye-Fi 8GB Pro X2 high-speed “Class 6” level card (6 MB per second write speed). With an Eye-Fi card inserted, and Eye-Fi software installed on your laptop computer—or any computer connected via a wireless network connection—you can take pictures and they are automatically transferred to the computer.<br />
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Most lower-cost Eye-Fi cards require a local wireless network to transfer the images. However, recently Eye-Fi came out with a card that will do “Ad Hoc” transfers; meaning that they don’t need a wireless network connection via a wireless access point. The Pro X2 card will send pictures directly to a computer with wireless capability with no intermediate network required.<br />
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Eye-FI separates their Ad Hoc transfer capable card(s) under the “Pro” moniker. The other cards have names like Connect X2, Geo X2, and Explore X2. Only the Pro X2 cards can do the “no network required,” direct to notebook computer Ad Hoc file transfers. <br />
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Since memory cards are extremely volatile, price-wise, I’m sure that capacities and card names will change quickly. However, just be aware that only the cards considered pro-level by Eye-Fi will do Ad Hoc transfers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EtBYG5CgFoU/TkKG_9lPbuI/AAAAAAAAAN4/EVfHPJvkxCE/s1600/Inserted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EtBYG5CgFoU/TkKG_9lPbuI/AAAAAAAAAN4/EVfHPJvkxCE/s1600/Inserted.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Eye-Fi card partially inserted into a Nikon D300S's SD slot</td></tr>
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I’ve been using an Eye-Fi card for quite some time and wanted to give you some information on how they work:<br />
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<b>Eye-Fi Card Cost & Availability</b> – According to which card you purchase, Eye-Fi cards cost from $49.95 to $149.95 USD, and are available for purchase at most online camera stores and many brick & mortar stores. <br />
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<b>Memory Capacity</b> – Current Eye-Fi X2 cards are available in 4 and 8 GB memory capacities. Eye-Fi previously made a series of older cards that do not bear the X2 monikor. The standard capacity on the early cards was 2GB. These older cards may not support some of the following Eye-Fi standards. Buy the X2 cards for best functionality!<br />
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<b>Image Transfer Range</b> - Wi-Fi publishes on their website that their cards can transfer images from 50 feet (15.2m) when shooting inside. If you are outside, with nothing between you and the receiving computer, the card can transfer images from up to 90 feet (27.4m) distance. In actual use, I’ve found that while the Eye-Fi card can indeed approach a 50 foot range indoors, the speed drops as you move farther away from the receiving computer. To get the best use out of the card, I would recommend staying within eyesight range of the computer (20-30 feet), and keeping it in the same room, if possible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jji5WXP_tlo/TkKIMHoS6AI/AAAAAAAAAN8/ELCLX-MhjGE/s1600/Pile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jji5WXP_tlo/TkKIMHoS6AI/AAAAAAAAAN8/ELCLX-MhjGE/s1600/Pile.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Eye-Fi is a unique card with a built-in transmitter – It makes your images fly (through the air)</td></tr>
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<b>Card Profile Required</b> - When you set up your card, using included software from Eye-Fi, you create a profile on the card that matches it with a particular computer. It will not transfer images to any other computer except the one that has the proper profile. That’s a good thing! Otherwise, anybody with a wireless device could grab your images as they fly through the air.<br />
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<b>Private Wi-Fi Networks</b> – You’ll need a Wi-Fi network to transfer images for the non-Pro X2 cards. You can configure the card to work under up to 32 specific private Wi-Fi networks. If the networks are security encrypted, you’ll have to know the proper key name/password to use it. You specify these details in the card’s profile for each private Wi-Fi network you often use. When you take pictures and come within range of one of those networks, the camera will automatically begin downloading images to your computer. There is a bit of handshaking with Eye-Fi servers that can take a few minutes sometimes.<br />
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<b>Ad-Hoc Networks</b> – You can configure a “Pro X2” Eye-Fi card (only) to do ad-hoc file transfers. In effect, the Eye-Fi card become a wireless transmitter that can talk directly to a Wi-Fi enabled notebook or desktop computer—without an intervening network. This is a more professional way of doing things, and allows you to take your computer and camera to places where there are no Wi-Fi networks, and still wirelessly transfer images. I configured my notebook computer so that it finds a normal wireless network, when available, so that I can browse the internet. However, even if a wireless network is currently available—an ad-hoc transfer does not use it—and does not interfere with normal internet usage, either. As soon as you turn the camera on with an enabled Eye-Fi card, it makes an Ad Hoc connection to the computer and they shake hands. When you take a picture, the download begins almost immediately. The Ad-Hoc connection is completely separate from normal wireless computer to internet connectivity. Currently, only one card, the Eye-Fi 8GB Pro X2 ($149 USD) will transfer directly to a notebook computer without needing a wireless network as an intermediary. The other cards cost less, but require a wireless network connection to move images.<br />
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<b>Open Wi-Fi Networks</b> – You can specify in the card profile that it is allowed to use open networks freely. If you are in range of an open Wi-Fi network the card will do its job immediately. Lots of places provide free internet connectivity. In fact, with all the people out there using wireless networks without a clue about security, you could probably drive through an average subdivision and transfer your images.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ibVAiXhVNHk/TkKTecMHAxI/AAAAAAAAAOA/FgF1mAsC5aE/s1600/Compared.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ibVAiXhVNHk/TkKTecMHAxI/AAAAAAAAAOA/FgF1mAsC5aE/s1600/Compared.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Eye-Fi card is exactly the same size as a normal SD card</td></tr>
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<b>Hotspot Access Service</b> – Eye-Fi made a deal with AT&T that gives you access to over 21,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in the USA. That means you can upload images at places like Starbucks, Marriott Hotels, and Barnes & Nobles bookstores (being sure to browse the Mastering The Nikon DSLR books from NikoniansPress while there, of course). Eye-Fi Explore X2 and Pro X2 cards come with one year of included hotspot access. The service costs money after the first year. However, it is only $29.99 USD per year, currently. Connect X2 and GEO X2 cards require that you purchase hotspot access initially.<br />
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<b>File Formats (RAW vs. JPEG)</b> – Eye-Fi cards generally work only with JPEG files. However, the new 8GB Pro X2 card now supports both JPEG and NEF (RAW) files. If you shoot mostly in RAW, you’ll need to use a Pro X2 card to transfer your images.<br />
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<b>Endless Memory</b> - The Eye-Fi card offers a mode called “Endless Memory” on their X2 cards. If you activate this mode, the card will intelligently make room when it is nearing capacity. It will remove old images that have been successfully transferred, to allow room for new images. You can shoot endlessly without filling up the card. Would that be convenient—event shooters?<br />
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<b>File-Sharing Websites</b> - If you really want to, you can have the Eye-Fi card transfer images to file sharing services like Flickr®, SmugMug®, Zenfolio®, and facebook®. You can send the images to 25 different file-sharing websites. You can even transfer your videos to YouTube®! This is configured in the card’s profile at setup.<br />
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<b>Network Speeds Supported</b> – The Eye-Fi card can support most of today’s network speed standards. Specifically, they support 802.11b (11 megabits per second), 802.11g (54 megabits per second), and 802.11n (300 megabits per second). I recommend using the fastest speeds you can get! An 802.11b network can be frustratingly slow with large RAW files. In fact, I wouldn’t use an 802.11b network for anything but small JPEG file transfers.<br />
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<b>Camera Battery Life</b> – According to Eye-Fi, when using the Eye-Fi Card to take photos, “a camera’s battery life will not be noticeably shorter than when using a standard SD memory card.” However, when you are actively transferring images to your computer battery usage goes up. Any time you fire up a radio signal, which is what an Eye-Fi card and Wi-Fi network uses, you’ll have significantly larger requirements for power. I heartily recommend having multiple batteries when doing extended shoots with full-time image transfer. Your Nikon DSLR's accessory battery pack would be a great help. The card itself does not drain your batteries excessively during normal picture taking. However, the process of transferring images will have you sending images by radio to a computer, so the battery drain is naturally higher. I would recommend using an Eye-Fi card on 803.11g or 803.11n (54 or 300 MB per second speed) Wi-Fi networks, or you may experience excessive battery drain—merely because it will take significantly longer to transfer the images. In other words, leave 803.11b (11 MB per second speed) networks alone, when possible.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j-WetYfFcaU/TkKUXz43s-I/AAAAAAAAAOE/5QVns1jCkzY/s1600/StandingByNikon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j-WetYfFcaU/TkKUXz43s-I/AAAAAAAAAOE/5QVns1jCkzY/s1600/StandingByNikon.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Eye-Fi card is a great addition to your Nikon armory</td></tr>
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<b>Internal Memory Type</b> – I read a review of an Eye-Fi card where a fellow pulled his apart to see what was inside. His card was using Samsung® memory. This could change at any time, of course.<br />
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<b>Geotagging of Images</b> – If you don’t use a Nikon GP-1 GPS (or other brand) and would like to have latitude and longitude information added to your image’s EXIF metadata, you’ll find Eye-Fi’s geotagging services convenient. Eye-Fi cards do not have built in GPS sensing equipment, so it is not as accurate as a normal GPS unit. Instead of GPS, Eye-Fi uses what’s called the Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS). It works a little like GPS by sensing the positions of surrounding known Wi-Fi networks—even ones that you do not have in your list of approved uploading networks. When you upload your images via the Eye-Fi card wireless transfer, each image has positioning information written to the EXIF header metadata of the image. One problem I can see with this service is that you must be in an area with multiple Wi-Fi networks in order to use geotagging. If you are shooting in the wilds of Africa, Yosemite, or the Great Smoky Mountains you’d best have a real GPS unit. There are no Wi-Fi networks hanging around the wilderness areas. City dwellers should be able to use geotagging with ease. Eye-Fi has partnered with Skyhook Wireless who has mapped millions of geographic coordinates around the world. Skyhook estimates that is has 70% of the populated areas of the USA, Canada, Germany, France, and the UK covered. In other areas of Europe only the top 50 metropolitan areas are covered. The GEO X2, Explore X2, and Pro X2 cards all have free, unlimited, lifetime geotagging included. If you use a lower-priced Eye-Fi card you can buy the geotagging service for $14.99 USD per year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YaEnLFzh2Cs/TkKUtCTM8OI/AAAAAAAAAOI/P03unSSJIQc/s1600/Annotate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YaEnLFzh2Cs/TkKUtCTM8OI/AAAAAAAAAOI/P03unSSJIQc/s1600/Annotate.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eye-Fi cards work with Nikonians.org's Annotate software</td></tr>
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<b>Nikonians® Annotate Expert Software and Eye-Fi Cards</b> – If you’ve used the excellent Nikonians® Annotate Expert software to write annotations on your images for sharing and educational purposes, you may be using the convenient tethered mode. In that mode you connect your camera to your laptop computer and images flow directly into Annotate Expert. Well, things just got even more convenient! The latest version of Annotate Expert now has built-in Eye-Fi functionality. Instead of having to plug your camera into the computer with a wire, you can let your Eye-Fi card handle the uploading wirelessly and Annotate will pull the images in automatically. When you select tethered mode (Ctrl-T), you can choose two new selections from the list of cameras, Eye-Fi JPEG and Eye-Fi RAW. Annotate seamlessly imports the images into its tethered mode window for your immediate use. Bo Stahlbrandt—co-owner of Nikonians.org—reviews Annotate Expert here: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%C2%A0http://www.nikonians.org/resources/reviews/annotate-expert-review-en">http://www.nikonians.org/resources/reviews/annotate-expert-review-en</a><br />
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<b>Should I use an Eye-Fi Card Instead of a Nikon WT-4 Wireless Transmitter?</b> – For a professional living by his images, I would say no. The WT-4 is a very fast, long range transmitter, with multiple modes, designed to let a pro control where when and how his or her images arrive at a receiving computer. Its price reflects its power. The Eye-Fi card is slower and has significantly shorter range. However, it works well with the faster network types, and will provide advanced amateur and semi-pro level functionality. I bet a few pros also have an Eye-Fi card in their bags for an emergency backup.<br />
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<b>Can I Transfer Images Wirelessly to a Non-Wi-Fi Computer?</b> – I’ve not figured out how to do it, yet, although I wish I could. If you figure out how, let me know, please! The whole Eye-Fi process requires either a wireless network, or an Ad Hoc configuration to a computer equipped with wireless capability. I tried installing the Eye-Fi software on my main computer with its wired network; hoping I could transfer the images to the internet, and then have them appear on my internet connected non-wireless computer. Instead, once installed, the Eye-Fi software is completely non-functional. It opens with frustrating blank screens that do nothing. I wish the software would open and say something like “Hey dummy, why are you wasting your time installing me on a non-wireless computer?” I wasted a good half hour fiddling with the software on my non-wireless computer before my brain finally reminded me, “You need a wireless computer for a Wi-Fi connection...duh!”<br />
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<b>Can I use an SD to CF adapter?</b> - Most SD/SDHC compatible cameras can use an Eye-Fi card to transfer pictures wirelessly. Some people use an SD/SDHC to CF card converter and use the Eye-Fi cards in cameras with only a CF port (like the Nikon D300). This may or may not be a successful operation. Here are some comments from Eye-Fi’s website (<a href="http://www.eye.fi/">http://www.eye.fi</a>) on the subject of using the SD/SDHC-based Eye-FI cards in CF converters:<br />
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<i>Eye-Fi does not support the use of SD to CF card adapters with the Eye-Fi Card. Eye-Fi has not tested the Eye-Fi Card in cameras designed to use CF cards and has no explicit knowledge to share about the success of these adapters when used with an Eye-Fi Card. We only support the Eye-Fi Card in cameras designed to use SD or SDHC cards. </i><i>We are aware that many users want the Eye-Fi Card functionality in their CF-based cameras and have opted to use a CF card adapter to get the functionality offered by an Eye-Fi Card. The following list of known issues with CF card adapters is a collection of information gathered directly from customer and blogger descriptions of issues they have experienced. By sharing this information Eye-Fi accepts no responsibility for problems encountered when using the Eye-Fi Card and a CF Card adapter.</i><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><i>Wireless range of the Eye-Fi Card is noticeably reduced.</i></li>
<li><i>Formatting the Eye-Fi Card in a CF adapter has caused the Eye-Fi Card to fail.</i></li>
<li><i>File corruption of photos.</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Eye-Fi Card Advanced Use</b> – If you’re intending to use your Eye-Fi card as a serious wireless device, and have no interest in all the bells and whistles like hotspots, geotagging, uploading to file sharing sites, etc.—you may want to consider the Pro X2 card and disable various features. I’ve found that Eye-Fi’s normal Wi-Fi “Relayed Transfer” is simply too slow for large RAW or JPEG files. You see, when you take a picture with Relayed Transfer enabled the image must flow to Eye-Fi’s servers out there on the internet before being transferred back to your computer. Imagine the time and battery drain involved with files larger than small point-and-shoot’s JPEGs flowing across the internet and then back to your computer. That’s like an upload and download—and we know how long that can take. Relayed Transfer doesn’t work fast enough on a 11-25 megabyte RAW file, yet it’s the default mode for Eye-Fi cards. The best (and quite usable) transfer speed I’ve achieved is by using an Ad Hoc wireless connection directly between the camera and computer with no Relayed Transfer. This makes the image go directly to your computer with no internet flow involved. With this type of setup the Eye-Fi card is pretty fast, and even large RAW files only take a few seconds each to wirelessly upload to your computer. You can disable Relayed Transfer under the Transfer Mode tab of the Eye-Fi software. Unfortunately, when you disable Relayed Transfer, you lose all the neat little things like transferring files while you have a Big Mac® at McDonalds. Instead, in non-relay mode your camera and computer are married and depend on each other for file transfer. As a pro shooter, you’ll find the Eye-Fi card very usable in Ad Hoc non-relayed mode. Only the Pro X2 card allows for Ad Hoc connections, so a professional should consider no less. It’s only $149.99 USD for adding Wi-Fi to your camera.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XpEwSuxTl3g/TkKVQbRxckI/AAAAAAAAAOM/C9FxBw_04LY/s1600/Box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XpEwSuxTl3g/TkKVQbRxckI/AAAAAAAAAOM/C9FxBw_04LY/s1600/Box.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eye-Fi card – The easiest way to backup and share</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>About Eye-Fi </b>- Founded in 2005, Eye-Fi® is dedicated to building products and services that help consumers manage, nurture and share their visual memories. Eye-Fi’s patented and patent-pending technology wirelessly and automatically uploads photos and videos from digital imaging devices, including digital cameras and the iPhone, to online, in-home, and retail destinations. They are headquartered in Mountain View, California, USA. More information is available at www.eye.fi.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<br /></div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-59614499971947904282011-11-30T13:36:00.001-05:002011-12-13T11:51:51.967-05:00Nikon Releases the New SB-910 Speedlight Flash Unit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Nikon has released a brand new Speedlight flash unit, the SB-910. Here is their official press announcement:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">MELVILLE, N.Y. (November 29, 2011) – Today, Nikon Inc. announced the addition of a new flagship speedlight, the powerful and capable SB-910 speedlight. Building on the versatility of Nikon’s Creative Lighting System (CLS), the SB-910 incorporates an enhanced intuitive operating system and graphic user interface (GUI). The SB-910 speedlight comes equipped with a wide zoom range covering the most popular focal lengths as well as FX/DX-format identification that optimizes zoom settings based on the camera body. This new speedlight also provides more efficient battery usage as well as an enhanced Thermal Cut-Out function. [End Press Release]</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xl278bO10xo/TtZ68uAI6SI/AAAAAAAABTY/HRuHc7-cdTQ/s1600/Nikon_SB-910_Speedlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xl278bO10xo/TtZ68uAI6SI/AAAAAAAABTY/HRuHc7-cdTQ/s1600/Nikon_SB-910_Speedlight.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>The new Nikon SB-910 Flash Unit </b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The new SB-910 is an accessory-shoe mounted Speedlight made for both FX and DX format Nikon DSLR cameras. It will work with the COOLPIX P7000 camera also. It has both wireless remote commander and slave unit capabilities with up to four channel (1–4) operation. When used in Commander mode it can control up to three groups (A, B, and C) of an unlimited number of other Nikon speedlight units. It can control remote Speedlights of the following types when used as a commander:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>SB-910</li>
<li>SB-900</li>
<li>SB-700</li>
<li>SB-R200</li>
</ul>
<br />
Any particular group can have any number or mixture of the speedlights in the list. Nikon does not specifically list the SB-800 Speedlight in its specifications, but since the SB-800 is fully CLS compatible, you should expect that the SB-910 can control it too. Nikon calls this "system integration." I call it cool!<br />
<br />
It uses Nikon iTTL (intelligent through-the-lens) metering when used on-camera or in a group of remote slave flashes. This allows the flash to share exposure information with any Nikon camera compatible with Nikon CLS (creative lighting system). It has manual mode with "Power Ratio", three illumination patterns to allow for specific lighting arrangements, and a wide zoom range (17–200mm).<br />
<br />
The controls on the camera have been "strreamlined" by Nikon for easier operation. They added a dedicated Menu button to make it operate more like Nikon DSLRs when accessing the menu system. Here is a look at the back of the SB-910:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CESseD4AtX4/TtZ-Ed0ClPI/AAAAAAAABTg/pOXnTjy_vVs/s1600/Nikon_SB-910_Speedlight_Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CESseD4AtX4/TtZ-Ed0ClPI/AAAAAAAABTg/pOXnTjy_vVs/s1600/Nikon_SB-910_Speedlight_Back.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nikon SB-910 back, showing the streamlined controls</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Nikon has "improved" the thermal cutout protection on this flash. If you recall, when the older flagship SB-900 flash was released, there was a great outcry about the flash unit "overheating" and shutting down at inopportune moments. The SB-910 changes how the flash reacts to high-heat situations. Instead of cutting off the flash when it gets hot, the flash merely slows down recycling time to prevent overheating. Sounds like a good idea to me, as long as it is not too overenthusiastic in preventing minor overheating.<br />
<br />
Some have complained about Nikon flash filters fading or wearing out. Nikon has solved that issue by creating two "hard" color-correction filters specifically for the SB-910 Speedlight: the <i>SZ-2TN Incandescent Filter </i>and the <i>SZ-2FL Fluorescent Filter</i>. Both snap on like the diffusion dome. They should be easier to use and last longer in high-volume usage environments. Also, here is a look at the new SJ-3 regular filter set for the SB-910 Speedlight:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aSxgS8o8dOI/TtaBMZJr5II/AAAAAAAABTo/92kELPI7Lhk/s1600/Nikon+SB-910+Filter+Pack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aSxgS8o8dOI/TtaBMZJr5II/AAAAAAAABTo/92kELPI7Lhk/s1600/Nikon+SB-910+Filter+Pack.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nikon SJ-3 Color filter set for the Nikon SB-910 Speedlight</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The SJ-3 Color Filter Set allows you to modify the SB-900 Speedlight flash output to match the lighting of the background scene when shooting under fluorescent or incandescent lighting. It includes eight colors: FL-G1 (fluorescent), TN-A2 (incandescent), Blue, Yellow, Red, and Amber. There are a total of 20 filters in the set.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Additional accessories include (see: <a href="http://bit.ly/vd0aTm">http://bit.ly/vd0aTm</a>) : </div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>SU-4 Wireless Remote TTL Flash Controller (US$120)</li>
<li>SC-28 and SC-29 Coiled Remote Cords (US$81 and US$112)</li>
<li>SW-13H Diffusion Dome (US$16.50)</li>
<li>AS-21 Speedlight Stand (US$9.50)</li>
<li>SZ-2 Color Filter Holder (US$13)</li>
<li>WG-AS1, WG-AS2, WG-AS3 Water Guards (US$35.50 each)</li>
<li>SS-910 Soft Case (US$36.50)</li>
<li>SZ-2TN Incandescent Filter (Snaps on like a diffusion dome for US$11.95)</li>
<li>SZ-2FL Fluorescent Filter (Snaps on like a diffusion dome for US$11.95)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<br />
Of the above mentioned accessories, these are included in the box with the SB-910:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>AS-21 Speedlight Stand</li>
<li>SW-13H Nikon Diffusion Dome</li>
<li>SZ-2FL Fluorescent Filter</li>
<li>SZ-2TN Incandescent Filter</li>
<li>SS-910 Soft Case</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Technical Specifications</span></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Commander Function</i></b>: </div>
<div>
Yes</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Remote Function</i></b>: </div>
<div>
Yes</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Guide Number</i></b>:</div>
<div>
34 m/111.5 ft. (at ISO 100, 35mm zoom head position, in FX format, standard illumination pattern, 20°C/68°F) to 48 m/157.5 ft. (at ISO 200, 35mm zoom head position, in FX format, standard illumination pattern, 20°C/68°F)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Electronic Construction</i></b>:</div>
<div>
Automatic Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) and series circuitry</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Flash Exposure Control</i></b>: </div>
<div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Distance-priority manual flash</li>
<li>i-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash with CLS compatible cameras</li>
<li>Manual Flash (with Nikon Creative Lighting System digital and 35mm SLR cameras) </li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><i>Lens Coverage</i></b>:</div>
<div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>8 to 11mm (DX-format, Automatic mode with built-in wide-angle panel deployed)</li>
<li>12 to 17mm (FX-format, Automatic mode with built-in wide-angle panel deployed)</li>
<li>12 to 200mm (DX-format, Automatic mode)</li>
<li>17 to 200mm (FX-format, Automatic mode)</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><i>Illumination Pattern</i></b>:</div>
<div>
The light distribution angle is automatically adjusted to the camera's image area in both FX and DX formats:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Standard</li>
<li>Even</li>
<li>Center-weighted</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<i><b>Other Available Functions</b></i><strong>: </strong></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Test Firing</li>
<li>Monitor Pre-flashes</li>
<li>AF-assist illumination for multi-point AF</li>
<li>Modeling illuminator</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<strong><i>Bounce Function (Tilt)</i>: </strong></div>
<div>
Flash head tilts down to 7° or up to 90° with click-stops at -7°, 0°, 45°, 60°, 75°, 90°.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<strong><i>Bounce Function (Rotate)</i>: </strong></div>
<div>
Flash head rotates horizontally 180° to the left and right with click-stops at 0°, 30°, 60°, 75°, 90°, 120°, 150°, 180°</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<strong><i>Minimum Recycling Time</i>: </strong></div>
<div>
<div class="left_spec">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div class="right_spec">
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>2.3 sec. (approx.) with Ni-MH (2600 mAh) batteries</li>
<li>3.0 sec. (approx.) with Oxyride™ (1.5V) batteries</li>
<li>4.0 sec. (approx.) with Alkaline-manganese (1.5V) batteries</li>
<li>4.5 sec. (approx.) with Lithium (1.5V) batteries</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<strong><i>Flash Duration</i>: </strong></div>
<div>
<div class="left_spec">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div class="right_spec">
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1/880 sec. at M 1/1 (full) output</li>
<li>1/1100 sec. at M 1/2 output</li>
<li>1/2550 sec. at M 1/4 output</li>
<li>1/5000 sec. at M 1/8 output</li>
<li>1/10000 sec. at M 1/16 output</li>
<li>1/20000 sec. at M 1/32 output</li>
<li>1/35700 sec. at M 1/64 output</li>
<li>1/38500 sec. at M 1/128 output</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><i>Required Power Source</i>:</b></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Four 1.2V Ni-MH (AA-size) batteries</li>
<li>Four 1.5V Alkaline-manganese (AA-size) batteries</li>
<li>Four 1.5V Lithium (AA-size) batteries</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b><i>Optional Power Supplies</i>:</b><strong> </strong></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>SK-6 Power Bracket Unit, SD-9 High-Performance Battery Pack</li>
<li>SD-8A High-Performance Battery Pack</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<strong><i>Flash-ready Indicator</i>: </strong></div>
<div>
<div class="left_spec">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div class="right_spec">
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Rear
and Front lights blink: Insufficient light for correct exposure (in
i-TTL, Auto Aperture flash, Non-TTL Auto flash, or Distance-priority
manual flash operations).</li>
<li>Rear lights up and Front blinks: recycled and ready to fire.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><i>Ready Light</i></b>: </div>
<div>
Front</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><b>Flash Compensation</b></i><strong>:</strong></div>
–3.0
EV to +3.0 EV in increments of 1/3 steps in i-TTL auto flash, Auto
Aperture flash, Non-TTL auto flash and Distance-priority manual flash
modes<br />
<div class="right_spec">
<br /></div>
<div class="right_spec">
<strong><i>Custom Settings</i>: </strong></div>
<div class="right_spec">
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>AF-Assist Illumination</li>
<li>Modeling Illuminator</li>
<li>Monitor pre-flashes</li>
<li>Test firing</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="right_spec">
<strong><i>Minimum Number of Flashes / Recycling Time</i>: </strong></div>
<div class="right_spec">
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>110/4.0 – 30 sec. (1.5V Alkaline-manganese)</li>
<li>125/3.0 –30 sec. (1.5V Oxyride™)</li>
<li>165/2.3–30 sec. (Ni-MH (eneloop))</li>
<li>190/2.3–30 sec. (2600mAh Ni-MH)</li>
<li>230/4.5–120 sec. (1.5V Lithium)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="right_spec">
<strong><i>Wireless Flash Modes</i>:</strong></div>
<div class="right_spec">
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Master</li>
<li>Master (RPT)</li>
<li>Off</li>
<li>Remote</li>
<li>SU-4</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
<strong><i>Wireless Communication Channels</i>: </strong><br />
Four: 1, 2, 3 and 4 Channels<br />
<br />
<strong><i>Wireless Groups</i>: </strong><br />
Three: A, B and C<br />
<br />
<strong><i>Other Functions</i>: </strong><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Firmware update</li>
<li>ISO sensitivity setting</li>
<li>Key lock</li>
<li>Recalling the underexposure value in the TTL auto flash mode</li>
<li>Resetting the settings</li>
<li>Improved Thermal Cut-out</li>
</ul>
<br />
<strong><i>Dimensions</i>: </strong><br />
3.1 x 5.7 x 4.4 in. (78.5 x 145 x 113mm)<br />
<div class="right_spec">
<br /></div>
<div class="right_spec">
<strong><i>Weight (Approx. without batteries)</i>: </strong></div>
14.8 oz. (420g)<br />
<br />
<strong><i>Supplied Accessories</i>: </strong><br />
<div class="right_spec">
<ul>
<li>AS-21 Speedlight Stand</li>
<li>SW-13H Nikon Diffusion Dome</li>
<li>SZ-2FL Fluorescent Filter</li>
<li>SZ-2TN Incandescent Filter</li>
<li>SS-910 Soft Case</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Summary</span></b><br />
<br />
The SB-910 is Nikon's new flagship Speedlight Flash Unit. It is going to sell in the US$500+ range, with a suggested retail price of US$549.95. With Nikon's new minimum pricing structure, I wouldn't expect a lot of discounting. Here is a link to Amazon.com for the <a href="http://amzn.to/usSgKg">Nikon SB-910 Speedlight Flash Unit</a>. Support this blog by buying from my link, please (<a href="http://amzn.to/usSgKg">http://amzn.to/usSgKg</a>). It is currently listed at US$549.00.<br />
<br />
The Nikon SB-900 and SB-800 should now drop in price as the market is flooded with older flash units, so those wanting a more powerful flash unit can look into the new SB-910 or find a good used SB-900 or SB-800. The SB-900 is going to remain available as new stock, at least until stock runs out.<br />
<br />
You can view sample photos created with the Nikon SB-910 at the following website (case sensitive): <a href="http://bit.ly/tuXbzq">http://bit.ly/tuXbzq</a><br />
<br />
We have an excellent choice of Speedlights available for our Nikons. Now is the time to get a new flash unit for yourself. Check out the new flagship SB-910, or find a less costly unit. Either way, why use anything but a Nikon flash unit on your Nikon camera?<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-8948736148509854332011-11-25T00:00:00.000-05:002011-12-13T11:52:03.898-05:00PhotoPlus Expo 2011 and New York City<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
During the recent PhotoPlus Expo in New York I was privileged to spend three days with Jorg Muhle and Julian Buhler of Germany; and Devon Bell of California. My publishing company, Rocky Nook of California, had a booth at the Expo and I had the privilege of being one of the hosts.<br />
<br />
The booth presented <i><b>Rocky Nook's</b></i> <a href="http://www.rockynook.com/">books for photographers</a>, <i><b>Seenby.com's</b></i> <a href="http://www.seenby.com/">Fine Art Photography</a>, and <i><b>c't Digital Photography</b></i> <a href="http://www.ct-digiphoto.com/">magazine</a>, which Rocky Nook is co-publishing. Here's a picture of the crew in our booth at the Expo:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gp9nt7rCrz8/Ts53MOqnbGI/AAAAAAAABOc/kC-dWIVwMos/s1600/_1BY1935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gp9nt7rCrz8/Ts53MOqnbGI/AAAAAAAABOc/kC-dWIVwMos/s1600/_1BY1935.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Left to right</i>: Darrell Young, Jorg Muhle, Devon Bell (and baby), Julian Buhler</b> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Since this blog is about both the PhotoPlus Expo and New York, I'd like to discuss a couple of favorite companies of mine in the early part of this blog (part 1) and later show you some pictures from two enthusiastic Nikon photographers—my wife and I—as we experience the fast times of New York with our cameras up to our eye (part 2).<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Part 1 – PhotoPlus Expo 2011</span></b><br />
<br />
There were a lot of people at the Expo and hundreds stopped by our booth to get discount coupons for Rocky Nook books (including mine), Seenby.com's Fine Art Photography, and to see the newly introduce c't Digital Photography Magazine. I had the opportunity to meet several readers of my <a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp">Mastering the Nikon DSLR</a> books, which I thoroughly enjoyed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5I0B3Iycyjs/Ts6UANys09I/AAAAAAAABQs/Np00HPREjTU/s1600/_1BY1926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5I0B3Iycyjs/Ts6UANys09I/AAAAAAAABQs/Np00HPREjTU/s1600/_1BY1926.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Darrell and Brenda Young at the PhotoPlus Expo Booth</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XCfijRuCAOo/Ts6XCGc3k6I/AAAAAAAABQ0/gTQqeAgYwv4/s1600/_1BY1985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XCfijRuCAOo/Ts6XCGc3k6I/AAAAAAAABQ0/gTQqeAgYwv4/s1600/_1BY1985.JPG" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Left to right</i>: Brad Berger of <a href="http://www.berger-bros.com/">Berger-bros.com</a>, Hendric Schneider of <a href="http://www.nikonians.org/">Nikonians.org</a>, Jorg Muhle and Julian Buhler of <a href="http://www.ct-digiphoto.com/">c't Digital Photography Magazine</a></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tva70IJORvw/Ts6X5QRgV5I/AAAAAAAABQ8/z82Sby8NOBM/s1600/_1BY1984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tva70IJORvw/Ts6X5QRgV5I/AAAAAAAABQ8/z82Sby8NOBM/s1600/_1BY1984.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Darrell Young and Brad Berger of <i><a href="http://www.berger-bros.com/">Berger Bros Digital Photography & Video</a> </i></b></td></tr>
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<br />
I was pleased to meet Hendric Schneider of <a href="http://www.nikonians.org/" style="text-align: left;">Nikonians.org</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left;"> and Brad Berger of </span><a href="http://www.berger-bros.com/" style="text-align: left;">Berger Bros Digital Photography & Video</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left;"> of Long Island. I have spoken to these friends on the phone but was especially glad to see them in person. I buy all my <a href="http://www.berger-bros.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SEARCH&q=Nikon+DSLR&x=8&y=10">Nikon cameras and accessories</a> from Brad Berger, so he made a special trip to meet me when he heard I was going to be at the Expo.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Each morning of the Expo hundreds of people assembled just outside the main entrance. As soon as they dropped the rope the mad rush began:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ahH_h5QQ1iE/Ts8QNOUyQ2I/AAAAAAAABRc/ViRlse_1H1M/s1600/_1BY1936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ahH_h5QQ1iE/Ts8QNOUyQ2I/AAAAAAAABRc/ViRlse_1H1M/s1600/_1BY1936.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Attendees waiting patiently for the rope barrier to be removed.</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tl3XtFj9Y1s/Ts8QOgevzGI/AAAAAAAABRk/wkfSDl42H7c/s1600/_1BY1942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tl3XtFj9Y1s/Ts8QOgevzGI/AAAAAAAABRk/wkfSDl42H7c/s1600/_1BY1942.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Here they come! See all the new Nikon bags, ready to collect goodies?</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-POjWxSTnfRM/Ts6bDCpqz4I/AAAAAAAABRE/kEQ6SuRtjZk/s1600/_1BY1950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-POjWxSTnfRM/Ts6bDCpqz4I/AAAAAAAABRE/kEQ6SuRtjZk/s1600/_1BY1950.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Nikon booth was very popular</b></td></tr>
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People lined up all day long at the Nikon booth to see presentations and experiment with all the current Nikon DSLRs, Nikkor lenses, and the new J1 and V1 ILC cameras. It was gratifying to see all the interest in Nikon.We had a great vantage point being just across the hall from Nikon's huge area.<br />
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Nikon didn't release any new DSLRs at the Expo, although I can understand why due to the massive flooding in Thailand and recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Nikon did have up for display their new Nikon 1 (J1 and V1) Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILC). I recently <a href="http://darrellyoung.blogspot.com/2011/09/nikon-releases-two-new-ilc-cameras-s1.html">blogged about this new line here</a>. Although not DSLRs the new Nikons are an exciting addition to the line for Nikon shooters. The cameras are small, high quality, and have interchangeable lenses. They ought to make excellent party and vacation cameras for those times when you don't want to carry a larger DSLR.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2xQP1UECOJk/Ts8aPnHUZ5I/AAAAAAAABRs/KbIb-H2gHkw/s1600/_1BY1972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2xQP1UECOJk/Ts8aPnHUZ5I/AAAAAAAABRs/KbIb-H2gHkw/s1600/_1BY1972.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Devon Bell and Brenda Young prepare the Nikon bag full of hundreds of entries for the Rocky Nook and c't Digital Photography sweepstakes drawing. Expo attendees wait in hopes they will be the winner. (You didn't have to be present to win.)</b></td></tr>
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Rocky Nook and c't' Digital Photography held a drawing on Saturday at noon for some nice items. Here is the winner announcement from c't' Digital Photography's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ctdigiphoto">Facebook page</a>:<br />
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"<i>Congratulations to B. Carmine, the winner of the Sigma Corporation of America 50mm lens and Lowepro Pro Runner 200 backpack as well as other goodies from Rocky Nook, Seen.by photography, and c't Digital Photography</i>."<br />
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Overall, PhotoPlus Expo 2011 was a great success and a really good time for all involved. I can't wait until next year!<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Rocky Nook Publishing Company</span></b><br />
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Rocky Nook's books are very popular with photographers. They are very high quality in print, and many come in eBook formats too. The authors publishing with Rocky Nook are some of the best and most experienced authors and photographers around.<br />
<br />
I've been writing for Rocky Nook since my first book, <i>Mastering the Nikon D300</i>, was released in October 2008. The company is rare in its concern for both authors and readers, in my opinion. The <a href="http://www.rockynook.com/contact_email.php?dp=0">staff</a> at Rocky Nook—including Joan Dixon, Managing Editor; Gerhard Rossbach, Publisher and CEO; and Devon Bell, Sales and Marketing Manager—are all exceptional people.<br />
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My experience with the company has been a pleasurable one. If you really want to learn the deep techniques of excellent photography, buy a few Rocky Nook books. Download their 2011 catalog (PDF), and from the subject matter you'll see what I mean:<br />
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<a href="http://www.rockynook.com/infoservice_catalog.php">http://www.rockynook.com/infoservice_catalog.php</a><br />
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The visitors at the Rocky Nook booth were many and varied and, in addition to the Rocky Nook books, seemed especially interested in c't Digital Photography magazine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aEY0TbWmk9A/Ts8ONkR0AtI/AAAAAAAABRU/rrOwK79JtIU/s1600/_1BY1845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aEY0TbWmk9A/Ts8ONkR0AtI/AAAAAAAABRU/rrOwK79JtIU/s1600/_1BY1845.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Devon Bell discusses c't Digital Photography magazine with an Expo attendee</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dbZmd4ICsgw/Ts6bK78tsTI/AAAAAAAABRM/iDKdGlHZixI/s1600/_1BY1842_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dbZmd4ICsgw/Ts6bK78tsTI/AAAAAAAABRM/iDKdGlHZixI/s1600/_1BY1842_01.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A local New Yorker examining a c't Digital Photography Magazine. Many people subscribed on the spot!</b></td></tr>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">c't Digital Photography Magazine</span></b><br />
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Let me tell you about the new <b>c't Digital Photography</b> magazine. They are a quarterly German magazine brought over to English, new to the USA, and somewhat different from most American magazines. You are familiar with the German attention to detail, I am sure, and the magazine is no different from other fine German creations. It is a physically larger magazine than most, along the size of the photography magazines from the UK. It is also much thicker than most magazines, with extremely in-depth articles. For instance, the article on 3D photography in the 5th issue goes out to 35 pages, with several sections. In fact, the magazine averages about 20 pages per article, which is unheard of in American mags.<br />
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When you sit down to read c't' Digital Photography you'll feel more like you are reading a book. That's been my experience, and I'm totally hooked. I am keeping each magazine on a shelf, sort of like a reference book. It costs a little more than many American magazines at US$14.95 per issue, but there is so much more reading material that I would dare say that one issue of c't Digital Photography magazine is equivalent to three or four issues of most American magazines.<br />
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Each issue of the magazine comes with a DVD including video tutorials, software, and sample photographs. Here's a PDF file showing the <a href="http://www.ct-digiphoto.com/downloads/61/7/3/4/4/8/4/DP-6_DVD_Highlights.pdf">contents of the DVD</a> from issue six, which includes a complete eBook copy of Torsten Andreas Hoffmann's new Rocky Nook book <i><a href="http://www.rockynook.com/book/233/the-art-of-black-and-white-photography%2C-2nd-edition.html">The Art of Black and White Photography</a></i>, not even released until January 2012 (a US$44.95 value). The DVD by itself is worth the subscription price!<br />
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<img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zGii5p-IVtY/Ts5rvGAf-wI/AAAAAAAABN0/nnw4BMeb5DU/s1600/CT-DIGITAL_PHOTOGRAPHY%252BMAG.jpg" /></div>
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This is no light weight, advertising filled, fluff magazine that is encouraging you to feel good about the latest camera release (buy, buy, buy!). Instead, it is designed to actually teach enthusiast photographers several new things in each issue. In fact, it is billed as an "<i>in-depth quarterly for the photo enthusiast</i>." I heartily agree! I just got an email from Devon Bell about a special subscription offer for the magazine, good until December 31, 2011 (I get no commission). Here's what she wrote:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Subscribe now through December 31st and get a <i>5th issue free</i> - a savings of over 30% off the newsstand price! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Please enter Offer Code <b>1104DD05</b> in "Comments" field of the online order form to receive your 5th issue. The Comments fields is found at the bottom of the order form here: </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.ct-digiphoto.com/subscription/">https://www.ct-digiphoto.com/subscription/</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Subscriptions are $49.95, with 4 Issues per Year – </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Offer Expires 12/31/11</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Learn more about c't Digital Photography by visiting them at <a href="http://www.ct-digiphoto.com/">www.ct-digiphoto.com</a> or joining them on Facebook or Twitter:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/ctdigiphoto"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">www.facebook.com/ctdigiphoto</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/ctDigiPhoto"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">www.twitter.com/ctDigiPhoto</span></a><br />
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I highly recommend <i>c't Digital Photography Magazine</i> to my enthusiastic photography friends. Its value exceeds the cost of the subscription. You'll prize each issue like a book and keep them for future reference.<br />
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<b>Special note</b>: I need your help! I really want to see<i> c't Digital Photography Magazine</i> survive and thrive here in the USA. Subscribe, or at least pick up a copy on the newsstand. If you like it (I know you will), please let other photographers know about the magazine. Word of mouth means a lot for the success of a new magazine. Will you help spread the word, please? As photographers with Facebook, Google+, and blog accounts, we are a force to be reckoned with. Please help me take this viral. Thanks!<br />
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<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Part 2 – Touring the Big Apple</span></b><br />
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Moving on to some experiences with the incredible New York City. My wife, Brenda, and I enjoyed Wednesday October 26th and Sunday, October 30, 2011 in the Big Apple. We traveled around New York on the subway and had some great experiences.<br />
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Here is the camera equipment we were carrying for the New York excursion. Brenda packed light, I had a lens in each coat pocket to keep from attracting any attention to myself with a camera bag:<br />
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<b>Darrell</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Nikon D300S body</li>
<li>AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens</li>
<li>AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens (<a href="http://darrellyoung.blogspot.com/2011/09/pictorial-review-of-af-s-nikkor-50mm.html">Read my review of this lens here</a>)</li>
<li>Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX lens</li>
<li>32 gig memory card and spares</li>
</ul>
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<div>
<b>Brenda </b></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Nikon D7000 body</li>
<li>AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens</li>
<li>Nikon SB-400 flash unit</li>
<li>32 gig memory card and spares</li>
</ul>
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Our first stop in Manhattan was the World Trade Center site and the new enormous World Trade Center buildings. Here is a picture of them under construction. They are standing in the original locations of the former Trade Center buildings:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X5-yimytkzE/Ts5xetQctSI/AAAAAAAABN8/W2ba0vBjAdM/s1600/_2DY4830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X5-yimytkzE/Ts5xetQctSI/AAAAAAAABN8/W2ba0vBjAdM/s1600/_2DY4830.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">World Trade Center Buildings under construction on October 30, 2011</span></b></td></tr>
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If you want to visit the actual Trade Center Site you must arrive early or schedule in advance. They only allow a limited number of people on the site each day. You can get more information about visiting the World Trade Center site here: <a href="http://www.wtc.com/">http://www.wtc.com/</a>.<br />
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Here are a couple of pictures of the World Trade Center Memorial Center on 20th Avenue with one of the new buildings in the background and inside the memorial center:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GsAtwAnyyQA/Ts50SQez8rI/AAAAAAAABOE/VgdCF4u9VDs/s1600/_2DY4845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GsAtwAnyyQA/Ts50SQez8rI/AAAAAAAABOE/VgdCF4u9VDs/s1600/_2DY4845.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The World Trade Center Memorial Preview Site on 20th Avenue in New York with one of the new Trade Center buildings in the background.</b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--aAuXCmBJoA/Ts50nKY5jGI/AAAAAAAABOM/f0ixTTrQvfY/s1600/_2DY4856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--aAuXCmBJoA/Ts50nKY5jGI/AAAAAAAABOM/f0ixTTrQvfY/s1600/_2DY4856.JPG" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Inside the World Trade Center Memorial Preview Site on 20th Avenue</b></td></tr>
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I saw something inside the memorial center that was quite humbling to me. They have a piece of one of the beams from one of the towers that fell. It is warped and twisted like molding clay from the intense heat and pressure:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mZOnmWwg0FE/Ts51IcxCdqI/AAAAAAAABOU/gEXJ_GKe6GU/s1600/_2DY4875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mZOnmWwg0FE/Ts51IcxCdqI/AAAAAAAABOU/gEXJ_GKe6GU/s1600/_2DY4875.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A piece of a supporting beam from one of the collapsed World Trade Center buildings. It is warped by the heat and pressure of the collapse. Very humbling when you realize what this beam represents.</b></td></tr>
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<b>New York Subway</b><br />
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My wife and I had never ridden the subway before and it was quite an experience. Sort of like riding on a flat roller coaster with very fast starts and stops that will knock you down if you are not prepared. I now understand why the subway cars have hand rails all over the place. You need them!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-guUCEYWNq8w/Ts572Sb-vqI/AAAAAAAABOk/PfFGEVqQGgM/s1600/_2DY5044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-guUCEYWNq8w/Ts572Sb-vqI/AAAAAAAABOk/PfFGEVqQGgM/s1600/_2DY5044.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>11-year old subway dancer makes $200 per day</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Here is a young lad that we met on the subway. He waited till the cars were rolling, whipped out a boom box, and proceeded to lay some cool Michael Jackson dance moves on us. Of course, everybody in the vicinity added a dollar bill to his cap afterward. We asked him how much he makes per day and he said, "about $200." Not bad for an 11-year old! My wife asked him about school and he said his mom won't let him subway dance unless he is regular at school. His brother makes about $300 per day doing something similar on the subway. New York natives!<br />
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We learned all kinds of cool terminology that New Yorkers must know, such as "Uptown, Midtown, Downtown, what a borough is, and how to figure which subway train to take." We found out that if you stand around looking dumbly at the signs saying A,B,C, 1,2,3 that New Yorkers ignore you soundly but other tourists walk up and ask if you know how to interpret the signs. You can tell the tourists by their open maps and confused faces. After a few trips uptown and downtown, we got the hang of how things worked and lost our fear of being trapped forever on a moving subway train going who knows where. If confused, take the A train, it'll get you somewhere eventually!<br />
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<b>Central Park</b><br />
<br />
We next toured Central Park only to find that the snow storm from the night before had done some major damage to the trees. I heard there were over 1000 big limbs down in the park. Trees and branches were down everywhere from the high winds and heavy, wet snow.<br />
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Here's a picture of the Maine Monument at the entrance of Central park near West 59th street. This monument was created for 260 mariners that lost their lives in the harbor of Havana, Cuba on February 15, 1898. Their battleship exploded and sank. Spain declared war on the USA in April of 1898:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e4b45rKVrTA/Ts5_ONifUMI/AAAAAAAABO8/Vp207U9VUIA/s1600/_2DY4945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e4b45rKVrTA/Ts5_ONifUMI/AAAAAAAABO8/Vp207U9VUIA/s1600/_2DY4945.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Maine Monument. The gold sculpture on top was cast from the metal of the Main battleship that sank in 1898 killing 260 mariners. This monument was built from donations over a period of time, including lots of pennies from school children.</b></td></tr>
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Read the story of the Main Monument and the events surrounding the sinking of the Maine Battleship at this website:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/south-end/maine-monument.html">http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/south-end/maine-monument.html</a><br />
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We strolled around the partially snow covered grounds of the park. Here is my wife Brenda, with her trusty Nikon D7000 on the famous Pine Bank Arch cast-iron bridge you see in nearly every TV show and movie shot in Central Park:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Pine Bank Arch cast-iron bridge in Central Park, notice the tree on the left is down across one end of the bridge. We had to climb through the tree to get on the bridge. Brenda is in the middle for this picture.</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Brenda with her Nikon D7000 in Central Park on the famous bridge</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Central Park with downed tree limbs all around</b></td></tr>
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<b>Staten Island Ferry</b><br />
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After leaving Central Park, we headed back down the subway (downtown) to take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry and get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. Here are a few shots of the ferry ride. It was windy and fun!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Entrance to the Staten Island Ferry</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W141hkrwiwE/Ts6DdojGICI/AAAAAAAABPU/hQ9QZp8zUXA/s1600/_2DY5082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W141hkrwiwE/Ts6DdojGICI/AAAAAAAABPU/hQ9QZp8zUXA/s1600/_2DY5082.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Looking back at the end of Manhattan Island from the outside deck of the Staten Island Ferry</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>One of the Staten Island ferry boats returning on its round trip from the island to Manhattan. Two ships passing at sunset.</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry at sunset</b></td></tr>
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<b>Times Square</b><br />
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Next on our tour is the world-renowned Times Square. It's a place of people, noise, movement, and lights; especially at night! As Tennessee hillbillies (Jed Clampett and I are cousins), we just stood around with our mouths hanging open looking at all the lights. People never stop on the square, 24-hours per day. Weather doesn't matter either. New York and Times Square never sleeps! Look at these pictures and a four minute video I shot with my Nikon D300S:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Brenda and her D7000 at Times Square. There is no need for flash here at night, except for a little fill!</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rY7LsZu5cZA/Ts6Gj2JY0aI/AAAAAAAABP0/bWIQYUKIUms/s1600/_2DY4555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rY7LsZu5cZA/Ts6Gj2JY0aI/AAAAAAAABP0/bWIQYUKIUms/s1600/_2DY4555.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cars and people and bicycle buggies, all night long!</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Time Square and New York Never Sleeps!</b></td></tr>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nf48V82IEVg" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>My Nikon D300S Video of Times Square at night on YouTube (Kindle Touch and Keyboard viewers do not show this video. See it here: <a href="http://youtu.be/nf48V82IEVg">http://youtu.be/nf48V82IEVg</a> online instead)</b></span></div>
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<b>Empire State Building</b><br />
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Our final event before leaving New York was a trip up the Empire State Building. You can go up to the observation deck on the 86th floor at a cost of US$22 adults and US$15 children. For an additional US$15 you can go even higher to a deck on the 102 floor. Brenda and I dutifully paid our US$44 to go see the sights from on high. We were hearded like cattle around and around, back and forth, floor after floor, multiple elevator rides, metal detector, empty your pockets and remove your belt, x-ray machine of your items in baskets, explain the lenses in your coat pocket, and finally to the 86th floor. Whew! However, the trip was worth it once we got there. Here are a few pictures and a video to see what I mean!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1nFvA-N7Etc/Ts6MDIWM6mI/AAAAAAAABQk/0RNl-zI4e_k/s1600/_2DY4733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1nFvA-N7Etc/Ts6MDIWM6mI/AAAAAAAABQk/0RNl-zI4e_k/s1600/_2DY4733.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Empire State Building in New York City</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dzrrRj6az_8/Ts6KgEynxSI/AAAAAAAABQU/amGlzAEDtGE/s1600/2DY5431+-+New+York+City+at+Night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dzrrRj6az_8/Ts6KgEynxSI/AAAAAAAABQU/amGlzAEDtGE/s1600/2DY5431+-+New+York+City+at+Night.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nikon D300S and AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR lens handheld shot from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building at Night</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w4wxUkV3KjY/Ts6KhCxpRsI/AAAAAAAABQc/id5a1J9YqsQ/s1600/2DY5438+-+New+York+City+at+Night+Chrysler+Bldg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w4wxUkV3KjY/Ts6KhCxpRsI/AAAAAAAABQc/id5a1J9YqsQ/s1600/2DY5438+-+New+York+City+at+Night+Chrysler+Bldg.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Chrysler Building, Nikon D300S and AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR lens handheld shot from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building at Night</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4TgBbMEJpzI" width="560"></iframe></div>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">My Nikon D300S Video of Manhattan at night on YouTube (Kindle Touch and Keyboard viewers do not show this video. See it here: <a href="http://youtu.be/4TgBbMEJpzI">http://youtu.be/4TgBbMEJpzI</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"> online instead)</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><br /></span></b><br />
We greatly enjoyed our trip to New York City and the PhotoPlus Expo and would like to thank Rocky Nook and c't Digital Photography magazine for letting me be a host at the booth. It was fun and exciting to meet so many nice people and even some of my book readers. It was also great to discover what is now my favorite digital photo magazine.<br />
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New York was an experience of a lifetime. Everyone should go there at least once. I've never seen anything like it! I can't wait to take my wife and my Nikon back to New York again. Let's hope we can do it again in 2012 at the next Expo. Thanks for reading my blog. I hope I've captured a tiny bit of the flavor of New York and allowed you to take a short trip of your own.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a><br />
</div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-45951804584159119932011-11-23T08:42:00.000-05:002011-12-13T11:52:30.098-05:00Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As Nikon DSLR users we have a choice of many fine accessories for our Nikon cameras. Our Nikons are part of a "system" of lenses and accessories that make our choice in camera brand one of the wisest and most efficient in the world.<br />
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When you travel to far off places, it's good to have a GPS unit in your car to find where you are going. Wouldn't it also be nice to have your camera record GPS coordinates to each picture you take so that you can find your way back to a specific spot for future photography? With the <i>Nikon GP-1 GPS</i> unit, your Nikon DSLR can do just that! Let's see how it works.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit</span></b></div>
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I bought a Nikon GP-1 GPS unit a few years back when I wanted to write about it in one of my books. It's a great addition to any Nikon photographers accessory collection. Nikon's GPS takes up little space in any size camera bag and works very well in the field.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t4a-b6_NIgU/TsEgzWcUiAI/AAAAAAAABMw/yPT333PEdHI/s1600/GP-1+GPS+on+Nikon+D7000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t4a-b6_NIgU/TsEgzWcUiAI/AAAAAAAABMw/yPT333PEdHI/s1600/GP-1+GPS+on+Nikon+D7000.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 1 – Nikon D7000 with a GP-1 GPS Unit and Accessories</span></b></td></tr>
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In figure 1 you can see my Nikon D7000 with a GP1-GPS unit mounted in the accessory shoe on top of the camera (where an external flash mounts). The GP-1 GPS comes with a GP1-CA90 cable to interface with Nikons such as the D7000, D90, D5100, D5000, D3100, and D3000. It also includes a GP1-CA10 cable for Nikons with a 10-pin port on the body, such as the D200, D300, D300S, D700, D2X, D3, D3S, and D3X. You can see the GP1-CA90 cable in figure 1 on the right side. I put a cool curl in the wire to make it look sophisticated.<br />
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If you'll notice in figure 1, I have a MC-DC2 remote release cable attached to the GP-1 (wire on left side). If you use your Nikon on a tripod and need a remote release for sharp pictures, you'll need to acquire one of these inexpensive MC-DC2 remote releases. The GP-1 GPS unit has a port on its side made for the MC-DC2, as shown. It will allow you to release the shutter on <b><i>any </i></b>Nikon through the GP-1 unit, while it is mounted. </div>
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When I go to the Smoky Mountains to take pictures, or any time I am traveling and would like to be able to remember where I took a certain picture, I have my GP-1 GPS unit mounted on my camera. In figure 2 is a close up picture of the GP-1 unit mounted in my D7000's accessory shoe. You can also see a close up of where the GPS-to-camera GP1-CA90 cable plugs in to the unit:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DIuPkoS6t_o/TsEkeOwZXII/AAAAAAAABM4/SJY5_PqGZC0/s1600/GP-1+GPS+Unit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DIuPkoS6t_o/TsEkeOwZXII/AAAAAAAABM4/SJY5_PqGZC0/s1600/GP-1+GPS+Unit.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 2 – Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit Mounted in Accessory Shoe</span></b></td></tr>
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The GP-1 GPS unit is powered directly by the camera's battery; therefore, you may want to take more than one battery for your camera body if you shoot a lot during the day. The GP-1 unit, like the GPS in your smart phone, pulls extra current. From personal experience with the unit, I suspect it increases the battery drain by as much as 50% over a camera with no GP-1 mounted. If one battery will last all day normally, you will need two batteries to do the same. However, for the cost of extra battery drain, you'll have the convenience of later knowing exactly where each picture was taken. You'll be able to return to that exact spot and shoot new views of the scene–even years later. You can access the GPS coordinates in various applications, such as Nikon View NX2, Nikon Capture NX2, Lightroom, or Photoshop.<br />
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While you are shooting pictures with a GP-1 mounted, the camera will display an extra data screen with GPS information, as follows:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4zDl9SNb0vE/TsEr_m9f7jI/AAAAAAAABNI/hunGOXPf_Ug/s1600/GPS+screen+on+D5000.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4zDl9SNb0vE/TsEr_m9f7jI/AAAAAAAABNI/hunGOXPf_Ug/s1600/GPS+screen+on+D5000.jpg.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Figure 3 – GPS Coordinates screen from a Nikon D5000</b></span></td></tr>
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The GPS coordinates screen will show on the camera's monitor, overlaying the picture behind it, as shown in a GPS data screen from a Nikon D5000 in figure 3. You can scroll to the GPS coordinates screen with the Multi selector thumb switch when an image has the extra GPS data embedded by the GP-1. It displays the Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, and Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) for each image. The GP-1 does not record compass direction.<br />
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When you have a GP-1 mounted the camera will display a small GPS word on the camera's upper control panel and/or on the rear monitor. In figure 4 you can see a screen on the left from a Nikon D7000's upper Control panel LCD. The screen on the right in figure 4 is from a Nikon D5000's Information display on the rear monitor.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S9AGHZu1lk8/TsEvR0VVeXI/AAAAAAAABNQ/fiYOmoRJQNE/s1600/GPS+Displays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S9AGHZu1lk8/TsEvR0VVeXI/AAAAAAAABNQ/fiYOmoRJQNE/s1600/GPS+Displays.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 4 – GPS in use indicators on Nikon display screens</span></b></td></tr>
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Now, let's examine how to use the GP-1 GPS Unit with a Nikon DSLR. The configuration method is similar for most Nikon DSLR cameras.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Preparing the Camera for GPS Usage</b></span><br />
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There are several screens used in setting up a Nikon for GPS use. First, a decision should be made about the exposure meter for when a GPS unit is plugged into the camera. While the GPS is connected, the camera’s exposure meter <i>must be active</i> to record GPS data to the image. You’ll have to do one of two things:<br />
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<li>Set the exposure meter to stay on for the entire time that a GPS is plugged in, which, of course, will increase battery drain, but keeps the GPS locked to the satellites (no seeking time).</li>
<li>Press the Shutter-release button halfway down to activate the exposure meter before finishing the exposure. If you just push the Shutter-release button down quickly and the GPS is not active and locked, it won’t record GPS data to the image. The <i>exposure meter must be on</i> before GPS will seek satellites.</li>
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You can decide between these two conditions with the following <i>Auto meter off </i>settings:<br />
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<b>Auto Meter Off</b><br />
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Figure 5 shows the Setup Menu screens used to set the meter to stay on the entire time the GPS is connected or to shut down after the Auto meter off delay expires:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-luRSCk6Tv1Y/TsE2xlAgRDI/AAAAAAAABNY/TdckN9QKYIU/s1600/Auto+Meter+Off.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-luRSCk6Tv1Y/TsE2xlAgRDI/AAAAAAAABNY/TdckN9QKYIU/s1600/Auto+Meter+Off.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 5 – Setting Auto meter off to Disable so that your GPS will stay connected</span></b></td></tr>
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The GPS will only stay connected to satellites when the exposure meter is active. You can select either Enable or Disable, which controls how the exposure meter reacts to a GP-1 GPS unit being mounted on your Nikon. Here’s what each selection does:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Enable </b>(default) – The meter turns off after the <i>Auto meter off</i> delay expires (default 6 seconds). GPS data will only be recorded when the exposure meter is active, so allow some time for the GPS unit to re-acquire satellites before taking a picture. This is hard to do when Auto meter off is set to Enable. You just about have to stand around with your finger on the Shutter-release button trying to keep the meter active. I suggest Disable!</li>
<li><b>Disable </b>– The exposure meter stays on the entire time a GPS unit is connected. As long as you have good GPS signal, you will be able to record GPS data at any time. This is the preferred setting for using the GPS for continuous shooting. It does use extra battery life, so you may want to carry more than one battery if you’re going to shoot all day. I keep my Camera's Auto meter off setting set to Disable so that I can depend on a good GPS connection when I am shooting, without constantly checking the unit for connectivity. Turn your camera off between shooting sessions to save battery life.</li>
</ul>
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It sounds a bit weird to use the word Disable to make your GPS unit stay connected. However, remember that you are enabling or disabling <i>Auto meter off </i>(automatic exposure meter shutoff), not the GPS unit itself. When Auto meter off is disabled the exposure meter stays on the entire time the GPS unit is attached.<br />
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<b>Note</b>: If you choose to leave Auto meter off enabled, you can control the <i>Auto meter off</i> time delay with the camera's Custom Setting Menu. I would suggest increasing it from the default 6 seconds to a longer period so that your camera is not constantly having to reconnect to GPS units between shots. That's a time waster! Some Nikons use <b>Custom Setting Menu > c Timers/AE lock > Auto meter-off delay</b>. Other Nikons use <b>Custom Setting Menu > c Timers/AE lock > Auto off timers > Custom > Auto meter-off</b>. Each of those custom settings allow you to configure an "auto-off" time for the exposure meter. The Custom Setting Menu selection differs from the GPS Auto meter off selection in that the Custom Menu selection affects <i>all </i>exposure meter operation timeouts, not just when a GPS is attached.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Using Your Camera with the GP-1 Nikon GPS</span></b><br />
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If the GPS icon is flashing on the Control panel and/or Information display, it means that the GPS is searching for a signal. If you take a picture with the GPS icon flashing, no GPS data will be recorded. If the GPS icon is not flashing, it means that the D7000 is receiving good GPS data and is ready to record data to a picture. If the camera loses communication with the GPS unit for over two seconds, the GPS icon will disappear. Make sure the icon is displayed, and isn’t flashing, before you take pictures!<br />
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The GP-1 GPS unit has a small LCD on its rear side that blinks red when it is acquiring satellites and goes solid green when the unit it ready to use. It takes about a minute to acquire satellites the first time the GPS is used in a particular area. After that initial satellite acquisition, the GPS relocates satellites within a few seconds when turned off and back on.<br />
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Other than checking for the flashing GPS or LED light to make sure it is tracking satellites, using the GP-1 GPS is easy and foolproof. Once you mount it on the camera and it acquires satellites, you'll have GPS coordinates for each picture. If you worry about battery drain, just make sure you have an extra battery or two for all day shooting.<br />
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The Nikon GP-1 GPS unit mounts either onto the camera’s Accessory shoe or on the camera’s strap, with the included GP1-CL1 strap adapter.<br />
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<b>My Recommendation</b>: Get the Nikon GP-1 GPS unit! It’s easy to use, foolproof, and has all the cables you need for using it with the camera. The only other cable you’ll need to buy is the optional MC-DC2 shutter-release cable. I use the tiny Nikon GPS unit constantly when I’m out shooting nature images so I can remember where to return in the future. Here is a link to the GP-1 GPS and MC-DC2 remote release on Amazon.com:<br />
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<div>
<b>Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit</b>: <a href="http://amzn.to/t88S7U">http://amzn.to/t88S7U</a></div>
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<b>Nikon MC-DC2 Remote Release</b>: <a href="http://amzn.to/uwkZy9">http://amzn.to/uwkZy9</a><br />
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Once you start using a GPS unit, it will be hard to stop. I rarely leave home without my Nikon and its GP-1 GPS. It costs less than US$200 and is available at most large camera stores and online at places like Amazon.com. Get one for your camera, you'll use it often. I do!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-58673320771912017702011-11-22T22:00:00.000-05:002011-12-13T11:52:42.108-05:00Understanding Your Camera's Histogram<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Using your camera’s histogram screens will guarantee you a much higher percentage of well-exposed images. It is well worth spending time to understand the histogram. It’s not as complicated as it looks.<br />
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I’ll try to cover this feature with enough detail to give you a working knowledge of how to use the histogram to make better pictures. If you are deeply interested in the histogram, there is a lot of research material available on the Internet. Although this overview is brief, it will present enough knowledge to improve your technique immediately.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Light Range</span></b><br />
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The camera’s sensor can only record a certain range of light values—about 5 to 7 usable EV steps. Unfortunately, many of the higher-contrast subjects we shoot can contain over 12 stops of light values. This is quite a bit more than it is possible to capture in a single exposure. It’s important to understand how your camera records light so that you can better control how the image is captured.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UOIpPW-GLOg/Tn-ifL7h-FI/AAAAAAAAAWA/BI5grv8X8q4/s1600/Histogram1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UOIpPW-GLOg/Tn-ifL7h-FI/AAAAAAAAAWA/BI5grv8X8q4/s1600/Histogram1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 1 – A basic histogram</span></b></td></tr>
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Look at figure 1 closely. The gray rectangular area represents an in-camera histogram. Examine it carefully! Think about it for a minute before reading on.<br />
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The histogram is basically a graph that represents the maximum range of light values your camera can capture, in 256 steps (0 = pure black, and 255 = pure white). In the middle of the histogram are the mid-range values that represent middle colors like grays, light browns, and greens. The values from just above zero and just below 255 contain detail.<br />
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The actual histogram graph looks like a mountain peak, or a series of peaks, and the more there is of a particular color, the taller the peak. In some cases the graph will be rounder on top, and in other cases it will be flattened.<br />
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The left side of the histogram represents the maximum dark values that your camera can record. The right side represents the maximum brightness values your camera can capture. On either end of the histogram the light values contain no detail. They are either completely black or completely white.<br />
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The height of the histogram (top of mountain peaks) represents the amount of individual colors. You cannot easily control this value in-camera, other than changing to a Picture Control with more or less saturated color, so it is for your information only.<br />
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We are mostly concerned with the left- and right-side values of the histogram, since we do have much greater control over those (dark vs. light).<br />
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Simply put, the histogram’s left and right directions are related to the darkness and lightness of the image, while the up and down directions of the histogram (valleys and peaks) have to do with the amount of color information. I repeated this for emphasis!<br />
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The left (dark) and right (light) directions are very important for your picture taking. If the image is too dark, the histogram will show that by clipping off the light values on the left; or if it’s too light, by clipping on the right. This will become easier to understand as we look at well-exposed and poorly exposed images. Check out the Histogram Basic Tutorial in figure 2, and then we’ll look at things in more detail.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xpcanAGqJO0/Tn-i5OshHMI/AAAAAAAAAWE/z6eUqc1s80o/s1600/HistogramTutorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xpcanAGqJO0/Tn-i5OshHMI/AAAAAAAAAWE/z6eUqc1s80o/s1600/HistogramTutorial.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Figure 2 – Three histograms – one underexposed, one correctly exposed, and one overexposed</b></span></td></tr>
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When you see the three histograms next to each other, does it make more sense? See how the underexposed histogram is all the way to the left of the histogram window and is clipped mid-peak? Then note how both edges of the well-exposed histogram just touch the edges of the histogram window. Finally, notice how the overexposed image’s histogram is crammed and clipped on the right. I hope this helps somewhat! Now let’s look at some histogram detail.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Histogram Shape</span></b><br />
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Look at the image in figure 3. It is well exposed with no serious problems. The entire light range of this particular image fits within the histogram window, which means that it’s not too light or too dark and will take very little or no adjustment to view or print.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mfysT6rHh7U/Tn-jPALTMAI/AAAAAAAAAWI/-speY3e5rIM/s1600/Histogram2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mfysT6rHh7U/Tn-jPALTMAI/AAAAAAAAAWI/-speY3e5rIM/s1600/Histogram2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Figure 3 – Good image with normal histogram shape, no clipping</span></td></tr>
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It contains no more than 4 or 5 stops (EV steps) of light range. To finalize the image, I might increase the brightness in the trees a little, but otherwise it’s a sound image with potential for immediate usage.<br />
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Compare figure 3’s histogram to the histogram graph on the left in figure 4. See how the figure 3 histogram does not cram itself against the dark value side, as seen in figurte 4? In other words, the dark values are not clipped off on the left. This means that the camera recorded all the dark values in this image, with no loss of shadow detail.<br />
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Then look at the right side of the histogram graph and note that it is not completely against the right side, although quite close. The image contains all the light values available. Everything in between is exposed quite well, with full detail. A histogram does not have to cover the entire window for the exposure to be fine. When there is a very limited range of light, the histogram may be rather narrow.<br />
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The image in figure 3 is a relatively bland image with smooth graduations of tone, so it makes a nice smooth mountain-peak histogram graph. This will not occur every time, since most images contain quite a bit more color information. Each prominent color will be represented with its own peak on the histogram graph. The most prominent colors will have higher peaks, while the less prominent will have lower or no peaks.<br />
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As we progress into images with more color or light information, we’ll see that the histogram looks quite different.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5aicQ2grA6w/Tn-jn-oUpKI/AAAAAAAAAWM/b8icFOXjVkk/s1600/Histogram3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5aicQ2grA6w/Tn-jn-oUpKI/AAAAAAAAAWM/b8icFOXjVkk/s1600/Histogram3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Figure 4 – Histogram showing underexposure (dark side)</span></td></tr>
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Look at the image in figure 4. This is from an image that exceeds the range of the camera’s digital sensor.<br />
Notice that, overall, this image is dark and looks underexposed. The histogram in figure 4 is crammed to the left, effectively being clipped off. There are no gradual climbs like on a mountain range, from valley to peak and back to valley. Instead, the image shows up on the left side in mid-peak. It is clipped. This is an underexposed image and the histogram reflects that well.<br />
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The most important thing to understand when you see a histogram like the one in figure 8.45, with part of the peak clipped off on the left, is that some or all of the image is significantly underexposed.<br />
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Now look at a similar image in figure 5. In this image, a larger aperture was used and more light was allowed in. We can now see much more detail. However, once again, the range of light is too great for the sensor, so it is now clipped off on the highlight side (right). The dark-side value is not clipped; instead, the graph extends to the left dark-side edge but stops there.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EIq-xqsyfCA/Tn-kMPBiYCI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/AjNMRVvj6_E/s1600/Histogram4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EIq-xqsyfCA/Tn-kMPBiYCI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/AjNMRVvj6_E/s1600/Histogram4.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 5 – Image with highlights (bright side) clipped</span></b></td></tr>
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The image in figure 5 shows more detail but is not professional looking and will win no awards. The range of light is simply too great to be recorded fully. Many of the details are overly light, and that can be seen by the clipping of the histogram on the right side. The most important thing to remember here is that when you see a histogram graph that is crammed all the way to the right and clipped, some or all of the image is significantly too light. Overall, a great deal of the image in figure 8.46 is recorded as pure white and is permanently gone, or blown out.<br />
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It is important that you try to center the histogram without clipping either edge. This is not always possible, as shown in figure 5, because the light range is often too great and the sensor or histogram window can’t contain it. If you center the histogram, your images will be better exposed. If you take a picture and the histogram graph is shifted way left or right, you can then retake the photograph, exposing in the direction of the opposite light value.<br />
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If there is too much light to allow centering the histogram, you must decide which part of the image is more important, the light or dark values, and expose for those values.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">How Does the Eye React to Light Values? </span></b><br />
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The camera, with its imaging sensor and glass lenses, is only a weak imitation of our marvelously designed eye and brain combination. There are very few situations in which our eyes cannot adjust to the available light range. So, as photographers, we are always seeking ways to record even a small portion of what our eye and mind can see.<br />
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Since our eyes tend to know that shadows are black, and expect that, it is usually better to expose for the highlights. If you see dark shadows, that seems normal. We’re simply not used to seeing light that’s so bright that all detail is lost. An image exposed for the dark values will look very weird because most highlight detail will be burned out.<br />
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Your eyes can see a huge range of light in comparison to your digital sensor. The only time you will ever see light values that are so bright that detail is lost is when you are looking directly at an overwhelmingly bright light, like the sun. So, in a worst-case scenario, expose the image so that the right side of the histogram graph just touches the right side of the histogram window, and the image will look more normal.<br />
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Since photography’s beginning, we have always fought with only being able to record a limited range of light. But, with the digital camera and its histogram, we can now see a visual representation of the light values and can immediately approve of the image, reshoot it with emphasis on lighter or darker values, or see that we must use a filter or multiple-exposure high dynamic range imaging (HDR) to capture it at all.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Computer Adjustment of Images </span></b><br />
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Looking at the image in figure 6, taken in mid-day overhead sunshine, we see an example of a range of light that is too great to be captured by a digital sensor but is exposed in such a way that we can get a usable photo later.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N3kv0gP7Rgk/Tn-kl5glQoI/AAAAAAAAAWU/9bX48vREaMs/s1600/Histogram5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N3kv0gP7Rgk/Tn-kl5glQoI/AAAAAAAAAWU/9bX48vREaMs/s1600/Histogram5.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 6 – Cabin picture with correct exposure but dark shadows, and its histogram</span></b></td></tr>
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Notice in figure 6 how the dark values are clipped off and dark detail is lost. But look to the right side of the histogram and notice how the light values are not clipped off. The camera recorded all the light values but lost some dark values.<br />
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Since our eye sees this as normal, this image looks okay. If we were standing there looking at the cabin ourselves, our eye would be able to see much more detail in the front porch area. But the camera just can’t record that much light range. If we want to get a bit more detail in the shadows than this image seems to contain, we can do it. Normally, a camera does not give us enough control to add light values on the fly, so we use the histogram to get the best possible exposure and then adjust the image later in the computer.<br />
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Some cameras can be profiled to capture light ranges more effectively in one direction or the other, but when you push one area, the opposite area must give. So, we need a way to take all this light and compress it into a more usable range.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qupO9OAtvKY/Tn-k_bMGvMI/AAAAAAAAAWY/mi00eMmQrTM/s1600/Histogram6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qupO9OAtvKY/Tn-k_bMGvMI/AAAAAAAAAWY/mi00eMmQrTM/s1600/Histogram6.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 7 – Post-processed cabin picture and its histogram (in-computer manipulation)</span></b></td></tr>
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We are now entering the realm of post-processing, or in-computer image manipulation. Look at the image in figure 7. This is the exact same image as in figure 6, but it has been adjusted in Photoshop to cram more image detail into the histogram by compressing the mid-range values. Notice that the entire histogram seems to be farther right, toward the light side. Also notice that the mid-range peaks are basically gone. We removed a good bit of the mid-range, but since there was already a lot of mid-range there, our image did not suffer greatly.<br />
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How this computer post-processing was done is outside the scope of this book, but it is not very hard. Buy a program like Nikon Capture NX 2, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, or another fine graphics program designed for photographers. Your digital camera and your computer are a powerful imaging combination—a digital darkroom, where you are in control from start to finish, from clicking the shutter to printing the image. But, retreating from philosophy, let’s continue with our histogram exploration. Notice in figure 7 how the histogram edge is just touching the highlight side of the histogram window?<br />
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A small amount of clipping is taking place, and you can see the slightly blown out area on the peak of the cabin’s roof. Sometimes a very small amount of clipping does not seriously harm the image.<br />
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The photographer must be the judge. The greater apparent detail in this image is the result of compressing the mid-range of the light values a bit in the computer. If you compress or make the mid-range light values smaller, that will tend to pull the dark values toward the light side and the light values toward the dark side. So, you will have more apparent detail in your image. It’s like cutting a section out of the middle of a garden hose. If you pull both of the cut ends together, the other two ends of the hose will move toward the middle, and the hose will be shorter overall. If you compress or remove the mid-range of the histogram, both ends of the graph will move toward the middle. If one end of the graph is beyond the edge of the histogram window (clipped off), it will be less so when the mid-range is compressed.<br />
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We are simply trying to make the histogram fit into the frame of its window. If we have to cut out some of the middle to bring both ends into the window, well, there is usually plenty in the middle to cut out, so the image rarely suffers. Remember, this is done outside of the camera in a computer. You can’t really control the in-camera histogram to compress values, but you need to be aware that it can be done in the computer so that you can expose accordingly with your camera’s histogram. Then you will be prepared for later post-processing of the image.<br />
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In fact, now that we have compressed the mid-range values, figure 8.48 more closely resembles what our eye normally sees, so it looks more normal to us.<br />
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In many cases, your progression from the shooting site to your digital darkroom can benefit if you shoot NEF (RAW) images.<br />
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A RAW digital image contains an adjustable range of light. With a RAW image you can use controls in Capture NX2, Photoshop, or even the basic Nikon ViewNX2 software included with the camera to select from the range of light within the big RAW image file. It’s like moving the histogram window to the left or right over all that wide range of RAW image data. You select a final resting place for the histogram window, capture the underlying RAW data, and your image is ready for use.<br />
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This is a serious oversimplification of the process, but I hope it is more understandable. In reality, the digital sensor records a wider range of light than you can use in one image. While you might be able to use about 5 stops of light range in a normal image, the digital sensor probably records about 7 stops of light range. Although you can’t get all of that range into the final image, it is there in the RAW file as a selectable range. I prefer to think of it as a built-in bracket, since it works the same way.<br />
This bracketed light range within the image is present to a very limited degree in JPEG, but is the most pronounced in pure RAW images. That is why many choose to shoot in RAW mode instead of JPEG.<br />
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Your camera meter should be used to get the initial exposure only. Then you can look at the histogram to see if the image’s light range is contained within the limited range of the sensor. If it is clipped off to the right or the left, you may want to add or subtract light with your Exposure compensation button, or use your Manual mode. Expose for the light range with your histogram. Let your light meter get you close, then fine-tune with the histogram.<br />
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There are also other Monitor viewing modes that you can use along with the histogram graph, such as the Highlights (blink) mode for blown-out highlights (see the Playback Menu > Display mode and select Highlights). This mode will cause your image to blink from light to dark in the blown-out highlight areas. This is a rough representation of a highlight-value clipped histogram, and it is quite useful for quick shooting. Using your camera’s light meter, histogram, and the highlight burnout blinky mode together is a very powerful method to control your exposures.<br />
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If you master this method, you will have a very fine degree of control over where you place your image’s light ranges. This is sort of like using the famous Ansel Adams’s black and white Zone System, but it is represented visually on the Monitor of your camera.<br />
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The manipulation of the histogram levels in-computer is a detailed study in itself. It’s part of having a digital darkroom. Learn to use your computer to tweak your images, and you’ll be able to produce superior results most of the time. Even more importantly, learn to use your histogram to capture a nice image in the first place!<br />
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Your histogram is simply a graph that lets you see at a glance how well your image is contained by your camera. Too far left and the image is too dark; too far right and the image is too light. Learn to use the histogram well and your images are bound to improve!<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><div>
<br /></div>
</div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-14604483248199411042011-11-21T12:00:00.000-05:002011-12-13T11:52:51.305-05:00A Deeper Look at the Histogram<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This is a short excerpt from my upcoming book <i><b>Moving Beyond Point-and-Shoot Photography</b></i> due in March 2012. The book is designed to help enthusiastic new DSLR and ILC/EVIL camera users learn how to shoot well with their new cameras. It assumes no previous knowledge of photographic terms, principles, or technology.</span><br />
<br />
Back in the “good old” film days we didn’t have a histogram, so we had to depend on our experience and light meter to get a good exposure. Since we could not see the exposure until after we had left the scene and developed the film, we measured our success by the number of correctly exposed images we were able to create. With the exposure meter/histogram combination found in your camera the good exposure success rate you can experience is much higher than ever before.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Is the Histogram Really That Important?</span></b><br />
<br />
The histogram can be as important, or even more so, than the exposure meter. The exposure meter sets the camera up for the exposure, and the histogram visually verifies that the exposure is a good one. Together they will give you the most accurate exposures you have ever made, if you use them both.<br />
<br />
If your exposure meter stopped working, you could still get excellent exposures using only the histogram. In fact, I gauge my efforts more by how the histogram looks than anything else. The exposure meter and histogram work together to make sure you get excellent results from your photographic efforts.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--VVOIGCnvE8/Tni3Kczp6zI/AAAAAAAAAU0/MGCB7opQjwU/s1600/HIstograms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--VVOIGCnvE8/Tni3Kczp6zI/AAAAAAAAAU0/MGCB7opQjwU/s1600/HIstograms.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Figure 1.1 – Two histogram types (Luminance and RGB)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Figure 1.1 shows two histogram types from my Nikon D7000. The first screen in figure 1.1 shows a series of histograms to the right of the small picture of my grandson and me. On top is a white-colored luminance (brightness) histogram, followed by individual red, green, and blue channel histograms (RGB = red, green, blue). On the second screen, the luminance histogram appears to the right of the small picture of my cars in the snow.<br />
<br />
I have no way of knowing whether your camera offers only a single luminance histogram, like the one in figure 1.1’s second image, or whether it gives you a RGB histograms too, as in figure 1.1’s first image. What is the difference between the luminance and RGB histograms? Let’s examine both histogram types and see.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">RGB Histograms</span></b><br />
<br />
The RGB histograms show all three color channels that a camera uses—on an individual basis. Remember, the camera combines the red, green, and blue colors from its color channels to make the final color in the picture. The red, green, and blue colors are blended together to provide color in up to trillions of shades, well representing the colors your eyes see in your subjects. Therefore, the RGB histograms are simply representations of how well your camera exposed each basic color that it later combined into the final image.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Luminance Histogram</b></span><br />
<br />
How does the luminance histogram differ from the RGB histograms. The luminance histogram is a representation of the perceived brightness (luminosity) from the combination of the red, green, and blue channels shown in the individual RGB histograms. In other words, the luminance histogram tries to accurately reflect the light you actually see by weighting its color values in a particular way. Since the human eye sees green most easily, the luminance histogram is heavily weighted toward green. Notice in figure 1.1’s first image how the luminance histogram on top looks very similar to the green channel histogram below it. Red and blue are represented in the luminance histogram too, only in lesser quantities (59 percent green, 30 percent red, and 11 percent blue = luminance). The luminance histogram measures the perceived brightness in 256 levels (0–255).<br />
<br />
In my opinion, the luminance histogram is a more accurate way of looking at the color levels in real images. Since it more accurately reflects the way our eyes actually see color brightness, it may be the best histogram for you to use. Now, let’s discuss the use of a histogram in detail.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Understanding the Histogram </b></span><br />
<br />
Finding and using your camera’s histogram(s) will guarantee you a much higher percentage of well-exposed images. It is well worth spending time to understand the histogram. I’ll try to cover this feature with enough detail to give you a working knowledge of how to use the histogram to make better pictures. If you are deeply interested in the histogram, there is a lot of research material available on the Internet. Although this overview is brief, it will present enough knowledge to improve your technique immediately.<br />
<br />
I am going to concentrate on the luminance histogram. It is the best histogram for most photographers to use since it accurately reflects the way we see light. I am not going to keep on repeating luminance histogram over and over. From this point forward, when you see the word histogram, realize that I am talking about the luminance histogram.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>What is The Basis for a Histogram?</b></span><br />
<br />
When you take a picture, whether in JPEG, TIFF or RAW mode, the camera presents the luminance histogram based on its approximation of a JPEG image. In other words, the histogram is what the camera or computer would show for an 8-bit JPEG image (256 color levels per RGB channel).<br />
<br />
When you take a JPEG (.jpg) picture the camera crams all the light values of the RGB channels into 256 levels. The same thing happens when you take a picture in 8-bit TIFF (.tif) mode. All the light values are reduced to 256 levels. When you shoot a RAW image, there are significantly more than 256 color values available. However, the camera still shows you a JPEG histogram when you are viewing a RAW (.nef) image on the camera’s monitor. In reality, most 12- or 14-bit RAW images can hold from 4096 to 16384 color levels per channel. However, all that color is represented by a 256-color-level-per-channel histogram.<br />
<br />
In a way, this is a safety factor for RAW shooters. A RAW image has additional capacity to record light values within the brightest parts of the image (highlight headroom). The camera does not show you the histogram based on the total capacity of the RAW image. It uses a JPEG image as the basis for the histogram. For 8-bit JPEG and TIFF shooters, the histogram gives you exactly what you see and nothing more.<br />
<br />
Therefore, if you shoot mostly in JPEG or TIFF, be careful that the histogram is exactly right or you may have badly exposed images. For RAW shooters, the histogram under-represents the actual highlight headroom you have available in the image; however, if you shoot for an accurate histogram anyway, you will have less noisy images, even in RAW, because the limited exposure range of the JPEG-based histogram fits well within the headroom of a RAW image. A RAW shooter just has more room to correct errors in exposure since greater range is available in the image than the histogram shows. As a RAW shooter, I always check the histogram for my best images.<br />
<br />
The main point I want to make in this article is <i>use your camera's histogram.</i> Your pictures will be better for it!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-35950861224299796072011-11-20T16:00:00.000-05:002011-12-13T11:53:05.349-05:00Ode to the Nikon F5 (Mental Time Travel)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In early 2005 I was ruminating the purchase of a Nikon D2X. At the time, the camera cost US$5000. That's a hunk of money for anyone to part with! I wrote an article called<i> Ode to the Nikon F5</i> because I was wondering if I should forget digital and stay with film. I was shooting with a Nikon D100 (6 megapixel) and was unsure if I should get the Nikon D2X pro digital or buy a Nikon F6 and stick with film. I already had a Nikon F5 film camera and was really torn between two worlds. Digital was bright and shiny, but not yet fully developed. Film was proven and faithful, yet on the way out as the mainstream way to shoot for most photographers. As you read this article I wrote seven years ago, see if you can identify with my feelings. Did you ever feel this way?<br />
<br />
<b>Flashback...</b><br />
<br />
(Entering 2005)<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Ode to the Nikon F5</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
Here I sit contemplating in East Tennessee, on a cold January night. To my right is my 35mm bag, with my trusty F5 and N80. To my left is my digital bag with my D100 and D70. At my feet is my medium format bag with my RB67 and Agfa Isolette folder. I am surrounded by my camera buddies who've gone so many places with me over the last few years.<br />
<br />
I've been reading exciting new ads and reviews for the last several days. The D2X is almost here, the F6 has arrived, and medium format is dying. I want a D2X with its 12+ megapixel image and I want an F6 with its tough smaller body—and I can have both soon for merely $8000 USD! (Gaack!) I reach down and pick up my F5 and with my other hand grab my D100. These are my familiar friends. Can a hunk of complicated metal parts be a friend? My mind says no, but my heart says yes.<br />
<br />
Should I sell my D100, after all I need a lot of money to buy the new cameras coming down the market. Should I let go of my F5 for a few bucks to offset the cost of a new F6? I consider it! First, I check eBay to see what a nice, well cared for D100 is going for...$$800.00 USD. (Sigh!) I remember like it was yesterday how I called 200 camera stores and gladly plunked down $2,500.00 USD on August 12, 2002 for my D100. What happened?<br />
<br />
I also remember the way my Nikon F5 film camera looked up at me in June 2002 as I opened its box and picked up the 35mm wonder camera. I remember how that 8-frames-per-second clickity clickity clickity sound was so enthralling. On eBay, I might get $750.00 USD for it now! (Sigh!)<br />
<br />
What am I going to do? Do I need to spend another $8,000.00 just to satisfy my Nikon Acquisition Syndrome (NAS) cravings? What will happen to my photography if I don't upgrade this winter? Spring is coming, after all! Will my photographic skills shrivel up and die if I do not upgrade in 2005? (What a thought!) The bottom line is...do I need to buy more cameras? My NAS screams, "of course, you fool!" My wife says, "why, are your cameras broken?"<br />
<br />
My wife...what a sweetheart! Is she the lone voice of reason in a wilderness of magazine ads, D70 slinging rhino shooters, and drooling camera reviewers? Maybe! Me thinks I should listen to her! (I trust her judgement, for you see...she married me.) Therefore, if I listen to my sweetie, where will I be? Where I am now. No change, same cameras. Is that bad? Maybe not! For you see, my D100 still makes a great 11x14, and my F5 still can burn a roll of 36 in 4 seconds. I hear that the F6 is up to three milliseconds faster on autofocus. Uh, wow! That moose sure was moving fast. He almost outran my F5's piddly slow focus...NOT!<br />
<br />
Hey, I own an F5, and here before all my friends I proclaim my bond to it. I'm not selling it. It is mine until my kids inherit it in about 30 years. (Film will still be available then, by the way, just a bit more expensive!) I don't need an F6. If I want a small tough body, I'll just use my N80. I want the F5's imposing bulk and balanced shutter to make really sharp pictures. I'd be willing to bet that my F5 will take just as good a picture as the new F6. And...I already own it!<br />
<br />
Now, I realize that this flies directly in the face of capitalism and the American way. I am supposed to trade in my car every two years and my camera every three. Well, I won't do it! I come from the "old school" of photography. I made great pictures with a plastic Diana F in 1967. It's <b><i>not</i></b> the camera, it's the photographer. When I bought my first Nikon (an FM) back in 1980, it was with the understanding that I could keep right on using it until I was too old to press the shutter release. What changed? Have Nikon cameras suddenly become cheap plastic junk, like other brands? Nope! Not so! My F5 is prepared to take me into my 70's (I'm merely 46 now). The question is, am I prepared to let it? I am inclined!<br />
<br />
I'm not saying that you shouldn't go out and buy that nice new F6. Were I starting now, I'd probably want to smell that shiny new baby coming out of its box. But, I already have an F5—why buy an F6? What will I really gain? Not a lot!<br />
<br />
I truly think that my NAS will overpower me when I see the D2X in the flesh and I will fall to my knees with slack drooling lips and ask my wife to write the check. (She <i>does</i> have a D70, so she won't complain too much). But, my F5 is mine. I will keep it. I decline to buy an F6. Nikon may not be happy with me over that; however, they'll be okay since I did buy several other Nikons in the last 10 years. And, I think a few more are coming. However, unless my F5 explodes into dust, I'll use it till I do!<br />
<br />
Nikon F5.....The Perfect 35mm camera! <br />
<br />
(Leaving 2005)<br />
<br />
<b>Flash forward...</b><br />
<br />
Not long after this article was written, I sold my F5 and bought the Nikon D2X for US$5800. I had to have one of the first ones in the USA and got # 1500. I had to pay dearly to be one of the first, an additional US$800 above retail. My fickle heart demanded the latest thing out. Well, I still have that D2X and I'll never sell it. Would you, after spending US$5800? Buying that camera opened up a new world of photography for me. I became a writer for Nikon cameras not soon afterward so I guess it was a good choice for me. I started shooting a lot of stock pictures and today make part of my living from images I shot back then.<br />
<br />
Time changes things and technology marches on. It doesn't pay to be too attached to any form of tech since change happens quickly. However, we can look back and remember. The days of our younger lives. The tools we used to capture time, years ago. Does your heart yearn for the good old days? Sometimes mine does, until Nikon releases a new DSLR and digital NAS kicks in yet again.<br />
<br />
It will be a few months until we see a new DSLR. I think I'll go check eBay. I bet I can get another Nikon F5 for a really good price now. Film is still available. I miss my old friend, the F5. Maybe his cousin is for sale at a good price? An older form of NAS is presenting itself—film camera NAS. I haven't felt you in a while, old friend. Welcome back!<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-30616463313204848032011-11-11T10:25:00.000-05:002011-12-13T11:53:14.094-05:00Nikon Releases a Firmware Upgrade for the D5100 and D7000<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On November 10, 2011 Nikon released firmware upgrades that solves some issues with the Nikon D7000 and D5100 DSLR cameras. They are <i>Firmware A:1.0.2 and B:1.0.3</i> for the Nikon D7000 and <i>Firmware A:1.0.1 and B:1.0.1</i> for the D5100. Here are links to the upgrades on Nikon's USA site:<br />
<br />
<b>Nikon D7000 Update:</b><br />
<a href="http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17542">http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17542</a><br />
<br />
<b>Nikon D5100 Update:</b><br />
<a href="http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17547">http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17547</a><br />
<br />
<b>The upgrade addresses the following issues for the Nikon D7000:</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>An error where the card may not have been recognized when some memory cards were used has been addressed.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The following issues occurred when the mode dial was rotated from U1 or U2 to another shooting mode or from another shooting mode to U1 or U2 when the power was off or when the exposure meters are off (Auto meter-off). These issues were resolved:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"> <b>(1.)</b></span> A new folder is sometimes created despite the fact that the current folder does not yet contain 999 files and none of the files are numbered “9999”.<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"> (2.)</span></b> The number of remaining exposures may not be displayed as specified in the settings. <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">(3.)</span></b> The setting for Role played by card in Slot 2 may change between Overflow, Backup, and RAW Slot 1- JPEG Slot 2.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>An issue where Battery info in the setup menu sometimes showed sufficient remaining charge even when the remaining charge for the AA batteries inserted in the MB-D11 battery pack was low has been resolved.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>An issue where a saved photo may not have been displayed properly when a movie was displayed in playback mode while saving the photo has been resolved.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>An issue where zoom in or zoom out may not have performed properly when the playback zoom in or playback zoom out button was pressed while in Live view has been resolved.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The message displayed when the internal memory of the Wireless Transmitter WT-4 is formatted from the Format transmitter's memory under Device settings in Wireless transmitter of the camera’s setup menu was changed from Done to Built-in memory formatted.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The message displayed when the internal memory of the Wireless Transmitter WT-4 is formatted from the Format transmitter's memory under Device settings in Wireless transmitter of the camera’s setup menu was changed from Done to Built-in memory formatted.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>The upgrade fixes these issues with the Nikon D5100:</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>An error where the card may not have been recognized when some memory cards were used has been addressed.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>When Selective color from the retouch menu is performed on a picture taken with the image quality set to NEF (RAW)+JPEG and an image size of M or S, the edges of the image may not have changed color. This issue has been resolved.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>When Metering was set to Matrix metering, the exposure mode set to M (Manual), and the HDR exposure differential set to Auto, the exposure differential was fixed at a value equivalent to 2 EV. This has been changed to enable automatic adjustment of exposure differential so that it is appropriate for the scene.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Some of these issues are worth fixing immediately; therefore, I would seriously consider doing the upgrade on whichever of these two Nikons you own. I am doing it on both of my cameras! Step-by-step instructions for both Windows and Mac computers are available at the NikonUSA.com web links above. If you are reading this blog on your Kindle (or other eReader) and would like to link directly from your computer to the downloads, you will find this blog entry for easy access by computer at the following web address:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://darrellyoung.blogspot.com/">http://darrellyoung.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<br />
If you need assistance with the process, drop me a note and I'll try to answer your questions. You can contact me at the contact link of <a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/">www.PhotographyWriter.com</a>. Have a great day!<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878137015229376104.post-25252987963278251582011-11-08T10:00:00.000-05:002011-12-13T11:53:32.377-05:00Respect for the Nikon D300/D300S - Fine Cameras for Right Now!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Barring surprise announcements from Nikon, it seems that 2011 will bring no new DSLRs. I hope I'm wrong. However, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan took its toll on production of the semi-pro and pro lines for various reasons. Now the massive flooding in Thailand has obliterated much of Nikon's production there. We may see new DSLR announcements in 2011 but it is highly improbable that we'll see a DSLR actually released for sale any time soon. Times are tough for Nikon right now!<br />
<br />
When disasters prevent new cameras from appearing, we are forced to look again at the older models. The holiday season is a big buying time for camera equipment. What are the best choices for photographers?<br />
<br />
Today I want to talk briefly about the Nikon D300 and D300S cameras. Many people are still buying the D300S camera new today and will throughout the upcoming holiday season. Preowned D300 bodies trade constantly on places like eBay and Amazon.com.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7HsjYJFXN_0/Tmtg22uPKWI/AAAAAAAAASU/3745X0lWIuE/s1600/D300SFront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7HsjYJFXN_0/Tmtg22uPKWI/AAAAAAAAASU/3745X0lWIuE/s1600/D300SFront.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><b>Nikon D300S with AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The D300/D300S is a great camera, not too big, not too small, and built like a tank. I once dropped a D300S from shoulder height down a flight of stairs while shooting a graduation ceremony. It bounced down three wooden stairs and landed on a tile floor (the entire audience gasped). It had an SB-900 Speedlight attached and an AF-S 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens. I literally picked it up and continued shooting. I'm not recommending that you throw your camera down stairs but I am happy to know that it can take serious accidental abuse and keep on working. I'm still using that same camera/flash/lens today. It has never developed any problems. I had to send the 16-85mm lens off to Nikon to fix because it developed a focus problem after the fall. The flash suffered no ill effects. The camera keeps on ticking. In fact, it only has a rub spot on the memory card door as proof of the accident. Tough build, if you ask me!<br />
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I have shot nearly 15,000 images with my D300S since I bought it in late 2009, and before that around 13,000 shots with a D300. I have no intentions of getting rid of my current D300S. It is a powerful camera and a bit like a good friend. We've been through many events together and hopefully many more to come. 12 megapixels are plenty for 99% of what I shoot.<br />
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The image quality from the D300S is simply great. Even at higher ISOs it does very well. Here is a shot of a river jumper I took at 800 ISO. Tell me where the noise is. Not much to be seen. I couldn't have done this with my D2X without greater noise. Even at 1600 ISO the D300S performs very well, with low noise.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rMD5lrcx2co/Tmtmjjr-t-I/AAAAAAAAASY/SaLPTb1Tq58/s1600/Jump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rMD5lrcx2co/Tmtmjjr-t-I/AAAAAAAAASY/SaLPTb1Tq58/s1600/Jump.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Jumping in the water, at 800 ISO</td></tr>
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At low ISO (100–400) the camera performs like there's no tomorrow. I've carried this camera all over the Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway, Hunting Island, and Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, North and South Carolina, USA. Look at some of these shots:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WubkVIDYQnM/Tmtop-Knx0I/AAAAAAAAASc/HhQqVh5RlNA/s1600/Tremont1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WubkVIDYQnM/Tmtop-Knx0I/AAAAAAAAASc/HhQqVh5RlNA/s1600/Tremont1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><b>Tremont in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwkDr4d5soY/TmtqpbOA3WI/AAAAAAAAASg/dLsFkZg-X4A/s1600/SunriseHuntingIsland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwkDr4d5soY/TmtqpbOA3WI/AAAAAAAAASg/dLsFkZg-X4A/s1600/SunriseHuntingIsland.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><b>Sunrise on Hunting Island, South Carolina, USA</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w1fsgyHu8uk/TmtrxhtNp1I/AAAAAAAAASk/jDFRn1EFfCg/s1600/HuntingIslandFire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w1fsgyHu8uk/TmtrxhtNp1I/AAAAAAAAASk/jDFRn1EFfCg/s1600/HuntingIslandFire.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><b>Campfire on Hunting Island, South Carolina, USA</b></td></tr>
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I've used this camera to capture the events in my life for the last couple of years, and will for years longer. It just fits well in my hand. I remember when 12 megapixels was only a dream. Honestly, that is plenty of pixels for the majority of us. Only people shooting for large wall-mounted portraits or that need serious cropping capability might need more. For 95% of us 12 megapixels is just the right amount.<br />
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The camera does well as a portrait shooter too. Look at a couple of portraits from my D300S and an AF-S 50mm f/1.4G lens:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9yyDIj2zPRQ/TmtutE2aErI/AAAAAAAAASo/6CXtvJSvFuY/s1600/BabyPortrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9yyDIj2zPRQ/TmtutE2aErI/AAAAAAAAASo/6CXtvJSvFuY/s1600/BabyPortrait.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><b>Little Sweetums Baby Girl with two teefees</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1MiHRs4Slfc/TmtvAoCFqBI/AAAAAAAAASs/e01jjUfSzZc/s1600/PortraitOfHannah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1MiHRs4Slfc/TmtvAoCFqBI/AAAAAAAAASs/e01jjUfSzZc/s1600/PortraitOfHannah.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><b>Young lady with a lei</b></td></tr>
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Why am I talking about the Nikon D300S today? Well, in our excitement to buy new camera toys, we sometimes overlook proven technology that can provide exactly what we really need—if we don't listen to the constant background drone of "<i>buy the latest thing, and buy it now!</i>" A New D300S has a great price, excellent features, a good video mode, and accepts all your Nikkors. Just look at this cool camera for a couple of pictures:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyC0rtBx-tU/TmtwCrZuRII/AAAAAAAAASw/WevXvtMS_xE/s1600/D300SBack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyC0rtBx-tU/TmtwCrZuRII/AAAAAAAAASw/WevXvtMS_xE/s1600/D300SBack.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><b>D300S back, showing its 3 inch LCD monitor with VGA resolution</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6JS8cR4MmZk/TmtwQgoTDeI/AAAAAAAAAS0/SkoczkQsDeo/s1600/D300STop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6JS8cR4MmZk/TmtwQgoTDeI/AAAAAAAAAS0/SkoczkQsDeo/s1600/D300STop.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><b>The ultimate in coolness, a Nikon D300S with an AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm VR lens</b></td></tr>
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I'm not telling you to never buy another new Nikon. I'm sure I'll fall into the slobbering masses when the D400, D800, and D4 is released. I, too, suffer from NAS (Nikon Acquisition Syndrome). For now, though, My D300S is my friend. Here are a couple of videos I took when I attended the PDN PhotoPlus Expo in New York a few days ago, handheld, with my D300S and its AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens:<br />
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<b>Times Square at Night</b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nf48V82IEVg" width="560"></iframe>
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<b>View from Empire State Building at Night </b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4TgBbMEJpzI" width="560"></iframe>
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Get your D300S and go shoot. The future will take care of itself. Right now, the D300S is the Nikon DX flagship camera. Celebrate its time. Go capture some memories!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Keep on capturing time...</i></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Darrell Young</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">See my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nikon books here:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>Darrell Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197183656322856266noreply@blogger.com1