Wow, it been a whirlwind of a week! Last week got a surprise of doing a band shoot, this was during the 115th Anniversary of Harley Davidson that went on last week. The band Gimme Skynard was reforming with two new members and wanted some shots playing during the event, as well as some group shots. Except for the weather which was tropic-like humidity last Sunday. Their performance and the pictures went fantastic. Then today I got to see and try the new Nikon Z6 series cameras in person at a launch party for them by Arts Camera Plus. Wow, I was expecting quite a bit, Nikon has taken years of camera design and new technology and combines in one awesome piece of equipment. Even tried the F to Z mount adapter, allowing the use of over 90 percent of F-mount lenses without loss of function, in fact in many cases adding a function like VR. It will be cool to see Canon new full-frame mirrorless as well! Thank you to the great folks at Arts for the event! Always nice to see something like this in person. Remember shop local when you can! Till next time Happy Clicking Lance
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Well, this week I attended another special exhibition of aircraft from all over the globe at EAA Air Venture. While the first time I attended this was many years back (Early 1980's) I can honestly say it has been a must to the last 5 years! I'm sure for everyone that goes there is that something special that draws them. For me, it's seeing the classic Military aircraft. Planes such as the Mustang, B-17 Flying Fortress, and F-86 Sabre all enthrall me. I'm sure its due to my love of Military history. That's not to say I don't appreciate the Build up's or the Trick planes and their pilots as I do! Because this I believe is one of the biggest airshows in the country. It is huge! I easily can walk 6-10 miles in a day. So even though being in pretty good shape, you can understand you really have to think about the gear you take with you. Up till now, my rig was a double camera strap and a Mountain Smith bag like I saw Moose Peterson mention in one of his videos. While this worked fairly well, I had something in mind that would save my back. And also allow for other things, a tripod, Umbrella, seat, and other camera gear. This year I finally built up an idea I had a while back for a mobile camera equipment cart. It using an old Golf Bag Cart as the base. It cost me a couple hours and about 50.00 in products including the old golf cart. I'm glad to say it works pretty well. Now that I used it, I will be retrofitting and be adjusting. I've shown a few pics here of the first build up! I'll share more instruction later. With this, I was able to use two of my Think Tank bags as carriers. This allowed for bringing not only my tried and true Nikon D4 and D750. But also my Sony's, the A7, and A6300. It was interesting shooting with both cameras, with of course plus and minus to both rigs. A Short list of some observations between the systems. Nikon: 1. The startup, while its gotten better, be it asleep or turning on the Standard DSLR out passes the Mirrorless by a bunch. Very important if your a person that wants to capture those spontaneous moments. I really hope this can be addressed. As in wedding, portrait work, or Wildlife, this is a big miss! (Winner DSLR) 2. Battery Life: This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the battery life on Sony cameras is almost offensive when comparing to a DSLR. Shooting at EAA this last week brought this to the forefront. My D4 many times I can get a whole day on one battery, but I always carry a spare. The Sony A7 I have a battery pack on, But only using part of the day, I could easily see having at least 6 batteries along for a shoot. (Winner DSLR) 3. One card slot. Now be aware I do know on some of the newer models Sony has added another slot yah!, I just love the peace of mind in an important shoot to have a second copy of the images! (Winner Nikon, but note Sony learning) Sony: 1. Sony offers 5-axis in-body stabilization in its newest camera bodies that is very useful. 2. Size, for sure I believe the reason many switch from the DSLR is weight and size. I've always felt I've had good control of my camera when shooting, but not going to lie, picking up the Sony with the 70-200, is a lot different than my Nikon D4 and same lens. (Winner Sony) 3. not only are these cameras feature-packed, they offer tremendously good image quality. Using the Nikon system, I can say without a doubt that the Sony sensor trumps the Canon sensor when it comes to dynamic range and shadow recovery. The full-frame A7RII and crop sensor A6500 gives me unreal resolution, dynamic range, and sharpness that I’m extremely happy with, and has allowed me to get the most out of my photos. (Winner Sony) What does this all mean to you and me? I think the biggest thing is knowing we have option's which is a great thing. I'm not into camera soberly, be it Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Sony just to name a few, are tools that can help you create what you imagine! And lastly to put on your radar was an announcement from Nikon about a new Mirrorless full frame August 23rd, Again options! Got to Love it. This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of Cookies If you looking for a camera there are great choices from many fine companies. Thought Id share this quick post highlighting two options from Nikon. The D750 is one of the Cameras I use. SALE, Starting at $1,499.95 2 Options Available D3400 18-55mm VR Lens Kit Reg. $549.95Now $399.95
AFTER $150 INSTANT SAVINGS Nikon 100th Anniversary has a logo to celebrate.
Here's the Link: Establishment of Nikon's 100th anniversary logo and website If your Using Nikon SnapBridge Software, note! OS 10.2 not compatible. Link: Nikon SnapBridge 360/170 app is not compatible with iOS 10.2 Hi all, if you've been on the fence waiting to buy that new or replacement camera body. Well now might be the time to act! Nikon has there rebates live in the US. Just follow the link: Nikon Rebates US
Till next time Happy Clicking Lance Hi all, I decided to share some updated observations around the Nikon 200-500mm VR as much of this month I’ve been using the lens with a Nikon TC14E version 2 Teleconverter. I am very happy to report the combo has performed extremely well. Allowing me to capture what we tend to call the little ones (songbirds) and some father away duck shots. The sharpness is still outstanding, with the teleconverter attacked my starting F-stop is F8. And using handheld is still awesome with its VR rated at 4½ stops improvement. Remember too this lens works great on full frame cameras, but performance is awesome on DX as well. current list of cameras it works with follows: D5,D4, D4s, D3, D3s, D3P, D3x, Df, D810, D800/e, D750, D700, D610, D600, D300, D300s, D7000, D7100, D7200, D5500, D5300, D5200, D5100, D5000, D3300, D3200, D3100 and newer Overall, if your shooting Nikon and looking for a great birding, wildlife shooting option that won’t break the bank! This lens which you can fine for around $1400.00, and a TC14 converter might the perfect combo. Till next time. Happy Clicking Lance Above image taken at 700mm, Nikon D4, Nikon 200-500mm zoom and TC14EVersion 2 To the left same image, blow up 1 to 1, slight retouch in lightroom. Well, when I hear the announcement of this lenses from Nikon a little over a month ago I was quite surprised. A long lens at the 1399.00 price point. Going up against the the current offerings from Tamron and Sigma. I thought to myself;f I have to give it a try, as certain other aspects plied my interest. This new lens has a constant maximum aperture of f/5.6, maintained even at its maximum focal length. If you use a Nikon 1.4x teleconverter, this will reduce the maximum aperture, but only to f/8, and many of the newer and more advanced Nikon bodies have autofocus systems which can work down to f/8. this lenses is in fact the longest fixed-aperture zoom lens in Nikon's line-up. It comes with a VR (Vibration Reduction) system rated at 4.5 stops, and it has a SPORT VR mode for following fast action. The new 200-500mm also uses Nikon's new electromagnetic diaphragm control. This gives more stable exposure control during continuous shooting and is more reliable than conventional mechanical linkages. That's some of the technical, but like me, I'm sure your wondering how it was in the field. I waited till I've had a few times to use it. These trials have been both outside and inside. The first thing I noticed is quicker focus than my Tamron 150-600mm is, also it tends not to wander in focusing on a subject as much as well. The VR is rated at 4½ stops, and in the field I found it very easy to hand hold and get sharp results, tripod is of course as option, but I'd leave mine at home! Light falloff is negligible, you can shoot wide open and the corners do not go dark. The lens has excellent optics which you would come to expect from a company like Nikon. Is an excellent birding lens (Can't wait to use it for Eagles this Winter). So in my opinion, while you can get better glass, usually at a much higher price point, you would find this a great buy, even being about half the price of Nikon 80-400mm. So if you get a chance, go check one out at your local camera shop, I think you'll like it! Till next time Happy Clicking Lance Taken with Nikon D4, and Nikon 200mm-500mm lens. ISO 5000, at 200mm. (Cassius Up Close) |
AuthorI'm a photographer who loves animal photography. Trying to capture that perfect moment is a passion of mine. Archives
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