I’m going to keep this weeks Friday Five short and sweet. Let’s go!
It’s coming! It’s coming! Well at least something is. Canon has put a teaser on their site “Destined Evolution“.
Sometimes it takes just one company with a great idea to change the world. Let’s hope HP’s idea of selling their laptops in a messenger bag, instead of traditional packaging, catches on. Apple, Dell, Lenovo, you guys paying attention!
Google launches something new and shiny. Chrome. It’s their brand new web browser. It’s only available for Windows right now (c’mon us Mac users wanna play too).
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” What happens when you combine a couple of pictures together? Or, remove something from a picture? Does the word count change? Here are some of the more memorable fake photos of all time.
It’s another beautiful Friday in Whistler and my mountain bike is calling me… So, I’ll make this quick.
I keep referring to PhotoShelter’s School of Stock because the articles there are a great source of information. This weeks is no exception. Shooting Silo. They cover the topic in great detail and even give a shot list.
Not another D700 post! Yup! I’m starting to sound like a Nikon “fanboy”, but when Canon announces their new stuff, I promise to give them just as much attention… OK? Luminous Landscape has posted a review of the D700 with sample images that are worth checking out.
Did Nikon make a mistake with the SB-900’s massive foot? Strobist has the details. David has also posted a review of the SB-900.
People say some nasty things in the comment section of blogs. I guess hiding behind a computer screen gives some people courage to say things they wouldn’t say to a persons face. Play nice, please.
Rob Haggart at A Photo Editor has started a new project. He’s a fellow mountain biker and skier… He has to be a good guy! Right? APhotoFolio.com looks like it will give LiveBooks a serious run for it’s money. The price is reasonable and designs look great. My only issue, being a slightly tech savvy photographer, is that there is no “self hosted” option. If he was to offer a backend similar to WordPress (what I’m using to create this blog) at a reasonable price I would jump all over that. In the comments on his blog the issue was already brought up and Rob seemed open the idea.
OK… off to go ride my bike. If you have any comments please post them below.
The above video shows how I set up my Nikon D300 as the commander and my SB800 as the remote. It’s pretty simple and quick to set-up. This was my first time setting up and using the CLS system. It’s very straight forward to use and I like the fact that the camera can actually be used to fire the remote flash and I don’t have to buy a separate unit to put on the camera (unless I want to). I’ll be posting the test shoot shortly.
Since this video was shot, I have used the CLS system outside a couple of times during two shoots. At first it was hit and miss with the remote flash firing and then getting the exposure dialed in. But, after getting use to the way things work I was getting pretty consistent results.
Let me know your experiences and techniques for using Nikon’s CLS system.
By now, you know that I switched from Canon to a Nikon D300 and my reasoning behind the switch.
Here is a quick rundown of my first impression of the D300.
The camera feels very solid and well built.
It fits nicely in my hand. A very natural feel to the grip.
Excellent view finder, nice and bright. Even with my glasses on I can see everything in view finder.
LCD display in fantastic. It’s actually useful to check sharpness with.
The colors are very accurate. This could be a combination of the D300 and using Aperture 2 as my RAW converter. What ever it is the results are superb.
6 fps. Holy Cow! It almost scared me the first time I tried it. Afterwards I had the biggest grin on my face. I can’t wait to get the vertical grip and shoot 8 fps.
The manual is huge! 400+ pages. Be prepared to do some readin’.
Button and dial layout good. Except for the front sub-command dial. I keep switching the camera off by accident. Maybe I just need to get use to the dials location. I’ll keep you informed.
The menu system and layout is definitely different than Canon’s. Not that it’s and better or worse, just takes some getting use to.
I hope to shoot something worthy of posting here in the next few weeks. In the mean time I’ll be reading the manual and playing with the settings.
Any comments or advice regarding the D300 or this post?
I’m so excited! I just got my confirmation e-mail. My order for my brand spankin new Nikon D300 has been processed. I should have it within a week.
So why the switch to Nikon?
I’ve been a Canon shooter since 1999 (first film, then digital), and previous to that I shot with a Contax SLR and Mamiya medium format. When I first embraced digital photography there we few affordable options. Nikon’s offering was expensive while Canon’s offering had a CMOS sensor and the image quality at that time was hard to beat. The decision was pretty easy. I was lucky enough to get a Canon 10D within the first few weeks of it being released. The camera took still takes great pictures, but I never fell in love with it like I did with my previous cameras. Something wasn’t quite right and I only brought it out for paid shoots and the occasional portfolio shoot. The other thing that irked me was Canon’s, “We won’t build one camera that can do everything.” philosophy. If you wanted to shoot sports/photojournalism (1.3x crop factor) you need to get a 1D. If you wanted to shoot in the studio (full frame) you needed to buy a 1Ds. And the 5D was a half-assed attempt at a mid range offering with some pro features in a not so pro body.
Then, last year Nikon announces the D300 and D3. My jaw dropped. CMOS sensors, 12 megapixels, pro level auto focus and much more. I waited for Canon to drop the bomb and announce their offerings to directly compete with these two cameras, and I waited, and I waited, and waited some more. Nothing even close. So I decided to go out and hold the D300 in my hand and see how it felt. It felt great in my hand and the build quality was excellent. I also started to feel that lovin’ feeling again.
Is this post biased? Darn right it is! I just bought what I consider to be the best camera for my needs that is available today. Is the D300 the perfect camera? Almost. I can’t afford the perfect camera, the D3, just yet. But I know the perfect exists and it’s a Nikon.
To all the Canon lovers out there. I know your going to hate me, but this my opinion and you are entitled to your opinion. I don’t hate Canon, I just think Nikon has the best camera for me.
