Category : The Learning Center

I am a very big proponent of using a cable release!  If you want really sharp images a good solid tripod and head and a remote release are crucial.  A wireless remote is even better because their is no chance of shaking the camera even from the cord on the remote.  Many Nikon camera going back to the D70 and D70s and all the way forward to the just released D600 use the wonderful little ML-L3 remote which sales for around $29., but can often be found on Amazon from some dealers for as little as $15.  While in Walmart the other night, I saw a similar remote form Targas for $9.95.  It stated on  the package that it worked with all the same Nikon cameras as the ML-L3.  I bought several to test, and sure enough they worked just the same with my D7000 and D600.  From ten feet away they both work fine and of course closer, but beyond ten feet the Targus will not fire the camera, but the ML-L3 continues to work all the way out to 30 feet, or at least that was as far as I could get away form the camera in my hotel room!!  I like the Targus because of it’s size, not as hard to loose! and price, but both work great, but give the edge on range to the official Nikon ML-L3!

 

My favorite wired remote is a lot harder to find but worth the effort.  is the Nikon MC-25 ten pin remote short cord, with a MR-3 remote release button attached.  MC-25 Cords can still be purchased through most Nikon dealers, the MR-3 is long discontinued, but can sometimes be found in a lonely drawer at a big camera dealer!  This arrangement is sturdy and not so very long that you tangle over you own cords!!!  I use it all the time on the D800, D700, D3s and D4.  I sure wish those cameras had included and receiver port for the little ML-L3!!

 

 

Lots of third party remotes exist out there, but just test first before attaching anything to your Nikon that does not say Nikon on it!!!  It’s always safer, and best to use your manufacturers official accessories!

 

Happy remote shooting,

 

the pilgrim

 

Late Breaking News:  Nikon announced a few days ago a great new lens for landscape and travel shooters.  The new 70-200 AF-S VR f 4 IF-ED lens is smaller and lighter than the f 2.8 II version. The big news is that it focuses a full foot closer, so with diopters this lens could be a great field lens. I hope to have one up in November, and will give you guys a full update.  This is a top notch pro lens that includes fast focusing, Nano Crystal Coatings, and a new version of VR that is supposed to give 5 stops of range!  See it below:

 

 

 

 

 

How do you see the world photographically?   This is not a question with a value judgement, just a question!  The great thing about photography is we can see and interpret the world as we desire.  The shot above is my vision for something I saw this morning and then photographed it, then processed it to my liking.  The shot below is more like what I saw, in reality.

 

 

 

 

Which is better?  Well, that all depends on how you want to share your vision with the world.  If you see a spectacular world with vivid rich colors, the top shot is for you, if you are much more grounded in reality, you might like the one directly above.  Fortunately we don’t have “photo police” that enforce seeing the world only one way!  Once you start to explore your feelings about images you are open to stretch that vision even further.  As an example, the image below is the original, close to reality shot, with an application of NIK’s Color Efex 3.0 filter Glamour Glow, thanks Scott Kelby, I’ll be forever in your debt for turning me on to that filter!!!  (And for a lot more as well!!)

 

 

With your permission let’s take another example and play some with it!!  On a drizzling morning rain I took shelter in my car and captured the front door of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Henderson, the weather was perfect for saturated colors, so let’s start here with a straight shot of the church door and surrounding stone.

 

 

Now let’s play on the texture of the stone and apply Topaz’s Adjust – Spicify to the original image.

 

 

I hope this is fun for you, I’m having a blast!!!!  For my last example I saw this faded, rusting, trailer side with a Penzoil logo on it, what a playground!!!  First the straight shot:

 

 

To sharpen the details and add some grit we applied Nik’s Color Efex 3.0 Tonal Contrast.

 

 

Unable to leave well enough alone, I went a step further and applied Glamour Glow from NIK’s Color Efex 4.0

 

 

So what is the bottom line?  If you feel adventurous, I’ve given you some food for thought, if this is not your thing, it’s o.k.,  feel free to leave it alone.  The most important thing is to find a vision that fits you and works for  you.

 

Now your spiritual vision is another thing altogether!  I hope you’ve opened yourself up to the infinite possibilities that come with accepting Christ and following His plan for your life.  While “creative processing” of images may not be for everyone, Jesus Christ is!!!  A friend told me a while back that he just wasn’t sure he believed in God, I told him that I knew one thing for sure, “He believes in you…….”

 

In Him,

 

the pilgrim

 

Blog note:  I’ve been on the road for  16 straight days and I’m going home Saturday to change suitcases, pickup my bride and immediately (within an hour or two), runaway to a warm beach, for a week.  I’m not a sun person, so when I’m not spending time with my girl friend, (yes, Sherelene), or napping or soaking in the hot tub, I will blog occasionally, but I can’t promise one everyday!!!  Starting November 2nd I’m off for another 15 straight days out on the road, so I need to be a good husband during my short time off!!  For those of you that are joining us out in Arizona and Utah in early November the excitement is really on the rise as Jim, Snake, Chuck, R.C. and I are making preparations for a wonderful time with you guys!!

 

I’ve now had the D600 for long enough to really get to know it and I have some additional observations. I will cut right to the chase, I think the D600 represents the best value in DSLR on the market today!  Here’s why;

 

1.  The D600 is the highest resolution DSLR on the market, save for the D800, and is more than enough detail for virtually any subject you and I will ever shoot.

 

2.  The D600 represents a significant bargain, especially when you consider just three years ago a D3x was $8,000. and the closest competitor from Canon with slightly less resolution is $3,500.  The cost alone is pretty amazing, what’s even more amazing is that the D600 outperforms either of these cameras.  It is much lower noise than the D3x and very close to the 5D Mark III.  It is only 1/2 stop slower than the frame rate of the 5D Mark III,  and it costs $1,400 less!!!!

 

3.  With the exception of my favorite DX body the D7000 the D600 has the sweetest release and quietest shutter in the line up.  It is a joy to shoot hand held and when you lock it on a tripod it uses the ML-L3 wireless remote,  I truly love this combination.

 

4.  The very vital aspect of ergonomics, this camera simply feels great in your hands.  It has enough heft to feel substantial, but is light enough to be refreshing.  I don’t think anyone should be concerned about the build quality!

 

5.  After doing a number of HDR images by shooting three images 2 stops apart, I’m convinced, that unless you are an HDR master and shoot almost everything as an HDR, this camera will cover your bases just fine.

 

6.  I can’t wait to get my hands on the very reasonably priced wireless transmitter, the WU-1b, I think it will be a hoot to shoot straight to the iPad!!!  Add to that the App for you iPhone that allows you to operate the camera wirelessly!  Wow, what fun!!!

 

7.  I’m starting to really love SD cards, they are less expensive, are coming on very fast speeds, and it’s easy to carry a bunch of them!  And the D600 works with dual SD slots.

 

8.  But most important of all, this camera makes absolutely gorgeous images!  It is so good it makes me wonder why I will keep the D800, of course I’ll kept a D800 as my 4X5 view camera!!!!   But for everyday shooting this D600 has found an honored place in my camera bag!

 

You couldn’t spend $2,100. any better……

 

the pilgrim

 

 

We have been beating one subject to death, which camera and why, but in the shower this morning I came up with a new approach to that question!  After exhaustive tests, I’ve  come to the conclusion that just about any of the top cameras I’ve tested and used can give spectacular results if used properly!!  So how to make a decision about which camera isa best for you?  What features does a camera have to have for  me to be comfortable working with it day after day?   (You have to make your own list, but hopefully this will help you to start thinking about it)1  Why I thought of this in the shower is beyond me, but here are some of my most desired and needed features;

 

1. Being able to check sharpness by magnifying the image with the multi-selector center button on the camera.  This is a custom function available on the D700, D800, D3s, and D4.  It is not available on the D600, and D7000.  I use t his feature all the time to check focus and sharpness and I find I feel crippled without it!  Is it  deal breaker?   No, but close, I really miss it on the bodies  that don’t offer it!!!!!

 

2.  Ability to cycle through menus and images with command dials.  This is another custom function that is available on all the cameras above.  Any feature that helps you work faster and more smoothly will really make the shooting process more enjoyable, this is a great feature!  All these cameras have it.

 

3. Bracketing of .3, .7, 1, 3, 5,7 9 shots by at least 1 f stop, preferably more.  For very serious HDR work you simply need this ability, now having said that, I do wonderful HDRs with my D7000 which only offers a 1 stop difference over 3 shots, but it’s not ideal.  The D4, D3s, D800 and D700 all offer this minimum, the D4 much more.  The D600 offers up to a 3 stop difference (.3, .7, 1, 2, 3 stops) in 3 shots, and the D7000 is limited to a maximum of 1 stop spread over three shots.

 

4.  A dedicated, easy to find, Bracketing button for changing those settings.  It’s best on the top left control area of the D4, D3s, and D800, the button is less easy to find on the D600 and D7000.  Not a deal breaker, but does not make me smile as much as a big dedicated BKT button!

 

5.  Cropped area grayed out in crop modes.  Some cameras gray out the area not imaging in crop modes, the D4, D3s, D800 and D600 have this feature, the D700 and D7000 do not.  It makes composing easier than looking for a thin black line in the frame, and in movement situations you can see where the subject is right outside the frame!

 

6.  The softest most predictable release teamed up with the quietest shutter and mirror.  The winner is D7000, followed very closely by the D600, then in third place D800, tied for fourth place D4/D3s, dead last place D700 (which today compared to the newest cameras, sounds like a screen door slamming!!!!

 

7.  The more mega pixels, the better!!!   Firsts place, D800, Second place, D600, Third place D7000, (it’s 16 megapixels has a relative pixel density of 24), Fourth, D4, tied for 5th D700 and D3s, though the D3s is a better 12 megapixels in terms of quality.  Three reasons why!  (1) Even though I shoot for the final images, being able to crop and maintain lots of resolution is very valuable!  (2) You can never have too much detail and gradation of tones, (3) When noise appears at very high ISOs the ability to smooth it with post processing and give up a little sharpness from a file that has twice the sharpness of anything else on the market is golden!

 

8.  Mirror Lockup.  All have it!

 

9.  Ability to use a convient to use wireless remote.  The D7000 and D600 use the ML-L3 remote which I love! The D4/D3s, D700 and D800 all take the ten pin remotes or can use the Nikon Modulite infrared remote or some of the third party radio remotes, they all work but are bulky and involve cords.  I sure wish the D800 used the ML-L3 remote!!!!!

 

10.  Feeling of substance without being too heavy, (admittedly this is purely subjective, but I will share my thoughts).  For me the D700 and D800 have the near perfect feeling of rugged build, enough weight to steady the camera in hand holding, and a medium size form factor that just works for me.   The D4 and D3s are just to heavy for me to carry all day over my shoulder.  The D7000 is the lightest, but still feels well made and rugged, and is perfect when I simply want to carry the lightest camera in my DSLR inventory (like travel photography).

 

11.  Depth-of-field preview button.  All  have it.

 

12.  Great Live View features.  D4, D800, and D600 lead this parade, the D4 and D800 are almost the same, and the best.

 

So using my own criteria how do the cameras score for me?

First place:  D800

Second Place:  D600

Third Place:  D7000

Tied in fourth place:  D4/D3s  (remember I’m not a sports shooter anymore!!!)

Last place:  D700  (Still a great camera!!)

 

What does this mean?  Well, pending any new cameras coming any time soon, to further muddy the waters, For me it’s a D800, a D600, and D7000.  This would fulfill my belief that you need an FX and DX body, and keeping in mind, you could by all three new, in the box, for about the same money as a single D4.

 

Perspective: