Monthly Archives: September 2012

I’m feeling especially joyful this morning.  I’m headed down to Atlanta to call on a client and attend the celebration tonight for Dr. Charles Stanley’s 80th birthday. I’m so happy to get to do that with a friend I love so much.  Charles has been such a strong influence on me through out my constant need for growth as a Christian.  Of course, he has been that for millions of others, but I’m so happy to call him my friend.  I will be so thrilled for him, to see so many show them their great love and respect for him, after he has given so much to our faith.  It will be a wonderful evening I’m sure, and my prayer is that it is even better than he has anticipated!

 

I’m also feeling great joy because of His answer to my prayer for a ministry.  I’ve wanted so desperately to have an effective way to serve Him, and it was along time coming.  O.K. that’s not entirely true, we all have a way to serve Him, to love others as He has loved us.  I’ve been trying to do that all my life, but I wanted something more, but God was silent for a very long time.  I battled the fear that I was not adequate to serve Him, and I’m not, but that was not what the long wait was about!  God knows when we are ready, and I believe we are ready when we realize we will never be ready!!  When we know that it is only through Him that we can ever hope to be adequate for service to Him.  Thankfully He loves us and desires for us to serve Him, but He loves us so much, He won’t throw us into deep water, when we can’t swim!

 

It never ceases to amaze me, how much He loves us, and how much He desires for us to serve Him, but even with all that desire on both His and our part, He knows what is best, and He will never put us in a place where failure is assured.  When He finally opened the door for me, with this blog and  His Light Ministries, He had brought me to the place He could use me.  Don’t misread what I’m saying, I’m not implying that I had grown to some powerful status, actually quite the opposite, I had been knocked to my knees, and He allowed  me to understand that it is only through His wisdom, power, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that any of us can ever effectively serve Him.  Today I’m sharing our new logo because of my great joy about what is happening, happening because of Him, not me.  Jim and I have already seen miraculous things happen through the blog and the workshops, and we are anxiously waiting to see what He will do next.  I don’t know much, but I do know a few things for certain; God loves us, He is always, always looking out for our best interest, he can and will  make the right things happen in our lives to draw us closer to Him, and after all, that is the greatest thing that can ever happen in this life!   He only asks one thing in return, that we accept Him and accept His forgiveness.

 

In Him,

 

the pilgrim

The other day I wrote a piece based on Dr. Charles Stanley’s In Touch Daily Devotional on accountability. Today’s devotional was a valuable lesson on what characteristics we should seek in a partner or exhibit ourselves if we are asked to serve in that capacity for a brother or sister in Christ.  I think this is too valuable not to repeat, so thanks Charles for the words of wisdom!

 

An accountability partner is able to perceive what we can’t see when blind spots and weaknesses block our vision. Such a person serves as a tool in God’s hand to promote spiritual growth, and he or she watches out for our best interest. When choosing this type of confidant, look for these characteristics:

 

1. Godly. A person who walks in the Spirit will offer genuine wisdom based on biblical principles rather than personal opinion.

 

2. Trustworthy. No matter what you share with this individual, you must be certain that he or she will keep everything in the strictest confidence.

 

3. Accepting. He or she must allow you to be yourself–frailties and all–and not try to remake you into someone “perfect.”

 

4. Courageous. A good accountability partner will lovingly confront you with the truth, even when it hurts (Eph. 4:15).

 

5. Forgiving. When you make mistakes, trust is built through mutual forgiveness.

 

6. Edifying. Don’t choose someone with an overly critical attitude that will make you feel worthless. Love edifies and builds up (Eph. 4:29). It never destroys.

 

7. Encouraging. You don’t want someone with a checklist, who judges or acts like a prophet. Instead, choose someone who takes great joy in encouraging you.

 

We all can benefit from someone who is able to say what we need to hear without making us feel threatened. Answerability provides checks and balances that promote spiritual growth and protect us from pitfalls. If you don’t already have an accountability partner, pray for that person today.

 

I want to serve my Heavenly Father in any way He desires me to serve, I know part of His desire for me is that I be accountable to my close brothers and sisters in Christ and to be willing to do t he same for them if asked.  This is not something I could ever do in my own strength and wisdom, only god could provide these characteristics that I might serve another.  It is wise to seek god to build you up to the task of being His servant in this way.

 

I pray that we will all have enough wisdom to know that the ultimate wisdom, and power comes from Him!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

There has been, understandably, a great deal of interest in the D600 and it was made even more exciting when DXO released their test of the new camera’s sensor.  After my test yesterday I was not shocked to see that it was rated in third place of all sensors tested, right after the D800 and D800E!!!  I have added a link for you here:

 

p://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Publications/DxOMark-Reviews/Nikon-D600-sets-high-bar-for-sensor-image-quality

 

 

After yesterday’s test, I’ve shot a good deal more and have some additional thoughts!

 

(1.)  The D600 is very similar to the D7000 in one important way, the shutter release is very soft and predictable, and the D600 is, along with the D7000 very quiet.  Every time I’ve used the D7000 over the last few years, I’ve really enjoyed it’s handling, and I’m convinced that the same tactile pleasure will exist with the D600.

 

(2.)  The Bracketing function is a little different but still very usable, three shots at .3, .7, 1, 2, or 3 stop differences.  So three shots at  a 2 stop increments would be a 5 stop range, I will run some tests, but I feel it will be good for most HDR applications.  I hand held a three shot HDR in terrible light and I was thrilled with the results, admittedly not a great shot but the camera handled it  well!  Below that shot is a very close crop on the license plate, shows just how much this sensor resolves!

 

 

That is a 100% crop out of a handheld HDR shot!!!  Pretty amazing….

 

(3.)  If you’ve ever carried a pro camera body you know how heavy it an be at the end of the day, the D600 will be a lot easier to carry all day!

 

(4.)  The menu options have been very enhanced in the new model, with lots of cool features that will make the camera easy to use in the field.  The U1 and U2 settings let you set up special camera settings for different kinds of photographic situations that can now be selected at the turn of the dial!  In addition the Auto ISO works very well and can be set up for your style of shooting.

 

(5.)  While the D800 certainly has more resolution, images from the new D600 are both very clean, and exceptionally sharp, rivaling the D800.

 

It is not my policy to tell my friends and readers what they should buy, but I feel confident that those that need a full frame camera will definitely want to give a D600 a spin before deciding, I’ll give it the highest praise I can give a product, I’ll be spending my own money for one….

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

The most common question I get as a tech rep is should I buy,  fill in the blank, or fill in the blank!!  It’s not an easy question to answer, because the variables are all over the place.  How much can you afford, what do you shoot, is speed important, how rugged does your camera need to be, do you want a lighter camera, what size enlargements do you make, do you need to shoot in very low light?  Do you want a FX or DX sensor camera?

 

Get the point?  There is no way I could tell you what to buy, but I could tell you some of the advantages of various models of cameras!  Above are four current Nikon DSLRs, from left to right, the D800, the D600, the D7000 and the D4.  When the D600 arrived today I was anxious to test it, and I figured if I was going to do that, I might as well shoot the same test with the same subject, light, and lens with all four!  I shot the row of books in my office with each camera and a 60mmm Micro Nikkor lens, all shot at f8 and tripod mounted in Aperture Priority mode.  I used a cable release for each shot and then shot the same scene with each camera @ ISO 100 – 200 – 400- 800 – 1600 – 3200 – 6400.  I then blew up the central portion of each file to 100% crop and compared sharpness and noise at each ISO.

 

I’m not going to put you through posting all the examples since on the internet you could barely see the difference, but I’ve studied them thoroughly, and will be happy to share with you my conclusions!

 

First:  These are all great cameras and the results in the test are not as different as you might think!!! The D4 is clearly the winner on low noise at the highest ISOs, but then you knew that already!  The D800 is clearly the resolution winner, with more detail than any of the others, and any other camera made in this form factor!  The D600 is maybe the best all around of the bunch, very reasonable price, and very high resolution, great noise and a very pleasant camera to handle and shoot!  Where does that leave the D7000?  In last place?  Yes, but, If you simply don’t have much in your budget this is the finest camera I’ve ever seen for under $1,000. It might be in last place, but it is still a killer camera capable of serious professional work.  If you don’t believe me, look at Mike Moats close-ups!!!

 

Secondly:  So which to buy???  Let me describe what I think is the perfect user for each model:

 

The D4:  The perfect camera when speed, ruggedness, and exceptionally low noise at astronomical ISOs is the only thing that will do!  Photojournalists, sports shooters,wildlife and aviation photographers will live with this camera!  Serious build quality, and extreme frame rates, plus every customization option you could imagine and some you haven’t thought of!  Yes $6,000. is as high price, but then nothing else will do what this bad boy does……  This camera makes gorgeous images too!

 

The D800:  Is the perfect camera for someone for which exceptional resolution, detail and tonal gradation is what floats there boat!  Landscape, nature, close-up, fine art, travel shooters will all find this D800 simply irresistible.  If you don’t need high frame rates, and you are willing to use the camera with great care, the results it can produce are simply like nothing else in the world! Period!  It’s feature set including a broad range of bracketing options for HDR shooters, drop dead accurate color, and a substantial build quality will all make this choice satisfying for years to come.

 

The D600:  Is the value leader of the pack, a very reasonable price, great resolution, only second to the D800, good frame rate at 5.5 FPS, wonderful color and a very rich feature set, all make for a camera that can do just about anything.  The images are tack sharp, and the noise is very low even at 3200.  The bracketing feature allows up to three shots at 1, 2, or 3 stops apart, and while not as versatile as the D800 and D4 for HDR, it will still allow a great range of exposures which should produce very nice HDR shots indeed!  It is very much like the D7000, it feels great in your hands and the slightly lighter weight is a joy when you have to carry it all day! Only a few years ago I would have found a camera this capable for around $2,100., an impossible thought!!!

 

D7000: Is the perfect camera for almost anyone that wants a great camera for around a thousand dollars. With 16 mega pixels and a frame rate of 6 FPS this little camera really rocks!  The noise is very good up to 1600 and usable above that if you want to do a little  post noise reduction.  I consider this the perfect camera for travel and being a DX sensor it stretches your longer lenses, I use it often with my 70-300 to get the equivalent crop value of a 105-450!!!  The D7000 is one of the quietest of our cameras along with the D600 and both use the great little ML-L3 wireless remote!  When it sold for $1,295. I thought it was a screaming bargain, now that it has dropped to $995. you can imagine what I would call it!

 

What will I be using?  Well, I’ve been working on that one!  As of today, the D800 is my camera of choice for all my serious work, for travel and when I’m wanting to shoot in a more relaxed mode, I think it will be a tough choice between the D600 and D7000, I love them both and can see either as a great second camera. The DX sensor D7000 add the versatility of stretching the longer lenses, and the lenses are smaller and lighter, but then the D600 shares all my FX lenses and makes such a beautiful image!!  To be honest I guess I may end up owning three cameras some day, a D800, a D600 and a D7000!  I can see a relevant use for all three!! What about the D4?  I was once a sports shooter, (for the Washington Redskins), and a photojournalist, but those days are past…….

 

If you want me to muddy the waters a little more, let me share a little story.  A few weeks ago in preparation for the release of the, then rumored, D600 I decided to go into my files and pick out my favorite images, I then I looked at the EXIF data, and guess what, I could not tell hardly any difference between them in terms of quality, and they were made by cameras ranging from D100, D70, D2x, D3, D3s, P7000 and many more!  So what is the conclusion?  It’s the photographer, not the camera!   Maybe a little food for thought…….

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim