The Nikon Companion

Beyond Point-and-Shoot - Learning to Use a Digital SLR or Interchangeable-Lens Camera

2012-01-13T19:58:00.004-05:00

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.

Preorder from Amazon.com here

Assuming little to no knowledge of photographic terms, techniques, or technology, Beyond Point-And-Shoot 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.

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.

Other topics include:

Camera types and categories
Choosing a camera system: DSLR vs. ILC
Lens types, focal length, angle of view, and filters
Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO sensitivity
Controlling exposure, depth of field, and subject motion
Using scene, auto, semi-auto, and manual exposure modes
Understanding image formats: JPEG, TIFF, and RAW
Using the powerful histogram for better pictures
White balance, color space, and RGB bit-depth

My newest book is planned for release in May 2012. It is available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Nikon D7000 – Battery Tips

2011-12-18T11:31:00.003-05:00

This article is an excerpt from Mastering The Nikon D7000, published by Rocky Nook and NikoniansPress.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Figure 1.1 – Charging the camera’s battery with the MH-25 charger

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.

If you can hold yourself back from turning on the camera until after the battery is charged, that would be the optimum situation.

Figure 1.2 – Examining and inserting the battery

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.

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).

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.

Figure 1.3 – Battery info screen

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.

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.

My Recommendation: 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.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Using a Macro Lens or Closeup Diopter Filters

2011-12-09T00:10:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

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.

Figure 1 – AF Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

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 Micro Nikkor. 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.

Figure 2 – A picture taken with the AF Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens

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).

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.

Close Up Diopter Screw-On Macro Filters

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.

Figure 3 – A set of close up diopter filters for macro shooting on a budget

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).

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.

Figure 4 – Same subject as in figure 2 shot with diopter close up filters

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.

Extension Tubes and Lens Bellows

You can get by without a true macro lens or screw-on filters—by using either extension tubes or a lens bellows. 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).

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.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Eye-Fi Pro X2 8GB Wi-Fi SD Card Review

2011-12-08T12:45:00.000-05:00

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?

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.

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.

The Eye-Fi 8GB Pro X2 Wi-Fi Card for Nikons that can use SD cards

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Eye-Fi card partially inserted into a Nikon D300S's SD slot

I’ve been using an Eye-Fi card for quite some time and wanted to give you some information on how they work:

Eye-Fi Card Cost & Availability – 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.

Memory Capacity – 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!

Image Transfer Range - 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.

The Eye-Fi is a unique card with a built-in transmitter – It makes your images fly (through the air)

Card Profile Required - 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.

Private Wi-Fi Networks – 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.

Ad-Hoc Networks – 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.

Open Wi-Fi Networks – 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.

The Eye-Fi card is exactly the same size as a normal SD card

Hotspot Access Service – 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.

File Formats (RAW vs. JPEG) – 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.

Endless Memory - 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?

File-Sharing Websites - 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.

Network Speeds Supported – 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.

Camera Battery Life – 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.

An Eye-Fi card is a great addition to your Nikon armory

Internal Memory Type – 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.

Geotagging of Images – 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.

Eye-Fi cards work with Nikonians.org's Annotate software

Nikonians® Annotate Expert Software and Eye-Fi Cards – 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: http://www.nikonians.org/resources/reviews/annotate-expert-review-en

Should I use an Eye-Fi Card Instead of a Nikon WT-4 Wireless Transmitter? – 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.

Can I Transfer Images Wirelessly to a Non-Wi-Fi Computer? – 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!”

Can I use an SD to CF adapter? - 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 (http://www.eye.fi) on the subject of using the SD/SDHC-based Eye-FI cards in CF converters:

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. 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.

Wireless range of the Eye-Fi Card is noticeably reduced.
Formatting the Eye-Fi Card in a CF adapter has caused the Eye-Fi Card to fail.
File corruption of photos.

Eye-Fi Card Advanced Use – 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.

Eye-Fi card – The easiest way to backup and share

About Eye-Fi - 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.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Nikon Releases the New SB-910 Speedlight Flash Unit

2011-11-30T13:36:00.001-05:00

Nikon has released a brand new Speedlight flash unit, the SB-910. Here is their official press announcement:

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]

The new Nikon SB-910 Flash Unit

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:

SB-910
SB-900
SB-700
SB-R200

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!

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).

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:

Nikon SB-910 back, showing the streamlined controls

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.

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 SZ-2TN Incandescent Filter and the SZ-2FL Fluorescent Filter. 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:

Nikon SJ-3 Color filter set for the Nikon SB-910 Speedlight

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.

Additional accessories include (see: http://bit.ly/vd0aTm) :

SU-4 Wireless Remote TTL Flash Controller (US$120)
SC-28 and SC-29 Coiled Remote Cords (US$81 and US$112)
SW-13H Diffusion Dome (US$16.50)
AS-21 Speedlight Stand (US$9.50)
SZ-2 Color Filter Holder (US$13)
WG-AS1, WG-AS2, WG-AS3 Water Guards (US$35.50 each)
SS-910 Soft Case (US$36.50)
SZ-2TN Incandescent Filter (Snaps on like a diffusion dome for US$11.95)
SZ-2FL Fluorescent Filter (Snaps on like a diffusion dome for US$11.95)

Of the above mentioned accessories, these are included in the box with the SB-910:

AS-21 Speedlight Stand
SW-13H Nikon Diffusion Dome
SZ-2FL Fluorescent Filter
SZ-2TN Incandescent Filter
SS-910 Soft Case

Technical Specifications

Commander Function:

Yes

Remote Function:

Yes

Guide Number:

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)

Electronic Construction:

Automatic Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) and series circuitry

Flash Exposure Control:

Distance-priority manual flash
i-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash with CLS compatible cameras
Manual Flash (with Nikon Creative Lighting System digital and 35mm SLR cameras)

Lens Coverage:

8 to 11mm (DX-format, Automatic mode with built-in wide-angle panel deployed)
12 to 17mm (FX-format, Automatic mode with built-in wide-angle panel deployed)
12 to 200mm (DX-format, Automatic mode)
17 to 200mm (FX-format, Automatic mode)

Illumination Pattern:

The light distribution angle is automatically adjusted to the camera's image area in both FX and DX formats:

Standard
Even
Center-weighted

Other Available Functions:

Test Firing
Monitor Pre-flashes
AF-assist illumination for multi-point AF
Modeling illuminator

Bounce Function (Tilt):

Flash head tilts down to 7° or up to 90° with click-stops at -7°, 0°, 45°, 60°, 75°, 90°.

Bounce Function (Rotate):

Flash head rotates horizontally 180° to the left and right with click-stops at 0°, 30°, 60°, 75°, 90°, 120°, 150°, 180°

Minimum Recycling Time:

2.3 sec. (approx.) with Ni-MH (2600 mAh) batteries
3.0 sec. (approx.) with Oxyride™ (1.5V) batteries
4.0 sec. (approx.) with Alkaline-manganese (1.5V) batteries
4.5 sec. (approx.) with Lithium (1.5V) batteries

Flash Duration:

1/880 sec. at M 1/1 (full) output
1/1100 sec. at M 1/2 output
1/2550 sec. at M 1/4 output
1/5000 sec. at M 1/8 output
1/10000 sec. at M 1/16 output
1/20000 sec. at M 1/32 output
1/35700 sec. at M 1/64 output
1/38500 sec. at M 1/128 output

Required Power Source:

Four 1.2V Ni-MH (AA-size) batteries
Four 1.5V Alkaline-manganese (AA-size) batteries
Four 1.5V Lithium (AA-size) batteries

Optional Power Supplies:

SK-6 Power Bracket Unit, SD-9 High-Performance Battery Pack
SD-8A High-Performance Battery Pack

Flash-ready Indicator:

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).
Rear lights up and Front blinks: recycled and ready to fire.

Ready Light:

Front

Flash Compensation:

–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

Custom Settings:

AF-Assist Illumination
Modeling Illuminator
Monitor pre-flashes
Test firing

Minimum Number of Flashes / Recycling Time:

110/4.0 – 30 sec. (1.5V Alkaline-manganese)
125/3.0 –30 sec. (1.5V Oxyride™)
165/2.3–30 sec. (Ni-MH (eneloop))
190/2.3–30 sec. (2600mAh Ni-MH)
230/4.5–120 sec. (1.5V Lithium)

Wireless Flash Modes:

Master
Master (RPT)
Off
Remote
SU-4

Wireless Communication Channels:
Four: 1, 2, 3 and 4 Channels

Wireless Groups:
Three: A, B and C

Other Functions:

Firmware update
ISO sensitivity setting
Key lock
Recalling the underexposure value in the TTL auto flash mode
Resetting the settings
Improved Thermal Cut-out

Dimensions:
3.1 x 5.7 x 4.4 in. (78.5 x 145 x 113mm)

Weight (Approx. without batteries):

14.8 oz. (420g)

Supplied Accessories:

AS-21 Speedlight Stand
SW-13H Nikon Diffusion Dome
SZ-2FL Fluorescent Filter
SZ-2TN Incandescent Filter
SS-910 Soft Case

Summary

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 Nikon SB-910 Speedlight Flash Unit. Support this blog by buying from my link, please (http://amzn.to/usSgKg). It is currently listed at US$549.00.

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.

You can view sample photos created with the Nikon SB-910 at the following website (case sensitive): http://bit.ly/tuXbzq

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?

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

PhotoPlus Expo 2011 and New York City

2011-11-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

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.

The booth presented Rocky Nook's books for photographers, Seenby.com's Fine Art Photography, and c't Digital Photography magazine, which Rocky Nook is co-publishing. Here's a picture of the crew in our booth at the Expo:

Left to right: Darrell Young, Jorg Muhle, Devon Bell (and baby), Julian Buhler

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).

Part 1 – PhotoPlus Expo 2011

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 Mastering the Nikon DSLR books, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Darrell and Brenda Young at the PhotoPlus Expo Booth

Left to right: Brad Berger of Berger-bros.com, Hendric Schneider of Nikonians.org, Jorg Muhle and Julian Buhler of c't Digital Photography Magazine

Darrell Young and Brad Berger of Berger Bros Digital Photography & Video

I was pleased to meet Hendric Schneider of Nikonians.org and Brad Berger of Berger Bros Digital Photography & Video 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 Nikon cameras and accessories from Brad Berger, so he made a special trip to meet me when he heard I was going to be at the Expo.

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:

Attendees waiting patiently for the rope barrier to be removed.

Here they come! See all the new Nikon bags, ready to collect goodies?

The Nikon booth was very popular

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.

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 blogged about this new line here. 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.

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.)

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 Facebook page:

"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."

Overall, PhotoPlus Expo 2011 was a great success and a really good time for all involved. I can't wait until next year!

Rocky Nook Publishing Company

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.

I've been writing for Rocky Nook since my first book, Mastering the Nikon D300, was released in October 2008. The company is rare in its concern for both authors and readers, in my opinion. The staff at Rocky Nook—including Joan Dixon, Managing Editor; Gerhard Rossbach, Publisher and CEO; and Devon Bell, Sales and Marketing Manager—are all exceptional people.

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:

http://www.rockynook.com/infoservice_catalog.php

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.

Devon Bell discusses c't Digital Photography magazine with an Expo attendee

A local New Yorker examining a c't Digital Photography Magazine. Many people subscribed on the spot!

c't Digital Photography Magazine

Let me tell you about the new c't Digital Photography 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.

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.

Each issue of the magazine comes with a DVD including video tutorials, software, and sample photographs. Here's a PDF file showing the contents of the DVD from issue six, which includes a complete eBook copy of Torsten Andreas Hoffmann's new Rocky Nook book The Art of Black and White Photography, not even released until January 2012 (a US$44.95 value). The DVD by itself is worth the subscription price!

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 "in-depth quarterly for the photo enthusiast." 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:

Subscribe now through December 31st and get a 5th issue free - a savings of over 30% off the newsstand price!

Please enter Offer Code 1104DD05 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:

https://www.ct-digiphoto.com/subscription/

Subscriptions are $49.95, with 4 Issues per Year – Offer Expires 12/31/11

Learn more about c't Digital Photography by visiting them at www.ct-digiphoto.com or joining them on Facebook or Twitter:

www.facebook.com/ctdigiphoto
www.twitter.com/ctDigiPhoto

I highly recommend c't Digital Photography Magazine 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.

Special note: I need your help! I really want to see c't Digital Photography Magazine 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!

Part 2 – Touring the Big Apple

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.

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:

Darrell

Nikon D300S body
AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens
AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens (Read my review of this lens here)
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX lens
32 gig memory card and spares

Brenda

Nikon D7000 body
AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens
Nikon SB-400 flash unit
32 gig memory card and spares

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:

World Trade Center Buildings under construction on October 30, 2011

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: http://www.wtc.com/.

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:

The World Trade Center Memorial Preview Site on 20th Avenue in New York with one of the new Trade Center buildings in the background.

Inside the World Trade Center Memorial Preview Site on 20th Avenue

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:

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.

New York Subway

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!

11-year old subway dancer makes $200 per day

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!

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!

Central Park

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.

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:

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.

Read the story of the Main Monument and the events surrounding the sinking of the Maine Battleship at this website:

http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/south-end/maine-monument.html

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:

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.

Brenda with her Nikon D7000 in Central Park on the famous bridge

Central Park with downed tree limbs all around

Staten Island Ferry

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!

Entrance to the Staten Island Ferry

Looking back at the end of Manhattan Island from the outside deck of the Staten Island Ferry

One of the Staten Island ferry boats returning on its round trip from the island to Manhattan. Two ships passing at sunset.

The Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry at sunset

Times Square

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:

Brenda and her D7000 at Times Square. There is no need for flash here at night, except for a little fill!

Cars and people and bicycle buggies, all night long!

Time Square and New York Never Sleeps!

My Nikon D300S Video of Times Square at night on YouTube (Kindle Touch and Keyboard viewers do not show this video. See it here: http://youtu.be/nf48V82IEVg online instead)

Empire State Building

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!

The Empire State Building in New York City

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

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

My Nikon D300S Video of Manhattan at night on YouTube (Kindle Touch and Keyboard viewers do not show this video. See it here: http://youtu.be/4TgBbMEJpzI online instead)

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.

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.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

A Pictorial Review of the AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G Lens

2011-11-24T11:15:00.000-05:00

Today I would like to review, in a pictorial way, a lens that I find quite appealing. The AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens. There are plenty of reviews out there that show the charts and graphs for this fine lens, and not a few video reviews too. I would like to present to you a few images that I have taken with Nikon's newest 50mm f/1.4 lens so that you can judge whether its quality meets your needs..

AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G Lens

This lens is a refreshing break from heavier zoom lenses. It changes the perspective for a photographer in a creative way, since you have to think more about composition with a single focal length. The large maximum aperture provides the ability to isolate the subject in a way that slower zoom lenses simply cannot do. On a DX camera the 50mm is a nice portrait lens. On an FX sensor it is a great normal lens for things like low-light shooting and daily carry.

I have used my 50mm f/1.4G lens in an event or two and shot some portraits with it. I've only had it for a short time but it has reawakened a fun side of photography that I had nearly forgotten. Let's enjoy the unique look a lens with a large aperture can give your images.

First is a simple snapshot I converted into a nice portrait. I had just opened the box on my 50mm lens and was seeking a test subject when my daughter walked by. "Hannah," I said, "Come let me use you as a subject for my new lens." After a drawn out, "Daaaad!", she complied. We were standing in the dining room with the sole lighting a small chandelier. I took the picture, while sitting at the table, with the lens mounted on my Nikon D300S. Hannah was standing a few feet from the white dining room wall:

Daughter shot with a AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens on a Nikon D300S (B&W Conversion)

Since I was shooting under tungsten light with incorrect white balance, I converted the image to black and white. I think it came out okay and shows how well the 50mm performs. Look at how extremely shallow the depth of field is at f/1.4. Only her face is in focus.

In the next image, I was still in testing mode, seeking whatever willing or unwilling victims I could find to shoot with my new toy. My daughter was sitting on the couch with her little doggy, Bella, on her lap. I said to the dog, "Bella, looky here!" She raised her ear and I snapped. This image is lit by a window and was converted to black and white. Again, the depth of field is very shallow with only Bella's right eye and ear in focus.

Even little wolves need love!

Switching to color now, let's move to a wedding I shot with the 50mm. At the reception I was interested in capturing a colorful subject for their album, so I shot a picture of a supply of candy in a glass container. I just walked up, stuck the lens in the bowl, and took the shot. It was lit by a sunny day shining in from a big window to the right. I stopped down just a little since I was shooting so close to the subject. I took this shot at f/2.4:

Candy dish closeup with window side lighting (aperture f/2.4)

Next, are some pictures I took during the reception dance. I was trying to emphasize people's faces, isolating them in the crowd with shallow depth of field. First is a sweet little girl who was willing to give me a nice smile, even with my lens close to her face. What do you see when you look at this image? What catches your attention immediately? Those eyes! The shallow depth of field emphasizes exactly what I wanted you to see:

Those eye, those eyes... (Aperture f/1.4)

Being able to isolate the bride and groom by using a low angle, natural light, and shallow depth of field, allowed me to catch the bride in a moment of contented contemplation. The lens performs especially well for natural light shooting.

Contented bride, shot by ambient window light (Aperture: f/1.8)

Finally, lets move to a few portraits I shot one day at a family gathering. Several of my daughters and cousins were there and I had my 50mm lens. We were in a pavilion next to the lake with a nice green background from trees across the lake. Here are a series of images taken by natural light with a large aperture and shallow depth of field:

Young Lady by the Lake (Aperture: f/1.8)

Hannah poses by a tree (Aperture: f/1.8)

I'm clearly up to something! (Aperture: f/1.8)

Mommy's little darling (Aperture: f/1.8)

The AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens is certainly a nice one. I carry it in my small camera bag whenever I go out to shoot. The 50mm is considered a classic lens for good reason. This newest f/1.4 by Nikon is a good choice for both DX and FX users, for different reasons. I heartily recommend the lens for all Nikon shooters. It isn't perfect, but it is a drastic improvement over the previous AF 50mm f/1.4D lens. The autofocus, being silent wave, is very quiet. Manual focus works well for those who might use the lens for close up photography or simply prefer manual focusing. It has an M/A – A switch so that you can easily switch between manual and autofocus, or fine tune the AF after autofocus finishes.

From time to time it is good for a photographer to go back to the basics. Using a nice prime lens, such as this new 50mm, can add some fun back into your photography. The portraits you can take with the shallow depth of field will please your friends and family. The large aperture allows you to shoot in low ambient light that other lenses won't even focus under. The lightness of the prime lens makes it easy to carry.

Do you have the AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens yet? You should!

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit Review

2011-11-23T08:42:00.000-05:00

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.

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 Nikon GP-1 GPS unit, your Nikon DSLR can do just that! Let's see how it works.

Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit

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.

Figure 1 – Nikon D7000 with a GP-1 GPS Unit and Accessories

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.

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 any Nikon through the GP-1 unit, while it is mounted.

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:

Figure 2 – Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit Mounted in Accessory Shoe

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.

While you are shooting pictures with a GP-1 mounted, the camera will display an extra data screen with GPS information, as follows:

Figure 3 – GPS Coordinates screen from a Nikon D5000

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.

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.

Figure 4 – GPS in use indicators on Nikon display screens

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.

Preparing the Camera for GPS Usage

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 must be active to record GPS data to the image. You’ll have to do one of two things:

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).
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 exposure meter must be on before GPS will seek satellites.

You can decide between these two conditions with the following Auto meter off settings:

Auto Meter Off

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:

Figure 5 – Setting Auto meter off to Disable so that your GPS will stay connected

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:

Enable (default) – The meter turns off after the Auto meter off 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!
Disable – 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.

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 Auto meter off (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.

Note: If you choose to leave Auto meter off enabled, you can control the Auto meter off 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 Custom Setting Menu > c Timers/AE lock > Auto meter-off delay. Other Nikons use Custom Setting Menu > c Timers/AE lock > Auto off timers > Custom > Auto meter-off. 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 all exposure meter operation timeouts, not just when a GPS is attached.

Using Your Camera with the GP-1 Nikon GPS

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!

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.

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.

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.

My Recommendation: 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:

Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit: http://amzn.to/t88S7U

Nikon MC-DC2 Remote Release: http://amzn.to/uwkZy9

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!

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Understanding Your Camera's Histogram

2011-11-22T22:00:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

Light Range

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.

Figure 1 – A basic histogram

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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!

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.

Figure 2 – Three histograms – one underexposed, one correctly exposed, and one overexposed

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.

Histogram Shape

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.

Figure 3 – Good image with normal histogram shape, no clipping

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.

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.

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.

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.

As we progress into images with more color or light information, we’ll see that the histogram looks quite different.

Figure 4 – Histogram showing underexposure (dark side)

Look at the image in figure 4. This is from an image that exceeds the range of the camera’s digital sensor.
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.

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.

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.

Figure 5 – Image with highlights (bright side) clipped

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.

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.

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.

How Does the Eye React to Light Values?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Computer Adjustment of Images

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.

Figure 6 – Cabin picture with correct exposure but dark shadows, and its histogram

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.

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.

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.

Figure 7 – Post-processed cabin picture and its histogram (in-computer manipulation)

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

In many cases, your progression from the shooting site to your digital darkroom can benefit if you shoot NEF (RAW) images.

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.

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.
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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

A Deeper Look at the Histogram

2011-11-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

This is a short excerpt from my upcoming book Moving Beyond Point-and-Shoot Photography 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.

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.

Is the Histogram Really That Important?

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.

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.

Figure 1.1 – Two histogram types (Luminance and RGB)

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.

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.

RGB Histograms

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.

Luminance Histogram

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).

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.

Understanding the Histogram

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.

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.

What is The Basis for a Histogram?

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).

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.

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.

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.

The main point I want to make in this article is use your camera's histogram. Your pictures will be better for it!

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Ode to the Nikon F5 (Mental Time Travel)

2011-11-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

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 Ode to the Nikon F5 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?

Flashback...

(Entering 2005)

Ode to the Nikon F5

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.

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.

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?

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!)

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?"

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!

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!

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 not 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!

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!

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 does 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!

Nikon F5.....The Perfect 35mm camera!

(Leaving 2005)

Flash forward...

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.

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.

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!

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Nikon Releases a Firmware Upgrade for the D5100 and D7000

2011-11-11T10:25:00.000-05:00

On November 10, 2011 Nikon released firmware upgrades that solves some issues with the Nikon D7000 and D5100 DSLR cameras. They are Firmware A:1.0.2 and B:1.0.3 for the Nikon D7000 and Firmware A:1.0.1 and B:1.0.1 for the D5100. Here are links to the upgrades on Nikon's USA site:

Nikon D7000 Update:
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17542

Nikon D5100 Update:
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17547

The upgrade addresses the following issues for the Nikon D7000:

An error where the card may not have been recognized when some memory cards were used has been addressed.

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: (1.) 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”. (2.) The number of remaining exposures may not be displayed as specified in the settings. (3.) The setting for Role played by card in Slot 2 may change between Overflow, Backup, and RAW Slot 1- JPEG Slot 2.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The upgrade fixes these issues with the Nikon D5100:

An error where the card may not have been recognized when some memory cards were used has been addressed.

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.

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.

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:

http://darrellyoung.blogspot.com/

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 www.PhotographyWriter.com. Have a great day!

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Respect for the Nikon D300/D300S - Fine Cameras for Right Now!

2011-11-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

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!

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?

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.

Nikon D300S with AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens

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!

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.

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.

Jumping in the water, at 800 ISO

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:

Tremont in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA

Sunrise on Hunting Island, South Carolina, USA

Campfire on Hunting Island, South Carolina, USA

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.

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:

Little Sweetums Baby Girl with two teefees

Young lady with a lei

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 "buy the latest thing, and buy it now!" 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:

D300S back, showing its 3 inch LCD monitor with VGA resolution

The ultimate in coolness, a Nikon D300S with an AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm VR lens

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:

Times Square at Night

View from Empire State Building at Night

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!

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Understanding the Custom Setting: ISO Sensitivity Step Value

2011-11-08T09:05:00.000-05:00

ISO sensitivity step value allows you to change the way the camera handles its progression of exposure values (EV) for ISO sensitivity. In other words, the camera’s ISO sensitivity “step” (or stop) increment is set with:

Custom Setting Menu > b Metering/exposure > ISO sensitivity step value

Using this setting, you can control the exposure steps with either 1/3 step EV or 1/2 step EV increments (1/2 or 1/3 stop). If you are concerned with maximum ISO control, then use the 1/3 step setting. It takes a little longer to scroll through the ISO selections if you manually set your ISO value in 1/3 steps. However, the extra fineness of the ISO increments allows you to better control exposure. The 1/3 step setting is the factory default value.

If your camera is set to ISO 100 initially, you will see the ISO sensitivity number in the Control panel, Information display, or Viewfinder change in incremental “step” patterns as you hold down the ISO button and turn the rear Main command dial, or change the value on the Info screen of your Nikon.

How to set the value varies with the type of Nikon you use. Some have an ISO button, others must use the Info (Information edit) menu screens (press Info button twice). Check your users manual to see how to set your camera's ISO sensitivity step value.

Here are the beginning steps in the pattern. It runs from 100 ISO to the maximum ISO your camera provides:

1/3 step: 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, etc.
1/2 step: 100, 140, 200, 280, 400, 560, 800, 1100, 1600, 2200, etc.

Figure 1 – Choosing an ISO sensitivity step value

Following are the steps to change the ISO sensitivity step value:

Select b Metering/exposure from the Custom Setting Menu and scroll to the right (see figure 1, image 1).
Highlight b1 ISO sensitivity step value and scroll to the right (see figure 1, image 2).
Choose one of the three items on the menu. In figure 1, image 3, 1/3 step has been selected.
Press the OK button to lock in the setting.

My Recommendation: I like the finest control I can have over ISO sensitivity step increments. I normally leave this set to the factory default of 1/3 step. This allows me to carefully fine-tune the ISO sensitivity value for precise exposures.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

A Flood Ate Our Nikons

2011-11-02T20:55:00.000-04:00

After attending the PDN PhotoPlus Expo I was struck by one big thing ... nothing new and exciting in the Nikon DSLR arena. Sure, there are the new mirrorless ILC Nikon 1 cameras—the J1 and V1—but no new DSLRs! Rumors have been flying about DSLRs but now they seem like wishful thinking. Barring a surprise announcement, it is highly doubtful that anything new is coming before spring or maybe even later. Why do I say that?

The recent earthquake in Japan and the destructive tsunami shook Nikon and other camera manufacturers pretty badly. Just when they were beginning to recover, along comes a seriously bad monsoon season in Thailand that basically drowned the country. Unfortunately, a good portion of Nikon's manufacturing is based in Thailand. The factories there are under several feet of water with no sign of early drainage. Much of Nikon's manufacturing capacity in Thailand is a total write-off and will take many months to recover. The government of Thailand is scrambling to help its citizens and has little money left to help manufacturers.

We are about to see an increase in prices and even shortages for all sorts of electronic equipment within a month or so. Computer hard drives are already going up. If you want a new Nikon D300S, D7000, D5100, or D3100 for the holiday season, you had best buy it soon. If you have a Nikon that works for you, don't sell it expecting to buy a replacement in December, unless you are independently wealthy.

The Nikon D400 (D300S replacement) is probably months away. Asia News Network reports that Sony and Nikon's Thailand plants have, "no prospect of recovery." Basically, the entire consumer and advanced level of Nikon's camera manufacturing is under water and a complete write off.

Right now your best bets for a new Nikon are the D700, D300S, D7000, D5100, and D3100. However, if you don't act quickly, it is very likely that you won't be able to buy the cameras, or if you can, only at a higher price than normal. It appears that Nikon has canceled Black Friday deals. I hate to be reporting such gloom and doom, but it isn't just me. Go read Nikonians.org, ByThom.com, NikonRumors.com, and other sites.

Here are some threads that will help you understand better our current situation:

Nikon.com: http://bit.ly/nYGHmO
Nikonians.org: http://bit.ly/sVP8je
ByThom.com: http://www.bythom.com/

It is likely that Nikon will make some announcements of upcoming cameras and lenses before the end of the year. That would be wise on their part. However, even with announcements, barring surprises, it will be probably be months before we see any delivered product.

Fortunately, you have a Nikon and some great lenses. Remember how you felt when you opened the box on your current Nikon DSLR? Well, it is still a great camera! Hang on to the admiration you initially felt when you bought your current DSLR. Has it really been so long ago that you bought it? Enjoy what you have. Maybe things will dry out by next summer and we'll see some new hardware. A flood ate our autumn Nikons. Let's hope for a better spring!

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Understanding Barrel and Pincushion Distortion in Lenses

2011-10-22T18:58:00.001-04:00

Are you about to buy a new lens? Do you know its barrel and pincushion distortion ratings? Huh? What's that?

Barrel and pincushion distortion are present—at various zoom settings—in most zoom lenses of any price; although, well controlled in the more expensive lenses. The worst distortion is often seen in wide to super-wide angle lenses. While not a terrible problem most of the time, these are forms of distortion that you should be aware of, especially is you plan on using a new lens for shooting architecture or any type of pictures with lots of straight lines.

What is Barrel and Pincushion distortion?

Imagine the way a barrel bulges outward in the middle with a narrow top and bottom and you can understand barrel distortion. Pincushion distortion is the opposite; the top and bottom are wide while the middle bows inward (figure 1). You won’t see these effects in a terribly pronounced way in most cases, unless the lens is a cheap, uncorrected lens.

Figure 1 – Examples of distortion: barrel (left) and pincushion (right)

Figure 1 shows two pictures I took of a door frame. I later greatly exaggerated the barrel and pincushion distortion in Photoshop® so I could show you the effect. If you find a normal lens with this much distortion I would dispose of it or use it for special effects only. Some fisheye super-wide lenses can approach these levels of distortion (figure 2).

Again, most zoom lenses will generally have these two distortion types in varying degrees and at different zoom settings. Most of today's new lenses are well corrected and have very low distortion amounts; therefore, it is usually not a big issue. Some lenses have a small amount of barrel distortion at wide settings and pincushion distortion at telephoto settings.

For most photographers who shoot nature, portraits, sports, friends, and family these aren’t overly important problems. Again, for a photographer who shoots architectural images, or for those having many straight lines in their images, this can be an important issue.

Figure 2 – Samples of super-wide lens barrel distortion

Wide-angle zoom settings tend to have more issues than longer lens settings. If you get close to flat or straight objects with a wide-angle lens you may notice that the subject tends to bulge towards you in a weird way. In figure 2 you can see clear barrel distortion when I shoved my super-wide lens up close to the faces of two of my unsuspecting former friends. Not quite flattering, huh?

On the other hand, you may experience the opposite effect with longer lens settings. You’ll need to experiment with your lenses to see if anything looks objectionable. A good way to test for barrel or pincushion effects is by putting your camera on a tripod and shooting pictures of things like door or window frames. If you see the edges curving out, that’s barrel distortion, curving in is pincushion distortion.

Again, read lens reviews before you buy a new lens and see if the distortion is bad at certain settings. Newer lenses are generally well corrected for these two concerns.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp
You can stream this blog to your Kindle for just $0.99 per month: http://amzn.to/tvhoHN

Understanding Nikon's Flash Modes

2011-10-21T16:54:00.003-04:00

Nikon cameras have several flash modes that change how the flash output from the camera's popup flash works. Many photographers do not fully understand each of the modes. I am going to use a Nikon D7000 as an example in this article. Virtually all Nikon's have the same flash modes, although you may access them from a menu or rear LCD monitor, instead of the upper control panel LCD (like on the D7000 and D300S).

Primarily, this article is designed to help you understand the purpose of each of the flash modes. You may need to refer to your camera's users manual if you cannot figure out how to switch between the modes.

Nikon's Popup Speedlight Flash

Five Basic Flash Modes

Following are the five basic flash modes and a description of how each works. The camera will often combine these flash modes as you use different shooting modes on the Mode dial. See the list of shooting modes at the end of this section.

Auto

Auto flash mode (figure 1) is usually available only when you are using various SCENE modes, if your camera has SCENE modes. It lets the camera decide when and what type of flash to use. You have no control over the flash when you use Auto mode.

Figure 1 – Auto flash Mode (SCENE modes only)

You can select this mode if you are unsure about which mode to use in a certain circumstance and the camera will do its best to give you a well-exposed picture.

Fill Flash (Front-Curtain Sync)

In Fill flash (Front-curtain sync mode), the camera tries its best to balance the light if you’re using a lens that has a CPU in it (figure 2).

Figure 2 – Front-curtain sync (fill flash)

A CPU lens, like an AF-S Nikkor G or D lens, provides subject distance information that helps balance ambient light and light from the flash equally and works to make the light look very natural. If you use this correctly outdoors, it will be hard to tell that you were using flash, except for the catch light in your subject’s eyes and the lack of damaging shadows. The flash simply fills in some extra light without overpowering the ambient light. In a situation where there is very little ambient light, the camera will use only the flash to get a correct exposure. It only balances with ambient light if there is enough ambient light to balance with in the first place.

There is a side effect to using this mode with slow shutter speeds. Fill flash simply causes the flash to fire as soon as the front shutter curtain is out of the way and before the rear shutter curtain starts closing. If there is some ambient light and the shutter speed is long—like 1/2 second—and the subject is moving, you’ll see a well-exposed subject with a blurry trail in front of it. The flash correctly exposes the subject as soon as the front curtain gets out of the way, but the ambient light continues exposing the subject before the rear curtain closes, and since it is moving you may see a ghostlike blur before or in front of the well-exposed moving subject in the picture. This can be seen at shutter speeds as fast as 1/60s if ambient light is strong enough and the subject is moving.

Red-Eye Reduction

Red-eye reduction is not really a flash mode (figure 3). It simply means that the AF-assist illuminator shines brightly in the face of your subject before the flash fires using Fill flash (front-curtain sync).

Figure 3 – Red-eye reduction

It is hoped that the bright AF-assist illuminator will cause your subject’s pupils to close somewhat and reduce the red-eye effect. It acts like you are using Fill flash (Front-curtain sync mode) otherwise.

Slow Sync

Slow sync mode lets the camera use ambient light to make a good exposure and then fires the flash to add some extra light, rounding out the shadows or better exposing a foreground subject (figure 4). Use this mode in people shots outdoors or where you want ambient light to provide the primary exposure and the flash to add a sparkle to your subject’s eye and remove dark shadows from faces.

Figure 4 – Slow sync

This is closely related to Fill flash, except that the ambient light is more important to the camera than the light from the flash. Be careful when using this mode indoors since it will expose for ambient light and only assist with some flash light. You can get some terrible ghosting and blurred handheld shots when using Slow sync indoors if the light levels are low, which they usually are. Ambient light rules in this mode!

Rear-Curtain Sync

Rear-curtain sync is the opposite of Fill flash, or Front-curtain sync (figure 5). The flash waits to fire just before the rear curtain starts to close. The entire shutter speed time is just ending when the flash fires. This causes a ghosting effect for moving subjects in higher ambient light with slow shutter speeds.

Figure 5 – Rear-curtain sync

You press the Shutter-release button, the front curtain opens, ambient light starts hitting the sensor, and the sensor starts recording the subject. Just as the shutter’s rear curtain is about to close, the flash fires, exposing the subject at its current position. The subject was fully exposed by the flash at the end of the shutter speed time, so the ambient light had time to register the subject before the flash fired, thereby making a blurred ghost behind or after the well-exposed but moving subject.

Flash Mode Combinations

In most Nikons you can use the flash modes individually or in combinations. In certain automatic camera modes you'll see flash combinations such as: Slow sync + Red-eye reduction or Rear curtain + Slow sync. When you see these combinations, just realize that the combined functions work no differently than the individual modes. In other words, if you have Slow sync + Red-eye reduction, the camera just executes the individual modes in the most beneficial order. They are still individual modes, just executed in a certain sequence.

Read your users manual, or one of my Mastering the Nikon DSLR books, and figure out how your flash works. You'll learn how to do things like balance outdoor ambient light with your flash or even do some interesting ghosting effects.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp
You can stream this blog to your Kindle for just $0.99 per month: http://amzn.to/tvhoHN

Understanding Nikon's Flash Commander Mode

2011-10-18T00:30:00.000-04:00

Many advanced to semi-pro Nikons—with pop-up Speedlight flash units—have a flash Commander mode, with full Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) technology built right into the camera. In Commander mode, the camera can function as a controller for multiple Nikon Speedlight flash units.

You can use normal i-TTL flash technology with the camera’s built-in flash for single-flash usage or Commander mode and the built-in flash to control up to two groups of an unlimited number of external Nikon Speedlight flash units. Nikon currently makes the powerful SB-900 flash unit, along with its slightly less powerful SB-700 and SB-600 brothers, and smaller specialty Speedlight units, such as the SB-R200.

Many of us have an external flash unit or two—usually the SB-900, SB-800 (now discontinued), SB-700, SB-600, or SB-400 (not CLS compatible). The specialty SB-R200 flash unit is designed to be used on various brackets available from Nikon and will work in conjunction with the bigger Speedlight flash units. A Nikon having Commander mode allows you to arrange professional lighting setups using relatively inexpensive and very portable Speedlights.

What Is Commander Mode and How Does It Work?

Commander mode is controlled through a menu in your Nikon. If you examine the Commander mode screen shown in figure 1, you’ll note that you have controls for the built-in flash and two groups (A and B), or banks, of external flash units. You’ll also see that you can set exposure compensation for either of these.

Figure 1 – Commander mode

If the main flash is too bright, you can either move it farther away or dial its power down by setting compensation (exposure comp.) to underexpose a little. You can set compensation in 1/3-stop increments, so you have very fine control of each group’s flash output. The point is that you can experiment until you get the image just the way you want it. Sure, you could do things the old way and use a flash meter or get your calculator and figure out complex fill ratios. Or, you can simply use CLS to vary your settings visually until the image is just right.

Isn’t it more fun to simply enter some initial settings into your Commander mode screen and then take a test shot? If it doesn’t look right, change the settings and do it again. Within two or three tries you’ll probably get it right, and you will have learned something about the performance of your Creative Lighting System. In a short time you’ll have a feel for how to set the camera and flash units and will use your flash/camera combo with authority.

Note: If you leave Custom setting Menu > Bracketing/flash > Modeling flash set to the factory default of On, you can test-fire your single Speedlight’s—or all speedlights in Group A and B’s— built-in modeling light by pressing and holding the camera’s Depth-of-field preview button.

Using Commander Mode

Let’s start by putting your camera into Commander mode. We’ll do that by changing Custom Setting Menu > Bracketing/flash > Flash cntrl for built-in flash to Commander mode (CMD). Look at figure 2 for the screen series to set this option.

Figure 2 – Setting the camera to Commander mode

Since this article is about controlling multiple flash units, we’ll have to change the settings in the Commander mode screen, as shown in figure 2, image 4. We’ll examine each of the settings available under the Commander mode.

TTL is the easiest to use since it allows you to set exposure compensation for the built-in flash as well as each of your flash groups. Next, we’ll look at M mode, since that gives you fine control of your flash from full-power (1/1) to 1/128 power. We’ll briefly look at AA mode. Then finally, we’ll consider the – – (double-dash) mode, which prevents the camera’s built-in flash from firing the main flash output but does not stop the necessary monitor pre-flashes, nor the firing of the external flash units.

When your camera is controlling external Speedlights using its built-in Commander mode, you must always raise the built-in flash on your Nikon. The camera communicates with the external flash units during the monitor pre-flash cycle.

Always position the sensor windows on the external Speedlights where they will pick up the monitor pre-flashes from the built-in flash. Take particular care when not using a tripod.

Commander Mode Settings

Basically, the Mode fields on the Commander mode screen will display the selections listed below. Use the Multi Selector thumb switch to change the values, as shown in figure 3.

Figure 3 – Commander mode screen

Here are the four Commander mode settings:

TTL, or i-TTL mode
AA, or Auto Aperture mode
M, or Manual mode
– –, or double-dash mode (what else would one call it?)

You’ll find each mode in the Mode box shown in yellow in figure 3. Use the Multi Selector thumb switch to scroll up or down and select a mode. AA mode is not available for the Built-in flash, so you will only see AA in the Mode boxes following Groups A and B. Now, let’s examine each mode in more detail:

TTL Mode – The TTL setting allows you to use the full power of i-TTL technology. By leaving Mode set to TTL (as shown in figure 3) for the Built-in flash or Group A or B, you derive maximum flexibility and accuracy from all your flash units. In this mode, the Comp. setting will display exposure values from -3.0 EV to + 3.0 EV, a full 6-stop range of exposure compensation for each group of Speedlights. You can set the Comp. in 1/3 EV steps for very fine control.
AA Mode – I am only briefly touching on the AA mode, since it is an older non-i-TTL technology included for those accustomed to using the older technology. It is not available for the built-in Speedlight on the Nikon, or for the SB-600. You can safely ignore the AA mode, unless you want to experiment with it. It may not provide as accurate a flash exposure as TTL mode though, since it is not based on the amazing i-TTL technology. Otherwise, it works pretty much the same as TTL mode.
M Mode – This allows you to set different levels of flash output in 1/3 EV steps for the Built-in flash or the Speedlights in Group A or B. The settings you can put in the Comp. field are between 1/1 (full) and 1/128. The intermediate 1/3-stop settings are presented as decimals within the fractions. For example, 1/1.3 and 1/1.7 are 1/3 and 2/3 stops below 1/1 (full). Many people are used to working with flash units this way, so it seems more familiar. CLS is willing to oblige those experienced in working manually.
- - Mode (double-dash mode) – The built-in Speedlight will not fire the main flash burst in this mode. It will fire the monitor pre-flashes, since it uses them to determine exposure and communicate with the external flash groups. Be sure you always raise the camera’s built-in flash in any of the Commander mode modes; otherwise, the external flash groups will not receive a signal and won’t fire their flashes. When you set the Mode for Group A or B to double-dash (– –) mode, that entire group of flashes will not fire any flash output. You can use this mode to temporarily turn off one of the flash groups for testing purposes.

Since the built-in flash’s monitor pre-flashes always fire, be careful that they do not influence the lighting of your image. Use a smaller aperture, or move the camera farther away from your subject if the pre-flashes add unwanted light.

What Are Monitor Preflashes?

When you press the Shutter-release button with the pop-up flash open, the camera’s built-in Speedlight fires several brief preflashes and then fires the main flash burst. These preflashes fire whenever your camera is set to TTL mode, even if your Nikon is controlling multiple flash units through CLS. The camera can determine a very accurate exposure by lighting your subject with a preflash, adjusting the exposure, and then firing the main flash burst.

Setting the Channel (CH) for Communication

Look at Figure 4, or your camera’s Commander mode screen, and you’ll notice that just below Group B there is a Channel (CH) selection. The number 3 that I selected in the yellow Channel (CH) box is the communication channel your Nikon expects to use to talk to the external flash groups (factory default is 1).

Figure 4 – Commander mode – Channel of communication

There are four channels available (1–4), just in case you happen to be working in the vicinity of another Nikon user who is also using Commander mode. By using separate channels, you won’t interfere with each other.

Note: It is important to realize that all external flashes in all groups must be on the same channel. This involves setting up your individual flash units to respond on a particular channel. They might be in separate groups but must be on the same channel. Each external Speedlight flash will have its own method for selecting a Group and Channel. Refer to the flash unit's user's manual.

Learning to use Commander Mode and Nikon's Creative Lighting System will enable you to set up complex lighting arrangements with much less effort than in previous years. Use your Nikon and its Commander Mode to become a real lighting technician.

Understanding Nikon's Auto FP High-Speed Flash Sync Mode

2011-10-11T12:35:00.002-04:00

Flash sync speed is the shutter speed at which your popup or external flash unit can be used to take a picture without the camera's shutter curtains getting in the way of light from the flash. Most cameras are limited to a maximum flash sync speed of 1/250 of a second (1/250s) shutter speed. Anything faster will cause a dark banding effect on the picture because the secondary shutter curtain is partially covering the imaging sensor when the flash fires.

The Custom Setting Menu > Bracketing/flash > Flash sync speed setting lets you select a flash synchronization speed from 1/60s to 1/250s. Or, if you prefer, you can use the two Auto FP high-speed sync modes on many Nikon DSLR cameras—1/250 s (Auto FP) or 1/320 s (Auto FP).

Auto FP high-speed sync mode allows you to use shutter speeds faster than 1/250s. Many do not know whether they should use the Auto FP high-speed sync mode at all times or only when needed. Some do not fully understand what this special camera setting is supposed to accomplish. This article may help.

The Auto FP high-speed sync modes are available only with certain external Speedlights, not with the built-in pop-up Speedlight. Currently, the five Nikon Speedlights that can be used with your Nikon in Auto FP high-speed sync modes are as follows:

SB-900
SB-800
SB-700
SB-600
SB-R200

Auto FP high-speed sync enables the use of fill flash even in bright daylight with wide aperture settings. It allows you to set your camera to the highest shutter speed, up to 1/4000s or 1/8000s with some Nikons, and still use the external flash unit to fill in shadows. There are two upcoming subsections in this article, Auto FP High-Speed Sync Review and Special Shutter Speed Setting X + Flash Sync Speed, that provide a detailed discussion on how the Auto FP high-speed sync system works.

Here are the menu screens used to select a Flash Sync Speed:

Figure 1 – Flash sync speed choices

The following are your Flash sync speed choices in most Nikon DSLRs (figure 1):

1/320 s (Auto FP)
1/250 s (Auto FP)
1/250 s
1/200 s
1/160 s
1/125 s
1/100 s
1/80 s
1/60 s

When you’re using Auto FP high-speed sync mode, the output of your flash is reduced, but it doesn’t cut off the frame for exposures using a shutter speed higher than the normal flash sync speed (X-sync). Why? Let’s review.

Auto FP High-Speed Sync Review

In a normal flash situation, with shutter speeds of 1/250s and slower, the entire shutter is fully open and the flash can fire a single burst of light to expose the subject. It works like this: There are two shutter curtains in your camera. The first shutter curtain opens to expose the sensor to your subject, the flash fires to provide light for the correct exposure, then the second shutter curtain closes. For a very brief period of time, the entire sensor is uncovered. The flash fires during the time when the sensor is fully uncovered.

However, when your camera’s shutter speed is faster than 1/250s, the shutter curtains are never fully open for the flash to expose the entire subject in one burst of light. This is because at fast shutter speeds the first shutter curtain starts opening and the second shutter curtain quickly follows. In effect, a slit of light scans across the surface of your sensor, exposing the subject. If the flash fired normally, the width of that slit between the shutter curtains would get a flash of light, but the rest of the sensor would be blocked by the curtains. A band of the image would be correctly exposed, and everything else would be underexposed.

What happens to your external Nikon Speedlight to allow it to follow that slit of light moving across the sensor? It changes into a pulsing strobe unit instead of a normal flash unit. Have you ever danced under a strobe light? A strobe works by firing a series of light pulses. Similarly, when your camera’s shutter speed is so high that the Speedlight cannot fire a single burst of light for a correct exposure, it can use its Auto FP high-speed sync mode and fire a series of light bursts as the slit between the shutter curtains travels in front of the image sensor. The Speedlight can fire thousands of bursts per second. To a photographer or subject it looks like one flash of light, even though it is hundreds or thousands of bursts of light, one right after the other.

When the camera is in Auto FP high-speed sync mode, you’ll see something like this on your Speedlight’s LCD monitor: TTL FP or TTL BL FP. The FP designation tells you that the camera and Speedlight are ready for you to use any shutter speed you’d like and still get a good exposure, even with wide-open apertures!

You can safely leave your camera set to 1/320 s (Auto FP) or 1/250 s (Auto FP) all the time since the Auto FP high-speed sync mode does not kick in until you raise the shutter speed above the maximum setting of 1/250 s. With slower shutter speeds, the flash works in normal mode and does not waste any power by pulsing the output.

This pulsing of light reduces the maximum output of your flash significantly but allows you to use any shutter speed while still firing your external Speedlight. The higher the shutter speed, the lower the flash output. In effect, your camera is depending on you to have enough ambient light to offset the loss in power. I’ve found that even my powerful SB-900 Speedlight can provide only enough power to light a subject to about 8 feet (2.4 m) when I use a 1/8000 second shutter speed. With shutter speeds that fast, there needs to be enough ambient light to help the flash light the subject, unless you are very close to the subject.

However, now you can use wide apertures to isolate your subject in direct sunlight—which requires fast shutter speeds. The flash will adjust and provide great fill light if you use Auto FP high-speed sync mode.

Note: If your flash fires at full power in normal modes, the flash indicator will blink in the Viewfinder to let you know that all available flash power has been expended, and you need to check to see if the image is underexposed. When the camera is firing in Auto FP high-speed sync mode, that doesn’t happen. You won’t get a warning in the Viewfinder if the image does not have enough light. Check the histogram often when using Auto FP high-speed sync mode.

Special Shutter Speed Setting X + Flash Sync Speed

When using exposure modes Manual (M) or Shutter priority auto (S), you can turn the shutter speed all the way down to 30 seconds, then to bulb. There is one more setting below bulb, named X + Flash sync speed. This special setting allows you to set the camera to a known shutter speed and shoot away. You will see X 250 if Custom Setting e1 Flash sync speed is set to 1/250s. Whatever Flash sync speed you select will show up after the X. If you selected a Flash sync speed of 1/125s, then X 125 will show up as the next setting below bulb. Selecting a Flash sync speed of 1/60s means that X 60 will show up below bulb, etc.

The shutter speed will not vary from your chosen setting. The camera will adjust the aperture and flash when in Shutter priority auto (S) mode, or you can adjust the aperture while the flash controls exposure in Manual (M) mode.

This special X-Sync mode is not available in Aperture priority auto (A) or Programmed auto (P) modes since the camera controls the shutter speed in those two settings. You’ll use this setting primarily when you are shooting in Manual (M) or Shutter priority auto (S) mode and want to use a known X-Sync speed.

My Recommendation: I leave my camera set to 1/320 s (Auto FP) (as shown in figure 1, image 3) all the time. The camera works just like it normally would until one of my settings increases the shutter speed to faster than 1/250s, at which time it starts pulsing the light to match the travel of the shutter curtains. Once again, you won’t be able to detect this high-frequency strobe effect since it happens so fast it seems like a single burst of light.

Remember that the flash loses significant power (or reach) at faster shutter speeds since it is forced to work so hard. Be sure you experiment with this setting to get the best results. You can use a big aperture, like f/1.8, to create a very shallow depth of field in direct bright sunlight since you can use very fast shutter speeds. This will allow you to make images that many other cameras simply cannot create. Learn to balance the flash and ambient light in Auto FP high-speed sync mode. All this technical talk will make sense when you see the results. Pretty cool stuff!

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
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http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp
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Understanding the Nikon ISO Sensitivity Auto Control (ISO-AUTO)

2011-10-09T19:05:00.000-04:00

The ISO Sensitivity Auto Control (ISO-AUTO), found under the Shooting Menu, is a powerful feature in many Nikon DSLR cameras. It's used to allow the camera to automatically control the ISO sensitivity and shutter speed, according to the light levels sensed by the camera. It's very helpful when you don't have time to deal with exposure issues—yet must get the pictures.

FIG 19C – Enabling the ISO Sensitivity Auto Control

Once you’ve set ISO sensitivity auto control to On, you should immediately set two values, according to how you shoot:

Maximum sensitivity
Minimum shutter speed

Here’s some detail on these two settings:

Maximum Sensitivity

The Maximum sensitivity setting is a safeguard for you (see FIG 19D). It allows the camera to adjust its own ISO sensitivity from the minimum value of ISO 200 to the value set in Maximum sensitivity, according to light conditions. The camera will try to maintain the lowest ISO sensitivity it can use to get the picture. However, if need be it can rapidly rise to the Maximum sensitivity level. This setting overrides the normal ISO sensitivity setting.

FIG 19D – Setting the ISO Sensitivity Auto Control’s Maximum Sensitivity

If you would prefer that the Maximum sensitivity not exceed a certain ISO value, simply select from the list shown in image 3 of FIG 19D. The Maximum sensitivity default is ISO 3200. That’s too high for my tastes since it will let the camera take the ISO sensitivity all the way up to ISO 3200 in a low-light situation. Too much noise potential for me! Maybe not for you? In any case, I set my camera to ISO 400 for the Maximum sensitivity as shown in FIG 19C, image 3.

You’ll note that there are only five available settings 400, 800, 1600, 3200, and Hi 1. Whichever one of these settings you choose as a Maximum sensitivity will be the maximum ISO value the camera will use to get a good exposure when the light drops.

Interestingly, the settings in Custom setting b1 do not control what incremental ISO numbers between these primary values can be used. I carefully setup my D300s to test this, and found that it would often use an intermediate value like ISO 640, 1100, 1250, 2000, or 2200 as the light got darker and darker. It did this whether I set Custom setting b1 to 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV step. Just remember that you have a maximum range from ISO 400 to Hi 1 (ISO 6400) with whatever EV steps in between that the camera decides to use.

What happens when the camera reaches its Maximum sensitivity and there still isn’t enough light for a good exposure? Let’s find out:

Minimum Shutter Speed

Since shutter speed helps control how sharp an image can be, due to camera shake and subject movement, you’ll need some control over the Minimum shutter speed allowed while the ISO sensitivity auto control is turned On (see FIG 19E).

FIG 19E – Setting the ISO Sensitivity Auto Control’s Minimum Shutter Speed

You can select a shutter speed from the list to set the minimum shutter speed the camera will allow when the light diminishes. In P – Programmed auto (camera controls shutter and aperture) and A – Aperture priority (camera controls shutter and you control aperture) exposure modes, the camera will not go below the Minimum shutter speed unless the Maximum sensitivity setting still won’t give you a good exposure.

This is the answer to our question in the last section about what would happen when there is not enough light and the camera has maxed out the Maximum sensitivity level. Even though you’ve selected a Minimum shutter speed, the camera will go below the minimum speed when the light is too low for a good exposure and the Maximum sensitivity ISO number has been reached.

In other words, in P – Programmed auto or A – Aperture priority exposure modes, if you get into low light and try to take pictures, the camera will try to keep the ISO sensitivity as low as possible until the shutter speed drops to your selected Minimum shutter speed. Once it hits the selected lowest shutter speed value—like the 1/30s shown in FIG 19E, image 3—the ISO sensitivity will begin to rise up to your selected Maximum sensitivity value, like the ISO 400 shown in FIG 19E, image 2.

Once it hits the Maximum sensitivity value, if the camera still doesn’t have enough light for a good exposure, it won’t keep raising the ISO sensitivity since you’ve artificially limited it with the Maximum sensitivity setting. Instead, the camera will now go below your selected Minimum shutter speed, by dropping below the 1/30s shown in FIG 19E, image 3. Be careful, because if the light gets that low, your camera can go all the way down to a shutter speed of 30 seconds to get a good exposure. The camera had better be on a tripod and have a static subject at shutter speeds that low.

Look at the Minimum shutter speed value as the lowest “safe” speed after which you’ll put your camera on a tripod. Most people can handhold a camera down to about 1/60s if they are careful, and maybe 1/30s if they’re extra careful and brace themselves. Below that, it’s blur city for your images. It’s even worse with telephoto lenses. Camera movement is greatly magnified with a long lens, and a Minimum shutter speed of 1/250s to 1/500s or more may be required (max is 1/4000s).

For fun, let’s listen to the camera talk to itself while you take pictures in low light with ISO sensitivity auto control enabled. As we listen in on the D300(s) thinking, we need to know that the current Maximum sensitivity setting is ISO 400, and the Minimum shutter speed setting is 1/30s (as shown in FIG 19E):

Nikon D300(s) thinking: “Okay, Auto ISO is on! The light is dropping and my current 1/60s shutter speed and 200 ISO sensitivity won’t let me make a good exposure. I’ll slow the shutter speed to the minimum of 1/30s, as my owner specified in my Minimum shutter speed setting. More pictures are incoming, and the light is still dropping! I can’t go any lower on the shutter speed for now, since my owner has instructed me to keep the Minimum shutter speed at 1/30s unless I can’t get a good picture. I’ll have to start raising the ISO sensitivity. Here comes more pictures, and whew, it’s getting dark! I’ve now raised the ISO sensitivity to my Maximum sensitivity level of ISO 400, which is as high as I am allowed to go. I have no choice now but to go below the 1/30s Minimum shutter speed my owner has specified. I hope I’m on a tripod!”

Special note: The other exposure modes, S – Shutter priority and M – Manual, allow you to control the camera in a way that overrides certain parts of the ISO sensitivity auto control.

In M - Manual mode the camera completely relinquishes all control of the shutter and aperture. It can only adjust the ISO sensitivity by itself, so it can obey the Maximum sensitivity but the Minimum shutter speed is overridden and does not apply.

In S – Shutter priority mode the camera can control the aperture but the shutter speed is controlled only by the camera user. So, the ISO sensitivity auto control can still control the Maximum sensitivity, but has lost control over the Minimum shutter speed.

Also, it may be a good idea to enable High ISO NR—as discussed a few pages back—when you enable the ISO sensitivity auto control. This is especially true if you leave the camera set to the default Maximum sensitivity value of 3200. Otherwise, you may have excessive noise when the light drops.

When and why should I use ISO-AUTO?

How much automation do you need to produce consistently excellent images? Let’s explore how and when automatic self-adjusting ISO might improve or degrade your images. What is this feature all about? When and why should I use it? Are there any compromises in image quality in that mode?

Normally you will set your camera to a particular ISO number, such as 200 or 400, and shoot your images. As the light gets darker, or in the deep shade, you might increase the ISO sensitivity to allow handheld images to continue being made.

If you're in circumstances where you absolutely must get the shot, the ISO sensitivity auto control will work nicely. Here are a few scenarios:

Scenario # 1: Let’s say you are a photojournalist and you’re shooting flash pictures of the president as he disembarks from his airplane, walks into the terminal, and drives away in his limousine. Under those circumstances, you will have little time to check your ISO settings or shutter speeds and will be shooting in widely varying light conditions.

Scenario # 2: You are a wedding photographer in a church that doesn’t allow the use of flash. As you follow the bride and groom from the dark inner rooms of the church, out into the lobby, and finally up to the altar, your light conditions will be varying constantly. You have no time to deal with the fluctuations in light by changing your ISO, since things are moving too quickly.

Scenario # 3: You are at a party, and you want some great pictures. You want to use flash, but the pop-up Speedlight may not be powerful enough to reach across the room at low ISO settings. You really don’t want to be bothered with camera configuration at this time, but still want some well exposed images. Light will vary as you move around the room, talking and laughing, and snapping pictures.

These scenarios are excellent environments for the ISO sensitivity auto control. The camera will use your normal settings, such as your normal ISO, shutter speed, and aperture until the light will not allow those settings to provide an accurate exposure. Only then will the camera raise the ISO or lower the shutter speed to keep the camera functioning within the shutter/aperture parameters you have set.

Look at ISO AUTO as a “failsafe” for times when you must get the shot, but have little time to deal with camera settings, or when you don’t want to vary the shutter/aperture settings but still want to be assured of a well exposed image.

Unless you are a private detective shooting handheld telephoto images from your car, or are a photojournalist or sports photographer who must get the shot every time regardless of maximum quality, I personally would not recommend leaving your the ISO sensitivity auto control set to On. Use it only when you really need to get the shot under any circumstances!

Of course, if you are unsure of how to use the “correct” ISO for the light level, due to lack of experience, don’t be afraid to experiment with this mode. At the very worst, all you might get are noisier than normal images. However, it may not be a good idea to depend on this mode over the long term, because noisy images are not very nice.

Are there any drawbacks to using ISO-AUTO?

Maybe! It really depends on how widely varying the light conditions will be when you are shooting. Most of the time your camera will maintain normal ISO range settings in ISO-AUTO so your images will be their normal low-noise, sharp, masterpieces. However, at times the light may be so low that the ISO may exceed the “normal” range of 200-800, and will start getting into the noisier ranges above 800 ISO.

Just be aware that the ISO sensitivity auto control can and will push your camera’s ISO sensitivity into a range that causes noisier images when light levels drop, if you’ve allowed it. Use it with this understanding and you’ll do fine. ISO 3200 is the maximum, unless you have set the maximum to a lower number. Make sure you understand this, or you might get some noisy images.

The ISO sensitivity auto control is yet another feature in our powerful Nikon cameras. Maybe not everyone needs this “failsafe” feature, but for those who do it must be there. I will use it myself in circumstances where getting the shot is the most important thing, and where light levels may get too low for normal ISO image making.

Even if you think you might only use it from time-to-time, do learn how to use it for those times. Experiment with the ISO sensitivity auto control. It’s fun and can be useful!

Photography Basics – RGB Channel and Bit Depth Tutorial

2011-10-08T19:43:00.000-04:00

What does all this talk about bit depth and RGB channels mean? What is an RGB channel? What is bit depth? Why would I set my Nikon to use 14-bit bit depth instead of 12-bit bit depth? Here is a short tutorial on bit depth and how it affects RGB color storage in an image.

Your camera records image color with three color channels—one each of red, green, and blue (RGB). You may have seen RGB mentioned in photography literature. Now you know what it stands for. The colors from each channel are combined together to make the color for your image. Bit depth is the potential number of colors contained in each RGB channel for a RAW image file, multiplied together.

Figure 1 – Luminance and RGB channel histograms for a JPEG file

In figure 1 you can see the individual channel histograms for the red, green, and blue channels in the bottom three colored histograms. The white histogram on top reflects the luminance or perceived brightness distribution in the image and is a weighted combination of the three RGB channels. The three lower colored histograms show the exposure level for each RGB channel of an 8-bit JPEG file.

Several current cameras give you the choice of shooting RAW in 12- or 14-bit mode. If you are shooting in 12-bit mode, your camera will record up to 4,096 colors for each RGB channel; therefore, there will be up to 4,096 different reds (R), 4,096 different greens (G), and 4,096 different blues (B). Plenty of color! In fact, almost 69 billion colors (4096 x 4096 x 4096).

If you set your camera to 14-bit mode, the camera can store 16,384 different colors in each RGB channel. Wow! That’s quite a lot more color—almost 4.4 trillion shades (16384 x 16384 x 16384).

Figure 2 shows how to choose 14-bit bit depth when shooting in RAW mode:

Figure 2 – Selecting 12- or 14-bit RAW color depth

Is that important? Well, it can be, since the more color information you have, the better the color in the image—if it has a lot of color. I always use the 14-bit mode. That allows for smoother color changes when a large range of color is in the image. I like that!

Of course, if you save your image as an 8-bit JPEG or TIFF, most of those colors are compressed, or thrown away. Shooting a JPEG image in-camera (as opposed to a RAW image) means that the camera compresses the available image data so it will fit into an 8-bit file. An 8-bit JPEG image file can hold 256 different colors per RGB channel—more than 16 million colors. 16 million colors sounds like a lot of color potential and it is; however, compared to 69 billion colors (12-bits RAW) and 4.4 trillion shades (14-bit RAW) a mere 16 million shades (8-bit JPEG) is positively scrawny (256 x 256 x 256).

There’s a big difference between the number of colors a camera captures in a RAW file and the number stored in a JPEG image file. That’s why I always shoot in RAW; later I can make full use of all those potential extra colors to create a different look for the same image.

If you shoot in RAW and later save your image as a 16-bit TIFF file in your computer, you can store all the colors you originally captured. A 16-bit file can contain 65,536 different colors in each of the RGB channels. Many people save their files as 16-bit TIFFs when post-processing RAW files, especially if they are worried about the long-term viability of their camera’s proprietary RAW format.TIFF provides a known and safe industry-standard format that will fully contain all image color information from a RAW file. Unfortunately, the files are huge when saved in TIFF format. Many are looking into the Adobe DNG format as an alternate RAW format, hoping it will remain viable for the long term.

Nikon's intention is to support its NEF (RAW) format for the long term. Will that be the same for other camera companies. I hope so. If your camera manufacturer stands behind its proprietary RAW format and keeps on supporting it, you’ll be fine. If not, many after market software vendors should step up and support the older RAW formats. RAW seems stable. I can still open the RAW files from my 2002 Nikon D100 in Nikon View NX2 (vs.2.1.2).

Speed Issues: RAW Mode 12-Bit versus 14-Bit Shooting

If your camera offers both 12- and 14-bit RAW shooting modes, check to see if there are any speed penalties for shooting in the higher 14-bit mode. Since there is a lot more color information available in 14-bit mode, your images can have finer gradations of color.

However, some cameras can slow down when used in 14-bit mode because it has to process a lot more color information. Test your camera in both modes before shooting a high-speed event like an air show or car race. Otherwise, the camera may slow down enough to cause you to miss some shots. To me, the speed loss is not important because I am a nature shooter and want the greater image quality 14-bit mode potentially provides. However, some are very sensitive to camera speed and will need to pay attention to this issue.

The Nikon D300S has some penalties for 14-bit bit depth, its frame rate drops from 6 to 2.5 frames per second when shooting in continuous-high release mode (CH). The newer Nikon D7000 does not have the same slowdown so you can safely use 14-bit bit depth all the time.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Making Money with Your Camera

2011-10-07T07:07:00.000-04:00

Photography is an expensive hobby. Many photographers have made it more than a hobby by finding ways to make some money with their pictures. As a semi-professional, you keep your day job and make enough extra money on weekends to finance new camera and lens purchases, or you can go all out and become a professional, making a living with your camera.

There are three basic ways to make money with your camera, as follows:

1. Assignment photography – taking pictures for other people, e.g., weddings, events, and portraits
2. License images through stock agencies
3. Sell fine art prints personally and through commercial websites

Let's examine these three ways to make money with your camera, just in case you are interested in making your photography pay for itself.

Assignment Photography – Taking Pictures for Other People

The most basic way to make some extra money is to offer your photography services to others. People keep needing portraits, getting engaged and married, graduating from school, and having babies. Any special event in a person's life needs good pictures. Often people do not feel qualified to take good pictures and will seek someone known to have a good camera; someone like you. Just posting excellent images on Facebook is often enough to stimulate family and friends to ask you to shoot some pictures for them. Whether you can charge them money or not is the difficult proposition.

Shooting Weddings and Events

Once you've shot a few events for family and friends—and have gained some experience—you can create a cheap website, some business cards, and you are in business. Learning how to charge money for your services is one of the more difficult propositions of event photography. There are lots of good books out there to help you learn how to create contracts and charge for your services.

A good photographer can make anywhere from $500 to several thousand dollars on a wedding shoot, for instance. The problem with new shooters is to realize that a photographer's services have real value and to charge accordingly. Before you decide to set up shop as a part-time event photographer, why not talk on the forums to people who already are in the business. Read some books and get good advice. You can make money with event shooting. Choose your favorite type of event and pursue it.

Here are some books on event photography:

License Images Through Stock Agencies

Stock imagery is used for advertising and editorial purposes. Books, magazines, websites, companies, and individuals all need images to illustrate various concepts and ideas. A gigantic number of images are used each day to tell a story or help sell a product. You can provide some of those images and help pay for your camera and lens purchases.

Selling vs. Licensing

In most cases when you submit images to a stock agency, the agency will not actually sell the image to a buyer. Instead, the image is licensed for a specific usage and for a specified time frame, over and over, often with multiple places using the same image at the same time. The image can have a lifespan of several years and keep bringing in money to the agency and submitter during that time. The agency usually sets price, according to what the market will bear.

Commercial vs. Editorial Images

To get started shooting images you must be aware of the differences between commerical and editorial imagery.

Commercial images are used for advertising purposes and to help sell various products. Images of that style cannot display logos of any type and must have releases for commercial uses. If a person is in the picture, even if only a part of them, like a hand or from the back, a model release is required. If a recognizable piece of property is photographed for commercial licensing, a property release may be required. To be a successful commercial photographer, you must learn to use various types of releases.

Images shot for stock should tell a story

Editorial images are used in an educational way, to inform, not to sell a product. They can be used without releases even if a recognizable person is in the image, or even a logo on a product. The train image above could be used as either a commercial or editorial image since all logos have been removed. As a commercial image it could be used to advertise shipping services, for instance. As an editorial image it could be used in an educational book or magazine article on the railroad system.

Microstock vs. Traditional Stock Agencies

For many years traditional stock photographers have ruled the game. Traditional or macrostock photography commands high prices based on the rarity of the image. The harder it is to take the image the more it could be worth, if of a popular subject. A traditional agency licenses images at higher prices and one sale can bring in hundreds of dollars of commissions for the photographer. It is much harder to get accepted by most "trads" (traditional agencies) as they are called by submitters. One must usually have a large library of images and agree to license them exclusively through that one agency. This is changing, to a degree, due to the influence on the market by much lower cost microstock agencies. Nowadays, there are traditional agencies that do not require exclusivity and will accept photographers without a large number of stock images.

The newcomer to the stock world (since about 2004) are the microstock agencies. There are dozens of them licensing images to individuals, small companies, and even larger corporations. Instead of making a larger amount of money from a few sales, microstocks concentrate on selling a lot of images for a small amount. Volume sales makes up the difference in sales amount and commission to the submitter.

In today's market, with so much competition and so many submitters it is hard to "make a living" from stock photography. However, it is possible to make enough money each year to buy an extra lens or two, or a new camera body. One can make a living at stock, but it requires a lot of shooting, keywording, and submitting of images to different agencies. It should be viewed as a production environment, with regular image submissions required.

Royalty Free vs. Rights Managed

When selling stock you must know the differences between royalty free and rights managed image licenses.

Royalty free is a type of license that basically allows a licensee (buyer) to use the image in an unlimited way for an unlimited time period. Once the buyer pays the license fee for the image they can do almost anything they want with it except sell it as their own work. The submitter (you) gets royalties for the initial license transaction. A sale can make you anything from a few cents to a few dollars. Microstock agencies invariably sell royalty free images. Traditional agencies sell it too, usually for somewhat higher prices.

Rights managed is a type of image licensing that controls what the image can be used for, how many times, and for what time period. This type of image licensing is mostly used for advertising, where a company wants to control an image to some degree, so that it can become representative of or promote their company brand in some way. Full image exclusivity can be offered to a company so that no one else can use the image while they are using it, for a higher price. This form of licensing can be more profitable for the submitter. However, due to the influence of the microstocks, images licensing fees are falling across the board.

Selling stock used to be an extremely profitable type of photography. However, since digital photography became mainstream, allowing common photographers to create excellent images and submit them online, the profit level has dropped significantly. The enormous demand for images is not dropping; therefore, stock photography can still be a profitable endeavor to committed image submitters.

Find stock agencies that will accept your images by talking on forums, doing Google searches on "traditional stock agencies" or "microstock agencies" and you'll find many places that will accept your image submissions, allowing you to gradually build a portfolio of marketable images.

Here are some books on selling stock photography:

Selling Fine Art Prints

Whether a person works with a local gallery, sells their images online through one of several fine art websites, or simply sells beautiful images through their own website—fine art photography can be profitable. It requires a higher level of creative photography than many people are interested in shooting. However, there is a good demand for fine art photography for home decor, office decor, and by collectors.

Fine Art is any type of image people would want to collect

If you shoot images that people constantly tell you are beautiful, you may be a fine art photographer and not even know it!

You can find a fine art establishment to market your work by doing a Google search on "fine art websites." There are several good websites that will allow you to submit images, set your own prices, print sizes, and frame styles. They will then market your work to many people—selling your prints from their own image printing, framing, and delivery systems—and send you a monthly check.

Books to help you learn how to market your fine art photography:

Self Marketing Your Images

In addition to the three ways mentioned above, there are all sorts of ways to sell/market images. You can choose a type of photography you are comfortable with and "go commercial" with it. What type of photography do you normally shoot? Is there a market for it? Get the book called Photographer's Market and find out!

If a company wants to charge you money to market your images, please refuse to do business with them. They are probably making money from photographer's dreams and usually do a poor job of marketing your images to others.Your images have value; never give them away for empty promises or credit lines. Charge real money!

General books for marketing your photography in various ways:

2011 Photographer's Market (Very important book!)
The Photographer's Guide to Marketing and Self-Promotion
The Photographer's Market Guide to Building Your Photography Business

You have a fine DSLR camera, excellent lenses, and the know how for taking good pictures. Why not use that equipment and skills to make some money and buy even better stuff, or pay a few bills.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Using a Basic Three-Lens Kit

2011-10-06T12:23:00.002-04:00

Ever wonder why enthusiast photographers carry around camera bags when most photographers just carry their cameras? Several lenses is why! It is unthinkable for an enthusiast to find him or herself in a situation and not have a lens to cover it.

Figure 1 – A 10-20mm, 16-85mm, and 80-400mm three lens kit

Most photographers end up with a three-lens kit for their daily usage (figure 1). Why three lenses and not just one of the new super-zoom lenses that cover a large range of focal lengths? Primarily, because enthusiasts are interested in above average quality for their images. There are times when convenience overrides quality, but not often for you and me!

Several lens manufacturers provide one-lens-does-it-all solutions. The lenses are very convenient and might even be a good choice when one is forced to use just one lens and camera body for a wide range of photography purposes, such as on a vacation or hike where a lot of walking is required.

For instance, several camera manufacturers offer 18-200mm f/3.5–5.6 zoom lenses. Some aftermarket lens manufacturers offer even wider coverage in one lens. However, no one lens can offer high quality at all focal lengths. There are compromises that must be made when too many focal lengths are crammed into one lens design. In fact, you will not find any truly professional lenses that have a wide range of focal lengths. The pro lenses are made for demanding photographers who will not put up with softness or aberrations at one or more zoom settings.

While not professionals (yet), most enthusiasts reach out for greater quality and end up with three lenses that cover a very wide range of focal lengths. Figure 1 shows a three-lens kit that is similar to what many enthusiasts use. The kit goes from extremely wide angle to long telephoto, with a small amount of overlap in focal lengths. With this type of kit, a photographer is ready for almost any type of shooting situation, and since they do not have too many focal lengths crammed into one lens, the quality of the image is maintained.

Figure 2 – A medium sized camera bag with a camera body, extra batteries and memory cards, a flash unit, and three lenses covering a large range of focal lengths, plus a macro lens

You can carry this type of three-lens kit in a medium-sized camera bag (figure 2). It does not weigh too much and can be carried easily to any location. Many use a small backpack camera bag, while others use an over-the-shoulder style bag. The reason you bought into a camera brand with a system concept is to have a system of lenses and accessories to carry with you.

Therefore, you can add some other goodies like extra batteries, memory cards, an external flash, and even a small GPS unit. If you are like most of us, you will be constantly seeking the ultimate camera bag to contain your camera system. If you find it, please let me know!

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp

Multi-Coatings Matter on Your Lens's Filters

2011-10-04T20:30:00.000-04:00

When you buy your next UV filter to put on the front of that expensive lens, what type will you buy? This blog may help you.

Does it matter if you buy single- or multi-coated filters? It surely does! A single-coated filter passes less light and adds a new lens element that can cause problems with lens flare. Multi-coated filters are more like the elements inside your lens. The special coatings reduce reflectivity.

You can clearly see why I say this in figure 1. See how the multi-coated filter on the left passes much more light than the single coated filter on the right. The single coated filter is reflecting the light from the overhead lamp, thus losing it for the camera to use.

Figure 1 – Use filters with multicoatings for maximum light transmission

I have experimented for many years with filters, and have very strong opinions about particular brands. There are cheap brands and premium brands. My favorite brand is Hoya HMC filters. HMC stands for “Hoya Multi Coated.” The filter on the left in figure 1 is a Hoya HMC multi-coated filter. See why I use them? They are more expensive but cut down on flare and pass more light.

When you screw a filter on the front of your lens you are adding another glass element to the lens. If you want maximum quality, you must buy multi-coated filters.

With a Hoya HMC filter, I might even be persuaded to leave it on the camera when shooting my best work. They are that good! I am simply trying to express to you the urgency I feel about using only premium multi-coated filters on your expensive lenses. Anything else is a tradeoff in image quality.

Keep on capturing time...
Darrell Young
See my Nikon books here:
http://www.photographywriter.com/NikonBooks.asp
You can stream this blog to your Kindle for just $0.99 per month: http://amzn.to/tvhoHN

Lenses – The Pleasure and Pain of Being a Photographer

2011-10-02T11:02:00.000-04:00

It is nearing autumn in the northern hemisphere where I live. When I look outside and see the leaves starting to age I realize that soon great beauty will appear all around me here in the Appalachian mountains of East Tennessee USA. I feel blessed when I see the cacophony of color appearing on the trees as they prepare for their several-month sleep this winter. As a photographer, I want to capture this color and hang on to the memories of the best, most saturated years.

Beauty in Nature

About this time of the year I realize I need a new lens. It doesn't seem to matter that my camera bag weighs more than I do, I still want another lens. This sudden realization and need is both a pleasure and pain in a photographers life. Getting new lenses and having the ability to take specialized pictures is one of the greatest pleasures of being a photographer. Since lenses are rather expensive, and there are so many of them, it is also one of the pains of being a photographer. In this hobby or profession lenses are the crown jewels, the desirable things, the objects of want ( for some, of lust).

Time for a new lens?

As a fellow photographer I understand your desire and need. Certain times of the year make you want to take more pictures. Maybe you love the white of winter, the pale greens of spring, the colors of autumn or of people, the streets, the beach, or desert sands. So many places to take pictures, so many subjects—each requiring a different lens type. You need lenses, you want lenses, you struggle to afford new lenses.

You need a new telephoto lens!

It wasn't long after you got your first DSLR camera that this desire presented itself. Your kit lens was fine for a while, then something occurred to you. You were looking at a picture you took of a bird sitting on a tree limb in your yard. While it is sharp and shows the bird’s colors well, you realize that the bird is rather tiny in the image. If you try to get closer to another bird to take a picture, it flies away. Your camera’s lens cannot reach out and get a closeup of a bird in a tree. You need a long lens, one that can pull in distant subjects and make them bigger—you need a telephoto lens.

You definitely need a new wide-angle lens!

Later, you are standing in front of a beautiful waterfall in the mountains and your kit lens won't quite go wide enough to capture the entire scene. You realize you need a wide-angle lens.

Oh, what you'd give for a new macro lens!

One day you see a small object, a flower, a bee, a coin, and you need to get really close, much closer than your kit lens will allow. Thoughts of a macro lens enter your mind.

Let the buying begin!

If anyone had informed us of how expensive the pleasures of photography are, maybe some of us wouldn't have become photographers? No! We would have anyway. Nothing can rob us of the pleasures of capturing these slices of time that photography gives us. We get to hold onto time in a way that is very satisfying. We get to capture pictures of our friends and family that become precious to us and others in only a few years.

While camera bodies come and go, lenses stay. We select our favorite brand in the beginning of our photographic journey and then gradually acquire lenses over the years. Few of us realize the need for additional lenses when we first become photographers. Only after we run into a limitation of our kit lens do we recognize the need. The desire for a new lens grows until something must be done. Money must be spent. Lenses must be acquired.

As Dr. Smith used to say, Oh the pain, the pain. As you have learned, oh the pleasure, the pleasure. It's time for a new lens. The seasons of the earth are changing, the seasons of our lives are passing. A man or woman's success in life is measured by how many friends they leave behind, and how many lenses they leave to their heirs.

It's truly time for new lens!

Look in your camera bag. Is there an empty spot? Fill it! You need a new lens! You want a new lens! Go to your favorite vendor and get one. Don't wait! Sell last year's camera body and invest in a new piece of glass. Who needs jewelry, cars, fame, money? As photographers, we just need new lenses.

Like I said in the beginning of this article, lenses are a pleasure and a pain. The pleasure of owning a great lens, and the pain of desiring another one. Will we survive this pain. For a while, then we will pass on and help our child, grandchild, niece, or nephew by leaving them precious memories of ourselves, our pictures, and a prime lens for their new camera. A photographer's legacy.

Buy a new lens! Hey, I never said that reading this blog was going to be inexpensive.