Really Right Stuff D300 L-Plate

RRS D300 L-PlateAfter getting the Arca-Swiss Monoball Z1, the next logical step was getting an L-plate for my camera. An L-plate is a camera plate that allows you to position the camera in landscape- AND portrait-mode on the ballhead. Normally you would use the drop-notch on the ballhead to position the camera in portrait mode. This drop-notch is available on most ballheads, but seriously limits the movement of the ballhead, and it puts the camera in a lower (and on most times in an awkward) position.

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Lens and Focal Length Statistics

Have you ever wondered which lens you used the most? Or what focal length is your favorite? The results of these queries can be used to decide what new lens to get; a (ultra)wide-angle, normal, or telephoto lens.
Well, there is an answer for both questions. The first (which lens) is relatively easy when you're using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Just select the metadata filter in the library view and examine the results.

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New Fast Nikon 24mm Lens

Nikon 24mm f/1.4G EDNikon is catching up with Canon in regards to the (really) fast prime lenses. They announced a new 24mm f/1.4G ED (link to the techpart)wide-angle lens today. This new lens makes it possible to do low-light photography with a maximum aperture of 1.4. Especially when you're shooting with a low-light monster like the Nikon D700 or D3(x/s).
The lens should also give you a nice depth of field (DoF) when shooting wide open, and being relatively close to your subject. We all know that wide-angle lenses tend to have a large DoF due to wide-angle optic characteristics (et voila).

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Arca-Swiss Monoball Z1 Review

Updated on Friday, February 26, 2010 at 15:50 by Willem

Arca-SwissLast year I bought a Gitzo GH2780QR [1] ballhead with an additional (medium) lens plate for my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. The concept of this ballhead was/is ingenious. By using the big knob/dial you could change the friction on the ball. This enables you to pan/rotate the camera and lens very fluently, and when you applied enough friction, you could let go of your camera, and it would not move or fall down, and you'd still be able to pan/rotate the camera. All in all very safe and handy.

But there were some things that annoyed me;

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And The Winner Is.....

James Hetfield of Metallica by Guillaume Raisonnable, on FlickrMy photo of James Hetfield (lead singer of Metallica) won this years photo contest at the local cameraclub (out of 51 other photos).

The photo was taken this year at their concert in Ahoy, Rotterdam [1, 2], and this image felt right from the beginning.

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Long Exposure Calculations

We'll be heading out for some night photography next month. Playing with long exposures is one of the thing you can't get around. Especially since I don't have any f/0.2 lenses in my bag.

Most lenses are sharpest (the so-called sweet-spot) around 2 stops from their biggest aperture (mostly around the apertures of f/8 and f/11) , but the problem is that these apertures kill the available light hitting the sensor of your camera. You could turn up the ISO (to 102400 if you have a Nikon D3s), but that gives you noise, and lots of it with most consumer dSLR's.

The only proper thing to do is adjusting the shutterspeed. Leave the aperture on its sweet-spot (f/9 or f/11), and the ISO at ISO100 or ISO200 (for the lowest amount of noise). But if you do that, chances are that you need exposures much longer than the available maximum on your camera, which is 15 or 30 seconds (depending on your camera). Which leaves you with the bulb setting on your camera. But how do you calculate the time needed for an exposure?

Bulb means that the shutter stays open for as long as you press the shutter release button.

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Nikon Learn & Explore iPhone App

Nikon Learn & Explore on the iPhoneNikon (USA) launched their Learn & Explore iPhone app. The application is there for you to learn & explore the magical world of Nikon. Learn about shooting techniques by renowned photographers, see photos taken around the world.

A quote from Nikon USA;

Read an article on getting the most from your travel photography while you’re on vacation. Check information on adjusting depth of field or selecting the right shutter speed when you’re taking photos at your child’s sporting event. Access advice on the right aperture for shooting photos indoors when you’re attending a wedding. It’s all there on the Learn & Explore iPhone app. Photography information at your fingertips.

Nice for those moments when you're not busy at all. Light reading material is always welcome. Especially when you can learn something new. So I want this app.....

BUT unfortunatelly, the app is US only(?????). Why? Don't ask me. I already asked Nikon this, but they haven't answered (yet).

I guess Nikon World starts and ends in the US....

Update on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 18:53 by Willem

And yes!!! We have an answer from Nikon. Albeit an automated responds......

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Learn & Explore iPhone App. We are reviewing consumers' comments for future enhancements. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit the Learn & Explore section of NikonUSA.com (http://www.nikonusa.com/L&E) where you will find all the content available on the iPhone as well as additional features such as Capture Your World articles, Nikon Technology descriptions and information on Nikon-sponsored workshops.

Thank you again for your interest in Nikon and the Learn & Explore iPhone App.

The Editor

I wonder if I'll be getting an answer to my responds to their e-mail. I don't think so, since it was kinda explicit (sort of).

Panasonic Lumix LX3 Firmware v2.1 Released

Panasonic released the v2.0 firmware for the popular Lumix LX3 compact camera in September 2009, but due to some bugs, they pulled it back. Ths week, they released the v2.1 version of the firmware.

I did the update already, and it went as expected; successful.

The list of v2.1 new features are:

1. Improved auto white balance performance.
2. Auto Focus speed-up.
3. Recording function with an aspect ratio of 1:1 has been added.
4. A white balance (WB) bracket function has been added.
5. [HIGH DYNAMIC] has been added to scene mode.
6. [LENS RESUME] has been added to the [SETUP] menu.
7. [MENU RESUME] has been added to the [SETUP] menu.
8. The exposure compensation and the auto bracket compensation can now be set up to ±3EV.
9. Position of the guide line can now be set.
10. It is now possible to display the highlights in playback mode.
11. It is now possible to record the user’s name in the picture.
12. Digital red-eye removal has been modified.
13. Items saved in the custom set have changed.

Expensive Billingham Camerabag

Expensive is not the correct word....

Source

First Review New Nikon 70-200mm f2.8G ED VRII

It seems that Cliff Mautner is one of the (very, very) few lucky photographers who received his new Nikon 70-200mm f2.8G ED VRII a month early. His findings can be found on his blog, and I must say..... Those images are awesome (from a image quality point of view). Especially the VRII seems to rock.

/me is looking at his savings.... and cries silently

Anyway, the new 70-200 is a long overdue improvement for the 'old' 70-200mm f2.8G VR lens, since the old one performed not as wel on the FX cameras (D700, D3-range) as some would have liked.