Nikon has entered the professional mirrorless camera market with the release of the Z6 and Z7 cameras and a new lens mount.
I recently sat down with my good friend and fellow Image Doctors Podcast host, Rick Walker, to chat about our thoughts on the new Nikon Z Mirrorless system [see specs] that was announced recently. These discussions are a really great way for us to see how we each view new cameras and imaging technologies and how they fit in with our current photographic styles.
Before we get into it, we just wanted to mention that there is a TON of talk out there on discussion boards and social media sites regarding the new Nikon mirrorless system, the Nikon Z. Neither of us have even seen one of these cameras in person, and as of now even people testing them are still using pre-production models. As such, we are not willing to discuss or speculate on any performance features of these cameras until they become available to the general public. It would be wholly inappropriate for us to discuss or speculate on features that we haven’t actually tested in person. Ok, enough of that… let’s sit down and talk mirrorless cameras!
I want to spend a little time talking about the importance of size in photography. While there are numerous factors we photographers must face when we are making decisions about our photographic subjects and adventures, we can’t escape the importance of size. Whether you’re choosing a camera, lens or your next adventure, size does matter. Continue reading For Photographers, It’s a Matter of Size→
Vaporware… Is the DX format party officially over?
Is DX format finally dead? I pre-ordered the Nikon D500 the day it was announced. I was informed today by my dealer that all Nikon D500 pre-orders have been cancelled. The long-awaited flagship DX body is apparently no more, after suffering from supply chain delays and production disruptions and what appears to be lack of interest in a body that just didn’t have the ISO performance of the new D5 FX flagship.
This disappoints me… no, make that this MAKES MY BLOOD BOIL! Ever since I had a D300s, I was absolutely looking forward to using the new D500 at 10fps and ISO 51,200 with my Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E VR lens, which in my estimation would be the best damn wildlife combo out there.
In the meantime, I’ll just muddle through using my D810 and D750 bodies with crop mode and hope that pre-orders can convince Nikon to re-think their position on the role of DX format in professional photography.
Modern DSLRs offer many custom image settings, but do any of them really matter?
How do I set up my in-camera settings? I get asked this question a lot. Most modern DSLR cameras offer a tremendous number of options for image quality and other settings that go beyond film, when all that mattered was setting the appropriate exposure.
Camera settings come in several categories, but here are the major ones:
Exposure (shutter speed, aperture, ISO)
White balance (color temperature)
Processing settings (color, contrast, sharpness)
Noise reduction settings
Other corrections (lens distortion, vignette removal, etc.)
Each of these settings offers the photographer control over the final image, so it’s easy to see how they can quickly become overwhelming. But here’s the deal. Unless you shoot JPEG or use your manufacturer’s raw conversion software (eg, Nikon Capture NX or Canon DPP), most of these settings are utterly meaningless.
Garden of the Gods & Pikes Peak, captured with Fujichrome Velvia 50 film.
In the late 1990s, as the digital camera age dawned, I was shooting with a Nikon N70 film camera and whatever lenses I could afford on a graduate student’s (miniscule) salary. For me, the idea of switching to digital was something that I didn’t even fathom at the time, simply because a $5500 camera was so far out of my price range that I was never going to realistically own one.
Of course, when something costs a lot of money and you know you can’t afford it, you start to rationalize with yourself as to why you don’t really need one. And by “don’t really need” I mean we find ways to explain why our current gear is as good or better than some new technology. As the new century dawned, the “film vs. digital” debate bloomed across the Internet in chat rooms and discussion boards. Recently, that debate has returned, as some photographers are switching back to using film for certain clients. Continue reading Is Film Making a Comeback?→
