dSLR Dad

Bjørn Rørslett,Professional Nature Photographer, PhD. Member of NN (Norwegian Nature Photographers) and BioFoto (Association of Nature Photographers in Norway) has just posted his review of the Nikon D3 (order one at Amazon and B&H Photo).

Every one waited for Nikon to move up to the next level of digital sensor size, the “full-sized” FX or 35mm-like solution. Years went by and seemingly nothing happened. We admired Nikon’s clever ergonomic solutions and at least some of us ogled the high-ISO performance of the competition with a little envy. Then, Nikon struck back with a camera advertised to “defy the limitations” no less.

The D3 is not only a 35mm-frame camera, it is so much more and with high-ISO performance unheard and undreamt of as well. With a blazing firing rate up to 9 fps(FX)/11 fps(DX), this is a sports and action shooter’s dream camera come true. But what can it achieve for other fields of photography? In this review, I shall try to elaborate these aspects of this new Nikon DSLR. Consider this more akind to a personal travelogue written as I made myself familar with the D3 rather than a compilation of features….. (more…)

Popularity: 17% [?]

Tags: APS-C, camera, camera body, comparison, D2X, D3, full frame, ISO, ISO1600, low noise, nikon, photo, photograph, review

Nikon has just posted the full color, 42 page brochure for the new D3 (order one at Amazon and B&H Photo).

You can download the full version here (pdf link).

Popularity: 14% [?]

High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists

For you dSLR Dad’s looking for a new avenue to try in photography, may I suggest High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI). HDRI is the process of combining photographs at different exposures (typically bracketed at +/- 2 stops). This allows you to keep proper detail in those tricky situations where you have a bright sky (the ‘blinkies’ on your LCD screen) mixed with objects that have shadow detail. One book that looks really promising (after my in-store review) is The HDRI Handbook: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists by Christian Bloch. (more…)

Popularity: 12% [?]

The Nikon D300 dSLR has been out in the wild for some time (shipping now at Amazon). For all you dSLR Dad’s out there who are looking for one more bit of information to justify that purchase, here you go: (more…)

Popularity: 25% [?]

I love this site. If you have never visited PhotoZone, head over there now. They have posted their review of the new Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens (available at Amazon and B&H Photo). Nikon announced this lens earlier this fall along with the D3 and D300.

The Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED exceeds the already very good performance of its predecessor. The center quality is nothing short of outstanding matching or beating the resolution of a 10mp APS-C sensor. (more…)

Popularity: 35% [?]

Popular Photography Magazine has released their review of the new Nikon D300 dSLR (available at Amazon). Let’s just say that they liked it:

…But what (Nikon has) on the inside pushed the D300 to new performance records in the Pop Photo Lab:

• It’s the first DSLR to earn an Excellent image quality rating from ISO 200 all the way up to ISO 3200.
• It sports the fastest (and most sophisticated) AF we’ve tested so far. (more…)
  

  Popularity: 10% [?]

  Tags: AF-s, amazon, APS-C, camera, camera body, D200, D300, DX, fps, frames per second, ISO, ISO1600, live view LCD, magazine, MB-D10, MBD10, nikon, order, photo, photograph, pop photo, pop photo mag, popular photography, price, review, shop

Photoshop guru Scott Kelby has posted his review of the Nikon D300.

I’ve spent the past two weeks, many hours, had two meetings with Nikon Professional Services staff, and taken thousands of photos with my new Nikon D300 and I’m ready to spill the beans and let you know what’s hot (and what’s not) about Nikon’s new arrival. (more…)

Popularity: 14% [?]

Apparently, the rumors about a shipment of D3’s hitting the US the end of this week were true. The Nikon D3 is now in stock and shipping at Amazon (or the dSLR Dad Amazon Storefront). As always, these links help to support this site. Many thanks to all of you dSLR Dads who have done so this Holiday (more…)

Popularity: 8% [?]

The Canon EOS 1D Mark III has been selling for quite a while now (since February 23, 2007 at Amazon). Unfortunately, the pro community have been quarrelling with Canon over the poor performance of the 1D Mark III’s servo-autofocus engine, especially at high temperatures. Rob Galbraith’s site has been out in front of this issue since the beginning (June 19 was his first update). Now Rob has released an update assessing the 1D Mark III’s sub-mirror fix and v1.1.3 firmware. (more…)

Popularity: 9% [?]

John Harrington has posted an article in which he compares both of his new purchases: A Nikon D3 (Amazon, B&H Photo) vs. the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (Amazon, B&H Photo).

What follows is a muti-part review of both cameras. Since I own both systems, and am not endorsed by either, and in fact, have been critical of both, I think I can take an unbiased look at each camera. My most critical concern was noise, and I don’t shoot sports, so, for example, fast focus-tracking is not a top priority for me. I’d dropped $20k on a Canon system, having been a die-hard Nikon photographer, having found the noise in my D2x files at iso640 and above offensive. Couple that with Nikon’s failure to address or even acknowledge that elephant in the room was just down-right inconsiderate. (more…)

Popularity: 17% [?]

California based professional photographer Phil Holland has posted his in-depth report on the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III.

In this review I’ll go over some real world and not so real world shooting conditions. I’ll also occasionally compare the 1Ds Mark III to the 1Ds Mark II as it’s been my main body for a couple of years now. (more…)

Popularity: 9% [?]

Tags: 1Ds Mark III, af, auto focus, autofocus, camera, camera body, canon, CMOS, comparison, EF, EOS, full frame, ISO, Lens, Macro, review, SLR

Doug Brown, Contributor and event photographer, has posted his field report of the Sony Alpha A700 dSLR (now shipping).

The A700 is a beautifully crafted photographic instrument. In my time with it I grew quite comfortable with the camera and found it’s output to be very dependable.
It’s tough, ergonomically well designed, intuitive to use (more…)

Popularity: 5% [?]

Tags: APS-C, camera, camera body, comparison, ISO, ISO1600, photo, photograph, review, sony

Amazon has the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens available now for pre-order. Makes a pretty good combo with the Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for under $400. You can check it out over at the dSLR Dad Amazon Store.

Popularity: 6% [?]

The following is part of a much larger dSLR Dad Holiday Gift Guide:

I’ve been searching for books to add to the dSLR Dad Media Shelf that everyone would enjoy. So, I decided to start with my own bookshelf here at home. Mastering Digital Black and White: A Photographer’s Guide to High Quality Black-and-White Imaging and Printing (Digital Process and Print) by Amadou Diallo is a fantastic book. He does a great job of leading you through the digital darkroom process of black and white photography. (more…)

Popularity: 11% [?]

The following is part of a much larger dSLR Dad Holiday Gift Guide:

Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs presents the full spectrum Adams’ greatest work in a single volume for the first time, offering an entirely new perspective on his monumental career. The photographs are arranged chronologically into five major periods in order to convey Adams’ development as an artist-from his first photographs made in Yosemite and the High Sierra in 1916 to his work in the National Parks in the 1940s up to his last important photographs from the 1960s. You can order this wonderful book at the dSLR Dad Amazon Book Store.

Popularity: 6% [?]