New Toy, New Experiences

News that occur... Things one discovers... Like the limits of an almost $3000 camera. Take a peek at the two shots below...

This one above was taken at night, at ISO 6400. It's the Cole Hall Memorial, to commemorate the five NIU students shot in February 14, 2008. The one below, however, shows an artifact in the middle of the building; that's what happens when you push the limits of the sensor.

If you can, look at the building in the middle: there is a faint line there, slightly below the row of lit windows. What is it? "Normal" reaction to high contrasts at high ISO. Go figure. At least, the camera isn't in need of repair.

Now... the good stuff.

There's a new toy in town, a Nikon AF 70-210 f4-5.6. It's a non-D lens, and you can see it here, attached to my F100. As far a lenses is concerned, it's small, compact and practical. In fact, I think it's sharp enough to do the job of bringing stuff closer. However, it is noisy and the AF isn't as fast as if it were an f2.8. One might wonder what's the use of getting a lens like this... and, to be quite honest, the price was sooooo reasonable it would have been foolish to pass.

Now, the day I was out "testing" my new toy (and I do have some photos with it, but will post them later), I saw this stand-off in the yard: Mimi chased a squirrel and forced it to go up the tree. And Ben? He was just supervising her.

Now... the last and best: Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Price 1992, came to campus in Sept 23, 2009. My wife and I were both invited to a small reception and, since we couldn't find a baby sitter, my wife, wisely, resolved to take our son Edmund with. Here he is, meeting a Nobel Prize at his ripe 4 months of age.

Wasn't this some week? More on other things (like my AF ED 80-200 f2.8 zoom's return home) next time!

Objects, details

Can be so much fun... The point, or my goal, is to isolate them, detach them from what they "belong" and turn them loose into the world of meanings. What do they mean or suggest? Hmmm...
Parts, sections, elements, fraction, function... the list goes on.

So many parts, sections and details. So many functions and uses, and yet, so human all of them, as they are vaguely connected to the part of our body we operate them with. Otherwise, how to explain the thin metallic cord of the lamp above, or the firm handle of the train seat. Heck, how do we explain the whole in the center of the table all the way above, without our getting used to this furniture?

BTW, two of these items are in DeKalb. You can guess which.

'til the next one!

Backyard Studio

That's how some people call their backyard, because, if it's like mine, it offers a lot of possibilities for a decent shot with a macro lens.

Now, let's cut to the chase. These are macros, done with my Nikon D700, and while all of them are, say, reasonably decent, there's a postprocessing aspect that stumps me. However, let's begin by the beginning.

My macro lens is a Sigma AF 105 f2.8, purchased in the summer of 2005. It's seen a lot of work ever since. And, in fact, it's perpetually equipped with an 812 Tiffen filter. Will that explain the wonderful tonality of these photographs?

Just kidding...

That thing above is the lonely, single petal of a sunflower. The plants in our yard are about 8 feet tall... and that makes the flowers a bit difficult to photograph. The one above is a rare case of low bloom, and instead of doing the boring and overused top, frontal shot, I chose a less boring and overused petal contrasting with the sky. They have an abstract quality about them that makes them perfect for cards.

Summer wouldn't be complete without tomatoes. We have a happy crop here... and we better hurry to pick these ones (photographed with the above mentioned Sigma lens at f9) The odd thing I've learned with macro is that a smaller aperture rarely means a large DOF. Somehow, I figured out that long lenses do not really cast a sharp focus zone the same way wide angles do, and also that DOF operates in a much more generous way the further the subject is placed. Hence, despite the small aperture, there's some fuzziness about the second and third tomatoes.

But they do taste great...

Now, this lonely guy represents a problem. Take a peek at it, click on the image and you'll see an obscene amount of posterization on the right side of the shot, right where I want the bokeh to show its beauty.

How does this happen? I have no clue...

Usually, after downloading images, I work a little on levels and exposure, then use the Photoshop Elements function "Save for web." This one has the very unexpected effect of enlarging the dimensions of the file (if originally it is, say, 5 inches, after this function it will be 15 inches long). The way I change that, so as not to post outrageously large files on galleries, is that I open the file's dimensions, and reduce the largest one by at least two thirds (we're talking inches, here, not pixels). I thought I had it down pat... until today, when this little bugger baffled me.

What to do? I will appreciate suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Darkness

Ain't Chicago great?

Who needs New York when this town is so visually rich? And, let me remind you, I'm not posting shots from the overused Milennium Park...

View from the bridge behind the Civic Opera.

The stairs inside the chuch that houses the Seminary Coop Bookstore, in Hyde Park.

I believe this is the intersection between Wabash and Monroe Streets, in the Chicago Loop.

Later, some other things I've done with this camera. BTW, its purchase was lagging on my credit card statement until recently, when I sent payment for the remaining balance. In other words, I just paid off both, my Nikon D700 and my AF-S 24-70 lens.

Time to get those warranty papers on hand... Just in case!

Playing with DX

In both of these images I used my trustworthy (despite being much maligned) AF-S 24-120 VR lens. However, only, one of them has the DX area setting. Which one may be? The one with the colorfully made-up girl, or the window announcement about "patriotic items" going down in price? BTW, these were images from the Swedish Days in Geneva, where we went with our son (he has to learn to travel with his parents some day...).

So, which one is it?

Try again...

Yep...

The reason to do this was to crop in camera at the same time that I maximized the reach of the lens. The nice portrait didn't take me long to shoot, and it benefitted from the framelines that help compose through the viewfinder. Yes, one could claim that I "lose" information by reducing the document to 5 MP instead of using the whole shebang of this 12 MP sensor... but my concern is to get the image, reach where I want, not to produce a file of a certain dimension.

Do you do this often? I found myself doing it for this shot in California, only that instead of my AF-S 24-120 I had my AF-S 24-70.

Not bad for a beginner... At a given moment, having the DX option contributes to extend the reach, get the shot and maximize a telephoto. This image, cropped to look like something shot with a 115 or 120mm lens, simply delivers what I wanted to show: the thrill of going down in a weird, crazy machine, in a sunny, gorgeous and intensely blue day.

News

We became parents on May 8, 2009.  That also means I have a new model!

Edmund Julian, two days old.  

Edmund, a day older than above.

Our cat, Ben, discovering his new housemate. 

Of course, all the shots above were taken with the D700.  The first two with WB at 2500°K, the third in Auto.  I cannot recall the ISO, but in all of them it wasn't very high (just about 1600). 

He's keeping us busy... especially at nights.  Otherwise, I've continued with my hobbies and soon will post some macrophotography shots, taken around the garden with my Sigma AF 105mm lens.  

Right now, my Nikon AF 80-200 is still in the shop (since early February!).  It was returned shortly before my son's birthday, but the problem (sticky blades) continued, so I sent it back... and haven't heard from the shop ever since.  I'll have to call them soon and find out.

Meanwhile, I've been considering a new lens to replace the Nikon (which is the first version of the 80-200, a push-pull).  The Nikon AF-S VR 70-200 is outrageously expensive, and even more since all the prices went up, so I've been thinking about the Sigma or Tamron f2.8 alternates. 

Ooops... it seems there's a diaper change coming. 

Spring about to come!

Sure... and it looks like a bad joke, innit?

At least, one could believe something was afoot early in March...

Until we got a white surprise in the end... 

But before I continue, let me add that all of these images were made with my trusty D700.  I've been working (rather playing) with it at all times, and "exposing" it to some conditions that, admittedly, are not harsh, but still demanding... like the last photograph with the hydrant (the only one taken with my Tamron AF 200-400 zoom).  Temps were pretty low... but I've walked down colder sidewalks with this camera.

The tree up there is in my backyard.  That was during one of the first nice, sunny days this year.

The cat here belongs to a friend who lives in Madison WI.  It's a nice Maine Coon called Jiggy (she's a feisty player, and you can tell from her face).  

Last shot: March 28: snow around us (about seven inches), dressing up the boring fire hydrant across the street. 

Lately, I've taken to use relatively low ISO ratings.  It simply happens that I am far more familiar with the images I create at ISO 200 or 400 than anything done at ISO 1600 or higher.  Besides, with such luminosity, why should anyone bother with fast sensor speed?  

Or does someone do that?

I am awaiting for my Nikon AF ED 80-200 to return from the shop where I left it (in Chicago's Central Camera).  It turned out to be sick: sticky blades.  The repair will cost me a pretty penny... but I'm trusting on getting a decent lens in the end.  In the meanwhile, before getting my Nikon back, I'll keep playing with my current arsenal.

Comments welcome!