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.
Wasn't this some week? More on other things (like my AF ED 80-200 f2.8 zoom's return home) next time!
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! 
4 comments:
I think I read somewhere that banding (if that's what the line is) only occurs when the high ISO shot is underexposed. Tho, as a neophyte myself, I fail to see how one can improve exposure under such shooting conditions!
I just moved into a new office and I have a studio that is about 16 feet deep. I am a photographer in San Diego and my primary business is as a youth sports and school photographer, but we just got the studio and are doing a lot more studio work. I'm thinking I should get a full frame camera, like the D700, but what is the best lens(s)? Do I get a prime lens? Right now I have 5 Fuji S5's, 2 S3's, 2 D200's and a couple of Canons. Do I need the D700 for just studio work? I love the video on the 5d but the Nikon seems to have a slight edge on some of the other features. I am thinking of renting the D700 and maybe the 5D for a weekend with a couple of lenses to see what they feel like in the studio.
Or, am I just fine shooting with the S5's, which are great portrait cameras, but I am a little limited with the 16 foot deep studio. 16 total feet, meaning once you get a tripod and backdrop stands, etc, it is even smaller. Any pointers?
Anonymous, I think the problem is the camera, which has limitations of its own. Considering that I was shooting at ISO 6400, and facing a situation that would have given me a reciprocity failure in film of a slower type... I am relatively satisfied. It seems that, in cases like this, the tripod is the solution. And, of course, a slower ISO.
Andy, if I were a professional, I'd see to get this Nikon, or the D3x (with twice the pixel count). As for lenses... that's where people vary a lot. Do you like zooms? Are you a prime man? If I were in a studio, I probably would use primes, as I consider zooms ideal for journalists, because it lightens their bags. Have you taken a look at the AF 85mm f1.4? How about wides? In any of these Nikons, your wides would be really wide...
Post a Comment