The Wonderful Art of Dale Chihuly
I have been a huge fan of Dale Chihuly for many years. He is a glass artist from Tacoma, Washington (USA) and now has an amazing gallery in Seattle called Chihuly Garden and Glass. I don't have too much time to ramble on about each piece, each one can speak for itself. His incredible versatility and technical execution makes each piece special. I hope to own a few of his works one day.
A bunch more photos from the trip. Click any image for a bigger version.
And one photo from our journey back. Some random pub in a town I no longer remember.
Why I upgraded my Nikon D800 to a D810
Why I Upgraded
In this section I list the main reasons I upgraded my Nikon D800 to a Nikon D810. There wasn't anything wrong with the D800, it was an amazing camera capable of fantastic results. There were a few things that made the difference though. In general, Nikon took an already great camera and made it better.
- No anti-alias filter. Also known as Optical Low Pass Filter, Blur Filter, and probably a few other names. When the D800 and D800E were released, it created a lot of speculation about the potential moire and false color problems that the D800E would face. I had actually planned to get a D800E but my local shop had the D800 first and said I'm facing a 4+ month wait for an E model. I decided to get the D800 and start shooting. In the end, the fears around no AA filter in the D800E were unfounded, the vast majority of shooters have never had a problem. Given the lack of issues, Nikon didn't even bother with a filtered version of the D810. In fact, it improved on the D800E even further. Where the D800E had an AA filter that cancelled itself out, the D810 has no AA filter at all in the stack. The sharpness benefits are not drastic, but there are there and I'm happy to have the best possible starting image.
- Frame rate. 5fps in full frame mode (36 megapixels) with full AF and metering. Drop it down to 1.2X crop and you get 6fps and 24 megapixels. Plenty of resolution, plenty of speed, and no battery grip needed. I really don't need more than 6fps, when I shoot bursts it's often chasing my kids so the 1.2x crop suits me just fine. The rest of the time I'm shooting landscapes or architecture. The D810 feels like both an action cam and a landscape cam in one body. Perfect.
- Improved autofocus. I had plenty of problems with my D800 autofocus. It was plagued with the 'left focus problem' and went to Nikon three times before it finally came back fixed. The D810 seems to work great out of the box and now has group AF mode and better face detection.
- Improved bracketing. The D800 was limited to +/- 1 EV between exposures, the D810 extends that to +/- 3 EV (it can also do 1 and 2 EV). To get a standard -2/0/+2 exposure for HDR I had to take 5 shots with the D800 and then throw away two of them. With the D810, I can take the 3 I need and call it a day. More flexibility, more options, and solved something that always bugged me about the D800. Worse still that this would have been a simple firmware fix for Nikon.
- Electronic front curtain shutter. The D800 had mirror up (MUP) and exposure delay modes to reduce the vibration effects of the mirror. The D810 takes it a step further by also eliminating the vibration effects of the shutter. Well done Nikon.
- ISO 64. Base ISO is now 64 (instead of 100 in the D800). Gives me options for long exposures and bright light with fast lenses.
- ISO 12,800. I'm unlikely to shoot at the upper end of the ISO range often, but noise performance has been improved at 3200 and 6400 as well, which is a bonus.
- Live View improved. Nikon made great improvements in Live View over the D800. Not only is the LCD a higher resolution screen, but the nasty artifacts that plagued the D800 are now gone. I use LV frequently, especially at 100% zoom, for critical focus work so the D810 is a joy to use.
- Hand grip improved. I have large hands, and the D800 never felt that comfortable in my hands. The D810 brings some much welcome changes here, the grip is noticeably improved and the camera feels much more secure in my hand.
Nice To Have Extras
Here are some of the added benefits of the D810 that didn't have a big impact on my decision but I'm happy to have them.
- Highlight weighted metering. An extra metering mode useful in some tricky situations.
- Metering and bracketing selection improved. I'm usually not a fan of buttons getting moved around, but the new layout is actually easier to use. The ring around the AF-ON wasn't the easiest way to select the metering mode, the button/wheel method is better.
- Quiet mirror/shutter. Not Q (quiet) mode, but the operation of the mirror and shutter are much softer and better dampened than in the D800. This likely improves sharpness but also makes the camera more pleasant to use.
- Split screen live view. Limited usefulness, but I have used it a couple of times when leveling a horizon. I think it would be more useful with tilt-shift lenses (which I don't have), to ensure critical focus in multiple areas of the image.
- Improved battery life. 1200 shots in the D810, only 900 in the D800. Battery life was never a big problem for me, but I'll take more.
- Double the buffer size. With the improved frame rates, this is an added bonus. I don't often hit the limit with the D810.
- Timer function improved. Just set up the number of bracketed shots you want to take, switch the camera into timer mode, and hit the shutter release once. The D810 will take the full bracket sequence for you. Easy.
Added To D810, But I Don't Care
Here are a few things added to the D810 that are of no use to me. I'm not saying they are useless, some of you may put them in your own "this is why I upgraded" list. For me, they are things I'm unlikely to use or gain any benefit from.
- Zebras in movie mode. Shows you highlight clipping. I almost never shoot movies with my DSLR so don't care if it shows dancing hippos.
- Two info buttons. "i" and "info", why Nikon? You had one button that you could click twice. Now I have two buttons, and I usually press the wrong one.
- Flat picture control, clarity adjustment. This only makes a difference for jpeg shooting, but I shoot 98% of my shots in RAW (NEF). Which leads me to...
- sRAW. Not real RAW, I don't care.
- 1080p 60p (full HD). Again, I don't shoot video. Even if it shot 8K... yawn.
- There are a few more, but I have forgotten about them already.
What Didn't Make It Into The D810 But Should Have
Nikon had the opportunity to fix some things in the D810 but chose not to. Here are a few things which I would have liked to see (some could even be implemented with a firmware upgrade I suspect).
- EFC in timer mode. Why only in MUP? Give me a firmware fix for this please. I want a 2-second timer, 3 second exposure delay, and EFC.
- User preset modes (U1/U2). The memory banks suck, I use them but I would much prefer the preset modes present on other cameras in Nikon's lineup.
- WiFi. It's 2015 Nikon, get in the game. Give me wifi and the ability to use my iPhone as a remote trigger. Even better, give me an app for the Apple Watch!
- Exposures longer than 30 seconds. Why is this still a limitation? I need my remote trigger with me at all times, and it would need it at all if I could set my exposure to any value. Another firmware fix please. UPDATE (June 1, 2015): The Nikon D810A camera (targeted at astrophotography) has a new M* mode (Long Exposure Manual Mode) that allows you to set the exposure time between 4 and 900 seconds. Would be great if Nikon made this available via firmware on the D810.
Expert Shield vs GGS Screen Protector for Nikon D800
I'm giving away two Expert Shield screen protectors. Draw will take place on September 19, 2014. No stings, no BS. I have an extra Sony RX100 model and the D800 anti-glare model.
All you have to do is comment on this post with which model you want, add a valid email address (which won't be visible to anyone but me). Winners will be announced here and I'll contact you for a shipping address. Good luck!
Update: I only had entries for the D800 model, and the winner is Peter Looper! I might run another draw for the RX100 model at another time.
Some time ago I posted about my issues with the GGS screen protectors. The first one was faulty, second one was different from the first and had a plastic border which obscured the top and bottom of the LCD. My third one (same as the first), arrived and it had some scratches on the glass. I ended up using it, fed up with the whole process. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with the experience and made worse because you can't seem to contact the company directly.
About a year ago, I purchased a Sony RX-100 and decided to use an Expert Shield screen protector on that camera. It installed perfectly, no bubbles and you can't seven see it's there. One year later, it's still on the camera and I have had no problems with it at all.
I decided to finally replace the GGS screen protector on my D800 with an Expert Shield. I have the standard and anti-glare models, but decided to go with the standard one. The installation was easy, as before, and the result looks like a naked D800 LCD but I know it's well protected. Here are a few photos from the process.
The GGS, note how it sits raised above the body. It isn't a perfect fit, and the one with the plastic frame (gen 2?) is a terrible fit.
Another shot of the GGS.
Last one of GGS.
The Expert Shield covers, which come with a microfiber cloth to aid installation.
Expert Shield mounted on D800, a near-perfect fit for the LCD. It comes with covers for both the rear and top LCD plates.
One more of the Expert Shield, looks and works great.
Overall, I'm very happy with the product and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good screen protector. It's much nicer than the standard Nikon covers and works much better than the GGS covers I tried. I will be using this on all of my cameras from now on.
A Trip to Chile
I visited Chile in May 2013, so this post is LONG overdue. In my defense though, two cute babies arrived and those little things take up all of my time :) So after months of inactivity, here are a few photos from the trip.
I landed in Santiago and had a day to explore the city with my colleague Jamie. We decided to go for a walk without having a destination in mind. and as we left the hotel the sun was reflecting off the large tower. Sadly, I think the effect is visible due to air pollution.
We walked along the canal, and came across several interesting sights.
We saw a large statue at the top of a hill and decided that was a good destination. It turned out to be the Santuario de la Inmaculada Concepción, and it was a much farther walk than we had expected.
Half way up the hill, you can see the tower in the distance where we started our walk.
Finally at the top, tired and needing a rest.
Enjoying the view.
A few more shots from the top of the mountain (click to see bigger).
We found a rail car that could take us back down, which was great as we didn't want to walk all the way back down. Using Trip Advisor, I found that the cemetery is worth visiting. Despite being tired, we decided to make our way down there since it wasn't far. Along the way, we came across some interesting graffiti.
And a dog that didn't like me taking his photo.
We finally made it to the Cementerio General, and I'm glad we made the effort. It is an amazing spot, with a lot of old crypts and gravestones. The sun was starting to set and we just walked around looking at the interesting sights. This is the entrance gate.
Inside one of the buildings, there are many like this. Each plaque a person's final resting place.
Some are obviously very expensive, with marble and stained glass windows. They are beautiful.
Others are older and less well maintained, but equally interesting and with a lot of character.
A few more shots. This is a spot I will have to come back to, it's a fantastic place to walk around.
That was it for Santiago, not a city you can see in one day but we did our best. Must have walked 20Km in total. The next day, we took a tour to the Casablanca Valley, well known for it's white wines. The tour would visit several wineries, with a sampling at each one of course. First up was Indomita, with a great view and a beautiful estate.
A few shots during a tour of the winery.
The name of the second winery escapes me. It was smaller and used more traditional techniques. If you recognize it, leave a comment and I'll update the post. Thanks!
Here they are making balsamic vinegar. As the vinegar ages it reduces in volume so they pour it into ever smaller barrels.
The final winery was Casas del Bosqe. Another beautiful spot where we sampled wines and had an excellent lunch.
The next day, I caught an early flight to Calama, which is located in the Atacama Desert. The Atacama is the driest place on earth, receiving almost no rainfall. Some weather stations have NEVER received rain! These are a couple of iphone photos from the plane as we were leaving Santiago. There are still clouds here, in the Atacama there are only clear skies.
This shot is on the approach to Calama. A bizarre landscape featuring no plants. In the bottom of this photos, there is a small river that supports a small group of shrubs. Beyond that, it's bleak but strangely beautiful as well.
I was in the Atacama to visit a copper mine in the region. This is where the big trucks live.
It's hard to visualize how big these trucks really are. The tires are 4.3m (14') tall, here is a shot of me standing next to one (I'm 1.8m or 6' tall).
And a few small trucks too.
From the mine, I went to Antofagasta which is a port city in the north of Chile. Despite it's proximity to the coast, it is still extremely dry. While working in the office, I had a little friend visit me.
While in Antofagasta, I made a quick stop at the Ruinas de Huanchaca. These are the ruins of an old silver smelter, now a National Historic Landmark.
Inside the museum is NASA's moon buggy. They tested this buggy in the Atacama Desert because of the similarity to the moon and mars. 
The ruins are opposite the Enjoy casino and hotel, where I stayed for a few nights.
Towards the end of my visit, a few of us decided to head to the coast to visit Mejillones. Another port city, and not a bad place for a walk.
We saw a huge sea lion, and it was keeping a close eye on two kids on the beach.
On the way to the Antofagasta airport, I did stop at La Portada. This is a natural arch on the coast, and a very popular spot for photos. It is one of fifteen natural monuments included among the protected areas of Chile.
On the way home, I had one more opportunity to visit Santiago, though only for the evening. I watched a few street performers, had dinner, and called it day.
A Visit to Mumbai, India - Part III
This is the third group of photos (part 1 and part 2).
One day I decided to book a tour with Bravo Bombay (reviews), run by Hemali Talsania. Hemail is great, and put together a great tour for me and a couple that joined us. Hemali's knowledge of the city is great, and her English is excellent. We went to several spots that I wanted to visit, here are a few photos from the day.
First, I was picked up in a van by a driver. I didn't take the Mumbai Local this time, and after two journeys on the crowded train it was nice to get driven around in an air conditioned van. The accident with the motorcycle was just part of the adventure. On our way down the driver asked if I wanted to take the sea link, having read a bit about it I agreed that we should. The Bandra–Worli Sea Link, or officially the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link, is a new bridge and freeway that links western and southern Mumbai. It's a great route saving a lot of time but it's tolled so it is virtually empty. In the city (where there is no toll) the traffic is snarled but the freeway is wide open. Maybe it will get more use over time. I know, not a great photo but I took it through the window of a speeding van ;)
One of the first stops was Dhobi Ghat, a huge (world's biggest?) open air laundry. This facility washes an absolute mountain of laundry every day from all over Mumbai. A few photos from the laundry.
This is my favourite photo from the set, just a little kid going about his day.
Next on the agenda was Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, or Victoria Terminus. An amazing building with incredible detail. Worth a visit if you are into architecture. Unfortunately, the interior was not nearly as amazing as the exterior.
At the university, there is a replica of London't Big Ben. It's actually a very good replica, though sadly I could not get any closer than this as it's behind locked gates.
When you take a close look at the faux Big Ben, you can see the Indian touches compared to the original.
A popular tourist spot, the Gateway Of India. One of the few places we visited where there were a lot of tourists and people pushing their wares. I was somewhat of a celebrity being one of the only tall white guys around. Several people asked to take their photo with me, first time that has happened.
Everyone in the group received a blessing (for a small donation). It was nice.
We visited a Hare Krishna temple, and listened to the chants. A nice spot and interesting religion.
The Mahatma Gandhi Museum, full of interesting artefacts. The most powerful and memorable were the letters to Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill.
Outside the museum, I met a charismatic and friendly tour guide who I chatted with while waiting for my group to finish up. Smartly dressed, he was happy to pose for a photo. For some reason he reminds me of Eddie Murphy.
Close to the harbour, we saw a fishing boat coming in. A little helter skelter but definitely interesting.
The harbour itself.
Hemali, our tour guide (far right) and the couple who joined the tour. Maybe they will see this one day (if so leave a comment ;)
After the tour, I did some of my own exploring. Here a vendor is selling strings of flowers. These were being used to decorate cars for a festival.
A family I ran into, they were great and the boy holding the dog asked me a million questions.
My favourite photo form the trip. This old guy was sitting in a flashy metal carriage when I approached him. He didn't speak English, but nodded and smiled when I asked him if I could take a photo. His weathered skin and the detail in the carriage make the perfect subject for a black and white photo.
In the evening, and very close to my hotel, I ventured down to the beach to view the Vijayadashami Hindu festival. There were thousands of people on the beach, and every group had a sculpture which they end up throwing into the ocean. Note the sun in this photo. Due to the air pollution most sunsets in Mumbai looked like this during my visit.
Some well dressed chaps walking their well groomed dogs.
A vendor selling grilled corn, smelled great.
As happened several times, kids approached me when they same me taking photos and asked to have their photo taken. This boy was curious, asked some questions, and posed for a shot.
Soon his friends all ran over and started to clown around, it was great fun.
As the sun set, even more people started to show up.
Literally by the truck load.
And the festivities continued.
A sacred cow all dressed up for the party. Though tired after a long day, I'm glad I made it down for the party.
The next day, I decided to visit Dharavi, a massive slum in the heart of Mumbai. This slum is well known as it appeared in the popular movie Slumdog Millionaire. Despite the term "slum", this is a huge industrial center for Mumbai. Recycling is common, as is creating goods for export. I was very surprised at how many small factories are in operation in this area. My guide in the slum Shailesh Jethva who operates Mystical Mumbai, if you are in the city and want to tour Dharavi I highly recommend Shailesh. He knew almost everyone there and took me to many interesting spots in the area. Photography is not appropriate in most parts of the slum, so I respected the custom.
This shot is from the bride over the rail tracks as you enter the slum, the district us huge and without a guide you are certain to get lost. Depending on who you ask, there are about one million people that live in this slum, and the population density is just staggering. A worthwhile tour if you are not just into the popular tourist destinations.
One of the factories we visited with several embroidery machines at work.
My guide, Shailesh.
That is all the photos I'm posting from Dharavi. If you want to see more you just need to visit for yourself. On my way back to the hotel, I decided to take a walk on the beach which, just one day earlier, held thousands of people for the Hindu festival. The beach was littered with remnants from the celebration, including all of the religious idols which now lay discarded. I understand the need to celebrate but it's tough to see the impact on the environment following such celebration.
Sunset over Juhu beach. I'll return to Mumbai soon.
A Visit to Mumbai, India - Part II
I took a lot of photos in Mumbai, this is the second group. You can view part 1 here.
I decided to head to the south part of the city to explore the area. Leaving the hotel the security guard posed for a photo. Hotels have strict security since the terrorist attacks of 2008.
I have heard some crazy stories about the "Mumbai Local" train. During rush hour, it's one of the most crowded trains in the world, people are hanging off the sides. The staff at the hotel told me not to ride it, it's not for tourists. A tour guide I hired said "you are taking the local? I don't even ride the local". With those sentiments, I knew I had to ride it :)
I decided to ease my way into it, my first trip was off-peak, and it was quite pleasant. There are no doors on the train, and it stops for only a very short while at each stop. For my second trip, I booked the cheap fare during rush hour. That was definitely entertaining and highly recommended for anyone looking for some adventure. The mass of humanity that steams off a train at each stop is crazy, and somehow you need to push your way though that to get on board. Good times.
My destination for the day was the Chor Bazaar. "According to popular legend, if you lose anything in Mumbai you can buy it back from the 'Chor Bazaar'." You can literally get anything here, it is one of largest flea markets in India.
This aisle was full of garlic. It smelled amazing, not overpowering at all. The guy sitting on the ground was peeling cloves, that is what he does most of the day.
At one point, I walked past a school. The kids were just leaving and a few of them come over to say hello. They spoke very good English (they all learn it in school) and they started asking me a lot of questions while showing me around. They wanted to pose for a photo, but at the last second all ran away leaving just one.
These guys had a good laugh.
Venturing outside of the market after a few hours of exploring, I decided to just stand on a street corner and look at the interesting people streaming by. [Click any image to view bigger.]
There are interesting people everywhere. I'm not even sure what this gentleman is selling, but he looks sharp. If you know what this stuff is, please post in the comments. Update: Thanks to Sandhya for letting me know via the comments that this gentleman is selling Singhara (Water Chesnut/Water Caltrop) seeds.
Another friendly character, spoke no English but was happy to pose for a photo.
Some of the local animals. Fresh mutton? No problem. Want to buy a rooster, they have that too.
Sidewalks in Mumbai are not quite up to Canadian standards.
A few more interesting sights and people including a fruit and vegetable stand.
On more than one occasion kids ran up to me and wanted to pose for a photo. Very curious and very cute.
A shave on the street.
I'm not sure this is up to WCB standards. It was amazing to watch these guys climb bamboo scaffolding with no harness or other safety equipment.
One of the slums on the beach. Despite the conditions, children will find a way to entertain themselves. Here they made a kite and they seemed to be having a great time.
A well dressed gent at a street market.
Finally, my dinner. Curried goat, roti, and a local beer.
A Visit to Mumbai, India - Part I
My trip to Mumbai, India was an eye opening experience. In a way it was what I expected but at the same time I wasn't always prepared for what I saw. India is clearly a developing nation but in many ways behind other third world countries I have visited. I know that India is becoming a technology center for many global companies, it has a quickly developing economy and is on the verge of rapid industrialization. However, when you walk the streets and talk to the people you don't see much evidence of that. There are obviously many wealthy people in India, but there are far too many that live on the street below the poverty line.
While it's true that many people are poor and live on the street, all of the people I met were warm and accepting of my presence. Some were guarded at first but if I asked for directions, to take a photo, or just how their day is going they would all flash a big smile and do their best to help me out. Those that spoke English were eager and willing ask where I'm from and how I like the country. Some engaged in conversation and other just said hello and posed for a photo. I'm wouldn't get the same reception if I walked the streets of Vancouver (my home town). People in Vancouver are often self-centered, indifferent, or paranoid you are running some scam and do not engage strangers to the same level.
The people in India are also very spiritual and tolerant. They are a blend of many religions (Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, and others) often obvious by their clothing though there is no visible tension between them. They celebrate festivals and openly practice their faith. Many also believe in the concept of Karma which is present in all of the religions. Because of this, there seems to be an environment of safety and I did not ever feel threatened during my visit. I walked in many different areas of the city, alone, as an obvious outsider and didn't feel unsafe at any time. It may have been luck but I can't say that I would do the same in other large cities around the world.
My experience of India is limited to one city, Mumbai (Bombay). Other cities may be drastically different, I really don't know. I hope to visit other parts of India some day to see for myself.
Exploring On Day 1
My first day in Mumbai was just spent exploring the area I was staying in, Juhu. Juhu is an affluent suburb of Mumbai where many Bollywood stars live however if you plucked me from Vancouver and dropped me in Juhu I would think it far from affluent. There are obviously many poor people living on the street and there is garbage littered everywhere. The waterways I saw were extremely polluted, looked almost like blank ink and filled with trash. Juhu Beach unfortunately isn't much better being covered in garbage, and both animal and human waste. For a country so blessed with natural beauty and resources it's a real shame to see it treated so poorly.
Part of the problem is the population explosion in Mumbai. I have heard estimates that put the population between 20 and 24 million people and all those people need to live somewhere. Combined with the fact that Mumbai is home to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, you essentially force people to live on the street or in slums. These places often have no sanitation, garbage collection, or even running water. The garbage and waste is simply dumped into the environment and it is clear that nature has paid a heavy price.
Juhu Beach, not every area is this littered though there is no area that is clean. One thing to note is the smog in the background, air quality is not very good either. At the end of the day, my eyes started to hurt and I attribute this to the air pollution.
People getting a ride across the water, if you saw the water you wouldn't want to get wet either.
One of the ways the people who live on the beach support themselves is by growing methi (fenugreek) crops. These are grown on the sand of the beach, watered with salt water collected from a nearby pool, and harvested as sprouts for sale in the local markets.
The pool where water is gathered, dug below the ocean water level so always full.
The water is carried in large plastic jugs, sometimes a long way.
One of the locals harvests his crop. He saw me walking around the area and taking photos, he waved me over and asked me to take his photo so he could see it. He also told me how he grows the crop and about his life. His English was basic but we managed a short conversation. He has spent most of his life on this beach.
Behind him, an extremely polluted body of water. I'm assuming it is a river, but it barely has any flow. I saw people defecate into this water, and in another area people were using it to wash off. It's no wonder that tropical disease thrives here. When you combine the poor sanitation, very high population density, heat and insects you have the perfect recipe.
I saw a lot of dogs, cats, and other animals roaming around as well. They get by on what scraps they can find, most do not appear to be in good condition.
The various beach shelters are rudimentary at best.
When you see how little some people have, it makes you rethink your needs and wants. This image in particular has stuck with me, it seems even a slight breeze would be capable of wiping out what little this person has.
Behind the beach, you can see how bad the water is. While I sat in this spot, I saw people throwing garbage into the water and it was a soup of debris.
Despite the pollution, life still does exist in and around the water. I saw birds walking around in the water trying to catch whatever may be present. Also, crabs live in the mud and carry on as usual. Nature is certainly resilient.
The people carry on as well, despite the trash a game of cricket is being played (I saw cricket being played everywhere, and by everyone. It is another religion in India).
If you are not playing cricket, you are probably playing football (soccer).
On more than one occasion, young couples courted each other on the beach apparently oblivious to their surroundings. After a while, I think the trash just blends into the background, it becomes the norm.
Part II of the trip available here.
Vancouver Aquarium : February 20
The first photo is not from my trip to the Vancouver Aquarium, but it was taken during the same weekend when my brother was in town. We decided to visit the lookout at Cypress Mountain at sunset, and lucky for us it was a fairly clear evening. This photo is taken looking south east, the sun is setting to the right of the frame and Vancouver is in the foreground. Mount Baker (which is in the USA), is visible in the background. The use of a zoom lens (@ 155mm) provides the compression in the scene. I have used zoom lenses for a few landscape shots in the past (Mountains at 400mm) and they can certainly provide an interesting perspective.
I also created a panorama from the same location starting just to the right of the image above. I'm not that happy with the processing but I'm posting the image anyway. If you want to see this image much bigger, you can do so here.
Now the photos from the trip to the Vancouver Aquarium. Photos from previous visits are also online. I have a new favorite tank, the cuttlefish! Those guys are fascinating to watch.
Also got a great shot in the frog display area, these little guys were lined up like they were on duty.
A few other shots from the day.
Nikon D800 Autofocus Repair Testing - The Sequel
This is the third time I'm posting about the testing of my D800 autofocus system. The first time was not long after I purchased it, just to see if it had the problem. I found that it did have the problem, and I sent it to Nikon for repair. When the camera came back, I tested it again. Initially I thought it may have been fixed, but further testing showed there was still a problem.
During this time, I also purchased LensAlign and FocusTune to help me more accurately fine tune my lenses and camera, but also to help me quantify the results. When I tested my lenses, I noticed that the recommended fine tune values for three of my five lenses was +20 (the highest possible). This suggested to me that the actual sharpest fine tune value may be even higher than than, but the scale does not allow further adjustment. Said another way, if the fine tune is at the maximum value, the calibration is not within spec for the camera/lens combination. I decided to give my D800 and my Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G, Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8D, and Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 to Nikon along with my results to see if they can fix the left autofocus problem plus calibrate the camera for the three lenses.
I finally received my camera back, and had a chance to test it with two lenses. I tested with the 24-70 and the Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Micro VR (this lens didn't go to Nikon). I did not fine tune the camera and lenses before testing, this is how Nikon sent it to me. I used the same test procedures I outlined previously, with a small twist because I now have FocusTune to help me out. The results here are all RAW conversions (the only adjustment I made in Lightroom was to convert to grayscale). I shot in RAW+JPG (L/Fine), I shot a manual focus control shot for each of the five focus test points tested (center, top, bottom, left right - all at the farthest AF points). Between each autofocus test shot, I defocused away from infinity and took five shots for each focus point. I then loaded all of the JPG files into FocusTune and for each focus point I found the SHARPEST result from the five samples, so the results here are the best shots from the group.
One thing to note, last time I sent the D800 to Nikon the work order showed "ADJ FOCUS SYSTEM" and "ADJ AUTO FOCUS OPERATION". This time, the work order had:
[box]
B2
Service Repair Rank B2
Repair
RPL O-RING
CLN CCD
FIRMWARE UPGRADE
GENERAL CHECK & CLEAN
RPR ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT
[/box]
It is worthwhile to note that I was not having any problems with my D800 outside of the autofocus system, I'm not sure why they replaced the o-ring and worked on the electrical system. I see no mention of them even looking at the autofocus system.
Lenses Tested
AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G
AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
Test Results
The grouped results for the 105mm lens, 100% crop under the autofocus sensor tested.
Apologies that some of these are dark, I didn't want to make any adjustments so they are presented straight from the camera with no editing. I don't see any major issues here, the focus system seems to be fairly consistent between all of the points. Here is a closer look at the 105mm left side results.
I would say this is fine, doesn't quite match the manual focus using live view and 100% zoom but I don't think phase detect AF is ever going to be as good.
The grouped results for the 24-70mm lens at 24mm.
Here, the left side AF sensor is clearly softer than the others in the group. Here is a bigger version of just the left side results.
The grouped results for the 24-70mm lens at 70mm.
Once again, some softness on the left side. Bigger version of 70mm left side results.
I would say it's not as bad as the 24mm left side test, however I would not say this is acceptable performance. The lens works fine at the other focus points, here are details of the performance at the center focus point at 24mm.
The 24-70mm center focus point at 70mm.
Both of these are completely acceptable and would not give me any reason for concern. However, the left side AF sensors continue to give me grief. I'm not sure if it's the lens or the body though, because the 105mm seems to focus fine at the left side. I'll try to test with my 50mm f/1.8G to see how it performs, and I'll post the results here when I'm finished.
Update, April 2, 2013
The grouped results for the 14-24mm lens at 24mm, center and lower AF points are good, others soft.
The 14-24 @ 24mm L5 sensor detail.
The grouped results for the 50mm, again center and lower AF points are good, others soft.
50mm L5 detail, not terrible but could be better.
In general, the whole AF system seems to be a little off. Fine tune won't fix this as the various AF points don't correlate to each other in how far out of focus they are. If they were all equally off, fine tune could fix that. Some, such as the center and lower (C, D2) AF point are excellent, others (such as L5) are consistently off. If I fine tune, I'll be throwing off the good ones.
Nikon D800 and D800E Setup and Configuration
I now have a page with the setup and configuration for the Nikon D810.
A while back, Out There Images posted a list of recommended settings for the Nikon D800. I used that as a starting point to create four custom menu banks for my most common shooting situations. The menu banks are not great because they don't save all of the settings you need to change, but they are better than nothing. The U1/U2 settings of the D7000 and D600 are superior to the menu banks both in terms of features and ease of use. I have no idea why Nikon has decided to leave out such a fantastic function on their high-end cameras. Neither the D800 nor the D4 have the U1/U2 settings. Nice work Nikon.
Here are the four menu banks I created:
- HDR - sets up the camera for high dynamic range shooting. I usually use a tripod, have time for manual focus, etc. If the shutter speed is fairly slow, I also turn on "Exposure delay mode" (custom setting d4).
- Action - I often use this when photographing dogs at the local animal shelter.
- Portrait - useful not just for portraits but for any stationary or slow moving target.
- Point & Shoot - Since I use the "AF-ON" focusing technique (*1), it makes it difficult to hand my camera to a stranger if I want to be in the photo. Rather than try to explain the technique, I just change the settings and let them shoot. I also use this mode when I give the camera to my wife, sometimes she just wants to take a few simple shots so this mode shoots in jpeg with things configured to make shooting easier.
The settings for all four modes are outlined below. Note that the settings just make the starting point for configuration easier. It doesn't mean these are always the settings I use when shooting. I may not use ISO100 for all situations nor the same AF settings. If you want to use them as a starting point for your own custom settings it is easiest to just download my config file here: Nikon D800 custom settings file. You should also grab the custom picture control explained in footnote 3. To use the custom settings file, copy it to your media card, insert the media card into your camera and navigate to SETUP MENU -> Save/load settings -> Load settings. This will copy the settings over to your camera. You may want to save your own settings before you copy mine to your camera in case you need to revert back.
Note the [change this] in the settings below, these are things you will want to change in your own camera before you start shooting. At the bottom, you can also see what I put in "MY MENU" to access some controls I often change on the fly.
To switch between the various menu banks, you have several options:
- The slow way. Go to menu -> shooting menu -> shooting menu bank -> select your bank. Then go to custom setting menu -> custom settings bank -> select your bank.
- I have 'shooting menu bank' and 'custom settings bank' as the top two items of 'my menu'. This allows me to change the settings relatively quickly but also provides a visual reminder of what banks I'm using when I go into this menu.
- The fastest way is to simply press the "info" button twice, that should select your shooting bank. Press the center button in the multi-selector, pick your setting. Do the same for custom settings bank.
If you have questions, or a suggestion feel free to leave them in the comments at the bottom of the page. If you want more detail on the settings below download Nikon's D800/D800E manual (free), for something even better I recommend Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the D800/D800E ($30). Thom not only covers the options but gives you a recommendation on what to use for each setting.
| HDR | Action | Portrait | Point & Shoot | |
| EXTERNAL CONTROLS | ||||
| Exposure Mode | A (Aperture Priority) | A (Aperture Priority) | A (Aperture Priority) | P (Program) |
| Metering Mode | 3D Matrix Metering | 3D Matrix Metering | 3D Matrix Metering | 3D Matrix Metering |
| Bracketing | 5F, +/-1 EV (use 7 or 9F if needed) | Off | Off | Off |
| Shooting Mode | Timer | CH (continuous high) | CH (continuous high) | CH (continuous high) |
| WB | Auto | Auto | Auto | Auto |
| ISO | 100 | Auto | 100 | Auto |
| QUAL | RAW | RAW | RAW | JPEG FINE |
| Autofocus Mode *1 | Manual or AF-C, single point | AF-C, 3D | AF-C, single point | AF-S, Auto |
| SETUP MENU | ||||
| Format memory card | As needed | As needed | As needed | As needed |
| Monitor brightness | Manual (0) | Manual (0) | Manual (0) | Manual (0) |
| Clean image sensor | Clean at shutdown | Clean at shutdown | Clean at shutdown | Clean at shutdown |
| Lock mirror up cleaning | As needed | As needed | As needed | As needed |
| Image Dust Off ref photo | As needed | As needed | As needed | As needed |
| HDMI | Default | Default | Default | Default |
| Flicker reduction | Auto | Auto | Auto | Auto |
| Time zone and date | Set to local time | Set to local time | Set to local time | Set to local time |
| Language | English | English | English | English |
| Auto image rotation | On | On | On | On |
| Battery info | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Wireless Transmitter | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Image comment *2 | None | None | None | None |
| Copyright Information | On [change this] | On [change this] | On [change this] | On [change this] |
| Save/load settings | As needed | As needed | As needed | As needed |
| GPS | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Virtual horizon | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Non-CPU lens data | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| AF fine tune | Set for your lenses if needed | Set for your lenses if needed | Set for your lenses if needed | Set for your lenses if needed |
| Firmware version | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| SHOOTING MENU | ||||
| Shooting menu bank | A | B | C | D |
| Extended menu banks | ON | ON | ON | ON |
| Storage folder | Default | Default | Default | Default |
| File Naming | MKH [change this] | MKH [change this] | MKH [change this] | MKH [change this] |
| Primary slot selection | CF card slot | CF card slot | CF card slot | CF card slot |
| Secondary slot function | Backup | Backup | Backup | Backup |
| Image quality | RAW | RAW | RAW | JPEG FINE |
| Image Size | N/A | N/A | N/A | Large |
| Image area | ||||
| - Auto DX crop | On | On | On | On |
| - Choose Image area | FX | FX | FX | FX |
| JPEG Compression | Opitmal Quality | Opitmal Quality | Opitmal Quality | Opitmal Quality |
| NEF (RAW) recording | ||||
| - Type | Lossless compressed | Lossless compressed | Lossless compressed | Lossless compressed |
| - NEF bit depth | 14-bit | 14-bit | 14-bit | 14-bit |
| White Balance | Auto1 | Auto1 | Auto1 | Auto1 |
| Set Picture Control *3 | Custom (Live View Max Sharp) | SD (Standard) | PT (Portrait) | VI (Vivid) |
| Manage Picture Control | Default | Default | Default | Default |
| Color Space | AdobeRGB | AdobeRGB | AdobeRGB | sRGB |
| Active D-Lighting | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| HDR (high dyn. range) | N/A (disalbed when shooting RAW) | N/A (disalbed when shooting RAW) | N/A (disalbed when shooting RAW) | Off |
| Vignette control | Normal | Normal | Normal | High |
| Auto distortion control | On | On | On | On |
| Long Exp. NR | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| High ISO NR | Low | Low | Low | Normal |
| ISO Sensitivity Settings | ||||
| ISO sensitivity | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Auto ISO sensitivity control | Off | On (Max ISO: 6400, Min shutter: auto,f | Off | On (Max ISO: 6400, Min shutter: auto,faster) |
| Multiple exposure | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| Interval timer shooting | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| Time-lapse photography | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| Movie settings | ||||
| Frame size/rate | 1920x1080; 30fps | 1920x1080; 30fps | 1920x1080; 30fps | 1920x1080; 30fps |
| Movie quality | High | High | High | High |
| Microphone | Auto sensitivity | Auto sensitivity | Auto sensitivity | Auto sensitivity |
| Destination | SD | SD | SD | SD |
| CUSTOM SETTING MENU | ||||
| Sustom settings bank | A | B | C | D |
| a1 AF-C priority select | Release | Release | Release | Release |
| a2 AF-S priority select | Focus | Focus | Focus | Focus |
| a3 Focus track lock-on | Off | Long | Short | Normal |
| a4 AF Activation | Off (AF-ON focus technique) | Off (AF-ON focus technique) | Off (AF-ON focus technique) | On |
| a5 AF point illumination | On | On | On | On |
| a6 Focus point wrap | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| a7 Number of focus points | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 |
| a8 Built-in AF assist illum | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| b1 ISO sensitivity step val. | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 |
| b2 EV steps for exposure | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 |
| b3 Exp./flash comp step | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 |
| b4 Easy exposure comp. | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| b5 Center-weighted area | 12mm | 12mm | 12mm | 12mm |
| b6 Fine tune optimal exp. | 0 (for all) | 0 (for all) | 0 (for all) | 0 (for all) |
| c1 Shutter-release AE-L | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| c2 Auto meter-off delay | 10s | 10s | 10s | 10s |
| c3 Self-timer | ||||
| - Self-timer delay | 2s | 10s | 10s | 10s |
| - Number of shots | 5 (should match # bracket exposures) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| - Interval between shots | 0.5s | 0.5s | 0.5s | 0.5s |
| c4 Monitor off delay | ||||
| - Playback | 10s | 10s | 10s | 10s |
| - Menus | 1m | 1m | 1m | 1m |
| - Information display | 10s | 10s | 10s | 10s |
| - Image review | 10s | 10s | 10s | 10s |
| - Live view | 10m | 10m | 10m | 10m |
| d1 Beep | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| d2 CL mode shoot speed | 2fps | 2fps | 2fps | 2fps |
| d3 Max continuous release | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| d4 Exposure delay mode | Off (on if exposures slow) | Off (on if exposures slow) | Off (on if exposures slow) | Off (on if exposures slow) |
| d5 File number sequence | On | On | On | On |
| d6 Viewfinder grid display | On | On | On | On |
| d7 ISO display adjustment | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| d8 Screen tips | On | On | On | On |
| d9 Information display | Auto | Auto | Auto | Auto |
| d10 LCD illumination | On | On | On | On |
| d11 MB-D12 battery type | LR6 | LR6 | LR6 | LR6 |
| d12 Battery order | MB-D12 | MB-D12 | MB-D12 | MB-D12 |
| e1 Flash Sync Speed | 1/250 | 1/250 | 1/250 | 1/250 |
| e2 Flash shutter speed | 1/60 | 1/60 | 1/60 | 1/60 |
| e3 Flash cntrl built-in | TTL | TTL | TTL | TTL |
| e4 Modeling flash | On | On | On | On |
| e5 Auto bracketing set | AE | AE | AE | AE |
| e6 Auto bracket (Mode M) | Flash/speed | Flash/speed | Flash/speed | Flash/speed |
| e7 Bracketing order | Under > MTR > over | Under > MTR > over | Under > MTR > over | Under > MTR > over |
| f1 switch | LCD Backlight and info display | LCD Backlight and info display | LCD Backlight and info display | LCD Backlight and info display |
| f2 Multiselect center button | ||||
| - Shooting mode | Reset | Reset | Reset | Reset |
| - Playback mode | Zoom, medium magnification | Zoom, medium magnification | Zoom, medium magnification | Zoom, medium magnification |
| - Live view | Zoom, medium magnification | Zoom, medium magnification | Zoom, medium magnification | Zoom, medium magnification |
| f3 Multi selector | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| f4 Assign Fn button | ||||
| - Fn button press | Viewfinder virtual horizon | Viewfinder virtual horizon | Viewfinder virtual horizon | Viewfinder virtual horizon |
| - Fn button + command dials | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| f5 Assign preview button | ||||
| - Preview button press | Preview | Preview | Preview | Preview |
| - Preview button + command dials | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| f6 Assign AE-L/AF-L button | ||||
| - AE-L/AF-L button press | AE/AF lock | AE/AF lock | AE/AF lock | AE/AF lock |
| - AE-L/AF-L + command dials | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| f7 Shutter spd & ap lock | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| f8 Assign BKT Button | BKT | BKT | BKT | BKT |
| f9 Cust. command dials | Default (Off, on, off) | Default (Off, on, off) | Default (Off, on, off) | Default (Off, on, off) |
| f10 Release button to use dial | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| f11 Slot emply release lock | Lock | Lock | Lock | Lock |
| f12 Reverse indicators | - 0 + | - 0 + | - 0 + | - 0 + |
| f13 Assign MB-D12 AF-ON | AF-ON | AF-ON | AF-ON | AF-ON |
| g1 Assign Fn button | Power aperture (open) | Power aperture (open) | Power aperture (open) | Power aperture (open) |
| g2 Assign preview button | Power aperture (close) | Power aperture (close) | Power aperture (close) | Power aperture (close) |
| g3 Assign AE-L/AF-L | AE Lock | AE Lock | AE Lock | AE Lock |
| g4 Assign shutter button | Take photos | Take photos | Take photos | Take photos |
| PLAYBACK MENU | ||||
| Delete | Selected | Selected | Selected | Selected |
| Playback folder | ND800 (default) | ND800 (default) | ND800 (default) | ND800 (default) |
| Hide image | Default | Default | Default | Default |
| Playback display options | Highlights, RGB histogram, Overview | Highlights, RGB histogram, Overview | Highlights, RGB histogram, Overview | Highlights, RGB histogram, Overview |
| Copy image(s) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Image review | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| After delete | Show next | Show next | Show next | Show next |
| Rotate tall | Off | Off | Off | Off |
| Slide show | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| DPOF print order | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| MY MENU | ||||
| Shooting menu Bank | ||||
| Custom settings bank | ||||
| c3 Self-timer | ||||
| d4 Exposure delay mode | ||||
| ISO sensitivity settings | ||||
| Long exposure NR | ||||
| Active D-Lighting | ||||
Footnotes
*1 - Autofocus : I have started using the "AF-ON" technique (for lack of a better term) to focus my camera. You can read more about the technique here. You will see that in my settings, I primarily use AF-C as the default focus mode when I use the camera. With the AF-ON technique, you decouple the focusing of the camera from the shutter press. The nice thing is that you can have both continuous and static autofocus at the same time. Focus and recompose is also easier as you don't have to keep the shutter half-pressed, just release the AF-ON button and the camera stops focusing. It works very well, but takes a bit of getting used to. This technique works on both Nikon and Canon cameras (likely other brands as well but I haven't checked into it).
*2 - Image comment : There are two spots to put your personal info into the file EXIF data: "Image comment" and "Copyright information". Some people use both, but there isn't really a reason to do so. I have found one reason not to use the 'image comment' field, and that is because the comment shows up in the description field when you post images online (facebook for example). At times, I post images to facebook and I don't want the description for each one to say "copyright 2013...", blah, blah, blah. My friends want to see something about the image, not a copyright notice. For me, it just makes the upload process more time consuming and it doesn't add any value. You may like it, so feel free to use the field if that fits into your workflow.
*3 - Set Picture Control : The live view of the Nikon D800 isn't great, but I still use it at times to get sharp focus. I zoom in the live view display and manually focus the lens to the best setting. If you change the picture control to the highest sharpening level you actually get a better display. Since I almost always shoot in raw, this has no effect on the final image. You can edit your existing picture control but it's best to create a new, custom, one. To make this easier, you can download a custom picture control I created called Live View Max Sharp. Unzip the file, you should see a "Nikon" folder, copy that to the top level (root) of your flash card and put the card into your camera. In the menu, go to SHOOTING MENU (camera icon)-> Manage picture control -> Load/save -> Copy to camera => Live View Max Sharp, click "OK". Select one of the custom picture control spaces to use (C1..C9) and you are done. Now you still have all of your default picture controls plus the new one to pick from.
A Frosty Morning - Nikon D800 Macro with Focus Stack
I was waiting for a frosty morning to get some macro shots. Today, I got a few in my back yard. I also attempted some focus stacking with Zerene, though results are mixed. Shots are all taken with a Nikon D800 and Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 VR Micro lens.
Merry Christmas
No holiday season would be complete without dressing up the dogs. Jammie is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and despite the look on her face is happy to be Santa's Little Helper. Cedric is a mix and is grumpy about the whole situation. He complies as he knows there are cookies involved for being a good dog.
Shot in fairly low light with a Nikon D800, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens at f/2.8, ISO3200, 1/100s. Processed in Lightroom and Photoshop.
Nikon D800 Macro with Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 VR
Today I got my Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 VR lens back from a friend who borrowed it. Since I haven't used it for a while I decided to bring it with me on my beach walk at Acadia Beach in Vancouver. It was a cold morning and I was hoping to get some interesting macro shots of frost but I didn't find any. I did take a few photos but I'll have to try another day to get some frost.
All shots hand-held, ISO800, processed in Lightroom.
Vancouver's CRAB Park at Portside
We had a small break in the rain tonight so I decided to head out to catch the last bit of daylight. I visited CRAB Park at Portside (Create A Real Available Beach), which is close to Canada Place and the Vanterm TSI Container Terminal. I didn't have much time but did get a few shots before heading home. It is certainly a place I will visit again soon.
One of my first shots when I arrived. Unfortunately in my haste I didn't check my settings and shot this image at ISO 3200. I had to apply a lot of noise reduction so it's softer than I would want. Still, the sky was very dramatic and I'm happy I got the shot.
The Vanterm TSI Container Terminal. An active port in Vancouver's Burrard Inlet with the North Shore mountains in the background.
Tug boats at the port.
I found a small pond which created some great reflections.
And finally a long exposure on my way out. Needs a return visit to try and get something better.
Ucluelet Vacation
In early October my wife and I decided to visit Ucluelet, BC. It had been too many years since I made a visit to the 'real' west coast of BC. I forgot how beautiful and how close it is. From Vancouver it is only 200Km plus a 1.5 hour ferry ride. The weather was truly amazing, it was unseasonably warm for October and we made the most of it. At night it got quite cold but during the day it was in the mid 20's and sunny. I wore shorts, t shirt, and sandals, we couldn't ask for better weather.
On the way to Ucluelet, we stopped at a river to let the dogs have a break and enjoy some time out of the truck. Cedric immediately ran into the water and started to pull out sticks.
Jammie almost took our her eye by running through the forest.
Then she did her best impression of a wolverine.
We also stopped along one of my favorite spots along the drive. Here the river (I can't remember the name, if anyone can help please post in the comments) cuts into the bedrock leaving deep green pools and amazing formations. It is a busy spot in the summer, but now there was almost no one there.
Once we arrived in Ucluelet, we went to our condo which was fantastic. Located right on Big Beach and near the Black Rock Ucluelet Resort facing west for a fantastic sunset view.
Upstairs, Katie immediately took advantage of the chaise to relax.
I also managed to lure a resident blue jay in for a photo with some crackers.
Our condo from the front.
The first night we were there, we were treated to a beautiful sunset. I find that sunsets over the open ocean are often amazing and I have seen them from several spots in the world. With no obstructions and a completely flat horizon you have the most vibrant colors.
A few minutes later. The contrast between blue and orange is great.
Katie and I spent a lot of time at Florencia Bay, it was a 20 minute walk to get there but we usually had the beach to ourselves. It is a nice walk through the forest and we saw a ton of different types of mushrooms so we dubbed Ucluelet the 'mushroom capital of BC'. Here are a few of them.
These are some of the best mushrooms to eat, I grew up collecting these with my family. Common name is the Saffron milk cap (genus: Lactarius).
No idea what this is, but looks like fungus so I'm throwing it in. If anyone can help identify it please post in the comments.
There were more, but I would just fill up this post mushroom photos. At the trail head to Florencia Bay, there was a funny sign. I guess you if you are going to deface a sign you have to do it right and in both languages.
Once on the beach, the dogs could run around and we could walk for ages and not see anyone else. There was bull kelp all over the place and the dogs loved to play with it.
I also found that it was hard to take a good photo of the waves.
The second night, I decided to venture out on the rocks at Big Beach for some sunset photos.
Also took a long exposure shot using a neutral density filter. I definitely need more practice with this, but it does give the water an interesting texture.
On my way back to the condo, I saw a couple of black tailed deer in the parking lot of the condo complex. They didn't seem to be too scared so I watched them for a few minutes.
One morning, I decided to try and photograph a sunrise instead of a sunset. I went to the lighthouse at the south end of the peninsula, it's near the Tofino MCTS Centre but it's actually in Ucluelet (go figure). This was taken just before the sun came up over the horizon. I was the only one there, very peaceful and quiet.
Shortly after the sun came up over the horizon.
Soon after the sun came up, another photographer joined me and said he could see a whale off shore. After a few minutes of looking, I did see a humpback whale breaching in the distance. I tried to get some photos, but it was just too far away to get a decent shot. Not long after this sighting, a gray whale came cruising by much closer to shore. Having seen two whales that day, I decided to check into a whale watching tour.
On the way to Tofino, we stopped at Long Beach. It was a foggy morning so we didn't stay long. I think other beaches in the area are much nicer but this is popular with the surf crowd.
Katie and I decided to go out with a tour company in Tofino. We did try to find a humpback but were unable to do so. However, we did get very close to two gray whales feeding. A great experience.
Two gray whale spouts.
A rainbow created by the spout of a gray whale.
Considering how big these animals are, they are very graceful in the water. Even the giant tail fluke barely makes a splash as it sinks below the surface.
One more walk on the beach, here Katie is enjoying the sunshine and solitude with the dogs. It turned out to be one of my favorite photos from the trip.
We had a beautiful sunset every night we were there but the last one was the best. Clouds always make a sunset more interesting and colorful, this one was taken from our condo.
Vancouver False Creek At Night
Last night, I went out for a few sunset and night time shots with my friend Scott. Sunset was a bust, but we did get a few shots of Science World and the Vancouver skyline. Overall, a fun night out and made better as we finished up with a pint at the new tap house.
Fall Colours in Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park
Just as I did last year, I took a short walk through Queen Elizabeth Park to view and photograph the fall colours. The weather forecast said rain, and lots of it, for the next week so I knew it was my last chance before things got really wet. I hope to go back in a week or so, weather permitting. The conditions were not ideal, it was a bit foggy and I could not get a good shot of the whole garden without losing a lot of contrast in the background. I used a polarizing filter to cut some of the glare but some shots just didn't turn out that well. It was still nice to get out, the colours are really great right now.
This was one of the first images I shot. As you can see, the trees in the background are starting to get lost because of the foggy and humid conditions.
The sky was very bright which made some exposures more difficult but the fog and overcast conditions made for a nice diffuse light.
On my way out of the park, I stopped by the duck pond to watch the action and take a few shots. There were at least eight species of birds in and around the pond when I was there.
This guy was taking a bath in the pond just a few feet away from me.
King of the pond.
His little minion.
Nikon D800 vs iPhone 4S : Round 2
Coming back from hiking the Chief near Squamish, I decided to stop at Shannon Falls for one more quick photo opportunity. Shannon Falls is a beautiful waterfall outside of Squamish (between Vancouver and Whistler). It is the third highest waterfall in BC, and well worth a stop if you are in the area.
I had my Nikon D800 with me and was using the Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 lens with a polarizing filter. I also decided to shoot the same scene with my iPhone 4S. Yes, not a fair test but just presented for fun. The iPhone fared much better this time compared to my previous attempt.
Here is the iPhone shot, edited on the device with Nik Software's (now Google's) awesome Snapseed.
Now the Nikon D800 shot, edited in Adobe Lightroom.
Both files downsampled to the same resolution. The iPhone did ok, though couldn't get the longer exposure time needed to get the softer water effect on the D800.
Hiking Stawamus Chief South Peak - Squamish, BC
Last week, I decided to head up to Squamish to hike the south peak of the Stawamus Chief. As with the Lions hike, I'm not going to go into how to get to the trail, etc. There are plenty of sites that can give you good info about the trail: Vancouver Trails, Club Tread, Trail Peak, Live Trails.
I wish I had got a better shot of the rock face, I'll have to do that next time.
This is a very popular hike in the area, expect to see at least a few people on the trail and on all of the peaks. The south peak is the most popular and the shortest hike as well. Middle and north peaks are less popular but still see their fair share of hikers. The Chief is not only popular with hikers, but is also a huge draw for climbers who come to challenge themselves on the granite face. I found this interesting video while writing this post: Patagonia climbing ambassador Sonnie Trotter climbed the first free ascent of Cobra Crack (5.14). Props, that is something that I'll never do.
You start your hike in the campground, nice and easy.
A map and some info before you start the hike.
Also a warning. The trail isn't long (about 6Km round trip) but it is steep and if you are unprepared you can get into trouble. I saw some yahoo going up in flip flops!
The trail is very well maintained. Kudos to the crew that come out to maintain this for the rest of us, very much appreciated.
Sure beats the stair climber at the gym.
Another sign along the route, very easy to follow as long as you pay attention. There are several of these along the way which will guide you to any of the peaks along with some of the other trails available in the area.
The trail is quite steep for most of the route.
Though well maintained, no cake walk and Mr. FlipFlop likely had a fun time in some sections.
The lower part of the hike is in the forest and the shade makes it easier on a hot day. As you get near the summit, you start to see the sun trickle though.
There are a few ladders on the route, don't see that on most hiking trails.
A large overhang looms over the trail.
Warning on the trail. As I said before, the area is popular with climbers so do not throw anything over the edge.
You know you are reaching the summit when the forest gets thin and the rocky soil yields to solid granite.
A chain and ladder help you navigate the grade.
Soon after, you start to get rewarded with some great views.
Don't get distracted though, one wrong step and you are going over the edge.
Now just a scramble to the top.
Tough life for trees that live on the summit.
Once at the summit, you get a beautiful view of Howe Sound and Squamish.
Just like on the Lions hike, this raven took the easy route to the top.
You can also see the middle peak with a few hikers enjoying the view.
Some hikers coming down from the middle peak.
I ventured to the cliff edge, though didn't spend much time there.
Along with my trusty Nikon I brought up my tripod and f-stop Guru backpack. It's a great pack for a day hike with photo gear.
Soon after I arrived, I was joined by a chipmunk.
We became good buddies after I gave him a couple pumpkin seeds from my trail mix.
Got any more???
A few more views from the top. Can anyone tell me the name of the mountain in the background? Please post in the comments. UPDATE: It is Mount Garibaldi (thanks Jesse).
Me wrecking a perfectly good shot.
A good spot for lunch.
Here is a map of my route to the summit tracked using Runkeeper on the iPhone.
While at the top, I also shot a complete panorama which resulted in a 100 megapixel image. If you want to see the full size image check my previous post.
On my way down, I stopped along the creek to take a few photos. I tried some shots with a polarizing filter and a neutral density filter to get longer exposures.
Finally, on my way home I topped in at Shannon Falls which is only a few minutes from the Chief. First, an HDR image of the falls, I was hoping it would turn out a little different.
And just a regular shot, but taken with a polarizing filter to get a longer exposure.
Nikon D7000 vs D600 vs D800 : A Quick Comparison
Nikon just announced their new entry level full frame DSLR camera, the D600. It wasn't a very well kept secret as leaks started getting out months ago. There was speculation that this would be a sub-$2000 USD camera but in the end the retail price at launch is $2100. Still a good price considering the sensor and other options. It looks like a blend between a D7000 and D800 both in terms of spec and appearance. Below you can see some of the similarities and differences between the three bodies.
The Nikon D600 with Nikkor 200mm f/2 lens.
I'm not gong to rehash the full specification of any camera. Nikon and many other reviews provide that info already. If you want to check into the details, here are the spec sheets for the three cameras: D7000, D600, D800.
What I do want to cover is how the cameras are similar and how they are different. Just taking a look at the camera, it looks like Nikon took a D7000 body and shoehorned a full frame sensor inside. Some modifications to the body were necessary, but for the most part the cameras are very similar in terms of layout.
Nikon D600 Front View
Nikon D600 Right Side View
Nikon D600 Left Side View
Nikon D600 Rear View
Nikon D600 Top View
Finally, a comparison between the D7000, D600, and D800
If you look at the three bodies, you can see that the D600 has some controls more like a D7000 and others more like a D800. Not a bad thing for a model that fits in between the two in the lineup. Users on either end of the spectrum should be comfortable with the controls, though I think it's more like a D7000 and targeted at the consumer/hobby segment of the market.
Nikon D700 users who were hoping for a clear upgrade path didn't get one. Nikon provided a clear upgrade for the D3S in the D4, but the D700 was essentially split into two cameras. The D800 a higher resolution but slower camera (which also replaced the D3X) and a D600 which is a smaller and less feature rich body. For professionals, the upgrade path is likely the D800 due to it's ergonomics, autofocus speed, full magnesium body, compact flash storage, flash sync, max shutter speed, and shutter durability. For hobby shooters, serious amateurs, and pros who need a back up body the D600 may be the better choice. It still provides great image quality in a smaller and lighter package. Regardless, the D600 at $2100 US is destined to sell very well.
In terms of pricing, Nikon has a very linear price curve at the lower end of the lineup. It's clear that they want to hit every market segment and ensure they capture every type of buyer. Having said that, the D300S seems to be the most in need of an update and without it in the lineup there would be a significant gap between the D7000 and the D600. To me, this means that a D400 will be announced in the not too distant future. It will likely carry on the tradition of a high end, high-speed crop sensor (DX) body with pro level ergonomics.
Differences between the cameras button layouts are obvious, no big surprises for anyone used to shooting a Nikon body. There are also some significant differences inside the shells as well.
Spec |
D7000 |
D600 |
D800 |
| Sensor Resolution (MP) | 16.2 megapixels | 24.3 megapixels | 36.3megapixels |
| Sensor Size | APS-C (DX) | Full frame (FX) | Full frame (FX) |
| Max Resolution (pixels) | 4928 x 3264 | 6016 x 4016 | 7360 x 4912 |
| DX Resolution (MP) | 16.2 megapixels | 10.3 megapixels | 15.3 megapixels |
| DX Resolution (pixels) | 4928 x 3264 | 3,936 x 2,624 | 4,800 x 3,200 |
| Sensor Pixel Size | 4.78µ | 5.9µ | 4.8µ |
The D800 is clearly the resolution leader, not just for Nikon but all DSLR cameras as of September 2012 (and likely for some time to come). The D800 also holds it's own quite well even when shot in DX mode. If you need the extra reach or still have DX lenses you get file sizes almost exactly the same as a D7000 but with the benefit of the better sensor and processing. However, no one should buy the D800 and shoot it in DX mode, use it just until you transition your lenses to FX or the odd time you don't need the full 36mp. If you plan to shoot DX all the time, save yourself $2000 and buy a D7000. The D600 has the biggest pixels, and likely the best pixel level noise traits but that is not relevant because what matters is noise level in the final image (on screen or in print). Downsampling a 36mp D800 file to the same resolution has noise benefits. I'm sure there will be a lot of comparisons between these two cameras very soon.
Spec |
D7000 |
D600 |
D800 |
| Frame Rate | 6 fps | 5.5 fps | 4 fps (FX), 6 fps (DX with grip) |
| U1 & U2 Modes? | YES | YES | NO :( |
| Sync Speed | 1/250 | 1/200 | 1/250 |
| Max Shutter | 1/8000 | 1/4000 | 1/8000 |
| Storage Media | Dual SD cards | Dual SD cards | 1 compact flash + 1 SD card |
| Price | $1000 USD | $2100 USD | $3000 USD |
All three of these cameras have weather sealing, pentaprism (not pentamirror), 100% viewfinder coverage which is a good thing. D600 doesn't have USB 3.0, but who cares (most people use a card reader). The biggest disappointment for many users when the D800 was announced was the 4 fps shooting rate in FX mode. That is quite slow by modern DSLR standards but somewhat understandable when you see how much data is being crunched in that time. The D600 and D7000 are a more reasonable 5.5 and 6 fps respectively. I doubt anyone will complain about those specifications, they are fast enough for any enthusiast. The d600 gets the U1/U2 modes just like the D7000, it boggles the mind why Nikon did not include this on the D800. The menu banks are a joke by comparison, I don't even use them. Similar story with storage, D7000 and D600 both have dual SD card slots but the D800 gets SD+compact flash. Why? I get that they want to tailor to pros who may be invested in CF cards but give me a break. If you can buy a $3000 body you can likely but a couple of extra cards. With the resolution of the D800 most people will need new (and much bigger) cards anyway. It should have been dual CF, now I need to buy and carry two types of media.
One thing that is clear is that Nikon intentionally crippled the D600 with the 1/200 sync speed and 1/4000 max shutter speed. These may not be problems for many shooters, but for anyone serious about strobes or fast primes lenses in bright light will run into problems. Pros will likely skip the D600, even as a backup, for these reasons. Good for Nikon, bad for us.
In the end, the D600 fits very well into Nikon's new FX camera lineup. Unlike the previous lineup which had the D700, D3S, and D3X the new lineup of the D600, D800, and D4 offers better pricing for most users and a better distinction between the cameras in the lineup. I'm looking forward to seeing image samples from the D600 once they start getting into users hands.
Also see: Nikon D600 vs Canon 6D: an entry level full frame comparison