Vancouver Aquarium with the iPhone X
Some photos from this weekend using the iPhone X. Captured in RAW (dng) using Adobe Lightroom Mobile (a free app) and edited with Lightroom on the desktop.
The Aquarium presents especially challenging conditions for any camera (shooting through glass, reflections, low light). Though the quality still pales to that from a camera with a larger lens and sensor I'm impressed with the photos the phone can produce. The future looks bright if this is how far we have come in only a few years.
Vancouver Aquarium with the iPhone X : 2018-09-09 : Emerald Tree Boa
Last one, not from the Aquarium but I just liked the shot :) Still an iPhone X shot.
Nikon D800 Macro and Focus Stack
When I was mowing the lawn, I came across a bee in the grass. I'm not sure what type of bee it is, but it could be one of the solitary ground dwelling types that can be found here. One of the wings was much shorter than the other and I don't think it could fly. I put the bee in a safe place and took a few shots. The shots were taken with a Nikon D800 and AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens. I have another set of photos shot with the 105mm here (lower light, hand-held).
Update: I found out this isn't a bee after all, but a hoverfly (Narcissus fly). It mimics bees as a defense against predators. Very cool.
This shot is a single image converted from RAW but cropped from a much bigger frame. ISO 360, 1/125 second shutter at f/9.
I also took a few more images focus stacked them with Zerene Stacker, turned out better than I expected considering this is also a significant crop.
And a flower I shot shortly after, also a single image converted from RAW.
And an image I shot previously. The detail when shooting the D800 with this lens is just great.
A Walk on Wreck Beach, Vancouver, BC
I don't always take my camera when I'm out walking the dogs, but since the D800 is new I decided to bring it along today. I was using the Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 VR lens, which I love. All shots hand held, so may not be critically sharp especially when shooting in the shady areas. It's still too early in the year, and too cold, for the nudies to be out so I had the beach to myself.
This is one of my dogs, Jammie. She is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, small but thinks she is a big dog.
You see some interesting critters when you start getting close
I have also been playing around with black and white images more and more. The D800 captures so much detail and has so much dynamic range you can really get great effects with b&w.
This was a bit random, looks like someone brought it to the beach and stuck it in the sand. I didn't see these growing anywhere.
The horror! Actually they are rather cute, as long as they don't decide to set up shop in my back yard.
And the fern somewhat reminds me of the furry caterpillars.
Poppin' Pollen
Yesterday I noticed what I thought was smoke in the kitchen but had no idea where it was coming from. As I was looking around, I saw that a flower on the counter was shooting out pollen. I have never seen anything like this, so I had to grab my camera and shoot a short video. I have never seen anything like this!
I'm assuming this is not a common sight, otherwise I would have seen it myself before (we have a lot of plants) or I would have seen it somewhere online. Regardless, I had to capture it on video so others would not think I'm crazy :)
Shot with the Nikon D800, 1080p, 105mm f/2.8 VR lens. View the HD video on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahIrYtJjMpU