Damien Photography Blog

07 February 2012

Nikon D800, D800E

And so, A new 36 Megapixel Full Frame HD-SLR emerges...

EXPECTATIONS SURPASSED: THE 36.3-MEGAPIXEL NIKON D800 IS THE MULTIMEDIA HD-SLR THAT SHATTERS CONVENTIONAL RESOLUTION BARRIERS FOR MAXIMUM FIDELITY

I like the pricing a lot! USD2995 for D800, USD3299 for D800E. Honestly, when i heard 36 megapixels full frame, i was thinking... damn, too expensive surely! So this pricing is truly a welcome surprise. ;)

Wow, 36 megapixels is 7360 x 4912 in resolution. I expect some 76+mb per raw file, and tiff roughly 200mb to 300mb. Studying the specs, D800 is almost identical to the D4 minus the pro grip and outweighs the D4 with a stunning amount of megapixels! More than double! Its also slightly smaller and 100g lighter than the D700 while sporting a 3.2 inch lcd screen & USB3! The video specs.. surely a videographers dream come true as well.

D800E is the same but without a Anti-Aliasing filter.

Here are some key differences & improvements compared to D700:

36.3MP CMOS sensor (compared to 12.1MP)
15.3MP DX-format capture mode (compared to 5MP)
51-point AF system with 15 cross-type sensors, rated to -2EV (compared to -1EV)
ISO 100-6400 extendable to ISO 25,600 equiv (compared to ISO 200-6400, extendable to ISO 12,800)
1080p video at 30, 25 or 24 frames per second, up to 24Mbps, with uncompressed HDMI output and audio monitoring options
3.2", 921,000 dot LCD with anti-fog layer (compared to 3in, 921k-dot)
Maximum 4fps continuous shooting in FX mode, 6fps in DX mode (compared to 8fps in FX mode)
Advanced Scene Recognition System with 91,000 pixel metering sensor (compared to 1005-pixel)
'Expeed 3' Image Processing
Dual-axis Virtual Horizon (on LCD screen/viewfinder) (compared to single-axis)

Full Specs: http://www.dpreview.com/previews/nikond800/page2.asp

Hands-on Preview: http://www.dpreview.com/previews/nikonD800/

Press: http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/02/07/Nikon_D800_D800E_launch

;)

05 February 2012

Charlie at Sekinchan

Charlie at full speed chasing the coconut shell!@ Sekinchan Rice Fields

;)

30 January 2012

Happy Chinese New Year 2012 from Charlie the King Charles Spaniel

;)

06 January 2012

Nikon D4

WHEN THERE IS NO SECOND CHANCE: THE NEW NIKON FX-FORMAT D4 MULTI-MEDIA DIGITAL SLR IS THE DEFINITIVE UNIFICATION OF SPEED AND PRECISION

New, Nice Things come with the New Year!

Its a Nikon D4. Nothing much else to say. Top of the line flagship magnesium alloy full frame shooting machine with 16 megapixels, ISO204800 and a usd6000 price tag. What else you need?

Press Release
Hands on Preview

Key Specs:

16.2 effective megapixel, full-frame sensor (16.6MP total)
10fps shooting with AF and AE, 11fps with focus and exposure locked, 24fps 2.5MP grabs
91,000 pixel sensor for metering, white balance, flash exposure, face detection and active d-lighting
ISO Range 100-12,800 (extendable from 50 – 204,800)
MultiCAM 3500FX Autofocus sensor works in lower light and with smaller apertures
Two sub-selector joystick/buttons for shooting orientation
1080p30 HD video at up to 24Mbps with uncompressed video output
New EN-EL18 battery (21.6Wh capacity, CIPA-rated at 2600 shots)
Twin card slots - one Compact Flash and one XQD

;)

01 January 2012

Happy New Year 2012!

;)

24 December 2011

Merry Christmas!

;)

01 December 2011

Nikon's New SB-910 Speedlight

Amidst all the rumors and hype of Nikon releasing some new high-end dslr bodes this year, there was much disappointment because no new dslr body has been announced yet. Instead they announced and released the Nikon 1 System which you can read all about further down this blog.

And then, surprise surprise, a new high-end flagship flashgun comes along, the SB-910 Speedlight!

Fuuuuu...

Being a heavy flash user myself (let there be light when there isn't enough), and a sb900 owner, of course i'm thoroughly interested in any new flashgun! But after checking out the new sb910 i see that its actually just a refresh of the sb900. They have added weather protection and fixed the overheating shutdown. Other than that, its identical in features compared to the sb900 plus a little more weight!

Thermal shutdown (flash switches to off mode when too hot, can be very annoying during a wedding shoot) on the sb900 has been an issue for many continuous burst shooters but its not a problem. Its how the sb900 is designed to work. The sb900 is a powerful and fast flash. When you push this type of performance to its limits, the sb900 will shutdown to protect itself and your wallet because Nikon will not repair a blown out flashgun even under warranty for free. This shutdown can take up to 10 mins to recover. Faster if you remove your batteries. If you change batteries, you can continue shooting because its really the batteries that heat up so much during fast discharge. With the sb910, Nikon have slowed down the cycling time to prevent the flash and batteries from reaching shutdown temperature! A clever fix!

The sb910 will set you back USD549. RM1750!

The user interface has been simplified to sb700 gui. This is cool because sb900/700 gui is the best and fastest flash interface on this planet. Imho at least.. Its a joy to use. No fumbling through lenghty menus or groping in the dark looking for buttons to press...

No need to chat more about what this flash can do... Its a Nikon Speedlight!

News release: http://www.dpreview.com/news/2011/11/30/sb910speedlightlaunch

;)

20 November 2011

Tanjung Jara Fisherman - Oct 2011

Early one morning at Tanjung Jara, i was on the beach hoping for a decent sunrise which of course did not appear, this guys comes along and starts trawling the rocky beach line.

After studying the waves, apparently looking for schools of fish and very cleverly timing his net throws he actually lands some fish! So i head over for a chat...