My First Nikon DIGITAL SLR

My Nikon D90 body arrived today, along with the AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens and some other goodies. But I’ll talk about those later. The first thing I do is top off the battery, and read the quickstart guide. While I’m waiting for the battery to charge, I mount the lens to the N80 body, just for the fun of it. Of course, it works flawlessly, and at 16mm, it’s rediculously wide.


Yes, there is vignetting; I knew there would be. But there’s two things I can do about it. First, I can use it to shoot a square format; a square crop will eliminate the vignetting. Second, I can borrow a trick from Nikon’s full-frame DSLR’s: FX Crop Mode. I can easily build a Photoshop action to apply FX Crop Mode to 35mm film scans. Third, with a 16mm angle of view, I could create a panoramic crop mode which will also eliminate the vignetting and restore some of the advantage gained by that wonderfully wide angle of view. Best of all, I can apply any of these formats to the same image. I am now even happier with my N80 purchase. I tell you, all this digital photography does wonders for the film world.

Two hours later, I have my first experience shooting with a digital SLR. Broadly speaking, I am underwhelmed, and I mean that in a good way. It’s exactly the same as any other SLR I’ve used, except smoother and quieter. The autofocus works nicely, but then I’m used to that from my Nikon P5100. However, there is no more myopic process of standing back from the camera to look at an LCD, the P5100’s primary means of composing an image. Even though the P5100 has an optical viewfinder as well, it’s hard not to take advantage of all the shooting information that appears in the LCD.

But then, I take it off auto mode and start customizing it to do what I want. Program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual modes; white balance, ISO, exposure compensation, bracketing. Like the P5100, the menus are wonderful, but, I don’t really need to use them. For 95% of what I need, I can simply press a dedicated button, rotate a command dial, and view the results on the LCD screen on the top of the camera. I begin to appreciate not just the software user interface, but the physical interface as well. The setup of the controls is logical and ergonomic. Now I’m overwhelmed.

I am now not only a Nikonian, I’m a D90 groupie.

Old Is New Again

I’m not opposed to buying used equipment. Most of my best Canon FD lenses were used, although in very good condition. But lenses hold their value, they’re an investment. Plastic-bodied cameras do not.


So, I have indeed read the N80 manual cover to cover, and I now know how to use a Nikon autofocus 35mm SLR. In many ways, it’s similar to the D90, so for me this is Nikon boot camp. It’s in great shape, having been used and cared for by a photographer who has great respect for his equipment.

Now, I can do true redscale, X-Pro, 35mm film pinhole, with all the advantages of autofocus. But the best part is, it will force me to always consider FX lenses when making a purchase. And since each FX lens will have double-duty, it will be a greater value.

My First Nikon SLR

So, I got to thinking. Now that I’m fully on board with digital, am I going to abandon film photography? And the answer is, no, not by any means. But, I’m going to wind up with all these great Nikon lenses, not all of which are going to be DX lenses. It’s quite possible that somewhere in the distant future I’m going to buy a full-frame (FX) Nikon body, so, I’m not going to put my eggs all in one basket. I chose the DX format for its compact size, speed, compatibility, and economy. DX lenses use less glass and are therefore lighter, smaller, and less expensive. The camera body is slightly more compact (although digital SLRs are a bit chunkier than 35mm film cameras). What if I picked up a Nikon film body to use the FX lenses in my growing collection?

So, after speaking with a good friend and colleague who also happens to be a Nikonian, I learned that he is selling off some of his equipment. This includes a Nikon N80 body, complete with battery grip. After some quick research, I learn that this body would be a fine complement to my D90. So today, for the price of a top-shelf circular polarizer, I have my first Nikon 35mm SLR. And he has some spending money.

Officially my first Nikon SLR, the N80

Can’t use it yet of course, can’t even “freelens” with one of my old Canon lenses. If I held the Canon lens in place in front of the N80, I wouldn’t see anything because It’s not easy to adjust the apeture on Canon FD lenses, even thought it is mechanical. But I can read the manual cover to cover, put some batteries in it, and trip the shutter, which is what I do.

So, I finally have a Nikon SLR, just not a digital one. Everything happens for a reason.

A New Beginning: Nikon Coolpix P5100

Let me first say that you don’t need a great camera to take a great photograph. Technically perfect images do not necessarily make for great photography. Skill, perseverance and opportunity make a better photograph than any camera. However, many photographers speak of their equipment as well as their work, and I am no different.

That said, let me introduce you to my first digital camera, and my springboard into a new era of film and digital photography. The Nikon Coolpix P5100 is a “Bridge” type 12.3 MP fixed-lens zoom digital camera with a resolution rivaling that of many DSLRs. It’s compact and goes anywhere, making it in many ways, more versatile than a DSLR. Yet, it can be outfitted with an extensive range of Nikon screw-mount secondary lenses and filters, and I have built an extremely versatile camera system around it.

Nikon Coolpix P5100 “System”

Clockwise from Left: Nikon UR-E7 28-46mm Step-Up Ring, Nikon FC-E8 Fisheye Lens, Nikon WC-E67 Wide Angle Lens, Nikon TC-E2 Telephoto Lens, Nikon UR-E20 Lens Converter, Nikon Coolpix P5100 Digital Camera, Nikon 28mm filter set (Circular Polarizer, UV ND4, ND8)

Sometimes my P5100 thinks it’s a Leica M8, and sometimes it thinks it’s a Lomo LC-A.

I find it ironic that the digital camera has rekindled my interest in film photography. Perhaps it’s because I’m now more familiar with digital’s shortcomings as well as its advantages. From now on, I will use digital photography to improve my film photography, and I will use film photography to improve my digital photography.

I’ve been living with this camera for over a year now, and I’ve learned its capabilities and its limitations. It’s taught me a lot, and because it’s delayed my original plan of purchasing a DSLR, it’s helped me to make a better choice. It’s pretty close to my birthday, so I don’t feel too guilty about treating myself to a Nikon D90. After all, it will be the first new camera I’ve bought in over 30 years. Well, that’s if you don’t count my Lomo Lubitel 166, which technically does qualify as a camera. And I mean that in a most respectful, lomographic way.

But don’t get me wrong. My work this this camera is not over by any means. It can do things that my D90 won’t be able to.

Against the Grain

I’ve finally come up with a title for my blog. It’s a bit of a play on words, but then you’ll come to expect nothing less of me.


It’s not that I’m against grain at all. Quite the opposite. I love grain. It’s one of the things that sets digital photography apart from film photography. But, I do tend to be a bit of a rebel. And, every digital image I see or capture will be compared with film. Hence, against the grain. I’m looking at the pixels against the grain, to make sure they’re behaving themselves.

So, my goal, my passion, is to make digital photography look as much like film photography as possible. After all, digital video is captured at 24 fps to look more like film, isn’t it? And on a molecular level, it’s all about pixels, the “grain” of digital images.

Fortunately, digital noise, which kind of looks like grain, can be coaxed into looking more so with Photoshop. In fact, incredibly low resolution images can be softened and imbibed with grain that makes them, well, viewable. At least they don’t scream “LO-RES” anymore.

So, it’s going to take some time and lots of work to explore every aspect of film photography, and what it really takes to make a digital photograph.

The Back Story

Here I am, for the longest time since I can remember an enthusiast of photography, employed as a professional retoucher for the past five years. Then, one day, it hits me. I am a photographer; a photographer of the new age.

In literally every image I work on, I am doing the work of the photographer; altering lighting, composition, color balance. It's not just about retouching, it's about rethinking how the photograph was conceived in the first place. It‘s like being the Art Director, Director of Photography, Photographer, and Photographer‘s Assistant all rolled into one. This is how photography has evolved thanks to the digital process. I have in my power, the ability to completely reinterpret a photograph in my studio digitally. This is a good thing. Maybe.

So, as I “retouch” these images, I began thinking more like a photographer, and less like a Photoshop artist. And, lo and behold, the quality of my work improved, and has actually gotten easier. The problems I encounter over and over are the same, but I have been correcting them as a Photoshop artist, and not as a photographer. So, deeply rooted in film, and armed with my experience in digital imaging, I realize that this is the right time to revisit my photographic roots in the digital domain.

The last digital camera I used professionally was an Olympus C-1000L with a resolution of 850KP. It behaved kind of like a camera, but looked more like a camcorder. I have not been particularly biased against digital photography, it’s just that I've been waiting for the technology to mature, and to see how the digital camera will eventually manifest itself. After doing some research, I decided that the time is right to make the first jump.

Ever since I met her, my wife Heidi, an expert amateur photographer, has always been my creative inspiration. The last great gift I gave her was a Daylab slide duplicator, on a whim. That whim turned into a passion for Polaroid Transfer Prints which has produced some of the best work I’ve seen in this medium. Perhaps, I could do it again. She brought to my attention to an article on “Bridge” type digital cameras, which included the Nikon Coolpix P5000, and so my research began. By the time the holidays arrived, the P5000 had been updated to the P5100, and I placed my order. It was compact and easy to use, but with all the creative features someone used to a shooting with an Olympus OM-10 would need.

It must have been a hit, because the following year, she bought me the exact same camera. Now, I was in the throws of researching my own digital camera purchase, a Nikon DSLR, so this came as a bit of a shock. But after spending two days with it, I had come to realize that this camera was for me.

It was a real camera, and I could take real photographs with it. And, there were enough accessories available to make it do just about anything. But what impressed me the most was the software and usability of it. Without even needing to read the manual, it taught me the intricacies of digital photography. I had always loved my Canon F1, but with no backward lens compatibility I could easily move to the Nikon Camp knowing that my investment in lenses was not a deciding factor.

So, I began slowly rebuilding my empire. The Canon F1 would hold highest honor amongst my working collectible cameras, but it would yield to the new medium. For the next few months, I would be shooting digitally, exclusively.

I was very pleased with the results. The P5100, best in its class for lowest noise, yielded images that looked very much like film photographs. There was a grain to them, much like film grain. I could control almost every aspect of my photography. Almost.

I couldn‘t shoot redscale. There was no film to cross-process. The images were almost too perfect. But there was a world of creative possibilities available to me through Photoshop, so I vowed to eventually bring these qualities to the digital domain. That was enough for now.

The optics were limited. The focal length range of 35mm to 127mm, was most versatile, almost a dead match for my FD 35mm-105mm f3.5 zoom, and 2/3 of a stop faster to boot. But it couldn’t compete with a collection of lenses ranging from 24mm to 420mm.

Fortunately, Nikon makes a number of excellent screw-mount secondary lenses that fit the P5100, so I made them my own. Now, I can go from 24mm to 254mm, and even to 381mm if I were to purchase yet another. But I've been holding off on this. My favorite addition has been an excellent 8mm fisheye lens. It has a 180° field of view, and on the P5100 it can be both a circular or full-frame fisheye. With this addition, I now have capabilities beyond my F1. Almost.

However, two things are still missing; Camera Raw, and manual focus.

Photoshop can only do so much when the image is underexposed and the Art Director wasn’t there at the shoot to say so. The tradeoff in quality is just too great. So, the Raw format was mandatory for serious work. And as good as autofocus is, sometimes it just has to be the photographer’s call. And then there was the whole lens interchangeability issue. Ever since I began taking 4x5 pinhole photos, I’ve wondered what lensless photography would be like in the digital domain.

So, now that I'd gotten my feet wet, it was time to venture into the deep end. I researched. I weighed my options. I gave Canon a second look. And finally, I settled on the D90, which for me was the best compromise between price, performance and compatibility. The D300S was my first choice, but I decided to put the money saved into the lens, because bodies come and go, but lenses span generations. At first I had reservations about the APS-C sized “DX” format. But I liked the compatibility with both full-frame “FX”and APS-C “DX” lenses. While the FX bodies could shoot with DX lenses in DX crop mode, the loss in resolution would be a poor compromise.

So, it would seem that I am now offically a “Nikonian”. I have access to a wide range of bodies and lenses with a high compatibility factor. And yes, I will be returning to film.