First Impressions: Nikon F3

Nikon F3 HP. Professional 135 SLR with High-Eyepoint Viewfinder.

The irony of having all these collectible cameras, many of which are working SLRs, is that not one of them has been a Nikon. Until now.

Analog Anticipation

1950’s Konica IIIA Rangefinder with 2000’s Gossen Digisix meter installed.

Anticipating how your photographs will turn out is an experience missing from digital photography. More often than not, that wait-and-see aspect generates a feeling of excitement. And right now, I’m excited about my first roll from the Konica IIIA.

The Collection

IKEA Detolf
glass-door display cabinet

It was never a cognitive decision to become a collector of cameras. It just sort of happened. After acquiring about five collectible pieces, of which I have no idea as to how I came about them, it seemed to be a logical outlet to my fascination with these precision little devices.

The No-Less-Mighty Brownie Bull’s-Eye

Hawkeye’s Bigger Brother: The Brownie Bull’s-Eye

Shot the same way as the on-location Brownie Hawkeye. Just for comparison.

The Mighty Brownie Hawkeye

The Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, a tiny cube-shaped Bakelite box camera. 

Here it is, my Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. Only this one wasn’t for sale. It was a prop at The Container Store.

Bakelite Rules!

Kodak Brownie Bull’s-Eye Bakelite 620 Box Camera

I have a thing for Bakelite cameras, and always wanted to add the classic Kodak Brownie Hawkeye to my collection. It’s just a matter of time until one passes my way. But when I came across the unfamiliar Brownie Bulls-Eye in a flea market in Montsweag, Maine, it seemed a good consolation prize.

Montsweag Camera Find

Mamiya/Sekor 1000DTL.

Every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday there’s an outdoor flea market in the town of Montsweag, a short distance down Route 1 from Boothbay Harbor. And this week’s browse netted a unique camera find; a Mamiya-Sekor 1000DTL.

Father’s Day with the Ōlloclip.

The Ōlloclip: Three Lenses in one for the iPhone 4 and 4S.

This ingenious little device combines a fisheye lens, wide-angle lens, and macro lens into a single, compact unit. A great Father’s day give for iPhone toting dads.

Coming soon: the long-awaited Nikon D800

Here at Last: the Nikon D800 Full-Frame DSLR

Way, WAY overdue, the successor to the long-lived, entry-level full frame Nikon D700 is on the way. Will it be worth the wait? So far the prognosis looks good.

Fujibashing

I’ve been following the Fujifilm X10 Orb issue for a while now, and what it’s really all about is becoming clearer by the moment.

D90 Redscale Revisited

Encouraged by the results with the X10, I set out to attempt the same Redscale effect with the D90. And while it’s entirely possible to achieve a similar effect with a 10,000K white balance on the D90, the results are not nearly as pleasing.

Vello and the X10

The Vello 52mm snap-on petal lens hood is an excellent alternative that works perfectly on the Fujifilm X10.

Redscaling the X10

White balance works a little differently on the Fujifilm X10 than it does on the D90. Once you set it, you can push it further with the WB Shift.

If you set the D90 to 10,000K then start playing around with the WB Trim, it can drop down below 10,000K. On the X10, any adjustment you make seems to be in addition to the overall setting, which makes for some interesting possibilities. Like Redscaling simulation.

Set the Kelvin WB to 10,000K, then set the WB shift to +9 (red) and -9 (yellow). (the WB is still indicated as 10,000K) then, set the film simulation to Velvia, and bring the color saturation all the way up. You can also play around with sharpness and contrast.

In-Camera Redscale Effect with the Fujifilm X10

The results are some interesting redscale simulations, better than I can get with the D90 using an orange filter. Unlike using a filter alone, more color separation information is captured, making for a more faithful redscale effect. you get nice greens, and the reds pop from the oranges. The highlights turn to a bright greenish yellow just as with film.

The really cool thing is you can set this all up in one of the two custom presets, so you can switch over anytime. Minor post-processing gets you very close to the effect you get with film.

Just another cool thing about the X10.

Life with the Fujifilm X10

The more I use this camera, the more I learn about the amazing things it can do. None the least of which is fooling passers by into thinking it’s a Leica.

For a while, I thought bracketing may not be part of its feature set. But I found it, hidden in plain sight, under the drive button where it logically belongs. With this button, the top selection on the multi-selector/sub-command dial, you can choose from single or multiple frames (with frame rate selection), best shot selector, or AE, ISO, film simulation and dynamic range bracketing. Wow!

Each mode has its own settings. So if you want to shoot Aperture Priority at low ISO, and Shutter Priority at high ISO, and Program Mode with auto white balance, you can set them each up that way.

Then there’s the C1 and C2 custom user settings. Say that you want to set one up for infrared with a custom white balance. You can do that. Or the other one with a custom white balance for redscale. You can do that too, because each custom white balance you set up can be saved under a different mode, includind C1 and C2. And they’re right there on the mode dial, no menus to dig through.

They’re best used to choose from amongst the extensive RAW processing options. That’s right, I can use the camera itself to process its own RAW files adjusting their exposure, white balance, WB trim, film simulation, dynamic range, color saturation, hue, highlight contrast, shadow contrast, sharpening and noise reduction. It gives new meaning to shooting RAW, especially with the “RAW on Demand” button, which is sheer genius. Wish my Nikon D90 had that.

This camera has so much to offer, and it’s truly a pleasure to use. Even the leather case is easy to live with.

Defining iPhoneography

Now that iPhoneography (much like Lomography) has more or less been officially established as a photographic genre, I need to differentiate it from my other categories.

On one hand, the iPhone is just another camera. But on the other, unlike my other cameras, it is in fact a lightroom, a photo album and a wirephoto service all in one. Used in this way, the works derived from it become more than just photos, and I need to define them as such. So, I have a new “genre” folder in my library named “iPhoneography” and in it I will place works that have been captured and/or post-processed solely on the iPhone.

This means establishing a firm definition of just what iPhoneography is to me. It may bridge many other genres and styles, but the one underlying principal that these images will have in common is that they will not have been touched by any other post-processing applications other than those running on the iPhone. Once an image captured on the iPhone is post-processed on the iPhone in any way, it becomes iPhoneography. Images which are captured but not processed on the iPhone may be categorized as iPhoneography, but may also be categorized under the other genres and styles in my library.

Kodak Leaving the Camera Business

Pretty soon, you won’t be seeing a billboard like this anymore...

Kodak has filed for bankruptcy protection, and their financial advisors have told them that manufacturing cameras is not profitable for them.

That’s interesting, since Fujifilm doesn’t seem to have a problem selling consumer, or premium cameras. Are all those Kodak cameras manufactured by Kodak in the USA? I think not.

Or, is it simply that Kodak can’t attract consumers to buy their cameras? And why would that be? Why isn’t there a Kodak Retinette-D retro-styled premium
digital camera from the company that invented the digital camera in the first place? How about an economical Digital Brownie?

Kodak says it will be concentrating its consumer business on inkjet printers. Kodak should then use this opportunity to take over the market with a line of archival color and black and white inkjet printers that blow away everything else on the market. No?

We’ll see.

Vello 52mm Snap-On Petal Lens Hood

Vello Snap-on Petal Lens Hoods; a breakthrough product.

The original snap-on petal lens shade series by Pearstone was a breakthrough product in that it could be easily installed simply by clipping it on like a standard lens cap. In contrast to the awkward thread-on style which requires you to tighten a locking collar to secure it, these were a pleasure to use. However, unlike an OEM bayonet hood, you couldn’t reverse install them on your lens to keep them at the ready.

Review: Marumi 40mm MC-UV Filter

Well it took some doing, but I finally received this from 2filter.com. If you own the Fujifilm X10, this is an important filter to consider.

After reading some posts about the Fujifilm X10 filter issue, I learned the following:

First Impressions: Nikon D50 DSLR

Nikon D50: The Ideal Choice for Infrared Photography

Introduced in 2005, the Nikon D50 was a more affordable and easier to use version of the D70. Although some of the features were omitted, there were significant performance enhancements, most notably in its autofocus operation which then offered motion tracking. Also, the LCD display size increased from 1.8" to 2", metering had been upgraded to second generation 3D Matrix Metering, USB had been upgraded to version 2.0, and it now accepts Secure Digital cards instead of Compact Flash.

In its heyday, the D50 was an all-around good, basic camera. Pretty much everything you needed was there, but with improved highlight rendition over the D70, and a new autofocus mode that automatically switched between single and continuous. But what the D50 didn’t improve upon is just as important; IR Filtering.

The unique thing about the D50 is that it’s the ideal balance between quality, compatibility, infrared sensitivity and IR convertibility, which is why it’s one of the most popular cameras for infrared photography. This was confirmed with a few test shots; indeed, out of the box, the D50 is much more sensitive to IR than the D90; so sensitive in fact, that the built-in flash can be used when existing light is insufficient. With enough natural light, it was possible to create a preset white balance by metering off green foliage or a white card, something that I didn’t find possible with the D90. With the proper white balance, infrared images emerged that require little or no post processing, unlike those taken with the D90.

The viewfinder is considerably smaller than the D90, and the tiny 2", 130,000 pixel LCD not nearly as refined, but otherwise the camera is just as enjoyable to use. The fact that its resolution is 6.1MP (3008 x 2000) is of no consequence to me; The D90’s 12.3MP is only 1.425x higher, and as such the image quality between the two is quite similar.

With the AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G mounted, the camera had no problem focusing through a Hoya R72 infrared filter under normal to bright lighting conditions. In fact, the IR performance is so good, I may decide not to convert it permanently by replacing the hot filter. However, if I do I will most likely do the conversion myself, since the D50 is one of the easiest cameras to convert.

Some more nice things about the D50 are its compatibility with my existing D90 accessories, such as the DR-6 Right Angle Viewfinder, SB-900 Speedlight, ML-L3 IR remote release and SD cards. I can even swap batteries with the D90, since the EN-EL3a and EN-EL3e are interchangeable. Speaking of the SB-900 speedlight, it’s now entirely feasible to do infrared flash photography, or to use it as fill-flash with existing light exposures.

There are a few down sides. No live view to stand in for the blacked-out finder. However, an external shoe-mounted finder would solve that problem.

A Kelvin WB setting would also have been nice, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

It only accepts standard SD cards, which top out at 2GB.

The image quality is excellent; surprisingly good at ISO 1600. I can easily see myself reaching for this in a pinch due to its light weight and pleasing ergonomics.

iPhoneography

The cultural phenomenon of engaging in an ongoing visual dialog through the use of the iPhone is one of the hot new topics in Photography.

Many people may never own a dedicated camera. Others who are passionate about photography view the iPhone as yet another means to extend their photographic reach. Either way, there’s no denying the iPhone’s impact on modern photography.

The iPhone is more than just a camera. It’s a camera, a lab, a darkroom, an editing room, a portfolio and a wire photo service all in one. It’s both extendable and upgradeable. And it’s rapidly taking photography to a new level in visual communication.

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View our works of iPhoneography in the gallery.

Pearstone is Now Vello

A great product gets even better…

Vello Snap-on petal lens shade

Vello (formerly marketed under the Pearstone brand) now offers an improved version of their universal snap-on petal-shaped lens hood.

The problem with conventional screw-on petal hoods is that their locking collar makes them cumbersome to install, align and remove. This new version reduces the process to a simple pinch and place operation, accepts lens caps and is reversible, bringing the experience one step closer to a dedicated lens shade.

Speaking of which, Vello also offers dedicated lens shades for popular lenses, as well as a full line of other useful accessories.

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For more information on Vello’s full line of lens hoods and other products, visit their website at Vellogear.com.

New Arrival: Nikon D50 DSLR

I’ve been toying with the idea of purchasing a used Nikon DSLR to use as a dedicate IR shooter. While many cameras can be converted for IR, the D50 is one of the most popular, and was a logical choice for me. And today, I received mine from Amazon.

Panoramic Video for the iPhone 4S

The Kōgeto Dot is an ingenious lens attachment for the iPhone 4 and 4S which works in tandem with a dedicated app to create immersive 360° panoramic videos.

It draws no additional power from the camera, and the Looker app allows you to capture, view and share your panoramic videos by eMail, Facebook, Twitter or Dotspot, a dedicated panoramic video sharing website.

The unit clips to your iPhone, which you then hold flat (camera-side up) to allow the lens to capture the action in a 360° band. The app then converts the lens’ projection into the camera into a horizontal panorama, and allows you to view your own content, or that shared by others.

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For more information on this exciting new product, visit the Kōgeto website.

Available for Pre-Order: Canon G1 X

Canon G1 X: Greatly improved sensor in a modestly upgraded body.

The 2012 successor to the G12 will be the G1 X...

Fujifilm X-S1: For SLR Lovers

Third in the Fujifilm X Series: The X-S1 Superzoom

The Fujifilm X-S1 is the third model in the X Series lineup, which is now the official designation for Fujifilm’s upscale cameras. It was officially announced just before the X-Pro1.

It’s Here…

Fujifilm’s new flagship; the X-Pro1 “Premium Interchangeable Lens Camera”

Finally, the digital equivalent of the classic rangefinder makes its debut…

Available for Pre-order: Lytro Lightfield Camera

The Lytro 16GB Light Field Camera

To be released in early 2012, the Lytro lightfield camera promises to revolutionize photography as we know it.

Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G Available for Pre-Order

The new AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G

This new lens may be 2/3 stop slower than its f/1.4 cousin but it’s also $1,200.00 cheaper!