www.photography.cafe

Steve Bingham

. . . by the way, both files are slightly back focused. You might want to check your lens?

Taken with the new Nikon D7500.

Steve Bingham

Hi Stany. These are from the new Nikon D7500. Probably taken while you were testing the camera.

Steve Bingham

Thanks, Stany! I tested the Sony 90mm macro and found it to be the sharpest lens I have ever tested. I just saw where DXOmark agreed with me (I used my ISO 12233 charts). Nice. So when I switched back to Nikon I was able to test the new Nikon 16-80 f2.8-4 on these same charts. I was amazed! At 80mm ...

Steve Bingham

Hello, Stany! :lol: I'm back! After brief visits to Fuji and Sony, I now have a Nikon D7200 and the brand new Nikon 16-80 f2.8-4 VR. I will be testing it next week with my ISO 12233 charts. I bought my wife a new Nikon 7200 and gave her two of my "old" lenses and she had so many questions ...

Steve Bingham

Thanks, Leen!

Actually 13 people from the Netherlands watched it! Yeah!

Steve

Steve Bingham

Hi Stany, Someone in France played the entire production. I am guessing it might be you. The photos were taken over many years. The photos than had to be made ready for presentation. Lots of post production work. All will print out A1, no problem. Gathering and making a suitable sound track was a to...

Steve Bingham

Some of you might be interested in this. I put together a 30 minute video using ProShow Gold and some interesting effects using PS CS6. The music is excellent and was created for this video. It is all copyright protected and licensed for the video. No easy task!!!!!! :D It has had 500 views in the l...

Steve Bingham

I found out how to set single point focus. The D5300 manual was of no help what-so-ever.

Steve Bingham

Well, I am now experimenting with the Nikon D5300. Great little camera with lots of pluses and a few weaknesses. 1- No penta prism to reduce weight - uses a lighter penta mirror. Not the same large and bright image as my old D610 . . . but adequate. 2- Getting single point focus to be in the center ...

Steve Bingham

Well, the two things that bugged me the most about the Fuji: 1- The back was cluttered with all sort of options that activated every time my big fat thumb wandered over them. Some surprises while shooting! 2- The battery indicator was totally wrong most of the time. Every time it read less than 50% ...

Steve Bingham

Hi Steve, D5300: Approx. 530 g/1 lb 2.7 oz with battery and memory card but without body cap; Df: Approx. 765 g/1 lb 11 oz with battery and memory card but without body cap; ..... :?: And more: Df is tailored for use with small lenses like 28 AF-S F1.8, ( not a really sharp lens ) an old 70-210 F4 ...

Steve Bingham

Now THAT is light, Leen! I am learning that we have to live with a camera for awhile before we bump into its weaknesses. Too bad!

Steve Bingham

Well, that didn't last long! My Fuji ownership, that is. Guess what- the new Nikon D5300 weighs 1 lb, almost the same as the Fuji X-Pro1 and slightly more than the Fuji X-E2. Back with Nikon!!! I can now use my very lightweight Nikon 50mm f1.8 or light weight Nikon 85mm f1.8. The Nikon D5300 (Nikon'...

Steve Bingham

From what I have seen and read, the X-E2 high ISO is stunning. 6400 looks good and the camera can do 25k if pushed 2.
I will post a sample when time permits. Probably a dog picture.

Steve Bingham

Hi Stany! You always are way too kind. Thank you. Because of age (77) and severe arthritis I decided to abandon my Nikon system. It wasn't an easy decision. Lots of agony and soul searching. I finally settled on the Fuji X-Pro1 . . . and within weeks switched to the Fuji X-2E. As I usually print 16&...

Steve Bingham

Agreed! I have usually favored Nikon pro lenses over 3rd party lenses. Now my Sigma 35mm f1.4 and Tamron 24-70 VC are my favorites. Heck, the 24-70 gives an honest 3 stops - and sometimes 4 - of vibration control. Amazing glass that is slightly less expensive and slightly lighter. Reminds me of 28 y...

Steve Bingham

The last one isn't sharp, Stany. But that's according to my extremely critical eye. Most would love it.

Steve Bingham

The last one isn't sharp, Stany. But that's according to my extremely critical eye. Most would love it.

Steve Bingham

Wow. I especially love 4 and 5. Very artistic and dynamic. On the eagle shot it would be a simple matter to clone out the ID band. Maybe later?

Steve Bingham

Wow. I especially love 4 and 5. Very artistic and dynamic. On the eagle shot it would be a simple matter to clone out the ID band. Maybe later?

Steve Bingham

Stany, I certainly agree 100%. I have only had mine for 2 weeks but it is one amazing lens. Comparing my Nikon 24mm f1.4 with the Tamron 24-70, both at f4, it is almost impossible to see a resolution difference. In fact, I consider it better than my old Nikon 24-70 (it is certainly smaller!) AND it ...

Steve Bingham

I think the new Tamron 24-70 f2.8 is an awesome lens! Great bargain! More importantly, it has image stabilization ! The Nikon 24 f1.4 is a tad sharper - especially in the corners - and the Tamron weighs 1/3 more. Neither the Nikon 24mm 1.4 nor the Sigma 35 1.4 has image stabilization . Some would ar...

Steve Bingham

On further use of the Nikon 24mm f1.4 I am VERY impressed. It would seem to be an excellent choice for the landscape photographer. My images taken at Arches National Park show no flare and excellent sharpness right into the corners - especially at f8 where I tend to live - and even f11 (which I ofte...

Steve Bingham

Boy, there are many reasons for the average (less ambitious???) photographer picking up a lighter, smaller body. Lots of excellent choices out there. I still insist on a viewfinder so I am a little limited. Heck, even very talented pros use these smaller bodied cameras when they are called for.

Steve Bingham

Nice! Very nice!!!!!!!

Steve Bingham

I currently use the sharpest lenses I can find for MY USE. In my opinion they are: 1- Nikon 24mm f1.4 2- Sigma 35mm f1.4 3- Nikon 50mm f1.8 4- Nikon 70-200 f4 VR I chose these lenses using 4 main factors, in order of importance for me: 1- Resolution 2- Lack of flare 3- Lack of CA 4- Construction Of ...

Steve Bingham

True. It is a great camera - and should sell like crazy. However, I have a few questions: 1- Will the DR match the D600? (or even the D7000) I suspect not. Look for at least a stop less. 2- Will high ISO noise exceed the D7000? How about the D600? Probably not, and maybe worse 3- Will Nikon get bus...

Steve Bingham

A 2nd place plus an Honerable Mention plus 10 nominations. I guess it pays to hang in there!

Take a peek.
http://www.thecolorawards.com/6thphotos ... =a&cid=205" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Steve Bingham

Hi Stany, The D7100 is pretty much what I predicted back in August of 2012 - but I sure took a lot of flack in the dpreview forums!!! :D Without the AA filter this sensor should produce some stunning resolution. It might also use a body very similar to the D600 being as they weigh almost the same - ...

Steve Bingham

A 2nd place plus an Honerable Mention plus 10 nominations. I guess it pays to hang in there! Se the photos here:
http://www.thecolorawards.com/6thphotos ... =a&cid=205" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Steve Bingham

I have recently left dpreview.com because of the non-stop exaggeration of Nikon’s problems with the D600 and D800 (and because of the anonomity of the responders). Basically, Nikon has fixed the problems (although fairly recently). My D600 has NO dust, oil, or whatever on the sensor. It arrived clea...

Steve Bingham

Let me further explain my reasoning above. I am now printing on 2' x 3' (roughly A1) aluminum instead of canvas wrap around. I have found with just a little resampling in PS CS6 I can come up with incredibly sharp prints of this size. For the difference in price (almost) I was able to pick up a Niko...

Steve Bingham

MOD Moved to a new topic: Nikon D7000 to D800e - Steve Bingham... Let me further explain my reasoning above. I am now printing on 2' x 3' (roughly A1) aluminum instead of canvas wrap around. I have found with just a little resampling in PS CS6 I can come up with incredibly sharp prints of this size...

Steve Bingham

Your choice of camera can depend on a lot of factors. 1- Needs. Will you being printing as large as A1? Then maybe the D600 would be better. 2- Is weight of camera plus lens a factor? Then the D7000 might be a better choice. 3- Will you be shooting a lot in areas with minimal light (interiors withou...

Steve Bingham

On further testing: It is my belief that the corner fall-off in resolution is mainly due to field curvature. That is, on flat testing surfaces within 3-5 meters it will show up. On landscapes it will matter very little. Good news for me as I rarely shoot test targets! :D In short, one heck of a land...

Steve Bingham

MOD Moved to a new topic: Nikon D7000 to D800e - Steve Bingham... Hi Stany, I actually decided the D800e was a little overkill for my needs. After shooting the D800 for a week I decided to get the D600 instead. I did get an excellent sample with zero dust or oil spots. A month later it still remain...

Steve Bingham

Hi Stany, I actually decided the D800e was a little overkill for my needs. After shooting the D800 for a week I decided to get the D600 instead. I did get an excellent sample with zero dust or oil spots. A month later it still remains clean. However, to sort of answer your question: 1- Nikon 24mm f1...

Steve Bingham

Well, I have a D600 I received in January, 2013, from B&H Photo in the USA. The serial number is 3060xxx. It arrived with zero dust spots or oil spots. None. Now at 200+ exposures it is still spotless! (blue sky at f16 and pushed hard in PS CS6 with levels and curves to accent any spots). I pers...

Steve Bingham

Good post - I went there some time ago with Vista 64, now Windows 7 64. Here a few more tricks: 1- Stuff your 64 bit machine with ram. I use 16 GB. 2- Load your startup and programs on a SSD. These are getting cheaper and cheaper! 3- Use a separate SSD drive as a PS CS6 scratch drive. You will be am...

Steve Bingham

True. The native resolution of almost all Epson printers is 360 (a few are 720). When resampling for printing always use 360 OR an even fraction of 360. Many have tested, and found, that 240 works great with no discernable difference between it and 360. When the printer sees 300 it has to convert to...

Steve Bingham

Actually, Adobe Camera Raw is as simple as you want to make it. Simply use "As shot", then click on "Auto". Done . Your new tiff file can be set to 16 or 32 bit before the conversion (bottom of the dialog page). There are many parameters you can set but they are to tally unnecess...

Steve Bingham

Wow. 1/17 second. Amazing!

Steve Bingham

Due to a very recent decision to go to with 24" x 36" wrap around prints, which requires 28" x 40" prints, I have decided to go home to the full frame D800e. My original decision to stick with the WONDERFUL D7000 was that my prints were routinely 16" x 24". That is no l...

Steve Bingham

MOD Moved to a new topic: Nikon D7000 to D800e - Steve Bingham... Due to a very recent decision to go to with 24" x 36" wrap around prints, which requires 28" x 40" prints, I have decided to go home to the full frame D800e. My original decision to stick with the WONDERFUL D7000 ...

Steve Bingham

Nice job, Stany. Now you will always have a camera with you - no excuses.

What fun!!!!

Steve Bingham

Stany,

I have had the big brother of this lens (85mm f1.4G) for awhile and was very impressed. The lack of VR was a bummer. However, after using this lens on the Nikon D800 as well as the Nikon 105mm VR, I think I lean towards the 105. I have never tested the 1.8 version.

Steve

Steve Bingham

Nice photos, Stany. The old “castle – like” building looks inviting. I would love to be able to shoot models inside with the deteriorating interior!!!
Steve.

Steve Bingham

Seven nominations over two years (in two different contests) - and no cigar. I just received notice of two more nominations. Oh well, at least I was in the running. NOMINEE ANNOUNCEMENT | 7th Annual Black & White Spider Awards. Go to http://www.dustylens.com" onclick="window.open(this....

Steve Bingham

Excellent. I wrote this simple tutorial many years ago. It requires layers but is VERY easy to do. http://dustylens.com/glamour_look.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Steve Bingham

Probably a very wize decision! Enjoy.

Steve Bingham

Hi Stany! Looks like we have both been busy! You might want to try an experiment. Shoot a detailed scene in raw with each and see if you can come close to equalling the two by use of judicious sharpening. I have seen this done and the results were extremely close. I originally ordered the D800E but...

Steve Bingham

Stany, this wonderful lens appears to be a mixed bag. The center resolution is fantastic , but all the tests I have seen seem to show some edge and corner softness up to about f4 or f5.6. Vignetting is also a small problem - though easily fixed in Capture or ACR. The question I have is whether the e...

Steve Bingham

Hi Stany. Pretty daughter! I ordered the D800e within minutes of it being offered by B&H Photo here in the USA. Then I down loaded every single Nikon image for the D800e that was on the Nikon site. I guess what impressed me the most was the incredible resolution. I resampled the images to 240 dp...

Steve Bingham

Some other considerations: 1- Some older lenses, like the 50mm f1.8, simply were not designed for digital. That is, the coating on the back of the rear element was either non-existent, or ineffective against the strong reflection coming from digital sensors - hence the mysterious ghostly circle that...

Steve Bingham

I am guessing that the D400 might well be a 24mp sensor - probably a modification of the D3x sensor. That would leave an orderly progression from the D7000 (16mp), D400 (24mp), and D800 (36mp). Then for the low light folks, the D4. That would be one heck of a lineup! I still would be very surprised ...

Steve Bingham

Here are some recent tests on my Nikon 85mm f1.4G. Cement floor, rock solid tripod and head, MU, etc. You can view at 100% or download and look at 200%. The rest of the tests to follow as time permits. http://dustylens.com/lens_tests.htm

Steve Bingham

Hi Leen. Here are the results of the 85mm f1.4G. I will post the other results as time permits. You may download any of the files for closer inspection. At 200% you can definitely see where the moire'/maze kicks in - slightly before the resolution quits. At f5.6 and f8 all do a good job. http://dust...

Steve Bingham

A few weeks ago I decided to test four lenses at their 85mm focal length. As I own the incredibly sharp Nikon 85mm f1.4G I was anxious to see how my other lens stacked up against it. Of course the f1.4G was superior but there were some serious surprises! I used MU and a very sturdy tripod and head o...

Steve Bingham

Simple. The D800 will be a FX with 36 mp. The D400 will be a DX with 24 mp.

There is a waiting audience for both. Save your dollars! Maybe even a lens of two!!!

Steve Bingham

I downloaded DXO last week and gave it a try. Here are some casual observations. PRO: 1- Great noise reduction without losing detail. Very impressive. Less noise than ACR 6.6. I tried for a LONG time to duplicate this in ACR. No luck. 2- Minimal moire' and maze artifacts - slightly less than ACR. A ...

Steve Bingham

. . . of course we can always use the high sync mode. We roughly lose a stop every time we double the shutter speed using a capable Nikon flash unit - like my SB800. 1/500 would only cost you APPROXIMATELY 1 stop less light (over using 1/250). Using a powerful flash makes a difference. The high spee...

Steve Bingham

I can see why an electronic shutter would be super. But why couldn't the flash sync then be raised to 1/500 with this?

Steve Bingham

Leen. Indeed, my 70-300 VR at 85mm gave results very close to my 85mm f1.4G. I was very surprised, but 85mm is a sweet spot for the 70-300VR. :D I tested all four lenses on an ISO 122333 chart - same time, same camera, etc. Nikon 85 f1.4G Nikon 16-85 VR Nikon 70-300 VR Nikon 18-105 VR At 85mm they w...

Steve Bingham

. . . and available in March. Good buy for less than $500 (USA). However, once again Nikon failed to add VR to the lens - just like its newer 85mm f1.4. For those using this on a DX body we are talking hand held shutter speeds of 1/130 or faster for very sharp hand held shots. Using the 85mm f1.4 my...

Steve Bingham

Amasing and delightful photos!!!! Here is one from the ground side. A little easier!

Steve Bingham

Welcome, Alan! I too am spending less time on dpreview. You will find no

ranker and hate here! And people have real names.

Steve Bingham

Hi Stany. :D I never did get to play with it! Sigh. I really can't answer your questions. The camera was a prototype and was taped. My friend was pretty closed mouth but he basically said what is on NikonRumors. I will more than likely get one, however pre-orders aren't being accepted by the two com...

Steve Bingham

Image de-blurring, as will probably be in PS CS6, will mostly correct camera movement - and at some loss of resolution. It will determine the direction of camera movement and the degree - up to a point. Will it sharpen some images? You bet! However, there is some loss of total information as opposed...

Steve Bingham

Hi Vincent. I am not sure I understans your question, but let me try. If you shoot an image with a 6mp camera and then want to print in Super A3 it is very possible. I did it all the time with my Fuji S2. Your 6 mb size will generally produce an image (with my Fuji S2) of 2848 x 4256 pixels. This na...

Steve Bingham

You are welcome, Andre.

Steve Bingham

Thanks James. It really helps to have a clean background. A sky is a natural to mask out. Where I get in trouble is with a cluttered background. This can be very painful and time consuming. A little trick I discovered is to make sure your subject is SHARP. It needs to be in focus and already have so...

Steve Bingham

Hello Pam - So how good is Remask 3? Can you mask our single hairs with it? I have never tried it.

Steve Bingham

See my topic with sample here: http://www.fotografie.fr/fotoforum/view ... =51&t=1216

Steve Bingham

Just an example of how intricate masking can be. Two different photos. Notice the single hair strands both in sunlight and shadow. This was done using Fluid Mask 3. As it is with all software, don't expect great results immediatly. It takes lots of practice. :D The "model" was taken with a...

Steve Bingham

Just got in the latest edition of Chasseur d’Images(n°335) In this edition there is a 10 APS-C DSLR-comparison with a brief summary of the complete test results of each camera. Chasseur d’Images tests are done by very high qualified pros in a combination of lab testing environment and real life sho...

Steve Bingham

I use the Tonal Contrast filter in version 3.0. It can produce a wonderful pseudo HDR with total control of highlight, midtone, and shadow contrast levels. It also has control points as well as saturation control and shadow/highlight control. It is easy to go from mild to wild!!!!

Steve Bingham

I guess I should post more! Getting lazy, I guess. The 1st ones go way back to PS 4. The later ones are more advanced. Try a few! They are fun and educational. http://dustylens.com/photoshop_tips.htm

Steve Bingham

One other thing, Rudy. I noticed the halo on your Eiffel Tower. To avoid this halo when doing tone mapping, try using Nik Efex Pro 3.0. (It can be a PS CS5 plug-in filter) Works great, no halos between the dark and light tones.

Steve Bingham

Hi Rudy. Although there is no "right" way here is my work flow. When converting from ACR I use Auto as opposed to Default and look at the histogram and adjust if necessary (rarely). Then I use the default sharpening of 50 at .5. Lastly, I use the Lens icon and select the lens I used. Usual...

Steve Bingham

You can find the same topic on my website: http://dustylens.com/hdr_software_tests.htm HDR Software Tests For this review of HDR software I have chosen PS CS5, Photomatix Pro, Nik HDR Efix Pro, and HDR Darkroom. At this time these seem to be a reasonable sampling of top HDR software. These are also ...

Steve Bingham

Hi Stany, Glad you are enjoying your D7000. Mine is going with me to Antelope Canyon where I will do some HDR (Photomatix) as well as tone mapping, and maybe even a little double raw conversion. Just want to try some new stuff. Then next month to do some HDR panos at the Grand Canyon. I know, I gave...

Steve Bingham

Hello, Stany. Yep. ADL should be off. I concur. If using ACR, also remember that the Sharp icon (sharpening) should be set to .5 pixel at 50. Using the Adobe default of 1 pixel width is too strong for the tightly packed 18 mp on the APC size sensor. The D700 will always produce less noise, except wh...

Steve Bingham

Underneath is a copy from email communication with Steve Bingham. Stany, Something is horribly wrong. Are you looking at 100%? That's the max for simulating print noise. I just shot an entire wedding at ISO 800. Here is a sample converted in ACR. Nothing done except conversion plus .5 at 150% USM. ...

Steve Bingham

I am not very knowledgable about Elements 5. Sorry.

Steve Bingham

Hi Rudy, Photomatix is king - and superior to PS CS5 in this regard. However, you mentioned pseudo HDR. In this field the winner is Lucis Art. It is very pricey! Close behind is a much less expensive program called ReDynaMix. I like to use this with layers. That is, I select an area to use it in. Ex...

Steve Bingham

Well noise gets worse as the ISO increases so which ISO is usable is dependent on your needs. If you want maximum lack of noise in the shadow detail, use ISO 100. I would feel very free in using ISO 800, even in a very detailed landscape - if I needed it. I think 1600, for my needs, is about tops. I...

Steve Bingham

I remember seeing some vibration graphs showing actual vertical oscillation from a pin point light source and a timing chart underneath the graph. I used to shoot with a very big and heavy Pentax 6x7 - and heavy glass (later renamed Pentax 67) which was known for its mirror slap vibration - in spite...

Steve Bingham

1- More reliable - paramount as a pro.
2- Who knows if I will need a HUGE print later - I want the best glass just in case.
3- Because I can!?!? If you can afford a new (or decent) car, why drive a junker that might fall apart at any moment? Life is short.

Steve Bingham

1- More reliable - paramount as a pro.
2- Who knows if I will need a HUGE print later - I want the best glass just in case.
3- Because I can!?!? If you can afford a new (or decent) car, why drive a junker that might fall apart at any moment? Life is short.

Steve Bingham

Ditto. Always and without exception. Flare and loss of micro contrast are greatly reduced.

Steve Bingham

Hello Andre, My initial findings (October) got hammered pretty bad by some on dpreview - so I backed off. I take little pleasure in arguing. It is interesting to note that the DXO and Thom Hogan reviews verified a lot of my findings. Specifically, that the D7000 has a great dynamic range - especiall...

Steve Bingham

Well, first things first. I SCREWED UP. Man, am I embarrassed! A few of you caught my error with the D700 files in my comparison tests. And I THANK you for that. I was juggling three bodies and removing and replacing lens and my eyes failed me. My initial plan was to set all three cameras at apertur...

Steve Bingham

Here you go. More detail to follow. Lots of work. In short, the D7000 is a lot closer to the D700 than many think. Maybe even better!!!!!
http://dustylens.com/d7000_vs_d300_vs_d700.htm

Steve Bingham

Great tip, mere seconds. Problem fixed.

Thanks, Stany. As I have never used Nikon Viewnx before, I was puzzled.

Steve Bingham

An idea for Steve : I just received the ViewNX2.02 version from somebody and this way you can do a "real nikon NEF conversion" to TIFF. I am convinced that that conversion handles noise better than any third party solutions. I was trying conversions through ViewNX2.0.2 on some high iso po...

Steve Bingham

I am currently testing my D700 vs my wife's D300 and my new D7000. No more guessing!

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