Nikon D5000

When I heard rumors of this camera I laughed at the extra zero in the name. It seemed silly to have more numbers running off the camera. I didn't believe it. Well to my surprise, its here. To be honest I didn't keep up with the news because I'm tired of all of the cameras that keep coming out. Unless of course its a flagship or has new features that no one saw coming. Otherwise its the same thing. A box that captures light. Why do camera companies keep making these cameras? Here's what I think. Camera companies have the technology and tooling to make subtle changes and improvements a lot quicker than years ago. Think about it. Today I'll make a camera with a wide LCD screen. Next year I'll make one with a wider screen and a bigger battery. I'll rename the camera and add a couple of cool features (let's look past the leftover parts and old technology from last years model). Leak a few images on the web and what do we get? Sales! People who held off on buying the D90 will by this camera. Ok I don't know that for sure.

If you study cameras like I do, you'll know that this camera isn't new. The D5000 is basically a D60 and D90. For those of you out there that don't follow camera designs or don't study photography, you would think there was a difference. In my opinion, there isn't. Check this guy out. Shoots with an older 6 MP Nikon D40 released in November 2006. His pictures are great! If you want someone else to show you, look at Ken's pictures. These pictures were shot with a $250 point and shoot camera. Its probably cheaper now. If you have an old film camera you don't need a new digital camera. Read this.

My point is, you probably have a camera that is more capable than you think. Learn how to use it and have fun. If not go ahead and buy the Nikon D5000. We need to stimulate the economy.

P.S.

One feature that I'm interested in is the video. I'll eventually get one when it has true HD and full frame.

Super Duper!

I've been struggling with a solution for backing up all of my files for a while now. It would be easy if I had less than 15 Mbs like Corey. Then I would use my iDisk or Jungle Disk or whatever else is out there. There's no way I can benefit from these solutions because I have 300 Gigs. That is nothing compared to other photographers who have terabytes of data. But still, I have many files that are important to me and I have to keep them safe.

I've been using SuperDuper! and it's awesome. It is very easy to use and its perfect for me right now. Until I by a Drobo this is what I have to do:

1. Back up all new files to my 500 gig portable drive

2. Plug my portable drive and 500 gig My Book drive into my MBP

3. Launch SuperDuper! and do a Smart Update

The SmartUpdate checks the portable drive for new or changed files and transfers them to the 2nd drive. It skips any old or unchanged files. I then repeat the process with the My Book drive and another drive because I want redundancy. Its really fast and has sped up my backup process immensely.

I have friends who have lost data from a hard drive. Do yourself a big favor and learn how to back up. Its a terrible feeling once you experience the loss of data especially family photos.

My Birthday

I haven't posted in a while because I've been busy with a bunch of other things. With that said today is my birthday and my friend Corey sent this video to me. I'm not sure how he did it but it made me laugh so much that I wanted to share it with you. Funny thing about it was that he told me this was his Geeky way of saying Happy Birthday. So funny.

Who the hell are these people??

Lake Elsinore

Nikon D700, ISO200, F11, 4s

Barb Wire

Shot this downtown last week. For the first time in a long while, I actually shot for myself. Just taking pictures of interesting things and colors. I had fun. I shot all 3 of my cameras. Black and whites are more impressive if they are printed out. Actually, all photos are more impressive if they are printed out!

_Vince

War Photographer

I don't own a TV. If I feel like watching something I watch Hulu. 

I learned about an episode called "In harms way" from two photographers I ran into last Friday while shooting downtown. This particular episode shows 2 photographers shooting in Gaza along side the militants. Seriously insane, I might die any minute- Chaos. Seriously is it worth it? How much money can you possibly get for that? I wonder what the photographers families are thinking. The girl is shooting with a D300, a D3 and she uses a Mac! The guy shoots Canon and uses a PC. Sad.

If that isn't being in the mix, I don't know what is. I mean, can you imagine, trying to focus a shot, adjusting your aperture and then bang!! You've just been shot in the neck and you missed the shot. 

I'll stick with the portrait stuff without the tear gas.

_Vince

Nikon D3x

Finally a high resolution camera for studio and landscape work. For many years Nikon shooters have been asking for this camera. Specs are here. Price for the D3x..$7,999.99. 

This wasn't much of a surprise on December 1st because there were already leaked photos and specs on the web. There was also an early release of a photo magazine that had all the info in it before Nikon announced the camera. I have a feeling the magazine goof was planned by Nikon or Nikon didn't ship the magazine on the right day to coincide with the release on Dec. 1st. Either way who cares? I think its funny.

One thing that wasn't expected was the price. Many photographers including professionals are upset about the price. $7,999.99 is a lot of money for a D3 with more mega-pixels. I know what its like to spend $5,000 on a new camera. I also know what its like to shoot with a pro camera. I have no problem spending the money if it works and it gives me superior results. 

Here is a lengthly post on the topic. My 2 cents, if you can afford it and have a use for it, then you'll buy it. If you can't and don't then you won't. For all the complainers out there, obviously you are not making enough money with your work to justify the cost. Just admit it and stop complaining. Pro Photographers like Mike Colon and Dave Black WILL buy this camera and they WILL use it to make more money. My point is, if you need it, find a way to buy it and make money with it. Otherwise buy a D3, D700, D300, D90, D40x. 

Andrew

Andrew has grown to like me. I remember the first time I took his picture. He was mad about everything including the shirt he had to wear. Now look at him :)

It's been a while since I've been on Ron Reznick's site. I came across some images that looked very familiar. I realized that the pictures were from the Navajo Tribal Park. The images show an elderly lady who I met many years ago when I worked in the commercial industry. She has been living in this Tribal Park all her life. I can't tell from Ron's images when these photos were taken. It's amazing that she still lives out there, alone in that little Hogan. Ron's images are always perfect. He is a very technical shooter. He understands his equipment and his pictures show it.

By the way, fellow Nikon shooter.

Kodachrome

                              

Ok this may be silly to some of you. Especially if you're not old enough to remember this song. I was forced to listen to these "Oldies but Goodies" because my Dad listens to this music. I remember listening to this song when I was younger. Now that I am older and I shoot with Nikon cameras, the song makes sense. Now I understand what the hell he is singing about! I really love this song.

For those of you who need help, Kodachrome is a very old film made by Eastman Kodak. It was first introduced in 1935. It is a highly regarded film for its saturation and tonal range and was used by many Professional photographers years ago. The film was made in many different sizes but now is only available in 35mm. You probably remember this shot of the "Afghan Girl" taken in 1984. I do. It's a very famous portrait of a girl who doesn't speak english. She had no idea her picture was made famous around the world because of her powerful stare and beautiful green eyes. This picture won many awards and was shot on Kodachrome. 

Nikon D700

Didn't think I'd get the camera so soon but here it is. The latest addition to the family, the D700. The first shot I took was the one of the D2x and F5 above at 6400 ISO and it looks great. Click on the picture to see a bigger view. Not as sharp as I would like but that was because of my lack of steadiness. Straight from the camera no adjustments and you can barely see noise. I've learned through printing even though there is noise with the D2x at high ISO (800 and above), it doesn't really show up in prints. So it's ok to push it. Now that I have the D700 there are no worries at all. By the way, I think I'm going to hang on to the D2x for a little longer. It's an awesome camera and still serves a purpose. I also just realized with my Preview program with Apple, it shows the shutter count on the D2x at 11,650 clicks. 

Damn I'm excited! I won't write a review of this camera because they're already on the web but I will be sharing photos. You know one thing I'm going to have to get use to is the different button layouts on the D700. A lot different than the D2x and certainly different than the F5. Yeah Jen you're right, I am crazy. 

Cameras

Pro Cameras can be very expensive no matter what brand you buy or what model you choose. I have always liked the way the Nikon cameras look and feel. There is also the Canon line up as well as Pentax, Sony and Fuji. Recently many new cameras came out as well as lenses and software. I guess what I'm getting at is that its about time I spend money again and buy the latest camera. I'm not sure if I am going to keep the D2X but I will definitely keep the F5. 

I'm keeping the film cameras around because I want to learn how to develop by hand. Some people may laugh at this but I think its only a matter of time before people start going retro and wanting to relive film.  Kind of like when you restore an old car or even an old super cub. 

My friend Liza Orozco still only shoots film and she is really talented. She is off to Ireland for a year so I won't be able to spend time with her but that's ok. I can shoot now and ask questions later.

_Vince

Steely Dan-Peg

                              
I found a few songs that have some relationship to photography. I've heard these songs for many years but never really listened to the lyrics. Today I watch the videos and they were really cool. Hard to believe this one is 30 years old. I'll post another one in a few weeks. 

After looking up the facts about this song, supposedly it was written about a young girl who wanted to be a star. The director/photographer promised her a big break. Who knows if she ever made it.

Nikon D90

Anybody who knows me understands my passion for photography and technology. They also know that I am a Nikonian. I love the way the Nikon cameras look and feel. The cameras are designed for rugged use, ease of operation and they just look awesome. From the buttons, to the dials, to the black wrinkle paint they spray on them. Nikon cameras are simply designed and manufactured with quality in mind. Once again, Nikon has designed a camera that exceeds the competition. 

Here is the Nikon D90. Another perfect example of leading technology that no one has thought of. Developing a high res camera that you can shoot video with. If you are interested, check out Nikon's website with the video demos. Here is another link with a lot of info. This opens a whole new world of possibilities with depth of field and wide angles lenses. 

I need a D90. 

Pizzicato Five

                           

I use to listen to Pizzicato Five long time ago. I had the CD and I'm sure the songs are in my iTunes. I can't remember how I came across their music but I really liked their sound and funky style. I don't know what made me search for them on YouTube but here it is. Does anyone know who the brotha is? 

Downtown Art

Artwork from downtown L.A. You can find this type of work in the Arts district. I've driven by there many times but never took pictures. This past Sunday I had the F5 and D2x with me so I stopped and took a few. I haven't developed the film yet. I shot Kodak Ultra Color UC100 film. It will be interesting to see what the colors look like on film. 

 

NASA & Nikon

I've heard and read in the past that Nikon cameras have been used in space. Pretty cool to know that these cameras and lenses are capable of being used in these extreme conditions. The cameras are the same as the ones sold commercially, except for a different Braycote lubricant grease that is spec'd by NASA. Click on this link to see the order for the D2x. Hasselblad has also been used in the past. 

Click here if you're interested in seeing a list of Nikon Digital cameras. 

Drobo

This is really cool. I've known about this storage device for a while but my good friend Corey Fisher just brought me some good news. The new Drobo has Firewire 400 & 800! This is good for all of you photogs or music hogs :) who have a lot to store. Basically you add up to 4 hard drives to this box to store your data. It's hot swappable which means you can change out hard drives while its on. And with hard drives getting less expensive, you can always increase your capacity whenever you need more room. I personally use an external eSata drive and its FAST, even faster than FW800. I still like the storage and ethernet capabilities of the Drobo. I'll be buying one.

_Vince

Nikon

Unbelievable. It wasn't too long ago that many people on the web were saying how Nikon made noisy, inferior cameras. So the D3 comes out and many people couldn't believe what they were seeing. Incredibly clean High ISO images, full frame and fast! Then not so long after, the D700 comes out. It's capable of 95% of what the D3 can do and at $2000 less. Its funny how so many Canonites were talking trash and yet many of them have recently switched. I never liked the plastic cameras or plastic mannequin-like images the Canon cameras produced. I can understand why they're switching. Remember the focusing mess Canon got themselves in with the 1DMarkIII? You won't get that with Nikon. Bring on the flames.

_Vince

Hasselblad

Yeah I've been away. Finally shot some 6x6 film this weekend. I'll process the roll soon and post them. That is if they come out right :)