Month: December 2024

The Nikon D700

cameras, Lenses, Lowepro, opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures, street, Travel, Uncategorized, war

The Nikon D700 is a beloved camera among photography enthusiasts and professionals for several reasons:

  1. Full-Frame Sensor: It features a 12.1-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor, which provides excellent image quality and low-light performance.
  2. Build Quality: The D700 is known for its robust and durable build, making it suitable for various shooting conditions.
  3. Autofocus System: It has a 51-point autofocus system with 15 cross-type sensors, ensuring precise and fast focusing.
  4. High ISO Performance: The camera performs well at high ISO settings, allowing for great shots in low-light environments.
  5. Continuous Shooting: It offers a speed of up to 5 frames per second. An optional battery grip can increase this to 8 frames per second.
  6. Versatility: The D700 supports a wide range of Nikon F-mount lenses. Including older AI/AI-S lenses, making it a versatile choice for photographers.

Overall, the Nikon D700 is praised for its combination of image quality, build, and performance, making it a reliable choice for many photographers.

What is so good about its sensor ??

The Nikon D700’s sensor is highly regarded for several reasons:

  1. Full-Frame Sensor: The 12.1-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor provides excellent image quality with a wide dynamic range and rich colour depth.
  2. Low-Light Performance: The sensor performs exceptionally well in low-light conditions, producing clean images with minimal noise even at high ISO settings.
  3. Detail and Sharpness: The sensor captures fine details and sharpness, making it ideal for various types of photography, from landscapes to portraits.
  4. Versatility: The full-frame sensor allows for greater control over depth of field, enabling photographers to achieve beautiful background blur (bokeh) and more creative compositions.

Overall, the sensor in the Nikon D700 is a key factor in its reputation for delivering high-quality images in a variety of shooting conditions.

The Nikon D700’s autofocus (AF) system is highly praised for its performance and reliability. Here are some key features:

  1. 51-Point AF System: The D700 features a 51-point autofocus system, which includes 15 cross-type sensors. This ensures precise and fast focusing across a wide area of the frame.
  2. 3D Tracking: The camera’s 3D tracking feature allows it to follow moving subjects accurately, making it ideal for action and sports photography.
  3. Low-Light Performance: The AF system performs well in low-light conditions, maintaining accuracy and speed even in challenging lighting situations.
  4. Customizable Settings: The D700 offers various AF modes and settings, allowing photographers to customize the autofocus performance to suit their specific needs.

Overall, the AF system in the Nikon D700 is one of its standout features, providing reliable and accurate focusing for a wide range of photography scenarios.

The Nikon D700’s shutter is indeed rated for 150,000 actuations, which is a realistic estimate for its lifespan. However, it’s important to note that this is an average figure. Some shutters may fail earlier, while others can exceed this number significantly. Many users have reported their D700s lasting well beyond the 150,000 mark2. If the shutter does wear out, it can be replaced, allowing the camera to continue functioning.

So, while 150,000 actuations is a good benchmark, individual experiences may vary. If you’re a heavy shooter, it’s always good to keep an eye on the shutter count and be prepared for potential maintenance down the line.

The Failure of Fleetwoods Fishing Industry

opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures, war

Fleetwood, once a bustling fishing port in Lancashire, saw its industry decline dramatically over the decades. In the 1950s and 60s, Fleetwood was home to around 120 trawlers, employing about 11,000 people directly and indirectly. However, several factors contributed to the industry’s downfall:

  1. Cod Wars: The disputes between the UK and Iceland over fishing rights in the North Atlantic during the 1970s severely impacted Fleetwood’s fishing industry. Iceland’s restrictions on fishing in its waters significantly reduced the available fishing grounds.
  2. Government Policies: In the 1990s, many fishermen sold their boats under a government decommissioning scheme to preserve fish stocks.
  3. Economic Shifts: The rise of imported fish and changes in the global fishing market also played a role in the decline.

Today, Fleetwood fishing industry is a shadow of its former self, with only a handful of trawlers remaining. The town has shifted its focus to fish processing and other industries to sustain its economy

The Cod Wars were a series of confrontations between the United Kingdom and Iceland over fishing rights in the North Atlantic. These disputes took place between the 1950s and the 1970s and were primarily about the control of fishing grounds around Iceland.

  1. First Cod War (1958-1961): Iceland extended its fishing limits from 4 to 12 nautical miles, which the UK did not recognize. This led to several confrontations at sea.
  2. Second Cod War (1972-1973): Iceland further extended its fishing limits to 50 nautical miles. The UK again did not accept this, leading to more clashes.
  3. Third Cod War (1975-1976): Iceland extended its fishing limits to 200 nautical miles. This time, the conflict was more intense, with both sides using naval vessels to protect their fishing fleets.

Each of these disputes ended with Iceland achieving its goals. Largely due to its strategic importance during the Cold War and its threats to withdraw from NATO.

The Cod Wars had significant economic and social impacts on British fishing communities. Leading to job losses and changes in the fishing industry.

Read On and Learn

fujifilm, Lenses, opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures, street, Travel
The Art of Photography: Beyond Megapixels and Cameras

The exposure triangle

cameras, film, Fujichrome, fujifilm, Lenses, opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures, processing, street, Travel

The exposure triangle is a fundamental concept in photography that helps photographers understand how to control the exposure of their images. It consists of three elements: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Here’s a breakdown of each component and how they interact:

1. Aperture

  • Definition: The aperture is the opening in a lens through which light passes to enter the camera.
  • Measured in: f-stops (e.g., f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6).
  • Effect on Exposure: A larger aperture (smaller f-stop number) allows more light to hit the sensor, resulting in a brighter image. A smaller aperture (larger f-stop number) allows less light, resulting in a darker image.
  • Effect on Depth of Field: A larger aperture creates a shallow depth of field, blurring the background and isolating the subject. A smaller aperture increases the depth of field, keeping more of the scene in focus.

2. Shutter Speed

  • Definition: Shutter speed is the amount of time the camera’s shutter is open, allowing light to hit the sensor.
  • Measured in: Seconds or fractions of a second (e.g., 1/1000s, 1/250s, 1/30s).
  • Effect on Exposure: A faster shutter speed allows less light to hit the sensor, resulting in a darker image. A slower shutter speed allows more light, resulting in a brighter image.
  • Effect on Motion: A faster shutter speed freezes motion, making it ideal for action shots. A slower shutter speed can create motion blur, which can be used creatively to convey movement.

3. ISO

  • Definition: ISO measures the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor to light.
  • Measured in: ISO values (e.g., ISO 100, ISO 400, ISO 1600).
  • Effect on Exposure: A lower ISO value makes the sensor less sensitive to light, resulting in a darker image. A higher ISO value increases sensitivity, resulting in a brighter image.
  • Effect on Image Quality: Higher ISO values can introduce noise or grain into the image, reducing overall quality. Lower ISO values produce cleaner images with less noise.

Balancing the Triangle

  • Interdependence: Changing one element of the exposure triangle affects the others. For example, if you increase the aperture size (lower f-stop), you might need to increase the shutter speed or lower the ISO to maintain the correct exposure.
  • Creative Control: Understanding the exposure triangle allows photographers to make creative decisions about how their images look. For instance, they can choose to blur the background with a wide aperture or capture motion with a slower shutter speed.

Mastering the exposure triangle is essential for achieving the desired exposure and creative effects in your photography.