pictures

Fun with Nikon

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

Picked up an old but babied Nikon D3s. Could never afford one when it was new but this was going for a very reasonable price so I treated myself for Christmas. I had a few Nikon lenses that I used with my Nikon D2Hs so I thought I would give it a try.

Of course my first love are my Fujifilm cameras and lenses but this camera is still very capable. I have since buying it added a few prime Nikon lenses that again were very reasonable price, older, like the camera, but still excellent.

It took a little time to get it set up the way I wanted for my picture-taking style but now that is done it is very easy to use, if a little heavy, and is capable of some excellent images with a little, and I mean a little, work in post. The lenses I chose and used for the pictures seen here, where the Nikon 50mm f1.8G and the 85mm f1.8D. If I were not a dedicated Fuji user I could see me using this as my daily camera.

Stepping back in TIME – Nikon D3s, 12 MP

cameras, opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures, street, Travel

I have recently been using Fujifilm cameras and lenses and absolutely love the results I get.

I got the opportunity to pick up a Nikon D3s, one camera I had always wanted to use and own but it was always out of reach financially for me. I was interested to see how this old venerable camera could stack up against the newer technology of the Fujifilm cameras.

Firstly, let me say, I had forgotten how strong you need to be to use one of these for a full days shooting, camera plus lens, is heavy. It’s like a brick. It is only 12MP which by today’s standards is small but as can be seen in the images above, it works. I found I had to use a little more thought in cropping within the cameras as less space available to crop in post.

Would I choose to use this camera for my street work, on a daily basis, maybe and maybe not. The camera is a superb, if a little dated, machine that gives great results up to now.

Photography is not about gear.

cameras, Fujichrome, fujifilm, Lenses, opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures, street, Travel, Uncategorized

To me, photography is not about the gear you use to make an image but about the image you make. Yes, it is nice to use a beautiful camera and a superb lens but if you get stuck on that merry-go-round your pictures may suffer. The old saying ” the best camera is the one you have with you” holds true. I always have tried to use what I think is the best camera, that I can afford because it pleases me, but it does not have to be the most expensive on the market. These days ALL cameras can make good images.

Taking photographs is about the ability to see an image using the equipment you have at hand, be that an iPhone or a Leica or any one of a hundred cameras in between.

Learning to see and anticipate is much more important than the actual camera you may choose to use. Each of the images here was taken with a different camera, either Canon, Nikon or Fuji, can you tell which I know I could not if I did not already know.

Certain types of photography such as sports or wildlife demand the use of certain types of equipment, long prime or zoom lenses, for obvious reasons, it would be next to impossible to shoot these kinds of subjects with a traditional point and shoot camera. These professional genres demand the use of professional equipment but this does not outweigh the skill of the photographer, knowing the game or the animal enables he/she to anticipate shots.

Specialised equipment is not always needed, and is not always available as with the pictures of the surfer which were taken with a Fujifilm X Pro2 mounted with the only long lens I had with me the XF 50mm f2. Placing yourself in the best position (on the pier closest the action) and with a little good anticipation (and judicious cropping in post) you can still make some good images.

Its is not always about equipment or camera but more about the skill of the photographer to know how and when to make the image.

Variation of themes in Photography

fujifilm, Lenses, opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures, street, Travel

Taking all kinds of pictures presents different challenges every time you use a camera. What do I want to say with the image, what lens should I use for best effect, is the image viable, ethical and possible.