Is (Digital) Medium Format all it’s cracked up to be?
by Harvey G (Photocommission.com) on Jan.30, 2012, under Camera, Gear, General, Hardware, News, Sensor, Studio
According to this MF photographer, there are limitations…
After receiving a newsletter from DP Review about the Phase One Mamiya – Leaf tie-up , one commentator, kb2zuz; (Kurt Heumiller)-USA, who shoots for the Yale Center for British Art, with a Hasselblad H3D-II 39 MS and H4D 50 MS, had this to say about the Medium Format debate (added below for those without restricted internet access):
What are the mythical advantages of sensor size (or the often related larger pixels)? Less noise, better dynamic range, shallower depth of field. I work with an H4D every day, … I can tell you this, at anything over 50 ISO it has worse noise than any 35mm “full-frame” digital I’ve seen. It has only slightly better dynamic range (and again, that’s only at 50 ISO). Yes with the 120mm f/4 lens it will have a shallower depth of field than an 85mm lens on a full-frame at f/4, but you can get f/1.2 lenses for full-frame. Most MF lenses are f/2.8 or slower, there’s a couple f/2.2 lenses… so there goes the DOF advantage. I use medium format every day and there are reasons for it: multi-shot uninterpolated images, no AA filter, and high megapixels. That’s about it.
I’m no expert on MF, but I’ve long thought it would be better than FF or APS-C in all regards, at that sensor size, and I’ve seen jaw dropping images by MF photographers, but there are other factors I should have taken into consideration, (continue reading…)
Lightly Killed and Crispy Fried (Monty Python)
by Harvey G (Photocommission.com) on Jan.16, 2012, under Flora and Fauna, General, Macro, Nature, Photography 101, Portfolio, Published, Road Trip, Sigma Photo, Wildlife, Workshop
Lunch Lizard © HarveyG Photography (seen on SigmaPhoto.com)
I lay flat on my stomach for an hour watching this guy catch his lunch during a workshop getaway in and around Hoedspruit, Limpopo, South Africa. Used a Sigma 100-300mm f/4 APO EX DG APO HSM full-frame non-stabilised lens on the D90 (Sadly it is discontinued by Sigma as they have replaced it with a 120-300mm f/2.8 and I’m counting pennies ;p ) This gives me the effective range of 150-450mm on the DX small-frame sensor of the D90. Distance to subject about 180 cm / 70.9 in right at the cusp of closest focus. A small 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 would also work as long as it’s the DG (full frame) and not the DC 18-250mm version. Note the low POV. Critical in getting more powerful images. I wished more people would do that with their pet images on Facebook!
The lizard polished off at least half a dozen insects and larvae in one hour. They are so fast that by the time he’s scampered to catch the fallen insect he’s half swallowed it already before you get a shot. You have to be spot on with focus and constantly alert. Shutter priority is the way to go and once you have mastered that go aperture priority but keep an eye on the shutter speed. At least double the speed of the maximum focal length of your lens to get a sharp unblurred image. In my case that would be 1/800th or more preferably 1/1000th. A bean bag is handy as this big lens weighs 1480 g / 52.2 oz, and gets harder to hold as time goes by, however the POV is then slightly higher and not so powerful a shot.
ETA 2012/01/19: ID just in! Thanks to to Trevor from Hardaker.co.za Common Flat Lizard (Platysaurus intermedius) Possibly male.
Watching him snack bugs reminded me of The Crunchy Frog sketch by Monty Python:
Happy New Year 2012
by Harvey G (Photocommission.com) on Jan.09, 2012, under Flora and Fauna, General, Print for Sale, Road Trip, Wildlife, Workshop
Well it’s back to the grindstone for most of us. Hope you all feel refreshed like these little guys and have a fabulous 2012!
Splish Splash - Crowned Lapwings aka Kiewiet (c) H Grohmann photographed during a Workshop at Rietvlei NR
and all those togs that can afford the new Nikon D4 should have a blast at the Olympics with it this year.
Topaz Labs 2012 Year End Special
by Harvey G (Photocommission.com) on Dec.26, 2011, under Gear, Software
Topaz Labs full & upgrade bundles 30% off till 01.01.2012 Click this link > TOPAZ LABS SPECIAL & use the coupon code “YearEndSavings”
Belated Christmas Gift valid till 01/01/2012 
Merry Christmas!
by Harvey G (Photocommission.com) on Dec.25, 2011, under General, News
Thank you for reading this past year. Hope you have a safe peaceful holiday and a prosperous 2012. More regular updates in the new year and some exciting happenings and offers. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook too!
Nikon ViewNX 2.2.5 Released
by Harvey G (Photocommission.com) on Dec.15, 2011, under News, Software
Many bug fixes and support for new cameras.
ViewNX 2 is all-in-one image browsing and editing software application for both still images and movies. It is a fun and easy-to-use application offering enhanced operation.
In addition to image browsing function, ViewNX 2 allows users to adjust image size and brightness, as well as offering new editing functions that enable cropping and image straightening for RAW-, TIFF- and JPEG-format images. Naturally, it also enables adjustment of such aspects as white balance and exposure compensation for RAW images captured with Nikon digital cameras. Smooth collaboration with my Picturetown, Nikon’s image storage and sharing service, has also been achieved. What’s more, Nikon Transfer 2 has been incorporated into ViewNX 2 for transferring images to a computer, and functions for editing movies, including one that allows you to trim movie footage, have also been included.Modifications enabled with version 2.2.5:
Modifications that apply to both the Windows and Macintosh versions
- Auto 2 is now available for selection from the list of White Balance settings in the Adjustments palette for RAW images captured with the COOLPIX P7100.
- An issue that prevented display of Exposure mode in the Metadata palette for images captured underwater in Easy Auto mode with the COOLPIX AW100/AW100s has been resolved.
- An Event box has been added under Description in the Metadata palette.
- Lens information is now displayed in the Metadata palette for images captured with the Nikon 1 V1 or Nikon 1 J1 using the Mount Adapter FT1 and a CPU lens.
Additional modifications to the Macintosh version
- Support for Mac OS X version 10.7 has been added.
Additional modifications to the Windows version
- An issue that prevented the editing of metadata, application of labels and/or ratings, or image rotation on some systems has been resolved.
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Thank you for visiting! I've been photographing since the early '80's. I started young, before the digital age. Thanks to film, every image was and still is thought out, perceived, anticipated, hand crafted. Passion is a word freely bandied about by 'togs but passion alone doesn't translate into powerful, emotive, memorable imagery.
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