Scout Images

I have come to realise that since I have not really posted many photos in the last few weeks. One may assume that this is because I have not been taking photos, but this is not the truth. Just in the last week I have been out and about a few times, but these are all going to be shared in one post after Vivid Sydney. I have been busy with my computer, but this has not stopped me from getting out there and taking photos.

Firstly, I would like to share a few images from almost a fortnight ago, when I went back to Cockatoo Island for another round of shooting. This time I restricted myself to only bringing and using my FujiFilm FinePix F100fd instead of one of my usual Nikons.

This camera has had a bit of a workout lately, being pressed into some low light work (which for a compact is not bad for) as part of my daily run to work.

Finally, I am both happy, and not so happy, to welcome another new lens into the family. This time it is the Zoom Nikkor AF-S DX 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. Why have I bought a consumer lens? The truth is that I would not have really considered this lens which causes me two large issues, a lack of FX compatibility and a the overlap with the other lenses I already own. However it does fill a void for me, it provides me with a very useful range, with reasonable image quality that will AF on my D60. As I will be travelling LIGHT very soon (next weekend) it has been welcomed into the family. Here are some of the shots I took with this lens.

Firstly I have to apologise for the lack of activity lately. I present the excuses of a higher than normal workload followed by some pretty nasty sickness. However, I did put together the beginnings of a comparison between Sony’s Exmor R (circa 2010) sensor and Fujifilm’s 8th Generation SuperCCD HR (circa 2008).

Fuji’s SuperCCD technology has long been the benchmark setting sensor in the compact camera market, producing the amazing F30/F31 (2006) compacts that have ISO performance that the compact cameras of 2010 are only starting to match. The technology has evolved quite greatly over the years culminating in the major redesign in 2008/9 to produce the current generation SuperCCD EXR, but the oversized octagonal photosites aligned at 45 deg remain.

Sony’s Exmor R sensor takes traditional CMOS and puts it on its head, literally. Traditional CMOS sensors have layers of circuitry overlaying the photosites, as you can imagine this is rather inefficient in capturing light. The Exmor R sensor has this reversed, it is the first backlit CMOS (ie. the circuitry in under the photosites) that has been mass produced.

These two technologies promise better light gathering abilities. As a long time Fuji user and the owner of a Fujifilm Finepix F100fd which utilises an 8th generation SuperCCD HR, I was keen to test the abilities of Sony’s Exmor R sensor, as a result I found myself the owner of a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX5. Unfortunately I have yet been able to source a SuperCCD EXR sensor for comparison, but lets see how 2yr old SuperCCD technology stacks up against Exmor R…..more

Firstly I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas (or commercial holiday if your inclined to call it that) and a Happy New Year. I hope that you all will have a happy, safe and relaxing break over this holiday period. I have had a very busy lead up into this period and will be looking to take a bit of break over this period, however I will be try continue to post updates.

I have done an evaluation of my current arsenal (details here, locations here) and am quite pleased to say that despite the foul luck I have had over this year, I have come into the holiday period with few casualties. My Nikon D300 comes into this period in pretty good shape having just been serviced, finally fixing the LCD issue, save for a damaged viewfinder eyecup (DK-23) for which a replacement has been ordered.  The only other stand out’s are my Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 (Model A16N) which is still awaiting the arrival of a replacement DA09 lenshood, to replace my damaged one.

Sadly, my Fujifilm FinePix F100fd is now listed as MIA (Missing In Action) as its current location is uncertain. I really hope it is found soon, otherwise I will be tracking down another to replace it (to keep my WP-FXF100 useful otherwise I will be out for another underwater casing).

Finally, I thought I would share some of my recent images taken whilst out with some friends at night.

You may have noticed that I have been very busy and have not been posting much over the last fortnight (until last night that is) so I thought I would apologise once more and share with you images of my recent travels.

Firstly, I headed off to Kanangra Boyd National Park (beyond the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves) with members of my old lab group from USYD. This was not a photographic expedition, but rather a scientific field trip to collect lizards to continue the work on the evolution of viviparity (live birth) – yes this was the broad subject for my honours year. As it was not a photographic trip, I restricted myself to bringing only my Fuji S5 Pro (the D300 was still with Nikon Australia), Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 and Phottix Geo One.

Soon afterwards (literally a two day break) I headed off to Kiama with some friends for an overnight getaway. However, the weather was not quite smiling down upon me so I did not get a lot of good photos. With me on this trip I brought along my Nikon D60, Nikon F80 (shooting Velvia 50), SB-400, Phottix Duo Cord, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 as well as the Tokina 10-17mm fisheye.

Then after a single day at home, I headed down to Hobart for a four day trip. This trip was meant to be pretty photo intensive, so between myself and my younger sister we had the entire kitchen sink bringing the, Fuji S5 Pro + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, Sigma 180mm Macro, Nikon D60, Nikon F80 (shooting Velvia 50 and Superia 200), Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8VR, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, Tokina 10-17mm fisheye, as well as the Phottix Duo Cord, Phottix Geo One and my trusty Nikon SB-400. This four day trip can be roughly split between four events:

Mt Wellington – standing behind Hobart, this landmark provides some great views of the city and surrounds

Cascade Brewery – Australia’s oldest continuously operating brewery, a great tour and some great drinks, I really enjoyed their Mercury Cider and the Cascade Lager (only available in TAS).

Bruny Island – untouched wilderness, some animal encounters and a hell of a ride in a 1400Bhp, 14m boat.

Salamanca Markets – a must see, a mix of craft and food and a great way to spend a day

I have only posted digital images taken with the D60 (as my younger sister was using the S5 Pro) with film images from the Superia 200 and the Velvia 50 to come if I have time.

Lastly, I thought I would share a few images from today’s bittersweet adventure where I welcomed back my trusty D300 but my good friend lost her D80.

I am very happy to say that I now have both my Nikon FM2n and my Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro back from Camera Service Centre. I have to say that the experience with getting these cameras serviced has been both pleasant and quick, other than a short wait for parts to come in.

My treasured FM2n was sent in for a general check up and to have the AI metering ring (the ring that couples with the tabs on the end of a non-G type Nikkor lens) replaced as the previous owner had removed the tab.

I had stupidly scratched the focus panel on my S5 Pro trying to clean out some stubborn marks in my viewfinder with a PecPad wrapped around a plastic spatula cut down for sensor cleaning. Turns out this focusing screen is more delicate than the image sensor itself!

So now, if you refer to where all my gear is, I am getting closer to having all my gear in my possession, something that has never happened before.

I have been roaming around a bit more and just thought I would share some of my latest photos. I think everyone is getting a bit sick of the Tokina 10-17mm fisheye, but unfortunately I am still carrying it in my bag and it is coming out a fair bit. Here are two new outings, the first was to go and see Sculptures by the Sea at Bondi Beach, where the Fuji S5 Pro got the honours of tackling the fast fading light.

NOTE: I finally caved and installed FinePix Studio…and have to admit that it is no where near as good as Capture NX2, but it did give me a bit more flexibility with my RAF processing (RAF is Fuji RAW).

I managed to take a few pictures today on the way home from work, and a few more tonight when the moon was out and playing hide and seek using the cloud cover. The D60 combined with the Tokina and my trusty Tamron 70-300 were used here.

I just thought I would share some pictures that I have taken recently. This first set was taken during a Breakfast meeting at Badde Manors (Glebe) with my trusty little Fujifilm FinePix F100fd. I have to admit that the food was as good as it looked.

Here are some pictures from today, I went for a walk around Darling Harbour, visiting the Brazilian Festival before heading over for a roam of the Rocks.  Once again I found myself with the wrong set up (it seems to be a happening a lot more often these days when I decide to go for a roam) having brought the Sigma 180mm macro instead of the Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR, however I did manage to get some decent shots with the Sigma used as a telephoto (one of the key reasons why I picked the Sigma 180mm over the Tamron 180mm – the slightly faster AF speed).

I realise that it has been a while since I have posted photos, SORRY. This is a combination of not having a lot of time to go shooting lately and even less time to process the few photos I have taken. Hopefully this will change in the near future with the addition of a lighter D60 which will mean I will be carrying around a DSLR more often (once I find the money to buy a smaller, lighter lens to match).

In the mean time I thought I would share some of the stuff that I have managed to shoot recently.

These were taken at North Head (Manly) a few weeks back. Most of these are HDR’s and a few variants of a HDR pano, which all take an immense time to construct. I have to admit that I am not happy with the results but I thought I would share my triumph over the technique. For this set I used my D300 + MB-D10 with either the Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8, Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8, Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR or the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. I also used my trusty Manfrotto 055 Pro B with the Phottix ball head and the Phottix Geo One on this occaision.

This set of images was taken during last weekends trip up to Palm Beach with some friends. This trip was more for an unwind so photography played second fiddle but both the D300 and the Fujifilm F100fd (and its waterproof housing) saw some action.

It is great to have a good excuse to go and take some photos, tonight I will be going to snap away for a group of friends performance at a local pub/hotel. It will be indoors, lighting will be questionable and I am not sure what to the stage setup will be like. Due to the short notice I have not had the opportunity to scout out the venue. My solution:

• Nikon D300 + MB-D10 – my workhorse, good at higher ISOs, great all rounder
• Fujifilm Finepix S5 Pro – my backup, good at high ISOs, unrivalled for colour
• Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 – fast and reliable it will cover me for anything that is shorter
• Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm F/2.8 VR – fast and reliable it will give me the reach that I will possibly need
• Nikkor AF-D 85mm f/1.8 – just incase I need that extra light gathering ability (thanks Brian for lending this to me on such short notice)
• Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 – fast, light and most importantly wider than my 24-70 this lens will come out if I need something wider.
• Nikon SB-800 – for when I need that extra light
• Nikon SB-600 – for when I need that extra light
• Manfrotto 680B + 234RC – if I need some extra stability

All carried in my Vertex 200AW, not the best event bag, but it lets me carry everything securely and comfortably.

Fingers crossed all goes well and photos will come up in the next few days.

Just an example of what I have done with a simliar kit.

The Fujifilm FinePix F100fd has become my compact camera of choice, it combines a formidable arsenal of features that makes it one of the most capble cameras of its type. Add the WP-FXF100 and you have an even more capable camera…more