Scout Images

I have had a very busy, but enjoyable weekend highlighted by not one, but two days spent hiking and the final night of Vivid Sydney 2010.

First off it was off to Ku Ring Gai Chase National Park for a day of light hiking. Having just written a post about going back to basics I was feeling a bit guilty about that poor D300 sitting around not doing too much so I lugged that and a few lenses for the day. Also in the bag for the day was my reliable Tamron SP 17-50mm f /2.8 as well as a few other lenses. Most importantly I decided to grab my Cokin filter set (ND Grads). We did two hikes, neither being very long, but the most rewarding photographically was the short 1km walk down the America Bay, where we were treated to a spectacular view that is not typical Australia.

The next day, instead of sleeping in and resting we headed out to La Perouse, to explore Bare Island and then headed onto the Henry Head Scenic Walk. I am less happy with the photos from the day, but it was still great to get out there and take pictures. I took the D60 and the 16-85mm VR with the Cokin filters (which I didn’t end up using) and didnt actually feel like I was restricted at all. In many ways I feel that I am now more in tune with the D60 than I am with the D300.

By this point in time, any sane person would be headed home to rest before having to go to work the next day, but not me. I got a call from a friend who had not been able to get out to Vivid Sydney, and it was the last night of the festival, so I could not refuse the invitation. Now I have mentioned Vivid Sydney a few times, but have yet to share photos. In short I have been collecting my photos from the festival until the end before bombarding you with a few of my favourites. As a whole I have to admit that the festival was not as good as it was last year, but it did have some highlights for me. Over the last year I have managed to accumulate a few lenses that and skills that I didn’t have last year so the pictures are not at a loss. That Tokina AT-X DX 10-17mm Fisheye certainly has proved its worth.

I was lucky enough to be dragged off to the Gold Coast for the June long weekend. Although I was not initially planning to go on this trip I made the most of it and took some photos. Due to the restrictions on baggage (I decided to save a bit of money and fly with carry on only) I only brought along my D60 with my new AF-S DX 16-85mm VR and this was complemented by my Sony CyberShot TX5.

Now most people would head to the Gold Coast in search of the thrills of the various theme parks up there, but this is not what I found myself doing. Instead I visited Springbrook National Park and Burleigh Heads National Park. Although both these trips were short ones, I did manage to get a few images worth sharing. There were countless points in time when I wished I had lugged up my D300 and associated lenses, and other moments when I wished for my tripod and graduated ND filters, but I made do with what I had.

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.

I have managed to get the camera out twice in the last week, the first time it was when I headed out to the city for coffee and cake (which became chocolate and chocolate). As an impromptu chance, I grabbed my Nikon D60 and it so happened that I had my Nikkor AF-D 50mm f/1.8, which meant manual focus.

Just yesterday I was given the opportunity to accompany a good friend to a shoot at a slightly different location. This was a model shoot at an abandoned warehouse/factory. This is not my usual sort of thing, but I brought out some toys and headed off with an open mind. What do you bring when you are not sure what you will be doing? I brought along my Nikon D300, Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8, Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR, Nikkor AF-D 50mm f/1.8, Nikkor AI 135mm f/2.8, Sigma APO EX DG 180mm f/3.5 Macro, Nikon SB-400, Nikon SB-600 and Nikon SB-800. Not everything got used in the end but I didnt feel like I missed out on anything.

It has been a bit of a long and enjoyable long weekend for myself, with a triple dose of photography, something that I have not been able to do in a long time.

First up was a compact only day, where a few friends and I did a pretty nice hike from Otford lookout down to Burning Palms and the Figure 8 pool. This hike is rated as “HARD” and really lives up to that rating, hence I didnt complain about only bringing a compact camera. So which compact did I bring? The Sony Cyber-Shot TX5 got the honours that day, mainly because it is so small and lightweight as well as being waterproof without a case, and it was in good company with a Panasonic Lumix LX-3 also in attendence.

This exercise was followed by a long nights sleep, but the next night I found myself hauling out an insane amount of gear to participate in a model shoot. My D300 got another decent workout, along with my AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 and AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR. Being a night shoot there needed to be light, so out came my Nikon SB-800 and SB-600. These were used in conjunction with some coloured gels and the diffuser panel from a Phottix 5-in-1 reflector.

I ended the ANZAC day long weekend with a trip out to the Royal Botanical Gardens. For this trip I decided to travel light, my shoulders still being sore from the weight of the previous nights adventures with the Lowepro Magnum 400AW, so out came my Nikon D60. If you remember my earlier post “Who needs a proper macro?” then you will remember that although I own a Sigma APO EX DG 180mm f/3.5 Macro, I dont always use or carry this behometh. This time, instead of using a Marumi close up kit with my Nikkor AF-D 50mm f/1.8, or my Tamron 70-300mm (1:2 Macro), I was using my Nikkor AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8 with a set of Phottix Nikon AF Extension tubes. My baby Nikon SB-400 and Phottix Duo Cable provided the lighting.

I have to apologise as I am still working on the Velvia scans as mentioned in this post. Also I have updated my gear location, at the moment I only have a SB-400, my other flashes are on loan!

I was recently up in the Blue Mountains, with a few intentions. To get away from reality, to get out there and take in some of the beautiful landscapes that are so close to us here in Sydney, and to try to re-shoot some of my lost photos (refer here).

So what does one bring on a trip like this? I didnt actually think too hard but settled for a quality over convenience kit, which in many ways I probably regret (the weight made me not so happy whilst we were hiking).

• Nikon D300
• AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8
• AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR
• AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8
• Tokina AT-X 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 Fisheye
• Nikon SB-400
• Phottix Geo One
• Phottix Duo Cable
• Cokin P-Series ND4
• Cokin P-Series ND8
• Lowepro Fastpack 350

Some Panorama action (Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 + Cokin ND4 + Cokin ND8)

Some HDR action (Tokina 10-17mm, 7 frames)

I came into work today and was surprised that we received a copy of the AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm F/4 VR. Now being me I could not resist giving this lens a once over.

So, mounted on a D3000 (first camera I grabbed) I had a peek.

Thoughts?

-SHARP – great in the centre all the way to the edges, a bit soft at edges at F4, but very good by F/5,6

-DISTORTION – noticeable, but not bad barrel distortion at 16mm, only seen because I shot some tiles

-CHROMATIC ABBERATION – present at the edges, but very small amounts and not something you would notice in usage.

I WANT ONE!!!

So if you were thinking about this instead of the 14-24mm do have a look.

PS. Build is very solid, rubber seal is present, both zoom and focus rings are nice…very 24-70mm like, but the lens feels like it is made from plastic rather than metal.

This morning I met up with some of the members of DSLRusers.com for one of our 2×2 meets. Today’s meet was a walk from Bondi through to Coogee, and the weather was not really on our side with intermittent rain that varied from light drizzle through to moderate showers. On the plus side the overcast skies allowed for great lighting.

Gear wise, I chose to bring along my trusty (and weather sealed) Nikon D300 along with the Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 and the Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8VR all inside my Lowepro Vertex 200AW. This gave me a weather resistant solution that would cover many needs even in demanding light. Also in the bag was my Tokina 10-17 fisheye and SB-800 flash, neither saw any service.

It has been a while since I have uploaded anything (well 9 days in fact) so I thought I would share some of the adventures that I have been up to.

Yesterday, I headed to the Australian Museum to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, which included an interactive photo studio component this year. Armed with my Nikon D60, Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8 and Sigma 180mm f/3.5 Macro I headed in. A prime kit? Between these two lenses I have everything I want, from close focus ability to candid captures, throw in the SB-400 and the Phottix Duo Cable I am ready to take on anything.

That evening I attended the DSLRusers/ex-SURCAS/current SURCAS fire night, an event that I had organised with the help of my friends from SURCAS. Although I was officially there as part of the photographic party, I was too tempted with the thoughts of playing with fire and spent a fair bit of time with the staff in hand. My D300 spent most of the night in the company of the Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 and my Manfrotto 055 Pro B/322RC2 combo. The Tokina 10-17 fisheye and Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR also made appearances.

I headed off to Taronga Zoo yesterday, taking with me my D300, 70-200VR and for the first time my Tamron 70-300mm. Another first for me was watching the free flight bird show. Here are some of the photos that I took on the day, but click through to the full gallery to view all the stars of the show. I managed to get some nice pictures of my favourite snow leopard.