Nikon D90 Official: First DSLR Ever With HD Video Recording

I just found a video of a pro who’s been secretly testing the D90. Is it the new D3 for me I wonder?

28mm - 419mm equivalent lens on a 35mm camera

Tamron announces 15x zoom lens for Nikon, Canon DSLRs – Engadget

I have always been a believer that the best Nikon lens are the ones made by Nikon themselves. You do pay a premium for them but always worth the money.

“This lens could knock Nikon’s 18-200 VR out the water…”

This beast from Tamron has given me pause for thought. It has a 15x zoom range which is unheard of in the SLR world which gives the travelling photographer a huge advantage by not having to carry many lenses around with him. My current ‘all-rounder’ lens is the excellent 18-200mm VR by Nikon. Because of it’s wide zoom range and VR stability it is easily the most practical and versatile lens I have but this Tamron could potentially knock it out the water….BUT there have always been build & glass quality issues with Sigma and Tamron lenses.That is not to say these lenses are bad, they are certainly worth the money you pay for yet consistently they are always being outperformed by Nikon glass. It is that old money VS quality factor which all of us faces in any passion we persue… even women

A member of Engadget called Razor posted something that summed up a good reason for choosing (or not choosing) this lens.

This is meant mainly as a travel lens, much like the Nikkor 18-200 VR. I don’t think Tamron is marketing this as a replacement for primes, or “pro-level” zooms. It cannot give perfect image quality. I’ll wait to see photo samples before I pass judgment.

My principle concern is build quality. Overall I am not impressed with how Tamron builds lenses, but I’m spoiled on glass like my Nikkor 70-200 2.8 VR, or my Nikkor 105 2.8 VR.

I think there are a good deal of photographers who buy fast lenses for the wrong reasons, like shooting wide-open all the time to avoid flash use.

My point, is that stopping down is often necessary and a f6.3 on the tele-end is not necessarily a deal breaker for portability.

I shall be keeping a close eye on this lens and keep you folks informed.

Other sites covering this lens are:

Popphoto.com

DPReview.com – as always DPReview have gone into some detail and is an excellent read.

Digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras are the standard tool for serious photographers. With the introduction of cameras such as the Nikon D40 and the Canon Digital Rebel XTi the market for digital SLR cameras has expanded tremendously. A point-and-shoot compact digital camera can offer reasonably good image quality, but a digital SLR, which usually looks a lot like an old standard 35mm film camera and may use the same lenses, offers the following advantages:

Canon EOS 20D and 70-200/2.8L lens; note the blurred background from the f/2.8 aperture

* accurate, large, and bright optical viewfinder

* fast operation and large controls

* excellent image quality in low “available” light situations when it is necessary to use higher ISO speeds

* interchangeable lenses

Digital Photography Basics: learn how to build a digital SLR system – photo.net

Today, I discovered on the very popular Digital Photography Review just how much more popular Canon are. The list below does include point and shoot cameras. If I were to buy a compact camera then I would choose Canons.

Nikon D700 Digital SLR First Look Preview

A detailed view on the new Nikon D700. I’m watching this camera very closely especially with comparisons to the big daddy Nikon D3. There is a detailed comparison between the D700, D300 and the D3. As owners start posting their photos and opinions you can be sure this photograph will be trying to get his hands on one soon.

Suzanne, one of the guests at the Anniversary

FUN FUN FUN!! I just knew this would be a great evening when a client asked me to document her grandparent’s 60th anniversary together. I’ll be posting photos as I edit them, but I just wanted to write how awesome my job is.

Some of the men at the anniversary. It is John's (guess who he is) 60th wedding anniversary

A very special thanks to Kelly who was my assistant photographer last night. She really helped by taking alot of the time pressure off me as I was only allowed 90 minutes to shoot over 30 specific shots the client needed me to take so while I was taking the formal shots in a studio I had setup, she was taking the candid casual shots. We really make a great team and had lots of fun!!

Absolutely commited rock. As well as the sound I was very impressed with their pressence and performance; for such a small venue they really rocked it out; the crowd was immediately behind them. Now remember Aylesbury is just know for it’s Ducks so three members were a breath of fresh metal to my ears.

Shooting the band.

By the time the lads came on, it was getting quite dark so the lighting conditions had to be compensated. I couldn’t use the wider 18-200 because of the poor lights so I really needed my 70-200mm to do it’s job and it really did pay for itself! Like Lisa’s set I shot from the back to mix up the shots a bit then I went in for the close ups. The lead singer Dan was giving it all his worth; his voice was just demanding to be heard. This showed in his physical performance and was just brilliant to photograph. He commited to everyword, screamed every high note and “rocked out” during the guitar sections.

But it was the lead guitarist Paul Jackson who really showed anyone starting out how to fill a venue with high energy and passion. He really sold his playing to the crowd and the photos were just a joy to shoot!

One disappointment (from a photo point of view) was I couldn’t get a clear shot of the drummer Matt. He had his head hung down most of the time and because of he has long hair i couldn’t get a clear shot that I was happy with. I regret not focusing more on him, the drumming was just as commanding as the other two members. There is some good though, as he was leaving I managed to grab him, introduce myself and got some candid photos of him. The light was poor but I saved it using some post production in Lightroom.

It was the weekender at a local pub, I couldn’t attend on Saturday beacause of conflicting photo assignments, but I am so glad I went last night. I saw 3 acts, Lisa was the first one I caught. She played a great set and was always natural infront of the camera. That’s the wonderful thing about bands, they’re always prepared to be photographed and don’t mind you taking shots.

Lisa and the band played to a receptive crowd, there was quite a buzz with many people enjoying the music.

From a photography perspective, I was initially conscious not to get in the crowd’s way; so I took out my big 200mm lens and shot most of the first few songs from the back. Once I gauged the temperment of the crowd I was able to move to the front, sides and sometimes behind the band!