Year in Pictures

BBC released their best photos of 2008 related to the top stories of 2008.

Disappointing Nikon HDR Experience

As I stated in one of my earlier posts, I was eager to learn HDR photography now that I have my new DSLR.

Unfortunately I’ve run into a couple of disappointments while attempting to learn this technique.

First, with the camera. After discussing with a fellow hobby photographer at work, he suggested using the auto-bracketing mode to help with HDR shots. Funny, I don’t recall an auto-bracketing feature while I was playing with my camera. And sure enough, after searching online, I discover this feature is not available on the D40x :(

Disappointment number 2? Finally got Photoshop CS2 installed and was eager to try its Merge to HDR feature. Took a series of shots, without a tripod. Carefully adjusting the settings to get a good range. Uploaded the photos to my computer. File > Automate > Merge to HDR…

“Could not complete the Merge to HDR command because a command was not available.”???

Found a page on the Adobe site and followed the series of suggestions, but none of them solved the issue. I searched for a while on the Web until I ran into this post. Half way down you see the real issue:

“Bingo. CS2 can’t read D3 NEF files. You need the latest Adobe Camera Raw for that, and it only runs under CS3, not CS2.”

You’re kidding me?

RAW vs. JPEG

Was playing around with features on my SLR and left the image quality setting on RAW. The following day we attended an engagement and took quite a few pictures (and filled up most of my memory card) before I realized that I had forgotten the setting and switched it back to a JPEG setting.

The following day I was uploading photos to Flickr when I realized that I wasn’t allowed to upload RAW files, at least not with my account.

You would think the software that came with my Nikon camera, Picture Project, would have such a feature. But I was disappointed to find out it didn’t. Then started the quest to find a RAW-to-JPEG batch converter. In my particular case, I was in need of a NEF-to-JPEG converter. Eventually I found one and converted the 100 or so pictures to JPEG before uploading them to the Web.

I then decided to do some research on the 2 formats to see when RAW is necessary. Found a good thread in a Flickr photography group that allowed folks to share their opinions. Overall, if you have the need and time to do post-processing on the image use RAW, otherwise stick to JPEG. I’ll probably use RAW when I’m in an artistic mood, but will use JPEG for the quick-shot family event photos. Although you never know when you need to do post-processing, and there is the option to shoot RAW+JPEG on my Nikon… man, I need to buy a new monster external hard drive. :(

One other handy recommendation when using RAW files on the Windows platform, be sure to install the Windows RAW image viewer.

Saves me time while I’m browsing through images on my laptop.

My First Digital SLR

After some research, I decided to purchase the Nikon D40x along with 2 lenses: the standard 18-55 II lens and the much acclaimed 55-200 VR DX lens.

The best deal I found was at Henry’s which offered a bundle with everything I wanted. Nikon also offered a $50 mail in rebate for the lens… sweet! And to complete the package, a 2GB memory card. I can’t say I truly shopped around. But was satisfied with this deal in comparison to the handful of others I checked out.

Reason I chose the Nikon D40x over the Canon XTi? … Both have similar ratings. I was told by a Black’s salesperson that the Canon was known for portraits while the Nikon more for scenes. Though I’ve already taken some nice portraits with the Nikon. From my research, the lens the Canon XTi comes with is mediocre. So I would have had to buy the body and lens separately. While the Nikon 18-55 is a solid lens. But it really came down to the way it felt in my hand. A lot of the posts I’ve read recommended holding both before deciding. The Canon felt awkward while the Nikon was more comfortable. Although the D40x doesn’t have a lot of AF compatible lenses to choose from out there in the market, I figured if I’m that into photography, by the time I will require the larger variety of lenses than those available for the D40x, I will likely upgrade the camera. Though I heard from the Henry’s sales rep that Sigma is coming out with some compatible lenses, wide-angle in particular, by spring 2008.

I’m not a D-SLR critic, but as a beginner I’m impressed with the camera so far, especially with the 55-200 VR lens. I would say it’s a must when you purchase the D40x. The quality of the picture’s with the lens is amazing.

Be sure to check out my Flickr page for my SLR photos coming soon!

Stuck in Customs

As you can tell by my Flickr side bar on this blog, I’ve taken a late interest in photography. Looking for a DSLR now, trying to decide between the latest Nikon and Canon. Do I need the latest? Would last years model be enough? Any help is appreciated.

Looking through my contact list in Flickr, I must admit I’m totally impressed by one photographer. His ID is Stuck in Customs:

As you can tell by the comments on each photo, I’m not the only one impressed. This guy has a following. He’s mastered a technique called HDR.

One I’m eager to learn.