Alaskan Bears: One safari, one camera, one lens: Life with the new Nikon 80-400mm AF-S VR Lens

Every July I return to Alaska to photograph the amazing Coastal Brown (aka “Grizzly”) Bears. Over the course of 15 years I’ve used over a dozen different cameras, and at least that many lenses to capture images. Typically at least one of my lenses would be a massive telephoto (400mm f/2.8 or 200-400 f/4, or 120-300 f/2.8). This year, as part of my ongoing effort to identify lighter, less expensive alternatives to large and extremely expensive lenses, I decided to shoot for the entire two safaris with “just” a attached to my Nikon D610. My hope was to see whether this new, sub-$3K lens could do a good job of subbing for larger, more expensive alteratives….


ArtRage 4.5: Solid Upgrade for top-notch painting program

While having a good painting program isn’t a requirement for most photographers, it can come in handy for sketching out ideas for the “bones” of an image (thanks to John-Paul Caponigro for effectively demonstrating that point to me originally). My favorite when I’m on Windows (or Mac) is ArtRage. The company has just released a solid update to version 4.5. I’ve been using the beta for awhile now and have been quite pleased with the new features…


Nikon D810 architectural Moire Test

One of the advances Nikon has made with the is the complete removal of the low-pass (aka anti-aliasing) filter. The Nikon D800e achieved a similar effect by adding a second filter layer to undo the effects of the anti-aliasing filter, but the move to eliminate it completely in the D810 goes a step further. The concern, of course, is the potential for increased moire, or color interference patterns, in small details. To test out the for moire in landscapes, I chose the Milwaukee skyline…


Record-breaking Nikon D810 full-frame DSLR now in stock…

B&H now has the new in stock. They have a limited supply, and will no doubt sell out soon. As tested by DxOMark, it set the all time image quality record with a score of 97 points (just beating out the D800 and D800e). I’m in the middle of field-testing my review unit, so I don’t have a full report, but wanted to get the word out before the first shipment disappears. As to what I’ve found so far…

Nikon D810: Solid upgrade to Nikon D800 -- Available for pre-order!

Starting in late July, Nikon will be shipping its anticipated update to the Nikon D800/e. The is an upgrade in nearly every aspect of camera and video performance, although each single change is not dramatic. Faster frame rate (5fps full-frame, 7fps DX with battery pack), improved Autofocus, improved sensor with better low-light performance, upgrades for videographers, and a removed low-pass filter (ala the “e”) with improved anti-moire are some of the highlights. The price is the same as the original Nikon D800e price – $3300. The new model will likely be very popular with owners of the current models, and with some D600 owners looking to get more resolution and a few more features. We’ll review the camera when it is available, of course! In the meantime, if you're gung-ho, you can .


Nikon D4S Field-tested: All the camera you can fit in one body

After two weeks of nearly constant shooting with the during my photo workshops in Texas, I am more impressed than ever with the camera. I’ve already posted about its ultra-high-ISO capability, but this field test was more about how it performed as an action camera in both good and poor light situations. In short, it delivered. The Autofocus is the fastest I’ve ever used, and the nearly instant triggering of the shutter allowed me to capture more peaks of action than with any other DSLR I’ve used….


Sigma 24-105mm f4 Global Vision Lens Delivers the Goods in our Field Test

by David Cardinal

There is no question that Sigma has really upped its game with its new family of Global Vision lenses. I love the GV-version of the , and continue to feel it is the world’s . This month I’ve had the pleasure of shooting with its new on both a and a . The short version is that the lens lives up to the Global Vision brand, but read on to see whether it might be the right mid-range zoom for you:


It’s not heavy, it’s my Nikon D4S

With apologies to various rock legends for ripping off their song title, that’s how I felt after shooting a concert yesterday with a review . I wanted to stress the low-light shooting capability of the camera, so I deliberately brought a slower zoom (my really handy ). That allowed me to be a little more maneuverable in the crowd, but forced me to bump my ISO way up. I picked ISO 25600 (I probably could have survived with half that, but I wanted to really push the envelope). In any case, the delivered in three really major ways:

Lightroom goes mobile: Hands-on with Lightroom for the iPad

Lightroom mobile displays each of your albums in a pleasing grid that you can use to select an image to work withAdobe has taken Lightroom mobile, announcing a highly simplified version for the iPad that syncs seamlessly with your main computer’s Lightroom collections. It is well-designed and a joy to use. I’ve been working with it for the last week, and have posted my . Frankly, the tablet I carry every day isn’t an iPad (it’s a Samsung Note 10.1 2014 Edition), but Lightroom mobile is one of the first apps that’s tempted me to bring an iPad along as well. It’s free to get started for anyone with a Creative Cloud or Photographer Program subscription from Adobe (you will need one of those, unfortunately for folks who’ve been buying Lightroom a la carte).

New Nikon 1 V3: Will you pay for a full-featured, full-priced, small-sensor camera?

Nikon’s compact interchangeable lens camera line, Nikon 1, has met with decidedly mixed success. Its small-size, extensive features, and reasonable pricing have made it a popular backup or “pocket-size” alternative to a full-size DSLR. However, Nikon’s choice of a relatively-small 1” sensor in the cameras has reduced their image quality to that of a high-end point and shoot (like the Sony RX-100, that features the same size sensor). Now Nikon has decided to push its luck a little further, with the same small sensor packaged into the new, feature-rich


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