The popular Web TV show, DTown TV, hosted by Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski is set to return on January 7 after a hiatus of several weeks. The show originally covered only Nikon products, but the new version will be expanded to cover DSLRs in general, including lighting, studio, on location, post-processing and other digital photography topics.
Matt Kloskowski is the Education and Curriculum Developer for NAPP. He has written several books on the Photoshop and Illustrator Adobe® applications, and is a trainer of international reputation.
I watched all 24 of the show’s original episodes and found them entertaining and informative.
Tripods are among the most under-used piece of photographic equipment. Many amateurs don’t bother with them because of the inconvenience of carrying this extra piece of gear around for an uncertain benefit to the quality of their shots. For years I have owned a tripod, but seldom used it. This all changed recently when I bought a 300mm f/2.8 lens which weighs a bit more than six pounds—add my D300 DSLR and I’m handholding 8lbs+.
From a distance, a Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) 1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 220
So, for me, a tripod has become a necessity, and therefore I need to master its use. To start with, I bought a gimbal-style tripod head (mentioned earlier), and I am now trying to get used to the new setup.
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 1/1250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Airborne Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 1/1250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
This means getting as much practice as possible with the tripod, and resisting the temptation to shoot handheld. This is a lot easier, of course, when the birds cooperate and sit still—something not at all guaranteed.
Mallard pair (Anas Platyrhynchos) cooperating nicely 1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Mallard drake (Anas Platyrhynchos) looking like he’s about to take off. 1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Mallard drake (Anas Platyrhynchos) taking off. 1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) 1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
So, am I happy with the results so far? To a point only. I believe I now have the optimum combination of gear for the sort of bird photography I like. The 1.7x teleconverter gives me a 35mm film equivalent of 750mm in reach—not so bad really. And at 300mm f/2.8 (35mm film equivalent of 450mm), this lens is still very usable handheld.
At times when the light is not bright enough, that f/2.8 is great. And even with a 1.4x teleconverter attached, I am able to work at f/4 with a 35mm film equivalent of 630mm in reach—not too shabby at all.
What I really need to work on is being able to quickly locate bird in flight in the lens and focus before it is out of range. A lot easier said than done.
It wasn’t a great day for photos—the water was rough and sky was gray—but I got a few “savers” anyway. I have not yet received my new tripod and Gimbal head, so I had to get used to hand-holding the 8+ lbs camera/lens combination.
Lens is a “beast” considering its fairly modest focal length, but it is so well balanced I quickly got the hang of it. Up until now, I’ve been using an 80-400mm zoom and a 300mm f/4, which each weigh half as much as the 300mm f/2.8. A six-pound lens does take getting used to, but the VR really helps.
Unfortunately, I’m so used to f/4 being my fastest setting, I never did try shooting wide open at f/2.8 … have to watch that in the future. On my next outing, I’ll try it with a 1.7x teleconverter.
The Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G AF-S ED-IF VR lens is a real gem. Among the sharpest, fastest lenses Nikon makes, this lens has the potential to elevate my photography to a new level—here’s hoping my technique will live up to it.
Everything about photography is relative. That’s why I can safely say that at 6.3lbs and about $5,400 CAD this is a light-weight, inexpensive lens. I am, of course, comparing it to others in the Nikon professional long-lens lineup, which includes legends like the 200-400mm f/4 (7+lbs, $6,800+ CAD), the 400mm f/2.8 (10+lbs, $9,700+ CAD) and the 500mm (8+lbs, $9,300+ CAD) and 600mm (11+lbs, $11,200+ CAD) f/4s.
For me, the 300mm f/2.8 is the perfect compromise. My other choice of lens to improve my nature and sport photography was the AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED. All other Nikon professional long-lenses were out of my reach financially.
At 6.3lbs and with Nikon’s excellent vibration reduction (VR) system, I can hand-hold the 300mm f/2.8, and the superfast f/2.8 maximum aperture allows fast shutter speeds even on dull days—characteristics I rate highly. Don’t underestimate the difference between f/4 and f/2.8: one stop of light increases the aperture by 100 per cent. That’s huge in low-light situations when I’m shooting birds and need high shutter speeds.
The 300mm f/2.8 is well balanced and handles like a dream. When I have enough light, I can add my 1.4x or 1.7x teleconverter to get 420mm and 510mm respectively. With the 1.7x teleconverter, for example, I have a 500mm f/4.8 VR lens weighing about 6.5lbs (750mm with my D300 camera’s crop factor). How sweet is that?
I have ten “test” shots I took in the field yesterday. I’ll start posting these later today so you can see the lens in action.
Nikon’s latest DX-format medium telephoto Micro (macro) lens is ideal for extreme close-up and general photography with continuous autofocus from infinity to life-size (1:1). The official name of the lens is AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR.
This is the latest in a series of DX lenses made specifically for digital SLRs with a 1.5x crop factor, i.e., one and a half times the size of 35mm film. On a DX format camera such as a D300 or D90, this lens is equivalent to 127.5mm in 35mm format.
Here are the highlights:
Closest focusing distance of 0.286 m/0.9 ft.
An optical system featuring an extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass element and optimized for DX-format digital SLRs
Vibration Reduction (VR II) enables sharper pictures while shooting at shutter speeds up to four stops slower than would otherwise be possible
Silent Wave Motor (SWM) ensures fast, quiet auto-focus operation
Internal Focusing (IF) without changing the length of lens barrel
The nine-blade rounded diaphragm opening gives out-of-focus elements a more natural appearance
Back on Oct. 6, I posted the fact that I had purchased a Nikkor AF-S DX 10-24mm F3.5-4.5G ED lens. What I did not do was include a sample photo in my post. The following image was taken at Lowville, Ontario, a village just north of Burlington where I live.
The building is St. George’s Anglican Church near the intersection of Guelph Line and Derry Road. You can see a larger version of the image by clicking on it. That will take you to Flickr.com and you can choose the “All Sizes” option above the image.
St. George’s is a pretty church set in the countryside with a graveyard on its grounds. Grave markers go back decades and are worth a walk through.
As to the Nikkor AF-S DX 10-24mm F3.5-4.5G ED lens, it performed flawlessly. This is my first ultra-wide-angle zoom (15-36mm on a film camera) so I was curious to see how much of a difference it really made. My widest lens had been an 18-200mm (27-300mm on a film camera) and I was delighted to see I could take shots from very close in that were impossible before. This was taken with the zoom set at 15mm (22.5mm equivalent on a film camera).
Nikon D300 DSLR, Nikkor AF-S DX 10-24mm F3.5-4.5G ED 15mm, ISO 200, 1/25 sec. at f/22 Exp. Comp = +1.84 (handheld)
I recently purchased the AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm F3.5-4.5G ED lens, an ultra-wide-angle zoom for DX format DSLRs. This is a mid-range lens that offers a minimum focus distance of 9.6 inches through the entire zoom range, and includes Nikon’s built-in AF-S motor. The specifications say it consists of 14 elements in 9 groups, including 3 aspherical elements and 2 ED glass elements to combat aberrations.
This is a DX lens so it is not intended for Nikon’s FX, full-frame, cameras. I am told, however, that it’ll work fine from 18 to 24mm on an FX. It is one of Nikon’s G-series lenses, meaning that, to lower costs, it has no aperture ring and is intended for use on digital cameras where the aperture is controlled by the camera’s command dial.
The 10-24mm has a nicely finished black plastic exterior and a metal mount. It incorporates a rubber ‘”O” ring around the mount to shield from dust. It is manufactured in China. This is not a “tank” like some of Nikon’s more costly lenses, but it’s well built.
What’s especially appealing about the 10-24mm lens is the 10mm focal length. In 35mm film terms this is a 15mm lens, a terrifically wide angle of view. This wide field of view allows you to capture an entire architectural site in a single image—no more stitching together multiple shots.
Also appealing is its close focusing distance. The 10-24mm focuses to 9.6 inches throughout its range.
Image quality so far seems impressive with the 10-24mm—and imperfections such as they are are easily corrected in postproduction.
Sharpness is excellent in the center of the frame, even wide open. Not quite as good, however, at the corners except at stops between f/8 and f/11. There is obvious barrel distortion at 10mm when you shoot, say, a brick wall. However, this isn’t noticeable in real world shooting. Anyway, lens distortion is correctable in postproduction.
The filter size is 77mm, but an ultra-thin filter works best on this lens—normal thickness filters will cause vignetting. The front of the lens doesn’t rotate when it focuses, which is great for filters such as polarizers. The lens comes with a lens pouch and flower petal lens hood.
The photographer, blogger, author and Photoshop guru, Scott Kelby, and his sidekick, Matt Kloskowski, offer a free podcast featuring Nikon gear. Each week, they bring us tips and tricks, news and accessories for Nikon’s Digital SLR cameras. The show is called DTown TV.
This is a first-rate video podcast series, which unfortunately only ran for 24 episodes. Taken together, however, the series provides a pretty comprehensive training program for new and intermediate Nikon users. Episodes 16 through 20 are a must-see roundup of Nikon lenses that even professionals could benefit from.
I’m a fan of both Kelby and Kloskowski so am a bit biased. Even then, I can virtually guarantee most Nikon users will benefit from the show.
For information about the use of this Web site, please read the Terms of Use.
Comments: Opinions expressed in comments are not necessarily mine. Comments are open to all, but are moderated and I will delete racist or offensive material, including use of foul language, hateful words and sexual content.
While I accept anonymous comments, I dislike the practice and seldom respond to them.
External Links: External links are provided for information purposes only. I do not endorse and am not responsible for the content of external sites—use them at your own risk.
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our Web site. These companies may use information (not including your name, address email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.
