...this laptop is ice cold!

"What the...?" you might think? Oh, nothing, I just stood outside in about 40 degree weather for over an hour, to do a 1,967 second exposure on the D300...

Gotta test the camera, ya know? Make sure it can stand up to some, well maybe not extreme, but DIFFERENT conditions? I can't just buy a weather sealed camera and lens and not put it to good use, right? (There was fog on the polarizer by the end of the exposure. Mmmm.)

I set long exposure NR (noise reduction) on, to remove any "christmas light" noise that can appear even when you're shooting at ISO 100, and any thermal noise that might come from a hot spot on the sensor. (Major thermal noise on the D70, for example) With long exposure NR on however, the camera has to double the sensing time, so another 1,966 seconds after the shutter closes, the camera keeps sensing so that it can determine what is noise and what is not.

So the camera was sensing for a grand total of 3,934 seconds, or 65 minutes, not counting the half dozen 30 second exposures I made to gauge the perfect long exposure.

Surprisingly, The D300's high-tech battery meter reads out that it's still at 57%. WOW! Even a 20 minute exposure on my D70 (40 mins of sensing) would completely exhaust the battery. And that was at 6 megapixels compressed RAW, not 12 megapixels loss-less compressed RAW!

Next I'll have to test shoot without long exposure NR, since I hear rumors that thermal noise is non-existent with the D300, and then also in a nice warm situation where the battery isn't taxed so much... Given the right conditions, I might be able to expose for over an hour with a DSLR!!! Wow, how far we've come with digital.

Oh, you wanna see the picture? I thought you'd never ask:

Nothing spectacular, in fact I've shot this composition many times before. I was HOPING that since it was a new moon, I might be able to get SOME star trails in the photo. But alas, in suburbia there are no stars visible this close to the horizon, I guess. And I'm gonna need to find a lens that has no flare, if I wanna do this in earnest... (lens used: Nikon 17-55 2.8 DX)

Moving on to the real exciting results of the test, here's a 100% crop from the original 12 MP image:

And next for the jaw-dropper, here's one of the shots at ISO 1600 that I used to help calculate the exposure for ISO 100:

SHARP and CLEAN! (Disclaimer: Yes, I used noise reduction. But both images received the same exact NR, which is the important part. And NR is pretty much a given when it's just one click away in Bridge / Lightroom. I practically leave chroma noise reduction at 25-35 all the time since it's so non-destructive. I hardly ever touch the luminance NR, though I did a tiny bit in this case. Again, this is not a sterile lab test, this is a REAL WORLD test, and in the real world I use NR... And yes, I also used sharpening in BR. Sharpening is also a given in the real world.)

But wait! The discerning eye will see more sharpness in the ISO 1600 image, even though they have been processed EXACTLY the same. Why? ESPECIALLY when the ISO 1600 image was shot wide open at f/2.8?

Diffraction. The ISO 100 image was shot at f/16, cause it's so dang BRIGHT in suburbia!!! Stopping down to f/16 causes light diffraction and softens the image a little bit. (don't ask how, the answer involves confusion, literally!) Stopping down to f/22 would have been slightly worse. The sweet spot of a lens on DX is usually f/8 and f/11, FYI... A full-frame 35mm sensor can do f/16 with much less diffraction, since the pixels are like twice as big, BTW...

(No, the softness is NOT at all affected by the fact that ISO 100 on the D300 is "LO 1". This was another thing I tested extensively. The only thing you lose by dropping to ISO 100 is a tiny bit of highlight range, which was not an issue in this image...)

Hopefully sometime I'll be able to get away from suburbia, and put the "f/8 and be there" saying to good use... Although heck if I don't need the DOF I could shoot a lot closer to wide open, like maybe f/5.6 or f/4 even, if f/2.8 on this lens is already THAT tack sharp!

So, there you have it, a tiny peek into nocturnal, long-exposure photography! Hopefully I've sparked your curiosity for more?

I'm just itching to get together with some fellow photographers who are interested in pushing the "limits" of their cameras!

=Matt=

Hey, I want one of these for my birthday, okay?

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08010804pretec48gb.asp

DAYUM!!!

Actually, I'd never put THAT big of a card into my camera, I would be so afraid of the entire thing corrupting and losing ALL my photos... (It would hold what, TEN to TWENTY THOUSAND 12 megapixel JPG files?)

HOWEVER, what that kind of card would be GREAT for would be a pocket backup. You could back up your entire portfolio and a dozen recent weddings, and keep it in your wallet or your car or a safe deposit box, anywhere.

Now I've just told you all my top-secret backup idea!

=Matt=

In the beginning, the internet was void of color management, and it was bad. Very bad.

Then there was Safari, and a few other browsers, and they tried their best but only made things more complicated and confusing.

Soon there will be Firefox 3, and it will have color management, and it will be good. Very good. You should download it, my friends. No more IE, no more Safari.

To read more and download Firefox 3 while it's still in beta testing, go here:

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/3.0b2/releasenotes/

To read how to turn on color management, go here:

http://www.fotohacker.com/2007/12/04/modify-firefox-3-to-support-color-management/

LOL! The beta has some pretty powerful, complex stuff going on behind the scenes, and for now you have to delve into it to turn on the color management, but I'm assuming they'll work it into a more user-friendly preferences menu before the final release...

I am extremely excited because I can finally view my images online PERFECTLY IDENTICAL to how I viewed them in Photoshop! Huzzah!

In a few year's time, sRGB may no longer be the "universal" internet color... Now if only my labs of choice would allow adobe RGB and prophoto RGB, my life would become immeasurably easier!

=Matt=

Hey photographers, do you travel? Do you FLY?

If so, I must ask, do you have a battery grip that accepts AA batteries? You BETTER! Why in the world, you ask?

Because the TSA / FAA just got some new harebrained idea- place restrictions on traveling with lithium-ion batteries. Yep, that's right, ALL those proprietary batteries that go in your DSLR, video camera, some P&S cameras, etc. etc... You can now pack a grand total of ZERO in your checked luggage, and aside from the ones already in your camera you can only bring TWO spares! They have to be "protected against a short-out", by the way, which means the whole ziploc baggie routine. Well, my Nikon batteries have little snap-on terminal covers, I dunno about everybody else.

But, DANG, talk about sucky! This means I'll either have to MAIL my batteries ahead of time, which is impossible for some back-to-back events. Or, BUY MORE spares at EVERY travel wedding I shoot. I COULD try and bring my charger to the wedding and figure out how to work that out, but charging batteries WHILE shooting is never a good situation to be in... And that's not even considering travel adventure photography, where you could be away from civilization completely for days / weeks on end...

My only real option is to get a battery grip that accepts AA batteries, and stock up on those. Ugh! I already have enough AA's for my flash units, now I'm going to have like THREE DOZEN AA batteries! But seriously, I mean it's either that, or buy a couple beat up D70 bodies with the cheapo 3rd-party battery grips, and just use those to hold extra "in-camera" batteries. Which is a very stupid workaround for a very lame rule. Not to mention the fact that I don't have either of my D70's anymore...

Okay end rant... Any other travel photographers out there have some suggestions? I guess if I got a battery grip for both my D200 and my D300 that would be four batteries total, and then two spares is 6 total. I might be able to survive a weekend / week on 6 total without having to re-charge... That's roughly 3-4K JPG exposures, if I'm not using VR all the time... Dooable if I have a hotel to re-charge at every night.

=Matt=

Any day now, we can expect Canon's 5D replacement specs to be "accidentally" leaked. It is like clockwork, just you watch!

Again, to reiterate the probable specs:

14-16 megapixel FF sensor, probably 14 if they're smart... (So they can keep high ISO performance up)

3-5 frames per second, HOPEFULLY 5!

ISO 3200 or 6400 natively, with 12800 as HI. It will probably do as good as or better than the Nikon D3, even though it doesn't go all the way to 25600.

Canon 40D body otherwise, with the same 9-point AF, semi-weather sealing, semi-pro build quality, but no pop-up flash.

I was previously ragging on Canon for not bringing their pro-series, 45-point AF system to prosumers in the 40D / 5D mk2, but after shooting with the 40D on a good number of occasions, I'm quite impressed and I'd say that for speed, accuracy and low-light capability, it blows away the 30D / 5D AF and rivals the D200 / D300. And for MOST users, the metal skeleton, semi-sealed build quality that is best described as semi-pro is the best balance between sturdiness and weight. So as much as I'd like to see Canon come out with a TRUE competitor to the D200 / D300 in the build quality respect, I must admit that it's not really necessary for all the wedding / portrait shooters out there who don't plan on going to Death Valley or Antarctica any time soon...

Oh, and it will have a direct-print button!

Will post again when the rumors / leaks start flying...

=Matt=

You might be a geek if there is a camera store in your "Fav Five"...

=Matt=

Since I can't see anything from Thom Hogan in the way of predictions for next year, or this year for that matter, I'm going to take my own swing at 2008:

First, I think both Nikon and Canon have done a great job of solidifying their low-end market cameras. The Nikon D40 + D40X combo is brilliant because you can pick which sensor you want but still get a cutting-edge interface. Kudos to Nikon for still offering a 6 MP sensor in this day and age, it brings DSLR ownership that much closer to the masses. Having said that, the Canon XT's 8 MP sensor is not really much more expensive than the D40... Albeit with older generation specs, (LCD size) but still, the 400D and it's cutting-edge specs (sensor cleaner) make up for that I guess?

So, probably no new baseline DSLR's from either parties. MAYBE by late 2008 at the very earliest, but I doubt it.

D80 / 40D: Don't expect a Canon 50D till 2009. The Nikon D80 however could use an update- D90, if it comes: D300 sensor, D80 quality body but with a few of the D300's new features. (3" live view HD LCD, sensor cleaning, but probably not the 51 point AF...) No surprises here, unless they try and up the FPS to 5, or include the 51 point AF. One or the other might happen, but not BOTH if they wanna keep the body at around $1K...

And now, the exciting part:

Canon 5D mk2:
12-16 MP, probably 14.
3-5 FPS, probably 3.
otherwise, 40D body and specs, but maybe without a pop-up flash again.
This camera is so predictable, I'm even going to say that it will be announced in late January, in about 30-40 days...

I'd like to see Canon do something nuts and maybe start trickling down features form 1-series bodies, like maybe the 45 point AF, or the FULL pro build quality. We might get one of these specs, (and maybe 16 MP and maybe 5 FPS) but I doubt more than that. And if they're NOT going to add any 1-series specs, it had better be priced competitively! Maybe $2999 to start, as opposed to the $3299 that the 5D started at.

They'll probablly make the same insane leap that Nikon has done with high ISO performance. They COULD trounce Nikon easily if they left the sensor at 12 MP, but since I'm betting they up the resolution to 14 or 16 MP, it'll be the 40D story all over again: marginal increase in resolution, marginal increase in high ISO performance. As opposed to staying at 12 MP and busting out a clean, native ISO 12800 or something, and beating the D3 by a stop or two...

Now, "touche" from Nikon: A D300 with a D3 sensor. This really MUST happen if Nikon is going to keep this head of steam that they've got. The 5D is THE premier camera among wedding / portrait photographers it seems, or at least it is considered to be some sort of holy grail. (And rightly so, the combination of resolution, detail and low noise performance is incredible, and it is becoming pretty darn affordable!)

Here's the crux, and the reason I feel that the tide will change in 2008/2009: the FX version of the D300 will have all of the D300's pro-series features, maybe minus an FPS or two, while the 5D mk2 may only be a 40D with a FF sensor. If that's the case, expect to see the flow of "switchers" change directions. Yes that's right, I know it will be weird but we might see more people converting from Canon to Nikon than the other way around...

SO, D300X, I'll call it:
12 MP D3 sensor, with it's native ISO 6400 and boost to 25600...
3-5 FPS, maybe 3 without a grip and 5 with? Or 4-6 FPS, same story?
Otherwise D300 specs, maybe no pop-up flash to accomodate a huge viewfinder. Personally though I'd LIKE to see a popup flash!
Announcement will be just a week or two after the 5D mk2, just like the D3 / D300 announcement followed hot on the heels of the 1Ds mk3 / 40D announcement...

I'm predicting however that both of these new FF/ FX beauties will be a little more expensive than we're expecting them to be. I'd say 5D mk2 @ $2999, D300X @ $3500. MINIMUM, probably more. And as soon as people see this, the price of the 5D will stabilzie, and DX in general will regain some value. People will realzie that there will ALWAYS be a considerable price difference between FX and DX. (If the 30D vs 5D isn't already an indication...) AND, the D300 / 40D will be established enough such that people realize just how capable the APS-C sensor size is!

Which leads me to my last set of predictions:

D3H: This is really more of a hope than a prediction. Heres what I'd really like to see:

A D3 with a D300 sensor? Why in the world, you ask?

Because as sweet as the D3 is for ultra-wide angle, fast action sports, it's a step in the WRONG direction for many of the super-tele pros who are in love with 1.5x and 1.3x...

So, give me the camera that the D2X should have been: 12 MP at DX mode, ~10 FPS, and 7 MP in 2x high speed crop mode, ~13 FPS. And then the D300 sensor's very decent high ISO performance, to seal the deal. Would this kill D3 sales? Maybe. But it wouldn't be a cheap camera either, so I don't think Nikon would care... $3500-4000, MORE sales potential than the D3... Potential cross-over from 1D mk3 shooters...

Lastly, the D3X that we also know is coming: ~22 MP, D3 body but a few FPS slower, to compete with the Canon 1Ds mk3... Fashion / advertising / commercial / architectural / landscape photographers, rejoice! Dunno if it will come in 2008 though, especially if Nikon is busy updating their D80, making D300 FX, and going nuts with a D3H...

Oh, and lenses! Well, I can't really predict lenses as surely as I can predict a D300X and a D3X, but I can at least HOPE and somewhat predict:

Nikon~

70-200 VR update: close focusing sharpness and VR 2 could really do the trick for a lot fo D3 shooters!

AFS primes: Finally! Not really for the sake of sheer AF speed VS the AF-D screw-drive lenses, but for the SILENCE and the addictive versatility that is AF/M mode on AFS lenses. No more flipping switches to manual focus!

For starters, we'll need an 85mm f/1.4 AFS and a 50mm f/1.4 AFS, with maybe f/1.8 versions that have the new "rod-type" AFS motor like in the new kit lenses...

Then, getting a little exotic, we really NEED to see the return of the 28mm f/1.4, with the addition of AFS of course, and maybe some other exotic lens like a 20mm f/1.8 AFS, or a 35mm f/1.4 AFS, I dunno...

Moving on to DX, here's where I'd LIKE to see a few specific lenses but sadly DOUBT we'll see them, ever:

50-150mm f/2.8 DX VR, and then maybe a 16mm f/1.8 DX or a 18mm f/1.4 DX? Ah you have no idea how much I would love that, Nikon. Then maybe a 16-60 f/4 DX VR, or a 16-60 f/2.8 DX, either/or...

Come on, Nikon, prove me wrong and make these lenses! (And come on, Canon, prove me wrong and make the 5D mk2 a true pro body!)

Take care,

=Matt=

You might be a camera geek if you have an old metal, manaual focus 50mm f/1.8 lens on your desk as a paperweight...

=Matt=

It's the oldest trick in the book... Forget about the rush to get on a waiting list for that hot new camera, wondering when the next shipment will come in, and how many days / weeks / months it will be until you get your camera... Just wait for the people who were SO excited that they got on MULTIPLE waiting lists- when they end up with two or more cameras at their doorstep, they'll post on a forum or somewhere, offering the camera to a fellow shooter as opposed to sending it back to the store and trying to get a refund...

Photographed a wedding today with much success and a little bit of "wow, better spend some time to get to know this camera!!! The brand new 51 point autofocus system in particular- It is blazingly fast and incredibly precise but has many ins and outs that will require mastering. I just watched an online video tutorial, and WOW, 3-D AF tracking mode is INSANE! It is derived from the "dynamic AF" concepts of previous Nikon AF systems, except now that there are 51 AF points completely blanketing the frame, it works INCREDIBLY well. I saw the video tutorial and I was like "yeah right, it can't do THAT!" ...so I tried it, and was indeed blown away...

Short and simple explanation: If you initiate focus on a subject in continuous focusing mode with 3-D tracking enabled, you can then "drag" your subject anywhere else in the frame (or the subject can walk / run etc.) ...and the initial focus point will automatically move around the frame WITH the subject, following it the whole time. Holy toledo, batman! I guess it's like a semi-improved version of Canon's 1D series 45 point AF system? Except the D300 is $1800 brand new...

But like I said, it's going to take a lot of mastering to really make it dance... Luckily, before my next wedding (next weekend) I will be at Scott Robert's LA workshop this coming week. EXTREMELY excited about that, to say the least!

Peace out Napoleon,
=Matt=

PS: Oh and the high ISO performance is indeed insane. Not FF / FX insane to be sure, but I felt perfectly safe shooting normal shots all the way to 6400, and portraits up at 400... My Canon shooting friends will finally have to quiet down a little!

"I can feel it, coming in the air tonight..."

=Matt=