Wow, I'm pretty stoked about how simple and how compact my latest setup is...

Tooks required:

~ Nikon SB800 ($300) or SB600 ($180)

~ Little hotshoe / tripod thread adapter thing that comes with the flash

~ Joby Gorillapod ($20-50, I'm sure the $20 version would work for a flash, but I have the $50 version so I can put my camera on it too...)

~ Any Nikon DSLR with a pop-up flash, D70 or newer, except I think not the D40 / D40X...

...And that's all there is to it! No light stands, no umbrellas, no pocket wizards, no power / sync etc. plugs / wires, just a camera and a flash...

In this situation, (a wedding last weekend) all I did was grapple my gorillapod to the railing as you see here, pointed it at the ceiling, and then down in the den / living rooom I set my camera to fully manual, set the flash to fully manual, test-fired a few times to get the exposure perfect, and plugged away. The pop-up flash didn't really affect the portraits, all it really did was add a nice catch light in people's eyes...

And yes that portrait was taken with this setup. I had my tripod just so that I could concentrate on framing the shot perfectly, (just my nature photographer methods, lol...) but my shutter speed was actually just fine, and I was able to keep my ISO all the way down, while obviously getting a decent apeture...

The nicest benefit of this is, I don't have to mess with TTL metering and whatnot, and worry about having the flash ON my camera which can cause the exposure to change drastically depending on how far away I am from my subject, which might vary between every single shot. With a stationary flash, (and a stationary ceiling ) ...I get consistent, even lighting almost everywhere in the room, and I can move back or forth with my camera all I want without adjusing any settings at all!

I can't wait to get my other flash back from Nikon service, (dropped it and busted the flash bulb, waaaah) ...cause then I'll be able to put both of those bad boys up as remotes, either together or in different locations, effectively doubling my light power which either means I can shoot in half as much light, OR my batteries will last twice as long in the same level of light, because they're effectively splitting up the "work".

And secretly, I'm working on an insane contraption that will be quite possibly the coolest flash system ever to be invented. For now I cannot reveal the details, but trust me, it is going to be sweet! Or it will at least LOOK very geeky!

Until next time, take care,

=Matt=

NOTICE TO ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS AROUND THE WORLD:

"DEAD HORSE" ARGUMENTS ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED, UNLESS THEY ARE STRICTLY HUMOROUS!

...Seriously foks, isn't it boring to argue about things that totally don't matter? Or make comparisons that are totally pointless? DON'T YOU HAVE SOMETHING BETTER TO DO WITH YOUR TIME? Sheesh.

I guess the straw that broke this camel's back was the endless sea of threads on forums comparing the new Nikons and Canons, and completely praising one or the other, and bashing the compeition. HOW BORING!!! (Unless it's totally tongue-in-cheek, which makes me laugh...)

Most notably, the silly comparisons between the 40D and the D300. Oh my gosh, people! These two cameras are totally aimed at completely different photographers!

If we spent more of our time taking pictures, maybe one day we would realize what kind of a photographer we were, what we really enjoy shooting, and what we don't ever really shoot... THEN maybe, just maybe, the best camera for US would be a no-brainer. AND, we would naturally flock together with other photographers who enjoy the same things, and we would be able to have civilized discussions about camera equipment. *GASP!!!*

There would be no more people trying to shove high ISO performance or full-frame sensors down other people's throats. Get over it, some shooters don't shoot in the pitch dark, or need insanely shallow DOF and a zillion megapixels.

Conversely, there would be no more people trying to pretend like ISO 100 is all you ever need etc, saying "why the heck anyone would want to shoot above ISO 400 is beyond me, I only bumped up to ISO 200 once ever!" GET OVER IT, some shooters make a living by shooting in the pitch dark, and they need ISO 3200 to look nice and clean.

Etc. etc. You get the picture...

=Matt=

I'm jsut sitting here wondering...

The D300's new battery grip allows up to 8 frames per second shooting. Do we realize what this means?

The D2Hs is 4 MP and 8 FPS, for $2500+

The D2X is 12 MP and 5 FPS, 8 FPS in ~7 MP crop mode, for $3500+

The 1D mk2N is 8 MP and 8 FPS, for ~$3000

The 1D mk3 is 10 MP and 10 FPS, for $4500.

THE D300 WITH GRIP IS 12 MP AND 8 FPS FOR ONLY $2000!!!

Oh and the D300 has general speed specs that are about as good as or better than 1-series Canons- 13 milisecond power up and 45 milisecond shutter lag, 100 milisecond shutter blackout. Impressive! And the D300 has one thing that NONE of the other cameras have, a pop-up flash! It is VERY handy for wirelessly commanding other flashes in a pinch or extreme situation, trust me!!!

On paper, I see the previous 4 cameras being dumped from trucks into mass pit graves like holocaust victims, unless their prices come WAY down within the next couple months.

The things that I see that could "save" these other cameras from being slaughtered by the D300:

- The D300's shutter is "only" rated to 150K actuations, while all the others are rated to 200-300K.

- The D300's high ISO performance might be poor. This is where I'm scared the most. Nikon COULD totally blow this, but I'm hoping they don't. If they do blow it though, I'm totally just getting a used D200, seriously...

- The D300's new autofocus performance might be buggy or just plain poor. Possible, but not likely. More likely we'll have some kind of banding / moire issue, yuck!

- The D300's currently unknown buffer stats might be really bad, for example I THINK that if you switch to 14-bit RAW, you drop from 6 FPS all the say down to 2.5, which wouldn't kill ME but might be a no-go for anyone psycho enough to try and shoot sports at RAW 12 megapixels... (JPG buffer stats are known and fantastic)

- [EDIT] I forgot one major thing! The BATTERY LIFE on the D300, if it's anything like the D200, may really stink compared to the "full-body" D2 and 1D series cameras. The D200 is notorious for gobbling up battery power, with just a couple / few hundred shots when using just one battery. Oh wait, we're talking strictly about using the D300 with it's new battery pack, to achieve 8 FPS, I forgot. OH WAIT, THE NEW BATTERY PACK ALLOWS YOU TO USE D3 BATTERIES, TOO! Muahahahahahahaha!!!! Nevermind, this isn't a strike against the D300 after all, it's a point in favor. Oh and by the way, you don't have to even take the normal battery out to put on the vertical grip, so potentially you could be using THREE D300 batteries, or one D3 battery and one D300 battery. WOW!!!

...I NEED A CREDIT CARD!!!

[/EDIT]

Other than that, for $1800 plus the price of the battery grip, I honestly cannot imagine even thinking about purchasing a D2H, a D2X, a 1Dmk2 or a 1Dmk3. They have literally had their price floors whisked right out from under them.

Wish I had the spare cash to get on a D300 mailing list! (or two!)

--OR--

Sell YOUR pro body now while it still holds retail value, and put the money towards a D300 and a couple sweet lenses!

=Matt=

Apple has finally announced the first touch-screen iPod!

http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/

Pretty sweet, it's like an iPhone except without the phone. Yes, meaning it can browse the internet a little too, just can't call people. Oh and for those who don't have an iPod, you can already put your calendar etc. on an iPod. Pretty nifty!

But dang, only 8 gig and 16 gigs, and starting at $300!

Well, it CAN browse the internet, (and you can buy songs straight off the internet onto the iPod, FINALLY!) ...and it DOES have a beautiful 3.5" touch screen. I could really use that as a pocket portfiolio, mmm... Imagine being able to show anyone ALL of your VERY BEST images, ANYWHERE you go.

AND, as if THAT wasn't cool enough, you can do the pinch-zoom thing to zoom in on your photos, just like on an iPhone... Niiice!

Mmm, I wish I didn't want one, but I totally do.

=Matt=

PS: Starbucks will soon be rolling out free iTunes store access in cities nationwide... Hmm...

Wowzer, Nikon wasn't kidding when they jacked the high ISO performance through the roof!

http://forum.xitek.com/showthread.php?threadid=467667&pagenumber=2

This is shaping up to be one awesome pro camera. Not that I'll be able to afford one any time soon, but SOME day!!!

=Matt=

Photo by Broncomom.

More pictures from this day to come on my main photo blog, soon!

Aug. 24th 2007:
Hey everybody, just thought I'd mention this really quick:

Do NOT click the free Macbook Pro ad banner if it shows up on my or any other Xanga etc...

It caught my eye at first, but I googled the company behind the whole thing (Product Test Panel) and apparently it's a rip-off. They start you out doing cheap little participation offers like the standard weight loss pill samples etc, you know the kind of stuff that those free iPod websites used. However apparently they end up requiring you to eventually participate in some crazy offers that cost easily as much money as a Macbook Pro if not more.

So, don't waste your time.

This public service announcement brought to you by your friendly internet scam watchdog, Matthew Saville...

=Matt=

Nikon D3:

$5,000,

full 35mm frame,

14 bit 12 megapixels,

9 FPS with AF tracking in between each pic. (WOW.)

brand-new 51 point AF system,

ISO 100-25600 with boost, (nope, not a typo... ISO 25600, most people haven't even HEARD of it. It's 2 stops above 6400, which is 2 stops above 1600...)

3" LCD with live view + autofocus, (live view does not pause?)

DX crop with 11 FPS (no AF tracking at 11 FPS)

Oh and TWO compact flash compartments. LOL.

Nikon D300:

$1,800,

1.5x,

14 bit 12 megapixels,

6 FPS, (8 with battery pack)

brand-new 51 point AF system,

ISO 100-6400 with boost,

3" LCD with live view + autofocus, (live view does not pause?)

Oh and a self-cleaning sensor...

Pretty interesting, eh? I totally thought Nikon would drop the ball and fall short here, but they DELIVERED.

"only" 12 megapixels on the D3, you say? ISO 25600, I say. My gosh, if it's even halfway use-able, what the heck would I do with FOUR extra stops above the ISO 1600 I've been using? I could almost forget about f/1.4 primes and just shoot with f/2.8 zooms, how convenient...

Okay to be serious with regard to the D3 being just 12 MP- the D3 is probably just Nikon's high-speed camera, equivalent to the Canon 1D mk III more than the 1Ds mk III. And as that kind of camera, it pretty much rules.

A Nikon D3X might have ~20 MP, maybe we'll see that in a year or two.

All in all, what can I say? This is pretty weird. I guess I should have known better than to doubt Nikon. They have consistently delivered. The D70 was a ground-breaking camera of unprecedented value at under $1000, the D200 was another huge milestone that brought pro features to the masses for less than $2000... The only things that Nikon has rightfully been scolded for have been high ISO performance and lack of full-frame. And, if the D3's native ISO 6400 is good, (let alone the 1280 or 25600) ...Nikon has remedied these problems in one fell swoop.

Nikon still needs an affordable full frame camera though. The 5D is still completely un-paralleled. Yes, Nikon now as a 12 MP camera (with even higher ISO) but that won't quiet down the people who swear by the "look" of full frame sensors. (And they do have a look, and it's a nice look, the DOF is definitely sweet...) So, Nikon needs a 5D equivalent, like a D80 but with a full-frame 10-12 megapixel sensor. AND an equivalent to the behemoth 21 megapixel Canon...

=Matt=

WOW. When can we have THIS technology available in photoshop? SWEET!!!!

As Phil Askey joked on DPR in his official press release, imaging purists concerned with image veracity are probably leaning over the side of their chair and hurling right now. You can "seamlessly" warp images, completely throwing TRUE perspective and view out the window...

For the design of wedding albums and other graphic things, this is going to be an amazingly powerful, CUTTING EDGE tool that I can't wait to employ...

HOWEVER for nature photography, adventure photography and photojournalism, the danger of image manipulation just went to a whole new level... You probably don't remember this, but a few years / decades ago National Geographic got into HUGE trouble because they manipulated an image of Egyptian pyramids, placing them closer together for a more powerful image. Did the manipulated image make a powerful piece of fine artwork? You bet. But did it accurately represent the original scene, and did it belong on a documentary magazine that is strictly about photojournalism and WHAT OUR WORLD REALLY LOOKS LIKE? I don't think so...

=Matt=

Canon 40D:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0708/07082010canoneos40d.asp

Hot specs:

$1,300 (NICE, that should drive the cost of every other camera through the FLOOR!)

10.1 megapixels

(1.6x crop, not FF)

YES, WEATHER SEALING!
[edit] Crap, nevermind! At least, not 1-series weather sealing. It's got a sealed CF and battery door, slightly "tougher" built, maybe with a little more precision, but definitely far from 1-series construction, that's for sure. But still, it's probably good enough for 90% of potential buyers!

ISO in the viewfinder (yay)

Dedicated AF-ON button (*cough* copying Nikon *cough*)

3" LCD with live preview

automatic sensor cleaning system

6.5 fps

Wifi

Slightly improved 9 point AF, the center point has some sort of "high precision" AF sensor...

From what I can tell, it looks like Canon finally 1-upped the Nikon D200, in fact the D200 still costs $1350 used, and frankly it's dead in the water unless the price drops to at least $1300 new. It will have an impossible time competing with Canon's high ISO advantage, automatic sensor cleaning system and live preview! Still no wireless capability with flashes, but most people don't need that...

Oh and they've come out with a 17-85 EF-S IS, nice!

Canon 1Ds mk II

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0708/07082009canoneos1dsmarkiii.asp

Hot specs:

$8000

21 megapixels

5 frames per second

dual core Digic III processor. (lol)

3" LCD with live view

Automatic sensor cleaning system

ISO is in the viewfinder now, yay Canon!

Freaking burly construction, magnesium alloy body, pro-series weather sealing, and shutter rated to last a whopping 300,000 clicks.

Nikon's D3 is alleged to be about the same as this, but only time will tell. I'm sure the Nikon will be fantastic, a few $K cheaper, but not quite as good, and Canon will "triumph" (in the eyes of the masses) once again. Oh well! I have to admit, if I had tons and tons of money, I'd give the 1Ds 3 a whirl, with a nice fat 85mm f/1.2 L, hehehe...

Better get on the waiting list for your respective dream camera now!

=Matt=

[edit] Oh snap!!! I didn't even notice! Canon also released two *other* new lenses! An 18-55 EF-S IS, and a 55-250 EF-S IS. (Thanks Skunk) The kicker? They've figured out a way to do it much simpler and more affordably, apparently. And it achieves FOUR stops of stabilization! That means that if you can hand-hold at 1/60th, you can now hand-hold at 1/4 sec!!!!

They'll probably be making pretty much every lens from now on with stabilization, or at least every "pro-sumer" lens. This is going to be a sucker punch / death blow to Nikon and all other brands, unless they have an identical technology waiting up their sleeve to release within the next 365 days or so...

Oh and the three new P&S Canons announced all have stabilization, too.

Ouch, Canon, ouch. That hurt...