It appears that Nikon is reducing size across the board. With the introduction of the D700 they have essentially squeezed the D3 into a D300 body (I know there are some differences), and with today’s new D90, they have done the same with the D300 into a D80 body (plus a few new features).

What’s to become of the D300? It’s almost orphaned as a DX sensor in an FX body. My opinion, Nikon is defining a clear line between Pro and Amateur cameras.  Not to say a pro can’t use a D90 or D80, but it seems that Nikon is definitely gearing to make that distinction.

Here’s the scoop on the new D90:

• Low noise ISO sensitivity from 200 to 3200: High signal-to-noise components and design deliver exceptional performance, even at high ISO setting.
• 3-inch super-density 920,000-dot color LCD monitor: High resolution, 170-degree wide-angle viewing guarantees confident image review and movie playback.
• Built-in image sensor cleaning: Effective 4-frequency, ultrasonic sensor cleaning frees image degrading dust particles from the sensor’s optical low pass filter.
• 11-point AF system with Face Priority: Consistently fast and accurate autofocus, reinforced by the Nikon Scene Recognition System, delivers razor sharpness in a wide variety of conditions.
• One-button Live View: Easy to use Live View activates access to 3 contrast detection focus modes including Face Priority AF.
• Nikon 3D Color Matrix Metering II with Scene Recognition System: Nikon’s renowned 420-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering II, teamed with the exclusive Scene Recognition System, evaluates images, referencing an on-board database of over 30,000 photographic scenes, for unmatched exposure accuracy.
• Comprehensive exposure control: Five advanced scene modes plus Program Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Manual.
• Auto Active D-Lighting: Selectable and Automatic, Active D-Lighting optimizes details within shadows and highlights, taming high-contrast situations in real time.
• Durable, high precision shutter: Testing to over 100,000 cycles assures shutter life and accuracy.
• In-Camera Image Editing: Creative freedom stems from exclusive in-camera image editing, featuring Fisheye effect, Straighten and Distortion Control as well as D-Lighting, Red-eye Reduction, Image Overlay, Monochrome and more.
• GPS geo-tagging: GP-1 GPS unit (optional) provides automatic real-time geo-tagging.

Chase Jarvis was one of the first to get his hands on one, and has a write up over on his blog about it. You can also read about it on dpreview.com. And of course on Nikon’s website.

Evidently they are going to be adding a new kit lens to the mix as well, an AF-S DX 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. Amazon doesn’t list the setup yet, but we expect to see it soon. Check back for updates.

Ronald Dean Henry over at BlackRapid has been getting lots of attention lately with the introduction of his innovative camera straps. The “R-Strap” as they’re so dubbed, are worn diagonally across the torso from shoulder to hip, and attached to the camera with their “FastenR” made from aircraft aluminum with stainless steel threads, which screws to your tripod socket.

With the camera at your hip or behind your back, you can maneuver easily through a crowd, carry a tripod or other gear, or simply have both hands free.

I recently picked up one of the RS-2 models which has a spot for your ID or business cards, a cell phone/radio holder, a spare-battery pocket, and room for two CF cards. At first I was a little disappointed with the way the strap rested across my body with the camera hanging to the right side, because when I lifted the camera to my eye and turned it vertical for a portrait shot, the connecting FastenR at the bottom of the camera pulled the strap up against my neck and choked me a little. After a little trial and error, I decided to wear the strap across the other side of my body so that the camera hung down to my left side. This allowed the strap to be pulled away from my neck when I brought the camera up to shoot. Problem solved. And I actually like it better this way after getting used to it.

The RS-2 is a little bulky by design, and I could probably do without the “cell-phone” pouch on the front to slim it down a little (which can be easily removed with a little snip) but I have stored a spare battery in that pouch and when shooting weddings this may prove to be useful. The idea behind buying the RS-2 was to keep extra cards and batteries on my person so that I could swap quickly while shooting and not have to return to my camera bag.

The only real gripe I have with this strap is the FastenR that is used to attach the strap to your camera.While BlackRapid claims this is supposed to securely lock into place, I am getting quite a bit of movement with the device rotating in the threads. I have emailed BlackRapid and asked for suggestions, and am currently awaiting a reply. Their site does mention attaching the strap to a quick release plate normally used with your tripod, which actually is probably what I’ll end up doing, so that I can quickly change from strap to tripod.

Construction is good, the strap is well thought out, and it seems to do pretty well at what it was designed to do, but long term testing will tell if it’s rugged enough to withstand daily use. Starting at $44 for the RS-1 (no pouches) up to $56 for the RS-2 (with pouches), the R-Strap is not cheap. But if you’re looking for an alternative way to carry your camera that allows you to keep your hands free and potentially switch back and forth from strap to tripod, I doubt you’ll find a better choice. And with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, how can you go wrong?

Check out BlackRapid’s website, and drop a comment on your opinions of their products. We’d also like to hear what type of carry options are working best for you.

**UPDATE - Aug 19th** I heard back from Tyler at BlackRapid regarding the FastenR:

There are a few things you can do.

1: Don’t screw the first part (the “bolt” with threaded shaft) in so tight. Just take it in until it stops. The crank down the wheel (lock nut). The trick is to have the wheel do the tightening of the threads.

2: You can try flipping the wheel over. Some users are having better results with the wheel flipped one way or the other. There is a large flat surface on one side (the side that works best for me and I’m using the D200), and a raised portion the other side. You might want to experiment a little on this.

3: Another one would be to place a lock washer (a split, spring washer) between the wheel and the camera body. See this link. http://www.forcefieldmagnets.com/catalog/images/lockwasher.jpg

4: Some tripod quick release plates (such as Bogen or Manfrotto) have a D-Ring in them. These work very well with the R-Strap. I’m not sure if you want to go this route, but they are around $15 from the average camera supply store. They also lower the profile of the FastenR, so they aren’t as intrusive on your hand.

I should also note that we are developing a new FastenR which works a little differently, and locks down better. I’m a few months away from having them ready for market, but I will have them before the end of the year. I’m using the prototype and loving it. Sorry for the teaser… it’s just something to look for, coming soon.

Next time you travel by air with your photographic equipment, you may find the following information from the Transportation Security Administration helpful:

You may carry one (1) bag of photographic equipment in addition to one (1) carry-on and one (1) personal item through the screening checkpoint. The additional bag must conform to your air carrier’s carry-on restrictions for size and weight. Please confirm your air carrier’s restrictions prior to arriving at the airport.

Air carriers may or may not allow the additional carry-on item on their aircraft. Please check with your air carrier prior to arriving at the airport.

Our screening equipment will not affect digital cameras and electronic image storage cards.

 

The top of my list as a working professional was to use them to protect my knees.  How can that be, you ask? Let me explain:

You may not relate to this if you were born A.D. (After digital), but most film cameras had this very powerful little thing called an “M/X” switch.  So, the clever person that I am, I wrapped a rubber band around my Mamiya lens and hooked it to the switch holding it on “X”.

Why did I do this and what is the true meaning of that little “M/X” switch? 

Well, it is one of those meanings that is not written, and is passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.  My interpretation is that “X” marks the spot the little lever must stay, and NEVER move, while “M” stands for MAD, VERY MAD, somebody is going to be very mad!  Any working professional that’s been around a few years, can tell you “M” also stands for “money your might be spending for a lawyer”.

I have seen many professionals humbled by that little switch, dropping to there knees chanting in agony “How long has that been on there, How long has that been on M……..”, thus my little rubber band saved my knees.

FYI the M setting is a flash sync delay to allow flash bulbs to reach full intensity.

What’s your use for a rubber band (professionally speaking)? Let us know!

I recently went hunting for tripod that I can use in the studio and on location. My main concerns were quality and sturdiness. With kids bumping into it, and constantly moving it around from job to job, I wanted to be sure that it wasn’t going to fold under pressure.

Tony Sr. currently uses a Bogen Manfrotto 3211V with a Bogen Manfrotto 3047 3-way head. I really like this tripod, so I decided to base my comparison shopping to it.

Of course the obvious choice was to try and buy the same one, but as luck would have it, Bogen no longer makes the 3211V, and have since replaced it with the Bogen Manfrotto 055XB. Naturally I headed out in search of the replacement model and found that Manfrotto actually makes a few variations of the 055, depending on what features you need, one of these variation may be the solution you are looking for.

I headed over to Calumet Photo in Escondido, CA to check out the various models in person. What I found was not only the Bogen Manfrotto 055XB (and variations), but also several Calumet branded models. One in particular that caught my eye was the Calumet CK7500. This tripod at first glance looks nearly identical to the Bogen Manfrotto 055XB line. Complete with flip-up style locking leg clamps, and leg-warmers padded leg covers.

Upon further inspection, I found the Bogen tripod and the Calumet tripod to be very similar in size and stature. The Calumet 7500 does have a hook for attaching extra weight (sandbag) for added stability, which the Manfrotto lacked, although I doubt I’ll ever use this feature.

They both featured three-section legs, with spring loaded quick-release leg locks, leg-angle adjustments, a split-shaft center column that allows for low-angle shooting, and 3/8″ tripod-head mount. Here’s Calumet’s description:

Part of Calumet’s 7000 Series, this mid-sized tripod provides solid camera support for all camera formats up to medium format and can be used in the studio or out in the field. The 7500 tripod features three-section legs with convenient quick-release leg locks for fast setups, three-position leg-angle adjustments with spring-loaded locks to facilitate different height requirements, a split-shaft center column that allows for low-angle shooting and three foam leg covers that offer over-the-shoulder carrying comfort. It also comes with a weight hook at the bottom of the column for attaching sand bags or weights for additional stability. The 7500 is topped of with a 3/8″ tripod-head mount that will accommodate a wide range of different tripod heads. Also built into the tripod is a spirit level for quick and easy leveling on uneven terrain. The 7500 requires a tripod head.
 

Priced at only $129, the Calumet CK7500 deserves some serious consideration if you’re in the market for a new tripod.

Since  photography  has developed so fast to a computerized medium, I have no digital technical knowledge to share with anyone . . . but, I could recall situations that may be helpful to a budding photographer.

As a young man, I lived in a ship building town, and I was very busy photographing new ship’s interiors and exteriors.

One particular ship had a gigantic cargo area below deck, which I had to photograph. I set up my tripod and the heavy camera (8×10 format) with wide angle lens. Since there was very little light, I figured a time exposure of about four minutes should do it. Just when I started the exposure, all hell broke loose! 

With a big BANG the deck started to shake violently, and the tripod with the camera started to move around like some sort of ritual dance. Realizing that somebody had started the huge engines, I ran up three decks to the bridge and yelled  ”Stop the engines!”  Now, they were testing the engines and in no mood to comply, but after some arguments, they gave in and provided me half an hour of calm, so I could finish my job.

Lesson:  Let people know what your plans are!

Choosing a backdrop is a tough choice, there are so many things to consider. Color, width, length, portability, versatility, durability, affordability, likeability, photographability, howtoholditupability and the list keeps going. Objective is getting the right combination of all these variables for your use.

POPUPS: If you are shooting only head and shoulders, half-length and a few three quarter lengths the popups are a good choice. Look at the Twistflex available through Denny Mfg. or my personnel choice, the Botero line available from B&H Photo. A size around 5’x7’ will do for 1 or 2 people. Theses backgrounds setup in a second with no obnoxious wrinkles and are hung from a stand (I prefer two stands). Word of advice: Practice folding these things up before you’re seen in public. I didn’t, and ended up stuffing the thing in my van like an accidentally inflated lifeboat, as my customer looked on.

FULL LENGTHS: If you are doing full lengths, the biggest issues involve width of background and wrinkles. For estimating the width for a fixed location background, set up your camera with a normal lens (not a wide angle), and backup to your anticipated maximum shooting distance. From there, note the side-to-side width of your frame coverage on your reference wall. Measure the width of the reference wall visible in your view finder. This will be your required background size. Note: Changes to your lens mm, will affect the required background size. When shooting a large group or bride, you never can have too much background.

Consider the wrinkle factor if you’re using them on location. If the wrinkled look is not what your after,consider the Freedom Cloth Background from Denny Mfg., or my personnel favorites, Backgrounds-In-A-Bag available at PhotekUSA.

COLOR: This of course is a matter of taste. You will find that it is easier to lighten up a darker background, than it is to darken a light background. A darker background can be lit with varying degrees, and gels added to achieve different effects (as I have done on this background).

PRICE: Buy only what you need. It’s a nightmare to take a 12 by 20 foot background out on location when you’re only doing a head and shoulders portrait. Consider having more choices of smaller backgrounds, rather than one huge background.

Also check out Calumet Photo and Knowledge Backgrounds for other selections.

Here’s a quick tip for putting together a professional presentation of a like-kind collection. Lets say you want to promote your “Seniors” sitting packages. Get together about 20 or 30 of your best Senior images and turn them into a hard-cover coffee table style book!

Most photographic printers, such as MPIX, offer this service for around $30-$50. Applications like Apple Aperture (and iPhoto) will let you order books right from the application.

You can create a custom cover, and even have a little promotional blurb on some of the pages. Most printers offer a choice of paper and cover styles, as well as sizes (5×5, 10×10, 8.5×11). Mix it up a little and use an 8×10 on one page, with a couple of smaller images on the facing page.

This is a great way to display your collection in a unique format, that you can leave out in your sitting area of the studio, or take with you to meet a client.

Think about using this for Publicity Photos, Modeling Headshots, Commercial Products, etc.

If you have any other unique formats for promotional items, let us know!

From the maker of the popular White Lightning strobes, Paul C. Buff has another offering, which should be a serious contender if you’re considering a new set of monolights. We recently tested the “bullet-proof” AlienBees monolights, and were pretty happy with the results.

If you’re new to photography and/or strobes and aren’t sure what a monolight is, basically it’s a self contained strobe light, with built-in power unit. Many manufacturers offer strobes in either a monolight version, or one that requires an additional power supply.

Alien Bees are not only easy to use, but also a breeze to setup and take down (weighing only 2.5 lbs each). Available in 3 watt-second ratings (400, 800, 1600) and 5 colors (yellow, black, green, pink, white) they’ve really got your options covered. The nice thing about these different WS ratings, is that regardless of which AB you choose, they are all the same size! This is especially convenient when packing your Pelican 1650s for location shoots.

ABs offers a selection of stands, softboxes, wireless triggers, and other add-ons that will connect right up to these monolights, but just about any mainstream accessory manufacturer’s products will work. The one thing (as with any strobe) that you’ll need if you plan on using softboxes, are speedrings fitted for these particular lights.

We got our hands on a few of the B800s for testing, and propped them on a couple of Avenger A635B light stands, which were especially sturdy, but easily adjusted when necessary.

We used them for shooting photographing school kids. We’re talking roughly 500 kids, multiple exposures, nearly 2,500 total shots (shooting with 3 setups of 3 lights each), if my math is correct, that’s about 7,500 strobe pops . . . all without any failures! That’s pretty impressive. Not convincing enough? They handle this almost everyday.

The B800s produce 320 true wattseconds and 800 effective wattseconds of power, with 14,000 lumenseconds of output. Each light is independently adjustable over a 5 f-stop range (full power to 1/32).

The Alien Bees all have a built-in cooling fan, ready for heavy all-day shooting conditions, and depending on the model, you get recycle times to full power in as little as 0.5 seconds (B400). The bees also feature “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” modeling lamps, which can be set as recycling indicators (which we didn’t use, but to each his own).

ABs can also be portably powered with the Vagabond Portable Power System, if you find yourself in an area without power (here’s that external power supply we mentioned earlier, except this one is optional).

I can’t seem to find it now, but I recall seeing something about a “trade-up” program, where you can receive credit and trade up your lower rated (B400 for example) monolight for a more powerful model (B800 for example).

Alien bees come with a reflector, a case, sync cord, power cord, gel clips, and an owners manual. Oh, and don’t forget the 2-Year Warranty!

The manufacturer website offers discounts to students (10% off), and accessory discounts for everyone else, which increase with the more lights you buy.

With a price of only $225 for the B400, $280 for the B800, $360 for the B1600, and a 60-day satisfaction guarantee . . . you’re sure to be “abducted” by another hit from Paul C. Buff, Inc.!