I did not receive many comments
about my Tuesday’s post on my blog, however, I received many emails asking me
questions about the Nikon D4. I
welcome communication with everyone but I would like to remind you that if you
make a comment on my blog, everyone sees it; if you send me an email, only you
and I see it. Regardless which way
you go, I do appreciate your comments.
Probably the biggest single
question I received was: what is
the best thing about the Nikon D4?
If I had to name one thing, I think
it would be the sensor—images are just crisper and contain a wider dynamic
range than those taken with my Nikon D3 or Nikon D3x. I compared photos taken of the same subject and with the
same lens (Nikon 85mm f/1.4—my sharpest lens) with the D4 and the D3x (which I
think has a wider dynamic range than the D3), and looked at them on my
computer. To me, the D4 just
outperformed the D3x.
Next, I would say high ISO
performance. The D4 has about two
f-stops better performance than my D3.
The D3x is not made for high ISO use.
But, I am not sure that I would be
as happy with the D4 if that were the only changes that Nikon made. The “little refinements” in how the how
the D4 operates makes it a real joy to use and easier to get the image that you
want.
Today’s photo was taken at Brazos
Bend State Park. This alligator
was near one of the piers. There was a sliver of light that hit the alligator. Although he (?) was not very active, I did wait until he moved so his eye was in that sliver of light. In the
photo, I wanted to show the texture of the alligator.
Enjoy.
Camera settings: Nikon D4, 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 at ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/125th
of a second on a tripod.
Post Processing:
Lightroom 4—set white and black point
and increased contrast.
You definitely showed the alligator's texture. Looks like you could reach out and touch him, if you are that foolish. Need more explanation about dynamic range.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Cool pix. What do you think makes the sensor crisper?
ReplyDeleteAllen
Now you're talking my language...wildlife. The gators are close enough at BBSP to touch them at times, especially when they are sunning across the trail. Certainly not a recommended action on anyone's part.
ReplyDeleteYou can get some nice closeup images of them, as you did here, by shooting down from the pier at 40 Acre Lake. Their are a few other places like that in the park, but I'm going to assume this was at 40 Acre Lake.
You seem to favor that particular lens for your walkabout shooting. Is that because on a full frame it covers such a wide range of focal lengths? It basically lets you go from a moderate wide angle to a decent telephoto setting quite easily. I've seen some shots, like this example, taken with it and it seems fairly sharp. Or were you just trying to see how well it works with the D4?
Interesting photo. At first I was not sure what it was. Like how you have almost abstracted the alligator.
ReplyDeleteTed
I agree with Ted, I like the way that you have abstracted the alligator. Being from New Jersey, I do not see many alligators in the wild, so it took me a few seconds before I realized what it was. Keep the D4 comments coming even though I cannot afford one. I like your work.
ReplyDeleteMike