January 22, 2019

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Why I Love Aperture Priority

Posted in gear, Technique

I can hear it now—Aperture Priority? Pros only shoot on manual! Nope, that’s just another thread of misinformation that gets people confused and misled.

First and foremost, there are advantages to one method over another, but all that matters is, did you get the shot?

When it comes to camera settings keep in mind that there is no “right way”. I’m not just saying this to ease your mind and make you feel better about your current method. Instead, I say this to free some of you from the belief that if your hero photographer shares their personalized settings, you are not obligated to copy them. So often when I’m teaching and mention my camera setup, others immediately feel they should be doing the same. It’s just not true. Think of how other photographers use their gear as a reference for your own system. I believe it’s better for you to shoot on program mode until you find a need for greater creative control. No need to complicate your photography by applying settings you don’t fully understand. As your skills increase, so will your ability to use different configurations that will best serve you. At that moment, seek out the skills needed to execute your vision. Once you think you have it all figured out, I would respectfully suggest you always keep an open mind for new techniques.

Learning never exhausts the mind – Leonardo da Vinci

Aperture, Shutter, or Manual Settings

Here are some technical differences between the three. Each camera manufacturer labels their settings differently, so for the sake of this article I’ll be using Nikon’s labels.

Aperture Priority

My preferred method and idea for absolute control over depth of field.

The camera works to keep the exposure correct while maintaining the aperture you manually designate.

Advantage

While shooting a wedding where the lighting can change from one shot to the next with often very little time to evaluate each image’s proper exposure, I find aperture priority to be essential. I can grab my 85 1.4 Sigma Art series lens, set the aperture to 2.0 for a shallow look, set the ISO to 400 to keep my shutter speed in a workable range, and get to shooting. The shutter speed will vary as needed while maintaining a proper exposure at the aperture I designated, keeping the “look” that I love about that lens. Aperture Priority is ideal when lighting changes quickly so I that can pay attention to my subjects instead of exposure values.

Disadvantage

If you need to maintain a shutter speed to stop motion, Aperture Priority could easily change your shutter speed outside the workable range to properly stop motion.

Shutter Priority

Perfect for absolute control over motion.

I rarely use Shutter Priority unless it’s a concert or sporting event where I need specific control of motion to capture my subject. In Shutter Priority mode, the camera works to keep the exposure correct while maintaining the shutter speed you manually designated.

Advantage

For subject matter where the motion captured needs to be specific, Shutter Priority is ideal. For example, capturing a motorcycle as they come into your corner or you’re shooting handheld in low light. Shutter Priority will make sure that the shutter speed stays at the exact setting you choose to manage motion.

Disadvantage

Since the camera is working to maintain the shutter speed, the aperture becomes the variable. In this case, you may find the aperture increasing and decreasing the depth of field outside your ideal.

Manual

I only use this for macro and some landscape.

Manual is best for any situation where you need absolute creative control over motion, depth of field, and exposure.

Advantage

Complete control. Manual is excellent when shooting scenes where the lighting confuses the camera’s metering system. Manual is also great for maintaining consistency from frame to frame. Imagine, for example, that you’re doing a product shoot in a studio. You have set up the lighting and swapped out models for products. In this case, Manual will guarantee that each and every frame is the same exposure while Aperture or Shutter Priority will often vary from subject to subject.

Disadvantage

Human error. Manual can be slower and allows for user error. While Manual definitely gives you more control and through practice, you can become very proficient at making changes quickly, there is still a considerable margin of error. Manual shoots what you set while Aperture and Shutter Priority will adjust for correct exposure. Imagine being at a wedding and shooting a ceremony in the shade, and then you set your camera manually. Without any warning, the father of the bride comes around the corner with his daughter, and they are in the sun. If you are caught up in the moment, paying attention to what’s going on around you as you should, you might forget to change your camera settings—Aperture and Shutter Priority to the rescue.

 

So why do I shoot Aperture Priority?

I rely on my camera to do its job so that I can do mine. I want to focus—pun intended—on my subject. I’m very animated while shooting, trying to keep everyone on their toes and having a good time. I don’t want to be overburdened by making too many camera adjustments.

Just to give you an idea, my shooting method starts with me grabbing a lens and setting the aperture for the next round of exposures. Once the aperture is set, I pick an ISO that is close to what I think I need. With my gear, Nikon D5, D850 & Z7, I’m not too concerned about the lowest ISO since I’m confident with any setting below 8000. At this point, I start shooting. With my aperture decided and the ISO providing a range for the camera to pick a shutter speed to maintain a proper exposure, I can shoot and pay more attention to my subject and less to my gear.

Along with aperture priority, I also set my white balance on 5500 Kelvin. All day and in any lighting condition. Because lighting changes so dramatically on a wedding day, I find my post processing much easier to have a fixed color temperature for a series of images that I can quickly correct later rather than auto white balance, giving me invariably different settings or worse, me trying to make the changes and getting distracted from my subjects. Since we’re on the topic of camera settings, I should add that I don’t use back button focus either. I want my thumb free for moving my focus bracket, aperture preview, focus locking, and exposure locking—All functions that I can access at the same time while focusing and shooting.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, do what works for you, but just like the over popularized back button focus, there is no “best” or “right” way. It only matters what works for you. Test, test, test and test some more. It’s all about what works for you to captures those photons.

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you’d like to learn more, see my affiliate disclaimer here.

December 9, 2018

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Why Infared is Awesome

Posted in creativity, gear
Zion Infrared pano shot with the Nikon Z6

Infrared: The other light.

Have you ever wanted to take a peek into a hidden world, another visual universe, or see the unseen? Well… you can with infrared photography.

With infrared photography, you see a spectrum of light just outside what our eyes can detect. It’s not the infrared you see in the movies though; you can’t see in the dark with a camera and not everything will be that cool, Matrix green. Although, with an infrared light source, you actually could see and photograph in total darkness if you wanted.

Infrared photography will allow you to see everything around you in a different light (pun intended)

My first encounter with infrared was with a friend of mine while we walked through the desert. I was shooting color and he was shooting infrared. I looked at the back of his camera and was blown away— It was black and white but new, amazing, and not something I could simply match by converting my images to black and white.

As a result, I quickly converted my Nikon D7000 and took a 3-week road trip to Washington. I expected to “test” the infrared on the trip and shoot with my other gear to capture most of the trip in color.  Well, that’s not what happened. Once I started to see the world in infrared, I never looked back. I shot 90% of my trip in infrared (aka 1000s of images). All of those fantastic mountains and lush rainforests—All infrared. Coastal lighthouses, small towns, and bridges—Definitely all infrared. It was amazing for me. I saw something entirely new, and it was exciting to say the least.

Infrared is impressive to me for a couple of different reasons

1. It’s unpredictable

First, I love black and white photography and I think everything looks best monochromatic. I spent countless hours early in my career agitating 35mm film in developer and then many more hours in the darkroom rocking a developer tray—So the monochromatic force is strong in me. Sure, I can convert and tweak a color image to black and white, but it’s normal, and everyone can do the same.

Infrared is different, challenging and unpredictable, Perfect!

For those of you that want more than a monochromatic experience, there is faux-color infrared. Depending on the conversion method and the amount of visual light allowed to hit the sensor, there can be an interesting duo color element to play with.

2. It’s unexpected

Another reason for my love of infrared is that it surprises me. I have been a professional photographer for just over 25 years at the time of writing this, so I’d say I’m good at seeing and using light. Infrared is just different enough that I can’t always predict how someone or something will look.

Although properly handled, infrared can produce some soft and unique skin tones. The real advantage of infrared is landscapes. Infrared changes everything. Skys go dark, trees, water reflections, pretty much everything changes. It’s like an additional layer just under the surface of what we are used to seeing, and for that reason, I LOVE Infrared.

Pro tip: People usually don’t look great, as their eyes go dark and their skin appears pale. It’s great for the Halloween season but not so great for brides and portraits.

How to get started

So, you ask, “what’s so different and how can it be better?” I hear ya. Who wants to take an expensive camera and make modifications? Besides me, that is LOL.

Here’s some examples of what you have to look forward to after taking the step of infared conversion:

But now that you’re convinced, what’s next? It all starts by converting a camera, which can cost between $300-$400. Don’t worry—Your converted camera can always be returned to mundane color, and the cost for converting back is usually much less than the original conversion. I won’t go into the technical details here; you can contact my favorite conversion experts at Spencer’s Camera. They will guide you and answer all of your technical questions. They also have a very informative website full of images and additional articles—Well worth having a look.

Choosing the details

When looking for a body to convert, I’d say a mirrorless camera is best, and my most recent and favorite conversion preference is the 590nm. This conversion allows in additional visual light which will enable me to tweak and play a little more with the colors and conversion to black and white.

A bonus of a mirrorless camera is the active viewfinder, whic makes shooting much easier. Otherwise, use a camera that can shoot and focus via live view to eliminate the need to calibrate a lens.

Keep in mind: Infrared light does not focus properly when being bounced in a DSLR if you don’t have a properly calibrated lens. Everything will be slightly out of focus as a result.

Post processing

Once you have a converted camera and filled a memory card with infrared amazingness, processing your images will be the next big step. If you shoot RAW (and you do only shoot RAW right?) then your images will be very magenta/red, like this:

A simple conversion to black and white will get you started on your journey to infrared bliss. Keep in mind, though, that there are colors in that image. On elements such as skies or grass, try using the white balance eyedropper in Lightroom, Capture One, Luminar, or whatever raw editor you prefer, before converting to black and white. The white balance can have a pretty dramatic effect.

Now you’re ready to play

Now that you’ve got your infared converted camera and post-processing methods figured out, it’s time to walk outside and point your camera at everything. Pine trees and succulents will glow even in the shade. Oak trees, not so much. Blue skies with clouds are amazing, and water is always a surprise. If you like to photograph people, give it a go and don’t stop playing.

If you would like to see me do some infrared editing, checkout this “Watch Me Work” episode on ThisWeekInPhoto.com

Now that you’re excited and ready to make the leap or perhaps do more research, I have some assistance for you. Check out the fantastic humans at Spencer’s Camera where I do all my conversions and those of all my friends. I’m a longtime customer and am not endorsed by them in any way. I truly recommend them.

When I picked up my recently converted Nikon Z6, I mentioned to them that I wanted to write an infrared post and they gracously offered a coupon code that I could include for all you amazing people.

Use the code spicyjello25 for $25 off anything over $200.

May you have a wonderful time exploring your infrared world!

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you’d like to learn more, see my affiliate disclaimer.

If you would like to support the efforst of this site, simply shop at Amazon using this link.

December 2, 2018

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My Nikon Z7 Makes Me Happy!

Posted in gear

After living with the Nikon Z7 for a few months now and having put it through its paces on a few wedding and engagement shoots, I figured it was a good time for a proper review. If you would rather skip the chatter, read the breakdown.

Just a heads up, this post will not be a head to head or a tech-heavy review. I’ll be sharing my personal experience as a full-time professional wedding photographer with over 15 years shooting digital with a Nikon D5 and D850. I don’t do video, so I apologize if you are hoping from insight from that aspect.

So, how good is the Nikon Z7 really?

Right off the bat—Nikon’s Z7 does make me happy!  It’s a solid piece of equipment that’s professional and ready to go to work right out of the box.

I have always believed that “gear does not make the photographer, but the photographer can make use of the gear”. Gear for me is just a tool that gets a job done. I don’t believe that any specific brand is better than another or mirrorless is the best revolution in photography. I love that fact that there is healthy competition and we, the users, are the winners. Nikon and Canon having made a move into mirrorless isn’t a game changer for me—It’s an evolution of a tool. Bottom line, picking the right tool for the job is more important than having the latest tool.

Familiarity

What’s impressive about Nikon’s new Z series is that for me, it feels immediately familiar to my Nikon-trained hands. The same can be said for those Canon shooters who look at Canons new EOS R mirrorless. As I sit here writing, the Z7 is right in from of me. Picking up the camera without even looking, I know where to “feel” for my controls like the exposure compensation button or the D-Pad on the back to move my focus points around. All of the symbols are in Nikon, and all make sense to me. Seems like a little thing, but already knowing the camera and menu system means the camera will get out of my way and allow me to just shoot.

Mirrorless

Now, if you don’t already know the wonders of a mirrorless camera, let me share. First of all, mirrorless, in general, is just like any other camera. My good friend, Frederick Van Johnson of This Week In Photo likes to say, “Cameras just capture photons”. So basically, all photon capturing boxes are the same and the difference is the features built around the photon trap. Simply put, mirrorless is no better than a DSLR at capturing photons. The most prominent feature of mirrorless for me is the live viewfinder. It’s amazing!!! It would only be fair to mention that Panasonic, Olympus, and Fuji, as well as a few others, have been doing the mirrorless photon capturing for a while now. So it’s not entirely new, it’s just gaining more momentum. I feel that important to mention because I see out in the world that there is a fever for mirrorless. It’s pretty cool for sure, but it’s not a genie bottle and doesn’t grant wishes. It’s a tool.

So why even consider mirrorless you might ask? Size and weight can be an advantage, however, if you add a booster and fast glass, you won’t really save much on weight—It’s a give and take. Image stabilization is another considerable advantage in mirrorless bodies. Having in-body stabilization with up to 5 stops reduction is huge, and with the Z series adapter, that means even your non-stabilized lenses can benefit. Lastly, my favorite mirrorless feature by far is the live viewfinder.

Fire

Nikon Z7: 1/3200, f4, 6400iso, Nikon 70-200mm f4 lens

Simple Integration

Kudos to Nikon for building the Z Series as a modern revolutionary piece of camera equipment that integrates into the existing Nikon ecosystem. It’s not only that the lenses and gear all work together, it “feels” Nikon. I can’t tell you how much that matters to me and I never really knew it would. The idea that I can grab the D5, D850 or the Z7 and shoot without fumbling is fantastic. I don’t mean the “walk in the backyard and find a pretty flower patiently waiting for me to stroll by kind of shooting”—I mean “grab a camera and start shooting the first dance and shots of dad kissing the bride on the cheek” kind of familiar. I’m pretty confident that if you shoot Nikon, the Z will “just work” for you

FTZ Mount Adapter

This adapter! I did get the new 24-70 lens and use it constantly, but I needed Nikon’s FTZ adapter. Thankfully, it’s reliable and easy to work with, however I do wish the price were more manageable as I would love to have a few floating around. I currently pre-attach it to my Nikon 70-200 f4, so it’s easy to jump between that and the native 24-70

The breakdown

Pros

Very Nikon
Buttons and menu will be familiar to all Nikon owners

“Camera on”
The Z is on and ready in record time. Coming from shooting a Sony that takes forever, it’s a nice feature.

Image stabilization is outstanding
I could not believe how well the IS worked with the native 24-70. I shot images at 1/6 sec no problem. Amazing. Image stabilization was not as stellar with Nikon’s 105mm macro, though, and I’m not sure why. I need to play more. The 105mm macro lens is internally stabilized and worked well, just not like the native lens.

Dynamic range
Fantastic dynamic range and overall image quality every bit as good or better than the D850

Lightweight but not “tiny.”
If you are used to handling a D850 or D5, the Z7 will be comfortable but not feel small.

Native 24-70 is top notch
Right out of the box I was impressed. I have no intention to shoot resolution charts. With some hands-on experience and a few weddings in the can, I’m confident that the 24-70 is one of the sharpest lenses I have shot.

The active viewfinder is incredibly sharp and vibrant
Doesn’t feel like I’m looking at a screen at all. Nikon definitely got the viewfinder right.

The touchscreen is fantastic
I have the D850 with a touchscreen, but it’s not as fully functional. I use it more than I thought I would.

Focus tracking is fantastic
I was already used to facial lock focus tracking with the Sony and super glad to see it in the Z series.

Focus peaking—My favorite feature!
Again, used this in the Sony but it is fracking amazing.

Built-in focus stacking
Macro photographers rejoice LOL. The D850 has this feature, but the Z seems to handle it better.

Configurable lens ring
Although I don’t see a use for me, it’s cool that I can configure it.

Cons

XQD card
Although super fast, did we really need that? XQD cards are expensive and currently hard to find.

Single card slot
For me and probably many pros, this kills the Z as a primary camera for once in a lifetime kind of photography moments. I won’t trust my weddings to the Z as a primary camera. Families and engagements I will use the Z for sure, though.

Poor focus acquisition in soft low light
It makes me sad, but the Z will not acquire focus in extreme conditions like the D5 or D850. To be fair, if you don’t already rely on the extremely fast low light focus ability of the D5 or D850, you will be very impressed with the Z.

Wireless strobe control is LAME LAME LAME
Sorry, just had to get that out. To use the amazing SB-5000 strobes as a WiFi off-camera strobe, you have to plug this small module into the side of the camera. WTH? It’s in your way, nothing in place to make sure it doesn’t come out, and oh did I mention—It’s in the way!

Crippled button customization
Small thing to nitpick, but some custom options are not available to all customizable buttons, which feels to me like an oversight. Let the user decide what the buttons do, no ned to limit the options.

Battery life
Not a huge issue to be honest, but thought I’d mention it. The battery lasts about as long as the D850 but not nearly as long as the D5, so not a massive change for me. I have regularly gotten 500+ images out of my Z7 at a wedding.

Let’s talk image quality

I’ve been shooting a long time, way too long in fact, and when you have been shooting daily for over 25 years, you get a sense of what an image should look like. It’s not scientific by any means, but when you view a lot of images and primarily the same subject matter, you get a good sense of what a camera is giving you.

For example, the first time I shot with the Sony a7R II I was blown away by the exposure latitude over the Nikon D4 and D4s I had at the time. Then came the Nikon D850 which was also very impressive. Highlights in a bride’s dress or an overexposed sky are much more easily recovered in the D850 and the Sony a7R II than any other camera I have shot. Now enter the Z7. The Z7 is every bit the D850 and a little more, more specifically a little thicker on highlight and shadow detail. Again, this is not a head to head and not scientific, just my opinion with a lot of hands-on time. Having shot and edited as much as I have, I can tell what file I’m editing by how it behaves to the exposure slider or recovering highlights or shadows and the Z7 does not disappoint. What I think is most important is that the Z7 did not lack in image quality in any way. It held its own in a mix of D5, D850 and Sony a7R II files from several wedding shoots. For me, that says more than a pixel dive to compare images at monster magnification.

Nikon Z7: 1/400, F10, 1000iso, 105mm Nikon Macro, 100% magnification

Nikon Z7: 1/400, F10, 1000iso, 105mm Nikon Macro, Full Frame

Final thoughts

The take away for me is that the Nikon Z7 is a performer. No camera will ever be perfect, but for the moment the Z7 is pretty close. There will always be features or design elements we wish we had, but we need to be practical. Chasing gear doesn’t make me money or impress my brides—Getting the shot is what matters, and the Z7 can do that for me. Performance and the ability to make the necessary image for delivery is what matters most. If that gear can be a little lighter, faster, or sexier while doing its job, then all the better.

This post contains affiliate links. If you’d like to learn more, see my affiliate disclaimer here.

November 2, 2018

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The Magic of 4 Megapixels

Posted in gear, portraits

Feature image shot with the Nikon D2h | 400 ISO | f5.6 | 1/320s

There’s been a lot of new gear hitting the streets these days, so I thought I would follow up my last post with an actual shoot with a 15yr-old Nikon D2h just to see what it used to be like.

I’m very excited to see Nikon, Canon, Panasonic, and Fuji releasing some great new hardware. Even though I’m a Nikon shooter, I love the idea that the competition is pushing the tech water level higher for all of us. It’s a win-win for everyone.

But let’s take a step back for a moment from the monster megapixel, high ISO, mirrorless euphoria we have all been on and ask ourselves:

How much do we need? How many megapixels, lens resolution, high iso, and dynamic range is “good enough”?

For each of us that answer will be different. Whether you’re a serious amateur, a full-time fashion pro, or an architectural photographer, your needs are unique. For me as a wedding photographer, I need a camera with latitude—Latitude in tonal range, resolution for cropping, and the ability to focus in very low, flat lighting. For me, the Nikon D5 and D850 are those cameras. The Z7 is a contender to be sure, but still a little behind when focusing in that soft, low contrast lighting as are other mirrorless lines, but that’s an article for another time.

I should say for context, I’m not a pixel peeper. I don’t care about looking at my images at 400% or shooting resolution charts. I shoot a lot—Nearly a million frames a year and make a living from selling prints off those images. If my clients are happy and my gear stays out of my way, I can capture images as they unfold in front of me and I’m a happy creative. Now I know that sounds a little hypocritical since I have the best in Nikon’s line and it’s fair to add that until recently, I owned a lot of Sony’s mirrorless gear as well. To be clear, I want the best of the best, I love gear, but I realize that pretty much any camera can do the job. It’s the old saying that “Its the Photographer, not the Camera”.

So why am I heading down this rabbit hole you might ask?

Well, I hear all around me talk of gear and only gear. It’s amazing how fixated most photographers are about gear. There are entire blogs on nothing but gear, and those blogs usually get the most hits. For the most part, gear doesn’t make you a better photographer or get you hired. So this post is kinda that anti-gear review LOL

If I can do a shoot with a 4mp, 15yr-old camera with a dirty old crappy lens, and make a beautiful, sellable image, I’m hoping we can put gear talk aside for a while.

The next time we sit down with our photography tribe and the gear chatter begins, change the subject to posing, client relations, marketing —or I know, how about art! Talk about how to see light and capture its amazingness on a landscape or a model in the studio.

The shoot

The images shown in this post are from a very recent engagement session with my wonderful couple, Josh and Janel (much thanks for allowing me to share your images!) with which I shot the Z7, D2h, and D850.

Now I know what your thinking—No, I didn’t shoot the entire session with the D2h. These are real clients and I don’t want to take a chance of anything going wrong. The D2h is ancient in tech terms and has a tendency to randomly give me the dreaded “err” message. I can also hear a few of you wanting to see a side-by-side. Nope. This is really about what the D2h was able to give me. It’s pretty much the worst camera I could choose to shoot with, but nonetheless, it produced a beautiful set of images that are more than sellable at my usual 24” to 30” sizes.

So what’s the takeaway?

It’s up to you. For me, it’s all within the context of how good my current gear is and how little it matters whether it’s 50mp and 12fps or 24mp at 3fps, mirrorless or DSLR or what brand. Ultimately, gear just fills a need, so what’s yours?

October 18, 2018

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How Much Camera is Enough?

Posted in gear

Feature image shot with the Nikon Z7 | 400 ISO | f4 | 1/200s

Back in 2003, I was shooting weddings on a Nikon D2H that cost me $3,999. It was amazing and I thought How could this get any better? After shooting film for almost 10 years with Hasselblad and Nikon F5S, this was a dream camera.

I used the D2H for almost 3 years before adding a D3, and that’s when everything about digital changed. It worked—It was amazing and, in most ways, much better than film. After the D3 I sold all my film gear and never looked back.

Just as a reference, you can get a “like new” D2H today (October 19, 2018—15 years later) for just under $500.

As you might recall from my last post, I recently got my hands on Nikon’s new flagship camera, the Z7 mirrorless, when it arrived at Samy’s Camera with my name on it. The camera and lens kit totaled $3,999. I’ll mention now that this isn’t a Z7 review—there are a lot of those already out there. I will say, though, that this is the best camera I have ever used. Sure, it has its shortcomings (and all gear does), but as a complete package, the Z7 is truly a pleasure to shoot.

 

Why mention those two cameras?

Well, I decided to take them both out and do a shoot to compare what 15 years of camera evolution has really given me. And I say “me” because I can’t speak for anyone else’s use. No review can tell you how a camera will perform in your hands and react to your photographic demands. If you really want a true review, get your hands on one.

The first thing I noticed is the size and weight. Man, those mirrorless cameras have a lot to love when it comes to wear and tear on the body.
Looking through the viewfinder was another striking difference. The D2H is dark and small and the Z7 was large and bright. It didn’t feel like I was looking through a piece of equipment at all. I love when gear gets out of your way and the Z7 does that amazingly well.

I digress—Not (really) a Z7 review.

The real point of my sharing this is to highlight a question I think we need to ask ourselves: How much camera do we really need? If you’re shooting for an Instagram post and don’t plan on printing much over an 11″x14″, a D2H could be an amazing camera for you. On the other hand, if you make your living shooting images that will regularly be cropped, edited, and printed large, the D2H may not be your best choice.

All things considered, it’s just cool to look back at what gear was like and what I used to make a living with. I regularly printed 30” prints from the D2h and they looked amazing. I wouldn’t trade in my Z7 for a D2H, but a D2H could certainly perform in the right environment.

 

The results

Looks at these specs. WOW, what a huge difference.

D2H Native image size

8.2” x 5.4” at 300dpi 4mp 1.5 cropped sensor

Z7 Native image size

27.5” x 18.3” at 300dpi 45.7 full frame sensor

 

Full images

Nikon D2H Full Image

Nikon Z7 Full Image

 

Images at 100%

Nikon D2H at 100%

Nikon Z7 at 100%

October 8, 2018

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Nikon Z7 and SpaceX

Posted in gear
SpaceX Falcon 9 launch captures with a Nikon Z7

Featured image shot with the Nikon Z7 | 8,000 ISO | f4 | 0.5s

While driving home from celebrating my daughter’s birthday over dinner this past Sunday, one of her friends noticed a brilliant pattern of colors exploding in the night sky.

That was the moment when my brain screamed: “Where’s my camera?!”. After calmly driving down the streets of our neighborhood and finally reaching our driveway, I ran into the house to grab a camera. I have three to choose from: the Nikon D5, D850, or the new Nikon Z7. Having already played with the new Z7 for a week or so and experiencing how amazing the image stabilization is, I quickly made my choice. With the 20-70  f4 lens attached, I was out the door shooting all handheld.

Initially, I considered shooting video but knew that I would screw it up—I rarely shoot video and I knew the spectacle wouldn’t last much longer, so I went with what I knew.  I immediately dialed the ISO up to 8,000 and started firing off frames as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket raced through the sky. I was pleased that the Z7 was grabbing focus just as I would have expected my D5 or D850 to do. As the light show was beginning to die down, I grabbed my Sigma 85 1.4 Art Series and continued shooting, keeping my eyes fixed onto the camera as I followed the light all the way to the horizon and out of sight. When I did drop the camera, I was amazed at how much light the Z7 was able to make out despite the sky having dimmed so rapidly.

Although I don’t consider the images I captured to be the most spectacular, this spontaneous moment proved to me that the Z7 has now risen as a strong contender.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launch captures with a Nikon Z7

Nikon Z7 | 20,000 ISO | f4 | 1/6s

SpaceX Falcon 9 launch captures with a Nikon Z7

Nikon Z7 | 10,000 ISO | f1.4 | 1/50s

Final thoughts

To give you a little background, I have a Sony A7Rm2, A7m2, A7r, and a large collection of glass. Needless to say, I love Sony gear—I really do (except for how it focuses in low, soft light).  I mostly use my Sony gear for my personal work of abstracts and fine art, while the D5 and D850 perform as my workhorses for my wedding work. Despite the fact that I think the Sony gear is some of the finest our industry has ever seen, it just doesn’t compete with the functionality of my big Nikon gear.

So as a full-time professional photographer for 25+ years who loves different types of gear, this “experiment” left me extremely impressed with the Z7. It really is one of the big boys. It “feels Nikon”, the lenses go on the same way, the lens release button is on the same side, and of course, I can use all of my current Nikon glass—A huge plus! All in all, it’s not that the Z7 is necessarily hands-down better than the Sony. It’s just different. But in my hands, the hands of a 25+ year Nikon shooter, it makes all the difference.

I’ll simply end by saying that there is often a lot of chatter about how Nikon missed the mark, could have done better… blah blah blah. In the case of the Z7, I think they designed exactly what they meant to—An amazing companion (rather than a replacement) to the D5 and D850.