Nikon D800 vs Nikon D800E what is the difference?

We take a look at the Nikon D800E and compare it to the D800 to see what the big deal is and why this costs more than the standard D800 DSLR.

Related article: Nikon D800 Hands-on Review - Test

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The gray card and its use - Photography Course - Lesson 30

This article is part of the online digital photography course.

Related article: The white balance - Photography Course - Lesson 29

Foto by Wolfgang Lonien Flickr.com/photos/wjlonien/

In conditions of mixed light our camera may have many problems in balancing the white, in this case it comes in help the 18% neutral gray thin cardboard that is used to calculate the exposure. Some photographers use a gray card that is 5% neutral, a compromise between the total white and the darker grays.

Massimiliano Albani, a user of the board forumdifotografia.it, wrote:

“I find pretty useful the 18% neutral gray thin cardboard in conditions of mixed light, the colors are more close to reality than those obtained by using a simple white paper.

I use the thin cardboard this way:

1. I place the paper on the scene in the way that it reflects the light as the subject.
2. I take a picture of the entire paper.
3. Then I remove the paper and take normally all the other pictures.
4. In post-production I open the picture with Lightroom.
5. In the BASE section of the Development module I take the sector of the white balance and I click on the zone with the uniform light of the paper.
6. Done! Lightroom gives me the right color temperature value that I can apply to any picture.

While making the white balance during the shot with the gray card depends on the brand of your camera, the conceptual procedure is the same for every camera.

1. Place the paper on the scene making it reflect the light like the subject.
2. Take a picture of the paper so that it takes most of the frame. Possibly with a manual focus and a correct exposure (important to obtain a correct color temperature).
3. In the camera menu go on "custom WB".
4. At this point the picture previously taken must be selected.
5. For the subsequent shots choose from the WB settings the option "custom". This options are set based on the previous picture.

I honestly find more convenient and accurate the post-production procedure.

Another user called sinXphotography answers:

I use the ColorChecker ( a tool divided in colored squares that have the primary colors). Basically it works similarly as the gray thin cardboard, but is more accurate in the closeness to reality of the obtained colors.

It’s used in the same way:

• You have to take a picture of the color checker on the set, with the same lights.
• In post-production, with its software, is produced a DNG file that will be used with Camera RAW or Lightroom for the balance.

It’s provided also with gray and white squares, with which you can do a classic balance.

It's very useful for the Still-life, but it can be used pretty well for exteriors and studio services as well.

Regarding the thin cardboard, you should take a picture just to it, always lighted by the set light, then try to set the custom WB on that shot and it should work on all the subsequent shots.

Translation by Nina Kozul

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Fuji X-Pro1 vs Sony NEX-7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5

In this video we look at the low light performance of the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and compare it to two other latest mirrorless cameras: the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Sony NEX-7. How do they perform with autofocus in low light and what is the EVF like? We also compare the noise performance of each camera.

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The white balance - Photography Course - Lesson 29

This article is part of the online digital photography course.

The white balance (WB), is often used in marriage photography where is important for the bride's dress to be of a pure white unaltered by color dominance; here we’ll reconnect to the concept expressed in the article "Black and white or Color?" were I explained that our brain in these cases considers more realistic an "unreal" situation because in our head the bride's dress is white.

To correct the color dominance we have two options, we can set in our camera the kind of light source or balance the white in post-production (suggested).

In my Nikon D90 the white balance is set on AUTO, entering the menu there are different kinds of WB.

For example, if in the scene there are incandescent lights you have just to choose the corresponding WB and the camera will compensate the lights to obtain a white subject and neutral tones.

The lights are not all the same, compared in both quality and quantity, for example there's difference among an incandescent light, a neon and the sunlight, the light quality is different in terms of color temperature, for example the light of an incandescent lamp is considered hot, while a neon light is considered cold.

The neutral light is defined "Day light" and it corresponds to the sunlight in a sunny day, not cloudy at noon.
If you are used to post production you don't need to set the WB in your camera because you can obtain excellent and moreover customizable results in post-production.

Always take your photos in RAW format for the reasons explained previously, open the file with camera raw, lightroom or any other software, you'll be able to apply the color temperature that you like without loss of time during the shooting phase.

Remember that the WB doesn’t always have to be perfect, because a complete correction could kill the feeling, in substance don't just follow the rules, be creative and entrust your personal taste!

Related article: The gray card and its use - Photography Course - Lesson 30

Translation by Nina Kozul

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Pentax K-01 Test and Hands-on Review

We take a look at the new Pentax - the K-01 - designed by Marc Newson. With so many mirrorless cameras around, can this be considered a good choice?

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Nikon D3200 Test and Hands-on Review

Nikon D3200 hands on review

What Digital Camera's First Look video of the Nikon D3200, filmed at the UK Press launch in London on 18th April 2012.



Nikon D3200 - Hands On First Look Preview

The Nikon D3200 Provides New D-SLR Shooters a Powerful Combination of Effortless Operation, 24.2-Megapixel High Resolution and Wireless Connectivity to Mobile Devices

Imaging leader Nikon Inc. introduced the new 24.2-megapixel Nikon D3200 HD-SLR; a camera designed for photo enthusiasts ready to step up to a D-SLR or for the busy family memory keeper with an active lifestyle who demands a camera that can keep pace. From low-light to fast action, the D3200 delivers the amazing image quality Nikon is known for, either indoors or outside. Whether new to photography or upgrading from a point-and-shoot, the D3200 features Nikon's acclaimed instructive Guide Mode to help unleash the photographer in everyone. From candid action shots to staged portraits that flatter, the Nikon D3200 provides the power to capture every moment easily and beautifully with stellar image quality and in stunning Full HD (1080p) video.

Nikon D3200 - 24.2MP!



Nikon D3200 review

The Nikon D3200 joins Nikon's existing product line-up siting just above the entry level D3100. It features a massive 24.2 million pixel APS-C CMOS sensor, and as all new Nikon releases such as the NIkon V series, D800 and D4 includes the new Expeed 3 processing engine.

One of the big features for Nikon is the improved Guided Shooting mode which helps photographers who are just getting started with the settings that are needed to get certain types of images.

For the D3200 body in black £559.99, D3200 & 18-55mm VR black kit £649.99.

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Amateur Boxe - sparring - First Day

From now on, in addition to the photography course articles, the various technical articles, those of post production and photographic culture you'll find also my Photo Post, that are articles with my photos where i explain how i realized them and the difficulties given by photographing in certain conditions, the it will be a more practical approach to photography.

Place: Golden Fighter Gym - Messina - All my photos regarding the boxe: Boxe Set - Flickr

Saturday 17th i went to the golden fighter to photograph the boxe sparrings, i decided to follow these boys during their sport career starting from their first match, the most of them are at the beginning.

When i arrive the sparring just begun...

Into the gym the lighting to photograph it's very poor, there aren't windows, just some lamps on the ceiling, i rely on my 35mm lens with max aperture at f1.8 (that i didn't use), i almost didn't use my nikkor 18-105mm and with poor results, in this place can be seen all the limits of a low level zoom compared to a fixed lens, i had to stoop to compromises working just on times, ISO and apertures, i use an amateur reflex , so a few noise is unavoidable, in post production i stress the grain making it become an integral part of my pictures creating a "personal style" in this genre (at least during the training, on the ring the lighting is usually good).

With this picture i finish the first sparring day, i wanted to use a f2.8 aperture and a shutter speed of 1/160s, standard ISO.

I obtained pictures very underexposed that i recovered in post production (i take this chance to remind you of the following article: the advantages of overexposure in digital photography).

Here one of the picture before the elaboration:

The picture is very underexposed but the blacks aren't so close that i loose details, here enter in play the histogram, if you don't know this topic you shouldn't loose the lesson 25 of the photography course.

The next time i'll try to go with the max aperture setting a faster shutter speed, the boxers move pretty quickly and the troubling elements in a gym are many.

To leave a comment on my photographs go on my flickr gallery at this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcocrupivisualartist/

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Olympus OM-D E-M5 Hands-on Review

We take a look at the new digitalised version of the OM series - the Olympus OM-D E-M5 - to see if it has the spirit of the much loved film SLR.

Related article: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review and Test

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HDR photography complete guide - Photography Course - Lesson 28

Photo by Bruno Ciampi Flickr.com/photos/brunociampi/

This article is part of the online digital photography course.

Much has been written on the HDR (High Dynamic Range), above all about the shooting technique and the used software (Photoshop, Photomatix Pro, Easy HDR etc...).

To really create an HDR let's start from the basics.

HDR photography consist in going over the physical limit of the sensor increasing the extended dynamic gamma thanks to the chance of combining in post-production or during the shot three or more pictures with different exposures, this entails that the photographed scenes have to be static and so a tripod becomes essential.

Many are sure that this technique will lead to obtain pretty contrasted pictures with supersaturated colors, there's nothing more wrong; what you see in that kind of pictures is just a horrible post production that sometimes can turn out to be interesting if well realized.

But, what characterizes a real HDR picture? It gives a dynamic gamma superior to sensor’s one, with wide shadows and high light although in presence of strong contrasts. Obtaining a picture impossible to do with a normal sensor, because it would close the shadows or burn the high lights.

From this explanation it can be understood that it isn't possible to obtain an HDR photo from a single shot, because you have no way to go over the dynamic gamma limit of the sensor, you can't have the information of more shots in a single one.

To realize HDR pictures you need:

• The first picture to expose the high lights
• The second with a medium exposure
• The third exposing the shadows 

By merging these three pictures you obtain one with a richness of colors and details higher than the single one.

A curiosity: HDR photographs should appear more realistic than a normal picture, because the human eye is able to recognize more details than a sensor in both light and shadows!

Now I want to tell you about something that you can't usually find in HDR photography tutorials, it was written by a coworker of my blog whose name is Sabrina Campagna.

To obtain images really significant and noteworthy what really counts is the first image, the starting one. To obtain its best, the shot has to be taken in not extreme lIn the third case too pale or gray skies may give you white stains where the program can't find fitting colors for the mapping. That happens mostly on the parts where the color tends to white, so the stain will be a white/gray with irregular borders (as in the image). In the fourth and last case, happens something similar to the previous. The sun on the peak can create unbalance in the original shot, because unless you center perfectly the image the sky will tend to white until completely "burning" during the mapping. The excessive refraction of the UV rays can, in addition, create a discoloration also on other picture areas rendering the HDR useless. The best subjects to photograph in HDR are the architectural subjects or also those rich of details that will be highlighted by the HDR fusion.ight conditions.

The rules of the first shot are the following:

1. No strong back light.
2. No to an excessive presence of black in the picture (as night photos taken with short shutter speeds).
3. No gray skies.
4. No strong sunlight.

In the first and second case, in fact, cause of the elaboration, the HDR results mostly with a washed-out and noisy black that, to be corrected, will require a high contrast that will bring the pictures more or less to its original tones of silhouette or nocturne.

In the third case too pale or gray skies may give you white stains where the program can't find fitting colors for the mapping. That happens mostly on the parts where the color tends to white, so the stain will be a white/gray with irregular borders (as in the image).

In the fourth and last case, happens something similar to the previous. The sun on the peak can create unbalance in the original shot, because unless you center perfectly the image the sky will tend to white until completely "burning" during the mapping.

The excessive refraction of the UV rays can, in addition, create a discoloration also on other picture areas rendering the HDR useless.

The best subjects to photograph in HDR are the architectural subjects or also those rich of details that will be highlighted by the HDR fusion.

HOW TO REALIZE AN HDR - Post production phase - written by Gianluca Nespoli

In this tutorial we'll study how to create an HDR image through Photomatix and the subsequent optimization through Photoshop, all starting from three pictures done in RAW format.

The shots were done with a reflex Canon 30D and a lens Canon 10-22mm. Aperture f/9 with times of 1/8s, 0.5s and 2s. As you can notice the times are exactly to + and - 2 stops with a reference value of 0.5s.

The pictures have been taken at the science museum in London, ideal environment to use the HDR technique, placing the camera on a backpack because the internal rules of the museum forbid to use a tripod, in bracketing mode and automatic shutter release to avoid any kind of movement of the camera during the shots.

1 - Creation of the HDR

To create the HDR we'll use a good program called Photomatix Pro, easy to use and pretty intuitive (there are many tutorials on the net to delve into its features). Working with TIFF images at 16 bit the result will be similar to the next image (32 bit):

After setting the real engine of Photomatix, that is the "tone mapping", we'll have a TIFF image with 16 bit per channel:

Setting the tone mapping at your pleasure will be pretty easy thanks to the plain interface. The difference between the two pictures is obvious but still not quite satisfying... a yellow dominance a bit faded. What are you going to obtain with Photomatix will be a picture similar to this one:

Details retouch

Let's pass to the finishing phase to render the image a bit more engaging. Mainly we'll work on lights, shadows, tones, contrast and sharpness. Opening the image previously saved with Photomatix, let's duplicate the background level and modify the exposure (image>regulations>exposure)

Let's continue desaturating the yellow (image>regulations>Tone/Saturation)

Let's raise the sharpness of the image by using a contrast mask:

(in this case I preferred to immediately raise the sharpness instead of doing it at the end), let's merge everything and duplicate the level created this way.

Apply the Gaussian blur filter in overlay mode at low opacity (14% may work for our purpose) by doing that we are going to increase the image color making it more full-bodied:

Let's merge the level again and duplicate the resulting level.

image > regulations >lighting/contrast using the following values: lighting -3; contrast: +3 Merge it again and duplicate the level.

Image > regulations > curves

Merge everything and duplicate the level.

It can still be seen a yellow dominance that, personally, I don't think is appropriate. Let's then repeat the yellow desaturation with a value of -65 and setting, for the superior layer (normal mode), a 75% opacity. Merge everything and duplicate again.

Now we have to try to raise the “tridimensionality” of the subject by emphasizing the light dots with the brush tool in overlay mode with an opacity around the 18% and using the white color. The same procedure will have to be used for the dark areas using the black brush (alternatively we can use the burn and dodge tools).

The brush size will have to be varied depending on the area we are going to work on. Let's merge everything one more time and duplicate the level.

Now pass in 8 bit mode and use the effect filter paint daubs.

Now lower the opacity of this level to 30% and in the parts where the effect seems to be too marked (in this case on the car's radiator) use the rubber tool to render visible the inferior layer.

I’d say that our job is finished!

In conclusion

As you may have realized this isn't "THE" method but a method that has to be adapted to the picture we have to work on. For a good result the important thing is to start from a decent picture with the less noise possible, because the HDR tends to emphasize it. Not all subjects are fit for this kind of elaboration, metals and reflecting surfaces, instead, will give remarkable results. Starting from a much contrasted subject the final image will result as much well exposed and pleasant but you will require more shots... 5, 7 or even 9.

A similar although more rough effect, can be obtained from a single shot: developing in different ways the same raw file starting the lighting from time to time.

Experiment, experiment and experiment again. I hope I haven't been too boring or dispersive but somewhat of help in pulling you closer to this photographic technique.

Translation by Nina Kozul

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Nikon D4 vs D800 Review comparison

Nikon D800 vs D4 - Which One Is Right For You?

With the recent release of the awesome Nikon D800, why does one ever need to get a D4? In this video, we take a look at both cameras to see which one might be the right one for you.

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Lightroom 4 Tutorial: Importing Photos

This article is from the Lightroom Course

In this video from Laura's Lightroom Fundamentals & Beyond series of 10 1/2 hours of training on 55 videos, Laura shows how to import photos into Lightroom (get Lighroom to see your photos) that are already on your hard drive, and how to create a copyright and contact information preset to automatically add this information to your photo's data.

Lightroom 4 (and 3): Importing Photos Part One - Photos Already on your Hard Drive



Lightroom 4 (and 3): Importing Photos Part Two - Photos on Memory Cards

Laura shows how to import photos into Lightroom (get Lighroom to see your photos) that are still on memory cards, and completes her lesson on other important Import features, including how to create an Import preset.

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Jimi Hendrix burns the guitar at the Monterey Festival [1967] - Photos that made History

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (Seattle, 27 November 1942 – London, 18 September 1970), was an American guitarist and singer. He’s considered one of the greatest guitarist of music history and also one of the greatest innovators of the electric guitar: during his artistic career as brief as intense, he made himself the precursor of many sound structures that would become the future rock evolutions (as for example the hard rock) through an original fusion of blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, psychedelic and funky.

Based on the 2003 ranking made by the Rolling Stone magazine he is the greatest guitarist of all times.

His closing performance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 became an out-and-out symbol: the image of the guitarist that, with scoffing artistic visionarity, plays the American national anthem in a provocatively distorted way entering powerfully in the collective musical imagination as one of the turning points in the history of rock.

Hendrix was introduced in the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 1992.

The picture that you see is dated back in 1967, when his band was invited - behind intercession of Paul McCartney - to the historic edition of the Monterey International Pop Festival of 16th, 17th and 18th June of that year, generally considered the starting event of the so called long summer of love. The opportunity was extremely favorable for Hendrix: beyond the wide stir that this event had in all the United States, his performance would have been immortalized in the documentary that would have been made from the festival. Experience didn't let escape the chance and made one of the most acclaimed performances of the festival, and one of the best of their entire live career; in the 40 minutes of the exhibition Hendrix played his Fender Stratocaster in a way never seen before, simulating sexual loves, playing with teeth, behind the back, against the microphone pole and the amplifiers. At the end of the performance, to underline the spasmodic need to find new sounds from the instrument, he burned it with lighters gas and broke it against the stage and the amplifiers in a catharsis of excruciating feedbacks.

The remains of the guitar destroyed by Hendrix that night were recovered and are actually exposed in the Seattle's Experience Music Project. The wild audio performance of the trio had a great echo in all the USA, preparing the ground to the success that would have welcomed as much the live performances of the guitarist as his record releases.

This article is part of the section: Photos that made history

Translation by Nina Kozul 

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Computer monitor Colour Calibration - Photography Tips

This article is part of the section Photography Tips

How can you judge the colour of your prints if the computer monitor you are using isn't accurate? Simple.... You can't!

If you are serious about accurate colour reproduction for your final output then calibrating your monitor is essential.

The good thing is that the basics are easy. You just need an entry level densitometer and software to do the trick.

In this video I'll give you a brief run through on the tools and process to get more accurate colour.

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Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review and Test

Olympus OM D E-M5 Review by What Digital Camera

A hands-on intro to the new Olympus E-M5, the first of their new OM-D mirrorless Micro Four Thirds cameras, which feature and built-in electronic viewfinder and weatherproof construction.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Hands-on Preview by Digital Photography Review




Olympus OM-D Camera - Hands-On With The E-M5

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The Bracketing - Photography Course - Lesson 27

This article is part of the online digital photography course.

The bracketing is a photographic technique used while shooting; it consist in photographing the same subject more times with different exposures, apertures openings, focusing to ISO sensitivity.

The exposure bracketing is often used because it’s the base to realize HDR (High Dynamic Range) photographs, that have a high dynamic gamma; it consist in photographing the same subject varying the exposure: you take a minimum of 3 pictures, one correctly exposed, one overexposed and a last underexposed. We'll analyze better this kind of photography in the next chapter.

The bracketing is useful non just to realize HDR pictures but also in situations where it’s difficult to obtain a correctly exposed picture with a single shot.

In addition to the exposure bracketing I consider also useful:

• Depth of field bracketing: You take a series of pictures with different apertures leaving exposure and ISO unchanged, this way you change only the DoF.
• Focus bracketing: Useful in macrophotography where the DoF is limited. With this kind of bracketing you may have a series of photographs with different focus and then choose the best one, or combine them in post-production.

Translation by Nina Kozul

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Panasonic Lumix GF5 hands On preview

Panasonic Lumix GF5 First Look Preview by What Digital Camera

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: GF5 specifications



New LUMIX GF5 Introduction Video

New LUMIX GF5 from LUMIX G Micro System



First Look: Panasonic updates its entry-level ILC

We played with an early model of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5, the company's cheapest interchangeable-lens camera. Here are our first impressions.

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Nikon D4 Test ad Review

Nikon D4 review by what ditigal camera

Related post:

Nikon D4 Hands-on Review - Test

Nikon D4 Guided Tour - Review

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Canon 60Da Astrophotography DSLR - Review

Canon has just outed the proper successor to the EOS 20Da, with the 60Da "catering to astronomers and hobbyists" who'd rather spend their clicks on galaxies than flowers and Earthlings.

According to Canon, there's a "modified infrared filter and a low-noise sensor with heightened hydrogen-alpha sensitivity" -- something that presumably means the world to astronomers. In more understandable terms, it's packing an 18-megapixel CMOS sensor (APS-C), a 3-inch Clear View LCD (you know, the flip-out kind), a nine-point autofocus system and TV-out support.

The Silent Shooting feature that we already praised on the EOS 5D Mark III is here as well, as is a native ISO ceiling of 6,400 and an expandable range that reaches 12,800. Canon also throws in its RA-E3 remote controller adapter -- a vital accessory for those looking to shoot timed exposures greater than 30 seconds -- as well as an AC adapter kit for those all-night sessions.

It'll hit select dealers later this month for $1,499.

Here we discuss its usage, niche, pricing and compare it to the Nikon D800E.

Canon EOS 60Da DSLR Review

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How to stop your camera's polarising filters breaking! - Photography Tips

This article is part of the section Photography Tips

One of the most common questions I get asked is about our filter system, so in this weeks tips video I show you the filter system that I use and how it works.

Related Post: Filters - Photography course - Lesson 9

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Nikon D800 vs Canon eos 5D Mark III - Hands-on

Both Canon and Nikon have both released their successors to the 5D Mark II and D700: the Mark III and D800. Which one is the better full frame DSLR?



Related post:

• Canon 5D Mark III Test and Hands-on Review
• Nikon D800 Hands-on Review - Test

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