After spending the morning doing some landscape photography in the Niagara area I hit some dense fog on my way home. Shooting landscape photos under foggy conditions is one of my favourite things to do so I couldn’t resist getting off the highway and finding a good spot to capture some images. I ended up at Charles Daley Park which is located on Lake Ontario in the town of Lincoln. What follows is a selection of images of this lakeside park in fog. Continue reading Lakeside park in fog
Diffraction
Often when we start out as photographers we hear more experienced folks talk about the importance of not stopping a lens down too far as to avoid the effects of diffraction.
We may find this confusing because from a composition standpoint we often want to achieve deep depth-of-field, especially with landscape photography. Stopping a lens down to achieve this degree of depth-of-field seems quite logical.
This begs the question whether we really need to care about diffraction. Continue reading Diffraction
Sensor performance isn’t everything
Choosing a new camera can be a daunting task given how many makes and models are available. While I am a big fan of the independent lens and sensor testing done by DxOMark, sensor performance isn’t everything when deciding on a camera. Continue reading Sensor performance isn’t everything
Post-processing of landscape images
Capturing landscape images can be a challenge when using many cameras with smaller sensors like the Nikon 1 system or M4/3. Rather than go into specific details with a step-by-step approach this article is intended to provide some general thoughts on post-processing of landscape images taken with small sensor cameras. Continue reading Post-processing of landscape images
Photo opportunities at Dufferin Islands
Niagara Falls is one of the top tourist destinations in North America with magnificent waterfalls on both the American and Canadian sides. Tourists also typically visit many of the attractions like Bird Kingdom, Ripley’s and a host of other locations. One of the most overlooked areas is Dufferin Islands which are only a 10 minute walk from the falls on the Canadian side. Continue reading Photo opportunities at Dufferin Islands
Practicing bird-in-flight images with gulls
If you’re like me you likely have captured hundreds, if not thousands, of images of sea gulls in flight. It’s not that these birds are all that photogenic, but practicing bird-in-flight images with gulls is a good way to maintain our skill level. Continue reading Practicing bird-in-flight images with gulls
Using graduated neutral density filters with Nikon 1 and M4/3
Just like what owners of full frame and cropped sensor DSLR’s experience, using graduated neutral density (GND) filters with Nikon 1 and M4/3 cameras can help improve the images you capture, especially if you like landscape photography.
One could argue that since the sensors in Nikon 1 and M4/3 cameras have less dynamic range than most DSLR’s using graduated neutral density filters is even more critical with these smaller sensor cameras. Continue reading Using graduated neutral density filters with Nikon 1 and M4/3
Why I love shooting with the Nikon 1 system
This short article outlines some of the reasons why I love shooting with one of the worst-rated cameras on the market…the Nikon 1 V2. Continue reading Why I love shooting with the Nikon 1 system
Movo Extension Tubes Hands-On Review
As some regular readers know I’ve been experiencing some quality and durability issues with my Vello Extension Tubes for Nikon 1. These tubes are in the process of being redesigned with metal mounts which should be a significant improvement over the plastic mount version currently available. Since I do a fair amount of work with my Nikon 1 gear with extension tubes I didn’t have the luxury of time to wait for the redesigned tubes. I decided to investigate some other options and recently I purchased a set of Movo Extension Tubes for Nikon 1. Their main selling feature are the metal mounts. What follows is a brief Movo Extension Tube hands-on review. Continue reading Movo Extension Tubes Hands-On Review
Using Movo Extension Tubes with Nikon 1
Since, at the present time, there are no native Nikon 1 macro lenses available, many owners of Nikon 1 gear use extension tubes instead. For many folks their decision comes down to using extension tubes with either the Nikon 1 30-110 mm f/3.8-5.6 or the Nikon 1 CX 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 lenses.
I recently purchased a set of Movo Extension Tubes for Nikon 1 and I thought it may be interesting to compare the ‘magnification effect’ of the various Movo Extension Tubes with these two lenses when mounted on my Nikon 1 V2’s. The basic question is, “When using Movo Extension Tubes with Nikon 1, which set up works best?” Continue reading Using Movo Extension Tubes with Nikon 1