Moon Shot

Tonight, I held a great "Exposure" class at my school, Balanced Exposure.  One of the students mentioned that we had a great moon tonight, so I told everyone to go out and take a photo of the moon based on what we learned tonight.

Here's my version of the moon shot.  Nikon D700 / Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII

Alternative Lens For Full Frame Cameras - Sigma 24-105mm f4 DG

The new Sigma 24-105mm f4 DG lens is part of the new "Art" Series lenses from Sigma.

For many years, I had been using the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens as my main lens for all of my full-frame cameras.  But I decided to try out a less expensive option to see if these new lenses could compete with the Nikon lens which is often considered the best lens in its focal range.

While the Sigma is not better than the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8, it comes very close.  And at its price, you can't ignore it.  The Nikon sells for $1889.95 whereas the Sigma is $899.  At nearly $1000 difference, it would be very tempting for many photographers to consider.

My copy of the Sigma proved to be a very sharp lens!  But that's not to say it is sharper than the Nikon.

Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:
Significantly lower price
Overall, very sharp lens
High build quality
Slightly shorter in physical length than the Nikon
Constant aperture
Longer reach at 105mm instead of 70mm on the Nikon
Optical Stabilization for up to 3 times better "hand-holdability"

Cons:
Vignetting at the corners (all lenses typically have some of this however)
Not as sharp at the corners compared to the center
Not weather sealed
Zoom ring is not in the same position as Nikon... it is closer to the front element rather than the rear element.
Manual Focus ring is rather small
Slower Auto Focus than the Nikon
Maximum aperture of f 4.0 rather than f 2.8
Slight chromatic aberration, especially in the wide angle focal lengths
More prone to lens flare than the Nikon
Heavy lens, almost as heavy as the Nikon

Even with all the cons (all lenses have cons!), I'd still highly recommend this lens for someone just starting out with a Full Frame camera or for someone with an APS-C camera and considering getting a full frame camera down the road.  It's a sharp lens overall and with its Optical Stabilization circuit, you can hand hold a 105mm shot at 1/15 second without much problems!  This helps make up for the f 4.0 maximum aperture when shooting in lower light.

Give this lens a try.  Even compared to Canon's 24-105mm f 4.0 "L" series lens, other reviewers are saying it is better for Canon users.

Took Four Years To Fix This Wall

Back in April 2010, I accidentally put my head through the wall in my bedroom.  Four years later, I finally fixed the hole (in the wall, not my head).

Click here for the story of how the hole got there in the first place:

Crime Scene Processing Class 04-24-14

The Balanced Exposure Crime Scene Processing Class was held this evening.  Students learned what was involved to process a staged homicide.

Jessica, my model for several years, did her own makeup.  Rather gruesome, don't you think?

Students had the opportunity to photograph the crime scene and also to dust for latent prints on various pieces of physical evidence.  Overall, it was a lot of fun for everyone!

 

Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers - 89 to 77 -3/24/14

Bulls win 89 to 77!

Here are some of my images taken at the United Center with a Nikon D4s and Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens.  Manual setting, 1/250 to 1/320 second, f2.8, Auto IS0.

Nikon D4s - ISO Test Photos

I received my Nikon D4s today.  It was shipped by B&H Photo on the very day that Nikon authorized dealers to begin shipping.  That makes me one of the first users in the United States to get a Nikon D4s!  Because I am a Nikon Professional Services member (NPS), I am lucky enough to get a few perks that consumers don't get... one of which is receiving professional cameras before non-NPS members!

The main reason I wanted to upgrade my Nikon D4 to the D4s was to move from the highest native ISO on a D4 from ISO 12800 to the D4s' highest native ISO which is ISO 25600.  The Nikon D4 has been known to be one of the best "high ISO" performers on the market.  While it may be only a 16MP camera, there's a reason it's only 16MP compared to all the other higher megapixel cameras from Nikon.  It does high ISO better than any other Nikon camera.  The D4s pushes this one EV even more!

I also wanted to get to use the new Auto ISO for Manual Mode.  This will allow me to choose my shutter speed and aperture and let the camera choose the corresponding ISO to match.  I think they should call this ability, "Manual Priority Mode!"

I've posted 4"x6" downsized JPG images at a resolution of 300 ppi.  The test images were downsized so that they would easier to upload them to the blog and easier for viewers to download from the blog.  A doorway entrance light with three very small 25 watt bulbs illuminated the "Beanie Baby" test subject sitting on the edge of my living room's coffee table about 10 feet away.  Having taken these test images so late at night, the Beanie Baby was the only available model!

The images were taken on Aperture Priority mode with the following equipment: Nikon D4s camera, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens set at at 70 mm and f2.8.  The camera was mounted on a Slik tripod.  The images were taken on Large size and "Fine" resolution JPG image settings.  The high ISO noise reduction menu setting on the camera was set at "high."

To download the images for a closer look, simply right click on the images and choose "save image as."

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

 

ISO 6400

ISO 12,800

 

ISO 25,600

ISO 51,200

 

ISO 102,400

 

ISO  204,800

ISO 409,600

 

The native ISO settings up to and including ISO 25,600 are quite acceptable images.  The high ISO settings above 25,600 (High 1, High 2, High 3 and High 4) have the most noticeable color noise.  I call these ISO options, "surveillance ISO's" because the only users who would realistically want to use setting this high might be law enforcement personnel.

I chose to photograph the image in very low light with large/fine JPG settings as this is a typical way users might set their cameras.  RAW images might yield a better performance, but the idea behind these tests were to see the worst case scenario.   I also chose to photograph the image with a darkened room as the background as this would allow the noise to be more easily seen.  Low light capture is the best way to test out high ISO rather than using bright light to test ISO settings, so don't be fooled by looking at test images that have been taken with bright light at high ISO's.  In my opinion, it's not sensible to evaluate a camera's true ISO capability that way.

New Crime Scene Processing Class at Balanced Exposure

I'm excited about a new class I'm offering at Balanced Exposure... Intro to Crime Scene Processing!

Students all know that I had worked in Law Enforcement in the past and that I have an Evidence Technician background.  I'm also a court-qualified expert witness in both Forensic Photography and Forensic Audio since 1990.

I figured with the popularity of TV shows like CSI, there might be some students who might like to try their hand at processing a mock crime scene... just like I did both in real life and when I was in college study for my degree in Evidence Technology.  Well, I was right!  Plenty of students have signed up for the class and will try their hand at dusting for fingerprints, collecting physical evidence and photographing it too.

All of the supplies for the class arrived today and I've been having fun dusting for prints.  I've processed plenty of items of evidence in the past.  It sure brings back good memories of the things I used to do.  I'm looking forward to sharing that experience with my students!

Medieval Times - 1-12-14

I had a chance to visit Medieval Times yesterday to take some promotional photos for my upcoming field trip classes to the castle in February and March.  Our knight was the red/yellow knight who  won the final fight sequence!

This is not an easy photo shoot!  It will challenge my students in terms of their ability to figure out good exposures and also their abilities to focus manually.  Lots of movement to shoot, varying lighting conditions and other things to watch out for.

During the hand-to-hand fight sequences, a tightly knit net is brought up to protect the audience.  Trying to photograph anything through this using auto-focus is next to impossible.  Manual focus is the way to do it!

I'm looking forward to seeing how well my students do at this show.  Come join me in February and March for the field trips!  To read more about the photo field trips, click here.

Willow Creek North Shore Church

Lately, I have been attending Willow Creek North Shore church in Northfield, IL.  While my family has typically attended much smaller churches over the years, it's been a change for us these past few months trying a much larger church.

I must say that the Willow Creek North Shore church's worship team is always great.  Highly energetic and musically interesting, the team adds a lot to the worship service.

It's a little hard being in the congregation and not contributing my own musical talents to a worship service.  For many years, I had been one the worship leaders for the churches I've attended in the past.  But my teaching schedule today at Balanced Exposure often limits my ability to do much more than just attending church.

If you have not found a church to attend and are looking for one, check out Willow Creek North Shore.  They have Sunday morning services at 9 AM and 11 AM.

The images above were taken with a Lumix DMC-LX5 point and shoot camera with manual settings.  I was sitting way in the back of the auditorium.  Not bad for a small camera, but obviously not as clean and crisp of an image compared to what I could have gotten with my trusty Nikon D4!

New Year - 2014

Happy New Year, everyone!

Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas everyone!

Audio Recording

 

Back when I was around 16 years old, my dad signed me up for audio recording lessons at "Hedden West Recording Studios" in Schaumburg, IL.  Gary Hedden, the owner was offering a class on the basics of 16 track, multi-track recording and I was the youngest student he had.

I had an interest in audio recording and was lucky enough to have a dad who allowed me to learn how to do it properly.

I learned on equipment similar to these shown on this post, but these images were borrowed from the internet.  Back then, the Ampex MM1100, a 2" analog tape recorder was one of the industry standards.  This was matched to Hedden West's Sphere Eclipse console.  To have access to gear like this to learn on was  a real treat.

Today, this gear is way outdated.  We've moved from analog to digital now and the equipment has downsized dramatically.  Over the years, I owned a lot of open reel recorders and mixers.  I had 8 track gear as it was the most I could afford.  Still, these recorders were in the thousands of dollars as was the recording console.  Easily, I've spent a lot of money on audio gear.

Today, I'm recording in digital as most other musicians are.  Check out this Tascam DP-24 recording workstation.  It is 24 tracks with many virtual tracks for each of the 24 tracks too.  A recorder with this kind of capability in such a small package was unthinkable back then.  We've come a long way.

This Tascam 24 track recorder and mixer combo was on sale for only $399.  Just before the turn of the millennium,  I purchased a Roland VS-880EX eight track workstation for $2000.  The CD burner was around $500.  I thought that was a great price for a digital 8 track!  Look what can be purchased today for a fraction of that price!

Do a "search" on this blog (upper left corner) with the word, Recording, and you'll see and read about some of my other audio gear over the years.

More Butterflies

 

The final 2013 Summer Field Trip for Balanced Exposure was yesterday at The Milwaukee Public Museum.  One of the highlights of the museum is the Butterfly exhibit.  Here are two of butterflies we got to photograph yesterday.  Always fun to photograph these little guys!

Kenosha Harbor - Oct 10, 2013 - 7 AM

I went fishing at Kenosha Harbor today at 7 AM on a whim and on the second cast, I caught this 27", 10 lb King Salmon (Chinook)!  At least 35 other fishermen were out there but it seem nobody caught any fish except for me.

It was classic to hear the guy next to me exclaim, "Oh, man!"  Seems he had been there a while trying and I just walked up and caught a fish on the second cast!  Ha!  That's happened to me in the past... seeing the guys next to me catch something while I got nothing.

This female had a lot of eggs (Roe).  I took out the skein, cured the eggs with a Borax mix and froze them.  Now I'm ready for the rest of the season to cast and also to float a bobber and suspend some eggs!  (See the comments section about the Salmon Roe.)

The image of me was taken with a cell phone camera...

2012 Gibson Les Paul Standard

2012 Gibson Les Paul Standard
Light Burst Finish
AAA Premium Flamed Maple Top
Chambered - Weight Relieved Mahogany Body (8.5 lbs)
Burstbucker Pro Pickups
Asymmetrical 60's Neck
Locking Grover Tuner
Plek Setup