Nikon NX2.3

We were all given something of a Christmas present by Nikon - Capture NX2.3 was released. Its main feature was that it is now fully 64 Bit Compatible. As yet there is no support for NIK Colour EFX 3 unless running in 32 Bit mode but NIK have announced that work is going on to provide us with a 64 Bit version in the new year. My New Year's resolution is to do as much as is possible in NX2.3 and avoid using any other PP software. The following image was taken just before Xmas and has been processed in NX2.3 with CEFX3.

Competition Entries

It's probably a good time to start posting again!

My Competition Entries for September and October were the ones below. I took a lot of images of people at an event in Hay-on-Wye earlier this year and these are the first I've put up here.

Background taken in Austria

Both taken with the 70-300 VR Zoom. 

Spring Is Here!

Well, it is time to dust off the camera and lenses and prepare for a new season!
After the earthquake and tsunami the people of Japan are slowly returning to some sort of normality and news is trickling out via other sources. I'll just add a belated message of sympathy and good wishes for the future!

So what's in store for us this year? Any resolutions?

Just to be glad of what I've got and a promise not to lust after any new Nikon equipment (at least not for the forseeable future!).

A decision has to be made whether to continue with my R1 flash or to move into a different field. I see no sense in holding on to something as great as that piece of kit if I am not going to make full use of it.

I've learned quite a bit about NX2 and colour management issues and I am going to try to put it all into a meaningful essay soon.

AUTO ISO on the D700

I have added an article on this subject to the D700 page here.

Summer's Gone!

While taking advantage of the late summer/early autumn weather we went walking along the Brecon and monmouthshire Canal just outside of Brecon starting at Brynich. After crossing the Aqueduct it is possible to get to the river to take this view. 
Click to see larger image - use magnifying glass to view max res.

 Brynich Aqueduct: 16-35mm f4 lens at 16mm; f5.6 @ 1/320; ISO 200

Viewing Your Images on Your LCD TV

Your LCD TV is a great tool for showing off your work to friends and family but there are a variety of options to produce the end result. So which is best/easiest?

 

Bottom of the list is the DVD route. Using software such as Pictures to EXE (PTE) or Pro Show Gold (PSG) it is possible to create a (standard) DVD which will show your images with sophisticated animations and transitions when played through a standard DVD Player connected to the TV. The downside of this method is that all of your images are (firstly) downsized to 720x576 to suit the PAL system resolution and (secondly) interpolated back up to the screen resolution of your TV for showing. That is a double whammy in terms of quality and is not recommended unless ALL other avenues have been dismissed.

Next best, in terms of quality, is connecting a computer (preferably a laptop) to your TV and showing your images (PTE or PSG) at a suitable resolution for your TV – 1920x1080 at best. In this scenario there are two levels of quality depending on the capabilities of your TV and/or laptop. If your laptop is not completely up to date it is likely that your only means of connection is via a VGA connector cable – the (old fashioned) kind used to connect computers to monitors. Some TVs will only allow the connection at a reduced resolution and will not cater for full HD resolution. 

If, however, both Laptop and TV allow it the ultimate in quality can be achieved via an HDMI cable. The Laptop has to be set to output at 1920x1080 and, depending on your laptop monitor’s resolution, the TV becomes your MAIN monitor. You will not better this setup in terms of quality but there are now methods which will provide a much more CONVENIENT solution, without connecting cables, albeit at the expense of a slight drop in quality.

Newer TVs are now available with USB2 inputs and Media Players and this allows for the convenience of playing MPEG4 files created in PTE directly from a memory key with no wires etc as per the laptop/TV solution. A downside is that the H.264 MPEG4 files at 1920x1080 resolution are LARGE and a typical slide show of 15 minutes duration will be around 1 Gb file size. A large capacity memory key (around 16Gb) is advisable and will store a few hours of entertainment.

If the sophistication of PTE’s animations and transitions are not required the same TVs offer the facility to play suitably sized (1920x1080) JPEGs directly via the Media Player using basic dissolve transitions and slide change times. The quality using this method is second to none and music (MP3 Files) can also be played from the memory key to accompany the slide show. Repeat show and Random Slides are available making the use of the TV as a Digital Picture Frame (on steroids) a possibility.

Out Walking Last Weekend

Came across this lovely old bench just waiting to be photographed. Only had the 105 f2.8 VR with me which was ideal for the subject. f5.6 @ 1/400 ISO 200.  
Click to see larger image - use magnifying glass to view max res.