Don’t Forget to Vote..
The polls are now open in the Digital Lightroom ‘Shades of Autumn’ competition. The standard has been very high once again and we’ll be announcing the winner on Christmas Eve. Please vote for the picture you think deserves to win the Topaz Labs ‘Complete’ collection of processing software by visiting www.thedigitallightroom.wordpress.com Your votes will be much appreciated and it’ll only take a minute or two..
These pictures were taken this afternoon in between torrential hail showers. I decided to have a drive out to d to see what the sunset might bring. Unfortunately, a heavy cloud bank rolled in, obscuring the sun at the vital moment but I managed to get a few shots. These were taken with my backup camera, a Nikon D7100 with a 28-300mm lens. The D7100 and the 28-300 are DX format so you don’t get quite so much in the frame as you would with a full frame camera like my D800 but the results aren’t bad. I hope you enjoy them..
28mm f/22 1/2 sec ISO-100
58mm f/11 1/3 sec. ISO-100
28mm f/22 2 sec. ISO-100
28mm f/22 4 sec. ISO-100
Cornwall Photographic 
No, the results aren’t bad! : ) Very fine, in fact.
Storms often make for very nice photographic opportunities.
December 22, 2013 at 8:16 pm
Thank you Karen. There were storm clouds approaching from behind me and storm clouds in front, I was lucky not to get drenched. As you say, storms are great for photography as long as you can stay dry! ;-)
December 22, 2013 at 9:05 pm
Yes, they are all fantastic! Nice with the sharo colors in the first one, a favorite:)
December 22, 2013 at 8:46 pm
Thank you very much. Really appreciate that! :-)
December 22, 2013 at 9:06 pm
Very nice, as usual.
Backup camera, eh? My Nikon D7000 is my primary camera . . . one of these days I’ll have to rent a real camera, and see if it would be worth upgrading.
December 22, 2013 at 9:16 pm
I’ve had a few problems with my D800, Emilio, which has meant that it’s been with Nikon for more time than it should have been. Fed up with waiting I thought that I really need a second camera for such eventualities. I was getting pretty desperate, not being able to take pictures. I was going through serious withdrawal so I treated myself to an early Christmas present. Nikon have now replaced the sensor and my D800 will be back tomorrow.
I think if you were to rent a D800, you would see quite a difference in the detail captured and contrast and colour reproduction. The images I took today were definitely softer than I would have liked but to be fair, it was blowing a gale and keeping the tripod steady was proving difficult. However, the Nikkor 24-70mm lens that I’m used to is one of the sharpest ever produced by Nikon so it’s a tough act to follow.
December 22, 2013 at 9:35 pm
The trick is figuring out if for what I do it would make that much of a difference. I know it would to me, but as most people who read my blog rarely go and check out the SmugMug albums, it would be an expensive investment for the benefit of one.
Nothing wrong with that, but still, one must be judicious in what one does. I’ve seen $25K cameras that would also benefit me . . . where does one stop?
Sorry to hear about your camera. I know exactly what you mean; and my backup camera would be the D200. No slouch, but the 7000 is well ahead of the 200 (6800, to be exact).
December 22, 2013 at 9:43 pm
I felt the same when I got to use the medium format Phase One camera system. Will anybody notice the exceptional quality of the photos I thought. But, I notice and I decided that was all that really mattered in the end and if I could have mortgaged the house (I rent), the cat, and anything else I would have happily paid over the $25-35k. For now, I’m happy with my D800. Someone suggested I sell a kidney. If I could, I might have seriously contemplated the idea but that sort of thing is very much frowned upon in the UK. ;-)
December 23, 2013 at 3:53 pm
Wonderful images Adrian. Just popped over to The Digital Lightroom and voted. That was hard the images were brilliant.
December 22, 2013 at 11:49 pm
Thank you Edith and thank you for voting! :-)
December 23, 2013 at 3:54 pm
Superb post.
Great composition in the first image, Storm clouds sandwiched between blue sky and green landscape.
December 23, 2013 at 7:35 am
Thank you very much!
December 23, 2013 at 3:54 pm
Such beautiful dramatic colours
December 23, 2013 at 9:56 am
Thanks ever so much! :-)
December 23, 2013 at 3:54 pm
Gosh it looks like the weather we had here yesterday ChillB … I must say I rather like the second picture it has a painterly effect and a lovely nostalgic feel to it …
Glad to hear Nikon finally did what they should have done first time round ;-)
December 23, 2013 at 10:12 am
Thank you Poppy. I wish it were the same today. Awful out there now. Yep, Nikon finally came through and as soon as this hideous storm passes, I’ll be out there putting my essentially ‘new’ camera through its paces. :-)
December 23, 2013 at 3:56 pm
these definitively aren’t bad…fabulous as a matter of fact!
December 23, 2013 at 3:42 pm
Thank you so much Heather! :-)
December 23, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Nah – not bad :D Lovely images once again! Sorry to hear about your D800 woes but at least Nikon are sorting out the situation – better late than never!
December 23, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Thanks Noeline. The problem with the D800 was my images were plagued by black doughnut shaped blobs. I wet cleaned my sensor and the blobs were still there. I took it to a camera shop and they cleaned it and the blobs were still there so I sent it back to Nikon. Nikon referred to the blobs as dust and gave my sensor a clean and returned it to me despite me telling them it’d been cleaned already and the blobs were not moving. Clearly contamination, probably oil from the mirror mechanism had got under the low pass filter and onto the sensor. Still referring to the problem as dust, Nikon replaced the sensor ‘as a precaution’. Against what I don’t know but the camera is back and I’m happy to have it back. I still wouldn’t swap it for a Canon 5D MKIII mind you. It’s still the better camera and the lens line up is better too. Plus I’ve invested hugely in Nikon lenses now so jumping ship isn’t really an option. Have a great Christmas Noeline. :-)
December 23, 2013 at 6:00 pm
Canon?! What are you thinking of?! There’s nothing like a Nikon ….. but then maybe I’m biased as mine feels as if it were custom made for me! :D
I gathered from the ‘buzz’ on the net that there was a problem with the D800 – and that it wasn’t necessarily being handled well by Nikon. Disappointing for all sorts of reasons. Anyway, I hope that the ‘precaution’ has solved your problem. All the best for 2014.
December 26, 2013 at 11:13 am
Thank you Noeline. I love my D800 to bits and I wouldn’t part with it really. Just getting my hands on it in the last few days it really does feel like an old friend returned. Santa was very kind and left a 14-24mm ultrawide lens on the end of my bed. I can’t wait to get shooting. Apparently one of the sharpest lenses ever produced by Nikon. That coupled with the D800 should yield some interesting results!
Have a fantastic New year Noeline! :-)
December 26, 2013 at 8:10 pm
Beautiful landscapes as always.
December 23, 2013 at 5:53 pm
Love the storm images but the conversations re your cameras was most interesting as I have a D7000. My photography has improved over the year of my blog – nothing like having to put your images out there to try harder :) but I can see the difference between the better cameras and the D7000 and although I said I’d never upgrade I’m now seriously thinking about it. There is a certain sharpness that I’m just not getting with the present camera. So thank you for all the insight. I do have the Nikor 24-70 f2.8 lens which I love.
December 23, 2013 at 8:32 pm
Thank you very much Lee. I’m glad the chat was useful. I started out with the D7000 and like you, found after a while that I just wasn’t getting the crisp clear images I’d hoped for. All my photos were a little soft despite spending many hours practising hyperfocal distance focusing etc. To make the most of the 24-70 you do really need to move up to a full frame camera. The new D610 is an entry level full frame and is getting good reviews but it has been suffering, to an even greater degree than the D800b I think, from this damned oil spot problem. Lots of chatter on the Internet about that.
If you can stretch to a D800 I would. I’ve been using the camera pretty much exclusively with the 24-70 and I’ve been very happy with the results.
The mirror mechanism needs lubrication and I think with a new camera it seems inevitable that some of this oil, the odd microscopic spot in reality, is going to make its way on to the low pass filter and even perhaps under it. Very easily fixed in Photoshop or Lightroom but as the number of spots builds, this will become a real chore. If you accept that it’s going to have to be cleaned at some point by Nikon, probably between 2500 and 5000 actuations and under warranty, you’ll be very happy you made the decision to upgrade. I’m hoping that my D800 has now gone through the worst of it and any blobs on my pictures from now on, really will be dust and therefore easily dealt with.
December 23, 2013 at 11:06 pm
Thank you for taking the time to give me more info. will look into it more and start saving :)
December 24, 2013 at 10:03 pm
You’re very welcome!
December 24, 2013 at 10:10 pm
Beautiful-and voting completed:)
December 23, 2013 at 11:59 pm
Thank you Elena !:)
December 24, 2013 at 10:02 am
Beautiful — chance has a way with producing different, and lovely, results. Happy holidays xx
December 24, 2013 at 10:28 pm
And the same to you Marina! :)x
December 24, 2013 at 11:00 pm
superb photography
March 22, 2014 at 9:59 pm
Absolutely Lou, thanks for commenting! :-)
March 22, 2014 at 10:02 pm