Ken Anderson’s Weblog

Last week I bought the Nikon 14-24 F2.8 wideangle zoom.  It is nothing short of amazing.  I have never owned a super wide angle before.  I do have the DX 18-55 Nikon and use it the most of any in my bag.  I wanted to add a lens that took advantage of the FX D3, this does just that.  For such a wideangle lens the 14-24 has little if any picture loss at the corners.  I can’t see any.  As the F2.8 would suggest it is an excellent low light lens.

Because of the front scalloped shade the lens does not accept any filtration.  The lens is very sharp.  Minimum focus length is 9″ and from there to infinity the lens performs flawlessly.  As Joe McNally says, the lens is  commitment, it isn’t light, but it is easy to hold, especially on the D3.  

Having spent time shooting around Chipping Campden this weekend, I took a lot of shots with a foreground subject and huge skys.  At f22 the depth of field is nothing short of spectacular.  If you like landscapes that have foreground subjects or broad expansive panoramas this is the lens for you.  It is easy to fall in love with and as I found this weekend, hard to put down. 

I bought the lens from Grays of Westminster.  This is the second purchase I have made there.  I don’t get a discount and am not connected to the store in any way but have no hesitation in recommending them.  It is a wonderful store to just browse, and I am not a browser by nature.  There are three floors of camera equipment, and if you are cheap like I am, they have a fantastic selection of used equipment and a knowledgeable staff as well.  Highly recommended.

I will post photos taken with the the 14-24 this weekend on my website.

(must be read with a New York accent)

The grass has riz

I wonder where dem burdies iz?

The birdies iz on da wing

But ain’t that absoid

Da wing is on da boid.

Well it is Spring in the Cotswolds and the Bluebells are out in force.  With the coming of Spring my thoughts also turn to my favorite place to spend a warm summer afternoon, Blenheim Palace.  What a wonderful place, and Spring at the Palace is something really special.  Blenheim is one of those places where you can spend days shooting details.  With gardens created by Capability Brown, there is no end to wonderful sights and unlimited great photographs.  

I shot the Bluebell this morning.  Used a D3 with a 18-55 F2.8 lens.  I love how sharp the Nikkor is.  My only complaint is that the DX format does not allow me to take advantage of the D3’s FX.

The rape fields are almost in full bloom, it does not get much better than this for landscape photographers who want colour in the shot.  If the sun is out don’t forget the polariser.  It is one of the few filters that really can’t be reproduced in Photoshop and adds so much to a sunlit scene especially if there is cloud.

If you are ever out this direction and need photography supplies, I just found Morris Photography.  Great shop with an unbelievable inventory.  Friendly knowledgeable staff as well.  They also sell over the internet.

Enjoy the weekend.  Suspect it will be a very busy one for the shopkeepers of Chipping Campden! 

I have been shooting photographs for more years than I care to remember really.  I started out with an old Pentax my father gave me.  It was used, he didn’t believe in buying new stuff!  As kids, my brother, sister and I received all kinds of things at birthdays and Christmas that had seen slightly better days!  Having said that, the Pentax was a joy.  The 50mm lens seemed to be all you really needed from a focal length standpoint.  Back then; as it remains today, it was the film choice more than anything that gave you the most latitude while taking photographs.  The standard colour films were all Kodak with the kodachrome and echtachromes being the most popular for high quality images.  Ilford was in the process of introducing their new black and white films that never really replaced FP 4 and 5 as the standard.  There was much more trial and error, and it was a little like having a baby (maybe not today with the proliferation of ultrasound) you really didn’t know what you had until you got it out of the tank and printed a contact sheet. 

I bought my first Nikon not long after I got my first real job.  It was on old FE with a 35mm and 50mm lens.  I later added a 135mm.  The camera took great photographs.  Even though light meters were not what they are today, it gave good across the board readings that were for the most part accurate and gave a good representation of the scene.  I remember the day I bought my first “pro” camera body.  It was a used F3.  I loved that camera, took thousands of frames with it, carried it everywhere.  It was a solid piece of kit.  Not like the Pentax or even the FE.  I dropped it on more than one occasion and it kept right on taking incredible pictures.  There was a noticeable difference as well in the capabilities by that time.  On camera flashguns were just coming into their own.  Until that time you just about had to have some large press head with a battery pack to take flash photographs.  It must have been a little like putting headlights on cars, it opened up a whole new world to photographers who had to stop taking photographs at dusk.

I still use my older Nikkor lenses on my D3 and D200.  One of my favourites is my 35-70 f2.8.  It is push pull zoom, doesn’t have the ability to send the D3 distance information but still is a wonderful, bright, and sharp workhorse.   My old 80-200 f2.8 still serves as one of my primary lenses on both the D200 and D3.  Great glass, still a very sharp lens.  They also give me full frame on the D3 unlike the DX lenses I bought to go with the 200. 

Stepped inside of Gray’s of Westminster for the first time a couple of weeks ago.  What a great shop.  One of those places you can spend an afternoon, see all the new equipment, and reminisce with the old stuff.  Very helpful/knowledgeable staff.  They have EVERYTHING Nikon, and know about all of it! 

Beautiful day today.  Yesterday and today are really starting to signal a real change in the weather.  Only problem with living in the Cotswolds is that the crowds start to appear at the first sign of good weather.  As you might imagine, today is busy!

For those of you who like to shoot landscapes with a lot of colour, the next few weeks will provide the years best opportunity.  The rape fields will be in full bloom over the next 2 to 3 weeks.  Bluebell woods will also be at their best.  Later in the year is the turn of the lavender fields around Snowshill, not to be missed.  My favorite time of the year, can’t believe I am indoors typing this so, I am out of here!  Enjoy!

Or not as the case may be!  

Can’t remember such a cold April, even in England!  Rain, sleet, snow, and not much sunshine.  Long term forecast????  Well they say it will be a cold and wet summer.  Great, just like the last one.  What happened to global warming?  We should all be in swimsuits now according to the Green Lobby.  Speaking of green; went into the local shop,

lady behind the counter says, “don’t need a bag do you?  Not handing them out as much these days, trying to do my bit for the environment.”

I say, “Go to China and get them to stop building 2 coal fired power stations every week, now that would begin to solve the issue.”

Lady behind the counter, “Makes me feel good.”

Good for her, but I wanted a bag to put the food I had just bought in, so, expect long hot days and fewer great crested newts. 

It’s a very English trait to do as little as you can get away with and them proclaim you have done your “bit” for the planet.  Only problem is that the laws in our once great country tend to reflect the squeaky wheel crowd who are definitely in the minority.  

Look at the guy who sits in front of parliament - Brian Hoar. First, he is a father of 6 I hear and seems to have deserted his kids.  Second, what gives him the right to scream down a bullhorn into everyone else’s ear?  Don’t you think that’s turning the legal system on its head?  Not like people are discriminating because he is a deadbeat and won’t spend time with his family or even try and support them financially.  He hasn’t even been discriminated against for being an unwashed beggar who routinely leaches off the local good will of shop owners.  Interesting guy; interesting treatment………

Posted a photo of a path that leads to Chipping Campden.  This was taken at the beginning of the month quite early in the morning.  There was a morning mist that the sun was trying to break through, and the light was magical.  As you can see the sun was camera left.  I framed the shot so as to keep it just off frame.  The effect you can see for yourself.  It was shot with a D200 and a 17-55 Nikkor, which I must admit is my favorite lens.  I grayscaled it in photoshop and added a duo tone tint that i learned at Scott Kelby’s website www.kelbytraining.com Great website for everything photoshop and more. With the likes of Matt Kloskowski and Joe Mcnally among the instructors you get a great deal of practical help as well around shooting photos. If you haven’t taken the time to look at McNally’s book The Moment it Clicks , I highly recommend it. The book is very well written, and if you are like me and I hope you are not with a short attention span, you will like the fact McNally gets to the point and does not waste your time.

Great book from a great photographer, and from what I can tell, a very down to earth famous guy!

I bought a D3 last week and must admit that since that fateful day my life has changed for ever, and for the better.  I had read many reviews about this latest Nikon offer. Poured over the posts by the “If ya ain’t got 22546 megapixels you ain’t got a pro camera”!  A lifelong Nikon shooter, I had even contemplated a complete shift to Canon since it appeared they were walking away with the digital market.

I started reading the reviews, did pay attention to the folks who seem to think that only megapixels equal quality and found that most of the better know and well respected commentators liked the new camera and made very compelling cases that the D3 was indeed a contender for the Canon title and from a picture quality standpoint was much better.  Noise was significantly lower in D3 photographs at high ISO.

It would appear that digital photography has entered a new phase, one where pixels might not tell the whole story and one where the days of picking a camera based on a megapixel count have gone, and the technology that supports the collection of the image becomes the most important part of the complex ingredients that go into making a modern digital picture.

I won’t lie to you, for those who have not picked up a D3, it is not a light piece of kit or as the great Joe McNally likes to say - it’s a commitment.  Once youv’e done some bench presses and strengthened your camera arm, things start to fall in place.  It is a great camera to hold, feels natural when in shooting position.  The eyepiece is clear and large and contains all the information you need to compose the shot.  The real treat is when you get home and look at the photos.  WOW!  It does a great job.  Complex lighting is no problem.  Checkout the shot of the Criterion Theatre on the website.  

I will update both the website and the blog in coming weeks with pictures and observations.  As of now, i can’t put the thing down.  What a great camera, Canon must be concerned given the apparent lack of picture quality in the their latest offering even with 22 megapixels on demand and the focusing issue.  I hope Nikon will forgive me for doubting them after 30 years of patronage.  The D3 puts Nikon back where they belong - on top of the professional DSLR offering!