New Toy

[SMB2]

Just got a Nikon D810 and had a chance to test drive it at Death Valley and Yosemite. Thought I would post a few shots. The cloudy Yosemite shots were in the pouring rain and lent themselves to B&W processing. New camera, pouring rain, had to get out the high tech rain gear...always carry kitchen garbage bags.
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[rickztahone]

The 3rd one is absolutely beautiful. I have always been fascinated by those traveling rocks pics.

[SMB2]

Here is some location info:
#1 Bridalveil Falls from Tunnel View Yosemite

#2 Upper Yosemite Falls at sunrise. If there is enough water flow and spray you will get the rainbows.

#3 3 Brothers Yosemite

#4 Death Valley badlands B&W

#5 Tunnel View Yosemite. El Capitan on the left, Bridalveil Falls, Cathedral Rocks on the right.

#6 The Race Track at Death Valley by moon light. This image has a long story....

#7 Another badlands B&W.

#8 Mesquite Dunes, Yosemite.

SB

[blueluv]

The 3rd one is absolutely beautiful. I have always been fascinated by those traveling rocks pics.
I too like that picture. It's amazing how these rocks move

[Discus-n00b]

3rd is my favorite with the traveling rock close behind. Those colors are excellent. Tunnel view could be another very close one, love it.

[rdiscus]

Wow ... love them all

[Trac]

Great pictures, especially Yosemite one love that mirror image

[Keith Perkins]

Okay, I'm crazy, but I really like the first and fifth ones.

[Second Hand Pat]

Stan, I like them all but have a soft spot for the second picture :D
Pat

[pcsb23]

As always Stan, excellent work. I use the same sort of high tech rain covers too, wonderful aren't they :)

[SMB2]

Thanks everybody. I have to say the first one is my favorite. Mainly because this is a view that is photographed thousands of times a week. But the only three people there that day were our small group. It was raining so hard, my shoes filled with water. But the clouds were amazing. I only got three shots off of this composition because the clouds were moving so fast that the falls were quickly covered. Tunnel View almost demands B&W conversion, we would all like to be Ansel Adams!
The Race Track rock was photographed at 3 AM in soft moonlight, a long exposure to capture the stars. Sort of strange with the blue sky and stars but then so are the rocks. They move when it rains on the playa (~2 inches per year) the surface water freezes and the ice cracks and piles up on the rocks in the wind creating a sail to push the rocks along. They have geo tagged the rocks! But you can imagine how rare that combination of events is. To get there it is an hour paved road drive from the nearest lodging and then 3 1/2 hours to cover 27 miles! We stayed out the entire night to catch all different light scenarios. Then of course you have to drive back!

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[brewmaster15]

Beatiful Shots Stan! What a great way to test drive a new camera!

The way those rocks move is amazing...it stumped the scientists a long time before they figured that one out!

Thanks for sharing!

Al

[Discus-n00b]

Love that last one.

[SMB2]

Thanks Al, et al!
I have to say I was very impressed with the D810. There is so much flexibility built in to the camera; will take a while to really get smooth with it. One reason for the purchase was to help revamp my underwater set up to something lighter. I hope to get the 810 under water this year and it should cut my kit weight substantially. I found the camera on Nikon's refurbished site, discounted and also 10% off. A pretty nice deal for a camera with 150 actuations and repaired by Nikon to factory standards. If you shoot Nikon, always good to check that site.
Landscapes are a challenge for me, not a subject I visualize easily. For me, shooting animals in nature comes more naturally, not so much time to think about the shot I guess. Not a lot of wild life in Death Valley. This pair did cross our path though.

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[Discus-n00b]

Stan you, among other things, have me looking at the D810 tonight wishing I had one to play with.

[SMB2]

Stan you, among other things, have me looking at the D810 tonight wishing I had one to play with.

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Refurbished-dslr-cameras/D810-Refurbished.html ;)

[Discus-n00b]

Oh believe me I saw it, problem is I'd need lenses as well seeing as everything I have now is Canon. I think the plan is to rent the 810 and a lens or two for about a week and see how I like it before I do anything drastic. I still would like to see what Canon has up its sleeve (though I'm fearful its nothing) before I totally switch brands. But at some point it has to come to the point of there will always be something better waiting in the wings and you just have to jump one way or the other. I am really really impressed by the colors the 810 can put out. It really is a matter of sensor technology that Canon just fails to grasp and that's what is leading me to question my next move.

[rickztahone]

Oh believe me I saw it, problem is I'd need lenses as well seeing as everything I have now is Canon. I think the plan is to rent the 810 and a lens or two for about a week and see how I like it before I do anything drastic. I still would like to see what Canon has up its sleeve (though I'm fearful its nothing) before I totally switch brands. But at some point it has to come to the point of there will always be something better waiting in the wings and you just have to jump one way or the other. I am really really impressed by the colors the 810 can put out. It really is a matter of sensor technology that Canon just fails to grasp and that's what is leading me to question my next move.

You have to assume that Canon has to have something in the works that will keep it relavent. Camp switching can be a pain, and can put a huge dent in your wallet. You are doing great with your current body and I do not think it is failing you in any way. I see wait just a while and see what Canon can do. If your body fails you before then, well it may be time to switch camps. I'd avoid ebay though. I'm sure you are some photography forums though, sell there.

[SMB2]

I really have never been tempted to switch camps but not because I think Nikon makes superior equipment. Also I haven't spent a lot of time dwelling on technology and I am usually a generation or two behind in camera bodies. This is the most current body that I have purchased and I pulled the trigger because of the deal on the refurbished body and the specific need to down size my UW set up. I have a thirty year investment in Nikon lenses, some I have sold and some I use regularly today. It would be just to hard to switch now, so I am at the mercy of Nikon. The D810 is an amazing instrument with impressive dynamic range when I review the RAW files and process them. Canon with it's 50 MP cameras is trying to match the D810 and may well have, I just don't review Canon products that much, and I only peripherally keep up with the mirror-less advancements, which may well pass what is being produced in DSLRs today.
This likely will be the last configuration of my underwater rig because with each new model body comes a specific housing, so multiply the cost times 2(+). And I am not getting younger!
At the end of the day my photographic short falls don't come because of the equipment! I almost always think I can improve using what I have in my hand.
None the less if you don't shoot a lot of fast action, the D810 will astound you. I think the rental test drive is a great idea. I shot with the camera before considering the purchase. Also I sold two older Nikon bodies on Craig's list and did well using that avenue. People often wonder why many of us photographers "stress" over making these decisions. They are costly choices that will be obsolete in 6-12 months and buyers remorse is a terrible illness!

This image turns out to be my deepest "dive" ever as it was taken 180 feet below sea level. :p

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[Discus-n00b]

Another excellent landscape. I need to make it out there someday. Surprisingly, even the new Canon 50mp camera falls short on the DR aspect, takes on heck of a billboard shot for print though LOL. Its no slouch, really most of the Canon's aren't. Nikon just is one step ahead recently. I think I need to rent one of those new 50MP Canons as well. ;)

[SMB2]

Left a post on the other thread.
So few people print anything anymore that I am not sure they would ever need a 34 or 50mp camera. Sure the studio folks would but I'm just talking about the consumer/prosumer market.
I do a lot of printing but rarely go above 13x19. Haven't printed any D810 shots yet.
It would be great if you could do some side by side field tests, I think you could get your answer!

[rickztahone]

Left a post on the other thread.
So few people print anything anymore that I am not sure they would ever need a 34 or 50mp camera. Sure the studio folks would but I'm just talking about the consumer/prosumer market.
I do a lot of printing but rarely go above 13x19. Haven't printed any D810 shots yet.
It would be great if you could do some side by side field tests, I think you could get your answer!

Very true. I have a Canon Pixma pro9000 Markii at home and I still find myself not printing that much. As far as megapixels go? Oddly enough, I believe the 16mp sensor on my a55 was the absolute best sensor. Big enough to get good sized prints but not so large that managing the files isn't a pain. I'd hate to meet the editor who got 300-500 pics to go through from a 50mp camera.

[SteveCA]

For a long time it was hard to remain loyal to Nikon. Remember the who needs a full frame sensor mantra from Nikon? Now it is the other way around. I've been a Nikon shooter since the Nikon FTN (circa 1973), a camera I still have and use as a paper weight. The one constant though is that Nikon glass has been fantastic and arguably superior. For most types of photography I think there is very little difference between the brands, however for low light and high dynamic range photography, Nikon is hands down the best with the D800/810. I've been on photo tours and have had the opportunity to compare files shot at the same time, from the same vantage point, shot in low light, sometimes at night and the differences in noise and high ISO performance is pretty significant. The noise difference was the most astounding and most pronounced in astrophotography. The other area is dynamic range which is not an issue in astrophotography but huge in landscape photography. With the D800/810 you can simply expose for the highlights and not worry about the shadows. I have a number of shots of sunrises and sunsets that look like throw aways (because the shadows were so under exposed) that were processed into very nice shots. you can pull out shadows with little to no noise that are easily 5-6 stops under exposed, sometimes more. In fact I no longer bracket shots as it is hardly necessary with these new sensors. Boy, I never thought that was going to be possible with digital. Remember the first few generations of sensors? You had to bracket the hell out of everything! I got very good at exposure stacking as a result. At some point, I will post the before after photos for illustration.

The one downside I see to the D800/810 is that most lens fail to resolve the full resolution these sensors are capable of. In my experience, only the newer and very expensive lens fully capture the 36MP capability. Of course a sturdy tripod is necessary to realize the resolution potential. My handheld shots may as well have been taken at 16 to 20 megapixels as motion blur, even at high shutter speeds negate the resolution advantage. I think the new 50MP canon will expose all but the best glass Canon has in their arsenal.

[SMB2]

Steve you are so right, the D810 will quickly make you a stickler for shooting technique.

(On a tripod I will fire off a three shot bracket to create a "soft" HDR in processing)

[SteveCA]

Steve you are so right, the D810 will quickly make you a stickler for shooting technique.

(On a tripod I will fire off a three shot bracket to create a "soft" HDR in processing)

I used to do that with all my high DR shots but with the D800 I rarely find it necessary. The ability to pull details and colors out of the shadows is that good!

[SteveCA]

BTW, i love your first shot. The fog has the same shape as the waterfall. This is a one of a kind shot of a highly photographed landmark. Congratulations!

[Four2one]

Such beautiful pictures! All of them! Thanks for sharing :)

[pamdb33]

Beautiful pictures. Absolutely gorgeous!