Sunday, January 11, 2009

Nikon D90

I came across an article recently in PDN about Nikon's new D90.


For quite awhile, I've been looking at the D300 as an upgrade to a 12.3 MP body. But now the D90 could be a contender. Price of course is a major difference between the two. The D300 is a pro camera, while the D90 is a consumer model at about half the price.

However one major difference (as you may have seen in the Ashton Kutcher TV spot) the D90 is the first DSLR camera to shoot 720p HD Video. Video in a DSLR...interesting. Could be a lot of fun at ball games. Certainly something to think about...

Similarities
- Both the D300 and the D90 have a 12.3MP CMOS sensor.
- Both the D300 and the D90 have a 3" 920,000px color screen.
- Both feature Nikon's noise reduction up to ISO 3,200.
- Both have Nikon's D-Lighting image enhancement feature.
- Both have built-in sensor cleaning.


Differences
- The D300 is considered a pro-level camera ($1,799 MSRP).
- The D90 is a consumer model ($999 MSRP).
- The D300 has a 51-point AF system.
- The D90 uses an 11-point AF matrix.
- The D300 shoots 6 frames per second.
- The D90 shoots 4.5fps.
- The D300 is a still-photo camera only.
- The D90 is a still camera but also shoots video.

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Monday, January 5, 2009

Shooting in Early Morning

This past Sunday (when the sun finally came out again in LA), I woke up early and headed up the coast about an hour to La Piedra Beach just north of Malibu. I've been wanting to try and catch the early morning light up there for a while. It was well worth leaving the house around 6:30am. The long light just after sunrise was perfect, providing warm highlights and fantastic directional lighting on the rock formations and wildlife.

The photo gurus always say, if you're going to use natural light, then shoot just after sunrise or just before sunset. They're right. Compared to shooting mid-day when the light is harsh and overwhelming, the subtle angled light of early morning is wonderful. On the three shots below, notice how the directional lighting provides dramatic contrast and warm highlights.





www.paulsearsphotography.com

Or check out more Paul Sears Photography pages on MySpace, Facebook, or Flickr