Growing Pains

So they ride and so they fight like any other boys. O well, they are after all boys! No surprise there. Shot with the new 35mm at F/2.8. Unlike the 50mm, it makes the Nikon D90 a much more balanced camera.

Taking OFF To Shoot

Its a crazy world out there and you won't probably see yourself exiting the rat race anytime tomorrow. So, why not just apply for a day off, forget about work and visit that favorite spot of yours to do some shooting?

That's exactly what I plan to do today.

Hopefully, it will be a good one as I can just see the sun popping out of the horizon...

Nikkor 35mm F/1.8G MTF Characteristics

MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) is one of the measurements that evaluate a lens' performance; it shows contrast reproducibility of the lens using characteristic spatial frequencies. Spatial frequencies indicate the number of lines per mm.

In the MTF chart above, the horizontal axis is in millimeters and shows the distance from the center of the image toward the edges, and contrast value (highest value is 1) is shown in the vertical axis, with fixed spatial frequencies of 10 lines/mm and 30 lines/mm.
The MTF chart for each lens is based on the value at the maximum aperture of the lens; the red line shows the spatial frequency of 10 lines/mm and the blue line, 30 lines/mm.

In the off-axis field, contrast reproducibility of the lens for sagittal direction and meridional direction varies with astigmatic affection. The path of 10 lines/mm indicates the contrast reproducibility of the lens (the higher and straighter is better). The higher and straighter the 30 lines/mm-path is, the higher the resolution of the lens.

Note that the lens performance can not be measured only with MTF chart. Softening or blurring of color also governs measurement.

Nikon D90 with Nikkor 35mm F/1.8G

In its proportion, the Nikkor 35mm looks so comfortable with the Nikon D90. Not too big, not too small.

Now, Nikon, that's how you make a DX lens! Inexpensive, sharp and compact!

Nikon 35mm F/1.8G Full Review

As usual, the good folks at DP Review has done the job. Just click [here] to check out the lens in greater details. I will be too busy shooting with this lens to talk about it now...

For those performance-proof dudes, please check them [here].

PS The Nikon 35mm F/1.8G looks so cute on the Nikon D40!

The Sharpness of the Nikkor 35mm F/1.8G is Astounding!

So, I took a few test shorts at F/2 a few moments ago, and boy was I totally blown away by how sharp the subject is! The silent wave AF is spot on on each shot. And I have not even began shooting at F/2.8! Its like the sharpness of the Nikkor 50mm F/1.8D on steroid!

This must be the best investment I have undertaken for a long while... now, if you are a Nikon D90 owner, please put down everything you are doing and go get this lens before the day ends. Period. I need some fresh air...

I am taking this baby to Kuala Lumpur!

New Addition - Nikkor 35mm F/1.8G

Just while driving out of my clients' office today, a phone call came to inform me that my ordered Nikkor 35mm F/1.8G is in. So, being almost at the end of a long day, I decided to deviate from my home to pick it up.

Wow, at $200, it even came with a lens hood and lens case! In her physical outlook, it seriously took a major resemblance of the Nikkor 50mm F/1.4G (save the distance scale)! Moving forward, some how, along the line of lens review and purchase, I am subconsciously led back to fast prime lens world for my Nikon D90...a dejavu from how I started photography with the Contax T3.

(Back in those days, I used to sneer at zoom lenses and squash images from lesser camera against my Contax T3's razor-sharp prime lens...yeaks! Bad boy. Prior to that, I had a Yashica T4)

Anyway, let me find a day to run it through that I can share with all how this lens measure up! Some say the sweet spot of this lens is between F/2.8 and F/3.5...we shall see.

Nikkor 18-200mm Beaten by Nikkor 18-105mm In Optical Quality

Lingering in my mind always was to review if I can replace both my kit lens and 70-300mm G with a 18-200mm. Having read [this] and [this] rather conclusive review, I am wise to keep my kit lens and 70-300mm G lens.

Lens MTF Demystified

As we look at the chart keep in mind that the higher up the chart a line is, the higher the contrast, and that 0 to 20 across the bottom scale represents from the center of the lens to the edge. Ignore the dotted vs. dashed lines for the moment.

Here are some rules of thumb for reading a chart...

— the higher up the chart the 10 LP/mm line is (the thick lines), the higher the contrast reproduction capability of the lens will be.

— the higher up the chart the 30 LP/mm line is (the thin lines), the higher the resolving power and thus subjective sharpness of the lens will be.

— keep in mind that the black lines show the lens wide open while the blue lines show the lens stopped down to f/8, so the closer these sets of lines are to each other the better the performance of the lens when used wide open. The very best lenses will have the black and the blue lines close together.

— generally speaking a lens whose thick lines (10 LP/mm) are above .8 on the chart should be regarded as having excellent image quality. Above .6 is regarded as "satisfactory". Below .6 is, well, below.

One of the areas of image quality that MTF can help determine is bokeh. This is a Japanese word used to describe the manner in which a lens reproduces the out of focus areas of an image. Some lenses are harsh in this regard, while others produce a much more pleasing out of focus image. This is where the meridonial and sagital lines come in, and as you'll recall are represented by the dotted and dashed lines. The closer these lines are to each other the more pleasing the bokeh of the lens. Fascinating, huh?

Geek Corner - Resolving Power Required by the Nikon D90 CCD Sensor

Resolving power d of the image passing through the optical system of the lens and reaching the CCD of the digital camera is expressed in the formula d=1/(2*f)and.f=2*NA/ λ
f: lens cut-off frequency

From the above formulae, d= λ /(4*NA).Here, λ :is 550nm(the wavelength at the center area of the visible light).

NA is the NA of the lens closest to the CCD of the microscope optical system divided by the magnification, and this resolving power controls the overall resolving power. In the optical system of the microscope, this NA is greatest in a low-magnification lens. At present, the maximum value of NA is perhaps about 0.04. If this value is used to calculate resolving power, d = 0.55/(4*0.04) = 3.43 λ. Therefore, resolving power required by the CCD = 3.4 λ.
d = 0.55/(4*0.04) = 3.43 λ. Therefore, resolving power required by the CCD = 3.4 λ m.

If the pixel pitch of the CCD used in the camera is on the order of 3.4 λm or less, the image of the subject is sufficiently resolved.

BTW, 1 cm = 10,000 microns. Nikon D90 pixel pitch is at 5.5 µm. Nikon D700 and D3 has it at 8.4 µm. Nikon D300 is at 5.4 µm.

How Tough is Nikon D90 Actually?

This is what we can expect from our Nikon D90!



Who needs weather sealing when the Nikon D90 can thaw back to life on the heated car radiator after a deep-freeze night out?

Another Day with Nikkor 70-300mm G Lens

Another day shoot with the inexpensive Nikkor 70-300mm G lens, another day to be pleasantly surprised. Perhaps, the Nikon SB-900 Speedlight did help to bring out the edge contrast but I am still very pleased with this underrated glass.

It does, in favorable conditions, deliver time and again, without fail. Image above shot hand held at 70mm 1/160 second, F/6.3. As always, all my uploaded images are uploaded directly from the Nikon D90. What you see is what you get from the Nikon D90.

Check my gallery for more new photos shot with this lens!

Next Best Lens to Purchase for Nikon D90 Owners

The next walk-around, inexpensive lens to acquire is none other than the recently introduced Nikkor 35mm F/1.8G. Highly recommended to shoot wider than her 50mm sibling, while not burning a hole in your pocket.

You can say its a lens every DX owner should get! In its use, you would almost, always shoot in Aperture priority mode, giving you and I tons of flexibility to dictate the desired DOF. At 35mm, it marginally make it to sensibly allow street photography with it, while equally applicable for some indoor people portraits.

A steal at $200. I have just placed an order for it, but who knows when it will actually come! It's just a shame Nikon don't do a 35mm F/1.4 like Canon.

Nikkor 50mm F/1.8D Optically Superior Against F/1.4D

In pursuit of getting a faster lens (than F/1.8), I paid a visit to my Nikon store today. The 30-minute play with both the Nikon 50mm F/1.4D and F/1.4G revealed much softer images results wide open, compared to the F/1.8D. The play also revealed that the F/1.4G focus at a much slower pace than the older F/1.4D (though in a much quieter fashion)!

Sweet spot is clocked at F/2.8 to F/4 for both lenses, with the F/1.4G leading in the department of Bokeh quality (due to her more rounded shutter diaphragm construction). Aesthetically, the F/1.4G win again with her more beefy, "thicker" diameter barrel of 58mm.

All taken, however, the F/1.4 aperture provides a 50% bigger aperture working space for those low-light scene. Buy it if you prefer to improve your image quality without bothering to carry your speedlight along.

New Blog - Nikon D400 Lab (beta)!

Deep in my gut, I think and know that the upcoming Nikon DSLR would be in line to replace the venerable Nikon D300. The handwriting is already all over the wall for this one and the inevitable introduction of what many believed to be the Nikon D400 is but in a few short months away.

Personally, I am a DSLR body hobbyist and not a lens collector. I am in no compulsion to twist my own arms and shoot in scenes I know requires specialty lenses. Well, this is further supported by the fact I can use a second body as either the new primary or secondary. Thirdly (I know this is an excuse for an amateur who wants to talk pro!), changing lens with a single body may result in a higher opportunity cost (sound so much like what I say for my work) for fleeting-moment shots.

Hence, I bring you, dear friends and visitors the Nikon D400 lab blog today! (Drum roll please)

You can find it conveniently located on the bottom right section of this blog. Or if you prefer, check it directly [here].

Hope you would enjoy it as much as I write it!

Nikon D90 Upgrade - D400 Coming In August 2009?

Straight from the [oven] came a toasty rumor today, that the Nikon D400 will debut in a couple of months time, all armed to the teeth with a new Expeed II processor, 16-18 megapixel DX sensor grid, full HD video recording, stereo sound recording and a tilt swivel screen as per the Nikon D5000.

Sounds exciting? OK. Start saving guys.

Speaking of which, I saw a used mint condition 8-month old Nikon D700 at $2000 today Tempting too...

So Christmas Came Early This Year Huh?

Rumored to cost a hefty eleven Gs, these all-white limited edition Nikon D3 may well be the Christmas present some rich folks wish for as a pre-Christmas present.

Personal Shoot Trip to Japan Cancelled Due to Swine Flu

Hmm...of all time where air tickets to Japan are at its lowest (only $300 return tax inclusive), a few thousand cases of Swine Flu have to pop up out of the wild blue yonder to reverse my decision to fly there for a short shoot cum holiday.

I mean I could still do it with a bigger dose of Bovine Colostrum but this mean I can only go alone, which defeats the whole purpose of a holiday! I seriously wanted to experience their capsule inn accommodation right in the heart of the Akihabara district while soaking myself in an electronic gadgetry bath there, which I doubt, will happen anytime soon now.

O well....se la vi. Let's wait and see.

The Gatherings

Being a photo enthusiast, it would be a good idea to have a good mentor by your side, who can coach, sprinkle some tips your way and give a slap on your wrist for poor postures etc. Well, I am pretty thankful to have a few to say the least as I am guided by their valuable opinions.

But being professional photographers themselves, its so hard to catch them as your off work equates to them beginning to work...like being a real estate agent or financial service advisor. This one recent gathering was with a dear friend who owns more bodies and lens than the biggest dry cabinet out there, can hold. His portfolio is mainly commercial shoots, among others.

You can catch him [here] or otherwise, inflight magazines of major airlines (on Asia routes), where he shares valuable insights to shoot better. His blog can be found [here].

Check them out for more goodies.

Portable Digital Storage for Nikon D90

Not surprisingly, even with a 16GB SD card in my Nikon D90, the camera seems to now gobble up that available space as fast as I can transfer those HD videos and RAW shoots onto my Macbook Pro. And at the rate its going, its about time to consider either a cheap external drive or a portable digital storage solution with my Nikon D90.

Obviously, being more expensive, the latter offers owner the liberty not to lug their laptop around, while still allowing them to transfer those videos and images out of the SD memory card in a snap. For approximately $400, its something that effectively unchain photographers from their heavy laptop during longer shooting trips. Pros like Moose Peterson seems to swear by these Epson P-2000.


Being a geek however, I am sticking to my faithful Sony VGN-U70 UMPC's 20GB to tie me over those occasions. Well, whichever works for you, really.