Have you ever tried to mount your DSLR camera vertically on a ball head, using an L-bracket and using the USB port for tethered shooting, all at the same time? Some time ago, I was watching an episode of D-Town TV where they were using an L-bracket on a tripod in the studio and I instantly knew that I wanted an L-bracket too. On that episode they were shooting horizontally so tethering the USB cable to the computer wasn’t an issue. However, things look different once you try to shoot vertically, let’s say for a portrait. Well, I don’t know about Canon but at least on quite a few Nikon bodies, this is simply impossible. Here’s why. Because there’s not enough space between the USB port and the ball head to plug in a Mini USB cable. I’ve found a perfect solution to this problem and it’s quite a cheap shot.

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If you’re an avid geotagger and own a Nikon GP-1 (or compatible) on-camera GPS receiver, you may have found yourself in a situation where you had to take a photo even though your GPS unit wasn’t ready, thus leading to inaccurate or even missing latitude/longitude coordinates in your photo. A GPS receiver usually needs at least 30 to 40 seconds to acquire an accurate position fix in the open once you turn the camera on. Depending on your subject, that can be quite some time. An on-camera GPS unit like the Nikon GP-1 also puts quite a strain on your camera’s battery life.

On the other hand, if you’re using an off-camera geotagger like the Holux M-241 there’s always some sort of more or less complex post-processing workflow involved to store the GPS readings in your photo’s metadata header. I sometimes forget to switch my Holux M-241 on when I’m outside with the camera or even worse: I usually forget to take it with me at all. Doh!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a GPS unit that sits on the camera (so I don’t forget it at home), runs on its own power but still is able to immediately store GPS readings in your photos whenever you take them? Running on it’s own power has the advantage that when you’re outside with your camera, you can simply forget about hot/warm/cold startup times or draining your camera’s battery and just concentrate on the non-GPS-side of photography.
This is where the Easytag GPS module (a.k.a. Easytagger) comes into play. The Easytagger is a hybrid between an off-camera and an on-camera GPS logger. Judging from the product description, this thing seems to be the jack of all trades:

• Stores GPS info directly to a photo’s metadata header (no matter if NEF or JPEG)
• Data logger mode: Ability to log a trail (a series of GPS readings) to a microSD card using the popular NMEA format
• 2-axis magnetic sensor to record heading
• Barometric altimeter
• Built-in rechargeable 500mAh Li-Ion battery, and in case it’s emtpy, draws power from the camera
• Unique design to allow mounting on flash accessory shoe and the built-in flash to be used at the same time
• Multi-model compatibility: simply use the appropriate data cable. 10-pin: Nikon D200, D300, D300s, D700, D3/D3s/D3x, D2/D2x/D2xs/D2Hs. 8-pin: Nikon D90, D5000
• No setup required, just plug and play!

But does the Easytagger really live up to its expectations? I’m going to have a close look at the Easytag GPS module from a Nikon D700 and a Mac user’s perspective. Read more »

I’ve always fancied the Nikon GP-1 GPS on-camera receiver for its ability to directly write geotagging information to a photo, including the Nikon .NEF RAW format, thus greatly reducing the complexity of the post-processing workflow involved when using an off-camera GPS logger like the Holux-M241. The Nikon GP-1 still costs around USD 200 which IMHO is a bit overpriced. Read more »

When using the Nikon SB-900 (and the SB-600 and SB-800 as well btw.) as a remote flash and the camera as the commander, the built-in flash always fires as well even if it is explicitly disabled in the e3 menu. Even though those timing flashes are of lower intensity, they can be seen clearly if you’re photographing an object with a reflecting surface, including eyes, especially when using a macro lens. At times, this is a very unpleasant effect. Is there a way to prevent the built-in camera flash from firing when using a Nikon CLS remote flash? Read more »

In the just released firmware version 1.02 for the D700, Nikon added an option to sync the GPS time to the camera time and a new option to allow the camera more time to acquire GPS data. I’ll be doing a review on a Nikon GP-1 compatible on-camera GPS receiver for the Nikon D700 (and the Nikon D3, D3X, D90, D200, D300, D900 as well) later this month, so keep watching this space if you think the original Nikon GP-1 is a tad too expensive for what it delivers. Read more »

There has been a lot of controversy lately about the brand new Nikon Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR II lens. Some folks claimed the lens is utterly unusable for wedding photography because of the changes to EFL (effective focal length) compared to the older VR I lens. As usual with expensive gadgets, the noise to fact ratio skyrocked in the ensuing (sometimes emotional) discussion in several photography related forums. Interestingly, the EFL issue went unnoticed in all the raving pre-release reviews of the new VR II lens.

I just want to point to a thread on dpreview.com which IMHO is the most accurate comparison between the VR I and VR II lens to date:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1030&message=33908735

The first three posts from user em_dee_aitch sum it up very nicely.

Just in case you were wondering if the Kirk LP-45 replacement foot fits on the new Nikon Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II lens: yes, it does, just as it did on the old Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR. If you’re using Arca Swiss compatible clamps, this is the foot to go for, you won’t be disappointed. Read more »

I’m in the middle of transitioning from my Nikon D80 DX-crop sensor DSLR to a Nikon D700 full format FX-sensor DSLR. I replaced the Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 DX lens (24-300mm) with:

• Nikkor 24-70 AF-S f/2.8
• Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 AF-S VR
• Nikkor TC-17E II teleconverter. I’m still getting acceptable sharpness with the 70-200 tele. Of course this is a compromise and I don’t think I’m going to use the converter a lot. Maximum aperture is f/4.8 with a f/2.8 lens. The teleconverter also works great on my Nikkor Micro 105mm AF-S VR macro.

I still have my Tokina AT-X 116 Pro f/2.8 DX ultra wide zoom lens. I was thinking about replacing it with a Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 ultra wide zoom lens but the Tokina actually works quite well on a FX body like the D700 – in FX mode! Read more »

I’m a big fan of the Nikon Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR II AF-S lens because it’s so versatile. It’s also a great companion to my Tokina AT-X 116 ultra wide angle zoom lens. Both fit nicely into my small LowePro SlingShot camera bag and it doesn’t get too heavy.

After reading Ken Rockwell’s review about the Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6 G I was curious to see how much sharper it is than my 18-200mm lens. Ken claims the 28-80mm to be “unbelievably sharp”. Read more »