Baker the Monkey in space, aboard Horus 19. ©Baker.

This isn’t a photoshopped image, that really is a monkey…in space. Baker the monkey flew up to an altitude of about 35 km and withstood temperatures down to -55°C, and all in an effort to promote Australian band Skipping Girl Vinegar. Not that is a committed pet.

Want to know how this happened? Then check out this behind-the-scenes video made by Grant Willis, who shot it with a Panasonic GH2 + 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 lens.

Want more info about this particular flight? Then read this blog entry. To find out about Project Horus, follow the link.

Here’s some more monkey business in case you need even more info:

Good light and good luck,

    —Miserere

Related posts:

1. Photography: So Easy even a Monkey Can Do It
2. Photos from the Edge of Space
3. NASA ISS Images – Some Great Images from Space

Start a FREE trial at zenfolio or get up to $25 off your subscription by using discount coupon E6P-UJA-UCX

Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

B&H	Adorama	Amazon	eBay	Best Buy

© Miserere for Enticing the Light, 2011. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.

The 3 new Lytro Cameras.

Some time ago, I posted about this new technology. The Lytro Camera. It certainly seemed very interesting and I posted some conjecture that it was a trick of software. Well now we can see for ourselves. It’s now available to buy and shipping in January 2012. See company web site below.

First impression is, wow this thing is small. How they pack this interesting evolution in cameras in such a small unit is impressive. Second thought was, I do hope this is available in some sort of SLR. They are clearly directing this toward the P&S shooter at this time. They comment a few times, about “Shutter Lag” claiming that it’s an issue of auto focus lag, which of course it isn’t. Focus lag (or focus time) certainly can slow your ability to get the shot you want but shutter lag is a P&S issue with the sensor turning on and off to capture the photo. Shutter lag isn’t an issue with a DSLR. Focus speed can be at times of course and add to the time it takes to capture the image.

On thing I very curious about is how do I create a shot that has a large DOF (depth of field)? It’s great that the user can choose what’s in focus but all the samples demonstrate this limited focus feature. Narrow DOF shoots are great but if I want to print the family shot taken at the annual summer gathering and I can only focus on one person, then the shot is pretty much useless for prints. We can only assume that multiple focus points can be combined in the software to create the large DOF shot where everything (near and far) is in focus.

If this is available as a “DSLR styled” camera, with interchangeable lenses and the ability to add a flash, remote wireless triggers and other add-on accessories at some point, this will be the end on DSLR’s as we know them. A big consideration for putting this camera engine in a DSLR would be the ability to use removable storage media. I feel a big limit with this camera is it only has internal storage and you have to download the photos off the camera once it’s full via USB to your computer. So are you going to carry a netbook or other computer with you on vacation to keep the memory available for more photos? Most won’t like this limitation.

As it stands now, the camera has very few controls, a slider zoom on the top, a shutter button, USB connection port and a power switch. The rear LCD is a touch screen that allows some viewing of images but due to the small size, won’t be something you would want to use to really see your shots. One missing feature for many P&S shooters is they do not mention video. Can this thing shoot video clips? Seems no at this point.

There’s a lot we don’t know. Can we stop the lens down somehow? What about close up (macro) shooting? How is this in low light is a big one. There are no specifications for ISO on their page. In fact if low light capture is processed in some new way or measured differently, they don’t mention a way to compare against today’s camera units. If you are taking pictures of the kids on Christmas morning with only the tree lights, will extra light be needed or a flash? It’s notable that no flash is built in. The web site is very sparse in details and that still makes me suspicious how good this camera is.

Another consideration is how these photos can be processed. Can Photoshop, Elements, Lightroom or the large number of Freeware programs edit these photos? They have a “3D” nature to them and I don’t know if it would be possible to edit them in conventional software. If all you can do is edit in their own software, then this camera will be fairly limited to the higher end user. The video above doesn’t tell us much about what the software does. It only mentions that you can choose the subject that will be in focus. Maybe you do that, then save the shot to be edited in other types of software. Also note that the images are square unlike the conventional 2:3 ratio of today’s cameras.

Will this replace today’s DSLR’s? No not yet by a long shot (pardon the pun). Will it draw in the P&S shooter, most certainly for some. If this gets broad acceptance and they develop or partner (I hope) with a DSLR/MILC maker who already has the accessories and lenses, then this could turn the camera market completely on it’s head. Imagine this in Fuji’s new X10? Now that would be a cool camera.

Oh and a note to the DSLR makers, if you are thinking of getting in a partnership with these guys, the one that does (all this assumes that this camera engine is everything they claim), will own the DSLR/MILC market. Until we understand the software and the other issues, much of where this will go is still speculation.

Visit the Lytro camera web site here
Cheers and good shooting
-Peter Zack

Related posts:

1. Lytro Cameras. A New Evolution in Technology?
2. Nikon D800, not the Camera We Wanted.
3. Fire Your Camera from Your iPhone

Start a FREE trial at zenfolio or get up to $25 off your subscription by using discount coupon E6P-UJA-UCX

Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

B&H	Adorama	Amazon	eBay	Best Buy

© Peter Zack for Enticing the Light, 2011. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.

Lauren Bush and David Lauren Wedding portrait.

Photo & Copyright by Norman Jean Roy.
All rights reserved Norman Jean Roy.
Thanks to Vogue magazine for making this public.

See the slideshow of images on the Vogue magazine web site.

To me this is jaw dropping. A style of photo we rarely see today and a timeless image. I could make all sorts of positive comments about several aspects of this photo but sometimes art at this level just needs to be enjoyed in silence. So I’ll stay quiet now. Click on the image to see the full sized version.

Cheers and good shooting
-Peter Zack

PS: If she takes his last name, she’ll be Lauren Lauren?

Related posts:

1. American Photo 2011 Top 10 Wedding Photographers
2. Shedding Light on David duChemin
3. The Unplugged Wedding – Hopefully a New Trend

Start a FREE trial at zenfolio or get up to $25 off your subscription by using discount coupon E6P-UJA-UCX

Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

B&H	Adorama	Amazon	eBay	Best Buy

© Peter Zack for Enticing the Light, 2011. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.

Subtitle: Lesson learned, check the tide and stay close to your gear.

Not much I need to say as the video says it all, although you might suspect what’s about to happen. The photographer, Kurtis Hough was filming at Cannon Beach, Oregon, Pacific Coast, USA (how ironic is that!) with his Canon 5D MkII. We’ll let the video tell the rest of the story…

Cheers and good shooting (safely!!)
-Peter Zack

Ed. Note: Nikon wanted a piece of the action too; check it out:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUdB8kIzuEI

Related posts:

1. Fujifilm Introduces FinePix X100 Official Specs
2. Sony A33 and A55: Old Technology Put to New Use
3. Pentax Finally Announce New Equipment

Start a FREE trial at zenfolio or get up to $25 off your subscription by using discount coupon E6P-UJA-UCX

Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

B&H	Adorama	Amazon	eBay	Best Buy

© Peter Zack for Enticing the Light, 2011. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.

Alleged Nikon D800 (Image from PhotoRumors.com).

Nikon Rumors has released what they say is a photo of the real Nikon D800 (I’m doubtful the photos are real for a number of reasons – look at the red rubber on the grip for instance) and with the photo, they claim to have the actual specs. These specs have been rumoured on the internet for several months now. Since NR is claiming that these are the specs we’ll see in the new camera when it’s released (TBA), I figured it was time to now comment on how I see this new body. Plus it’s interesting to see what the forums have been saying as well.

It’s not a D700 replacement in any fashion, nor is it an upgrade. The D700 first was targeted at the advanced shooter who took photos of almost any subject from sports to landscapes and everything in between. Second it was an excellent wedding and portrait shooters camera. Great ISO at 3200, good ISO at 6400. Excellent AF, and the list goes on. Certainly when the camera was released in 2008, it was considered by many to be a landmark camera; partly because for the price, it offered so much to so many. In fact today, current owners and new owners still have very few complaints. If they wanted anything, it’s the never ending high ISO improvements we always want in every new camera. The other thing might have been a slightly higher resolution in case you wanted to make larger prints or crop a bit more. Other than that, it was a few tweaks here and there that most shooters wanted. To see my wish list, have a look at this article posted several months ago. From the comments we got then, it would seem that most prospective buyers wanted similar things in the new D800. Well, they didn’t get it.

So why do I think this is not a D700 replacement and the wrong camera? First I’m coming at this from a wedding shooter’s point of view and that’s what I do for a living. Second, I’m assuming that the NR specs are accurate. So based on that assumption, lets dive in.

1) Resolution is far too high. This will require a full computer upgrade, and honestly, can Lightroom handle files this big in an efficient manner? There are people all over the internet complaining that LR3 will freeze up and really slow down when asked to do certain tasks. For example, try cloning anything now. With a D700 file, if you clone more than 3-4 spots in one image, prepare to see the computer slow to a crawl. That’s on a 12MP file. What’s going to happen with a 36MP file?

2) File sizes are going to be an issue for anyone who shoots significant volumes. For myself, I fill a 1TB drive each wedding season. Plus I back that drive up just in case. So now instead of a 1TB drive and a 1 TB backup, I’ll need at least 3 + 3? Insane. Also, I now carry 48GB (in 8GB cards) worth of CF cards, Will I need 144GB? Or actually since the new camera is dual slot, 288GB? Even seeing a number like 144GB worth of memory cards on the screen has me shaking my head. (I’d never, ever put an entire wedding on one large card just in case).

3) Slower frame rates. With file sizes this big the camera is going to be much slower and the frame rate is reported to be at 4FPS. If that’s true, it’s a big drop from the D700. Also, if the frame rate is dropping that much, what will happen to the camera’s overall speed? Will the image render on the LCD take twice as long? Will the buffer take twice as much time to write to the card? In fact if the buffer is one millisecond slower than the current D700, then this camera is an out and out failure for the event shooter.

4) No improvement in high ISO. The camera’s range is 100-6400 which expands to 50-25,600. In fact I will bet that with this type of pixel density, the D700 will be better at 6400 than the new camera will. This is a huge disappointment. I, and I think most shooters, would have wanted a 2 stop improvement over the 4 year old camera that it’s supposed to be replacing.

5) Nikon dropped the ball on the new grip. I’ve long felt that the grip needed an AE-L button or better yet, a button that could be customized any way you wanted to. The grip isn’t much more than a battery holder with a shutter button. Also the ISO adjustment button is still in the worst possible spot and I can’t understand why Nikon doesn’t realize this button needs to be as easily accessible as the front and rear dials. In a camera that has good ISO6400, you need to be able to change ISO’s quickly without fumbling for the control button.

6) The rumoured price is 300,000 yen or around $3,899 USD. Really? Are you driving people to other brands on purpose? The D700 was and still is about $2500.00. The Canon 5DMkII is around $2300.00. If the D700 is gone and there’s no full-frame camera in the sub $3000.00 price range, then this is an epic failure.

I was thinking about these specs and wondering if I was alone in these opinions. If you look at the forums and use these as some gauge of potential buyers’ feelings, then this isn’t the camera they want either. Certainly almost everyone wanted more MP’s but around 18MP or at the very most 24MP, but no more than that. They wanted better high ISO, faster frame rates and most of the items on my earlier wish list. I was actually surprised how many expressed an opinion that they will keep their D700′s or even go out and buy one now to hang on to. In fact the only segment of shooters that seem to like this camera in any way are landscape shooters. That does make sense for them but not for many others.

The other thing I found interesting was the comments attached to the rumour article on the NR site. In very short order, it became a virtual fist fight over megapixels and sensor sizes, Nikon vs Canon and so on. There was no sense of joy that this could be the next Nikon product to walk on water. In fact, if the sentiment I got from most comments is right, then this camera needs a lifejacket. I won’t copy it here but my favourite post was from a guy named “Bill” who posted a short sentence on November 20, 2011 at 2:48 pm. It sums up my thoughts perfectly on why the D700 is still the camera to own. (If you don’t feel like hunting for the comment, it’s something to do with idiots wanting more megapixels while the rest shoot happily with what they now own.)

In fact I see this new camera as moving from the D3, D3s, D700 series of bodies to the D3x series. Maybe Nikon has something planned to actually upgrade the D700. I hope so but certainly not counting on it in the near future.

So I’ll keep enjoying my D700, maybe buy another sometime soon if the prices on D700′s don’t shoot through the roof. Sorry Nikon, this D800 is a complete failure to me if Nikon Rumors is right.

Cheers and good shooting
-Peter Zack

Ed. Note: SonyAlpha Rumors asked the question of whether 36MP were too many…and a similar war broke out.

Related posts:

1. CliQ 2011, Sept 6th: Nikon D800 Release? Here’s My Wishlist
2. Nikon Releases Their First APS-C Prime Lens for DX Cameras: AF-S 35mm f/1.8G
3. Nikon Instant Rebates on Cameras and Lenses

Start a FREE trial at zenfolio or get up to $25 off your subscription by using discount coupon E6P-UJA-UCX

Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

B&H	Adorama	Amazon	eBay	Best Buy

© Peter Zack for Enticing the Light, 2011. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.

by Miserere

There really are no words to describe the images in this video. Shot from the International Space Station some 350km above Earth using the Super-Sensitive High Definition TV (SS-HDTV) Camera developed by NHK Japan still images from a Nikon D3s, edited together by Michael König. Note tbe movement of the ISS has been sped up.

Set to full screen, HD if you have the bandwidth, then just sit back and be amazed at the beautiful planet we inhabit.

Good light and good luck,

    —Miserere

Related posts:

1. Great Little Time-Lapse Video
2. Transform – A Video by Zack Arias
3. Funny Time-Lapse Video

Start a FREE trial at zenfolio or get up to $25 off your subscription by using discount coupon E6P-UJA-UCX

Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

B&H	Adorama	Amazon	eBay	Best Buy

© Miserere for Enticing the Light, 2011. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.

Geeks like carving pumpkins too!

It’s that time of year, when people in North America dress up in costumes and carve pumpkins…and nobody really knows why.

Tyler Card, a photographer from Michigan, decided to build a stereotypical costume for himself: A camera costume. But, he thought, let’s make this look like a real (giant) camera, how about the Nikon D3? Yeah, that’ll look good. But do you know what would be really cool? If it actually worked, took pictures and all! And that’s what young Tyler, now turned amateur engineer, set out to do. Did he succeed? Check it out:

Still don’t believe it works? Look guys, even the frickin’ flash works!

I raise my cup of pumpkin cider to you, Tyler. My you live a long life outside your costume, prosper in the photography business, and may your children all study at MIT.

Good light and good luck,

    —Miserere

Related posts:

1. Nikon D800, not the Camera We Wanted.
2. Nikon Releases Their First APS-C Prime Lens for DX Cameras: AF-S 35mm f/1.8G
3. NASA Upgrades to Nikon D3x but Fails to Teach Astronauts Photography Technique

Start a FREE trial at zenfolio or get up to $25 off your subscription by using discount coupon E6P-UJA-UCX

Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

B&H	Adorama	Amazon	eBay	Best Buy

© Miserere for Enticing the Light, 2011. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.

While I have your attention, if you are doing or know of someone who is doing a ‘photo a day for a year’ style project, email us the link. We’d love to share them with our readers!

Cheers and good shooting
-Peter Zack

Related posts:

1. What Makes a Great Photograph
2. How to Photograph a Monkey in Space
3. Wind Up to a Pulitzer Photograph

Start a FREE trial at zenfolio or get up to $25 off your subscription by using discount coupon E6P-UJA-UCX

Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

B&H	Adorama	Amazon	eBay	Best Buy

© Peter Zack for Enticing the Light, 2011. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.

Every wedding photographer knows that brides will do what they can to cut corners and slash money from their wedding budget, with Photography being a frequent target. But one couple in Dodgville, Wisconsin, got a lot more creative… In the Craigslist ad reproduced above they requested a “clean cut, attractive wedding photographer [...] with a dirty side”; why the dirty side?, because as payment for photographing their wedding the photographer (male or female) would be allowed to photograph the wedding night porn romance. And if you read between the lines, said photographer might even be able to participate in the wedding night’s activities.

Oh boy…

The ad was taken down quickly, but not before we got a screen grab. Maybe they’ve found their dirty photographer? He or she better not forget their camera remote, or even better, an intervalometer!

Good light and good luck,

    —Miserere and Peter Zack

Related posts:

1. Photographers' Virtual Trade Show
2. Recommended Wedding Photographer
3. American Photo 2011 Top 10 Wedding Photographers

Start a FREE trial at zenfolio or get up to $25 off your subscription by using discount coupon E6P-UJA-UCX

Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

B&H	Adorama	Amazon	eBay	Best Buy

© Miserere for Enticing the Light, 2011. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.

by Miserere

I’m not even joking! While photographer David Slater was in a national park in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, some crested black macaque monkeys nicked his camera and started taking pictures with it. The results? Not frickin’ bad!

Read more here.

---

All photos: ©Anonymous crested black macaque monkey.

Related posts:

1. Baby Photography, Not as Easy as It Seems!
2. How to Photograph a Monkey in Space
3. Blind Photography

Start a FREE trial at zenfolio or get up to $25 off your subscription by using discount coupon E6P-UJA-UCX

Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

B&H	Adorama	Amazon	eBay	Best Buy

© Miserere for Enticing the Light, 2011. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.