Nikon's 24mm f/1.4mm impresses us!

A few months ago now, a box arrived via courier and in it was Nikon’s newish 24mm f/1.4 G ED N Aspherical lens. A prime wide at 1.4 I thought, Nikon you have done it again!

The Nikon 24mm  f/1.4

No seriously, this is not meant to be a catalyst for a great Nikon versus Canon debate – hold the emails! The team at CameraPro in Brisbane had sent it out on loan for me to have a play and there were a couple of things I was disappointed with by the time it left and a few I was happy with.

Onto the D3 it went and its 618g in weight didn’t make it feel uncomfortable in the hands. It was our Tamborine Mountain Bluedog Photography Weekend Retreat so I used it happily during the weekend ‘snapping’ off random images of the weekend’s activities. Some lucky person even won $100 voucher for any Bluedog Photography workshop, retreat or tour by guessing the lens I was trialling on the Bluedog Facebook Group.

 The retreat group 'snapped' with the 24mm f/1.4

Back to the lens.... it’s focusing on auto is silent and its super sharp. The 24mm lens has a huge depth-of-field! Even at f/1.4, there is not a lot out of focus. At every aperture I played with and especially 1.4, it was the same: sharp, sharp and sharp.

Sand Blow
Image by Danielle Lancaster

For those that like the low light and a bit of action then this is one I reckon could be worth making it into your kit. Think of it like this: the 24mm will show camera shake due to hand shake only half as much as the 50mm f1.4 so you can pick up a stop and shoot at a lower shutter speed. But since the 24mm lens has four times the depth-of-field as the 50mm lens, it means a whole heap more in focus at f/1.4 while shoot the same on the 50mm and there is a dramatic difference – there’s little in focus on the 50mm at f/1.4. So what that means is, it is exceptionally capable for low-light hand-held photography and especially if there’s some action. And it’s suitable for both film and FX digital SLRs (see below in ‘A few Specs’).

The Silent Wave Motor is responsible for its quieter autofocus operation, while the lens also features an anti-reflective Nano Crystal coating and both ED and aspherical lens elements to help minimize distortion and chromatic aberration. The sharpness from edge to edge appeared to have minimum distortion and coma, and no apparent ghosting. With a distortion rating listed of +1.5 there are many, many worse out there. As we often say it’s all about the glass. The f/1.4 aperture and nine blade rounded diaphragm contribute to render images with stunning NIKKOR trademark bokeh – yah!

Another feature I like in a lens is to be able to just turn the manual focus ring at any time to fine tune my focus without having to unlock a button or click in a lock and I could do that with this camera though in saying that the need to do was minimal with the astounding DOF.

It’s a lens that I feel Nikon has built to last and be tough for those that like the wilds. Extensive use of magnesium in the construction, weather and dust sealing, including around the mount are prime examples of this. It is has really been designed for those that like their landscapes, low light and photo journalists (though for some photo journalists it will still too big for street work).

Image by Danielle Lancaster

Disappointments:
I did not get a chance (my fault) to try it in a night landscape scenario which I would love to do.

It does not now live in my kit!
 

This item was supplied for an independent review. The author receives no remuneration for trailing the product and therefore the review is independent.

For more information on the lens please contact CameraPro

Next lens review could be the 28-300mm so many are gloating about and is now in my kit - am I as happy as others? 

A Few Specs:

Compatibility:  Works perfectly on an all digital Nikon, both FX and DX, and even on Nikon's cheaper digitals like the D40, D40x, D60, D3000 and D5000.

Diagonal Angle of View: 84° (61° with Nikon DX format)
Minimum aperture: f/16

Lens Construction: 12 elements/10 groups; 2 ED glass elements; 2 aspherical elements

Minimum Focus: 0.25m

Filter Thread: 77mm

 Image courtesy Nikon

Cambodia beyond the temples

Guest blog and images by by Kelly Morgan

I love trawling through photos of past travels, no matter how well composed or exposed, they’re my memories. My few brief trips to Asia have left me with a deep admiration for the people and a longing to experience more. How could I possibly turn down the opportunity to see Cambodia under the tutelage of Bluedog photographers?

After some solo time in Phnom Penh I joined the other eager participants and set off to capture what guide books consider the essence of Cambodia ­– the temples of Siem Reap. They are as awe-inspiring as I expected, and a challenge in light metering and exposure.

Day one we explored Tonle Sap and a floating village, Augustine challenged me to go beyond “P” so off I went, over and under exposing. Day two was learning more about light and how to control it. I can’t imagine a better place to learn about 18% grey than outside Bayon temple. 

By now we were all mulling over ideas for our assignment, a photo essay on “restitution”. Day one I met Mr Douk, a landmine amputee selling books around Siem Reap and a long term friend of Danielle's. He had lost both of his arms, but not his pride or sense of humour. How does a man with no arms bathe? How does he earn enough to give his kids an education? In a country with poor healthcare and no social security, how does he keep smiling?

Mr Douk with two of his children and grand child.

Danielle encouraged me to follow his day and tell his story. Was I nervous? Absolutely! I still felt clumsy with the camera and while I was honoured to be invited into Mr Douk’s home, I was worried my photos wouldn’t be good enough to capture his story with the respect it deserved.

But jumping in the deep end is the best way to learn – no time to over-think it. Waving the group off for their Angkor Wat sunrise shoot, I stayed behind. An hour late for our pre-dawn meeting (this is Cambodia!) Mr Douk and his gorgeous kids arrived to walk me to their home. It was heartbreaking to see how they lived; a small timber shanty with a communal water pump, and neighbours dying of Aids. It was heart warming to be welcomed and to share their intimate moments. It was going to be a long, confronting day.

I tried to capture Mr Douk’s ups and downs as he carried his heavy basket of books. People rebuff him, ignore him, disrespect him. But just when it seems too hard, someone buys a book. His smile is broad and genuine; his kids have an English tutor again this week.

 Mr Douk makes a sale - on average he makes 0.50 US cents per book.

Seeing Mr Douk in Ta Prohm’s dappled light and otherworldly settings was strangely moving, and a test in exposure compensation! At the end of the day we had a big hug, he went home to his family, I joined the group for curry and $1.50 mojitos, different lives that intersected for a brief time. I couldn’t leave it at that and sought him out each day for a hug and chat.

I learnt a lot in a week; photographically I went from P to full manual mode, personally I fell in love with a country and its people. My biggest lesson: lower the camera, look beyond the view finder, see the people, hear the story. 

Bluedog Photography will be returning to Cambodia for another tour in 2012. For further details visit:  http://www.blue-dog.com.au/Cambodia-photography-tour.html

End note from Danielle:

Kelly's journey on our tour to Cambodia this year was one of great pleasure for me. Not only seeing her progress so quickly and confidently in her photography but how she approached a hard subject choice for her assignment and pushed herself both emotionally and photographically to capture Mr Douk's day.

This is a only a small selection of some of the images Kelly shot - all of them are dramatic and to many may cause a little flinch at the ugliness of war. I encourage you to look deeper, as Kelly did, to the man and his dignity and his willingness to get up and move on and do the best he can. His smile says everything.

Thank you Kelly for telling Mr Douk's story, I know everyone else in the group was appreciative of it as well. We all learnt something from it.

Kelly has since written a longer article on Mr Douk and I look forward to seeing it printed in the future. Well done Kelly!

My New Favourite Camera Accessory

With the excitement mounting for the Bluedog Photography Stradbroke Island Tour this coming weekend, Julie Martin who will be sharing many of her Photoshop tricks and tips with us, will most likely be wearing this accessory out on the shoots. In this blog she tells us why she likes her Black Rapid RS-W1 camera strap. 

I don’t know about you, but how to carry my camera had been a bit of a bother for me.  I have a personal dislike for hanging it around my neck, with all the involved bumping and jumping around it does while you walk (not to mention the somewhat unfashionable look it gives you!).  Carrying it in my hand, with the strap wrapped securely around my wrist (as taught by Danielle) was okay while I had my smaller camera, but now that I have a larger camera and bigger lenses, I just can’t carry that weight in my hand for long.  Then I tried a small sling-type camera bag, but ended up with a sore shoulder from the hanging weight, and I usually had it in my hand anyway.  So, quite the dilemma.

Imagine how happy I am now that I have solved my problem.  It comes in the form of my Black Rapid RS-W1 camera strap – my new favourite camera accessory and forgive me for gushing but I just love it.  The strap is worn like a sling across your body, with the women’s version cleverly designed to accommodate our contours, and the camera is attached using the tripod socket. You then adjust it so that the camera hangs around hip level, always at the ready for the next shot.   There are several different versions available, with storage for memory cards, spare batteries and your mobile phone in some, a sports option for increased security and even double versions for two cameras.

What I love about this strap is the comfort, accessibility and security it provides.  I walked around all day on my recent trip and never got sore shoulders.  The design distributes the weight very evenly.  Letting the camera hang means I had both hands free but the camera was just there when I was ready to take a shot.  It felt quite discreet at my side and I felt happier no longer having a camera strap that shouted “expensive camera!!!” to anyone who felt inclined to steal it off me.  I would put my jacket on over the top of the strap so it would be basically impossible for anyone to grab the camera and run off.  

The only downside is that you can’t have both the strap and your tripod plate attached at the same time, although there is a fastener available that allows for this if you have a Manfrotto tripod with quick release plates.   It just took a couple more seconds to set up the camera on the tripod, while changing plates.

Retailing for $79, it is the best accessory I think I have ever bought for my camera and I would highly recommend it to anyone.  Here’s the link to the website – www. Blackrapid.com for more information.

 Julie wearing her Black Rapid RS-W1 camera strap on a recent trip to Ireland.

Fraser Island Photography Tour Better than Books at School

Guest blog and images by Caitlin Allen

15 year old Caitlin is finalising some work experience with Danielle at Bluedog Photography and part of a special treat was a trip to Fraser Island. Here's a few of Caitlin's thoughts:

As a very special treat for my birthday in August 2011, my Mum took me along on the Bluedog Photography Fraser Island Tour.  As part of the group, I learnt a lot of amazing things about photography that helped me create better-looking images by getting to know my camera and being able to take it off ‘auto mode’ and try out lots of different settings, including manual!

Our tutors, Danielle Lancaster and Peter Meyer, were always there to give me advice about the shot I was taking and were very knowledgeable about the wildlife and history of Fraser Island.  This made every day really interesting while I was also learning more on important methods of photography throughout the tour.  In fact, most of the time it didn’t even feel like learning as it was so much fun!   The photographs we took helped me to get a better understanding of the way my camera works and also important aspects of photography including composition, white balance and long exposure shots. 

During the tour we visited a number of well-known places on Fraser Island that were amazing to see and great to photograph, such as McKenzie Jetty, the rainforest, Indian Head and the Eastern Beach.  The Eastern Beach and Indian Head would have to be my favourite places. Then again, there was the whale watching tour, which would also have to be on my favourites list.  These majestic creatures were absolutely awesome to watch as they played around our boat!  We had to make lots of noise so the whales would come closer to check us out, which they did, and it was an amazing thing to be able to photograph them so close.  I am positive it is something I will never forget.

The enthusiasm of Danielle and Peter along with the untouched wilderness on the island, the amazing wildlife and the scenic views we experienced were among the things that have inspired me to keep taking photos and advance my knowledge on the subject.  Oh, and Danielle and Peter are the greatest photographers, tutors and tour guides on the planet!

 Fly's in a Field of Flowers

ISO 320 f9; 1/15^th; Focal length 60mm; WB shade
Canon 50D; 18-55mm

This Little bug was the cutest!

The image captures his hair and his eyes sharply while he was walking
around on top of the pretty yellow flower. 

 Emerging Darkness upon the Jetty

ISO 400; f10; 30secs; Focal Length 22mm

Canon 50D; 18-55mm

The Lighting in this shot was amazing as the jetty was painted with a torch light and the colourful leaves in the foreground made an awesome focal point.

Photographing Whales

Yesterday was our last day on Fraser Island and once again the Gods of Fraser smiled upon us. As we boarded the Hervey Bay Whale Watch Quick Cat II with skipper Brian at the helm, a pea soup fog slowly surrounded us. Many on board looked worried but I knew that this was a good sign. I tried to alleviate the group that by the time we motored up to Platypus Bay it should lift and usually after a thick fog the day will have clear blue skies – perfect conditions for whale watching. All we needed now was whales in the bay.

At the Jetty at Kingfisher Bat Resort just before we took off
and the fog in the background got thicker but the light was awesome!

Nikon D3 f13, 1/80th, ISO 200, exp compensation -0.33,
Focal Length 66mm, polariser filter used.
Image by Danielle Lancaster

And whales we had! We stopped counting at 12 and they came right into us so we could almost touch them. They were splendid. Pods of no less than three at a time waved back at us, slapped at the water and passed from one side of the boat to the other (thankfully underneath it) and rolled in just a mere few centimeters under the water right next to us. It was truly another memorable whale watching trip.

How close did they come!

Image by Danielle Lancaster

Nikon D3 f8, 1/640th, ISO 800, exp compensation -0.3,
Focal Length 52mm, polariser filter used.

 We often term it as whale soup!

Can you see the two?
Image by Danielle Lancaster

Nikon D3 f8, 1/320th, ISO 800, exp compensation -0.33,
Focal Length 32mm, polariser filter used.

 Playing to the people:)

They love the interaction and while at first you feel a fool waving
and calling it does make them come to us for a play.

Nikon D3 f8, 1/400th, ISO 800, exp compensation -0.33,
Focal Length 36mm, polariser filter used.

Image by Danielle Lancaster

Platypus Bay, on the north western side of Fraser Island is one of my favourite locations to view humpback whales. The reasons are very simple: it's usually calm, I have never missed seeing numerous whales each time I go out and the numbers each year just keep on growing.

It is hard to imagine we nearly hunted them to extinction and that when whaling in Australia was finally banned in 1963 it was estimated there were only 200 individual Southern Humpback whales left. Numbers are increasing at the rate of 8% to 11% per year. Today it is thought between four to five-thousand humpbacks that pass along the east coast of Australia will venture into Platypus bay.

I was a happy camper and not alone. All on our Bluedog Kingfisher Bay Photography Tour were more than ecstatic and it was a brilliant way to finish off yet another tour. See you next year Brian!

A Couple of Humpback Whale Facts
Whales migrate along the Eastern Coast of Australia from August to October south to the Antarctic with their calves.

Humpback whales belong to the group of mammals called Cetacea. This group includes all of the dolphins, whales and porpoises.

There are two populations of humpback whales in the world, one living in the southern

hemisphere and the other in the northern hemisphere.

Humpback whales are marine mammals and like other mammals they are warm blooded and air breathing. They give birth to live young and their young suckle milk. At some stage of their life they have some hair on their bodies. The humpback calf will suckle up to the rate of 400 to 500 litres a day.

Humpback whales are the fifth largest of all the dolphins and whales - with adults growing up to 15 metres and weighing up to 40 tonnes. A new born calf is around 4.5 metres long and 1.5 tonnes in weight.

A Couple of Whale Photography Tips
Call out and wave to them – yes you will feel silly at first but they do react to us and will come closer to have a look.

Use a polariser.

If you can take two cameras: one with a larger zoom or telephoto lens and another wider lens. I generally use a 500mm and a 24-70mm.

Take the time to enjoy the moment without the camera in front of your face. They are truly incredible creatures!

Shipwrecks, Sand Blows, Scribbles and Scenic Lookouts

Yes I am running a day behind with our Fraser blogs so you’ll all have to wait til tomorrow to hear about our adventures with the humpbacks.

Yesterday, our day exploring the Eastern Beach was a huge day and another that turned out perfect with the weather. Amazing clouds graced the sky; we were treated to a magnificent sunset and had a little birthday party for one of our crew.

After a stop in the Scribbly Gum Forest and another tutorial we headed onto 75 Mile Beach with perfect timing with the outgoing tide making our journey along this designated road an easy drive down to the Pinnacles and its coloured sands. We stopped to capture paper dasies and play games with reflections and at Indian Head where we hiked to the top we were rewarded with sightings of whales, turtles and colourful finches and wrens – the last two had our keen birdo photographers eagerly snapping. 

 Judith, Leah and Caitlyn photographing the Paper Dasies

Image by Danielle Lancaster

Pretty Paper Dasies

Image by Danielle Lancaster

By now the sky was really looking like it may do some ‘trippy’ things for the arvo so we headed back to the Maheno as now the light would be better to capture her sitting silently on the beach.

Did you know that between 1856 and 1935 there have been 23 recorded shipwrecks in Fraser Island waters? Even the island is named after shipwreck victim Eliza Fraser. And we all love a good shipwreck story don’t we?

 The S.S. Maheno

Image by Danielle Lancaster

The S.S. Maheno, which is undoubtedly the most famous and has become a landmark on the island came to grief beaching near The Pinnacles in 1935. Her story is not an overly glamorous one. Built in 1905, it was one of the first turbine-driven steamers. She plied a regular route between Sydney and Auckland until she was commissioned as a hospital ship in Europe during World War One.

In 1935, she and her sister ship the Oonah were sold to Japan for scrap. The rudders of the boats were removed and they were being towed to Japan. When they reached Queensland Waters, a cyclonic storm snapped the tow chain and the Maheno drifted helplessly onto Fraser Island's ocean beach.

During World War Two the wreck was used for air force target practice and the Z Force Special Unit used her to practice with limpet mines prior to the raid on Singapore Harbour. Surprisingly enough she still stands her rusting hull now signposted a no go zone. She does look terrific though when the waves come crashing through and while overcast skies deter many this can present wonderful photographic opportunities. Low tide can offer tremendous reflections especially if the sky turns on a show.

However, I was a little saddened to see some idiot had thought it a must to acknowledge their presence at the site by applying purple paint to her rusting hull. Why oh why is this so?

 

Why is there a need to do this?

Image by Danielle Lancaster

With the clouds now starting to roll and fluff we went to one of our favourite sand blows on the island. This desolate landscape came alive and soon we were all down low capturing isolated dwarfed trees hanging on by bare roots systems, weathered stumps and sand ripples in what many would consider an almost uninhabitable environment.

Leah and Danielle get down low.

Image by Pete

Time for sunset and Pete and I choose one of our preferred Pandanus Palms that sits on a razor like edge of sand. Thank you once again to the Gods of Fraser as the sky now turned pinks, purples and mauves. To finish off the day’s shooting, well we could not resist and did a little steel wool burning on the beach which soon had the fisherman joining us and relishing the free show. Even a dingo came to see what all the fuss was about.

 

Sunset on Fraser

Image by Danielle Lancaster

With darkness now around us it was time to head home. We skirted the incoming waves and guided the vehicles along the soft sand of the upper shore line and off the beach once again through Frasers Forest. But the cameras were not away long as we soon came across Echidnas out for their night stroll which afforded us another great opportunity to fine tune some flash photography.

Yes we were tired when we finally arrived at dinner but excited too for it had been a really great day and topped off with a double chocolate Forest cake for our birthday girl. I am sure we all slept very soundly after our adventurous fun-filled day.  

Did you know:

The 158-ton schooner named the Seabelle was one of the first ships to be recorded as lost off Fraser Island after leaving Rockhampton on 7^th March 1857.

Rumours abounded about survivors of the Seabelle. A white woman and two white girls were reported to be living with Fraser Island aboriginals. New South Wales authorities commissioned the captain of the Coquett to investigate and he bought to Sydney two young girls who were albino. They were never returned to their parents as he had promised and they died in an institution in Sydney at an early age.

Footnote: I am still on the road so all images straight out of camera.

Fun with Photography in the Rainforest and at the Old Jetty on Fraser Island

What a day! The forest is looking fabulous, the lakes pristine and the weather has been well can I asy it, near perfect!

The unique rainforest on Fraser Island I have always thought to be one of its best hidden secrets. The crystal clear waters silently running along Wanggoolba Creek’s sandy floor once again astonished our group with one telling me it was ‘way cool’ at Central Station. Ancient  Angiopteris ferns, boasting the largest single frond in the world, edge the creek interspersed with palms and rainforest timbers.

The Gods of Fraser once again smiled on us. We had a day of fun with wonderful light.

The giant rainforest timbers caused quite a controversy on Fraser for many years after being discovered in  1842 by Andrew Petrie, a former superintendent of public works in the Brisbane penal colony, when he explored Fraser Island and returned with glowing reports of the abundance and quality of timber that Fraser Island had to offer. Timber as an industry in Queensland was just beginning with massive building ventures planned good supplies were keenly sought. 

 Exquisite fungi in a range of colours grow from the huge rainforest trees.
Image by Danielle Lancaster

Most don’t know that in 1860 Fraser Island was gazetted as an Aboriginal reserve only to revoked two years later when the value of its timber was realised.

Logging operations started on the island near Wanggoolba Creek in 1863 when John Yankee Jack Piggot, a brash, red-haired American timber cutter, harvested kauri pines. These pines were rafted up the Mary River to the Maryborough mill.

As you could imagine timber getting and European settlement caused many conflicts with the Aboriginal people.  A significant turn came with the tragic clubbing to death of John Piggot in 1864. Logging was halted on the island until 1868 when the first bullocks were brought in to haul logs. These timbers were far too valuable to leave alone and logging soon spread across the rainforest of the island.

Interestingly enough while we are on a little history, the first reafforestation scheme in Queensland occurred on Fraser Island during 1883-84 with the planting of 28,000 kauri pine seedlings among heavy scrub. Unfortunately the planting was not successful as kauri pines are not shade tolerant.

The timber industry grew and grew. Tramways were laid, camps set up, villages appeared, even schools were built. Thousands and thousands of acres were purchased for the right to log.

Tallowwood and blackbutt were the most highly sought after timber species. Denser hardwoods were also harvested and as these could not be floated to the mainland, the logs were punted on barges to the mills.

 Macro lenses were given a work out in the pretty rainforest today.

Image by Danielle Lancaster

The magnificent satinay trees, prior to 1925, had not been popular as they were regarded as too soft for hardwood and too hard for softwood; however the timber was found to be resistant to white ant, borer and fire and the close texture of the wood and beautiful lustre when polished made it became popular for cabinet making. Fraser’s satinay timber even made its way to the lining of the Suez Canal and the London Docks.

During the 1980s the State Government came under increasing pressure from conservation groups to halt logging on Fraser Island. Logging finally ceased after recommendations from a Commission of Inquiry with Mr Gerald E.(Tony)Fitzgerald as Chairman in 1991. Thankfully not everything was felled.

Today we visited Pile Valley which has the tallest of the Satinay and brush box on the island. Pretty Wanggoolba Creek and Central Station where there are still remnants left over from the heady timber getting days.

Of course Lake McKenzie was on the list, where sadly the best tree to photograph has been placed behind a wire fence to protect it from human impact. We still had fun playing with the light reflecting in its clear waters, the colourful reeds and tiny sun dews.

And to finish off it was to McKenzie’s Jetty – well what remains of it. Mr H. McKenzie was a big timber merchant who invested a lot of money and time in Fraser’s timber industry and this jetty is an absolute gem at sunset.

White Balance was one of the many tools we played with here. To this day I just don’t understand why more don’t use it. Acquiring the image colour balanced or fairly close in camera has to be a bonus.

The graduated filters also came out and then a little light painting. All in all a fun filled day. Thank you to the Gods of Fraser Island! 

25 second exposure on Nickon D3 then leaves and jetty painted with torch light.
Image by Danielle Lancaster

Did you Know: There are stands of Kauri Pines dating to more than 200 years old that call the Yidney Scrub, to the north and inland of Happy Valley, home.