Comment on New York Post subway photo

When I saw and read about the photo of the man who was about to be crushed by a subway train, I was appalled. I don't think there is any other kind of reaction that is possible for that picture. And no, I don't believe the photographer's claim that he was trying to warn the train with his flash.

Just as quickly as I condemned the photographer however, I realized that I have been guilty of the exact same thing, just on a different scale. It's an issue that I've mentioned briefly before -- prioritizing the photograph and in the process failing to be a husband and father. The truth is, no photograph is worth missing out on being with my family. I am a dad and husband first.

It is true that I want nice photos of our family. But I don't have to document everything like an event photographer. I'd like to focus on being a dad first, and THEN take a few good photos.

I'm on my way to attend a holiday luncheon at work. In past years, I've pretty much acted like an event photographer -- taking photos instead of joining and being a part of the party. This year, I will be with my coworkers first, then take a few shots to preserve the fun we had.

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Preview of Carbon Fiber Tripod and Tamron 70-300 VC

Remember the $79 carbon fiber tripod that I bought from Costco?  I received it last week and last night I tried it out on a long exposure shot of our Christmas tree.  The shot above was for 6 seconds (f/8, 100 ISO), all ambient.  (Click for higher resolution)

Here is another one, at 5 seconds (also f/8, 100 ISO).

(FYI some of the blocks look like they're glowing because I put an LED light under it.)

I will be reviewing this tripod soon and will also be posting my first impressions of the lens I used, a Tamron 70-300 VC.

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Sensor Cleaning with Sensor Swab, LensPen, and Blower

Hi everyone.  Sorry for the infrequent posting (our daughter has fever).

Anyway, I cleaned my camera's sensor for the first time with more than just a blower.  I resorted to a Sensor Swab with Eclipse fluid, a LensPen Sensor Klear and a blower.

I got the Sensor Swab and Eclipse fluid because it was recommended by the store where I bought my Nikon D600 (Bel-Air Camera).  Their service department uses blowers and this combination.  As for the Sensor Klear kit, I got it because I wanted a lighted loupe, and it came with a blower.  As for the LensPen SensorKlear itself, I thought it would be good to try because I find the LensPen effective for cleaning my lenses.

Here are the results.

Since this was my first time, I didn't dare try to clean my D600 and instead I practiced cleaning my Nikon D70.

This is what the sensor looked like at f/45 (I used a Tamron 70-300 VC).

Quite dirty, even though I couldn't see anything with the naked eye, or even with the lighted sensor loupe that was included in the SensorKlear Kit.

ATTEMPT #1: BLOWER
The first thing I tried was a blower.  I selected the menu option for raising the mirror, tilted the camera facing down at around 45 degrees, then used the blower at various angles to the sensor, being very careful not to touch the sensor/AA filter.  Here's the result.

A significant improvement, although not pristine.

ATTEMPT #2: LENSPEN SENSORKLEAR
When I first used the lighted sensor loupe from the SensorKlear kit, the light would not turn on despite having fresh batteries (the small ones similar to those used in watches -- be very careful to keep these away from babies).  I determined that it was because the battery contacts were loose.  I used a tweezer to pull them and make the contact with the battery tighter, and after that the light worked.

The lighted sensor loupe went over the camera mount.  The loupe has a cut away to allow you to put the lenspen in the mirror box and clean the sensor as you see it.  At first I liked this feature but after a few cleaning attempts, I found it easier to just clean the sensor without the loupe then use the loupe to inspect the sensor.  The other thing is that the magnification of the loupe is not super high.  I estimate perhaps 10x or so, and it seemed that whatever I could see in the loupe, I could almost always see with my naked eye with careful scrutiny.

Using the lenspen was easy.  The lenspen is similar to the one used for lenses except that it can be angled.  The tip is also triangular which I suppose helps clean edges of the sensor's rectangular surface better.

Here is the result.

Both of those shots were taken after the first attempt with the lenspen.  Terrible.  There were those huge specks that I believe came from the lenspen itself.  I thought maybe that's because it's the first time to use it.  So I gave it another shot.

I cleaned again with the lenspen, this time looking to see if the lenspen was itself introducing new spots.  Here is the result.

Ugh.  Better than the first attempt but no better than using the blower.  In addition you can see that there are strand-like specks.  I don't know if those came from the lenspen or were in the mirror box and released by the lenspen.

In general I found that the lenspen could clean the dust but somehow there would be new dust, or perhaps the old dust just got moved.  The dust wasn't getting absorbed by the lenspen.

ATTEMPT #3: SENSOR SWAB
This time I decided to try the Sensor Swab.  Each swab is individually wrapped in a clear plastic bag.  The swab is wrapped with some sort of lint-free artificial fabric which is secured to the swab with a small elastic rubber band.  The fabric and rubber band can be mistaken for a mere wrap -- do not remove them.

Sensor Swabs come in two sizes -- one for full frame and another for APS-C.  The one for APS-C can be used for full frame as well but it will take more than one swipe and is therefore not recommended.

I placed a drop of the Eclipse fluid on each side of the sensor swab.  Starting from one side of the sensor, I swept to the other side, then swept back using the other side of the swab.  I found it hard to make sure that the swab was making sufficient contact with the sensor without pressing too hard, especially near the corners.  In addition, the sides of the swab tended to get snagged by the frame around the sensor.

Here is the result after a couple of swabs (each swab is supposed to be used only once).

Better than the lenspen but still quite a few specks around the corners.

After a couple of attempts with the sensor swab, my D70 suddenly locked up.  All I could see was "CHA" or "CHR" where I normally see the shots remaining.  The camera could focus but would not take shots.  I recharged the battery and reformatted the CF card, and on the theory that perhaps the sensor got too wet, I left it to dry a bit.  I tried again and the D70 was working again.

Anyway, I tried to clean it a couple more times with the sensor swab (5 times total) but could not get rid of all the dust.  I thought maybe the lenspen would do a better job at the corner so I tried that again.

ATTEMPT #4: LENSPEN AGAIN

As with one of the previous shots, it seems the lenspen itself seems to lose some bits of fabric that end up as specks.  It could be that the lenspen is getting snagged by the sharp-edged frame around the sensor, causing it to lose those bits.

ATTEMPT #5: BLOWER AGAIN
I tried the blower again

Not perfect but much improved.

PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION
I'm a newbie at cleaning sensors but for now my preference is to simply use the blower.  If there are stubborn specks, I'll use the lenspen.  The lenspen may lose some bits but those are easy to blow away with the blower.  I'm wary of using the sensor swab.  It seems that it takes skill to use it very well and practicing with it is expensive.

Because of the blower's effectiveness I might also consider the Firefly ionizing blower, suggested to me by a reader (thanks!).  Update: Firefly review posted here: Firefly DSC-2000 Review

RELATED POSTS:
Firefly DSC-2000 Review

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Nikon D600 spots diminish over time

LensRentals was one of the first to document that the Nikon D600 is more dust-prone than other cameras. Now, they have confirmed that new spots stop appearing after around 3000 shots. See this post. That is very consistent with my own experience (actually it's funny but I just said that in a comment the other day).

I also want to take this opportunity to emphasize again that even though it's very clear the D600 is dust-prone, it's just as clear that there is NO evidence of OIL spots.

NONE of these characteristics "prove" it's oil.

- Shows up mostly in one corner. LensRentals showed that the spots are mostly in the upper left corner. But still concludes they are dust. My spots were mostly in one corner but they were blown off by a blower, i.e. they are just dust.

- Spots increase even though lens isn't changed. That's what Kyle Clements' video showed but still he said they're dust not oil http://www.petapixel.com/2012/11/21/a-time-lapse-showing-how-quickly-dust-accumulates-on-nikon-d600-sensors/

- Translucent. My spots were translucent but they were blown off by a blower, i.e. they are just dust.

- Round. My spots were round but they were blown off by a blower, i.e. they are just dust.

- Visible at wider apertures. My spots were visible at f/8 but they were blown off by a blower, i.e. they are just dust.

LensRentals original article: no oil found. http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/10/d600-sensor-dust-issues

DPReview of D600: notes dust but doesn't mention anything about oil.

2nd LensRentals article: no oil mentioned, only dust. http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/11/not-surprisingly-d600-dust-issue-gets-better-over-time

OK, maybe the spots are oil but of a type that can be blown away with a blower. :)

RELATED POSTS:

1. Nikon D600 Oil/Dust Spots http://betterfamilyphotos.blogspot.com/2012/10/nikon-d600-oil-spots.html

2. Update on Nikon D600 Sensor Oil/Dust Issue http://betterfamilyphotos.blogspot.com/2012/11/update-on-nikon-d600-sensor-oildust.html
3. Sensor Cleaning for the First Time with Sensor Swab, LensPen and Blower http://betterfamilyphotos.blogspot.com/2012/12/sensor-cleaning-with-sensor-swab.html

12/3/12 UPDATE:
Here is an update in response to the links in the comments below.  First of all, thank you very much for the links. It is very helpful to get all information when we're trying to pin down the truth. I have no ties to Nikon and nothing to gain or lose financially either way, so my interest is in finding the truth.

What these links show is that for some people the D600 continues to "create" dust (despite having no lens changes) even after 5000 shots or 7000 shots.

In my opinion, these don't negate Roger's article for two reasons. First, Roger's article shows the result of an essentially random sample of 20 D600 cameras. These other cameras are not random - they are people who are finding issues with the D600 (people who don't find issues aren't as likely to mention it).  I don't think we can conclude from these links alone that they are representative of the general D600 population (although it is possible).

As another data point to supplement the links above, let's consider Kyle Clements, the guy who did one of the first, if not the first time lapses of dust accumulation.  He did a couple more time lapses and noted that the problem does go away (very few new spots, if any, show up between 2680 and 3680 shots).  http://www.petapixel.com/2012/11/27/nikon-d600-speck-issue-may-be-limited-to-first-few-thousand-shots/  Kyle's second (and third) tests are useful because I think it is close to a random sample from the initial group that have documented issues re dust accumulation.  Before doing the tests he didn't know if the problem was continuing or not.  He just did the tests.  (Note: Kyle believes the spots are oil because he couldn't blow them away.  I personally don't think that's a clear enough indicator of oil.  I still haven't seen unmistakable evidence of oil e.g. smearing, drips, or donut rings that are dark outside light inside).

With the links in the comments, it appears the guys noticed a problem and then did tests.  So, the sample is a bit skewed.

Second, the other thing is that I think we can say from Roger's article that the problem at least diminishes over time. That is something that is not necessarily addressed by the links (because we don't know how easily their cameras accumulated dust when they were new).

As for me, I think my camera has around 4000 or 5000 shots. I haven't noticed spots on my shots (but they may be there at narrow apertures - I haven't looked).  I *MIGHT* consider doing a time lapse experiment.  Let me think about it.

RELATED POSTS:
Nikon D600 Resource Page (see under "Dust Spots")

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Cheap Battery Grip for Nikon D600 - First Impressions

UPDATE: As of 12/29/12 my grip stopped working!  See below.  As of 1/6/13 it's working again.

I finally received the cheap battery grip that I ordered for my Nikon D600.  Here are my first impressions.

UPDATES: See under command dial -- missed clicks and direction of rotation.




ORDERING AND DELIVERY
I ordered this grip from eBay seller ukpartsdeal on November 7, 2012.  I hadn't gotten it and inquired with the seller who said he shipped it on November 15, 2012.  Coincidentally, I received it the day after I sent my inquiry, on November 26, 2012.

BOX
When I received the box, it was a little squished from handling.  There is no brand.  Most distressing was that the photo of the grip on the box shows a completely different grip, with the older-style protrusion that goes into the battery compartment.  However, there was a sticker saying "For Nik D600."

Inside was a bubble wrap with the grip -- no protrusion. Whew.  Contents:

• Battery grip
• Plastic cover for terminal contact (covering the terminal of course)
• Battery holder for the EN-EL15
• Battery holder for AA batteries
• Manual in English and Simplified Chinese.  (Interestingly, from perusing the manual, the English seems perfect, not the usual English that looks like a machine translation.)

PLASTIC VS. MAGNESIUM
On eBay, there are two price points for a D600 aftermarket grip.  There is one that is around $50 and another that is around $130.  I ordered the $50 one, thinking the $130 was a rough deal.  However, I found out from the manual that there are two models of this grip: BG-2K (plastic) and BG-2M (magnesium alloy).  I am supposing that the more expensive grip is made of magnesium alloy.  If you're ordering that, you should check with the seller before completing your purchase.

PRODUCT VIEWS
Here is what the grip looks like

Here is how it looks when mounted on the D600.

BUILD QUALITY
My overall impression of the grip was that it felt cheap and light.  I would compare the build quality to one of those generic digital cameras sold at department stores for less than $100.  It doesn't look like it would fall apart but you can easily notice that it feels different from the D600.  The plastic used appears to be similar to some of the better Chinese flash triggers that I've used (e.g. Aokatec AK-TTL).  My impression is that it's suitable for normal use, but would probably suffer small cracks with rugged use over time.

INSTALLATION
The grip fits the D600 just fine.  On the bottom of the D600, I just removed the rubber cap covering the terminal (no tools needed).  I positioned the tripod insert on the tripod mount then turned the wheel.  The wheel can be held from both front and back of the grip making it easier to turn it.  There are a couple of short protrusions on the grip for corresponding holes on the D600 to ensure the grip is correctly oriented and positioned.

When the wheel is fully tightened the grip feels like it is securely mounted on the camera.  I don't feel worried about it suddenly falling off (knock on wood).  However, there is a slight but perceptible flex if you try to twist the grip away from the camera.

The grip follows the contours of the D600 fairly well.  I haven't handled the original MB-D14 battery grip but as far as I can tell from photos of the MB-D14, this grip seems to conform to the D600 just as well.

On a scale of 5, I would say the fit is 4 (because of the slight flexing).  I don't have any prior experience with battery grips, so I don't know how well original grips fit their respective cameras.

BATTERY HOLDERS
As noted above, the grip includes two battery holders.

Top

bottom

EN-EL15 holder with EN-EL15 battery

The holders have a latch that you lift up and twist to lock and release the holder from the grip.

Release position

Locked position

The AA battery holder fit the grip well while my EN-EL15 holder first needed a little persuasion before the latch would lock.  The EN-EL15 holder now locks and releases fine.

DOES IT WORK?
Yup. I tested these configurations:
D600 with EN-EL15 + Grip with AA batteries
D600 without EN-EL15 + Grip with EN-EL15
D600 without EN-EL15 + Grip with AA batteries
D600 with EN-EL15 + Grip with no battery --> camera works, grip doesn't.  I am supposing this is normal.

Note: I don't have a spare EN-EL15 battery to test the D600 with EN-EL15 plus the grip with EN-EL15.  I also haven't run down the EN-EL15 to see if it would transition to the AA batteries with no problems.  I'll update this post when I get to do that.

Vertical shutter.  The button has a smooth rather than matte finish (like that of the D600's shutter) and seems very slightly more elevated.  The travel from not pressed to half-pressed is about the same as the D600's shutter (other than the difference from the slight elevation) as is the travel from half-pressed to fully depressed .  The amount of pressure is also about the same.

Lock for the vertical shutter.  It's not a physical lock that prevents the shutter from being depressed.  Rather it appears to be some sort of electronic lock that disables the vertical shutter.

Front and rear command dials.  They feel like they are slightly less thick than the D600's dials but otherwise they work just fine.  The detents feel about the same as that of the D600, perhaps with slightly less resistance to turning.  One difference is that the D600's dials have a slightly rubbery texture that makes them less slippery.  The dials on the grip are just plain plastic.

UPDATE 1 - MISSED CLICKS: I found out that if you rotate the dials very quickly, one or more inputs can fail to register.  For example, if you rapidly rotate the dial 3 clicks (as quickly as you normally do 1 click), the change might only show 2 clicks.  By contrast, with the D600's dials, I can rotate them however fast I want and they will always show the correct number of clicks.

UPDATE 2 - DIRECTION OF ROTATION: Apparently some third party grips do not rotate in the same direction (see Bill's comment below).  On mine, they do turn in the same direction. I also tried the option to reverse the rotation and the dials reversed just the same way as the D600's own dials.


Joystick.  Works in all directions.  Feels a little squishy.  Pushing in the joystick works just like pressing the OK button on the D600 directional pad.

AF-ON Button.  Functions perfectly (function can be changed via option f9.  Texture feels the same as that of the AE-L button on the D600.  As with the vertical shutter, it feels slightly elevated compared to the D600's AE-L button but otherwise feels similar.  It feels more squishy than the D600's AE-L button but the overall amount of pressure required is about the same.

Rubber Grip.  The rubber on the grip has a different texture from that of the rubber grip on the D600.  However, it doesn't feel worse and may even feel slightly more grippy.

AC Adapter pass-through.  The EN-EL15 battery holder includes a rubber cover to allow an EH-5 and EP-5B AC adapter cord to pass through.

CONCLUSION
Overall my impression is that this grip works well for anyone who wants a battery grip either for the vertical controls, the extra battery capacity or the option to use AA batteries in an emergency, as long as you don't use it in rugged conditions and you're fine with missed clicks.  (For pros those issues are probably not acceptable.)  In my case I like the D600's compact size but most of the time I don't always need it to be so compact in which case I will probably keep the grip attached for extra protection for the D600.  I will update this review after I've had more time to use it.

12/29/12 UPDATE: Grip had been working fine then I removed it.  When I put it back, it stopped working!
http://betterfamilyphotos.blogspot.com/2012/12/warning-fake-d600-grip-stopped-working.html 
1/6/13 UPDATE: Tried the grip again and it's now working again.

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The Final Chapter: Canon 40mm f/2.8 Pancake STM

Al Montazah Palace - Alexandria, Canon 40 STM

I travelled to Alexandria a short time ago, and I only took my 5D3 with a couple of lenses, the Canon 50 1.4 and - as you must have guessed by now - the Canon 40 pancake. How did This setup work out? Click through to find out.
 
I enjoy using a 50mm lens on a full frame camera (just like I enjoyed the 35mm on my crop sensor camera), I get lots of uses from this focal length, I can get a semi wide-angle shot, a full length portrait, a head and shoulders shot, or even some close-ups and detail shots.
 

Lamp, Canon 40 @ f/2.8

 
I previously tried my old 35mm f/2 on the 5D2, and it was too wide for my tastes, I don't shoot streets, and 90% of my shooting are close portraits, so I decided to sell it at the end.
 
When I saw the Canon 40 Pancake announcement, the price ($200) and Roger Cicala's first impressions, I was intrigued, and when I saw the nice sharpness and bokeh, I was sold, so I bought one. Mine shipped with the older firmware version, and I successfully updated it on the 5D3. First impressions showed a very sharp lens, a very weird focus-by-wire system and severe vignetting wide-open.
 
Anyway, I kept the lens for a while more and decided to do some more testing, in better conditions. I used the lens a couple of times, one in daylight and another indoors, and finally, I took it with me to Alexandria, along with the 50 1.4. I mostly used it when I visited Al Montazah palace in Alexandria (this was one of the places King Farouk lived when he ruled Egypt, see picture below), and took some shots inside my hotel room and shots outside the window.
 

Al Montazah Palace

 
Before I mention my experience with the lens, I was trying out a couple of new things on this trip, full auto-area auto-focus (all 61 points active, cross types and non cross types) in one shot mode, while the focus was linked to the shutter button (I didn't use my usual back button focusing), and the other new thing was a new B&W processing method, I'm not sure I fully appreciate it, but I'd like to hear your opinions, there are more darks and near-crushed blacks than I usually like.
 
The 5D3 performed admirably in auto-area AF with the 40mm wide-open, whenever I fully pressed the shutter button, the shot was instantly taken, and in focus, it was like magic, eerily instant and accurate, but I have yet to try it in more critical situations like a headshot with a 200mm @ f/2.8, I'm not sure if it will be able to pick the near eye, but that's what single AF is for. One more thing, the 5D3 seems to give me much better battery life than the 5D2 which uses the same battery (60D, 7D as well), the 5D2 gave me ~ 900 shots on average with my usage, with the 5D3, I am now on 611 shots with 60% battery remaining, and I am shooting RAW to dual memory cards, unlike the 5D2, kudos to Canon.
 

Out of the hotel room window, this is a crop from a larger image, it needed severe horizon leveling

 

100% crop from the image above,

 
Back to the 40mm, I have to say I was really enjoying the lens this time, it is very suitable for shooting .. stuff, you know, just general street, scene, whatever shooting, not portraits nor landscapes, just stuff, which is where this lens shines. It is very suitable for street shooting (did a little bit, but nothing worth posting here), and I understand why many street shooters prefer 35mm lenses, it is nice to get street shots with descriptive backgrounds. However, if you want to shoot heads and shoulders shots, it just isn't good. Such a focal length is not suitable for getting close to people without distorting their faces, and it doesn't blur backgrounds well because of the wide-angle and the not-so-fast aperture.
 
The 40mm is significantly wider than the 50mm, I'd say it is closer to the 35mm than it is to the 50mm in terms of viewing angle, and for that reason, the 40mm didn't get it's deserved attention from me. And for that reason alone, it goes to a new proud owner tomorrow.
 
Yes, I'm selling it, not because of any imperfection in the lens, but rather because each time I try to pick a lens I hesitate between the 40mm and the 50mm, they're very different lenses, the 50 is my favorite and goes to 1.4, while the 40 is tiny and has really nice smooth bokeh, but in the end I usually pick up the 50. The times I pick up the 40 so that I don't leave it collecting dust, I regret not taking the 50, and I don't like any lens to take the place of my 50 (unless it is an accurate focusing Sigma 50 1.4).
 

 

100% crop, sharp!

 
I have prime lenses at reasonably spaced focal lengths, I have the 50 1.4, 100L 2.8 Macro and the 200L 2.8, and I take them in turns for each of my outings. The 40 disrupted this balance, and in order to get back my peace of mind I'm selling it. On a crop sensor, that lens would be something else, I believe it would be a very useful lens, and I would take it over the 50 1.8 any day, which I don't trust to get correct focus until f/2.8 anyway.
 

The 50 1.4 this time, hotel corridor

 
Here's my quick evaluation summary of the 40mm over the couple of months that I happily owned it:
 

• Really tiny, I love how it feels and looks on the 5D3, it certainly is a conversation initiator (worth $200 just for this?).
• Reasonably cheap and well built, with a metal mount.
• Wickedly sharp wide-open and gets better stopped down.
• Heavy vignetting wide-open on full frame, can be auto corrected in camera or in RAW processors (DPP and LR).
• Very smooth bokeh, not that you'd get a lot of it at such a wide angle.
• Excellent flare resistance, I shot directly into the sun, and it refused to misbehave.
• Good contrast and colors, but not as good as my 200L (it just happened I shot both back to back - same subject - and noticed the difference).
• Reasonably fast and silent focusing, however it's not as fast as USM lenses, and it doesn't have hard stops at the end, nor a distance scale.
• When the camera's meters are not active, the focusing ring won't do anything, you have to half-press the shutter button to get it to work. And it doesn't work of course when you've turned the camera off.
• Did I mention tiny?

 

Handheld at 1/25 sec, ISO 3200

 
I enjoyed owning this lens, but since I don't usually shoot "stuff", I don't see a great benefit of owning this lens when I already have and love using the 50mm. If you're a full-frame street shooter, you have to try it, it is tiny, discreet and wide enough. If you're a crop sensor shooter and use a 50mm, give it a try, you'll be able to breath better with the wider viewing angle.
 

The Stanley Bridge, Alexandria, 40mm wide-open, ISO 3200, hand held

 
And just to give you a shock after all this black and white, here's an eye-jarring colored picture.
 

Sea view, hotel room window, 40mm @ f/8 I think

 
 
RELATED POSTS
 
Canon 40mm Hands-On
That's Why I Love my 5D
Canon 50mm f/1.4 Review
 

Posted with Blogsy

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Carbon Fiber Tripod for $79 at Costco

Costco is offering a Dolica 60-inch carbon fiber tripod with ballhead for just $79.99 (Item # 661166 - regularly $99.99).  Model ZX600B103.  Offer good only until 11/26/12.  I've never had a carbon fiber tripod before and I ordered one.  Will post a review.

UPDATE: Just received the tripod last night.  Heavier than I expected.  Weighs just the same as the Targus TG-P60T.  I disassembled the legs and was able to examine a cross-section of them.  The legs appear to be solid carbon fiber (not plated).

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