Dupa o perioada in care am lucrat cu Nikon SB 800 si Nikon SB 600 a ajuns in mana mea si SB900, lansat in 2008 se doreste a fi inlocuitorul lui SB800.

Daca urmati link-ul si va inregistrati pe site-ul F64 Studio beneficiati de reducere Nikon SB900 (valoarea reducerii o puteti afla pe site-ul F64 Studio).

De la primul contact se vede si se simte diferenta de 5 ani intre SB900 si SB800. Finisajele sunt mai atent realizate, blitul este considerabil mai usor de folosit si mult mai intuitiv. In acelasi timp este si mai mare si mai puternic decat SB800. In aceasta toamna probabil va aparea si SB700, succesorul lui SB600. Din perspectiva mea noul blit este un pas spre perfectionarea CLS-ului (Creative Lightning System) deja avansat creeat de Nikon. Intrebarea este cui se adreseaza si in ce masura este justificat pretul dublu fata de SB600?
Din propria experienta cred ca SB900 ar trebui sa fie achizitionat ca al doilea sau al treilea blit extern pentru ca tocmai in momentul in care realizati un sistem de iluminare din 2-4 blituri noile facilitati ale SB900 vor putea intra in actiune si isi vor dovedi eficienta. Altfel, acestea nu vor putea fi folosite decat partial. Desigur exista o multitudine de alte detalii care justifica pretul (inclusiv cei doi ani de garantie).

Plusuri:

• butoane mult mai bine plasate;
• meniu usor si intuitiv;
• buton On – Off – Remote – Master foarte bine plasat si gandit pentru comutarea rapida;
• sistem de filtre care elimina posibilitatea de a distruge filtrele (la SB800 filtrele intens colorate cum ar fi rosu sau albastru la o utilizare medie sunt gaurite – la propriu – de caldura blitului);
• finisaje atent create;
• detectie DX / FX automata precum si plaja de zoom superioara (17-200mm);
• trei modele de iluminare selectabile;
• rotire 360 grade (la SB800 doar 270 grade);
• senzor de temperatura care opreste blitul in cazul utilizarii excesive (previne supraincalzirea si problemele derivate);

Minusuri:

• pret foarte mare (chiar daca justificat);
• dimensiuni considerabil mai mari decat SB600 si SB800.

CLS
Daca te intereseaza CLS-ul si capabilitatile sale pasii de urmat ar fi:

• achizitionarea unei camere care poate fi commander (Nikon D80, D90, D200, D300, D300s, D700). O camera care poate fi commander ajuta la inceput pentru ca nu trebuie achizitionat un commander special pentru camera (SB900, 800 sau SU800). D3, D3X, D3S nu pot fi commander pentru ca nu au blit incorporat.
• achizitionarea 1-2 blituri SB600 sau SB700;
• achizitionarea unui SB900 si a altor blituri SB700 dupa necesitati.

After some time working with SB800 and SB600 I got my hands on Nikon SB900, launched in 2008 it is the SB800 successor. From the first touch you can feel and see the 5 years difference between SB 800 and SB 900. The finishing is better, the flash is much easier to use and more intuitive. In the same time it is bigger and more powerful than SB800. This fall will probably be launched the SB 700, the SB 600 successor. From my point of view, the new flash is a step forward in perfecting the Nikon CLS (Creative Lightning System), that is already advanced.

The question is: for whom is it SB900 perfectly suited and how justified is the money spend on it, considering that is twice the price of a SB600. From my experience I think the Nikon SB900 should be purchased as the second or third flash so you can use it’s full potential when working in a CLS lightning environment. Otherwise the new and fine features it has, will not be used.

Pluses:

• much better placed buttons;
• easy to use menu;
• On – Off – Remote – Master button, very well placed and designed so you can fast switch;
• gel system that eliminates the possibility of destroying the gels (on SB800 the colored gels like red and blue when used the are destroyed by the flash heat);
• great finishing;
• wider zoom range (17-200) and DX / FX detection;
• three types light patterns;
• 360 degrees swivel (only 270 on SB 800);
• stops working when overheat (this prevents various additional problems);

Minuses:

• big price (even if it is justified by it’s features);
• considerably bigger than SB600 and SB800;

CLS
If you are interested by the CLS and it’s capabilities the correct steps should be:

• purchase of a Commander camera (Nikon D80, D90, D200, D300, D300s, D700). By purchasing a camera that can be Commander it helps to avoid purchasing directly a external commander (SB900, SB800, SU800). D3, D3X, D3S cannot be commanders because the do not have a built in flash (aside of the fact that if you have money for them a SU 800 or SB900 is bargain).
• purchase of 1-2 flashes SB600, SB700;
• purchase of a SB900 and other SB700 considering the needs.

Pentru impresii generale despre obiectiv si pentru ce camere este potrivit, vezi postul dedicat: http://blog.adrianmoisei.com/lang/ro/2009/08/nikon-24-70mm-f28/.

Daca urmati link-ul si va inregistrati pe site-ul F64 Studio beneficiati de reducere la produsele comandate (valoarea reducerii o puteti afla pe site-ul F64 Studio).

Cateva detalii despre test:

• toate obiectivele au fost montate pe aceeasi camera (D300), pe acelasi trepied (in aceeasi pozitie);
• intervalul de fotografiere a tuturor imaginilor a fost de maxim 10 minute, pe o vreme stabila;
• toate obiectivele au avut filtre montate, respectiv: Hoya Protector HD 77mm pe 24-70mm, Hoya UV 72mm pe Nikon 18-200mm, Kenko UV MC 52mm pe Nikon 50mm;
• datorita dimensiunilor obiectivului de 50mm si relativitatii testului, desi s-a respectat exact distanta focala, fotografiile obtinute cu 50mm sunt un pic mai apropiate.

Concluzia testului:
Castigatorul este in mod evident Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.8 depasindu-l (discutabil) doar la f/8 si doar in centrul imaginii (poate si datorita imaginii un pic mai apropiate). Pe colturi 24-70 e parca din alta lume!

General impressions about the lens and for what cameras I think it’s suited, please check the dedicated post: http://blog.adrianmoisei.com/lang/ro/2009/08/nikon-24-70mm-f28/. Now few details about the test:

• all the lens have been mounted on the same camera (D300), on the same tripod (exactly the same position);
• all the images in the test were captured in a 10 minutes time interval, on a stable weather;
• all the lens had filter mounted: Hoya Protector HD 77mm on 24-70mm, Hoya UV 72mm on Nikon 18-200mm and Kenko UV MC 52mm on Nikon 50mm;
• because of the lens size and the relativity of the test, even if the focal length was strictly set, the 50mm lens images are a bit closer (as you can see in the images), giving the 50mm a slight advantage, but not enough to win the test

Test conclusion:
The winner is definitely Nikon 24-70 f/2.8, the 50mm f/1.8 beating it (arguably) only on f/8 and only in the center of the image (maybe because the slightly closer image). On the corners 24-70 is like from another world.

Nikon 24-70 defined in a single word: awesome. In more words: almost perfect. With good photo quality even at f2.8 and exceptional at f4, Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 is a lens that will remove your will to take it of, after you mount it on your camera (assuming that 24-70 is what you in terms of focal length). On FX is greater but mounted on DX (D300 or D300s) is almost as good. I will post later some photo samples. From my point of view, even if I tested it on Nikon D80, I wouldn’t buy it for D80 because it’s lacking the AF fine tune and you can have back-focusing problems (for example).


When I started, I stated that it’s almost perfect lens. It’s not perfect because this is a kilo lens and in a bigger size than it shows in the photos (especially with the hood on). So, it’s big and heavy and although f/2.8 is great, maybe Nikon should of integrated the VR technology. Also quite pricey!
All these disadvantages will soon disappear after you start shooting. For D300, D300s and D700 you need the MB-D10 grip for a good balance.

Nikon 24-70 mm vs. 18-200 mm vs. 50 mm – Nikon D300: http://blog.adrianmoisei.com/lang/ro/2009/08/nikon-24-70-mm-vs-18-200-mm-vs-50-mm/

Beneficiati de reduceri la orice produs cumparat daca urmati oricare din link-uri si va faceti un cont pe F64 Studio, si desigur achizitionati un produs. Reducerea la produsele comandate o puteti afla pe site-ul F64 Studio.

      Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED N(Nano Crystal)
      Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX VR II (NEW)
      Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8D

      Nikon D700
      Nikon D300s
      Nikon MB-D10

      Filtru Hoya Protector HD (PRO-Slim) 77mm
      Filtru Hoya UV HD (PRO-Slim) 77mm

I’m honored to announce that a series of 8 photographs have been published in the 8th issue of the Camera Obscura magazine. For more photos I recommend you to read the magazine. It is a free online magazine and you can see it in PDF > http://www.cameraobscura.ro/templates/skin1/arhiva/camera_obscura_8.pdf

You are invited at a new personal exhibition called “Spring of books”. This new exhibition will be held at the “LIBREX” International Books Market in Iassy, between 2009, May 6 – 10 at Polyvalent hall, near by the Culture Palace.

Visiting schedule: Wednesday-Friday: 10:00 – 19:30, Saturday: 10:00 – 20:30, Sunday: 10:00 – 14:00.

Wacom released on March 25, 2009 the new series of professional graphic tablets, Wacom Intuos 4. Few days ago I got mine. The new Intuos 4 Medium is replacing my 3 year old Intuos 3, this great product being now on 2nd place. Here are some good and bad things about Intuos 4:

The good:

• good finishing on pen and tablet (one more step and Wacom will be Apple’s equal in product details);
• the new buttons are on a single side and they have OLED tags, we will never forget the functions we assigned. Of course the customization can be made for each program;
• the Touch ring and Touch ring toggle have now 4 different functions, customizable;
• the USB cable is detachable and the tablet has 2 entries;
• ambidextrous design;
• the pen holder is looking good, and now it has inside 10 nibs and a nib exgractor;
• elegant design, the black potentates the “professional” word;
• the pen is better build than on Intuos 3, ~half inch shorter (2048 pressure levels vs. 1024 on Intuos3);
• Precision Mode for more control and acurate strokes;
• if you register your product on www.intuos4.com you can choose a $100 software from Autodesk, Adobe or Corel;
• Radial Menu, for even more custom functions and faster access to your daily needs.

The bad:

• good to see that silver finish from Intuos 3 pen is no longer on Intuos 4, the silver was nice but after about one year of usage the silver starts to vanish and the look is starting to fade.
• the USB cable is too long (2 meters), maybe would of been a good ideea to include 2 cables. The good part is that I own a 60cm cable that is perfect for my needs.
• on some countries, like mine and other EU countries, the price is big (370-400 euros) and this price is not including the mouse, although as I see in US for $350-370 you get the mouse too ($370 = 280 euros). On Intuos 3 the mouse was including in the base price.
• The nibs need to be replaced often. On Intuos 3 they last so much longer, the tablet surface is less abrasive than on Intuos 4. The base price tag for 5 nibs is about 10 euros in Europe and $5 in US.

Today I’m pleased to say, that starting this week, you can visit my permanent photo exhibition on inside the “Casa Cartii” (en. House of books) near by the Culture Palace, Iasi. The best part is that you can visit any time, pick a good book and hopefully enjoy my photos. Let me know how you like the photos. Many thanks to the people involved, you all were truly helpful and to Sedcom Libris. This exhibition is dedicated to my wife and my parents . 

Like magic, the first true snow came in the Christmas Eve, a moment of true happiness. Here are some images taken in the Christmas morning and in the night. Enjoy. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!