All Roads Led to the D5000

I just got the Nikon D5000 from B&H and the Nikon DX 35mm f/1.8 from my local dealer. The serial number does not fall in the range affected by the recall. :) B&H is tops!!! In contrast, my local dealer did not allow me to check the serial number with Nikon, before purchasing it.

In order to get this camera, I sold my beloved "Gracie," the Nikon D300. A lot of people think that I'm mad for basically trading the D300 system for the D5000 system + the DX 35mm - even up - almost.

This was not a spur of the moment decision; it has been in the works for almost two years. The following are the different roads I traveled to finally reach the D5000 destination. 

D40: When I upgraded from the D40 to the D300, the camera I really wanted was one with a D40 body and the D300 sensor, metering, and AF system. The biggest issue I had with the D40 was that it overexposed everything. I used to joke that even "the black pictures came out white." The D5000 is just the opposite, which is very much to my liking.  It does not have the same metering system (420 points vs. 1005 points) and the 51-point AF system of the D300, but close enough. Most of the reviewers I read say that the images from the D5000, D90, and D300 are indistinguishable. I have come full circle; I traded the D40 for the D300 and now have traded the D300 for the D5000. 

D40 Size:  I found the D40 a bit too small and the D80 (D90) a bit too big. The D5000 is just right in size and weight for a light camera.

D700: This camera is so good and so clean, that I virtually stopped using the D300. Therefore, why did I have the D300 besides being an emotional attachment? There is no need to have a heavy DX camera, when there are lighter APS-C sensor-size cameras like the D5000.
 

DX Lenses: I am very committed in keeping my feet in both DX and FX formats. When I got the three DX lenses, after converting to FX, my long-rage plan was to get light lenses and a light body - something like the D5000.

D5000: When the camera was announced, I became very interested in it. However, all the service advisories, recalls, and Nikon's "cloak and Dagger" way of doing things, threw a cold blanket on that idea, at the time.

Digital Rangefinders: I always wanted to have a Rangefinder for my second camera. They are small, very quiet, and no camera shake. However, I was waiting for Nikon to re-introduce the RF, compatible with the existing SLR lenses. It can either be a 1 1/2" deep body, which would necessitate a 1/1/2" deep adapter or keep the SLR 3" bodies without the up-and-down mirror. However, it does not make sense for Nikon to make a RF 3" deep. Why do they need to that when they have almost a RF in the D5000. It is small and very quiet, on quiet mode - single release. The only thing is the mirror, but I have 2 DX VR zooms 2 DX wide-angle primes. On the other hand, having two VR zooms (16-85 & 55-200) is a major advantage over the RF's.

Street Photography: A small, inconspicuous, and quiet camera is essential for serious street-photography work. The ideal camera is the Leica M9 and three Summilux (f/1.4) lenses - 21mm, 35mm, and 50mm. The total price tag of ~ $21,000 is prohibitive for me. Therefore the alternative is the D5000. Actually this is the main reason for selling the D300 and getting the D5000.

Walk-Around Camera: It gets very tiring hauling the D700 around with the heavy, but excellent, lenses. My alternative was to carry lighter lenses but the same weight camera, the D300. I decided to go also light for my second camera - the D5000.

Leica: The introduction of the Leica M9 and X1 and Leica's philosophy, expressed at the press conference, for RF and street-photography rekindle my desire for the D5000.

Disadvantages: Firstly, the service advisories and recalls. Secondly, the built.  The D5000 is not in the same class as the D300.  However, what good does it do to have a camera that will last 50 years, when these digitals become obsolete in 3 years? Lastly, the D5000 is not the back-up for the D700.  My lenses for both the DX and FX systems are basically incompatible with each system.  Technically, they are.  However, I would not dare mount the 70-200 or a 24-70, for example, on the D5000.  The other way, mounting a 16-85 DX on the D700 does not make sense.

Conclusions: I hope to get a problem-free D5000. If so, it is a no-brainer for me and my style of shooting. If I did not have the D700, I would not have sold the D300.  On the other hand, it is up to the photographer to take good pictures. Having the right equipment for the photo opportunity is more important than having the latest and most expensive equipment.  I have two styles that I dearly love. One is inside, low-light, no-flash, hand-held, light-and-shadows  contrast shooting, like in Museums. For this style, the D700 is a must.  The other is street photography/photojournalism.  For this style, the D5000 is essential.

Street Photography and the Nikon D5000

The camera I really want is the Leica M9 for my street photography. This is probably my strongest photo style and the one I love the most. However, the M9 + 3 Summilux lenses (21mm, 35mm, and 50mm) come to about $21,000. I just simply cannot afford afford them. Therefore, I have to look for alternatives.

The Nikon D5000 fits my requirements and my budget; I already have three DX light lenses to use with the camera. It is very light, small, and above all the shutter is very quiet compared to other DSRL cameras. The problem is that I will not get another digital camera. These digitals become obsolete in minutes. Therefore, I am in the process of selling my Nikon D300, but I do not think it will sell.

IMHO, there is no comparison between the D300 and D5000. The D300 is a far superior camera. However, I have the D700 and I need an inconspicuous and quiet camera for my street shooting; I'm willing to sacrifice the D300.

I am asking $1,295 for the D300 which includes at least $250 in extras and ~ $100 for shipping and PayPal costs, which I will incur. In other words, I will net, if I sell it, ~ $1,200. In addition, I got the Nikon 2 year extended warranty, that has one year left, for ~ $200. Therefore, the D300 ($1,800 - 2 years ago) with the extras and extended warranty came to about $2,400. If I get $1,200 for it, I would be losing $1,200 in two years or 50%.

My D300 is in absolute mint condition and working flawlessly with less than 9,000 actuations (the D700 has become my camera of choice.) It is still under the Nikon Warranty and if there was anything wrong with it, I would have sent it in for repairs. In other words, I will not sell it for less. This brings me to another point.

I have come to the realization that it does not make any sense to get very expensive digital cameras of $1,000 or more. In a year or two, they will lose 50% of their value. I read in a website, for example, one person is trying to exchange his used D300 for the D2xs. Two people offered their D2x, instead. The D2x was ~$5,000 four or so years ago and now it is worth the price of a used D300, a camera I cannot sell for $1,200. The moral to the story, do not get any digital camera over $1,200 or so. Even if they lose 50% of the value, we are talking around $600, which is half of what I lost already, if I sell the D300.

Update:  I just sold the Nikon D300; I'll be getting the D5000 soon. I just cannot believe that I did it - too attached to "Gracie."  However, it did not make any sense to me to have both the D700 and D300.  I always chose the D700.  I'm looking forward to the D5000 with some reservations - the service advisories.  If not for that, I would not have any qualms about it.  Therefore, I'm taking a chance.

Page Museum (La Brea Tar Pits)

On, 16 September 2009, I visited the Page Museum located at the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in the heart of Los Angeles. The Museum is one of the world’s most famous fossil localities, recognized for having the largest and most diverse assemblage of extinct Ice Age plants and animals in the world. Visitors can learn about Los Angeles as it was between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, when animals such as saber-toothed cats and mammoths roamed the Los Angeles Basin. Through windows at the Page Museum Laboratory, visitors can watch bones being cleaned and repaired. Outside the Museum, in Hancock Park, life-size replicas of several extinct mammals are featured.

I made the mistake of shooting most of the pictures at ISO 3200 when it was not needed. I never used an ISO setting this high (1600 was my previous high) and I wanted to try it out. I have Good news and bad news. The D700 performed flawlessly and very clean. However, ISO 3200 is so sensitive that many of highlights were blown because of the spot lighting reflecting on the subjects. The reflections were not that obvious. Now, I know.

Photos of the Page Museum (La Brea Tar Pits)

Norton Simon Museum

This past Sunday, 6 September 2009, I took my D700 and the Nikon 14-24 to the Norton Simon Museum. The Museum is very well known as one of the most remarkable private art collections. Over a thirty-year period industrialist Norton Simon (1907–1993) amassed a collection of European art from the Renaissance to the 20th. century and a stellar collection of South and Southeast Asian art spanning 2,000 years.

Among the most celebrated works he collected are Branchini Madonna, 1427, by Giovanni dide Zurbarán; Portrait of a Boy, c. 1655-60, by Rembrandt van Rijn; Mulberry Tre, 1889, by Vincent van Gogh; Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, 1878-81, by Edgar Degas; and Woman with a Book, 1932, by Pablo Picasso. Highlights from the Asian collection include the bronze sculptures Buddha Shakyamuni, c. 550, India: Bihar, Gupta period, and Shiva as King of Dance, c. 1000, India: Tamil Nadu; and the gilt bronze Indra 13th century, Nepal.

I always take my lens cleaning kit with me, but not this time; I never use it. It never fails; I needed it. The 14-24 front element was very dirty with some substance. I guess that when I visited the Lomita Railroad Museum, the locomotive might have dispersed something in the air, when they were simulating it running. There is no way I could have dirty the lens the way I take care of them. If some of the photos seem to have like a film, they did - the lens did. I should have checked the lens before I left. ( Norton Simon Museum Photos. )

Update: I visited the Norton Simon Museum, the following Sunday, 13 September 2009, with the D700 + the Nikon Micro 105mm VR f/2.8G N. I have merged the two sets of photographs in the "Norton Simon Museum" gallery; the link to the gallery is above.

Rancho Palos Verdes Brush Fire

A brush fire that broke out at 7:55 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27 in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes, burned 230 acres. This is the city I live, so I went out with Nikon D700 and the Nikkor 70-200 VR f/2.8 lens to capture images of the fire.

My main problem was that I did not take the tripod. I had no idea how big the fire was and if I had to evacuate the area in a minute's notice. In retrospect, I should have taken it and placed in the trunk of my car, just in case I could have used it - next time there is a news event. It was very hard to shoot at very low speeds even with a VR lens.

The whole story of the fires is here. All the pictures of the fire that I kept, can be seen in my Photo Gallery or in the Slide Show Format.

HDR Photography

I am beginning to look into HDR photography as a main medium. I have always been interested in HDR, but have never gotten around it. In order to pursue this interest, I just purchased the "Photomatix Pro" software, which seems to be the standard of the industry.

I have no idea, at this time, how far I will take HDR, how I'll use it, and what personal style I will develop. There is a wide range of HDR photos in the Internet. Some are very nice while others are very exaggerated to the point of being almost "gothic," imho. Therefore, I still do not know what middle ground would work best for me. Regardless, I feel that this is a very exciting new medium that will find its right course. For example, I remember when the stereo or quadraphonic sound was first introduced. The marketing strategy, at the time, was to have the sound go from one speaker to another, like placing the listener in the middle of a formula-1 raceway. However, that is not how people listen to music and it changed with time and so will HDR.

If I pursue this interest with certain vigor, I will post the tools, links, and sites to HDR photography. One further thought, this blog will turn its attention to photography knowhow instead of equipment - I have everything I need for the next three years or more. The only thing is camera upgrades, if mine develop an unacceptable level of "hot pixels."

Leica D-Lux 4 - Part II

I took my test pictures with the Leica D-Lux 4 and I am very pleased with them and impressed with the camera; it exceeded my expectations, which were quite high. The macro photos were unexpected with its quality. It is the perfect compact digital camera. However, I do not know if the rumored D-Lux 5 will exceed it or not, but will deal with that issue in due time. Until then, the D-Lux 4 is a Jewel.

The future is very unpredictable, at this time, specially with compact digital cameras; the technological advancements, that has slowed down quite a bit with bigger DSLR's or RF's, is fast and furious in this medium. The micro 4/3 systems are coming using the regular 4/3 size sensors. Leica has the C-Lux (P&S,) D-Lux (Top-of-the-Line P&S,) the V-Lux (Bridge Camera) and the Digilux (4/3) series of cameras made by Panasonic with Leica lenses. Will they discontinue the C-Lux or D-Lux series? What about the Digilux? I do not know for certain, but I do not think that Leica will keep all the lines of cameras; one or two series of cameras might be discontinued.

The D-lux 4 looks like a little retro Leica Rangefinder - a precious little baby - it is not cheap and neither are the accessories. I finally broke down and ordered the Leica Black Leather case at a great discount - $110.00 instead of $140. However, it fits the camera like a glove and it is very easy to put in the case or take it out. In the long run, it is worth the money.

It reminds me of the old story of the factory that stopped production because they had no electricity. The people in the factory tried unsuccessfully to restore power for four hours to no avail. Finally, the hot shot electrician was called in. After surveying the problem, he went to the electricity panel, turned a switch, and power was restored . His bill was $5,000 for less than five minutes work. The owner was enraged and complained bitterly to the electrician. The electrician agreed that his bill was wrong. His new one was more detailed:

1. Trip to the factory and turning the switch: $100.00
2. Knowing what switch to turn: $4,900.00

Therefore:

1. True price of the excellent, but small, leather case: $40.00
2. Best case that fits the D-Lux 4 like a glove and protects it well: $70.00