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In This Issue:
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14-AUG-2005
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Nikonians Photo Insurance Under Way
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Understanding the Multi-CAM 2000 AF
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Book Review: Eye to Eye...
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Back in the good old days of manual focusing cameras one had to turn
the lens ring until the subject looked sharp. If you weren’t fast
enough, well, there was always the next frame.
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Nowadays, our cameras are getting smarter and smarter. So many things
can be well accomplished by camera automation, including autofocus,
that it’s now easier than ever to get professional results; even under
pressure.
The Multi-CAM 2000 Autofocus (AF) sensor module in the Nikon D2H, D2Hs,
F6, and D2x gives us a powerful tool for professional or advanced
amateur use. But, it is imperative that the user of these fine cameras
take the time to learn about the four modes of operation in the
Multi-CAM 2000. It can seem complicated when reading the manual, but is
not so difficult if you’ll spend a little time testing the various
modes. Then you’ll understand the best settings for your own
photography style.
We will discuss Multi-CAM 2000 from the standpoint of the Nikon D2x’s
settings, since this is considered Nikon’s top professional model
digital camera. There are some slight variances in custom settings
found in the other cameras using Multi-CAM 2000. But, these are only
minor differences, so it should pose no problem using this article to
understand Multi-CAM 2000 in cameras other than the Nikon D2x. [...]
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Eye to Eye by Frans Lanting
From the Nikonians book and magazine literature section. By Nikonian Conrad Obregon (Obregon)
Frans Lanting is one of the great wildlife photographers of the world. He has published many books showing wild animals but Eye to Eye
is certainly one of his most famous. It consists of dramatically
close-up photographs of animals, always concentrating on the eyes of
the subject.
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The book is divided into three parts: "One on One" shows photographs of
single animals, often so close that the frame is filled completely with
just the animal’s eyes. "Two by Two" usually shows pairs of animals,
although there are occasional shots of larger groups. Often the
pictures are of mother and child, or mates, but a few shots show
conflict. "All in All" shows shots of larger groups of animals. The
book also contains a two page section called "Behind the Camera" in
which Lanting discusses his photographic philosophy but provides few
hints that will allow others to copy his style. Finally, perhaps
because the text of the main sessions is limited to species name, there
is a section of thumbnails with a brief statement concerning the
picture. I found this section to be particularly inadequate since I
often said to myself "How did he do that?" but got no help in finding
an answer.
These are amazing pictures, primarily because Lanting has managed to
get so close to his subjects. In a few pictures we can see that that is
a result of enlarging and cropping, but in most cases the pictures are
sharp enough so that so that we realize he was really close to the
animals. Moreover, with a few exceptions, these are not captive
animals. I for one would not like to take a picture of a wild lion at a
distance of twenty feet. At least one critic has suggested that this
book raised the bar for all wildlife photographers, forcing them to get
closer to their subjects, and placing more stress upon photographers
and subject.
There are moments of great intimacy, particularly in the "Two by Two"
section, where the pictures of parent and child tug at our
heartstrings. It’s hard not to see human characteristics in these
photos. The book also benefits from its layout, grouping its subjects
by actions. Thus there are pictures of a huge flock of butterflies
followed by pictures of ibises, penguins, snow geese, zebras and
elephants all purposefully on the move to some destination. I also
particularly enjoyed facing pictures of a lion and a leopard, moving
toward the centerfold in mirror image.
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These are great photographs because the photographer got so close to
his subjects. But they are also mostly documentary. Few of the pictures
rise to the level where the form rather than the subject makes them
art, although I was particularly struck by a picture of Oryxes
carefully treading their way across the Namibian sand dunes. But when I
compare Lanting’s photographs to the work of other wildlife
photographers like Art Wolfe, I can see the difference. The pictures in
Wolfe’s "The Living Wild" show each animal in its environment, where
Wolfe was better able to concentrate on the composition of his subjects
to create a more artful picture.
Not withstanding this quibble, "Eye to Eye" is a great book, and
readers are unlikely to soon forget these close encounters with the
other living inhabitants of our planet.
You find more of Nikonian Conrad Obregon's reviews in our book and magazine section
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Nikon Profits Continue to Rise
The first quarter of 2005 was very profitable for Nikon - sales surged
for DSLR cameras and chipmaking equipment. Nikon cited a fourfold
increase in profits as compared to 1Q2004 for a total of USD69 million
(7.76 Billion Yen). See the Bloomberg article for more details.
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SD Card Announcements Galore
Hot on the heels of the Pretec 4GB card, Kingston launches a 120x 2GB SD card in their Ultimate line, while EdgeTech puts up a similar sized competitor at 130x in their ProShot family of flash cards.
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Gitzo and Nikon Equipment for Nikonians
Join fellow Nikonians on the 2nd European Wildlife Workshop and get
your hands on the latest Nikon Pro bodies, Nikkor super-telephotos and
pro Gitzo tripods.
Shoot bisons, bears, wolves, lynx, red deer and wild boars in their
natural habitat, enjoy and learn the basics of wildlife photography, as
well as some advanced tips & tricks.
http://www.nikonians.org/html/workshops/bavaria/index.html
HP Purchases SciTex in Printer Line Expansion
In a move to expand it's presence in the industrial printer market, Hewlett-Packard announced
it's purchase of Scitex Vision, an Israeli manufacturer of super-wide
printers used in signage and other industrial applications. The move
complements HP's considerable inventory of high-end large format
printers and grants the larger manufacturer access to Scitex's
proprietary print head technology.
News on your desktop
Subscribe to the Nikonians RSS feed and get frequent updates from the Imaging and Photo Industry with a Nikonians touch. The news system is located at blog.nikonians.org and you find the RSS 2.0 feed at www.nikonians.org/index.xml
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05-Jun-05 to 11-Sep-05 - Graz, Austria
A comprehensive exhibition reflecting the dynamic development of Japanese art during recent decades.
Camera Austria, Kunsthaus Graz, Lendkai 1, 8020 Graz
http://www.camera-austria.at/ca_events.cfm?cat=1
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23-Jun-05 to 30-Sep-05 - Prague, Czechoslovakia
Three exhibits exploring the growth and influence of Czech photography in the 20th century.
Museum of Decorative Arts
http://www.radio.cz/en/current/arts
15-Jul-05 to 28-Aug-05 - Sydney, Australia
Erwin Olaf's sophisticated and provocative portraits of contemporary consumer society.
Australian Centre for Photography
Paddington, Sydney
http://www.acp.au.com
09-Oct-05 to 13-Oct-05
Nikonians 5th ANPAT - South Dakota, USA
We're visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Custer State Park,
Wind Cave National Park, Badlands National Park and Iron Mountain Road.
Shooting autumn scenics, landscapes and wildlife.
http://www.nikonians.org/html/workshops/anpat5/index.html
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