Cardinal Photo

by David Cardinal

There is no question that Sigma has really upped its game with its new family of Global Vision lenses. I love the GV-version of the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 OS HSM Lens, and continue to feel it is the world’s best lens for vehicle-based wildlife photography. This month I’ve had the pleasure of shooting with its new Sigma 24-105mm OS HSM Lens on both a Nikon D4S and a Nikon D7100. The short version is that the lens lives up to the Global Vision brand, but read on to see whether it might be the right mid-range zoom for you:

I’ve been using a Wacom Cintiq Companion off and on for the last few weeks to do my image review & editing. It is a gorgeous – expensive – Wacom-enabled 12” Windows 8.1 tablet that can run full-on Adobe Creative Suite applications.

Along with the Yeti and UFOs, the Nikon D400 has been long-rumored and much-anticipated.

I’ve been shooting almost exclusively with the Nikon Df DSLR for the last month. When I crouch behind the retro-styled body and snap off shots that will be captured on the excellent D4 sensor, I feel like it could be the ultimate street photography camera. It is quick enough (5.5 fps), has world-class image quality, and is about half the size and weight of a Nikon D4. Besides, I figure it looks cool, and I certainly get some odd glances as if to say “is that a film camera you’re using?” My euphoria lasts until I need to change a setting. That’s where the retro design gets in the way. Read on and I’ll help you decide if the Nikon Df needs to be in your camera bag or in your collection…

Despite the power of post-processing tools, one area that has always been labor intensive and error-prone is correcting images that have multiple light sources with multiple color temperatures. Since white balance is best set on the raw image, correcting for two or more different light sources has required “developing” the image multiple times and then using layers and layer masking to composite a version that shows each area lit correctly. Fortunately Adobe has changed all that…

Urban legend has it that the women on the Chin underwent the painful process of having their faces t

In the bad old days of early DSLRs, noise reduction was a vital piece of every workflow. With modern DSLRs, and even many smaller cameras, low-noise is the norm for most sensors in most conditions. But no matter what camera you have, there comes a time when you have to push its limits and bump up the ISO until you get visible noise. That’s when a high-quality noise reduction tool is a must.

As regular readers know, I’ve been putting together the pieces of a easy-to-travel-with “digital darkroom” based on a tablet and software. I’ve written about how a tablet with Photoshop Touch can do a great job of processing images, but was still missing a good solution for creating awesome slideshows without a computer. Fortunately, Photodex, makeers of my favorite desktop slideshow software Proshow Producer, has been hard at work at an excellent version you can use over the web.

For the last year, the Nikon D800 (and especially the Nikon D800e) have reigned as the highest-scoring camera in DxO’s extensive and widely-cited tests. For those willing to carry the moderately large 2.2 pound camera, and shell out $3K to buy one, you get massively sharp, colorful 36MP images. However, the Sony a7R is threatening to knock the Nikon D800e off its pedestal…

Nikon’s poorly kept secret of its classicly-lined Df photo-only DSLR is finally out in the open. The Nikon Df, harkening back to Nikon’s flagship “F"-Series” pro SLRs is now available for pre-order, and the specs are head-turning. It isn’t for everyone, but serious street photographers, classic photojournalists, collectors, and hobbyists should take a look.

I wrote up the camera and its features, along with new 50mm lens for Extremetech, so see what you think. If you decide to buy, you can pre-order in either Silver or Black for $2750, or in Silver with the new 50mm lens or Black with the new 50mm lens for $3000 from B&H. 

B&H, along with Wilderness Safaris, has launched a very cool photo competition, with close to $50K worth of Safaris & gift cards as prizes. It is free to enter, and offers 8 categories, so that every style of animal photographer has a chance to win! You can learn all about the contest online, or I’ll be presenting a session on Creating Award-winning photography & Introducing the B&H Photo Contest next week, at 1pm on the 31st at the B&H Event Space. I’m sure it will be popular, so register early!

Tablets are a nearly perfect companion for photographers on the go. They’re a great way to view photos and handle other tasks. Unfortunately the simple act of getting images from your camera to your tablet (or phone) can be a serious hassle. Best case your tablet vendor has a cable-based proprietary system. Worst case, you can’t. Fortunately Kingston has come up with a very clever product that does three things very well – wireless image transfer, additional mobile storage, and emergency battery charging…

Nikon has continued to push the envelope of what’s possible with DSLRs, by relentlessly taking technologies – especially sensors – from its more expensive models and using them in less expensive versions. The Nikon D5300 is a perfect example. Using the excellent, very sharp, 24MP sensor from the Nikon D7100 and an updated EXPEED 4 processing chip, the Nikon D5300 is likely to make those looking for amazing images in a small package very happy.

Congratulations to our good friend David Langford on his beautiful new book, Hillingdon Ranch: Four Seasons, Six Generations, published by Texas A&M as an example of successful, multi-generational land use strategies. It is great to see his amazing photos from a historic piece of Texas. For those intrigued by the area and its history, our May Texas Hill Country Bird & Scenic Photo Safari is actually on a ranch that was a part of the Hillingdon Ranch until our hosts Larry and Sharron Jay purchased it from the family, so we hope you can join us…