(photography) 20091230-01 Scantastic

Obtained a scanner today (mentioned in an earlier post) attached are my first attempts on a couple of random frames of FILM ... yep! film.
Digital is often sharper, better quality and all that other stuff...But there's a certain "thing" about it...
Just need to learn how to get the best out of the scanner now!

(photography) 20091229-01 While out location scouting...

While out location scouting, popped in to the local fish market for a spot of lunch and decided to try out some borrowed Nikon gear, namely a D2x and a 12-24mm f/4.0 DX lens.

I used the 12-24mm lens for all these pictures, and I must say that it is an impressive lens.

Now I'm no lens testing boffin but this lens floored me! Its as sharp as any lens I've ever used, although I just wish it was faster than f4.0, but that is the compromise you pay I suppose.

...All the prawns neatly aligned...

This is a bit of before and after...sandcrabs on sale (cooked on the right, uncooked on the left)

Mr C. Gull awaiting a tasty morsel, the level of detail in the pic was ... fabo!

Its a pelican =)

Err its a bird -- and Egyptian Ibis I believe, so its not an unidentified flying...anyThing...

...Buuut it certainly made the punters gaze up in wonder.

After lunch (and $18 in parking...grrr) it was off to a new planet =) but thats another story.

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Now for a long time I've been a bit skeptical about the "crop" cameras (Nikon 1.5x, Canon 1.6x and 1.3x), squinting into an even smaller rectangle than before (I still love my Blad, and would love to get back into large format work, but alas I digress...

This lens has me rethinking the format's usefulness to me, the format can certainly give a little extra reach at the long lens side of things. But I will forever have a preference for a full frame camera. (Imagine going into a cinema when all you've ever experienced is a portable TV and you get the idea)

But after using this lens I am thinking maybe just maybe the DX, in the form of a D300s, might be worth considering, if only while I wait for a D700 with video.

Please note I am not overly interested in the "pro-body" line... big and bulky...these "two-part cameras mean that when you want to go low key, leave the booster in the bag and go light and slightly less conspicuous.

And yes as a current Canon owner there IS the 5Dmk2 with its bigger chip etc etc... But really there is just something about Nikon I love, after all you never forget your first love do you?

(photography) 20091228-03 Some of my links

While there are three of us on JKDimagery, J will make his entires with (photography) in the title, K will add (printmaking) and possibly other art related titles, D well we'll see what he comes up with :)

Our main page is www.jkdimagery.com 

(K&D are yet to have a presence on there)

We have a Facebook presence

Plus there's my Model Mayhem profile as well.

(photography) 20091228-02 Scanning and other photo related stuff

J - I've started searching out a useful flatbed scanner. I have a nice old Hasselblad 500CM gathering dust due to this digital world (and a lack of a darkroom), but love using it and I've figured its about time to start searching for a scanner for it.
So far I am thinking of a CanoScan CS8800F, which by the reviews I've read offers a good value for money versus quality balance. Now to price it...Any suggestions?
On other gear front, seems we're all destined to go down the multimedia road (read video). I've  been looking through Dan Chung's site which seems to be a good information stream. Now here's my dilemma much of my gear (Canon) is getting long in the tooth and need of replacing, so am thinking Nikon or Canon?

(JKD) 20091228-01 Opening the Blogging

Gidday world we are JKDimagery, a rookie in the visual art industry from Australia with our minds full of clever ideas.

We are a three-person team -- J, K and D.

J is a photographer.

K specialises in printmaking

And last but not least

D is a budding engineer who's also interested in all sorts of computer stuff.

We're just starting to tackle this blogging lark and will be throwing random ramblings up, come 2010!