Video on the Nikon D90 / D5000

Great post over at Scott Kelby's blog on using the video features on the D90 / D5000 or the D300s.

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2009/archives/6620

Fashion for a Cause with Deepak Perwani in Arlington, Virginia

On Saturday August 15, 2009 IDIC Photo had an opportunity to cover a fashion show fundraiser at The Westin in Arlington Virginia. The event dubbed 'Fashion for a Cause' was held to benefit the internally displaced people (IDPs) of Pakistan's northern areas that have had to move from their homes due to the fight against the Taliban and extremists. The event featured an exclusive fashion show by renowned Pakistani designer Deepak Perwani. Keynote speakers included: Dr. Nasim Ashraf, Congressman Jim Moody, Deepak Parwani and Kate Michael (Miss D.C. 2006 and founder, www.KstreetKate.com). Event management was done by Sofia HD and the Decor, Design & Marketing was by IDIC's partner Pink Moon, She Said. The event also included auctioning off of some of the outfits as well as a cricket bat of Shahid Afridi that he used in the winning match of the Twenty20 World Cup. Event proceeds were donated to The American Fund for Human Development (AFHD) AFHD is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit -Tax ID # 20-1339408

Some shots from the evening (many more in the Deepak Perwani Photos Gallery on the IDIC Website)







Rehearsals before the show



Deepwak Perwani directing the rehearsals



Kate Michael keynote
































Deepak Perwani

Quick Nikon 28mm distortion test

The old Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Ai-s is regarded as one of Nikon's sharpest lenses ever with zero distortion. Here is a quick comparison with the AF-S Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8 at 28mm. The photo below was taken with the manual focus 28mm f/28 Ai-S. Roll over the image to see the photo taken with the 17-35mm f/2.8 at 28mm and notice the visible barrel distortion in the zoom lens.



Here is the classic 28mm f/2.8 Ai-s that we at IDIC photo use for situations where a wide-angle with zero distortion and extreme close focus is desired.

Jim Goldstein's Lens Rental Giveaway

Renowned photographer and blogger Jim Goldstein is giving away one week lens rental from BorrowLenses.com on his blog Check it out!

Pink Moon, She Said -- Event Design and Planning Consultants

IDIC Photo is pleased to be partnering with Pink Moon, She Said -- a premier event design and planning group for the Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland region.

Whether you want a wildly imaginative wedding, a flawless corporate meeting, an exclusive soiree at home or a festive gala outdoors—talk to Pink Moon, She Said and turn one ordinary day into a day to remember.

Imagine. Experience.

Meet the mooncatchers at http://pinkmoonshesaid.com

Nikon D5000 Preview at Ace Photo

Ace Photo in Ashburn Virginia held their semi-annual "demo day" today. IDIC Photo had posted a hands-on preview of the Nikon D700 at Ace photo last year right after it was launched, and this morning we had the pleasure of playing around with the just-announced Nikon D5000! For an added-bonus the lens mounted on the D5000 was the new AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8. Derek, the Nikon rep, informed us that we had in our hands one of the first production models. Here is a brief summary of our impressions and some quick shots taken with the D700.

- The D5000 is bigger than the D40/40x/60 but smaller than the D90. This has been clear from the DPreview analysis but holding it in our hands it definitely seemed smallish but not to small. A nice package with just the right heft for a vacation/street photography/around-the-house camera with awesome image quality.

- The swivel screen is nice but the lower resolution as compared to the newer models is disappointing. We have gotten used to the sharp resolution of the D300/3/700/90

- The sensor is the supposedly the same as the D90 and the quick shots we made with the 35mm f/1.8 were sharp and clear and free of noise upto ISO1600. According to Derek the initial batch of 35mm f/1.8 sold out everywhere and they should be shipping new batches soon.

- The 35mm f/1.8 itself is a beauty and provides the "normal" 50mm-equivalent fov on the DX sensor. It balances very nice on the D5000 and this could be all the camera someone could need for street photography.

- The video mode is pretty much the same as the D90 and not something to get very excited about. However, it can come in handy for the quick movie clip when you do not have a camcorder around.

D5000 as captured by the D700 w/ 105mm f/2.8 VR Micro

The new AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 DX lens

Size comparison: D5000 w/ 35mm f/1.8 (and hood) and D60 with 18-55 Kit lens

Size comparison: D5000 w/ 35mm f/1.8 (without hood) and D60 with 18-55 Kit lens

Many more scene modes than the D40/40x/60

Washington D.C. Auto Show 2009

IDIC Photo got a chance to take some shots at the 2009 Washington D.C. Auto Show held at the Convention Center. Not in any official capacity but as a visitor on a regular weekend day. Covering a car show is interesting and presents its specific sets of challenges. One has to ensure that the car shots are "clean" and composed in a way that people milling about or getting in and out of cars do not ruin the shot. The lighting is less than ideal so fast glass and a good (read Full frame) camera body are very helpful. We took along the FX Sensor Nikon D700 and decided to use two lenses: 1) Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Ai-s (a more detailed review of this manual-focus Nikkor gem will follow in the blog in the future), and 2) the venerable Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 IF D.

Here are a few shots from the car show that came out nicely and show the sleek cars in all their colorful glory.

Rocklite performs at Gloria Jean's Coffees in Lahore

IDIC Photo had the opportunity to capture a live performance of an up and coming "underground" rock band in Lahore Pakistan -- Rocklite. We were getting a latte at the newly opened Gloria Jeans Coffees cafe in DHA Lahore and noticed that Rocklite were the performers for the open mic night the cafe holds on Saturdays. Luckily we had our Nikon D700 with us and decided to stick around for a few songs and capture the mood of the band. The D700's low-light performance shone through and we were able to get some excellent results even at ISO 4000 to 5000.

Rocklite members:

• Rizwan ul Haq - Guitars & Vocals (Rizwan was a guitarist for the pioneer Pakistani band Vital Signs)
• Allan Smith - Drums and Vocals
• Pietro Tilli - Keyboard & Vocals
• Imran Hanan - Bass & Backup Vocals

The band can be reached at rene_allan@hotmail.com

2-year old photoshoot in Washington D.C.

Some shots from IDIC Photo's photoshoot of a 2-year old in Washington D.C. from last weekend. It was a beautiful day and early fall was in the air -- you can almost see some leaves turning color. We shot in the family's home, the child's room with his fave toys, in a nearby park (he loved the swings!) and in their backyard.

Fatima and Scott: Traditional Pakistani Wedding in Richmond, Virginia

IDIC Photo covered Fatima and Scott's traditional Pakistani wedding a few weeks ago in Richmond, Virginia. Their 'mehendi' (Henna) ceremony was a colorful, joyous affair full of dancing, singing and traditions. The regal and elegant reception was held the following day. For the bride and groom portraits we were able to utilize some excellent outdoors lighting as well as our cool-flo studio lights. Here are some shots from the two days.

Gear and glass used:

• Nikon D300
• Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8
• Nikon 50mm f/1.8
• Nikon 18-200mm VR f/3.5-5.6
• SB-600
• Britek "Cool Flo" Daylight Balanced continuous flourescent lights