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.

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

IDIC Photo covers celebrity baker Warren Brown's 'Cakelove' book-signing event

This afternoon IDIC Photo had the opportunity to cover the book-signing event of Warren Brown's new book - 'Cakelove' at the Barnes and Noble in Tyson's Corner Virginia. Warren Brown is a lawyer-turned-baker and has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show and now has his own Food Network show - Sugar Rush. Warren gave a humorous and informative talk about his passion for baking cakes and the entrepreneurial challenges encountered along the way.

Here are some shots from our coverage of the event. Lighting was quite bad but the D300 with the 50mm f/18 produced some excellent shots:

Nikon D40 and D300 High ISO Comparison

We at IDIC Photo are very happy with the performance of the Nikon D300 -- its tone, color rendition and the 51-point auto-focus are second to none. And while it does not have the unbelievable low-noise performance of the full-frame D3 or the new D700 or the Canon 5D, it does a pretty decent job upto ISO 1600 to 3200. What surprised us is that Nikon's entry-level D40 is no slouch either when it comes to low-light high ISO performance! There are several high-ISO shootouts already posted around the web including Ken Rockwell's comparison. Posted below are some test shots we took with the D40 and D300 at ISO1600 and 3200 that re-affirm the findings.

All shots were taken with very low tungsten light source in the room and in manual mode at f/2.8 and 1/30 sec using the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens.

ISO1600 - D40 image on the left; D300 on the right



Crop from the image:

D300 image on the left; D40 on the right (Note the doll's head is larger in the D300 image due to the higher resolution but it appears to lose some details due to the D300's built-in noise reduction)




ISO3200 - D40 image on the left; D300 on the right