Princess De Monaco Hybrid Tea Rose

by Posted in Flowers Leave a comment
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As we are getting near to the end of Summer my wife wanted me to take some pictures of her roses, which at the moment seem to going through a new spurt of blooms.

This one is the Princess de Monaco Hybrid Tea Rose and the picture doesn’t really do it justice. It’s actually much larger than it appears – about 3 inches in diameter.

According to Edmunds’ Roses:

Introduced just after the untimely passing of Grace Kelly, it is said that she delighted in the combination of colors on this royal rose. Large, ovoid buds spiral open to reveal layer upon layer of ivory white petals edged with deep, cerise pink. Compact plants present the large, classically formed blooms on stems perfect for cutting. The dark green, glossy foliage is exceptionally disease resistant making this rose perfect for the garden, bouquets and the showbench. Flower Size: 4″, Fragrance: Moderate fruity, Hybridizer: Meilland, 1984

Taken with Nikon D80 and 35-80mm f4-5.6 D.

I don’t know what came over me

by Posted in Camera Collection, Nikon D80 Leave a comment
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While I fairly frequently purchase old film cameras, I can’t remember ever buying an old digital camera. So why did I buy this one?

Recently I’ve come across a few articles on the internet talking about how cameras have become too complicated – with resolution and functionality that we don’t really need, and that it might be worth taking a look at older cameras to see what they can do. For example: Digital classic: Robin reviews the original Canon 5D in 2018; Why do I still have warm, fuzzy feelings about the old Nikon D700? I guess it’s because the photos I shot with it eight years ago still stand up today. Can’t say that about some other cameras I’ve bought….; Is 4MP Enough In 2018? (Three Part Series – Part 1; Part 2; Part 3.) etc.

So I decided to try to find an older digital camera to see what the experience would be like. The Nikon D700 (example one above) and the Canon 5D Mark I (example two above) were a bit more than I wanted to pay for what after all was pretty much a whim. The cameras in the three part series were all a bit too “low end” for me.

A secondary factor was that my use of digital cameras has been so far limited to Canon compact digital cameras; Panasonic compact digital cameras; and most particularly Minolta/Sony DSLRs. Apart from briefly trying out my son-in-law’s camera I’ve never tried Nikon digital cameras.

In the end I settled on this camera, which met my basic criteria:

  • A Nikon DSLR so that I could get familiar with the Nikon digital experience – even if a rather dated one.
  • A resolution appropriate for my normal use i.e. posting to this blog, social media sites, and occasional prints up to 8×10 inches.
  • Outrageously inexpensive (I already had the 35-80mm lens, which I’d used on some of my film Nikons).

It’s a Nikon D80, which co-incidentally is the same model as the one my son-in-law has.

It came out in August 2006 and according to Nikon it has the following key features:

  • 10.2 effective megapixel Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor
  • High-speed continuous shooting: 3 frames per second (fps) in bursts of up to 100 consecutive JPEG (FINE M-size or smaller) or 6 RAW (NEF) images
  • Advanced high-precision, high-performance imaging processing engine with color-independent pre-conditioning
  • 3D-Color Matrix Metering II with 420-pixel RGB sensor delivers consistent and dependable automatic exposure for ideal results in most lighting conditions
  • Refined 11-area AF system with new Auto-area AF mode and center sensor that can be switched to wide-frame operation for broader coverage
  • ISO AUTO mode automatically adjusts sensitivity between ISO 100 to 1600, maximizing available light to help achieve optimal exposure
  • Seven automated Digital Vari-Programs (Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close Up, Sports, Night Landscape and Night Portrait) optimize white balance, sharpening, tone, color, saturation and hue to match the scene.
    User-selectable choice of Normal, Softer, Vivid, More vivid, Portrait, Custom and Black-and-white image optimization options
  • Near-instant response with 0.18 sec. power-up and approx. 80-millisecond shutter release time lag promotes fast handling
  • Top shutter speed of 1/4,000 second and flash sync speeds up to 1/200 second
  • Fast image transfer via USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface and SD memory card
  • Creative in-camera effects and editing functions consolidated under the new Retouch menu, including D-Lighting, Red-eye correction, Trim, Image Overlay, Monochrome settings (Black-and-white, Sepia, Cyanotype) and Filter Effects (Skylight, Warm filter, Color balance)
  • Multiple Exposure shooting option automatically produces an effect that resembles multiple exposure techniques used with film
  • Large 2.5-inch LCD monitor with ultra-wide 170-degree viewing angle for clear image preview and easy access to settings and information, including RGB Histograms
  • Selectable Slideshow function (Standard or Pictmotion)
  • SD memory card storage, SDHC compatible
  • Lightweight, compact body
  • High-energy EN-EL3e rechargeable lithium-ion battery delivers the power to shoot up to 2,700 pictures on a single charge and provides detailed battery status information. (Battery life figure determined by in-house test parameters)
  • Built-in Flash with i-TTL flash control and full support for Nikon’s Creative Lighting System
  • The D80 supports more than 43 AF NIKKOR lenses in addition to the growing family of DX NIKKOR lenses
  • Includes Nikon’s PictureProject software for easy control over image adjustment and management
  • Support for Nikon’s new Capture NX software, which provides easier access to powerful and visually intuitive enhancement tools that help tap the full potential of NEF images

While I’ve taken a few pictures with it already I don’t think I’ve used it enough to be able to say much at the present time so I’ll save my thoughts for a future post.

Grommet Returns

by Posted in Wildlife & Animals Leave a comment
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Grommet seems to be the resident cat at Muscoot Farms. There may be more, but if there are I’ve never seen them.

Back in July 2013 I took a few pictures of Grommet and posted one of them (See: Muscoot Farm – Summer 2013). In that picture he looks quite ferocious, but was in fact only yawning.

While reviewing old pictures for the Black and White Portfolio, I came across this one where he looks more like a normal cat (if there is such a thing).

Taken with a Sony NEX 5N and E 16mm f2.8 (possibly with wide angle auxiliary lens – I can’t remember and unfortunately the metadata only shows the 16mm).

Manhattan Grotesque

by Posted in Black & White, Sculpture Leave a comment
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I don’t remember exactly where this was. It’s in the same batch as a number of pictures taken at the Museum of Modern Art in New York so I’m guessing that it was somewhere in the vicinity i.e in the 50’s just west of Fifth Avenue.

I know it was taken with a Sony NEX 5N but Lightroom provides not information regarding the lens used so it must have been one of my many adapted vintage lenses, but I don’t recall which one.

Froghollow

by Posted in Landscapes Leave a comment
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While passing down Lake Shore Road the other day I noticed that these rocks by the side of the road had been painted. The house on the opposite side of the road has a sign that reads ‘Froghollow’ so I have to assume that the owner of this house is responsible.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand it’s quite nicely done, but on the other it’s rather garish and doesn’t altogether fit into the overall environment. Seen from a certain perspective it could be considered as graffiti.

Still if the rocks are on the owner’s property (I don’t own the equivalent piece of land across the road from where I live) I suppose he/she can do whatever he/she likes.

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Taken with a Nikon D80 and 35-80mm f4-5.6.