ECSR

It stands for, “Every Camera Shoots Raw”. They do, it’s just that not all of them allow you to save the raw information. Even my Nikon D50 does, which is awesome since it tops out at a clean ISO1600, which means I can fudge ISO 6400. 

Lately, I’ve been shooting solely in Raw on my D610. But I can’t help but feel it’s taking the easy way out. It’s forcing me to think less, which I don’t like. I don’t think Raw is necessarily a replacement for JPEG. Especially now that I can shoot HDR JPEG. Same goes for shooting in color and converting to B/W. I think there’s value in setting up a color space and working, thinking within it. It’s not unlike choosing a film emulsion, getting used to working with it, and accepting and taking responsibility for the results. 

This makes me want to set up my U1 and U2 banks with settings that let me do just that. I’m wondering what results I would get if I used HDR to shoot in Black and White while dialing up the contrast. 

Hmm. 

My Camera Goes “Zing”

Rainy museum day today, and the perfect opportunity to test out my new Zing camera wrap. And since I bought it for use primarily with the AF-S 50mm f/1.4 G, it gives me a chance to give that a workout too. 

Like every lens I’ve purchased since owning the Nikon D90, I’ve considered how the lens will work with full frame. The 50mm f/1.4 G made it into the stable because it makes such a great portrait lens on APS-C cameras, and eventually the day would come when it would become an essential part of my full-frame kit. And that time is now.

At half the price, had the newer 50mm f/1.8 G been available I’d have bought it over the 1.4. Which is exactly why Nikon waited until they did to release the 1.8. But that’s just fine, because it puts the AF 50mm 1.8 D on my radar, a lens which is as close to perfect as you can get for about a C-Note. 

To be honest, I haven’t used the 50 1.4 it that much; but I have a feeling the Zing-Equipped D610 will change all that. 

The Zing is great when you just need something to protect your camera in transit, guarding against dust, moisture and bumps. After all, neoprene is used for wet suits, and this covers the camera so well, it’d take a lot for moisture or dust to get in. 

I ordered mine in dark grey, which is reversible to black. It’s pretty easy to get off, but tricky to get back on. You sort of rotate the camera counter-clockwise, stuff it in lens first, and twist it into place, stretching the right side up. Then you wrap the flap around the front, and over the lens. The longer the lens, the more you have to stretch it, so normal lenses like the 50mm work great, and standard zooms are a little more challenging. For tele-zooms, they make a larger model.

Once on, it turns the camera into a nondescript grey blob, loosely resembling an SLR. Sort of like a sculpture. A second skin, close to the dimensions of the camera iteself. With lenses shorter than about 2", a bulbous pouch forms at the front, void of lens but offering additional protection nonetheless. It even works with the pancake-sized Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2. So, combined with a compact prime lens, this makes for a great street-cam setup.

It’s about as close to the traditional SLR half-case of the 70’s as you can get. With a modern twist.