Sunday just gone saw the first round of the Cheltenham Game of S.K.A.T.E, hosted by Flow skate shop. Quite a big turn out with skateboarders coming from all over Gloucestershire to enter and try their luck.
So make sure you head down to Montpellier skatepark every Sunday evening for the next round of S.K.A.T.E!!
If you said yes to that question then he’s something for you to link up…….
Good friend and all time super skater Mikey Halls, founder of Keen Dist is giving people the chance to work with him. Helping about in the warehouse, and repping one the latest and greatest skater owned companies in the UK. So if you’re looking for a job within skateboarding and need some money coming your way, then look no further!!
So get in touch with Mike ASAP on 01256 889359 or drop him an email to mike@keendist.co.uk
Shout out to Darren John for some great artwork again in designing the graphics for the ad!
With the D800 being announced last month, and shipping, one of the big talking points has been about the massive megapixel count that Nikon have achieved in this new FX camera. A massive 36.3! Compared to what this camera was (is) meant to be replacing, the Nikon D700 which only had a 12 megapixel, it got me thinking………do I (we) really need all those pixels for everyday shooting?!
Firstly, what is a megapixel? Plain and simple, a megapixel is a million pixel, which is used in reference to tell us the resolution of sensor cameras have. So a camera sensor that has a resolution of 2048 × 1536 (in terms of pixel count) is commonly said to have 3.1 megapixels. However a lot of people seem to think that more pixels will give them a better image just printed at 6×4. 6×4 in pixels basically equals 2.1, the biggest a lot of home printers can print is A4 which is 8×12. In pixel terms that is 2480 x 3508 = 8.7. These numbers are giving you the minuim size of resolution to get a decent print so if you have a 12 megapixel and printing 5×7, 9×6, 8×10 a lot of that information is not being used as the defualt media is small that whats actually been recordered on the sensor.
So in the case of the Nikon D800 that basically means that the 36.3 equals 7360 x 4912, soo basically a stack of resolution to play with that would happly fill a 24×16 print!! However the other thing to think of is how big those files are going to be. Some samples from the D800 have around the 70MB size (thats just for a JPEG), so on your 8GB cards you’ll be filling that space up very quickly and something like a 2GB card is like a roll of film, 24 odd shots!
Don’t get me wrong the Nikon D800 is a really good camera, top in the DxO Sensor review (as of 23 March) beating the likes of digital medium format cameras from Phase and Hasselblad.
So a camera that can beat the likes of high end digital medium format cameras, full HD video with mic output and Nikons massive lens rang to match. Is there anything this pixel eating camera can’t do?? Have to wait and see……
A common thing I get asked is -
“Why sooo many flashes when shooting skating during the day”
I get asked this question from friends, people I’ve shot photos of and also other photographers. Thankfully the guys over at Ride have been doing quite useful and helpful videos every Monday for the past month or so covering a load of different topics, this Mondays was to do with flashes and more importantly flash durations. Helping to answer that question everyone seems to ask me, watch it below to found out the reason why -
Hopefully that’ll give you guys a better understanding of why flash photography is soo important within skateboarding, also giving you an idea of flash durations. As it’s not always down to how powerful the flash is in terms of Guide Numbers or Watt Seconds, how fast that flash power can be sent out is the key factor when shooting any action stuff, skateboarding, dance…..basically anything involving fast movement.
If anyone does have any more questions then please feel free to drop me an email to the address below
info@matt-thomas-photography.co.uk
Taken off the SBC – Skateboard Canada site, photographer Ryan Allen. Ryan tells us about how his approach to photography has changed over the years, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his iconic container shoot with Rowley and more.
That’s right, Nikon have now just released their next DSLR camera the Nikon D800.
The styling of this camera looks very similar to the D4 in terms of the way Nikon have made the angle of the shutter button feel more comfortable in your hand, whether it does feel any different I’ll have to wait and see. One thing that Nikon seem to be doing now is increasing the megapixel count as the D800 now has a massive 36.3 FX sensor (that’s 3x times more resolution than the D700)
In addition to a new Nikon FX-format CMOS image sensor and the new EXPEED 3 image-processing engine, specifically optimized for Nikon digital SLR cameras, the D800 is equipped with a new 91K-pixel (approximately 91,000 pixels) RGB sensor that supports the Advanced Scene Recognition System with its noteworthy advances in scene recognition performance. The camera is also equipped with a number of new functions, including Multi-area mode Full HD D-Movie that enables movie recording using either the FX-based movie format or the DX-based movie format.
One thing that has got me a bit confused is although it now has a massive sensor, so the file sizes are going to be a lot larger, the main reason why I went for the D700 was for the high fps this camera could cope with. However now it seems that the D800 can only fire at 4 fps consecutive shooting in FX/5:4 crop modes. 5 fps in 1.2x/DX crop modes. (Almost the same as what the older D3x can shoot at, although it’s still a little bit quicker than the Canon 5D MKII) So now what happens for those people who can’t afford the D4 but still want FX and a high burst mode?! We shall have to wait and see…..
The Nikon D800 is also compact and lightweight which is ideal for the production environment. Its features are very practical and functional usable by both filmmakers in the field and in the studio or filmmakers. Filmmakers have the option of multiple resolutions and frame ranges, including Full HD 1080 and HD 720 30/24p to 60p. By using the method of data compression B-Frame, the user can record video in H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC up to 29:59 minutes per clip. The optimized CMOS sensor reads the image data on rates incredibly quick results almost instantly.
The D800 also allows videographers to keep the resolution high-definition (1080p) regardless of the selected scene mode. Users can also compose and easily check critical focus for HD LCD monitor 3.2 “and 921 000 pixels with reinforced fabric, automatic control of brightness and wide viewing angle.
Check below for the video that was shot 100% with the new D800, make sure to watch it in HD!!
So overall this camera seems like a big advancement in technology but takes this camera more into the specialized field that the D3x was went it was first brought out. Yes having more mega pixels is nice but do we really need them unless you’re doing massive prints or professional studio work?! We shall have to wait and see.
One last video showing you a quick overview of the camera
Maybe it’s a tad geeky, but if everyone knew how memory cards worked my job at work would be soo much easier. Quite good knowing how each part plays it’s own role in capturing that file…..
Well not myself but the new Nikon DSLR camera that was launched today – Nikon D4
After many rumours of when it’s going to be released, specs and photos, it’s finally been made official. So much active on Twitter today it was very hard to keep up with it all, therefore I thought I’d just give a quick summary of what I’ve watched, read and listened to.
First off the new specs -
On the new D4 the buffer on this thing is HUGE, 100 RAW files and 200 JPEG files can be shot before the buffer fills up. I thought the 100 JPEG’s on my D700 was big enough!!
The video side of the camera (which Nikon have never really been known for gets a big overhaul as well). Now in Full HD (1080p) movies can be recorded in 30p, 25p and 24p, with 60p, 50p, 30p and 25p options at 720p. Movie clips can be close to 30 minutes long (approx. 29.59 min).
Multi-area mode: Full HD (1080p) recording is possible in both FX and DX based formats as well as in native Full HD (1920×1080) crop.
High-fidelity audio control: responding to feedback from the industry, the D4 introduces new possibilities for D-SLR audio recording that enable your movies to sound as good as they look. Aside from the external stereo microphone input, an audio out for external headphones lets you fine tune audio in isolation.
Uncompressed HDMI output: for those who need the purest video output for professional quality editing, the D4 offers the possibility to output the uncompressed live view to external recorders and monitors. The first time this has been possible in an SLR camera, data is output at 1080i (Full HD) at the designated image size and frame rate. Data output can be scaled down if necessary and is clean of the information overlay that can be simultaneously displayed on the camera’s TFT monitor.
Convenient custom controls: live view operation is enhanced thanks to convenient custom controls. Instead of rotating the command dial, power aperture enables smoother aperture control via assigned buttons on the front of the camera. Index marking enables important frames to be tagged in the timeline during movie recording, which makes for easy location during editing.
Having the Advanced Multi-CAM3500FX AF Sensor Module in the D4 also means now that all 51 focus type sensors are fully responsive with any AF NIKKOR lens f/5.6 and—for the first time—this superb performance does not end at f/5.6 apertures.
Powerful AF sensors compatible up to f/8: the D4 maintains the power of the eleven central AF sensors, including one cross-type even if the combined open aperture value is f/8. A big plus for shooting sports and wildlife, this delivers a new level of detection potential when combining, for example, a 600mm f/4 AF-NIKKOR lens with a NIKKOR 2.0x teleconverter. If the combined aperture value is between f/5.6 and f/8, you even have the power of fifteen central AF sensors available, of which nine are cross type sensors.
Flash sync stays the same at 1/250th which has been the norm for quite a well now, however the newly developed Kevlar/carbon fiber-composite shutter unit: the new, highly durable shutter unit offers a standard life cycle rating of 400,000 releases (30% more than the older D3s).
With the increase and popularity of HDR photography today in the Nikon D4 you now have a HDR (High Dynamic Range) option within the menu. Basically what happens now is that it shoots one overexposed and one underexposed frame in a single shutter release. The range can be widened by up to 3 EV for different looks, full of saturation and tonal gradation. The smoothness of the edge where the two exposures meet can be adjusted for a more natural look. (Have to wait and see how effective this is as I’ve never really been a big fan of HDR myself but you never know)
…………..and the list goes on and on with features and connectivity for the updated DSLR. For now I think I’ll leave it at that to be fair!! Therefore I’ll leave you with a short little video giving you a quick overview of the camera and what to look out for
Well for Nikon fans and photographers it’s only another 2 days till the event that everyone has been waiting, happening over in Thailand.
Word on the street is that it’s going to be about the new D4 and the updated 85mm f/1.8. Maybe some other stuff will be announced before the big PMA 2012 trade show to showcase. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll be checking Twitter like a hawk come Friday!!
Don’t worry it’s not your normal Canon Vs. Nikon fight.
Basically the story goes that, a group of Canon commandos is sent out on a mission. Their objective: to save an innocent girl who has been taken hostage by Nikon terrorists. Who will ultimately win this battle? Find out below…
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