Home » Monthly archive

May 2012

Remembering America on Memorial Day

Submitted by David Cardinal on Tue, 2012-05-29 02:39

pl_nicholsonviaduct_0065When we first climbed the hill to the cemetery it was to get a good view of a famous nearby bridge – the Nicholson Viaduct – built nearly a century ago and representing a breakthrough in reinforced concrete construction.

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SOLD: RRS Monopod Head MH-01 Pro with lever clamp

Submitted by dearnold on Sun, 2012-05-27 23:18
Posted in
Selling my Really Right Stuff monopod head with the BS AS II lever style quick-release clamp. I purchased it new from RRS. It also makes a useful & clever way to mount your DSLR on a Wimberley or other gimbal head and easily switch between horizontal and vertical orientation - or anywhere in between (see the illustration on the RRS website ) Condition is 9 – works perfectly, very clean, one ding on the corner of the clamp. Price $175 includes PayPal and shipping to conus.

RRS MH-01 Monopod Head

Submitted by dearnold on Sun, 2012-05-27 23:11

DPS 10-04: Photoshop CS6 tips, Texas trip report & announcement, Airport TakeOff reviewed, new Nikon Flash book reviewed

Welcome to DPS 10-04, April/May, 2012: New tips on using Photoshop CS6, Think Tank Airport TakeOff bag review, new book on Nikon CLS Flash reviewed. Read more »

Join us for a B&H Photo Walk through the Bronx Zoo in June

Meerkats, Jack's Camp, BotswanaI’m really happy to say that I’ll be leading a photo walk for B&H through the Bronx Zoo in New York on Thursday, June 7th. The event is free, but you do need to pay for your Zoo admission. For those of you in or around the New York area its about the easiest way to get some practice in on your wildlife photography. Open to photographers of all ages and all amounts of gear! You can register for the event online with B&H. Lorrie and I hope to see you there! Read more »

Nikon D3S for sale

Submitted by David Cardinal on Tue, 2012-05-22 18:30
Posted in

Steve & Brennan Rimer of Journeys Unforgettable are selling their Nikon D3S (they just got a D4). PM me if interested and I'll put you in touch.--David

 

Does your camera really need Scene modes–like the Food mode on the Nikon Coolpix S9300?

Submitted by David Cardinal on Tue, 2012-05-22 16:25

Racks of ribs on the smoker using the Nikon Coolpix S9300 Food modeOkay, as a professional photographer I’m supposed to be addicted to Raw files, massive workflow, and eschew the many scene modes on my cameras. However, sometimes, when I’m shooting JPEGs on a points and shoot those modes can be a really handy shortcut and allow effects that can’t be equaled by post-processing JPEGs after the fact. And when I review cameras, the modes are definitely fair game, as they get used a lot. Well, I’m also a foodie, so I was intrigued by the new “Food” mode on the Nikon Coolpix S9300. Given the millions of pictures of restaurant and home-cooked meals posted to Facebook daily, the Food mode would seem to have a natural market. So I had to dig in and see what it actually does. At the same time I figured I should review the Scene Modes on the Canon PowerShot SX260 HS that I’m also reviewing. The process made me rethink my natural aversion to the proliferation of Scene modes – at least for point and shoots… Read more »

How much telephoto do you need? Get ready for a Super-zoom Smack Down!

Submitted by David Cardinal on Thu, 2012-05-17 20:23

The tiny Canon SX260 and Nikon S9300 nearly disappear compared to the Nikon D700 and Nikon D7000 rigs with their tripods. So it is tempting to wonder how much serious telephoto work can be done with a pint-size super-zoom. We'll find out and let you know!The idea of a point and shoot that can take great telephoto images is really appealing. But over the years I’ve been underwhelmed by their performance. I’m a much bigger fan of no compromise models like the Canon S100, which offer excellent images over a limited zoom range than of the super-zooms I’ve reviews, like the Canon SX240. But kind words about the new Canon PowerShot SX260 HS by my friend and former editor Michael Miller convinced me to take another look. The Canon PowerShot SX260 competes directly with the new Nikon Coolpix S9300, so I decided to do a real hands-on field test of both of them. Of course I couldn’t leave well enough alone, so we’ve decided to go all the way, pitting the SX260 and S9300 (unfairly) against a Nikon D7000 paired with the Sigma DSLR super-zoom lens the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-f/6.3 HSM lens, and against the full-frame Nikon D700 with Nikon’s flagship 200-400mm f/4 VR pro lens. So for the next month here at Cardinal Photo we’ll be shooting with all four cameras and taking careful notes… Read more »

South Texas Birds--Rio Grande Valley Private Ranches

Dates: 
2014-04-29 16:00 - 2014-05-04 10:00

Maximum 8 photographers (usually sells out) 

[After a very successful 2013 event, we're looking forward to 2014, and the new, expanded housing options at the lodge]

This Harris Hawk image from our Rio Grande Valley Photo Safari won the Grand Prize in the 2012 National Wildlife Federation Photo CompetitionBased on the continued success of the Lens and Land (Images for Conservation) ranches in the Rio Grande Valley and the great trip we all had this year and last year (a sold out safari with a full set of satisfied participants), I'm pleased to announce that I'll be leading another photo safari to the Lens and Land ranches next April/May. We'll have 4 full days (and an optional 5th full day) of private shooting at the premier award winning Dos Venadas and Campos Viejos ranches which are only open to guided groups. Hardy Jackson, our co-host, won the most recent Valley Land Fund photo contest on his ranch, Campos Viejos so you'll have every chance to take similar award-winning images (most recently this Harris Hawk image won the Grand Prize in the 2012 NWF Photo Contest.)

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Bird photo blinds: Studios or Habitats?

Submitted by David Cardinal on Wed, 2012-05-09 04:47

This Summer Tanager was photographed in a tree along the Guadalupe River, without using a blind or artificial perch of any type.Having just returned from two weeks of really fun and very productive photography on some of the best private ranches in south Texas, I’ve had a lot of time to think and rethink about the design of the bird blinds we used, and some of the others we saw in use. In this case I’m not talking about the physical blind structures where we, the photographers, sit. That part of the blinds has continued to evolve for the better over the six plus years I’ve been shooting there. They are more comfortable and better positioned than ever. No, in this case I’m talking about the part of the blind where the real action is, the “stage” where birds and mammals hopefully appear and are photographed… Read more »

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