Learning from the D80
Eventually, I moved up to a Nikon D80 and picked up a Sigma 50-150 f2.8. I still don’t know why Nikon doesn’t make a fast DX zoom in this range. The Sigma wasn’t perfect – it tended towards softness. The D80 itself had its own limitations. At anything above ISO 1600, the noise level really overwhelmed the detail.
I learned a lot from the D80, including learning how to shoot well in continuous mode (don’t pan the camera!), but still relied on the automatic “action” mode of the camera for exposure and autofocus settings. But I was getting a little better at catching the right moment.
Noisy and washed out
However, I was still relying on the camera to handle JPEG, instead of shooting raw. The above shot was the JPEG as the D80 processed it. Here’s same photo, where the raw image was brought into Photoshop via Camera Raw and processed to JPEG.
A little better...
You’ll notice that the image, with a little manual tweaking, is less washed out than the original D80 JPEG.
Shooting with the D80 exposed (pun intended) another problem: high ISO noise. This is where I learned about noise reduction software, so started leaning on Noiseware as a kind of crutch. Noiseware is great, but if you use it too aggressively, you lose detail and get a pretty soft image. At that time, my eye liked the softer image with less noise. Today, I’d probably prefer more detail, even if it’s noisy. In fact, I still used Noiseware, but with less aggressive settings.
Of course I could use Noiseware less aggressively, because I finally got a real camera.
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4 comments
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Elizabeth says:
November 6, 2009 at 3:23 pm (UTC -7 )
This is great dad!
I’m looking forward to part II.
Neil says:
November 8, 2009 at 1:33 am (UTC -7 )
What do you find yourself using continuous mode for, in general? Do you make slide shows, or low-fps movies? Obviously for sports shooting it’s great so as to not miss a crucial action shot; But is there anything to do with all those leftover exposures than let them succumb to the recycle bin of oblivion?
YS says:
November 8, 2009 at 9:58 am (UTC -7 )
Yes, it goes to the bin. This what the process known as “editing” is for. Professional photographers do it. So should you.
Jon Lusty says:
November 10, 2009 at 8:31 pm (UTC -7 )
Loyd, I very much enjoyed this post, perhaps because it closely mirrors my own progression, tho I’m about 2 years behind. Instead of a Dimage 7 it was a Z1, a Dimage A200, a Nikon D50 and now, a Nikon D90. I am grateful you steered me towards the D90 at this point in my path. I’m not ready for the D300s yet. I’m loving the Nikkor prime lenses as most of what I shoot is nature-based thus far. I have a 3.5 year old on the way up so I’ll need a big fast zoom before I know it. For now, I’m learning.
Thanks again for an excellent post. It is encouraging to read what another guy has been through in this mad trek.
Jon
uberVU - social comments says:
November 9, 2009 at 6:00 pm (UTC -7 )
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