Nikon D700 Report

I just finished a 2 week assignment to the Baltic region, and did a brief video report about how I travel with equipment cases and computers (Dispatches From the Edge: Avoiding Excess Baggage Charges, 8/21/08). However, this piece is about my experiences with the Nikon D700 camera .

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First, the video report and commentary:


Now, here are the files for your own critical review.

Nikon D3 SAMPLE BELOW (click to see full-size file):


Nikon D700 SAMPLE BELOW (Click to see full-size file):


Here's the EXIF data from both:




Below you will see a 100% view of a deal of each of those images. The process for handling these files was straight through Adobe Camera Raw. No adjustments whatsoever were made to the sharpening. You'll note that there is a slight degradation in sharpness on the D700 despite the same settings on the camera and the same exact lens. This difference is negligible, and easily corrected in the raw processing software. I can't be sure if it's just how Adobe handles the raw data from a D700, since it is so new, or it's how the camera stores the raw data, since it's the same chip in both cameras.



Here's another set of files that I didn't discuss in the video report.

Nikon D3 SAMPLE BELOW (click to see full-size file):



Nikon D700 SAMPLE BELOW (Click to see full-size file):


Here's the EXIF data from both:




Below you will see a 100% view of a deal of each of those images. The process for handling these files was straight through Adobe Camera Raw. No adjustments whatsoever were made to the sharpening. You'll note that the nominal loss of sharpness is less aparent at ISO 2000 than at 3200 in the previous set of images. As noted before, this difference is negligible, and easily corrected in the raw processing software. I can't be sure if it's just how Adobe handles the raw data from a D700, since it is so new, or it's how the camera stores the raw data, since it's the same chip in both cameras.





As noted on the GPS comments, here's the GPS coordinates. (click to see larger):





That really cool feature is a part of Camera Bits' application Photo Mechanic, and whenever an image has GPS data, the option "show on map" appears when you right-mouse-click the image, as below:


The GeoPic II is available at B&H for $299, and is well worth it in my opinion.

As for the D700, it too is a great camera - surely delivers the same image noise levels that the D3 is known for - and something that is causing many a Canon user to switch to Nikon for. There are, of course, pro-level features like the dual card slot, and other things that make the D3 a workhorse, but if you're looking for a second camera to backup your D3, or if you want a camera that delivers D3 quality images in the final analysis, I really like the Nikon D700 camera ($2,999 at Amazon, free shipping)..

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Annie At Work

One can only hope that the insights we will glean from the upcoming book Annie Leibovitz at Work (available for pre-order) is all about how Annie shoots - her style, her approach, and so forth. It can't be that she's showcasing business accumen in this book?

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One can only hope, if the report by the New York Post - Annie's A Deadbeat in a Snap (8/31/08), is to be believed. The article alleges $715k in debts, including outstanding equipment rental fees.

How can that be? Well, of course, the New York Post never gets it wrong, does it?

We previously took the NY Post to task for the "tryouts" they were putting all their freelancers through (NY Posty Notes, 7/25/07) and their pay scale surely is not one that can sustain any professional freelance photographer, so where do they get all up in knowing the business of someone with a history and track record like Annie?

The Post has decided to air Annie's laundry, dirty or not. Let's take a look at an alternative possibility. Unpaid taxes? How it is possible that anyone knows what the Federal or State tax authorities are doing? That's something that they're not supposed to be leaking, and until the government brings suit - and while the Post cited "court documents", I'd like to see the proof on that. Further, what ever happened to the "innocent until proven guilty" concept? If the government decides that my house is valued at $500k, and I say it's $250k, and we disagree, that gets decided in court.

What about the labor on the townhouse? It's not out of the ordinary for contractors to say something is done, while the spackle is dripping down the wall and the punch list is far from complete. Yet, they can put a mechanic's lien on your home and you have to fight that in court, over whether or not the job was done right or not.

Unpaid equipment rental fees? Let's say you rented something 3pm - 3pm, and the rental houses' courier gets held up in traffic headed back and blames the delay on the photographer. "Heck, it's Annie Leibovitz, she can cover that additional day's rental" thinks the assistant or the courier hoping to cover their backside, and then you have a dispute. Not unheard of.

I'd like to see the documents. Anyone have a link? Let's all take a look before we pass judgement.

However, this is a cautionary tale to everyone - this is a business people, and don't you ever forget it.

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Academic Inbreeding

One of the common refrains I hear from those that intern for me is that they felt that their college was a waste, and they should have come through my program, or a similar one, and that the real world experiences far better prepares them for the freelance world.

I can see their point, and understand that, to a degree, it may be true, but that degree is worth a great deal. But what degree?

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First things first - graduating from college is critical. Don't be an idiot and think that it's not worth it. So many people I know say that getting your degree is the ultimate test in being able to demonstrate you can finish something you started. I agree with that sentiment.

Recently, there was a discussion on a photo association listserv about the qualifications for a teaching position.

Faculty members must have teaching experience at the college level and are required to maintain active participation in their field of photography.

Active participation? I can't say I know a lot of professors that would fit that bill. A few, but not a lot.

The perfect candidate for this job is someone who has an MFA in photography, plus commercial and teaching experience.

And here's where I, along with others on the listserv had a problem. This school requires a Masters? Surely this applies in fields like English, the Sciences, and so forth, but the arts? Maybe Art History degrees, but for the field of photography, I just don't see it.

In the schools of today, in large part, the inbreeding, tenure debates, and self-congratulation that goes along with being an academic is part of the problem with todays' photographers that enter the real world with a diploma, $100k or so in debt, and no way to pay that debt off. Few schools are preparing their students with the tools they need to succeed in business, since freelancers are the new staffers.

I have a few colleagues, and professors at places like RIT, and Brooks, and so forth, that have said that my book is on their required reading list. If you know of others, please post them in the comments. I am not saying that my book, per se, is the end-all be-all answer, but it's at-least an indicator if the professors at the school even care about the issue of their photographers as soon-to-be self-employed.

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