Point Perry, Coolum – Seascape

This seascape was taken at Point Perry, Coolum, Queensland, Australia. Camera used was the Nikon D2H with 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. Settings used were 50mm, f/11, 1/125 second.

The D2h is now out of date with some of the more recent DSLR’s having overtaken its performance. My main camera is now a D700 as it is one of the cheaper Nikon full frame Digital cameras and is capable of superb image performance.

I use a selection of Nikon lenses ranging from 10mm to 300mm. The Nikon system has an excellent selection of lenses to choose from.

For panoramas such as the above I use a wide angle lens and sometimes even moving to a slight telephoto lens for capturing a small section of a landscape.

 

Beauty of Film – Uluru, Northern Territory

This image of Uluru was taken on Kodachrome film with a Nikon FM2 camera.

Now using digital cameras, there is an excellent range of equipment to choose from. The digital cameras have advanced far from the FM-2 of many years ago and us photographers are spoilt with the vast array of equipment now at our hands to perfect our images. We now have a range of digital cameras from around $500 to $5,000 to choose from, also the array of lenses available is almost beyond comprehension with lenses from 10mm to 600mm.

An image such as the Uluru scene is now quite easy to capture on digital compared to many years ago when we used film.

Winton Rock Formation

The image of this rock formation near Winton which  is located in central Queensland, Australia. A relatively normal focal length lens was used for this image, but there is a large range of Nikon lenses to choose from if you use a Nikon camera.

When capturing landscape rock formations to get dynamic images it is best to keep the composition of the image as simple as possible and try not to include any unwanted elements.

Coolangatta Seascape/Landscape

This Coolangatta image was taken with the Nikon 17-55mm lens at 17mm. There are many different selection in the lens reviews and it depends greatly on the type of photography you want to do.

There are essentially two different classes of Nikon cameras, the DX range and also the FX range. The FX range of cameras have the larger sensor and are consequently better in low light conditions. For wide angle use I prefer the FX cameras and for telephoto lens usage I like the DX cameras, but the choice may also depend on the cost as FX cameras are quite a bit more expensive.

Pollution at Mt Isa Mines Australia

Vast amounts of pollution are being emitted into the atmosphere at Mt Isa Mines. This image was taken early morning at sunrise. Nikon 17-55mm lens at 55mm. I love that lens as it is very flexible for a travelling lens, it can cover from super wide angle to a normal focal length or even slight telephoto.

I dont believe the camera makes all that much difference in photography, I mainly think it is more about the selection of the lens and ensuring that the framing and perspective is effective in presenting a dynamic image and all this essentially depends on the lens so be careful to select your lens carefully according to the photography you are mainly doing.

Kangaroos in the Wild

The following image of Kangaroos in the wild was taken with a Nikon D2H and 300mm f/4 lens, 1/125 second, f/11. The Nikon D2h is a bit old hat now and there are many better Nikon Digital cameras available. For instance the Nikon D700 is an excellent camera and is full frame and there are many other Nikon digital cameras to choose from.

Once you have selected are camera there are many different lenses to choose from so take time to read review to ensure you understand all the different aspects involved in capturing the best possible images.

For landscapes you can use lenses ranging from wide angle to get a wide panorama or a telephoto lens to isolate a particular area of a landscape.

Brisbane Panorama

A panorama of Brisbane from Mount Coot-tha. A stitched image from four original images taken with the Nikon D2h.

Panoramas can virtually be captured with any type of camera but some of the excellent range of Nikon Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras will give really superb results. Also the lens you use is very important and there is a great selection of Nikon lenses available.

For panorama images I prefer a lens not too wide as there will be some distortion with wider lenses. Something in the range 35mm to 85mm will be excellent and will stitch together without much distortion.

The Landscapes of Kakadu National Park

The following landscapes are of Kakadu National Park. Taken with a Nikon D2H and manual focus 50mm and 105mm lenses. Ubirr is very famous for its aboriginal rock art and has beautiful views across the Kakadu flood plains. What a beautiful place.

Sunset at Ubirr

Sunset at Ubirr

Sunrise at the Nawurlandja lookout is breathtaking looking over the beautiful landscape.

Sunrise at Nawurlandja

Sunrise at Nawurlandja

For images such as these I really prefer a full frame Nikon FX camera such as the Nikon D700, D3s or the Nikon D3x, these are all superb cameras and will give beautiful image quality.