MurMan

Well, this might bring me back to KC. I'll do my best not to make Mike or Ken ban me.

Agreed. That's why I wrote "right partner". Sorry about your bad experience. It's often said that a business partnership is like a marriage. You've got to trust your partner, but you might know if they are trustworthy until years into the relationship. I had a few potential partners, but I didn't trust that they could hold up their end of the bargain. They seemed to be "interested", but I was looking for "committed".

I've made it to the brink of launching a small company to sell a small electronic device four separate times. The devices did very different things, but were all based on simple to medium complexity embedded microcomputer designs. Last one was cloud-connected smoker monitor/controller with a smart phone app. Remote control, cooking profiles, graphics, etc. No - not that kind of smoker!!! The product requirements, design, development, and proto testing parts were great. But, when the time came for the big commitment to a production run came, I backed out. My work experience of production nightmares, ECO's, and field returns was sobering. But in the end, it was all the other functions, like sales, marketing, and running the business that kept me from pulling the trigger. If I had teamed with the right partner, things might have been different. Hardware is tough and covering everything by yourself is just too much.

Looks like they've upgraded the single point of failure to four points of failure.

I've had questions about DSLRs that I have never been able to track down good answers to until recently. Mostly, the technical stuff related to optics, image sensors, low-light performance, noise, etc. For most, understanding the technology might not make you a better photographer unless you're really pushing the limits of the technology. I tend to remember concepts, not facts, so I wanted to understand what's going on in my camera and in post-processing. I recently finished a course that I highly recommend if you're interested in diving deeper. It's a series of 18 lectures shot on the Google campus two years ago. It's taught by a Stanford prof, Marc Levoy, who heads Google's Computational Photography group. Here's the link: Digital Photography Course This course is not for everyone. There is a little math: trig, correlations, integrals, matrices, etc. But, I think that there's a lot to learn even if you ignore the math. The instructor is a Renaissance man that knows a lot about the history, art, and technology of photography. There are two 'ringers' in the class; one from Pixar and one from Industrial Light and Magic that make things interesting.

This shot has a very different look than most of your other long-exposure shots, Ken. Excellent choice to subdue the colors and keep the interior dark. It's interesting to see how the graffiti on the wall interacts with the exposed rafters on the roof. That part of the wall looks transparent. The red light inside the TV makes it downright demonic. The overall look is more like a painting than a photo. Well done.

Fair enough. I won't.

Have to say that I disagree with most of what you've written. So, you're saying that a message is delivered more effectively by speaking than by music? Never thought I'd get this from someone in a musician's forum. Do you hear how extremely judgmental this sounds?. How do you know what's in the hearts and minds of these "poser wanabees"? The "if they could get away wih it" part makes it sound like there is something wrong about rocking out on Saturday night. Perhaps you could explain this to the forum.

LOL. It's a band with complications.

I play on several worship teams and unfortunately see the scenario you describe play out every few years. The fundamental problem is that being a good worship leader is a difficult job that requires a wide variety of skills that are seldom present in one person. The good ones get the job and learn how to quickly fill in their missing skills, such as navigating the church politics. Then there is the fact that WLs have to put up with so much negative crap, well-intended or not, from people with absolutely no clue. All I can say is that brother, I feel your pain. You'll have to look for reasons other than the music to stay motivated.

Me too. I've been reading a lot lately about sensor technology in order to understand the limits of ISO settings. Why can't we just keep doubling ISO to get stronger pixels? Or, why can't we keep doubling the exposure time? What are the sources of noise? It boggles my mind to find that current sensors saturate around 150K photons per pixel. For a 14-bit sensor, that's around 10 photons per bit of resolution. Amazing. I've been taking nighttime photos for the past few weeks. Learning to use my camera controls in the dark. Getting the focus right. Learning the limits of ISO and exposure for my gear. Ken clearly knows how to get low noise images from his gear without a lot of light. I like some of the results I'm getting, but I have to say that nighttime photography at the level that Ken is showing us isn't easy.

Gorgeous lighting on both of these shots, Ken. Love the 'Banana Boat' shot!

For those with interests in astrophotography and unlimited gear budgets ( Ken), here is one cool camera. They've taken a stock Nikon D5500 and added a Peltier cooler to the CCD sensor in order to reduce thermal noise during long exposures. I would have thought they would have used a full-frame sensor camera rather than a DX camera. If you need to ask how much it costs, you probably can't afford it ...

Thanks so much for confirming that. Think my reading is beginning to pay off. I first read about a month ago Tony Northrup's "How to Create Stunning Digital Photography" which has a night photography chapter. As for blogs, I started with yours, of course. Another blog that helped me learn about astrophotography and Milky Way photography is Lonely Speck. Great tutorials. Watched an 80 minute video on YouTube last night of a class that Tim Cooper gave on . It seemed to have a lot of very practical advice. Got an email last week about a sale on the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 for Nikon for what I thought was a great price and I couldn't resist it. Now that I've got the gear, I'm ready to spend time around Mt. Cuyumacha just east of San Diego. Just learned last night that we're nearing the end of the Milky Way season here. Guess I can hone my skills until next year.

Ken, that's a beautiful shot. I've been reading a lot about nighttime photography lately and am wondering how you lit this shot. It looks look like a longish (< 30 sec based on no star trails) exposure shot with moonlight casting the shadow to the right of the Joshua tree. Also looks like you light-painted the tree and small chaparral to the left to bring it out. The rocks on the right appear to have been lit differently than the left formation, but the difference may be due to the differences in their texture/angle. Or maybe a little post-processing to bring them out. Is this right?

Anne, what things do you want to do with Lightroom that it can't do?

Thanks Ken and Richie. I think I'll upgrade to the latest PSE. Adobe releases the new version around this time every year, so I'll wait until then. I've found a blog that describes some PSE 'workarounds' that allow you to process in 16-bit resolution. Makes workflow a little convoluted, but adequate for my needs. PSE has had layers for a long time, but the adjustment layers are 8-bit, so not that useful. I brought my Sony Rx-100 on the trip thinking that I'd use it when out sight-seeing because of the light weight. But I found that the D750/28-300mm combo was so much fun that I didn't use the Sony once.

I'm about to return home from a two week vacation in South Carolina. Just prior to leaving home, I managed to find a used Nikon D750 body and a Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm f3.5/5.6G lens locally in great condition. As others have said, it's a great combination. The D750 was very easy to get used to. I only made a few "tragic button pushes". I'm bringing home about 400 RAW files. I'm looking for some opinions regarding image post-processing software. Based on comments in this thread and a few photo blogs, I see that a lot of people use Lightroom. In doing on-line research, I was surprised to see that the latest version of Photoshop Elements scores higher than Lightroom and PhotoPlus. I've used the older versions of Photoshop Elements for years and am very familiar with it. I'm thinking that it would be best to purchase the latest version, get the NEF plugin for the D750 and call it a day. Does anyone think that this is a mistake? Thanks.

Looks like the Roland A-88. Look at the I/O connections on the rear. Edit: 30 seconds late ...

That brings up a great question. I've read on Ken Rockwell's website that grey market Nikons will not be serviced by Nikon US and that the cameras aren't eligible for firmware updates. (Not that a 3-year old camera is likely to get new firmware.) For this reason, I thought it would be better to buy used US gear than grey market. What's your opinion? edit: I stand corrected on the firmware updates. I see that the latest is less than a year old and that the distortion control data was updated last month. That's encouraging. I also see that Nikon will service some grey market DSLRs, but I didn't see the D750 in the list.

Thanks for the encouragement, Anne. But just like keyboards, getting good results from a camera takes skill and practice. You might have a long wait before I start posting shots that approach those I see here. Plus, there's a real shortage of puffins in San Diego, so my subjects will be dull and colorless ... Maybe I'll post my first few as iPhone 3 shots ... I just ran across the 28-300mm lens at a good price that I was thinking about from a local guy that's selling his complete D750 kit. The D750 has been sold, but I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on the lens since it is harder to find.

Thanks for the comments, Ken. Fully understand that they're your opinions. I hadn't thought about the lack of the articulating screen on the D610. I sometimes like to shoot from the waist or ground perspective, so this is important. Darn, I always end up with the more expensive choice ... I did look at the Fuji X-T1, but didn't like the lens situation. Fashion is the last thing I would shoot and can't see needing more pixels. I am looking for versatility and good low-light performance. Outdoor twilight is my fav shooting condition. I do know this about myself: I shoot what interests me and my interests can change over the years. Having the ability to get some special lens or accessory in the future is important. I'll keep researching, but you've confirmed that I might be on the right track. Thanks.

I am thinking about getting a lot more serious about photography and purchasing an enthusiast level DSLR. I'd like some opinions here about my decision process. First, my photo background. In the 1970's, I shot with a Pentax 35mm and a Bronica 6x6. Did all my own processing including some color. Shooting totally manual on the Bronica was always an adventure. Most of my equipment was destroyed in a flood while I was out of the country. I had to focus on career and family, so I never replaced it. Today, I've got the compact camera department covered perfectly with the Sony RX100 Mk III. For my next camera, I'm going big and don't mind the weight and bulk of a DSLR. I'm approaching this from the point of view of buying a system, not a camera. I've spent a lot of time looking at lenses and accessories. To get what I want, I'll have to go used and need a large and vibrant used market. The first big decision: full-frame sensor or APS-C. I'm leaning toward full-frame because it gives me a few extra f-stops and the lens selection is better. Next: Nikon vs Canon. For some reason, Nikon just appeals to me more. Subjective, I know. Canon might be better for video, but I will be shooting stills. Camera: I'm looking at the D610 or D750. They both look excellent and have been out a few years. I'll need to go used to keep in budget, so the selection might be determined by what I run across. I'll probably use eBay for the market price, but buy on CL so that I can make test shots before I buy. I'm prepared to wait for the right deal. Lens: The wide availability of Nikon lenses is a big plus. But, I've been reading about the AFS Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5/5.6. It looks like this one (expensive) lens would cover nearly everything I want to shoot. That would be an unexpected bonus. That with a prime portrait lens might be all I need. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks, Murray

If you want to learn about display technology in exhaustive detail, check out the Display Technologies website. State-of-the-art phone displays, such as the Samsung OLEDs use 8-bits per color.

What makes you think I'm implying anything? First, I described my experience with Omnisphere. Patch sustain when playing live is a big deal to me. I use Omnisphere Live mode and it works great. I then speculated whether adding Keyscape would work well on a machine with SSD and 8GB RAM. I don't know and will wait until I read about performance from the early users. If it works well with the class of machine I use, I might be a buyer. This is my concern.