Nimrod catamaran: Photo sabbatical

People interested in photography might relate to some of what follows. Others may not.

For many years, the dominant camera type was 35mm film. Then along came digital, which was much cheaper to shoot with, but had less definition than film. Digital cameras have improved, with Single Lens Reflex ones (DSLRs) having, until recently, mostly 24mm chips to catch light the way film does. The Nikon version of these are called DX cameras.

Many lenses from the old film cameras work fine with these cameras, though they are heavier than they need to be. So a generation of smaller, lighter, DX lenses were marketed.

A few years ago Nikon, Canon and some other camera companies started producing DSLRs with bigger 35mm chips, like the old film cameras. Nikon calls these FX, or full-frame. These use the old film camera lenses to advantage.

I have had a Nikon D300 camera for the last few years. Its a DX camera with the smaller chip.

I have always thought that there would be more FX cameras produced, and have been deliberately buying up old FX style lenses off eBay while not many people have wanted them. I have been waiting for a new FX Nikon to come out.

In February the Nikon D800 was announced. Better than everyone had hoped for. It is full-frame with a 35mm chip, and 36 megapixels. Finally there is a digital camera as good as a 35mm film camera. How many digital pixels correlates to quality film is an old debate, but this camera has plenty.

I smacked my order in to B&H in New York within hours of the news. Then three months of waiting.... A fright at the end, when the tracking website announced it had been delivered to our home, and there was no sign of it. It eventually surfaced at the Post Office just as our next cruise on Nimrod was due.

I have come on alone a week before George, and am immersing myself in manuals, and tutorial videos about the camera, Lightroom 4, and Final Cut Pro X software, while sailing Nimrod slowly up through Moreton Bay.

Lots to learn.

Here are some images arising from Lightroom homework.

This photo of a Melbourne tram was taken with an iPhone. Notice the two-tone blurred lights, which are because I was using HDR, which involves a double exposure, the first over-exposed and the second under-exposed.