Photo - Rainy April Sunday at Fisherman's Wharf

A gorgeous, cloudy day down at the wharf...

Photo - Rainy April Sunday at Fisherman's Wharf

The 36.3-Megapixel Nikon D800 - Multimedia HD-SLR

A new camera from Nikon that is sure to impress. Nikon D800 realizes innovations such as a high resolution 36.3-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor, a 91,000-pixel RGB Matrix Metering System, Advanced Scene Recognition System and many other intuitive features designed to create the preeminent device for the most demanding photo and video applications.
Some specs and details - Nikon’s highest resolution sensor to date, a groundbreaking new 36.3-megapixel (7360 x 4912 resolution) FX-format CMOS sensor, affords flexibility and astonishing image quality to satisfy a myriad of client requests. The Nikon D800 incorporates the latest 91,000-pixel 3D Color Matrix Metering III and the Advanced Scene Recognition System, coupled with an improved 51-point AF system for images with amazing sharpness, color and clarity. With its compact, lightweight D-SLR form factor and extensive video feature set, the D800 allows photographers to transition to multimedia to create an immersive story. Professional videographers will appreciate practical features that go beyond NIKKOR lens compatibility and Full HD 1080p video, such as full manual control, uncompressed HDMI output, and incredible low-light video capability.

• Nikon D800 Press Release With Specs [PDF]

The 36.3-Megapixel Nikon D800 - Multimedia HD-SLR

Rugged, Compact AW100 Camera by Nikon, Maps by NAVTEQ

Here's a cool, rugged device... oh, and naturally it has GPS... sweet! Building on a news announcement other day that applauded Nikon for integrating GPS into their new S series of devices, now NAVTEQ is touting that they are the map provider for the very sweet Nikon COOLPIX AW Series of Digital Cameras. The AW100 is rugged, waterproof, shock resistant, GPS enabled and get this,  allows geo-tagged images to be pinpointed via Point of Interest (POI) data supplied with the NAVTEQ map – nice!
About the device… Unique to the AW100 is the ability for users to view their exact location on the map display that comes pre-loaded within the devices. Both devices are equipped with built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) functionality that allows geo-tagged images to be pinpointed via Point of Interest (POI) data supplied with the NAVTEQ map. FYI, this device will run you about $400!

See more details and specs Nikon Selects NAVTEQ Map for Their New COOLPIX AW Series of Digital Cameras

The Nikon AW100

Rugged, Compact AW100 Camera by Nikon, Maps by NAVTEQ

New Nikon S9300 Coolpix Sports Integrated GPS - nice!

Yes indeed, Nikon has rolled out a new S series of cameras and best of all, the Coolpix  S9300 Includes GPS – I recall testing a Kodak that sported integrated GPS back in 2000 if you can believe that, however, Kodak never did roll out that device to the masses.. too bad, perhaps if they had the company might not be going under!  Moving forward, I’ve been a photo buff for years, however, I’ve often wondered why all cameras don’t come equipped with built in GPS. There’s no doubt that the technology exists and with social sharing so prevalent, particularly social location, you’d have to think that integrated GPS is a no brainer. Finally Nikon has delivered a product for Joe average that also includes built-in GPS – enter the S9300. From Nikon… S9300 also offers a built-in GPS function. A new movie function for saving and playing back movies, which allows for recording of multiple scenes that are then saved as a single file, has been adopted.

9300 Specs:

• Incorporation of a thin 18x optical zoom NIKKOR lens
• A backside illumination CMOS image sensor with an effective pixel count of 16.0-million pixels
• Night Portrait mode – Several shots are captured to reduce blur and noise in the background
• Backlighting mode – When the HDR (high dynamic range) setting is enabled in Backlighting mode with shooting of high-contrast scenes
• Night Landscape mode – In Night Landscape mode, a series of images is captured and then combined into a single image in which blur and noise has been suppressed.
• Equipped with a new movie function that saves multiple movie scenes recorded intermittently as a single file
• full-HD movies with stereo sound and a frame size of 1920 x 1080 pixels can be recorded
• The camera is equipped with a three-inch, approximately 921k-dot, wide-viewing angle Clear Color Display TFT LCD monitor
• The high-performance GPS and electronic compass acquire and record position information with shooting. This information can then be viewed in the camera monitor. The S9300 also offers a log function that tracks and records movement with acquisition of position information even while the camera is off, and point-of-interest (POI) data (approx. 1,700,000 locations) that can be used to record and display place names.
• More information in this official news release from Nikon
• See details of the S9300 HERE

New Nikon S9300 Coolpix Sports Integrated GPS - nice!

Portrait Shot 101 #D3000

I'm not really a huge fan of portrait photography although I do really dig shooting my family. This first portrait mode test with the D3000 turned out pretty cool I think. Some tips on a good portrait is to work with your colors, look for a setting with great energy but don't let the surroundings distract from the focus of the shot... oh, and don't be afraid to mess with your flash settings - light is crucial! Here's my kid at the local mall, the result of a spontaneous pic. Note: touching up and color setting adjustments to make the subject colors work with the background were done using Picnic

Portrait Shot 101 #D3000