EQUIPMENT

In the below individual descriptions of my equipment represents over two decades of accumulating photographic equipment, one piece at a time, that I had spent an inordinate amount of time researching and then looking for the item I wanted or needed for a special purpose. I view each piece of equipment as a specific tool.

The build up from the bottom to top of the assembly below that looks more like a drill rig on an oil field follows:
Manfrotto 161MK 2B heavy duty, studio tripod
Manfrotto 400 Geared Head (perfect for Astrophotography, Macrophotography, or any genre that minute adjustments are required)
Manfrotto 438 Ball Levelling Head, in lieu of the Manfrotto 338 (to assure level of the tripod head or camera mount)
Manfrotto 300N Panoramic Head
Manfrotto 303Plus VR Head (allowing Fore/Aft adjustment and Left/Right adjustment)
Manfrotto 625 Hex Plate Adapter
Manfrotto 340 L-Bracket (designed for 35mm camera bodies, but works well for Nikon D3, D3x, and D3s)

So, what the heck does it do?

It is for taking panorama photos in increments, depending upon focal length and allowing sufficient overlap to stitch the photos in Adobe Photoshop or your preferred panorama software with minimal loss of sky and foreground.

Yeh, yeh every monkey can create panoramas handheld, but when stitching the photos they tend to be ragged at the top and bottom, requiring significant cropping. I have done it myself, many times.

But, another important aspect of the above panoramic photography drilling rig is for lenses of shorter focal length that about 105mm I can adjust the Left-Right position to place the pupil (aperture) right over the center of the tripod vertical center axis and then adjust the Fore and Aft position of the lens to minimize parallax or reach the no-parallax-point.

Each focal length lens I intend to use for creating a panorama needs to be tested and set up in advance to determine the no-parallax-point.

I have done this for several lenses and took notes, so I can replicate the set-up in the field.

For example, the Nikon 50mm f/1.4D lens is at 94.5 fore/aft adjustment and 87.5 left/right adjustment, on focused at infinity.

Compare that to the Nikon Noct-Nikkor 58mm f/1.2 AiS at 80.5 fore/aft adjustment and 85.5 Left/Right Adjustment.

Setting those two lenses at those local latitude/longitude (if you will) establishes the no-parallax-point for those two lenses.

If the tripod legs are extended so the tripod is as close to level as possible, then the 438 set to level, then everything should be optimal.

Note: regardless if I used the Manfrotto 338, which I originally considered purchasing or the later model 438, the huge Manfrotto 400 Geared Head practically covers the bullseye bubble level.

According to the instructions, the Manfrotto 438 is supposed to be attached between the tripod and the head. Maybe with the Junior or a smaller base tripod head, but for something as robust as the 400 Head, it isn’t practical.

The 400 Head can micro adjust fore/aft tilt and left/right rotation and has its own level.

Interestingly regardless how careful I set everything up, the tripod bubble level maybe centered, and the 400 bubble level centered, but the 438 needs to be levelled. When that is achieved, the bubble level on the Manfortto 625 Adapter will be slightly off.

Note: If I want to create a panorama with a telephoto lens above 105mm, then I would strip down most of this, because there no-parallax-point becomes irrelevant.

I have done panoramas, using a Nikon 500mm f/4.0P lens, in the past. To give you an idea of what is possible.

Now, I am waiting for time and clear weather to take this out top the field.

Optionally, I could use my Manfrotto 190D tripod, but I do not think it will be as stable. And, what is the point of taking a blurry photo due to tripod movement or vibration?

Lastly, more than any other tripod, and I have had more than a few, Manfrotto is my favorite.

A photographic tool that I acquired, 23 March 2022, is the Nikon D3s which truly compliments my Nikon D3x. The D3s has exquisite low light capability. It can take advantage of High ISO, yet still have low Noise. The only disappointment is that I must use Nikon Transfer to transfer photos from the camera’s CF Cards to my computer. For whatever reason, Nikon did not give it the same flexibility as the Nikon D3x to be able to choose between MTP/PTP for tethered operations or Wireless Transmitter and Mass Storage, for direct transfer of images to my computer. Other than that I am very fond of the Nikon D3s. Also, the camera is fully compatible with the D3x, that is, it uses the same EN-EL4a Lithium-ion battery, various cords, View Finder Focusing Screens, Eye Pieces, et cetera. So, I did not have to spend extra money for a different camera system. The Nikon D3s is an FX format or Full Frame 36mm X 23.9mm Sensor, capable of 12.87 million pixels. The Sensor’s sensitivity goes from 200 to 12,800 ISO, but can be extended 1 EV below 200 ISO to an equivalent of 100 ISO and 3 EV above 12,800 ISO to 102,400 ISO . . . The Nikon D3x and D3s are designed for very specific uses. The Nikon D3x would be better suited for landscape photography and studio work, whereas the Nikon D3s is best suited for Low Light photography, Sports photography and photojournalism, where 24.5 million pixels are unnecessary. And, the camera does video. I have a Nikon ME-1 stereo Microphone, which performs very well. I had a shielded extension cable with gold-plated connectors made for the microphone, to mount it remotely or closer to the speaker.  It works very well. If anyone wants a parts list and wiring diagram, I am happy to provide it, if you email me.  Please refer to my CONTACT page.

Pursuing photography at my level of involvement and interest is not inexpensive, to be sure. One might point out that an expensive Perspective Control lens to photograph architecture, for example, is unnecessary, because corrections can be made using software. The software solution is not a perfect one, using a specialized lens designed for Perspective Control is. Owning more than one lens of different focal lengths, for macro-photography is essential, depending on how close the objective lens needs to be from the subject or far away you needs to be, plus consideration for magnification. The same argument can be made for owning different focal length portrait lenses. And, a 500mm super-telephoto lens can just reach further than a 300mm lens, but the 500mm is very difficult to handle, if not mounted on a tripod. That said, I must point out that the Nikon S3 was a birthday gift from a very thoughtful wife. She always knows the way to my heart is not through my stomach, but exotic photographic equipment purchases. And, my Nikon F purchase was simply an acknowledgement to where SLR camera technology began, and in my mind the photographic icon of combat photographers from the Vietnam conflict, that attracted me to the Nikon brand. I preferred a 1967 version, over earlier or later editions, for my own reasons, based upon research, before I purchased it. And, I probably had seen 100 different Nikon F cameras, before I settled on this one. Below the photos of the Nikon F are two different Sekonic Light Meters. The first one is analog and requires no batteries and is ideal for field work when a long way from a shop to purchase replacement batteries.  The second one does have a spare battery compartment in its protective pouch and is digital, and its advantage is that it allows spot metering. A disadvantage is that its Viewing Eyepiece Lens does not have a protective cover, but I found one that fits. This is an essential piece of photographic equipment, especially when making adjustments to Studio Lights.  You would not choose a screwdriver to hammer nails, just as you would not choose a Macro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D to photograph a beehive, preferring a Macro-Nikkor 200mm f/4.0D, instead.  And, there is much more that I have not presented here, to keep you guessing. If you have any questions about Nikon or Hasselblad camera systems or Manfrotto camera systems or studio lighting, go to my CONTACT page to send me an email to discuss, why I chose what I did. I do not follow trends, nor do I have to own the latest and greatest hyped gear, advertized in camera magazines. I tend to prefer tried and true, and above all solid and reliable. I suppose I will never be a “brand ambassador”, though I own more dollar value in equipment than those who are. Have I made purchase errors? No. Have I ever sold an item that I later regretted selling it? Yes. Then, I purchased an exact copy replacement.

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I upgraded to a Nikon D3x, on 8 August 2014, from a Nikon D3, that I have owned since it first landed on Nikon store shelves. What a camera! I am not disappointed in the least. I chose to upgrade to that due to its 35.9mm X 24mm 24.5 megapixel CMOS FX sensor.

I have been remiss updating newsworthy items . . . though I have been published nearly every month, in my state’s northern and southern newspapers, as well as fairly regularly in the local digest. The newsworthy items are too numerous and too time-consuming to enter all of them, onto this page. Amongst the most exciting news for me is the acquisition of a pristine Hasselblad CWD medium format camera, with a 16 megapixel Digital Back. It happens to be a 100th Anniversary Victor Hasselblad signed Limited Edition. There were only 500 produced. I possess the various cords, covers, Quick Start Guide, pouch, etc., all new. Before I sent it to the Hasselblad factory, in Sweden, to be serviced, the Infrared (IR) Filter replaced, and the unit re-calibrated, costing $770 and thirty-six days. The initial test I had done, before all that work, was encouraging. See the photograph of a plum tree, below. Why did I choose the 16 megapixel CWD, with its limited ISO range and 1.5 crop factor? I truly felt sad that I could no longer use my beautiful Hasselblad film cameras and their lenses. As I am self-funded, I simply could not justify spending more money than I paid for my wife’s car for a CFV-39 + ten new Continental tires for a CFV-50. Thus, I cannot see the value in the CFV-39 or CFV-50. Crop factor? Back off! Limited ISO? Not a factor, considering studio or landscape use, and a rock-solid tripod, mirror-up, with a cable release. Also, I achieve results good enough that have been published many times, in newspapers, magazines, a couple calendars, with my 12.1 megapixel Nikon D3. I am not going to discuss “sweet spot of the lens” and other ethereal minutiae. Considering that I have been published many times, merely using readily available Kodak 100ASA 35mm film and then the Nikon D3, imagine what I can achieve with the Hasselblad CWD, having 16 megapixels. Megapixels alone won’t make a photographer great. Ansel Adams said, “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.” It is human imagination.

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