Nikon D700

Nikon has announced the little brother to the D3, the D700 (see the PDF brochure). With the same full-frame sensor and electronics, the D700 is sure to be a huge hit—who can argue with the stellar image quality of a Nikon D3 in a much more compact package for US$2000 less? At US $2999, the D700 is out of reach for many, but working pros and serious hobbyists will find it a dream camera at a very reasonable price for the features it offers. Get the Nikon D700 at B&H Photo.

We can only wonder what Canon will bring to the table. Will an EOS 5D Mark II will succumb to the misguided race for more megapixels? Or will it instead improve pixel quality while remaining in the 12-megapixel range? Nikon has hit the sweet spot for virtually all photography with the D3 and D700.

Nikon D700 — full-frame sensor

Various web sites have extensive information on this new offering, so I won’t repeat it here. See the hands-on preview at dpreview.com, and the feature summary at robgalbraith.com.

Nikon also announced the availability of the PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED, which completes the tilt/shift line of Nikkors: the 24mm f/3.5, the 45mm f/2.8D and the 85mm f/2.8D. All of these lenses offer tilt functionality, which can greatly mitigate the depth of field issue discussed below. The older 85mm f/2.8D PC-Micro-Nikkor is one of my favorites; it is with great anticipation that I await the 45mm version, with some trepidation that it might not be the performer in infrared that the existing (older) 85mm lens is. Get the Nikon tilt/shift lenses at B&H Photo.

Nikon D700 — full-frame sensor

Finally, the SB-900 is the newest addition to Nikon’s flash line. A pity that D3 users don’t have a truly compact flash to substitute for the pop-up flash found on the D700 and lacking on the D3.

Sunflower beauty

I grow several hundred sunflowers every year, my record being a thousand or so. Trouble-free, and more intricately beautiful than the pedestrian rose, they fascinate me. And it’s really funny to watch squirrels hanging upside down waving back and forth as they try to sever the head.

These shots were all taken at dusk with the flowers waving in the breeze, handheld with the Nikon D3, my favorite camera for such situations. The Zeiss ZF 100/2 Makro-Planar delivered the goods as usual, with its stunning bokeh and gorgeous color rendition. Why not give Zeiss ZF Lenses a read? Get the world-class Zeiss ZF 100/2 Makro-Planar at B&H Photo.

(Nikon D3 + Zeiss ZF 100/2 Makro-Planar @ f5.6, ISO 1600)

(Nikon D3 + Zeiss ZF 100/2 Makro-Planar @ f2, ISO 1600)

(Nikon D3 + Zeiss ZF 100/2 Makro-Planar @ f2, ISO 1600)

(Nikon D3 + Zeiss ZF 100/2 Makro-Planar @ f2, ISO 1600)

(Nikon D3 + Zeiss ZF 100/2 Makro-Planar @ f11, ISO 1600)

(Nikon D3 + Zeiss ZF 100/2 Makro-Planar @ f2, ISO 1600)

(Nikon D3 + Zeiss ZF 100/2 Makro-Planar @ f5.6, ISO 1600)

Photoshop scratch disk

A friend of mine is intrigued by the 10,000 RPM Western Digital 300GB VelociRaptor hard drives, which offer blazing seek times and fast data transfer rates, the idea being that using a RAID pair of such drives would make an excellent Photoshop scratch disk. I’ve now researched this (including instrumenting and testing Photoshop’s behavior, creating a test suite, etc), and I’ve discovered some very useful and actionable information, which I’ll be sharing in detail in a future report. A few brief pointers however—

1) Notebook users (MacBook Pro) will never achieve the performance possible from a desktop machine (eg Mac Pro). This is due to both memory limitations as well as no ability to achieve more than humdrum disk speed, even using an SATA adapter in the Express Card slot. All is not lost however, there are some real improvements to be made.

2) Striped RAID helps tremendously over a single drive. Two drives works great, more are better. I’ll have data on how many in my full report. Mac Pro users have lots of possibilities here.

3) Recent high-capacity drives offer far higher performance than the fastest models of just one or two years ago. Choose these for your scratch disk partition.

I have much more detail to share, but that’s it for now.

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Depth of field, diffraction, and megapixels

As the digital world moves towards ever more absurd megapixel counts, one inconvenient truth will (very) slowly sink in: the depth of field required to exploit the sensor resolution becomes so narrow as to render the megapixel count meaningless unless technical excellence is achieved: a dualing photographic Scylla and Charybdis will suffer only perfect technical execution for tomorrow’s high-resolution sensors to be worthwhile. In this case, Scylla and Charybdis refer to depth of field and diffraction. Stop down too much and diffraction kills contrast and resolution. Stop down too little and there is inadequate depth of field.

It is only at the exact plane of focus that the highest resolution can be obtained, a direct result of the size of the “circle of confusion” in relation to the photosite size. Any subject that is not pseudo-planar (all subject matter at the same effective distance) simply cannot be imaged at anything close to the resolution the sensor might offer. Landscapes (for example) are often pseudo-planar, though many landscapes have near/far details which cannot be imaged sharply at the same time (this is why tilt lenses and view cameras offer a great advantage).

Stopping down expands the zone of sharpness, doubling it every two stops (eg f/4 to f/8). But if that zone is 1/2" to begin with at f/2, it’s still only 1" at f/4, 2" at f/8 and 4" at f/16! Such numbers are quite realistic for many subjects; this is why precise focus is so critical with high-resolution cameras. It’s also why Live View can be critical for some subjects—missing focus is a non-starter.

Let’s look at the sunflower image below, taken with the 21 megapixel Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III and the Leica 90/2 APO-Summicron-R ASPH, a brilliant lens with few peers (see review). The sunflower image was taken with focus on the center of the emergent flowerhead.

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Leica 90/2 APO-Summicron-R ASPH @ f/8

The detail level is outstanding, but it is limited to a narrow zone at most 1" deep (2.5cm). And yet this is at f/8! The sunflower is approximately 5' tall; this is not a macro shot.

Observe the actual pixels crop below. The leaf is only a few inches in front of the crisply-rendered stalk, yet it contains no fine detail. Stopping down to f/16 would increase depth of field, but it would also degrade the finest detail noticeably—see Diffraction.

Actual pixels

Bottom line: future DSLRs offering 28 or 36 or 43 megapixels will not deliver anything close to that resolution except with outstanding optics shot at f/4 - f/5.6 with perfect focus. Even the existing 21MP Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III makes this limitation very clear. Hone your skills now if you’re lusting after more resolution.

Zeiss announces 18mm f/3.5 wide angle lens

Carl Zeiss AG has announced the latest addition to its ZF/ZK line, the 18mm f/3.5 Distagon, a derivative of the Contax RTS design. The new lens promises exemplary color correction (control of chromatic aberration), flare control, and color matching to the other members of the ZF line. The ZF 18/3.5 also promises superb performance across a full-frame sensor (even wide open), with the “floating” lens element design delivering optimal performance from close up to infinity.

The ZF 18/3.5 for Nikon is slated to be available in September 2008 at a price of $US1450, with the Pentax ZK mount version arriving a bit later in the year. See also the PDF brochure.

I expect to have an evaluation unit of the 18/3.5 sometime in August, so stay tuned for first impressions of this exciting addition to the ZF line. Of course, the usual in-depth review will be incorporated into Zeiss ZF Lenses. It will be very interesting to see how well corrected the 18/3.5 is for chromatic errors and field curvature. Also exciting is the prospect of a lens that can be shot into the sun or other high-contrast scenes for dramatic effect. Get Zeiss ZF lenses at B&H Photo.

The already-shipping Zeiss ZF 25/2.8, 28/2, 35/2, 50/1.4 50/2, 85/1.4 and 100/2 for Nikon are reviewed in depth in the diglloyd.com Zeiss ZF Lenses.

Zeiss 18mm f/3.5 Distagon

Technical specifications (MTF, distortion, etc charts not yet available)

Focal length                   18 mm 
Aperture range                 f/3.5 – f/22 (1/ 2 stop intervals) 
Number of elements / groups    13 /11 
Focusing range                 0.3 m (0.98 ft) – inf. 
Angular field(diag/horz/vert)* 99 / 90 / 67 ° 
Coverage at close range        44 x 29 cm (1.7 x 1.1") 
Image ratio at close range     1:12 
Filter-thread                  M 82 x 0.75 
Length (with caps)**           84 mm (3.3") 
Diameter**                     87 mm (3.4") 
Weight**                       470 g (16 oz.) 
Camera mounts                  ZF (F bayonet) ZK (K bayonet) 
Accessories                    Lens Shade included
* referring to 35 mm format 
** dimensions and weight may vary according to the camera mount

Press release

Date: June 25, 2008, For Immediate Release

Carl Zeiss announces new 18mm super wide angle lens for SLR cameras Distagon T* 3,5/18: the super wide angle lens for dramatic perspectives.

Thornwood, New York – June 2008. Carl Zeiss expands its range of SLR lenses with the addition of the Distagon T* 3.5/18 super wide angle lens. With an impressive field of view of 99°, this new, rectilinear lens provides dramatic perspectives for architectural, landscape and close-range photography for photographers utilizing full-frame DSLRs or film-based cameras. The Distagon T* 3.5/18 is a derivative of the ZEISS designs for the Contax RTS series of cameras, but utilizing all modern materials and eco-friendly glass materials.

The Distagon T* 3.5/18 is designed with a floating lens element in the rear lens assembly, which results in impressive image quality from infinity to the closest focus range. Utilizing the superior ZEISS T* anti-reflective coating and critically designed interior elements, the lens is remarkably free from stray light artifacts and internal reflections. Images are brilliantly rendered, with extremely crisp resolution right to the edges – even at wide-open apertures under the most difficult lighting conditions. Like all Carl Zeiss SLR lenses, the Distagon T* 3.5/18 uses the ZEISS ‘color matching technology’, which provides homogeneous color rendition across all focal lengths in the product range. The front filter diameter of 82 mm allows for use of standard screw-in filters when combined with the included lens shade.

In addition to the outstanding optical qualities, the special hallmarks of all ZEISS lenses are designed into the Distagon T* 3.5/18. This includes an all-metal mount for secure mounting to the camera, extreme robustness for professional applications in a wide range of conditions and precision workmanship which results in a ‘silky’ smooth focus rotation.

The Distagon T* 3.5/18 ZF for F-mount cameras is scheduled for delivery beginning July 2008 through authorized Carl Zeiss photo dealers. The Distagon T* 3.5/18 ZK for K-mount cameras will be available within Q3/2008. The suggested list price is $1,450 and includes the standard lens shade. For more information about this new lens, please visit: www.zeiss.com/photo.

Nikon D3 white balance

I’ve had generally excellent or at least pleasing results with the auto white balance of the Nikon D3. But in spite of its large built-in database of scenes, I’ve found that it often cannot grok exposures which are dominated by an overall color, such as this forest scene, whose tones are lush and green to the eye and render as expected when basic Daylight white balance is used. Get Nikon D3 at B&H Photo

Its variable results are why I often just shoot on Daylight white balance (sunlight or cloudy or shade) in any kind of outdoor scene; I get much more predictable results frame-to-frame. In addition, I often do not want to completely neutralize the lighting; it looks unnatural to have warm tones in the shade, so a bluish cast in the shade is quite acceptable in a JPEG, since I have the RAW anyway.

Nikon D3 auto white balance (top), daylight (bottom)

Good Lickings

This bovine sends greetings from Pt Reyes National Seashore, where working ranches are maintained in a rare federal combination of active land use and preservation.

At the salt trough
(Nikon D3 + Zeiss ZF 35/2 Distagon)

Follow-up on Leica 90/2 APO Summicron-R ASPH

This is a follow-up to my previous comments on Leica’s service turnaround time for my 90/2 APO Summicron-R ASPH. See also my review Canon EOS Meets Leica — 1D Mark III mated to APO-Summicron-R 90/2 ASPH. One of the big pluses for Canon EOS users is that most Nikon, Leica and Olympus lenses can be used with an adapter. Nikon users are out of luck.

Leica 90/2 APO Summicron-R ASPH

I sent the 90/2 APO ASPH into Leica in late April and it arrived back at my door on June 10, for a turnaround time of under 6 weeks, quite reasonable given that it had to go back to Germany. According to Leica, APO lenses are serviced by inserting them back into the assembly line; their APO design requires such high precision that the formal assembly process with its specialized equipment is required to guarantee performance to specification.

What was the result? Outstanding—I sent in the 90/2 with quite visible internal dust, and it came back looking pristine, like a brand-new mint condition lens. I am thrilled with this level of service, something I’ve never experienced with Nikon or Canon. At a cost of about $320 (including shipping), I feel that the value delivered was excellent. A new copy of the 90/2 is US$3600, so the cost to make it like new was less than 10% of a new copy (I bought mine used).

A lens is a brush for light: how lenses “draw” matters a lot to me. The 90/2 offers unique properties, avoiding the color oddities associated with non-APO lenses; these properties are particularly interesting with dusk/night photography or any kind of out-of-focus highlight. So even though it is fairly redundant with my Zeiss ZF 85/1.4 Planar and 100/2 Makro-Planar, its properties are distinct enough to make it worthwhile as a long-term strategic investment, provided that time is spent learning how to exploit its properties. Cameras depreciate continually, but lenses generally hold their value over time after some initial depreciation, with certain classics even appreciating in value. Think ahead to the era of the 36 megapixel DSLR, and plan accordingly for the lenses you will want.

Tools of the trade
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Leica 90/2 APO ASPH @ f/8
(unusual color due to sunlight through smoke/haze)

First bloom
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Leica 90/2 APO ASPH @ ~f/8

Sun seeker (colors altered)
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Leica 90/2 APO ASPH @ ~f/5.6

Now I ponder whether to let S.K. Grimes have a go at the 90/2 to irrevocably convert to Nikon F mount (about $450). The benefit of converting to Nikon mount is that it can be used on both Canon and Nikon; it’s less versatile being restricted to Canon. On the flip side, I can already use it without modification on Canon EOS with an adapter for both the 1DsM3 and my 5D-IR. Part of it is the unknown risk factor: can even the best conversion avoid any misalignment issues? And would Leica service such a modified lens? S.K. Grimes has a good reputation, so perhaps the risk is low, but such concerns come to mind with any expensive lens.

New article on vignetting

Is vignetting good or bad? Read my thoughs in Vignetting.

Click to read

Resolution limits for digital SLRs

The article Do Sensors “Outresolve” Lenses? at luminous-landscape.com is an excellent (albeit highly technical) piece on the optical requirements and limits for today’s high-resolution digital SLRs. It substantiates in detail what I’ve been explaining for years in this blog and in my articles and reviews. See my Diffraction articles for just one example, as well as various blog entries over the years [latest] and reviews like Zeiss ZF Lenses.

Bottom line in all of this: you can use your own eyes to figure out how your particular camera/lens combination performs, provided that you execute your tests in a technically solid manner (mirror lockup with remote release, perfect focus, etc). The Sharpest Image delves into some of these issues.

  
Two images, one at f/5.6 and one at f/22
(Diffraction kills sharpness and contrast)

Those planning on a future of high-resolution DLSRs might well consider strategic investments in lenses like the Coastal Optics 60/4 APO macro, the Leica 90/180/280 APO series and/or some of the Zeiss ZF line, because those future high resolution sensors (24 - 36MP) will demand diffraction-limited performance by f/4 to realize the sensor potential.

Digital Infrared — Making Images

The July/August 2008 Photo Techniques publishes part 1 of my two-part series on digital infrared photography: Digital Infrared — Making Images. I recommend Photo Techniques magazine as your first choice for learning new photographic techniques; it’s so much better than the hash found in most popular rags today.

Digital Infrared — Making Images in July/August Photo Techniques

You can’t learn everything from a summary article: for the very best offering available today on digital infrared, get my Guide, which incorporates years of experience with infrared.

Click for details

Self-cleaning sensors — not so clean

With dust chunkies up to 14 pixels in diameter, the anti-dust feature of the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III has some obvious limitations.

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III f/11 (reduced size, not actual pix

Noise — Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III

The low-light and high-ISO behavior of the Nikon D3 is terrific, as I’ve seen over and over with real images. By comparison, the chroma (color) noise of the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III repeatedly gets my attention (eg by misbehaving badly). But at ISO 200?! Get the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III at B&H Photo.

You bet—click to see a larger image and actual-pixels crops—the poor quality might be surprising. And this example image isn’t even particularly dark; the R/G/B values are in the 40-50 range, as compared to the 1-5 range with the Nikon D3 church shot (heavily “pushed”) in my June 8 entry. To be clear, Canon’s Highlight Tone Priority was enabled, results might be better with it disabled.

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III @ ISO 200
(strange color was natural smoke/haze late-day sun)

Voigtlander Nokton 58/1.4 SL II

I’ve been shooting the Cosina Voigtlander Nokton 58/1.4, and recently made some careful A/B comparisons with the NOCT-Nikkor 58/1.2 for overall image quality. Let’s ignore the enormous price difference of $379 for a brand-new Voigtlander 58/1.4 versus the $2000 or so for a used NOCT-Nikkor. And the fact that the Voigtlander offering is also a modern “chipped” lens with 1/3 stop electronically-controlled aperture. Get Voigtlander Nokton 58/1.4 at B&H Photo.

The 58/1.4 offers vastly superior sharpness at wider apertures for conventional usage, trouncing the NOCT-Nikkor across the frame at wider apertures, though peak sharpness might be a bit lower exactly at the area of focus (not the plane of focus). Of course, the NOCT-Nikkor offers imaging characteristics that can only be described as bizarre by modern standards, and this is the reason it is often sought after, so in some ways this is an apples-to-oranges comparison; choose your “brush” for drawing the image. Still, they are both 58mm lenses and I suspect that most users will prefer the Voigtlander rendition over that of the NOCT-Nikkor unless their tastes in image rendition are quite odd (as mine often are). My choice (ignoring price) would be the Voigtlander offering for any “normal” photography, though I have yet to explore the bokeh characteristics of both lenses in a controlled way, which might alter that conclusion somewhat.

Nikon D3 + Voigtlander 58/1.4 Nokton @ f/1.4
(Capture NX2 used with vignetting and Shadow Adjustment)

As an aside, the Nikon D3’s ability to pull detail out of near-black shadow areas with minimal noise is extremely impressive; those shadow areas show R/G/B values in the 1-5 range before applying Vignetting adjustment and Shadow Adjustment in Capture NX 2. Get Capture NX2 at B&H Photo.

Actual pixels from above @ f/1.4

The Voigtlander 58/1.4 does have some peculiarities though, including strong field curvature, which makes it a very bad match for some subjects (or very good for others). The NOCT-Nikkor is even more peculiar in its image rendition, restricting sharpness to a small zone around the focus point, which no doubt contributes to the perceived bokeh that many seem to like.

I’d say the Voigtlander 58/1.4 is one of the best bargains available today in the manual focus lens category in that focal length range. More in the future on how it compares to the Zeiss ZF 50/1.4. See also my comments on the Voigtlander 40/2.

The missing D3 variants

I’m a huge fan of the low-light capabilities of the Nikon D3 (see the entry below). Which makes me wonder whether “progress” in the DSLR market could mean much more than ever-higher megapixels counts. Here are the cameras I’d like to see in Nikon’s lineup (all full-frame):

D3LL — The “low light” model with a 6-megapixel full-frame sensor, good to ISO 64,000, along with a true 16-bit sensor. Why not? Six megapixels can make a gorgeous 24X16 print when each of those pixels is of first-rate quality.

D3Z — The 36MP model (skip the 24MP step entirely—go for detail at 2 frames/sec). Not so good in low light and with extreme demands on optics, but great for landscape, and voyeuristic photography. Besides, Canon needs a spanking.

D3M — A 16MP 16-bit monochrome model, offering low-light performance comparable to the D3 LL, and spectral sensitivity from 300nm - 1100nm for ultraviolet, visible and infrared photography.

I’m not holding my breath on these models, but the future of digital photography is about addressing different shooting requirements, about making it easier to create images that could not have been created before. For example, the whole HDR thing (high dynamic range) is a bit silly today; that should just be done in-camera for as many stops as desired. That’s what engineers are for!

Get your own Nikon D3 at B&H Photo

Redline

Many people in the US are really hurting from $4/gallon gasoline, but I’d be delighted to pay that much at my neighborhood station, which briefly hit $4.99 9/10. The US congress achieves nothing important in its rush to spend other people’s money these days, so could we please make it a national priority to raise taxes by 1/10 cent per gallon and eliminate this nonsense once and for all?! The extra 1/10 cent can help design the next-generation square-wheeled car, or fund a national self-esteem program (forget about the strategic oil reserve, which apparently is no longer so).

Redline
(now over $5/gallon on June 10)

St il, as they say “no pain no gain”, and $4 gasoline ($6 by year-end perhaps) is by far the best way to wean this country’s drivers off their 5 litre V8’s—after all, those empty 12-pack cartons don’t really require a V8 to haul around, especially since they can be discarded before leaving the campsite.

As much as I don’t like the price, and cringe at filling my undersized 4.5L V8 SUV’s tank, it’s sure a darn sight better than having no fuel because the military has seized the oil supplies for its own use—which is where we’ll end up eventually—believe it or not.

Anyway, gasoline hasn’t actually risen in price very much. There are supply and demand issues, but what’s really happened is that the US has destroyed the value of the dollar by 40% or more over the last few years by “printing” (literally and electronically) mountains of paper money aka US dollars. As long as we can exchange ponzi-paper for intrinsically-valuable oil, we’re ahead of the game until the suckers catch on. Read The Creature from Jekyll Island.

Update: European readers of this blog report prices in the Netherlands and Britain at the dollar equivalent of $10 - $14/gallon. Rest assured, Americans, that Congress will not be so bold as to raise prices by taxing gasoline so massively as in Europe; the “cap and trade” charade will double gas prices just as efficiently while avoiding political blame and producing trillions in new looting...oops—revenue.

Nikon Capture NX 2 batch processing

I tried using Nikon Capture NX 2’s batch processing facility today. There are numerous issues:

• it processes not just the NEFs but the JPEGs, forcing you to move the JPEGs elsewhere (eg the original in-camera JPEGs);
• there is apparently no way to process a selection/subset of files without moving them into their own folder;
• no way to choose a color space for the batch (eg sRGB vs Adobe RGB). This forces post-processing in Photoshop as another whole batch step. Or you can change your color space preference (and remember to change it back after the batch!);
• no resize option for the batch;
• no way to start a 2nd batch until the first batch finishes;
• previous settings are forgotten on the next run;
• the dialog appears at the bottom of the screen each time, forgetting its size and location the next time it is used;
• confusingly-worded dialog options make trial-and-error necessary to figure out what it’s actually going to do in combination with preferences settings and file settings and other settings.

Batch-processing in Capture NX 2.0 (or 1.x) is infuriating in its implementation. Canon’s Digital Photo Professional is so much more usable for batch processing. Capture NX 2 is good for working with single images for high-quality output—and that’s it. See my mini review of Capture NX 2.0.

Nikon D3 — working in bad light

Ever attend a social gathering where there are harsh overhead incandescent lights, some garish lights of other kinds scattered around the room, and fluorescent fixtures thrown in for good measure? I recently shot at a school fundraiser using ambient light (flash is just too obnoxious for some environments), and it was a serious challenge processing the resulting images; the D3’s auto white balance produced orange results, and even in Capture NX 2 I was hard-pressed to produce anything that looked semi-natural.

Noise? At ISO 3200 it’s there, but just such a minor issue compared to color rendition issues under difficult lighting. I resorted to black and white for some images, where noise is just a non-issue. Sorry no example images, model releases weren’t obtained. Let’s just say that neither the D3 nor Nikon Capture NX can work miracles. Get the Nikon D3 at B&H Photo.

Nikon Capture NX 2

Nikon released Capture NX 2 today. Read my article on three terrific new features and other improvements. The Quick Fix dialog was used to my great satisfaction for the image presented in my May 30 blog entry.

Click to read the article

Voigtlander 40/2

I’ve now explored the Cosina Voigtlander Ultron 40/2 SL II enough to say it’s a lens I recommend to anyone who wants an extremely compact DSLR setup. Even the hulking Nikon D3 benefits, though on the D3 the petite Voigtlander 40/2 seems dwarfed by the bulk of the D3 body. But the pairing works great, and is really wonderful for “grab and go” where a bulky lens like Nikon’s 24-70/2.8 just won’t do (on the flip side, everyone assumes you’re a true professional when you’re masochistic enough to lug around the D3 + 24-70/2.8).

Voigtlander 40/2: as compact as a lens for Nikon can be

The ergonomics of the Voigtlander 40/2 are excellent, and image quality is high—see my previous notes on the Voigtlander 40/2. I expect to have a full report in the July timeframe. I also own the discontinued Nikon 45mm f/2.8P, but the Voigtlander offering is a full stop faster and with some nifty features, like its close-up lens and ergonomically-superior focusing ring.

I strongly recommend Zeiss ZF Lenses as a starting point for anyone considering alternative manual-focus lenses—the review includes much more than just analysis of optical performance.

Especially on a full-frame camera like the Nikon D3, the 40mm focal length is quite versatile, making (for example) a very nice environmental portrait lens. It would be equally at home for landscape shooting. Nikon DSLR shooters with the smaller “DX”-sensor cameras (D60/D80, etc) will find it makes a very nice portrait lens with a 60mm equivalent field of view. The 40mm focal length was perfect for the shot below, rendering excellent detail and color. Get the Voigtlander 40/2 Ultron at B&H Photo.

Nikon D3 + Voigtlander Ultron 40/2 SL II @ f/11

You can obtain the Voigtlander 40/2 through CameraQuest.com.

Web site development

Updates here have been less frequent than usual, because web site development sucks up a lot of time and energy—some exciting new developments are in the works.

Data redundancy (RAID mirror)

Today diglloyd.com was down briefly while the server was moved. When it rebooted, one of the hard drives did not spin up, simulating a disk failure. Fortunately, the hard disk hadn’t actually failed, rather it was a cabling issue. And even better, the diglloyd.com web server runs on a 2-drive mirrored volume so that failure of one hard disk won’t take the site down.

A mirrored volume consists of two or more hard disk partitions (slices, eg portions of a hard disk), each residing on different physical hard disks. The same data is written redundantly to all the member partitions of the mirrored volume (“carbon copies”). When a hard disk fails, all remaining partitions continue operating as before; there is no loss of data. When the bad disk is replaced or brought online again, it is “rebuilt” using the data on the other mirror partitions.

Mac OS X has built-in support for mirrored volumes. Seen below is the progress shown while Disk Utility rebuilds the errant disk partition. (“Degraded” means that one or more disks have failed). For even more protection against disk failures, a mirrored volume could use more than the minimum of two disks, but barring an Act of Dog that might ruin all the disks at once, odds of two hard drives failing within a few days of each other is rather small, so two disks should suffice for most uses.

Click to see full image

I’ll have much more to say on the subject of storage in the future. But in particular, Mac Pro users with empty drive bays might find that a mirrored volume offers simple yet highly effective protection against disk failure. Setting up a mirrored volume is easy, and one can even boot from it, offering protection for both the system and its data.