Sunday, November 26, 2017

Buying Guide Best Cameras : Nikon D7500

DPReview provided their 2017 list of  Best Cameras by Use case and by Price Case.


My Nikon D7500 is picked

- as Best Camera in the category "by Price Case under $1500".
- as Third Best Camera in the category "for parents"
- as Fifth Best Camera in the catergory "for Sports and Actions"

This is the feedback from DPReview :

Nikon D7500 20.9MP APS-C CMOS Sensor | 51-point AF system | 3.2" tilting touch LCD

What we like:
Excellent image quality
Deep buffer and fast burst rate
Impressive AF subject tracking through the viewfinder
Small and light for a DSLR in this class

What we don't like:
Crop factor limits lens choices when capturing 4K video
Snapbridge Wi-Fi system needs improvement
Mediocre video autofocus

The Nikon D7500 is a capable and refined DSLR that produces excellent quality photos from its 20.9 megapixel CMOS sensor and also offers an impressive buffer and reliable autofocus system.

For a twin dial DSLR, it is relatively compact, but is definitely larger than most mirrorless competitors. It has a deeper grip than its predecessor, as well as improved weather-sealing. The flip-out touchscreen is responsive and can be used for focusing, menu navigation or image playback. The optical viewfinder is well-sized and has an eye sensor that turns off the LCD when you're using it.

Autofocus performance from the 51-point AF system is also quite good. The camera subject tracks with impressive accuracy thanks to its 180k-pixel RGB metering sensor. An 8 fps burst rate, coupled with a buffer depth of 50 Raw or 100+ JPEGs, means the D7500 is well-prepared for sports or action.
The camera also tracks with impressive accuracy thanks to its 180k-pixel RGB metering sensor.

Image quality from the D7500 is excellent. JPEG color tends to be pleasing, and noise reduction at high ISOs tends to be well balanced. Raw image quality is exceptional, in terms of both dynamic range and low light noise.

The D7500 can shoot 4K/UHD video but with a 1.5x crop factor (on top of the existing 1.5x APS-C crop factor), which can be pretty limiting. The quality of the 4K footage is competitive, though. The camera is also capable of Full HD video capture at up to 60 fps. Auto ISO can be used during capture and the camera has a built-in mic jack (no headphone). Autofocus during video capture is not very useful, since it's noisy, jumpy and occasionally hunts for focus.

If you're in the market for a DSLR under $1500, the D7500 is strong choice. As one of Nikon's enthusiast-grade APS-C cameras, it offers plenty of controls, customization and impressive performance that should satisfy the most demanding of stills shooters. While it can shoot 4K video, there are plenty of cameras that do so with better autofocus and no crop factor. At the end of the day, for a stills-focused photographer the D7500 an excellent camera - and one that can make use of a vast range of Nikon and third-party lenses going back decades.


Saturday, November 25, 2017

Less then a month to go

On december 21 it's again time to set up for your next solargraph. So you have 4 weeks to prepare making your own pinhole camera. DIY Instruction are available via my blog link here.

I will be preparing my next ones as well ... :) and it's not about the beer... it's about the 50cl cans.


On december 21, I will remove my installed pinhole camera's which are out since June 21. It will be my first results of the period June-December. All my previous Solargraph are made in the period Dec-June.  I'm curious about the result and what would be the difference between the periods.

Pinhole Camera Installed Since June - Size of the can 71Cl

Pinhole Camere installad since June - Size 50Cl


Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Solar Physics Basics - Lectures by SIDC

The Royal Observatory of Belgium has put a series of lectures on the Basics of Solar Physics on Youtube. See this link to the three lectures.
The lectures are made by physicists of SIDC (Solar Influences Data Analysis Center) and covering the phenomenological description of the interior of the Sun and the photosphere. Three lectures covering those basics are available. Have fun.


Saturday, November 18, 2017

Space Weather

Source ESA

Space Weather refers to the environmental conditions in space influenced by solar activity.
What kind of  solar activity exist? The best known are coronal mass ejections (CME), flare radiation, energetic protons and energetic radiation belt particles (escaping from earth magnetic field). Beside solar activity we have also cosmic activity, known as cosmic rays.
What's the effect of Space Weather? As seen in the picture above, it seems all kind of "radiation" has potential impact on our day to day life. Impact on electronics, navigation, power distribution, pipe line corrosion, radio communication, but also increased radiation dose during flights with airplanes and  in space. Did you know that flying on an altitude of 10km results in a dose of 10 micro Sievert per hour. Average exposure is about 2 à 2,5 milli Sv/Year or 5 micro Sv/hour, so flying doubles the exposure.

For a live view on space weather see following websites:

* ESA Space Situational Awareness
* SIDC - Solar Influences Data Analysis Center




Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Timelapse in 8K by Marsel van Oosten

Great Timelapse video made by the Dutch Nature Photographer Marsel van Oosten. The video is shot with the new Nikon D850 using 8K capability.