Nikon D3 V's D4

Ok, so like all other Nikon D3 and D3s Owners i too have been wetting my pants over the recent launch of the new flagship Nikon D4! A few obvious reasons ... Pixels are now 16 which is a great, sensible size for good workflow, good quality etc ...the Low light capabilities supposedly improved again over the already 'See in the dark' D3s and lastly but the most eagerly awaited - Genuine High Def Video recording abilities.

I've placed my order alongside every other man who has sold his wives/girlfriends Jimmy Choo collection to get his hands on one.... but the demand has outweighed the supply and delivery is now going to be mid June!! :-/ Nikon have also rather greedily put the price up on its original launch price only 2 months ago from £4800 to £5260.00!! an apparent 'mistake' by Nikon .... errr really, do we all seem that dumb!! They clearly realised that demand was bigger than ever so saw fit to cash in!?

So ... i have a 'filming job tomorrow and no camera, so i quickly rang the excellent team down at The Pro Centre, and hired me a beast for the day to see what this thing can do ...

After a quick fiddle i just thought i would do a quick test between my now old and ever faithful D3 against the Sparkly new kid on the block ...

I selected Iso 4000, F8 at 1/8th sec exposure,  and stuck them on the tripod one after the other...

I am quite surprised to be honest that the quality difference isn't more apparent when blown up in the shadow areas ...and its really made me question why i am spending almost £5,500.00! There is a difference, but really .... in the real world, is it big enough to warrant that sound!???????

Can you tell!?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!?[gallery]

Advertising Shoot for new MOVband Activity Monitor

Well, as you probably know... its been raining!! Raining, raining, and then a bit more rain!! This was not looking good for about outdoors advertising Photography shoot for Fit For Future Ltd. FFF are launching the new MOVband Activity Monitor here in the uk, and needed some outdoor activity shots to show it at work. Well, Monday came and the skies turned blue! (phew) So out we set to a local park to show the Movband being put to the test!

For this shoot i was armed with my faithful Nikon D3, my 105mm Macro F2.8 and my lens for all 24-70mm F2.8. Lighting was my new Rllinchrom Quadra kit, 2 packs and 2 heads, 1 open and 1 with a small soft box.

Hope you can see how the flash gives the images that extra 'kick' ... colours zing out.... all in all! pleased! Hope you like! :)

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Events Photography for Peroni

Last night I shot the last of 3 events for drinks company ~ Peroni beer. These nights were put on around the country as 'experiential' events. One of the reasons I love doing event photography so much is that the venues are usually great, and I think you'll agree, the venues here were amazing! The first event was held in Liverpool Cathedral - which is in fact the largest Cathedral in Britain and the 3rd largest in Europe! When the lighting was fixed and the table set it looked spectacular, and had a wonderful feel! Then it was off  to 'The Old Fruit Market' in Glasgow City centre. Its my first time in Glasgow and I really enjoyed it. I always make sure i walk around a city as much as possible so i can get my bearings and a feel for it. The Georgian Architecture was incredible, and it was soon evident to me that Glasgow is certainly one of the trendiest and hip UK city's i've been to in a while. The venue was also great, loads of character and you could just imaginee it as a thriving Fruit Market in years gone by.

Last night was the final location for the Amici-di-Peroni road show, so they ended on a high, literally.... at the top of Tower Bridge. Again a great location and a tad easier to get home from! ;) The weather was amazingly turbulent last night. Sunshine one minute then Hail and torrential rain the next.... i loved it and did manage to get a few snaps out of the window...

big thanks to Peroni for giving me such a great event to photograph ... look out for more in June this year ... ;)

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New Year visit to the Seaside

Ok, so Christmas has come and gone again .... and the New year is here... After spending a lovely time up in North Yorkshire with my family, I got back to London on New Years day. My lovely lady and I decided to make the most of the last day before 'normality' kicked in again, and after seeing the sun shining brightly that morning, decided to jump in the car and head for the seaside!

We didn't have too much time, so it had to be somewhere around an hour away.... a quick buzz up the A12 and we were in Frinton on Sea. The weather was absolutely perfect! Clear blue sky, sunshine and a crisp breeze.... perfect for a stroll along the seafront! I was only armed with my little Lumix Snapper and my iPhone, but as some of you will already know, I'm a big 'Instagram' fan so was quite excited by the landscape and colours leaping out at me. My iPhone died a rather quick death (the battery doesn't last long at the best of times but with the cold hitting it, it was like watching an egg timer go down!) so I reverted to my Lumix at the end when we took shelter in a small pavilion on top of the green, overlooking the sea. Here we met the loveliest old lady. She was 92 and as bright as a button. I unfortunately didn't ask her name. Some people really do show their character in a picture, and i think she does to a tee... there is a cheeky glint in those eyes ;) What a great day! :-)[gallery]