The Next Adventure
August 08, 2017
For the past 9 months I've been back in Ohio, working part-time at the local camera shop and teaching lessons. The road had been calling me for a while and I knew I had to get back out there. The upcoming Total Solar Eclipse provided the perfect opportunity to hit the road! My overall plan is to enjoy the eclipse in Wyoming, drive down to Colorado...
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Progrey G-150Z Review
July 22, 2017
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If you are currently looking into 150mm filter systems, there are a lot of choices. Of course, you have Lee and Nisi, two of the most well-known (and expensive) brands. I use the Lee 100mm system myself, but I've had some problems with it, mainly light leaks and bad color cast. Originally I was thinking of getting Lee's 150mm system, but I soon rea...
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Tamron 15-30mm vs Nikon 14-24mm
July 10, 2017
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4 Comments
UPDATE - January 31, 2018:
I've gone through and uploaded some new test images to compare the performance of both lenses for Milky Way photography. First Look - RAW Photos This comparison shows both lenses straight out of camera, no editing has been done. The camera settings were f/2.8, ISO 1600, 20 seconds. The Nikon was at 14mm and the Tamron...
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Long Exposure Photography Tips
July 05, 2017
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Today we are going to be testing our ND filters to determine their exact properties. If you recently purchased some ND filters, this should really help! Even if you've had your filters for years, this will come in handy. I recommend shooting in RAW and using Adobe Camera RAW for the following tests. If you are new to Long Exposure Photography, read...
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Haida 150mm Filter System Review
June 30, 2017
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For the past 3 years I've used Lee Filter's 100mm system on my lenses. When I purchased the Nikon 14-24mm, I needed a special filter system to work with the lens. After comparing 8 filter systems, it seemed that Haida Filters offered a good filter holder for a reasonable price. The Haida filter holder for the 14-24mm is currently $136, a bargain co...
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Nikon, Tamron, or Rokinon - Best Lens for Astro?
June 26, 2017
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This week I finally had the opportunity to test the Nikon 14-24mm, Tamron 15-30mm, and Rokinon 14mm against one another. Cherry Springs State Park, in Northern PA, provided the perfect testing environment with its incredibly dark sky. I had a couple goals with this test: determine how vignette effects amp glow, test coma, test vignette, and see how...
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Sigma 35mm Art - Astrophotography Performance
June 25, 2017
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The Sigma 35mm Art is renowned for its sharpness and the Sigma Art series lenses are supposed to be some of the best on the market. I purchased this lens back in 2015, hoping it would make an excellent lens for Milky Way photography, with its f/1.4 aperture. On my 2016 roadtrip, I was able to capture some stunning Milky Way photos with the Sigma!...
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ISO Invariance with a Nikon D750
April 22, 2017
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What the heck is ISO Invariance? To put it very simply, an ISO Invariant sensor will allow you to increase the 'Exposure' in post-processing with minimal quality loss. An ISO Variant sensor will show severe image degradation if you try to increase the 'Exposure' in post-processing. Therefore, an ISO Invariant sensor gives you a lot more flexibility...
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Rokinon 14mm vs Nikon 14-24mm
February 19, 2017
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February 2018 Update: Milky Way Tests
First Look - RAW Examples These photos were taken straight out of the camera, as RAW images, and converted to JPEG. No editing has been done. The camera settings stayed identical between shots, I simply swapped lenses.
Nikon
Rokinon
Nikon
Rokinon
Vignette and Color Balance My biggest problem...
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Living on the Road
January 06, 2017
Before You Go If you don't have one yet, get a Rewards Card. Every major credit card company has multiple cards you can apply for, each with different bonuses. I opted for the Capital One Quicksilver Card, which gives me 1.5% back on all purchases. I used this card for 90% of the purchases I made over the course of my roadtrip. When I finally got b...
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Joshua Tree
November 30, 2016
13,000 miles. 4 months on the road. 1 final location left, Joshua Tree National Park.
I soon realized that Victorville California was on the way to Joshua Tree, of course I had to stop. If you remember my California Coast blog post, I was spending 16 hours a day stuck in my car watching YouTube videos. I had gotten hooked on the On Cinema series...
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Yosemite
November 27, 2016
With only 1 week remaining, I made an abrupt turn East. I now needed to drive across California to Yosemite National Park, only 255 miles away!
As I drove up the coastal hills I got one last glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, a little sliver of blue nestled between the mountains. I soon found myself in an arid, flat expanse. This was one of the most...
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The California Coast
November 19, 2016
The Storm Keeping up the tradition of never checking the weather forecast, I headed to the California Coast. I was planning to drive down Highway 1 for over 600 miles, from Crescent City to Cambria.
When I arrived in Crescent City I heard that a massive storm was headed towards the coast. According to the reports, a remnant of Typhoon Songda was...
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Mount Rainier
November 14, 2016
With the North Cascades behind me, I began the long drive to Mount Rainier National Park. October was well underway and I knew the snow would not hold off for much longer. As I was driving a little Chevy Malibu, I could not risk getting caught in the mountains during a snowstorm. It would be a death sentence.
I made it to Paradise (aptly named),...
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Dharma Bum
October 09, 2016
As I was exploring the North Cascades it soon occurred to me that my trip was turning out surprisingly like "The Dharma Bums". In the book, the main character eventually makes his way to the North Cascades to spend a few months living / working in a firetower. The other characters in the book tell him of the jagged high peaks that he will soon see.
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© Peter Zelinka