Nikon D850 Handy Features

Nikon D850 Handy Features

Two of the features I've always felt were missing from pro-camera bodies are a tilt or flip out rear LCD display and more recently, Touch Screen. The benefits when shooting macro and certain landscape in Live View and being able to flip out the screen are many, not the least of which is not having to lie on the ground to see through the viewfinder when shooting a low subject.

Reasons why such a feature was missing from pro camera bodies in the past varied from difficulty with water and dust resistance to the possibility of damage with rough handling.

So when Nikon released the D5 FX flagship with touchscreen, I thought things are looking up. Next, along comes the Nikon D500 DX flagship camera with touch screen and tilt screen. Now I started to get excited Hoping that Nikon would continue the trend when they released the D850 I was overjoyed to see the features included. Macro, landscape, image review and much more were about to get a whole lot easier for Nikon FX pro body users.

One thing I hadn't considered in depth was using such features for wildlife and bird photography. Many of you who have attended my workshops would have heard me say (on numerous occasions) 'Always try and shoot from the eye level of your subject'. It's not always possible but it's good practice to try. Recently whilst running a bird photography workshop in North Queensland with Dick Jenkin we were at the waters edge shooting waders such as Bar-tailed Godwits, Great Knots and many others.

The best angle was to lie down at the waters edge in the wet sand which was also covered in sharp broken shells. I was keen but not quite that keen. Time to experiment. I flipped out the LCD screen and switched on Live View. I was using the somewhat weighty Nikkor 400 f/2.8 VR lens with a 1.4 TC so it was a challenging balancing act but it does have the convenient collar mount which doubles as a handle.

Crouching down I used the touchscreen to select the focus point. I use back button focus so it then a simple matter to focus and shoot. In hindsight I could have switched on the touch screen focus/shoot option which may have made things even easier (you simply touch the screen where you want to focus and when focus is achieved the shutter is activated). The end result was exactly what I was after. A beautifully blurred background and a nice sharp subject.

Happy days :-)

Nikon D850, Nikkor 400 f/2.8 with 1.4TC (effective 560mm f/4) 1/1250s @ f/4 ISO360

Big Changes for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom

Hi Everyone,

Adobe have released a huge upgrade to Photoshop and Lightroom.

To update simply click on your Creative Cloud icon, go to the APPS tab and then update Photoshop, Lightroom, Camera Raw and Bridge.

The new versions feature some awesome improvements to selections and masks including the brand new Range Mask in Lightroom Develop and Photoshop Camera Raw.

If you've been waiting for Camera Raw compatibility for your new Nikon D850, that is also available now.

Check out more on the Adobe website below.

Iceland - May 2018 Waterfalls - Icebergs - Volcanos - Amazing Landscape

Iceland - May 2018 Waterfalls - Icebergs - Volcanos - Amazing Landscape Hi Mark, I'll be there to guide you and advise you on ideal settings, lenses and composition all the way. Small exclusive group size to maximise your learning opportunities. Experience the very best of Iceland’s scenic Ring Road and Snæfellsnes Peninsula, with attractions including national parks, icebergs, volcanic eruption sites, lava fields, waterfalls, hot springs and much more. Create magical pictorial memories along the way. . And much, much more. I'm still overseas in Africa with no access to edit the Trekabout website but you can click the button below to shoot me an email to request a PDF brochure with all the details. Click for Iceland brochure  Cheers, Mark Live, Laugh, Photograph

New - Nine Day Bali - Nyepi - Lombok Photography Tour and Workshop - April 2018

New - Nine Day Bali - Nyepi - Lombok Photography Tour and Workshop presented by Mark Rayner and David Metcalf 9th April to 19th April 2018 Book now to secure your spot on this amazing photography workshop and tour. Hi Everyone, Please join Dayak Dave (David Metcalf) and the Buffalo Master (myself) on our new Bali - Nyepi - Lombok adventure photography workshop and tour. A very special event Forget all the media nonsense. This workshop is planned to show you the real culture, wildlife and landscapes on these beautiful islands. In April 2018 a very special event happens on the beautiful island of Bali Nyepi, or the day of silence is a time of celebration, and welcoming in the bad spirits to the island. On this special day the island effectively shuts down for 24 hours. However the days leading up to the silent day are full of drama, colour, and celebration, ceremonies at the temples and on the beach, parades and just plain fun. The real people Dave and Mark will be take you to some very special non-touristy locations. Those include Stunning landscapes at sunrise, Lake Batur and the fisherman out for their early morning catch, The salt farmers of Kusamba. The ancient ceremony of Melasti down at the beach, when homage is paid to the spirits of the ocean. Ending with the probably greatest highlight: The annual Ogah Ogah parade when huge effigies’ of the devil are paraded through the streets and then taken to the cemetery to be set alight! And then there's the wildlife! There will be plenty to interest bird and wildlife photographers as we include the famous Monkey Forest and Bali Bird Park, Rural Balinese life incl the duck farmers, however perhaps the greatest highlight will be the very special dance and music performance that will be performed by the local people from the ancient village of Pejeng. You won't want to leave the Tugu. On Lombok we will be staying at the beautiful Tugu hotel, a photographic experience in itself and one of the most beautiful hotels in Indonesia. Lombok is blessed with stunning landscapes: Ranging from exquisite white sandy beaches, lush green rice fields with towering Gunung Rinjani (Indonesia’s second highest volcano) as a backdrop, massive striking headlands to turquoise coloured bays and waterfalls – it offers us everything we can wish for! Not to mention spectacular sunrises and sunsets! We will photograph all of this and also venture into hidden villages to meet the Wetu Telu people who still practise age old beliefs. These will be days of magic and wonder and don’t expect to see many if any other tourists. Dave has already explored these places and established very good contacts on the ground which will ensure we experience something very special. To find out more about this incredible photographic adventure and learning experience click on the link -> Bali - Nyepi - Lombok or call Mark on 0459 221678. We'd love to have you along. Cheers, Mark