New camera / Nikon D500

So recently I had to buy a new camera. Something I didn't plan on doing just yet. It was more of a necessity than anything else...

My good old Nikon D7000, that I will be using still even though its not 100% reliable anymore... Will mainly use it for some landscapes and some videos probably. I can't let it go, it's still a very capable camera

Reason why? My trusty good old Nikon D7000 kind of broke down on me. I was happily shooting away with it on this recent event photo job I got booked for. When suddenly this error showed up on my display. At first it looked like it was only a coincidental error so I didn't bother too much about it. But then it kept coming back, and back, and back... I was going crazy. It seems that the mechanism of the shutter is worn out. If I take a photo more than 50% of the time the shutter "fails". So though the camera still "functions" it's just not reliable anymore. Sending it in for repairs is probably out of question, I probably have lost warranty after years of use. But I am not getting rid of this camera, not at all. I can see myself still using the Nikon D7000 for landscapes, and some video purposes. But its not usable on jobs anymore where every moment and every click should be captured instead of hoping the camera actually taking the photo. (Luckily I had a Nikon D3100 on me as backup to photograph the event, all turned out well in the end)

My new camera, the Nikon D500. a true masterpiece. FX quality camera in a DX format body.

So, it was now time to purchase a new camera, because. Yes... I can't be running around with a sketchy camera. I need my gear to work. I have been looking to get a obvious step up from my Nikon D7000 for some time, but now I had too anyways. So, its was time to decide. Do I go FX or do I stick with DX? With most of lenses being DX and not having the budget to invest in a FX body with a set of FX lenses I decided to stick with DX. But the next question was, what camera is a step up from my Nikon D7000, is it going to be the 7100/7200/7500 or maybe even the D500. Some sleepless nights later comparing specs I decided to go for Nikon's DX flagship, the incredible D500. I just felt that stepping up from the 7K series was the right thing to do, and really take it up a notch while still being it a DX camera. There's no better DX camera then the Nikon D500. 

Some short facts about the D500: 20.9mp APS-C sensor, iso 52. AF system is the same as in the Nikon D5 (Nikon's FX top model) 10fps continuous shooting. 4K 30fps, 1080p 60fps, high iso (up to 51.200) and so on... Its basically a professional FX camera with all these specs. But just with a DX sensor. The right choice for me considering the amount of DX lenses I use.  

The Nikon D500 and the Nikon D7000 next to each other. Its obvious that the D500 is the bigger adult brother of the D7000. Both camera's are totally awesome.

Below are two first landscape photo's I shot with the Nikon D500. I really love how fast it focuses even in low light. Image quality and dynamic range are impressive. Certainly improved here compared to the D7000. I am aware the D500 is more of a sports/wildlife camera with its AF system and 10fps burst mode. But I can't see why it won't make a bad ass landscape camera too. Do you agree?

Beegderheide

Sunset on the Beegderheide.

I have also tested out the video function on the D500 for a little bit. Watch in 4K!

Out and About 1: Leudal

Hi all, I am going to start this series of blogs called "Out and About" This series will be blog posts about National Parks and other great outdoor locations in and around the area where I live. I will be showing you some of the most known, and lesser known spots and places in these areas.

So today I went to "Het Leudal" which is a beautiful nature reserve in the municipality of Leudal, In The Netherlands
Leudal is a municipality with close to 40.000 people living in it. With it being the biggest municipality in Central Limburg it is still very green, and has this great outdoor feel to it. No big overcrowded cities or busy highways here. The nature reserve is quite big (for Dutch standards) It extends over 900 hectares. And is filled with beautiful forests, little streams, wide open fens and plenty of hiking trails. Great place to forget everything around you, and breathe some fresh air.

Below are some photographs that I've taken today, all of them were taken between "Heythuysen" "Roggel" and "Haelen". All three are towns located in and around "Het Leudal" The nature reserve is much bigger then the tiny area I covered today, perhaps I have to dedicate a second "Out and About" blog to "Het Leudal" to cover some more areas of this place, and show you some more beauty of it through photographs!

The weather was quite dramatic today, a bit windy, heavy clouds. But that all made for quite dramatic conditions, conditions that I like to be out in. And that really work for landscape photography. Enjoy!

Nikkor 35-70mm F3.3-4.5 AF

Last week I picked up this old lens that was up for sale on the internet. I was after a little extra "fun" lens to add to my camera bag for quite a while. I just couldn't decide on what lens to get. Also, I was not planning on spending a large amount of money for just a "fun" lens. Sure, I have a wishlist of lenses that I one day would love to call mine (the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED for example) but that would put me back between €1000/1600, and I just can't afford that right now.

So I was looking around, and found this super cheap Nikkor 35-70mm F3.3-4.5 (got it for €25)
And I just had my first little test shots with it on my Nikon D7000. Nothing spectacular, just quick snapshots to get a feel for the lens and see how it holds up despite being quite an old lens. Let's be honest here, its not going to be super fast, super sharp, and for that matter not super impressive. Not useful in quite some situations as well as you can imagine. Why? think about chromatic aberration, its a bit soft here and there...  if you need the images you produce to be as sharp as they can be, don't use this lens.

But, all in all its a nice little lens to have. Its super light, its relatively strong in low light due to the f3.3. It does a decent job on bokeh and with my D7000 its auto focusing perfectly fine. And all of this for just €25, you feel me? Can't go wrong. It is probably coming along in my bag whenever I am outside, exploring and enjoying the outdoors. For some casual snaps here and there. Here's a really quick snapshot I took with the lens just after I picked it up.

The photographs of the lens itself were taken with my D7000 and my trusty Nikkor 50mm F1.8.
Thanks for reading, see you next time!

- Arjan Wilmsen