Outdoors and Overexposed

Early this morning, I grabbed my camera and headed into Old Town to check out the local farmer's market. Again, I had my 50mm lens attached and quickly realized I could have used my 35mm lens instead. The market was crowded and there were instances where I had to zoom out with my feet and avoid bumping into people.

One of the "cons" in several reviews I've read on the D7k mentioned how the camera tends to overexpose in bright light. I have to agree with them. I forgot to adjust my camera and here's the results:


















I think it's time I start using the U1 and U2 modes on the camera and configure the camera for outdoor/bright light settings. That's another dial on the camera that I haven't even experimented with...yet.

BTW...the D7k created a new folder after it reached 999 files on my SD card. Interesting.

Camera Stats: 721 shots at 51% charge

Back in the middle of June, I posted here that I took 718 shots on my first battery charge. I'm now using my 2nd battery (backup) and have taken 721 shots and the battery is showing 51% charge. My, oh, my. That's unheard of.

So what am I doing differently between the two battery charges? One, I'm using the menu system less. I've already tweaked the settings and I pretty much know my way around the menus. Two, I'm not "staring in awe" at the the LCD monitor as much. When I first got the camera I was just awe-struck going from a 2.7" to a 3" LCD screen. I kept zooming in and out to look at the pictures. Three, I'm just shooting pictures like crazy and not having to review each one after each shot. Sounds like "I'm becoming one with my camera". That's happened before with my beloved D40. That's a good thing!

It's been a month since I've purchased my fun-D7k camera. So far, I've taken 1439 pictures. At the rate I'm going, I will have taken 10,073 pictures at the end of this year. Now, that will be a first for me to turn over the camera back to 0001 in under a year or 7 months to be exact. I've already rolled over 3 other cameras, but it took a year to accomplish that.

I'll be back to post the results/stats of my 2nd battery charge. I'm anxious to see if I can get over 1000 pictures on a single charge. So far, it's looking good!

Friday Photos...50mm

When I get home from work, I'm anxious to go out and take pictures. Practice, practice, and more practice using my one month old camera. Here's more flower pics from our gardens. Continuing to use my fab 50mm/f1.4 lens.

Pink Phlox:

50mm, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 100


Butterfly bush and an upside down Swallow Tail:

50mm, f11, 1/125, ISO 250


White Phlox and a bee:

50mm, f8, 1/500, ISO 100


Heliopsis:

50mm, f9, 1/320, ISO 100


My hubby mentioned this year has been a great year for blueberries. We had a wet Winter and Spring season. More blueberries on our shrub:

50mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 900

A Few Pictures From the Weekend...50mm Lens

50mm, f8, 1/250, ISO 100


50mm, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 100


50mm, f10, 1/400, ISO 100


50mm, f5.6, 1/250, ISO 100


50mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 125


50mm, f8, 1/250, ISO 100


50mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 6400


50mm, f5.6, 1/80, ISO 6400

Blueberries...Summer is Here

Since last weekend, I've spent all week shooting with my Nikkor 50mm f1.4 lens. I've had some really good results. Practice, practice, and more practice. It's been over two weeks since I've had my 18-200mm wide/zoom lens on my camera. I've learned to let go. I've learned to enjoy my prime lens.

Last night, my hubby told me to check out our blueberry bushes and to bring an empty container. I had forgotten about the single blueberry bush that we had transplanted over 12 years ago. We actually saved it from being bulldozed over to make way for a new development out in Reston. We actually saved two, but one of them died...probably from the stress of the transplant. We were able to get a handful every year. A few years ago, hubby planted another blueberry bush for me. Kind of like having companion mates. Yes, I forgot about them until last night. We had a bumper crop of blueberries. I collected as much as my container would hold. Then hubby came behind me and collected some more. Actually, he was eating them while collecting them.

In all, we had about a little over 2 lbs of fresh blueberries:

50mm, f5.6, 1/40, ISO 6400

Early this morning, I started breakfast with my Honey Nut Cheerios and those beautiful berries on top:

50mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 4500


I am so thankful for blueberries and for my darling hubby who did the major transplant years ago.

50mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 2200

Nikkor 50mm/f1.4 Lens

Some sample pictures taken with my 50mm lens:

50mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 100


50mm, f8, 1/125, ISO 140


50mm, f4, 1/125, ISO 100


50mm, f1.4, 1/4000, ISO 100

718...Pictures Taken on a Single Battery

That's the total number of shots I took with my first battery on my new D7000. I got the blinking battery light and then I could no longer autofocus for the next shot. I couldn't preview the pictures I've taken nor could I access the menu system. The battery was truly expired. So now, it sits in my charger...getting rejuvenated. It should take less than 2-1/2 hours to fully recharge. When I initially did the first recharge on May 30th, it took less than 2 hours. I popped that battery into my camera and kept taking pictures until this evening. My, my...718 pictures later. Truly inspirational.

Now, Nikon says on average I should be getting roughly 1050 pictures on a single charge. For as long as I keep turning on my LCD display, to preview pictures taken or wander around the menu system...I don't think I'll come close to that number. I'm fine with that because 718 pictures taken is A LOT on a single battery. I would have easily gone through 3 batteries on my old D5000.

We'll see what the next picture count I get on the 2nd battery. Oh yeah...it's my new spare battery. I think having two batteries is enough for now. I'll end up buying another one, a year from now and so on. As batteries go through charge cycles, they will eventually deplete or lose their original strength. Out of habit, I always buy another one a year later.

I'm ready to take more pictures this weekend. I currently have my 28-105mm lens attached to the camera...waiting for some action tomorrow. On Sunday, I plan on using my 35mm/1.8 or my 50mm/1.4 lens. I just have to remember to "zoom with my feet".

More later....