Bob Crum

First, I enjoyed a whole weekend of much needed rest & relaxation. No assignments! After walking miles to photograph airplanes, bucking bulls or hurdling pigs my bones ached, my tendons taut. The deep seaweed massage by Mermaid Megan was delightful! Like the yogurt motto: Oui to me time. However, I got bored silly which is eminently and frightfully depressing. Faithful readers know that I thrive on photographic challenges. Even miscues are fantastic learning opportunities. But I digress.

Nikon finally released a pair of mirrorless cameras: Z6, 24.5MP (megapixels) and a Z7, 45.7MP with an ISO range of 64-25,600. Ho hum some say.

Some Nikon aficionados are already decrying the video recording limitations. They wonder why Nikon limits their latest, greatest camera to Ultra HD 4K at 30 frames per second? Shame on the scorners. Perhaps Nikon engineers preferred to design a mirrorless “camera”, not a super camcorder!

But the scorners have a point. Panasonic GH4 owners have been shooting at Nikon's present resolution and frame rate since 2014. “Going further into the video territory,” says David Murphy at PetaPixel, “let’s talk slow motion. Nikon is offering a measly 1080/120p. I’m not saying this won’t give you some buttery smooth slow motion, but again, when my two-year-old Panasonic GH5 can outclass this by giving me a stellar 1080/180p, I just find it hard to be impressed.”

A big misstep in my opinion is Nikon's requirement to use costly Sony QXD memory cards. A 32GB QXD card costs approx $90.00. My 32GB high speed SD cards for my Canon 7D2 cost me $25.00. I have 10 cards. Do the math.

There are some Nikon redeeming attributes: 45.7MP full-frame sensor (if you really need 45.7MP), touchscreen interface, 5-axis IS system (Sony and Olympus have this) and 493-point AF system.

Depending on your lens requirements, perhaps best to wait before rushing to buy either a Z6 or Z7. Remember, you don't merely buy a camera you buy into a “system”. A very important part of the system are lenses. Nikon is releasing only three lenses for their new mirrorless cameras: 24-70mm f/4 S, 35mm f/1.8 S, and 50mm f/1.8 S.

Want the trio of wide-angle, medium zoom and telephoto, you'll have to wait till 2021. If you're a Nikon shooter with Nikon lenses, an adapter will be available soon, says Nikon. But regular readers know that I think adapters are usually problematic. Nothing better than native lenses on a camera sans adapter.

Ready to get into a mirrorless camera system? Go for it! Olympus, Fujifilm, Sony and Panasonic make excellent mirrorless cameras. Again, lens availability should be your priority, not the camera brand. At this time, none have a universal 16-300mm or 18-400mm lens that allows me to shoot a ton of stuff without having to constantly change lenses. Because of lens availability, I continue to shoot with my trusty Canon 7D Mark II camera. For now!

Photo of the week is a BMX stunt rider at the Ventura County Fair. Two riders performed several jumps but I didn't want a ho-hum photo of rider in the air. Even a phonetographer can get that shot. I wanted the rider in the air and in the smoke burst. This didn't come easily. Again, it's about being ready and timing. I think it was the 7th or 8th jump when the photo op materialized. BAM! Got it! Aaaaaah. BTW, I pre-visualized this shot after watching them perform last year. Joy is absolute when visualization manifests. Any wonder why I love photography? Happy photoing!

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