My digital work is shared between a host of cameras at present.  When I absolutely need to capture good images I use a Kodak DCS Pro 14n.  This professional grade camera is built on a magnesium chassis.  It records 13.7 mega pixel images though Nikon lenses.  My second or "backup" Digital SLR is a Nikon D70 .  With these two cameras I have the equipment to shoot good photos, now if I can just build the skills to match my equipments capabilities.

     To light the way for my images my main flashes are a Nikon SB-800 and a pair of SB-600 Speedlights.  The ability to marry these flashes through the Nikon Creative Lighting System give me the ability to light a subject to near studio quality.  I also use several basic photoelectric pickup slave flashes to light large areas in less than optimum conditions.

KODAK DCS PRO 14N

• 13.7-megapixel (effective) RGB CMOS sensor, delivering image resolutions as high as 4,500 x 3,000 pixels.

• SLR optical viewfinder.    2.0-inch color LCD display.

• Nikon "F" lens mount accommodates wide range of Nikkor lenses.

• Auto and manual focus control, with Single Area and Dynamic AF modes and AF assist lamp.

• Program AE, Flexible Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual exposure modes.

• Shutter speeds from 1/4,000 to two seconds, with Bulb mode for longer exposures.

• Depth of field preview.    Adjustable ISO from 80 to 800 ISO equivalents.

• 3D Matrix, Center-Weighted, and Spot metering modes.    Seven white balance modes, including a manual setting.

• Auto-Exposure Bracketing mode.    Continuous Shooting and Interval Shooting modes.

• Self-Timer for delayed shutter release.    Built-in flash with five modes.

• External flash hot-shoe and additional PC sync terminal.

• JPEG and RAW file formats, including simultaneous JPEG/RAW mode.

• Images saved to Compact Flash (Type I or II) and/or SD/MMC memory cards.

• Nikon 10-pin accessory interface.

• Power supplied by DSC Pro 14n Battery pack or optional AC adapter.

• IEEE-1394 interface for high-speed connection to a computer.

• Video cable for connection to a television set.     GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) compatibility.

NIKON D70

·  6.1 effective megapixels.    New Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor for 3,008 x 2,000-pixel images

·  New advanced digital image processor to optimize image quality, control auto white balance, auto tone and color control

·  Accurate white balance regardless of lighting conditions achieved by Nikon's acclaimed 3D Color Matrix Metering with the 1,005-pixel RGB sensor

·  Continuous shooting at 3 frames per second for a continuous burst of 144 pictures when using JPEG NORMAL

·  Immediate power-up has the D70 ready to take pictures before your finger can reach the shutter button

·  High performance System LSI uses next-generation programming to greatly increase the speed of all processing and writing operations

·  High-speed, high-precision 5-area AF system.    Maximum shutter speed of 1/8,000 sec. for full creative control

·  Seven new automated Digital Vari-Program selections including Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, and Night Landscape.

·  New generation color reproduction system offers a choice of three color modes

·  New JPEG and NEF Combination Filing System enables simultaneous recording of NEF (RAW) and JPEG data for the same shot.

·  Large LCD monitor with user-friendly menus

·  New AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED zoom lens designed to deliver high performance and outstanding value as a perfect match for the D70

·  Built-in auto pop-up flash features exclusive i-TTL flash control, fast 1/500 sec. flash sync shutter speed, and supports Nikon's Creative Lighting System

POINT & SHOOT DIGITALS

   As good as the digital SLR's shoot, sometimes they are just too much to throw in a backpack, the windshield bag of the motorcycle or the back seat of the truck.  For these times I have three point and shoot digitals.  A Lumix LS 70 a Lumix LZ3 and a Nikon 7600 along with an ancient Nikon 4300.  All of these cameras will record images in either jpeg or uncompressed tiff images. 

    The Lumix cameras seem pretty tough and reliable thus far.  I don't like the images when the image stabilizer is turned on.  The detail washes away to nothing with this feature.  The large displays are nice.  The Nikon 7600 is very new and have not had time to really abuse it yet.  The Nikon 4300 has been around for years and I have done everything possible to destroy it to no avail.  For a plastic point and shoot it gives a very decent image and has taken enough abuse to kill most cameras.

LUMIX LZ3

• 5.0-megapixel CCD

• 2.0-inch color TFT LCD monitor

• 6x, 6.1-36.6mm lens, equivalent to a 37-222mm lens on a 35mm

• Maximum 4x digital zoom

• Automatic exposure control

• Shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to 8 seconds (To 60 seconds in "Starry Sky" scene mode)

• Maximum aperture of f/2.8 to f/4.5, depending on lens zoom position

• Built-in flash with four modes

• AF assist lamp

• 5 selectable autofocus modes

• 3 selectable aspect ratios

• 5 selectable resolution settings

• 2 selectable JPEG compression levels

• SD memory card slot for storage

• 14MB internal memory

• Powered by 2 AA batteries

LUMIX LS70

Lowest Shutter Speed 8 Fastest Shutter Speed 2000 Screen Size 2 in Screen Resolution 86,000 Screen Type LCD Maximum ISO 3200 Widest Focal Length 5 mm Longest Focal Length 17 mm Maximum Aperture f/2.8 Zoom 3 Video Resolution Up to 848x480 Video Frames per second 30 Battery Two AA batteries Battery Life Approx. 250 shots Width 3.7 in Height 2.4 in Depth 1.2 in Weight 4.8 oz

NIKON 7600

• 7.1-megapixel (effective) CCD delivering image resolutions as high as 3,072 x 2,304 pixels.

• 1.8-inch color LCD display.

• Real-image optical viewfinder.

• 3x, 7.8-23.4mm zoom lens (equivalent to a 38-114mm lens on a 35mm camera).

• Maximum aperture f/2.8-f/4.9, depending on lens zoom position.

• Shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to four seconds.

• 4x Digital zoom.

• Automatic exposure control.

• Built-in flash with five modes.

• Built-in mic and speaker for including sound in videos and playback from the camera.

• 14MB internal memory.

• SD memory card storage.su

NIKON 4300

• [AUTO] mode for point-and-shoot operation and 12 versatile Scene Modes

• Exclusive 256-segment Matrix Metering

• 5-Area Multi Autofocus for easier photo composition

• Best-Shot Selector (BSS) automatically chooses the "sharpest" image from consecutive shots

• Versatile white balance settings and White Balance Bracketing

• Small Picture function creates smaller size image data for easily e-mailing

• Transfer button for one-touch upload of image data to a computer

• Movie mode at approx. 15 frames per second (fps.) for up to 40 seconds.

• Macro shooting as close as 4cm (1.6 in.)

• Bright, clear 1.5-in., 110,000-dot, low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD monitor

MORE OF MY CAMERAS

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