Technical Information

I am often asked questions about the more technical aspects of photography, in particular, what equipment am I using.  This page is designed to answer some of these queries, and to provide information on the equipment I use.

I use Nikon^TM exclusively, and have done throughout my professional career.  I am mainly used the Nikon D2XS, and a D200.  Both are terrific cameras.  However this autumn (2008), I was fortunate (again, courtesy of Nikon Professional Services) to trial the new generation Nikon digital cameras, first the D300, and then the much lauded D3.  Well, surperlatives aren't enough when it comes to describing the D3!  I was ultra impressed with the D300, but the D3 is like nothing else I have ever used before.  And the brochure is accurate.  This camera makes it possible to take an image where previously it could only ever have been recorded by my eye.  And last week, my own D3 arrived.  As I unwrapped it, I gave it a hug and a kiss, and told it that we would do great things together!  See the Arrowfield Stud gallery for images taken with a D3, and the New Zealand gallery for images taken with a D300.  For those of you who cannot afford a D3, Nikon have just released a D700, which is essentially a 'baby' D3.  At just under $4000 it is still not a cheap camera, but is a compromise for those that can't justify the almost $6000 for the D3. 

The lens I use for my race footage is the Nikkor AF-S VR 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED.  It has Nikon's new Nano-Crystal anti-reflective coating, produces razor sharp images, and has been a superb investment.  Even dedicated Canon users comment on the images is produces!  The D200 increases its focal length by 1.5x, and the D2X is either 1.5x in its full frame mode, or 2x in its high speed crop mode.  I also use, when the light is good enough, the AFS 1.7x teleconverter, and this has the effect of turning my 300mm lens into a 1020mm lens when used on the D2X with its high speed crop mode, which makes for dynamic close ups and wonderful head on imagery.  The other lens I utilise extensively is the Nikkor AF-S 80-200mm f/2.8 IF-ED lens.  Again, it is top quality, and produces razor sharp images.  I use it in the mounting yard, and all the time to photograph my kids.  Clean faces are essential, because these lens show every detail!

In the days I shot film, I used a Nikon F5 camera (now replaced with the F6), which was the most wonderful workhorse (excuse the pun) a photographer could hope to use, and an F100 as a backup/mounting yard camera.  I still have my F5 (couldn't bear to part with it), and I am sure I could hear it sitting crying quietly in my camera bag the first time the new digital camera went into the field.  It has been a most faithful servant!

I cannot speak highly enough of Nikon as a company, and have utmost faith in their equipment.  They are tough, reliable, durable, and produce top quality images, time after time. 

See these links for my specific comments on the D200 and D2XS camera bodies.  I will provide more specific comments on the D3 and D300 in due course.