Nikon 500 PF Initial Specs Review

August 27, 2018 by Steve Perry | 83 Comments

Update – see he full field report here.

You know, I feel sort of bad for the new Nikon 500 PF lens.

With all the hype and hoopla surrounding the new Z6 and Z7 mirrorless cameras, this lens sort of got lost in the shuffle. In fact, I think …

Posted in Nikon Gear, Opinions

Nikon Z6 and Z7 – A Wildlife Photographer’s Initial Perspective

August 25, 2018 by Steve Perry | 87 Comments

WOW – I’ve been getting a ton of e-mail asking me about the all new Nikon Z6 and Z7 mirrorless cameras for wildlife photography. Well, after spending the last couple of days looking over the specs, brochures, and hands-on reviews from the people lucky enough to get their hands on …

Posted in Nikon Gear, Opinions

How I Got The Shot – The Big Guy

July 25, 2018 by Steve Perry | 45 Comments

“Wow! That’s a big bear,” I exclaimed as I pulled the truck off the road.

As I brought the pickup to a halt, my wife was quickly scanning the nearby woods, “Where?”

I pointed at the 2 o’clock position from the windshield, “Down there, on the ground.”

As I opened …

Posted in How I Got The Shot, Techniques, Using Your Gear, Wildlife

8 Awesome Accessories For Nature Photographers

July 14, 2018 by Steve Perry | 46 Comments

One question I see drift through my e-mail box on a regular basis is about accessories – specifically, the ones I like and use when I’m out in the field. So I decided to put a video together and show you eight of my favorites. I use each and every …

Posted in Misc, Using Your Gear Tagged gear, techniques |

AF Help For Tricky, Low Contrast Subjects

July 7, 2018 by Steve Perry | 41 Comments

So, there you are, face to face with a once-in-a-lifetime shot, but your AF seems less than confident. As you attempt to focus, it tries, misses, tries again, and finally, reluctantly, latches on. However, as you study the image in the viewfinder, the “sharpness” of the subject leads you to …

Posted in Techniques, Using Your Gear, Wildlife Tagged AF, gear, techniques |

How To Properly Balance A Gimbal Head

June 19, 2018 by Steve Perry | 43 Comments

“Hey! You’re doing it wrong!”

That’s what I want to shout pretty much every time I’m out and spot other wildlife photographers with gimbal heads. It seems that well over half of them believe they have their gimbal properly balanced when they really don’t. It’s a shame too – a …

Posted in Techniques, Using Your Gear, Wildlife

Amazing High ISO – The End Of Fast Glass?

June 9, 2018 by Steve Perry | 128 Comments

(NOTE – when I refer to “fast glass” in this article, I’m referring to the maximum opening, not AF speed.)

Do we really need fast glass anymore?

After all, with all that fantastic high ISO performance we find in modern cameras, should we all just agree to relegate fast glass …

Posted in Opinions, Techniques, Using Your Gear, Wildlife Tagged gear, lenses, wildlife |

Nikon’s New “Recall Shooting” Feature

May 26, 2018 by Steve Perry | 53 Comments

Nikon just released a new firmware update for the D5 that, at least at first, seemed somewhat minor. There were a couple of bug fixes along with a new feature called “Recall Shooting.” (Get the update here if you have a D5.)

The name of this feature may lead you …

Posted in Nikon Gear, Techniques, Using Your Gear

Use Photoshop To Blur Out Backgrounds

May 11, 2018 by Steve Perry | 20 Comments

I’m a sucker for a nice, clean background. In my opinion, nothing ruins a wildlife shot (or portrait shot, if you roll that way), faster than a busy, distracting background.

The thing is, it wasn’t that long ago that if you wanted to do wildlife, fast glass and full frame …

Posted in Photoshop Tricks, Wildlife Tagged P, photoshop, post-processing |