The Transition to Mirrorless - Nikon Z6 II

After nearly nine years, I bought a new camera body and ventured into the world of mirrorless photography. Oh, wait, the second part of that statement is not accurate. I do own an old mirrorless Olympus OMD camera - also purchased nine year ago, but it didn't "take", ie, it sits, very un-used in a camera bag and serves as a stinging reminder for me to be more mindful of my purchases. [So maybe that misguided purchase resulted in this nine year wait and reluctance to switch over to mirrorless.]

 

 
My Nikon D600 still performs beautifully, shows no apparent issues with its mechanical elements with over 28,000 shutter actuations. The D600 gives me all the results I want - great action shots, great low light capability, great portrait photos and the list goes on. I resisted the pull of the new mirrorless cameras due to the EVF (Electronic View Finder) and slow performance based on my experience with the Oly.

 

 
So why convert now? Technology has caught up, especially on the EVF - [a baseline requirement]. I learned that my current lenses could be used on Nikon's latest mirrorless cameras - [important as I have invested in good glass]. The final deciding factor for me is the smaller, lighter camera form factor. I've grown weary of lugging around a heavy, bulky camera bag when my pocketable iPhone can render 70-80% similar images to my D600. But I still need performance of an interchangeable lens camera and the mirrorless fits that need.

 

 
So I purchased a Nikon Z6 II along with the FTZ lens converter which allows me to utilize my existing F-mount lenses on the camera with full functionality.

 

 
With my 24-70mm lens mounted via the FTZ converter:

 

 
Plusses: 

• The EVF performance is amazing - I don't miss my view finder at all 
• Focus points - I can now set focus point anywhere in the photo area. The D600's focus points are clustered in 30% of the center of the photo area and I always felt that handicapped the composition or slowed me down with focus / recomposing action. 
• The form factor and controls - the smaller body is suited for my small hands. Which makes me think it might feel cramped for someone with normal / large hands. 
• The controls feel intuitive and I'm well versed in Nikon camera settings so there hasn't been too steep of a learning curve. 
• Auto focus - it is amazing and includes tech upgrades like subject eye detect for people and animals.

 
Here's a photo of a droopy Louie the Siamese cat as an example.

 
 

• In camera image stabilization coupled with auto focus 
• What you see is what you get with respect to the EVF and exposure control. Want to underexpose? The EVF renders that under exposure. I moved to Manual control and immediately saw the exposure settings were way off in the EVF. 

Cons: 

• The only substantial con I've run into is battery life. Of course the EVF will drain the battery faster than a standard DSLR. 
•  The live view screen on the back is hard for me to use due to ambient light conditions, but honestly, I'm going to use the EVF 95% of the time anyways.

 

 
Yes, I still plan to use the D600, so maybe I will turn into one of those photographers who tote around two cameras at a time to avoid the hassle of switching lenses. Of course that counters my desire to lighten up my camera kit. Maybe just for those portrait sessions!

 

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Caught Sleeping

Every blog needs some fuzzy cuteness every now and then.





Two weeks ago, I accidentally shut the sliding glass door on Louie's tail. I shut it hard and didn't realized what had happened until I looked down and saw a big clump of cat hair on the ground, and one super freaked out cat who proceeded to run away each time I approached. Yes, there was blood and cat hair everywhere. We couldn't find the cat until the following day, and I brought him into the vet. We thought the tail was broken, which meant the possibility of a tail amputation. I felt so bad!

Everything worked out in the end - the tail is not broken, and the two inch gash has healed nicely. I gave Louie his antibiotics via portions of tuna fish, which he loved. He has resumed sleeping with me at night, so I think he forgives me. I take my time closing that door now - I never want to go through something like that again.

After the 2nd visit to the vet - he's feeling better enough to roam out of the cat carrier.

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Indulgences | Tulips

Please pardon me as I indulge with more tulip photos. The wonderful winter sun shone bright all day long and I found myself at home earlier than normal. I moved the bouquet into the dining room where the afternoon light streams in.





Louie wandered in, curious as always.





I couldn't shoo him off - he was so interested in the flowers. No, he didn't try to eat them... just a sniff here and there.

For these next two shots, I placed the bouquet on the floor, with the white flowers in the sun. I spot metered the white of the blooms, resulting in the dark background. In the past, I've placed a black shirt on the floor when trying to get this sort of effect, but I've learned with brightly lit subjects, this isn't needed as long as I spot meter.




I leave you with two final images from today's tulip shoot. Have a great Friday!

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Large And Small

And beautiful in every way.





We were blessed with bright sunshine today, which tempered the frigid and icy conditions outside. I was lucky to capture little Louie by the dining room window before he scampered off.

I captured the horses a few days back - another sunny but chilly day. I love how they grow thick, fuzzy coats in the winter - they look so cozy.

But it is decidedly cold out.....as she reminded me:


Hope you are staying warm today!

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Merry Christmas

Just a few glimpses into our Christmas this year.

The kid-decorated gingerbread house. Each kid gets half the house to decorate. There was a mis-understanding this year - each kid thought I was making them their own house! Next year, I'm just going to purchase two kits - it will be much easier for me...

The front:


The "party backyard", complete with pond for the penguin and campfire for the gingerbread men.


We bought gifts for the cats and I could not resist this plaid outfit, even if it was designed for a dog. Louie endured 15 minutes of humiliation while we cooed and declared how cute he looked in it.


See, it even comes with a hood...


The kids stayed up late, trying to guess what was in each package. There were a lot of guesses for "shoes". That's because we used old shoe boxes to house the gifts!


Needless to say, we had a great Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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Skip to My Lou

Over the past month, I've learned that, as much as I hoped and prayed for a happy ending, that doesn't always happen. Instead, we have a bittersweet start and move forward.

The reality of the situation is as such - in our neighborhood, seven cats have gone missing since mid May. We've lived here ten years and have never had any issues with cats being taken. But the rabbit population is way down and there have been sightings of a coyote. We received word that seven foxes were rounded up and destroyed just to the south of our neighborhood - due to the unusually high fox population.

It's now been five weeks since Sam went missing. We are fairly certain he was killed by the coyote or large fox. Our other cat, Hannah, is no longer allowed to go outside unsupervised - we go outside with her and make sure she doesn't leave the boundaries of the yard. She only goes out to chew on some grass before heading back inside. She's only insisted on going outside since Sam disappeared, and I am certain she misses him, too.

With the loss of our Sam, I started the process of finding a new cat. The house felt empty and I needed another cat. I specifically sought out another Siamese cat because I knew that breed would bring with it many of the traits I loved in Sam, namely friendliness and loyalty. Ideally, I would have preferred an adult Siamese whose owners were seeking a family to adopt. I found such a cat on Craigslist, but the person running the ad never responded to my inquiry and I assumed the cat had already been adopted. So I started looking for kittens. Oh my, there were quite a few to choose from - such cute and adorable photos that melted my heart. I was ready to drive four hours to visit one breeder when a new ad popped up on Craigslist - one for a 6 month male, a seal point Siamese, whose family could no longer afford him. I responded to the ad and within an hour, the owner, Jane, had emailed and texted me. We arranged to meet the next day.

I took Brian with me and we met Jane at her house, about an hour away. Louie, the Siamese was sleeping on the couch. Jane explained that she was going back to school and could not afford to keep Louie. He had his first set of shots, but needed rounds two and three, including a rabies shot and finally, he needed to be neutered. Jane obtained Louie from an inexperienced breeder who was dealing with too many litters - quote - "I got him out of a bad situation". Even so, it was clear that he was well cared for and loved in his current situation. When Jane placed that droopy cat in my arms, I knew he was the right one. We took him home with us.

Meet Louie. Taken a couple hours after we first brought him home. He spent a little time hidden under the bed, but finally emerged after some coaxing.

We decided to keep the name his previous owners called him. Scott looked up the meaning of the name and Louie means "famous warrior". We think it fits.

No, he'll never replace Sam. I've told the kids that I would love it if Sam showed up on our doorstep tonight, or 6 months from now - having Louie doesn't change anything about the love we have for Sam and we still miss him.

In the two weeks we've had Louie, he's progressed from being contained to the basement to having free reign of the house. Hannah no longer hisses at him and they seem to be getting along, interacting more with each passing day. We're learning more about his personality - what toys he prefers, where he likes to sleep, how he likes people food (not much of a shocker there!). He's certainly a part of the family.




I am thankful we have Louie in our lives.

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Sam's Story

I'm going to start with a PSA - If you have a pet, please keep an identification collar on him / her. Also, have him / her micro-chipped. If at all possible, keep them inside.

It's been four days since Sam went missing. I've gone from being upset all the time to just part of the time, which is really still most of the time. I've gotten a not so pleasant education around who to call / what to do when your pet disappears. So far, I've called Animal control, posted ads on Craigslist, checked all the neighbors' yards, underneath all their decks and shrubs, and put up posters of our missing Siamese.

I awoke this morning (at 4:30, as it has been these past days), compelled to tell Sam's story - to get it all down before I forget how I feel, before I start to compartmentalize it all. When our other cat, Rascal passed away this time last year, I felt better that I could read back to her story and remember all that made her so special.

Sam was given to us from one of my daughter's friend - they were moving to a new house and decided not to keep him. Since we already had two cats, we told them we could possibly take him. But since we already had two cats, I was a little anxious about having so many cats in the house.

Sam had his first "sleepover" at our house two years ago. He hid behind the futon in the Living Room at first....

Before moving to the warm laps on the couch. I can tell by his eyes, he's still on high alert.


The first night, Sam slept peacefully in Erica's room. The second night, he started in her room, but resorted to acting up. "Acting up" means trying to get out of the room by opening up the closed door. With lever style door handles, he jumped up on the handle, pushed down and voila - opened door. We moved him to the basement and stuck a crate in front of the closed door. Over time, Sam learned that with enough forward force, he could get the crate to slide and move the door open just enough to slip out. That's when we added a ten pound weight to the crate!

In the beginning, Sam preferred hanging out with everyone except for me. I think this was a learned behavior, as the mom from his previous family isn't really a cat person. He didn't completely ignore me, but he preferred the males first, then Erica and finally, me. Regardless, he always manages to find the most comfortable spot on the couch:


And really tolerates a lot without much fuss:




After Rascal passed away, we allowed Sam and Hannah full reign of the house - before this time, Hannah and Rascal roamed the upstairs while Sam was limited to the basement. I guess this is when he really became fully comfortable in the house.

OK, maybe he can be comfortable on any warm surface.

Finally, Sam and I really started to bond this past January, after I tore my ACL. I was couch bound and he kept me company before and after my surgery.

Recently, he has been getting into bed with me. See, Sam likes to spread the love around. He starts in Brian's room, sometimes goes to Erica's room (if Hannah is there, he doesn't), then shows up in our room around 3:30. He jumps up, plops down on my chest and gives me a lick on my chin. He's expecting a little ear rub and if I'm not too tired, I oblige for a couple minutes, enjoying his purring. When I stop, he nestles down in the crook of my left arm. This had always been Rascal's spot, and I had been reluctant to let another cat fill that spot, but Sam felt just right.

Some other Sam traits - Sam loves chicken and will jump up on the kitchen table to get some. He can smell it and starts to go crazy - we started calling him "chicken hawk". We've been known to indulge him occasionally...

He likes to sleep in cars. We've found him sleeping in either the Capri convertible or the Toyota Corolla, but not the Tahoe - probably because the Tahoe seats are leather and just not as warm and cozy. We tend to keep one of the windows open on these cars just in case he wants to take a nap there.

If you've read all this, you can probably tell how much we love Sam and pray he comes home soon. I didn't realize this until I pulled up these photos - he came to us on June 9, 2010. The last we saw him was Saturday evening, June 9, 2012. I'm not sure if I should take that as simply a coincidence, or a "sign". Regardless, I will continue to keep Faith and whatever the outcome, accept it as such.

I'll close with a slide show of the photos I've taken over the past two years.

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Taking a Little Break

I'm taking a break from blogging - not sure how long.

I've lost some of the drive in it all - even the photography.

And this past weekend, our Siamese cat, Sam, didn't come home. We've scoured the neighborhood several times and fear the worst.



I miss him.

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Chicken Hawk

That's the cat's nickname these days.



We recently learned that Sam the Siamese's previous owner had a habit of feeding him chicken nuggets from the table. I think the story was the youngest son was a bit of "loose eater" (our term, not theirs), so bits of chicken would fall to the floor and Sam ate them. We never made the connection until we left some chicken out and found Sam on the kitchen island, next to the plate, the veritable "kitty that ate the canary" look on his face.

OK, so now we do give him treats occasionally. But he has this sixth sense about chicken being prepared, pacing the kitchen, getting a bit underfoot. Forget about chicken nuggets / KFC (in the picture) - he knows as soon as you walk in the door. And the Chicken Hawk starts his stalking.

Hope you don't have a cat stalking you this Wednesday.

Linked to Wordful Wednesday

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P365+1 Week 4 - Cats, Horses and Camera Toys

With my knee injury, using my iPhone for my daily photo has been a blessing. I can no longer carry my purse with the DSLR in it - the purse is too heavy and I am worried I would drop it.

I spent last weekend confined to the house, but I still found interesting things to take pictures of [mainly because I was bored out of my mind!].

Saturday morning was super cold and windy, but the sun was shining and the cats basked in its warmth.


I stayed home from church on Sunday and Hannah woke early to peer out the dining room window.


Monday - I had the MRI on my knee and Erica got her braces off, but she wouldn't let me take her picture. Teenagers! Instead, Sam hung out with me, trying to vie for my attention.


Tuesday - I went back to work at the office and got the official word from the doctor's office that I have a torn ACL in my left knee. I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in late February - a long three weeks away - that was the earliest appointment they had! After work, I took the kids to have passport photos taken. I waited until Erica had her braces off because I thought she would appreciate having a non metallic smile for these photos. So much for that plan.....


Wednesday - Look what came in the mail! This is what happens when I'm laid up with a bum knee - I start shopping....

A vintage Kodak Brownie camera. It's in great condition and I plan to buy 120mm film and try it out.

Thursday - A visit to the stable to see Caesar. Because of my knee, I am unable to go into the stable area - the ground is too uneven and today it was super muddy due to heavy rains that passed through the area. I'm relegated to the car and I got some reading done. I'm reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.


Friday - yet more camera toys (I told you I spent too much time online shopping)

The Olloclip attaches to the iPhone and comes with three lenses - macro, wide angle and fisheye.

Here is the first macro shot I took:

The stitching details on Caesar's bridle. We were again at the stable, I was again stuck in the car.

In the stable, Erica took this picture of Caesar with his winter blanket:

Since Caesar's winter coat doesn't come in as thick around his upper body, we bought a blanket for him to wear when the temps dip below 20 degF. We think he looks quite formal with his wrap.

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Saturday Morning

It's a cold Saturday, and with my knee injury, I am unable to go anywhere outside. Fortunately, the bright sunshine makes up for my lack of mobility and I am thankful I can hobble around with my camera inside.

The Morning Sun:


Sam awoke mid morning and promptly found the warmest spot in the house.


I hope you are having a great Saturday!

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In the Garden

I spent Thanksgiving afternoon cleaning up the yard - when the temperatures are above 50 degF, and you've stuffed yourself with turkey, it's good to get out and moving around.

I also found some nice things to photograph in the garden:

The thyme that has survived the recent frosts. I used some in today's meal. There's nothing better than fresh herbs.


Sam, the Siamese, on the prowl.



He looks all intense, but he was chasing a leaf. Then he went inside and took a nap. Oh, to be a cat!
I hope you have a relaxing Saturday!

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