Nikon 24-120mm F4 Kit Lens: Why I recommend it as your first lens

In this video I discuss my most used lens, the Nikon 24-120mm f/4 lens. It is the lens that is packaged with Nikon Full-Frame Cameras the most. I would recommend it as your first lens if you are going to full frame cameras. The 50mm Prime is great but isn't as versatile. In this video, I will also provide several example of just what the 24-120mm lens is capable of.

Sony 80 Megapixel A7RIII? Why?

Sony is making a 80 megapixel camera. Sounds impressive buy why? I think its too big in file size because it would eat up your SD cards quickly and kill the buffer. Do you think different?

Best Places to shoot the stars and galaxy(astrophotography) in the State of Wisconsin.

Best places to shoot the stars and galaxy in Wisconsin. Please note that you cannot see the galactic core from November to February as the sun is directly behind the galactic core. You will need a clear day and either a quarter or new Moon. The galactic core shows up in the pre-dawn hours in the spring and early summer, around midnight in the mid-summer and right after dusk later in the year.

Places in the Southern/Central Wisconsin:

1. Governor Dodge State Park -- The area around Twin Valley Lake. Cox Hollow Lake has much more light pollution. You will need a camping permit in the summer. Governor Dodge Album.

2. Blackhawk Lake Recreation Area -- A bit darker than Governor dodge, not mentioned in the video. Hard to see there after dark. Example Photo at Blackhawk Lake Recreation area.

3. Wyalusing State Park -- Great for sunset and day time photography but also the overlook is good for stars. The album for this park is Here.

4. Wildcat Mountain State Park -- Great area for sunset as well but good night photography as well. Album is Here.

5. Kickapoo Valley Reserve -- Great hiking and nature area but also good foregrounds to shoot the galaxy at night.

6. Hogback Prairie State Natural Area -- one of the two best places in southern Wisconsin. Example photo Here

7. Meadow Valley State Natural Area -- Great Marsh/Swampy Area. Example photo Here.

Northern Wisconsin:

1. Point Beach State Forest -- Great spot on Lake Michigan. Get the stars above the lighthouse. Point Beach Album Here.

2. Newport State Park -- Tip of Door Peninsula. Album is Here.

3. Washington Island -- Shoot at Jacksonport or any outer part facing the lake or Rock Island.

4. Rock Island State Park -- Shoot the stars over the boathouse or the lighthouse. Rock Island Album is Here.

5. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore -- Shoot on the outer part of Madeline island. Album is Here

. 6. Copper Falls State Park -- Photos of stars over the Bad River or the Waterfalls. Album is Here.

7. Chequamegon -Nicolet National Forest -- Shoot at Lake Namekagon, Clam Lake or Day Lake. Photo Album is Here.

8. Flambeau River State Forest -- Conner's lake, Lake of the Pines, or North Fork of the Flambeau River. Album is Here.

Anything I missed or have questions, let me know.

Nikon d850 Teaser Preview and thoughts

Rumors are that the Nikon D850 will have:

1. Improved sensor and higher resolution, 42mp maybe even 50 mp.

2. Improved High ISO performance, up to Sony's standard since it looks like they are using Sony Sensors.

3. Full 4k video capabilities.

4. 8k time-lapse video.

4. Improved AF.

What more do you want?

Teaser Demo shot from Nikon d850:

Nikon D850 Hercules Rising Demo -- Teaser trailer showing off camera video abilities.

Nikon D760: What we should expect from it

The Nikon D750 when it came out in 2015 was the best camera from the value and continues to be one of best Cameras around. But I expect these improvements for the D760 for the 4 year update.

1. Better Autofocus and Dual Pixel AF and not putting all the AF points in the center

2. +1 eV is terms of Dynamic range from 14.5 to 15.5

3. ISO Performance increased from 2956 to 3400

4. 4k Video of the non-crippled variety

5. 24mp to 30mp

What do you think?

Canon 5d Mark IV: What it should have been

This video will look at the specs of the Canon 5d Mark IV and compares to the Nikon D750 and the Nikon 710 as well as the Sony ARII. I will look at the good features as well as three or four features that it lacks and I think should be in the Camera especially at the high $3300 price tag, which is more expensive than its Nikon or Sony Counterparts. Overall, its a solid camera but slightly disappointing in terms of DR and technology specs.

Why are DSRL sales falling? Is it the Mirror-less revolution?

For the past several years, DSRL sales have dropped of. The are about 65% of where they were 4 years ago. You might think this is because of the Mirror-less revolution and people are jumping ship from DSRL cameras to mirror-less cameras. However, that is not the case. Canon and Nikon still dominate the Amazon top sellers list for digital cameras. The reason sales are lagging so much is because the lower end of the DSRL marketing is being eaten alive by smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy 6 which sports a 16 MP Camera and 4k video. With smartphone Cameras getting so good, hobbyists are holding off or just not buying new Cameras. Agree/Disagree?

Canon 6d Mark II and Nikon 7500: Why we as customers should not be fanboys and offer critical and objective reviews

This video talks about why fanboyism is bad for customers about cameras and why objective reviews and criticism is completely necessary in order for us as consumer to get our money worth when we buy a camera. I will be using the Canon 6d Mark II and the Nikon d7500 as examples as cameras that just don't deliver for the money. We should not be comparing 2017 cameras to cameras of yesteryear but should benchmark them to the technology that is available today. Crappy DR performance and lack of 4k video(which smartphones have) in a $2000 camera should not be acceptable in 2017.

Canon 6D Mark II Review and thoughts

Important links and info:

1. Cannon 6d Mark II -- Canon 6d Mark II at Amazon.

2. Dynamic Range over ISO Comparison -- Important Comparison of performance. This one has a Nikon and Sony Performance.

Overall I can't recommend this photo for people looking to buy their first full frame camera. For a lightweight full-frame, I recommend the Sony Mirror-less Cameras and I also recommend the Nikon d750. If this camera had 4k video, I might recommend it, but it doesn't.

Long Distance Biking and Photography

Important information and Links for this video:

Canon Powershot: Canon Powershot

Nikon Coolpix: Nikon Coolpix.

I would actually buy a used road bike off craigslist rather than drop $1,000 on one and for tires, you'll want something like these:

Bike Tires. - I would get the tires from your local bike store instead of buying online.