So, I went to a party. It was a good one. Don’t think college beer pong blowout, or drunken and disorderly. Those days are over, mostly. This was an adult party in a beautiful location, with interesting people, great food, and drinks. Speaking of drinks. My glory days of drinking are behind me for a multitude of reasons. One, I’m in better shape, so anything that takes me away from training doesn’t work for me. Two, I’ve had my fill, mostly. I can see a beer here and there, but that’s about it. Now, before I go any further, know that none of this applied when I went to the party.
I had a beer upon arrival. Then I swam and inflated some floaty things to help out the host. Then I had some food, and then I had a margarita. I know what you are thinking. “Don’t mix, you idiot.” And you would be correct, but hear me out. The margarita contained incredible tequila, pure, fresh lime, a hint of watermelon juice, and ice. That’s it. Clean. A few hours went by, and then I had another. Everything was fine. Life was good. The sun was down, the food arrived, and there were bones on my plate. I met a New Yorker who had past-life crossovers with me. Meetings with Susan Meiselas, photobooks we have in common, and movies we both like. Life was good.
I went to sleep late, and 4:24 later, I woke up in a world of hurt.
I felt like I had died, been resurrected, then subjected to ninety-nine years of hard labor at the dead letter department of the post office. My brain and body hurt. Gone was my running plan. Gone was my cycling plan. Gone was my workout plan. Gone was reading and writing. Gone was the packing for my upcoming trip. I sat in misery, questioning my life’s paradigm. Why me?
As I sat wishing I could time travel back to the night before, I looked over and there was my Nikon Z8. You could argue that this is the best camera I’ve ever had, but that’s a silly argument because every brand has a great camera, and how do you compare a Leica M4 to a Nikon Z8? A Voigtlander with a 12mm in an underwater housing, to a Hasselblad 501CW? A Fuji XH2s to a Fuji X100VI? Who cares. They all make pictures. But for some reason, the Z8 loomed over me like a shadow. Why? Because I’ve never taken the time to figure out how to use it.
Wait, I use it all the time, but I use it for making pictures of birds. Camera + 180-600mm. Front button focus to find the bird, back button with 3D, Matrix, supernova, King Kong focus tracking of some sort to finish off the feathered beast as it tries to get away from me. I poached this setup from a German guy living in Australia, making the most insane bird photographs I could ever imagine. (It’s not fair, Australia.) And this setup works like a charm. If a bird even flies into a corner of the frame, the tracking picks it up and makes me look like I know what I’m doing, allowing me to talk trash to anyone within earshot. (The bird version of Nam stories.)
But the Z8, like most modern cameras, also shoots motion, and this is where I had never given the machine a chance. The Nikon shoots something called Nikon N-Raw at 8k resolution. I was never any good at math, but this seems like a good thing. Not that I NEED 8K N-Raw, but it’s there if I do. Some call this “future-proofing” their footage. I call it something I don’t understand. The camera also shoots 4K, of course, at a full range from 24p to 120p. And everything in between, including Pro Res this and that.
So, as I sat in a pile of wet misery, I decided to learn. I created four “banks” of motion profiles. The mythical 8K-24p, 4k-24p, 4k-120p, and one other I can’t remember. Setting up the banks means that all of my settings are saved across each A, B, C, or D bank. All manual settings, including shutter, ISO, WB, and focus tracking speed, which I slowed down because it looks smoother and dreamier as opposed to a hook kick to the neck that the high-speed option presents.
Setting up the banks and seeing those painfully slow settings meant I needed to order variable ND filters for my lenses, which I have for my Fuji system, but had not yet acquired for Nikon. And, of course, all the lenses are different sizes. Damnit. I settled on an ND for the 24-120mm, and for my beloved 40mm, which I’ve been using for many of my interviews. (The 40mm and 28mm are both 52mm.) At some point, I need an ND for the 180-600mm, but that front element is the size of an oil drum and will cost a fortune, but having that long throw for motion is something I’ve never had or done, and the possibilities are enticing.
I recently had a conversation with my boss at Blurb. I said, “If we had a full-time motion crew on staff, we would use every piece of footage they could make, and would still not have enough.” Motion is insatiable now. I’m a still photographer. Well, I dabble, but that’s what I am at heart. But I’m also someone who likes challenges and likes to keep learning, and motion has been haunting me for a long, long while. I do shoot motion, but not well, and this bugs me. Ideally, I will up my skills and become less of a liability. I prefer to work alone, so if I’m going to do motion, it’s going to be ME doing it, and not some crew following me around.
Once I had my fancy pants settings dialed, I did what every good photographer does. I filmed in my office. So much easier than going out into the world. Damned if the Z8 doesn’t have some sort of internal stabilization. I could not believe how good the footage looked, even handheld. Speaking of handheld. That’s not my thing. The films I love are typically filled with “rock shots,” or scenes captured when the camera is on a tripod. I currently have two tripods. One is a small travel pod that is completely useless for cameras and lenses the size of the Z8 and 24-120mm. The second is at least twenty years old, works fine, but the head sucks and won’t handle anything large either. Just as I was thinking, “Great, here goes another $300 for a new tripod,” I dug around in my wife’s closet and found a gargantuan beast of epic proportion.
Think 1979 Ford LTD Country Squire, or the “Wagon Queen Family Truckster” from the movie Vacation. This tripod and head weigh as much as my fully loaded camera bag. It will withstand hurricane-force winds, and I could pitch my tent on top and sleep just fine. To put it mildly, it’s not optimal, but it did bring something else to my attention. The Arca-Swiss plate. Turns out, the grip on the bottom of my Nikon Zf…Arca-Swiss. (I learned this when starting my interview with Quinton.) And this beast of a tripod, also Arca-Swiss. The new collar for my 180-600mm…Arca_Swiss. (The stock collar kinda sucks, Nikon.) One plate fits all. In my opinion, tripods are way too complicated, and there are way too many options.
What’s the moral of this story? Drinking is good. It led to my finally being sick enough to figure out my camera. Time now becomes the problem once again. If there is ONE thing I’ve learned making the films I’ve done is that there is never enough time, and attempting to make both stills and motion at the same time, as an individual, isn’t easy. It’s probably stupid, but as you can see, that fits me perfectly. The last thing I’ll add is that I need training, especially on the editing side. I would gladly sign up for a Davinci class. Total rube, start at the beginning class. Davinci, like 8K, seems a bit future-proof. I use Premiere, and it’s fine, but it feels like Davinci offers more, and if I’m going to break down and get trained, why not start there? (All these programs scare me.)
UPON FURTHER INSPECTION: My wife had two of the gargantuan tripod beasts. The first one is broken. The knob that tightens the plate is broken off. The second is a bit baffling. The head feels like it’s in the wrong direction. The handle comes off the back, which is great, and the panning is so smooth. Seeing as I’ve never tried a pan, this is interesting. The plate is the right direction for my long lens, but not for the short lens, because the long lens connects via the collar, but the camera with the short lens connects via the camera body. The knob to tighten the plate sits under the base of the camera and conflicts with the fit, making it impossible to tighten the plate. Not to mention, there is an old piece of rubber under the plate that comes loose and gets stuck between the plate and the head. This sucks. I need a new head after all.
Comments 22
Man, I feel for you… We do a wine and cheese thing in my neighborhood once a month. Just the women and each of us take turns hosting. Great way to get to know your neighbors. But I digress. Like you, I don’t drink very often. Usually only at these wine and cheese things. At the last one, I enjoyed a healthy glass of a beautiful red. Then I had a glass of this lemon prosecco stuff. I was inebriated. Totally and completely, uselessly sloshed. Unfortunately, this did not result in my doing anything useful the next day so I am particularly impressed with what you were able to accomplish.
Author
That’s a double whammy. The sugar of wine and the sugar of lemon prosecco. You survived!
I remember in my 20s I could out drink most men(I’m not bragging either). After I had my son in 2018, I couldn’t stand the smell or taste of alcohol. I’m like you, though. I dont like that it messes with my physical activities. Not to mention, I have a lot of acid in my stomach(I take omeprozal everyday). So alcohol is a thing of the past but boyyyy could I party back in the day.
Author
Good. I like having a former partier on this ship!
A glass of wine with a meal. A cold beer on a hot day. That’s about it. Digital for shooting events. Film for fun. Not both at once. And that’s about it.
Author
Not a bad balance..
You need to drink more often 🙂 …..On the solo filming thing: Don’t try to do it all. I’ve shot several what were known as EPK’s (Electronic press kits) which is essentially a BTS and interviews with key cast and crew. I had to do it alone because the budgets were crap, no surprise there. It was really tricky shooting, with sound whilst reading questions and paying attention to the answer and making sure nothing had stopped working. Listening for sounds off and mic issues. Too many on to one. Editing is also important, as you learn how to shoot from being an editor. If you get the opportunity for an assistant or even a sound recordist, take it.
Author
I work alone. Just like George Thorogood.
Danielsan, You’re more driven than I. Even in my twenties, I’m not sure I would’ve been nursing a hang-over and utilizing THAT time to study the particulars of a given camera (the Z8 with a PDF/guide-book of over a “thousand” pages on functionality alone). The real question is? Will your new ball-head be available in the color “Metallic-Pea.”
Side-Note: I do remember the end result of mixing cheap beer and Boone’s Farm wine…Maybe the only time I’ve “talked” to God.
Author
Oh my God. Metallic Pea. Eugene Levy is a legend. “This isn’t your car.”
As I have enforced time-off on my hands (Yay, Lay-Offsville + Severance + Early Semi-Retirement) I feel like I should learn video and editing more as well. Become not just less of a liability but more of an asset, too. But…man, that mountain to climb looks sooooo high. Start small, step-by-step, I know I know. But still…yikes,
Author
As long as it’s fun.
Have you tried Pre-Release Capture on the Z8? It might be JPG-only: https://www.nickdalephotography.com/blog/how-to-use-pre-release-capture
Author
Not yet. It feels like cheating. Thankfully, I love cheating.
I woke up one morning in November while I was 40, with a long bike ride planned for the day. Unfortunately, I got blindingly drunk the night before so the bike ride was cancelled. I vowed to myself there and then never to touch another drop. It’s a good job I’m stubborn because that was almost 11 years ago, and I still haven’t been near it.
Author
Commode hugging drunk. Uuufff. That’s a good run. I remember you abstaining while we were hanging. Smart.
I hate tripods.
Author
I do too. But what I learned I hate more is unusable footage.
I’m not a big drinker at all-but I do have bottle of 18 year old Macallan that is sadly almost gone sat on my desk here. That stuff is delicious!
Author
Best time to drink. Breakfast.
My only contribution to the drinking theme is that I realized I was walking in the footsteps of an alcoholic father and gave up all booze quite a while ago. Over time I lost a lot of drinking friends but gained popularity with co-workers since I could always be relied upon to serve as designated driver for after-work events.
But I wrote the rest of this after reading your “Tale of Two Tripods” (with apologies to Charles Dickens)…
I have two tripods as well. I purchased a Sirui A-1005 tripod a couple of years ago. I justified it by knowing it had an Arca-Swiss plate and I would be joining the modern world. It’s black, pretty and light enough at my age to backpack with. I knew my younger backpacking buds would approve. I’d only taken the new tripod on a couple of walks but was able to form a strong opinion of it very quickly.
I hate it.
I found that with all the twist style compression fittings, 4 on each leg, it was nearly impossible to quickly level the tripod on uneven ground. I would have one or more of the compression fittings that felt like they were secure but found they were not. They would “catch” but under very little weight would give out. I then had to loosen and re-tighten them. And forget it if I wore gloves. They only made it harder to get the legs securely extended.
To level the Sirui ball joint which came with the tripod I had to adjust two different nobs. One cinched down on a ball joint and I’m not quite sure why the other was there. My Fuji H2 is heavy enough to make this a chore. Put a 16-55 zoom on the H2 and it’s impossible to have it level on the first attempt. I would mount the camera, tighten it down then re-adjust for sag because somehow no matter how level I get the camera and how tight I make head’s nobs the camera shifts when I let it go. Then there’s the Arca-Swiss head. If not aligned perfectly the camera plate gets stuck and I have to jiggle it out. This is particularly frustrating with cold hands.
Fortunately I also have the tripod I got way back when I was in college. It’s a Bowen 3411 “Professional Tripod” and according to the still readable sticker, made in Italy by Manfrotto Nord. This tripod and I have a long history together. We’ve been in knee deep streams and ankle deep mud, in Washington State rain forest downpours and high mountain Cascades snowdrifts. The knobs, only 2 on each leg, work perfectly every time. I can tighten them with confidence even when wearing ski mittens.
And the head, acquired about 10 years ago, is a Manfrotto 322RC2 ball joint and pistol grip with adjustable tension on the grip. I can’t adequately describe how easy it is to mount the camera and level it. I simply squeeze the pistol grip and it moves freely around the ball head. When I release my grip the head it locks into position. No sag, no poorly tightened knobs. Mounting the camera is a snap, literally and figuratively. I position the camera over the head, press down and it locks into place. To remove I release the lock and lift the camera right off the tripod. I can and have actually done all this with total confidence for more than one near pitch black long expsoure..
In all fairness the Sirui I bought was not a top-of-the-line model. Sirui has a good reputation and I’m sure that would not be true if all their tripods were this difficult to use. Also some of my opinion is certainly shaped due to so much of my familiarity with the tripod kit I already have.
To be honest the IBIS on the H2 allows me to travel without a tripod at all. Rarely do I even consider a tripod. But in the rare occasions when I think I might need a tripod I will always bring my Bowen/Manfrotto kit. I’m keeping the Sirui for now but it might very well wind up on Craig’s List. Or maybe part of a trade-in for the next last camera I will ever need.
FWIW this should not be seen as a product review or an endorsement of either product. Your “Tale of Two Tripods” just got me thinking along these lines and I thought I’d share.
Author
For stills, I rarely use a tripod. But I am shooting a lot of motion content. The Fujis are good and the Z8 is amazing too. I can handhold video even with the 180-600……to a certain degree. But nothing substitutes for a tripod. Unusable footage, or everything slowed to 120p only gets me so far.