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Two shots taken just after dusk on Friday night with my new D2x. For large versions, click a pic.

24-120 VR, tripod mounted, VR off 1/6 sec, F8




This shot was taken with the Niikkor 10.5 DX fisheye lens & 90% defished with DxO Optics Pro
The top & bottom were then cropped slightly to give a pano style image.



Edit: Updated second image

you got the pics during blue hour
good one
2nd one suits this type of landscape photography

but i did notice you got some sunset relfection on the buildings which make them look better, ordinarily lots of people would miss that detail

on the 2nd image there is a black patch at the bottom, maybe clone more water reflection over it to improve the shot

Great, I love the colours in the 2nd one!
Alex

#1 has nice colours on the buildings, but #2 is definitely the standout, lovely colour in the water and a deep rich sky. Gorgeous shot

Just curious, why only 90% de-fishing in #2? The buildings at the edges are noticibly curved, why not just go 100%?

Wendell, Alex and Patrick - thanks for your comments.

Wendell - I've fixed #2

Patrick - 100% defish gives very bad distortion at the edges.

Peter,
These two are lot better than the OH, difference lighting.
Then next one will come up with Leon's Cockle Bay series
And Leigh also is with Cockle Bay dusk series with OH.

Awesome Peter!! Love the colours in the fisrt one especially on the buildings, you have to show me how you got those

Actually like them both Excellent shots IMHO

Peter,

I can see why you went back to that spot at that time.

Great shots here, the colours in 1 are lovely. I lvoe the gradutation on all of thge buildings on the left hand side from yellow to blue.

Second one is just great. Perfect exposure and composition. That 10.5 certainly gets a hell of a lot into the frame.

I'm going to start making a list of loads of good sunset and sunrise spots and this is now on it.

I'm not really into landscapes / city scapes but this one really is a beauty.

Colours are mesmerizing and to see your comment "Niikkor 10.5 DX fisheye lens & 90% defished with DxO Optics Pro" . . . wow, I wouldnt have guessed that in a million years

Wow . I love them both, but the 2nd one is gorgeous. I am going to have to start coming home earlier. The sun is usually well and truly down by the time I leave work.

Number 1 has a dusk beauty to it that far surpasses any consideration for shot #2. #1 indicates the right time and more importantly, the right exposure. Lovely shot Peter

I love #2. Colours are great. How many photo's were needed for the stitch?

Thank you all for your comments.

Matt - Sunsets from there have a fantastic golden glow with all the reflections from the glass buildings. Well worth the visit.

Chris - thank you for your comment. I suspect the first shot will hold up better to repeated viewings.

Tristram - This is a SINGLE image - taken with the 10.5 FE - no stitching.

Peter
These are some of the best harbour/CBD night shots I have ever seen. Your new camera takes brilliant pictures!

Peter, great shots, we have a 24-120 vr but my better half uses it on her D70 and in the 12 months i have had my D2X i think i have managed to get her to let me use it twice, looks like i need to use it more often,!!!!!

In light of your recent pics ,,,,,I wonder what the anti 24-120 vr people think???

Peter - both beautiful images but the 2nd pano styled one wins out I think. You're really making the D2X sing. Good work matey! It's always a pleasure viewing your images and you always seem to be improving!!!

The colours from the buildings are excellent. I prefer it over shot two.

hi

the second shot..wow. love it....becuase it is a 10.5... also becuase the sky it is not totaly back.

great

thanks for sharing

christian

Great shots,
and the winner is..........number 2.
Wish I could take shots like that.
Marty

Both simply gorgeous Peter. #1 for it's golden reflection on the glass buildings with perhaps a little crop off the right side so that the same slither of blue is seen down beside the edge buildings on both sides to balance the image with possibly just a smidgen crop from the bottom to even the proportion, nit picking I know but where at that stage with these superfine images.
#2 is just glorious
cheers
marco

Luverley Peter. Both are fantastic images with number 2 being my pick.

Peter,
Once again, as I said at earlier and seeing everyone loves these shots.

Don't do OH again

Two very beautiful shots Peter - excellent choice for the time to shoot.

Great work Peter! Love the Blueness the reflection, everything!! Just realised my monitor calibration has been out so you guys have been seeing duller images from me

Qu. Why u a fish eye lense with intent to defish it later??

I love the second pic!!

Thats one of the shot that I always wanted to go and take and "never had time"...

Thank you all for your comments. I was very pleased with the results from this visit and have more to PP yet.

Matt K - re: "Your new camera takes brilliant pictures" That's why I bought it. My last one just didn't do them right - someone suggested it was the person behind the camera that matters and I say the proof to the contrary is right here. All I did was press the button

Marco - thanks for the critique. I'll have a play with your suggestion.

Adam - good question re: why defish 90%. Here's a lift from a response I made to Oneputt a few weeks back when he asked me in a PM why I didn't just use something like a 10-20 lens instead:

My PP of my fisheye shots generally falls into about three equally used categories: 0% defish, 35% defish and 65% defish. In each case I defish to the percent that gives the type of effect I want. Many architectural shots (eg this one) look too distorted at 100% - these are typically the 65% defish candidates, but sometimes the effect I'm looking for requires the distortion (eg this shot) and it gets the 0% treatment. Falling in the middle are shots like this that get the 35% treatment

So in a nutshell I try to get it so the viewer notices the image rather than the distortion unless the thing I want them to notice IS the distortion.

Yi-P - Take the time - it's worth doing it. First time I was there was after Photo Imaging World and I had no tripod. I went back armed with a tripod determined not to miss the opportunity a second time.

and to think you weren't going to use the fisheye! lovely shots Peter Even Mrs Sheepie likes it!

Stubbsy that 2nd is one of the best I've seen, sell it and make a few bob to pay for that monster of a camara.

I pick up my D200 later this week, time to take some pics and get out of my rutt.

Mic.

Lovely shots Peter I'm very glad to see you getting used to the D2X so quickly the results are great!

Leon - OK you were right about the fisheye

Mic - Have fun with the D200 - take some pics, you have more than enough ability - just be confident - and NO INVERSIONS for at least 3 months

Craig - I found the D2x pretty much like a bigger D70, but without the red bias and with a bigger dynamic range and a price tag to match!

The reality is PP helps a lot too. Here's a before & after:

Edit: Thought I should mention that in the PP below I also straightened the verticals using Photoshop's perspective correction tool.

Fantastic colours and nice exposure!

Thanks Jamie

Now ive recalibrated my monitor all I can say is wow! I should send u a pic and u can show me how to enhance it so well. Well done

Wow! Some wonderful night shots here Peter. Well done.

I prefer #2 because I think it, like a good wine, has complexity.
#1 is also great because of the late afternoon light, but I prefer what has happened in the "making" of #2.

Those D2x's sure give a lovely smooth colour output, especially in low light. But hats off to the photographer.

wow the second one is such a nice image!!!

i love the blue's! I wish i could PP like that, your before and after shots look like 2 different photos.

Got any recommended books i could look into to learn to PP that good?

Peter, #2 is a fine example.

The 10.5 FE on the D2x would be a dream. Such a large angle of view, and enough resolution to crop at will.

Make sure you keep that combo away from me next time we meet up, I'm already broke

daniel_r wrote:Peter, #2 is a fine example.

The 10.5 FE on the D2x would be a dream. Such a large angle of view, and enough resolution to crop at will.

Make sure you keep that combo away from me next time we meet up, I'm already broke

Daniel_R
We will have a plan for you next week at Mudgee.
Can we make him drunk and we will strip off all his toys with his consent?

birddog114 wrote:

daniel_r wrote:Peter, #2 is a fine example.

The 10.5 FE on the D2x would be a dream. Such a large angle of view, and enough resolution to crop at will.

Make sure you keep that combo away from me next time we meet up, I'm already broke

Daniel_R
We will have a plan for you next week at Mudgee.
Can we make him drunk and we will strip off all his toys with his consent?

Now I am glad I won't be there

LostDingo wrote:

birddog114 wrote:

daniel_r wrote:Peter, #2 is a fine example.

The 10.5 FE on the D2x would be a dream. Such a large angle of view, and enough resolution to crop at will.

Make sure you keep that combo away from me next time we meet up, I'm already broke

Daniel_R
We will have a plan for you next week at Mudgee.
Can we make him drunk and we will strip off all his toys with his consent?

Now I am glad I won't be there

Hope, he won't change his mind after he seen this

birddog114 wrote:

daniel_r wrote:Peter, #2 is a fine example.

The 10.5 FE on the D2x would be a dream. Such a large angle of view, and enough resolution to crop at will.

Make sure you keep that combo away from me next time we meet up, I'm already broke

Daniel_R
We will have a plan for you next week at Mudgee.
Can we make him drunk and we will strip off all his toys with his consent?

I was thinking of offering him the ultimate Nikon lens of all time once he's had a few - the 70-300G for the 70-200. You get a whole 100mm more!

And, the 70-300 comes with a lens hood.

daniel_r wrote:

birddog114 wrote:

daniel_r wrote:Peter, #2 is a fine example.

The 10.5 FE on the D2x would be a dream. Such a large angle of view, and enough resolution to crop at will.

Make sure you keep that combo away from me next time we meet up, I'm already broke

Daniel_R
We will have a plan for you next week at Mudgee.
Can we make him drunk and we will strip off all his toys with his consent?

I was thinking of offering him the ultimate Nikon lens of all time once he's had a few - the 70-300G for the 70-200. You get a whole 100mm more!

And, the 70-300 comes with a lens hood.

Yes, go for it!
Once he drunk and he'll nod

daniel_r,
How about we put on aplan to drug him

Daniel, great idea Give him the 70-300 for the 70-200, he probably has not had such an offer.

After you guys drug him "s" upgrade his gear and go all the way and "s" upgrade him

LostDingo wrote:Daniel, great idea Give him the 70-300 for the 70-200, he probably has not had such an offer.

After you guys drug him "s" upgrade his gear and go all the way and "s" upgrade him

Having just caught the latest comments here I'm starting to get worried about going to Mudgee next weekend. Maybe I'll leave my camera behind

Just read this thread, sounds like a nice time in sunny Mudgee