D7000 Tokina 11-16 Rome

I have been to Italy twice in last month, Amalfi Coast ... and just now back from Rome.

Could not have survived, photographically speaking, without the D7000 and the Tokina 11-16. Wide vistas, narrow streets, huge churches and museums, dark places, some night scenes.

Relatively light weight kit to carry while exploring on foot for 10-12 hour days ... with breaks of course for cafes, panini, pizza and pasta .

Here are some samples mixed in with Nikon 28-300 VR as my versatile travel lens for D7000. Click on blog photos to see larger versions, then use something like Opanda's iexif to see which lens if in doubt.

I shoot raw, pp in ViewNX and/ or NX2, convert in NX2 to jpg, use CS2 to correct convergence when needed, then adjust for blog in Picasa2.

Amalfi Coast - Mid May

http://jbipix.com/?s=campania

Rome - End May/ June - more to come this week as well as I process files

http://jbipix.com/?s=rome

BTW May is a great time to visit Italy. Lower air fares. Lower hotel costs. Beautiful temps at 20-25C. Fewer tourists and crowds at sites to visit. Can't imagine Rome in August heat and crowds of visitors!

Questions or suggestions welcome. I am always in learning mode especially with WA as I tend to tele en normally.

Convergence. What do you do? Leave it as "natural" for WA where you are looking up at monuments and buildings? Correct in PS, (while leaving a hint to show WA)?

OT a bit. As a counterpoint for your interest, you can see at my blog each day over last week some photos of a Canadian Spring using the D700 and 70-200 VR lens.

Would have loved this combo in Italy ... but could not have carried the weight for the time I spent on foot, along with T11-16 at 16 mm to catch WA as it works well without vignetting on D700.

All in all the D7000, T11-16 and Nikon 28-300 really put in a great performance for my travel needs.
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John from Toronto
JBIPix Photoblog - http://jbipix.com

Another nice set, John. I would correct verticals, since once having done it, it is hard to unsee the difference, but no biggie.

Reilly Diefenbach said:

Another nice set, John. I would correct verticals, since once having done it, it is hard to unsee the difference, but no biggie.

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Thanks Reilly. Through working with a few today I am coming to that conclusion as well. It's a bit of an art in pp so I am learning as I go. Putting up a few of the Palatine Hill in a few minutes.
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John from Toronto
JBIPix Photoblog - http://jbipix.com

Maybe i am just too familiar with the Amalfi coast scenes as i have familly near there but there are a lot of repetitive images to me. Some very nice images and i would have chosen the select few that stand out and just show cased them

Tony

tc333 said:

Maybe i am just too familiar with the Amalfi coast scenes as i have familly near there but there are a lot of repetitive images to me. Some very nice images and i would have chosen the select few that stand out and just show cased them

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Hey Tony. Thanks for looking in. Just loved the area, the scenery (obviously), the food and the people. Will return for sure. Enjoyed Italy so much I got a last minute deal and went back again last week to Rome. I know the north quite well having been there many times but never had time to get down to Rome and further south. Yeah. I do prefer to post more than fewer but thanks for the suggestion.
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John from Toronto
JBIPix Photoblog - http://jbipix.com

Chances are you know the north better than me as all my familly are down south. I enjoyed the Rome pics more as i have not been there as much

Get down south sometime as plenty of lovely places. My favorites must be Trpoea and Maratea and also Sicily!

John_I said:

tc333 said:

Maybe i am just too familiar with the Amalfi coast scenes as i have familly near there but there are a lot of repetitive images to me. Some very nice images and i would have chosen the select few that stand out and just show cased them

Click to expand...

Hey Tony. Thanks for looking in. Just loved the area, the scenery (obviously), the food and the people. Will return for sure. Enjoyed Italy so much I got a last minute deal and went back again last week to Rome. I know the north quite well having been there many times but never had time to get down to Rome and further south. Yeah. I do prefer to post more than fewer but thanks for the suggestion.
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John from Toronto
JBIPix Photoblog - http://jbipix.com

Click to expand...

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Tony

italy is a great place to visit with so many different types of culture (north-centre-south) nice scenery, nice art, nice food,
but unless you have money it's not the best place to live in (imho)

btw i hate these 'roman soldiers out of the colosseo' most of times when they speak in their roman slang they are rude-arrogant-idiots while the tourists smile at them not understanding, but a part that

great trip(s) you had

if you are more on the landscape-scenery, some food, poor land, Sardinia-Sicily, sicilian small islands, might be a great place !

... even further south in Italy sounds wonderful! Any pics to share?
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John from Toronto
JBIPix Photoblog - http://jbipix.com

i haven't been there (Sardinia, Sicily, sicilian islands) however you can take a look at flickr

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=eolie

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=sardegna

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=sicilia

a lot of sun, parfumes, tasty food

Of the ones I looked at, in my eye, at least, there are at least a dozen that I would call spectacular. I can't hold it against any photographer who doesn't shoot 100% all the time. I'd say that even of the not so spectacular shots, they are quite worthy.

GradyPhilpott said:

Of the ones I looked at, in my eye, at least, there are at least a dozen that I would call spectacular. I can't hold it against any photographer who doesn't shoot 100% all the time. I'd say that even of the not so spectacular shots, they are quite worthy.

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Thanks for the kind words Grady. Rather than just post the best of the best I post a number that reflect best my experience of the day.

I do crop for composition more often than not. I also adjust exposure, shadow recovery and white balance (and perspective with the Tokina 11-16) as I find almost all raw shots benefit from some work before converting to jpg.

The biggest challenge in travel and daily walk around photography is to shoot in all light, the hardest being mid day high contrast, where starting from neutral is best in ViewNX and NX.
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John from Toronto
JBIPix Photoblog - http://jbipix.com

John here are a few pics I took in the past just to give you a taste of what I see each time I go. I tend to not take a DSLR when I go as I have seen all the sites and sounds many times and am usually to busy visiting my many cousins, to go out shooting. I do have many other places but not accessible at the moment as they are not on my Smugmug galleries.

Tropea my favorite beach





at the top of Maratea another favorite spot





La Sila mountain range 40 minutes from my parents house is a lovely mountain area



Magli a town my mother grew up in



Cosenza where my father grew up

John_I said:

... even further south in Italy sounds wonderful! Any pics to share?
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John from Toronto
JBIPix Photoblog - http://jbipix.com

Click to expand...

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Tony

tc333 said:

John here are a few pics I took in the past just to give you a taste of what I see each time I go. I tend to not take a DSLR when I go as I have seen all the sites and sounds many times and am usually to busy visiting my many cousins, to go out shooting. I do have many other places but not accessible at the moment as they are not on my Smugmug galleries.

Tropea my favorite beach

http://tc3.smugmug.com/Holidays/Italy-June-2007/Tropea/IMGP5505/168077633_VPrnJ-M.jpg

http://tc3.smugmug.com/Holidays/Italy-June-2007/Tropea/IMGP5500/168283270_5zpEc-M.jpg

at the top of Maratea another favorite spot

http://tc3.smugmug.com/Holidays/Italy-June-2007/Maratea/IMGP5533/168093195_7YTQZ-M.jpg

http://tc3.smugmug.com/Holidays/Italy-June-2007/Maratea/IMGP5547/168090239_iS3JL-M.jpg

La Sila mountain range 40 minutes from my parents house is a lovely mountain area

http://tc3.smugmug.com/Holidays/Italy-June-2007/La-Sila-mountain-region/IMGP5407/168098781_wEKo5-M.jpg

Magli a town my mother grew up in

http://tc3.smugmug.com/Holidays/Italy-Nov-06/08/114114490_YEGUg-M.jpg

Cosenza where my father grew up

http://tc3.smugmug.com/Holidays/Italy-Sept-2008/bc/383945856_TquYF-X2.jpg

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Thanks Tony. Looks wonderful! Thanks for the great pics. We have Italian friends so understand the pace of family visits . Next time to Rome and Amalfi I may do the same and forego my D7000 for my pocket camera. To visit new places, I will take along the D7000.
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John from Toronto
JBIPix Photoblog - http://jbipix.com

Yes i prefer travelling light to Italy now and was using a Sony H50 for this purpose up until last November when i got a G12. The G12 is perfect compromise in terms of pic quality and features but like you if going somewhere new i almost certainly take a DSLR.

John_I said:

Thanks Tony. Looks wonderful! Thanks for the great pics. We have Italian friends so understand the pace of family visits . Next time to Rome and Amalfi I may do the same and forego my D7000 for my pocket camera. To visit new places, I will take along the D7000.
--
John from Toronto
JBIPix Photoblog - http://jbipix.com

Click to expand...

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Tony

tc333 said:

Yes i prefer travelling light to Italy now and was using a Sony H50 for this purpose up until last November when i got a G12. The G12 is perfect compromise in terms of pic quality and features but like you if going somewhere new i almost certainly take a DSLR.

Click to expand...

OT. OK on the G12. My take anywhere belt pouch camera, the S95, uses the same sensor as the G12 I think. Super results from such a small package ... and raw if needed ... and with this little gem I rarely need raw. Maybe next time to Rome I will go even "lighter".
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John from Toronto
JBIPix Photoblog - http://jbipix.com

and be careful 'long hands' are everywere