There have been so many rumours about the Nikon D800 and many sites have reported that it will be a 38MP monster.  I don’t know if any of this is true but there are some things that are certain if Nikon are to keep up with Canon.  It will definitely have a high Megapixel count, it will be fast, it will have good low light performance and it will have a HD movie mode.

So why do I think that the D800 will be the camera that will move me away from my trusty D200? The photography that I mainly undertake is Landscape Photography and this needs

• Megapixel count
• Good dynamic range
• Excellent colour range
• Robust camera – as often work in difficult conditions
• Wide angle!

However – I also want more flexibility in my next camera and also want to start to take high quality video diaries of my landscape photography trips in the UK. Things that my next camera must do is

• Be able to take movies
• Have better low light performance
• Better autofocus

The D200 has been a trusty camera since I bought it in December 2005 and I have created many amazing photos.

There are quite a few things I don’t like about the D200 though.

• Dust on the sensor – I have to get it cleaned every 4 months
• Screen - it is poor quality and makes it difficult to review images
• Focus problems - I have had a few focus problems on fast moving subjects and in low light
• Battery life – it is poor and only good for 250 photos

The key area though is the sensor.  I have been looking to move to a full frame sensor as this has many added advantages to a landscape photographer.  I have never consider this a must though and have looked at other camera over the last few years including

The D300s – Not a great improvement for my type of photography

• ASP sensor
• Poor movie mode
• Not a significant increase in megapixel count – only 12.3 MP

The  D700 – Great low noise but one main problem

• Doesn’t offer Movie mode – so that was ruled out
• Not a significant increase in megapixel count – only 12.1 MP

The D7000 – Amazing camera, good 16.2 MP

• ASP sensor
• Didn’t feel robust when I tried it

The D7000 is an amazing camera.  It has great low noise and is priced very competitively.

This is a great site - http://snapsort.com/compare – where you can compare 2 cameras – take a look for yourself – it has all the important specifications for each camera.

The big issue from going to ASP to full frame is the lens issue. I have a lot of lenses and bought these to match the 1.5x magnification factor.  The lenses that I have are

Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 DX (A problem as designed for 1.5x sensor)

Sigma EX 50mm f.4 DG (OK for Full frame)

Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 G DX ((A problem as designed for 1.5x sensor)

Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR (OK for Full frame)

So I will have to invest in 2 new lenses with the D800 for landscape photography.  They will need to be excellent quality lenses too if the megapixel count the D800 is to have is to be believed!

In addition to all this I just like new tech! I have had my D200 now for 6 years and can’t wait to try something new.

So I keep searching google for Nikon D800 in the hope that sometime very soon they will release this much anticipated camera.

Mam Tor is a fantastic place to shoot the sunrise or sunset as it is easily reached from the road into Edale.  It is a short 10 min walk to the top.

I arrived at the top in almost complete darkness and found a good vantage point for what was to prove the best photo I took all day.  I now find that I use the Tokina 11 – 16mm lens more than any other and if you are careful you can get some stunning results with it.

Sunrise from Mam Tor

I then parked in Upper Booth and set off up Kinder via Crowden Clough.  This is a steep route up Kinder and more of a scramble up a river bed than a well marked path.  The clouds were very low though – so no luck with any great photos.  I did take a few videos on my iPhone which I thought I would share

Walked from Upper Booth over Kinder Scout and back down Jacob’s ladder (8 miles)

At the top you really need to be careful and try and follow the river bed – if you go off track (as you can see I did from following my track above in the map) if is easy to be knee deep in peat!

At Kinder Low the views are impressive as are the rock formations – definitely one to come back to at sunrise!

Edale valley

I decided to try out my new Tokina 10-17mm f3.5-f4.5 AT-X lens.  I also have a Nikon 17-55 f2.8 lens which is great but when shooting landscapes I often wanted the extra wide angle the Tokina gives.  So I left the Nikon at home so I would be forced to use the Tokina.

Lands End RSPB lookout (Nr Sennen Cove, Cornwall)

The image above shows the advantage of using the 11mm lens.  However, you do need to be careful with verticals – such as the ones on this lookout.

Heather at Lands End, Cornwall

I had walked over the path between Sennen Cove and Lands End the day before with my family and seen the potential in the vibrantly coloured heather.  It wasn’t an easy shoot to get though as I needed the golden light on the heather, background interest, control the dynamic range left to right as well as vertically and avoid scattered light on the Lee filters. The 11mm lens allowed me to get great foreground detail.

Crabbing at Sennen Cove, Cornwall

In Sennen Cove I had noticed that the sunset created a great opportunity for some silhouette images.  I didn’t manage to get the shot I was after but the above is the best of the bunch.  If the guy that is crabbing was the other way around that would have been perfect.  This images was taken with a 70-200mm F2.8 Nikon VR lens mounted on a tripod.

I did find the 11mm end of the Tokina lens very very good.  Care needs to be taken with verticals and the horizon as it does create convergence, however it is sharp and produces some crisp images.  One problem I did find was the Lee Polarising filter I have can be seen at the widest end of the lens.  I got round this by using a direct lens mounted filter to polarise the light.

The area between Cape Cornwall and Lands End is amazing – I only wish I could have spend more time there!

- The light - the most important thing to create a stunning image.  95% of my photos are taken at sun rise or sun set.  The light in an image makes a massive difference and saturates the colours and creates a more dramatic image.

- The composition – All good photos have great composition.  Photos should be easy to look at and your eye should be guided around the image.  Great photos have great composition

- Timing – even landscape photography is about timing.  This maybe the time of year, time of month or time of day.  Timing is crucial – sometimes you have to wait for the correct light, the correct weather or the position of the sun and moon. 

I often take photos on my iphone – to record a location I want to go back to.  Ok – the iphone is never going to be great for creating an A2 print.  But – it is amazing the quality of photos that you can get.  Take a look at 3 photos I have taken recently… 

St Ives at dusk - Taken with iPhone 4 

Millenium Wheel, London - Taken with the iPhone 4

Coniston, Lake District – Taken with iPhone 4

All these photos were taken with an iPhone 4 and only cropped – no other editing was done.  They all follow the 3 rules above – light, composition and timing.  So – don’t go and buy a new camera or lens – use what you have got and concentrate more on your technique – you may be suprised!!

Our route up to Fife took us around Edinburgh and over the Forth Bridge (which is well worth photographing if you have time – especially at night). I have visited many places on the west coast of Scotland but had never been to Fife before and the area is very different from what you would expect in Scotland. The land is quite flat and any hills are rolling rather than the typical craggy hills I have seen on my trips to the west. There is also a vast amount of agriculture and farming of the land. What I was keen to photograph were the fishing villages, the beaches and St Andrews. One of my other passions is Golf and I had always wanted to come and see the famous Old Course at the home of Golf – what I found surprised me!

Fife, Scotland

The coastline and fishing villages

The coastline from Ellie to St Andrews and beyond is quite stunning. There are beautiful sandy beaches interrupted by more rugged coastline and fishing villages that have remained mainly unchanged.

The weather was poor for the majority of the trip with rain and heavy overcast skies, but we did have some sun and being early November the light for a good part of the day was low and great for photography. If you are travelling to the area I would recommend paying a visit to Cambo Sands near Kingsbarns where you can park almost on the beach. There is also a great pub in Kingsbarns called The Barns.

Beach Strollers - Cambo Sands, Fife

I had planned to take photos of the sunrise during the trip. However, the weather wasn’t keen to help me and I only managed to get out once. During this early morning session I headed down to Anstruther with a view to capturing the golden light on the fantastic village buildings. There are other villages close by Anstruther and I managed to photograph 3 in one morning, although I would have liked more time. One of the places of note that I went to was St Monans between Ellie and Pittenweem – a very small village with a tiny harbour. I actually stumbled on the location in St Monans for the photograph of the oyster catchers. It was an idyllic location with a few houses on the rugged beach. I spent sometime here watching the tens of oyster catchers jumping from one rock to the next and I did plan to come back later in the day to photograph them – but never managed it.

Oyster Catchers at Sunrise, Ellie – Fife

If you have ever watch Balamory on CBBC then that gives a very good depiction of the houses. The particular stretch along the south of peninsula where I visited regularly has four villages in a four mile stretch; St Monance, Pittenweem, Anstruther and Cellardyke. Anstruther is the largest of the four and the view from the harbour back to the church offers a great opportunity to capture the quaint houses as there is a wall that hides any cars that may be parked in front of them.

Water Shadows, Anstruther

Stairway House, Crail

St Andrews

The coast at St Andrews is equally stunning with ruined castles and long sandy beaches all along the sea front.

Mirror Pool, St Andrews

St Andrews is an amazing place. The 18th hole of the most famous golf course in the world actually finishes almost in the centre of St Andrews. Being a links course it isn’t manicured and golfers have to battle the strong winds that are frequent on the east coast of Scotland. They had the added problem of heavy rain showers on both days we visited. The buildings in St Andrews are typical of the area with distinctive window frames and colourful painted renders.

Umbrella – St Andrews

It is easy enough to walk around St Andrews and there is certainly lots to photograph from the old Harbour Pier to the ruined Cathedral.

Harbour Pier, St Andrews

Lonely Band Stand – St Andrews

When you have 2 children under 2 years old, european city trips aren’t really on the agenda! However, this was a rare treat for myself and my wife and we even managed to persuade the grandparents to babysit. However, this wasn’t meant to be a photo trip but a relaxing holiday so I was constantly torn between having a much needed lay-in or getting up for the morning light. After 2 years of early mornings the bed won over the camera! But as the mini journal will show photographic opportunities in Rome are in abundance.

Colour contrasts, St Peter's Square, Rome

My favorite photographic places in Rome

It is difficult to name a my top 5 or 10 places as Rome itself is full of photographic opportunity, so I though it best to list them as types of photography as well as places.

All the side streets – this is a must! – just turn of any main street and you will find an abundance of potential from candid shots of the locals to shadows cast by the shutters and street lamps. One of the best areas for this is Trasterver (also try the area near the Pantheon).

Plant pots and light, Rome

St Peters Square – although it is obvious, this really is a must. Go there at all times of the day as you will find it changes drastically as the light changes.

Moon shines on the righteous, Saint status in St Peter’s Square, Rome

The Pantheon – this was a missed opportunity for me, the unusual design of the roof with a massive opening creates amazing light.

2000 year old roof light, The Pantheon, Rome

The Tiber River – Walk down the Tiber River at night as you get great reflections. As with all the parts of Rome we visited we found it to be safe.

Night scene, Rome

Top tips for photos in rome

• Take a beanbag
• Don’t head straight for the Coliseum for night shots – there are plenty of better places. I had seen a shot on National Geographic of the Coliseum at night with car trails (include link!). This shot would now be impossible as where the cars are is now only for pedestrians.
• Spend time at one place watching how the light and crowds changes
• Don’t worry about taking cameras into the many churches and other buildings. You will be able to use them in most places. Often flash is banned – but to be honest you will never get a good interior shot with a flash as they are vast!

The onlooker, Vatican Museums

What I took on my Rome trip (In the bag)

Before I went to Rome I read a lot about the problems using tripods in Rome and decided to take a compact tripod. I have to say that I didn’t use a tripod for 80% of my photos as a lot of them were street style photography. When I did use a tripod I never had any problems and this included setting it up in the middle of St Peter’s Square, outside the Coliseum and by the river. Obviously you can’t use a tripod in any of the museums or churches which is a problem if you want to take great interior shots. I still managed to get some great shots indoors – but in hindsight wish I had taken a beanbag.

• Nikon D200
• Nikon 70-200 f2.8
• Nikon 17-55 f2.8
• Mini tripod
• Lee 0.6 ND filter
• Hoya Pro 1 Polariser filter

I decided not to take my SB800 flash and wasn’t disappointed – I didn’t find any real need for a flash on the trip.