Anthony On Photography

Digital SLRs at the 78th Academy Awards

Well, last night I was watching the Oscar pre-shows and telecasts on ABC, E!online, and the TVguide channel, mostly just to gaze at the actresses as they walked down the Red Carpet. However, during these shows, I also noticed at least a few times that Nikon digital SLRs were being used by at least some of the Red Carpet photographers. It was fairly easy to pick out the Nikon cameras, thanks to the 5th battery compartment of the SB-800 flash being used by the photographers. I recorded the show, so if I get a chance, I'll do a frame grab later and post it here, to show you what I'm writing about.

In addition to Nikon dSLRs and SB-800s, I noticed that photographers were using flash brackets for their shots. Flash brackets, for those who have never seen or used them, are great for lining up a flash vertically with the lens, when the camera is in portrait orientation. This avoids casting annoying side-shadows and allows a more flattering portrait, often showing a butterfly-like shadow under the nose.

In sports photography, it's easy to spot the Canon cameras and lenses--Canon telephoto lenses often have white bodies. Nikon super-telephotos also come in both black and light grey finishes, and are also used for sports shooting, but there's no question that at least in the U.S., Canon is dominant in sports photography.

So, it's a bit refreshing for me, a Nikon-mount shooter, to see Nikon cameras and flashes being used at an event like the 78th Academy Awards.

posted by Anthony @ 7:54 PM