Nikon D610 Review: Day 2 - Off-Camera Speedlites at the Beachville Museum Pt2

Nikon D610 + 24-85mm Kit Lens + Off-Camera Speedlite - ISO 400

Continuing on with my visit to the Beachville Museum with the Nikon D610 on Day 2 of my Nikon D610 review, it was time for some a little bonus fun. I always love playing around with speedlites because it's more often than not what you don't light that makes an image interesting. :-)

Nikon D610 + 24-85mm Kit Lens + Off-Camera Speedlite - ISO 200

I found these old Singer sewing machines interesting, probably because they reminded me of the one my Mum used to have when I was kid. They also made for some neat shadows when I played around with the direction and angle of the light from the speedlite.

Nikon D610 + 24-85mm Kit Lens + Off-Camera Speedlite - ISO 200

The hat on the hat stick was a nice rich color and made for an interesting shot. I'm sure it has a proper term, but as I'm not aware of it, I'll refer to it as a hat stick for now :-)

Nikon D610 + 24-85mm Kit Lens + Off-Camera Speedlite - ISO 200

The speedlite adds some dramatic effect to the shot above. I'm holding it in my left hand, as far out as I can reach, firing high and angled downward from camera left.

Nikon D610 + 24-85mm Kit Lens + Off-Camera Speedlite - ISO 400

My Dad used to build remote control airplanes like these when I was a kid, so these brought back memories too. Lit pretty much the same way, with a speedlite held out in my hand camera left.

Nikon D610 + 24-85mm Kit Lens + Off-Camera Speedlite - ISO 400

The planes were a fun subject to try for just the right angle for both the lighting and the over-all image. I played around with quite a few variations.

Nikon D610 + 24-85mm Kit Lens + Off-Camera Speedlite - ISO 400

Same with the train. The shelf kept casting shadows I didn't particularly care for, but I finally decided I like the way this one came out.

Nikon D610 + 24-85mm Kit Lens + Off-Camera Speedlite - ISO 400

We have an old doll similar to this one that was my Mum's when she was a child. My two girls play with it now, although I've always found dolls like this a little creepy looking. I was able to add to the creepy look with some nicely angled lighting from the speedlite.

Nikon D610 + 24-85mm Kit Lens + Off-Camera Speedlite - ISO 400

Same again with this doll. I was envisioning some kind of horror movie look, perhaps remembering Chuckie or something similar from my teenage years. You can do a lot with a single speedlite, and I like the effect here.

Obviously one of the BIG advantages of using off-camera speedlites is that you can keep your ISO down, making for over-all image quality. Contrast is better. Color is better. Pretty much everything is.

Granted the Nikon D610 can shoot comfortably at ISO 6400 without any significant hit to image quality, but you still get better results lower down, and when you add off-camera lighting, you have the power to create whatever look your imagination dreams up.

Over-all, I'm really enjoying my time with the Nikon D610. It's a very nice camera that delivers top notch image quality. Auto focus is good. Ergonomics are good. Usability is excellent.

Stay tuned for more as I continue my on-going review of the Nikon D610!

Recommended Speedlites:
Yongnuo YN-460ii
Yongnuo YN-560 II
Yongnuo YN-560 III

Amazon.com Widgets

Unknown

Add Comment