Trial Run

When I bought my Nikon D750, it was nearly a week after getting it home that I actually used it.

You're probably wondering why I waited so long to take my first shot. Surely, I must have been excited to snap away, couldn't wait to give it its maiden outing.

I was eager but I wanted to know as much about the camera as I could before taking my very first shot. The D750 was my first full-frame camera since my Minolta X-700, and it had more features than my Nikon D7200, which I had purchased less than five years earlier.

I wanted to know what I was doing before I did anything.

The manuals for the Nikon cameras were thick. At more than 500 pages, the D750 user's manual was packed full of instructions and tips. And while I didn't read it from cover to cover, I made sure I knew how to use the custom features and could feel comfortable using it in manual mode, as well as with the settings with which I was already familiar.

There was also a French user's manual, equally as thick, that came with the D750.

Last Friday, when I traded in some of my old gear for the Sony Alpha α6700, I was surprised at how small the box was, considering it also held a kit lens. But Sony went minimal, and all of the packaging in the box was recyclable.

Because the salesperson threw in a spare battery and a charger, I knew there wasn't much in the box for the camera. But I was surprised that a USB-C cable wasn't included: you can charge the battery directly from the camera, so I thought a charging cable would come in the box.

I was also surprised to see that there was little documentation that came in the box. I had a paper with a QR code that reminded me to register my camera, and that by doing so, Sony would double the warranty period, to two years.

I was also eligible for a $50 rebate, so I was really happy.

There were two folded papers—one in English; the other, in French—that were quick guides about how to insert the battery and memory card, how to remove the lens, how to turn on the camera, and some basics about the dials. Another multi-language page gave me the specifications for the supplied lens. There was also a piece of paper that outlined the warranty, a small slip that provided QR codes for learning about other accessories, like lenses and flashes, and a reference guide, which only warned about hazards with the battery.

I was amused that a final piece of paper was directed at customers in the U.S.A. It warned of an ingestion hazard, and I had to laugh: who would even think of trying to eat this camera? The battery is quite large and you'd have to have a big throat to get it down. You'd have to be doing it on a dare.

Reading further, the warning noted that the camera contains a button cell or coin battery. After doing some online digging, I found no evidence that any other battery other than the battery pack is in the Sony α6700. We have our lawyers and risk-avoidance culture to thank.

There was no user's manual in the box. I was disappointed, as I still like paper books. I can write notes in them and I can bookmark pages. Instead, the quick guides had QR codes that took me to an online manual.

Initially, I couldn't find some topics, and others had me tapping links to dig deeper and deeper into other topics. After about a half an hour, I gave up.

Instead, I picked up the camera and began scrolling through all of the menu items, learning about each feature, and customizing some settings that I wanted to use. But there are still some features that I'd like to alter, such as how to set up some of the customizable buttons and dials.

I'll get there. I've downloaded the PDF version onto my computer and have been reading the manual while sitting at my desk, but nothing beats being able to keep the paper manual in your camera bag for quick reference.

The morning after I brought the camera home, DW and I visited Bruce Pit to observe and photograph some of the wildlife. A few days earlier, at sunset, we wandered the trails to get some fresh air and to take photographs, but I didn't want to carry my D750 and my beast lens. I had already made the decision that I didn't want to lift it to my face anymore.

DW brought her camera and telephoto lens but I just had my smartphone. Whatever I could get with that, I'd be happy (I shared some of those photos in this week's Wordless Wednesday post).

I was still waiting for the 70–350mm lens to arrive but I thought I would bring the α6700 and see what I could do with it. Even though I couldn't close in on birds, the autofocus could still capture birds and concentrate on their eyes.

The sun had only been up for a short time when we arrived at Bruce Pit. It had risen above the tree line and cast warm light over the pond.

I put the camera in aperture-priority mode, selecting f/8 and letting the camera choose everything else. This is the very first photo that I shot with my new camera.

The sun was extremely blown out so I told myself that I'd need to adjust the metering. I made a quick adjustment, moved in front of some sumac bushes, and took another shot.

I liked the silhouette of the sumacs against the sun, which was still blown out but not as bad. I could fix it in post processing.

For fun, I turned the back screen around so that I couldn't see it. I knew that I'd be able to see the most important settings through the viewfinder and I wanted to protect the glass. In a way, it almost felt like I was back to my old 35mm days, where I couldn't see the results of my work immediately after taking the shot: I'd wait until I got home to look at anything.

The results were mixed and I noticed, while shooting that the lens never isolated any of the birds, even though I had it set to bird detection. Clearly, I need to read the user's manual.

I spent most of this week going through the online documentation and have taken some experimental shots as I learn the functions and features of this new camera. My telephoto lens is here so I'll be putting it through its paces this weekend.

Happy Friday!