Nikon D200

Newly announced: Nikon D200

1. After endless speculation (that rivals the, err, devotion, of Apple fans) Nikon has announced the D200, a 10.2 Megapixel (same 1.5x crop), much needed update to the D100. Ostensibly to bridge the gap between the amateur and the pro, it will be doing battle with the likes of Canon’s 20D (an equally fine camera). It has all the bells and whistles as one would expect, bit of a poor man’s D2x (which is not a bad thing at all). It will be available in Spring 2006 (why don’t they just say the 2nd quarter? Do they not realise it’s spring right now for those of us in the southern hemisphere?). Read more here.

EDIT: Heh, or just in time for christmas. Due out in December to a store near you.

2. Another announcement that piqued my interest is the new AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED (that won’t be cheap. Ohhh no. But it would be damn handy for traveling.) and Nikon’s new flash gadgets. Drooling over new glass is always fun, in that wallet burning kinda way, but the new SU-800 wireless flash controller and the SB-R200 wireless only external flash sound awfully tempting. Smaller than normal external flash units, but can be handheld or mounted where ever you want, giving cheapskates with no permanent studio like me to play with lighting without having to spank the credit card on expensive lighting gear (and a place to store them). I am assuming, however, that they will be cheaper than the $500 or so retail for an SB-600. Nikon has also introduced a lens adaptor that allows you to mount that little flash on the front of the lens like a ring flash, with the adaptor accommodating eight of them. Eight.

3. I’d expect the D200 to be my replacement body of choice in a few more years time, or maybe as my main body and keep the D70 for use with the telephoto. I’m not snapping at it though, and not just because I haven’t got that sort of cash. I’m working on more glass for now, I’ve got my eye on a Sigma 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX DG ASP ultra wide angle (because I just can’t afford the Nikkor AF-S 12-24mm f/4 G ED IF DX), a SB-800 external flash and a Nikon F80 (yeah, a film camera). And if I keep the wallet in check there may even be a trip to Japan to actually use some of this!

More on Privacy

1. I have written about this before, but a conversation with a friend over the weekend yielded just one more thing….

2. It was about her sister, who recently gave birth to a baby girl. She’s about 6 months old, and started swimming lessons at a local pool the week before. As often happens when the subject of babies is brought up, photos are asked for — except this time Mum said that she didn’t take the camera to snap photos of her own daughter at the pool because she didn’t know what other people would think.

3. WHAT SORT OF DELUDED EXISTENCE DO WE INHABIT WHERE A MOTHER CAN’T TAKE PHOTOS OF HER DAUGHTER BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT THINK SHE WAS INTO KIDDIE PORN?

4. How uptight has society become? In the rush to “protect” kids we’re depriving them of seeing themselves when they were younger. We deprive parents from documenting their children, and we are depriving grandparents from seeing their legacy.

5. If it were my child I wouldn’t stop taking photos of them, whereever we were, and anyone who objects can go fuck themselves.

Privacy, Photography, and Topless Girls.

1. Everyone has seen the images, and have heard the stories; “This week’s starlet stalked by papparazzi!”, “Stalking photographers jailed!” etc etc. And yet the money that flows in that lurid industry is like the gold rush of the late 19th Century — right place, right time, and you hit it big.

2. There wouldn’t be any money if there wasn’t a demand for those photos. Ordinary people who want to see their stars look, well, ordinary. To somehow prove to themselves that they aren’t famous only because they weren’t there at the time, or that they didn’t get the lucky break. Oh, look at her, she’s so fat now! And her! Oh my, she should get a meal in once a month!

3. It is strange, then, to read about ordinary people worrying themselves into a fit over their privacy. (more…)

Why you should never rely on camera reviews

1. Because this sort of crap still floats around (PC Magazine):

We love the D70s’ feel and design as much as we did the D70′s, and for those with larger hands, these two models may be preferable to the lighter Canon Rebel XT. The Rebel XT, however, ups the capacity ante to 8MP, which gives you the ability to print very large images, still besting the 6.1MP Nikons. The Canon kit (lens and body) is also cheaper than the D70s kit, although the Nikon lens is longer.

2. “Capacity ante”? Maybe they meant the higher file size filling up more of the memory card. Because, you know, the, uhm, bigger the file, the bigger the photo, the bigger you can print it, right?

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Birthdays

1. Happy birthday to me, for a few days ago… huzzar!

2. The Woman bought me a Nikon SB 600 external flash for my birthday (those who know me will realise that that was not exactly the case), which makes a nice addition to my Nikon D70 (getting warmer?). So very awesome is this flash, it’s fast fast fast recycling time and the Automatic Balanced Fill in Flash is crazy good. And, as I discovered, it supports Nikon’s Automatic Wireless Flash system doobie where one master unit can control three groups of flashes wirelessly within a 10m radius. Usually, one needs to have the more expensive SB 800 flash to act as the master controller, but, it seems my D70′s built in flash can also act as the master flash, so now I have a very portable second light source whenever I need it! Huzzar! The SB 800 has more control features (it can control almost all the settings for each of the three groups of flashes) but, hey, when I win lotto I’ll go get one. Sooooo cool.

3. Speaking of photos, I’ve updated the photo blog with some new photos, about time really. Been busy, and more than a little lazy of late, haven’t been out and about with the camera at all. But yesterday we had a proper storm for the first time in ages (i.e. it rained for more than 2 minutes) which was kinda excitin’. Seriously, 10 years ago May in Sydney involved rain, cloudy patches followed by a howling thunderstorm. I used to have to put back my birthday parties to June so as to not have it rain out. Anyone who still thinks the climate hasn’t changed is a fucking idiot.

My Christmas Present to Myself…

1. …was a Nikon D70. And I’ve been using it regularly too, which is great ’cause I’m really enjoying photography again. But my other christmas present to myself (and those sharp of eye may have noticed the extra link on the top menu bar) is a new section to this site for my photography. Check it out for yourself — photography.fibrowalls.com. You can even leave comments! Phaw, the internet is amazing!

Full moon

The Moon

1. It’s amazing the sort of detail you can get out of a lowish-end Digital SLR. It’s no NASA photo but it ain’t bad for a Nikon D70 with a tripod on the roof of my apartment block. I could do with a bigger lens than the one I used (AF Nikkor 70-300mm Zoom) but it worked out alright. Bit windy up on the roof at night though.

Random selection of cars I would like for christmas, in no particular order

BMW 645ci Convertable BMW 645ci Convertable. It’s big, and comfy, and it’s got a V8.

Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione Concept Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione Concept. What, I have to explain?

Elfin MS8 Elfin MS8. Weighs nothing, 5.7L V8. Makes you wonder what would happen if you squeezed a Twin Turbo Porsche 911 engine into a Lotus Elise….

Koenigsegg CCR Koenigsegg CCR. 806 fucking horsepower! 920Nm of Torque!

Toyota Fine-N Toyota Fine-N. Interesting, lot’s of room inside, electric motors in each wheel. I don’t really want one, but the picture looks nice…

Mercedes AMG SL 65 Mercedes AMG SL65. I’ll have two, minus the girl.

Mercedes AMG SL 65 Mercedes AMG SL65. How can you go past a badge that reads “V12 BiTurbo”?

Porsche Carrera GT Porsche Carrera Gt. schhh…

Porsche Carrera GT Porsche Carrera Gt. …wiing!

Ford GT Ford GT. Sex. On. Wheels.

All pictures taken at 2004 Australian International Motorshow, by John Kung, using a Nikon D70. If you want a bigger version, just email me.

Current Lust Object

Nikon D70

1. I have been thinking New Digital Camera for a few months now, but I’d only been thinking low key, strictly consumer level. I was sold on the 10x Optical Zoom consumer cameras, I like the lens and the video capabilities of of the new crop of that class of camera. But just the other day I was having a look at some photos on Dooce when I noticed something that I had previously missed — the background was blurry!

2. I really can’t believe that I hadn’t noticed before, but the majority of digital photos I’d taken with consumer level cameras looked like that from a cheap point-and-shoot film camera, since it’s really a cheap point-and-shoot digital camera. That never bothered me because that was exactly why I bought a digital in the first place. I never thought about why it looked that way. Until this photo. What I had been missing was any reasonable control over the depth of field, since all consumer digitals have almost infinite depth of field (due to the smallness of the sensors and the short focal lengths required to project an image onto it). Which means all your photos turn out looking very flat. And cheap point-and-shoot like. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to realise.

3. So I’m gonna start saving for a Nikon D70. I’ve wanted a DSLR for a while now, but I’ve always put it off as Way Too Expensive. It’s still Way Too Expensive, but I also see a lot more value in it. Consumer cameras come and go, but a good quality SLR camera lasts as long as you’re prepared to look after it. While there is a question mark over the longevity of a digital compared to a film camera, I figure a good quality Nikon is bound to last longer than a consumer camera. If professionals can rely on these things day in day out I’m sure there isn’t anything I can do that’ll kill it. No, really.

4. Anyway, prices for DSLRs are bound to fall sooner or later, and I won’t be able to save enough to buy one until quite a bit later anyway, so all’s well. Eventually prices will fall to the amount I have saved, and Angels will Descend from Heaven and hand me my camera. I hear the road to hell is very pretty this time of year.