Scout Images

It has been a REALLY bad few days for me when it comes to computer gear with two of my three computers out of action. My MSI U100 Wind is currently on the way in for some service to hopefully replace its screen after a line appeared, and today my elderly Compaq Presario M2045AP (yep it still runs, and usually runs well) decided not to want to connect to my uni network, it appears to be a fault in the network card….NOT HAPPY.

This leaves me with my custom built PC at home. Fingers crossed this rig will hold out or I am in a whole lot of trouble.

As promised I have uploaded a selection of photos from that last shoot that I have been mentioning. Without any adieu here are some taken with my Nikon D300, Fuji S5 Pro  and a variety of  Nikkor lenses.

I have just added another photo from my trusty Samsung SGH D900i. This may be one of the last images from this phone as I will be starting a new contract soon and getting a new phone as a result.

Just back from that shoot mentioned in my earlier post, not quite what I expected but having prepared for the worse I did not find myself unable to work. It turns out it was simply a shoot, not a covering a performance so the whole kit got a good work out and over 12gb of photos were taken. Pictures will be a while to come because I will have to spend a bit of time weeding out the bad ones.

On another note, my new bag has finally arrived! I now have another bag at my disposal, a Lowepro Inverse 200AW. First thoughts are that it is well built, but not quite as big as I wanted it to be, not quite able to take the D300+MB-D10+24-70 f/2.8 load that I intended for it. As I use this bag more I’ll fill you all in about my experiences.

It is great to have a good excuse to go and take some photos, tonight I will be going to snap away for a group of friends performance at a local pub/hotel. It will be indoors, lighting will be questionable and I am not sure what to the stage setup will be like. Due to the short notice I have not had the opportunity to scout out the venue. My solution:

• Nikon D300 + MB-D10 – my workhorse, good at higher ISOs, great all rounder
• Fujifilm Finepix S5 Pro – my backup, good at high ISOs, unrivalled for colour
• Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 – fast and reliable it will cover me for anything that is shorter
• Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm F/2.8 VR – fast and reliable it will give me the reach that I will possibly need
• Nikkor AF-D 85mm f/1.8 – just incase I need that extra light gathering ability (thanks Brian for lending this to me on such short notice)
• Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 – fast, light and most importantly wider than my 24-70 this lens will come out if I need something wider.
• Nikon SB-800 – for when I need that extra light
• Nikon SB-600 – for when I need that extra light
• Manfrotto 680B + 234RC – if I need some extra stability

All carried in my Vertex 200AW, not the best event bag, but it lets me carry everything securely and comfortably.

Fingers crossed all goes well and photos will come up in the next few days.

Just an example of what I have done with a simliar kit.

Whoever said that bitching got you no where?

Only earlier today did I post that my patience was wearing thin regarding the amount of time that Maxwell has taken to service my len, but I was suprised when I visited my Tamron Dealer this afternoon. My beloved Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 had been returned.

Initial looks show that the loose front ring has been tightend up and everything else seems to be in order. No extra scratches, filter, hood and lens caps were returned. Looks like my day to day pack will drop in weight again.

On another note, I have added some new photos. These were taken with my Fujifilm Finepix F100fd at 1600 ISO in black and white. This results in a classic high speed (high ISO) film look.

I think I am getting a bit impatient now.

I ordered a Lowepro Inverse 200AW (via Digital Imaging @ Bondi Junction) last Wednesday, they had checked with Maxwell and confirmed that the bag was in stock, happily took my deposit and said it would arrive within a week. My previous experiences with Maxwell tell me that an order placed before 11am (or 12 noon) would make it onto the truck for the next day. Well so far still no bag….

If you do not remember, I sent a my beloved Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 back to Maxwell for service (Lens Down!!!) almost two months ago. So far I have not heard back, other than it has been recieved. I am really missing this lens, especially the wide end as I have been using my AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 ever since.

Having seen the new release and preview of the Nikon D5000, I have to admit that I am excited. Packing in the best features of a D90 into a camera that is only a bit larger than a D60 with the added advantage of a tilt screen, all of a sudden video and Live View seems worth playing with. If image quality is comparable with that of the D90 then this camera will prove to be a real seller. Looks like Nikon is not going to give up its market share easily.

Nikon D5000 Key Features

• 12.9 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor (effective pixels: 12.3 million)
• 2.7″ tilt and swivel LCD monitor (230,000 dots)
• Movie capture at up to 1280 x 720 (720p) 24 fps with mono sound
• Live View with contrast-detect AF, face detection and subject tracking
• Image sensor cleaning (sensor shake)
• 11 AF points (with 3D tracking)
• IS0 200-3200 range (100-6400 expanded)
• 4 frames per second continuous shooting (buffer: 7 RAW, 25 JPEG fine, 100 JPEG Normal)
• Expeed image processing engine
• Extensive in-camera retouching including raw development and straightening
• Connector for optional GPS unit (fits on hot shoe)
• New battery with increased capacity
• 72 thumbnail and calendar view in playback

For a hands on preview have a look at dpreview.

Just some pictures that I took at the end of last month for an April Fool’s joke that didnt happen and for a themed competition. Not my best work but I thought I would share. These were taken using my S5 Pro.

I have been busy, so busy in fact that it took a friends birthday for me to take a night off. As I have not been posting photos recently here are a few from my friends party at Cohibar, Darling Harbour.