Manzanillo and Nikon

Well, here we are in beautiful Manzanillo, Mexico for the week – boy, is it gorgeous here. We arrived mid-day Sunday and are just spending the week just hanging out – well, mostly. We are actually down here to photograph Villa Paraiso for their web site. Check out where we are staying right here - unbelievable! Hey, it’s a dirty job, but somebody has got to do it. I’ll pop a few images up this week.

Wait, there’s more cool stuff happening too. Nikon has been kind enough to let me try some of their gear out for the next month. Right before we left for the convention on Friday, I was tearing into the boxes on a new D3, D300, 80-200mm VR lens, 15-35mm lens and 2 SB800’s the day before so I could get up to speed with them before the trip. A 24-70mm is still on the way to me.

Those of you who have been following the blog know that two of my favorite features of the new Canon and Nikon cameras are first; Highlight Tone Priority on the Canon side and Active D- Lighting on the Nikon side, and second; the high ISO’s the new cameras are capable of letting us capture. I'm really looking forward to give Nikon’s 25,600 ISO a try.

I have to say, I shot a high school play Thursday evening with the D3 at 3200 ISO and took a quick peek Friday – I was amazed – NO noise! I'm going to run the cameras through their paces this week while I have some time. I’ll keep you posted – should be pretty cool.

Tomato - Tomaato; Nikon D300 - Nikon D3

More Nikon information in one place than you can "shake a stick at" - another Kentucky colloquialism - BYThom.com is a great site dedicated to all things Nikon. I've been following his site for a long time and he always has some really good Nikon content over there. For those readers looking to make their next Nikon acquisition a D3 or D300, be sure to read Thom's in-depth comparisons of the two cameras entitled "Some ways of thinking about the differences between the two cameras." Make no mistake about it - this guy knows his stuff. It's a good piece, so check it out

One for the Nikon Shooters

Our buddy, Moose Peterson, has been doing some "hands on" shooting with Nikon's new D3. It looks like a hot one to me (but I'm not switching glass again!) Moose's remarks belie the fact that Nikon has a real winner on their hands. Here is one of Moose's gorgeous images. Check out Moose's other beautiful images and Nikon notes from his recent shoots right here.

Early Tuesday News

An early good morning to everyone,

Here are a few interesting news items I thought I would try to post before LaDawn and I head to the airport . I also promised a recap of my wedding over the weekend - look for it later today - some cool stuff.

On with the news:

Sept. 4, 1888: Photography Leaps Into the Late 19th Century
Yep, today was the day - 119 years ago, that George Eastman received a patent for the first roll-film camera and registers the name "Kodak." This article is a nice read for the photo-history buff. Here is the link.

Vincent Versace - Podcast - Nikon D3/D300:
With all the new camera announcements over the last few weeks, I thought I would point you to Vincent Versace's podcast on the Nikon D3 and D300. Vincent Versace, Photographer, Trainer, and Author. One of Nikon’s “Legend Behind the Lens” and premier product beta tester joins host Scott Sheppard for a first hand look on Nikon’s newest digital SLRs. I'll be seeing Vinney at Photoshop World this week - what a terrific photographer. Here is the link to the podcast.

In Depth Canon 40 Review:
Let's give Canon equal billing here. I just saw this review of Canon's latest and greatest 40D. I had my hands on one this weekend - Sweet. Click here for the link.

Which Batteries for digital and How to Make Them Last:
I just replaced some of my NiCads before the wedding this weekend. Want to know which batteries are the best? The Strobist had a nice piece on just that topic. Give it a read right here. Now that you've made the battery choice, how do you make them last. Here is the tell - all article - right here - posted over at John Nack's blog that gives you the low-down. I feel so recharged already.

World’s Fastest-Shooting Digital Camera:
This story has been popping up all over the web lately so I thought I would post it more as a - "Look to the Future" item. Just where is all this technology going these days? Just when we think we hit the megapixel sweet spot and all is perfect, new technology points our imaginations into a new direction. Here is the news piece. Casio has just revealed plans of an as yet unnamed twelve times zoom, six megapixel CMOS based digital camera which can capture a burst of full-size six megapixel images at sixty frames per second and VGA AVI movies at an astonishing three hundred frames per second (obviously shutter speed allowing). Exact specifications and details are currently a little vague but we do know that it has a 2.8" wide-screen LCD monitor, electronic viewfinder and sensor-shift image stabilization. You say so what? the "so what" is this - things are moving fast, think of the posibilities. It's great to be along for the ride! Click here for the story.

Hey Gang, that's it for now - got a plane to catch. Check back for the wedding recap story later today. See you in Vegas! --David