My Workout Playlist (Aug/Sep '08)

I've been training hard... and my MP3 players have not been able to keep up. Earlier this year, I killed my iPod Shuffle. I bought 2 refurbished Creative Muvos to replace it, Each lasted about a month before my sweat from the equatorial heat killed them too. I shelled out more money for a new iPod Shuffle as it actually was quite well sealed from moisture and had the longest life to cost ratio.

Anyway, these are 10 of the songs from my playlist for the month:

Dream On, Aerosmith
The Great Escape, Boys Like Girls
Hammerhead, The Offspring
Rise Above This, Seether
Let It Die, Foo Fighters
I Melt With You, Modern English
Always Where I Need to Be, The Kooks
Don't Bother Me, The Blakes
You're Gonna Go Far, Kid, The Offspring
Re-Education (Through Labor), Rise Against

Nikon Answers With The New D90

Following Canon's recent announcement of their new 50D, Nikon has just announced the D90.

Any earth-shaking improvements compared to the old D80. Well, it has a new 12MP CMOS sensor, similar to the D300, which will mean better noise characteristics at high ISOs, and the sensor should be more efficient and use less power (more shots per battery charge). You can now also make HD movie clips with sound. This could be a real advantage for some users. In this respect, the D90 is a new and unique camera in the Nikon Lineup.

Check out this cool vid of pro-photographer Chase Jarvis and crew testing out the D90:



I was hoping to see an improved AF System similar to the D300, but this is not to be. The D90 retains the Multi-CAM 1000 AF Module of the D80.

The D90 will be available in September. Specifications available here.

The Megapixel War Continues

Canon has announced new stuff: The Canon 50D and a new Canon EF-S 18-200m F/3.5-5.6 IS. Not quite the news I was expecting, or hoping for. I was really looking forward to an update on the aging, Full-Frame, Canon 5D.

The specs of the 15 MP Canon 50D, and a 'hands-on' preview together with the Canon 18-200mm are available at www.dpreview.com.

The Show Must Go On

Image of Denise Keller from www.nomad4ever.com

It’s been a busy couple of weeks culminating with a couple of requests for public appearances (Wow, just like a celebrity!) On Friday night, I declined to go up on stage with Utt, Denise Keller and Melody Chen at the 10th Anniversary of The Planet Traveler. Those guys are way too good looking! I did, however, manage to contain my stage fright to talk on Saturday morning on the radio (Sportzone 93.8) to help promote the Singapore TNF Ultra 100 race.

Anyway, I should be able to get back to regular posting on my blog now. Thanks for your patience.

Image of Utt courtesy of Sry85

Deadlines, Deadlines, Deadlines...

Nikon D700, D90, iPhone 3G in Singapore, Canon 5D update... So many things to write about, so little time. I'm bogged down at the moment, and so I've not been updating the blog. I'll be back once I've cleared my present backlog of stuff in the in tray.

Jason Lezak: Man of the Match

He’s older than your average Olympic swimmer (32-years-old), and he doesn’t have a coach. This guy is all heart. Huge. He stole the 2008 Olympic 4x100m freestyle relay race from the French, set a new world record and allowed Michael Phelps to continue his medal quest for 8 Olympic Golds. In case you missed live, here it is again:

Nikon D700: Why I’m Not Buying One… Yet.

Now that the D700 has been out for a while and I’ve had a chance to think about it. I’ve decided to keep my D300 and not get a D700.

There was a time when all I wanted was a full frame DSLR. Certainly, a Full-Frame sensor has advantages that cannot be ignored, such as a high signal to noise ratio, resulting in extremely low noise at high ISOs. Having said that, in terms of noise (or grain) my D300 already surpasses whatever camera I’ve had in the past, film and digital included.

Nikon has a very strong line-up of DX lenses, particularly for a travel and adventure photographer. The 10.5mm fisheye is excellent and the 18-200mm is very good for the range of focal lengths that it covers. And my 80-400mm lens, with the 1.5 FOV crop factor, effectively makes it a very useful 600mm f/5.6 lens.

With the D700, I’d have to replace the 10.5mm DX fisheye with a 16mm FX fisheye. Fair enough. Other that the (unwanted) expense, both lenses are comparable. But it isn’t so easy to replace the other 2 lenses. There isn’t an FX or Full-Frame replacement for the 18-200 VR lens. And while the 80-400mm is an FX lens that doesn’t require replacement, I’d lose out on having the 600mm equivalent on the long end.

All things change, and I may well be buying a D700, but for now, my kit (and my wallet) remain intact.