‘Tis The Season

The pre-photokina season that is. Following Canon’s announcement of the 50D yesterday, Nikon made official the worst kept secret of the last few weeks, the D90. This DX DSLR features many of the enhancements found on the D300/D700/D3, but also is the first DSLR with movie mode called D-Movie. As usual read all about it here.

Canon Round One

Today Canon, as expected, announced the successor to the 40D, the 50D. It boasts a 16.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 6.3 fps, a 3 inch display and Live View. Read all about it here and here.

The Big Picture At Beijing

Finnish sports photographer Kari Kuukka has posted a great image on his website from Beijing. Click here to view it. Depending on your connection it may take some time to load and run, but it’s worth it. I can’t take credit for finding this. I ripped off Michael Reichmann. Thanks Michael!

Homework

Being that the start of the school year is just around the corner, I thought that I might assign some homework. The subject for today is lenses. These assignments will open your eyes on the subject (pun intended).

First, go photo.net and read Mike Johnston’s review of the new SMC Pentax DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited. Second, about half-way down the page click on the link entitled how to stress a camera lens which will take you to Mike's excellent article on lens design. Finally, go to SLRGear and read some of the best lens reviews around. Be sure to play with the Blur Index to find out your lens’ optimum focal length and aperture.

I'll expect a full report in a few days.

For Beginners

While reading Mike Johnston’s review of the new SMC Pentax DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited on photo.net , I ran across one of the best guides to DSLR photography for the newbie that I have seen. The article is entitled “Building a Digital SLR System” and if you are new to all of this it is well worth your time. If not, read Mike’s review here.

Shooting the Fastest Man Alive

Photographer Donald Miralle has an interesting post on Visions of China here about shooting the
men’s 100 meter final.

You Do The Counting

Double-click to expand. Have fun!

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Penelope Cruz and Leica. Photo by Victor Bello/TWC 2008

I have always enjoyed Woody Allen’s filmmaking, especially his earlier funny stuff. Of late it seems that the auteur is making a comeback and his latest, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, is getting rave reviews. All that by way of introducing the above image featuring two beautiful examples of human talent at work.

More Camera Counting

Photographer's corral at the National Aquatics Center in Beijing, © Michael Kappeler/AFP/DDP

It seems that Michael Reichmann and I have something in common. We both like to watch the Olympics. Michael reprinted the above image on The Luminous Landscape which originally appeared on Stern magazine's web site. Michael comments, as have I, that it’s “a sign of the times to note the number of Nikons (black) vs. the number of Canons (white) in the shot. At this year's Olympics the number of Nikons in use by pros seems to equal if not surpass the number of Canons.”

More Beijing Photo Blogs

Nothing says more about the relationship between man and machine than a great image. Photographer and camera, working as one, to produce great art. I have witnessed several examples on two additional photo blogs. Newsweek is featuring the work of photographers Vincent Laforet, Donald Miralle and Mike Powell and Photo Editor Beth Johnson and Director of Photography Simon Barnett on Visions of China. Meanwhile, Time has The Beijing Olympics Photo Gallery featuring the work of the photographers of Sports Illustrated. I particularly like Visions of China, because they publish technical information from time to time.

While I Was Sleeping

I must have been sleeping on Tuesday, August 5th because I totally missed the significance of the announcement by Olympus and Panasonic of the Micro Four Thirds System. According to what I have seen, this announcement is “most exciting digital photography announcement this year”. I won’t go into technical details because there is plenty of that out there, but this could be the breakthrough small camera aficionados (myself included) have been waiting for. In its essence, the MFT system shortens the flange back, shrinks the lens flange and removes the mirror which will allow the development of smaller and lighter cameras with interchangeable lenses. Because of the removal of the mirror these cameras will not be DSLRs, but will be more like a Leica M. That is assuming Olympus/Panasonic want it that way. Let’s fervently hope so. In any event, don’t buy anything before photokina.

Additional reading (with diagrams) can be found at DP Review here. Google “four thirds” to go to the official web site. Finally, read Mike Johnston’s two excellent articles here and here.

The Cameras of the XXIX Olympiad

Sheer Numbers
I can’t be certain, but I suspect that the Beijing Games will be the most photographed ever. From the plethora of digicams at the Opening Ceremonies (both athletes and spectators) to the big guns used by the press, I don’t recall ever seeing as many cameras at an Olympic Games. It was a real surprise to see athletes from African nations whose names I can barely pronounce wielding Sony Cyber-shots with the brio of old pros. Not to be outdone, the real pros have come out in droves. Just prior to Michael Phelps swim in the Men's 400m Individual Medley, I counted not less than 65 long lens outfits. By my unscientific count Canon had the edge with 34 to Nikon’s 31. Zach Honig at PopPhoto.com reports that, contrary to previous information, Chinese security are letting spectators bring SLRs into the venues.

Got Gear?
Here’s a sampling of what some folks packed for Beijing.

Photo by Eric Seals / Detroit Free Press

Photo by Vincent Laforet

Photo by Dan Powers / Appleton Post-Crescent

Strapped

Picking out just the right camera strap is a very personal decision. Some people prefer to advertise their camera brand and model by using the garish straps provided by the manufacturer. Others tend toward the stealth mode, using simple thin black straps. I have tried nearly every camera strap made, at one time or another, searching for exactly the right combination of fit and function. I have tried the Leica brand traditional strap and the Tamrac red flames quick release strap. I’ve used Nikon, Pentax and Canon straps. I’ve employed leather, rubber, nylon and neoprene. I recently tried out the Black Rapid over the shoulder strap. After all this searching, I have finally discovered that there is no perfect camera strap and no “best” camera strap. Where one person may want the comfort of neoprene, the next will prefer the security of rubber. As I say, it’s a very personal decision.

That said, here are a few of the brands that I have tried and liked. Each of them is different in approach and worth a test drive.
Low Key Classic
I have read the that the Domke Gripper was Burt Keppler’s favorite camera strap. These straps are constructed of the same webbing used on Domke Bags with Gripper non-slip tracks woven in and a quick-release feature. In black or tan this 1.5" wide strap is very unobtrusive and pretty comfortable. It does have a tendency to slip when under stress, but the thoughtful construction and classic look more than make up for any deficiencies.
Industrial Strength
No less than Michael Reichmann has called the UPstrap "the best damn camera strap in the world. Period. End of story." I don’t know if I would go that far, but this is certianly not a strap made for wimps. The SLR-Classic uses a single piece of 1250 lb. test 3/8" x 62" nylon web. The SLR-QR features a 300 pound tensile strength quick release system. Take that Burt! The centerpiece of this strap is a patented double sided non-slip rubber pad that is bonded to a single piece of web. When used over one sholuder this strap will not slip, so the non-slip claim is true here. I found the strap to be very uncomfortable when worn around my neck or over the opposite shoulder. That said, if you require the toughest strap made, this is your strap.
Built For Comfort

The most comfortable strap and my personal favorite is the Op/Tech Super Classic strap. The pad on this quick-release model is constructed of stretchy neoprene embedded with a non-slip grip. Frankly, I was dubious about the non-slip claim given the neoprene construction and UPstrap’s design. Even so, I could not get this strap to slip, even when wearing my nylon Gore-Tex rain jacket. The strap connects to the camera body via nylon webbing and sturdy quick disconnects. If comfort is your top consideration, this strap is highly recommended.

Beijing 2008

The Games of the XXIX Olympiad begin tomorrow in Beijing, China. In addition to being the second largest sporting event in the world, the Olympic Games are perhaps the largest photographic event in the world. Around 20,000 journalists will descend on the International Broadcasting Center, Main Press Center, Kodak Image Centre and the Olympic Media Village to cover the Games. It’s pretty safe to say that about 2,000 of them will be photographers. Olympic blogs have been started by photographers Rod Mar, Zach Honig and Vincent Laforet so you can follow the action from the inside. I know that I’ll be watching and trying separate the Nikon D3s from the Canon 1Ds Mark IIIs. Of course those cameras will be strictly limited to the pros since the organizers have banned SLR cameras and lenses for spectators without Olympic credentials. Their reasoning is that SLR cameras will block the view of block the view of other fans. Hmmmm. Have they seen the Olympus E-420? Apparently not.

Finally, this is a bit off-topic, but I have been watching the Olympic Games since 1964. I anticipate an interesting and exciting games in Beijing, not only because of the high level of athletics, but because of the underlying political tension. In my mind the most interesting games in the past are those where political pressures boil over a bit. I know that some would disagree with me, but let’s not forget that the Olympics are, above all, a show.

Summer…And The Living Is Easy

Where I live Summer is a very special season. The days are long, warm and dry. The nights are cool and magical, filled with fireflies. Everything is green and alive. Birds and insects of all varieties are plentiful. Flowers are the peak of their bloom. Given that this won’t last for very much longer, I would much rather be out shooting with Nikon’s new D700 than prattling on in this space. And so that is what I am doing, hence the gap in new material.

That does not mean that I am idle. Far from it. I am working on an article about the low- light performance of the Pentax K20D and the Nikon D3. I am also gathering material for a hands-on report about the D700. I’ve been working with several pieces of software and trying out various camera straps.

There is one thing I did want to mention. Recently, NASA assembled forty-five photographs selected by a panel of artists, photographers and photo editors. Each image was selected for its aesthetic, rather than scientific value. The result is Mars As Art. Highly recommended and making some prints from the high resolution images would be a fun project.