The Nikon SB-900 photos are already available thanks to dpreview.com. The new SB-900 was released with the newest DSLR in Nikon’s line – the Nikon D700 full frame.
DPReview.com has a full review of the new Nikon D700 and photos. Below are just a couple of them… Jump over to dpreview.com to see the rest.
Nikon also has a site up with sample photos taken using the new D700. Other photos are also available here.
Nikon is releasing a new speedlight along with the new Nikon D700 full frame DSLR. The new flash will have a zoom range of 18-200mm and support both FX and DX lens systems. I’m assuming it will have all the same features as the SB-800 with a handful of minor enhancements. See more information at Engadget.
I made a post a little over a week ago about the Nikon D700 rumors that have been flying around. Engadget has confirmed with a newly posted French video, that the Nikon D700 is no longer a rumor but almost ready to hit the shelves. There is quite a bit of new information which can be obtained just by watching the video (even if you can’t understand it). The new Nikon D700 does really look good… The new camera:
I’m pretty happy to see Nikon release a new model. Assuming the price is correct, I’ll probably be be picking it up as soon as I can. The D3 is about two grand more (assuming the above price is correct) and it has quite a few more features – including vertical grip, 2 compact flash card slots, and a better battery.
In my previous post – 3G iPhone Software Requests, I outlined a few of the programs I would like to see developed for the iPhone. It appears that part of my last item will be released quite soon. TUAW is reporting that Apple is going to release a program that will allow the iPhone to connect to your iTunes software and control the program much like Salling Clicker. The software is supposed to be released by Apple and it will be available for download from the iTunes iPhone Applications section. One program down, about 5 left.
I thought I would spend some time over the next few weeks highlighting some of the better photos from my trip to St. Thomas, VI back in March. The first photo is an HDR shot of the Marriott Frenchman’s Cove resort on St. Thomas. This was one of the first HDR shots I made.
Yesterday was St. Louis’ Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. I took a short trip to downtown St. Louis yesterday morning to snap a few photos of friends who were running in the race. Between the runners, spectators, and sponsors, there were probably between 55,000 and 75,000 people downtown for the race. Below are a few Race for the Cure photos and the rest are on my gallery.
Rumors are flying around on Gizmodo – a new Nikon full frame DSLR. The new D300 successor is rumored to be called the Nikon D700. The full frame camera will be about the size of the D300 and have much of the same specs as the D3. I will post new information as soon as soon as it is available. In the meantime, check out the Gizmodo article and take a look at http://www.nikond700.com. Speaking of that domain, I can’t believe Nikon doesn’t register the domains for upcoming camera models they intend to release. Nikon must plan out the model numbers far in advance… Obviously they don’t care much about the domains because I grabbed www.nikond4.com over a year ago.
Update: 6-17-08 10:39 PM – It appears from the photos at Gizmodo that the camera will not have a pop up flash. This is probably a good sign that this will be a pretty high end camera.
The new 3G iPhone is just around the corner and the firmware update is coming too. There are qute a few companies working to develop new software for the phone and there are probably a lot of programs that are being kept under tight wraps. I have a handful of software requests that I feel would be quite useful.
1) Gas Buddy + Google Maps - I would like to see an application that interfaces Gasbuddy with Google maps. It would be nice to see all the nearby gas stations on a map with the current gas prices. Then the GPS can navigate you to the station of your choosing – probably the one with the cheapest gas.
2) Delivery Status for iPhone – I do a lot of online shopping and I like to know where my packages are and when they will be delivered. I use Delivery Status all the time and it would be great to have that convenience on the iPhone.
3) Terminal Services Client for iPhone – I frequently remote into some of my personal machines and having the ability to do that with the iPhone would be very helpful.
4) Remote Desktop for iPhone – Much like #3 above, I would like to see a version of Remote Desktop released for the iPhone. It would be great to be able to log in and take control of my Macbook Pro where ever I am. This would allow me to have much higher productivity without having to drag my laptop everywhere I go (even float trips).
5) Salling Clicker for iPhone – I would love to see Salling Clicker released for the iPhone. I use clicker pretty frequently on my Treo 700P.
If I see even a couple of these applications released, I will be quite the happy camper. I would have no problem paying for any of these iPhone applications.
Amy Krauch and Tom Morris were married on May 10, 2008 in Branson, MO. The dress rehersal and ceremony were held at the Stonegate Glass Chapel just north of Branson. The dinner following the dress rehersal was held on the Landing Princess cruise boat. The reception following the cermony was held at the reception hall at the chapel. All of the photos from the wedding can be viewed on the online gallery.
The annual Whippy Shaft golf tournament is coming up on us very quickly. This is a great event that is hosted by my employer. There are about 15 teams of four that compete for a variety of prizes including longest put, closest to the pin, best dressed, worst game, etc. The Whippy Shaft game is scheduled for June 13, 2008 in Shiloh, IL at Yorktown Golf Course. I’ll be attending the event shooting photos of all the fun and mishaps. There is a website being built now that will house all the photos and updated information for the event moving forward. The Whippy Shaft website should be complete this week.
Update: I just helped setup a WordPress blog for the Whippy Shaft tournament site. The blog is at http://www.whippyshaft.com/blog.
I was in Branson, Missouri last weekend for the wedding of a very close friend. Her ceremony was held at the Stonegate Glass Chapel north of Branson. I drove down from St. Louis Friday morning and shortly after checking into my hotel (Hilton Promenade) I met the families at the chapel.
When I am shooting, I normally have both my Nikon D2x and Nikon D300 with me and I use both cameras during the dress rehersal and wedding. I use the Nikon 17-55mm F/2.8 on the D2x and the Nikon 70-200mm F/2.8 on the D300. Until this weekend, I have never had any incidents or accidents with my equipment. Just after the dress rehersal, everyone was gathered outside the chapel. I was about to raise the D2x and 17-55 when as I looked down, the lens just fell off and it fell straight to the ground. It hit the cement with a thud and I was pretty sure it was broken, even before picking it up. The lens landed on the zoom ring and it was very tight to turn.
The lens was definitely damaged and I could not take a chance with it during the rest of the weekend. Luckily I did have a couple extra lenses that I was able to use and get a lot of great photos (soon to be posted). All of my equipment is insured through State Farm on a commercial policy and they will be reimbursing me for a new one. The replacement Nikon 17-55mm F/2.8 lens is on its way to my house from B&H and should arrive tomorrow.
The MJ Morning show, on Z1077 in St. Louis, has been promoting a door called the Jesus Door. This is a door that was in a business in Florida and one of the employees noticed what appears to be Jesus’ face in the wood grains of the door. The door struck a lot of attention and the morning show decided to actually take the door to all their affiliate stations in Florida and Missouri. They stopped in Fairview Heights today to show the door to everyone and I stopped by to take a few photos. Below are the shots of Fester, the Z1077 Hummer, and the promotions guy from Z1077.
Kappa Sigma Tau Sorority, of McKendree College in Lebanon, IL, held their annual sorority formal at Lumen’s off of Washington in St. Louis. Group photos were taken at McKendree College and and downtown in St. Louis. All the photos are on my gallery.
Sherida Skingley and Wade Whynot were married on Saturday March, 22, 2008 at the First Baptist Church of O’Fallon, Illinois. The first group of photos are online and more will be uploaded tonight and during the weekend. The wedding photos are available on the gallery.
Update 4-14-08: The remaining images were uploaded to the gallery over the weekend.
Come on Adobe! I thought that when I saw the new version of Lightroom 2.0 beta, it would actually work on Apple OSX 10.5. I shouldn’t have let my hopes get so high – it still produces the error saying, "An Error Has Occured When Attempting to Change Modules." I’m running an Apple Macbook Pro on Apple’s Leopard operating system. I have the same problem with Lightroom 1.5 on this computer.
The software starts to load when it generates the error. It does not load the film strip or any of the main menus. Anything you try to do produces the same error. I’m sure this isn’t an isolated issue because I have seen a few help threads online identifying this happening to others. Adobe’s website does not list compatibility for Leopard on Lightroom 1.5 but it shows Leopard support on Lightroom 2.0.
I shot a wedding this weekend for a family friend and at the reception, I met one of the bride’s uncles who has a very impressive collection of camera equipment. We talked about workflow and processing photos and he mentioned that he uses Adobe Lightroom to process all of his photos before exporting them to Photoshop.
I downloaded the updated demo of Lightroom and after installation, I was immediately presented with the error, "An Error Occurred When Attempting to Change Modules." I was a little frustrated thinking it was an issue with my machine and honestly there was not much information on Adobe’s help section. Finally I found the answer when I looked at Adobe Lightroom’s system requirements…. It works on Apple OSX 10.4 but it does not list compatibility for Leopard (OSX 10.5).
View Lightroom on Adobe’s site but be sure to read the system requirements before purchasing – I suggest using the demo to make sure it will work. If you are on Leopard, good luck!
Over the last few years, I have massed a small collection of camera equipment and bags for different trips and specific types of jobs. One of the first bags that I purchased about three years ago is the Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW (all weather system). This is really a great bag for those who don’t have to transport a large amount of equipment.
Last year on a trip to Cancun, I pushed the bag to its limits (even tore a few stitches). I managed to stuff my Nikon D2x, Nikon D70s, 18-200 f/3.5 – 5.4 VR lens, 2 Nikon SB-800 flashes, and a Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. The bag was at max capacity and it really weighed quite a bit. In fact, on one of the first days in Cancun, I trekked about five miles on foot and ended up with a pinched nerve in my right shoulder. I really can’t blame the Lowepro Slingshot 200 for this since I had it so fully loaded.
The bag is very comfortable to carry when traveling and it has a rather low profile that makes it convenient as an airplane carry-on. It will hold a slew of memory cards and small accessories as needed and it has room for roughly 2 DSLR or SLR bodies and 2 lenses. You could also fit a flash in with it.
The Lowepro Slingshot 200 and the other bags in the Slingshot line were designed so that the camera can be accessed and removed from the bag quickly. You can swing the slingshot around in front of you and open the zipper and pull out your camera. You can also quickly access your memory cards from this opening.
One more nice feature that Lowepro added to the Slingshot 200 and 300 bags is the weather / rain cover. This cover has really come in handy a couple times when I’ve been caught in the rain. Additionally, you can pull the weather cover over the bag when you are on the beach and it will protect the bag from sand and it also keeps the bag from absorbing so much heat from the sun.
All in all, I would rate the Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW bag with 4.5 out of 5 stars. The bag is ergonomic and comfortable. It is priced reasonably at about $80 – $90.
In addition to the Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW, I also have the Slingshot 300 AW, the Think Tank Airport International rolling camera case, and a Tamrac bookbag style bag that I really dislike.
I spent quite a bit of time laying around the resort today but I did snap some good sunset shots. I also caught some good self portraits shooting into the glass reflection on an elevator. We leave tomorrow and so we are trying to relax as much as possible before we leave paradise. All the photos are online here.
Today was quite a long day. We took a vehicle ferry from St. Thomas to St. John’s Island and toured the island. We ate lunch at Miss Lucy’s restaurant on the south side of the island. The restaurant is known to have one of the best views on the island. The food was very good and there was some interesting entertainment. There were about ten goats that walked past the outdoor patio on the side of the restaurant and one of them snatched a burger off a woman’s plate. There were also some chickens and chicks that were running around under the tables looking for food. It was definitely not the traditional dining experience.
We stopped for drinks at Margarita Phil’s. The drinks were excellent and the employees were pretty entertaining. We caught what was about the best sunset that I have seen here all week. The sunsets don’t really compare to those in Hawaii but I still snapped some great photos. All the photos are online.
Today we picked up a Jeep Wrangler from Budget (the only name brand on the island) and did some touring. We drove pretty much all over the island. We stopped for lunch in Red Hook at a Irish bar / restaurant named Maggie Malone’s. After lunch we checked out Magen’s Bay but it was so incredibly packed with tourists from the cruise ships that we didn’t even try to stay. There were well over 400 people at the beach and it was like a zoo. Needless to stay we went left right away and went to a high elevation look-out where we could get some good shots. Tomorrow we will spend the day on St. John’s Island. See the rest of the photos online.
We lounged around the resort again today but we did catch a taxi into town to do some shopping. I shot fewer photos today than yesterday since there wasn’t much change in scenery. I did take some time to shoot more HDR photos around the resort. Tomorrow we are renting a Jeep and we will do some touring around St. Thomas. On Wednesday, we will be heading over to St. John where I’m sure I will have the opportunity to get some great shots. See all the photos online.
About a week before I left for my vacation to St. Thomas, I stopped by the Apple store in St. Louis and picked up the new Macbook Pro. It is definitely a big step up from my Apple Macbook that was roughly one year old. The biggest difference is the video and screen. The new Macbook Pro has 512MB of dedicated Video memory on the NVidia 8600 chipset. The Macbook has integrated graphics which shares RAM. I also needed more hard drive space and the Macbook Pro is a big upgrade with 250GB over the 80GB that the Macbook has.
I transferred all my files and settings from the Macbook to the Pro using a firewire cable. The process of copying the data was very easy but it did take about an hour and fifteen minutes. The Macbook Pro restarted after the data transfer and worked like a charm. The only thing I had to do was install my network laser printer and configure my Sprint EVDO USB card.
I installed Windows XP using Boot Camp and it runs very well. I also have Parallels installed running Windows which makes it very easy to check my design work in multiple browsers.
One nice feature that the Macbook Pro has is the ambient light sensor. There is actually a sensor mounted under the speaker grill on each side of the keyboard. The sensor is located roughly an inch and a half from where the grill starts by the screen. It is pretty accurate and it dims the screen and turns on the keyboard back light as light dims.
I woke up rather early and went for a walk around the hotel property. I found a number of small of geckos and iguanas to photograph. We checked out of our room and moved our luggage over to our condo where we are staying for the week – the Marriott Frenchman’s Cove resort. We didn’t have any problems with our condo unlike our experience at the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef Hotel.
We lounged around the resort for the whole day but I managed to shoot quite a few shots. I also shot a few bursts of photos that I converted to HDR. My new Manfrotto tripod and Bogen ball head really helped me catch these photos. It looks like I might be carrying the tripod with me to most places we go on the island. I’ll try catch a bunch more HDR photos if I can.
All of the photos from today are online at http://djphoto.smugmug.com/gallery/4485860_86YWZ and the photos from yesterday are up at http://djphoto.smugmug.com/gallery/4486086_5Bijo.
We landed in St. Thomas about 4:30 PM (local time – EST +1) and surprisingly, the airport is so small, you have to walk down steps to get off the plane. It did allow me to shoot a few quick shots looking down the plane. We walked inside the terminal and within a few minutes our luggage was available. We took a taxi van ($60) about 3 miles to the hotel and checked in.
When we arrived at our room, it turns out they gave us one king bed instead of two doubles – what we booked. Of course Marriott (Frenchman’s Reef Hotel) didn’t have any extra rooms so they had to bring in a roll away bed. They wouldn’t even comp us for the inconvenience – not a good practice when your guests are paying $400 per night. I’ll be sending an email to Marriott corporate tomorrow.
Despite the problems with our room, everything else at the resort is pretty nice. There are a lot of scenic areas on the compound and I managed to snap a few decent photos even though it was getting late and the sun was setting. See the photos below and I’ll post more tomorrow. I’m on my Sprint EVDO USB card and I’m not receiving a strong signal so I can’t upload large copies of the photos.
I headed over to Lambert Airport in St. Louis at about 4:45 AM this morning to begin my 8 day vacation. We are on the first leg of the flight and I’m currently sitting at Miami International Airport…. I’ll be boarding the next flight for St. Thomas in about 20 minutes…. I will be putting up some photos tonight hopefully (assuming there are no issues with the Internet at the resort). Yesterday I found a good article about theft of camera equipment and other personal items in airports that is definitely worth reading.
Yesterday Netvibes released a new version of their web-based application called Netvibes Ginger. The new release adds a variety of new features related to social networking as well as an updated interface for interacting and adding widgets to the standard Netvibes view. There is a new interface for adding feeds, widgets, and other plugins.
Netvibes Ginger now has a public page that you can build to display public information. You could use this for a blog if you wanted to but I’d stick to WordPress.
The upgrade process for Ginger was a bit confusing, probably because of the amount of traffic on the server. You first enter your registered email and Netvibes will email you an upgrade key. It is a bit confusing because it took about an hour from when I submitted the form for the key to arrive. I assumed the key would be sent right away. I attribute the delay to the number of users hitting the server. After I received and entered my key, I had no idea how long the upgrade would take. I assumed it would only be a few minutes. In totoal, the upgrade to Ginger took about 5 hours from when I entered my key.
In general, the added features that came with Ginger are nice but I see myself using a lot of them. One nice feature is the ability to add HTML code. This would allow for a wide range of things that you could do.
With my upcoming trip to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, I wanted to pick up a new tripod to take on the trip and to use for portrait photography as well as weddings. I decided to drop in a local camera store to take a look at what tripods they have to offer. I tend to purchase the majority of my photography equipment from Adorama or B&H but some things I like be able to handle before I make a purchase. I looked at a few tripods that were very small and compact but felt they wouldn’t hold the weight of my Nikon D300 and D2x with the Nikon 70-200 VR lens. Once I took a look at the Manfrotto 055XV I decided that was the best option for me.
The Manfrotto 055XV tripod is not big by any means but it does extend to the perfect height for me. It extends to 5’10" which is right about an inch shorter than me. The legs on the tripod are very sturdy even fully extended. The legs can be extended out a full 90 degrees from the shaft so that it can be placed on uneven surfaces. The shaft has a quick release so you can raise or lower it quickly by just pulling the release.
Finally, the Manfrotto 055XV tripod is very portable. With its size and weight (just less than 5lbs), the tripod will fit on a backpack or in my case, my Think Tank Airport International rolling case.
At just about $120, this tripod is built very well and I feel it is well worth the investment. Just remember you will need to buy or supply your own head.
A few days ago I made a post that outlined problems with search engines ranking flashed based photography sites and I wanted to take some time to offer some suggestions on how to remedy this problem. As I mentioned in the previous article, having a website built only on Flash will cause some big problems if you want to be found by search engines.
So, what can you do to increase the likelihood of being ranked in the search engines? There are few things:
The biggest change you can make is to build a separate version of your photography site using HTML or another search engine friendly language. Some sites will offer the option to choose a low bandwidth and high bandwidth version before you enter. This is fine but make sure to put some useful content on that page. Don’t just use a couple of images with links. The engines need to have something to help them understand what your site is about. It is wise to offer a text version of your navigation in the footer of the site. You can put the content and links "under the fold." This means place it lower than what is visible when the page loads – you have to scroll to see it.
You can also build the site so that only the content that has to be interactive is built in Flash. Build the rest of the content in HTML or PHP. This keeps the majority of your site indexable.
I personally try to avoid Flash. I find it annoying and while I used to be interested in using Flash, I have abandoned it all together and now operate on WordPress which uses PHP.
If you want the interaction in your photo gallery, you could run a gallery that is built on Flash while the rest of the site is built on HTML or PHP.
I’ll be jumping on a plane on Saturday morning around 6:30 AM for a long day of travel and layovers. I’m going to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands for eight days. I’m pretty psyched – I’ll be able to really get out and use my new Nikon D300 in some great conditions. With the upcoming wedding season, I wanted to pick up a few new accessories. Last week I bought a Manfrotto tripod and Bogen ball head.
During my trip I will also visit St. John’s Island and possibly a few other islands. I will post photos on the site throughout the trip. I’m taking my whole arsenel of camera equipment. I will really be breaking in my new Think Tank Airport International rolling camera bag.
Recent Comments