Nikon P7000 Review

Nikon Coolpix P7000Some of the readers may know that I used the Panasonic Lumix LX3 as a backup/compact camera for the times a dSLR isn't welcome (or practical). One of the places where a dSLR isn't welcome is your average (pop)concert. The Lumix LX3 was (and still is) an excellent compact camera with astonishing low-light capabilities. The only problem I had with the camera was that the zoom function only went to 60mm (35mm equivalent), and 60mm is a bit short when you're not standing directly in front of the podium....

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Triggerfinger in Paradiso

Last night we went to a concert/CD-release of the Belgium rockband Triggerfinger. This was also the first time I brought my new Nikon P7000. The following photos and video were shot with this new Nikon Coolpix Perfomance series compact camera.

The concert was great. Great enough to get their latest CD in the lobby. I hope we're gonna hear more of them.

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Extension Tubes and Macro Photography

Soligor Extension TubesSince I have no real specialty (yet) in the field of photography I do own a macro lens (a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG). Playing around in the macro field I find that the 1:1 representation of the subject isn't always what you want. Sometimes you need, or want more magnification. There are several ways of achieving a higher magnification ratio. One of them is using so-called extension tubes.

Taken with a Lensbaby Composer and a 36mm Extension Tube

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ThinkTank Retrospective 30 Camera Bag Review

ThinkTank Photo Retrospective 30 - BlackThe ThinkTank Retrospective camera bag series is different from the other regular ThinkTank (shoulder) bags. The normal ThinkTank bags are mainly professional looking. The Retrospective line is much more casual (not as casual as the Domke bags), and it doesn't yell 'THINKTANK'.

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Morning Walk

A couple of (highly annoyed) cows I ran into this morning during a nice morning walk. Fog and sun... a nice combination.

More photos can be seen on my flickr page.

Changing Camera Systems?

Updated on Sunday, October 3, 2010 at 14:24 by Willem

Don't know how it happened, but last night I stumbled upon several dSLR (Nikon/Canon) versus Rangefinder (Leica) comparisons. Something, I wish hadn't happen. Reading through these reviews / comparisons / user experiences made the (digital) rangefinder concept very appealing. Especially when you're a non-studio / non-portrait / non-macro / non-action shooter..... which fits my profile for about 95%.

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Apple iPhoto Photo Album

For the last 5 years, I've been using the Apple iPhoto application to create my holiday photo albums (five so far). Some might find them too expensive, but I simply love the Apple iPhoto integration, the available templates, and ordering process. Worth every penny in my opinion.

The 46 page photo album of the Spain holiday arrived today. Time between ordering and delivery was thee work days (five if you include the weekend). Excellent, fast, service if I may say so.

The album was created with Apple iPhoto.

Warning: crappy low-light iPhone photo :-)Thankfully, the real thing looks much better.......

The photos seen in the album in the photo above is a 7 photo panoramic overview of Granada, Spain. Taken from within Alhambra.

'Official' Nikon Hand Strap II Review

I was in the market for a hand-strap. Nikon offers a AH-4 hand-strap for their cameras, but that accessory is over $70 USD. Not something you buy without knowing if it 'suits' you. Sure, I could get the official AH-4, and find out after a couple of days that it's not my cup of tea. Chances are slim that the store will get it back with a full refund, since it's used.

So I started to look around for a cheaper option, and I found one (well, several) on eBay. This Nikon Hand-Strap II is supposed to be official in/from Korea, but even the Korean Nikon website only shows the original AH-4. So it's a (cheap) knock-off, but that didn't keep me from getting one.

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Them Crooked Vultures @ HMH

On June 10th, the "Them Crooked Vultures [1]" played in the Heineken Music Hall (HMH) in Amsterdam. The band consists of;

• Dave Grohl on drums and vocals
  Former Nirvana, and Foo Fighters
• Joshua Homme, lead gitare and vocals
  Former Queens of the Stone Age
• John Paul Jones, every other instrument......
  Former Led Zeppelin

Them Crooked Vultures @ HMHAwesome 2 hour concert for a already legendary band that released only 1 CD so far.

Getting Around a Wide-Angle Lens

Going on holiday is fun, but it's also a time of concessions on several levels. Especially if you can't bring every lens you own or (in theory) might need. Since the awesome Nikon 5-500mm f/1.8G VR ED N (small, <€1000, <1kg) isn't widely available. This means deciding what to bring in your camera bag.

In my case, I wanted to experiment with primes during my holiday. this also means that you have to use the foot-zoom, and on several occasions that won't work because of certain limitation (walls, buildings, ravines, etc.). In those cases you have 3 options;

1. Don't make the photo
2. Make a photo, but know immediately that it will end in /dev/null when you get home (a just-for-the-record photo).
3. Improvise

So as you might have guessed, I ran into such a situation in Toledo, Spain. They have this great cathedral in the middle of an old town with narrow streets. You need a ultra-wide angle lens for almost anything there.

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