Shun Photography: Gear

Showing posts with label Gear. Show all posts

Sunix Pili - Thunderbolt Dock

June 12, 2012 - It's coming all together! Today Sunix Pili Thunderdock station was introduced at the Taiwan Computex Show. It is assembled with everything I thought necessary for thunderbolt o take off as a mainstream gear. It comes with hot-swapping SATA Bay for upto 4TB, Kensington lock, cooling fan, single gigabit ethernet connectivity, dual thunerbolt channels for upto 6 thunderbolt devices and 1 native DisplayPort display, supporting both data (PCI Express) and video (DisplayPort) on a single cable connection.

The Sunix Pili integrates a 3.5-inch HDD enclosure, it includes a slim Blu-ray writer, four USB 3.0 ports, a high-speed multi-card reader with support for SD, MMC, MS, an xD media, and stereo audio playback using the SPDIF digital audio interface.

I predict the PC is well on its way to being modular and slim, like iPads and Ultrabooks. You only need to hook up a mouse and keyboard, WiFi or Bluetooth enabled to achieve a desktop configuration or a carry it with you like an iPad when you are on the move.

D800/800E Product Info

Nikon D800 and D800E were launched today. Following are the promo vids released in conjunction with the launch. Amazingly, the D800E is able to capture high-speed action on video without using external lighting gear. Pictures produced are sharp and clear inspite of the adverse ambient condition. All I can say is - Wow!!

Articles
Good Insightful Read - Thom Hogan: Nikon D800 / 800E Introduction
Luminous Landscape: D800 and D800E Comparison
Insightful Info on Nikon 800/E by Nikon Engineers

The One

Today is 9-Jan-2011, barely a few days after 6-Jan-2011, the date Nikon launched the D4, its latest and greatest camera. I could title the post 'D4' or something like that to cash-in on the widespread excitment and interest in the D4 launch. But that would be pretentious and falsely enticing readers to this blog simply to increase pageviews, etc. Hence the post title, a tribute to a truly great camera - but without any allusion to Nikon! I have nothing to add to what's already available on Youtube. Plus obviously I don't have any hands-on experience to tell! So why then embed the D4 promotional vid? Because, folks, Nikon has finally nailed the competition with this one! The D4 is undisputedly the One to get and own! The quality of the videos captured by the D4 is simply Astounding! It is what clinches it for me this time! So this post gathers all the vital info relating to the D4, all in one convenient place! I do the searches so you don't have to!

Above: Bill Frakes on Shooting with the D4
For more detailed information on the production of "WHY" & "HOW of WHY" and the Nikon D4, check out our blog and the Nikon Professional Services Global site.
http://news.coreyrich.com/
http://nps.nikonimaging.com/movie_shooting_guide/

UPDATE: 01-02-12
Did you also know that the XQD can store up tp a massive of 2 terabytes? Wow, that surely would one day be used on laptops. ultrabooks, etc and yes, the Modular PC - made possible by Intel's new innovation Thunderbolt technology! The following article is an excellent read on the new Sony storage format for digital cameras employed in the D4: Sony XQD card in Nikon D4
Professional Insight: Vincent Munier's Take on the D4
Joe McNally & Bill Frakes on the D4

Nikon's amazing 14-24mm f/2.8 Lens

Above view of Singapore's financial district at Boat Quay was taken with the 14-24mm f2.8 Nikon lens mounted on a D40.

When I first looked at the image, I was awe-struck by the "flatness" of the image rendered by the amazing 14-24mm lens, the same feeling I got with images taken with the Nikon 24mm f/2.8 lens. Is that only me or do you also have the same reaction?

The DX format D40 is an admirable camera, but does not fully exploit the full-frame lens. To buy D3X, D3 or D700? Each has its pro's and con's. Well, no hurry, as I believe Nikon will launch a full-frame camera targeted at the prosumer market in about 18 months' time i.e. a product with the features and capability of the D3 full-frame sensor but in a US$1,500-2,000 price package.

The Indochine Restaurant at Empress Place

12-24mm Nikkor or 24-70mm Nikkor ?
A common question that has been asked on several forums is which lens should one buy to go with the D700 / D3. Particularly when it comes to a toss-up between the amazingly sharp 14-24mm f/2.8 and the equally impressive 24-70mm f/2.8.
The answer is simple: both are equally indispensable: in a space as small and confined as a HDB flat, there is simply no substitute for the 14-24mm Nikkor ! The 24-70mm Nikkor does not have a wide enough angle to capture group shots comfortably in a confined space. Likewise, out on the streets or in a church hall, the 14-24mm Nikkor does not have the "reach" of the highly versatile 24-70mm f/2.8 to give close-up shots of events that happen. So both are indispensable, depending on the occasion and space available.

The former General Post Office Building at Fullerton Road

Now rebirthed as The Fullerton Hotel.

AF 24mm f/2.8D Nikkor

I bought my Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D in 1994, if I recall correctly, when I bought my Nikon F90.

Then internet access was not yet widely available-- Singnet was just starting commercial operations, Pacnet undergoing trial. And getting info, especially on photography, was very difficult and time-consuming.

I therefore bought the 24mm Nikkor "blind" and without benefit of any pre-advice or knowledge of its performance. In those days people buy cameras and lenses on the strength of the brand's "reputation". And no one in my circle of photography friends tested newly bought lenses -- after all, didn't we buy a Nikkor?

Today getting info and knowledge on photography is simply a matter of joining a photography forum. Digital photography is hugely popular, spawned no doubt by a confluence of happy events: internet, weblogging, forums, dropping digicam prices, etc in a virtuous circle.

And I read that the 24mm f/2.8D Nikkor was one of the better lenses made by Nikon! Lucky for me!

However, with the Net disseminating info so rapidly now, and photographers sharing experiences with their newly bought camera and lenses, it soon dawned on everybody that buying branded stuff is not an assurance of quality. Reports have emerged on several forums about QC issues affecting several branded products: Nikon cameras and lenses, Canon, Sigma, Tamron, etc.

I thus decided to take my 24mm Nikkor for a walk-around, to see if I have a good copy.

The pictures below were shot at f/8 mostly. Other photos taken with the same lens at bigger apertures are shown under the blog title "Singapore Croissant".

My tentative finding : lens is sharp and contrasty. In future I will use this lens opened up to as large as f/4, with f/5.6 appearing to be its sweet spot!

D70, 24mm f/2.8D, 1/30s@f/8, ISO1600, +0.3EV, AWB -2