I finally have a 300 2.8. After waiting 5 or so months for another Nikon 300 2.8 AF, I decided to get a much cheaper Tokina 300 2.8. Festival season is here and I really don’t want to wait. Resale value won’t be anything but I doubt I will sell it. 

First impressions: heavy as a mofo, I am trying to order a monopod now,  it is a lot shorter then I expected, 60mm or something, shorter than my 70-200 2.8, the AF is fast enough, it doesn’t give me THAT much reach, 1.4 teleconverter here I come, it fits in my camera bag without removing the little stuff basket on the top, much more convenient. I’m relieved that I finally have this.

After getting the new camera toy, I realized it does not work with my default shoulder bag. This is a regular non-camera bag that I use every day that worked quite well for my D200 but does not work at all with a bigger camera. A day shooting a bit of a Setsubun festival makes it obvious that my current bags do not cut the mustard.

A trip to Bic Camera finds be wanting a Flipside 300 from Lowepro. Backpack styled. Can handle a pro DSLR with 300 2.8 attached. Has a tripod holder. Pretty much the feature set I would have requested. And it is pretty slim and compact too. The problem: 13500 yen. It costs $57 at BH Photo. A search on the Internet through Japanese websites did not show a better price than Bic.

I wound up getting it at Bic even though it was brutally expensive. This is maybe the first time I’ve just had to bite the bullet on something insanely pricey. Previously, I’ve been able to find a decent price or a different solution but I just swallowed it this time. Since there is not that much info on the Internet about this product, I plan on putting my thoughts down on ‘paper’ on this. I will be using it on a weekend trip to Yonago/Izumo and the weekend after at a work party (maybe) and the Naked Man festival here in Okayama.

 

My new camera came. Impressive of course. Haven’t shot with it. Control wise, it is even more customizable than my D200 but still I cannot get the perfect combination of dial directions for all controls like aperture controls, shutter-speed, and exposure comp. Nor can I get the function button set to give 1/3 stop adjustments when pressed so I can set the default to 1 stop increments. The opposite is possible. The lack of a protective screen is a bit disturbing since I will be tossing it on my regular day to day shoulder bag. I will seek one when one is available.

I haven’t installed CaptureNX yet. I will and it will change my workflow by quite a bit. Not looking forward to that. My preferred noise reduction solution has not been updated to provide noise profiles but I don’t have an immediate need for it now.

I am still seeking to fill out my kit with a 300mm and a 28mm. I might also get one of the 2.8 zooms: the ultrawide or the midrange. I doubt I will get the recently announced 24 PC but it is interesting. I also am seriously considering a new bag since I can’t carry it about very easily now.

My D3 is on order with a Tokyo vendor. I’m also saving up for the 300 2.8. I hope to get the D3 within 2 months. I’m queued 100+ people deep.

No decision on the desktop but having priced out something at about $1500, it doesn’t look likely. On the other hand, used gear seems available… but at shit prices. Best bet is still to fix up the old Dell.

Going to Tokyo in a few days for New Year’s holiday. Will look at some camera shits and computer shits while I’m there.

I will also look for my Tegan and Sara album. Fucking Tower had only one copy left at nearly 40 dollars. FUCK YOU TOWER! The CD was 10 bucks at Amazon on release. It is still only 12. And I can even score the one day shipping thing too. I’ll look hard for it in Tokyo but if I don’t find it, maybe I’ll have my family hook me up. This shit is jacked up. 

It is Christmas but one would never know it. I had Christmas Cake but this was one shitty Christmas.  

Decisions. Decisions. I now regret my decision to get the ‘free’ point and shoot instead of the 19″ LCD monitor. The monitor seems like it would be a lot more useful now. If I had that, I would more easily consider getting a desktop here in Japan. The other relevant items to consider are of course price and my renewal. Since Juhachi Kippu season is almost here again, I need to decide since I like Osaka for gear shopping.

Another option, one that is less expensive, is to replace the HDD on the Dell laptop. But since the damn thing doesn’t boot off USB and doesn’t have a working CD drive… I need to see if I can find a solution to installing an OS.

Or maybe I will just continue life without a second computer. I don’t like it but I can survive.

I also need to figure out my plans for the D3 and the 300mm I want and thus I need to deal with what I want to do in terms of a support system. I need a monopod for the 300. I need to figure out what I can get with my D3 points. The support system I get should fit into my overall plans for a support system (tripod, ball head, Arca-swiss plates).

I don’t like having to make this decision now. 

I have decided I want to purchase this. I have already begun saving up for it. It should be months before I have the money saved. But I am now on mad crazy unemployment style saving mode. I expect to have the cash in March. Wow that sounds so far away. 

I found a 300mm F4 in Osaka, 2 actually, that I wanted but I don’t know if I want to pull the trigger or continue saving. The price was good and with the new camera I will need even longer lenses.

I have still yet to find a good vendor for the camera in Okayama, one with 10% points. I did find a reasonable vendor but those 10% in points is not chump change. Taking trips to Osaka if need be will occur. I did hear a rumor that a Bic Camera will open in the autumn near the Eki. No evidence so far but if it is true, then many of my issues will be solved regarding a vendor. 

I need a HB-1 for my 35-70 too. 

So Nikon announced some long awaited new toys a few days ago. A new D3 with a full framed sensor. I’m glad they did and I’m also thinking it is too soon. Especially since the D3 might cost about $5000 and I am going to have a hard time putting that together. But it is indeed the Holy Grail. I wonder what the viewfinder will be like.

There was also a D300 announced. This is a upgraded D200 with a DX sized sensor. Nice but this would be ideal with a larger sensor. Maybe in a year. There was a very nice upgrade the the AF which was much needed (15 cross type sensors). It is the same AF system used in the D3. The AF is now no longer inferior to Pentax. Other things like the shooting speed and buffer were upgraded but I am more curious about the new battery grip. Will it still suck ass? The LCD also receives a massive upgrade to nearly 1 mega-pixel.

The long awaited announcement of VR upgraded long lenses also occurred. But who cares.

More interesting was the announcement of 2 new 2.8 zooms. The new 24-70 2.8 is a replacement for the 28-70 2.8 and is suppose to be slimmer but thank god it still takes 77mm filters. Very nice. There will also be a 14-24 2.8 (!!!!!). Not DX. Damn. But I’ve found I don’t like wide much so it isn’t for me.

I’m also still looking for a longer lens. Something like a 300mm f4. I would prefer something used. But used lenses in that range are quite hard to come by here. Not being able to read the local language makes it so much worse. 

How I will get the cash for these toys is a mystery.

I am now the proud owner of another two eight zoom. Go me. It is in good condition. Just a few light scratches on the front element and some cosmetic damage on the outer parts of lens. The macro functions seem to suck ass. But I didn’t get it for that.