Nikon D3

I've always been a Nikon user. Ever since my first steps into photography (in the army) where an FM2 was thrust into my hand and I was sent out with rolls of film to go get some shots.

I love the cameras and have got to know each one I have owned almost personally. In fact I'm so bad I've still got them all (where's the sense in that).

I was very slow taking up the digital revolution as i have always been more than satisfied with the film cameras. However rising film/processing costs eventually made the decision for me (although i still occasionally shoot film). I can't be the only one who still gets inspired when opening a film can and smelling the emulsion on a fresh film can I?

Any way the main beef I had with Nikon was how all my lenses from my film bodies suddenly became different focal lengths when attached to my D2x. I suddenly found I had to be further away from my subjects and it caused me to have to change my approach to the subjects. This of course was due to the size of the image sensor Nikon used as a result I believe several photographers jumped ship and went to Canon who offered full frame. For years Nikon insisted they had no intention of going full frame and instead concentrated on new lenses specifically designed for digital bodies. All that changed last week with the announcement of the D3.

It looks a very impressive piece of kit and boasts several new widgets including, the ability to have 2 memory cards, some new fancy autofocus system and several other techy things (that if I'm honest don't interest me cause they're techy, I'm more interested in what it produces rather than how).

However I'm very impressed with the pricing policy, estimated at £3,300 that's a lot cheaper than the Canon equivalent.

Grab shots

I got a pleasant reminder last weekend of the importance of being ready to get grab shots at all times. We'd just finished shooting some formal stuff at a christening and where walking out of the park when the shot here presented itself.

These are the shots you can't create and just have to be ready for when they present themselves. The trick is never turn the camera off and the lens cap only goes back on when the camera goes away. If I'm honest I prefer these shots to the more formal type of shot that the majority of people want.

Here's another example of the same baby but captured a little more formally. I always try and get a bit of both and that way it's the best of both worlds.


On another note skype seemed to have dropped the ball over the last two days. For anyone not in the know skype is the free online phone company owned by E-bay. They normally provide an excellent and very cheap (and in many cases free) phone service anywhere in the world. Their problems are something to do with a software problem, but for a major provider like this to go down for two days that's major. We'll see what happens over the next couple of days.

Regardless of the current problems I'd advise anyone who has a broadband connection to get skype. Especially if you regularly phone people on the other side of the world.

The NFL in Colchester

For the last week the NFL have been running an American Football school in Colchester assisted by the Colchester Gladiators. Here's some images from one of the days.