Author: travel67

Pentax 645D review on The Luminous Landscape

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Photographer Nick Devlin just posted a review of the Pentax 645D on The Luminous Landscape. Well worth a read. It is interesting that he talks a lot about how good the camera feels, this was one of the first things I noticed, particularly the solid grip you get on the body. It is also the kind of comment you can only give if you’ve used the camera, rather than just regurgitating the specs from the manufacturer’s website.

Macro testing

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I thought I would test just how close I could focus when using the 100mm macro lens from my Pentax 67 camera on the 645D. I first took some photographs of a steel ruler (as shown above) then moved on to the lego man (naval officer?). First 645D body, 67 to 645 adapter, and 100mm macro lens. Then add the 1:1 adapter to the front of the lens (This comes with the 100mm macro lens) And then add extension tubes 1+2+3 It should be noted that these are the full size images and not crops. If you use the macro lens with the 1:1 adapter, and extension tubes you can focus so that an object 19mm in width will fill the frame. Of course you could then crop the image further. This is a crop at 100% from the above shot. This leads me to ask the assorted creepy crawlies on Okinawa… “Are you ready for your close-up?”

Beeping Cameras

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Digtial Discovery #10 Modern cameras beep a lot. The beeps may be useful for some photographers, but I imagine they cause more than a few raised eyebrows if you’re shooting in a temple, shrine, monastery, library or secret laboratory. Help make the world a quieter place. Find the beep menu in your camera’s settings and deselect the various options. Enjoy the crack of the shutter, and leave beeping to The Road Runner.

Busena Terrace Resort

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Last month I was updating the Okinawa chapter of a Japan travel guide. This meant I had to drop by numerous hotels to check the quality of the rooms, prices, amenities etc. I saved the best till last, and last week I toured the facilities at the Busena Terrace Resort. The location is great, the beach lovely, rooms are luxurious and yet understated, and the service impeccable. The reality is that it is also a little outside my budget (rooms range from  42,735 to 577,500 a night). Although I’ve been on Okinawa for 10 years, I’d never visited the resort. Somehow I’d presumed they wouldn’t allow non-guests into the complex. However, you can enjoy the beach (inc. showers etc) if you pay 2,000 yen per car, and anyone can dine at the restaurants. I’d recommend stopping by for tea and cakes at least once. The hotel is located beside the Bankoku Shinryokan where the 2000 G8 summit took place, there is also an underwater observatory and a glass bottom boat if you’re looking to do …

Visions of Japan – Global Gallery December 8 – 13

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  From December 8th to 13th, I will have a Visions of Japan exhibition at Global Gallery in Plaza House. This will be my biggest exhibition yet, with around 20 A2 size landscapes and 20 A3 size portraits. The gallery will be open from 11am to 7pm and I’ll be there most of the time.  Along with the larger limited edition prints, there will also be a selection of smaller prints for sale. As a bonus, Global Gallery is located next to the Indian restaurant Krishna, so I know I won’t be going hungry.

Discovery Channel Magazine – Yonaguni Underwater Ruins

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A few months ago I took some photos of marine geologist Kimura Masaaki for Discovery Channel Magazine. A couple of my images were used in a recent feature about the “lost civilization” off the coast of Yonaguni. The magazines finally arrived today so I thought I’d share a couple of scans. Can’t post any larger images on the web, and I’ve desaturated the area around my pics, but it gives you the general idea. Hopefully I will visit Yonaguni in the spring to get my own underwater shots. The second image is of a rock Kimura-san found which has a clear “X” carved into the surface. It is, he believes, proof that the ruins are man-made.

F.A.Q.’s Which camera should I buy?

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I’m asked this question just as frequently as What lens should I buy? and it is even harder to answer. If you want a simple point and shoot,  then I’m still a big fan Pentax’s waterproof Optio series. I’ve mentioned them in previous posts, and their latest model is the W90. I also have friends who are very happy with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 the Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 and the Sony DSC-TX5. They all do a similar job, they’re waterproof, shockproof and take reasonable pictures / video. The next group to consider are the entry level digital SLRs. Moving from a Point and Shoot to an entry level SLR has several advantages and a few disadvantages. Advantages include a larger sensor, minimal shutter lag, and more creative control. This means you tend to have higher quality images, you are less likely to miss the moment , and you (rather than the camera) can easily adjust things like focus or depth of field. Disadvantages include cost, size, weight and maintenance. Digital SLRs are great, but the best …