TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography

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A tale of two cameras

Published by travel67

Here’s a quick game of spot the difference between two images of the same lizard.

The first is the one I put up a couple of months earlier. Taken with the Pentax W60 compact point and shoot.

Okinawan Lizard - Pentax W60 compact digital camera

The second image was taken just a few minutes later in the same lighting conditions with my medium format Pentax 67II and Provia 100F slide film.

Okinawan Lizard - Pentax 67II medium format camera with Provia slide film

Together these are a great example of how sensor / film size influences the depth of field. It is also interesting to see just how different the level of contrast is between the two shots.

Beppu Twilight

Published by travel67

Beppu, the Las Vegas of onsen towns

On my last trip I found my iPhone to be a fantastic companion. Although it did struggle to make phone calls (possibly due to the fact that it uses the Softbank network) it was filled with many other great features. Of course I could listen to music, watch videos and check emails, but there are several applications out there that are particularly useful for photographers.

The first one comes as standard on the phone: the compass. While walking around at night scouting locations, I could check where the sun would be the next day. Also it stopped me walking a couple of kilometers in the wrong direction when confused by Japanese street signs.

iPhone compass

The Simple Depth of Field Calculator is a useful learning tool and field tool that allows you to calculate which parts of your photograph will be in focus for a given film/sensor size, lens length, f-stop, and focus point. Use it to check you will have front to back sharpness when shooting landscapes or calculate just how shallow your depth of field will be when taking a portrait.

Simple DoF Calculator screenshot

Easy Release is a clever tool for professional photographers that want to get model releases for their images. Models can read the contract on the phone, sign with their finger on the touch screen, and then a photo of the model can be taken with the iPhone camera and added to the release. The application then creates a PDF of the signed model release and mails it to both the model and photographer. Even better you can select the language for the release, and the list of languages includes Japanese. Yatta!

Easy release screenshot

Of course you could just use a real compass, the DoF markings on your lens and paper model releases, but for a few dollars it’s useful to have them all on your phone.

Beppu Sand Baths

Published by travel67

Beppu Sand Baths, Oita, Japan

Just started scanning the images from my trip. Here’s a couple of shots from the sand baths of Beppu. I tried the sand baths myself, and although it was an interesting experience, the sensation of the heavy sand pressing down on your chest while your arms are pinned to your sides was more unnerving than relaxing. One great part of the day was that I met a few fellow sand bathers who didn’t mind me taking a few photos of them while they were buried alive.

Beppu Sand Baths, Oita, Japan

A little help for vegetarians in Japan

Published by travel67

If you are vegetarian or vegan and living in Japan shopping can be tricky, especially if you can’t read ingredients labels. I ate what I thought was vegetarian Miso (bean paste) ramen for many months before I found out that it also contained ポークエキス (pork extract). I hope the following list of words will make things a little easier for others.

Gelatin ゼラチン

Beef　ビーフ　　Beef Extract　ビーフエキス

Chicken 鶏 or チキン　Chicken Extract　チキンエキス

Pork ポーク　Pork Extract　ポークエキス

Katsuobushi (fish sprinkles)　鰹ぶし

Another useful thing to know is that when you are buying eggs in Japan the most expensive ones are not free range eggs but rather fertilized eggs. These are labelled 有精卵 yuu-sei-ran. There doesn’t appear to be any particular labelling for free range eggs, but they are usually priced between the battery eggs and the fertilized eggs. At my local supermarket the free range eggs have a photo on the box showing chickens wandering around in the dirt.

Baggage Allowances in Japan

Published by travel67

Recent changes in the Japanese airline industry and are going to affect the way photographers select and transport their equipment. On my last couple of trips up to the Japanese mainland I noticed that when checked baggage is weighed the display shows the weight along with the excess charges for baggage over 20 kilograms. Carry on baggage is restricted by both weight and size, and these dimensions are shrinking. For flights of 100 passengers or more maximum dimensions are 55cm x 40cm x 25cm (115cm total) and 10 kilos in weight. For flights less that 100 passengers this drops to 45cm x 35cm x 20cm (100cm total).

Why is this significant? Well your present bag which came with a sticker saying suitable for carry-on may no longer be small enough.

Lowepro DryZone 200 (37 X 29 X 48.5cm) Image from LowePro.com

My Lowepro bag is 37 X 29 X 48.5 cm which comes out at a total for the 3 dimensions of 114.5cm, just under the limit. However put a few extra items in the front pocket and and you will have a bag that is too big for carry-on. This happened to me a couple of months ago, and it was only after a bit of begging and showing them the bag was full of camera gear did they let me take it in the cabin.

Pelican 1514 Carry On Case 55.9 x 35.1 x 22.9cm

I am considering getting a Pelican 1514 Carry On Case as a way to transport the camera plus large telephoto lenses. At 55.9 x 35.1 x 22.9cm (113.9 cm total) it again just sneaks under the 115cm limit. The advantage of this case would be that if it did have to go in the hold the gear should be well protected. (This is useful when traveling on smaller planes, or if due to unforeseen circumstances you are not allowed cabin baggage.)

Interestingly this Pelican case also showed the bizarre price discrepancies you can get between countries. The U.S. recommended retail price for the Pelican 1514 is $289.95 and is available on Amazon.com for $159.09. In Japan the recommended price is ¥62,475 and is available from Yodobashi at ¥46,805 ($498). I know that Pelican cases are made in the U.S. but should customers in Japan have to pay more than three times the price?

Earth Day

Published by travel67

Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day. I just watched The 11th Hour an interesting documentary about the impact of mankind on the planet and the changes we need to make to our lifestyles.

Another documentary that is worth watching is HOME. You can see the entire movie on YouTube, so if you’ve got 90 minutes to spare, please take a look. Double click on the video below to watch it on YouTube (embedded viewing has been disabled).

Pentax 645D v Nikon D3X v Canon EOS-1 Ds Mark III

Published by travel67

日本カメラ Nihon Camera April 2010

The April edition of Nihon Camera 日本カメラ includes a couple of very interesting things for Pentaxians. The first is a history of Pentax’s medium format cameras, the second is a detailed overview of the new Pentax 645D camera including a comparison of the camera with the top of the range 35mm digital cameras.

Here’s some (but not all) of the differences between the Pentax 645D, the Nikon D3X and the Canon EOS-1 Ds Mark III.

Sensor

Pentax 645D: 44x33mm 40MP CCD

Nikon D3X: 35.9x24mm 24.5MP CMOS

Canon EOS-1 Ds Mark III: 36x24mm 21.1MP CMOS

Live View

Pentax 645D: No

Nikon D3X: Yes

Canon EOS-1 Ds Mark III: Yes

Dust Removal System

Pentax 645D: Yes

Nikon D3X: No

Canon EOS-1 Ds Mark III: Yes

Max Shutter Speed

Pentax 645D: 1/4000

Nikon D3X: 1/8000

Canon EOS-1 Ds Mark III: 1/8000

Frames per second

Pentax 645D: 1.1

Nikon D3X: 5

Canon EOS-1 Ds Mark III: 5

Memory Card

Pentax 645D: SD / SDHC cards

Nikon D3X: CF cards

Canon EOS-1 Ds Mark III: CF cards & SD / SDHC cards

Weight (body only)

Pentax 645D: 1480g

Nikon D3X: 1220g

Canon EOS-1 Ds Mark III: 1210g

Price (Japan list price / Amazon.co.jp / B&H)

Pentax 645D: ¥850,000 / ￥848,000 (10% points) / Not available

Nikon D3X: ¥830,000 / ￥740,520 / $7,469.95

Canon EOS-1 Ds Mark III: ¥790,000 / ￥686,280 / $6299.95

The very fact that the magazine chose to compare the Pentax 645 with 35mm digital cameras rather than other medium format cameras is interesting. Of course Pentax users with 67 and 645 lenses will be considering the 645D, but Pentax will be hoping that some of Japan’s Nikon or Canon shooters will defect and “upgrade” to the larger format.

The reality is that most Nikon and Canon shooters will probably have a large array of Nikon and Canon lenses that they want to continue using. Also brand loyalty is extremely strong in the camera world. I imagine that the auto focus for the Pentax will be much slower than its 35mm rivals. But a camera that can shoot a maximum of 1.1 frames per second is clearly not designed for sports photography.

The other big question is whether the Pentax 645D will tempt those who were considering getting a similar spec Leica S2, Hasselblad H3DII-39, or Phase One 645AF P40+ for around 3 times the price. The Pentax 67 was nicknamed Gulliver for its giant size. I have my suspicions that the photography world will nickname the 645D Godzilla as its performance will no doubt be monstrous.

Nicholas Centala at Global Gallery

Published by travel67

Several interesting things happening in Okinawa this weekend. Ceramic artist Nicholas Centala has an exhibit at Global Gallery (Plaza House), Kluso is playing Saturday night at Al’s Place in Okinawa City, and Erykah Badu is performing on Camp Foster Sunday night.

Just scanned this image of Nick firing up his kiln. Really happy with the shot, as it was very difficult conditions to shoot. I used a light meter to check how much light there was on his face and then asked him to stand still for a couple of seconds while I took the photograph. The heat was incredible, it was tough being so close to the flames for more than a fraction of a second. Nick came away a little singed but I think he’ll be happy with the portrait.