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Pentax K-7

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Pentax K-7 (image from British Journal of Photography)

Pentax K-7 (image from British Journal of Photography)

Pentax has launched a new top of the range camera, the K-7. The photography press calls it a flagship model, but it is a title that will be short lived, as the Pentax 645 digital is due to be released next year.

It is an impressive camera, that will probably beat similar priced Nikon and Canon cameras in most respects. The K-7 is not however a full frame camera as some Pentaxians had hoped, but the Pentax 645 should fill the niche of Pentax photographers who want more than an APS sized sensor. 

Pentax K-7 digital SLR camera

Pentax K-7 digital SLR camera

The K-7 also joins the ranks of digital SLRs that can record high definition video. Like other SLRs I believe you will have to manual focus while shooting video, but it should allow you to film with a shallow depth of field much like you see in movies, something that is difficult to do with regular consumer video cameras.

The price quoted in the British Journal of Photography was 1200 pounds. On the Yodobashi.com  website the price is 129,000 yen (you can also get 10% store credit), which is about 863 pounds. The K-7 is also available for pre-order on Amazon.com for $1299.95

If you are looking for a high quality digital SLR and don’t already have an array of Canon or Nikon lenses, then the Penax K-7 looks likes a real contender.

A new, more frugal, generation of plasma TVs

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I spotted something interesting while wandering around my local electronics store yesterday.

The local Best Denki has a huge section devoted to televisions and it is quite easy to compare the different brands and models on offer. I much prefer the look of plasma televisions over LCD, the best of the bunch being the fantastic but extremely expensive Pioneer Kuro models.

Panasonic also produces great plasma televisions. I was most impressed by the picture on the 42PZ800 model that came out last year.

Panasonic TH-42PZ800 (386 kWh/year)

Panasonic TH-42PZ800 (386 kWh/year)

A new version of this television just came out. And what was particularly interesting was that in just one year, Panasonic have managed to cut the energy consumption for this plasma TV by nearly half.

Panasonic TH-P42V1 (200 kWh/year)

Panasonic TH-P42V1 (200 kWh/year)

I am not sure how they have done this, but if it is true, it is an impressive feat. 

I’m still not going to buy one for now, the old CRT television is still working fine. But it’s good to know that electronics manufacturers along with car makers are trying to become a little greener.

3rd Generation Toyota Prius

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3rd generation Toyota Prius  

3rd generation Toyota Prius

 

Toyota announced the arrival of the latest version of the Prius hybrid car on May 18th. You see quite a few of the new Honda Insight hybrids as rental cars on Okinawa at the moment. It will be interesting to see how the sales of the new Prius compare to the new Insight.

The Toyota Prius is a fantastic bit of technology, it’s just a little bit too big, and a little too ugly plain for me.

On a related note, I just read on the Guardian website:

“America’s gas-guzzling automobiles were heading towards extinction yesterday as Barack Obama set strict limits on car exhaust emissions and directed producers to make a more fuel-efficient vehicle fleet. The policy requires US auto makers to produce cars and trucks that achieve an average 35.5mpg by 2016, and will reduce America’s carbon dioxide emissions by 30%.”

After a bit of time with a calculator. I managed to work out 35.5mpg is 15km per liter. 15 kilometers a liter is what my little Suzuki Swift is meant to do. 

The articles don’t make it clear as to whether all cars will have to have fuel efficiencies above 35.5mpg or if the motor companies only have to produce some cars in their range that meet this new standard. Hopefully it won’t be the latter.

Who is Ray Harryhausen?

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If you are still wondering who Ray Harryhausen is, and why Pixar used his name for a restaurant in Tokyo…

He was the guy who pioneered stop-motion model animation in films. 

He was the guy who created the skeleton fight scene in the 1963 movie Jason and the Argonauts. I watched this when I was little and it was the most fantastic thing I had ever seen.  Mind blowing stuff.

Enjoy.

Tokyo Mater

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What do you get if you cross the Pixar movie Carswith the high octane thrills of Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift?

Six minutes and thirty five seconds of pure brilliance.

There are numerous clever cameos by Japanese cars: Mazda Miatas (brings a tear to my eye), the Toyota (Lexus) Crown, the Nissan Skyline ninjas.

It was very interesting to see that the restaurant the truck flies through was called Harryhausen (it was written in Japanese script). Nice nod to the film making genius Harryhausen who created one of the most fantastic movie scenes I’ve ever seen, but will leave that for my next blog.

Lab Report – Bear test

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Harts Chew n' Clean (before) 

 

Hartz Chew n' Clean (before)

 

Just got a Chew n’ Clean toy for Bear.  A bargain at only 3 bucks.  

The Hartz website states: “Our Chew ‘N Clean® Tooth Scrubber™ was developed by veterinarians to promote dental hygiene during chewing. Great for aggressive chewers, these durable multi-material toys are safe and long-lasting and promote hours of chewing. Rotating rubber rings help gently massage gums and clean teeth of plaque and tartar.”   

Opened pack, gave to Bear, and thirty seconds later saw this….

Chew n' Clean (after)

Chew n' Clean (after)

Chew n’ Clean : developed by veterinarians, destroyed by Bear.

Spider Bear

Veggie Japan

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Living in Japan can be a little tricky if you are vegetarian or vegan, but it is far from impossible.

In general you don’t get products that are specifically targeted at vegetarians. So no veggie burgers at fast food chains, no veggie symbols on packages of food, no spicy bean burgers or anything by Linda McCartney.

There are  veggie / vegan restaurants but they tend to be quite rare and, until recently, it was difficult to find out where they were.  For the opening evening at Cotonoha I asked a local vegan restaurant, Salon Cuttho, to provide half the food. They made samosas, spring rolls, bruschetta,  croquettes and ratatouille. The guests thought the  food was delicious, and it disappeared fast (too fast in fact – didn’t realize that an international crowd require far more food than an all Japanese crowd of the same number).

The next day, while settling the bill at Salon Cuttho,  I saw they were selling a Japan Vegan Restaurant Pocket Guide. Written by Herwin Walravens it gives information on over 100 vegan/veggie restaurants in Japan.

Japan Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide

Japan Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide

You can find out more about the book at Herwin’s homepage www.veganjapan.net He lists 8 vegetarian cafe/restaurants in  Okinawa including Salon Cuttho so I have lots of places to check out. Also when I go traveling around Japan I’ll know exactly where I can find veggie food rather than relying on inarizushi and shiso onigiri from convenience stores.

Birds of Japan

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Box just arrived from Amazon.com with a couple of books, a couple of cd’s and a movie I’d ordered.

One of the books was A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Japan and North-East Asia by Tadao Shimba.

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Japan and North-East Asia

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Japan and North-East Asia

I’m most impressed by the book. Colour photography throughout , over 600 species, a little bit of a description on each bird, and its geographic range. The photographs range in quality but still give you a good idea of what the birds look like.

One problem I have already noticed is that the book has the English name and the scientific name of the bird but not the common Japanese name. If you  buy this book and plan to use it while in Japan (which would be most people I imagine)  having the Japanese name would allow you to ask locals what a bird was or confirm your guess.

Until the photographic guide came out the standard book (in English) of Japanese birds was A Field Guide to the Birds of Japan by the Wild Bird Society of Japan. I managed to find a copy in a box of junk, which was fantastic as they were last printed in 1985 and they usually sell for upwards of 100 dollars.

A Field Guide to the Birds of Japan

A Field Guide to the Birds of Japan

The field guide is excellent with great drawings of adults and immature birds along with summer and winter plumage. There are the English, scientific and Japanese names for each species also. (Impress you Japanese friends with your knowledge of obscure Japanese bird names.)

In summary, I would recommend either book. If you can find a copy of the field guide at a reasonable price, having both books will provide you with a great resource.

As I mentioned learning the Japanese names of birds before…

Suzuki Hayabusa

Suzuki Hayabusa

This is the Suzuki Hayabusa, one of the fastest production bikes in the world.  The name makes a lot more sense when translated from Japanese to English – Suzuki Peregrine Falcon.

If you are wondering how fast that is….

Solar Eclipse on July 22nd 2009

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solar-eclipse-625x450

If you’ve seen the movie Apocalypto you will be well aware that a solar eclipse can be a life changing experience.

On July 22nd 2009 there will be a total solar eclipse visible from a narrow band across Asia and the Pacific.

From Wikipedia: “This solar eclipse is the longest total solar eclipse that will occur in the twenty-first century, and will not be surpassed in duration until June 13, 2132. Totality will last for up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds, with the maximum eclipse occurring in the ocean at 02:35:21 UTC about 100 km south of the Bonin Islands, southeast of Japan. The North Iwo Jima island is the landmass with totality time closest to maximum.”

This map shows its progress across southern Japan.

eclipsepath2

The main island of Okinawa is in the 90% eclipse zone. Most of the Japanese islands in the total eclipse area are tiny. The island of  Yakushima however is a little larger and still in the zone of totality. There is access by plane and ferry from Kagoshima, but tickets are either gone or in very limited supply. All hotel accommodation on the island was booked long ago, but there may be places available at some campsites. 

Of course if you get into the zone of totality you aren’t guaranteed to see the eclipse. You will be in typhoon alley in typhoon season, so there is the chance of cloud and the possibility of some severe weather.

If everything goes to plan, I will be on Yakushima when the eclipse takes place.  Hopefully there will be clear skies, and with a bit of luck I may even get a few photographs.