One of the main reasons it took me so long to purchase a DSLR was the size and weight factor of these beasts. Not only are they not fun to carry around, they make you stand out and look like a tourist. My first bike ride with my new Nikon, a mere two miles, was miserable. I used the camera bag that came with the camera, not a bad bag, but not what you want to have over your shoulder on a bike ride or a hike. So I did some research and came to the conclusion that I needed a “sling bag.” A sling bag is like a backpack, except that you don’t have to take it off to get the contents out. Based on the reviews of others, I came to the conclusion that many are not waterproof, not easy to use, fall apart, or have no space for a tripod. The one that consistently got good reviews on these four issues, and could be had for well under $100, was the Case Logic SLRC-205 SLR Camera Sling Bag. I made the purchase and have been using mine for over a week now.

So far the bag has exceeded my expectations. The rotation of the bag works smoothly. I can have my camera out in just seconds.

The SLR suspension system in the main compartment works great. It suspends the camera in the pouch so the camera lens isn’t touching the bag. You don’t even have to put the lens cap back on the camera since the lens isn’t touching anything in the compartment. This allows for even quicker shots. Alternatively, you can take the SLR suspension fabric out (via the velcro fasterner holding it in place), leave the lens hood on, and insert the camera. The SLR suspension does not work with a lens hood. I was happy to see that my D7000 with 18-200mm lens still fits (barely) with the lens hood.

I haven’t tested the sling bag in wet conditions yet, but it seems like it will do just fine. My new tripod easily attaches to the exterior, and the bag can still be slung around with the tripod attached.

This past weekend I went on a 20-mile bike ride with the sling bag and discovered another use of the straps for the tripod. The day started out in the low 50s so I had a jacket on. Halfway through my ride the temperature was in the upper 60s, and I wanted to remove my jacket. I didn’t have my tripod on the bag on the ride so I used the external straps to secure my jacket to it. It worked great. Taking off my jacket was the only time during my entire ride (which included over 200 pictures) in which I took the sling bag off!

There is another, newer model (308) of this bag which appears to have more space for storage. Personally, I’m glad I went with the 205 as it has all the space I will need on most outings and is less than half the weight of the DCB-308.

There is a compartment in the 205 that can be used for an extra lens (or lunch or water bottle if you don’t have another lens like me), another for lens caps and/or filters and/or SD cards, and another that can also be used for such things although I have found it handy thus far for storing my keys. There are also handles in just the right places to sling the camera to your front side or sling it back to the best position on your back.

Check out this video for more.

Finally, one of the things I like best, is that you don’t look like a tourist with this sling bag. Others won’t even know that you have a camera on you until you take it out. The sling bag looks (and feels) like a mini-backpack, not a bulky camera bag or full-blown backpack. You no longer need to have your DSLR tied around your neck like an anchor.

Posted on May 4th, 2011 under Other. Tags: photography, reviews, travel related goods. Comments: 7

Today’s photo wasn’t taken in Japan. I took it last week on the SOU campus. It’s one of the few cherry trees in Oregon that look like the sakura so common in Japan.

I don’t have a macro lens for my Nikon D7000. The camera with the 18-200mm lens simply won’t focus on anything closer than half a meter (1.6 feet) from the lens. I thought this would be problematic in taking these kinds of macro shots. That has not been a problem though. Instead of going inches from the target and taking the photo at or near 18mm, I just back up and zoom. This photo was taken hand held with a breeze blowing at 150mm. Not a bad macro, close-up shot for a non-macro lens like this…

Posted on April 10th, 2011 under Japan, Oregon. Tags: cherry blossoms, macro, Nikon 18-200mm VR II, nikon d7000, photography, sakura, 桜. Comments: 1

Given how my prior post discussing my new Nikon D7000 DSLR with 18-200mm VR II lens has quickly become the most popular page on the blog (in terms of hits), I thought I’d give a brief update to that entry.

The first thing is that I really, really love my new Nikon D7000 with the 18-200 mm lens. Even though it is so much bigger and heavier than my old cameras, I take it with me instead of my far lighter Panasonic alternatives. I feel like I don’t want to trade the weight/size/inconvenience for the quality of even a single shot.

The second thing is the vastly improved possibilities with respect to sports photography. Granted, the conditions in the above photo were ideal with lots of sun and blue sky, but still, I couldn’t have captured the ball and players so frozen and in so much detail with my other cameras in these conditions. Not even close. Also, firing off half a dozen shots in a second allows me to capture the perfect still instead of a picture that is a second too early or too late.

The third thing is the detail and lack of noise in photos is so far beyond what I’m used to. Check out this photo on my other blog. I have taken dozens of similar shots from my home over the years with other cameras. The best ones don’t have this kind of detail. Most require some noise reduction in Photoshop and/or Corel’s Paint Shop Pro. The noise reduction makes the detail even worse. I didn’t do any noise reduction to this image taken with the Nikon D7000.

The final thing to point out is with respect to my earlier comment on getting the 18-105mm lens instead of the 18-200mm lens. I take that comment back. If you can afford it, definitely get the 18-200 instead of the 18-105. Although the lens is bigger and heavier, I’ve found myself using that extra 95mm on so many shots. The difference is almost 2X which is more than a little difference as I erroneously said before. Changing lenses would be a huge hassle (and cause missed shots) so I’m very glad with my choice to go with a lens capable of a wide range than two lenses with narrower ranges like I was initially considering.

Posted on April 1st, 2011 under Other. Tags: Nikon 18-200mm VR II, nikon d7000, photography. Comments: 3

After 4 days of research and deliberations I purchased a new camera today. That’s my new baby up there.

I went with the Nikon D7000 digital SLR Camera with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II lens. It also came packaged with an SD card, bag, and a few other goodies. Costco had them for $250 off until tomorrow. I’m glad I went and made my purchase today though as their online store sold out today and many of the stores have sold out as well. Amazon has a similar deal with even more extras for about $1,200 here.

As this is my first DSLR I can’t really compare it fairly. All I can say is wow! Maybe I’d say the same with an entry level DSLR, but this thing really smokes. We had poor weather today, but my test shots still came out great. Normally I have to really work hard to get a shot right, but with the D7000 it seems to just do everything perfect for you. The auto focus is so good and so fast. It blew me away.

The feel and sound is so nice. My P&S cameras now seem so cheap and error prone. That said, size and weight wise the D7000 is a beast. Lugging it around all day does not seem like it will be fun for long.

I’ll post some comparison shots and other feedback once I’ve messed around with it a bit more. For now, photos on this blog will still be with my old cameras. Photos with the D7000 won’t appear here until my European adventures this summer. I will soon start posting photos on my other blog with the D7000 though.

Posted on March 25th, 2011 under Other. Tags: Nikon 18-200mm VR II, nikon d7000, photography, reviews. Comments: 1

I walked into Yodobashi Camera in Shinjuku to try out the new Panasonic Lumix DSC-TZ10 (DSC-ZS7 in the USA). I brought my DSC-TZ7 along for comparison purposes.

The size and weight are the same or nearly so.

The look is basically the same. Notice the manual controls that were absent on the TZ7. (P A S M on the dial of the TZ10 only.) On the TZ10 you have complete control of exposure length and many other features that were absent on the TZ7.

I like how the TZ10 dropped the metal strap holder that protruded off of the TZ7. I felt that little piece of metal more than once in my pocket. It was also an inconvenience when I took night photos if I wanted to place the camera next to pole or on its end for less shake.

The sales guy was most excited by the 超解像技術 which isn’t on the TZ7. I believe they are calling this “Intelligent Resolution Technology” in English. Basically, images are supposed to be much more crisp, especially when zoomed. Also, the dreaded whited-out-sky look on sunny days should be reduced with this feature.

I was able to compare the zoom of both cameras side by side. The TZ10 has more zoom, frequently a lot more zoom even though they are both advertised as 12x zoom. The TZ7 gets more than that in EZ mode. The TZ10 does even better. Depending on the settings your zoom will vary, but the TZ10 generally will get you about 30% more than the TZ7.

Panasonic has come up with a new, Power O.I.S. instead of just Mega O.I.S. This is supposed to make night photography or photography in low light much better. This is what the website says:

Just about everyone has had the experience of taking a photo at night and hoping to capture all the memories and beauty, only to be disappointed at the poor result. The POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) nearly doubles the hand-shake correction power of conventional MEGA O.I.S. You get bright photos without blurring even from handheld shooting at slow shutter speeds.

Panasonic’s accumulated optical technologies, the MEGA O.I.S. has been incorporated into LUMIX from the early stage of digital camera development. This helped show all digital camera users the absolute need for hand-shake compensation, and led to its prevalence throughout the industry. And now, Panasonic has worked on the low-frequency vibration hand-shake component, which is physically generated when pressing the shutter button or when shooting at night with a slow shutter speed.

Nice, right? I’ve done a few tests; the hand-held shots, leaving the shutter open for 1/2 second, are better, but don’t expect miracles. If possible, you’ll still want to rest your camera on a surface or tripod for night photography.

The TZ10 offers 20% more megapixels.

The TZ10 also has a GPS. The GPS wasn’t a big selling point for me as I don’t upload my photos to sites like Picasa. However, I think it may come in handy while traveling or hiking if I get lost. I’ve noticed already that it provides the name (in addition to coordinates) of the closest shrine, temple, train station, etc. in Japan. This information is good to know if you happen upon a place and don’t know what it is called in English (because you can’t read the kanji).

There are other improvements in the TZ10 when compared to the TZ7 as well like saving you over a second from the time you turn the camera on to when you can take the first picture, happy mode, adjustable vibrance, and a longer lasting battery.

So I purchased the TZ10 (ZS7). Would I recommend it? If you are on a tight budget, the TZ7 (ZS3) is fine if it is more than $100 cheaper than the TZ10. If you can afford it, and/or the TZ10 isn’t more than $100 more than the TZ7, then I would suggest the TZ10 is worth it for the above features, especially if you need the added zoom or plan to take pictures in low light.

Posted on May 5th, 2010 under Other. Tags: photography, tz7 zs3. Comments: 3