READ Part 1 | READ Part 3

And the blues goes on in part 2…

I miss summer time. I guess that’s a given. I’ve been spending the past days making this web site Internet Explorer compatible (within the limits of what is actually possible). Most of you who have any web site design experience know how IE has a habit of not supporting a great part of the HTML standard and requires work-arounds. I think it’s coming along well though, and the next step will be to properly populate the galleries.

I’ve also been daydreaming about two cravings …one is a new laptop, namely the Lenovo Thinkpad X1, and the other is the amazing Nikon Df camera. I’ll go into details below because I feel like I need to share. Thanks for putting up with the rant to follow.

I will start with the camera, for two reasons, it is the one I find myself daydreaming about the most, and it is the one that I already have the web sites up that I plan on quoting from… So the Nikon Df; follow the link to reach Ken Rockwell’s review of the Nikon Df. I believe his reviews are a good place to start since once you’ve read it you’ll have learned what the Nikon Df looks like, how much it costs, and what the key features of it are. Further links will go into details about it capability compared to similar cameras I have considered. But first …some eye candy. Here is the lovely Nikon Df in all its splendor:

As a sidenote, the image also makes a good computer wallpaper, so feel free to click on it and download it (from Ken Rockwell’s web site).

So let me start off by explaining where my obsession with this all to obviously beautiful piece fo technology comes from; as if looking at it is not self explanatory enough. Although I consider myself to bee a properly well rounded photographer, enjoying various forms of the craft ranging from portraiture, to nature, streetscape, all the way to macros, I have developped a love for street photography and the skill required to capture the beauty of everyday life without being noticed. For such a feat, a small, light inobtrusive, quiet camera is a great tool. My Nikon D700 is a lovely camera, which has served me for many years and hopefully will for many more to come, but regrettably is none of the above mentioned …not to mention it is one of the two loudest cameras on the market right now. Another reason is the fact that the camera feels like it is the embodiment of photography …you know, kinda like writing a literary piece on a mechanical typewriter rather than by means of dictation to Siri… if you catch my drift. As you will read in the articles I shall feature below, the camera seems to attempt to assign a dedicated top button or knob to every vital function of the camera, which feels a lot more involving than browsing digital menus. The size of the camera is also considerably smaller than other models that are comparable to it in ability. A smaller camera is …well, easier to carry, easier to overlook by people being photographed, and just plain cute on top of it. That being said, the Nikon D810, a similar camera, except considerably larger, is sold at a very similar price and offers a much larger printing size, so it is rather tempting to consider. I naturally looked up a comparison, and found one here: Comparison between the Nikon Df and the Nikon D810. All in all, the D810 prints huge, but slows your computer down while editing; is perhaps a tiny bit better built (although both cameras have weather sealing, which the Df has some more plastic than the D810), but is heavier and bulkier and has somewhat lesser high ISO performance for extreme low light situations.

Finally, I also was lucky enough to stumble upon a more organic review, written by one of my favourite National Geographic photographers, Joe McNally. He looks at it through the eyes of the shooter, does not test the camera in a lab with artificial light, nor does he compare it to other cameras. He uses it in challanging situations and his verdict is comparing the camera to the realistic expectations of someone who uses it to produce art. And …I like what he has to say. Here is a sample from his article:

Will continue with a rant about the laptop in a following post.
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One more summery picture before I finish this post.