Nikkor 28-300mm lens review

The review of the Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5 - 5,6 VRII lens has been published on CreativeMayhem.com.au.

There is nothing to not like about this lens. Whether you have a DX or FX camera, this lens should be in your bag. You can checkout some of the images below.

Art and About Sydney Foto Rally

The Foto Rally was held in Sydney today as part of the Art and About Sydney Festival. This is trying to encourage people to get out and see Sydney. You had to take photos based on the 8 symbols presented to you. These include a symbol of an apple for instance. That didn't mean you had to find an apple, it could be for instance the shop front of Apple computer or a silhouette of an apple cider bottle.

I think we will see a lot of great photo from the participants.

The extreme windy weather didn't stop the hordes of people turning out for the event. A pleasant surprise actually. Everywhere you turned you would see a person with a camera with the Foto Rally card angin from their neck.

This is a great idea, and next year, if it runs again, I'll try and get a bit of a group going.

If you didn't go, you should use the idea to do your own Foto Rally. I think I will organise my own in the next couple of weeks. Should be fun.

Bad Customers

I'm just venting, but these are some of the comments we sometimes have to deal with. I help a lot of people and have some very loyal customers. These are just ridiculous.

D3s
"Only 12mp, Only 720p, No 60p.. $7000! You must be kidding me, the Canon 7D has 18mp, 1080p 24p-60p for only $2200! Seriously, you could use the Canon 7D on any project and get pro results, Nikon is really falling behind in the Professional user category."

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D3s
Honestly… a pro camera with 12 mp? That is idiotic. I am sure they had to sacrifice mega pixels for fps and the ISO boost to 102,400"

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D90
"I have to sell my all Nikon gear because everyone in the photography class uses Canon. I have a Nikon D90. I want a Canon 500D because I've seen the photo's and they look great and I can't get good photos from my Nikon."

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And my favourite of recent times.

Lady: "I'm doing a camera course and I picked up a Nikon D90 from a friend. I hated it. It has a top LCD and I don't want that, I want a more professional camera like the Canon 500D. I can see the settings on the back of the LCD."

Me: Well, the most popular package we have with the 500D is a twin IS lens kit, tripod, a bag, three year Canon warranty, memory card, free photography lesson, some free digital printing. It's only $1399.

Lady: And why is it the most popular package you have.

Me: It's just very good value for money if you're looking at this level of camera and it takes good photos too boot.

Lady: I'll just go somewhere else and ask them.

WTF?

500 Metres of Photography

I can't think of many photographers who have not had a creative block. I've had many of these where I just couldn't see anything worth photographing. Then the thought of selling my camera equipment enters the brain.

I try to take a camera with me almost everywhere. Be it the Nikon D300, Olympus C-7070 or a film camera , or any of the other multitude of cameras that are in my possession, something has to come with me. I would hate to feel like I missed a photo opportunity.

The cameras travels from the car to my work with great intention that after work or during lunch I will find some super inspiration and take a Pulitzer winning photo. All too often though, the camera just doesn't even get turned on.

Inspiration can come in many forms, and the best and most simply has to be to see other peoples photos.  Not to mimic their photo's, but just the make you want to turn the camera on and see photographically.

And that's what I've been doing lately. By looking at the work of a few photographers, I want to get off my butt and do something creative.

Since I don't have a lot of time at the moment, the challenge I have set myself is to take a few photos during the 500 metre walk from where I park my car in the morning to work (and back again in the afternnon if I'm feeling doubly inspired).

Mode of choice is black and white.Though I love my colour, the black and white allows you to concentrate on the lines and the shade and the composition. I can't "trick" the viewer with colour to look at something I want them to see in my shot. I have to use the above mentioned properties to do it.


It has become a fun experiment and really does bring you back to some very important basics. I have found that street shooting in a terrible ordinary suburb to be as hard as it gets. But that 500 metre walk can reveal some interesting objects like the  junk people throw away.

I have since found an obsession with junk. Like the solitary dining chair next to a driveway I saw the other day. The lines of the driveway lead nicely to this old wooden chair. The thing about it, was that it could be photographed in a million ways. 

If you can position yourself in the right place, it can look "arty". Without touching the surroundings or the objects you want to photograph, you can make it looked "staged". It's possible to make it look like you placed the chair next to the drive way.

I love that concept. Take a photo of something that looks like you staged it.

Another great place for inspiration is lunch time. It could be the shopping centre food halls or out in he street with the cafes and  fruit markets and the like. Whatever it is, you will find something interesting to take pictures of.

For those who haven't already done so, pick up the books "The Photograhers Eye" by Michael Freeman. It's a very good read and will re-inspire your thinking.


In the meantime, pickup your camera and take it to work. Try and capture something in a 500 metre space. It could be from the car park to the railway station or bus stop, or could be from your office to where you get your lunch.

The Buzz of the Fuji X100

Fuji has announed the X100 camera and it looks hot. Have a read of the article The Buzz of the Fuji X100.