As I recently wrote, I love my Nikon 18-200 zoom except that it's a bit "slow", optically speaking: at f/3.5-5.6, the lens diameter is too small to allow enough light for reasonable shutter speeds in low-light situations. So, two weeks ago, I finally picked up a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 prime lens.

At f/1.4, it's 3 stops "faster" (optically speaking) than my current lens, meaning it can allow 8 times more light, in turn allowing a shutter speed 8 times faster. That makes it great for low-light situations.

A byproduct of a large aperture (low "f" number like [...]

The only lens I own for my Nikon D200 is a Nikon "AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-200m F3.5-5.6G(IF)," also known as "the 18-200mm."

I really love it as a fantastic all-around lens, but at f/3.5-5.6, I find that it is sometimes a bit slow (that is, it doesn't let in enough light for me to use a fast-enough shutter speed). So, I've been thinking of getting a faster (allows in more light) lens for use in lower-light situations.

Because of its "18-200mm f/3.5-5.6" name, I know that my lens is f/3.5 at 18mm, and f/5.6 at [...]

Oh, what a fun day. Too many toys! But not for Anthony.... for me!

I try to be prudent with our funds, so I don't buy a lot of "toys" for myself. Last year I got an iPod. The previous year I got Photoshop and other Adobe "Creative Suite" software (although at a nice discount, thanks to the kindness of some friends). I probably have a number of other things on which spending money I've conveniently forgotten, but in general, my idea of pampering myself usually centers more around Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop Microwave Popcorn and a beer than trendy [...]

This post details some speed tests I did with my Nikon D200 and a Transcend brand 80x 4 GB compact flash card. It's mostly a writeup for Digital Photography Review, and likely of little interest to the regular reader (is there more than one?) of my blog.

I'm sure that Digital Photography Review will do many timing tests when the D200 is reviewed, but I suspect that a Transcend memory card will not be tested. Since Transcend cards are significantly cheaper than San Disk and Lexar (at least here in Japan, where a 4 gig San Disk Extreme [...]
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I got a wonderful surprise today when I got a call from my friend Katsunori Shimada. We'd talked earlier in the day (after our workout -- we do the elliptical trainer and weight training a few times a week at a local club) about how there's a worldwide shortage of Nikon's new digital SLR. I'd ordered a Nikon D200 a week or so ago, and at the time the shop had no idea when it might come in (could be two days, or could be two months). Since then, reading online forums, I've found out that they're in short [...]