Be Amused

I guess everyone visiting an amusement park will be amused, no? I personally have not gone on board a roller coaster ride, not because I am afraid, but I always have a big camera bag with me that I cannot carry on board and there was no storage locker at the boarding station. I will surely make a trip solely for all of those adrenalin pumping rides soon.

There are many amusement parks around Yokohama, but I think this Yokohama Cosmo World is most known to the tourist as it is just ride beside the posh waterfront.

This is an amusement park for children, so there is no fast and furious ride available.

The most thrilling ride is just on the Ferris wheel.

Mansions on the Yamate Hill

The Yamate Hill at Yokohama was the area chosen by the European people for their settlement when the port was forced opened to foreign trade in 1859. Most of the mansions built by these earlier settlers still remain on the hill. There is also a Catholic church on the hill.

New mansions are still sprouting around this area and it has become a residential area for those living a high life. It is not hard to understand why the international schools are abundant here as well.

Some of the old mansions were renovated into posh cafes for those who fancy high tea to kill a lazy afternoon.

When I arrived at the visitors' centre, it was already closed. However, the courtyard was a nice place for a slow stroll to admire the mansion from different vantage points.

Some mansions were converted into tourist restaurants. Even though I was considered a tourist, I did not dine in here because I am not living a high life.

Some mansions were converted into museums displaying the history of Yamate Hill.

Yamate Hill is generally a nice area for an evening stroll. However, be aware of the crows flying overhead. When I was near a fence where one of them was intending to perch on, its claws scratched my head before the landing!

Wordless Wednesday – Traditional Japanese Wedding

Location: Meiji Jingu, Tokyo, Japan
Date taken: June 28^th, 2008
Cameras: Nikon D300 + Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8D, Nikon D70s + Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D

The Nikon Pilgrimage – Part 3

After the two pilgrimages to both Nikon showrooms at Nikon Plaza Ginza and Nikon Plaza Shinjuku, I thought that I have seen all the latest products by Nikon. Not until Nikon announced their latest and hottest semi-professional camera D700 on July 1^st, 2008, I jumped for joy again! It is not that I can afford this beast at a recommended retail price (RRP) of ¥328,000 (about RM10,500), but there's hope that Nikon will bring us affordable full-frame cameras in the near future.

I have never dreamt of touching a D700 before it is officially available for sale on July 25^th, 2008, but Nikon has made that possible for me through the 'Nikon Digital Live 2008' held on July 11^th to 13^th, 2008. How could I miss this opportunity to be one of the earliest persons who touched a D700, right? So, I went there with my friend Hung who is also a Nikon advocate on the 2^nd day for the event at Ebisu in a building right next to the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.

I felt as excited as an ant on a hot pan, not because of the beautiful Nikon staff, but for the chance of seeing and touching a Nikon D700 before it is officially available on the shelves of camera stores.

All Nikon cameras currently in production were showcased in the event.

Together with all the showcase of cameras, all Nikkor lenses were available for every Nikonian to poison oneself.

And that includes all the 'big guns'.

However, all those were overshadowed by the new full-frame DSLR from Nikon which was always in the limelight during the event.

There was a long counter desk with more than 10 units of D700 for the visitors to play with. The attendants were there to explain all the latest features and answer all queries on the new camera.

I thought that I was crippled by my limited proficiency in Japanese, but the attendant whom I talked to was proficient in English. However, it was me who didn't know what to ask as I have read in detail about the Nikon D700 before this. LOL! So, he just explained the latest features to me which are not available on my D300.

In terms of handling, it is not much different from a D300. The button arrangement is the same. The only differences in appearance are the round eyepiece and the bigger pentaprism chamber. Another two additional features are the ability to write the copyright notice and the photographer's name in the EXIF and the 'Electronic Virtual Horizon' which works like a spirit level. Another advantage over the D300 is the low-noise high-ISO performance, of course.

Touching and playing with a D700 weren't the only things that visitors could do during the event. We were actually given the chance to do model shooting in a studio setup with a Nikon D700 and a Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G! What more could you ask for from Nikon?! Yes, there were more that we could ask for! We could use our own CF card and bring the pictures back! What more could you ask for??!! Yes, I could print one of the pictures at 4R size from an Epson Stylus Printer! The best part was, everything was free-of-charge!!! LOL!

I have left the EXIF intact in the following images if you are interested in the detailed information.

For the pixel-peeping fans, I have these 3 images which are 100% crops of the above image.

Given a chance to shoot with Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G, I wouldn't stop at just one image, right?

I am glad that I am in Japan during this monumental moment of Nikon. The D700 is really a great camera to have if you have the extra cash to spend, or you desperately want a full-frame DSLR. If you have only half the budget, then go for the D300. It is a D700 minus the full frame image sensor and ultrahigh-ISO performance. I feel very contented with my D300 at the moment, but when Nikon comes out with a low-price full-frame camera, I don't think I can resist the temptation like I do now.