Happy New Year

I am not sure what is in store for me in 2017, but I do know, this little pup will continue to be a huge part of my life.  We spent January 2nd out on the beach, watching the waves crash and chasing a brightly colored little ball.  I think there is much to be learned from the joy and jest for life that Rue brings to everything that she does.

So here is to 2017 and the life of a Border Collie.  May the year bring you all much peace and happiness and all the love you desire.

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Winter in Maine on a windswept beach.  | Sony A7Rii - Zeiss 50/1.4

My new Partner in crime

Meet Rue, my new partner in crime.  Super excited to introduce this lovely Border Collie to the world of adventure biking.  I purchased a B.O.B. trailer and a Roberts Axle upgrade so that she and I can begin to explore the backroads.  My busy summer season is coming to an end which always means adventure travel is right around the corner.  Stay tuned for more...

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Zeiss Loxia 21 Testing

I continue to thoroughly enjoy shooting with the little Loxia 21.  It is as close to a 'Leica' glass feel as I have experienced with the Sony A7rii.  I have a running set of images on my stories site with sample images so please jump over there for more imagery from the A7rii/Loxia 21 combination.

In a few words or less, this is a simply stunning lens.  The build quality is spectacular.  The aperture ring and focus ring are buttery smooth, which makes manual operation a dream.  Paired with the A7Rii peaking and zoom capability, focus is easy, quick and very precise.  

If I had one nit about the lens, it would be what others have already stated.  The mount is just a bit small for removing the lens.  If it were a tad bigger, with more separation from the aperture ring, removal of the lens would be just like any other lens.  However, due to its small size, removal is a tad difficult.  All in all, I would say that is purely a minor complaint and one that is easily overcome with practice.

I will continue to update my story site over the next several days with images and then I move on to testing out the Zeiss 25 Batis; the Sony-Zeiss 35/1.4 and the Sony 35/2.8.  

The Sony A7rii - A new piece of adventure kit

There are plenty of reviews out there regarding the A7rii and all of its pros and cons.  So for me, I will simply use some images to showcase what this little camera can do.  After a week or so of usage, I am definitely impressed.  It still has the normal 'Sony' issues, but I must say, all in all it seems to be a solid package.  

This series was shot using the 55/f1.8 Zeiss lens at sunset.  Exposures range from .8 seconds to 6 seconds.

Black Friday starts early for the Nikon V1

Get a great deal on the new Nikon V1 kit, with both the 10mm and the 10-30 kit lenses.  This is a bit more than $150 off the regular price. Use the link to the right to search for other Amazon specials on both the Nikon V1 and the Sony NEX.

NEX-7 Promotional Video

Here is a great promotional video for the new NEX-7 that spotlights the camera in the Travel sector.  As a Travel and Adventure photographer, I think after a year of using the NEX-5, the NEX-7 is really going to be the ultimate lightweight camera for travel and adventure based photographers.

Sony NEX-7 The Ultimate Adventure Travel Camera?

This past year I gave up on my big DSLR cameras and switched over to the diminutive Sony NEX-5, their first entry into the mirrorless camera segment.  The NEX-5 is a 14mp camera that takes Sony E-Mount lenses.  This camera was a real eye opener for me in that it allowed me to travel light and fast while at the same time taking amazing images and full HD video.  While the images were fantastic, the NEX line has really been disadvantaged by the Sony user interface and somewhat slow auto focus speeds, so it was with great anticipation that I awaited Sony's next version of this camera.

Today we have Sony officially announcing the Sony NEX-7, a whopping 24mp camera in basically the same size format as the Sony NEX-5.  In addition to all the new features of the camera, they are finally adding new lenses to the E-Mount as well as an innovative adaptor that lets you attach the larger A-Mount lenses to your NEX body while retaining fast auto focus capability. 

There are a ton of reviews and previews popping up all over the web, so instead of repeating what they have to say I will just point you in the direction of these sites.  This camera could really be the start of something great for those of us that wish to take amazing images in the back country while travelling ultra-light.  I look forward to seeing the full reviews as full production cameras work their way into the hands of the review sites.

Official Sony Press Release

Reviews:

www.dpreview.com

www.luminous-landscape.com

August 24th - Rapidly Approaching

August 24th is set to be a major milestone for adventure photography professionals and amateur's alike.  Both Sony and Nikon are set to announce minor and major updates to their product lines.  Sony will supposedly release the new NEX-5n and the more professional oriented Sony NEX-7, an outgrowth of the hugely successful NEX-3/NEX-5 line.  I have been using a NEX-5 for the past 10 months to document my bike around America adventures and have become a huge fan of the camera, it's size, and the outstanding image quality. The rumored updates to the camera lineup and the E Mount lenses is quite exciting.

Nikon on the other hand is rumored to finally be replacing the D700 with an all new D800.  The rumored specs on this are quite exciting as the D700, which is Nikon's smaller sized full frame body has been a huge success.  If only half the rumors are true, this body will be a great addition to those looking for a full frame sensor in a smaller physical package.   The rumor mill is also speculating on a new Nikon mirrorless camera and a resurgence of Nikon's Nikonos underwater line.  To date the Nikon Coolpix cameras have stayed out of the ruggedized/waterproof market.  It will be good to see Nikon enter this category of P&S bodies.