Nikon D4 – A Wee Glimpse

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one of the few Nikon D4′s in the country last week.

As usual, it has been a while coming, but worth the wait.

For those shooting with the D3, D3s, D3x… you will feel right at home with the D4… the ergonomics are very similar.

The build of the D4 is as usual, superb and the weather sealing exceptional.

The main specifications on Nikon’s new flagship are:

• 16.2 effective megapixel, full-frame sensor (16.6MP total)
• 10fps shooting with AF and AE, 11fps with focus and exposure locked, 24fps 2.5MP grabs
• ISO Range 100-12,800 (extendable from 50 – 204,800)
• Two sub-selector joystick/buttons for shooting orientation
• 1080p30 HD video at up to 24Mbps with uncompressed video output
• Twin card slots – one Compact Flash and one XQD

There’s a heap more though

The video has been hugely enhanced and worked and the camera is lightning fast.

When I mean fast – I am still to put my finger on it… but it just feels crazy-fast.  The AF is undetectable but super smooth and the 10fps just feels so much more accurate, quicker, more sensitive than the D3s… I can’t yet explain but it feels ‘good’

Anyway… www.dpreview.com have all the goods on it and I will endeavour to reel off the pros and cons as soon as I manage to get my hands on a production model and start firing off some frames for you to peruse.

I’ll keep you posted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nikon 1 V1 – still lovin it!

As we speak I sit with a new Nikon D4 next to me (11fps, full frame sensor, ridiculous ISO abilities, damned near unlimited buffer, Wireless capture shooting and control via iPhone, iPad and laptop, 1080p HD recording direct to card or throughput via HDMI etc etc etc.)

However it is still the Nikon 1 V1 that is always at hand

The V1 has finally turned me into one of those photographers who always has a camera at hand. And this is purely because I now have a camera that is compact enough to fit in a pocket but high enough resolution and sharp enough lenses for front cover abilities. The video is amazing, the lenses incredibly sharp and the little black box with a very cool range of interchangeable lenses is just perfect to have on hand all the time.

Over X-Mas my naturalist brother pointed out a Southern Brown Tree Frog and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a some more Nikon 1 fun.

Here’s the resulting snap.

Southern Brown Tree Frog photographed on Nikon 1 V1 with 1 Nikkor VR 10-30mm f/ 3.5-5.6

Now all we need is a fish eye lens and waterproof housing for some cool water photography… don’t worry I have already been chatting to Phil at www.aquatech.net regarding this… maybe on the horizon – we will see???

Oh yeah… and a quick few thoughts on the D4 will follow soon but no you cannot see sample footage and images yet… However hang in there as D4 mini-review and sample photos will follow as soon as the guys at ‘the big N’ give the all clear.

Dolphins, sunburn, bikinis … and a big ‘mutha’ of a rope swing

“We’re putting on a rope swing event for the public” I was told over the phone. “Do you want to photograph it?”

“Hell yeah” I thought. “There’s gonna be carnage” and I was right!

Tangalooma Island Resort off Southern Queensland’s Moreton Island coast was the host for this comedic event and this meant crystal clear cerulean waters lapping against perfect white sand beaches and rusting shipwrecks, a mecca for local scuba divers.

However the peace would soon be shattered with divers of a more aerial nature… and wanna-be gymnasts, and generally anybody who enjoys hurtling through the air, trying as many backflips as possible before slapping down into what hopefully will be a slightly cushioned landing (“depending on the angle you hit the water” cliff diver Joey Zuber informed me with a grin)

Rather than the serious business of extreme sports in exotic locations, for this project Red Bull Australia decided just to ‘have some fun’ … and that they did.

I admit I was dubious at first, “a few guys with board shorts hurling themselves into the water… hmmm???” but my attitude quickly changed.

Event day dawned to a perfect QLD cloudless day and soon the temperature skyrocketed to perfect ‘launching’ weather.

The first ferry of the day offloaded a mixed crew of petite bikini clad and face-painted  lasses, brash ‘lads’ in costume and amazingly enough, some professional gymnasts and high divers, albeit some were clad in dinner suits… they were all psyched to just see what they could pull off on this makeshift human catapult.

Floating 100 meters offshore a barge sat with a long crane arm protruding into the cloudless QLD sky. suspended from the end of the crane arm was a single spiderweb like strand of rope, designed purely to hurl anybody bold enough to hang on, as far as they liked out over the azure waters of the tropical Eastern Australian coast.

With ‘smack-downs’ aplenty as competitors warmed up, emergency crews were amazed to treat only minor injuries instead of severely winded competitors who really should have emerged from some of the belly-whackers witnessed.

As the day progressed, so did the skills of some of those competing, and the wipeouts of others.

A triple backflip was thrown down while advanced free, straight, pike, tuck and spins were attempted – and landed; But on the other hand, spectators were also witness to a 40ft back slap and a 30ft face plant.

Aboard the beach and barge, music blared and crowds danced and hyped one another up for bigger and bolder moves.

As the sun sank lower, teams were whittled down to just a final few and just before the local dolphins came into shore at sunset, final awards were anounced as beachside bonfire was laid.

Swing-a-Long – the best aerial acrobatics
WINNER: Dope Ropers – Phillip Kismartoni, Luke Campbell & Joel Pocklington

Swing-a-Bomb – the most water dispersed by an individual
WINNER: Bloody Frogman – Victoria Camilieri-Asch

Swing-a-Bloop – the biggest blooper where things went pear shaped
WINNER: Red Bellies – Elsa Lilford & Liana Lilford

Create-a-Swing – the most creative performance
WINNER: Bumbles of Fun – Clare Hambridge, Renee Kubala, Madeline Franklin & Marianne Whittenburg

And the coveted title of:
King of the Swing – best overall performance
WINNER: Double Pock – Dion Pocklington & Ben Pocklington

And so the story ends… with a bonfire and beachside party, a perfect sunset, dolphins in the shallows and an empty rope, silhouetted against the mainland backdrop of the sunshine coasts mountains on the horizon.

… oh yeah and one sunburnt ‘happy snapper’ – And I even managed a quick moment to throw my own version of a backflip, with an accidental half twist – I think maybe next year I will enter.

Pix are below and Milkmoney Films were on hand to capture video of all the action at Red Bull Rope Swing… worth a watch for a good laugh.

 

 

 

Rick & Ryans Adventure – Mark Webber Challenge

Freycinet Peninsula, Tasmania

In the drizzle of Hobart-town a tanned athletic South African ultra marathon runner winds his way towards the docklands. Coming from the other direction is a hero of Australian motor sport, turning heads as he strolls towards the same location. On the pier the two meet, shake hands and simultaneously announced “what the hell have we gotten ourselves into?”

Ryan Sandes is more commonly known as one of the fittest and most tenacious ultra-marathon runners on the planet. He crosses deserts on foot for a living??? Mad some may say but when you meet his unassuming and mischievous grin, you can simply tell he’s just another bloke up for a bloody good challenge, albeit a gruelling challenge in 50 degree heat, running 200km plus on sand… OK! Maybe he is mad!

At the other end of the spectrum is a bloke who openly claims “I just sit on my arse all day.” However Rick Kelly’s version of sitting on his backside does include hurling a 1.5 tonne thundering V8 powered missile around some of Australia, NZ and the Middle East’s most daunting motor sport racetracks at over 300 km per hour. In between he somehow finds time to co-own and manage the multi million dollar, five car V8 Supercar team of Kelly Racing.

So what do these two blokes have in common one might ask… the answer is simple. They both signed up for a masochistic 5 days of relentless physical abuse through some of Tasmania’s most inspiring but sweat-inducing terrain in 2011 Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge. Not only did they both sign-up, but they happen to be team-mates and neither have competed in any form of adventure race before… actually neither packed a compass. Maybe a little naive when a major part of the non stop gruelling race involves topographic maps and accurate navigation.

Amusingly, the outdoor stores in mid-town Hobart didn’t know what hit them as the two Red Bull athletes burst through their doors only moments after event registration, hoarding Powerbars and bike shorts, compasses and trekking pants, skins and anti-chafing cream.

They arrived in Tasmania with the simple intent to just ‘have a go’ but for those who know what drives such elite competitors… you also know that ‘just having a go’ doesn’t exist in these guys brains… it is all or nothing. With no real expectations of being competitive against the elite teams, both Rick and Ryan knew full well that each other would keep going until the soles of their feet wore through, their hands became blistered, lips split from salt and chafing began to bleed – there was going to be no such thing as ‘giving up.’

And so it was with a slight surprise that on day two of the event the duo found themselves leading the pack early in the day, well amongst the lead teams and in contention for a top five finish overall, but they had a long road ahead.

The 2011 Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge is no walk in the park

It is a week-long multisport adventure race that throws athletes amongst some of the most awe-inspiring terrain Australia has on offer, and also some of the most treacherous. From the perfect azure waters of Wineglass Bay and Freycinet National Park and the rugged towering dolerite pillars of the Tasman Peninsula athletes kayak, abseil, swim, mountain bike and trail run, eventually winding their way south to the windswept and isolated dunes of Bruny Island before climbing up amongst the alpine tarns of the Hartz Mountains, to finally descend to the finish line in the historic city of Hobart.

The course happens to be designed by one of the guru’s of global adventure racing, John Jacoby. Former world-class racer and veteran of Eco Challenge, Raid Gauloises and a plethora of truly brutal multi week-long challenges in the furthest and most isolated corners of the world, Jacoby may not admit it but is about ‘as hard as they come’… and any adventure discipline set by Jacoby is sure to test ones willpower and physical endurance.

And this is possibly why the Rick and Ryan show became an all enthralling battle on multiple fronts. From smart strategy and mixing it up with the leaders, the two pushed hard but fell through the ranks with small errors caused by fatigue. On one hand the duo battled side by side with world-class adventure racer’s whilst on the other they ended up running an entire multi-hour trail run in bare feet after misinterpreting the rules and exiting their kayak with no footwear to change into. They careened down a waterfall – upside-down in their kayak and eventually came up battered and bruised but laughing.

If attitude could have won the race, these blokes would have had it in the bag.

Kelly even managed to bring a grin to his face when as one stage I asked whether chafing was an issue at all and he simply turned to me and said “you don’t want to see ‘down there’ Watto. It’s nasty! there ain’t gonna be any sex for me for months!” – I took his word for it.

At the end of a huge week, every competitor in the 2011 Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge was bruised and battered however not one athlete looked downtrodden. The terrain had been brutal but the vistas and perfect sunsets over mirror like waters, amazing.

At the finish line, most faces looked a picture of relief, but as the sweat dried and the swelling subsided it was clear to see that glint in the eye already beginning to re-appear… there is no question…. it may take a day, a week or a month but as some stage the pain will fade and the grey matter inside one’s head will start asking… I wonder if I could do it faster, maybe I should do some more kayaking training, I wonder if my team-mate will be up for it again? And there is also no doubt… Rick and Ryan will be amongst those pondering another venture into Tasmania’s wilderness… and they’ll be a step ahead of many for they will bring their own personal compass… now scratched and muddy – but a true reminder as to where to find the good things in life, even if they sometimes hurt!

Sheeny’s last flight… for a while

Two days before FMX superstar Josh Sheehan was due in a Sydney hospital where green robed surgeons would delve into the depths of his shoulder, pull a few bits out, re-align some other bits and paste a few extra bits back in (which would mean up to 6 months off the bike); He could be found somewhere in the stratosphere, hovering over his childhood property in Donnybrook Western Australia, Performing his iconic Ruler Flip, or Rock Solid, or Lazy Boy Flip… or any number of ‘bulls#*t’ inverted FMX manoeuvres.

In between throwing himself and his Carlton Dry clad Honda CRF450 well into the golden sunset of southern WA, he could also be found projecting massive rooster tails behind him as he exploded from each corner of his personal MX sand-track.

“I’m lucky to have grown up on a property where I was able to put in my own sand track, but also build my own FMX compound in the clay earth amongst dad’s orchards. When I first tried backflips I practiced on a sandy step-up I built out back so if I crashed I’d only fall a few metres” Sheeny professes.

Following Sheeny’s dominating performance and win over Dany Torres of Spain & Levi Sherwood of NZ at Red Bull X-Fighters in Sydney, I mentioned to Red Bull how it might be cool to catch up with Sheeny to shoot some photos outside of competition. Then all of a sudden I got the call at the last-minute, “Can you go to Western Australia next week?” Sheeny’s surgery meant he would be off the bike for the first half of 2012 and so if we wanted to shoot anything other than him sitting on a sofa with his arm in a sling, then we had to do it immediately.

And so a few days later I found myself eating a roast dinner with the awesome Sheehan family who offered up some incredible country hospitality to accommodate me  for the shoot.

As it happened Sheeny’s chaotic schedule, my back-to-back projects and mother nature all managed to align to offer up a sole afternoon and one morning of good weather before it clouded over and I had to hammer it back up the highway to Perth to catch a red-eye flight back to Sydney where I was due to shoot the entire next day.

There’s no question Sheeny is on the up-&-up. He’s obviously got balls of solid steel, but he is also meticulous with his training and ability to perform at the top of his game.

Whilst there  is often the cliché of tattoo adorned, rebellious heavy drinkers and partiers amongst the FMX crew, Sheeny goes to show that both inside and outside of the competition scene, the sport of Freestyle Moto Cross is an incredible art and takes huge dedication and drive to succeed. For the time being he appears content with his lot… being at the top of his game and following his dream.