Apologies

Yeah, so like a year or so ago I took the step to register WhatBlogIsThis.com to be more official I guess remove the Blogspot.com from the URL. I did it through Google and it was easy and cool. And then when it came time to renew, I found out too late. Seems like within that year, Google got themselves out of the business of domain name registration and I didn't get the memo. So, the Internet being filled with hucksters like it is, once the domain expired some opportunist set their fat ass on WhatBlogIsThis.com and is currently squatting on it. So sorry if any of you have had trouble finding this blog under its old domain www.WhatBlogIsThis.Blogspot.com. The squatter probably wants a couple of hundred but there's no chance in heck that I'm giving it to him. Besides, a lot of my photo writing is moving over to NewCameraNews.com, so head over there if you want a laugh. In any case, thanks for stopping by if you've done so regularly. I won't be updating this blog as frequently anymore, but it was fun while it lasted... john

It's That Time Again...

Story deadline, which means a lot of gnashing of teeth and rubbing of hands as I try to:

1. Figure out what to say, 
2. Figure out how to say it, 
3. Choose the photos, and 
4. Do the 100 other little things that are required.

As my wife always reminds me, I stress out every time I have a deadline, but eventually figure it out. I suppose that'll happen again, but it's always easier looking backward.

The shot above, btw, is another Nikon 1 V1 gem, this time mounted via a RAM suction mount on the lead bike ridden by my good friend Sandy. The V1's AF is good enough to stick the camera on the back of a motorcycle and say to it, "You figure it out. That's what I bought you for."

Thank you for allowing me to procrastinate. Once the deadline fever is past, I've got a Pentax K-3 post on deck. Now back to my deadline...or maybe an empanada or three first...

Nikon 1 V1-Good Enough to be the A Cam?

Next time you're in Barnes & Noble, saunter (or sashay, your choice) over to the magazine rack and pick up a copy of the Feb '14 issue of RoadRUNNER Magazine. My Vermont dual purpose story, "One if by Land, Two if by Sea, Three if by KLR" is in there, and it's one of the first real tests of the Nikon V1 as my A camera. It's been on several trip now as my B cam, and it's done well enough. Well enough to be given a chance as the A cam. The B cam on this trip was that venerable Panasonic GH2 with the versatile 12-35 F2.8. And the C cam was the tiny Pentax Q. It's hard to leave the Q behind because it's so tiny, and with the fisheye and the Q mounted on a monopod I can get some neat POV shots.

New Camera News 2013 Camera of the Year is Announced

New Camera News has just announced its 2013 Camera of the Year. Check it out:

http://newcameranews.com/2013/12/05/new-camera-news-2013-camera-year/

Damn You, Sigma DP2m

I should have never borrowed the Sigma DP2m from my brother. I was quite happy in my ignorance, shooting what I thought were very nice Pentax lenses on very nice Pentax bodies. But then I made the mistake of borrowing the Sigma and running a little backyard test against my brandy spankin' new Pentax K-3 mated with the very nice FA31mm F1.8 Limited. The Sigma had bested the 16 megapickle K-01 with the FA31 (I used the K-01 instead of the K-5 because of the allegedly weaker AA filter). I thought that the K-3, with extra megapickles and without an AA filter would draw closer to the DP2m, but to be honest, it wasn't close.