Dave Benham

Lenscoat make a range of neoprene covers for standard and telephoto lenses. One of those items that I probably wouldn’t need on a portrait session, but invaluable shooting from a hide. And it would spook guests at a wedding (just think of the candid shots you’d get!).

Prices on the 70-200 Nikon cover above start at $79.99, and I’ve got to admit I’m really tempted. There are a number of different camo styles to try too.

Although the Lenscoat site has covers up to 600mm listed, they do custom jobs too; check out the video for making a cover for Canon’s 1200mm f/5.6 lens on the Lenscoat home page.

Nikon have just announced the launch of the D300s, the successor to the number one selling D300. Aimed at the prosumer, the D300s will be the flagship DX body for Nikon ahead of the D90.

The most striking addition is the ability to record HD video. As I’ve discussed before, I’m not a fan of video on DSLRs so this isn’t a big point for me. Dual memory card slots is useful though – that was one of the features from the D3 that I would have loved on the D700. Apart from this the only other headline grabber is a new Quiet Shutter mode, which locks the mirror up for a while when you take the shot. I’ve never considered Nikon shutters to be noisy in the first place but this will be useful for wedding or nature photographers at those critical moments.

The only update I can see on the new 18-200mm DX VR lens is a focus lock button – the VR side of things hasn’t been changed. The original version is still a cracking lens and in my opinion should be in the arsenal of all Nikon DX users.

Nikon have also announced an update to the popular (and my favourite) 70-200 AF-S VR lens. Some criticism was levelled at the first version mentioning soft corners; personally I’ve never experienced this to any great degree. This new version is optimised for FX users (D700, D3, D3X) and the VR is boosted too – it’s going to be a wonderful lens, but I’m not upgrading yet.

Details of all the new gear is on the Nikon website.

Despite being a gadget person there are times when I see converging technologies built in together without proper thought. One of these, and a bugbear of mine, is video on a DSLR. Yet today news emerges of a feature film produced entirely using a Nikon D90 DSLR.

If this is true then well done guys. I’m a firm believer that you should use the right tool for the job and I’d personally use a nice 3CCD high definition camcorder. Then again I’m not a film maker so what do I know?

Reverie’s synopsis is as follows:

Set in the remote wilderness of the Illinois River Valley six years after a catastrophic fire devastated the area, a series of events draws the paths of two former friends towards intersection. Their reunion reopens the wounds of a dark past and threatens to collapse the fragile lives they have constructed since.

I bet their wounds were caused by the inclusion of HD video on DSLRs. Check out the details at IMDB.

Check out this great video from LensRentals.com comparing the different sizes of Nikon telephoto lenses. I’m never going to grumble about the size of my 70-200 f/2.8  again!

To think that wildlife shooters use a 600mm f/4 regularly as well – at least their wallet would be lighter…

Cokin has launched a specialist X-Pro filter holder for the Nikon 14-24mm wide angle lens. The 14-24 has a bulbous front element with no filter thread so the holder attaches to the lens hood itself. The bad news is that for full frame users you’ll get vignetting if you shoot any wider than 18mm. No problem for DX shooters, but lots of D3X, D3 and D700 owners will be impacted.

This is one of the reasons that I chose the AF-S 17-35 f/2.8 over the 14-24 – I’d be paranoid about scratching the front element every time I used it. The 17-35 uses the same 77mm filters as my 24-70 f/2.8 and 70-200 VR. One (admittedly expensive) circular polariser will suit all three.

Oh, and it costs $624.95. But at least the shipping’s free. If you’re interested, you can order the filter holder from Adorama here.