Crayfish@Nins Bin, Kaikoura

As it was going to be long weekend with Labour Day coming Monday, we decided to take a leisurely drive to nearby Kaikoura. It was a very pleasant 2.30 hr drive in very sunny and cool spring weather (15degC).

We arrived at Nins Bin around 11am. It is located 20kms north of Kaikoura, just next to the State Highway 1. Easily spotted, don't be fooled by Kay's Crays just about 200metres before you arrive at Nins Bin (heading north).

The place was already a hive of activity with tourists and locals selecting their object of desire. Here, price of each crayfish is clearly written on its tail, ranging from NZ$45 to 80. You can choose to have it hot (extra $1), with grlic & butter sauce (extra $3). A dozen mussels will set you back NZ$12. They also accept cash, EFTPOS, visa or mastercard, so no worries if you decide to buy the whole lot of crays, I know I was tempted!

We selected a decent sized crayfish ($68) and had it hot complete with garlic and butter sauce. It arrived on our table in about 10 minutes complete with sizable slices of lemon. It was pure delight digging into the fresh crayfish. The meat was juciy and succulent, without smelling fishy at all. I like the meat slightly tough and chewy, it had a good 'bite' feel to it. It was the most enjoyable food experience, with the al fresco table layout, panoramic views of the sea and fresh crays at your mercy!

All in all, a thoroughly fantastic meal, highly recommended to all. Worth the trip there just for the crays, although we stopped in Kaikoura to view the fur seal colony.

To FX or not to FX?

With all the hype surrounding full frame (Nikon calls its FF format FX), I was contemplating jumping to FX. But after evaluating my lens collection and my shooting style, I decided that FX was just not for me, yet.

Lenswise, I have a few DX format lenses, namely the 17-55 2.8, 18-200 VR, 10-20 HSM. The 18-200 VR and 10-20 HSM have always been my pair of travel lenses, with the 18-200 stuck onto my d40 and the 10-20 coupled onto my d80. Changing to FX, means I would have to buy the excellent, bloody expensive, not to mention can't screw on a filter, Nikon 14-24. Also, I would loose the flexibility of the 18-200 VR, not forgetting the weight penalty, with using the D700 and FX lenses.

Next argument, I would hate to loose the telephoto end due to the 1.5x crop of the DX sensor if I were to jump to FX. Currently, I'm getting an effective focal length of 600mm with my nikon 80-400VR. This allows me to do birding and wildlife photography. In FX, 400mm would remain 400mm.
Some might argue that FX goes wider than DX. True, but it is only 1mm comparing my 10-20 (effective focal length 15mm-30mm FX) to the 14-24mm.

Lastly, I don't do too much low-light photography. I fully agree that FX shines at high ISOs. This would be very useful for event photography, concerts, places where flash photography is banned, etc,etc.

I would foresee myself jumping to FX if d700 costs the same as the d300, or if I'm more seriously involved in low-light/event photography.

Hope this short post would help you decide if jumping to FX would be worth it.

NIKON 17-55 2.8 AF-S

My workhorse lens. Good in lowlight and fast enough for indoor photography. Colour are sharp and contrast is fantastic. Slightly heavy and has a humongous hood, excellent value. bought off TradeMe at NZ$1200. Built like a tank but not as solid as old-school Nikkors. Recommended if you need a zoom for low-light situations.

NIKON 80-400 AF VR

My wildlife and birding lens. Excellent with VR though the AF speed is disappointing. On the other hand, it is light enough to carry all day long without my shoulder getting sore. Recommended if you are not a serious birder or wildlife photographer.

SIGMA 10-20 HSM

Ultra wide angle lens for the APS-C SLRs. Excellent for nature, indoor and general photography. Excellent value at NZ$600. Highly recommended alternative to the Nikkor UWAs.

NIKON 18-200 VR

My travel lens. Do-it-all, from wide to tele, macro too in a pinch. Comes with the excellent VR, really helps eliminate camera shake. Good value if used mainly in good light, will be hard to use in low-light. Recommended for travelling light, or in dusty environment.

TAMRON 90 2.8 SP Di II Macro

The best poor man's macro lens. I'd say sharper than the Nikon 105 2.8 VR. Truly astonishing lens for NZ$400 new. Do not use this lens to shoot portraits if you don't intend to do much post-processing as it will show all the flaws of your model clearly (blemishes, acne, pimples).

SIGMA 70-200 2.8 HSM

Got this cheap off TradeMe for NZ$600 used. Handy for sports photography. Not doing enough of sports photography to warrant purchasing the Nikkor equivalent. good performer with the HSM built in motor, but misses the focus target sometimes. Maybe its due to me D80.

NIKON 50 1.8 AF-D

Nifty-fifty. Cheapest Nikkor lens, fast and useful, not to mention small and light. Good for low-light photography, though could be a tad too tight for indoors.

NIKON 85 1.4 AF-D

Legendary portrait lens. Fast and sharp wide open. What else can I say, the 'King' of bokeh. Creamilicious bokeh. Built tough, old school Nikon pro-level quality. My favourite portrait and low-light lens.

ASICS Cumulus 11 - Mens

Got this pair on sale for NZ$140 (RRP NZ$210). Much better than the hard and stiff GEL 3000. Very soft and flexible, the cushioning is amazing; only surpassed by the Nimbus. Highly recommended to all.

Asics Cumulus 10 - Women

The wife bought this pair on sale recently (NZ$130; RRP NZ$250). Found it to be very soft, flexible, and the cushioning is excellent. Highly recommended, but bear in mind as it is soft it will wear out much faster than the GEL XXXX series.

Asics Gel 3000

Bought this pair of Asics recently because it was on sale (NZ$140; RRP NZ$280). Found it too hard and stiff compared to the Cumulus series. Rides low and stable though. Heavier than the Cumulus series, but more durable as it is made of hardier materials.