March 2013

This is a pivotal year for Myanmar (which the US & UK know as Burma). With the election of a civilian government, suspension of international sanctions, and the beginning of a banking system and independent press it is poised to break out of decades of torpor into the 21st century. I’m excited to announce that I’ll be leading another photo tour there this December. We’ll hit some of the major tourist highlights, of course, but we’ll also venture to some places that most tourists never see and create some photo opportunities that would be almost impossible to achieve on your own.

No lens has been more eagerly awaited, or for longer, than the replacement for the aged Nikon 80-400mm zoom telephoto. After well over a decade Nikon has finally rolled out its successor – the Nikon 80-400mm AF-S VR lens, with massively improved VR and focusing speed, as well as completely redesigned optics. While it is a technical marvel, its high price and large size may mean it isn’t for you. We’ve got a review unit here in the office, and will be posting more over the next few weeks, but we wanted to get our first impressions out to those of you curious about the new lens…

There has been a lot of interest about the new Nikon D7100 and especially whether it is the answer to the long-awaited upgrade to the Nikon D300 and D300s. It is clearly a great camera and has some dramatically improved sub-systems (it is 5 years newer after all), so many of you are already jumping on it and ordering one from B&H for $1196.95. However, if you’re not convinced, now you can try one out first…