Fell in love at the first sight? Maybe. I tried to get one the next moment I noticed its announcement. Of course, being away from America we have to wait for anything new, and when we talk about Apple products, it can be quite a long while. We all may notice how long we had to wait until we can use an iPhone.

But hey, mouse should be a bit better as it is not something dependent to exclusive agreement between Apple and network provider. Right, but still, we could not get hold of a Magic Mouse right away. I started to notice ways to get hold of one by buying it from US. One way was purchasing through online stores and shipping it across the oceans and continent, but I know that the shipping cost and custom charges would be even more expensive than the mouse itself. Another way was through people traveling there who brought one or two in their luggage. But the price was unbelievable.

I ended up deciding to help my pocket and train my patience, I rang the owner of local Apple reseller whom I knew, asking him to call me as soon as he has one in stock. Instead of sellers enthusiast from receiving a pre-order from customer, I heard a slight reluctance in his voice. “You may end up getting from the black market even for a higher price just to get it quicker”, he replied my suspicious question.

I managed my mind and waited patiently for quite a long while, long enough to almost forgetting it. I guess it has been four or six months until yesterday he rang me saying “Listen, I got two Magic Mouses and one has been taken by someone else, you can take remaining one today otherwise you will have to wait for the next delivery, which I am not sure when”. Of course I had no other answer then “Yes” and asked him to send it over to my office. Funny thing was that when I asked him the guy who bought the other one he bluntly said “Your boss”. Damn, he didn’t even tell me.

Once I had it on hand it took me some time just to admire it. It was absolutely gorgeous. Installation was a snap, it was nothing more than pairing two bluetooth devices. The first experience was fabulous. Movement was smooth even when I tried in different surfaces thank to sensitive laser sensor. Clicks could be made anywhere on the surface, but I set to make it recognize right hand-click. Scroll and swipe were the most appealing feel as we could do theme anywhere on the surface with amazing response.

I personally think Magic Mouse is the masterpiece of both art of technology. At the price which is not so much different from high-end laser pointing device it offers best possible experience in very very very sleek design. Just like any other Apple products, we feel it a little expensive but at the end we realized that they absolutely worth the price.

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Anyway, I have listed 2010 dream monster, one of which I expected to be my daily ride these days.

Yamaha V-Max VMX17

The 2010 version is a continuation of development journey since 1985 when it was introduced for the first time. The core is stil the same, the original Mad Max DNA then improved with Yamaha’s latest sport bike technologies like chip controlled variable intake stacks, a high tech fuel injection system and famous fly by wire throttle. Reviews commented that the new generation of V-Max inherits the legendary sound, character and amazing acceleration but offers truly sporty handling, thanks to its lightweight aluminium chassis and fully adjustable suspension.

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Engine: Liquid cooled, DOHC, 4 valve, 65 degree V4. Displacement: 1,679cc. Bore and stroke: 90 x 66mm. Compression ratio: 11.3:1. Maximum torque: 17 kg-m (123 ft-lb) at 6,500 rpm. Fuel delivery: Mikuni 48mm fuel injection. Estimated fuel consumption: 11.4 kpl (32 mpg). Lubrication: wet sump. Ignition: TCI / electric start. Transmission: 5 speed with slipper clutch. Final drive: shaft.

Aprilia RSV4 Factory

The Aprilia RSV4 has been designed and developed with competition in mind, and naturally offers all the adjustments normally found on racing machines. It is owered by the most revolutionary and most powerful engine ever developed by Aprilia. This 65° V four unit is based on an architecture that is unique in the world of supersport motorcycles, and features refined engineering combined with prestigious materials and advanced electronic management solutions.

The new engine uses multi-mapping ride-by-wire technology, a solution that opens up new horizons in engine control, and offers virtually infinite opportunities for power delivery and traction control. All components are naturally of the highest calibre. They include an Öhlins fork, rear monoshock and steering damper, Brembo monobloc brake calipers and forged alloy wheels.

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Engine capacity: 999.6cc. Architecture: 65 degree V4. Power: 180HP (132.4kW) at 12,500 rpm. Crankcase: monobloc with integrated cylinder liners. Timing system: 4 valves per cylinder (Titanium and Nymonic) operated directly by a camshaft driven by a mixed chain/gear system (lateral timing chain, central gear train). Fuel system: Magneti Marelli electronic injection with two injectors per cylinder and integrated independent Ride by Wire system for each bank. Antivibration countershaft. Maximum RPM: 14,100 rpm. Compression ratio: 13:1. Transmission: 6 speed direct-control cassette gearbox. Clutch: multiplate wet clutch with mecanical slipper system. Exhaust: 4-2-1 headers with oxygen sensor and single silencer with integrated catalytic converter and butterfly valve.

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14

No company knows more about in-line fours than Kawasaki. From the early Z-1 to our factory MotoGP bikes, our knowledge about the in-line four-cylinder engine is unsurpassed. The virtues of this design are many: powerful, smooth running and very compact, if it’s a Kawasaki superbike, it has to be an in-line four. Each component of this amazing engine was thoroughly developed to deliver the perfect balance of power, torque, and ridability.

The ZX-14’s chassis design is every bit the equal of its power plant. Using an advanced version of Kawasaki’s unique aluminum monocoque design, its frame is lightweight and very strong. Die cast aluminum sections on the main frame make for lighter parts, keeping the weight down even more on the slim and compact frame.

The Ninja ZX-14’s blend of power, handling and style perfectly illustrates the potent technological know-how of Kawasaki’s highly-trained engineers.

[View with PicLens]

Engine: four-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, four valve per cylinder, inline-four. Displacement: 1,352cc. Bore x stroke: 84.0 x 61.0mm. Compression ratio: 12.0:1. Fuel system: DFI with four 44mm Mikuni throttle bodies. Ignition: TCBI with digital advance. Transmission: 6-speed. Final drive: x-ring chain. Rake/trail: 23 degrees / 3.7 in. Front tire: 120/70 ZR17. Rear tire: 190/50 ZR19.

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Closing this year I get a number of lucks, bot in personal and professional life, which I take as a gift. One of them is the news that my favorite Formula 1 driver, the 7 times world champion Michael Schumacher, has just ended his three years retirement by signing a three years contract to drive one of Mercedes GP car.

I was a fan of Felipe Massa even from the year when he was Michael’s teammate, and was probably got hit as hard as he was when he lost the battle against Lewis Hamilton in the last seconds of the closing race of 2008. I hit me to see that his chance to compete in last year series blown away by an accident. But I have to admit that I was pleased to see that the incident dragged Michael Schumacher to come out from his retirement to replace him, which unfortunately canceled by his physical condition.

Now, just a few months later, I get something even much better, Michael Schumacher is coming back to track, not only as a temporary retirement but for a full season, three full seasons to be exact. A bit of regret that he is not coming back with Ferarri, the team he has been racing for 10 years and still got involved as a consultant until recently, but seeing the greatest German driver racing a German car is no less interesting.

The fact that at Mercedes GP he is teaming up – again – the mastermind of his 7 world championship, Ross Brown, waives away my regret of the fact that he is not coming back on a Ferarri. I personally believes that Ross is a better success guarantee than Ferarri. Ross’s cold hands has been well proven, not only with Michael but also Jenson Button after he left Ferarri following Michael’s retirement.

Next year Formula 1 will be a lot more exciting then ever before I believe. With Kimi Raikkonen leaving Formula 1, there will a number of stars on the track, including be four world champions. The two times Fernando Alonso who has been in many bitter fights against Michael will be in a better shape in his Ferarri. The very competitive 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton who will find his dream to race against his patron comes true. Michael’s golden student who has almost threw away from his 2008 crown Felipe Massa. The last year world champion Jenson Button who will drive one of the faster car on the track, Mc Laren, and will surely motivated to maintain his domination. The young German diver Sebastian Vettel who was hailed as “the next Schumacher”.

Looking back into the old days, Michael’s decision to get along with Mercedes GP makes a lot of sense. More than the fact that Ross Brawn is there and Mercedes is a German brand, Mercedes was his window of opportunity. Mercedes granted him the way to what he is now. He raced Mercedes in his pre-F1 days, and Mercedes spent $150,000 at that time to pay Jordan so they allow Michael to race on one of their cars. So Michael should have every reasons he needs to feel like coming home by joining Mercedes GP.

I stand against those who think that 41 years, Michael’s age next year, will become a problem for his competitiveness. I stand against those who thinks that Michael is putting his reputation in danger by returning into the track. First Michael is as competitive as he was before, maybe even better, because he was refreshed by his retirement. Second how can someone loose reputation by loosing in a fair fight? Wisdom says that the real champion is not the one who knows how to win, but the one who knows how to loose.

There are a lot of speculation about Michael’s reasons to come back. I personally believes that money is not among them. Being the most expensive driver on the track for years and built a fortune of approximately 500 million Euros, his 10 million basic salary he will get from Mercedes is nothing. It is way below the top paid drivers on the track, including McLaren Mercedes’ driver Lewis Hamilton. I think he could not cease his need of challenge and he knows that he is still competitive enough. Back to Formula 1 is definitely better than draining his adrenaline in amateur motorbike races.

Two things I should do next year then. First I have to go an see as many F1 racing in real as possible, at least the ones nearby. I hold a ticket for Singapore. I think I need to add Malaysia and possibly more close by like Australia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Macau. Second … hmmm … to trade my car with a Mercedes. Well, Meredes is expensive, but still more affordable than Ferarri. Mercedes’ top of the line is not less expensive than Ferarri, of course. But at least Mercedes has consumer product line.

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Camera body: Nikon D200 with Optech Pro Strap and one extra battery

Lenses:

AF Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 D (last gen. w/tripod collar).
AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4
AF Nikkor 35-70mm f/3.3-4.5
Sigma EX 10-20mm f/4-5.6 HSM
Kenko MC4 AF 2x Teleconverter

Lightings:

Nikon SB-800 incl. diffuser, 5th batt, and stand
Nikon SB-600 incl. diffuser
Set of flash hot-shoe adapter, light stand, and diffusing umbrella (white), incl. bag – Chinese made

Support:

Manfrotto 190XProB – tripod with collapsible center column
Manfrotto 804 RC2 – three ways pan head with quick release
Velbon Super Mag Slider – magnesium macro precision focusing rail
Velbon RUP43 – monopod with built-in ball head

Filters:

UV KENKO MC 77mm (2 pieces)
CPL VISICO 77mm
ND8 VISICO 77mm
81a Skylight HOYA 77mm
Pro1 Digital Protector HOYA 52mm
L1BC Skylight NIKON 52mm
CPL NICHIARU 52mm
Close Up Set (+1, +2, +4) HOYA 52mm

Accessories:

Nikon BR2A – 52mm lens reverse-mounting adapter
52mm to 52mm macro lens stacking ring – Chinese made
Nikon PB4 tilt and shift bellows with PS2 copy adapter
Cable shutter release – Chinese made

Carriers:

Lowepro MicroTrekker
Hand-made large top-loader with a pair of lens cases (similar to Lowepro OffTrail 2)
Lowepro Filter Pocket – max. 6 82mm filters
Manfrotto MBAG70 – tripod bag

In The Library:

Complete Digital Photography – Fourth Edition (graphic series) by Ben Long – Jun 26, 2007
Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographer by Scott Kelby – Aug 15, 2007
Portrait Photographer’s Handbook by Bill Hurter – Aug 1, 2007
Jeff Smith’s Posing Techniques for Location Portrait Photography – Dec 1, 2007
John Shaw’s Close Up in Nature – John Shaw, Sep 1, 1987
Various English magazines (mostly published in US & UK)

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Part of his suggestions reminded me to my buddy 21win who kept on telling me about how fun Nikon CLS is. I was in two sides of thought, really. Firstly I avoided flash. I always believed that flash light is harsh. I bought many things which were believed to be able to soften flash light, in addition to the diffuser coming along with my flash purchase. From small and simple solution from Garry Fong to bulky umbrella on a dedicated light stand. On the other side, among other reasons behind my decision to upgrade my camera body was CLS ability, I was keen to have a camera body which is able to manage wireless flashes.

While this kind of night shoot is not the one which needs a super-fast lens, I mounted a small 50mm f/1.4 lens into the camera body. Went out to the garden I started to look for objects. Unfortunately most flowers were morning risers. The only one I found was quite high on the tree. So I took a ladder, climbed up, and started the session. Obviously in this position did not allow me to include stable stand for the flash. So I either held it in my left hand – thanks to very light lens – or just put it somewhere on the tree branches.

It was fun. Exactly as 21win said, I can control the light almost completely. Even better, because at night the flash was the only light source available. So there was no need to think about getting proper combination with ambient light. Whilst I only use diffuser, harshness was not really visible. I compensated the flash down by somewhere between 1-2 stops, maybe that was the reason. But maybe because of the object I took as well. The cool thing was getting the object stands out off solid back background. The trick was on taking angle. Avoid anything in the background which are reachable by the flash light, because the flash would lit them and get them visible as distracting background.

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All these days I have been using back-pack. It is quite comfortable to carry, not only when I hike but also when riding bicycle or motorbike. Size is quite okay, I bought it since I was using smaller consumer DSLR, so it is a bit tight now, but not to the trouble-making extend to hold all of my daily gears. My Lowepro Microtrekker 2 can carry a Nikon D200 body with attached 80-200 f/2.8 (hood reversed), a Sigma 10-20mm ultra-wide (with reversed hood), a Nikon 50mm f/1.4, tele-converter, a Nikon SB800 strobe, a number of filters, and few sets of extra batteries.

The problem I am having so far is flexibility. Imagine if you have your camera on your back, and suddenly you get something valuable to capture. You have to find a clean and flat place to put the back pack down, open the zipper, take the camera out, wrap up, take it back to your shoulder, and when you are set, the moment has just gone away. Let’s get along with the story. Out of frustration, you decide to hang your camera on your neck, so you have the bag on your back and the camera in the front. Another moment comes and you grab your camera. Through the viewfinder you realize that the zoom range of the attached lens just does not fit. What will you do? Again … find a clean and flat place, get the back pack down … and so the story completely repeated to the end.

So, behind my laughter when I saw him with his Lowepro Off Trail 2, I hide a kind of admiration. What a luxury that sexy bag has to offer. You can take your camera off, put it back, replace lenses, replace filters, without having to do any other move. When you are walking, you just need to stop, tear the zipper, do anything needed, and you’re suddenly set. Amazing. I am considering to buy the same, and check local shops. It costs about $55 and with its bulk I think it will easily gets up to $65-$70 including shipping and handling fee. The other bigger problem is that Off Trail 2 can only hold my Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 in its main compartment, attached to the camera body. The side-attached lens-cases are too small. What if I am in a situation when I keep on needing my other lens, for example my shorter Nikon 50mm, and I occasionally want to put the camera in the bag? I have to take the short lens off and drop into the side lens-case before putting the camera body into the main compartment. What a pain. It also leads to another problem, most of the times I also carry Sigma 10-20mm ultra-wide which has identical diameter with my Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8. It does not fit into the lens-case. To overcome this problem, I have to replace the lens-cases with larger ones, which are available as a separate but. The problem is that the two lens-cases coming with Off Trail 2 are packaged together. You have to buy them all, buy larger lens-cases separately, throw away the small ones, and replace them. What a waste.

There are two choices available, get a top-loader, and a couple of lens cases. The problems are firstly is that only a few top-loader types can carry D200 with attached 80-200 f/2.8 and they are rather expensive (even more expensive than the whole package of Off Trail 2), and secondly, not all of them can take lens-case attachments. To buy a Toploader AW and a couple of LC3 is a real bit of about $100 including shipping and handling. The other choice is Specialist 85 AW which carries the same stuff as Toploader AW plus a couple of LC3 in a huge one-piece belt case. But it is damn expensive and rarely available.

Finally a solution comes from communication in a forum, a special order from a small bag-making home-industry. Many of them make camera backpack, I know one of them make slingshot. I actually almost buy the local-made slingshot, unfortunately the maker refused to enlarge the size to fit my need. So I ordered a kind of Off Trail 2 in specific size. The large compartment enough for a D200 with VG, attached Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 AF-S, and a couple of SB800. The side lens-cases are large enough to hold the same lens each. Of course I am not planning to bring three identical lenses.

It has just arrived now. Quite all right, not so much worse than Lowepros, size is quite bulky, actually it is bulkier than what I imagined before, but what can I do, that’s the size I need for my stuffs. And the best of all … the total cost I spent is less than $25 including shipping and handling.

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I used to use a tiny D40x with either 18-55mm AF-S kit or old MF lenses and has never ever ran out of battery. I do not know how many shots I could take for every charge as I have never even felt in need to check it. The battery last for at least a week with my usage style. When I got home an found the display only showing one bar battery indicator, I will charge it. But if I had no chance to do it, I would still feel save as I knew that it would still giving me power for about a day or two. Holding D200 with AF 80-200mm f/2.8D attached, full charge only give me a day, about 400 shots, no flash – means not even one single shot was taken with built in flash turned on. Usage of lighter lens AF 50mm f1.4 gave me more, but only a bit … a small bit.

Last weekend I took a few low-light shots at night with external flash, took about a hundred or so hots in the morning about a half taken with the built in flash, and ran out of battery just after the lunch time after taking about another hundred of no-flash shots. For the remaining day I could only drive along and gazed seeing my spouse’s excitement in taking amazing landscape of rice field and the mountain against the bright blue sky. What a bad day.

I started to think that there is something wrong with the camera. But after consulting with a few seniors and about a couple of hours Googling I conclude that it is normal for a D200. Those moved to D300 reported a slightly better consumption but not by far.

It is what Ken Rockwell had to say about D200 battery consumption:

Battery life is worse than my D70, contrary to specifications. I only get about 600 shots per charge. This is from the huge LCD screen sucking far more battery power than the D70’s little screen. This is what I get pretty regularly the way I shoot. When running buffer burst tests, making dozens of shots in a row on motor drive at 5 FPS without looking at them much I got 1,200 shots on a charge.

I never worried about my battery with my D70. It ran for days or weeks and the biggest problem was me getting so lackadaisical that I’d forget to charge it before a shoot. Good news is the D70 gets such great battery life that even then I was fine!

I do need to remember to charge the D200 each night. I never did for my D70. Unlike the D70, I do see the battery running down as I use it and it’s not just because of the D200’s more precise battery meter.

Because the battery of my D200 lasts about 99% as long as a day of shooting I bought a spare EN-EL3e battery. Both Adorama and Amazon are using the photo of the older black EN-EL3 battery. The new EN-EL3e is gray.

The big LCD uses a lot of power. On my first charge I only got 250 shots because I was playing with the menus all day. Today I regularly get 500 shots when I get the low battery warning, and at 600 shots it dies. As an experiment to check if it was the LCD or whatever I decided to see how many shots I could motor off after the Low warning before I recharged. My battery was at 15% and gave me the low warning after 600 shots. I usually look at the LCD after every few shots. I turned off the auto preview I always used on my D70 to save power. With the LCD off I held down the shutter at 5FPS repeatedly to see how many more shots I could get on my last 15% of battery. I ran it up to 1,200 shots, or just as many shots on the last 15% of battery with no LCD as I did with the LCD on the first 85% of charge! Of course this also could have been from the VR of my 18 – 200 VR; however my other VR lenses haven’t used more battery than other lenses. I’ll have to look into this, too.

The new high-tech EN-EL3e battery is gray to distinguish it from the incompatible but similar earlier batteries, which are black. Not only is it gray, but it has three, not two, metal contacts. The new contact is for data.

The brilliant MS-D70 throw-away CR2 battery holder doesn’t work in the D200. It’s also keyed so it can’t slide all the way into the D200.

I tried jamming my D70 battery into my D200. It won’t go because of keyed slots. If you carve it with a Dremel tool it will fit, but won’t work because there is no electronic communication. The D200 will think it’s dead, even if full.

The D200 battery works great in my D70 and D50.

So … I had no other choice than ordering a spare battery. which is quite a challenge as well.

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I personally believe that the best setup for travel and casual photography includes no more than D40x body, 18-200mm VR lens, and SB400 flash. If you want a bit more vibrant color, simply attach warming filter (i.e. Nikon L1Bc or Hoya 81a) to the lens.

As an entry-level equipment designated mostly for those upgrading from pocket or prosumer cameras, it has all automatic controls which users would use in point-and-shot photos. On the top of the body there is a preset-scene dials for you to choose from … just like a pocket camera. Something like a pocket camera with interchangeable lens. Then you can start to take over automatic controls once you gain more exposure in photography techniques, and start to become more creative, producing artistic compelling frames which fits your taste and style.

Last but not least, something which I and many other lovers of old manual focusing lens is that it works with very old Nikkor lens generally known as pre-AI lenses. Built at the age when auto focusing was not even invented, using them in most of the latest SLR, especially DSLR was prohibited by the AF motor mechanical link. As D40x does not have this mechanical system, all re-AI lenses neatly fit its mount. Obviously bot focusing and metering has to be controlled manually.

So why do I want to get rid of the such appealing excels? Obviously because I want to get even more, especially more freedom in creatively expressing my style and taste into frames I take. Sounds rather philosophic huh? These are a few more technical reasons then.

First, D40x does not have auto-focus motor in the body. This is where the lightness comes from. The consequence is that it requires lenses with built-in auto-focus motor, which means each and every lenses have to have its own motor. Otherwise automatic-focusing would not work. Means you still can use lenses without built-in motor, but have to focus manually.

Is it bad? Not really. If a camera has auto-focus motor on its body, it has to be powerful enough to drive even the heaviest lens. Even with a small 50mm lens attached, the camera drains the same amount of battery power as if it drives an 600mm super-telephoto lens. With motors built into the lens, each lens carries a motor which enough power only to drive its specific size. A small 18-55mm has smaller, lighter, and lower consuming motor than a large 500mm lens.

The problem with this is that there are limited options of lenses with built-in motors. Only Nikon with its AF-S series and Sigma with HSM series fully work on D40x. Other prominent 3rd party lenses like Tamron and Tokina do not support it at all. The situation get worse as AF-S lenses – especially the professional series – are priced at about double the price of its non AF-S equivalent. The next problem is that most of professional lenses, especially with specific dedication do not have its AF-S equivalent, even if you have enough money to buy. To mention a few examples are super-fast primes like 50mm f/1.4, portraiture lens with dedicated defocus control, and tilt-and-shift lenses.

So, D40x demands a lot more investment in lenses, and make severe limitation in available choice even if you are prepared to spend the money.

The next reason is CLS. D40x does not have a flash-commander facility allowing a camera to control one or more flashes wirelessly. Many other types, even the old D70 have this capability. Basically you can put one or more flash somewhere away from the camera to give amazing lighting patterns, fired by a command from the camera.

To allow us to have this capability when using D40x is either using a dedicated flash commander, which is quite expensive, or use an SB800 – Nikon’s most advanced flash model – attached to the camera. Here are the drawbacks: firstly SB800 is expensive, secondly in most CLS practices on-camera flash is avoided for various reasons, so you waste a state-of-the-art SB800. Obviously its also means more less flexibility and more money.

Next is high ISO performance. Noise in high ISO performance is rather unacceptable to my view. Whilst it allows us to go up to ISO 1600, I practically could not go further than ISO 400.

One last thing – as far as I remember – is metering with old lenses. Whilst it allows very old pre-AI lenses to mount seamlessly, it is not only focusing which has to be done manually, but also metering. So far I understand, most entry level DSLR has the same limitation their metering is controlled by the lens which transmits metering info to the body. Included in this category are D40, D40x, D50, D60, D70, D70s, and D80. In those cameras, CPU lenses are mandatory to have automatic metering works. More advance types has metering sensor in the body. Included in this category are D100, D200, D300, D1, D2, D3 and all of their derivate (i.e. D2Xs, D2H, etc.).

What else … I think the rest are small glitches which you would not really need. Like 3 points auto-focus sensors. In most cases, one is all we need. So why would you want to have more than 3.

So, all in all, if you have enough money to buy AF-S pro lens or do not even plan to have one, D40x is all you need. In fact there is a very popular companion which fits D40x perfectly, the Nikon AF-S 18-200mm VR. This lens with superb optical performance allows you to use only one lens for any types of frame you take, from wide, portraiture, to telephoto. Plus excellent image stabilization system. It is not a super-fast professional lens of course, but D40x is not for professional use either.

If you do not plan to play with multiple flashes controlled wirelessly to create sophisticated lighting, D40x with an attached lightweight SB400 are all you need.

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I had three things to work on:
1. My collection of manual focus lenses has been all sold out.
2. I have decided to go Nikon pro way with combination of ultra-wide (14-24mm), portraiture (24-70mm), and telephoto (70-200mm) respectively with modification to fit my pockets. This strategy includes keeping my ultra-wide Sigma 10-20mm to fill the ultra wide, getting the portraiture but can temporarily keep the slow 18-55 kit lens, and getting a telephoto lens.
3. Budget ceilling should not exceed the money I got from selling the MF lenses.
So it is quite obvious that telephoto is at the first priority. Why did I want to change from primes to zooms? Here are the reasons. Why did I choose this configuration? Here are the reasons.

Brandwise, I now had an experience with my Sigma 10-20. I would personally say that the performance is rather so so. Not bad enough for me to throw it way, but not good enough to put another Sigma in my bag. Tamron was quite appealing – by price and specification – but a friend who uses Tamron (at different focal length) seemed to feel the same as I feel about my Sigma. So, even knowing my budget constrain my eyes were seeing toward Nikkor as (almost) the only choice.

Nikkor had the following fast-telephoto lenses in their history:
1.) 1982 – 1988: AI-s manual focus, 1,900g, 231mm long.
2.) 1988 – 1992: AF, 1,280g, 176mm long, push-pull zoom, no tripod collar.
3.) 1993 – 1997: AF-D, 1,300g, 187mm, push-pull zoom, no tripod collar.
4.) 1997 – now: AF-D, 1,300g, 188mm, twisted zoom, tripod collar.
5.) 1999 – 2004: AF-S, 1,550g, 207mm, twisted zoom, tripod collar.
6.) 2003 – now: AF-S, 70-200mm, VR, 1,430g, 215mm, twisted zoom, tripod collar.
My online resouce show that these lenses have very strong reputation for quality and performance. Almost all professionals using Nikon cameras recommended these and few books I read featured them as well. So now it comes to choosing the one to take.

Financially I prefer #2 which was quite cheap in 2nd hand market. But I found that all of them available on sale were in severe optical condition. It is about fungus, fog, dust, scratch, and other defects. As long as everything work well, did not mind about physical condition (i.e. body scratch, lost paint, etc.) but expected good optical condition.

When I shifted to #3 I found one with acceptable condition. However I started to think about the tripod collar. Whilst in sufficient light handhold seemed to be OK, I believe that sometime I would need tripod shoot. Imagine if a tiny plastic-bodied D40x on a tripod has to hold a 1,300g lens. I tried to look for 3rd party universal collar and found that some options were available abroad. But the price, international shipping cost, and custom fee on top of the lens price got to a lot more than #4 coming with decent built-in collar.

So I went up to #4. Reviews respected this type quite significantly, including Ken Rockwell who said “This is the best buy in 80-200 f/2.8 zooms going. It offers fantastic performance at about the same price as some people pay for used or garbage like Sigma. This sort of lens has been the most popular pro lens for 35mm shooters for over a decade. Just buy one and don’t worry. You don’t need the AF-S unless you prefer a light wallet and a heavy camera bag. It is compatible with every Nikon camera ever made.” His opinion confirmed by Nikon themself which actually still keeps this type in their catalog until now even when its predecessor – the AF-S type has been discontinued. I do need AF-S as I am using D40x, but the 50% price difference between the two was a lot more than what I would have to spend for trading my D40x with higher types which allow non AF-S lenses.

So, I passed the #5 AF-S for financial reasons. If I could not afford this one, there is nothing I need to say about the latest version, #6, the latest 70-200 version with VR. I did keen to have the VR version. I did believe in what VR can do. I did believe that telephoto range needs it even more. But on top of all, I also did believe that I could not afford to pay the price which is more than double #4.

As I made up my mind, I started to hunt it in the used market. Yes, used. Whilst it was very eazy to get a brand new one (as it is still available in Nikon’s cataogue until now), getting used one cut my expense significantly. It was quite a challenge, really. I think first because it was a pro lens, so there were not that many people bought one. And secondly it was a good performer and therefore users preferred to keep it rather than selling it to get a newer version.

Luck came when a rich hobbyist decided to sell his after buying rare collectible items, Nikon’s new professional trio – all white. Owned by a rich busy hobbyist who gave the best care to his gears whilst rarely had chance to use them, its condition was just next to brand new. The owner confirmed that it was rather old as he bought it only a few months after the release. The funny thing he said was “I have to get rid of this one as I kept on prefering to use this instead of the new one which is a lot heavier.” Damn lukcy guy. Well, no jealous. I feel lucky enough to take over his pretty old lens. I feel a bit regret with my lie. When he asked “Do you have to a proper dry-cabinet to keep it“. I said “Yep“.

I got it shipped over in insured overnight epedition. Delivered to my office, it was a bit hard to break the wooden shell. Came out after a few layers of waterproof layers was two Nikon golden boxes for the lens and the hood. I knew that hoods for this type were sold separately, and we did not talk about one. Quite a nice bonus. Inside every pieces were in their original plastic. The hard case was definitely mint with a strap which was still decently rolled, signing that it has never been used. The manual was just like a brand new paper coming out from a printing machine. Well, it might mean the previous owner was real Indonesian who hate to read. And the last but most important … the lens itself, came out just like brand new.

Review … nope, I do not have that capacity. Experience will come later after I have chance to take it out.

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