Experience at One80

One80 is located on the 7th floor of Corpthorne Hotel in Oriental Bay.The restaurant name suggests that we can expect a 180 degree view of Wellington. We arrived a bit early and had a few pre drinks at their bar. The view from the bar which oversees the Oriental Bay is stunning.

About an hour later we started to feel a bit hungry, we headed to our table by the windows. The view from the restaurant is not as stunning, but still nice overseeing Courtney Place, Te PaPa.

The service was great, the food was quickly delivered and perfectly cooked.

What did we have?

Crispy Skinned Salmon Fillet – with grilled Jerusalem artichoke, red onion and olive salad

Fresh Fish of the Day - with a leek puree, grilled fennel, seared sea scallops and a fine herb sabayon

Grace concentrating on her food :D

Gear talk:

Nikon D700.

Nikon 20mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.4.

Images were mostly shot at f/2.8, ISO1600-6400, because I didn't want to disturb the guests with flash.

Think Tank Street Walker

Having tested so many Lowepro backpacks and shoulder bags, I think it is time to try out the Think tank range. I got my hands on a Think Tank Street Walker. First impression when compared to Lowepro backpacks is that the Think Tank has a bit less padding and hence feel less bulky which is what I preferred. The build quality is good, but not better than Lowepro's. This is probably due to thicker material and padding used on Lowepro bags, so the Lowepro bags feel a bit more solidly made.

Comparison of the size between a Think Tank Street Walker (Left) and Lowepro Flipside 400 AW (Right). The Flipside is wider, thicker and bulkier which is more suitable for hiking purposes. Both have tripod mount on the front, rain cover and waist belt. The Flipside 400 AW features a much thicker waist belt which will give you a better support for those long trips.

Internal space comparison between a Lowepro Mini Trekker AW (Left), Lowepro Flipside 400 AW (Middle) and Think tank Street Walker (Right) . Notice the padding on Think Thank is much thinner. The Mini Trekker AW and Flipside 400 AW can fit a bit more gear than the Think Thank Street Walker.

What can you fit in a Think Tank Street Walker ?

Nikon D700 (Unfortunately, it won’t accommodate with a battery grip MB-D10)

Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8

Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 (attached)

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Nikon 85mm f/1.4

 

Overall, I would say the Think Tank Street Walker is a better option as a travel bag because it is less bulky. It is well made, but lacks the attention to detail from Lowepro bags. For something bigger and stronger use for hiking, Lowepro Mini Trekker or Flipside 400 AW might be a better choice.

Other camera bag blog entries:

Crumpler Whickey and Cox

Lowepro Flipside 400 AW

Lowepro Flipside 200

Lowepro Flipside 300

Lowepro Inverse 200 AW

Lowepro Stealth Reporter D200 AW

Lowepro Fastpack 350

Lowepro Fastpack 200

Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW

Lowepro EX180

Think tank belt system – Modular Set and pro speed belt

Using a belt system is by far the best option when you want to keep you gear accessible while you are shooting. It is much more accessible than any backpack or slingbag such as Lowepro Slingshot. The two most popular belt system come from Thinktank and Lowepro which offer a full range of belt system components. From Thinktank, it offers a Modular Set which comes with six modules include:

Large Lens Drop In:
For quick access to lens.
Lens Changer 35:
For zoom lens with hood attached.
Lens Changer 50:
For wide angle lens with hood attached.
LC 75 Pop Down:
For telephoto lens with hood attached.
Lightning Fast:
For SLR flash unit.
Speed Changer:
Utility bag for CF cards, batteries, etc.

The three lens changers (35, 50, 75) are designed to hold wide angle, standard zoom and telephoto lens respectively. Image below shows the three lens changers will fit Nikon’s Holy Trinity perfectly (Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8).

The modular set also comes with:

Lighting Fast for speedlight,

Speed charger to fit small lenses, filter, etc. It can also fit a pro DSLR without lens attached.

Large Lens Drop In for quick access of your lens.

To hold all the components together, you can choose from Skin Belt, Steroid Speed Belt or Pro Speed Belt (as shown).

Thinktank Modular Set with Pro Speed Belt.

Thinktank Modular Set with Pro Speed Belt in action

Remarks

• Thinktank modules are less padded than Lowepro's. Therfore, the modules are smaller.

• Thinktank modeles are compressible for storage whereas Lowepro's are not compressible due to the thick padding.

• Thinktank has specific modules for speedlights and various modules for accessories such as Speed Changer, Trim Changer, Bum Bag and Chimp Cage

• Thinktank utilises bungee cord top access, so the top acess is not fully covered for dust.

• Thinktank modules come with raincovers.

• All Thinktank belts are harness compatible, whereas only the Lowepro S&F Deluxe is harness compatible.

Pencarrow Trip

Another prefect weekend for trekking. The trip started early at Burdan Gate carpark at the end of Muritai Road. Heading south is the beautiful Pencarrow Coast Road. The trek is fairly long and will cover quite a bit of distance, so travel light is essential. I only brought the Nikon D700, Nikon 20mm f/2.8 and filters.

The first two hours is a relax coastal walk to Pencarrow Head.

As you near Pencarrow Head you can climb the path up the hill promontory for spectacular views from the historic Pencarrow Lighthouse

Pencarrow Lighthouse - Built in 1858, was the first in New Zealand.

We stopped for lunch at the lighthouse, took a break, admiring the spectacular view from the top.

We then continue our trek to Bluffpoint lookout where we spotted the second Pencarrow Lighthouse by the coast. Owing to occasional fog obscuring the light, the low level lighthouse was built in 1906

At this point we have already spent four hours there, we then continue to trek around Lake Kohangapiriri for the next two hours which goes through a bit of wetland and farmland.

At the end of the lakeside track, it exits out to the beach which is about two hours away from the entrance at Muritai Road.

On the way back, we passed the lower level Pencarrow lighthouse.

By the time we return to the entrance. The sun is already starting to set. This ends our eight hours trip at Pencarrow.

Thanks Grace for sticking by :D

1/25th of a second went pass

Camera: Nikon D700

Lens: Nikon 20mm f/2.8

Flash: NIL

Oriental Bay Lunch

Instead of trekking on this beautiful day, Grace and I decided to enjoy the Wellington sunshine over lunch overlooking Oriental Bay. The food wasn’t that good, but we were not there for the food, but the view. Afterward, we headed off to see GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

A superb Wellington day and certainly the most relaxing view.

Of cause the perfect day is not complete without the Nikon D700. I took the Nikon 20mm f/2.8 only. Here I attached a step up adaptor to allow for the 77mm CPL to be attached. On a sunny day like this, all the photos are taken with flash.  The best thing about the prime wide angle lens is that  I can use my onboard flash even at 20mm (i.e. ~13mm DX). So I can travel light without bringing my flashgun.

At such a wide angle and bright day, shooting at hyperfocal distance is too convenient. It eliminates the need to focus at all.

Without the need to focus, you can take a shot in a blink of an eye. Here I saw the seagulls passing through so I pick up the camera, press the shutter and still get the seagulls in a reasonable focus. Didn’t even have time to look through the view finder.

A perfect day at Wellington

Tilt shift effect on Chaffers Marina

Camera: Nikon D700

Lens: Nikon 20mm f/2.8

Flash: NIL

Against Gravity

Camera: Nikon D700

Lens: Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8

Flash: SB-900