The Year Ahead

While busily locked in the throes of misery and attempting to extricate myself from complete depression, it was somewhat interesting to note that we are in fact at the end of a very unusual year, and that there are a few nice things to look forward to in the coming year.

There are, for instance, books that I’m meant to read next year, and with the likes of Banville’s The Infinities and Morrison’s A Mercy on my list, I think it’s fairly safe to say that I’m in for a good year.

But there are a bunch of new books that I’m waiting to get a hold of as well. While I don’t keep up with the industry as much as I would like to, it’s easy to see a few translations at least popping up in the next year. Off the top of my head, I can think of one or two new Bolaño books and the Saramago book about the elephant. (I was going to say Murakami’s 1Q84 but I think that’s in 2011.) And there are still some books that have only just been released that I’ll be looking to get my hands on as well, including Saramago’s Small Memories and Vonnegut’s Look At The Birdie.

Then… games! Plenty of games to be looking forward to. It scares me a little that many of them are coming in the first quarter of the year, but we’ll see how it goes and… improvise.

I believe there’s a new Radiohead album coming. I remember reading it somewhere. It doesn’t feel like it’s been so long since In Rainbows was released, but that’s only because the queality of that album left me more than a little spoiled. Let’s hope that this turns out to be one of the highlights of the year.

I suppose there’s going to be a new Beatles release, but after the monumental Remasters releases, I don’t think there’s very much that’s going to top that, so it’s likely to be more low-key. I’m also curious to see what the Last Shadow Puppets come up with next.

There’s also new TV. Ashes To Ashes is on its final series, in particular, and I’m curious to find out how it ends. (I haven’t actually watched the first two series, just Life On Mars, because I think it hasn’t shown over here yet, but it’s still good to know that it’s coming in 2010.)

And finally, I’ve been trying to plan my camera upgrades for a long, long time. Word has it that a new D700-type FX model will be coming soon, which makes a lot of sense, and maybe then I can start to properly plan the large-scale changes in my kit.

So, it’s going to be a promising year, even if it isn’t going to be particularly happy. While still leaning closely on the edge of total despair, it’s nice to think that there are things to look forward to.

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Camera Quandary

Of course I wasn’t seriously considering the M9. In fact, I’m hoping to step up with a serious-pro sort of set, having messed around with my D40x and jack-of-all-trades 18-200mm lens for quite a bit now. (My very first photograph from the D40x was put up on Flickr on the 1st of January 2007 [via Flickr], so it’s been almost three years.) It’s been a wonderful learning experience, but I thought I ought to settle for a configuration that I could get comfortable with over the next decade or so, with maybe the occasional update.

I think there are some rumours of a Nikon announcement this month or the like, so I’m just going to hang around and wait for that before I decide on a plan, but here’s the likely set-up. I started with the rather famous AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor ED 70-200mm f/2.8G IF, although the imminent update AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II will fit the bill too. This being what I suppose is one of the strongest Nikkors will be what I hope to build my kit around. It’s costly, but I guess you get what you pay for. (Most of the time, anyway.)

Then I tried to cover the short end, with a AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED. Reviews that I could find were generally very positive, though again, you pay for what you get, so this doesn’t come cheap. I’m supposing that I won’t need the very short end (say, 12-24mm), with this sort of money going in (and out of my bank account), so it all looks pretty good.

This notion is helped by the fact that I should probably get that macro lens that I’ve always talked about. I’m waiting to see if there’ll be a 200mm update (with VR), so that will be on the backburner first. And maybe, just maybe, to round it off at the other end, we’ll get to 300mm with the Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED IF AF-S, though this I think won’t be too important.

I’m thinking of a flash, but I don’t think it’ll be too useful given my flavour of photography.

This set-up looks good for whatever I’ll be doing even ten or twenty years from now. I suppose I may sometimes be tempted to get an exotic telephoto or a tilt-shift or the like, but those are easy to bat away.

Now for a body, and I’m thinking, as most everyone is, that there’ll be an update to the D700, so I’ll keep an eye out for that.

Being a poor kid, however, I’m going to have to depend on some quite ruthless spending cuts and excellent second-hand deals to get me through. It also unnerves me slightly that this plan is founded on the thought that these things should see me through for a decade or two, with maybe the odd change of camera body. I’m just not used to planning like that.

I reckon I could garner enough money for one second-hand lens by selling my D40x and a lens or two (Jolie!), plus maybe my 360. I suppose I can also pass on presents and ask people to contribute to my camera fund instead. And a part-time job or short-term assignment wouldn’t hurt either, though given the stuff I do, that’s actually a bit difficult.

The stuff I won’t compromise will include books, gaming (well, at least not too much), and stuff for friends. I think that’s fair, although I’d probably save quite a bit per year if I cut out any one of those. I’ll just be more careful with the random spending, and also reduce some of these things by a bit. I’m just afraid that I’ll get used to this miserly lifestyle.

But that’s the plan. We’ll go for the 24-70mm and the 70-200mm first, preferably some second-hand deal with a slightly reduced price. I’m pretty sure I can find a second-hand body if I want too, and even if I don’t take it all the way to the D700 (or its update), I’m fairly sure I’ll do fine with a D300 second-hand.

On a side note, I’ve just learnt that quality telescopes are in general much cheaper than camera lenses. It caught me by surprise, really, but I reckon it’s down to simpler optical technologies being in a telescope than a camera lens.

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Short Wait Packing Booker Photography

Short On Features

Nope, no feature today. Just… can’t bring myself round to doing it, and school’s starting, so I have a feeling it’ll be stagnant for quite a while. Sorry about that.

Wait, Wait

I think I got something. That is, for the new project. I think I got that leash I was talking about. I’m still figuring my way around it, but it’s funny how sometimes you keep going and going and thinking that you’re evolving, then one day you wake up and you realise that the first ideas were best, you know?

Packing Bags

I have apparently been cheated of a week of holidays and school begins next week. I started to pack my stuff up, draw timetables and the like yesterday. It’s looking to be a bit of a rough semester, but I’m sure it’ll figure itself out somehow.

Booker Longlist

Here’s the Man Booker longlist. [via The Man Booker Prizes] I haven’t read any of them, though I did want to try the A.S. Byatt book, The Children’s Book. Never got to it. I also heard that Toibin’s Brooklyn is quite excellent.

Photography

New cameras (the D3000 and the D300s) and two new lenses including a newer version of my jack-of-all-trades 18-200mm from Nikon. [via bythom]

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