I mentioned in passing in the last post that I no longer have the Rx100. It's a nice little camera, and it came in useful during the trip to Niigata. However, I've got several photographically-intensive events coming up, and I've been on the lookout for something which can do everything that the Merrill can't. A jack of all trades camera, but preferably one which does the trades exceptionally well. Enter a camera which I actually used to own.

The very earliest entries on this blog were shot with a Nikon D3 - and now, looking back at them, I realise that my skill levels weren't enough to justify it at the time. It was too good a camera for me.

Well, I'm giving it another shot. I found one for an abnormally low price (cosmetically scratched to pieces, but innards working just fine - suits me, it's less likely to be targeted for theft, not that this is much of an issue in Japan; but I'll be in Europe for ten odd days soon, where it could be), sold off the Rx100, added a 70-300 lens and went out to see if I am now in a position to use the thing with the respect it deserves. Course, that's not for me to judge in the end. What I can say is that using it again has brought home to me what an incredibly versatile machine it is.

I'm going to do this one somewhat thematically, because I already have enough pictures from it for several entries. The first theme, then, is "people in their surroundings". The 70-300 lets me keep a distance, compress the perspective, and, well, this is what results.

Exercising in the park

Not exercising in the park

The butterfly catcher

The "free hugs" phenomenon has also made it over to Japan; not a place where I would envision it having its most success, but someone obviously thinks it's worth trying out.

"Stop, please"

Quite a few demos in the recent weeks: this one seeming to promote sexual abstinence

This guy was too busy making music to notice the demo

Feeding birds outside a religious institution. Nice message.

Crossing the bridge. A little attempt at a trick shot.

Sweeping in the park

Jogger, green.

Stretching

I'm assuming this was chi gung

...as was this

The kimono display

Pro-Japan, anti-something or other. I think this one was about territorial disputes but could also have been tied in to the recent revisions to the constitution enacted in Japan, permitting a greater role for the self-defence forces (a euphemism for "army", really).

This woman was, as far as I can tell, protesting directly against the people above...

...because one of them decided to take her picture

To finish up this first part of the D3 series, another demo - basically the same thing as the lady above, but on a significantly larger scale.

The sign says "feel free to tag along with us"

Further entries will cover "performance", "buildings and structures", "colours", and likely one more for anything which doesn't fit into one of those.

Thanks for looking!