Saturday, November 24, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
We're moving!
Going forward, this site will be converted over to FlatOutMotoring located conveiniently at....
FlatOutMotoring.com !
After a few years with Blogger and being disappointed/tired of their interface, it's time to move everything over to WordPress. Going forward, all content will be located there, please feel free to hit the link above to continue following!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
2012 12 Hours of Sebring - Road Trip
If you're a sports car or racing fan and you live within a few hours of Sebring, Florida then you have no excuse for having not attended this race. Seriously, go buy tickets for the 2013 race, disregard the fact that it has a yet-to-be-announced field. The race is a must-attend for anyone in North America who wants to see both the spectacle that is world-class racing and the spectacle that is the infield.
I was heading down to Sebring to cover the 12 Hours of Sebring for BMWBlog.com and after last year, where a drunk guy hit my car while it was in the media lot, I had to sleep in my car and I netted about an hour's sleep before getting up at 6:45AM to cover the full race, the aftermath and then drive 4 hours home - I was hoping to avoid a lot of those hang ups. So, I got up at 3AM, dropped a Nikon D90, rented 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, and a few others into the front of the Cayman, gassed up on some Shell Premium and hit the road by 4AM. Being a finance and accounting guy, I'd already mapped out my route - I-95 to I-4 to US-27 South straight into Sebring - and mapped out an aggressive time and speed to hit the front gate within an hour of the gates opening on Saturday morning. God willing and with the help of a 997 Turbo and Corvette as lead cars - I managed to break my pre-conceived time and was walking thru the front gate by 7:30AM. The Cayman performed admirably - returning about 26MPG, comfort and a lot of fun for my first road trip in a Porsche.
A quick tram ride later and I was into the circus that is the infield, standing atop the Gurney Terrace overlooking the pit lane, paddock and a bit of the infield. It was time for morning practice and a few shots in the lovely Florida morning light as the drivers and teams got one last shot at getting it right before the curtain went up on the 60th 12 Hours of Sebring.
For the start of the race, I tucked back into a front row seat on the Gurney Terrace, just above BMW Team RLL's pit boxes. Sitting third and sixth in GT, the team at Rahal Letterman Lanigan had their work cut out for them. With guys like Auberlen, Hand and the two Mullers(Jorg & Dirk) - it was almost a forgone conclusion they'd make it around the Vette's and Ferrari's impeding their progress. My other major interest in the race? Watching what the trio of Audi R18's were going to do.
When trying to take shots I had to remember a few things about the R18's: They're always leading the pack by a good few seconds and if I look away for a second, I could easily miss them bounding between turns. They're literally so quiet that if I looked down to change camera settings - a mechanical whoosh would brush by me only to look up and find an R18 right on top of me and already too far gone to get a shot. The R18's alone are worth trying to make it to an FIA WEC race before they go the way of Peugeot.
I spent the afternoon wandering the infield, grabbing shots from a few small bluffs overlooking a handful of turns before finding a luxurious clump of trees at the edge of the run-off just beyond the Gurney Bend between Turns 6 & 7. From there I could people watch during the full course yellow from an accident a few turns away. Young and old, drunk and sober, clothed and partially nude - the 12 Hours of Sebring has it all in terms of people. The infield is a sea of beer bottles, cook outs, and pick up trucks mixed with high priced automotive exotica. The whole feeling is a enormous dichotomy that unknowingly still manages to work - even with guys wandering around, drunk and in cow costumes. Rumor has it The Pit in the infield of Sebring has been a very raunchy place over the years but it would seem the current iteration has scaled it back somewhat - perhaps less sex on top of RVs in front of everyone to make it more family friendly?
By early evening, there were still seven GT cars on the lead lap and contending for first in class with a pair of BMW's some Corvettes and Ferrari's all pushing each other. Ironically, not much later the pair of Luxury Racing Ferrari 458's went out - I'm not sure what the problems were but their day ended prematurely. I found my way back over to the BMW Hospitality chalet on the edge of Turn 17A where I was treated to gourmet food while indulging in deafening racing mixed with another long full course yellow as one of the GTC 911's managed to have an off and plow directly into the tires. No injuries but it definitely took out the GT3 in addition to a big chuck of wall.
Dinner was followed by a quick climb into the BMW Team RLL guest racing suit and it was into the pits right after a driver change with Dirk Muller coming out and Joey Hand going in to close out the last two hours of the race. In addition to the driver change BMW was able to get both cars out ahead of the Corvettes who had been some of the biggest competition over the previous 10 hours. Joey's car was beginning to develop a possible misfire so concerns were growing that the engine's health would quickly deteriorate before reaching the end of the race. Ironically, as everything seems to in ALMS, it came down to the last lap and it wasn't an engine problem which reared it's head but an AF Corse of Gianmaria Bruni who, 90 laps down, tried to make an improbably pass on Joey where there was no room to pass. Thus, Joey was bounced off-track while Bruni's teammate Olivier Beretta, who actually could have taken the lead from Hand after the spin, inexplicably spun as well and gave Joey the chance to rejoin the race and ultimately repass the limping Bruni and take first in the GT class. Amazing - after 12 hours of flat out racing, it still came down to the closing corners of the last lap.
Despite an invite to camp out in the infield, I had to work the next morning. Piling all of my gear back into the Cayman, I extracted it out of the back of Lot 2, a grass and mud pit, and hit the road again drafting behind a Corvette Z06 most of the way to Orlando before getting slowed by late night traffic. Opening back up from Winter Park onward to Daytona and then onto Jacksonville I was hustling to just get home and into bed. Parking the Cayman, I realized I'd just driven over 7 hours in a day along with the fact that I'd been awake for about 23 hours and paced much of the full Sebring track. Yes, I was exhausted but to witness a sports car race of the caliber of Sebring? I'll sleep when I'm dead.
For the full gallery - check out my 2012 12 Hours of Sebring.
I was heading down to Sebring to cover the 12 Hours of Sebring for BMWBlog.com and after last year, where a drunk guy hit my car while it was in the media lot, I had to sleep in my car and I netted about an hour's sleep before getting up at 6:45AM to cover the full race, the aftermath and then drive 4 hours home - I was hoping to avoid a lot of those hang ups. So, I got up at 3AM, dropped a Nikon D90, rented 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, and a few others into the front of the Cayman, gassed up on some Shell Premium and hit the road by 4AM. Being a finance and accounting guy, I'd already mapped out my route - I-95 to I-4 to US-27 South straight into Sebring - and mapped out an aggressive time and speed to hit the front gate within an hour of the gates opening on Saturday morning. God willing and with the help of a 997 Turbo and Corvette as lead cars - I managed to break my pre-conceived time and was walking thru the front gate by 7:30AM. The Cayman performed admirably - returning about 26MPG, comfort and a lot of fun for my first road trip in a Porsche.
A quick tram ride later and I was into the circus that is the infield, standing atop the Gurney Terrace overlooking the pit lane, paddock and a bit of the infield. It was time for morning practice and a few shots in the lovely Florida morning light as the drivers and teams got one last shot at getting it right before the curtain went up on the 60th 12 Hours of Sebring.
For the start of the race, I tucked back into a front row seat on the Gurney Terrace, just above BMW Team RLL's pit boxes. Sitting third and sixth in GT, the team at Rahal Letterman Lanigan had their work cut out for them. With guys like Auberlen, Hand and the two Mullers(Jorg & Dirk) - it was almost a forgone conclusion they'd make it around the Vette's and Ferrari's impeding their progress. My other major interest in the race? Watching what the trio of Audi R18's were going to do.
When trying to take shots I had to remember a few things about the R18's: They're always leading the pack by a good few seconds and if I look away for a second, I could easily miss them bounding between turns. They're literally so quiet that if I looked down to change camera settings - a mechanical whoosh would brush by me only to look up and find an R18 right on top of me and already too far gone to get a shot. The R18's alone are worth trying to make it to an FIA WEC race before they go the way of Peugeot.
I spent the afternoon wandering the infield, grabbing shots from a few small bluffs overlooking a handful of turns before finding a luxurious clump of trees at the edge of the run-off just beyond the Gurney Bend between Turns 6 & 7. From there I could people watch during the full course yellow from an accident a few turns away. Young and old, drunk and sober, clothed and partially nude - the 12 Hours of Sebring has it all in terms of people. The infield is a sea of beer bottles, cook outs, and pick up trucks mixed with high priced automotive exotica. The whole feeling is a enormous dichotomy that unknowingly still manages to work - even with guys wandering around, drunk and in cow costumes. Rumor has it The Pit in the infield of Sebring has been a very raunchy place over the years but it would seem the current iteration has scaled it back somewhat - perhaps less sex on top of RVs in front of everyone to make it more family friendly?
By early evening, there were still seven GT cars on the lead lap and contending for first in class with a pair of BMW's some Corvettes and Ferrari's all pushing each other. Ironically, not much later the pair of Luxury Racing Ferrari 458's went out - I'm not sure what the problems were but their day ended prematurely. I found my way back over to the BMW Hospitality chalet on the edge of Turn 17A where I was treated to gourmet food while indulging in deafening racing mixed with another long full course yellow as one of the GTC 911's managed to have an off and plow directly into the tires. No injuries but it definitely took out the GT3 in addition to a big chuck of wall.
Dinner was followed by a quick climb into the BMW Team RLL guest racing suit and it was into the pits right after a driver change with Dirk Muller coming out and Joey Hand going in to close out the last two hours of the race. In addition to the driver change BMW was able to get both cars out ahead of the Corvettes who had been some of the biggest competition over the previous 10 hours. Joey's car was beginning to develop a possible misfire so concerns were growing that the engine's health would quickly deteriorate before reaching the end of the race. Ironically, as everything seems to in ALMS, it came down to the last lap and it wasn't an engine problem which reared it's head but an AF Corse of Gianmaria Bruni who, 90 laps down, tried to make an improbably pass on Joey where there was no room to pass. Thus, Joey was bounced off-track while Bruni's teammate Olivier Beretta, who actually could have taken the lead from Hand after the spin, inexplicably spun as well and gave Joey the chance to rejoin the race and ultimately repass the limping Bruni and take first in the GT class. Amazing - after 12 hours of flat out racing, it still came down to the closing corners of the last lap.
Despite an invite to camp out in the infield, I had to work the next morning. Piling all of my gear back into the Cayman, I extracted it out of the back of Lot 2, a grass and mud pit, and hit the road again drafting behind a Corvette Z06 most of the way to Orlando before getting slowed by late night traffic. Opening back up from Winter Park onward to Daytona and then onto Jacksonville I was hustling to just get home and into bed. Parking the Cayman, I realized I'd just driven over 7 hours in a day along with the fact that I'd been awake for about 23 hours and paced much of the full Sebring track. Yes, I was exhausted but to witness a sports car race of the caliber of Sebring? I'll sleep when I'm dead.
For the full gallery - check out my 2012 12 Hours of Sebring.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The 2012 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Photos
I was lucky enough to spend the entire weekend just 45 minutes North of Jax at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours. If you're reading this - you probably know Vic Elford was the guest of honor and 10 to 12 of the Ferrari 250 GTO's(nearly 1/3 of the word's population of the GTO's!) were present along with a handful of Shelby Cobras.
I also was lucky enough to spend part of the weekend cruising the island in a 1971 Maserati Ghibli Spyder - 1 of 125 produced. More on that later, though! Below are a few of my favorite shots from the Concours and Saturday's Italian car show: The Concorso Atlantico. For those who haven't been yet - the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is a massive event - Porsches, Chevys, Caddys, Bentleys, BMWs, Ferraris - you name it, they've got a historically important road, concept or race car to represent those brands! This is definitely one of the premiere events in North America for classic cars. We even had a chance to speak with Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars fame on the Velocity Channel. I plan to continue going every year!
You can find the full gallery here on Flickr.
I also was lucky enough to spend part of the weekend cruising the island in a 1971 Maserati Ghibli Spyder - 1 of 125 produced. More on that later, though! Below are a few of my favorite shots from the Concours and Saturday's Italian car show: The Concorso Atlantico. For those who haven't been yet - the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is a massive event - Porsches, Chevys, Caddys, Bentleys, BMWs, Ferraris - you name it, they've got a historically important road, concept or race car to represent those brands! This is definitely one of the premiere events in North America for classic cars. We even had a chance to speak with Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars fame on the Velocity Channel. I plan to continue going every year!
You can find the full gallery here on Flickr.
The Times They Are a Changin'
For the last 12 years I've been a BMW nut. Big time. For the last 10 years I've had an E46 3 Series in various forms and even segued that into working for the incredible BMWBlog.com for the last nearly 4 years. After deciding that having a 110,554 mile old BMW might not be practical - it was time to find a new car.
After nearly pulling the trigger on an 2008 Melbourne Red E90 M3 with 48k miles and nearly no warranty left, the same weekend I managed to find a used 2007 Porsche Cayman at local Porsche dealer and race team Brumos Porsche. With the wife in tow, we went to check out the car on Saturday afternoon before shooting down to Daytona to take advantage of free tickets to the Bud ShootOut. In the brief test drive, one thing was readily apparent: the Cayman really is one of the best handling cars in the sub-$100k range and it's a tight car in terms of steering and feel, showing me that the 3 Series is still a lot of fun but feels much more loosy-goosy in terms of the controls. Having a flat-six engine buzzing away over your shoulder is also quite an experience. The Cayman does manage to quiet down some once you're into higher gears - but the noise it makes at 4,000+ RPMs will probably keep you from wanting to grab the next gear.
After a day to think it over, on Veteran's Day I put in a full day at the office then headed back to Brumos that evening to pull the trigger on my first Porsche. The car itself was a 1 owner car with 43,905 miles when I picked it up. The Cayman is fairly stripped down with the only options being:
-18 inch wheels
- Colored Crests on the Center Caps
- Premium Sound Plus package
- Heated Seats
- 5 Speed Manual (Obviously!!!)
- Standard Black Paint over Sand Beige Leather Seats
The previous owner did quite a job on keeping the car both well-maintained and super clean. For a 5 year old car, the Cayman manages to hide its age on the outside while the interior feels basically brand new - I hope I can do it justice over my next few years of ownership.
So far over the course of the last three weeks the car has not disappointed. At just a hair over 2,900lbs and with Michelin Pilot Sports - the car's rear does not relinquish grip one iota. Fuel economy seems to be estimated at an enthusiast rating by Porsche at 19 City / 27 Highway(I've averaged 25 MPG on the highway at best) but perhaps it's my own prodigious right foot that's killing the economy.
All in all, it was time for a change - let's see if PCars will be as rewarding an enjoyable as BMW has been(and continues to be!) I've not left the BMW brand forever - but it was time for a change.
The Cayman will get it's first big test this weekend on my commute to the 12 Hours of Sebring, a 4 hour, 229 mile jaunt from Jacksonville to a tiny speck on the map of Central Florida. Be sure to keep an eye out on BMWBlog for our coverage of the 60th 12 Hours of Sebring and some photos to make an appearance here.
After nearly pulling the trigger on an 2008 Melbourne Red E90 M3 with 48k miles and nearly no warranty left, the same weekend I managed to find a used 2007 Porsche Cayman at local Porsche dealer and race team Brumos Porsche. With the wife in tow, we went to check out the car on Saturday afternoon before shooting down to Daytona to take advantage of free tickets to the Bud ShootOut. In the brief test drive, one thing was readily apparent: the Cayman really is one of the best handling cars in the sub-$100k range and it's a tight car in terms of steering and feel, showing me that the 3 Series is still a lot of fun but feels much more loosy-goosy in terms of the controls. Having a flat-six engine buzzing away over your shoulder is also quite an experience. The Cayman does manage to quiet down some once you're into higher gears - but the noise it makes at 4,000+ RPMs will probably keep you from wanting to grab the next gear.
After a day to think it over, on Veteran's Day I put in a full day at the office then headed back to Brumos that evening to pull the trigger on my first Porsche. The car itself was a 1 owner car with 43,905 miles when I picked it up. The Cayman is fairly stripped down with the only options being:
-18 inch wheels
- Colored Crests on the Center Caps
- Premium Sound Plus package
- Heated Seats
- 5 Speed Manual (Obviously!!!)
- Standard Black Paint over Sand Beige Leather Seats
The previous owner did quite a job on keeping the car both well-maintained and super clean. For a 5 year old car, the Cayman manages to hide its age on the outside while the interior feels basically brand new - I hope I can do it justice over my next few years of ownership.
So far over the course of the last three weeks the car has not disappointed. At just a hair over 2,900lbs and with Michelin Pilot Sports - the car's rear does not relinquish grip one iota. Fuel economy seems to be estimated at an enthusiast rating by Porsche at 19 City / 27 Highway(I've averaged 25 MPG on the highway at best) but perhaps it's my own prodigious right foot that's killing the economy.
All in all, it was time for a change - let's see if PCars will be as rewarding an enjoyable as BMW has been(and continues to be!) I've not left the BMW brand forever - but it was time for a change.
The Cayman will get it's first big test this weekend on my commute to the 12 Hours of Sebring, a 4 hour, 229 mile jaunt from Jacksonville to a tiny speck on the map of Central Florida. Be sure to keep an eye out on BMWBlog for our coverage of the 60th 12 Hours of Sebring and some photos to make an appearance here.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
2011 in Pictures
2011 has been a busy year and I've been slacking here so I figured I would give a quick recap of the year in photos thanks to my handy little D90. I've got a long way to progress with photography but I'm looking forward to 2012 and all of the opportunities to continue practicing!
Fiat 500's at 2011 Detroit Auto Show
Porsche 918 RSR Hybrid at 2011 Detroit Auto Show
BMW 1 Series M Coupe
BMW E90 M3 from the Performance Center turning laps prior to the start of the 2011 24 Hours of Daytona
A crew member waits for the pit-in at the 24 Hours of Daytona
Hometown Heroes Brumos Porsche running the night stint at the 24 Hours of Daytona
BMW Team RLL M3 GT at the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring
Diesel Power
BMW M3 GT being escorted into Parc Ferme - after winning the grueling 12 Hours of Sebring
Fishing in North Carolina
Key West Trip
Key West Trip
Downtown Jax
Playing with the GoPro
9/11 Tribute at Everbank Field
Audi R18 TDI - Debut at the Petit Le Mans
Flying Lizard GT3 RSR at Turn 1 at 2011 Petit Le Mans
BMW Team RLL M3 GT losing a tire!
BMW Z4 - powered by the new N20 motor - Hilton Head Island Concours
2012 BMW 528i
Porsche 356 Coupe
Beach in Sea Pines - Hilton Head Island, SC
Fiat 500's at 2011 Detroit Auto Show
Porsche 918 RSR Hybrid at 2011 Detroit Auto Show
BMW 1 Series M Coupe
BMW E90 M3 from the Performance Center turning laps prior to the start of the 2011 24 Hours of Daytona
A crew member waits for the pit-in at the 24 Hours of Daytona
Hometown Heroes Brumos Porsche running the night stint at the 24 Hours of Daytona
BMW Team RLL M3 GT at the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring
Diesel Power
BMW M3 GT being escorted into Parc Ferme - after winning the grueling 12 Hours of Sebring
Fishing in North Carolina
Key West Trip
Key West Trip
Downtown Jax
Playing with the GoPro
9/11 Tribute at Everbank Field
Audi R18 TDI - Debut at the Petit Le Mans
Flying Lizard GT3 RSR at Turn 1 at 2011 Petit Le Mans
BMW Team RLL M3 GT losing a tire!
BMW Z4 - powered by the new N20 motor - Hilton Head Island Concours
2012 BMW 528i
Porsche 356 Coupe
Beach in Sea Pines - Hilton Head Island, SC
Saturday, October 8, 2011
2011 Petit Le Mans in Photos
Last weekend (Yeah, this post is late!) I was lucky enough to attend the 14th Petit Le Mans at the beautiful Road Atlanta. It must be said that if you enjoy racing then the longer endurance races like Petit Le Mans(and really any race that is part of the ILMC) in North America are great just because of the turnout from the teams.
I was able to attend it due wholly to my association with BMWBlog.com and, aside from ripping the crotch out of my pants while scaling the pit wall, I had a great time! Audi brought their powerful but near silent R18's - the first closed cockpit answer from Audi to the reigning Peugeot 908's(at least in the US).In the GT class BMW had already locked up the team and driver championships but were still angling for an overall victory for the manufacturer's championship - however, they found themselves wedged behind an AF Corse Ferrari 458GT who eeked out pole position.
Road Atlanta, and ALMS races themselves, are great to attend just for the high level of access it grants to all fans to the paddock and teams - something that lends to heightened interest by fans. Petit Le Mans opens up the grid for about 30 minutes with all cars and drivers in attendance to give fans a closer look at the machinery they're about to watch duke it out for the next 10 hours or 1,000 miles - whichever comes first. The field is so packed and the race so long there are bound to be a few retirements. The Lotus Evora seemed to struggle all day keeping grip before letting go and crashing out late in the day. There were also a few LMPs that has some off's and weren't able to re-enter the race.
Once the race kicks off - everyone settles in to their favorite spot on the track (usually the ones with the most shade) to see gleaming hunks of steel blast around the wavy, tree-laden hills of North Georgia. I found, as many already know, that Turn 10 is a great place to be and is what amounts to basically a mid-sized valley of red Georgia clay with a massive slab of asphalt snaking through, into a gravel pit, and up over a massive hill. I found this to be one of the best spots on the track to grab shots of the cars as they braked for 10 and climbed the hill and under the Audi bridge. Another great spot to shoot photos is the top of 5 to watch the cars pour into and up through the Esses on the back half of the track - unfortunately, I didn't make it over that way this year.
I did manage to get a few decent shots while I was there. Here is a link to the Flickr gallery and I've included a few shots here. Enjoy!
I was able to attend it due wholly to my association with BMWBlog.com and, aside from ripping the crotch out of my pants while scaling the pit wall, I had a great time! Audi brought their powerful but near silent R18's - the first closed cockpit answer from Audi to the reigning Peugeot 908's(at least in the US).In the GT class BMW had already locked up the team and driver championships but were still angling for an overall victory for the manufacturer's championship - however, they found themselves wedged behind an AF Corse Ferrari 458GT who eeked out pole position.
Road Atlanta, and ALMS races themselves, are great to attend just for the high level of access it grants to all fans to the paddock and teams - something that lends to heightened interest by fans. Petit Le Mans opens up the grid for about 30 minutes with all cars and drivers in attendance to give fans a closer look at the machinery they're about to watch duke it out for the next 10 hours or 1,000 miles - whichever comes first. The field is so packed and the race so long there are bound to be a few retirements. The Lotus Evora seemed to struggle all day keeping grip before letting go and crashing out late in the day. There were also a few LMPs that has some off's and weren't able to re-enter the race.
Once the race kicks off - everyone settles in to their favorite spot on the track (usually the ones with the most shade) to see gleaming hunks of steel blast around the wavy, tree-laden hills of North Georgia. I found, as many already know, that Turn 10 is a great place to be and is what amounts to basically a mid-sized valley of red Georgia clay with a massive slab of asphalt snaking through, into a gravel pit, and up over a massive hill. I found this to be one of the best spots on the track to grab shots of the cars as they braked for 10 and climbed the hill and under the Audi bridge. Another great spot to shoot photos is the top of 5 to watch the cars pour into and up through the Esses on the back half of the track - unfortunately, I didn't make it over that way this year.
I did manage to get a few decent shots while I was there. Here is a link to the Flickr gallery and I've included a few shots here. Enjoy!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Vacationing in a McLaren MP4-12c
I'm a bit nonplussed by the generic styling of the McLaren MP4-12c but equally excited about what it seems capable of. If the car is truly as good as described then it may be that the Ferrari 458 is going to quickly find itself in the number 2 spot of this segment.
Regardless of all of that, I just got back from nearly a week of fishing, drinking, biking and swimming in the Florida Keys - a few days and over 2,000 miles in the newest baby McLaren still sounds like it might be a better proposition...Autocar seemed to think so!
Regardless of all of that, I just got back from nearly a week of fishing, drinking, biking and swimming in the Florida Keys - a few days and over 2,000 miles in the newest baby McLaren still sounds like it might be a better proposition...Autocar seemed to think so!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Mk I Ford Escort Rebuilt - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
If the upgrades aren't enough for you - then hopefully the period orange will push you over the edge.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Just Because It's Great...
I'm eagerly awaiting the Senna debut on a wider scale in the U.S. - apparently coming this July. However, Top Gear did a great job summing up Ayrton Senna's career in a nearly 20 minute segment from a season or two ago. I happened to watch it again this morning and it gets me excited for the full film on his racing career.
In case you haven't watched this yet - check it out now. Then I won't be alone in waiting in agony to see the full film!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Quick Canon 60D Review
I've been a Nikon fan since picking up a D40 during the Christmas of 2008. This was further reinforced by the fact that I'd inherited a large number of older, manual focus NIKKOR lenses.
However, after watching a large number of videos of car reviews and just general camera-related videos I quickly caught onto the fact that Canon makes the best videos you can ask for in the DSLR market. I've gone from a D40 to a D5000 (for video) to my current camera - the Nikon D90 coupled with a handful of lenses. I've been impressed with the image quality of Nikon and I love the build quality of the D90. It feels like a tank and conveys a very solid feel to it with high quality plastics. The replacement camera - the D7000 - reportedly takes things a step further with two card slots and a higher megapixel CMOS sensor and better video frame rates, resolutions and in-video autofocus.
The D90 has unfortunately been a disappointment when it comes to video. With a mono mic and no auxillary port to plug in a external mic, you're more or less stuck with either terrible sound from the tiny onboard mic or having to use an external mic and then sync up the audio with the video in post-production. The other big issue with the D90 video function is the jpeg-based codec which seems to create a significant amount of shutter roll if the camera or subject is moving too much. I've had a hard time trying to work around that.
Hence the 60D. I picked it up from Best Buy during the 14 day return period just to confirm if I would like the camera or not. I've not shot with Canons before but of any other camera manufacturer - they are the most direct competitor to Nikon at every price point and feature. The 60D is said to be an evolution of the 50D and carries with it much of the guts of the notoriously good 7D. All good things - plus it has a 3.0 inch 1.04 million dot VGA screen that articulates. Some don't like that feature but I think its fantastic for shooting video - which was my main interest in the 60D. Speaking of the LCD display - it's quite beautiful, it makes every shot look clean and bright - perhaps deceivingly so as sometimes I was a little disappointed in lens shake I saw on my laptop that I didn't necessarily detect when reviewing a shot in-camera.
Nikon D90 @ 165mm @ f/10.0:
Other benefits are the in-camera audio control, 720P HD video at 60 frames per second and 1080P at 24 and 30 fps. First off, this thing is smooth at 60 fps in 720P. I played with that setting while in a moving car and had significantly less shutter roll and very sharp picture quality. Motion seems far less disruptive to the video than my experience with either my D5000 or D90. The stereo mic is also much less sensitive to my hands adjusting the lens or playing with settings while recording. That said, the autofocus on the EF-S 18-135mm kit lens is very, very loud compared to the Nikons and you will hear some "whirring" while recording if you try to autofocus. However, this can thankfully be offset as the 60D comes with an input jack for an external mic to sync up the sound and video at once. I haven't had a chance to play with this feature yet but it's reassuring to know its there compared to my D90 or even the newer D3100. Canon has made a point of adding this feature to most, if not all, of their line-up and its definitely a feature Nikon needs to get onboard with.
Build quality on the Canon feels a little disappointing compared to the Nikon, though. The body feels plasticy and almost a bit hollow despite a nice overall weight. The lens feels like a bigger disappointment with a lot of play in the lens tube from the body of the lens. It also feels like a lesser quality plastic - that said, the lens does take quite sharp pictures. The EF-S 18-55mm lens has a received a bit of criticism for not doing the most for the user in terms of sharpness but I didn't detect any of that with the 18-135mm. It's also nice to have an extra 30mm of zoom over the similar Nikon 18-105mm lens that comes with the D90/D7000.
Canon 60D @ 135mm @ f/9.0:
My only other qualms with the 60D are the controls - I do prefer Nikon's layout and ergonomics over Canon. The D90/D7000 has two wheels - one just below the shutter button on the front and one at the back and to the right of the view finder - easily actuated by the index finger and thumb without moving the camera from your face to tweak the shutter speed and aperture. The 60D executes the same function but instead of a rear-mounted dial for the shutter speed it makes due with a wheel further down the rear of the camera by the LCD - harder to reach and actuate without moving the camera from your face.
Canon also made a poor decision ergonomically by the need to press a button before you're able to move the camera settings dial on the top left of the camera - hard to do in a snap. Additionally, the menus feel less refined/intuitive compared to Nikon's interface.
I'm still on the fence with the Canon 60D at the end of the day. I really love the ergonomics of Nikon. It's hard to make a justification for the 60D given the picture quality is very similar. The 60D as a video camera AND DSLR is where it really shines for someone who's getting into videography/photography for the first time or needs a slightly more affordable camera than the 7D. I haven't tried Nikon's latest offering in the D7000 yet but I get the impression that the Canons still have the upper hand with video.
I've included sample videos that I shot with the D90 and then the 60D - both were run through Final Cut Express to process. The D90 video is from the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring and shot in 720P at 24 frames per second while the 60D was shot in 720P at 60 fps and a simple video in the car and of the pets. The quality should improve with your own results, I'm still working through how to get the best output possible from Final Cut.
Nikon D90 - shot with 18-55mm VR lens and 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII lens
Canon 60D - shot with 18-135mm VR lens
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Historic Cars of Historic Savannah
Surprising how many interesting little cars cropped up this weekend while in Savannah, Georgia. We cruised up I-95 for a quick weekend getaway and stayed in downtown historic Savannah right off of the waterfront. Most of the trip seemed to revolve around eating at the local places like Uncle Bubba's Oyster House and the Lady and Sons restaurant (if you know who Paula Deen is then you know these places). I'm definitely not complaining though - best Southern food I've had in a long time!
On the second day of the trip, I had to get up early and walk from the hotel up River Street (great spot on the waterfront - pinnacle of the Historic area) and over the Congress Street to get in line for a reservation at Lady & Sons restaurant. After about an hour of waiting, I made the reservation and began to head back to the hotel at which point I unsurprisingly got lost. The silver lining was that I stumbled across this original, off-white Toyota Land Cruiser in daily driver shape. I love original SUVs because they were actually built for utility - not hauling kids to school. This particular model is an FJ40 and had a few signs of rust but was in otherwise great shape. I'm unsure of the year but my guess is its one of the earlier model years.
I shot these on my Nikon D90 with a NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8 so I couldn't frame these as well as I'd liked but it worked(I also had to get back for breakfast!) After lunch, we stopped by the Murphy House in Chipewa Square and I found this Mercedes-Benz 220 Diesel parked right out front. I wandered around and snapped a few photos of it. This W115 had a great little "200,000KM" badge on the front (almost 125,000 miles) and was accompanied by the earlier "100,000KM" badge. Given the wear and tear of the Benz I'd say it's done far more miles than that. The lamp and bumper over the tail pipe looks like it too quite a bit of soot from heavy diesel exhaust. The paint looked gone and the wheels were showing rust but the car seemed to fit in perfectly amongst the old world buildings in Savannah.
After that, I spotted a standard looking but fit E28 5 Series hiding out in the parking deck of the hotel. The 5er came with period square driving lamps under the front bumper. I happened to see a few other E28's scattered around some of the small squares and diving across back alleys. Old German iron seems to be the perfect car of choice for Historic Savannah!
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