D 700

Scroll down for trekking at Gunung Datuk and durian feast at durian orchard...

I received an email from a friend, not sure who is the author. It is about Durians of Balik Pulau. Part of the content is reproduced here.

In Penang, Malaysia, the best place to get good durians is in the town of Balik Pulau, on the southwest corner of Penang Island.

The following is a selection of branded durians photographed during the 2004 and 2006 Asia Explorers Durian Feasts.

D11 "Number Eleven" is a very popular durian in the 70's. It has creamy yellow flesh with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.

D604 The D604 was first cultivated by the late Mr. Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet, and has some "body" to it as the seed is small

D600 This durian originates in Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I documented is a bit hard.

D700 The flesh is darker than D600, like chrome yellow. Also slightly hard. Crispy, but the smell is not very strong.

Recently, I was treated to a variety of branded durian. Never in my life that I could taste so many branded types in one go: XO, Red Prawn, D24, D94, D88 and other "D" Class durians. Maybe that explain why Mercedes cars has "C" and "E" Class but no "D" Class models. The XO type is extremely creamy; while the Red Prawn, true to its name, is reddish-orange and is a little bitter. My friend, Wai Yin, commented that there is another clone called W D40 which can be purchased whole year round from Tesco and Carrefour.

The letter "D" has many meaning: In durian, the letter "D" stands for Durian; in camera, it represents Digital. If you are displeased with another person, you use "D" to denote an animal. Even a movie uses it as title - The Initial D.

A more affordable full-frame DSLR
The introduction of Nikon's new D700 may been one of the worst kept secrets in an industry with more leaks than the Titanic, but it was still something of a surprise coming so hot on the heels of the D3 and D300.

The Nikon D700 was announced on July 1, 2008. The D700 is slotted in Nikon’s lineup between the D300 and D3, which is fitting given that it shares characteristics of each. The D700 is a 12.1 megapixel, full frame DSLR, which features the image quality found in the pro-level Nikon D3, yet it has the more compact size of the Nikon D300. The D700 features the some sensitivity levels found the D3 - covering an extendable range of ISO 100 to crazy high ISO 25600.

Note: Chan Wing Kai has just bought a Nikon D300 for about RM 6,000 (camera body only)
Nikon D3 costs around RM 16,000

Jason Lee and CS Wong both own a D200 each. Click here...
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Ang Sim (Red Heart) Ang Sim is a durian with flesh which is quite soft and very sweet, and dark yellow in colour. It also has a nice aroma.

Khun Poh This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded it. Khun Poh has beautiful orangy flesh with a slightly bitter-sweet taste and a heavy aroma.

Hor Loh (Water Gourd Durian) The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown Estate of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a "Hor Lor" pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.

Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian) Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau, and has a round-shaped husk. The orange reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.

Xiao Hung (Little Red Durian) Xiao Hung, whose name means "Little Red One," originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I tasted for this write-up is a bit hard. There are only one or two seeds per section, but the flesh is thick.

Yah Kang (Centipede Durian) Yah Kang is one of my favourite durians. Although its flesh is whitish, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name "yah kang" means centipede, and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.

Chaer Phoy (Green Skin Durian) Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small canteloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name which means "green skin". Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.

Ang Jin (Red Yoke Durian) As the name suggests, Ang Jin Durian has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.

Trekking at Gunung Datuk on Sunday, 13 July

Okay, we carry a few durians to the peak of Gunung Datuk, courtesy of Weng.

She is from Russia. Stay tune for more pictures ...

Posted by KC

Powered By Nikon D50

I was most satisfied using the Nikon D50 digital-SLR camera at Mizuno Wave run on 18 December 2005. The camera was responsive; shutter-release button was smooth and the shutter-release sound was so soothing that I wanted to press for more. It was really “syok” (fun and exciting) to use.

I bought it on Saturday 17 Dec 2005 from Foto Shangri-La at Lot 10 Shopping Complex. Nikon Malaysia actually sent a team of sales persons to assist in managing the road-show. I was attended by Josephine and she asked me for NRID in the purchase due to standard procedures. Leaving Lot 10 excitedly, I was carrying three big paper bags bearing Nikon name containing camera body, kit lens, flash unit, camera bag, knap sag, pouch bag, etc, and other free gifts.

I only started reading the camera manual almost at mid-night to understand the functions and features. Due to lack of time, I decided to set everything to “Auto” mode for a quick familiarization the next morning. I was a little excited and I woke up before the alarm clock went off on Sunday morning.

On race day, I completed my run after 50 minutes. Immediately, I took out the new camera. The feeling of holding it was fantastic – it automatically upgraded me to a level higher than the compact camera series. I was the photographer in disguise but easily recognizable: donning running vest and shorts with wet and muddy running shoes after running across the pitch to the finishing line.

Almost all the initial photo shots on runners in running action were blurred because my hands were shaking: firstly, it was after the run and secondly, I was nervous as I have not been shooting in SLR camera for a long, long time.

With the wider angle, taking group photos has more rooms and easy. With the long-range lens, I could freeze runners in action further away. So, next time, remember to put on your best smile – as though it is a free and easy run – for photo shots while you cross the finishing line.

I have considered buying a SLR camera for a few months since Nikon D50 was launched. I was contemplating how to hide and carry the huge SLR camera in my pocket as of the convenience of digital compact camera.

Freeze the Actions

I tried very hard to capture runners in action using the compact camera but the results were unsatisfactory. My first funny encounter of action photo shots was taking those racers at Malakoff Duathlon in March 2005. When the cyclist was framed in the middle of LCD monitor display, I pressed the shutter-release button. But during playback viewing, the cyclist was not captured due to slow shutter speed of compact camera.

After seeing Jason Lee’s Nikon D70 (bigger brother of D50) results with stunning clarity from the Nikon telephoto lens, I decided to buy one. I, too, like photography. I remember after started working in my twenties, I bought one Yashica SLR camera; that time I did not have much money owning a Nikon brand.

Back then, I was using a partial auto camera. First, I have to decide whether to set the aperture or shutter-speed priority. Viewing through the viewfinder would give the other clue and then set accordingly. Focusing was done manually by turning the focusing ring of lens; taking each shot seemed slow and tedious.

Photos that you see in the weblog are down-sized and set to Medium resolution quality for fast transmission over internet. Each photo is down-sized from 2,000 KB to about 40 KB only. They all suffered the lack of clarity and vibrant colours as compared to original.

Buying SLR camera is the beginning of spending lots of money. On Sunday at the Mizuno run, I have a chat with Chan Wing Kai, Pacesetters Club photographer. He proudly showed me a jewel in his camera bag – a renowned Nikon VR (vibration reduction) lens of almost six inches long costing more than RM 5,000 !

Other than taking runners and bikers in action, I would have to try my hands on birds (those that fly, of course) to improve my photography skills. Just in case I am engaging in “flower or bird” priority mode, just shout out loud when you run pass for me to switch back to “runner” priority mode.

Please click here to view photos takin by Nikon D50 for the Mizuno Run.

By KCxxx :-))
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