One of the great perks of working at Australian Traveller magazine is that I get my hands on some of the latest technology and get to play with it. And I get paid for it. But truth be told, I would probably do it for free. And sometimes something comes along that is so special, and such good value, that I have to share it with you. In this case I must share with you my thoughts on Tamron's new 24-70 lens that I have been playing with for about a month now. I am not going to give you a...

It's interesting how cameras are becoming more like computers. Every 6 months seems to bring along some new models. Each model is faster than the previous, and each one seems to have more megapixels and higher ISO levels. It's great for photographers. But don't forget. The point of photography is to have great images. Not the latest gear. That my friends is a thankless task. I was reminded of this this week when I was asked the "what camera should I get" question from a colleaugue. Which was interesting because I have been playing around with our old Canon 5D...

Further to my previous post about qantas launching a new website (hooroo - here) it appears that the good folks at Channel 9 have launched a new website. Turu. Now I am sure that Turu and Hooroo, are an unfortunate example of two people launching products into the market with similar sounding names. Maybe. The websites do seem a little different. Turu seems to focus on booking accommodation in Caravan parks, while Hooroo seems to focus more on Hotels. Still, I wonder how much discussion Channel 9 had with Qantas when they decided to sponsor the Olympics and run their...

Today Qantas have announced a new website called hooroo that will allow people to book accommodation directly. And no. It's not a website. It's a "social commerce platform". Bullshit. To me it looks like a website. At this stage it details are a little sketchy. When asked, none of Hooroo's management was able to quantify how many accommodation partners had signed up to the website. Although I did ask (cheekily) for them to express the amount of inventory they have as a percentage of the wotif website inventory. They declined to answer that question. The site itself seems fairly straight...

Here at Australian Traveller magazine we get bombarded with press releases. Some are really helpful. Most aren't. I understand that it's a tough gig for PR companies to continually try and manufacture "news" about their client. Especially when they are hotels. Imagine trying to create a "news" item about a hotel every week in order to justify your retainer? The end result is more and more tenuous press releases. That I am sure that the people putting them out are embarrassed by. And without further ado I introduce you to this weeks doozie... This comes from a well known international spa...

Well, it's finally here! We have launched International Traveller magazine. The magazine went on sale yesterday and the feedback over the last 24 hours has been great! If you want more information on the magazine you will be able ot purchase it at your local newsagency, or visit the International Traveller Magazine website. Thanks to everyone who contributed. You all know who you are -:)

So there's a bit of flooding going on at the moment in Australia. Thankfully these floods are fundamentally rural floods, which generally means slow moving waters and not a lot of lives lost. Last years floods in Grantham QLD by contrast was brutal, viscious and came from nowhere. And every time I see the floodwaters on TV I become a little bit angrier. Why? Because the news every night seems to show some pillock driving through floodwater. Stupidly. Maybe it looks good on TV. You see car headlights approach the camera on the other side of the floodwater. It's bucketing...

Thought I would share with you all some of the amazing photographic opportunities we get at Australian Traveller magazine.  This one happened a couple of years ago, but it was a real doozie. On a trip through outback NSW we were guided to a place called "The Chambers Of The Black Hand" at Lightning Ridge. Its probably a 10 hour or so drive from Sydney, and the start of the "REAL" outback. I have my own definition of Outback Australia. Outback Australia begins when the farmers muster their stock using aircraft. That's the real outback. Anyhow, I digress. Our little...

Sure, the camera phone market is eating into the compact camera market but I think Canons latest announcement is a step in the right direction for them. It's a new addition to their PowerShot range. The PowerShot D20. I was always a fan of the D series PowerShot cameras with their cheerful colours and rugged build. A compact camera is always ging to be a compromise, but I think these cameras are a smart move on behalf of Canon. Panasonic have been doing well with their rugged Lumix "tough" range. My feeling here is that these cameras are doing well because...

  So. I went to an event last night. A rather remarkable event actually. Have you ever been to a party that had a silent disco? It’s quite disconcerting to watch a bunch of people busting their dance moves in complete silence. I have also never been to a party that had a dinosaur walking around. I have never been to a party that where you could play twister, or build 3D models and create movies. And I have never ever ever been to a party that offered a live taxidermy demonstration. RIP Hunter S Thompson. Because I get the...