The great debate over the value of dSLRs for moving making is about to be thoroughly tested. Yes I know I have been critical of certain aspects of the idea, especially the ergonomic factor, but I may now have to be nice – or at least objective – as I am about to board a plane to Japan and see the new Nikon D4 being made in the factory at Sendai.

They (that is Nikon) have also given me a D7000 with a 300mm zoom lens to play with during the 5 day trip.

This means I have some serious reading to do on the plane as the manual for this beastie is about 3 feet thick – but it IS a proper paper manual and not a PDF so that makes me happy.

Will it convince me? Time will tell, but having used a dSLR for shooting video in my sphere of interest, which everyone knows is motorsport, I cannot see myself changing from a conventional camcorder.

But I have been to Japan before (Osaka) and love the place to death. It is going to be epically cold over there and this will give a great scenery of contrasts, so perhaps in this arena, I might turn out to be more receptive and even enjoy the experience.

I’ll let you know next week. Don’t forget if you are a teacher, a subscription to the real magazine is free – some conditions apply, but not a lot!) Have a look at www.auscamonline.com