Yeah, I know the Nikon D90 is far from being new, but since Nikon was kind enough to let us play with their DSLR for a week and since I never had the chance of touching one before, I decided it would be worth it to check this baby out and to write a little review.

Nikon D90 Specs
- AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor ED 18-200mm F3.5-5.6G (IF) lens with optical image stabilizer
- 12.3 Megapixel resolution
- DX-format CMOS image sensor
- HD 720/24p with HDMI output
- ISO Range : 100 to 6400

First Impression:
As a heavy user of Canon DSLRs, it’s always a bit difficult to jump on another DSLR (whatever brand it is), and after many years using the same brand you tend to build some bonds difficult to break… However, I admit that I’m amazed by the D90… Really, the Nikon D90 has nothing to be ashamed of compared to a 40D or 50D. Once you get used to Nikon’s grip and your hands learn how to hold it(an important factor in choosing a DSLR), and the D90 feels like a powerful weapon ready to be fired… With an excellent built quality in different domains like the obvious selection of material but also with its overall ergonomic and a brilliantly informative LCD monitor, the D90 provides you only what other high ends models offer.

To give you two little examples, the first is with the large LCD, and more presicly with the huge amount of information that it provides like the deadly accurate battery meter icon. Rather then being divided in two or three different marks, the D90 offers five in total. This may sound stupid for some, but as far as I’m concerned I loved knowing exactly how much battery life I have left when I’m shooting for a long period of time.

Another convenient feature is the quick settings resets that can be operated directly from the camera body without the need to go through all the menus. Just press the two control buttons marked with a green dot for a few seconds and VOILA! Your camera is back to default, perfect if you happen to be like me and still a bit lost in some setting, or if share your camera with people who love messing around with settings… (This feature is also available on various other Nikon cameras.)

Let’s Shoot Baby
Now that our hands have learned how to hold the D90, and once we set the various settings, it’s time to shoot like a maniac. Here as well I was surprised by its speed… I mean REALLY fast, faster then a Canon 40D… Once you set the correct ISO, shutter speed and so on, you’ll be amazed at how snappy the D90 can be… Another surprise was how easy it is to shoot in low light at ISOs like 200… As you will see below and with our photo sample, at dawn and ISO 200 whether you’re holding the camera or not, the results are pretty impressive.

Now it is also important to notice that the quality of your picture not only depends of the D90. Granted I’m a genius, sorry an master artist, in photography (just kidding here^^), but it’s very important to get the proper lens to fit on your D90. For instance, our camera was fitted with the following lens : AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor ED 18-200mm F3.5-5.6G (IF) lens with optical image stabilizer that provides better pictures that the usual DX 18-105G VR kit. 

The same applies if you use Tamron or Sigma lenses. 

Check the sample picture I took for yourself and you too will be impressed by this baby. Just to give you an idea, I was using ISO 200 in daylight and ISO 320 at night (around 7:00pm in Japan)…

Nikon D90 Sample Photo for Review, Origianl Size, Resized sample can be found

below.

Not much to say, I am definitely impressed and in love with the D90. Having got great shots it’s very hard for me to criticize the D90 in this area.

Video Mode
When the D90 was launched, Nikon made “La Une” of every single tech blog and magazine for its video mode, the first DSLR able to record HD video quality in 24p… And when I admit the D90 shoots in HD, results are unimpressive… I rate the video mode more as a gadget rather than a real plus… Quality is equivalent to the Kiss X3 (Rebel T1i or 500D) or Nikon D5000. Also here we have a 5-minute video quality limitation… Seriously, the video mode doesn’t match its photo quality, and I can’t recommend to anyone who wants to shoot video with a DSLR to buy a D90 for that… Better invest in a GH1 (For Video) or a 5D MK II

Here you are a sample for you to check (Shoot during a Press Conference, and see how crazy things here too when you want to shoot photos or video).

Permalink: Nikon D90, the Review

In Hong Kong, because of the space, apartments are small and expensive. Gary Chang, an architect, decided to design a 344 sq. ft. apartment to be able to change into 24 different designs, all by just sliding panels and walls. He calls this the “Domestic Transformer.”

Although there are provisions to allow landlords to recover overdue rental, there are limitations, too.

NOT everybody can afford to purchase a property to live in or to operate a business. Hence renting becomes a viable option for many. Renting involves the creation of a relationship between the landlord and the tenant. This may be created formally or informally, whether or not in writing.

The essence of the relationship is that for the agreed term, the tenant is entitled to enjoy the said possession. The landlord in return gets the rent.

If the tenant fails in his primary obligation, there will be cause for concern. If the tenant moves out, at least the landlord can mitigate his loss by renting it out to someone else. But the tenant may choose to stay, yet not pay rent.

Many a landlord in such a situation will feel frustrated. Going to the courts can be time-consuming and costly. Would it not be easier to just go in and chase the tenant out? Or could one not just disconnect the electricity and water supply?

Remedies

A landlord has three distinct remedies against a tenant in arrears with his rent. He may levy distress upon the tenant’s goods, which ultimately he may sell to pay off such arrears as remain unpaid.

Apart from that, he may sue the tenant on the covenant to pay rent, or he may seek to terminate the tenancy through forfeiture.

In addition, for any period for which he cannot claim rent, the landlord can get the liquidated damages, which would include claims for compensation for use and occupation, or an action for mesne profits.

Once the relationship of landlord and tenant has been created, the rights and obligations of the parties inter se will be governed by its terms subject to the general law. As the arrangement is a contract, its terms are enforceable between the parties in much the same way as any contract.

One of the rights conferred on the tenant is the landlord’s covenant that “the tenant paying the rent hereby reserved and performing and observing the several covenants on his part herein contained shall peaceably hold and enjoy the demised premises during the said term without any interruption by the landlord or any person rightfully claiming under or in trust for him.”

Distress

The right to distrain is an ancient remedy which may be described as the right to take another’s goods without legal process as a pledge for the satisfaction of a debt or claim. It is a remedy not confined to the law of landlord and tenant.

The Distress Act 1951 provides for this. It involves the application for a Warrant of Distress addressed to the bailiff directing the latter to forthwith distrain any removable property found by him on the premises named in the distress warrant.

The plus side of a warrant of distress is that it is obtained ex parte, meaning that the application to the court does not have to be served on the tenant before an order is made. The tenant will only know when the bailiff turns up at the premises to seize the property.

However, it must be noted that the purpose is primarily for the landlord to recover rent and not to get back possession of the premises. Once the goods have been seized and disposed of, the tenancy, unless terminated, continues.

Distress is not for recovery of possession. However, possession may be obtained where the premises are abandoned and there is no sufficient property seized with which the arrears can be paid. If so, an application can be made to authorise the bailiff to enter the premises and take possession.

Even then, the bailiff must in such cases affix in a conspicuous place or on the premises, a notice that possession thereof will be delivered to the landlord, unless within 10 days a judge, on the application of any person interested, otherwise orders.

Forfeiture and re-entry

There are instances where the landlord may seek to terminate the tenancy by forfeiture in exercise of a right to re-enter reserved expressly under the tenancy in the case of non-payment of rent. This could read as follows:

“If the rents hereby reserved … shall be unpaid for (twenty-one) days after becoming payable it … shall be lawful for the landlord at any time thereafter to re-enter upon the demised premises or any part thereof in the name of the whole.”

Of course, such a covenant may be enlarged in its scope to allow similar action to be taken in case of other breaches. Whilst this is an option on paper, the landlord’s right could be frustrated by other matters.

Where an effort to re-enter the premises is physically resisted, this could have a potential to cause a breach of the peace. In such a case, Section 99 of the Civil Procedure Code comes into play. A magistrate can act, if satisfied from a police report that a dispute is likely to cause a breach of the peace.

He can order the parties concerned to attend before him and put in written statements their respective claims with regard to possession of the premises in dispute.

He can thus make an assessment on which party should remain in possession. If the magistrate decides that one of the parties is in actual possession, an order declaring such party to be entitled to retain possession until evicted in due course of law, can be made.

Conclusion

Even where the tenant does not resist the re-entry because he is not present or otherwise, it would be prudent to make an inventory on what is found. Being accompanied by an independent party could be helpful against future claims by the tenant that some valuable property has gone missing.

There is, of course, the other aspect of cutting off electricity and water supply to the premises. Whether one is entitled to do so will depend not only on practical considerations but also on how the tenancy agreement is worded as well as the stage and point of time at which such action is taken.

Apart from the contract terms, one may also need to consider whether incorporation of such provisions permitting discontinuation of a utility is enforceable as it is contrary to public policy. This aspect could be the subject of a separate discussion.

PETALING JAYA: Interest rates on car loans have increased by an average of 0.25 percentage point for national cars and 0.7 percentage point for non-national makes since the overnight policy rate — the benchmark interest rate which determines banks’ lending rates — was revised upwards by 25 basis points to 2.25% in early March.

Dealers said they were already feeling the impact.

New car registrations reached 56,139 units last month, 25% higher than the same month last year, as buyers locked in their purchases before the widely-anticipated interest rate hike.

The real impact on car sales figures would probably be seen from April, according to industry players.

“We are expecting an adverse impact on sales from the recent hike,” Proton Edar Dealers Association Malaysia president Armin Baniaz Pahamin told StarBizWeek.

“Already, national cars have higher interest rates than non-national cars before the hike.”

This is traditionally the case because the credit risk in the national car segment is perceived to be higher than in the non-national car segment as the former tends to target the lower to middle-income earners.

OSK Research in its recent report on the sector noted that dealers had fully capitalised on the recent OPR rate hike in making their earlier sales pitches. “This caused a rush as buyers locked in their orders before the OPR was increased in early March,” the research outfit said.

Proton and Perodua car loan rates had been adjusted to 3.75% for loan tenures of five years and below, 3.9% for six to seven years and 4% for eight to nine-year loans, according to major car dealers. Previously, they ranged from 3.5% to 3.75%.

With the new rates, for example, a person looking to purchase a RM40,000 Perodua car with a five-year loan tenure (at the new rate of 3.75% per annum) will have to pay RM791, or RM8 more, per month.

This goes up to about RM20 more a month for a longer-term loans.

As for new non-national makes, a dealer with Kah Motor Co Sdn Bhd which distributes Honda cars, said hire-purchase rates for new non-national cars had been raised to 3.25% for loan tenures of five years and below, 3.4% for six to seven years and 3.5% for eight to nine-year loans.

Before, hire-purchase interest rates were in the range of 2.4% to 2.8%, he said.

“There is some impact on sales so far. We see some individuals holding back purchases,” the dealer added.

Honda’s market share fell last month on weak sales, sliding 5.8% year-to-date as sales halted largely caused by the impending launch of its new CRV towards the end of this month, OSK Research said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Do not break into your own property even if your tenant fails to pay the rent. It could be a trap.

This was the warning given by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong to landlords who were thinking of doing this to reclaim their property.

Chong said any move by a landlord to break into the property, even when the tenant failed to pay the rent, was against the law.

He said many landlords had been brought to court by tenants for breaking into their properties and were sued for the loss of their tenants’ assets including cash.

“This could be a trap laid by tenants who are looking for easy cash. They could be conmen,” Chong told a press conference at his office in Wisma MCA here yesterday.

In the past three months, three such claims were made by tenants – all of them Malaysians – against their landlords.

Their claims amounted to a total of RM117,000 in cash and assets.

During the same period, he said he received 12 complaints of tenants who failed to pay a total of RM57,000 in rent.

Lawyer Leong Pak Yiew, who is a member of the department, advised landlords facing this problem to file for a distress order at a court.

“Under this order, landlords will be able to legally seize the premises and the tenant’s rent will be recovered through auctioning all assets found within it,” he said.

However, this process could take up to two months and might be costly in terms of legal and court fees.

KUALA LUMPUR: HSBC Holdings plc senior Asian economist Robert Prior-Wandesforde expects Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) to expand 7.3% this year on rising exports fuelled by higher commodity prices and domestic demand.

His forecast for 2010 was revised from the 6.8% made last year and higher than Bank Negara’s forecast of 4.5% to 5.5% in the 2009 annual report.

“We’re looking at a very vigorous V-shaped recovery from the exports side for Asia and Malaysia’s export-led economy will definitely benefit from this recovery,” Prior-Wandesforde told reporters on the sidelines of the Activate Asia: India in Focus seminar organised by HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd yesterday.

He said there were also signs that private consumption had risen strongly due to confidence in the economy returning.

However, Prior-Wandesforde said while indications suggested growth would be broad-based this year, growth levels would not sustain beyond 2010 but return to trend growth of 4.5% to 5% annually in the next five to 10 years on structural impediments.

He said the reforms suggested by the National Economic Advisory Council to the Government and encapsulated in the recently unveiled New Economic Model were sensible but a lot depended on the delivery.

“Clearly the aim is to raise growth via structural reforms but this will take time. How this is enforced will be crucial as generally, there’s a lot of room for improvement,” he said, citing bureaucratic red tape and corruption among the reasons why foreign direct investment had dropped and domestic investors had invested abroad.

He said there was currently scepticism among investors that the reforms would be implemented. “Investors will need a lot more convincing,” Prior-Wandesforde said.

He expects Bank Negara to raise the rates of the country’s benchmark policy rate – the overnight policy rate (OPR) – by another 75 basis points to 3% this year.

“Any raising of the OPR by Bank Negara should be seen as a normalisation,” Prior-Wandesforde said, adding that this meant the minimal level for policy rates to be considered normal would be 3%. The OPR currently stands at 2.25% after Bank Negara raised it by 25 basis points in March.

On Thursday, the World Bank’s lead economist for East Asia and Pacific Ivailo Izvorski said the region’s real GDP was expected to grow 8.7% this year after it slowed to 7% last year from 8.5% in 2008.

BANK Negara’s decision to raise the overnight policy rate (OPR) by 25 basis points on March 4 must have jolted many people out of their slumber into realising that the days of low lending rates may be numbered.

While some Malaysians, especially those who are risk-averse and prefer to keep their savings in banks, are rejoicing that interest rates on deposits are on the way up, there are those who must be apprehensive that they will have to fork out higher loan interest payments.

Those in the second group, including corporate and retail borrowers, should recognise that the low interest rates that they had been enjoying for close to two years came at a cost.

Malaysians generally have a high propensity to save and the all-time low interest rates have been frowned upon by savers, especially the retirees who are mostly dependent on their interest income to get by in their golden years.

It is only fair that they be compensated for their prudence – a strong trait among Asians that may have saved the region from further financial quagmire brought on by a widening sovereign debt crisis in some western economies.

The recent OPR hike will certainly not be the only adjustment by the central bank, considering the country’s lending rates are still at record lows.

We can expect more upward adjustments in the coming months as there is still room for rates to rise at least another 50 basis points should Bank Negara act in response to a stronger local economy.

Normalising the interest rates by allowing it to be decided by actual market forces of demand and supply is certainly more healthy.

Although there are now more avenues to invest one’s savings, property is clearly a favourite.

Most of the big property companies are raking in record sales and some of the projects, especially those in Penang and the Klang Valley, are once again selling like “hot cakes”.

Although there is no property bubble – a situation where prices escalate to artificially high levels that do not reflect the actual market fundamentals of demand and supply – there may be a chance of this happening if we are not careful.

We only have to look at the many condominium blocks in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre locality. Their prices have fallen by up to 30% as demand for high-rise residences is still quite lethargic, with no signs of a recovery anytime soon.

The huge price correction can be attributed to a high percentage of investors and speculators in that market segment compared with the owner-occupier buyers.

Hence, there is a need to rein in speculation in our property market. Higher interest rates also signify confidence that the market will hold out well.

It will complement the move to reinstate the real property gains tax, albeit at a flat 5% for all property sales within the first five years of purchase.

Curbing excessive speculation will help prevent overheating in the market.

Property prices should be determined by actual demand and supply forces and not by artificial means.

KUALA LUMPUR: Banks have begun raising their base lending rates (BLRs) following Bank Negara’s move to lift the overnight policy rate (OPR) by 25 basis points last week.

Five of the largest banks in the country raised their BLR to 5.8%.

Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) and CIMB Bank Bhd were the first two banks to announce their interest rate hike from 5.55%.

The two banks raised their BLR and base financing rates to 5.8% effective today following Bank Negara’s OPR revision last Thursday.

In a statement, Maybank president and CEO Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar said the interest rate revision was based on the recent adjustment in the OPR.

“We expect to see better growth from our core business segments, leveraging on the improving economic environment and as more customers take advantage of the diversity of our product and service offerings,” he added.

Public Bank will also raise its BLR to 5.8% today, according to Bank Negara’s banking info website.

“We are supportive of Bank Negara’s move to normalise interest rates as the economy regains stability and are immediately transmitting it to both savers and borrowers,’’ said CIMB group chief executive Datuk Seri Nazir Razak in a statement.

Nazir said it was the right time to raise interest rates as the economic environment had normalised and growth momentum was strong.

“We saw the fourth quarter gross domestic product (GDP) numbers and we are looking at a GDP growth north of 4% this year potentially,’’ he told reporters at the launch of CIMB Twin Yield Income Investment structured product yesterday.

“Those conditions suggest that it is time to normalise interest rates. As best as I can tell, it is a good decision.’’

CIMB also raised its savings and fixed deposit rates by up to 25 basis points.

The RHB banking group also raised its BLR for RHB Bank Bhd to 5.8% today.

In a statement, group managing director Datuk Tajuddin Atan said RHB would be balancing the increased borrowing rates by offering more competitive rates for depositors.

Hong Leong Bank Bhd will increase its BLR to 5.8% effective March 10.

Bank Negara raised the OPR as the economy has improved significantly and returned to its path to recovery.

“Given this improved economic outlook, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to adjust the OPR towards normalising monetary conditions and preventing the risk of financial imbalances that could undermine the economic recovery process,’’ said Bank Negara in its monetary policy statement last week.

“At the new level of the OPR, the stance of monetary policy continues to remain accommodative and supportive of economic growth.”

A rise in interest rates is usually greeted with trepidation as economists typically worry about its impact on growth and demand.

This time around, that apprehension is not yet visible.

“At the moment the impact will not be great as it is coming off historic lows,’’ said AmResearch economist Manokaran Mottain.

The Association of Banks Malaysia said the increase in OPR would not impede access to financing nor affect the industry’s lending activities.

The banking industry recorded a loans growth of 8.6% in January and 7.8% in December.

Analysts said the impact the BLR increase would have on bank’s profits would depend on whether deposit rates would be raised by the same quantum.

They said bank margins were squeezed when interest rates were cut but they expected net interest margins to widen as interest rates rose.