Just when you think your new snowboarding gear is still shiny and new, the snowboard companies come out with their next year gear previews. Yup, 2010 snowboard gear previews are already here. And heck yeah… Burton’s new stuff looks siiiiiick. Ah, darn this consumerist lifestyle we lead!

As much as I wanted to, I didn’t end up buying any new snowboarding gear from Burton this year. My old stuff was still good and I couldn’t really justify spending money on new stuff. Next year though… I’ll need to replace my poor busted board (“Miss Feelgood”, as my friend at the Board Room repair shop calls my board since he’s fixed her up so many times).

So what’s coming up from Burton next year? Gorgeous, bright, poppy colours that’ll show up great in photos and really stand out (if you can call bright-coloured gear amongst bright-coloured gear standing out…). I’m also really liking the solid colours on the new 2010 Burton boots and bindings. And fairly minimal board deck and base design with lots of colours and shapes. Overall, a pretty interesting lineup!

The guys over at Snowbroader have snapped some shots from the Snow Avant Premiere in France. Check them out! Note: All photos are fully credited to Snowbroader. Check out there site if you’d like to see more 2010 previews, like Rome and DC, and more pics of the Burton gear.

New 2010 Burton Custom Boards and the Burton Fix on the right. I’m loving the colourful Custom boards! Great design idea.

Solid coloured boots and bindings. I especially like the red on purple. (Seems like that’s the fave colour combo for next year)

New Burton 2010 ConDOM board. Check out the little drawing at the bottom

Base for the new 2010 Burton Hero. Not too sure what I think about the beach ball in the “O”… not really liking this design much. The 2009 Hero was way cooler looking.

New for this year, the Burton Method snowboard. The Bros say it is super light, and a blunt twin freestyle board. Interesting.

And for the ladies, the new 2010 Burton Lipstick board. I LOVE IT! Especially the black lipstick and vampire teeth marker on the top of the board. Yeaaah! I would definitely pick up this board if I was a park girl (but I’m not). Damn, why do the park boards always have the coolest decks?

Speaking of which… every time I think about getting a Burton Fish, I can’t help but feel disappointed with the graphic design on it. I know I shouldn’t be so concerned with appearances (especially when riding powder).. but geez… a little more than a splash on green on a white base with a COMPLETELY white top would be nice! Burton! Give us something that’ll stick out a little more on photos for a board as sick as the Fish!

The Burton Grail and Zone snowboard boots. Purple and yellow! Yes!

I really like the solid red bindings. Not sure what model this is but it sure looks neat. I’m pretty sure Allan would LOVE to have these to go with his brown and red colour scheme.

So that’s it so far. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for more upcoming Burton gear.

I have only one wish so far.. please Burton. Make the 2010 Malolo NOT with a fruity design on it. Something cool. Colourful. Simple, but bold. Otherwise you’ll force me over to Series 13!

So that’s it folks. It’s the snowboarder that makes the gear, not the gear that makes the snowboarder. Right? RIGHT?!

As promised here is the video that I took with the GoPro Hero 5 Camera on my favourite drive in the whole world — the drive between Tofino and Nanaimo. I quickly edited this video in Adobe Premiere CS3. It’s about 2 minutes long. Bonus points if you know what the final location in the clip is!

I love photography, don’t get me wrong. But lately I’ve been looking for a new project (as if I’m not already busy enough!)… and I think it’s going to be video.

Now that I’ve got a helmet camera, and my DSLR, I feel like a video camera would be a great addition to my love for documenting my activities and those around me.

I’ve been watching a lot of snowboarding and surfing movies lately, and I’m getting inspired to cut my own moving pictures together to music and voiceovers.

I have a dilemma though. I can’t decide between getting a DSLR that does video, or getting a video camera. It may seem like a no-brainer to go with a video camera for video, but let me present to you the pros and cons of what I’m considering. I need your help!

My Goal

To be able to put together a high quality cinema-like surfing/snowboarding movie that can do well in most conditions, including low-light conditions, and be able to capture high speed action.

The Video Camera Option

Photo Credit: Canon.com website

I’d likely go for a consumer video camera, since I can’t afford to buy a $5k+ pro HD camera at this point in my life, especially not for something I’m just wanting to experiment around with at this point. I’m thinking either: a cheaper camera like the Canon Vixia HF11 (records to Flash memory), or a more expensive Canon XH A1 (3 CCDs).

Pros
- Tried and tested, a video camera will be able to auto-focus and capture high speed action
- Small and easy to handle
- Can capture long, continuous shots.. hours upon hours
- Some additional lenses (e.g. fisheye or wide angle) are available and not too expensive

Cons
- I’m not experienced with video
- Getting into a whole new system of accessories and add-ons to buy
- Needing to hold/bring two different cameras (the video camera and my DSLR)
- More moving parts to break

The DSLR Camera with Video Option

Photo Credit: The NikonUSA.com website

The newest generation of DSLRs are starting to come out with some limited video options. The Canon ones look really nice, but unfortunately I’ve already built my Nikon collection so I’m not going to switch. Thus, the only option for me is the Nikon D90. It’s basically the same as my D80, but with more features from the Nikon D3 and the FULL HD video capability. It’s an extremely intruiging idea.

Pros
- I can sell my D80 and only pay marginally more for an upgrade to the D90
- With that savings, I can pick up some nicer lenses for it
- I already have TONS of lenses that can be used with the camera, so all my video would reap the benefits of having those lenses (e.g. fisheye video, telephoto video, wide angle etc)
- Only one camera to carry around
- I know the camera very very well and feel comfortable with it, I could milk the depth of field options and exposure etc
- Already got all the accessories for it
- I get a nice step-up to a newer/nicer DSLR too!

Cons
- Limited to 5 minute video clips
- The video functionality is new and untested
- Auto-focus might struggle with high speed action?
- Need to buy much bigger memory cards

So basically, I’m stuck. I love the idea of just using one camera and using all my lenses, but I’m worried that the Nikon D90 might not do as good video as just having a video camera along. All the videos I’ve been watching on YouTube for both the Nikon D90 and the Canon camcorders I’ve been researching look comparable… but I would think they would look completely different blown up on an HDTV.

Any suggestions?