Coming VERY soon!!!
I've been shooting in RAW again with the Canon, and oddly enough, I found it a lot easier to work with than JPEGs, and have actually been going through them a lot quicker...
Showing posts with label cameras. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cameras. Show all posts
Friday, January 30, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
From The Dark Side... To The Dark Side...
Here's to make clear I do not have a fixation with anything Star Wars...
After 9 years of being a Nikonian, I have finally moved from Nikon (known in certain photographic circles as the Dark Side) to Canon (also known in certain photographic circles as the Dark Side).
Confused? Apparently the term applies interchangeably depending on who you talk to... Reason Canon is known as such is due to their (previous) dominance in the digital photography world. And reason Nikon is known as such is because of the prominence of Canon's white L lenses (which makes Nikon with its predominantly black lenses the Dark side...)
To cut a long story short, I dumped the last vestiges of my Nikon system; the D60, Tamron 17-50mm and SB400 in early January. In place came the Canon 450D, Canon 17-40L lens and a Nissin Di622. It wasn't really a pain as most system changes go, as over the recent years I have been slowly selling off most of my Nikon stuff...
Why??? (amidst ugly looks from my Nikon-toting friends...) I chose to go Nikon in 1999 when I ventured into SLR photography due to their supposed ruggedness and superiority in lenses ie good and affordable. Canon seemed then to be very commercialised and it showed in their plasticky products. Also back then for whatever reason most Canon bodies bar the top ones didn't have spot metering.
Recently, the tables seemed to have turned, and Nikon is increasingly trying to milk consumers for all they're worth. (as evidenced by the D3X pricing fiasco...) Of late, Canon lenses on the whole are also cheaper than Nikon's. Witness the 17-55mm lenses of both camps. Nikon's is a f2.8 and costs the better part of 5 grand. Canon's is similar except for one crucial aspect; it comes with IS (Image Stabilizer) and you can actually get change from 4 grand. To add insult to injury, there are claims that the Nikon's optical quality is not as what its price tag suggests...
So far I've been pleased as punch with the 450D. Pictures are amazing, and I can shoot up to ISO1600 with little noise, which I had great difficulty with the Nikons (be they D60 or D80, apparently the D300 is a different story). The 3" LCD is also a nice touch, unlike the dreary Canon LCDs of yore.
Complaints? Mainly the size of the grip. I have to learn to hold it in a different way from the large-gripped Nikons. After a while I learnt to live with it...
Other minor issues are flash related. In aperture priority mode with external flash attached, it would go to crazy low shutter speeds ie 1/15, unlike Nikon which would default to at least 1/60. It can be set to default to a locked 1/200, but in some lighting conditions this would not let in enough light, and force the flash to fire at maximum, hence harsher shadows etc. Also Canon does not make a cheap tiny convenient flash like the SB400, forcing me to go to Nissin. Didn't want to spend too much on this as I don't really shoot flash that often... But as the Nissin offers really nice features ie tilt and rotate, built in diffuser and bounce card, can't complain aside from the size...
So from this day on, the pics you see on this site are very likely to be the product of the CMOS sensor and the DIGICIII processor...
After 9 years of being a Nikonian, I have finally moved from Nikon (known in certain photographic circles as the Dark Side) to Canon (also known in certain photographic circles as the Dark Side).
Confused? Apparently the term applies interchangeably depending on who you talk to... Reason Canon is known as such is due to their (previous) dominance in the digital photography world. And reason Nikon is known as such is because of the prominence of Canon's white L lenses (which makes Nikon with its predominantly black lenses the Dark side...)
To cut a long story short, I dumped the last vestiges of my Nikon system; the D60, Tamron 17-50mm and SB400 in early January. In place came the Canon 450D, Canon 17-40L lens and a Nissin Di622. It wasn't really a pain as most system changes go, as over the recent years I have been slowly selling off most of my Nikon stuff...
Why??? (amidst ugly looks from my Nikon-toting friends...) I chose to go Nikon in 1999 when I ventured into SLR photography due to their supposed ruggedness and superiority in lenses ie good and affordable. Canon seemed then to be very commercialised and it showed in their plasticky products. Also back then for whatever reason most Canon bodies bar the top ones didn't have spot metering.
Recently, the tables seemed to have turned, and Nikon is increasingly trying to milk consumers for all they're worth. (as evidenced by the D3X pricing fiasco...) Of late, Canon lenses on the whole are also cheaper than Nikon's. Witness the 17-55mm lenses of both camps. Nikon's is a f2.8 and costs the better part of 5 grand. Canon's is similar except for one crucial aspect; it comes with IS (Image Stabilizer) and you can actually get change from 4 grand. To add insult to injury, there are claims that the Nikon's optical quality is not as what its price tag suggests...
So far I've been pleased as punch with the 450D. Pictures are amazing, and I can shoot up to ISO1600 with little noise, which I had great difficulty with the Nikons (be they D60 or D80, apparently the D300 is a different story). The 3" LCD is also a nice touch, unlike the dreary Canon LCDs of yore.
Complaints? Mainly the size of the grip. I have to learn to hold it in a different way from the large-gripped Nikons. After a while I learnt to live with it...
Other minor issues are flash related. In aperture priority mode with external flash attached, it would go to crazy low shutter speeds ie 1/15, unlike Nikon which would default to at least 1/60. It can be set to default to a locked 1/200, but in some lighting conditions this would not let in enough light, and force the flash to fire at maximum, hence harsher shadows etc. Also Canon does not make a cheap tiny convenient flash like the SB400, forcing me to go to Nissin. Didn't want to spend too much on this as I don't really shoot flash that often... But as the Nissin offers really nice features ie tilt and rotate, built in diffuser and bounce card, can't complain aside from the size...
So from this day on, the pics you see on this site are very likely to be the product of the CMOS sensor and the DIGICIII processor...
Friday, December 26, 2008
Photo Gear Talk...
This will basically document the stuff I have at any point in time. It is most telling that I change stuff very often, but then luckily I almost never lose any dough on them...
Sep 2008
Nikon D40, Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Nikon SB-400, Crumpler 5MDH, Nikon 80-200mm f4 AI, Manfrotto 190PRO
Oct 2008
Nikon D60, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Nikon SB-400, Crumpler 5MDH, Nikon 80-200mm f4 AI, Manfrotto Monopod 676B
Nov 2008
Nikon D60, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Nikon SB-400, Crumpler 5MDH, Manfrotto Monopod 676B
Jan 2009
Canon 450D, Canon 17-40mm f4L, Canon 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS, Canon 50mm f1.8, Nissin Di622, Manfrotto Monopod 676B, old Tatonka bag
Feb 2009
Canon 450D, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Canon 430EX, Manfrotto Monopod 676B, Bagman CA05
Jan 2010
Canon 450D, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC, Canon 430EX, Manfrotto Monopod 676B, Bagman CA05
Amazing isn't it, the gear changes in February alone? Almost all the lenses I had in January have been sold. It's pretty normal as I am new to the Canon system, so a lot of trial and error. For now I think I've reached a sweetspot, and this setup should stay for now. Maybe a 50mm f1.4...
Sep 2008
Nikon D40, Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Nikon SB-400, Crumpler 5MDH, Nikon 80-200mm f4 AI, Manfrotto 190PRO
Oct 2008
Nikon D60, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Nikon SB-400, Crumpler 5MDH, Nikon 80-200mm f4 AI, Manfrotto Monopod 676B
Nov 2008
Nikon D60, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Nikon SB-400, Crumpler 5MDH, Manfrotto Monopod 676B
Jan 2009
Canon 450D, Canon 17-40mm f4L, Canon 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS, Canon 50mm f1.8, Nissin Di622, Manfrotto Monopod 676B, old Tatonka bag
Feb 2009
Canon 450D, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Canon 430EX, Manfrotto Monopod 676B, Bagman CA05
Jan 2010
Canon 450D, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC, Canon 430EX, Manfrotto Monopod 676B, Bagman CA05
Amazing isn't it, the gear changes in February alone? Almost all the lenses I had in January have been sold. It's pretty normal as I am new to the Canon system, so a lot of trial and error. For now I think I've reached a sweetspot, and this setup should stay for now. Maybe a 50mm f1.4...
Thursday, December 18, 2008
What, no pics?...
Okay, I KNOW I take forever to upload pics, and wifey's breathing down my neck doesn't help. I've never quite managed to be happy about the stuff that comes directly out from the camera, something always needs tweaking.
Lest you think I'm guilty of fakery and embellishing photos, I'm not, and my tweaks are usually limited to exposure adjustments. The exposure meter can sometimes be wonky... Nikons of late have meters that seem to need a bit of manual intervention, and usually veers on the side of overexposure. Trust me, I'm not the only one who complains of this trait.
The good thing is most pics come out bright and cheery and saturated to the point of looking really punchy, and most people are happy to the point they don't notice the blown out highlights...
On another note, I've had a revamp of my photo equipment lately and there has been a lot of buying and selling of stuff in the last 2 months.
Stuff I've bought: D60 body, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Nikon 55-200mm f4.0-5.6 VR, Manfrotto 676B monopod, hotshoe mounted spirit level, Kingston 4GB SDHC Micro-SD card...
Stuff I've sold: D40 body, Nikon 55-200mm f4.0-5.6 VR (yes you read that right...), Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Crumpler 5MDH shoulder bag, Nikon 80-200mm f4.0 AIS...
So now all I am left with is the D60 body, Tamron 17-50 and an old Tatonka bag. All I need to get is a decent bag (thinking of a Kata).
I love the D40 series bodies for its small size. I used to own a D70, and it was very cumbersome. Similarly I really like the 18-70 lens, but ultimately plumped for the Tamron due to its large aperture. Reminds me of my old Tokina 28-70 which I used on my F80 many years ago.
Also dislike backpacks as they are large and not conducive to quick photos. Imagine to access something in the backpack, you have to take the bag off, lay it on sometimes very questionable surfaces, and then take the stuff out, and close the bag and lug it back on in case someone nicks your stuff... Very very tedious. Of course they're great for carrying lots of gear, but now that I am in the minimalist equipment school-of-thought, I can make do with a small shoulder bag.
And now, back to work on the photos... Just got back from the babies' first vacation in Cameron Highlands on Monday, and promised myself I will upload pics before the week is out!
Lest you think I'm guilty of fakery and embellishing photos, I'm not, and my tweaks are usually limited to exposure adjustments. The exposure meter can sometimes be wonky... Nikons of late have meters that seem to need a bit of manual intervention, and usually veers on the side of overexposure. Trust me, I'm not the only one who complains of this trait.
The good thing is most pics come out bright and cheery and saturated to the point of looking really punchy, and most people are happy to the point they don't notice the blown out highlights...
On another note, I've had a revamp of my photo equipment lately and there has been a lot of buying and selling of stuff in the last 2 months.
Stuff I've bought: D60 body, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Nikon 55-200mm f4.0-5.6 VR, Manfrotto 676B monopod, hotshoe mounted spirit level, Kingston 4GB SDHC Micro-SD card...
Stuff I've sold: D40 body, Nikon 55-200mm f4.0-5.6 VR (yes you read that right...), Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Crumpler 5MDH shoulder bag, Nikon 80-200mm f4.0 AIS...
So now all I am left with is the D60 body, Tamron 17-50 and an old Tatonka bag. All I need to get is a decent bag (thinking of a Kata).
I love the D40 series bodies for its small size. I used to own a D70, and it was very cumbersome. Similarly I really like the 18-70 lens, but ultimately plumped for the Tamron due to its large aperture. Reminds me of my old Tokina 28-70 which I used on my F80 many years ago.
Also dislike backpacks as they are large and not conducive to quick photos. Imagine to access something in the backpack, you have to take the bag off, lay it on sometimes very questionable surfaces, and then take the stuff out, and close the bag and lug it back on in case someone nicks your stuff... Very very tedious. Of course they're great for carrying lots of gear, but now that I am in the minimalist equipment school-of-thought, I can make do with a small shoulder bag.
And now, back to work on the photos... Just got back from the babies' first vacation in Cameron Highlands on Monday, and promised myself I will upload pics before the week is out!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
New toy... for Daddy...
Bought a Casio Exilim S600 compact camera (or as Casio calls it, a card camera). I've always been strongly against compact digicams, mainly because the sensors are tiny (compared to an APS sized sensor in most SLRs), and hence leads to noise, small dynamic range, and increased possibility of reduced sharpness.
However, this time I capitulated as I needed video, and specifically looked for cameras that can shoot VGA video (640x480) at 30fps. Other requirements include being able to take decent still pics (so a dedicated videocam was out...), being small enough to pocket, takes SD cards (so Fujis, Olympuses, Sonys were out). Final candidates were the Canon Powershots (too big), Ixuses (too pricey), Nikon Coolpixes (hopeless) and Casio Exilims.
I currently own a Canon A80, which was fantastic as far as compacts go, and offerred lots of manual controls too, but ultimately let down by its inability to shoot decent video, its large size, and tiny screen.
Saw a used Exilim S600 on sale, did a lot of reading up on the net, and so far the reviews I've read has mostly been favourable. Good video, good stills, takes SD, great battery life (though proprietary battery) and fantastic built quality! And for the price I bought it, it was beyond reproach. Picked it up Saturday after I dropped off wifey and babies at 1U. Had to go to Taman Sri Sentosa to pick it up, and in the process getting lost couple of times...
The condition was excellent with only a few small wear marks on corners. First impressions were very good, very very solid (it's made of stainless steel after all...), large bright screen, and it looks really good. Here's a pic I took off Steve's Digicams site, where I read one of the reviews. Yes, mine's the same color too.
Started shooting as soon as I got home, and pictures appeared nice and vibrant, though I haven't gotten around to really looking at them yet. Videos were good, with decent exposure and very smooth due to the 30fps.
***Update 1: I subsequently sold this off for about the same price I bought it, but threw in a charger I bought off Ebay for RM5. Got another S600 on Ebay for the same price I sold this at, plus shipping from the USA! It included the whole package, box, cradle and everything. Only difference was this one is plain stainless steel, no paint on it, which I prefer.
So far it's seen quite a lot of use, and usual compact pitfalls aside, have performed admirably. Parents took it on holiday with them and were absolutely delighted with it.
***Update 2: Sadly, this was lost on a trip to Eastern Europe by my parents in October 2008. The camera aside, it was worse as it contained all of their holiday photos, and they only lost it in Dubai on transit for a flight home. Suspect it was a pickpocket...
However, this time I capitulated as I needed video, and specifically looked for cameras that can shoot VGA video (640x480) at 30fps. Other requirements include being able to take decent still pics (so a dedicated videocam was out...), being small enough to pocket, takes SD cards (so Fujis, Olympuses, Sonys were out). Final candidates were the Canon Powershots (too big), Ixuses (too pricey), Nikon Coolpixes (hopeless) and Casio Exilims.
I currently own a Canon A80, which was fantastic as far as compacts go, and offerred lots of manual controls too, but ultimately let down by its inability to shoot decent video, its large size, and tiny screen.
Saw a used Exilim S600 on sale, did a lot of reading up on the net, and so far the reviews I've read has mostly been favourable. Good video, good stills, takes SD, great battery life (though proprietary battery) and fantastic built quality! And for the price I bought it, it was beyond reproach. Picked it up Saturday after I dropped off wifey and babies at 1U. Had to go to Taman Sri Sentosa to pick it up, and in the process getting lost couple of times...
The condition was excellent with only a few small wear marks on corners. First impressions were very good, very very solid (it's made of stainless steel after all...), large bright screen, and it looks really good. Here's a pic I took off Steve's Digicams site, where I read one of the reviews. Yes, mine's the same color too.
Casio Exilim S600 Blue...
Started shooting as soon as I got home, and pictures appeared nice and vibrant, though I haven't gotten around to really looking at them yet. Videos were good, with decent exposure and very smooth due to the 30fps.
***Update 1: I subsequently sold this off for about the same price I bought it, but threw in a charger I bought off Ebay for RM5. Got another S600 on Ebay for the same price I sold this at, plus shipping from the USA! It included the whole package, box, cradle and everything. Only difference was this one is plain stainless steel, no paint on it, which I prefer.
Replaced with this...
So far it's seen quite a lot of use, and usual compact pitfalls aside, have performed admirably. Parents took it on holiday with them and were absolutely delighted with it.
***Update 2: Sadly, this was lost on a trip to Eastern Europe by my parents in October 2008. The camera aside, it was worse as it contained all of their holiday photos, and they only lost it in Dubai on transit for a flight home. Suspect it was a pickpocket...
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