30 May 2010

Why a DSLR, why live with the bulk...???

Until recently, when Panasonic reveals their first Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens camera, the G1, they were not much smaller in size as compared to an entry level DSLR, but now we have compact sized cameras versions, like the EP1, EP2, EPL1 from Olympus and the GF1 from Panasonic. So, when the image quality and noise control we get from these small cameras are better than any point and shoot due to the big half frame sensor, why do we still need a DSLR?

There are several reasons, but they are better justified in a full frame DSLR cameras from Canon or Nikon, not so much Olympus, the system I am currently using.

a) High ISO performance: The Nikon D3S allows you to shoot at ISO 6400 with very clean results. This is the best tool for events, weddings and night clubs.

b) High Dynamic range: Higher dynamic range means we can retrieve more details from the skies and less likely to blow the highlights. This is best for landscape photography.

c) Shallow Depth of Field: This allows for creative focus and ideal for combo cams like the 5D mark 2 which offer great video capabilities

d) Speed: Canon and Nikon now boasting 9-10 frames per second in their flagship cameras means we can now shoot sports at full frame. This is best for sports photography.

e) Ergonomics: This is subjective but I have big hands and holding the big guns from Canon or Nikon may be heavy, but they sure feel good on the hands.

f) Macro and Telephoto capability: The system offers lens for very close-up photography that cannot be compared to the close up filter or modes offer by compacts. Better serve in a crop camera body as you can get more reach.

g) Ultra Wide capability: The system offers lenses as wide as 12mm in full frame equivalent which is very very wide. Better served in a full frame camera body to get the wide focal length as per stated on the lenses.

Sure I wish to own a full frame camera one day due to the reasons above, but we need to ask ourselves whether we want or need them? If we are working pro... by all means get them. Most of us are happy with crop sensor DSLRs from Canon or Nikon, me I prefer Olympus as my crop system. I feel 2x crop is better crop than the near to full frame 1.6x 0r 1.5x crop from Canon or Olympus because the simple fact that you get more reach and lighter, smaller lenses can be made due to the crop factor.

So here are some macro shots... These remind me why I like my Olympus E-30 and the wonderful and sharp but slow Zuiko 50mm f2.0...









And with my Zuiko 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD to get these wildlife telephoto shots:







That's all... Happy Shooting...

29 May 2010

Making the ordinary special

Whenever I bring my camera out, my family members always wonder what is so interesting in the place that is worth taking pictures. As photographers, we need to pre-visualise in our heads what can make a good picture...

If we have already set our mind that there is nothing interesting to take pictures in a place, we shut off our creative pre-visualisation that is critical to make photographs stands out from random snapshots. Of course composition in crucial to ensure the image is conveyed strongly. In most scenarios less is more...and a tight composition ensures powerful images...

The following pictures are from a steamboat dinner outing with my family in a small restaurant in town...


The play of the depth of field focuses the interest on the main dish while the background is being blurred, there is still some context showing bowls and cutlery.


The simple picture of a display boat model is made more interesting when converted to black and white as the intricate details are much more obvious. The enhanced shadow and tonality create a 3D appearance to the picture. The end...

27 May 2010

My first true Leica product

As we all know leica is famous for the ridiculous price tags imposed on their products and purists will claim leica lenses give the best quality and 'magic' look. So, I recently acquired the current Leica 50mm Summicron ASPH f2.0 in a used condition.

This is a lens used for M mount rangefinders, be it film or digital. Of course, I do not have the latest Leica M9 digital rangefinder, but what I have with me is the Voigtlander Bessa R3A film rangefinder. It probably would give a different look in digital but for now, let's see what this lens can do for film. I used the Fujifilm Pro 400H for all the images below...




Nice skin tones are rendered with the Fujifilm Pro 400H... Love it


The focus is on the eyes, and the focus is nailed... just look how sharp the eye is...






Lots of good detail in this picture here...






The bokeh is smooth and dreamy and pretty shallow at f2.0




Just look at the punch of the colours... sure's pack a punch...










Again, nice, not overly saturated colours...




The colours of the sky in this picture reminds me why I'm shooting with film... you also get more dynamic range...




Look at how the film renders the red...




The green is often rendered quite dull in most digital renditions, but this film favours green and it gives a bit of punch to it.




This lens is sharp with a lot detail, no doubt. What's more, the bokeh is smooth and creamy and shallow for creative subject isolation. Now I wish for M9 to be cheaper... that's all...

15 May 2010

Candid portraits

I often feel that staged portraits may sometimes look unnatural, especially when they make goofy faces, or when they don't want their picture taken, they point their middle fingers... or cover their faces... Well, cute and all, but they are unnatural...(Taking pictures of models are different though obviously...)

So, what I like to do is to use a longer lens, so I can take picture of them from a far. This makes them appear in their natural way, which is what I want. These pictures although are not special or award winning, but they are definitely better than silly faces and middle fingers...

I just came back from Mamak Night organised by the students of University of Tasmania, which was simply a night gathering where they put up stalls to sell oriental food. So here are some candid portraits from the event...







The following two pictures seem to indicate what will happen to me in the near future... haha... I will not let it happen....





Here are some candids of the students playing Pool...









That's all for now...

14 May 2010

Creating my first cake...

Well... to be honest I'm not a huge fan of cakes. During any birthdays parties, I would often take a pass on the birthday cakes. Having said that, the cake I adore the most is chocolate and I dislike all the vanilla cakes I have tasted so far... I never take in more than one piece of cake at a time. I just don't crave for seconds...

Making a cake never cross my mind... until recently when I watched Masterchef Australia. The Black Forest cake during the Pressure Test looks so tasty, so I had to try it. The problem was, it was quite complicated to make, and I did not have the sophisticated utensils. So, there were a lot of estimating going on... and I simplified the recipe... Nevertheless, I made the cake with my wife and it turned out quite well, but definitely could be better.

For one the sponge did not rise enough so it wasn't delicately soft, probably overcooked it a bit but it turned out okay. So, in terms of texture, we did not nail it. We could not get fresh cherries, so we resulted to canned cherries which in my opinion, was a big letdown. We would have nailed the taste of the cake if we could get our hands on fresh cherries... Oh well...

On the bright side, the chocolate and the Mascarpone cream flavours were bang on... This is partly, they were easy to make and the flavour are already there, nothing much need to be done...

Here's the picture of a slice of the Black Forest cake....


As you can see, there is definitely room for improvement in the presentation, too...





And some pictures of my model posing with the slice of cake...

10 May 2010

Visual Journey: Stanley

My wife and I visited Stanley last Sunday, which is a small town in Tasmania, two and a halhours away from Launceston. It is famous for the Nut, a rock plug that for an extinct volcano. Tasmania has one like in the mainland, only smaller and surrounded by sea not the desert, hah...


The Nut, Stanley

We had some surprises with the weather because when we head out from Launceston, the weather was fine, but it soon changed as we are getting near to Stanley. The rain poured heavily but there were occasionally glimpses of clear skies and the sun. However, they did not last very long, before we knew it, the dark clouds reappeared and it rained heavily again.

My film rangefinder camera was equipped with a colour film, Fuji Pro 400H, hoping to capture Stanley in colour with fluffy clouds, like when I was in Wetlands. Obviously this wasn't the case. So I learnt the lesson to check the weather before hand and to equip my camera with the film when I reach there. This is because on cloudy days, black and white photos look better than colour as they can be rather dull.

Our first stop, the toilet of course... after two and a half hours...



Sorry, I can't show you how the ladies toilet look like, but you have an idea right? Pretty neat toilet if you ask me, with the clever use of daylight to save electricity and very spacious...







When we reach there, it drizzled and the sky, well cloudy and grey...no sun at all. I took some shots just in case, after all it took me two and a half hour to reach here. So we decided to have some lunch in the local town cafe. Initially we wanted to dine in a restaurant but it was Mother's Day, so it was fully booked for lunch. When I say the town is small I really mean it. The other place we could find food was a homely cafe just opposite, that's pretty much it... The cafe was very cozy and the menu is down to earth, very much homemade like. We both had scallop pies with salad and as expected, it was good, but it will cost you, AUD $ 13.50... Ouch...



As we had lunch, the skies cleared up, so we headed to the beach...













After we had enough goofing around at the beach, we head to the Nut, or rather up the Nut. You can either hike up ( it is pretty steep though) or simply take the chairlift up, Being us, we took the chairlift, only AUD $10, pretty cheap compared to the chairlift at the Gorge, Launceston. The scenery was good, but not breathtaking, if you know what I mean.

















Breathtaking or not... you be the judge, but worth to just come and see it for yourself if you ask me. On the Nut, the walk will take you approximately 45 minutes, worth a stroll around on the Nut.











Hope, you readers enjoy my journey to the Nut, that all for now...