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July 15, 2006

Adding another to the camera collection

Ever since the Canon EOS 5D was announced last August, I've lusted after its full-frame goodness. After almost a year of consideration, I've decided to purchase a 5D. Canon seems to follow an 18 month cycle for releasing new SLR cameras, so I'm hitting the end tail of the 5D's life, but with a shutter lifetime of 100,000, it should last me a few years (although I estimate that my current 20D has over the course of the past 18 months taken close to 30,000 pictures). I'm looking forward to fieldtesting the 5D in the Tour de Comic Con next week, though I suspect that for the majority of the distance shots the 20D with 1.6x crop factor might fare better (and thus the telephoto will be on the 20D). While I see my camera related expenditures dropping substantially after this, I'll need to get a flash eventually for the 5D. One of the interesting things about this upgrade is that my lenses (with the exception of the 20D kit lens) are now a bit more versatile -- for instance, the 50 prime that I have will be a 50 prime on the 5D and also an 80 prime on the 20D.

UPDATE: It looks like the Comic-Con fieldtest for the 5D is not going to happen -- Amazon is being a little slow about shipping it out.

Posted by Michael Huang at 09:32 PM | | Comments (4)

July 12, 2006

Wow...

The Canon EOS 20D SLR camera doesn't have the capability to film video, but director Patryk Krebisz took 2,000 stills using a Canon EOS 20D, stitched them together and created a short film called "Between You and Me".

Posted by Michael Huang at 10:03 AM | | Comments (0)

March 13, 2006

Found Camera

A few weeks ago, I posted about Judith's lost camera, which had been lost (and found) during a trip to Hawaii. There is a resolution to the story, in that her lost camera was returned. She posts on her blog:

How did you get the camera back?

It basically comes down to being very lucky on a few different fronts.

1) I lost the camera in a national park, which gave me access to a centralized lost-and-found system and really great people whose job is reuniting people with their lost property. It also meant that the law was very clear: nothing is to be removed from a national park. Though this law is of course meant to protect the artifacts and wildlife in our parks, it also covers found objects. If I'd lost the camera elsewhere, I think it would have been much harder to recover.

2) The fact that the family did not live in the US meant that the "or else" part of the "return it or else" equation actually had some teeth - as I understand it, the park police would have been able to issue a warrant that would potentially bar the family from entering the US if it came up at a border check.

Posted by Michael Huang at 05:25 PM | | Comments (0)

March 07, 2006

Canon EOS 30D vs. 20D

I've been asked a couple of times since the EOS 30D was announced if I was planning on selling my EOS 20D to trade up for a 30D. Let's look at the new features offered by the EOS 30D:
  • larger LCD
  • spot metering
  • ISO display in the viewfinder
  • RGB histograms
  • larger image buffer
  • more shots per battery charge
  • optional 3fps “slow” shooting speed
  • Picture Style modes from the 5D and 1D MKII N
  • improvements in image management
  • the “list” price is $1399
It's a pretty substantial list of upgrades. Of these features, there's only 2 that I would really notice -- spot metering and the ISO display in the viewfinder.The battery charge on the 20D is excellent -- I've taken over 750 shots and not had the battery usage drop past half.

I can live without most of the other features. I've put a hold on my camera related purchases for the moment -- a full frame camera will likely be my next purchase when I can afford it -- at that point I may consider selling the 20D (but probably won't, as it is always handy to have a second camera body around).

Posted by Michael Huang at 08:37 AM | | Comments (0)

February 16, 2006

Through the Looking Glass

In 2002, while the World Cup was being played in Japan, a few friends and I spent a week in Tokyo. We travelled through the urban sprawl of the city, living in Shinjuku at night and travelling during the day. A world that is very close to ours, but still very different. These pictures were taken at a time when I knew far less about photography. Judge accordingly.

Flickr: Japan 2002 (132 photos)
DSC00127DSC00129 DSC00015 DSC00062 DSC00053 DSC00027

Posted by Michael Huang at 11:00 PM | | Comments (0)

February 05, 2006

Following the Jello Brick Road

I have a bad habit when it comes to uploading photographs. Either I put them up on Flickr right away, or I never get around to putting them up.

Flickr: Reconsidered Materials and the Exploratorium

V0000010 F0000027

Posted by Michael Huang at 01:41 PM | | Comments (0)

January 23, 2006

Down Under the Sea

5607a.jpg

Nudibranchs and their snail-related cousins form one of the subdivisions (Subclass Opisthobranchia) within Mollusca. Nudibranchs are found in reefs, and range in size from a few millimeters to a 40 to 50 centimeters. Their name means naked gill, and there are over 11,000 species in the world.

Gary Cobb's photo collection of Nudibranchs from Sunshine Coast, Australia

Posted by Michael Huang at 10:01 AM | | Comments (0)

January 16, 2006

New Canon Digital SLR coming soon?

This is a speculative prediction from me that by June we will see an announcement for a new Digital SLR. It just seems to me that we've been seeing a lot of discounts from Canon lately, and it seems to me that Canon tends to discount heavily before the announcement of a new DSLR. Shortly before the announcement of the 5D, the EOS 20D was being discounted by nearly every online vendor. While the Digital Rebel XT is currently seeing heavy discounts, it may be time for Canon to add a new camera to fit the area inbetween 5D and 20D. My hope is that it will be a full-frame Digital SLR, however there is no need currently for Canon to release such a model; they are not in danger of losing DSLR customers anytime soon.

Posted by Michael Huang at 06:00 PM | | Comments (0)

January 01, 2006

Happy New Year!

A new year, a new blog. I've found that I've been increasingly posting about digital photography, so I've begun to set up a Digital Photography Blog, concentrating on digital photography and all the various news I pick up about the subject.

Posted by Michael Huang at 12:02 AM | | Comments (0)

December 28, 2005

How to Photograph Your Life: Capturing Everyday Moments with Your Camera and Your Heart


by Nick Kelsh
I had some reservations when I opened up this book -- with a spiral binding and a hard cardboard cover seeing this book reminded me of those fifteen dollar craft books that would teach you juggling or magic tricks. This however, is not a book full of parlor tricks, but rather a practical book on how to take pictures of everyday moments. It's not a heavily technical book, but it does do what I like photography books to do -- show you bad or amateur photos and then show an improved photo from the same location, as well as some explanation as to what was done to make it better.

What is even more impressive is that all the photos in the book came from a point and shoot digital camera (owned by the author's wife, in fact) further illustrating that composing the shot is much more important than any other factor.

It is a book geared more for amateurs than for professionals, but even pros can pick up a few good tips or two from reading this book.

Posted by Michael Huang at 09:51 PM | | Comments (0)

December 27, 2005

Advanced Digital Photography Techniques


by Tom Ang
When I look at a book titled 'Advanced Digital Photography Techniques', I expect a couple of things from said book such as it actually being about digital photography. This book feels more like a repackaged Photoshop 7 book with a 32 page introduction to digital photography than what it is advertised as being. Now, for those without a bookshelf full of Photoshop already, this book covers admirably the basic Photoshop tools of burn and dodge, different brushes, masking, channels and the rest. It is not, however, a photography book. Your photography skills will not improve from reading this book, however your photoshop skills may. The Photoshop techniques imparted do not seem intended for a photographer, but rather for a graphic designer.

Posted by Michael Huang at 06:25 PM | | Comments (0)

December 22, 2005

eBay ® Photos That Sell : Taking Great Product Shots for eBay and Beyond


by Dan Gookin, Robert Birnbach
If one takes a look at the items up for sale on eBay, many of the items have pictures. Some of them are stock photos from the manufacturer's website, but the great majority of them are amateur photos taken with a digital camera. The photographic quality of eBay is usually on the lower end of the amateur scale, filled with distracting elements, flash reflections and a host of other problems. The goal of this book is to teach the reader how to take product photos that sell.

The authors of the book do an excellent job of guiding the reader through the process, from the initial setup to taking the photos, to editing them in software. This is a rather non-technical book, and the focus is definitely on the photography and not the image manipulation aspect of product photography. It is written to be understood by the beginner, but has useful tips for advanced photographers as well.

The book is filled with pictures to provide examples of how to transform an everyday object into a visually appealing photograph. The advice and tips given in the book helps beginners solve the common problems of home photography. It is an excellent introduction to product photography and a valuable reference book that no photographer (or eBay seller) should be without.

eBay ® Photos That Sell : Taking Great Product Shots for eBay and Beyond
Dan Gookin, Robert Birnbach
2004, 172 pages
$20
Available at Amazon

Posted by Michael Huang at 02:46 PM | | Comments (0)

December 21, 2005

Photorealistic Texture Maps Through Inverse Panorama Photography

As soon as I saw this photo from panocamera.com on Boing Boing, I knew instantly what it was -- a hi-res cylindrical texture map for a 3d game.

hirestexturemap.jpg
I was hoping there would be a few more photos, but the explanation of how it was done should inspire other 3d artists to do the same, creating some really photorealistic texture maps in the future.

Posted by Michael Huang at 05:38 PM | | Comments (0)

December 13, 2005

Review: 100 Ways to Take Better Photographs


by Michael Busselle
I've reached the point where I want to learn how to upgrade the photographer. For that purpose, I've been checking out books from the library, and reading up and learning all I can about photography. I checked out 100 Ways To Take Better Photographs with high hopes that there would be some worthwhile tips within the book, but this book really isn't a how-to book, but rather like a list of suggestions of where and when one can take photographs.

Posted by Michael Huang at 12:31 AM | | Comments (0)

November 08, 2005

Eight Things for November 8th

  1. My trip to Taiwan has been postponed. I've already had hours of fun playing with the new lenses. I'm really enjoying the 50mm as a general purpose lens and the 16-35 for the wide angle capabilities (although at 16, there's quite a bit of fisheye effect). I've also been using the 75-300 lens quite a bit for taking photographs of celestial objects.
  2. 3 Mini-Flickr Sets:
  3. The first two sets were taken from my driveway, while Venus was taken from the parking lot at work.
  4. I'm struggling with my writing. I want to just throw it all away, but at the same time, I know I can do this.
  5. I played electrician with my car for 3 hours today -- the GPS still doesn't work. All the electrical appears to be working. $70 dollars to diagnose the problem if I send it in to Pioneer.
  6. I didn't vote this year. My absentee ballot never came.
  7. I just found out about geeks.com, and now I want to be like 'Q' (from James Bond) and create interesting new stuff.
  8. It's definitely quota time. I saw 5 cops cruising about today.

Posted by Michael Huang at 09:39 PM | | Comments (3)

November 05, 2005

Op/Tech USA Classic Strap

One of the things I've always disliked about the Canon EOS 20D has been the low-quality camera strap that is included with it. Most likely the reason for this is that if you are buying a professional-grade camera, you're going to end up buying a better strap, but if they don't buy a better strap, the user can become a walking advertisement for Canon.

There's a couple of problems with the Canon freebie strap. First, it's one of those basic nylon/plastic straps, with a small patch of leather to provide grip -- while it's durable, it's not the most comfortable of straps. Second, it has the words "Canon", "EOS" and "Digital" boldly running across the strap making it easy for would-be thieves to identify it as a digital Canon camera.

After nearly a year of owning my camera, I finally bought my replacement strap, the Classic Strap from Op/Tech USA. The Classic Strap is made of soft neoprene, is extremely comfortable to wear, has no identifying marks whatsoever, and even includes quick disconnects. It can be worn as a shoulder or a neck strap, and can be used for cameras, video cameras and binoculars.

Available from Amazon.Com.
Manufactured by Op/Tech USA

Posted by Michael Huang at 05:32 PM | | Comments (0)

October 28, 2005

New Canon Firmware

Canon just released some new firmware for the EOS20D and EOS350D (Digital Rebel XT):
  • EOS 20D Version 2.0.3
    1. Fixes a problem in color temperature information transmission that occurred when using Speedlite 430EX
    2. Improves reliability in communicaion when using CF cards.
  • EOS 350D/Digital Rebel XT Version 1.0.3
    1. Fixes the phenomenon of shots being unable to be taken when using the remote controller RC-1.
    2. Fixes the phenomenon wherein the camera continues to scroll through images being played back.
    3. Improves reliability in communication when using some CF cards.

Posted by Michael Huang at 03:49 PM | | Comments (0)

September 21, 2005

Flickr: Terry Pratchett and FlickrFiesta

Two new Photosets are up: FlickrFiesta on the Yahoo! campus, as well as a couple of photos of Terry Pratchett to go along with kwc's notes on Terry Pratchett at Books Inc. in Mountain View.

Posted by Michael Huang at 10:35 AM | | Comments (0)

August 26, 2005

5D or 20D?

In an article entitled Canon EOS 5D or 20D? , Bob Atkins examines the merits of both cameras, coming to the bottom-line conclusion that:
  • If you're an ultratelephoto fan and tend to shoot all your zoom lenses at maximum extension as well as hauling around the longest telephoto lens that you can afford and carry, then you may well be better off buying an EOS 20D than an EOS 5D - at least you'd have an extra $2000 to put towards those big lenses!
  • If you're a midrange shooter with a good selection of lenses so you have all your focal length needs covered, you'll get higher technical quality images from an EOS 5D than an EOS 20D. If you make your living from photography, perhaps selling stock or doing editorial work, the full frame EOS 5D could well be worth the higher cost.
  • If you're a dedicated wideangle shooter who can never get a wide enough lens and can't live without the coverage of a circular fisheye lens, then the 5D might make you happier than the 20D.

Posted by Michael Huang at 10:31 AM | | Comments (0)

August 22, 2005

New Canon Cameras

kwc beat me to posting about the announcement of Canon's new EOS-5D digital camera, but the 5D is rather blogworthy, and is going on my wishlist as the successor to my 20D.

The really cool feature about this camera is that the sensor is full-frame (a feature which had previously been restricted to Canon's top-of-the-line EOS-1D series). Interestingly enough, Canon also released the EOS-1D Mark II N, a superfast version of their old EOS-1D (surprisingly, this 1D appears to not use the full-frame CMOS sensor in the EOS-1Ds Mk. II).

Posted by Michael Huang at 02:44 PM | | Comments (0)

July 05, 2005

New Flickr Photosets

I've just done a My photosets massive dump of photographs onto Flickr.

New additions:

Posted by Michael Huang at 12:25 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 23, 2005

The Digital Camera Primer

Bleusky left me a comment asking for recommendations on purchasing a digital camera. I actually get this question quite often, and this is what I usually tell people:

Choosing a digital camera is a very personal experience, because no one other than yourself knows exactly how you will use it. That being said, most people also don't really know what features they want out of a digital camera until you start asking them questions about how they plan on using the camera.

  • How will you use this camera?
    Will you be taking a lot of still subject photographs? Or will you be planning on taking a lot of candid shots? Are you taking a lot of night/low-light shots or shots in broad daylight? Do you intend on taking video/audio with this camera?
    Cameras these days have a dazzling array of features to fit a variety of lifestyles and purposes. Your goal should be to find one that fits your needs and has the feature set you want.
  • Where would you like your camera to fit?
    This question determines the size of the digital camera. There are quite a few that will fit comfortably in a purse or backpack, versus one that will require a camera bag.
  • How much resolution do you want?
    Resolution of the camera is measured in megapixels. The more megapixels, the higher the resolution, and also the more space it takes up on the memory card. Resolution matters only for dealing with enlargements. For most people who never make prints larger than 4x6 or 5x7, 2 - 3 megapixels is fine. For people who are making 20x30 prints to display, they will want a higher megapixel resolution.
  • How much zoom do you want?
    How close up or far away do you plan on being from the subject? Zoom is usually given in two sets of numbers, one for optical zoom, and another for digital zoom. Optical zoom is the real capability of the camera, digital zoom is basically pixel-doubling, and should be ignored.
  • What is your budget for a digital camera?
    This tells you the price range of where you should be looking. The more features and settings you want, typically the more expensive the camera becomes. General price figures are as follows: Consumer-quality price range: $200-$500
    Prosumer-quality price range: $600-1500
    Professional-quality: $5000+

    After you answer these questions, it's relatively easy to find a camera that fits your budget and your needs, and you can check Digital Photography Reviews' gallery for what you can expect out of the camera.

    For bleusky's situation, I think it's fairly easy to find a good point and shoot camera, the most difficult part will be in finding one that does nighttime well. I don't know what you plan on capturing in low light situations, a flash usually works well for most things, unless you're really close up(overexposure) or far away (too dim). Most cameras also have a nightime function that works moderately well (if people remember to use it). Canon also just released the EOS-20Da, a digital SLR camera with specialized astronomy functions, but I think the price is out of the range of most consumers.

    A list of cameras I've used is in the extended entry.

    Continue reading "The Digital Camera Primer" »

    Posted by Michael Huang at 06:46 PM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)