How to Do Exposure Bracketing..

.. with a camera that doesn't have any?

Answer:

1. A good tripod
2. and tips from this site.

light frame: (note the overexposed gate area)

dark frame:

blended result:

..and a few more shots:

detail closeup (no post editing)

Ok.. the last 2 images weren't blended, it's just a single shot, but still with the tripod :) Just wanted to see how sharp the results are..

I am quite satisfied with the stability (of the tripod).. even while shifting exposures manually there is minimal shifting in the images.

Nikon D60

Yup it was announced already.. the new sibling of D40, the D60, which I was anticipating to fill in what the D40 SHOULD have - a built-in AF motor, and an AE bracketing feature. It could stay with 6MP for all I care -

Disappointingly none of these made it to the D60. In fact there is no difference at all, if there is, very subtle.. an anti-dust system, 10MP, and some other features which I don't give a shit about.

They even look exactly the same.

A real letdown.. dunno if that new EXPEED (same as the D3 and D300) processor makes a difference though.. We'll see.

I think Canon's leap from EOS 400D to 450D was more significant.

For now - zero excitement about this "update". If you can call it that. For D40 users, a significant upgrade is still the D80 or the D300 (if you've got the money to throw away).

Similarly when the D40x came shortly after the D40, I'd keep my fingers crossed for a possible D60x.

Stacked Cats

from oddplanet:

Enzo's Bike (Quad-ike)

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Time for first times - this time, Enzo's first bike :)

Nikkor AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm

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Travelling with several lenses can be annoying - it is too cumbersome to be carrying and changing different types of lens for every situation - landscapes, closeups, portraits, etc. What's more, those repeated changing of lenses will only increase the amount of dust in the camera sensor. Which is why I got this:

It is the Nikkor AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm, a perfect replacement for my 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses. The only setback is that it lacks VR (vibration reduction) which is important for focal lengths reaching 135mm (if the camera zooms to a very far subject, camera shake is more visible). Otherwise use a tripod. Which I did - paid for it - so might as well use it eh?

The other option I had was the 18-200mm, which has VR, but steeply priced at SGD1200 (it was SGD1800 last year). The 18-135mm is priced at SGD650 - but I got it for only SGD400, with a free UV filter thrown in by David of Alanphoto. Why the price cut? The 18-135mm is the kit lens for the D80, and while at the shop, a customer wanted to buy a D80 camera body only, but the store only had the D80 kits. So I offered to get the kit lens and the other customer can have his D80. On camera kits there is usually a price difference, in this case SGD150, and that's what I got. :) I just love good deals.

So from Funan, on to Padang, where the CNY festive lanterns are on display:)

Osaka and Kyoto, here I come :)

Shophouses

.A shophouse is a vernacular architectural building type that is both native and unique to urban Southeast Asia. This hybrid building form characterizes the historical centres of most towns and cities in the region.

BTR Temple in Semi Fisheye

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Uncle Plays the Harmonica

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CNY 2008 in Chinatown

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A Rat Year is a time of hard work, activity, and renewal. This is a good year to begin a new job, get married, launch a product or make a fresh start. Ventures begun now may not yield fast returns, but opportunities will come for people who are well prepared and resourceful. The best way for you to succeed is to be patient, let things develop slowly, and make the most of every opening you can find.

Another colorful set from Chinatown:

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

(all shots taken using AF (MF :D) 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor lens)

Cat @ E-Centre

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Makuha Ka sa Tingin

enzo took these shots :p

using only the manual focus 50mm, i think enzo is a better snapper than me :)

Enzo

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Bojo's Visit

jazz @ southridge, 16 jan 2008

Chinese Altar

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e-centre @ redhill carpark

Random Shots 3

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Stone Temple Pilots - Core

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Another song in my head, from Core:

Where the River Goes
Stone Temple Pilots

Yeah, I could hide in the calm of the eye of the storm

And never blow away

Well, I'm a young man with a knife to my back

Some things never seem to change

Nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide

Sing the song or keep it inside

Bought the farm, but the farmer done died

Sing that song, sing that song inside


I wish I could live in the dream
that I fly on the tarred & feathered wings

Well, I'm losing a game of reality

dice where the dealer never ever pays

Nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide

Sing the song or keep it inside

Bought the farm, but the farmer done died

Sing that song, sing that song inside


I wanna be as big as a mountain

I wanna fly as high as the sun

I wanna know what the rent's like in heaven

I wanna know where the river goes

If I was stronger

I could be a mountain range

If night was longer

Could I escape the day?

Where the river goes Where the river goes Where the river yeah

Where the river Where the river Where the river Where the river

Where the river goes

Jar of Flies

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This has got to be Alice in Chains' second best album.. after Dirt. It's a departure from their usual hardcore stuff, with more melodic songs, albeit edgy - but I am not into too much heavy stuff at the moment so I will enjoy this album for now..

60 Frames Per Second??

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Interesting..

Tripod

My colleague and Nikon D80 owner Daimin just got back from his vacation and voila - he got me this great tripod from China..! Same as what he bought for himself - which means this gizmo is pretty good :D Black aluminum and very stable.. it isn't branded, but the quality looks ok.. Lightweight and setting it up is quite easy. So much for my useless Nikon tripod freebie.. Yoohooooo

..it just looks weird with my D40 attached to it. The camera looks like a hamster sitting on a cow. hehehe..

Viewty

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..also known as LG KU990 Viewty, the alternative to the Iphone.. this one has a 5 megapixel camera (with AF, and up to ISO 800), can play DivX videos, and more..

drool drool drool drool drool drool

City Sunday Afternoon

rushing home

family strolling

lucky plaza

smiles

snack time

i dunno but this love affair with the 50mm lens is getting out of hand, it could possibly be the lens itself or the manual focus really makes better shots (i think). so maybe.. to hell with autofocus altogether. let's go manual. yeah!

Aperture

f/5.6, taken inside a cab

aperture of 1.8, for more depth of field

Here are some examples of aperture settings from my D40 using the 50mm lens. Aperture is the hole or opening where light passes through. In photography, aperture refers to the diameter of the aperture stop rather than the physical stop or the opening itself. For more detailed stuff regarding choosing the right aperture, click here. And here as well.

In cameras, low f-stops translate to greater DOF (depth of field) and more light is captured. The higher f-setting makes sharper images but decreases the amount of light being admitted.

aperture of 1.8, suitable for wedding portraits. extreme blurring of the subjects outside the focus range

aperture of 5.6, for general photography.. notice the slight blurring of the background

high apertures are ideal for landscapes, has minimum depth of field, and both foreground and background are in focus

Homeland

ortigas

santos

curly papaya

gumamela transparency

banana republic

durian deities

mommy

3D Post - Retail

In case you were wondering why my 50mm shots were taken in a shoe shop, this was the purpose for those:

Vray rendered, high settings, high resolution (3000x2250). Took the whole night to render each image.. a substantial amount of post processing was done in photoshop.

Cats Galore

cleopatra

cleo's lost siblings

mimoy - kuto attack

mimoy - siesta

mimoy - in his designer bed

enzo and cleo

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D Sample Shots

Dang.. Mir was right, this lens is addictive! Great for focus shots (the lens doesn't autofocus with the D40 by the way, but no matter), and for portraits. The low aperture setting creates great depth of field effects and cool shots under low light conditions.

This has replaced my 18-55mm lens kit for the time being. :)

Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8D

Happy New Year! Indeed!


.. got mine from Lords, Lucky Plaza, for only SGD175 plus a free UV lens filter. :) Can't wait to test this for portraits..