Pop-up Power
Sunburstin' Goodness
At the gates. 2pm, the ticket said, but there was no sign of allowable entry until 3pm!
I started a joke...
Reta don't need to she's naturally funny!
Two lenses were used primarily - my Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan and the Tamron 200-400mm F5.6 (in case I couldn't get within media shooting range of the stage.) This is the Tamron, hence that distant look.
Ooo, shinyyy.
Darn the belt!
Darn the rain!
Yeah, Sparta to you too.
"Is that guy on stage wearing diapers and only diapers?"
Yes, misdirected air kisses to you too.
Back in the Media Center, the air-conditioner is much welcome.
Outside, girls screamed for Brandon Boyd!
Replies: 14
Drifting Away
I don't have a clue what cars they are, or what event this is, but I do know they should be good ol' rear wheel drives and this is a drift event. I was just walking from my office to Bukit Jalil STAR LRT station, I swear!
"Dude are you recording this?"
"Yeah, I am!"
"I didn't hit anybody yay!"
A touch of modern.
Hold on, freeze that!
"Dude are you recording this?"
"Yeah, I am!"
"I didn't hit anybody yay!"
A touch of modern.
Hold on, freeze that!
Replies: 10
Assorted Geeking Out
The toilet bowl diffuser I bought for fun, mainly because it came with four color gels. FOUR color gels! Of course, all four colors were quite useless for matching flash color to ambient light. The red and yellow gels didn't match tungsten, and the green didn't match flourescent. At least they make funky colors.
Also, knowing how I can bounce against walls better has reduced the necessity of this.
Macdude's baby carriage. 
Sometime back, I tried the Canon 24mm F3.5 Tilt-shift. This was at F3.5. Yes, F3.5!
Vivitar 24mm F2.0 Tilt-shift is way brighter, and has more flexibility when it comes to tilting as it is not limited to one axis.
Big type.
Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan at 70mm F4.
Can't say I like that kind of rendition, but it works great for portraits.
<br><br>It's also slow on the A700, and even slower on the A100! The CZ 24-70mm meanwhile is the fastest SSM I've ever tried, with instant response and focus. Of course, the CZ isn't reknowned for bokeh but I'd take it any day over the portraitish 28-70mm.<br><br>Ironically, a Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 I tried had a similiar portraitish look, but softer and with a touch of minor CA. The Konica Minolta 28-75mm F2.8 was sharp as they come, though!<br><br><img src=)
Then came the extreme geeks. I had met my matches. Ament's BP-200 wired into the remote shutter release of his A100. Tape on hotshoe to tighten flash fit.
No wait, it gets even cooler!
I repeat, DO NOT!
Left to right: Minolta MD Rokkor 50mm F1.4, Minolta MC 28mm F2.5, Vivitar 24mm F2.0.
 and the Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm F3.5.<br><br><img src=)
The Minolta 28-70mm F2.8G is a handsome chunky lens.
Replies: 5
SAL70300, G!
A700 with Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan.
Not so invisible when sniping. Chunky body, but it looks very industrial, like the Carl Zeiss 24-70mm F2.8 SSM or the Sony Carl Zeiss 85mm F1.4. The single barrel is sexy.
Left: Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan; right: Sony 70-300mm F4.5-5.6G SSM. The Sony is shorter and stumpier. Solid build.
Full extension + hood. I sincerely hope Sony doesn't go the Canon way; that is, design oversized lenses to attract men who seek to compensate. Minolta had always kept its lenses conservatively small, and lenses didn't have to be big if they didn't have to.
The hood does not have a sliding window to access polarizers. This may be a minus point for some people, but I don't use a polarizer on a telephoto lens.
<br><br>Note the protruding front element on the Sony teleconverter, which prevents about all Sony lenses except the Sony 70-200mm F2.8G SSM, Sony 300mm F2.8G SSM and Sony 135mm F2.8/T4.5 Smooth Transition Focus from being mounted. Yes, the Sony teleconverter does not work with the Sony 70-300mm F4.5-5.6G SSM. :(<br><br><img src=){kind=spacer}
The rear side; note the amount of clearance! My guess is that Sony teleconverters are matched to the big Gs which is why they are so frontward.
EXIF included. Sharpness? All there!
In comparison, this is from the Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan - magenta/green LCA is very apparent. I prefer these classic Minolta colors.
100mm F5 with the Sony 70-300mm F4.5-5.6G SSM.
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Replies: 2
Mountin' Olympus
On the other end is 12000 Kelvin.
Kelvin WB in Live View. You have to hold down the EV button while rolling the dial though. The Sony A300/A350 puts their WB on the left of the screen so you get a clear view of the scene, while the Nikon D300/D3 puts it at the bottom if I remember correctly. Either way, it's great to be able to set Kelvin WB in Live View.
The Live View Imager AF mode is AWESOME!
I used the camera exclusively in Live View, because Imager AF was pretty alright for a contrast-detect AF system! This was a lot faster than the trodding, misfocusing tripod-mode Nikon D300, or the slightly faster Canon EOS 450D. It felt like an old, slow point-and-shoot... but this was still ages beyond the D300 or 450D.
The lens used was the Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-42mm F3.5-5.6, a compact little wonder.
I didn't even have time to check if the optical viewfinder showed all the settings inside, which Olympus has never failed to do, and I salute them for that.
Of course, the tilting-mirror system that is in the Sony A300/A350 gives phase-detect AF which is still the fastest AF in Live View, but this comes pretty close! I can only imagine if a 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 SWD was mounted on this...
. By the time the mirror went down and came up, the image recorded 0:00:10.07. 1.07 second shutter lag.<br><br><img src=)
When I shot it, it said 0:00:34 ST 05. It recorded at 0:00:35.32. A variable shutter lag?
If not for this shutter lag in Live View, which was a bit too long, I'd already be dreaming about this camera all night. The E-420 with 25mm F2.8 pancake is something that would be appreciated very much by casual shooters who want a little pocketable buddy. Get a waist pouch and a FL-36R and you're set for anything. And maybe a grappling hook, should foot zoom only get you so far.
Replies: 3
Quinteye
And now, for the leftover shots from a March 9th 2008 Putrajaya outing with a bunch of Sony Alpha 700 cameras!
Part One here.
Nic gets full blast.
KJ conjures a shoe.
...I don't even know where the towel came from eh, KJ?
(Thanks y'all!)
As for alignment, we used a yo-yo string (thanks Ewin!), though anything with variable length shouldn't be used. Height was compared to a pillar nearby, with a F56 mounted, pointed straight up. To check levelness, the top of the F56 was compared to a fixed point of the pillar using a mobile phone, and the camera plus tripod was rotated to ensure evenness.
EXIF?
18mm F8 1/5s ISO400, 5500 Kelvin White Balance.
Johnathan
Clive Ngu
KJ
Fook
Ewin
Norfazli
Chloe
Thank you for your A700 cameras:
Templar
Harry Choo
Nic
KJ
Albert
I have a more refined idea that can do a 360 degree rotation. Till the next time!
Part One here.
Nic gets full blast.KJ conjures a shoe....I don't even know where the towel came from eh, KJ?
(Thanks y'all!)
As for alignment, we used a yo-yo string (thanks Ewin!), though anything with variable length shouldn't be used. Height was compared to a pillar nearby, with a F56 mounted, pointed straight up. To check levelness, the top of the F56 was compared to a fixed point of the pillar using a mobile phone, and the camera plus tripod was rotated to ensure evenness.
EXIF?
18mm F8 1/5s ISO400, 5500 Kelvin White Balance.
JohnathanClive Ngu
KJ
Fook
Ewin
Norfazli
Chloe
Thank you for your A700 cameras:
Templar
Harry Choo
Nic
KJ
Albert
I have a more refined idea that can do a 360 degree rotation. Till the next time!
Replies: 10
Walkin
The Apartment Acoustic
Reza Salleh.
Jazzy Bo...
Chimping.
Yuna! Superb voice.
Mia Palencia makes a guest entry with a cute vocal guitar solo. She rocks, yo!
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Replies: 5
Project: Have A Cookie!
Project: Have A Cookie!This guy ate his cookie before I could take a picture of it.
A much more patient cookie eater.
Yes you can have your cookie and eat it too!
Vig takes photos, engineers sound and eats cookies. As I fiddled with the focus ring of my 50mm F1.4, he asked me if it was a manual focus lens. No, I said - he's a bit low contrast. Am I mean, or did I just have a cookie for myself?
Funny thing is, at work, I give out cookies too. Except that digital cookies don't make anyone happy.
Replies: 6
Dig Be Marie
Yes, this Japanese-Irish mix is singing to a MIX FM microphone.
Lydia look she looks like you here!
While I sing, my barely-photographed guitarist will tune up.
She didn't do any covers other than Rihanna - Umbrella I think.
Replies: 12
Feeling Feline
Spot the cat.
They walk by, get some strokes, some attention, some cat calls, and then they leave and jump onto whichever lap they like.
You know the science; cats lick themselves clean and are apparently cleaner than dogs. Or so we're told.
Stares.
There are ultimately behavioral differences between cats and dogs - dogs are loyal to their owners. Dogs don't steal fish. Dogs guard. Dogs wag their tails in happiness.
What does a cat do when it is happy?
Replies: 7
A01 on the A700
Here's my test of the new Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 A01, for Canon EF mount, held mount-to-mount in front of my Sony Alpha 700. All shots at ISO1600, Aperture Priority (not that it would've made any difference since I had no way of controlling the aperture.) Lens focused to infinity, but its focus would actually be somewhere around 1.3 meters because the lens is too far from the sensor plane and thus has a extension tube effect.
Due to this, the lens being at infinity, the lens may actually be sharper due to it being at infinity with an "extension tube" rather than actual internal focus element movement.
1/80s. Out-of-focus bokeh test.
1/50s. It handles lower-contrast nearby subjects nicely, with a certain glow about them. There's a tinge of LCA but it is done pleasantly, familiar to Minolta lenses I have.
1/100s. I love the green LCA behind the lens. However the front purplish LCA is almost never as welcome as its green counterpart. Some other lenses have reddish instead of magentaish front LCA, which I prefer.
1/60s. Oops, minor flare due to light leakage from handheld lens mounting. Still, it retains texture well.
 so it <b>MAY</b> focus faster (and even faster if future bodies have stronger focus screw drives.)<br><br>Oh, and Super SteadyShot will help.<br><br>Likewise for the Pentax version - their Anti-Shake will help loads.<br><br>Note that the shutter speeds I posted are of almost no relevance - I don't even remember what focal lengths I shot each picture at! Some people have the capability to tell focal lengths by the perspective of the picture so consult one of them.<br><br>The Tamron's minimum focusing distance of 0.95 meters is amazing - it gets you to 1:3.1 magnification, a record-breaking magnification for a 70-200mm F2.8 lens. Meanwhile, the Sony 70-200mm F2.8G SSM does 1.2 meters, the Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan does 1.1 meters, the Canon 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM does 1.5 meters.<br><br>Now there's gonna be somebody who complains that there are no hot chicks in any of these pictures. Well sir I say, bring your own model to the shop and test the lens on her.</div><br><font size=)
Due to this, the lens being at infinity, the lens may actually be sharper due to it being at infinity with an "extension tube" rather than actual internal focus element movement.
1/80s. Out-of-focus bokeh test.
1/50s. It handles lower-contrast nearby subjects nicely, with a certain glow about them. There's a tinge of LCA but it is done pleasantly, familiar to Minolta lenses I have.
1/100s. I love the green LCA behind the lens. However the front purplish LCA is almost never as welcome as its green counterpart. Some other lenses have reddish instead of magentaish front LCA, which I prefer.
1/60s. Oops, minor flare due to light leakage from handheld lens mounting. Still, it retains texture well.
Replies: 2
It's A Kodak
Now for some full-frame shots from my Minolta Dynax 7, with Kodak Gold ASA 400 film! Somehow I still prefer Fujifilm color.
Mike's Carl Zeiss 135mm F1.8! The tiny depth of field gets better on larger formats.
<br><br><img src=)
dx_myrddraal's 50mm F1.7. Still sharp as heck wide open (since it's stuck there, hope you got its blades unstuck)!
17mm F2.8.
Mike's Carl Zeiss 135mm F1.8! The tiny depth of field gets better on larger formats.
dx_myrddraal's 50mm F1.7. Still sharp as heck wide open (since it's stuck there, hope you got its blades unstuck)!
17mm F2.8.
Replies: 5
City Geeking
Combine them all (minus my Tamron 1.4x teleconverter, which has a nub in front that disallows any other teleconverter to be in front) to get a crazy, crazy magnifier.
That's the N of a Panasonic AA battery.
And later, I found Ahmik3 returning from a bungee jump with an electromagnetic device transplanted in him.
Replies: 7
Extraplanetary Vegetation
Nipple-pinchin' Reuben.
Tattoo-bearin' gig-organizin' Eddy of Triple6Poser.
Chain-smokin' blues-rockin' Khai.
Ghani of Jack And The Howling Wolf.
Replies: 0
Ziel Beached
Vivitar 24mm F2.0 Tilt-shift 1/8s ISO3200.Exposure data included in case you wonder what's up with the bokeh and how the A700 fares at ISO3200 when used at web size (and correlatively, small prints.)
24mm F2.0 TS 1/60s ISO1600. Raffique the angry rocker!
50mm F1.4 1/40s ISO1600. Rudy the drummer I always bump into!
90mm F4 1/40s ISO3200. Raffique pulls a John Mayer face.
50mm F1.4 1/80s ISO3200. I love flashing at ISO3200 - you get loads of ambient light, especially hairlight, even at 1/80s as well.
50mm F1.4 1/160s ISO3200. The next band played classic rock and heavy metal covers. I think they were called The Rock Show if the sign says so. I don't know.
50mm F1.4 1/15s ISO3200. All hail Sony's Super SteadyShot!
24mm F2.0 TS 1/13s ISO3200. That's all folks!
Replies: 6
Girl Power
17th February 2008: No Black Tie Unplugged with a special flava - girls only.
Yuna (who is cool in that fresh-out-of-Myspace-with-songs-written-years-ago kinda way.)
Najwa the awesome R&B/soul/jazz keyster. However, she tuned down the intensity and emotion of my favorite song of hers, and it lost its impact.
I like intense songs performed... intensely. Don't hold back!
Mia Palencia, who needs no introduction!
Who? Which artiste had Adam Carruthers as emcee?
Cheryl!
Reta! And what is going on to the right?
Colbie Caillat, MySpace graduate!
She played quite a bit of songs. To me however, there was something missing - song dynamics. It had an unwavering level of energy. I also felt the vocals to be a bit soft, such that the guitars' consistency overrides and made her performance rather... flat.
No prizes for guessing which song this prop was released at!
Yuna (who is cool in that fresh-out-of-Myspace-with-songs-written-years-ago kinda way.)
Najwa the awesome R&B/soul/jazz keyster. However, she tuned down the intensity and emotion of my favorite song of hers, and it lost its impact.I like intense songs performed... intensely. Don't hold back!
Mia Palencia, who needs no introduction!Who? Which artiste had Adam Carruthers as emcee?
Cheryl!Reta! And what is going on to the right?Colbie Caillat, MySpace graduate!
She played quite a bit of songs. To me however, there was something missing - song dynamics. It had an unwavering level of energy. I also felt the vocals to be a bit soft, such that the guitars' consistency overrides and made her performance rather... flat.
No prizes for guessing which song this prop was released at!
Replies: 6
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