Street Photography

Street photography shows a lot about the people around us.
In the most natural way, you get to see people in their relaxed expression and antics.

For this purpose i got myself a Canon SX30IS so that i can take these shots from far away without getting anyone uncomfortable or alerted. The last thing you want is to have someone posing for you.

Although the IQ of this superzoom compact sucks, nevertheless it allows me to take photos which otherwise would have been impossible.

A letter to my friends....

Here is a letter i just wrote to 2 of my friends. I will be ditching out this advice to all my friends.


Hi,

Try not to assume anything and read until finish as much as some content here is nothing new.

I wrote this with one intention in mind. Help my buddies save money and get the best camera.
As you all know i have acquired some cameras and finalize on the Foveon which i deemed as providing the sharpest
and most satisfactory image. But as some of you are also aware, it have some limitations on low light scenarios although i find
them not such an issue.

On the other hand having a great sensor is just 30% of the real story. That is what this writeup is about.
Yes, sensors are only 30% of the equation to a great camera, not even 50%.
What are the other factors that i find very important?

First of all, let us agree on one thing, none of us here are professional photographers and most likely will never be one. This writeup
is not for professional of which u have no choice but to use a full frame dslr.

- sensor
30%. As mentioned having dslr quality sensor is important as "physics" make things like "bokeh" and other qualities impossible if you use a
small sensor. There is an exception to this though...which i will mention later.

- lens
Yup this is another 30% of the equation. No matter how good your sensor or camera seems to be, the Lens will be your limiting
factor. How important is this? If your lens is not meant for macro for eg, u will have crap macro shots no matter how good your camera is.
If your lens have no zoom capability you can forget about taking certain shots that a crap sensor with longer reach optical zoom could take.
And a slow lens makes low light usage sucks, a fast lens eg 1.8 or 1.4 makes low light usage much better.
This means if u got an DSLR sensor but a lousy lens, ur image will end up looking like a compact camera with a moderate lens.

- mobility
30%
This is where ilyas can smile all day long for sticking to this. As much as i hate to admit, carrying a DLSR around is not really productive
especially if the trip you have is on a same place (Eg a beach or a fix location). It is much better used if you move around diff locations which makes
the shot worthy of the dslr. On the other hand, shooting models or family portraits using dslr is a bliss but that is more like "shooting session" instead
of short trips or vacation. So Cy is right on this, carrying a dslr around if you go to Sg or some not so exotic place isn't really fun.

Now for the conclusion. If any of you jokers ever plan to get a camera. Get a 4/3 camera. Ilyas, u may argue that if u get something like 4/3 u might
as well get dlsr, well, that is not an accurate reasoning. This year alone, all the major glass makers, Carl Weiss, Sigma, M.Sch, Leica all pledge to support
4/3 lenses. 4/3 uses a sensor that is at least 3-4 times bigger than the best compact but smaller that a dslr, but since its smaller, smaller lenses can also
be made to fit it. I would say the output of a 4/3 is perfect for non-professional and the mobility factor is not much diff than a compact at all, minus
the limitations of any compact.

4/3 pledges : Sigma
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1102/11020915sigmacsclenses.asp

4/3 pledges : Carl Zeiss
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1102/11020718zeissjoinsmicrfourthirds.asp

4/3 pledges : Schneider
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1102/11020405schneiderkreuznachmicrofourthirds.asp

These cameras are now known as EVIL. I believe there are rumors that Nikon and Canon will be joining in soon.

So, if u ever going to get another camera, get a 4/3. As for me, its going to be a LONG wait since i Sigma won't be releasing
a 4/3 camera....maybe GXR might have hope for a 4/3 mount....

- cheers

Beautiful houses @ Puchong Sky Villa

Today i visited a new housing area @ puchong. Its called Sky Villa. It was around 1pm and i looked up the sky and for that fleeting instance i notice this view. There are no special effects applied to it. The pole on the left is a lightning pole, its located just behind one of these houses.

These new houses are just beautiful. Pricey but beautiful.







Here is a view from the back of one of the house. It can oversee some parts of Puchong.




The first photo was such a decisive moment shot that i will be submitting it to a contest.
Apparently there is a X100 contest.
Refer to here

Tree of life

Tree of Life

The road is narrow neither does beauty surrounds it. Death and destruction lies waste on each side of the road. Move onward Jane, the road will lead u to my soul.

A new restaurant @ IOI business Park

Many years ago, Water Lily opened up in IOI business park, Puchong Malaysia.
The owner have opened up many similar restaurants since and this particular branch is not as profitable as those others. Water lily have now closed down and another new restaurant have taken over.

Note : These are taken using Ricoh GXR A12 50mm

Settlers and shelters

This is taken just outside a row of houses that are built more than 20 years ago. In Malaysia it used to be a norm for these kind of houses to be built, houses with decent prices with a view towards an empty garden that is shared.
The garden served as a gathering and playground for children and adult alike. Parking alongside the 4 side of these garden is also a blessing.


Nowadays the house pricing in Malaysia is crazy. Driven by greedy people who keep on buying houses and selling them, the poor finds it hard to own a house while the rich and greedy folks keep inflating the prices. As a result of this, there are now less and less low cost houses and more of just elite houses and what used to be a normal house (double storey terrace house) are now considered luxurious homes. Developers seems to ride in on this bubble and focuses a lot on developing such homes and selling at prices that are 40% above what it was just 3 years ago. I guess they haven't learned anything from the USA sub-primes incident.

SD15

I finally got my SD15 that i ordered from USA, along with the 17-50mm OS Sigma lens.
After using the DP2 for sometime i know that "shakes" is the main obstacle on using Sigma cams so lens with OS is a must.

The package took 6 days to reach Malaysia and it travelled all the way from USA->Germany->India->China before reaching MY. At first i was concerned on the fragility of the package but those guys in B&H did a very good job in packaging it with airpockets surrounding the items.

Readers can be assured you will get so see more of the Sigma photos from now on!

Here is an interesting transport vehicle that travels between "Traders Hotel" and KLCC in Malaysia. Its an excellent idea for those who plan to do their shopping in KLCC and dread the idea of walking back to Traders hotel.

Foveon images : Does it really matter?

I have been shooting Dp2 for some time now. I also shoot GXR, Sony a55 and Nikon d50.
In between i have played with Canon 550D.

What is pretty obvious is this. Sigma images that are produced by Foveon sensors are RAZOR sharp and have excellent details and contrast. This is true when u view it even at 100%, where else all other images by other cameras viewed at 100% looks like a splatter of pixels, which some appropriately labelled as "nutella".

When downsizing today's bayer sensors (everyone else except sigma), you can get sharp images but the loss of details are probably large. While one may argue that Sigma images are sharp because they are smaller (4.7mp) this isn't true. They are sharp because that is the sensor characteristic of the Foveon. The new SD1 which is the latest Foveon with 16 mp will display similar razor sharpness at 100% view. Hence the images of Foveon is razor sharp regardless of size as long as u don't blow it above 100% which is common sense.

By now its easy for me to see which review site is trustable and which is not. Any site that evaluates SD15 and did not see how sharp the images are but harps on the low resolution point is not a worthy site. A good balance site would acknowledge the superior resolution of the SD15 and yet give a caution on the 4.7 mp output file.
Any site that evaluates a Sigma camera by using its JPEG camera output doesn't know enough of the overall requirement of various cameras to produce a respectable review.

This is not to say that any site that portrays the SD15 negatively is bad. Go check out the owners review vs the site review and you can see a stark difference. But i am often appalled after googling and reading nearly each one of them, that many missed on the fact that the images are superbly clear and sharp and seems like just one site reading another one's review and modifying the words and often have the same conclusion masked by paraphrasing.

Sister's love photography session

Here are some pictures of a session i took for a pair of sisters. The elder is having her 3rd pregnancy and the younger would want to celebrate this wonderful event with her. All these photos are taken with the Sony A55, 35mm 1.8.
Update : i have sold off my whole Sony gears in favour of SD15 which i have placed an order.
I just love the Foveon output and after using the latest CMOS 16.2 mp from Sony i have concluded that my choice of gears would still be sigma.

Nostalgic Emotions captured @ Ampang public park

Double dragon

DSC_0006, originally uploaded by Marcus++.

This is taken just next to my house using the old d50. Not taken by me though :-)

Happy Chinese New Year 2011

Happy Chinese New Year 2011, originally uploaded by Marcus++.

Its chinese new year and exciting things are awaiting all the photographers in the world...

1. SD1 will be coming out...watch out for the CP Japan announcement on Feb 9 onwards
2. Ricoh GXR develops M-MOUNT! module!
3. Sony coming out with 3 layer sensor ??! (rumor)

Resolution and sharpness

DSC00551, originally uploaded by Marcus++.

After using the DP2 to the max in the past months my eyes are now pampered with seeing only sharpness. Hence when i view the GXR and other cameras at 100% i often find myself leaning in preference towards the Foveon.

Now that i need to master this Sony SLT &55, i have to use a trick to get the nearly same result as the Sigma cameras in terms of sharpness. One of the way i found out..which is obvious to some, is to SHRINK the size when exporting the JPGs.

Yeah i have grown kinda of used to shooting RAW only (again thanks to my great teacher, Sigma DP2) so i've been shooting only raw on both the GXR and the Sony SLT.

Here is one image i took with the SLT using the SMILE detection feature which is quite hilarious when u use it. I exported it as 8 mp.
This also shows that the claim by Sigma that a 4.7 mp Foveon is equal to a 8-10 mp bayer is TRUE to some extent and in fact in some images the foveon clearly goes much better.

Pre-Wedding Using DP2

I did a pre-wedding using the DP2 since i am very confident of the camera.
However this event is where i realize and experience the limitation of the Foveon sensor in the DP2.

The images taken were superb...when it does gets the focus. The issue is that the focus on the Dp2 is just too slow/weak for these type of shootings. For e.g if you were to shoot an object where the sun is facing you, it will be impossible to focus, both manually and auto.

I notice that i lost a lot of good images due to this single factor. I am very much reluctant to use any other type of camera except one with Foveon since i have grown to like its sharpness but i also don't want to buy the SD15 since the sensor is exactly the same as the DP2, albeit the focusing should improve a lot.

While waiting for the Sigma SD1 my only option is to use the GXR which i have and its excellent but even so, it doesn't have the LENS that i need for these type of shooting, in fact i have grown to love shooting people and i have narrow down my fav lens to 35mm (similar to dp2).

The GXR however is 50mm and 28mm of which there isn't a APSC 35mm yet. So that leaves me no choice except to go out and get a DSLR.

For the next few months until SD1 comes out, i will be using and mastering the Sony A55 SLT instead since i have now acquire it along with a 35 mm 1.8 lens and will be using it as my primary general people photography.

For those who wants to see how the Dp2 did in the shoot out, here are some images :

The clarity

I visited this site for interesting news on sigma and tricks,
RytterFalk and this particular link
shows how to make an image "pops" or more 3d. Although Carl mentioned that the PS gives full control actually you can do nearly the same on the LR by reversing the technique.

1. Use the clarity and do a small negative pull on the slider, this will cause the whole image to be less "clear".
2. Select the brush tool and select "clarity" and move the slider to positive then paint the area of the image whereby you want it to "pop".

Good luck!

The blackout

Was having a surprise birthday celebration for a fellow life-group (home church) when the lights went out. I realized how krazee the black on black wordings on dp2 is when this happened.
Caught a few photos in the dark while the waiter tries to light up a few candles...without focusing.

I also noticed the "red" halo cast around the candles, this is especially easy to produce if the candle is within the focus.

Nandos Restaurant

Nandos Restaurant, originally uploaded by Marcus++.

I saw a sign along Ara damansara on a pet shelter house for abandoned dogs with the words "Nandos Restaurant" . Apparently Nandos did some welfare and sponsored some cash or development of that place.
Needless to say, it became one of my choice of restaurants to frequent just on that basis alone.

Here is a picture of Fen, playfully hidden behind the Nandos Logo.

GXR vs DP2 shots : Set 1 Indoor at night, Set 2 Outdoor 2 pm.

A member of Flickr asked if i could produce some comparison shots between GXR and DP2, so this would be my attempt. I own both GXR and the DP2 but i don't normally do these comparison so its just going to be my first attempt at it.

Here are the ground rules and understanding :-
1. It would just be aperture priority and leaving everything else to the camera's auto mode
2. It would be mounted on either a tripod or gorilla pod or some fix surfaces.
3. All shots will be done via a 2 sec timer to prevent shaking due to button clicking.
4. DNG and X3F original files are provided so you can compare it yourself.
Provided at the end of each set of comparison.
5. Original sized JPEG is downloadable from my flickr set (click on the image).
6. Very minor tweak on WB for both jpegs with highest export settings.
7. More updates will be issued to this page when i get the chance to compare more.

Here are the shots arranged by :

top: GXR
bottom: DP2.

SET 1 :  Indoor at Night. Bulb lighting.

GXR 2.5f-max Aperture Priority

DP2 2.8f-max Aperture Priority

GXR 5.6f Aperture Priority

DP2 5.6f Aperture Priority

Original DNG/X3F files for above comparison : GXR-DP2.zip (46MB)


Updated : 9th-January-2011!

Now for the outdoor shot comparison. I have cropped the DP2 so that it looks like the Ricoh 50mm shot due to the lens differences (the orignal DNG/X3F remains untouch and available for download at the end of each comparison). I left the ISO to auto and everything else auto except both are now using SPOT AF and auto WB. I exported both using LR.
Generally GXR have darker shadows if unprocessed so i would advice serious comparison be done by downloading the provided X3F/DNG instead of the jpgs below.

top: GXR

bottom: DP2.

SET 2 :  Outdoor 2 PM, all Aperture f5.6f, ISO auto

GXR 5.6f Aperture Priority

DP2 5.6f Aperture Priority

Original DNG/X3F files for above comparison : GXR-DP2.zip (26MB)

Toddlers and such

Capturing solo images of kids esp at 3-5 years old are not easy, they tend to have a mind of their own and posing is near impossible. However that is also the beauty of it, the last thing you want to shoot is a toddler posing which would be unnatural.
Today i had the opportunity to shoot images of this cute 3 year old by following him around and tagging along his normal routines. None of the shots here involved asking Seth to pose.