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| Monday, 20-Apr-2009 12:09 |
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PSPJ PHOTO OUTING: ZOO NEGARA.
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"In the end, photography is about taking pictures - you, the camera and the subject . . . Just that."
- Micheal Freeman
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| Sunday, 19-Apr-2009 15:08 |
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PSPJ PHOTO OUTING: ZOO NEGARA.
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Today I joined the Photographic Society of Petaling Jaya's (PSPJ) photo outing to the Zoo Negara in Ulu Kelang. This is my fist time shooting images of animals and I can tell you that I have very little experience in shooting this type of photography. My lack of experience clearly shows in all my pics here . . . but it was great fun trying out a different type of photography once in a while.
I did not bring my tripod along for today's outing. Therefore, the biggest challenge I faced was to get sharply focused images of these animals. To maximise the sharpness of all the shots, I used the Av mode while selecting an aperture of f/2.8. This was to ensure the fastest shutter speed possible for me to shoot while hand holding the camera. I also selected the Continous Shooting method together with the AI Servo focusing with all focusing points selected. All these shots were taken using ISO 100 with the EOS 5D Mk II. The Image Stabilizer function in my 70-200mm (L) lens was activated while the Standard Picture Style was used for most of these shots. The Landscape Picture Style was used on some shots to increase the dynamic range of the image.
 A very big thank you goes to Mr. Assakhof who is a member of PSPJ and also for inviting me to this outing. Thanks again bro...
Next: More Zoo Picture . . . 
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| Monday, 13-Apr-2009 01:21 |
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SHOOTIN THE SUNSET: Bagan Lalang.
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What an experience this photo outing turned out to be! The plan was to meet at Pantai Bagan Lalang in Sepang for a BBQ session while waiting for the glorious sunset to be captured in our cameras.. However, nature had other plans for us.
It started to rain heavily by noon. Undeterred, we headed off to Bagan Lalang in hope that the rain would finally subside and nature would provide us with the sunset that we were looking for later in the evening. It was not meant to be... the rain just got heavier and heavier as we were reaching Bagan Lalang. I realised then and then that the sunset that we were looking for had eluded us once again.. it had to be shot in another day, in another time. We did not have a Plan B. There was absolutely no sun at all... and the rain was getting heavier and heavier. Therefore, I do not have any sunset shots from this trip. My "Plan B" was to shoot the other photographers in "action":
 
Fariz with the EOS 450D and the 580 EXII Speedlite.
 
Ruwaida with the EOS 450D and the 580 EXII Speedlite.
  
Asmara and Diana Dee.
Other photographers not in the picture were Atie, Remy (Atie's husband), Rosli (Diana's husband) and Imran Razali (tukang usung tripod) who were too shy to have their photos taken.
 
Fariz and Remy trying to start the fire for our evening's BBQ session. But it was not meant to be. It was virtually impossible to start any fire in the pouring rain. Furthermore, we had forgotten to bring the BBQ starter to start the flames. After trying for almost half an hour, we finally gave up.
  
Since we were not able to have the BBQ, we decided to go to the nearest ikan bakar stall which was just across the road . . .
. . . to have dinner.
However, my adventure in Bagan Lalang was only about to begin! Due to the heavy rain which severely reduced our visibility, five of us in seperate cars i.e. Remy and Atie, Asmara, Imran and myself had taken a wrong turn somewhere along the journey back. Instead of heading towards KLIA, we somehow managed to end up going further south towards Port Dickson. The dark and deserted road, together with the pouring rain only made matters worst. We only realised this mistake after an hour passing small towns like Lukut, Tanah Merah and Bukit Pelanduk. We were lost in the middle of nowhere in a raging thunderstorm. We did not want to take the risk of turning back due to the low visibility of the road and finally, decided to head towards the nearest familiar town, which was Port Dickson before heading towards KL . . . It was close to 11 pm. before i reached home! 
So, did I have any regrets? Absolutely NOT . . . and I will gladly do it again tomorrow. Photography is like fishing. Some days you manage to land the big catch, while other days you go home empty handed. Today was the day I went home empty handed. There will always be another day . . .
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| Friday, 3-Apr-2009 15:58 |
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KL SKYLINE.
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Behind The Scene:
Ruwaida and Fariz shooting the KLCC Towers.
LOCATION: Dynasty Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
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| Thursday, 26-Mar-2009 14:36 |
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CAMERON HIGHLANDS.
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| Saturday, 21-Mar-2009 16:03 |
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KUALA LUMPUR: The Meeting of Two Rivers.
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Camera: EOS 5D MK II.
Exposure in Av Mode.
Exposure: f/2.8 at 1/10 seconds (+1/2 exposure compensation)
ISO: 400
WB: Daylight
Picture Style: Standard.
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| Sunday, 15-Mar-2009 15:44 |
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Testing the EOS 5D Mk II: The Conclusion.
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Location: Kasimanis Strawberry Farm, Cameron Highlands.
Now comes the million dollar question: Was it worth the upgrade from the 5D to the 5D Mk II?
Surprisingly, the answer is not so straight forward. If you are upgrading from the EOS 40D, the 400D or the 450D, then the Mk II is definitely the camera to consider solely due to the increase in megapixels. With 21.1 megapixels, you will straight away notice the tremendous details and tonal range in your shots. You will also benefit from the 14 bits processing, the new DIG!C 4 processor, the more saturated colours and most important of all, the sharpness of the sensor. Factor in the build quality of the Mk II, and you will have a dSLR that will probably last longer than you.
Like I said before, the answer is not so straight forward for me. This is due to the fact that I am upgrading from the original 5D which is still an excellent dSLR. No doubt, there is noticeble increase in quality of my images due to the 21.1 MP (as compared to the 5D which has 12.8 MP), but the increase in quality is not ground breaking. What I achieve with the 5D Mk II, I can also achieve it using the original 5D. The jump from 12.8 megapixels to 21.1 megapixels is noticeble, but I think the most important factor for the upgrade has got to be the DIG!C 4 processor which produces sharper and more saturated images. I think these two factors alone is worth the upgrade. I like the newer features of the Mk II such as the Live View, the superior built quality, the My Menu function, the Sensor Cleaning Mode etc.
Will this dSLR make me take better images? Haha.. No camera has ever been built that will allow me to take better pictures. I think the quality of my images will be the same even if I am using the RM100,000-00 plus Hasselblad HD-40 or the EOS 1000D entry level dSLR. End of the day, an image is made by the person behind the camera . . . it is not made by the camera itself. I am still trying to become the best photographer that I can be . . . 
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| Sunday, 15-Mar-2009 05:56 |
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Testing the EOS 5D Mk II (Part 7).
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Location: Cactus Point in Brinchang, Cameron Highlands.
For this part of the review, I will be highlighting the craps found in this full frame dSLR:
1) The DIG!C 4's low tolerance to contrasty shots. This new in-camera processor has a strong tendency to blow-out highlights however small it is in the frame. This is especially true when combined with Canon's 580 EX II speedlite. The sensor will often blow out white subjects in the foreground especially when using flash. However, this can be avoided to a certain degree if you reduce the flash exposure by about 1/2 - 1 stop. The use of a flash diffuser will also help to a certain degree.
2) The Creative Auto Mode and the Quick Control screen. Too confusing to use. I wonder, how did this function find it's way into the 5D Mk II?
3) The highest ISO of 25600 . . . Who in the right mind would use this high ISO?
4) The 3.9 fps. Therefore, this dSLR is not meant for sports or action photography.
5) The Auto Lighting Optimizer function. I don't really know when to use this function . . . there is not much difference to your shots even if this function is enabled.
6) There is no Virtual Horizon feature in the viewfinder. Some Nikon dSLRs have this feature as standard in their cameras.
7) The Live View mode is a bit complicated to use and set-up as the auto focus is enabled on the AF-On button instead of on the shutter.
And the grandfather of all crappiness in this dSLR has to be the . . .
High Definition Video Capture capability. As good as this may sound, whoever will use this feature to capture movie shots? If I want to capture movies, I will be better of purchasing a dedicated camcorder for this purpose. Again, how did this feature find it's way in a pro quality dSLR such as the 5D Mk II?
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| Saturday, 14-Mar-2009 16:27 |
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Testing the EOS 5D Mk II (Part 6).
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Location: All shots taken at the Kea Farms Marketplace in Brinchang, Cameron Highlands.
In this part of the review, I will be summarizing the strong points of the EOS 5D Mk II (as compared to the original 5D):
1) The 21.1 megapixels. With this amount of resolution, the image quality is definitely better than the original 5D with more details captured by the DiG!C 4 processor.
2) 14-bit processing as compared to 12-bits in the original 5D. Actually, I do not know what this means . . . I got this info from Canon's website.
3) The sharpness of the sensor - believe me, it is extremely sharp.
4) More saturated colours even if the image is taken in the Neutral Picture Style. Very little post editing needs to be done in Photoshop.
5) Functions and controls (mode & dials) are similar to the original 5D. Not a steep learning curve if you are familiar with the previous version of this camera.
6) The new rubberized coating on the body gives it a more solid feel than the original, together with the improved weather sealings. The 5D Mk II feels extremely solid in your hands.
7) The Live View function. Initially, I thought that this function has little use and more like a gimmick. During the course of shooting with this camera, this function proved quite handy. The Live View mode allows you to super-impose 2 types of grid lines in the shot. I found it useful to ensure that the horizons in my shots were level.
 The "My Menu" function which makes it easier to access frequently used menu settings.
9) The Highlight Tone Priority which increases the dynamic range of the highlights. Very useful for general purpose shots and if you do not need to use any ISO settings below ISO 200. However, please bear in mind that this function will not work if your shots have a large area of blinking highlights. There are limitations to this function.
10) The Dust Delete Data function.
11) Of course, the new DIG!C 4 processor.
Other than that, most of the function are similar to the original 5D . . . that's what I like about this camera .
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| Friday, 13-Mar-2009 16:36 |
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Testing the EOS 5D Mk II (Part 5).
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Location: The Kea Farm Marketplace in Brinchang, Cameron Highlands.
In Part 3 of my review, I have highlighted the good points of the 5D Mk II. So, is this camera perfect? Haha.. in my opinion no camera is perfect and that includes the 5D Mk II.
One of the issues that I found not to my satisfaction is concerning the new DIG!C 4 processor itself. In previous reviews regarding this camera and also in Canon's website, it was claimed that Canon has greatly increased the sensitivity of the new sensor to ensure the ultimate in image quality. Now, this is true to a certain degree. It can't be argued that this new sensor produces much more superior image when compared to the DIG!C 2 sensor found in the original 5D. However, I have found that this new sensor is TOO ultra sensitive towards the highlights in the image. Anything close to white i.e. the sky, white clothings, the flow of the waterfalls, white walls, flourecent lightings etc. will result in blinking highlights. In other words, the sensor was unable to capture much details in this type of highlights. Due to the high megapixels of this sensor, even a small strip of whites will result in the blinking highlights in the histogram.
In the 3 images above, the flourecent lights and also the white netting covering the oranges caused the highlights to blink i.e. pure white with no captured details whatsoever. I was concerned that my metering in the camera was incorrectly calibrated (+ 1/2 stops) at the default factory setting. Therefore, I conducted a test today with my original 5D in ten controlled shots using identical settings and evaluative meterings on both these cameras. I am pleased to report the the metering given by both these two cameras were identical in every way. Therefore, I concluded that the new DIG!C 4 sensor has a very low tolerance to high contrast shots.
Nevertheless, there are certain ways to overcome this issue in the 5D Mk II:
1) Enabling the Highlight Tone Priority in the Custom Functions. However, this function restricts your minimum ISO to ISO 200. As most of my images are captured using the lowest ISO possible i.e ISO 50, enabling this function is not suitable for me. I will enable this function only when shooting general shots when I do not need to use the lowest ISO.
2) Meter as normal and reduce the exposure (via exposure compensation) accordingly. However, this is also not practical for me as if the exposure is reduced to eliminate the blinking highlights, the exposure of the whole image will also be reduced.
3) Increase the ISO. By increasing the ISO, you are reducing the sensitivity of the sensor. This is also not practical as by increasing the ISO, you are actually introducing noice to the image while degrading the image quality simultaneously.
4) Use a fast shutter speed. Therefore, the duration of light striking the sensor is reduced. However, this will mean increasing the aperture . . . again, this is not suitable for my type of photography as I will always select the smallest aperture possible.
5) To overcome this issue, I had to alter my composition of the shots to exclude as much bright highlights as possible.
6) Another way is to wait for the contrast to be more manageble before taking your shots.
7) Finally, you can also use a Neutral Density (ND) Graduated Filter to reduce the contrast of the highlights.
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