Tui Obsession!

After shooting the Tui bird outside my dinner's window, I got kind of obsess with this native birds!

When I took my best shot to my work place last Monday and test print it on the new Epson Stylus Pro 9900 we just bought, the result was phenomenal! Now everyone want a print of that Tui bird!

Is this my BEST shot?

After all the initial excitement I look at the picture again and my photo-head tell me that there is something missing from this shot! Where was his LEG?

I went back and scrutinised all the shots and still concluded that this is the best, look at how the bird's stance and how he look at me! I got a frame next to this one, with leg; but his "pose" was not as good and it is not as sharp!

Photoshop to the rescue and an hour later, I have the shot I want! Hang on, I feel that the manipulation is OK because the "cloned leg" is his leg after all! The two frame was shot a fraction of a second apart! AND this is NOT a NEWS picture! ;)

Perfection at last, I also tone down the saturation a tab.

All this "Tui involvement" got me even more obsess and wanting to get more shots of this gregarious bird!

So last Thursday after my nutritionist appointment I had 90 minutes to kill before picking up Le General, I set up my BIG GUN to capture the Tui again!

The old and the new, 300/2.8 on a D300 DSLR.

The "Big Gun" is my 15 year old Nikkor 300/2.8 telephoto lens that was sold to me for a fraction of the price by Helen Lim when I was working in Singapore. Thank you Helen!

This optical monster cost a bomb in the 70s and it was the favorite of pro sports photographers!

I was a bit disappointed with my results though, it could because the window is just too dirty and degrade the large aperture optics too much?

You talking to me? Notice the flare on the right side?

Fast forward to this afternoon, from the two previous experiences I know my Tui will come and suck the flax nectar after 4.15 pm! And this morning I had water blast the window to a pristine glaze!

For my third encounter, I decided to use my 25 year old Nikkor 180/2.8 mid-range tele.

This lens was my favorite as a bright telephoto to cover football games in our dimly lit stadiums in Malaysia in the 70s and 80s. We usually shot the action full 2.8 on Kodak Tri-X film and pushed process it another 3 stops!

Legend has it that this lens was modelled after the legendary Zeiss 180/2.8 Olympia Sonnar originally produced for the 1936 Berlin Olympics!

This prize winning shot was taken with a Nikkor 180/2.8 lens!

Just as I thought, my Tui bird landed noiselessly on the flax at 4.30 pm, I pick up the D300 with the 180/2.8 attached and walk quite near to the window; I am sure the Tui cannot see me and I shot hand held at f4, 1/680 sec. and ISO 400. Manual focus of course! Duh!

The results are STUNNING! See for yourself! And my old lens has fungus patches on one of the lens element! The sparkling clean windows help!

Tui display different colour of their plumage according to angle of light!

You wanna know how sharp this old lens is? Take a look below!

This is a 100% crop from the photo above it! Sharp enough for you?

Another stunning shot of my favorite bird subject!

100% crop of the photo above it... old lens but GREAT lens!

I am really ecstatic how good my old lens is! I must get it service soon!

Famous last words:

Used Nikkor 180/2.8 manual focus lens are going for a song at some second hand shops, since most of these lenses were heavily used by pros be careful about their condition. Best if you can take your DSLR along and grab a few shots to make sure the focusing is true and visually check for fungus in the lens.

A really clean copy of this excellent lens is going for US$330.00 at ebay.

The Bird and The Lens!

You thought I am gonna tell you about the birds and the bees? Ha ha ha...

Last weekend I noticed this "black bird" outside my dinner's window picking at the giant flax plant. My photo-head told me that is a perfect subject for a lens test!

Click on the picture to see the bird on the flax!

It was much later that my daughter Ming-N told me that "black bird" is a native Tui! Duh! I think all Kiwis would know that! hee hee...

Through Wikipedia I learned this native bird love to feed on flax nectar, Wiki also point out that the so called NZ flax is not a flax at all!

"They are actually perennial plants Phormium tenax and Phormium cookianum, known by the Māori names harakeke and wharariki respectively."

I decided to shoot the Tui with my FIFTEEN year old Nikkor 300/4.5 IF-ED telephoto!

The Nikon 300/4.5 IF-ED is a very compact lens for it's 300 mm focal length. It was very popular in the 1970 and 80's, I remember fondly that it was a standard issues to Reuters photographers.

While working in Singapore newspapers in 1994 I went to see a Mr. Lam at the Nikon outlet, Center Point and was ecstatic that he kept a BRAND NEW IF-ED for me! Thank you Mr Lam!

Fast forward to the present, so here I am sitting at the dinning room with the 15 years old faithful mounted on my D300 DSLR and a monopod is use to support the not so light SLR and lens combo.

The old and the new... 300/4.5 IF-ED and D300 DSLR sitting on a monopod.

There I was, trigger finger on the camera release; eyes glued to the flax plant outside the window... my wife must think I am going ga-ga ;)

Luckily I only have to wait for 40 minutes and my subject landed noiselessly on the plant and started to feed.

I managed to fire off 36 shots, (RAW format of course!) while the Tui leap from one stalk to another. I had SIX MINUTES and she disappeared as fast as she came!

My ISO was set to 800 so I can use a fast 1/800 speed and the 300 lens was at f5.6, focusing was CRITICAL! What auto-focus? This is the time you wish you have auto-focus! Ha ha ha...

I managed to get FOUR good shots, if you have shoot birs before; you will appreciate how difficult it is... especially with a fast moving Tui who is all over the flax plant!

Below are the BEST three frames, click on them to get a bigger view.

I am rather please with myself that my aging eyes still "have it", the ability to manual focus quickly and accurately and my old workhorse 300 IF-ED is still able to deliver first class shots!

Famous Last Words:

Telephoto lens are great for compressing foreground and background subjects.

In my shot "Pillars of Strength"...

While doing a shoot at the Tein How Gong temple in Kuala Lumpur, I saw this bright red pillar inscribed with "We live in the same universe but call our country home."

The pillar was framed with the Asean tallest building; the Petronas Twin Tower.

The Nikkor 300/4.5 IF-ED lens was used to bring the three "pillars" together. A Nikon F3P and Kodak Ektapress film were used to capture this image in year 2000.

Daddy I Drop Your G7!

G7, Canon compact AF point-&-shoot extraordinaire! Since I got a G9, it was given to my younger daughter and last week when we meet up with her for lunch she told me she accidentally drop it!

At first I thought, "She'll be right!"; the little camera is built like a tank! Why, I cannot even see any dent or scratches after the drop!

Appearance is deceiving! The camera do not work anymore! The retractable lens is half-out and refuse to retract fully when the on/off button is pressed. All you can see on the rear screen is a line of text: "Lens error, restart camera"!

Those Canon engineers sure have a weird sense of humour! How the hell you are suppose to "restart" when the bleeding lens is STUCK outside the body?!!

The next day, my young one called a camera shop and enquired if they can send the G7 to Canon NZ to get a repair quote. She was shock when they told her that Canon charge NZ$150.00 just to give a quote! Bad idea!

Next she called her insurance co and even more distressed to find out her access is $250.00!

By now she pass me the sick G7 and I ponder if I should ask one of our friend to take back to Singapore and get it fix!

I took the camera to my work place and our technical whiz offered to take it home and "take it apart"!

It was then I realised I have not GOOGLE my problem!

My "Canon G7 lens error" return 8,000 hits and right at the second hit, in Yahoo!Answers; I learned the "lens problem" is also known as E18 error and thousands of Canon P&S owners suffered the same predicament!

The best answer to my problem was given by "MAMA" two year ago! Here is what MAMA said:

"yea i just fixed my mommy camera(she didn't know)....all u gotta do it turn on the camera n quickly try knock the lens back in the camera while it is on....don't break the lens ....so don't knock it too hard!"

Using that as a guide, this is what I did... look at the picture below:

I placed the G7 with stuck lens pointing down on my table, my left palm is holding the left side of the camera with my thumb resting on the on/off button.

The right palm is placed on top of the camera so I can press downwards.

Upon turning the camera on and immediately hearing the start-up chime, press the camera down firmly to force the lens back into the camera body!

Presto! After the lens went in and I restart the G7, it came back to life!!

I did a few test shots and everything is honky-dory!

Hello Canon NZ, is that how you fix "lens error"? And I have to pay you $150 to tell me the repair might cost another $200? Ha ha ha..

Famous Last Words:

Caution! This method has worked for lots of "lens error" sufferers but it might not work for you. Sometime the lens refused to retract because sand or dirt has gone into the lens barrel and forcing the lens back might cause more damage. You have a choice ;)

It is a good idea to clean your extended lens barrel frequently to avoid dirt getting into the innards.

For the more adventurous, this camerarepair blog is absolutely awesome!!

Happy shooting!

Tea For Two

Our eldest daughter May-N took us to Vancouver Island when we were visiting her in Vancouver, on this spectacular and beautiful island we were introduced to the classical English High Tea.

Actually High Tea is a misnomer, most people refer to afternoon tea as high tea because it sounds more regal! High tea to the English is actually dinner. Do visits the link on English High Tea, it is fascinating!

The stunning waterfront city of Victoria is the vacation capital of Canada, it attract over six million visitors yearly!

Vancouver Island have one of the best afternoon tea house in the world! White Heather Tea Room is well known for the freshness of their sandwiches and savouries, their intimate setting and their wonderful selection of teas. To the Poms, to die for ;)

Mouth watering stacks at White Heather Tea Room, from left; our qian-jin Ming-N, May-N and Lamont.

Two weeks ago Ming-N discovered that there is a very nice tea house right here in Wellington!

Martha's Pantry is at the top of Cuba Street (No.276) in Wellington, we were there this afternoon and we were not disappointed!

There are eight tables at Martha's Pantry and judging by the crowd, booking is advised.

Ming-N and Le General enjoying their special brews.

Ming eyeing the delicious spread, she opt for gluten free variety.

So if you are in Wellington, take a nice stroll up Cuba Street and enjoy some nice tea and snacks at Martha's Pantry!

Does Camera Matter?

Every time I show a better shot of mine to friends, my most often questions will be - "What camera you used?"; it is as if he/she was using the same type of camera I was using, they will capture the same moment ;)

So the six million dollar question, DOES CAMERA MATTER?

There are different school of thought to this question, Ken Rockwell; famous avid shooter and who has used every new model once launch, reckoned - "Your Camera Doesn't Matter!"

When I read his article I felt he was expressing a shallow advice, it was then I also read a rebuttal from my favorite site, Luminous Landscapes that I laugh my head off :) It is one of the BEST article I ever read on YOUR CAMERA DOES MATTER!

Take a look at the picture below:

Do Click on the picture to see a larger version!

"Feed The Birds" was shot along Collin Street, Melbourne; one Christmas day.

I like the shot because I feel the essence of the moment was captured.

I only have ONE chance to get this shot! Why? And could I have done better and may be got more shots?

I only got a single shot because to travel light I only have a Nikon Coolpix 8400 with me.

This camera is a REAL DOG! Meaning, it is S-L-O-W!!!

When you are shoot RAW, which I always do because of better adjust-ability and better resolution; I can only click once and the little 8400 will lock for 3 second or more before you can take the second shot!

This is because the captured data is being written to the card and until the upload is completed you cannot shoot!

To use this little bugger of a camera, my reflex have to go into HYPER DRIVE! ha ha ha... Fraction of a second miss judging and I WILL MISS the shot!

Everything being the same, if I was using another camera; like my Nikon D300 DSLR, which is lightning FAST and with the same time I shot with the 8400, I could have gotten EIGHT shots with the D300!

So in such situation, CAMERA DOES MATTER!

Camera only DOES NOT matter when the photographer do not have eyes for "moments" and creativity, that X-FACTOR if I may ;)

Sad but true, but with photographer like that; ANY camera he use will not produce a good picture!

Famous Last Words:

Yes, many a time I DO MISS shots because of the miserable slow response of some camera!

And I would like to quote what Luminous Landscape said:

"One of the hoariest of the hoary cliches is that a good photographer can take a good photograph with just about any camera. Horseshit."

So stop complaining about your present equipment and go shoot some picture! ;)

Hold on.... there is a knock on my door! Arrrrrhhhh!
Out came my little Canon G9 and Chupa Chups :) HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Fantastic 14 mm!

A friend pop in to my work place to see me and being a very enthusiastic photographer himself, we somehow talk about our favorite lenses!

I told him he is so lucky to own the latest Nikon 14-24mm f2.8G ultra wide zoom, I lament when I was with the media; my favorite lens was the Canon 14mm f2.8 ultra-wide.

I was thus shock that he reckon the 14-24 was a terrible lens and is "not very sharp, hard to compose; the sales guy said it is because of the curvature of the lens!" He also believe an ultra-wide is no good for landscape or scenery shots!

Where he got those misleading notions from? As far as I know the new Nikon 14-24 is the BEST rectilinear ultra-wide, even when you zoom to it's 14mm range; the lens is virtually distortion free! Straight line remained straight! Who ever gave my friend those "fact", SHAME ON YOU!

In parting, I promised I will post some of my best 14mm shots...

"Lost Love", the Canon 14mm f2.8L.

Mind you, ultra-wide lenses like the 14mm are the most difficult lenses to use effectively.

Ken Rockwell advice in his blog:

"To get good results, you have to force yourself to get closer and closer, and push the subject out to the edges. If you don't push yourself, all you'll get is a tiny subject lost in the middle of the frame.

Ultra wide lenses have nothing to do with "getting it all in;" that attitude is the best way to get the worst pictures."

Circular jossticks in a Singapore Chinese temple with a backdrop of modern apartment.

My good friend Leo Foo have some invaluable information of this ultra-wide lens in his Canon FD Resources page, he also used one of my shot to illustrate the page.

Gate of Power...
I was going to get a shot for The Star's "Soul of Our Nation" book of the new Putra Jaya Prime Minister Office. Alas the guard at the gate refuse to let me in, well; that turn out to be a blessing of sort... I shot with a 14mm Canon EF lens framing the building with the emblem of Malaysia on a half open gate.

Leo Foo has this to say about the 14mm ultra-wide:

"The objects therefore seem much farther apart than they really are, creating an elongated perspective. Because of this perspective, even a slight difference in shooting angle or position will cause a great difference in how the subject appears."

The Stairs...
Shot in Copenhagen, Denmark; the extended perspective and the 114° diagonal angle of view gave the picture a tremendous feeling of depth! The eerie warm room light gave the atmosphere a haunted feeling :)

I am sailing...
Father and son admiring a boat setting sail in Copenhagen harbour. They were so absorbed by the yatch that they never noticed me running from ten yards away with my camera and captured their moment barely 6 feet away from them!

Leo Foo has this to say about the 14mm and I quote:

It's not easy to master the 14mm lens but once you have familiarized yourself with its optical characteristics, that's where the excitement begins. Even those who are familiar with other wide-angle lenses may find this lens difficult at first. The photographer must have in mind some creative ideas on how to exploit the extreme wide angle of view and the exaggerated perspective. After that, experience is the best guide.

The Pink Building...
I was staying for a day in Copenhagen, Denmark with the Kodak Photokina group.
I went for a walk myself, saw this shocking pink colour building... something is missing, then she came along in a colour-matched jumper and pushing a bicycle to complete my shot! Talk about luck! Canon EOS1, 14mm f2.8 lens on Kodak Ektapress 400 film.

Woman In Red...
We were visiting the majestic Dom in Cologne, Germany. I saw her bright red parka against the medieval columns, the light in the cathedral was really dim; I rest my Canon EOS1n on the pew and exposed for a "long" half second. The 14mm super-wide was set at f8 to get enough depth-of-field.

In term of sharpness and depth of field, Leo Foo said:

"Another optical characteristic of super wide-angle lenses is their great depth of field. When using short focal length lenses with the focusing ring set to infinity, virtually everything in the picture is in sharp focus. Consequently, super wide-angle lenses are not very useful for isolating your subject using an out of focus foreground and background."

Brick Square...
A super wide shot of a brick square in Copenhagen. Texture of the bricks were enhanced by the back lit, low setting sun. The lone cyclist completes the composition. Canon EOS1 EF 14mm f2.8 lens. Kodak Ektapress film.

Jetty Prayer...
A traditional offering to the God of the sea during the Nine Emperor God festival in Penang, Malaysia.
Local fishermen believe that the yearly ceremony will being them back saftly from sea.
This shot was done for the book "Soul of Our Nation" published by The Star. A ladder was used to get this shot with a Canon EOS1n and 14mm f2.8 lens on Kodak Ektapress 400 film.

On framing a shot with the 14mm, Leo Foo advised:

"When framing a shot, the photographer's attention is generally occupied by the main subject, and the surrounding areas tend to be overlooked. When the finished picture comes back, it is often not what the photographer had expected. It is important, therefore, to check the entire field of view before taking the picture to make sure that there are no unwanted objects intruding at the corners or distortions around the edges."

I couldn't say it better! Thanks Leonard!

The Trump Tower in New York, I love the 14mm for architectural shots, see how I framed the Tower with two other buildings? Only the ultra-wide can do that easily.

The famous Plaza Hotel in New York, I used the field of tulips as a foreground, the immerse depth of field rendered sharpness from one feet to near infinity!

One of many India fashion shots taken for a Singapore paper. The backdrop is the arch of the magnificent Taj Mahal which we were NOT suppose to pose model with! We covered her outside the Taj in blanket and took her to our location without much problem. After the shoot we took her out the same way until the sixth time we were caught and got thrown out!
Shot the picture lying flat on the marble floor with Canon EOS-1, 14mm f2.8 lens.

Famous Last words from Ken Rockwell:

Ultra wide lenses have nothing to do with "getting it all in;" that attitude is the best way to get the worst pictures.

He wrote a very useful article on "How to Use Ultra-Wide Lenses", a good read!

My family and I were leaving the very impressive Te Papa Museum in Wellington, New Zealand, we had an enjoyable day there. We walked pass the two huge boulders placed in front of the building, the low setting sun really brought out the rock's texture. Then I saw this young Maori boy on top! What a composition. I composed quickly and got just one single shot with my Canon EOS1n and EF14mm f 2.8 lens.

Famous Last Words:

If you own one of this incredible glass, take it out from hibernation and go and shoot some pictures! Like yours truly and thousands of photographers, you will discover eventually your best pictures are almost always shot with the ultra-wide! Viva 14mm!

Cream of Ice Cream!

I notice on my FaceBook that an ex-Star colleague is in Vancouver and she love ice cream, I asked her if she knew about this joint in Vancouver that serves 218, yes; TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN flavours of yummy Italian Gelato ice cream...

From a local paper, and I quote:

"Tucked away in an industrial corner of East Vancouver where Venables Street crosses the railroad track (1033 Venables Street, 251-3211) is an Italian ice-cream factory and parlour to make the Roman gods droll.

According to owner Vince Misceo, who is from Bitritto in southeastern Italy. La Casa Gelato has more flavours available than any rival establishment in the world."

Have you ever fancy blue cheese or a double cone of roasted garlic? Or you might prefer taro root, lemon-tarragon, peppercorn jelly, curry, wasabi or DURIAN? Or you might just fancy plain vanilla?

The tasting line, you can taste all the favours if you got plenty of time!

Owner Vince Misceo's wife Pina serving her smiling customers.

Decision, decision, decision! I will take three!

The wall of the parlour covered with press clippings and reviews.

If you happen to be in Vancouver, DO NOT miss this Gelato heaven! I'LL BE BACK!

If you can't go there then check out their excellent web site and droll and salivate! Ha ha ha...