What do you think about the latest DSLRs?

I have the last generation of DSLRs that dont do video but many of my friends and colleagues have those new DSLRs that do Video recording and other sorts. I’ve been very keen on seeing if their useful enough yet and I have very mixed opinions.

Firstly the Video: Well yes its very cool to have HD video on a DSLR and also can be very handy, but from a video maker’s perspective, the file size restrictions = the time restrictions on these cameras need to be addressed before they can be used to full effect. Canon I think have the upper hand in video on DSLRs right now with their magnificent full frame sensor on the 5D II and both 7D & 1D IV having FULL HD capabilities. 1080p is what you expect from something like a DSLR and canon delivers.

Now the time limit. All video files on current DSLRs are limited to 4GBs and thats about 12 minutes on the 7D. Well thats better than not having video but the timelimit is too constricting for serious videographers. I am 1/2 videographer and 1/2 photographer but I still prefer having a dedicated videocamera and a DSLR by my side. Plus one thing I dont like about the canon VDSLR is the audio input jack position for a external mic. You have to have the whole flap down the side of the dslr open to use the extrnal mic and that exposes many ports to the elements. Whats the point of all of that weather sealing if we have to open all the ports to use one thing?

Anyway I think I’ll tackle this subject one thing at a time. Video time limit is the issue today. I think that they need to work on a new file format that allows files over 4GB to be transferable and they need to work on compression without losing quality. 4GB for 12 Minutes is a bit too much memory usage for me. I love the idea of only carrying my DSLR but I’m in no hurry to jump on that bandwagon.

Plus what ever happened to CFast cards? The SATA compact Flash cards that will replace the current CF format. I’m holding out for the next generation DSLRS as of now to upgrade to a 5D Mk III maybe? with more video controls One can hope.

Ryowxyz

Yeah… Well I’m a university student and I had many mad deadlines to worry about so, had no Updates for a while, but I’m back and am writing a new blog as you read this and will be up asap and this blog will resume normal service from now.

So.. that it for now, now to think about what to write about… I’ve got a lot of things.

Well, at first you might think this is a silly one, but there is reason to it.

The next thing you should buy after your DSLR and a lens, is a flash gun. If you don’t have a fast lens (f1.0-,f1.8) this is a must have.

Flash can be your best friend and your worst enemy, but I’m not going to tell you how to use it (theres plenty of placed where you can get hat information), but what you need.

The Obvious:A Flash gun.

Canon Speedlite 580EX II/Canon Speedlite 430EX II

This is like I said a must have. It is one of the most important pieces of kit in my bag. Even if you hate using flash, you will need one in a light less situation. the 580 EX Mark I is what I use, it never leaves my bag.

The 580 is the top of the line, professional flash, weather sealed and tough with a fast recharge time. The 430 is the consumer grade equivalent and still a very fine piece of kit.

Necessity *****

the Sto-fen Omni Bounce

Well sometimes, a diffuser is in need they don’t come more compact than this. The omni bounce is used to give a softer light when bouncing the flash off walls and ceilings in a small to medium sized rooms. It gives a much softer light than a naked flash bounce. It is not intended for direct use as in it shouldn’t be left on your flash at all times especially when using the flash pointed directly at your subject. It causes your flash to use significantly more power than is needed and will drain batteries 2-8x faster.

Recommended ****

A Better Bounce Card

This is something that is very very cheap but very very effective. Go have a look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNCmuExlHvM It is something that stays with me all the time, I believe that this is better and much more effective than the sto-fen in many ways and is such a cheap easy thing to make.

These bounce cards can be made or bought and are highly effective products at very low costs of made by your self. All you need is a foam sheet, a ruler and a pair of scissors. Try it out.

****

The Giottos Rocket Air Blower is an inexpensive but very effective product. I regard this blower the best in its class.

Defined by the rocket shape, its the most iconic blower and the most powerful with very good design.

Sensor dust is the biggest problem in the DSLRs, they show up prominently in landscapes, macro and other photographs that uses a very small aperture or smooth, even colou

rs. When getting rid of sensor dust or any other dust in your camera, this is the first step I take.

This method of cleaning avoids any sort of direct contact with the v   ery sensitive and fragile imaging sensors in your camera. Its a very effective and un-intrusive way of cleaning your DSLR.

Made from very soft environmentally friendly rubber this blower blows out a very good amount of air with one squeeze. It is very effective at blowing out dust on your sensor, mirror or viewfinder of your DSLR without damaging any components.

It sucks air in from the bottom and blows it out through the hard plastic tip so no air and dust is sucked back into the air chamber it self. It is a must have for any photographer.

Highly recommended *****

In this series I will be going over what every photographer should have with him/her, at home and in his/her bag.

This is going to cover many things from the essentials to the more optional things, and is aimed for everyone. There are many products out there, and even some I dont even own but this isn’t a list of must haves, more a discussion on what I’ve seen used in the studio and on the field, whats useful and not and to just have a look at as an interesting idea.

First off, Camera and Memory Accessories. We’ll get into the more interesting and different stuff as we go along.

It is astonishing how may photographers I’ve worked with who don’t carry back ups and I’ve had to lend them spares of mine so they can continue shooting. This is a MUST HAVE for every photographer.

1. Battery: Well the most obvious, No Juice, No Photos. Make sure every battery is fully charged before going out. And carry at least one more than you think you’ll need. I have a battery grip on my 50D that takes 2 batteries at once and I carry 2 more extra for backup purposes. Better be safe than sorry. Dont forget ones for your flash as well.

2. Extra Memory Cards: Same as battery. I carry 3 CF cards, One in my camera 2 backup. You should at least have 2.

Other things you should have

3. Fine micro fibre cloth. There are many brands out there, but get ones that are designed for camera lenses. Not ones for wiping down cars… I use a brand called HCL Photo Cloth. Probably very hard to find here in the UK or US but these non-silicon cloths clean great with minimum effect of your lenses without hurting the coating on your precious glass. They absorb moisture and oil/grease very very well leaving pristine lenses for great images.

On Your Lenses:

4. Lens Hoods: Very very important. Some people don’t like them  but I love them. I never shoot without one. Increase contrast and prevent flare. Extremely recommended.

5. Lens Filters: Well, theres a never ending debate concerning these. Some people hate them, some people love them. I never shoot without one.

People say they degrade image quality, and yes some do, as long as you don’t buy very cheap own-brand filters you should be ok. I use Hoya Super HMC Pro 1 filters. Other top brand include B+W MRC filters which by many regarded as one of the best, and Heliopan SH-PMC filters also very highly regarded. These 3 brands are the top 3 high end filters and you cant go wrong with any one of them.

I mainly only use UVs on my lenses and usually carry a Polariser with me as well. Its for protection against the front element of your lenses which are constantly exposed. Changing a filter is a lot cheaper than repairing the whole front element of your lens. Highly recommended.

Well a simple and basic one to get us started, maybe every 4 days to a week I’ll do another section covering even more accessories and essentials of photography.

Ryowxyz

Let me first of go by saying, WHAT A LENS!

From that, you could probably guess that I like it… Like it would be an understatement. I love this lens.

Cost me £600 from ebay when I bought it second hand about a year and a half ago.

Some people complain thats its too heavy and big, but I say its well balanced and built like a tank. It’ll handle any weather conditions, combined with a heavy camera like the 1D Mk III its a great companion to the body. Yes my first initial impressions were wow this thing is heavy, but after long usage and many hours out door with the lens I have gotten used to the weight and it doesn’t feel heavy anymore.

I wouldn’t reach for anything else if I’m taking a portrait, or something which requires a medium telephoto lens (like sports). I wouldn’t hesitate for even a second. The quality of colour, DOF and sharpness that this lens gives me combined with the flexibility of a zoom makes it stand out from any canon zoom in my opinion. (yes even the 24-70 L!)

It has the build quality you expect from a L range lens, the two rings (zoom and focus) are very well damped, accurate, smooth turning and easy to use. Its weather sealed all around and has a stabiliser (Mode 1 and 2) for that extra hand held steadiness.

Since July last year I have had chances to work with many photographers, friends and professionals. I have seen many cameras and lenses, Canon and Nikon. From my on field experience I learnt that primes were better suited for me than zooms. I love the speed and the sharpness that they give me, and I would probably from now on never buy a zoom again. I’ve only been looking at primes since; but at the same time this 70-200 L will never leave my camera bag.

I love this lens and I would recommend every photographer to get this lens or a equivalent model for their systems.

Ryowxyz

Apple seem to be researching into a wireless headphones with integrated media player.

These patents filed show what looks like the apple bluetooth wireless headset combined with another headphone piece.

The patent describes that these will be a “Media player integrated head set able to carry media such as mp3 files” hinting that these don’t necessarily have to be used with an iPhone.

It also mentions noise cancelling technology to isolate voice sounds from the ambient noise.

Even MacRumors doesn’t have this up yet

http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=apple.AS.&OS=AN/apple&RS=AN/apple

The Delorian, That car made famous by The Back To The Future series of movies has been converted to run on electric power. This car converted by a group of volunteers who live around Hiroshima City in Japan runs on solely battery power and glides smoothly without making a noise along the roads of Hiroshima.

Its a project undertaken to highlight the importance of eco energy and transport, utilising the nostalgic car from the future image to portray the message.

Currently its undergoing a whole host of improvements to improve the car’s range in between charges and make it run even more efficiently

When I grew up in Japan, Mac were relatively unknown. Back in the day of windows 3.1 and 95 everyone had Windows Machines, but at my school, all we saw were Macintoshes. I still remember the beige boxes with the stripy colourful half eaten apples on them.

Back then it didnt make a difference what I used, and then years past of just using windows because thats what everyone else had.

Until I got my first ipod. Wow, this thing changed everything, Music on the go, in your pocket. no more swapping CDs no more MDs or cassette tapes. It drew me into the world of mac. I got a second hand iBook G4 and instantly fell in love. Since then I’ve never looked back.

It had Tiger on it, that blue desktop wallpaper and much simpler things compared to Leopard. I couldn’t put it down. I loved my mac.

Unfortunately That iBook broke but currently I have a Macbook Pro 15″ with 2.6GHz Penryn /  512MB NVidia GeForce 8600M GT / 4GB RAM / 200GB 7200RPM HD

Panther, Tiger, Leopard and now Snow Leopard, iBook G4 to Macbook Pro. How things have changed over the years. Looking back I never used all the features on my iBook… And well I never needed to I guess but now I use everything on my mac. iLove iLife and everything else. I’ll never buy anything different again.

Call me a fanboy, what ever you want. Because thats probably what I am.

Hmm, where should I start?

Blogs are fun to read, and I’ve done one before. Albeit not for long… and in Japanese, but hey this could be fun again.

Well I’m Japanese, naturally coming from the country where technology is mass created and produced, I LOVE tech.

My main interests are Photography, Apple and well, everything else. I’m a student photographer who aims to get into that world once i complete my degree.

Lets just start off with what I use.

I am a Canon user… (yes, yes, you Nikon folks sorry.) NOT that I dont like Nikon cameras. I’ve been using nikons since my very first camera and film SLRs. but when I made the jump to digital, I found a great liking for the Canon side. The controls, the images and the way they handled they just suited me more.

I use a Canon 50D with: EF-S 10-22mm / EF 28-135 IS / EF 70-200mm IS L

I have to say I cant be happier with my 50D. I’m in love with it, what a camera. It works like its a part of me.

Its no 1D but I cant afford those right now. Maybe when the Mark V comes out (I hope its full frame by then) maybe I’ll have enough saved up.

Cameras are my main interest being a photographer, and I am completely un bias regardless of what I personally use. Photography is a passion, I Love photography and image making, as well as the technology it self. Imaging tech moves so fast its mind blowing, but the results are amazing.

I have one tip. When choosing a DSLR don’t go with what other people tell you to. Go down to a retailer, pick one up and see what you like best. Feel it in your hand and work with it. Were individuals after all, your the one whose going to be using it.

I’ll have photos and maybe a video of my 50D up soon. Until then

Ryowxyz.