Nikon D300, MC-35 and Garmin 76CSx

Added new firepower to my photography skills. The new D300 together with MC-35 and Garmin 76CSx GPS for Geo-tagging.



By using the Nikon software ViewNX together with an internet connection, I will be able to see where my pictures are taken. See some examples as follows.





Now, I can tell people where I took those pictures and share the information for discussion. Really happy. :)

My Wishlist for 2009

Nothing beats starting the morning of a new day, a new month in a new year by reflecting about what happened last year in 2008 and what do I want to acheive for this year ahead in 2009.

Of course, just to share my thoughts about 2009. It is certainly a year of uncertainty ahead. With the doom and gloom in economy, the question in everyone's mind is... Will Obama helps to revive the economy? I seriously hope that he does. I hope that he will be like FDR (Franklin D. Roosevelt) who help US to get out of the Great Depression. Greed has blinded all people and caused this fragile economy of a great nation to collaspe, but even so, we must not lose hope or be rule by fear. I always remembered about the speech made by FDR (I saw on documentaries) on his First Inaugural Address on March 4, 1933. I will share more in my next post.

Ok, now something that is more bite size. What do I hope for in 2009?

Hmm... Another year of tough question but here goes.

1. Submit my thesis by Jan 2009 and graduate with my M.Eng in Jul 2009

2. Get my Teaching position that I applied for and be a good teacher to impart knowledge and teach morale and well-being to students

3. Look at the future plan and starting my new with that special someone

4. To have peace and calmness in my mind, heart and soul

5. Most of all, I wish for health and happiness for all those people that I care about.

Now, my Wishlist for 2009.

Photography
Nikon D700
Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8
Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8
Think Tank Urban Disguise 50 bag
More InfraRed Films

Other Gadgets
None
(Surprising... but I am getting lesser gadgets. Oh well, I gotten a new laptop in 2008 and that is good enough for me till 2010???)

Other thing that I hope to achieve
Get my Thesis done and graduate with my M.Eng
Get my teaching position that I applied for
Setup my own Darkroom
Go to Cambodia for photography trip
Go to Australia trip with that special someone

Anyway, I believe this list might continue to grow over time. So, what is your wishlist for this year?

Looking Back at 2008, What have I achieve?

Was checking through my previous entry for the year of 2008 and I saw these two entries titled "What do I want for the year 2008?" and "My Wishlist for 2008".

I slowly recalled what I had achieved so far. Maybe starting with what I want for the year of 2008.

Graduate with my M.Eng. - Passed my First Year presentation and the report is almost completing, so not 100% complete but I hope to close it by Jan 2009.

Get a good job - I did change a job, the pay was good but work sucks. Need to work on this one for 2009. Hope that my interview went well.

To have peace and calmness in my mind, heart and soul - I did achieve this but... what I face in work just zapped out all that I had achieve. So... solve the root cause. ;)

Now, for my 2008 wishlist, what had I achieve.

Photography
Nikon D3 - Nope, change of mind, waiting for other models
Nikon FM3A - Yes, my greatest catch
Nikkor 50mm f1.4 - Yes, now is my favourite lens on my FM3A
Nikkor 85mm f1.4 - Nope, well... Almost...
Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 - Far from it. :(
Think Tank Urban Disguise 60 bag - Nope, didn't buy

Other Gadgets
Wireless Keyboard and Mouse for my Laptop - Hmm... Do I need these things?
PSP - Never wrote this but I got it in 2008. Haha...

Other thing that I hope to achieve
Get my Thesis done and graduate with my M.Eng - In Progress
Get a good job - Ehh... Read my previous comments
Learn BnW Photography using film - Yes, now considering setting up my own Darkroom. Hehe...
Find a girlfriend - :)

Nikon AF 50 f1.4D vs AF 50 f1.8D

No photos this week as I really didn't shoot much... Well, not much in Digital that is. I have been trying out my FM3A with a roll of Fuji Pro400 36 exposure film. Well, I only shot 9 shots till now. Not sure when can I really used finished all the exposure.

Anyway, gotten a lens upgrade which is in line with my wishlist for this year. I present to you... My new Nikon AFD 50 f1.4D lens. This is to replace my AFD 50 f1.8D which I sold to Chye Lai. My f1.8 lens had serve me well over the years since I started photography. It is a good and cheap portrait lens. Now, it is in the good hand of its new master. Hope that it will continue to perform and serve well.

There have been a lot of questions in Clubsnap which surrounds the different between these 2 lenses. Some claim no different hence not justified to pay for the differences of almost 3 times. Yes, the f1.4 cost around 3 times more of the f1.8.

Well, here I present to you a side by side comparison in terms of built.

The built of the f1.4 feels better than the f1.8.



Overall Size

Both the f1.4 and f1.8 looks similar in sizes.



Minimum Aperture

The minimum aperture for f1.4 is f16 while the minimum aperture for f1.8 is f22.



Minimum focusing distance

The minimum focusing distance is the same for both f1.4 and f1.8 which is at 0.45m.



Front Element

The front element of the f1.4 is larger than that of the f1.8.



Rear Element

The rear element of the f1.4 is larger than that of the f1.8.

Going back to Film, my FM3A

Forgot to update this last Friday. Gotten myself an FM3A from Clubsnap BnS. The reason that I am getting the FM3A is because I wanted to try shooting in film, learn developing and learn to appreciate photography more. Beside that, the FM3A have a high value because it is one good camera with mechanical and electronics feature. This is a real gem. I will be going to PSS to check out the course and Camera Hospital to clean up my "new" camera.

New Full-Frame Camera and New Flash!!!

Hi all, it has been long since I last wrote anything on my blog. Thanks for all the concerns my dear friends. I am still alive and kicking, but terribly busy and upset. Well, upset over work actually, but no issue. The following news simply perks me up. I know that I am 3 days late to announce it but hey, it is something to look forward to.

Nikon has just announced their Semi-Pro Full Frame Camera, the Nikon D700 and also a new Flashlight, the SB900. The specifications are as follows. Man... Technology is killing me. Hahaha...

D700

SB900

My Wishlist for 2008

Gotten so many gadgets these days but for a man who is a tech geek and gadget freak, it is never enough. :P

Anyway, just thought of starting a wishlist for myself to keep track of the things that I will like to buy, get or achieve this year. Maybe I will categorize them into section.

Photography
Nikon D3???!!! Heh Heh
Nikon FM3A
Nikkor 50mm f1.4
Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8
Think Tank Urban Disguise 60 bag

Other Gadgets
Wireless Keyboard and Mouse for my Laptop
(Surprising I can't seems to be able to think of any now. Maybe because I am still very happy with my new gadget.)

Other thing that I hope to achieve
Get my Thesis done and graduate with my MEng
Get a good job
Learn BnW Photography using film
Find a girlfriend???!!! Hmm...

Anyway, I believe this list might continue to grow over time. So, what is your wishlist for this year?

Nokia Wireless Keyboard SU-8W

Guess you won't believe this but I am typing out this whole post using my newly bought Nokia Wireless Keyboard, the SU-8W.

I got it from Sim Lim a couple of hours ago and here I am, sitting in my living room with my Nokia N95 and SU-8W, listening to music from my handphone, logging on to the internet using the wireless which I set up in my home to log on to MSN and updating this blog.

This is really fun and interesting. I am really happy to have gotten this new gadget.

Bow to the Master of Gadget and Technology. Wahahaha... Man, I sounded like a mad scientist. :P

Alrightly, time for my shower, and maybe get back to using my laptop... or should I... Heh heh heh

Intuos 3 Art Pen

As written in my previous post, I finally gotten the Intuos 3 Art Pen from Tec-Drome. What is so special about the Art Pen? Well, it can be used to draw like a art marker pen as it is able to detect rotation.

How to use the Intuos3 Art Pen?

What features are supported by the Art Pen for Intuos3 and Cintiq 21UX?

2 other links that will be really useful so as to make full use of the feature for the art pen.

Intuos3 Art Pen Orientation Guide

Intuos3/Cintiq: Expanding Creativity

My second lens from the Nikon Trinity

Start of a new year, it is time for new lens.

Following my first Nikon Trinity which is the AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED, after a long wait, I finally get my hand on my second piece of the Trinity, the AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED. I always wanted this lens but has been put on hold.

I met with SykesTang this evening at Spinelli which is at Penisular Hotel to collect the lens. I tested the lens and found it really great, the sharpness, clarity, speed and quality is simply jaw-dropping. This is worth every bit the price and really deserve the title of the Nikon Trinity.

After collecting the lens, I got to rush down to Century Mall at Tampines to meet up with Adrian as we are going to ICON hair salon to cut our hair. After that, we went to the food court to have our dinner. I fixed on my lens and tested out and let them (Adrian and his girlfrien) play with camera and lens. Here are some snapshots taken using the lens.











Now, I am lack of the new AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED and AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED and my collection will be more or less complete. Maybe a D3 will be good too. :P

The Wonders of Bluetooth Technology

I am a Genius... Ok, ok, it is nothing great actually. I am still so excited that it worked. What am I talking about? A picture paints a thousand words. :)



I tried running around Singapore to hunt for the Nokia SU-8W Wireless Keyboard but in vain. However, I pick up a Nokia MD-5W Bluetooth Speaker instead. I asked the salesman if the bluetooth speaker can be bluetooth paired with the Nokia Wireless Audio Gateway AD-42W or other similar Bluetooth Gateway. Apparently, I don't think they know their products well enough as they can't answer my simple question and I have to describe what function I was hoping that this bluetooth speaker can do. Since they don't know their product, I was thinking not to take this risk of buying a product without much prior knowledge.

But since I am a sucker for technology and I am still on retail-therapy (yes, I am depress and stress. For those who know me will know that there are a few things that I like to do when I am feeling down, one of them is driving, the other is retail-therapy), I decided to give it a try.

After getting home, I took out all my bluetooth accessories from Motorola and tried pairing them up with my new Nokia technology which is namely my Nokia N95 8GB and also this newly acquired Bluetooth Speaker. Much to my surprise... It worked. :)

Windows Messager Live on Nokia N95 8GB

Forgot to post this earlier. I had managed to successfully installed Windows Messager Live on my Nokia N95 8GB yesterday and I chatted with Karfee by using my Wi-Fi at home. Now I only need a Bluetooth Keyboard and I am all set. :)

De-commission of Motorola L7

After faithfully serving my for 1 years and 6 months, it is time to de-commission my Motorola L7 phone. This is the last piece of phone that was hand built by me and have been by my side since the day I left Motorola on 30th June 2006.

Time to make way for new technology. Now I gotten a Nokia N95 8GB and learning how to use it effectively.

Intuos 3 Airbrush

Ever since attending the Photoshop course on Saturday has really make me interested in maximizing the use of my tablet. I went to Sim Lim today to get some pen accessories for my tablet as I wanted to try out the different pen. I wanted to try out the Art Pen which is with a broader pen tip but a pity the shop Tec-Drome is not carrying it but they got an Airbrush Pen instead. Since I was in a buying frenzy, I decided to give it a try.

Based on what I read, I know that there is a fingerwheel on the pen which can control the flow of the pen very much like a real airbrush. After trying it for the whole night, I don't seem to be able to get the fingerwheel to work with my Photoshop CS2. I check the properties and diagnostic check and it is working fine. I tried other software such as Corel Painter and it is working perfectly fine. After trying for a whole night, I thought that maybe the airbrush is not suitable for Photoshop CS2 as the fingerwheel is not configure hence it will work like another normal grip pen for my tablet.

After sleeping over it for a night, I decided to do a Google search to look for solution and what do you know... Hehehe...

How to set the Airbrush to adjust the paint flow in Photoshop CS?

LG External Super Multi DVD Writer with LightScribe

Gotten my hand on one of those external DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology yesterday but forgot to blog it down. This is really exciting as I now can create CD or DVD and also design the labelling.

Behold my External Super Multi DVD Writer...



LightScribe Technology... I need...






Man, I feel like an evil genius who have just gotten his hands on one of those "conquer the world" technology.

Now, bow before the techology guru... Wahahahahaha...

Ok, that is a bit too much but do excuse me as I admire this newly bought toy together with my Wacom Tablet.

Wacom Intuos 3

A new additional to my Digital Darkroom accessories. Behold the Wacom Intuos 3 6x8 Tablet.





With this precious, I can take my photoshop skills to the next level. Hahaha... But first, I need to learn how to "tame" it. :P

(PS : AJ, if you are reading this, I got this at a discount price for signing up the ACE Photoshop training course. Hehehe...)

Collection of my Lens and Flash

I was inform by Kian Teck to head down to Nikon Service Centre to look for Maggie to collect my 18-200mm VR II lens and a SB-800 SpeedLight for having to help out with the Celebrate Christmas In Singapore (CCIS) event in Orchard during the Christmas season.

I already got my 18-200mm lens last year, and so I decided to sell off my old lens to Jackson as he is looking for it.

Come to think of it, I was very fortunate to be asked to cover this event as it was very interesting and we are helping in the name of charity. Hope to be able to be involve with these kind of events again. :)

Last few Photography Equipment for 2006?

In the past 2 days, I spent nearly up to $2000 on photography equipment. I know I said that I gotten the last piece of lens (which is my 12-24) for this year but what I gotten is not lens but other photography equipment and accessories. :P

Sykestang had help me gotten a Quantum 2x2 Power Pack with the power cable for my SB800 which is around $1050. I met up with him yesterday to collect it before I went down to PSS to collect my certificate and photos. The Quantum Power Pack is to help the flash to achieve much faster recycling time and it can also power up my dSLR too, but that will need another type of cable.

And today, I had just gotten my Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod and short column for $930. The reason I have to get my tripod now is because Andrew (from my IR Group) had sold off his tripod to PandaOng (also from my IR Group) and he like to get my tripod, Manfrotto 190ProB, which I find it quite heavy to carry around. The other reason is that GST is going up to 7% next year, so why wait I think to myself.

Anyway, having to get these 2 items can really shorten my wishlist actually. Hahaha.
Maybe I can try writing my wishlist next time. Alrighty, time to sleep. Good night everyone.

Finally, my last piece of lens... for this year 2006

I'm so happy and excited right now as I just gotten from skyestang my last piece of lens that I wanted to get this year. It is the Nikon AF-S DX 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED. With this piece of lens, I have very much completed my landscape lenses collection as this piece of lens is for wide angle which is very effective and useful for landscape shots.

Before gotten this lens, my widest Picture Angle with Nikon DX Format is 76 degree using my AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED or AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G at 18mm without distortion. That is not really wide enough. I actually have my AF DX Fisheye 10.5mm f/2.8G ED with a picture angle of 180 degree, but that is with the Fisheye effect distortion at the side which is not desirable if I want pure wide angle landscape without distortion.

With this new lens, I can achieve up to 99 degree Picture Angle with Nikon DX Format at 12mm which is really wide for a digital format SLR. Look forward to go out to shoot with this lens.

Anyway, I have really gotten all the lenses that I wanted to get this year. Guess time to take it slow until next year where I got bigger plans. :p

Just a recap of the lens that I gotten this year.
AF DX Fisheye 10.5mm f/2.8G ED
AF 85mm f/1.8D
AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED
AF-S DX 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED

My New "War" Machine

Presenting to you. My new Ultimate "War" Machine.



This Ultimate "War" Machine consists of
Nikon D200 - Weighs 830g
MB-D200 - Weighs 230g
EN-EL3e x 2 - Weighs 80g each => 80g x 2 = 160g
AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED - Weights 1470g
Teleconverter TC-17E II - Weighs 250g
SB-800 - Weighs 350g
4x Sony Ni-MH Batteries for SB800 - Weighs about 25g each = 100g.

Total weight of this configuration : 3390g Approximate 3.4kg.