Busy

School has made it difficult to be able to even think about this blog, along with the other numerous changes of my life. My computer died in October, and needed replacement. My images are loaded onto a 320GB IDE drive that used to belong to the old computer, but unfortunately this new computer does not have an IDE interface, instead completely using SATA. I hope to maybe have a picture up in the near future. I also plan to put a few reviews here on some consumer products.

I'm back

Alright, I apologize for no warning in advance, but I've taken a month of vacation. Now I'm back. I will be reformatting my computer tonight and will work on restoring it tomorrow and maybe the day after. Basically, I will fully return sometime this week.

PADKBFD/31

I have been very, very tired recently. Update flows can be late..

"Orange"
Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 8.5mm (equiv. to 40mm), 1/250, f/5.1, ISO 400, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, flash WB

Love how the colours just pop. Should've used a lower ISO.

PADKBFD/30

"Texture"
Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 1/75, f/3.4, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, program auto no flash, daylight WB, cropped with SmugMug

Thirtieth PADKBFD! Anyone know what this is?

PADKBFD/29

I now contribute regularly to Wikinews. Check them out and contribute some news!

"Orca"
Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 1/148, f/4.3, ISO 200, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, flash WB, cropped in Picasa 2

This is a letter opener I got when I took a trip to Ottawa, ON. I purchased it from the Musée Canadien des Civilisations (or Canadian Museum of Civilizations for non-bilinguals, even though I have a limited high school knowledge of French) in Gatineau, QC, which is right across the Ottawa River. From what I remember, I believe it was designed by a local First Nations artist. The letter opener is very well made of stainless steel and is sharp like a knife. The Orca is supposed to symbolize a 'traveller' or drifter.

PADKBFD/28

I apologize for being late, I fell asleep.

Click to enlarge
"Too Caught Up in Their Lives"
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 26.3mm (equiv. to 123mm) 1/680, f/7.3, ISO 200, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, fluorescent WB

This was made inside of a car when leaving Metrotown Centre (the second largest mall in Canada and one of the largest in North America. This was underexposed by a huge margin but still expresses the message of people being 'too busy' to stop and smell the roses.

PADKBFD/27

Right on the dot. Because of Canada Day and this being a favourite: a special extra large version.

"Sunrise, Vancouver"
Click image to enlarge.
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 1/170, f/5.4, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, AWB, cropped in Picasa 2

A Canada Day special. This is amongst my favourite images. I originally intended to upload this yesterday but I decided to push it a PADKBFD. No other comments.

Canada Day

It is July 1st and it's Canada Day! 141 years ago, on this day, the British North America Act made us a country. It is a national holiday (but some still have to work, like my dad). I am in a way patriotic and now have a large Canadian flag hanging from my balcony. Also, Independence Day for the Americans down south of here is on July 4th, so early "Happy Independence Day".

PADKBFD/26

"What a Mess!"
Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 10.1mm (equiv. to 47mm), 1/60, f/3.1, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, shutter priority, flash fired, flash WB, colour, exposure, and curves adjusted in Lightroom

This was a very technically challenging picture to take. My camera obviously has an on-camera flash, and I don't have an external flash. I spent an hour or two constructing my new macro table, which now has white paper reflectors on all sides, a removeable arched hood, slot for tripod and camera, and an opening for any external lighting. I used it for a flashlight mounted on a music stand as a lightstand. The flashlight can be used to illuminate dark photos, as well as it helps me better see what's going on inside when the hood is in place. I'd say it was worth it. And I get to keep the table for future shots.

Nikon D700

This is it. The Nikon D700 has been announced by Nikon to join the D3 in their FX lineup. It has the same 12.1MP full frame sensor as the D3. Basically it's a D3 with a D300's clothing. The robust body has a taller viewfinder hump (compared to the D300) to accomodate the larger pentaprism. It has 95% frame coverage but will still be much larger than any DX/APS-C viewfinder. Surprisingly, but possibly useful, there is a pop-up flash in which some would question the robustness of. The frame rate at 5 fps is one frame per second slower than the D300, but the optional battery grip increases it to an equal 8 fps, but both are still slower than the D3. Scheduled to launch in the summer, it is priced at about $3000 US body only.

Personally, this drives me completely crazy. I was leaning most towards the K20D and a lot of lenses for a large dSLR investment but now this drags me back. DSLRs that I consider are: Pentax K20D, Canon 5D, Nikon D300, and now the Nikon D700. Nikon's got a lot more speed than both the K20D and the 5D, plus an FX sensor for the D700. The D300 on Nikon's side is probably a more wise choice for me. Entering a new system is an investment, as you have lenses, flashes, etc. locked into the system.