Entries from Absurd Singularity tagged with 'photography'
Just in Time
So today, practically the entire Northeastern seaboard was expecting to be hammered by the second of two major snowstorms within days of each other. Those of us north of Central Jersey were lucky enough to have avoided the worst of...
365 Days Have Come & Gone
And all I've got to show for it are these lousy photos. ;-p Obviously there were some much better days than others (I'm nowhere near the level where I can crank out stunning shots every day, unlike some other photographer's...
The Boring 50s
With 30 days left in my first 365 Project, I've been looking ahead and pondering whether or not to continue in 2010 with the 365@50 Project. I'm still undecided. Maybe I'll take a year off first. But just in...
Panasonic LX3 vs Canon S90 JPEG Shootout
So I've owned the Panasonic LX3 for quite some time now and overall I like it a lot as my DSLR alternative. The only weaknesses being its limited pocketability and short zoom range (24mm-60mm). For a point & shoot,...
Travel Photo Gear
So, during the time that this blog was down, we took a trip to Taiwan. Our Taiwan trips seem to pretty much fall into the same pattern over the last few years: lunch/dinner with relatives, lunch/dinner with friends, lunch/dinner...
Initial Thoughts on the Eye-Fi Pro
So, earlier last week, I heard that Eye-Fi had released the new Pro version of their wireless SD card. Clocking in at 4GB and with the ability to transfer not just JPEG, but RAW AND video files via wireless...
Brief 24-70 Showdown
Ok, I don't have as much time as I used to in my prior pixel-peeping posts so I'm going to make this quick. I'm posting a couple of 100% center crops at f/2.8 and at 24mm, 35mm, and 70mm for...
My Camera is a Loyalist
So in my previous entry I mentioned I was working on a 3-way shootout between the Canon, Nikon and Sigma 24-70s. Unfortunately I've run into a bit of a snag. Specifically, the new Sigma 24-70 refuses to autofocus properly with...
New Pixel-Peeping Post Soon
Hopefully. =) Got my hands on one of Sigma's new 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM lens so will be testing it out against the esteemed Canon and Nikon models post-haste. Physically, Sigma did one heck of an amazing job...
Feeling Droovy
So I finally decided to bite the bullet and get a Drobo to help with my photo archive needs. That $50 rebate was the straw that broke the camels back. Decided to go with it instead of a NAS...
Welcome to 2009!
Hope everyone had a rockin' New Year! Mine was very low key as my lil' one came down with his first cold of the year. Whoo hoo! =p Ah well, we'll make up for it in the future. =)...
My First Photo Workshop
So a few months back I was alerted to a few photography lectures and workshops that Canon was running. Decided to sign up for the "Flash Demystified" workshop with Bob Davis since I figured it was high time I...
Canon's New Kid on the Block
So the long-awaited Canon 5D Mark II has finally hit the streets. Well, trickling to the streets is more like it. Despite having preordered at 4 different places, none of them came through for me. But luckily a tip...
Light Posting
Work's been busy and will remain so till the end of the year so posting will probably be light for the remainder of the year. Well, not that it was that frequent to begin with. Anyway, just thought I'd throw...
A New Addition: The Lensbaby Composer
So LensBaby announced their new lineup a few months ago and I pre-ordered the Composer and promptly forgot about it until it showed up at work the other day. I had previously owned their 3G version (now known as...
A Few Quick & Dirty Canon vs. Pentax Comparison Shots
So earlier this year I tried out a Pentax K20D and 16-50mm f/2.8 lens for a short while and was pretty impressed by the combination. Back then I had taken a couple of center sharpness comparison shots against my...
The New Canon
No, not the 5D Mark II. Just the bastard stepchild that no one seems to care about. ;-p I figured I'd check out the 50D until the 5D Mark II is released at the end of November. Also thought...
Stuck in Limbo
So the big news of the day in the photography world is that the moon is finally full and Canon's 5D Mark II has officially been revealed. And they weren't kidding when their tag line was "Destined Evolution." The...
Few Quick 50mm Shots
As I had mentioned in this previous entry, Nikon's 50mm f/1.4D lens was surprisingly small. Smaller than Canon's 50mm f/1.4 which is pretty small to begin with. Plopping this on the D700 after the hefty 24-70mm f/2.8 makes it...
One-upmanship
Since last year, Nikon has been doing a pretty good job of smackin' Canon around during DSLR product announcements. Last year Canon announced the 40D, Nikon counters pretty much immediately with the D300. Canon announces the 1DsIII, Nikon brings forth...
Shot in the Dark
Alright, I received a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D lens today so how could I not try to pair it with the D700 and try to see what kind of result I would get in a room with minimal light. So I...
First D700 Shots
Alright, the following are some shots taken with the D700 starting from ISO 200 up to ISO 12800. High ISO noise reduction in camera was set to low, photos shot as RAW, converted to DNG before importing to Aperture (since...
Checking the Grass...
For the past few weeks I've become pretty disappointed with the Canon 5D's AF performance, particularly with subjects on the move. Yes, I know it's not a body that's geared towards that type of photography but because that's the...
Portrait
Hand-holding any lens > 100mm is always a challenge and the AI Focus mode on the 5D seems to be pretty unreliable and/or slow (or most likely I just need more practice) but every now and then you hit...
Visiting Pennsylvania
Took a few days off last week to take Devon and his cousin on a trip to Amish & Hershey country. Kids had a blast, adults were exhausted. ;-) Gazing out the window of the train at the Strasburg Railroad....
My Muse
Yeah yeah I'm still waaaay behind on Devon's gallery but I just wanted to put these few up right now. =) Whenever he does anything that he's proud of, he'll clap for himself. It's funny and cute as hell but...
A New 50mm
So earlier this year Sigma announced their new 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM lens which works on both crop and full-frame bodies. Earlier this month, they started shipping and after seeing some initial reviews I decided to pick one...
All Your Bases Are Belong to Nikon
Possibly one of the worst-kept secrets ever in recent photography history, the Nikon D700 was announced a few days ago for release amazingly, at the end of July. Now this particular camera was expected as everyone figured Nikon would...
The Fabled Canon 135
Hmm... ok I think I can see what the hoopla's all about. ;-)...
Late to the Game
As most of my friends know, when it comes to gadgety things that tickle my fancy, I tend to be an early adopter. The first Powerbook G3, the first Powerbook G4, the first black MacBook, the first MacBook Pro,...
Lensbabied
Bit the bullet and picked up a used Lensbaby 3G and macro kit to play around with. Everything's manual so it'll take some time to get used to. And it'll probably be doubly tough to get shots of Devon...
Pentax K20D Impressions
WARNING: Clicking on the photos in this entry will load up the rather large (~2-3MB) full-sized versions. All photos except for the very first one originally shot in RAW format and converted to JPEG using Adobe Photoshop CS3 with no...
21FPS Fun
So Pentax has an interesting shooting mode in their new Pentax K20D called "Burst Shooting" which takes 21 frames/second for about 5 seconds. I think it maxes out at around 115 shots before it has to stop. Each shot...
Much Ado About Photography
Recently Apple upgraded Aperture to version 2 which is supposed to pack a significant performance increase as version 1 was, to put it nicely, dog slow when working with a large library. However, the one factor that kept me an...
It's not the size...
it's what you do with it, right? Eh, in these cases it's just about the size. ;-) 5200mm FTW! You know it's serious when a lens has to have its own targeting scope....
All Things Fishy...
It's going to be fun using this lens. Even though the focusing motor's a little loud without USM. And gotta keep that exposed bulbous element away from curious hands....
Up Close and Personal
My first shot ever taken with the 85mm f/1.2 II and attached EF 25 II Extension Tube. The idea of a f/1.2 macro-like lens was too tempting. And then I remembered why I had sold my old 100mm f/2.8...
Look Ma! No Wires!
A certain product was brought to my attention recently that I think would be quite appealing to point and shoot photographers: the Eye-Fi. It's basically a 2GB SD card with built-in wireless that automatically transfers photos via 802.11 to...
Dabbling in the Dark Side
For this most recent Taiwan trip, I knew I probably would want to cut down on as much weight as possible when it came to carry on luggage. That meant my regular Canon 5D with 24-70L, 70-200 f/4 IS, and...
Quick & Dirty ISO Comparison
The 5D still comes in as the low noise king here which isn't surprising since it's the only full frame sensor of the 3. In the non-darkish areas, the CMOS D300 isn't leaps and bounds better when compared to...
Conundrum
So I've been puttering around with the new Canon 40D for the last week now and I've gotta say I'm quite impressed. The following two photos are resized crops taken with a Canon 50mm f/1.4, shot straight as JPEG,...
It's On
Oh it's been quite an exciting week to be a photography geek to say the least. First Canon impresses with the prosumer 40D and new flagship 1Ds Mark III and then two days later, Nikon answers with their, quite...
Canon is my Dealer
Must... resist... Argh!!! And this. And this. Damn you Canon, damn you to hell....
My Camera Gear
A few years ago, for reasons lost in the ethers of time, I decided to get my first dSLR: a Canon Digital Rebel. Compulsive gadget collector that I am, that probably wasn't the best of ideas as it just...
When all is well...
Devon's a real bundle of joy. I would like to think for the most part he's a pretty happy kid. Baby requirements are generally pretty simple. The only problem of course is when one or more of these requirements...
Camera for the Missus
Almost forgotten with the 1D Mark III hoopla is this potential gem that Canon sprung on us on the same day. It's a 7.1 megapixel camera that also shoots widescreen high def (granted, only 720p) video and looks more...
Camera Goes Duo Core...
This is pretty sick. 10 fps??? I'm having enough problems handling 5 fps on my 30D much less having to contend with 10. Geez. But it sounds like it's going to be one hell of a camera. My gadget...
Pixel Peeping - 70-200 IS Showdown
In another installment of my lens sharpness comparison series, I now pit the solid, renowned workhorse, the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS with its new younger and more svelte sibling, the Canon 70-200mm f/4 IS. The 2.8 IS is big,...
Pixel Peeping - Mid-range Zooms
Following in the steps of my first lens comparison post, I had the opportunity to test out 4 mid-range zooms recently: the venerable, battle-hardened Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L; its younger, lighter and longer-ranged sibling, the Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS;...
Canon junkie...
Just a quick snap of my current dSLR setup. It's pretty much complete. Maybe one final lens that I'd like (Canon 90mm TS-E) but it's more of a specialty lens that I can hold off on 'til much later....
Steady as she goes...
This is part 2 (part 1 here) of my tests that I ran with the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS lens. For this entry I'll just be looking at the effectiveness of the image stabilization that apparently is worth $600 more...
Breakin' out the big iron...
Finally got the chance to appropriate a Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS lens to run some comparison tests with my Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 and to finally check out first-hand the power of IS (Image Stabilization). And man, I wasn't disappointed....
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