2008-12-12

Canon G10 - More Sample Shots

Here are more shots I took on my new G10. I am very impress with the G10's IQ.





Macro
The light was poor as it was heavily overcast. I had to borrow my friend's flash (580 EX II) to take these macro shots. The flash had a gary fong diffuser attached and I used -1 EV flash compensation.


2008-12-11

Secret Squirrel Stuff

What a great gadget for getting candid shots of unsuspecting subjects in the streets. It allows you to shoot at 90 degrees from where your lens is pointing.

Not sure about the quality of the photographs though. Similar types of devices were available 35 - 40 years ago.





Go here for more info on the Spy Lens

2008-12-09

Hitler's thoughts on the Nikon D3x

This is a very funny video I came across on Youtube. All photography buffs should get a kick out of it especially if you are a Nikonian.
Please enjoy..


2008-12-04

L bracket for Canon G10 from Really Right Stuff

Just saw the Really Right Stuff (RRS) L-Plate for the Canon G10. Have to add this little beauty to my ever growing wish list. I already own the RRS-BH40 ballhead and RRS BMBD200-L-: L-Plate for my Nikon D200.


BG10-L L-Plate for the Canon G10

Back view

Side view

Front view


BMBD200-L-: L-Plate for Nikon D200 w/grip



BH-40 Pro II: Mid-sized ball with Pro II

This is the exact ballhead setup that I have, the quick release plate is bought separately. The build quality and craftsmanship is second to none. I have had the BH-40 for nearly 3 years and the BMBD200-L for just on 2 years. They have both performed flawlessly in that time.

I can highly recommend anything made by Really Right Stuff. The RRS staff that I have dealt with have been extremely patient and helpful.

In the market for a excellent ballhead or L-plate?
Really Right Stuff

2008-12-03

Thoughts on My new Canon G10

I wanted a compact camera with great IQ and can shoot raw. I checked out reviews for both the Canon G10 and Nikon P6000. Nikon's decision to use some dodgy new raw format and coupled with the less than stellar performance of the P6000 gave me no choice.

Being a Nikon boy this wasn't an easy decision to cross over to the dark side and buy Canon. It's a shame that Nikon, once king of the compacts, cannot make something to compete against the G10. I don't understand how a company that can produce the D3 and D700 can miss the mark with the P6000?

Front View

I like the retro look and feel of the G10 and its black. I particularly like the 3 control dials on the top which makes it easier to access and change the iso, mode and compensation settings without having to fumble through the menus. However, on the minus side, it is rather bulky.

Top view

The menu is rather straight forward, fairly intuitive. I managed to use most of the G10 features without resorting to reading the manual. A no-no for techos:-)

The lcd screen is very very nice indeed, bright and sharp. Shame the histogram is not RGB but its still better than nothing.

Back view

I was disappointed that Adobe Lightroom 2.1 still has no support for the G10 but do for the P6000. I use Lightroom to process all my shots and only use Photoshop when I need to. Adobe just released Camera RAW 5.2, for CS4, on the 24/11/08 which supports the Canon G10. Lightroom support to follow soon, perhaps sometime in December.

I have no idea how to use Canon's DPP, its counter intuitive. I gave up and just converted the raw files to TIFF and then edit them in Photoshop. Since Adobe released Camera Raw 5.2, I use CS4 to do the raw conversion.

This is the first digital point and shoot I've ever owned. I am still getting to grips with taking shots via the lcd screen. It just doesn't feel right. Hopefully, I will get use to it.

I have to admit that it is much easier shooting macro, hand-held, using the lcd screen on the G10 than with my Nikon D200. I seem to get a higher percentage of "pin-sharp" macro shots on the G10. Perhaps this can be attributed to the G10's IS.

macro


macro


This is my first attempt at panoramic, pretty straight forward, the G10 allows you take up to 26 shots. Next time, I will make sure to use manual rather than aperture mode to ensure that the exposure is the same for each shot. I tried both Canon's software and Adobe CS4 to stitch the shots together, CS4 did a much better job IMO.


Panoramic - Campbell Cove, Sydney


Sample Shots






The low light performance was very disappointing anything above iso 400 is not great but I don't really care. So far I am very happy with the G10 and I am looking forward to taking many more photos with it. Highly recommended.

As part of Canon's Big Red promotion, if you purchase the G10 you get a genuine Canon powershot leather case. I sent in my details over 4 weeks ago and I am still waiting.

Reviews

Here some interesting links to more in-depth and technical reviews of the G10. Check out Bill Lockhart's review it has some really amazing shots from the G10.

Michael Reichmann
Thom Hogan
Bill Lockhart - Some really awesome shots
dpreview - Not so glowing review

2008-10-30

Sculpture By The Sea 2008 - Tamarama to Bondi

This annual exhibition started earlier this year, 16 October - 2 November, due to the new daylight saving time. This free event is staged along the Tamarama to Bondi coastal walk. The weather wasn't playing ball this year it was overcast and gloomy, definitely not conducive for great photography.

This year, we decided to go on a week day. There was less people which made it much easier to take shots without having to wait too long for people to get out of your way. Oh and it is much easier to find parking.


I reckon the sculptures this year were not as interesting as last year's but that's only my opinion. However, I would still recommend that you check it out. If you can't make it this year, there is always next year. Please enjoy the photos.








2008-10-26

Views from the southern plyon, Sydney Harbour Bridge

Fort Denison

Sydney Opera House

Park Hyatt Sydney

boat from Sydney pilot service

southern pylon (other side)

Photographer with great taste (Nikon Camera)

bridge climbers

Bradfield Highway

Sydney Opera House

Geesh, I really need to get fit. Climbing to the top of the pylon nearly killed me. Last time that I was here, I did not have a camera, in fact, I wasn't even interested in photography. I have always wanted to come back and take shots from up here of the bridge, Opera House and the cityscape. Please enjoy..