Photography & Camera Review by Chan Teng Heng

EP3~World's Fastest Autfocusing?

2011-07-19T00:56:00.000-07:00

by Chan Teng Heng July 19 2011

Is this an authentic claim?
The EP3 has a few autofocusing options:
-touch screen, focus/click without even lag. This is fast.
-shutter button focus and press.

I have compared this to E5+12-60mm f2.8- SWD lens. Both equally fast.

But the new generation of mirrorless SLR type cameras (including Panasonic Lumix type) are also sporting fast autofocus.

One great improvement of the EP3 is the fast focusing, even in very dim light, and with flash. There was no problem.

You got to try this to like this. Note however, because of the small size of the camera, it may not be as comfortable as the E5, but because of the small bodyform of EP3 and the quality of the production, the EP3 fast autofocusing advantage is something you may wish to consider in owning the camera.

Look for updates on this....

www.photography-camera.com

2011-07-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

This website is accessible by either one of two:
http://www.photography-camera.com/
http://photography-xylec.blogspot.com/

Some of you may have difficulties accessing, so choose either one will do.

Mirrorless Type Cameras like PEN EP3 Changing the Game in Photography Business

2011-07-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

by Chan Teng Heng July 18 2011

The Mirrorless Type Cameras like the PEN EP3 are changing the business of photography, as the new technology allows smaller cameras that are compact in size, but able to produce SLR-quality type of images.

With a pancake like lens (e.g. 12mm f.20), the PEN EP3 can easily be carried around in your pocket (men) or handbag (ladies).

I produce below a table, extracted from DP review camera ratings, showing the ratings and also the sensor size. The table shows that normally large sized SLR tend to have betting overall ratings. The 80-90% ratings tend to be obtained by cameras built in with sensors that are APS-H, full frame or APS-C of the large or mid sized SLR. These cameras tend to be heavy, bulky, but produces excellent quality image and performance.

Until the Panasonic GH2: this mirrorless SLR type camera was small, compact in size, and has larger sensor sizes than compact cameras.

The only compact camera that has rating (75) between 70-79% is the Canon Powershot 90, Panasonic LX5 and Canon G12. I think the PEN EP3, with a larger sensor than these compact and even the GH2 will be higher rated, beyond 80%.

This therefore changes the game, as such tiny sized mirrorless SLR type cameras, are able to produce excellent images, with fast autofocus. It is a matter of time that the cost, weight, quality and speed ratio will have to factor this new mirrowless technology.
(click on image to enlarge)

In 2009, I compiled a listing of the cameras then existing, comparing the image quality and performance as two parameters (http://www.photography-camera.com/ search for camera performance) [click on image to enlarge] The type of cameras now available in 2011 will alter the future positioning for the top performing camera.

Watch this space for the future technologies....

EP3 ..using wide converter lens and 12 mm f2.0 lens.

2011-07-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

by Chan Teng Heng July 16 2011

The wide converter lens for the EP3 is inexpensive and widens the width of the picture by less than 20 percent. This is the less expensive option compared to using the new 12mm f2.0 lens, which gives very sharp pictures. The 14-42mm Mk II tiny standard lens fares equally well in terms of picture quality.

12mm f2.0
14-42mm mkII lens:

14-42mm with wide converter lens: however there is distortion

Will bring you more as I explore the EP3.

Email me at achanth@gmail.com with your comments, advise and queries. Tks.

EP3 ~Short and Fast: 17 filters with ONE shot...Filter Bracketing..Something New?1

2011-07-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

by Chan Teng Heng July 16 2011

Something new in EP3...FILTER BRACKETING...we are familiar with bracketing; now you can take 12 filter shots and 6 picture mode with one press of the shutter button.

What is the use? Very useful if you are in a hurry and you are not sure which filter will give you the best image.

The following is straight from the EP3 camera, taken with 14-42mm MkII MSC microZuiko lens.
iEnhance:
Natural:

Pop Art:

Soft Focus:

Pale & Light:

Light Tone:

Grainy Tone: (differentiate from Monotone, lower down)

Pin-Hole:

Diorama:

Cross Process:

Gentle Sepis:

Dramatic Tone:

The following Picture Modes may also be taken with the ONE_SHOT bracketing:
iEnhance:

Vivid:(Differentiate from Pop ART filter)

Muted:

Portrait:

Monotone:(sometimes, Grainy Film Filter gives the better effect)

Natural:

The Filter Bracketing saves a lot of time when you are in a hurry, especially during holiday or business tours. However, there is something you need to consider:

If you use SD card in the EP3, you are better off using class 4(minimum, not too slow), but I used class 6 and class 10 SD cards, and there is no lag time. Very fast.

Try. You will enjoy this tiny innovation implemented in EP3. Even the E5 does not have this function. I hope Olympus will incorporate this in their future firmware upgrade. However, the E5 uses the Trupic V+, whereas the EP3 uses the Trupic VI.

Write to me at achanth@gmail.com to comment, advise and add on to your experiences.

Thanks.

E5 with 12-60mm SWD f2.8-4.0 Zuiko Lens

2011-07-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

by Chan Teng Heng. uploaded July 15 2011.

Here are some of the photos taken with E5 and 12-60mm SWD f2.8-4.0 Zuiko Lens in US in May/June 2011, to illustrate how sharp and versatile the E5 . We tend to buy a good camera and stint on the lens. All seasoned photographers realise that besides the good camera, a good lens make a difference in the quality of the pictures taken.

Stanford University is one of the top US and world university. It organises free tours of its campus, and we were fortunate that my son had a classmate studying in Stanford, so he took us to the key centers. If you have time, do spend more visiting the buildings which have historical links to the technology founders in Silicon Valley. There are buildings dedicated to Intel, HP and Microsoft. The place is also rich in history. A good place for photography too.

The walk from the Information Center takes you through the lawns and buildings.

Along the way, you will see beautiful flowers from shrubs planted in the campus.

Inside one of the church, a rich place for indoor photography. Quiet, well maintained with color, shadows and highlights from glass paintings.

The E5 manual adjustments for glass pane photography enables one to see the richness of the art in the church.

The front of the church showcase the color and historical illustration of the area.

The perspective of the corridor allows good contrast and lighting adjustments to challenge the E5.

In many universities, and I was a university professor for many years, and now running a private college, messages by the residents are allowed in various forms and types. In Stanford, this round pillar was enriched with flyers and messages from students and stakeholders.

In the university book store, taking pictures internally was not a challenge for E5 and the 12-60mm lens.

As we walked back to our car, the scenary had enough flowers to make the walk interesting.

The Buildings house some of the best faculties in technology and engineering. The designs of the buildings make interesting photography objects.

The E5's richness in color, sharpness of the lens, and ease of picture taking, all adds up to a pleasant experience in Stanford University photo opportunity.

I hoped you enjoyed this short tour with the E5 output. Do email me if you have any comments:

achanth@gmail.com or log into www.photography-camera.com

July 15 2011.

EP3- The top micro-four third camera of 2011?

2011-07-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

by Chan Teng Heng July 15 2011

Just bought the EP3 camera today! Stocks arrived in Kuala Lumpur Thursday July 14 2011.
Is this the top micro four-thirds camera of 2011? These are the features that show it is nearly there:

i) Small size, light, mirrow less, and yet with DSLR sensor
ii)Autofocusing with v2 of 14-42mm lens was really fast...like 12-60mm Zuiko lens on E5. However, which was faster? Of course the 12-60mm on E5 was a tad faster.
iii)Compared to E5 with 12-60mm which weighs a "tonne", the EP3 was a feather weight.
iv)Yet the production of the images was excellent.
v) Video was a breeze, on top of which, you can re-focus even when shooting, to ensure sharpness.
vi)Design of the camera tended towards simplicity, but the features with art filters, and pre-sets, pack the camera to be as easy to use as compact.
vii)Tried focusing even in pitch dark...no hunting ,unlike cameras which tend to hunt, there was no such problems.

Of course, being a micro four-thirds camera, the sharpness and image could not be compared to the E5 using the 12-60mm f2.8 lens. When I attached the 12-60mm on to the EP3, the image was equally sharp, although speed was not as fast with the micro 14-42mm EP3 lens.

So far, I am happy with this small sized, good image production, EP3.
I recommend that you purchase this and enjoy!

Although I also own the E5, Canon 7D and Nikon D700 full frame, I feel the EP3 size and light weight a great advantage, as I take lots of photographs whenever I go for a holiday and travel (more than 2,000 images easily!).

Here are a few images (the video format from EP3 does not load well on this blog, though!)

A. The packaged offer isminimalist: Olympus viewer2 software, cables and instruction manual

B. Some images: richness of color, sharpness

Images: Normal Tone

Images: Dramatic Tone

Images: Grainy Film

Images: Normal

Image: Taken in Pitch Darkness, and the same with flash (no problem with focusing).

Image: Taken with EP3 and 12-60mm f2.8 normal Zuiko Lens
Overall Summary:

Pricey for a small camera with DSLR, mirrow-less equipment, but it offers feather weight mobility, good and sharp images, and in-camera filters to give dramatic effects. Will report on more experiments with the EP3.

July 15 2011. Kuala Lumpur.

E5-End User Review by Owner of Camera

2010-12-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

E5 Review by Chan Teng Heng, a biz professor who loves tinkling with photo equipment

I now own three superb camera DSLRs, and one high end compact:
Olympus E5~ I love the colours of the image.
Canon 7D-dual processor and high fps. This is a balance of softer image and color, so I would place this between Olympus and Nikon. this reates beautiful portraits, especially for weddings. Look at the wedding photos I took of my daughter as the bride.
Nikon D700-fantastic camera with high and good performance in low light. Also sharpest images of the three. Colour can be improved.
G9- good images, light especially for travelling, but low light performance is still sluggish. LCD usage in bright light quite difficult.

Why E5?
-love the balance of colours compared to canon and nikon.
-top of range, weather proofed.
-fastest autofocus claims with 12-60mm SWM lens. (Put this off for at least 3 years, cannot resist any more).

In reality, this is my experience:
-Autofocus:
I have used and owned e510 (best colors, light camera, in good light conditions)
e520-autobalance was a problem, e30-hyped up camera, it failed me in dinner photo taking, and I sold it. Pen E1-great disappointment as it was the slowest autofocus I had, compared to all cameras I have used.

The E5 is the best Olympus camera I have used (together with 12-60mm f2.8-4 SWM lens); even in extremely low light, I could autofocus. Surprisingly, the 7D failed in the autofocus, and even the D700 focus gave me difficulties under the same light conditions. So the E5 had improved tremendously, over the e510,520, In almost dark conditions, I could focus well.

Image quality: because I stayed in Sands Marina in Singapore on the 49th floor, I had excellent views of Singapore financial district, the "durian" and the lighting. The 12mm lens gave a very wide view, absolutely good for landscape or cityscape. Taking photos through the bedroom windows was not the best way to take photos. I went up to 57th floor where the Skypark was. This floor has the highest swimming pool in Singapore, and the edge of the pool made up the horizon.

However, taking night views of the city was not good, unless I use a tripod.

Hand holding the camera for E5 cityscape night photography is NOT good. Day time photography is not aproblem-fast, sharp (especially with the 12-60mm f2.8-4 SWM lens).

Lens: I used the 18-180mm lens and the 12-60mm lens. The images from the 18-180 is not as sharp, although the quality is acceptable for prints. Images for the 12-60mm lens, I can only say wow.

Weight: the E5 is heavy for travel; with the 12-60mm lens, it weighs over 1 kg. I shall need to take my G9 when I travel to Europe for a tour.

Autobalance: if set correctly, you can get very nice pictures. I am not sure why, after the E510, the autobalances of the e series cameras seem to be a problem. Day time photography with autobalance is not an issue. Good.

Filters: there are so many filters in the E5, you can literally play a long time with them and still have not tapped the full potential. Three seetings and filters I found very useful.
-Dramatic Tone: this is like HDR, where the bright sky and shadow areas are adjusted by the camera, and you get beautiful balanced images where sky and shadow areas are seen.However, this cannot be used if you are taking pictures through the glass, eg. the windows of room in hotel.
-ienhance: this enhances the images so that images color and exposure are well adjusted.
-diorama: this creates more saturated images.
The three filters alone are worth the camera's prices.

Video:unfortunately video is only at 720p, short of full HD video, and this resolution similar to G9, and below par of the cameras such as the canon 7D and mark II (The mark II sets the standards for the highest resolution and best quality video).

Downloading of photo images on to the computer: Unlike the higher speed of download by cameras such as the Nikon 700 and the Canon 7D, the download speed of compact flash is slower. With SD HC card, class 4 memory card download, is comparatively very slow. The slow speed reminded me of the snail speed of the xD card used by earlier Olympus cameras. It is advisable if SD HC cards were to be used, at least class 6 card is desirable.

Overall, the E5 is worth the money, for its fast focus with the 12-60mm lens, and the quality image. Its past weakness of focusing of Olympus cameras in now overcomed in the E5. However, the quality of image in low light has to be improved. More reviews will follow.

You may email me at achanth@gmail.com for your comments. Thanks.
Chan TH

Picture Images

Why the Canon 7D is Good....

2009-10-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

17 October 2009

I have used the Canon 7D to take photos and videos of my daughter's wedding.

There are several reasons why this camera is good:
i)Tried many cameras but found handling of 7D the best:
I owned and/or used to own the following cameras: Olympus e510, e520, e30, EP-1, Nikon D60, D300, D700, Canon 450D, Canon 500D, Canon 40D, Canon G9,Pansonic FZ series. Besides D700 which give good images in low light, and Canon G9 which shoots good images provided the object is not moving fast, I found the 7D to be the best of the lot.
ii) Weight: Ligher than D700 which is the heaviest camera. The 7D frame is made of magnesium alloy.
iii)Viewer: 100% image, large, so very pleasant to view and frame photos.D700 viewer is just as good, but because it is less than 100, sometimes pictures taken seeems to have appeared cropped in the final image. No problem with the 7D.
iv)Easy to handle: the menu is simple, and like the Olympus DSLRs, at a touch of the button, the LCD shows all the setting, which you can then adjust.
v)Speed: with dual sensors, taking fast pictures not a problem.
vi)Focusing: not an issue.
vii)Image noise: in low light, the D700 is still better, and the 7D is just slightly noisier.
viii)Image quality: considering the color and sharpness without too harsh, the outcome is the best for wedding.

Attached here are two photos taken direct from the camera. Judge for your self.

7D is recommended.

Update~Image quality of Cameras

2009-09-09T22:44:00.000-07:00

Image Quality of Cameras
by Chan Teng Heng

This section is to assist you in deciding which camera to buy, as there has been a new round of releases of new models by Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony and Panasonic.The list below shows the image quality of the cameras ( which also depends on the DSLR lenses used, pixel density) assuming some standard settings for the camera.

In reading this document, be aware that image quality is just one criterion which you can use by short listing the cameras you should look at.

I own some of the cameras above, and I started with the image quality criterion, then went on to: camera size, camera pricing, re-sale value, quality of build (for example, the Olympus PENeP-1 is one of the most finely built camera that came out. Some of the cameras, like the entry level Canon DSLRs are a bit too plastic for me).

Happy hunting.

EP1 images as good as HDR images

2009-08-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

21 Friday 2009

EP1 Images As Good As HDR Images

Most cameras have problems in taking images where there are great differences between bright and dark areas. When I used the EP1, I was amazed at the quality of the image.

I shot ALMOST the same scenery with several cameras: EP1, D700, G9. With E30, the same scenery was taken at a later time.

Although not scientific or rigorous enough, I have tried to compare these cameras as close as I could.
-Used Photomatix for HDR.
-Downloaded from camera using same adobe downloader, since some downloader cause some minor processing.
-All settings at P setting. autowhite balance/(manual for EP1). autoexposure.
Non HDR photos taken from E30, D700, G9 not shown as photos no where near HDR range. Surprised that even E30 non HDR cannot match EP1 colors. Of course, the differences in lenses, and settings under P mode, may account for some of the dissimilarity of conditions.

EP1: no HDR, downloaded from camera: 14-42mm microlens. 18mm. manual white balance. ISO 200. f3.5. 1/500". P setting.

EP1: with HDR:14-42mm microlens. P setting.

G9: with HDR. 7.4mm lens (fixed lens). ISO 80. f2.8. 1/800". P setting.

Oly E30: with HDR. 18-180mm lens. at 44mm. ISO200. f10. 1/400". P setting.

D700: with HDR. 28-300mm tamron lens, at 28mm. ISO 800. f14.1/800". P setting.

The images taken with EP1 appears very good, showing the high dynamic range of the camera, and nearly as good as EP1 images that are HDRed..

There will be many questions regarding the comparions, but I thought the EP1 image quality was excellent enough to warrant this article(although EP1 is a mite slow compared to DSLR, but the speed is acceptable).

__________________________________________________ __________________________
www.photography-camera.com

What is Good Photography

2009-04-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

The following cameras were created by these professionals: See how they are at work...

When we view good quality pictures, we feel that we are witnessing part of mankind's history in passing. The following pictures are from several sources [not taken by me] but shows that good photography can be taken, and it is our aim to emulate the professionals in the quality of their composition and images. Please enjoy them!

Digital Cameras~How to Choose Good Cameras and Avoid Bad Purchase

2009-04-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

This section is to help those who buy digital cameras, and who find out later they are not satisfied with their purchase.Money is lost, as second hand sales results in a drop in the prices of pre-owned cameras.

Evidence? Sales of new cameras in the second hand market in many forums around the world, some of these cameras are even days old. Reason?

i)Previews
Many website previews write about the specifications and the launch profile of the new cameras. There are many good specifications, but performance is otherwise. For example, many were very eager to purchase the Canon 50D when it was announced. After the launch, many of those who bought were disappointed, because the image quality was inferior to the previous model Canon 40D. So do not be captivated by the launch specifications, look out for the actual review. However, the specifications of the Nikon D90 and the Canon 5D Mk II did not disappoint those who wanted to own either of these cameras. The two cameras performance and image quality matched the expectations.
Sometimes you get a lemon for a camera: my D300 camera went dead after a few months, as the circuitry was shorted. Luckily it was under warranty, so I got a new replacement camera from Nikon. For this reason, I now do not buy from those shops who sell the "grey products", i.e. self-imported camera products. You cannot imagine the difficulties you get into once you buy "grey products" and there is a problem with the product.
ii)Review: there are two types~those who have a short play with the camera, as the newly launched camera is available to the reviewer for only a few days. For instance, the popular Canon 5D MkII camera was in great demand by reviewers, and I had less than 4 days before I had to return. In such a case, we can only do a short review, and not an indepth review.
iii)Review, in-depth: this is one of the best method of knowing how good a camera is.However, it takes some time before reviewers can publish their findings, by then, impatient photography enthusiasts would have bought them.
iv)Late reviews: this review is done 4-6 months after the launch, when all the excitement has died down, and the true quality of the camera is known.
v)Buyers/Owners review: look at those who have posted their views a few months, and not a few days or weeks of owning the equipment. In the latter case, the owners are usually very ecstatic about their camera and might not give the true situation of the performance.

You should also look at the buy and sell forum to see how many of the cameras are being sold:
high offers for sales are usually made for new cameras that are not performing well. High offers for sales are also made for camera models that are going to be replaced by a new model. Many Canon 50D models are being put up for sale, as owners find the image quality inferior to Canon 40D (according to many reviewers). Many Nikon D60 and Canon 1000S cameras, although newly launched, are also being put up for sale, not because the cameras are no good, but because being an entry DSLR models, owners find there are limitations (speed, image quality, handling) to what it can do. These cameras on offer are good value for money, even the Canon 50D.

My experience stems from owning several bridge cameras and DSLRs which did not meet my needs, but may meet the needs of others:
e.g.1a:Olympus 750uz: my first ultra zoom, low megapixels [4mpixel], but produced very good images in good light. No image stabiliser, but through high usage, it broke down.

e.g.1b:Olympus SP550: good zoom camera for daylight use, but slow in image taking, and high image noise. Bought it cheap second hand, and sold it cheap too.

e.g.2:Panasonic FZ18: read so many good reviews about this bridge camera, but was also slow, and image noise was worse. Sold it.
e.g.3:Olympus e510: good image quality in good light, white balance colors were fantastic, but high image noise in low light, and hopelessly incapable of focusing in very low light. Sold it.
e.g.4:Olympus e520: read good reviews about this, higher megapixels. Thought this model would have resolved the problems of speed and low light performances. Also disappointed, so sold it. White balance was totally out, but good with flash.

e.g.5:Canon 450D: very popular mid-entry level DSLR. Sold it after a few weeks, when it failed and embarrassed me in a birth day party. Pictures taking were so slow as the processing [this camera used the SD card, so writing was slow] took some time.
e.g.6:Nikon D60: image quality was good, uses also SD card, slow. So traded in for Nikon D300.

I hope my experiences will help you prevent similar mistakes. All cameras can produce excellent images, with a good combination of lighting, and photoediting software. However, know that there are limitations as to what cameras, even the most expensive ones, can do.
After researching, my camera inventory now consist of Canon G9, a good bridge camera which is also used by many professionals as a stand by camera, D700, a good image and low light performer, very good for portraits and landscape,Canon 40D, well known for good images, even in low light, and an Olympus e30, fast and rapid shooter,

Photos taken with Canon 40D and new 18-270mm Tamron VC lens

2009-04-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

The new Tamron 18-270mm VC Lens is a 15xzoom lens, which is light enough and versatile as a walk about lens, fitted on the Canon 40D. The following images are taken handheld, or resting on a support.

The images taken in the night appears to be sharp enough, and with little noise. Maximum aperture is f/3.5-6.3.Minimum focusing distance is 0.49m (19.3inch). The dimensions are 101mm in length and 79.8mm in diameter. The weight is 550g, one of the lightest zoom lens with this range.

The LiveView of Canon40D and the d-Lighting function helps in getting the right exposure and sharpness. The VC (image stabiliser) of the lens enables such images to be taken. With a little Photoshop adjustments on lighting and sharpness, the images are shown below:
1/10",f3.5,ISO400,

1/3",f5,ISO3200

1/2",f3.5,ISO1600

1/10",f3.5,ISO400

Choosing Cameras based on Image Quality & Performance

2009-04-16T02:49:00.000-07:00

by Chan Teng Heng

I have always been confused by the amount of information whenever I wanted to choose a camera. There were so many features, costs, etc. to consider. For once, I decided once and for all to follow two simple parameters: image quality, and performance (speed). Why? I bought one DSLR once, and at a birthday party, I was really embarrassed when I could not shoot photos fast enough...either the light was not right, or the camera was too slow. Hence, I changed and changed cameras, until I came to a right decision (..I hope at last)..

Here is the list of image quality and performance (thank goodness...dpreview.com had the ratings ..) I compiled. I hope this helps you just as it helped me....
There were some surprises....the Canon 40D and 450D for example; the e3; the Sony alpha 900...of course, many of the ratings are based on certain lenses, and the market level of camera quality at the time..
[click on the image for larger view] .

High Performance Lenses on Entry Level DSLR Camera

2009-04-14T00:50:00.000-07:00

A Wise Decision?
High Performance Lenses on Entry Level DSLR Camera

by Chan Teng Heng

This article addresses the age old question whether an enthusiast photographer, a serious amateur, with a limited budget should buy a good DSLR camera with a kit lens, or the same camera body with a better grade lens? For this trial, we were able to get our hands on a Canon 450D, a kits lens of 18-55mm IS f/1:3.5-5.6 specifications, and two high grade lenses: the zoom lens 24-70mm f/1:2.8 (macro aspherical large aperture standard zoom lens), and the prime lens 135mm f/1:2L, with the courtesy of Canon marketing in Singapore. Much debate on this matter has taken place in several forums. The conventional process for DSLR camera purchase is to buy an entry level DSLR camera (Nikon D40, Canon 1000D, Olympus 420, Sony α100) with the kit lens first. Gradually, as the amateur gains experience and understanding of photography, then upgrading should take place with the purchase of better grade lenses, and finally culminate with higher level camera bodies (Nikon D300, Canon 40D, Olympus E3, Sony α700) and even better grade lenses. The cycle of purchases does not cease and repeats with each newer model and technology introductions in the cameras and in newer lenses. Today, amateurs purchase very high end cameras which costs more than $4,000 (camera bodies alone). Recent cameras launched include the Nikon D700 (full frame camera, announced July 2008) and Canon 1Ds Mark III (August 2007). Other new cameras include the Nikon D90 (August 2008) and Canon 50D (August 2008). The new products launched feature new technology (movies in DSLR for Nikon D90) and new image processor and sensor (Canon 50D) such as the Digic IV, which eclipse the performance or even match the higher range of cameras. However, there are those who hold the view that owning top grade lenses are more important than top grade camera bodies, since technology upgrades will make the camera bodies obsolete much quicker than lens technology. Others may view that securing the latest camera bodies will overcome the handicap and constraints imposed with current range of high grade lenses. We tested this partially to see if the experience of photography using an entry level camera such as the Canon 450D but using near top-grade lenses will be changed.

The Lenses

The range of current prices (lowest street prices) of camera bodies and lenses are shown in the table below.

Based on reviews from dpreview.com and amazon.com, Canon 450D has a reasonably good rating, and was given an average rating of 8.42/10.0 (highly recommended), with a 9.0/10.0 for image quality (dpreview.com), while the lenses were rated an equivalent of 4.2 out 5 for the kit lens, 4.1 for the zoom lens and an outstanding maximum of 5 for the prime 135mm lens!. All 28 customers were extremely satisfied with the performance of the 135mm lens, something rarely seen. With this type of background knowing that a good entry level camera product is being used with good to excellent range of lens of a single make, we tested the lens by reviewing the finished images, view sharpness or chromatic aberration. We relied on simple visual examination of images with cropping of images and the feel of the speed of image taking. Not scientific but sufficient to make a conclusion. Reviews of each of these lenses have been tested thoroughly by other reviewers and we are not going to do that. We are testing how good lenses can change one’s perception of an entry level DSLR camera.

Performance and How Good Lenses Altered our Perception of an Entry Level Camera

We focused on the same objects, compared the images and did this over two weeks. The impressions we obtained were as follows:

Kit Lens
18-55mmIS f/3.5-5.6 We use this as the control lens, to set as the standard in terms of speed and quality of image. The IS (stabilizer) of the lens worked well to give us sharp images most of the time. However when cropped to 100% on some images, the sharpness or lack of it really showed up. Taking pictures in low light was acceptable with some delays in focusing and in acceptable quality.
Zoom Lens
24-70mm f/2.8 The quality of imaqes was better than the kit lens, and the speed was a bit faster than the kit lens. However, when taking the same objects under stadium lights, flare was found, which was surprising.for a lens which cost as much as 10x of the kit lens. The latter did not exhibit any flare. This zoom lens was much heavier than even the prime lens.
Prime Lens
135mmf/1:2L USM All pictures were extremely sharp; focus was extremely fast, even in low light conditions. No flare was found for objects under stadium lights. However, overexposure was experienced, which we could correct by altering the setting.

The kit lens made us feel that the Canon 450D was very plastic and image quality was not outstanding but acceptable. Even using the more expensive zoom lens did not change our mind of ditching an entry level DSLR for a higher grade camera. In practice, I did buy the Canon 450D but sold it after a short while as it did not give me a solid feel and handling. However, the use of the prime lens really changed our mind: a good prime lens, even though less expensive than the zoom lens, made picture taking with the entry level DSLR a different feel. We could feel “professional” about the whole experience. Focus was fast, and the picture quality (image color, especially skin color, was very natural; sharpness was very high). Had I used this lens with my Canon 450D which I purchased, I would have been much more satisfied, and would have kept the camera instead of selling it. No wonder, 28 out of 28 Amazon.com customers gave a maximum rating of 5 for this 135mm L lens. Some adjustments in picture composing have to be made of course. The 135mm lens need more distance from the objects to be photographed, otherwise it is ideal. When I used this 135mm lens for fast portrait taking, and the subject was a restless but very photogenic little girl, there were times when the camera froze for processing. It was at this moment, I wish I had a higher grade camera, like the 40D or the 5D. This moment came after I had taken about 6-7 portrait photos. With the 40D and 5D, I would not expect this to happen.

Our Conclusion

Definitely, a good prime lens such as the 135mm f/1:2 lens will make the ownership of an entry level DSLR like the Canon 450D value for money since it costs only slightly over a S$1,000. The speed of the high performance lens made picture taking a joy. Composing of pictures were fast, picture images were sharp, and certain fast moving objects could be captured (but see below). We tried using this lens to record some of the events during the broadcast of the Olympics over the cable TV, such as the opening and the closing ceremonies. The 135mm lens was the right lens and the 450D the right camera.

However, when we wanted to take fast action events, such as the BMX cycling events, the Canon 450D, even with the prime lens, was not fast enough to enable a good image capture. In low lighting conditions, the Canon 450D was also not that suitable, even with the 135mm lens. The other snag came when we took a series of live portrait photos described above. I believe that perhaps with a battery grip, and with faster file flush (time taken for the camera to “flush” the image to the storage card [1 GB SD card)), the frozen moments would have been lessened. It was under these conditions when I wished I had a higher end camera. For instance, the new Canon 50D which has a new Digic IV processor would be able process images so much faster than the Canon 450D. No fast lenses would be able to compensate for the speed needed under these circumstances.

Coming back to our basic question. Is it wise decision to pair up an entry level DSLR camera with a high performance lens, especially if costs nearly twice as much as the camera body? The answer is “it is not ideal”. There are limitations to this paring and it is at best a temporary measure to stretch one’s budget, to buy an entry level camera and a high performance lens.. As one gains experience in photography, there will be a tendency to upgrade to a better camera model, which would then be the ideal situation.

Article and Photos by Chan Teng Heng
A Biz Professor who like all things techie, imagery and digital.

Comparison of images from three types of Lenses 135mm. lens:135mm f/1:2,70mm. lens: 24-70mm f/1:2.8, and 55mm. lens: 18-55mm IS f/3.5-5.6 with an entry level DSLR camera

24-70mm lens IS f/1:2.8 Flare is evident (centre) in this image where stadium lights are brightly lit.
18-55mm IS. f/3.5-5.6. Sharp image without flare.
135mm. f/1:2. Overexposure due to glare from stadium lights.

New Cameras Coming Soon!

2009-04-13T18:46:00.001-07:00

As at 14 April 2009, these new cameras will be launched soon:
...Nikon D5000

This is D40 with D90/D300 sensor and improved specs.
...Canon 500D

This is improved 450D with video functions and specs of 50D sensor.
...Olympus 620 (announced, launched soon)

This is e30/e3 specs in a small body like e420, except it has stabiliser.
...Panasonic GH1

This is improved G1 with video.

Looks like better specs and hopefully better performance....if you are buying cameras, there is never ending introduction of new and better cameras. Don't chase technology, you will lose lots of money doing that. Take photographs first...then decide to upgrade, or even downgrade your cameras. Many do the latter, because i) new cameras not so comfortable, ii)new cameras performance not as good as the previous model, iii) over-spend!

A Better Deal? High Street Shop or Large Electronics Retail Outlet?

2009-04-13T03:34:00.000-07:00

This article appeared in Digital @ AsiaOne on Thu, Jul 17, 2008
A Better Deal?

Purchasing photographic equipment from specialized stores,the high street shops or large electronics retail outlet.
Chan Teng Heng gives his advice. -
Article and pictures by Chan Teng Heng, the Biz Professor who happens to like Photography

Lower prices of cameras

This subject became an interesting decision point for serious and hobbyist photographers. Should they purchase photographic equipment from specialized stores, high street shops or large electronics retail outlets? I went through this difficult experience when I visited similar stores in Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and U.S.A. Being smaller countries, Hong Kong and Singapore have the access to the latest photographic equipment; new cameras are quickly introduced into these markets, due to the interest in latest camera technology, coupled with the renewed interet in photography in these markets in the recent years. This was because manufacturing technology and outsourcing of photographic manufacturing factories to lower cost countries like China (Olympus), Indonesia (Olympus) and Bangkok (Nikon) have made DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) cameras more affordable. In Singapore, the lowest price for a reasonably good DSLR (the Nikon D40, a good camera, although less competitive in terms of megapixel power) is less than S$900.

Lighter and easier to handle
Materials substitution using plastic polymers and lighter metal components have reduced the prices such cameras. In the past, professionals and semi-professionals were the major users of DSLRs, while the majority of consumers bought compact cameras. Today, there is a major shift of buyers towards DSLRs which are known to give better quality images and prints. The development of a group of consumers called the pro-sumer group who hope to earn some money as semi-professional photographers have fueled this growth of DSLR market. There are more ladies now now buying DSLRs as the smaller sizes have made it easier for them to handle.

Growth of speciality photography retail stores
Where do we find these specialty stores and how do they survive? In Singapore, they are located in Funan Center, Sim Lim Square, Peninsula Plaza and Lucky Plaza, there are more specialty stores here solely dedicated to selling photographic cameras and equipment than the rest of Singapore combined. Recently I found even more competition as new specialty stores are opening up, such as in the top floors of Sim Lim Square. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Low Yat Shopping Mall and Pertama Comples are the places to check on the cameras. Why are these stores popular and why do they have a continuous stream of repeat customers?

U.S. experience
In U.S. in California, for example, I have been to mega shopping malls and large electronic retail outlets to view the photographic equipment. In the giant malls there are however only two to three photographic outlets. In the Westfield shopping mall, which is part of the large Westfield shopping mall chain in the U.S., in St Jose in Silicon Valley, California, the outlets have limited range of photographic equipment, and most of them stock low end DSLR, the entry level DSLRs. High end DSLRs are only available on order. Most of these “photographic” shops offer printing facilities as well. One such large shop had computers that allow you to edit your downloaded photos, save the album, and order your prints for collection a few days later. The other photographic shops in this mall had a good range of compact cameras, camera bags and sling bags, and accessories. I also visited several Fry’s electronic stores, which is a large supermarket for electronic goods such TV, LCDs, computer parts and accessories, hifi equipment, etc. There is a limited section which sells cameras and related equipment, but I was disappointed that while there was a good range of compact cameras, the DSLR camera range was limited of the lower end range. Lenses are even more limited. The speciality store, St Jose Camera and Video Store had a wider range of photography equipment, stocked with Canon, Nikon and Olympus products.

Asian countries
In Hong Kong, shopping malls have limited camera retail outlets with limited range of products. Speciality shops along the high street are better places to visit as the full range of camera products are stocked. In Beijing,China, near the TianAnMien Square, there are many photography shops clustered together in the popular tourists centers. In Malaysia, the malls such as Pavilion, Utama One and Mega Mall, similarly have limited camera retail outlets. In Singapore, Harvey Norman, Courts Mammoth and Best Electronics represent large chain electronic stores that have quite large sections selling photographic equipment.

The Harvey Norman outlet in Funan Center, Singapore, appears to stock the most current photo equipment and have the best promotion among the other outlets in the same chain in Singapore. Purchasing from these electronic outlets have their advantages and disadvantages. Because they stock so many electronic goods, cameras and similar equipment are always sold in packages, and there is less flexibility in how such chains can package your purchase demands.
Although the cost is higher as a package, the additional stuff, such as bags, memory cards, tripod stands, camera bags, and other accessories, are good value for money – provided you need these items. If you already are into photography for some time, many of the accessories, such as tripods, etc. as of no use to you. If you wish to purchase the camera equipment alone, then the pricing may not be favorable to you, as such chain stores need higher margins to contribute to their overheads.

Specialty stores are my most favorite place to purchase cameras and equipment. Some of my students who have done some consumer behavior research on these Singapore stores found that although well know outlet chain stores like Harvey Norman and Best Electronics are well recalled by survey respondents, the specialty stores like John3:16, Alan Photo, and Cathay, had as much as 80% of repeat customers, which reflect the high satisfaction that customers have from such stores. These specialty stores stock a vast range of equipment (Canon, Nikon, Olympus being the most commonly found range) with limited specialty stores selling Leica, Pentax, and Panasonic and Samsung cameras. These stores also offer the best prices in town. Sony has their Sony stores exhibiting Sony products and equipment., and other electronic chains and specialty stores selling Sony cameras.

We shall focus on the selling of DSLRs to better differentiate the services offered by specialty stores compared to other retail outlets. Specialty stores have the following advantages:

i) stock the widest range of DSLR equipment compared to other type of outlets which also sell cameras

ii)the prices for their goods are also the best in town.

iii)the sales people are more knowledgeable, and more approachable. You can develop a good relationship with the shop personnel as the retail outlet is smaller

iv)the latest product may not be introduced earlier than in other outlets, depending on the size of the outlet.

Because of these reasons, specialty stores for photographic equipment are more popular than the larger retail shops which sell electronic goods as well as cameras.

Picture description:
1)California's Westfield Shoppingtown combines ambience with great general merchandise shopping experience.

2)San Jose Camera is a photographic equipment retailing specialty outlet in California’s Silicon Valley.
3)Hong Kong’s photography retailing specialty outlet is on the high street.

Camcorder Review~Canon FS11

2009-04-13T03:08:00.000-07:00

This article appeared in AsiaONe Digital on Wed, Aug 13, 2008
Canon Camcorder FS11
Dr. Chan Teng Heng
Introduction
The Canon Camcorder FS11 is the top range of Canon's three models for standard definition video recording equipment. There are also two other high definition models. These camcorders which came in metallic grey, with black and silver color schemes, has high quality finishing, representative of Canon electronic products.
The FS11 has 16GB of built-in flash memory, with a card slot for SD memory card. It is a solid state camcorder, which means no moving parts for recording. Hurray for new technology. The slow winding mini-tapes as the medium for recording vide are being replaced. This flash technology therefore allows the product to be down sized to a compact and light form.
The video cam weighs less than 10 ounces or 300 grams! It fits my average sized palm nicely, and can be carried in my jacket's pocket or any small bag. It does not look toy like but would be if not for the quality finishing of the camcorder.
The video recorder is a 1 megapixel videocam and only 0.8 effective megapixels for still pictures. It has 37xzoom, 55x advanced zoom and 2000 times digital zoom (I thought it was an error! Most video cams have only a few hundred times zoom). It comes with a lens that has f-stop of 2 to 5.2, which allows wide aperture for video and still camera picture taking. It has three white balance controls, auto, daylight and tungsten.
If this is not enough, you can use the manual control to change the settings. There are also settings for night modes, with low light shutter and night scene modes. The LCD screen is 2.7 inch in size, but the resolution of 123,000 pixels is too low. Viewing is difficult in sunlight as there is no back viewer. Overall, the FS11 is a solid state light camcorder that is easy to carry or stow away.
Key Outstanding FeaturesThere are several outstanding features of the video cam that attracted me and other people who were invited to view and use the equipment. They and I were impressed with the following features:
-Small and compact size: Everyone was impressed with the compactness and size of the FS11. It fitted nicely into the palms of most users. After handling it, they were also surprised how light it was.
-Easy to use: With just brief instructions on the usage, many users were able to take their first videos without much further handling or searching for control buttons.
-Video Recording and Playback Controls: Controls were straight forward. A large sized Record Start / Stop button situated in the middle of an even larger jumbo sized mode dial situated at the back of the camcorder allowed videos to be taken (first press) and stopped (second press). The zoom control was very light and sensitive. Zooming in or out was therefore easy. Turning the dial to red video symbol allows recording, and turning the dial to blue video symbol enables video play back review.
-Still Camera Image Taking and Playback Controls: The same dials turned to allow the videocam to take pictures (red symbol) and view them (blue symbol) in the LCD screen.
-LCD screen: The 2.7inch LCD screen (width) is located on a left side panel where a joystick allows controls of the video activity. Selecting the video clip review function is very easy. Functional controls are situated just below the screen.
There is no bulkiness in this video camera. Handling of the camera and controls are straight forward and easy.
-Flash memory: The use of flash memory helps to cut down the time for saving the recordings. Taking one hour of video on tape used to take another hour of running the video tape to download on to the computer, followed by converting the format of the video, before burning to a DVD/VCD for viewing on players.
With flash memory, downloading of the video was very fast. I downloaded 13 minutes of video clips in less than 10 seconds! By connecting the video to the computer, recognition of the FS11 was almost instantaneous. I could then play back the video immediately.
Using the internal 16 GB flash card was obviously a good idea by Canon, and flash memory will definitely be the future technology to be adopted. Because of the low megapixel (0.8mp) of still images that can be taken by the video cam, transfer of still images from the SD card to the computer was very fast.
In summary, the FS11 video cam appeals to many first time users for its light and compact size, ease of handling and the fast speed in video transfer to storage. which was enabled by the use of flash memory. There are however some features and performance that the FS11 could improve upon. These are discussed below.
Performance Areas that Could be Improved Upon
-SD memory card transfers: The FS11 has a SD memory card slot that allows the transfer of files from the internal flash memory to SD cards. I tested this transfer of video clips comprising a total file size of 173MB, made up of 9 files with a total play time of 25 minutes. This transfer from the flash memory to the 2 GB high capacity SD card in the video cam took about 2 minutes.
This was longer than similar transfers would have taken from the internal flash memory to the computer. In addition, it took an additional 5 minutes to transfer the video clips from the SD card to the computer. Transferring the same video files from the flash memory to the computer took less than a minute. Although compact flash cards are more expensive and bulkier than SD card, use of such compact flash cards would have shortened the transfer time.
-Video Quality: Despite the low megapixel of the video cam, the standard definition images of the video recordings are acceptable, when viewed on the computer and even in your living room's 32 inch LCD TV. However, when the video cam was zoomed to even 10 xs, the quality of the video deteriorates, with double images showing. The video quality was not good. The FS 11 may therefore appeal to certain segments of buyers, the entry level buyers, or upgraders of older (technology) video cameras.
-Still Picture Quality: Because of the low pixel of the videocam, camera can only be taken at 0.8 megapixels. We therefore expect the still pictures that can taken are of low quality. The image quality was much better than expected, with good lighting and under certain conditions. At maximum zoom, chromatic aberration was very evident, with highly visible mauve colors showing up, when I viewed the still pictures taken of crows flying and resting on the top of trees.
In low light situations, the picture quality deteriorates. Using the night scene modes improves the quality of pictures. By comparison, better quality pictures could be taken with current models of phone cameras, some of which have up to 5 megapixels lenses. However, this facility of taking still photos while recording the video with the FS11 provides the convenience of dual format images to be taken. Comparison of the pictures with and without zoom is shown in the tables below.
-Ease of Focusing and Capturing Images: Taking videos at normal settings is quite easy as mentioned earlier, due to the effective image stabilizing features and handling of the video cam. However, capturing video becomes difficult under high zoom, since the video cam does not have sufficiently wide angle lens. It is only 41.7mm (at 35mm equivalent) at the lowest zoom point (video) and 41.5 mm for still pictures. For wide angle views, focal lengths of at least 27 mm to 36mm would be more ideal. The smallish LCD screen when viewed in bright sunlight does not help. Unfortunately, there is no back viewer that one can fall back on.
-Bundled Pixela Software: This editing and conversion (to Quick time or Mpeg formats for easy playback) software is very basic and meets minimalistic image editing. However Canon files are in MOD form when stored in SD memory card and converting to Mpeg/AVI formats takes time, especially if you have a slow PC. Using a faster computer, with a dual processor, overcomes this problem.
Summary
There is much to like about this smallish "flashy" videocam wonder. The FS11 is stylish and sleek, and of quality build. Easy to operate, small to bring along and easy to download and store, this camera is very suitable for someone who wants a point and shoot video camera. You can have your first video viewing less than 5 minutes after you are given the camera. Large buttons and even larger dials make start and stop recording easy. The flash memory is fast and reflects the new technology that is becoming more popular with manufacturers of electronic products. The 16GB flash memory can hold 220 minutes of video (at highest quality setting). In addition, this video cam allows still images to be taken. .
The quality of video is not high, but of acceptable quality, which deteriorates under less ideal light conditions, such as under full zoom situations. Still image quality could be better improved, but with 0.8 megapixels, there is not much that can be done. With editing using appropriate software, it allows better quality still pictures to be easily up loadable on to the internet. The setback of owning this video cam is minor. FS11 has direct competition from Sony and Panasonic which uses hard disk drives against the faster and less bulky flash memory. This faster downsizing of the video clips makes this video cam product so appealing.

Still photo taken at maximum zoom at 96.2mm, at f 11 and 1/100" exposure.
Severe chromatic aberration is found.

Sharp still images are possible with rich contrast colors and correct auto white balance when taken at normal, unzoomed conditions (2.6mm f/2 and 1/12"). In the picture below, photo snapshot of video clip taken by FS11 at zero zoom is shown.
Photo snapshot of video clip taken by FS11 at mid zoom conditions. The last photo snapshot shows the video clip taken by FS11 at maximum zoom. Camera shake was difficult to control because of the small size and light weight of the camcorder.

Photographs and Text by Dr. Chan Teng Heng, A Biz Professor Who Loves All Techie, Imagery and Digital Stuff.

Excellent and helpful review. It's interesting that you note "The video quality
was not good." (when the video cam was zoomed to even 10 xs)
The still-frames don't look too bad, but perhaps I have low expectation? How do
other cameras compare? Also, while the clip is moving (i.e. not a still frame),
is the issue so noticable?
I think I will choose this model to purchase for my first serious camcorder (all
previous have been hand-me-downs without much choice) based on:
* excellent zoom
* light weight
* internal memory
* expandable memory
* ease of use.
I would have *loved* to have seen some night-time
clips and/or still frames.

Chris
Posted by: Posted at Tue Dec 09
13:09:53 SGT 2008

Compact or DSLR Camera~ Your Choice?

2009-04-13T02:54:00.000-07:00

This article has appeared on Mon, Jun 09, 2008 in AsiaOne Digital

For compact or for worse...Compact or DSLR camera?
by Chan Teng Heng

This is an interesting topic which has been mulled over by many camera purchasers. When I was asked to write on this subject, it coincided with a trip I had planned to take with my wife to the U.S. to attend my son’s graduation in California. Should I bring a compact camera or a DSLR camera? I told the editor that my experience from my overseas trip will add insights to this article. The following descriptions in this article will not delve into technical details (such as what is megapixel, vignetting, chromatic aberration) as this would be better covered in camera review web pages on the internet.

Compact Camera
This category of camera is designed for easy portability, and usually is small enough to put into your pocket or handbag (for ladies). Canon, Casio, Fuji, Leica, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Ricoh, Samsung, or Sony have a good range of such cameras. The most popular compact cameras would be those with 8 to 12 megapixels, about 150-200 grams, have limited zoom (x3), easy to use and able to take pictures under good light conditions or bad light conditions (with the assistance of an inbuilt flash light). Convenient and handy. However, there are limitations. Speed is slower than desired. If you wish to take the picture of a racing grand prix car, more often than not, you will get a blur object. Even with settings for higher activity capture, you would not be able to get a good picture. In my case, I was not able to get good pictures at my son’s graduation. Looking at the pictures, you can see why. As the graduates parade out or move on stage, the compact camera is not fast enough to capture the graduands, and the result is pictures with blurred motion. I was using a Canon G9 which allowed me more controls than most compact cameras, yet it was slow for the graduation ceremony.

DSLR
DSLR cameras are larger, and heavier at 535 grams. With the zoom lens, the total weight came up to nearly 1 kilogram. You need a big camera pouch to carry this around. However, the advantages offered by this camera were sharper pictures, and more rapid capture of the graduates as they filed past us. At a later ceremony, when they threw their caps, it became apparent that DSLR cameras had an advantage. The ability to capture rapidly the movements froze the historic actions which would not be repeated ever. There was another person whom I befriended during the ceremony. He was a Thai national who had a 70-200mm canon lens. This is a reasonably expensive lens, but is fast. He says that he takes pictures of his son playing basket ball, which is quite a rapid and energetic game. The speed and the sharpness of the lens could capture movements what ordinary lens could not.

Performance Cameras
Some camera companies, such as Fuji, Olympus and Panasonic classify these as a cross between a compact and a DSLR. It offers the compactness of the compact camera, and the zoom capability and better picture quality and speed of the DSLR. The size is however too big to put into your shirt pocket or handbag, but small enough to hand around your neck or shoulder without giving you the weight or the pain of the DSLR when you trudge along in your travels. I have used the Olympus 510uz, then a 550uz and a Panasonic FZ18, which are deemed to be better performance compact cameras. All these weigh between 325 grams to 365 grams. I could zoom between 28mm to 504mm, giving me both wide angle view and a very far away zoom view. These cameras are good enough for prints, but when I viewed on my 32 inch LCD, it was not sharp enough. The speed was also not fast enough for me to capture good images of flying eagles in Langkawi. Pictures were however better than a small compact could give me. Both the performance cameras and the compact allowed me to take video cameras, which were not available on the DSLR. I used a Canon G9, which allowed me to zoom 24x (optical), and 5x (digital). However, the digital zoom image was quite noisy with large visible dots.

Decision Factors
Here are a few factors to help you decide as I did after traveling for about three weeks in the US.
» Weight: I visited Yosemite, San Francisco, and the Silicon Valley, by carrying either the DSLR, the G9 or both. We started our journey by taking both. It became apparent that after 3 days, the weight of the DSLR was too much and it was hurting my shoulders. So after a few events, I took only the G9 as it was more compact. I thought this would serve all my needs.
» Quality of image: My son Westley had to attend two graduation ceremonies. We could zoom with the G9 to take pictures of the stage during the first ceremony (for only engineering students), but as we were sitting quite far away, the digital zoom images were not good enough…too much blurring of pictures, too slow (when the graduates marched out and when my son went on stage to receive his scroll). For the second ceremony (for international students only) which took place the next day in a smaller auditorium, I decided to bring along the DSLR with the 18mm-200mm lens. I was able to get better quality images, picture taking was much faster and we were able to capture the most exciting moments of the day, including the cap throwing ceremony. This is a tradition in US universities, which we do not see in NTU or NUS.
» Video: my son’s friend, Lee Lonitz, was quite a humorous and entertaining guy. He went around with the G9, interviewing the professors and my son’s friends, asking them for advice and words of wisdom for Westley, etc. It was fun to view the video afterwards, which you cannot have with the DSLR. There were many comical moments for my son, as most of the interviewees gave a similar advice, “Get a Job..Now!” (No more “play, play”!)
» Ease of use: most compacts are easy to use, as the G9 had a 3inch LCD screen. Look at the screen, point and shoot! (press the shutter button), and the picture is taken. Unless you have very shaky hands, most pictures taken with compact cameras are good enough for printing. With the DSLR, you must know where to look…at the “peephole” called the viewfinder. Unless you have set the DSLR camera settings, you will end up with bad pictures.
» Feature scene modes: Usually compact cameras have many scene modes, which allow pictures to be taken under several light conditions, like night, sunset, high activity (running athlete). Some compacts may have up to 22 scene modes. DSLR may have as many scene modes, but the upper range DSLR usually drops the scene modes as the “professional users” are deemed to be proficient to adjust the camera settings for the best exposure.
» Pricing: compacts may cost as little as $199 up to over $1000 for the performance cameras. However, this is all you need, as the compacts are self contained without any additional accessories. DSLR cameras pricing may costs as little as $700 but the lenses and accessories (filters, tripods, remote controllers, flash systems) may set you back by a few hundred dollars up to a few thousand dollars, especially if you are going for the good quality, high speed lenses.
I bought the DSLR to give me speed and good quality images. The compact G9 was bought for convenience and as a back up just in case the DSLR failed. Once I was in China when my Nikon film camera dropped! I could not record pictures for the rest of the trip. With two cameras, however, it contributed to more weight and bulk (two chargers, batteries for the two cameras, and memory cards). I will now summarise the advantages and disadvantages of possessing each type of camera:

Here are some questions you may wish to ask yourself before you splurge out thousands of dollars and find out that serious photography is not for you or that the camera does not suit your need. Remember that cameras cost money and their value depreciate very fast, so you will lose a quite a bit of money if you wish to sell it after you found out that the camera is not for you (which I found out not too long ago, when I decided to be serious about photography).
Questions:
What do I need my camera for? (leisure, convenience, serious hobby?)
Have I done my research? (internet, or from friends and relatives, on camera type, brand, features and performance)
What is my budget? (price range in total, including lens, and accessories)
When do I get it? (after launch at trade fair? Sales promotion? There is no such thing as waiting for the best price, as camera prices drop all the time).

After reviewing the habits of serious photographer hobbyist on forum pages in Singapore and overseas, I have come to the conclusion that the leisure purchasers buy but one to two cameras, but the hobbyists have at least 3 or more cameras, and even more lenses. Why? Because, there is no such thing as an ideal camera. Each camera has its good and bad characteristics and limitations. That is why serious hobbyists differentiate themselves from others by buying so many cameras! For further information, you may wish to check with dpreview (UK) or one of your local forum (Clubsnap, Singapore; Photomalaysia or Photokaki (Malaysia).

The slower speed of the compact camera adds blurring of the image, the quality of which is not as good as that of the DSLR, although the compact is of higher mpixels than the DSLR, which indicates that pixels do not make better pictures.
The advantage of the compact is the ability to zoom in to the front of the stage, which is about 300 feet from where we were sitting.
The image sharpness of the DSLR allows the picture capture using a zoom lens of 200mm of this international group of graduands waiting for their scroll.
The advantage of a DSLR is the ability to take rapid multi-shots of an event, such as this hat throwing ceremony, because of its speed of image capture.

Dr Chan Teng Heng is a biz prof who likes anything techie, imagery and digital.

Camera Review~Canon Ixus 970is

2009-04-13T01:37:00.000-07:00

This article appeared on Mon, Aug 11, 2008 AsiaOne www.asiaone.com/Digital/Reviews/Story/A1Story20080811-81682.html

Canon Digital IXUS 970 IS
By Dr. Chan Teng Heng, A Biz Professor Who Loves All Techie, Imagery and Digital Stuff.

The Canon IXUS 970IS camera is the top model of the IXUS range and was launched in Singapore in March 2008.The camera, in shiny silver color and wedge-shaped, tapered at one end, feels nice to handle, because of its smooth finish, making it one of the sleekiest and sporty looking IXUS model on sale. Other IXUS models are more rectangular.

The design and construction exudes quality and solidness, very nice to hold and touch. It was no larger than my handphone, so it is very portable, fitting well into our palm. You can put it in your small handbag (for ladies) or trousers’ pocket (for guys) and use it to shoot pictures at any opportune time. Representative of all IXUS models, the quality of this IXUS camera makes one confident in taking good quality pictures.

The Face Detection Technology is fast, responsive, and accurate. Framing of pictures take place easily in seconds, with delay. Armed with a 5x optical zoom, it can extend to as far as 20x zoom (digital zoom). The LCD screen is 2.5 inches, big for a small camera that is 95.4mm by 57.2 mm in dimension, and 27.4mm thick. Its ISO extends from a low of 80, giving very sharp pictures, to a high of 1600, and an ISO 3200 scene mode, for lower light sensitivity.

Altogether, the camera has 18 setting and scene modes, which makes this camera very versatile for most photo opportunities. It is therefore a very desirable product, as the image stabilizer (IS) is very effective in reducing blur effects due to hand shakiness or body motion.

Using the latest sensor (Digic III with noise reduction technology), this camera is capable of 10 megapixel image output. Hence, this camera has all the features one may wish for in a small point-and-shoot (p/s) camera.

Exceptional FeaturesRather than elaborate on the usual features that are normally found in many cameras, such as face detection, focusing, color richness and sharpness, it may be useful to note what I found to be very useful and likeable in this camera. These exceptional features which make this camera stand out are many, as described below:

-Sharpness: the image stabilizer (IS) is very effective in this point and shoot camera. Many shots I took in normal, auto mode came out sharp, rich in color and accurate white balance. When I compared the image on my computer alongside the images taken with a 10 megapixel DSLR, the quality was almost comparable to indistinguishable, when viewed on a computer screen.
-Colour: Colour was vibrant and rich, when shooting pictures in sufficient light. Pictures of flowers and landscape taken with the IXUS 970 IS came out with only a slight variation from the original colour.
-Camera modes: There are 18 modes available in this camera. My favorite mode in the camera is the Color Accent and the Color Swap modes. Although limited to mauve (purplish) or yellow colors when Color Accent is used, this mode allows one to shoot the rest of the scenery in grey, with green being the only color for grass, or any items that are green in colour.

In other settings, the yellowish colour showed up against the rest of the grey background. Normally, you need to rely on the editing software, Adobe Photoshop, to have this type of tricky selective coloring. Color Swap was also interesting.
When photo shots along the Tuas highway were taken, the greenery that was bathed in the morning rich yellow sun showed up as slight mauve tinge color. This phenomenon really changed what would be the usual greenery to become different and flower-like. Imagine if you use this colour swap in a temperate country in autumn, the photos rendered in this way will be so beautiful.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate how the color and quality of the images can be transformed by Color Accent and Color Swap. These images have not been processed with any software, except for reduction of size, and cropping of the images. I think while the 18 scene modes have much to offer, Color Accent and Color Swap are most interesting.
Figure 3 shows how beautiful dawn is using the Sunset mode. Changing to Color Swap mode renders the sky a mauve tinge while the morning sun is shown a rich yellow, as illustrated in Figure 4. The Macro mode shows how sharp and accurate the color of orchid can be (Figure 5), while the normal mode using flash illustrates how colorful fishes in a swirlful of water can be taken easily (Figure 6).
-Hi ISO mode: In low night light, taking pictures under normal auto light mode in the camera may result in mostly dark images (Figure 7). However, switching to Hi ISO mode helps to create a more balanced lighted photograph (Figure 8). I tried to take some pictures of the buildings that were well illuminated in the night time. The quality of the image was very good even when viewed at 100% cropping (Figures 9 and 10).
-Panoramic pictures: This can be taken with the “Stitch Assist” mode. Instead of the more usual frame outlines found in the LCD screen, this mode actually shows part of the picture initially taken, so that you can merge visually the frozen image with scene you are going to take. Technology has improved so much that taking panoramic photographs has become much easier and more accurate when stitching several photos together.

Fig. 1. Color Accent mode renders only the grass green, with the rest of the image in grey. Fig. 2. Color Mode “paints” the areas bathed by the sun in purplish tinge.

Fig. 3. Sunset mode renders the image golden color. Fig. 4. Using Color Swap mode combines the beauty of the sunset and the purplish tinge to the surrounding sky.

Fig. 5. Macro mode shows the flower object sharply with the background blur (‘bokeh’ is quite good. Fig. 6. In normal mode, at ISO 200, and with flash, the fishes can be snapped if remained motionless.

Fig. 7. Taken at auto light mode (ISO 200) and using flash. Fig. 8. Taken at auto Hi mode (ISO800) and using flash.

Fig. 9. Quality of the image is seen when taking pictures at auto Hi mode (ISO 800). Fig. 10. Quality of image seen at 100% crop.

-Movie Mode: Despite the small size of the camera, I was able to take video clips of a friendly football match outside my apartment window. I was pleasantly surprised that it was able to record the sound of the match so well, although I was about 150 meters and five floors high from the players. The video clip was very viewable.
However, when zoomed to maximum zoom, the quality deteriorated appreciably. Still, the football match was watchable, without any color run that I have seen with movies shot with other digital cameras. The video clip was of 640x480 size, running at 30fps. The video clip ran for 47 seconds without any image or audio stutters.
-Image Manipulation: This feature allows image trimming and image resizing (reductions) saving file size and enabling quick file uploading to the internet, especially to YouTube. Many cameras are now manufactured incorporating this uploading facility.
Since this is a shoot and point camera, the quality of the image depends on the dynamic range of the sensor, the sensor size, ISO range and the camera settings available. We shall discuss the limitations of this equipment which users have to be aware of, in order to avoid taking poor quality pictures.
Picture Taking in Conditions that Need Extra Settings
The IXUS 970 IS camera allows very good images to be taken under good lighting conditions, and under certain settings of the camera, such as the auto Hi lighting mode. Generally, pictures in low light are more difficult to capture, for this IXUS camera, and even for DSLR cameras.
-Night Snapshot Mode: I tested this at dusk, at about 7p.m., when the sun starts setting, and before it became dark at about 7.45p.m. Under such natural lighting, I took several snapshots of buildings under various scene modes.
The Night Snapshot mode and the Fireworks mode gave blurred pictures because the shutter speed was slow. One should therefore use tripod instead of holding the camera by hand. Several shots of the same location using other modes (Portrait, Auto, ISO3200 and even Color Accent modes) yielded sharper and clearer images. This implies that the user must be familiar with the type of mode settings to use.
While this camera is good for picture taking in sufficient lighting, picture quality is more difficult to attain in low light or at night fall. Using auto Hi mode and flash does help, as discussed earlier. When the sky is totally dark, the Night Snapshot and Fireworks modes may be more appropriate to use.
-Zoom mode: While using optical zoom gives sharp pictures, digital zoom (up to 33mm. range) will result in very pixilated and processed (due to noise reduction activity kicking in) images. This drop in quality is also seen in the movie mode.
-Speed of picture taking: This camera is good for stationery objects and landscape. For fast moving objects, such as a running child, animal or a moving vehicle or animal, it lacks the “sports mode” which I found in many other models. The Canon G9 has this mode, which I found very useful for fast activities, such as running child or football playing.
-Design of Switch: The on-off switch is a mite too small, recessed above the LCD screen, and this poses problems for those with thick fingers or for those users in a hurry to retrieve the camera to take spontaneous photos. But I reckon this design is to keep the surface flush with the sleek design. This is the only grouse I have against this superbly designed camera.
SummaryThe IXUS 970 IS camera can give very clear color-rich pictures, with good highlights under good lighting situations. It should suit most types of users, especially those taking casual photographs of friends and family. In low light conditions, some tweaking of the camera settings and controls are necessary. Overall, the camera should give owners much fun, especially if they use the Color Accent, Color Swap and Movie modes. It should also be very handy and versatile for spontaneous picture taking since it can easily be carried in the smallest of lady’s handbag or even in trousers or shirt pockets.

Sounds like a great camera! One question: what about battery life? I used many IXUS and had to drop Canon for Nikon due to bad battery life. Appreciate your input. Thanks.

E.S. Chew

Posted at Tue Aug 19 12:37:30 SGT 2008

Dear ES Chew,
There are good and bad points about all cameras. While the IXUS 970 have good color, reponsive focusing and easy to compose pictures, because of the large LCD screen, the battery life will be quite short if you leave it one all the while. I have been able to extend the life of the camera by switching off the camera once I pause taking shots. This way I get the best of both worlds...good color, fast focusing, and ...a good battery life.
I also own a Nikon...but did not use this a lot because it lacked certain features that I was looking for.

Posted by: achanth at Tue Aug 19 14:17:42 SGT 2008

Equipment Prices (Malaysia) Olympus

2009-04-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

Olympus e620 prices
10 April 2009

At PC Fair these were the prices:
e620:body-RM2599
+ 14-42 mm lens-RM2999
+14-42 mm+40-150mm-RM3599

e30+14-54mm lens-RM5899
e30+12-60mm swd-RM6899

e3:rm4699
+14-54mm lens-RM6499
+12-60mm lens-RM7499

Comes with CF, fibre cloth, flash light,lanyard, + eSystem back pack for E3, e620 and e30.

Lenses:
12-60mm swd - RM 3549
50-200mm swd - RM 4099
50mm f2.0 - RM 2049
35mm f3.5 - RM 829
25mm f2.8 - RM 790
18-180mm - RM 1799

The e620 is very small in size, light and good performance of e3, the weight is like e420!

Camera Review: Short Review in Amazon.com of Olympus E30 camera

2009-04-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

Olympus E30 12.3MP Digital SLR with Image Stabilization (Body Only)

This article appeared in http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-E30-Digital-Stabilization-Body/product-reviews/B001K3JPRA/ref=cm_cr_dp_hist_4?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addFourStar

I owned this camera for few months now. Have been an Olympus user for sometime (3-4 years).

My views therefore compare with other cameras available.

What I like:
*fast focus with the 14-54Mk II lens. Wow..first time I used it, it was fast, compared to the older 14-54mm lens and the older 510 & 520, the latter two which I subsequently sold.
*light weight, compared to E3, but heavy compared to e510 and e520.
*Olympus colours
*The range of ISO up to 3200 however is much much better than the previous ISO 1600 limitation.

What I can do without:
*Has Olympus done its research? The art filters are out of place ..really, why would one use art filters if one buys the e30! art filter on point and shoot okay..but on the e30. Market positioning seems to be wrong.
*flexible LCD monitor: not really useful.

What I dislike:
* small electronic view finder: having used the Nikon D700, Olympus viewfinder need to be improved!
* LCD screen: at 2.7inch and 250,000 dots...this is appalling. 3 inch should be minimum, and at least 900,000 dots like competitors.
*low light performance: better than e510/e520, but still lags behind competitors.
*Auto white balance: totally out indoor lighting. I sold my e520 because of this. The e510 auto B is the best.
High ISO: good up to ISO 800..after that there is noise. Olympus has ot improve on this.
* xD card: its time to change to SD. xD is S.L..O....W... on downloading!

I have corresponded with Olympus before on their features and the new launches, which makes olympus owners lose high investment as the prices depreciate quite fast upon post launch.

Seems like Olympus do make changes, but slow...

Overall:
*Olympus e30: if you do not like Olympus colors in the images, then this camera is not suitable, as there are other products that may meet your needs. I stick with Olympus only because of the colors; tried Nikon and Canon, but still revert back to Olympus,
*ate its low light performance (although much better than the e5XX series!),which Olympus could seriously improve.

*Yesterday tried low light shooting... quite disappointed.

I have used the e30 for a model shooting showing...more keepers images than previously compared to e510, which however, had better accurate white balance.

Before You Get a DSLR Camera...See This First

2009-04-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

By Dr Chan Teng Heng

Moving from Compact Camera?

You probably have a compact camera or even several cameras. However, you feel that something is missing.

You feel a need for something more “professional”, some photography equipment that is faster, and gives better quality pictures.

This is when you decide that you want a DSLR. However, buying one confuses you.

This article covers the range of DSLR cameras that you can choose from, and the categories of DSLR cameras that are available.

Which DSLR Category?

Although you may be familiar with your compact camera, when you move to DSLR, the same brand of camera may not feel right with you after having read other reviews on your brand of camera.

There is no one perfect DSLR camera, since each brand of camera has its own strengths and weaknesses.

We may be able to divide DSLR categories into three simple categories: the entry level, lower cost cameras, which were intended for those who plan to move from compact camera to DSLR.

Hence, many of the camera settings have pre-set functions that allow one to take pictures in several settings, like sunset, snow, portrait, sunlight, night scenes, etc. In addition it contains settings that allow you to manually change these settings.

The entry level itself contains at least three sub-categories of entry level cameras that have increasing degrees of sophistication and speed.

There are several considerations to weigh to make a decision:

Weight and size

DSLR generally weighs more than compact cameras.

The body weight and the lens weight sometimes make owning a DSLR camera a disadvantage, especially if you need to be mobile, such as traveling.

The heaviest are the high end cameras. With a professional lens, the weight may come to about 3 kg! This is a deterrent to owning a top range camera, besides being pricey.

The mid-range cameras are not light either. With the lens, especially the telescopic lens, the mid-range DSLR may weigh up to 1.5kg, which is reasonably heavy, and is heavier if you lug around the equipment over one week during travelling.

One consideration DSLR owners have to bear in mind is whether you will need the camera during stationery usage, or if you need to move around.

Pricing

DSLR cameras require additional costs to acquire lenses, lens filters, camera bags, tripod and other accessories.

All in, an experienced DSLR owner may spend about an equal amount in lens, or even three times that of a DSLR camera purchase.

In the pursuit of the perfect picture, one can literally spend thousands of dollars more on DSLR accessories.

Functionality and Image Quality

We may wonder why photojournalists or professional photographers buy such expensive, “oversized” and heavy equipment.

The reasons are related to the functionality of the camera, where one can have more manual control over the settings in order to capture the best images.

For the less experienced camera person, there are also factory settings for various environment and lighting.

Today, DSLR cameras have what is known as “Live View”, the same view you get from the compact cameras.

With histogram showing the right lighting, and with level meters, the more expensive DSLR cameras save you work in reducing image processing on the computer.

Hence, understanding what functions you need and you want is important.

However, for the “beginner-stage” DSLR users, they may not know what they need until they have more experience.

Insistence on good quality pictures have therefore led many hobbyists to buy the full frame cameras (Canon 5D, Nikon D700).

Those who prefer outdoor picture taking may want to go for the weather proof Olympus E3, which although not full frame, is resistant to incremental and wet weather.

Hence, deciding on the right DSLR camera takes some homework, to review equipment, and understanding enough so that you may what type of equipment is right for your needs.

Does Megapixel count?

DSLR cameras that have been recently launched have more than 10 megapixels: 12 megapixels and 14 megapixels cameras are increasingly becoming common.

However, pixel size may not mean sharper pictures. Therefore reviews of cameras are important for purchasing decisions.

Summary

Owning a DSLR means you must be prepared to set aside additional sums of money for accessories, to acquire the better lens, filter and accessories to give you the picture you require.

While generally DSLRs give better picture images, I have also seen very high quality pictures taken by compact cameras, because the photographer has the right settings for the right environment. For DSLR ownership, we therefore recommend the following:

i) Conduct extensive research on the DSLR you wish to purchase. Ask your friends who are more experienced for their advice.

ii) Re-examine your reason for owning the DSLR. What is the purpose? What type of pictures do you like? (scenery, sports, portraits, general purpose, or for travel?)

iii) Try out the DSLR in show rooms, in camera group meetings. Learn from photography forum participants

iv) Purchase a second hand DSLR as a low-entry, lower-risk way of learning about photography and DSLR. Remember that DSLR cameras depreciate very fast, but good lenses have more value in the long run

v) Make the purchase that you want.

Good luck in your first DSLR purchase.

Dr Chan Teng Heng
A Biz Professor who likes all things digital and electronics

[This article appeared in http://digital.asiaone.com/Digital/Features/Story/A1Story20090215-122064.html]

Photos~with Olympus e30, 14=54mm lens Mk II

2009-04-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

by Chan Teng Heng
I did mention that good pictures are not made by the camera but by the person. You can create any good picture by following some fundamentals. Have a main object of focus. Here is an example:

This second picture however shows too many objects which detracts attention from the main area of focus.

Photos~e30 Singapore acquarium

2009-04-11T05:08:00.000-07:00

by Chan Teng Heng
11 April 2009

I did mention that good pictures are not made by equipment, but by persons. Here is a picture taken with another camera, the Olympus e30 using the 14-54mm MkII lens.

A second photo shows how NOT to take a photo as there is no centre of focus; too many objects in the picture distracts from the main object:

Some Photos~Nikon D700 and Tamron 28-300mm Lens

2009-04-11T04:39:00.001-07:00

by Chan Teng Heng
11 April 2009
I have mentioned that photography is not due to the equipment but due to the creativity in the person. We have seen some fantastic photos taken with simple cameras.

Listed here are two photos taken with Nikon D700 and Tamron 28-300mm VC Lens, because I like convenience of the lens which can take near and far photographs.

The first photo is on the flowers of the 'canon-ball' tree, so called because the fruit is like canon ball.

The second is the clouds taken when flying from Singapore to Malaysia. The photos have been adjusted for lighting.

The Express-ive Olympus E30

2009-04-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

The Express-ive Olympus E30
By Chan Teng Heng
10 April 2009

Olympus E30 with 14-54mm f: 12.8-3.5 Mk II lens
Dawn of 2009
We have been waiting with anxiety ever since Olympus show-cased their prototype towards the last quarter of E30. With the specifications of the “fastest (focus) camera in the world”, which is E3, and possessing a smaller body, there was much expectations over the sale and availability of this E30 camera. The press release and teasers said that the new camera will come with a new 14-54mm kit lens, a mark II lens, it made the waiting more exciting. There have been very good reviews of the E3, which is weather-proofed, and many stunts have been shown in Youtube, with some experiments taking pictures in very wet conditions, and passed the test satisfactorily. Inadvertently, one owner happened to drop his E3 camera from the top of the stairs…to his horror, he ran down to retrieve his camera. And it functioned properly, although with some dents. Now, the E30 camera is NOT weather proofed. Can it live up to the marketing, promotion and publicity? We shall see.

Comparison with existing Olympus cameras
I have used Olympus cameras for more than a decade and a half. Starting with a compact film camera, I graduated to the c-740uz tele-zoom lens, SP-550uz, then to the E510 DSLR, and upgraded to the E520 DSLR. Finally, I was given the E30 to try, and bought this camera, since i) I liked the colours of Olympus, ii) I am familiar with the controls, and iii) after-sales service was good. The only issue with owning the camera was i)there was much noise, and ii) new models were released , sometimes just months, after buying the camera. The release of the new model was also bewildering. The E30 missed the peak holiday seasons of Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year. It was only available after the holiday seasons were all over! If only the camera were released timely coinciding with the holidays…we would have more time and enjoyment playing with it.

What are the key features of the E30 that makes it so exciting? Table 1 shows the key specifications of the camera, differentiating it from its sibling cameras. I will therefore discuss the main differences, as I am sure by now, other reviews would have given very detailed descriptions of what the E30 can do. The section here deals only with some the the key features that one should note. All the Olympus cameras listed below have live-view. E30, being the latest model launched and available only in January 2009 in Singapore market, has 13.1 megapixels, keeping up with the pixel game against competitors. Its maximum resolution is therefore the largest compared to E520, E420. and even E3. Although the sensor size is the same for all the cameras, the E30 has the updated Live MOS sensor with the TruPic III+ image processor. This made lots of difference in focusing and processing of digital images: it is fast! Even with the Mk II 14-54mm lens, and also with the 14-42mm older lens. I noticed this gradation in speed, from the E510 to the E520. The E3 has been noted to be fast for those who experienced using the camera. This was one reason for favoring the purchase.

The second reason for liking this camera was the focus points. I had some trouble with the E510 focusing, which was much slower, and had only three AF autofocus points. When I changed to the E520, the three AF points were very disappointing! They were so tiny that focusing, especially in the night, was slow, and tend to be missed. The E30 eleven AF points was a great difference.

The third reason for favoring this E30 camera was the weight. I traveled overseas with the E520, and felt it was “heavy”. Although the E30 was heavier (at 655 grams, body only) than the E520 (475 grams), the faster and more accurate focus did not make the extra weight matter. I could not take on the 800 gram E3 as both the weight and dimension was not encouraging my desire to purchase. .

The fourth reason is that Olympus colors are unique, and I love the blend of colors.

The 2.7 inch LCD screen did not make visual much difference compared to the 2.5 inch LCD of the E520 and 420. A 3 inch sized screen would have made the difference, after handling the LCD screen of the Canon G9 and the Nikon D700. Although I am now very positive about the E30, there was a time I was not satisfied with Olympus cameras. Although I have long been an Olympus user, I have more than once sold my Olympus camera and bought or upgraded the camera, with the result I own other brands of cameras. Why am I relating this? I am first very particular about image quality and speed of picture taking. This review is therefore an objective view. The c-740uz was very satisfactory, until I displayed the pictures on a photography forum website. wow, I had never seen so much pixelated images. This led me to upgrade to the SP550uZ, which was a disappointment, as the focusing speed was slow, and off-target. Further firmware upgrade helped solve much of this problem, but it was not satisfactory. One upgrade let to another, which led me to possess other brands of camera. The E510 camera gave very good images in good light, but in low light, its performance was below par. E520 camera had white balance problems. For the E30, Initial tests showed the white balance to be accurate, the focusing was fast, and other features make this a very desirable camera. I therefore bought my own E30 after this! The E30 camera is therefore is semi-pro camera, or pro-sumer camera, that has the features and speed of the E3, but smaller and lighter body. It worked fine in lower light conditions, but which were the disappointing with the E520 and E510.

Comparison with other competitive brands
Table 2 shows Olympus E30 specifications against the Canon EOS 50D, Nikon D90 and the Sony Alpha 350 cameras. In terms of pixels, the E30 is competitive at 13.1 megapixel, behind Canon’s 50D and Sony 350 cameras (15.1 and 14.2 megapixels repectively), and higher than Nikon’s D90 (12.9 megapixel). This is important as there have been some grumblings in the Olympus camp of users that Olympus is not competitive, but this has been put to rest.

Table 2. Comparison of Key Specifications of E30 with competitors

The sensor size is the smallest of the three cameras, but with its multiplier of x2 image, it surprisingly did not have too much noise compared with the other three cameras mentioned here, and is even lower noise than the Sony (noise is still a deterring factor as mentioned in reviews and forum pages). The sensitivity of the camera is even, although Canon’s ISO of 12,800 is an extrapolated setting. The LCD screen resolution of 230,000 could be improved, especially if it had been bumped up to 920,000 dots along with a 3 inch screen, it would have been ideal. Weight and size are comparable to competition, and it may be a matter of time that video would be a standard in all cameras, since the Nikon D90 has tried to be a first-mover with this feature in the DSLR market.

Competition is very stiff among the four brands of similar DSLRs. Olympus E30 has to find its unique selling point. It has tried to do that by emphasizing on its art filters.
Art Filters
These are pre-set options and there are six of them to enable photos to be differentiated and processed in the camera hardware and processing ware. Figure 1 shows how these art filters can improve the creative expression for photographers.

Figure 1. Images from the “Art Filters” Mode (click to see larger images
However, these are not real “persuaders” or “influencers” for buying decisions. Most compact cameras, especially the Canon series, have these features in one form or another, some with even more filter options. These art filters are useful but not something that will create a great competitive advantage over other cameras.

Colours of Olympus
One great advantage of using Olympus cameras are that they create a loyal following for its unique colors. The output of the colors has made me an adherent to Olympus system. The “paler” but sharper Nikon images, and the balanced images of Canon have their advantages and appeal. The series of photographs shown here gives an idea how rich and colorful Olympus created images can be. This image taken with the E30 shows some props, set behind the glass panel, in a shop.
Good Color Capture by E30

Sunset sceneries are favorite images for photographers. The E30 produced good sunset images as shown here. This was taken in Changi Airport at about 7.30 p.m.
Sunset at Airport

Performance of E30
The following photographs show how images may be captured in low light and without the use of a tripod, just by hands holding the E30 camera. At 5a.m. on the way to the airport in Malaysia, the highway not well lighted. I tried taking the lorry and a passing taxi under “P” conditions, with auto ISO and auto WB (white balance). In the poor light conditions, it could only take the image at ½ seconds, under those settings. This was so much better, as I have tried taking the same at other occasions using the E520 and 510, but it failed to even focus. The motion blur result here is ideal for showing speed, as shown by the trail of lights and blurring of the vehicles.

Traffic at Highway in Malaysia at 5a.m.
1/2 second at f/3.5, 14mm, ISO 800, AWB auto white balance (14-54mm MkII lens)
1/100 sec at f/3.5, 54mm, ISO 200, Aperture Priority (Hand Held)

Next, I tried to zoom in on to a butterfly which was resting on one of the leaves in dark shade at about evening time. Using the 14-54mm Mk II lens, and at maximum zoom, I was able to capture the object as shown. Although not as sharp an image as I would like it to be, it was satisfactory, considering the dark shade of the tree and the location of the colorful butterfly.

The yellow chrysanthemum flowers were taken in bright shade under the same camera settings as that taken for the butterfly. At 100% crop of the flower image, the image was very good.
1/100 sec at f/3.5, 54mm, ISO 200

1/100 sec at f/3.5, ISO 200 at 54mm At 100% Crop

Overall, I found the performance of the E30 much better than the previous range of Olympus DSLRs. The focusing was responsive, the targets were accurate, the picture capture was fast, and writing on to the compact flash memory card was equally fast. I did not have the opportunity to test the xD card, which is increasingly being used only in Olympus cameras as other cameras turn to SD memory cards.

Image Stabilisation
Olympus cameras have in-built stabilizers which are linked to the sensors to reduce blurring to enable sharper images to be captured. Table 3 shows the differences between images with and without stabilizers. The E30 has three modes of image stabilizers, with controls to reduce vertical, horizontal and both movements. Using the 14-54mm Mk II lenses, the image stabilizers do reflect some differences when the IS is on. At 100% crop, the images show the effects better.

There is an in-built individual lens focus refinement feature for the E30. This should further improve image sharpness. The 14-54mm MK II lens was not focus refined here. The kit lens, supplied with the E30 test kit, was not tested for the IS effects.

Table 3. Effect of Image Stabilisation

Lens used with E30
I managed to try out four types of lenses on the E30: the 50mm f2.0, the 14-54 mm Mk II, the 14-42mm f3.5-5.6, and the 18-180mm f3.5-6.3 . Three images are shown below. The focus was responsive and the image capture was fast. In low light conditions, the 18-180mm lens showed some delay in focusing at maximum zoom (at f6.3), but faster than my experiences using the same telezoom lens with the E510 and E520 cameras.

Nice ‘bokeh” images were obtained with the 50mm macro and the Mk II lenses. Image of objects were good, with blurred background to give emphasis to the main object. However, the 50mm image was soft, not as sharp as it should be. This could be due to the angle of the shots taken, as the flower was only 3 cm above the ground. The variable, dual-axis and flappable LCD screen should have been better used under such circumstance. The Mk II lens gave better “bokeh” and sharper images. The 14-42mm kit lens and the 18-180mm lens gave equally good bokeh images (not shown).

Overall, I was very satisfied with the fast focusing, the quick image capture and processing, irrespective of the lens used, except for the maximum zoom of the 18-180mm lens (at f6.3) under low light conditions. I had no problems with focusing in better light conditions with this tele-zoom lens at maximum zoom.

Figure 2. Images Taken by Different Lenses
50mm f2.0 lens: Exposure~1/200 sec at f2.5 (ISO 200) at 35mm.

14-54mm f2.8-2.5 Mk II lens: Exposure~1/125 sec at f3.5 (ISO640) at 54mm

18-180mm f3.5-5.6 lens:Exposure~1/20 sec at f/5.8 (ISO 800) ,at 114 mm

Overall Summary
I have subjected the test camera, the E30 with the 14-42mm kit lens, to more than 2 weeks rigorous use, and my own E30 with the 14-54mm Mk II lens, plus two other lenses for several weeks now.

I did not detect chromatic aberration nor vigneting. The only vigneting I found was when I set the “pin hole” art filter on. There was flare with all lenses when I took the sports running track activities outside and below my apartment. That was because the spot lights around the running track was fully on, against my camera. The quality of the Olympus lenses was therefore very good, and satisfying to use. I have used third party lenses for my other brands of cameras, the light interference, noisy motor, and less sharper images were obtained. Hence, Olympus kit lenses, including those used in the test, were very good.

Responsive, of the right weight, performing well, even under low light conditions, with well lit eleven focus AF points really made the brief review of this camera enjoyable and satisfying. I have traveled to and from Changi to fly to Malaysia and back, and I had no problem with the 655 gram body weight, much mitigated by the good performance of the camera. I only wished Olympus could release this camera for public purchase during the December holidays and the Chinese New Year week. That is the only grouse I have against this camera!

Chan Teng Heng
Biz Professor who likes all things techie, digital and imagery.

Buying a DSLR Is Buying a Camera System!

2009-04-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

Buying a DSLR Is Buying a Camera System!
11 April 2009

This will be the third in the series of articles for those who are new to the DSLR (Digital Single Reflex Lens) camera system, including those who are upgrading from a compact camera to DSLR, and for those who already own a DSLR camera, but who wish to improve the camera’s performance by buying more accessories. The first article covered the choice between a compact and a DSLR, and the second focused on buying your camera from a camera specialty outlet or from an electronics retail chain store like Courts Mammoth or Harvey Norman. This third article reviews the complexity of buying a DSLR camera.

Introduction

Buying a DSLR camera is unlike buying a compact camera. Most of the compact camera purchases come almost complete as a package, and you do not need to add other accessories. In exceptional cases, you may have buyers who would buy an adapter and a zoom lens, to increase the shooting range of their compact cameras. For instance, the Canon G camera, which has become a second handy compact for many professionals because it can be used to shoot RAW pictures, comes with a lens adapter and a very sharp zoom lens. I have used this lens and the picture output is as sharp as the high grade lenses of DSLRs.
However, buying a DSLR is more complex; after getting the camera body, kit lens, memory cards and lens filter, you may need to expand your range of purchase. This may include better performance lenses (wide angle, macro, zoom, and faster lenses with wider aperture [f2.8mm or lower]). Other accessories like filters, camera bags (if not supplied), flash, etc. will require you to add another 30% or more to your original purchase. This is why buying a DSLR camera is more like buying into a “DSLR camera system” as you are “locked” into this system. If you need to change the camera system, you may need to sell or dispose off all the components of the system. Only few components of the camera system can be re-used in another camera system.
The DSLR camera systems available today are Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Olympus, Sony, Panasonic-Lumix, Pentax, Sigma, Samsung and Leica. The other camera manufacturers have either discontinued their manufacture (Agfa, Contax, Epson, HP, Konica Minolta (sold to Sony), Kyocera, Toshiba and Yashica), or are producing only compact cameras (Casio, Kodak, Ricoh, Rollei and Sanyo). A new entrant into the compact camera market is the General Electric, which has limited worldwide distribution. The higher end medium format cameras are manufactured by Mamiya, Leaf and Hasselblad, which shall not be discussed here, as these are only used by professionals and serious amateurs, who prefer this higher end of cameras.
In terms of sales revenue, the biggest companies selling DSALR and compact cameras and imaging systems are the Japanese companies, Canon (48.7% of sales), Nikon (19.0%), Olympus (13.5%), Panasonic (11.9%) and Fuji (6.9%). The total sales value of compact and DSLR cameras and their accessories from these companies amount to 2308 billion Yen or US$2.31 billion (based on their annual reports of 2007/2008). There are no published figures available publicly for the DSLR cameras alone although some unit sales of DSLRs are obtainable from some manufacturers. As the camera market is very competitive, the industry has seen many companies collapsed or merged. Hence, owning a DSLR camera systems from larger companies ensure continuity in service support. Canon and Nikon have very good service support. I have personally been attended to senior Canon service executives to solve my overblown highlights images for my Canon G9 camera. Olympus has a very responsive sales service support, which has answered my queries through the phone, and has even sent back my camera by courier after service without charge.

DSLR Camera System

We therefore tend to use the word “camera system” as accessories form an essential component of the DSLR system. In addition, some of these components and accessories of the camera system are not interchangeable for use on another camera. For instance, lenses for the Nikon camera cannot be used on the Canon camera, although there are adapters sold in the market which allow their use. However, for digital cameras, the auto focus function of the lense does not work with these adapters, and only the manual focus functions. Components of the camera systems include the following long list of items:
-camera bodies (only DSLR: Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic-Lumix, Pentax, Sony, Sigma).
-lenses (Canon, Carl-Zeiss, Leica, Lensbaby, Nikkor, Zuiko, Pentax, Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, Zeiss Ikon)
-flash system (Canon, Metz, Sunpak, LumiQuest, , Lambency, Nikon, Olympus, Quantum, Sigma, Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce, StrobeLite, flash diffuser, flash bouncer, strobe)
-lighting system (Bionic)
-filters (B+W, Cokin, Heliopan, Hoya, Tiffen)
-tripod (Benro, Flashpoint, Gitzo, Manfrotto, Miller, Sachler, Stein Zeiser, Slik, Velbon Sherpa, Vinten)
-camera bags / backpack (Kata, Lowepro, Crumpler, Tamrac)
-memory cards (SD, SDHC, Compact Flash, xD, microSD types: Apacer, Kingston, PenDrive, SanDisk, Lexar, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Transcend)
-multimedia viewer/portable storage device (PenDrive, Canon)
-photo paper (Ilford, HP, Kodak, Canon, Epson, Projet)
-card readers (Delkin, Kingston, SanDisk, Sony, Transcend)
-cabinet (dry cabinet,
-digital photo printers (Canon, Epson, HP, Kodak, Lexmark, Polaroid Pogo, Samsung, Sony)
-software (adobe, photoshop pro)
-others (adapters, monitor calibration system-Spyder; remote release; remote control; stepping down and stepping up rings, HoodLoupe, Angle Viewfinder)

As camera bodies, lenses, flash and batteries are specific for each brand and model, when you purchase a camera of a certain brand, you would be buying a system. It may be quite usual for a serious photographer to own more than one camera body, and more than 2 lenses and filters. As a result, you buy a host of items, unlike purchasing a compact camera. Should you decide to change a camera from, say, Olympus to Canon, you have to dispose and sell all your camera items and buy all the camera items of the new brand. This is where buying a DSLR needs careful considerations and research. Changing your mind over a certain DSLR camera system may be costly. These considerations are discussed below:
• Preference: what is your preference in choosing a certain type of camera? Is it the color? Or the sharpness? Or the softness of the images? For instance, Olympus owners prefer the color mix of the images, which tend to be on the soft side. Nikon images are very sharp, but some say, a “bit hard”. Canon images are a mix between the sharpness and blender color of Nikon and the softness and color richness of Olympus images. Changing from one system to another is expensive, as you need to sell and buy a whole suite of items.
• Upgrading: if you are one of those who prefer continuous upgrading of equipment, to newer models, then it is an expensive hobby. Like collectors of other items, it is a constant cycle of purchase, selling and new purchase of new models, or higher end models.
• Ease of Sales: As Canon and Nikon have larger market share, and there are more owners of these two types of cameras, selling the camera and its ancillary items, may be much easier and faster than selling items of the following brands: Olympus items sell slower and may take weeks compared to Canon or Nikon items on photography forum web pages.
• Loss in value: any camera that is bought and then sold second hand on forum or through classified advertisements will lose its value from 10% (depending on how new or current the item is) to about 30% if the camera model has certain bad performance.
• Ease of purchase: Buying a lens second hand always makes good economic sense, as these lenses loses it value quite fast, with value dropping from 10% to 30%. Hence, depending on the model you desire, it is also cheaper to buy from the secondary market. Good quality lens are more difficult to come by, especially those that have aperture of f2.8, f2.0, f1.8 or wider. The normal kit lens that comes with the camera bodies tend to be more difficult to sell. For instance, the Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens was available on the second hand market in quite a large quantity, and the value dropped tremendously, to as much as 50% of its new purchase value. This was because i) upgrading of lenses, and ii) new camera body was introduced, which also came with the same kit lens.
We can compare the cost components of two camera systems, the Canon and Nikon systems, to determine how much each item form as part of the overall camera system. The table lists these items:

• Additional accessories such as memory card, tripod, camera bags, filters, etc. may add an additional $350 to the above system.
From the above, it appears that camera bodies comprise nearly 45% to 51% of the total camera system with lenses making up 19% to nearly 46% of the systems. Accessories which include batteries, battery grip, flash, memory cards, tripod, camera bags and others make up quite a substantial percentage of the system, about 10%-28% of the system. Hence, in purchasing for DSLR, budgets must be factored in to own a complete DSLR system. Owning a compact is quite straight forward as it does not require such a wide variety of accessories. Camera manufacturers make a substantial amount of money selling lenses, which form a major part of a camera system, as owners tend to own more than a couple of lenses. In conclusion, buying a DSLR camera is buying into a complex camera system of which there are many components which form a substantial part of the total camera system. Due research and much consideration should be taken to decide. Buying a DSLR as a package may be the most economical option for a “newbie” in photography.
Chan Teng Heng
A Biz Professor Who Loves All Techie, Imagery and Digital Stuff.
Written on 29 August 2008

Digital Single Lens Reflex ~Which DSLR is Right For You?

2009-04-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

Digital Single Lens Reflex ~Which DSLR is Right For You?
by Chan Teng Heng
9 April 2009
_______________________________________________________

Moving from Compact Camera?

You probably have a compact camera or even several cameras. However, you feel that something is missing. Although, your compact camera has served you well by being available during your travels, or when required, you just fish it from your ladies bag, or from your shirt or trousers pockets. You feel a need for something more “professional”, some photography equipment that is faster, and gives better quality pictures. This is when you decide that you want a DSLR. However, buying one confuses you. This article covers the range of DSLR cameras that you can choose from, and the categories of DSLR cameras that are available.

DSLR Category
Although you may be familiar with your compact camera, when you move to DSLR, the same brand of camera may not feel right with you as you read reviews. There is no one perfect DSLR camera, since each brand of camera has its own strengths and weaknesses. For the purpose of this discussion, only three brands of DSLR cameras are compared here, although there are more brands. Besides Canon, Nikon and Olympus DSLR cameras which are listed below, the other DSLR brands include Sony, which has its own range of cameras developed form the Minolta system; Pentax, Panasonic and Samsung.

We may be able to divide DSLR categories into three simple categories: the entry level, lower cost cameras, which were intended for those who plan to move from compact camera to DSLR. Hence, many of the camera settings have pre-set functions, that allow one to take pictures in several settings, like sunset, snow, portrait, sunlight, night scenes, etc. In addition it contains settings that allow you to manually change these settings: these are the P, A, S, M controls: the programmable settings, which set the aperture and shutter speed automatically, the aperture setting, the shutter speed setting and the manual settings. The entry level itself contains at least three sub-catogories of entry level cameras that have increasing degrees of sophistication and speed as shown in Table 1. There are several considerations to weigh to make a decision:

Weight and size
DSLR generally weighs more than compact cameras. The body weight and the lens weight sometimes makes owning a DSLR camera a disadvantage, especially if you need to be mobile, such as traveling. The smallest camera of the three brands is the E-420 which is only 445 grams! Canon 1000D is 502gram, while Nikon D60 is 522 grams. These are not much heavier than the high end compact cameras. The heaviest are the high end cameras, like Canon 1D Mk III and the Nikon D3: they weigh 1.385 kg and 1.420kg respectively! With a professional lens, the weight may come to about 3 kg!

This is a deterrent to owning a top range camera, besides being pricey. The mid-range cameras are not light either: Canon 40D weighs 822grams without lens, Nikon D60 is 620 grams, and Olympus E30 is 685grams. With the lens, especially the telescopic lens, the mid-range DSLR may weigh up to 1.5kg, which is reasonably heavy, and is heavier if you lug around the equipment over one week during traveling. One consideration DSLR owners have to bear in mind is whether you will need the camera during stationery usage, or if you need to move around. When I first switched to DSLR camera, which was the Olympus E510, I had to leave the camera and telescopic lens behind for a few days, before I decided to use it since I have bought it.

Pricing
In my previous article on buying compact or DSLR, I did mention that buying a compact camera is almost sufficient without additional purchases of accessories, while buying DSLR cameras require one to factor in additional costs of purchase of lenses, lens filter, camera bags, tripod and other accessories. All in, an experienced DSLR owner may spend about an equal amount in lens, or even three times that of a DSLR camera purchase. Table 1 shows the progression in price increase as one upgrades from entry level to experienced entry level to mid range and to the high end cameras. In the pursuit of the perfect picture taking, one can literally spend thousands of dollars on DSLR and related equipment.

Functionality and Image Quality
We always wonder why do photojournalists or professional photographers buy expensive, “oversized” [to beginning DSLR owners] and heavy equipment. The reasons are related to the functionality of the camera, where one can have little manual control over the settings, or full control in order to snap the best pictures. Speed is equally important. When the F1 Grand Prix was held in Singapore towards the end of 2008, I realized that even my more advanced entry level e520 camera was not fast enough to take the speedy F1 cars. That was when I wished I had a faster camera, and resorted to try the “faster” Nikon D300 camera. As I watched the pool of photojournalists with their D3s and 1D MKIII cameras, I then understood why: they could use the best lens and the best speed to generate breath taking pictures. Table 2 shows the functionality of the cameras.

Hence, understanding what you want is important. However, for beginner DSLR users, they may not know what they need until they have experienced themselves the capabilities of several types and categories of cameras. If they need simple portrait pictures, the entry level is more than sufficient; However, if they have children , I know of camera hobbyist changing their equipment when they realized their children are also “speedy Gonzales” objects, too fast even for entry level DSLRs. If they pay a bit more for more functionality, and better lens, then the mid range may suffice. Taking sports require different lenses and cameras. I met a Thai national working with an American airline: he had a Canon 40D, with the 1.5kg 70-200mm fast lens, as he wanted to take his teenage son playing basket ball, which is quite a fast sports.

Insistence on good quality pictures have led many hobbyists buy the full frame cameras (Canon 5D, Nikon D700). Those who prefer outdoor picture taking may want to go for the weather proof Olympus E3, which although not full frame, is resistant to inclemental and wet weather.

Does Megapixel count?
Recent DSLR cameras that have been sold have more than 10 megapixel, and 12 megapixel, 14 megapixels are increasingly becoming common. However , pixel size may not mean sharper pictures, as owners of Canon 50 D realized that this 15.1 megapixel camera could not match the 10.1 megapixel Canon 40 D DSLR, leading to a slower sales off take than expected. One reason was that the pixel density on the 50 D was higher (4.5mpixel /sq cm.) than that of the 40D (3.1mpixel /sq cm). The density of the megapixel has reached a point that other factors (sensor size, processor type) are changing the parameters for producing better quality pictures. Therefore reviews of cameras are important for purchasing decisions.

Settling of the Dust
Many times we read of the preview of new camera launches, and based on the specifications of the camera, and on limited field usage, many hobbyists become early purchasers, only to turn disappointed after using the new camera. Hence, it is not surprising that many owners sell the cameras after only a few weeks, and even a few days usage. Sometimes the software or firmware of the cameras have not been released yet to optimize the camera settings. Hence, it may be advisable to therefore wait until the cameras have been released after a few months to make the jump to purchase.

Summary
Owning a DSLR means you must be prepared to set aside additional sums of money for accessories, to acquire the better lens, filter and accessories to give you the picture you require. While generally DSLRs give better picture images, I have also seen very high quality pictures taken by compact cameras, because the photographer has the right settings for the right environment. For DSLR ownership, we therefore recommend the follwing, although not exhaustive:
i) conduct extensive research on the DSLR you wish to purchase
ii) re-examine what is your reason for owning the DSLR and for what purpose?
iii) Try out the DSLR in show room, in camera group meetings, or pose plenty of questions to photography forum participants
iv) Purchase a second hand DSLR as a low-entry, lower-risk way of learning about photography and DSLR. Remember that DSLR cameras depreciate very fast, but good lenses have more value in the long run
v) Make the purchase that you want.
Good luck in your first DSLR purchase.

Dr Chan Teng Heng
A Biz Professor who likes all things digital and electronics.

Buying Digital Cameras ...

2009-04-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

Simple Rules
9 April 2009
1. Cameras depreciate in value
2. Lenses appreciate in value
3. Good photography does not come from expensive equipment
4. Best photogrphy comes from within you
5. Many equipment are left discarded and untouched after some time
6. There are many second hand or pre-owned equipment available
7. Try rental if you are not sure which equipment to buy
8. Ask people (forum on photography are the best place)
9. Learn and keep learning
10.You will learn there is no perfect cameras. All cameras have shortcoming.

You will understand this after some time.

Photography Site

2009-04-09T08:16:00.001-07:00

9 April 2009
Mission: The real truth about buying cameras, and about photography.

Purpose: Share mistakes made so that others will not commit same mistakes.

Content: Experience, Avoid Mistakes, Improvements.

Cameras: Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic Lumix