Blog

Nikon Learn & Explore iPhone App (part deux)

Willem — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:44:12 +0000

It took them long enough, but they finally released the Nikon Learn & Explore app for the iPhone in the Dutch iTunes store. I'm still wondering why it took them a couple of months to do so.

Enough negativity for now. Initial impression is that it gives you something nice to read with excellent (example) photos. No matter if you're just starting or a more advanced photographer, there's always something to learn (and explore).

Books on the White Screen

Willem — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:40:35 +0000

Inspiration for creating (blockbuster) movies can be found in books. There are hundreds of books which have been turned into movies. Some successful, others not so successful. There's no real formula to determine if a movie is gonna be successful or not. Having the right producer(s), director, a large budget, and a star cast doesn't guarantee a good movie (with lots of money)..... but it might help.

Voigtlander Color Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SLII Review

Willem — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:39:28 +0000

For the last year I've been searching for a <24mm prime. I did have some requirements for this new lens;

It should be flare resistant.
I hate flares on my wide-angle lenses (my Nikon 17-55mm, and Sigma 10-20mm)
It should be small (as small as possible).
Not a 'look-at-my-camera-with-this-huge-lens' lens.

After much deliberation I bought the Voigtlander Color Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SL II @ Robert White (direct link) in the UK.

Point & Shoot Off-Camera Flashing

Willem — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:31:08 +0000

The general consensus on flashing is that you should take the flash of the camera (take the flash off the damn camera). It just results in better (more flattering) photos In some cases this is impossible. Especially when the flash is integrated. But there's hope. There are several point & shoot camera's (P&S) that feature a hot-shoe. The Panasonic Lumix LX3 [1] is one of those camera's.

Really Right Stuff D300 L-Plate

Willem — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:38:58 +0000

RRS D300 L-PlateAfter getting the Arca-Swiss Monoball Z1, the next logical step was getting an L-plate for my camera. An L-plate is a camera plate that allows you to position the camera in landscape- AND portrait-mode on the ballhead. Normally you would use the drop-notch on the ballhead to position the camera in portrait mode. This drop-notch is available on most ballheads, but seriously limits the movement of the ballhead, and it puts the camera in a lower (and on most times in an awkward) position.

Windows Phone 7 Series

Willem — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:05:13 +0000

Windows Phone 7 SeriesMicrosoft will be shipping a new phone operating system this year. After the Windows Mobile brand, they're switching to an alternate name; Windows Phone 7 Series. And obviously, with a new name comes a new website; http://www.windowsphone7series.com.

I can't really see why they keep bothering trying to access the phone market. Every single Windows Mobile (or Windows CE as it was called in the old days) device I've owned crashed more frequently than the 'good old' Windows Millennium Edition on an average Sunday. I can't count the number of times that I received a phonecall while doing something else (e.g. playing solitaire, or reading e-mail) and that the call finally went to voicemail. Why? because the phone froze, crashed, or answer button was unresponsive.

Lens and Focal Length Statistics

Willem — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:30:01 +0000

Have you ever wondered which lens you used the most? Or what focal length is your favorite? The results of these queries can be used to decide what new lens to get; a (ultra)wide-angle, normal, or telephoto lens.
Well, there is an answer for both questions. The first (which lens) is relatively easy when you're using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Just select the metadata filter in the library view and examine the results.

New Fast Nikon 24mm Lens

Willem — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:35:09 +0000

Nikon 24mm f/1.4G EDNikon is catching up with Canon in regards to the (really) fast prime lenses. They announced a new 24mm f/1.4G ED (link to the techpart)wide-angle lens today. This new lens makes it possible to do low-light photography with a maximum aperture of 1.4. Especially when you're shooting with a low-light monster like the Nikon D700 or D3(x/s).
The lens should also give you a nice depth of field (DoF) when shooting wide open, and being relatively close to your subject. We all know that wide-angle lenses tend to have a large DoF due to wide-angle optic characteristics (et voila).

iPhone 3GS Tethering with Firmware 3.1.3

Willem — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:07:42 +0000

With the release of firmware 3.1.3 the tethering option is back on the iPhone. After the reboot of the iPhone you get additional fields in the 'Cellular Data Network' section in the 'Network' menu (Settings -> General -> Network -> Cellular Data Network). Just enter the appropriate information in the APN field (for KPN in the Netherlands enter internet in the APN field) and the Internet Tethering option is back (w00t) in the 'Network' menu.

iPhone Firmware Update 3.1.3

Willem — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:48:33 +0000

Apple released an update for the iPhone. Release 3.1.3 fixes some issues like;

improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
resolves issue where 3rd party apps would not launch in some instances
fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard
Tethering is back (even on the non exclusive carriers)....
Results may vary since not every carrier allows tethering (like T-Mobile in the Netherlands).