blog
Hong Kong Time-Lapse
07/28/12 07:33
A couple of weeks back, I was in Hong Kong for about a day or so. I decided to make the most of this opportunity. I shot over 6,000 images with my Canon 5D Mark II to create a time-lapse video: A Day in Hong Kong
(In case you’re wondering: What is time-lapse photography)
Random tidbit about the video:
(In case you’re wondering: What is time-lapse photography)
Random tidbit about the video:
- Place: Hong Kong, SAR (mostly Kowloon area)
- Camera: Canon 5D Mark II
- Lenses: Canon 50 mm f/1.2L, Canon 17-40 mm f/4L, Canon 100 mm f/2.8
- CF Card: SanDisk 16GB Extreme Pro CF Card (90 MB/s)
- Other equipment used: Manfrotto 190X Pro tripod + 408 RC2 ball head, Cowboy Studio remote control shutter, ND filters, etc.
- Images shot: ~6,000
- Images shot hand-held: ~4,000 (although, could not have done with the tripod for the remainder 2,000 shots)
- Software used: Aperture 3.x, QuickTime Pro 7, iMovie 11
- Music: Lo Delta by Afterlife
- Total time spent (shooting images + rendering): ~40 hours
Comments
Upgrading Canon 5D to Canon 5D Mark II
06/17/12 19:55
Last week, I upgraded my Canon 5D body to a Canon 5D Mark II. I had purchased my 5D back in Spring 2009 and it served me very well over the past couple of years. Most of the images on this website (at least those posted prior to writing this post) have been shot using the 5D. With its full-frame sensor, it is a compelling upgrade - yes, even with the March 2012 introduction of 5D Mark III - to anyone using a crop sensor body.
While I am currently looking for a new home for my 5D body (send me an email, if interested; UPDATE: sold), I had a bit of weekend fun firing some test shots on the 5D Mark II and comparing them alongside my older 5D. It was over a 100F outside and the sun was directly to the west of my tripod set up. I used my Canon 50 mm f/1.2L for the shots below and all the pictures were shot at ISO 50 with the lens wide open at f/1.2. I used a single point focus (central point) to make sure I get consistent focus on both the bodies.
Below are a few sample images along with some non-scientific test results:
I chose this image for comparison since it shows bit of a light fall-off, which is rather typical of 5D bodies to produce - especially, since I was shooting wide open at f/1.2.
I still got bit of a light fall-off with Mark II but the effect of it is dramatically less pronounced. I had the peripheral illumination correction (PIC) enabled in this shot (more on the PIC later), which seemed to have compensated a bit of the light falloff. At this point, I am going to say that the slight vignetting that it creates is more of a function of the huge f/1.2 aperture and it actually creates a rather artsy effect than a nuisance.
Bokeh from Canon 5D (100% image magnification of the RAW file)
Bokeh from Canon 5D Mark II (100% image magnification of the RAW file)
Note that the bokeh image from Canon 5D appears a bit darker since the location of that shrub in the picture frame falls in the light fall-off region.
One of the rather odd things I noticed while firing through my test shots is regarding the impact of using a self-timer on image focus. I tested using a self-timer (10 sec.) with both PIC enabled and disabled. With the PIC disabled, the self-timer shots came out to be just a bit softer around the focus point than other images. Below are some test images at 100% magnification:
Canon 5D Mark II with PIC Disabled - Timer on
Canon 5D Mark II with PIC Disabled - Timer off
However, when the PIC was enabled, the impact of using a self-timer on the image focus degradation was more pronounced.
Canon 5D Mark II with PIC Enabled - Timer on
Canon 5D Mark II with PIC Enabled - Timer off
When I tested the same phenomenon with my 5D body, I actually thought that the image taken with self-timer came out to be just a bit sharper than the other picture.
Canon 5D - Timer on
Canon 5D - Timer off
I am really not sure what impact, if any, the PIC feature could have on the self-timer and center point focus in the 5D Mark II. Even if we keep the PIC feature out of the mix, why would the self-timer function mess up the center point focus? While the use case for me to use a self-timer function is very rare, a really painless workaround could be to switch out to manual focus before using the self-timer once the center point focus (or any other focus points) has been set.
Meanwhile, I am going to dig in a bit deeper.
While I am currently looking for a new home for my 5D body (send me an email, if interested; UPDATE: sold), I had a bit of weekend fun firing some test shots on the 5D Mark II and comparing them alongside my older 5D. It was over a 100F outside and the sun was directly to the west of my tripod set up. I used my Canon 50 mm f/1.2L for the shots below and all the pictures were shot at ISO 50 with the lens wide open at f/1.2. I used a single point focus (central point) to make sure I get consistent focus on both the bodies.
Below are a few sample images along with some non-scientific test results:
Canon 5D
Shot using a Canon 5D and Canon 50 mm f/1.2L (center point focus, ISO 50, RAW image)I chose this image for comparison since it shows bit of a light fall-off, which is rather typical of 5D bodies to produce - especially, since I was shooting wide open at f/1.2.
Canon 5D Mark II
Below is the same frame as shot by the Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 50 mm f/1.2L (center point focus, ISO 50, RAW image)I still got bit of a light fall-off with Mark II but the effect of it is dramatically less pronounced. I had the peripheral illumination correction (PIC) enabled in this shot (more on the PIC later), which seemed to have compensated a bit of the light falloff. At this point, I am going to say that the slight vignetting that it creates is more of a function of the huge f/1.2 aperture and it actually creates a rather artsy effect than a nuisance.
Bokeh
Its hard to discern the differences in picture quality at the size and resolution of the images posted above. However, that could not stop me from pixel peeping. One of the things I noticed was that the quality of bokeh from 5D Mark II “seemed” to be a bit less busy and more creamy than that from the 5D. Below are some magnified images of the shrub that is seen on the left hand bottom corner of the images above.Bokeh from Canon 5D (100% image magnification of the RAW file)
Bokeh from Canon 5D Mark II (100% image magnification of the RAW file)
Note that the bokeh image from Canon 5D appears a bit darker since the location of that shrub in the picture frame falls in the light fall-off region.
Peripheral Illumination Correction (PIC)
Speaking of the PIC, I shot multiple sets of the same frame with the PIC enabled and disabled on the 5D Mark II body. In almost all cases, the exposure came out to be near-identical when the RAW files were imported in Aperture 3.3. Given that Mark II comes pre-loaded with light fall-off data for the lens I was using (50 mm f/.2L), I may not have accurately measured the impact of disabling PIC on my 5D Mark II body.One of the rather odd things I noticed while firing through my test shots is regarding the impact of using a self-timer on image focus. I tested using a self-timer (10 sec.) with both PIC enabled and disabled. With the PIC disabled, the self-timer shots came out to be just a bit softer around the focus point than other images. Below are some test images at 100% magnification:
Canon 5D Mark II with PIC Disabled - Timer on
Canon 5D Mark II with PIC Disabled - Timer off
However, when the PIC was enabled, the impact of using a self-timer on the image focus degradation was more pronounced.
Canon 5D Mark II with PIC Enabled - Timer on
Canon 5D Mark II with PIC Enabled - Timer off
When I tested the same phenomenon with my 5D body, I actually thought that the image taken with self-timer came out to be just a bit sharper than the other picture.
Canon 5D - Timer on
Canon 5D - Timer off
I am really not sure what impact, if any, the PIC feature could have on the self-timer and center point focus in the 5D Mark II. Even if we keep the PIC feature out of the mix, why would the self-timer function mess up the center point focus? While the use case for me to use a self-timer function is very rare, a really painless workaround could be to switch out to manual focus before using the self-timer once the center point focus (or any other focus points) has been set.
Meanwhile, I am going to dig in a bit deeper.
Dear Photograph
04/26/12 00:35
You may have seen this already but Dear Photograph is one of those neat little ideas that force us to pause and think for a bit. Quoting Time:
Dear Photograph The Book.
Some of the Web's best sites consist of variations on one simple idea. In the case of Dear Photograph, that idea is taking a snapshot — usually one featuring one or more people and dating from the film-photography era — and holding it up against the original setting so that past and present blend into a new work of art. The images contributed by the site's readers are wonderfully evocative. Looking at the family photos of strangers was never so transfixing.
Dear Photograph The Book.
More Shots: Canon 50 mm f/1.2L
04/19/12 17:42
Canon 50 mm f/1.2L is a great piece of glass. As a follow-up to my post on test shots, I uploaded some real-world images here and here. Both of these images were shot wide-open at f/1.2. Posted straight from my 5D, the images show nice colors, saturation, and contrast. Extremely useable sharpness even wide-open.
When stopped down to f/1.4, the glass becomes crazy sharp while still maintaining its beautiful, buttery bokeh (another image posted straight from my 5D here).
Love it.
When stopped down to f/1.4, the glass becomes crazy sharp while still maintaining its beautiful, buttery bokeh (another image posted straight from my 5D here).
Love it.
Thank You Note
04/14/12 13:46
As a follow-up to post on Monster Cat, their Mannequins album download came with a ‘thank you’ note.
Classy.
Hello, this is MONSTER CAT. Thank you for downloading "Mannequins".These 320kbps MP3s you now have in your possession represent something very special to us, and we hope you enjoy listening to the album.
If you wish to support us financially, we still have copies of our Limited Edition CD Pack available from our online shop. It's a sweet little fucker if we may say so ourselves---delicately crafted within a muslin drawstring bag containing exclusive liner notes. Each CD is hand packed by us and ships directly to your doorstep, anywhere in the world.
Classy.
Monster Cat
04/10/12 19:23
With all the recent talk about online piracy, Monster Cat has chosen to promote their debut album on TPB as a downloadable torrent.
If you cannot beat the system, you have to join it.
In conjunction with The Pirate Bays promotion of MONSTER CAT, the band is hosting a torrent download of their debut release, Mannequins. If you like the free music, please support the band by sharing their links and/or buying their products.
If you cannot beat the system, you have to join it.
Lytro
03/13/12 01:12
Welcome the new kid on the point-and-shoot block - Lytro.
Novel idea. However, I wonder if this is new technology looking for a pragmatic application. In other words, a solution looking for a problem. Would love to be proved wrong.
Since you'll capture the color, intensity, and direction of all the light, you can experience the first major light field capability - focusing after the fact. Focus and re-focus, anywhere in the picture. You can refocus your pictures at anytime. And focusing after the fact, means no auto-focus motor. No auto-focus motor means no shutter delay. So, capture the moment you meant to capture not the one a shutter-delayed camera captured for you.
Novel idea. However, I wonder if this is new technology looking for a pragmatic application. In other words, a solution looking for a problem. Would love to be proved wrong.
Test Shots: Canon 50 mm f/1.2L
01/16/12 22:30
Managed to fire a few test shots tonight using my new 50 mm f/1.2L lens. The images below are straight from the 5D - absolutely untouched.
Image #1: Shot wide open, noticeably sharp at f/1.2, beautiful bokeh @ less than 5 feet b/w subject and background
Image #2: Also shot wide open, rich colors and saturation, razor-thin DOF
I like what I’ve seen so far...
Image #1: Shot wide open, noticeably sharp at f/1.2, beautiful bokeh @ less than 5 feet b/w subject and background
Image #2: Also shot wide open, rich colors and saturation, razor-thin DOF
I like what I’ve seen so far...
50 mm
01/14/12 22:33
I love shooting on prime lenses. At the cost of some flexibility, I think they are truly designed to give you the best performance at that specific focal length. In addition, since primes, by design, don’t need to “breathe” as much as zoom lenses do, one could argue that this results in better performance for a longer period of time (e.g. less internal mechanical movement hence, less wear and tear, reduced chances of dust entering the lens barrel, etc.). However, I am yet to come across anything scientifically quantified on this.
That apart, among primes, I specifically like shooting at 50 mm range. The perspective just feels more natural to me at 50 mm than at any other focal point. This is especially true on a full frame body like my Canon 5D. As a side, 50 mm on a cropped body will be more like 50 x 1.6 = 80 mm. Ever since I started using an SLR in Dec 2006, the very first lens that I bought (apart from the crappy 17-55 kit lens) was a Canon 50 mm f/1.8 (Amazon, B&H). It was cheap and hence, my barrier to entry was low. I figured that anything should be better than the kit lens and indeed, I was right. The “nifty-fifty” gave some reasonable control over DOF and was fun to play with. But the images would often come out soft, the lens barrel was made out of plastic, the mounts weren’t high quality, and there was no way to override the AF without changing the focus mode.
I quickly outgrew the f/1.8 and moved on to the next higher grade model - Canon 50 mm f/1.4 (Amazon, B&H). This is one lens I really came to like. While the construction was solid, the metal mounts gave it a more professional look. It was about one-half stop faster than the f/1.8 and by f/2.0, it got really sharp. I loved it. It stayed on my 5D for the most amount of time and I always took it with me in my camera bag. For some of my sample images shot using the f/1.4, take a look here. But all along, I had my eyes set on Canon’s L series lens for the 50 mm focal length - Canon 50 mm f/1.2L. As of Jan 2012, the L version cost about 4 times the f/1.4 version and a whopping 18 times its f/1.8 brother.
I am happy to say that I finally bought the Canon 50 mm f/1.2L (Amazon, B&H) lens just a few days back from B&H. It is slightly larger in size than the f/1.4 copy and feels a lot heavier. It has a nice feel to it and balances out nicely when mounted on my 5D. Like Canon’s any other L series lens, the construction looks rock solid. While I have not had a chance to take it for a full-blown test drive yet, the initial test shots look extremely promising. When compared with the f/1.4, the f/1.2 fares better on saturation, contrast and color. At wide open, the bokeh that the f/1.2 gives is so “melty”. DOF at f/1.2 is razor-thin and everything in front and beyond the DOF just fades away in the frame.
I’m loving it so far. Hoping to taking it out for a spin soon.
P.S. While I wait to do that, my excitement saw me cobble together this rather amateurish HTML5 animation to reflect the change in my gear.
P.P.S. Sorry for putting you thru this ;)
That apart, among primes, I specifically like shooting at 50 mm range. The perspective just feels more natural to me at 50 mm than at any other focal point. This is especially true on a full frame body like my Canon 5D. As a side, 50 mm on a cropped body will be more like 50 x 1.6 = 80 mm. Ever since I started using an SLR in Dec 2006, the very first lens that I bought (apart from the crappy 17-55 kit lens) was a Canon 50 mm f/1.8 (Amazon, B&H). It was cheap and hence, my barrier to entry was low. I figured that anything should be better than the kit lens and indeed, I was right. The “nifty-fifty” gave some reasonable control over DOF and was fun to play with. But the images would often come out soft, the lens barrel was made out of plastic, the mounts weren’t high quality, and there was no way to override the AF without changing the focus mode.
I quickly outgrew the f/1.8 and moved on to the next higher grade model - Canon 50 mm f/1.4 (Amazon, B&H). This is one lens I really came to like. While the construction was solid, the metal mounts gave it a more professional look. It was about one-half stop faster than the f/1.8 and by f/2.0, it got really sharp. I loved it. It stayed on my 5D for the most amount of time and I always took it with me in my camera bag. For some of my sample images shot using the f/1.4, take a look here. But all along, I had my eyes set on Canon’s L series lens for the 50 mm focal length - Canon 50 mm f/1.2L. As of Jan 2012, the L version cost about 4 times the f/1.4 version and a whopping 18 times its f/1.8 brother.
I am happy to say that I finally bought the Canon 50 mm f/1.2L (Amazon, B&H) lens just a few days back from B&H. It is slightly larger in size than the f/1.4 copy and feels a lot heavier. It has a nice feel to it and balances out nicely when mounted on my 5D. Like Canon’s any other L series lens, the construction looks rock solid. While I have not had a chance to take it for a full-blown test drive yet, the initial test shots look extremely promising. When compared with the f/1.4, the f/1.2 fares better on saturation, contrast and color. At wide open, the bokeh that the f/1.2 gives is so “melty”. DOF at f/1.2 is razor-thin and everything in front and beyond the DOF just fades away in the frame.
I’m loving it so far. Hoping to taking it out for a spin soon.
P.S. While I wait to do that, my excitement saw me cobble together this rather amateurish HTML5 animation to reflect the change in my gear.
P.P.S. Sorry for putting you thru this ;)
Lens Genealogy
11/25/11 22:27
If taking great pictures alone does not cut it for you and you ever wonder about behind-the-scene type stuff such as the lens design and such, Roger Cicala over at lensrental.com has put out a great article. It talks about evolution of lenses, early lens designs and the lens genealogy.
Read more about lens genealogy.
Roger Cicala is just a great guy and if you ever want to try out a lens before buying it, I would recommend considering lensrental.com as an option.
PS: I have rented a couple of lenses from them in the past but I am in no way affiliated with them.
I was amazed to find that virtually every camera lens in use today can trace its heritage back to one of five lenses, four of which were developed by 1900. Given the literally thousands of lenses that have been created, I found this really surprising: no matter what lens we use today it was probably available in basic form near 1900.
Read more about lens genealogy.
Roger Cicala is just a great guy and if you ever want to try out a lens before buying it, I would recommend considering lensrental.com as an option.
PS: I have rented a couple of lenses from them in the past but I am in no way affiliated with them.
AT&T Call International Service
11/19/11 20:36
AT&T launched a new service called AT&T Call International, which offers international calling rates from the US to more than 200 countries.
From outside the US, calls can be placed over wi-fi.
From within the US, calls will eat up airtime minutes.
What am I missing here?
From outside the US, calls can be placed over wi-fi.
When traveling internationally, iPhone and Android users can place calls over Wi-Fi in most countries.
From within the US, calls will eat up airtime minutes.
*Regular airtime rates apply when calling from the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S.V.I.
What am I missing here?
Reminders App on iOS 5
10/24/11 23:44
Somehow, the Reminder app in iOS 5 seems be designed with Siri in mind.
Reminders workflow without using Siri:
Step 1 - Launch the Reminders app and create a new reminder
Step 2 - Chances are life happens at times other than the default 9 AM reminder that the app creates for you. Tap the reminder created in step 1 to transition to the next screen and bring up the on-screen keyboard
Step 3 - Go through a series of taps and add additional detail as required to complete creating the reminder
Reminders workflow through Siri:
Step 1 - Launch Siri and ask her to create the reminder
Step 2 - There is no step 2. Your reminder is already created in step 1; complete with the correct date and time (or location geo-fence if you so choose)
Boom!
Reminders workflow without using Siri:
Step 1 - Launch the Reminders app and create a new reminder
Step 2 - Chances are life happens at times other than the default 9 AM reminder that the app creates for you. Tap the reminder created in step 1 to transition to the next screen and bring up the on-screen keyboard
Step 3 - Go through a series of taps and add additional detail as required to complete creating the reminder
Reminders workflow through Siri:
Step 1 - Launch Siri and ask her to create the reminder
Step 2 - There is no step 2. Your reminder is already created in step 1; complete with the correct date and time (or location geo-fence if you so choose)
Boom!
Refine and then refine some more
09/15/11 20:18
I received some pretty targeted feedback the other day on my website content and design. Here’s the summary:
Made a lot of sense to me. Here’s what I have done to address some of it.
I always knew there was something amiss but couldn’t really put my finger on it. I really like the changed look much better. Its cleaner and even more elegant. Small tweaks but they go a long way…
If there is anything else that comes to your mind, please leave a comment or reach me here.
Some great photos on your site but the site design should disappear further into the background for me so your photographs are the focus of attention.
… there are too many details I find distracting: the prominent lines in the body, the sidebar colour and the number of words encroaching the image in the centre (the tag cloud).
Made a lot of sense to me. Here’s what I have done to address some of it.
I always knew there was something amiss but couldn’t really put my finger on it. I really like the changed look much better. Its cleaner and even more elegant. Small tweaks but they go a long way…
If there is anything else that comes to your mind, please leave a comment or reach me here.
So far...
09/14/11 22:35
Analytics based on about 2 weeks worth of data.
I would have expected the Macintosh percentage to be slightly lower and that of iPad to be a bit higher. But that’s the story so far…
I would have expected the Macintosh percentage to be slightly lower and that of iPad to be a bit higher. But that’s the story so far…
This Website
09/01/11 23:55
So how did this whole website thing start? Let me get to the “how” in just a minute. Answering the “when” is a bit easier. All along, I had this thought to abandon my third-party hosted photoblog (since the company had abandoned it's blogging platform and in turn, me) and build something from scratch for myself - something really clean, elegant, and scalable. It was in mid-July when I finally got serious about putting the pieces together. My wife, Gayatri, was a great contribution throughout the process with her input on user experience, design aesthetics, and overall website social marketing. Her suggestion to offer canvas prints in addition to traditional paper prints resulted in two canvas print orders (here and here) in the first two weeks after the service launch.
Below is how this website got shaped up over the last 40 days or so. In pictures.
1. Brainstorming the website structure
2. Designing the page layouts at a local deli place
3. Daily (or nightly) builds of things to-do
4. CSS tweaks. CSS is probably the best thing that has happened to the browser. Well, after the browser itself.
5. And the final product as of 9/1: Complete with a couple of blogs, functionality for buying high quality prints, seamless navigation, tag cloud, RSS feeds and really clean, beautiful pixels all over the place.
I hope you enjoy your time here. Go ahead, take a look around…
Below is how this website got shaped up over the last 40 days or so. In pictures.
1. Brainstorming the website structure
2. Designing the page layouts at a local deli place
3. Daily (or nightly) builds of things to-do
4. CSS tweaks. CSS is probably the best thing that has happened to the browser. Well, after the browser itself.
5. And the final product as of 9/1: Complete with a couple of blogs, functionality for buying high quality prints, seamless navigation, tag cloud, RSS feeds and really clean, beautiful pixels all over the place.
I hope you enjoy your time here. Go ahead, take a look around…
The Lollipop Project
08/30/11 23:36
Another great story of a personal project.
Read more about the project.
Lolli-pop is the latest conceptual still life project by Italian born photographer Massimo Gammacurta. His lollies are edible icons. The brands are as sweet as candy for the palate and the eye. The brand association has in fact been replaced by a new meaning through the materiality and the abstract action painting dynamic gestures.
I really loved the 4 original lollipops I made and I thought it would have been cool if I could make a lollipop book of all the logos I liked. It took me a year but in the end I made and shot 50 pieces and started to send it to publishing houses until I found one (BIS publishing) that gave me a book deal and printed my book.
Read more about the project.
Upside Downy
08/29/11 22:12
Clever idea from Brandon Voges on running a personal photography project for portraits.
Read more…
Brandon decided that he wanted to create another set similar to Shakey Face that would hold the viewers attention longer than the average portrait. With this in mind, he came up with the idea to hang and shoot his subjects upside down but print the images right side up, then make large scale prints to show all the nitty-gritty, upside-downy details.
Read more…