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Monday, January 24, 2005
choosing your digital camerathis post is dedicated to those who is considering buying a digital camera or migrating to a newer model. however, it's not meant for those who see their camera as just a point and shoot device, but more than that, as a creative device with which you can express your style and yourself.i am not a pro yet, nevertheless, i'm on my way to becoming a serious one more by learning by doing. with this objective in mind, i'll need another digital camera - whom i have to choose among a lot of great cameras out there. while you'll be surprise to learn how fast the trend in higher-end digicams changes and the new models are better than ever, many of them may be more than you need. for example, today you can purchase an 8(or even larger)-megapixel digicam. however, do you really need that much power? the thumb rule for buying any electronic device is to buy them on the basis of what you'll want to use the device for - of course, always with an eye toward price. if you're just going to take snapshots and print 4x6-inch images (the most popular size), then a 3 mp or 4 mp digicam will work fine. u'll need higher-megapixel cameras if you're making enlargements (in my case, i most likely need it to take group shots in wedding parties). and then, besides megapixel power, there are various features that the newer cameras offer. however, keep in mind that most people never use even half the features of their digicams. (it happens as well with the nokia communicator users -- most of the owners only use its sms & voice feature while other features like mms, fax receiving & sending, email downloading or internet access become useless. they bought communicator to promote their pride and follow the trend only.) if you're among those kind of users who won't bother to read the user guide or understand the process behind all of those things and just prefer using the autofocus function, i recommend you to buy a compact digital camera instead. don't bother buying a serious one as u'll become frustrated with its performance. a smart digicam requires knowledge and efforts from the photographer. the good news is once you master the camera, you can turn your camera into a really mean machine, performing better than any compact digicam. so you have to find out what features you need in your digicam that you can take advantage of. for example, as i'm planning on taking pictures in a crowd, i found it very useful having a lcd monitor that swivels away from my camera so i can hold it over the head of others and aim the screen down so that i can still see the image and set up my shot. with the screen faces in toward the body, it is also well protected from scratches. from so based on my still-limited experience, i joted down first the list of the features i look for in my potentially next camera. 1. fast, accurate autofocus without a doubt, the most critical function of any camera is its ability to focus. quick focus speed is a must, especially when the subject is in motion. the autofocus system must adjust quickly and intelligently to allow us taking shots of moving subject. there's another important item in relation to focusing: the vibration reduction. a few new cameras are beginning to employ this feature to help stabilize the lens when taking a picture. 2. fast shutter response you don't want to miss that perfect-spontaneous shot because you're waiting for your camera to wake up after pressing the shutter, right? some cameras provide themselves with continuous shooting mode that allows you to shoot frames continuously with a shor shutter interval. 3. quick acess to common settings intelligent designs allow us to navigate all menus easily when we need to. low or difficult access will slow us down and possibly lead to a lost opportunity. 4. low noise image sensor image noise (those little grainy pixels that break up an otherwise perfect picture, particularly after adding to much brightness in post editing) is your enemy. in general, the bigger the pixel, the better the quality. but be aware that more megapixels do not necessarily equate to better quality. beware of small compact camera (small chips) with high megapixel. this what i meant previosly in my writing that a good camera must have its certain weigh. budget digicams use inferior image sensors, resulting in a higher level of noise. 5. hybrid or slr? lately, i'm considering a slr (single lens reflex) model from canon. everybody who understand photography recommend me to go dslr to have more flexibility and expandability in the longer term. because with a fixed lens system (like what i have currently), we are stuck with the lens it comes with. whereas with a dslr, u can use additional lenses, for a wide angle or telephoto view. besides, megapixel sensor in dslr is larger than on the compact version, thus producing a cleaner image. stelly @ 7:59 AM Sunday, January 02, 2005 experiencing the christmas atmosphere in singapore 
this year singapore tourism board launched "christmas in the tropics" sparkling christmas lights & ornaments are hanged all over the tropical trees that line the orchard road there are lots to do and see  we had a very comfortable trip without rain
we spent the whole week walking and walking and walking the mrt system works amazingly well -- ultra modern and ultra efficient it's really the easiest transport system and we're really impressed all the stations are spotless and everything looks brand new.. all the trains run regularly on time and they even refund the ticket at the end of the journey singapore is incredibly clean -- looks like the inhabitants here are all well-mannered people i didn't notice any homeless or police officers in singapore -- there must be patrol cameras in public areas if only the same condition can happen in Jakarta.. here are some photo stories..   
  
(1) amidst the big building and roads, singapore has plenty of green areas; botanical garden is a green space in the middle of the city, very near to orchard road; its victorian garden design includes this beautiful ornate bandstand (2) race course road is famous for its indian curry restaurants among them muthu's curry restaurant is considered the best (3) the singapore zoo uses natural barriers instead of iron bars to contain its residents; only few zoos have been able to afford the huge cost of employing this open concept system (4) i also like their concept of sponsorship -- i think it's really creative that big companies sponsor different animals.. (5) a new theatre and concert house - esplanade the locals give it the nickname "durian" as it looks like that much loved fruit in singapore.. *another nice target for photographer* (6) the symbol of singapore: merlion - half lion and half mermaid - guarding the mouth of the singapore river    
(7) *wait!* a group of youths are racing to end their lives??? *ok, too hyperbolic :)* as u're walking over cavanagh bridge, u'll see these kids-jumping-into-the-river-statues; they are brilliantly carved and a must photo for any tourist (8) my hubby in front of the tallest christmas tree in the land (30 m), next to the orchard road mrt station.. *a perfect backdrop for canon moment* (9) are u ready to experience singapore's first bungy thrill? (10) the sri mariamman temple - singapore's oldest and most important hindu temple, built in 1827.. the roof is richly decorated with colourful sculptures of gods and mythical animals  
the fascinating ethnic area of chinatown lots of shops of souvenirs along pagoda & trengganu street full of colours: yellows, reds, blues, greens definitely a unique place to wonder about & let things surprise you  on this historic site sir thomas stamford raffles first landed in singapore on 28 january 1819
working for the british east India company, he was looking for a suitable place in south east asia to set up a british port & trading post he successfully changed the destiny of Singapore from an obscure fishing village to a great seaport & modern metropolis   
(11) from here u can enjoy the panoramic view of boat quay and singapore river (12) beautiful view inside but one downside: we have to walk miles in the heat from the bus point to reach the place (13) musical fountain (sentosa) : a fountain that dances to lively music a dazzling display of colourful lights & laser images *u can visit my singapore yahoo photos album for the complete photos* stelly @ 1:43 PM |
