Hin's Photo Corner: September 2008

Sensor Dust Cleaning with Giottos Rocket Blower

2008-09-30 Posted by Hin Man

I want to document how I clean sensor dust with Rocket Bower from Giottos which I find quite capable for most of my needs.

Giottos Rocket Blower:

Not all blowers are alike. I have been using this package from Amazon: Giottos Rocket Blower with description as Giottos Optical Cleaning Kit with Rocket Air Blaster, Brush & Liquid.: Electronics

Precautions:

Always turn camera off -- during lens change. I always have the camera off when I change lens as static charge attracts dust. If you use blower without mirror lock up, also turn the camera off as an opened chamber with electric power will also attract dust.
Apply blower from below -- upon mirror up, I tilt the body in an angle, and blow from below with air puffing upward to blow dust out of the sensor chamber.
Leave blower at a distance -- I keep my blower at 1 to 2 inch distance away from the camera housing. This is to avoid blower tip hitting the inner housing and allow the dust to have more room to circulate out of the chamber.
Never touch the inner housing -- whatever I do, I pay attention to avoid contact with the inner housing of the sensor chamber and mirror housing. You can look but no touching.
Don't leave body facing upwards -- dust falls down with gravity

Air Blower operation:

I use two of my gadgets to demonstrate how I clean sensor dust with the Giottos Rocket Blower.

giottos rocket blower & rei ultrapod ii tripod

And as show in the below picture, I use my mini-tripod from REI to show I mount the camera at an angle, roughly like 45 degree and position the blower from down below. Always give the blower a few puffs to push off dust in blower before the actual operation on the sensor.

In Real Practice:

I have my battery grip mounted which makes it easier for me to hold the camera in one hand and tilt the camera at an angle facing down and blow air from below similar to the picture above where I used the Ultrapod II tripod as my other hand.

YouTube Video Demo

I found this video helpful and I want to include this with this blog post for reference. In the video, the author mounted the camera facing downwards and this will be more effective. But if you are on the road, try your best to tilt at a safe angle.

Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 1:2 Macro from Komine

2008-09-26 Posted by Hin Man

next to Pentax DA 50-200

There is so much that people talk about Kiron or Lester A Dine for the 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro as one of the better macro lens to get and I have never heard of a Komine135mm with fast aperture f/2.8 that goes with close up at 1:2. Though it is not a 1:1 macro, I get burned from many user errors in 1:1 focusing with Lester A Dine and I need a 1:2 close up to get my confidence back.

The Komine lens is not a big piece of glass and it is well constructed with metal body and it comes with metal cap from Vivitar. When I put it side by side to my Pentax DA 50-200, I then realize that this 135mm is quite small in size. When I I take out the turn focusing ring to its 1:2 end, it is still very comfortable to hold and obtain focus.

picture with Komine 135mm f/2.8 1:2 macro

Impressions & Notes:

This is one piece of Komine glass that I am most likely to keep for bugs
Minimum focusing distance is about 0.6m or 2.0 feet, ideal for bugs
Bokeh is good to excellent in this Komine close focusing prime in 135mm with fast speed at f/2.8.
It works well for me as a short tele-prime while shooting wedding for a couple friends of mine behind the hired professional photographers
The focusing ring is the best in class for manual focusing and it is close to one complete turn and I actually don't reckon the exact measure but the lens provides me with great ease in shooting tele-photo as well as macro. This is a rare find for Macro lens that allow ease of use for short tele-prime in 135mm for portraits and candid shots needing ease of focusing from a farther distance.
This prime excels in ease of focusing.
Sharpness is not the best candidate that I have seen. Wide open aperture is a bit on the soft side. I have to say that it works well for portraits when I tried it in wedding. For macro, I find it a bit on the soft side when compared to my Pentax K 100mm f/4.0 but it is much faster and its outstanding color and bokeh make up the minor weak point in sharpness. I have to say that the sharpness problems that I noted might come from my user error in testing the lens hand-holding in JPG snapshot without PP in RAW.
I highly recommended this 1:2 close focusing lens. The only caveat that I see is the lacking of 'A' aperture which will prohibit the use of flash in PTTL mode with macro as filled flash. I will ask and learn if external flash in auto mode can be used with trial and error.

vivitar series 1 70-210 f/3.5 Macro Tokina v2

Vivitar Series 1 70-210 f/3.5, Tokina, v2

Left: Vivitar Series 1 70-210 f/3.5 Macro
Right: Pentax K 45-125 f/4.0

Serial # 37 is Tokina

Vivitar Series 1 70-210 f/3.5
VMC Macro Focusing Zoom

I had impressive experience with the v1 of the Vivitar Series 1 70-210 f/3.5 from Kiron as one of the first three versions recommended by Mark Roberts. I sold it due to its weight at 879g. The Kiron version has better macro at 1:2.2 but this Tokina version has macro of 1:4. Filter size is 62mm.

Test Photos:

Test photos with Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5 from Tokina (v2)

Impressions & Notes:

Constant f/3.5 throughout the range from 70-210mm is very fast as compared to my DA 50-200 f/4.0-5.6 or my other longer zoom in Tamron 70-300 Di LD Macro f/4.0-5.6 zooms.
Lighter in weight at 710g. Comparing to heavy weight as in 879g for the v1:Kiron version or the 860g in the v3:Komine, I like the Tokina based on the weighting factor.
I feel very comfortable to hold the zoom when compared to the Kiron version
Filter size is 62mm sharing the same dimension like the Tamron 70-300 Di LD
Macro is weaker in the zoom with 1:4. When I test the Tokina version of Vivitar Series 1, I find the Kiron version better. Not only is the close up ratio is weaker in 1:4 as compared to 1:2.2, the lens in wide open aperture has some flare on edges of flowers. I am not sure if it is ghosting or the need for a lens hood. I tested the lens without a lens hood.
Though a one-touch zoom design similar to Kiron and the Komine versions, the lens does't have the issue in front heavy with tendency with zoom ring falling to the front. The zoom actually works better than Kiron as I recall. I like the focusing and zooming in Tokina better than Kiron. Manual focusing is excellent with this lens.
Sharpness is very close to Kiron and Komine versions, the Tokina when stopped down to f/5.6 or smaller, seem to be the best in sharpness. The only caveat lie in the closeup as I do find the close up to be weaker than the Kiron version.
Overall the lens is sharp, colorful and contrasty. I highly recommend with the caveat noted in close focusing where I find ghosting and clipping of highlights on flower edges. I may need to buy a lens hood in size of 62mm to test close up again. Other than that, the lens is superb in clarity, color, contrast and sharpness for a zoom.

Triming on similar lens 45-125, 50-200, 70-150, 70-210

2008-09-24 Posted by Hin Man

vivitar series1 70-210 f/3.5 tokina, Pentax k 45-125 f/4.0, Kiron 70-150 f/3.8, Pentax DA 50-200 f/4.0-5.6

Vivitar Series 1, K 45-125 f/4.0, Kiron 70-150 f/3.8, DA 50-200 f/4.0-5.6

What have I done!

I am in the process of trimming my gears and I can't find the logical choices as all four lens are similar and I like them all. In lure of my efforts in cutting down my gear to the minimal, I target to cut 2 out of the four. My ideal is to sell them all and save for DA* 50-135 but that would be sometime to come

Pentax DA 50-200 f/4.0-5.6
- http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2007/07/photozonede-pentax-da-50-200-review.html
- I use this most often
- I find the AF and the range ideal for my boy's portrait
- I find it the lightest and the best suited for traveling
- I sold this lens before and later regret the small weight and versatility and hence I bought it about 2 months after I sold the lens
- I can roughly get back $100 to $130
Penatx K 45-125 f/4.0
- http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2008/04/pentax-k-45-125mm-f40-test-shots.html
- This is a rare find for K mount lens. I can roughly get back $125 to $150 for the lens
- It has the best color among the three but it is very heavy like a DA* 50-135 and I call it the poor man's choice of DA* zoom
- It has one touch zoom design with fast focusing and zooming ability
- The lens is front heavy and zoom ring tends to fall towards the front
- The lens is best for portraits for its range. The fast focusing and zooming is also a great character of this rare lens
- Though not super fast, I find the constant f/4.0 plenty for the zoom
Kiron 70-150 f/3.8
- http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2008/03/vivitar-70-150-f38-kiron-test-shots.html
- I probably get back $40 to $80
- It is well built and the cutest among the three for its small size. All metal build and it is a great bargain from Kiron.
- It is very sharp, the sharpness is better than DA 50-200 but I can't tell if it is in par with K 45-125. In terms of color and contrast, the two Pentax does better.
Vivitar Series 1 70-210 f/3.5 Macro (from Tokina)
- I have not reveiwed this lens. But a previous purchase of the version #1 of Vivitar Series 1 70-210 f/3.5 1:2.2 Macro from Kiron left me a pleasant memory on the Series 1 zoom with constant speed. The Kiron is truly phenomenal in terms of color, contrast and sharpness but it weighs 879g and the lesser weight of 710g in Tokina version #2 in the series 1 get me to buy again
- I probably get back $40 to $80
- Construction is not as good as the Kiron but it is still well built
- Weight at 710g is reasonable for a fast lens with constant aperture at f/3.5
- Macro is weaker on this lens and I think it is 1:4 in close up. Not as good as the Kiron version but I have problem with the Kiron in hand-holding for close up at 879g.

So far, based on my usage pattern, my Kiron 70-150 f/3.8 is probably the first candidate to go as I use it the least. But that lens is the cutest among the three. It is well constructed lens from Kiron. I will sure miss its sharpness and size. It is a shame that I get into owning similar lens before I realize that I have lens not used in my gear.

Kiron 70-150 f/3.8, Pentax DA 50-200 f/4.0-5.6

Kiron 70-150 f/3.8, DA 50-200

What I have learned:

Think twice about buying lens of similar focal range. Ask yourself if the new one is a replacement or something that you expect better in the newer gear.
Follow up with testing to find the winner and trim the loser
Have an exit plan if new lens don't match up with expectations.
Have another exit plan if you like both just as much -- toss the coin, ask others for ideas or sleep on it.
Access risk of in-decision in trimming
Don't rush into selling, take the time to rate each lens with use and do comparison for my own liking
For the least used gear, it is time to take it out and test it out again as a brand new gear. It is like a new gear old stock to be debuted with pictures

My Pizza Lens

2008-09-22 Posted by Hin Man

My Pizza lens happens also be my Sushi Lens. It is my beloved Pentax FA 50 f/1.4 and I default to the lens when my family goes out for new places and new dishes. The Strawhat Pizza in my neighborhood replaces our favorite New York Pizza place called SFO Pizza right in Fremont near my home. Darn it! I will miss SFO Pizza as I love the pan pizza fresh in that restaurant. Now, I have to be content with what I can find with Strawhat. The pictures look better than the taste as the previous place with SFO Pizza has the deep pan New York style pizza with Pesto sauce that my boys, and I all crave about. And I forgot to bring camera before and my good memories with SFO pizza are gone without a good picture.

I always count on my fast Pentax FA 50 f/1.4 to take food shots and it works well with taking indoor pictures of a restaurant. It may be wide enough for a good angle but it has excellent speed and clode up for indoor.

Nijo Castle photo with Pentax FA 50 f/1.4

Best lens for Sushi

LBA Management

2008-09-16 Posted by Hin Man

What is LBA?

LBA stands for Lens Buying Addiction and this acronym is well known in the Pentax user forum and I think it originally comes from Lance B in the dpreview forum. There are many incarnations that comes after LBA and that include Camera Buying Addiction as in CBA.

Collage on Pentax camera -- LBA Management

LBA/CBA Challenges

I applaud at the LBA challenge that many forum friends have raised as I had initiated similar challenge before among members in photo.net. It sort of works and it has both pros and cons. Few others and I manage to reach a 3 month milestone without purchase of new lens, cameras and even go to the extreme of no watchlist in eBay for 3 months. Each of us went through a different path to get there. I recapped all photo.net from start to finish, it was a blast to finish the challenge. Though it really sucks for me towards the end, it is well worth the effort.

LBA/CBA Contest -- the Seinfield Style - Hin's Tech Corner

As for individual experience, the first month is the most rewarding and memorable. The 2nd month is the hardest to resist and the 3rd month totally wrecks my spirit with a lot of regrets in facing the temptation. And there is also the point of gear ban release and quick relapse back into LBA/CBA activity right after the challenge.

In a way, those LBA challenge can work out and let you see yourself with lens need and want. The best thing for me to come out with a picture of what I want to buy next with a better plan than when I first started the challenge. Second, it help me to think, put all of my gear to good use, and help to trim all less used gear. I trimmed 14 items as a result of a 3 month challenge in Hin's Camera Gear's Sold Items

What works well:

Have a road map on what to buy and what to sell
Find a buddy system to report how you do and hold you accountable for the activity
Use your gear into memorable pictures instead of researching gear
Fight the tempation in going out and take pictures of the lesser gear and challenge your photos with those taken by better gear.
Use what you have and make your gear proud of you.
Focus on learning with in-the-field experience. Always put photo opportunity and learning as your first priority in the hobby and the rest will come naturally in suppressing LBA.
Discuss with photo critique rather than what lens you use

But I do caution that the exercise does not stop me from LBA, instead, I admit that LBA is part of the fun of the hobby. With a new lens, whether it is purchased according to plan or something ebay/marketplace deal that is hard to let go, my hobby is jazzed up a notch or two with excitement from new gear. If a piece of gear is purchased according to plan, there is little guilty feeling on my part with money spent. My road map plan does work well for me to stay on course. The exercise does give me time to clear up my mind on what I want to purchase next instead of rushing into the lens praised by others.

Why LBA is important

As far as I can tell and admit, LBA is part of the fun in the hobby. It is a lot of hard work to maintain one's gear not to become an addiction of buying. Yes, pleasures come from owning gear. But so does headache and confusion that come with too many similar gear.
LBA get us to feel guilty. The thought and attitude that LBA is a huge problem depresses us with guilty pleasure. But the fact is true that addiction comes in a form of spending excessively without control.
LBA get us to think what we need and what we want. The wanting part with desire for the unknown and the thoughts of owning something worthy of pride get us goining in the wanting to get more lens than we need.
LBA is not necessary a bad thing. Each time I open a box of new and used lens that arrived from USPS/UPC/FedEx/Postal office. My heart and soul goes with the new glass. Be it a junk in others' gear or the jewel of one's collection, it is mine! It has better be good and shine with memorable photos in the shooting. LBA raises up our interest and stop us from getting lazy staying home with TV and computer.
LBA needs to be managed and manage well. It is a thin line between addiction and serious enthusiast buying needed gear for advance in learning, new approach, new endeavors and perhaps new business in the making

LBA needs to be managed

As far as my experience goes, there is no effective known cure to LBA and the aftermath of guilty feeling. It needs not be cured. It needs to be managed instead. Why fight the thoughts and limit yourself to your existing gear.
I am seeking solutions myself and hope to cover LBA management in a series of topics with suggestions and discussions among others

Best Lens for Sushi

My fridge from KitchenAid was broken after 6 years of service. Defrossing water gushed out every day needing a bucket and a mop for the daily cleanup and the hourly monitor. And the regular compartment of a side by side stainless steel KitchenAid forced us to dine out since last weekend. My buddies craved for the food pictures that I used to like shooting for indoor. I always go to my Pentax FA 50 f/1.4 for the fast lens in my gear that can take food photos up a level of performance when compared to others. And in getting back to my root with dSLR, I brought my Pentax K100D instead of my K10D for the sushi restaurant named Nijo Castle in Fremont of California,

Sushi restaurant shot with K100D and Pentax FA 50 f/1.4

a place that has become my boys' favorite after the first visit. We have dragon sushi in the first visit along with Udon in a nice broth. The special comes with the appetizer in a Spinach Beef wrap.

Highly Decorated Entrance

Dragon Sushi

Nice looking soy sauce

Vegetable Udon

Orange Cast from AWB in K100D

Notes & Impressions:

I defaulted to ISO 400 and use mostly f/2.0 and some in f/2.8 as I go for the bokeh while maintaining sharpness and avoid narrow DOF errors from myself
Quick snapshot in jpg is alright in K100D and I don't worry about post processing in raw files
I asked for fully cooked sushi and hence no raw stuff from the nicely dressed Kimonos waitress
Automatic White Balanace in K100D suffer from orange and yellow cast and hence the warm touch in the pictures. Sometime good and sometime totally not the color of the scene. The preset Tungsten helps a bit but it has its own problem with a cold blue tone. Best solution is to use custom white balance but I fall short in time to save my boys from finishing all sushi
50mm may be a bit long in restaurant with tight space. I see the DA 35 f/2.8 limited or FA 35 f/2.0 would do just as well
Sharpness in FA 50 f/1.4 in f/2.0 get the job done for me. That does not mean that I won't use f/1.4 to f/1.8. It is just that I use them not as often and I reserve it for the darker scenes making the fast lens working extremely well in all cases.
A worthy lens to consider if you are into food shots for indoor. And I see no reason to shoot BBQ for the outdoor, the bokeh and color from the 50mm is outstanding. The minimal focusing distance is great with the FA 50, making it an ideal candidate for close up with a close up filter or a 2x macro converter

Nikon Dark Forces with Nikon D90 -- Yoda's Training

2008-09-15 Posted by Hin Man

What did Yoda say to Luke Skywalker when he switched from Nikon to Pentax?

"Your VR lenses, you will need them not."

"Don't be too tempted by the Dark Side, may the Pentax SR forces be with you"

by Tokina 19-35 f/3.4-4.5
1/20sec, f/4.5, 24mm, iso 100, K10D, hand-held

With the continued tempatations. Luke SkyWalker tried to borrow the stick from Master Yoda and made a monopod out of the good old stick from Master Yod. And he asks Master Yoda to teach him to shoot with steady hand without VR. And Luke compromises on his 1/4th second hand holding shutter limit capability and intend to stay strong with the Nikon dark forces of marketing.

Temptation still runs strong and Luke comes to Master Yoda for better advice. Master Yoda snaps him on the face and quickly grab back his stick. He then pads on Luke and say, "Luke, are you nuts! I need my stick for the movie. I look old and I can't do without my stick. The hell with your Nikon dark forces." And Luke replied, "my Master Yoda, you look younger without the stick, you may find girlfriend easier. No need to hide in a movie." And Master Yoda thinks for a moment and kicked Luke from the bottom, "What girlfriend, there isn't any of my kind." Luke pointed to Wall-E and Master Yoda is furious and hit Luke harder and completely whack him from top to bottom. His Nikon thoughts vanishes in a sub-zero second rate but the misery remains.

Luke disappeared into the dark journey with a fainted heart but a good lesson from Master Yoda. He keeps thinking what he should have done with the mess he has created with his master. Stick no more! His hands now shakes faster than his Nikon can burst in 4.5 shots per second. His head and butt hurts with the physical pain inflicted by the encounter with Master Yoda. His spirit is up though as Master Yoda asks him to clear his mind and conscience with Wall-E to get his thoughts straight. Wall-E follows the honorable request and keeps company with Luke and cheers him up with lots of movie on demand from Wall-E collection. And Luke recovers gradually with his vision, thoughts and senses.

Luke finds peace with Master Yoda walking with a stick like before, and they are coming for a reunion to plan for the Nikon dark forces attack with D90. Luke is with Yoda and stays strong against the Nikon dark forces. He trains himself up with Wall-E who helps him with video and movies in supersonic definition in the latest camyoda format not found in D90. And Wall-E always have great movie capture from 8mm, hi-def to supersonic definition on demand and on-archive.

Life seems not as bad as we thought but the questions remain with others tempted by the latest Nikon dark forces with Nikon D90.

Nikon D90 is tempting

2008-09-10 Posted by Hin Man

I am frequently tempted with new cameras and gear. I am proud Pentaxian who loves Pentax gear but I have got to admit the excitement when I see the news about the upcoming release of Nikon D90. And I saw this video that tempted me even more.

I am especially impressed with the following:

Movie in dSLR
The first of a kind in integration of movie into a dSLR system. And it is hi-def video with 720p. This is something that as a point & shoot enthusiasts who uses digiial camera with a dual purpose of occasional movie , this newly added capability from Nikon is a welcome feature for me
4.5 FPS, Nikon D3 heritage
Though it is not as fast as Canon 40D or the Nikon D300, 4.5 is good enough for me. With the fast auto focus from Nikon, I envision a very capable system
Price, Weight, Design for Serious Enthusiast
Nikon gear tend to be more expensive than others, but the listing price closer to 1K seems appealing to me when I compare that with Pentax K20D. I for one don't want to go for Nikon D300 and D700 as they are meant for professional and I personally prefer lighter body with design and features geared towards enthusiast who shy from higher end models due to price. The D90 seems a perfect fit for the complicated mind who loves photography.

Back in my time with a Casio ex-z750, a point and shoot digital camera that I enjoyed very much in 2005, I envision one day that I can have a dSLR that does two things that my family enjoys. And Ben had a lot of fun playing with the flying ball that is blown out on air in San Jose Discovery Museum

Video by Casio ex-z750

With a point & shoot, I got some crazy idea one morning with an early bike ride. Video-taping the ride. Yes, why not! How can I bring along my camcorder? Here is my first attempt with my digital camera Casio ex-z750 in normal movie mode without post processing.

Picture of Casio ex-z750 mounted on a bike

Duct Tape & Valco for mounting

While taping, I have little idea how it goes. But the thought that we will never fail in trying is with me. Life should be fun and it should be recorded and shared as such. If the gear helps in a different way with a dual purpose, that is a great idea. We should embrace for a different thinking.

Warning: rough motion, unpleasant viewing

Video by Casio ex-z750

Nikon is so smart as a company in getting video in Nikon D90 as the first dSLR with movie capability. Is Nikon a camcorder company? Hello, anyone in Canon camp thought about this? The elitist would always pull in the direction that they don't care about video. Sure you care! Ask your beloved spouse and see if a dSLR is worth the upgrade which allows you to take babies' birthday and weekend hiking video besides the main stuff that we all photographers care. Guess what the wife and husband satisfaction factor can add to the purchase decision. Canon and Sony both have the technologies but they are surely behind in the smart thinking of Nikon D90 with the new direction that is non traditional. It is a refreshing and welcoming change from Nikon to embrace the integration of technology.

I am tempted picture with Pentax K10D and Tokina 19-35 f/3.5-4.5

Tempted by Nikon D90

My friend has it pre-ordered from Amazon and I should have a first hand review about Nikon D90 come October. Please stay tuned from a report of Nikon D90 from a Pentaxian.

Related:

Chase Jarvis & Friends Tried D90
The gallery is the most valuable to see how well the new VR lens works. The 18-105 shines in the gallery. The 14-24 is amazing
Nikon D90 preview from photo.net by Bob Atkins
A great read as always from photo.net and respected Bob Atkins
Nikon D90 hands-on preview from dpreviews.com
the important place for reference
Nikon D90 from Ken Rockwell
Ken is an advocate for D40 and D300. Let's see his views. He loves Casio ex-z750 as much as I dot. He has good senses
Nikon D90 vs others from cameralabs
A great comparison in the making
Nikon SLR Lens Compatibility
F redMiranda Lens Review
Why I like My Casio ex-z750
Yoda Training on Nikon Dark Forces
Passing Moon Video with Pentax K-7
Diego's Amazing Pentax K-7 Video in Cambodia
Hin's Camera Gear

Hin's Photo Corner

Sensor Dust Cleaning with Giottos Rocket Blower

Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 1:2 Macro from Komine

Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5 Macro, Tokina, v2

Triming on similar lens 45-125, 50-200, 70-150, 70-210

My Pizza Lens

LBA Management

Best Lens for Sushi

Nikon Dark Forces with Nikon D90 -- Yoda's Training

Nikon D90 is tempting

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