I've kept a technical journal ever since graduating and getting real job some 27 yeas ago. I started with cheap mead comp books and eventually moved to moleskine leather bound journals as I advanced in my career and I needed something a bit more 'professional'.
One thing that was pretty consistent through this time was my use of rollerball pens as my writing instrument. While I liked nice pens, I usually used whatever my company had in the supply cabinet. Well, I just burned through the entire inkwell of a Pilot Varsity, which was my first experience with a fountain pen and boy, am I hooked! Thick, super inky black lines and a writing experience that is sooo smooth. Ink flows with little to no pressure as if the pen is actually gliding over the paper. Like so many things in this modern era, we've exchanged classic designs for convenience and low cost. The fountain pen is one of those things that has been lost in that shuffle, I for one am glad I rediscovered it. I'm just disappointed that I didn't do so years ago.
MkIIshooter
My personal journal of one of my many hobbies - Photography.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
The joy of writing
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Nexus 5 GPS fix confirmed:UPDATE
UPDATE : while the Antenna fix helps, I ended up RMA'ing the phone back to LG - the new phone is now out performing my old Nexus4. So I now conclude that the only REAL fix for a poor GPS is a new phone....
Both my wife and I have Nexus 5s and both have the same terrible GPS performance so I was convinced it was inherent to the phone but the rest of the internet was silent on the issue. It wasn't until digging through the XDA Developer forums did I stumble upon a post that gave me some hope. Apparently there is a fit up issue between the back cover that contains the GPS antenna and its spring loaded connector on the main board. That was all the excuse needed to break out the case cracking tools give this potential fix a try - and I'm glad I did - while I haven't performed any extensive field test my initial post fix comparison in the video above do indicate a positive affect.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
SIG SAUER 516 Patrol Rifile - POF drop in trigger to the rescue
Friday, September 13, 2013
My new 'Cannon' is a Sigma
My Current Sideline Rig |
So this season I picked up the newly released Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM. Yes, that's a fixed 2.8 aperture, image stabilized, tele to super-tele zoom! I admit, I had my doubts, I've been burned by the inferior image quality of 3rd party lenses before and vowed 'never-again'. I've also read enough reports of just how poor previous versions of this lens (I think this is the 3rd) was that I never really considered it. But in 2013, Sigma has stepped up thier game and started putting out some really fine lenses. Their new 35mm F1.4 prime is truly a 'best in class' lens and has got owners of Canon and Nikon 35s asking themselves why they spent more and got less. So when I read that this lens would be built to the same standards, my curiosity was piqued.
So how did it perform? At first, poorly. I shot two games with it and had a really low 'keeper' rate due to out of focus shots. But after doing a little research, I found that Sigma programs the AF system to prioritize focus accuracy over focus speed. So I used the Sigma USB dock to setup a custom profile for the lens - (there are two custom profile slots that can store different AF speed profiles and AF Microadjustments which is Sigma's work around for the Camera manufacturers not including 3rd party lenses in their in-camera micro focus adjustments). I set mine up for the High Speed setting and went off and shot another game. Keeper rate was MUCH better, pretty close to on par with the ol' Canon 300. This really is a different lens in this mode. Why Sigma doesn't ship their 'Sports' lens with High Speed AF as default is a mystery, but they do.
Now with the focus issue out of the way I could do some comparisons.
Sharpness:
Very good - I only shoot this lens wide open and it does a good job. It's not quite as sharp as the Canon 300F2.8L but not much else is. I did find it sharper than the 300F4ISL that I used to own. One peculiar characteristic of this lens is that it doesn't seem as sharp on distant objects - don't know if this has to do with the resolving capability of the lens but I noticed that within 50 yards or so, subjects are tack sharp but as distance increases they tend to go soft - I never experienced this with the Canon.
Bokeh:
While I don't intend to use this as a portrait lens, good bokeh is important to get subject / background separation and here a think the Sigma is a bit better than the canon. Specular highlights with my canon were often harsh and had an almost crystallized look to them which could be distracting at times, not a problem with the Sigma, nice round soft orbs of light is all you get here.
Color and Contrast
Since I shoot mainly night games under crappy lights I really can't comment on this one other than under the same conditions I'm finding I'm doing a little more 'tweaking' in Lightroom with the Sigma so I'd take it that to mean the Canon is better (at least in this situation)
Flexibility
Obviously, the Sigma is the hands down winner here since the Canon can't zoom. It is just so great to be able to track a subject coming at you and adjust framing at the same time. The 120mm is by no means wide but on a football field, it's enough to capture the entire coaches huddle or snap sideline portraits without having to back way the hell up. It should be noted that the lens is not a parfocal design so focus changes slightly as you zoom, but I don't think that matters much with AF.
Stretching for the Goal line Sigma 120-300 @150mm |
Here's a shot of a QB keeper play that went to my side, I was able to zoom out and put a little context to his outstretched ball by capturing some of the goal line. With the Canon this would have been 3/4 shot and while it might have been a nice tight shot of his facial expression, I like having the choice to frame the way I want.
In the end, do I think the Sigma is a keeper? Well, all I have to say is there's a big white lens is on craigslist right now...
Friday, May 31, 2013
My new ultra light, long exposure rig
It sure seems my DSLR equipment is gathering a lot of dust lately. For example, I wanted to try out some long exposure photography and when I looked at how much a 83mm, 10 stop ND the filter cost for my 24 TSE lens and then compared it to the price of the same thing for a 49 millimeter filter that would fit my X100s - it was a no brainer - I was going to experiment with the 100 S.
the Fuji make sense in other areas too because if its leaf shutter design, there's practically no vibration, so a small, cheap tripod will be more than enough to keep this little guy stable for the duration of the exposure.
The whole rig weighs just a hair over 3 pounds and fits inside my Maxpedition Versipack with plenty of room to spare.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Odin TTL functionality on the Canon 1dx!!
Odin Firmware v1.23 for Canon 1Dx available
I've been a Phottix Odin fan since dumping the problematic pocket wizard flex units. The only problem was that TTL functionality with the 1Dx was nonexistent which left me reaching for my 5D mkIII when I wanted the convenience of TTL. Well, the 5D went on Craigslist to make room for some new glass and I was putting my faith in Phottix was doing more than lip service when they told me that they were working a solution for the 1Dx.
Well, they didn't let me down, I literally saw their post announcing the firmware update the morning after sending the 5D home with its new owner! (Can you tell I'm excited?)
I'll be downloading and testing the setup over the next several weeks-thanks Phottix.
Wither pocket wizard....
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Sony RX-1 vs. Fuji XE-1 - My take.
While both these cameras have a very high end build quality rarely seen these days, the Sony is clearly a step above the with Fuji with its metal lens cap and overall solid construction that makes it feel as if it was machined from a single piece of metal.
Performanace
Much has been said on the web on how slow these cameras are in AF in low light, I found neither one unacceptable and much better than I could have done manually. I found AF tracking of moving subjects poor on both cameras that may be disappointing to those who enjoy shooting active subjects.
With well lit subjects, I found both cameras equally snappy in their ability lock focus. General menu navigation and image review and zooming did appear to be slightly better with the Sony but overall, I'd call this one a tie.
RX-1 Beautiful color and Bokeh |
Image Quality
It all comes down to this right? What good is all the handling, ergonomics and compact size advantages if you don't end up with images that make you happy. Neither camera disappoints in this area, both produce beautiful and have low light capabilities that until now was unseen in the compact segment. But the adv pantage goes to Sony with it's extra Megapixels and that beautiful Zeiss lens that can really resolve some amazing detail and can go along way in making up for its fixed 35mm lens with some post processing cropping.
My comparisons may be a bit unfair since the Fuji had a zoom lens vs. a prime but the Sony was giving my 5DmkIII a run for its money so I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb to say that swapping out the zoom would have reversed my opinion.
FUJI XE-1 ISO 6400 Holds detail and color well, Noise has a very film like grain quality |
Conclusion
While +Steve Huff did the same comparison and chose the RX-1 as his personal choice. I came to the opposite conclusion, for me, the Fuji's controls, design of operation and VIEWFINDER won me over. It may be totally superficial but I felt as though I was more 'in touch' with the photographic process with the Fuji. It felt more like a tool in my hand for me to craft my art instead of the latest wiz-bang gadget - and that was significant enough for me to overlook the IQ advantage of the Sony. Some may find the price difference alone enough reason to choose the Fuji but I find that the hurt in the wallet is only temporary, but the sting of dealing with a camera you don't enjoy is much longer lasting. In fact, if Sony would have released the RX-1 with a viewfinder and better controls, I would have no hesitation in paying the asking price. But for now, the Fuji XE-1 will be at my side...