Volume of Interactions: Geartalk Archives

Geartalk: Soft and dreamy

By Aizuddin Danian on February 22, 2012 9:31 PM | Permalink | Comments

While a corner to corner photo in razor sharp focus has it's appeal, the distinctively soft, creamy and dreamy bokeh you can find in shots like the one here of Mia can be fantastically attractive as well. Just focus on the eyes, snap and let the physics of light and depth of field work their magic. Canon 5D Mark II, 50mm f1.4, with only available light.

Geartalk: iPhone 4S super-awesome

By Aizuddin Danian on February 14, 2012 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments

Convergence occurs when many elements combine to make a whole that is greater than it's parts. In technology terms, it means making less do more, combining the function of several gadgets into a single item that does everything that the individual items do, and in some cases, does it even better. Such is the cases with the iPhone 4S, and it's amazing camera.

Geartalk: Olympus E-PM1 Kit Lens, 14-42mm

By Aizuddin Danian on January 29, 2012 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments

Generally, kit lenses are temporary place holders for better quality glass; something to use while an upgrade is pending. This past week i've changed things up, and relied exclusively on the PEN Mini kit lens, shooting exclusively in the 28mm equivalent focal range. At f3.5 (though i used f4 mostly -- found the half stop making quite a difference in the IQ), it's a relatively slow lens, but very usable in most available daytime light conditions. I was very surprised at how sharp the lens is at f4.0 and at f5.6, this sharpness extends from corner to corner quite well. Not your average kit lens, this. Very pleased.

Geartalk: HDR, High Dynamic Range

By Aizuddin Danian on January 27, 2012 7:11 PM | Permalink | Comments

HDR, or High Dynamic Range, photography is a technique that allows for the darkest and lightest portions of the photo to be far apart and still allow for acceptable contrast. HDR images can be obtained by either computer rendering, or via the merging of several different photos that represent the exposure range being captured. Many modern enthusiast digital cameras facilitate this via automatic exposure bracketing (AEB), ranging from 3 to 9 shots. A typical 3-shot bracket may have the same photo at -1EV 0EV +1EV. Then software such as Lightroom is used to merge the photos together. The results can look something like this, 3-shot bracket, -1.3EV 0EV +1.3EV, Olympus E-PM1.

Geartalk: That Leica Pop, M9 + Summilux 35mm f1.4

By Aizuddin Danian on January 22, 2012 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments

During a Lunar New Year party recently thrown by a friend, i got some facetime with the Leica M9. The last time i had this marvelous piece of precision engineering in my hands, it was paired with the Noctilux 50mm f0.95. This time, it came with the Summilux 35mm f1.4. The results? Amazing. It might be a brand association, or just a placebic mind trick, but Leica photos have a unique "pop". See for yourself.