LightningSmokestacks

Running On Abersoch Beach, North Wales

GW Citroner — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:06:50 +0000

Running with my son from The Warren towards Abersoch Beach. The tide was out so we

managed to make it all the way to Abersoch and back.

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Thunderhead Over The Horizon

GW Citroner — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:08:36 +0000

Amazing view from the highway.

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Atlantis - Paradise Island, Bahamas

GW Citroner — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:51:12 +0000

Absolutely stunning resort and casino.

The aquarium and water park are amazing, and they have a great 50’s theme ice-cream shop that served the absolute best ice-cream I’ve ever tasted.

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New York City Heliport

GW Citroner — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:44:16 +0000

Caught just before lifting off, amazingly close to the FDR drive.

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Using The Histogram Function

GW Citroner — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:21:55 +0000

What is a Histogram?

A histogram is a graph that displays how light is distributed in your picture. The left side of the graph represents the shadows, while the highlights are on the right.

That means that if the histogram has a high peak on the left, you can tell that a lot of pixels in the picture are dark, or in shadow. A peak on the right of the graph means that a lot of pixels are bright, or in highlights. Peaks in the middle of the graph represent pixels in the midtones of your exposure.

The Histogram of a Good Photo

Right, now let’s look at some examples of histograms. Refer to the picture below. On both the left side and the right side of the graph, you can see that there are no high peaks. This kind of histogram tells you that no part of the scene is over or underexposed. In other words, this shot should look good.

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The histogram of a good photo

The Histogram of an Underexposed Photo

Ok, now let’s look at the histogram of an underexposed photo. You can see a spike in the shadows that starts with a peak on the left of the graph. That means that the picture has lost data in the shadows. There’s also just a few pixels trailing off the right side of the graph, so a tiny bit of data might have been lost there as well.

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The histogram of a underexposed photo

The Histogram of an Overexposed Photo

You can probably guess how an overexposed photo looks. Here you can see a pronounced spike on the right side of the graph. Do note that the height of the peaks is somewhat low in this picture; that’s not an indication of under or overexposure. All you need to worry about is whether they breach the left or right edges of the histogram.

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The histogram of a overexposed photo

Conclusion

Well, I hope this article has given you some insight into how the histogram function of your camera works. When composing your photo, always try to avoid the histogram from spiking at either extreme end of the graph, where you’ll lose data and have under- or overexposed parts of your picture.

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Canon EOS Lens Reviews

GW Citroner — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:01:06 +0000

The first question a lot of new Canon EOS DSLR owners will ask is “what Canon EOS lenses should I buy?”. If this is their first digital SLR, perhaps even their first SLR or digital camera, this is a reasonable question. Those with previous experience with the Canon EOS system will probably already have a bag of Canon EOS lenses, or at least enough experience to know what they want!

This review is for the new users. The assumption is that they don’t want to spend $7000 on an EF 600/4L IS USM, and indeed they probably don’t even want to spend $1150 on an EF 300/4L IS USM. I’ve chosen a series of Canon EOS lenses which the new user might be most interested in. These are mostly zooms and mostly priced in the $200-$500 range. I’ve avoided recommending most of the low end, plastic mount, inexpensive Canon EOS lenses normally sold with Rebel series bodies because, quite frankly, they aren’t all that good. If you’re spending $900-$1500 on a digital SLR it really doesn’t make sense to buy the cheapest lens you can find for it when spending another $100-$200 can give you significantly better performance.

I’m also assuming that most new Canon EOS DSLR owners probably won’t be interested in many prime (non-zoom) lenses. For those who are intersted in primes, all the Canon EOS prime lenses are excellent and they can all be recommended if you have need for a fast lens of a particular focal length. I have included the 50/1.8 though since it’s so cheap and so useful, it’s almost a crime not to own one!

The 300D (Digital Rebel), 350D (Digital Rebel XT), 400D (Digital Rebel XTi), EOS D30, D60, EOS 10D, 20D and 30D have sensors smaller than the normal 35mm film frame. The format is known as “APS-C” because it’s approximately the same size as th eold APS-C film format. The consequence of this is that the image recorded is effectively a cropped version of a 35mm image. Since it’s cropped it has a smaller angle of coverage - and another way to say this is that the effect is equivalent to putting a longer lens on the full frame camera. So, for example, if you shoot with a 50mm lens on an EOS 300D, 350D, 20D or 10D, you get the same coverage (or FOV - Field of View) as you would with a lens 1.6x longer - 80mm - on a full frame 35mm camera. This is sometimes called a “1.6x” multiplication factor, though it’s more accurately called a “1.6x” cropping factor.

Canon have two lens lines. The first are their “EF” series lenses. These will fit on any EOS camera body ever made, including all 35mm fil, APS film, APS-C digital and 1.3x and 1x (full frame) DSLRs. Any EF lens will work with any EOS body. The second line of lenses are the “EF-S” series. These lenses have reduced frame coverage suitable only for use with recent APS-C DSLRs. That means they will fit on the Digital Rebel, Digital Rebel XT, Digital Rebel XTi, EOS 20D and EOS 30D. The advantage of EF-S lenses is that they can be slightly smaller than EF lenses, they can be optimized for the smaller sensor size and they can be made with shorter focal lengths then full frame lenses (for example the EF-S 10-22 can be made, but the widest lens made for full frame cameras in the EF series is 16-35mm).

In the table above the first column lists the actual focal length and the second column lists the focal length you would need to use on a full frame 35mm camera to get the same angle of view. As you can see, a 300mm lens “becomes” a 480mm lens on an APS-C DSLR - which is great if you want a telephoto lens! At the other end of the range though the effect may be less desirable. Your super wide-angle 20mm lens now has the coverage of only a 32mm lens on a full frame 35mm camera and 18mm becomes the equivalent of a 29mm lens on 35mm full frame.

Canon EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5

This is the widest lens available for the 300D, 350D and 20D (won’t fit the 10D). At 10mm it gives you the same field of view as a 16mm lens mounted on a full frame 35mm camera. Though it’s not cheap (around $675) it does give you that ultra-wide coverage.

Canon EF 17-40/4L

Though again it’s not cheap at $675 and probably not likely to be high on the list for new Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT owners, many EOS 30D/20D owners are buying this lens. It does give you true wide angle coverage (equal to a 27mm lens on a full frame 35mm camera) and being an “L” series lens it’s built to professional standards with high quality optics, a silent USM ring motor, distance scale and comes with a hood. It’s certainly a recommended lens if you can afford it. It has full frame coverage so can be used on any Canon EOS film or digital body.

Canon EF-S 17-85/4-5.6 IS USM

The 17-85/4-5.6 IS USM gives the same coverage on a Digital Rebel XT or 20D as the EF 28-135/3.5-5.6 IS USM does on a full frame 35mm camera (note, it’s an EF-S lens and won’t fit the EOS 10D). This is a very useful range for everything from landscapes to portraits and covers the focal lengths that most photographers will use most often. The Image Stabilization (IS) means it can be handheld at 3 stops slower shutter speeds then a non-IS lens and still provide equally sharp images. It’s not an inexpensive lens (about $510), but it can replace several others and it might be the only lens some photographers will need.

Canon EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 USM

The EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 is supplied as a standard “kit” lens with the EOS 300D, 350D and EOS 20D. It can’t be bought separately, but the similar EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 USM can. The only difference is the USM version has (obviously) A USM motor. This lens gives the coverage of a 29-88mm lens on a 35mm camera - very similar to the popular 28-90mm lenses often sold in camera “kits”. It’s one of Canon’s low end, inexpensive lenses and typically they do not perform as well as Canon’s mid-range lenses. However, for $140 (or around $100 for the non-USM version bought as part of a kit) you get a lens with coverage it might cost you $700 to get with Canon’s better lenses so I think it is a lens well worth considering.

Canon EF 20-35/3.5-4.5 USM

This is the least expensive of Canon’s higher quality wide-angle lenses. Performance is good, even wide open and it has a ring USM motor giving silent operation and full time manual focus (i.e. you don’t have to switch from AF to manual focus). It’s well built with a metal lens mount, distance scale and IR focusing marks. It also works very well on Canon EOS 35mm film bodies. The cost is higher than the 18-55, it’s not as wide and the zoom range is smaller, so you have to decide whether it’s worth spending more. A lot depends on what other lenses you buy since you don’t want too much overlap in focal length.

Canon EF 24-85/3.5-4.5

Another higher quality lens with ring USM and full time manual focus. It matches pretty well in focal length with either a 75-300, 100-300 or 70-200mm lens without to much overlap or too much of a gap, so it’s a good choice for the semi-wide to semi-telephoto lens of a higher quality lens pair. The only drawback is, of course, it’s not very wide on an EOS 300D, 350D, 20D or 10D, 24mm being the equivalent of a 38mm on a 35mm full frame camera.

Canon EF 28-105/3.5-4.5 USM

This is a workhorse 35mm lens, highly recommended as a relatively low cost, high quality alternative to Canon’s cheap “low end” lenses. Much better built, ring USM motor with full time manual focus, distance scales, IR focus marks and a metal mount. It takes 58mm filters. The only reservation is that 28mm isn’t all that wide on an EOS 300D, 350D, 20D or 10D since it gives the same field of view as a 45mm lens on a full frame 35mm camera. If that’s not a problem for you this lens is maybe the best $240 you can spend.

Note that there is also a EF28-105/4-5.6 USM which is a totally different lens! The cheaper 4-5.6 version has different optics, a plastic lens mount, a micro (not ring) USM motor and lacks full time manual focus and distance scales. It sells for around $160. The 3.5-4.5 version has a metal mount, full time manual focus and better optics. It sells for around $240, but it’s well worth the extra cost. The II version of the 3.5-4.5 lens is mainly a slight cosmetic upgrade of the original 3.5-4.5. The optics are identical.

Canon EF 28-135/3.5-5.6 IS USM

One of my personal favorite lenses, especially on a full frame camera. It has IS (Image Stabilization) which is a scheme which allows you to hand hold this lens at shutter speeds 2 to 3 stops slower than you could without IS and still get sharp images. If you don’t like carrying a tripod this is invaluable. It’s a sharp lens, one of Canon’s better mid-range zooms. Again the 28mm wide end equates to 45mm in full frame 35mm terms, but the lens also goes out to 135mm - which is 216mm in full frame terms - and that’s a respectable telephoto.

Canon EF 28-200/3.5-5.6

Though the 28-200 sounds attractive, especially to those who just want one lens that does everything, the large zoom range results in lower performance than lenses like the 28-135 IS. Especially at the 200mm end this lens has a reputation for being soft, and even at shorter focal lengths it’s not as good as some of the shorter range zooms. If you must have just one lens, it’s the only affordable Canon choice (the 28-300L lens is $2500!), but it’s still not cheap at $360 or so.

Canon EF 50/1.8 II

It’s under $80, it’s small, it’s light, it’s sharp and it’s 2-3 stops faster than any of the zooms. What more can I say. Buy one. You won’t regret it.

Canon EF 55-200/3.5-5.6 II

Another of Canon’s low end lenses. Originally designed to be sold with APS film cameras and then discontinued since APS never took off, it’s now back in a “mark II” version for use with the Digital rebel, Digital Rebel XT and EOS 20D. Plastic lens mount, no distance scales, no ring USM or full time manual focus (though it’s a USM lens, it’s a different type of USM). It does match the 18-55 in focal length but it’s not inexpensive and unless you really need the 55mm focal length I think that a 75-300 would be a better buy. I doubt you’d miss the 55-75 range much.

Canon EF 70-300/4-5.6IS USM

This new lens, announced August 22nd 2005, is a replacement for the EF 75-300IS USM. It has 5mm more on the wide end (70mm vs. 75mm), upgraded IS (3rd generation), with a panning mode, upgraded autofocus performance, upgraded coatings optimized for digital, a zoom lock at 70mm and new optics including one UD element.The sharpness of this lens should is better than the original 75-300IS and this is quite noticable at 300mm. The only downside is that the price has increased a little, but I think the new lens is worth the extra cost.

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Wrecked Hudson River Transfer Terminal

GW Citroner — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:29:58 +0000

Ruins of an old Hudson River transfer terminal on the west side of Manhattan.

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The Canon EOS Digital Rebel (300D) Firmware Hack

GW Citroner — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:16:04 +0000

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel has very similar hardware to the Canon EOS 10D (same sensor), but lacks many of the functions found in the 10D, like flash exposure compensation, mirror lock up, ISO 3200 speed setting etc.

Well, some enterprising people have found that many of the “missing functions” can be enabled by small modifications of the camera firmware. Now of course Canon do not approve of this and technically it may void the camera warranty if you upload non-Canon firmware, but many people report good results and few problems from installing this firmware hack. If necessary you can always load the Canon firmware back into the camera and restore it to its original state.

Loading new firmware isn’t a difficult process. You download the firmware file from a website (see URL below) and load it onto a CF card. The Canon website linked to below tell you how to do this via either a CF card reader attached to your computer or via a USB link to the camera. You then place the card with the new firmware in the camera and turn the camera on. The camera recognizes the firmware update file on the CF card and displays messages on the rear LCD screen which tell you how to proceed. Basically you just confirm that you want to install the bew firmware and the camera does the rest!

Among the functions the firmware hack makes available are:

Enables Custom functions menu
Enables Flash Exposure Compensation using SET button
Enables SET button function when shooting (to change image quality or shooting parameters)
Enables Shutter release w/o CF card
Flash sync speed in Av mode
Enables RAW+JPEG rec. Enables setting the quality of embedded JPEG
Enables Mirror Lock up
Enables the ability to select the autofocus mode: AI servo, Oneshot etc.
Enables setting ISO 3200

The latest version of the firmware is available from http://satinfo.narod.ru/en/download.html

Canon have instructions for installing new firmware at http://web.canon.jp/Imaging/eosdigital/E3kr_firmware-e.html. Of course they apply to installing the CANON firmware, but they are equally applicable to the hacked firmware.

I can’t recommend you install the hacked firmware unless you are prepared to accept any problems that result. Lots of people seem happy with it though. I do not own a Digital Rebel, so I don’t have to make the decision whether or not to hack the firmware. However I received this email from Neal Stout, who seems pleased with the results and gave me permission to post his comments:

“…The function display numbers are screwed up. Instead of 1 through 17, it goes, 1,10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5. The repeated ones, twos, threes and fours are not a mistake. The funtion number window at the top of the menu works just fine though, just like the 10D. The menu itself operates perfectly in spite of the mislabling, and all of the items appear to be identical to the 10D, except for funtion 17. That is different. On the Rebel it specifies the number of seconds before the image is taken when mirror release in in effect. To me that is *great*, because I do not have to touch the camera again to take the shot - I don’t need a remote control…”

source

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DIY Flash Extender

GW Citroner — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:14:13 +0000

I’ve been researching methods for photographing wildlife on my upcoming vacation to Costa Rica. There’s no telling what kind of creatures that may cross my field of view. No doubt, however, that many will be a good distance away in the shadows of the forest canopy.

One of the items I kept coming across when researching techniques for taking photos of birds or monkeys in the canopy was a “Flash Extender”. The most common being one called the Better Beamer. Turns out that this is nothing more than a fresnel lens on a bracket. I thought, hey, I can do that!
So I purchased a $2.50 fresnel reading lens at Barnes & Nobles and got to tinkering with some cardboard. I knew that cardboard by itself would be too flimsy, so I added some ridgity with some origami-style folded ribs and somewhat embarrassingly: McDonald’s milkshake straws.

The results, however, appear to be as acceptable as those of the $40 model. Its lightweight, foldable and cost me a whopping $2.50!

The idea of the flash extender is pretty simple, some may recognize the concept. Its been used for over 150 years in lighthouses.


	No GFE, ISO400, 70mm f/4, 1/60 sec	With GFE, IEO400, 70mm f/4, 1/60 sec

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NYC Rails

GW Citroner — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:33:10 +0000

When I and my son pass here, we have to stop by and wait for a train to pass, so he can wave to the driver, and of course the driver always reciprocates by sounding the horn and waving back.

My own father used to stop at every construction site we passed and held me up so I could watch the heavy machinery at work. I hope my boy remembers the trains and his daddy, like I remember the construction machines and my daddy helping me watch.

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