ま- く

CP+ Yokohama, Japan (Part 1/2)

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:28:00 +0000

Ana and I spent Saturday in Yokohama, nerding out with cameras. Here's what we saw:

Nikon

The new Nikon mirrorless cameras were available to play with. You could get your nails done while you wait. Who are these cameras marketed towards again? (Note: it says "Girl's Camera" in Japanese.)

Yay! A Nikon carousel! This is actually awesome.

Canon

Canon wasn't too interesting. Huge lenses, huge line-ups. No pocketable waterproof camera (despite being the first to make an actually good tough camera, the D10 -which I love)... C'mon, make a new one, already! No mirrorless system. A nice large-sensor point-and-shoot with way too many buttons. The C300 is sweet, but then again, I think it'd be hard to make a 16,000USD camera that isn't.

Zeiss

The first lens off the production line, it looks like. This'd be cool street-cred in the photography world. If there was such as thing.

Booth Girls

Of course, like every convention, there were booth girls. The difference? Attendees were never shy with theircameras, and the average attendee had $5000 worth of camera gear on them.

Though, this guy just wanted the legs:

Other Fun Stuff

Piles of awesome cameras.

Maybe this is the new Canon mirrorless?

These cheap-o digital cameras take about the same quality pictures as my 8-year-old $300 2.0MP HP Photosmart. And these are probably $15 or something. But now I complain about noisy ISO3200 pics. Blargh.

The new (unreleased) Olympus OM-D E-Mini (I secretly snapped a picture!)

This is that "world's smallest digital camera" that keeps making its rounds on the internet. I saw it at Yodobashi Camera last year, too. Kind of a cool novelty.

Neat leather cases, but I have no idea what that weird stuff it that they are holding. Candy?

That new Gizmon Iphone case every loves (but nobody will buy).

Hands down, the greatest thing of the whole show. The camera-plane.

I was trying to think up some kind of a witty focal-plane joke...

Bling! I want this, because I am classy. Wood paneling, wood paneling.

Overpriced el-cheapo film camera gives me some ideas... I should put art on a camera. And call it art.

Holy cow! A camera-tank.

The 2012 CP+ show was tons of fun. I bet I'll go next year, especially since tickets are free if you register online beforehand. There wasn't as much swag as I thought there would be. I got a button, a pen and some stickers. I guess it'd be impractical at such a large event. I've always walked away with lens cloths, stickers, lanyards, keychains and whatnot from Edmonton trade shows.

Part 2/2 link

CP+ Yokohama, Japan (Part 2/2 - Olympus)

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:32:00 +0000

And here's part 2: Olympus and M43 related.

Olympus had a sweet display of old Pens lined up. I was happy to see the Pen W, a somewhat hard-to-find wide-lens pen. The other side of the display showed a bunch of old OM cameras alongside the new digital OM-D. I didn't play with the OM-D as I didn't think it'd be fun to stand in line for over an hour. I'm really curious to see the camera menu, whether or not there is a built-in intervalometer. My guess is "no", as I think I would've heard about it if there was one.

Above, the Pen W. Below, these same cameras, in working condition, are sold for (give or take) about the same amount these days: about 200USD. Hey, how much is that digital camera you bought in 2004 worth now?

Huge key. I want this huge key.

The new OM-D with a big lens. That little flash comes with the camera.

This was the only sign of the 60mm 2.8 macro. A non-working prototype. If it's anywhere near as awesome as the new 12-50mm weatherproof zoom, I'll buy it without hesitation... I played around for a while with the new 12-50 zoom and loved it. It's a genius three-click (kinda like pump-action but with clicks) system. Closest to the camera, the zoom ring works like a normal zoom ring. Push it out to the middle position, and it has electronic (and sensitive!) zoom. Similar to many zoom systems around the shutter of point-and-shoots (like my Canon IXY 30S), but you rock the zoom barrel instead. Click it forward once more (and it has a safety-lock-thing, so you don't accidentally go into macro mode while zooming) and it magically becomes a fixed 43mm f/6.0 macro lens with 20cm (from sensor) range (to infinity, of course.) Anyway, the new zoom rocks, but I think there's tons of info and pictures of it already out there.

The new prototypes on display.

60 f/2.8 prototype.

Oh no! It's split in half!

This little guy is the 75 f/1.8

Mirrorless, but not Olympus:

A new, good looking 18-200mm zoom. I like the clunkyness (for lack of a better word.)

And here's that elusive SLR Magic HyperPrime 50mm f/0.95. There wasn't a m43 mount at the show, so I couldn't try it. I did try the 12mm 1.6, which is every bit as awesome as the internet says it is. Of course, the show had all sorts of other great m43-related stuff, such as Panasonic, toy lenses, bags, mounts, and adapters. Sigma also showed off there new m43 primes, but only behind glass, so you couldn't touch 'em. They look really slick, though.

Part 1/2 link

Giant Map of the Izu Peninsula

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:32:00 +0000

Click it you want the full 7.8MB file. (3810 x 5960)

Here is a slightly more printer friendly version (8MB) with white instead of blue ocean.

Pizza-Onigiri

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:14:00 +0000

A few days ago I wanted to make a quick dinner. As usual, I threw some rice in the rice-cooker and hit "start," figuring that I'd decide the details later. I went for a quick run. During the run I thought, "man, I want pizza... but I'm already cooking rice..."

"...this is gonna be awesome."

1. Make large rice balls. 4 cups of rice will make 9 Pizza-Onigiri. Put a piece of sausage inside each rice-ball. Melt a bit of cheese on each one.

2. Using the melted cheese as “glue,” place three slices of sausage on each rice-ball.

3. Pour a generous amount of pizza sauce on each rice-ball. Don't be afraid to be messy! Also, sprinkle some Italian Seasoning on everything.

4. Put some more cheese on each rice-ball. The pizza sauce should help the cheese not to fall off.

5. Put the rice-balls into the toaster oven. Make sure that they are on a metal tray. Bake until the cheese is melted at about 180º Celsius. It should take about 10 minutes.

6. Be very careful when you remove the hot metal tray from the oven. Let the rice-balls cool for several minutes before serving. Use a spatula to serve onto desired dishes.

7. When at a temperature that won't burn your mouth, go ahead and eat! Enjoy!

Print this if you'd like: PDF version on A4
(The pictures and text are the exact same.)

You know I've been in Japan for a while when...

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:56:00 +0000

My coffee was finished being made and ready for me to grab, and I read this as "たけ" and thought, "bamboo... what do you mean, bamboo?"

たけ, pronounced "tah-kay" but written in romaji "take" means bamboo in Japanese, of course. But I didn't think of it as the English "take" as in, "Take your drink now, you big dummy." I need to study English more.

富士山 - 7552

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:05:00 +0000

This is the best food mascot I've ever seen.

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:28:00 +0000

The logo on his superhero outfit is the katakana "chi."

It was delicious.

Update: My student informed me that, "The mascot's name is "チーズ星人(chiizu seijin)". He is an alien who comes from the planet 'Cheese'. He has a duty to put some cheese into the Cup Noodles to make it delicious." Check it out on Youtube.

First Sunrise 2012

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:04:00 +0000

Youtube Link

Mount Fuji and the setup:

Total Awesome

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:14:00 +0000

Paradise.
Today I took my brand new bicycle out for a ride. My greatest passion is cycling. I've been without a bike for 11 months; this is probably the longest in my life since learning to ride. The new bike is smooth, fast, and colourful. The first ride was awesome.

2012 Giant Fixer R - Multi
This is my seventh or eighth Giant bicycle. You could say I'm a fan. I ordered the bike (here in Japan) back in September. It (surprisingly, for Giant) came early, as it had been backordered and expected in late January. I got it from Nakamura Pro Shop in Numazu-shi. The Fixer R has a flip-hub and comes with an extra cog so I can ride single freewheeled or fixed gear. It has horizontal drop-outs, rim brakes and non-quick-release wheels. Simple.

100円 for the first 100 meters.

Oh my! There's Mount Fuji! (Click for the surprise.)

2011 Review: it was okay

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:02:00 +0000

Whaddup 2011? You were pretty awesome. Let's bullet point!

In no particular order, in 2011, I...
-Graduated University (BBM)
-Moved to Japan
-Ran a full marathon
-Started a local running club
-Read about 30 books (not including uni or teacher texts)
-Toured my Mom around my home area in Japan
-Became a self-proclaimed egg-cooking expert
-Got engaged (at the top of a mountain)
-Climbed that mountain 16 more times
-Climbed Mount Fuji from zero to 3667 meters in 21 hours
-Climbed to the top of 4 additional mountains
-Was featured on 3 of my favorite websites*
-Became a teacher
-Made a bunch of things (art, photography, DIY projects)
-Went to the beach too many times to count
-Paid off all debts (and have salubrious savings)
-Learned the word salubrious

I was an awesome year. My goals for next year are similar to Woody Guthrie's.

*Birthdayshoes, mu-43 and diyphotography.

Merry Christmas, Minna!

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 02:22:00 +0000

SERIOUSLY, listen to this song. (Especially you, Tessa)

And now, my favorite Christmas movie of all time... "A Wish for Wings that Work"
Part 1 (of 3):

Part 2 (of 3):

Part 3 (of 3):

It's alive!

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:06:00 +0000

This is my most recent creation. I call it "Camera with Arms Attached."

Yoyo Motor Timelapse Machine

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 08:37:00 +0000

I purposely put the yoyo-motor in the frame. I slowed it to a choppy 6fps so you can see generally how it works.
I just found out that you can upload and watch videos greater than 1920x1080. Cool.

My next step is to put a voltage resistor thing on the motor (or get a slower motor) so the panning motion is extra slow. I also want to rig it up so that is can spin 360 degrees continuously for extra interesting time-lapses.

In the past I built a rail using a drawer slider, it was okay. I used it for an outtake (here) for an awesomely hilarious Xmas video here: 2012 Merry Xmas Dance.

Motor (and gear system): 925¥
Yoyo: 100¥
Battery holder: 100¥
Switch: 100¥
Random brackets: about 200¥

Camera: EP3 with Samyang 8.5mm Fisheye
Remote: TW-282 ($75)
Tripod: Giottos MT8361
Head (it's heavy but awesome): Giottos 5011

Here are some pictures of the setup:

Kitchen tables are okay for workshops, right?

*So far, music for test videos is just the "I'm feeling lucky" Youtube audioswap.
___
Previous tests: One and Two.
___
Some camera sites which I read for ideas, etc:
Cheesy Cam
43 Rumors
Micro 43
^Thanks!

Christmas Rocks 2011

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:47:00 +0000

For Christmas in Japan this year, we decided to paint xmas rocks. Why? Well, we wanted a tree, we'd been craving an art day, and we didn't want to spend money - especially on something like decorations. So we killed three birds with one stone.

Or maybe a dozen stones? Ha. Ha. Ha.

Here's Ana's nice little video of our tree:

(she has a small post about it here)

Here's my quick timelapse of our painting day. Maybe 5 hours?

And, of course, here are some images. Merry Christmas!

Marc's Action Alphabet

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:54:00 +0000

I made this fun alphabet. Bet you can't figure out each letter! My favorite is "Z", which one is yours?

Feel free to use these. They're great for teaching kids. Hang 'em on your wall!
Printable 26 page PDF file (5.2MB): Download
Printable PDF condensed to 3 pages (2.1MB): Download

Shin-Tomei Marathon 2011 in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:25:00 +0000

On November 20th, 2011, Chris (barefoot Fuji guy), Maria, and I ran the Shin-Tomei full marathon. It was a very good time, indeed!

I ran in silly modern-day jikatabi Vibram Fivefinger KSO shoes. My feet were happy the whole time, and I was, too. My goal, if you can call it as much, was to have fun "training" and enjoy the entire race. My training involved running more-or-less whenever I wanted to run. I didn't clock in any running times, distances or frequency. I trained, and ran the marathon, without a watch. It was my own neat little personal experiment to see if I could do this thing without keeping tabs on everything and following a schedule. My diet remained the exact same throughout, including pizza the night before.

After the initial "Yay, I'm awesome!" feeling while crossing the finish line, my next thought was "for some reason I thought this was going to be easier." Though I finished with a smile and no troubles.

After the race, I felt 100% back to normal, though my feet 95% and my left knee 85%. The next morning, my feet were perfect, and I limped a bit from my knee until about dinner-time. The next day I hiked up my favorite mountain.

Yes, that's me dancing across the finish line.

Dance across the finish line.

Arcade Obaasan in Numazu

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:17:00 +0000

This woman is a bit of a local legend. Her loud speech is quite theatrical, and she will loudly proclaim her thoughts about politics and other such nonsense to seemingly nobody from her second-story window. Details about her are scarce and unknown. Some have told me that she has ties to the Yakuza, but who knows? She has, in fact, been yelling from that window for many years. Anyway, driving by, I was lucky enough to snap this picture. Is this the only picture of her?

"Arcade" is (more or less) the street name. "Obaasan" means old lady, or granny.

Hirosei Jinja festival in Ohito

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:05:00 +0000

On Novemebr 3rd, there was a sweet little festival at our local shrine. Ana and I went there, we ate yakisoba, and we hung out with a bunch of kids. Here are some photos, mostly of kids having fun.

Kids can, indeed, be lost in thought.

Photo nerd stuff: Bored with photo editing, I've recently taken a liking to shooting monochrome in-camera. High-iso (1200 or so) and over-exposed a third of a stop (ESP metering) in "A" mode; grainy colour looks bad, but grainy b&w looks nice. Everything shot in f/1.4. I just wander around with those settings, so the only thing I worry about is framing, manual-focusing and hitting the shutter.

Pre-ordered in Japan EP3 special Wooden Grip

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:33:00 +0000

If you pre-ordered the Olympus EP3 in Japan, you were eligible to get a "free gift." The choices were a 32GB SD card, a 4/3 to m4/3 adapter or this unique grip. I applied for the free gift right after getting my EP3 in last week of July. In September they (actually) sent me an apology letter saying that it will take some time before I get the gift. Yesterday it showed up in the mail. Here's what it looks like, in a pretty jewelry box and everything.

____
-My little recent camera news rant
-EP3 related posts of mine

We are both adults. And we go grocery shopping like adults.

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 01:53:00 +0000

Ana and I went grocery shopping on the weekend. Don't fret; this isn't the only thing we bought! We also bought two jars of peanut butter.

Former-Marc is so proud.

Introducing Ninomiya Sontoku

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:38:00 +0000

I really do think that everyone should read a little bit about Ninomiya Sontoku (click it for the wikipedia link).

I've seen his statue in front of many elementary schools around Shizuoka-ken. He's a well-known symbol of hard work and study (hence the load of wood on his back while he studies a book). He's recognized for his "practical ethical principles" philosophy. Furthermore, his significant economical understandings taught compound interest to the samurai and established essential economic management tools and methods that helped shape Japan's financial systems.

Here's my picture of the statue. If you want, there are a whole lot of pictures of the actual statues here.

I've traveled on foot from my house to the top of Mount Fuji

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 03:48:00 +0000

Less than two months ago, I walked from Higashi-Tagonoura to the top of Mount Fuji. It took 21.5 hours to walk 50km. This morning CP and I ran from my home to Higashi-Tagonoura; we both rocked the Vibrams.It's about 27km (over 17 miles.) I'm pretty happy that from my kitchen window I can not only see the top of Mount Fuji, but now I can say, "yeah, I walked there.... from here."

Here's the map with an awesome amount of coastal running:

google map link
Related links:
-CP's meticulous Map to the top of Fuji (starts where this run ends)
-My Beach to Top Fuji climb

Self-Portrait

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 08:32:00 +0000

I've been playing around with some kinda macro shots. Here's a car that I got for free with a can of coffee here in Japan. No photo-editing whatsoever (except crop, of course). This is SOOC.

Blik in Japan [my home is awesome]

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 13:02:00 +0000

Ana and I are have modified our walls with awesome re-stickable blik decor (official site in English and Japanese). In Japan, you might can find some online, but we bought ours in George's which is a shop in Ishibashi Plaza just north of Numazu station. They have robots there, too. There's a bunch of 'em on amazon at this blik link here... Also: red dot!

My little EP3 Custom Strap

noreply@blogger.com (marcc) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:28:00 +0000

I took the Olympus neck strap that came with the camera and cut a small piece off. I sewed it into a small circle. On the remainder of the neck strap, I put a small carabiner clip, so I can should the camera if needed. But for macros, holding the camera out a window, or other strange angles, I never have a giant dangly camera strap in the way, yet I have some kind of "security." Furthermore, the little sewn loop can't scratch the camera - as opposed to attaching a metal clip directly to the camera, so I can jam it into a little bag without worrying.

I know; it's a small and simple mod, but it's awesome.