poindexter, WHO?

Billboard, Aiptek Pencam SD

Kurt Weiske — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:20:15 +0000

More fun play time with an Aiptek Pencam SD. I’m going to buy another one soon to keep as a spare – they’re cheap enough!

The manual states that the Pencam SD supports a 128MB SD card, MAX. I’m shooting just fine at the moment with a 2GB SD card. I bet it won’t see my 4GB SDHC card, though. The image size, even when shooting video is slight enough that any old card you have laying around should do nicely – I usually use a 16MB starter card that came with one of my “real” cameras.

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Lunchtime, Aiptek Pencam SD

Kurt Weiske — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:00:16 +0000

Palm Trees, taken with a $20 Pencam SD.

Playing around with a $20 Aiptek Pencam SD, a poor-man’s Digital Harinezumi. I shot some video this afternoon and am looking forward to playing with video editing tools. All of my creative work has been still photography, and I’ve never took a swag at video until now.

Aiptek uses the SP44 video codec, not something that comes with Windows Media Player. The codec is available online and with the installer CD. VLC Media player, my player of choice, plays them just fine.

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Disposable Film Festival – filmmaking workshop TODAY!

Kurt Weiske — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:23:07 +0000

The Disposable Film Festival was created in 2007 to celebrate the artistic potential of disposable video: short films made on non-professional devices such as one-time use video cameras, cell phones, point and shoot cameras, webcams, computer screen capture software, and other readily available video capture devices. With people everywhere gaining access to these devices, we felt the time was right to draw attention to the creative potential of this new mode of filmmaking. Far beyond its initial roles for video blogging and documentation, the DFF offers a forum to display how disposable media can be used for creative purposes. The DFF hosts screenings, competitions, and other events to showcase the best work within the disposable genre.

Disposable Filmmaking Workshop

Community Director at Vimeo.com, Blake Whitman watches a lot of videos, and so he knows a thing or two about what makes a good film. In this workshop, he’ll go over everything from basic shooting techniques, editing styles, and instruct how to stitch photos together to create an animation (known around the interwebs as photomotion). Class starts at noon and breakfast is provided. Free!

Sunday, March 7th, 12 noon at Artist Television Access [map]

[#ad=cj]

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Aiptek Pencam SD — Digital Holga, or a better Digital Harinezumi?

Kurt Weiske — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:32:49 +0000

I took this picture with a Aiptek Pencam SD, a camera I liken to the Digital Harinezumi. The Pencam SD is roughly the same size, and does 1280×960 max resolution (still), and 6-8 frames per second at 640×480. Like the Digital Harinezumi, the Pencam SD has 64MB of built-in memory and an SD card slot. Instead of an expensive CR2 battery, the Pencam SD uses AAA batteries – I have a stack of rechargeable AAAs at home.

Unlike the DH, the Aiptek is less than $20.

Is this a “Digital Holga”? Probably not, while it can vignette, it can take impressively sharp pictures in the right light.
Is the viewfinder a best guesstimate of the image area? Definitely.
Is it fun to shoot with? Extremely – I prefer not being able to see the photo until after I get home.

Being able to record sound with the Digital Harinezumi 2 would be interesting, but I really like the effects people have created by adding soundtracks to silent video created with the original Digital Harinezumi.

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Street Corner, San Francisco

Kurt Weiske — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:09:11 +0000

Canon Powershot SD1000 @ 3rd and Folsom in San Francisco, long exposure with no tripod – leaning up against a solid post. This was on my way to the Rayko Juried Plastic Camera show, on display until April. Check it out!

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Blink

Kurt Weiske — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:46:09 +0000

Taken with a Sipix Stylecam Blink. The Blink is one of the cameras I think comes closest to the “Digital Holga” that people are searching for. Plastic lens? Check. Soft focus? Check. Vignetting? Check.

It’s got some quirks – when you take out the battery, the pictures are gone. The camera eats batteries as soon as you take the first shot. The video mode is toy-camera at best, approximately 8 frames per second.

On the bright side, you don’t need to buy medium format film (expensive), have it developed (expensive) or develop it yourself and scan it (scanners that can handle medium format are expensive!)

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Cheap Coffee of the Week, On the Road — McDONALDS

Kurt Weiske — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:23:25 +0000

McDonalds? Good Coffee?

McDonalds has been on a campaign to take some of Starbucks’ coffee business. They’ve changed their coffee suppliers and now offer espresso drinks in 70 percent of their restaurants. That’s a LOT of restaurants, and it’s got Starbucks looking in their rear view mirror.

I thought I’d try a plain old cuppa joe for review first before moving on to their espresso drinks.

The local McDonalds drive-through was empty. I was in and out in 30 seconds.

The coffee came nicely hot. I was pleasantly surprised at the first sip – their coffee has much more body than the usual watery fast-food blends. I got hints of maple, a slight tang, and a medium-bodied bite – slightly roasted.

I’ve got a McDonalds on the way to the freeway. In the morning, I think I’ll skip the Starbucks, their expensive coffee, the lines and the baristas.

What: McDonalds Coffee
Where: McDonalds restaurants
$$$: $1.49/16 oz.
Rating: 3 cans.

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FUN NATURE FDC01, A New “Digital Holga”?

Kurt Weiske — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:54:07 +0000

FUZZYEYEBALLS wrote about the “Fun Nature FDC01″, a new toy digital camera. While other camera manufacturers have been beating each other to market with higher megapixel sensors and features, the FDC01 stands apart. It’s a 1.9 megapixel camera with 64 MB on-board memory, SD expansion slot, rechargeable battery, 8 fps “movie” mode, and 3 photo effects. What it doesn’t have is a viewfinder, flash or display!

Mind you, HD video is 30 frames per second. The FDC01 does 8 frames per second, which results in jerky, surreal, dream-like video. In either still or video mode, you can apply monochrome, vivid, or “noise” filters.

Toy camera aficionados have been looking for the perfect “toy digital” camera to complement their Holgas, Dianas, LOMOs and plastic 35mm film cameras. Some have called the Yashica EZ F521 and the Digital Harinezumi the “new” Digital Holga/LOMO; in my opinion the FDC01 comes closest. It shoots 1,280 x 1,200 photos, which turn out roughly square. Without a viewfinder, it’s much easier to shoot without thinking (See the Lomographic Society’s 10 rules of Lomography http://www.lomography.com/about/the-ten-golden-rules). And, it’s small enough to bring with you everywhere.

The FDC01feels like a second-generation Pencam. I love Pencams – I started shooting with an Aiptek Pencam SD and a SiPIX StyleCam Blink in 2001. Both have low-resolution CMOS sensors, a rough optical viewfinder and no display. Both have soft focus, vignetting, and that

Pencams can generate surprisingly good (or bad) results – many of my better pencam photos are online at Low Resolution.

Being an old-school film photographer, I prefer not having a display to review photos (see Chimping). I spend more time composing a shot when I can’t review it and I enjoy the suspense/surprise of seeing photos for the first time after the moment has past. Pencams feel like shooting with a film camera (without the cost of film, processing or scanning…)

By 2007, I’d gotten a Blackberry Pearl, and being able to post via email made Pencams fall out of favor with me.

I think I’ll knock the dust off of my Pencam SD and take it out shooting tomorrow.

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Cheap Coffee of the Week, On the Road — 7-11

Kurt Weiske — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:56:32 +0000

Business and professional interests take me on the road often. Required for a lifestyle such as this is a luxurious ride and an extensive database of roadside coffee shops.

7-11 still carries a bad reputation from their truck-stop coffee days but cheap, quick, easily available 24/7 caffeine is always a win in my book. On a trip to the beaches of central California, I stopped at the 7-11 where I spent my summers playing Defender, Tempest, and Battlezone. Gone was the aroma of hazelnut cream coffee burning on a Bunn hot plate and 32 oz mega cups. Instead, there were 3 pots (Regular, decaf and Dark Roast), and a note when they were brewed. Torani syrups, half-and-half, non-fat milk and non-dairy creamers were available.

The cups impressed me – they felt stiffer than Starbucks cups and didn’t need the cup sleeve. The lids (seen above) have a sliding cover over the drink hole, perfect for minimizing spills in the car and helps to keep the coffee as warm as possible on long drives.

The coffee? Not bad at all — I tried the Dark Roast, and it was freshly brewed – no baked-in coffee flavor. The beans were only slightly darker than their usual coffee, and didn’t have that bitter hit common to cheap coffees laced with Robusta beans. Mild finish, without that “dirty pennies” taste I used to get from their coffee. I’d put 7-11 coffee on par or slightly ahead of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.

Their coffee is inexpensive, $1.49 for a 16 ounce coffee compared to $1.75 at my local Starbucks. I’ll go to 7-11 and use the quarter I save to feed the meter elsewhere.

By the time I’d gotten over the hill, I’d finished the cup – something I never seem to do with Starbucks or Peets’ coffee. I saw more 7-11s on this trip than I’d seen in years; I suppose a good experience with their coffee removed a blind spot years in the making.

What: 7-11 coffee
Where: 7-11 Stores
$$: $1.49/16 oz. cup.
Rating: 3 cans.

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Cheap Coffee of the Week — MARKET PANTRY BREAKFAST BLEND

Kurt Weiske — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:30:57 +0000

With all of the cheap coffees in my pantry, it’s high praise for a brand when I go buy the brand twice. There have been a couple of repeat buys over the past few months, most notably Yuban Original.

Market Pantry coffee will NOT be a repeat buy. Watery, weak, slightly bitter - everything cheap coffee is known for. Brewing it Navy style, by adding a pinch of salt to the grounds while steeping improved the result – especially when served piping hot. Do not let it linger.

If you’re at Target, go for Archer Farms coffee in the foil bags. I’ve reviewed them before, and am on my second bag now.

What: Market Pantry Coffee
Where: Target Stores
$$$: $3.99/10 oz. can
Rating: 1 can.

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Weathered

Kurt Weiske — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:00:44 +0000

Weathered. Rusty box, Blackberry Curve 8900 Smart Phone.

I love being able to carry a single device that plays music, takes still and video pictures, and is small enough to carry with me all the time.

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Always-Sometimes-Never

Kurt Weiske — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:48:30 +0000

Always-Sometimes-Never

From Laura at madness of mundanity

How to Enter…
As I’m still new to the blogging scene, I would love to get to know everyone a little better.

There’s a little game called always, sometimes, never that we used to play in school.

Just fill in the blanks

I always:
I sometimes:
I never:

So to enter all you have to do is:

• follow my blog

• once you’re a follower, re-blog! So post your always, sometimes, nevers including a link to the giveaway on your own blog

• then leave the link to your blog post on the Mcklinky below. To do this, click where it says ‘you are next.’ In the title section, write the title of your blog. Then in the URL section copy and paste the URL where your always sometimes never appears on your blog, then click ‘enter your link’

The giveaway will end on the 21st Feb at 11pm I’ll be randomising the winner the same day. I will also compile everyone’s answers together a few days after so we can see what everyone’s always, sometimes never are.

So have fun, and all the best to all who enter!

I always:

Throw a camera in my bag wherever I go.
Forget to develop rolls of film and find them weeks/months later.

I sometimes:

Miss capturing moments – tell myself I’ll go back to shoot something that caught my eye, only to find the moment passed.
Question my creative vision.

I never:

Stop reminding myself to live in the moment.
Forget that people don’t have to “get” my art for it to be relevant to me.

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Other

Kurt Weiske — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:19:40 +0000

Guess the subject -- Blackberry Curve 8900

Here is another random shot I wouldn’t have caught if I hadn’t had a camera phone with me.

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I’m SO MONEY.

Kurt Weiske — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:42:04 +0000

Posted via email from poindexter, WHO? (Mobile Edition)

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Looking down

Kurt Weiske — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:44:10 +0000

Posted via email from poindexter, WHO? (Mobile Edition)

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Nines

Kurt Weiske — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:33:54 +0000

Posted via email from poindexter, WHO? (Mobile Edition)

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Rainy blur

Kurt Weiske — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:45:51 +0000

Posted via email from poindexter, WHO? (Mobile Edition)

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Take One

Kurt Weiske — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:05:52 +0000

Posted via email from poindexter, WHO? (Mobile Edition)

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On Lomography

Kurt Weiske — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:03:23 +0000

I’ve known Sarah Zucker for some time through her photography online. her essay, On Lomography echoes many of the sentiments regarding “Lomography” that I’ve been feeling.

Other “Lomographers” inspired me to begin capturing intimate and mundane moments in my life on film. I shared my photos on lomo.org and lomo.us, two online bulletin boards, and shared visions with other lomographers. We started an occasional tradition of “LOMOCrawls”, photo get-togethers open to anyone with a creative eye and any sort of camera.

The best description I’ve found for what Lomography means to me is online at http://www.intransient.com/lomography/.

The LOMO is well suited to my style of photography but any camera works well, as long as you take it with you everywhere and just shoot – don’t try to think your way through the shot.

While we were shooting, experimenting, and exploring non-photography, Lomography became a Big Business. When I purchased my first LOMO from a Russian seller on eBay in 2000, Lomography was a relatively unknown niche in photography. Now, there are retail Lomography storefronts in major cities, big-name retailers and impressive markups. Thanks to the Lomographic Society, I’m sure some hipsters are shooting with film for the first time.

My problem with Lomography is this: spontaneous photography isn’t tied to a brand. Nor is creative vision. You can take wonderful “Lomographs” with a camera phone, toy camera, junk store camera or SLR using the same “rules of Lomography”.

You can’t sell creativity, just the tools to enable it.

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Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim on lomography.com

Kurt Weiske — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:06:40 +0000

The Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim is a wonderful little plastic toy camera. At first glance, it looks like any other $2 junk shoppe camera, but the devil is in the details.

The UW&S has a 22mm lens – that’s wider than any DSLR zoom or digital point and shoot. Normally, to get that wide, you’d need to get a semi-pro DSLR lens!

If you like things wide, nay, ultra wide, the camera to bring with you is the Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim. This simple point & shoot plastic camera brings the wide, wide world of a 22mm field of view to you in a small package perfect for your pocket. Its fixed f/11 aperture assures you of incredible depth of field and makes sure everything, front and back, is in focus. Make sure to shoot mostly in the sun though: for greater contrast and even incredible flares!

More at the Lomographic Society.

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