Nitrogen » Photography

(2010-03-23) The Last Snow Of The Year (I Hope)

nitrogen — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:03:32 +0000

CH-47 Chinook Lands In Mount Pleasant

nitrogen — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:47:49 +0000

I happened to be in Mount Pleasant one Friday afternoon and this dual-rotor military helicopter flew overhead. I watched it start to circle, so I decided to try to find it. They’d landed in an open area near the towers and opened it up to let people walk through and take pictures. I thought it was awesome–especially how so much of the mechanics are exposed.

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Thanks to Faulconer for identifying the helicopter for me.

Red Wings Game at Joe Louis Arena

nitrogen — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:00:43 +0000

First Wings game I’ve been to. Hopefully I’ll make it to more this year. I snapped a few random pictures.

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Dear Canon…

nitrogen — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:17:41 +0000

I’ve had great experiences with Canon cameras over the years. I’m on my third consumer point-and-shoot so far (PowerShot A80, SD700IS, SD990IS), and in my immediate family we have four more. But as my experience with photography grows, so does my requirement for advanced features. My SD990 is great–it’s got a lot of modes that allow me a great deal of manual control. And they packed all that functionality into an amazingly small form factor.

But it’s still a compact consumer camera, and thus subject to some limitations. The sensor size amounts to 0.43 cm?. Comparatively, the sensor size of the entry-level DSLR Canon Digital Rebel XS is 3.28 cm?, or 7.6 times larger (source). So the DSLR is much more capable of high-ISO shots with low noise. For lenses, there are a wide array of quality options in the DSLR camp (albeit at exorbitant prices). My compact camera…not so much.

But the market is lacking a good transitional camera between compact and DSLR, in particular for those of us who’ve always been shooting digital. Quite simply, I want a compact-style body with a DSLR sensor and quality (but compact) interchangeable lenses. Olympus and Panasonic have finally recognized this market and released the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, utilizing the Micro Four Thirds standard, but the market leaders–Canon and Nikon–have no comparable offerings.

Maybe the big guys are too stuck in their ways. You know, the big-grip SLR form factor…the moving pentamirror…etc. I don’t need all that.

I’m a solid-state guy, though. Moving parts tend to break, so I want as few of them as possible. So just give me enough components to perform the job I need with no unnecessary complication (okay, maybe a little unnecessary complication, if it’s particularly awesome). Basically, have the light come in and have a straight shot at the sensor. The sensor displays a live view on the LCD on the back, and when you take a picture records a full-quality shot on the card. Simple. None of this bending-light-around-corners, crazy-flipping-mirrors, or secondary-sensors.

Here’s an illustration from http://www.dpreview.com/previews/PanasonicGF1/ that shows how complicated the light path is in a traditional DSLR compared to the compact implementation that I’m picturing and Panasonic/Olympus have released.

So here’s my wish list:

Body size/style: Compact
Sensor Size: 4/3″ or greater
Pixels: 10+ Megapixel
Autofocus: Fast; approaching traditional DSLR levels. But due to the necessary contrast-based AF, it will probably be a tad slower.
Flash: Yes, fixed, but nothing fancy. It’s only for emergency use anyway.
Image Stabilization: In-Body preferred (reduces lens cost), but in-lens if necessary.
Lens: Good quality lenses available, but also some solid compact options.
Video: 720p @ 30fps or better
Live View: Primary; viewfinder as an optional accessory
LCD: 2.5″ or greater, touch capabilities
Storage: SD/SDHC
Price: $500-600 (okay, maybe I’m dreaming here)

I’d like to take a second to elaborate further on my LCD choice. One feature no one’s introduced yet are touchscreen capabilities on a camera. When the screen gets to be about 3.0″, you have enough real-estate to be able to implement this. It wouldn’t replace the buttons–most of them, anyway. But it would allow the ability to have context-specific options and a more fluid interface. For instance, some cameras now allow you to select a part of the frame to focus on. But I’m sure the method of doing so is cumbersome at best. With a touchscreen, you simply touch where you want your focus to be. Gesture support could also simplify many tasks. I think this feature will be coming before long; it may already be in the works.

So there’s my take on the current state of DSLR cameras and why I just can’t justify buying one yet. Panasonic’s DMC-GF1 is very close to what I’m looking for. If it were priced lower, had a less complicated flash, and in-body IS it would be arguably perfect. None of these are necessarily deal-breakers, though, either; I’m going to keep an eye on the GF1.

Canon has a big announcement planned for 9/29/2009, according to Canon Rumors, although there’s a good chance it has nothing to do with cameras. But I’m definitely hoping they’ll soon recognize this market and build me another great camera. (But Nikon, if you’re listening, here’s a great opportunity to break my Canon streak if you beat them to it.)

Motorcycle Ride with Dad to the Wind Turbines

nitrogen — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:22:51 +0000

Huron County has installed a system of Vestas V82 1.65MW wind turbines. Since I like this sort of thing, Dad and I took a motorcycle ride up there to see them.

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Furry Love Cuffs – Corrupting Our Youth?

nitrogen — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:01:14 +0000

I saw these at 7-11 today and couldn’t resist buying them because the tag is hilarious. No, I didn’t Photoshop that in.

The FailMeter

nitrogen — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:04:56 +0000

I thought this was funny. I parked in this spot in Mount Pleasant last weekend during Homecoming.

Photo Gallery Accessible Again

nitrogen — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:44:09 +0000

I removed the code that integrates with the WordPress User Database, so at least it works again.

Photo Gallery Currently Inaccessible

nitrogen — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:31:11 +0000

WordPress made a change in the 2.6 update that significantly changed the authentication system. Unfortunately, this completely broke the code I wrote that piggybacks on that authentication for my picture gallery. So, for the time being, until I find a good solution, the photo gallery is not accessible.

Edit: For the time being, I’ve removed the authentication code for the photo gallery.

Holy Crap – New Pictures!

nitrogen — Tue, 27 May 2008 04:08:56 +0000

Yep, I’ve been slacking lately. But I just uploaded a ton of new photos, and I did a bunch a while back that I didn’t post on, so allow me to get you caught up.

(2007-10-26) Hanging out at Scott`s and Royal Oak Bars
(2007-11-17) Mount Pleasant Phi Tau Alumni Goodness
(2007-11-22) Thanksgivingmas at Grandma Kirk`s
(2007-11-23) Rae`s Grandpa`s Wedding
(2007-12-15) Phi Taus at O`Kelly`s
(2007-12-24) Christmas Eve with the Magri Family
(2007-12-26) Post-Motor City Bowl Party at 511 Forest Ave
(2008-01-01) New Years
(2008-01-13) Partying at Bryan and Megan`s
(2008-02-09) Phi Tau SVSU Colonization
(2008-03-15) Founders Day and St. Patrick`s Day Party At The Phi Tau House in Mt P
(2008-03-30) Random 511 Forest Ave Hangoutage and Microwaving Peeps
(2008-04-05) John and Katie`s Wedding
(2008-04-13) Phi Tau Graffiti Party and My Birthday
(2008-05-26) MINI Cooper S