Six Degrees

Review Sample Videos Sony SONY HDR-XR500E / 520E

Orchard Road



Singapore CBD

D700 Tips and Tricks

Nikon D700 Meter and Exposure

Try the following using custom settings:

1) Turn-on Active D-Lighting (Off by default) and set it to AUTO.
2) Change shutter fires from release (default) to only when in focus for AF-C. (a1)
3) Change #points used from 9-points (default) to 51 (3D) points. (a3)
4) Make sure central AF sensor is seclected as your "starting point" sensor (default). Unlock, set, re-lock selector on back.
5) Change AF switch in front from AF-S (default) to AF-C.
6) Using switch on back select "cross-hair" (middle position). NOT single point (default) or solid (camera chooses focus point).

Focus on desired point on subject and press shutter release halfway down, then recompose.

Magic. Matrix Meter exposure is bang-on correct most of time with no biases needing to be set. Still need to use exposure compensation sometimes (large bright area in frame for example). But overexposure bias is gone.

Evidently, Active D-lighting prevents blowing highlights (primarily) and also brings up shadows a smidge. Some preference (extra weight) is given in setting exposure to AF-point in frame. AF-C, 51-point 3D causes camera to move AF-point used if either subject moves or you recompose using the 3D color matrix metering to "memorize" subject brightness and color.

This all needs to work together for Matrix to give correct exposure. Manual says nothing about this. But since doing it my "nominal" exposures have been correct every time. No "Fine Tune" needed --- as was the case with my former D200 and is the case with my D40X (permanent -1/3 EV exposure compensation).

Why don't they tell you this anywhere??? No idea.

you can get 8fps on your D700 if you don’t use the battery grip with a simple, easy procedure:

If you want the higher than standard FPS without the vertical grip, do the following:

First, make the following custom setting adjustments:

e5: Flash only
e6: Flash only
f4: Button press - Bracketing burst
f4: Button + dials - Bracketing mode

Set exposure manually. Activate bracketing with the Fn + Command dial and set 9F (9 frames). Set your shooting mode to single-shot (S). Do not use flash. Then hold the Fn button and when you are ready to shoot, press the shutter release and continue holding the Fn button. The camera will fire up to 9 frames at 8 fps.

To continue shooting after 9 frames, you will need to let up on the shutter release and depress it again. If you fire fewer than 9 shots, you will only be able to shoot the remaining exposures in your 9-frame burst if you continue shooting again, without letting up on the shutter release again.

Since you have set auto bracketing to apply only to flash, your non-flash bracketing burst is fired at your manually set exposure — it is not bracketed.

Have fun, it really works!

Tell me who she is?

   

   

Back to Basics

Its been a while since I took out my gear and shot some real photos. I find photography here in Singapore very boring, not that I don't find any inspiration here - its just that the place lacks a sense of history. Everything's sort of new - the buildings, the roads, the man made sceneries and to a certain extent even the human expressions seem to lack any momentary reason of sadness or expression.

My last major photo expedition was to Thailand in Dec 2004. I went to a couple of places - Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Kanchanaburi, Ayutthya. I shot a couple of rolls of black and white and took a fair bit of digitial shots as well. Yes... I am an SLR user :-)

I am currently clearing a couple of days of leave. Believe it or not, I have 36 days to clear in the next 8 months - sheeesh, no idea how I am going to get out of this. My intentions were to travel a bit out of what I affectionately call La La La land, but the finance didn't really make much sense in the end.

I will be getting back to work on Tuesday. Yes folks a nice extended week end break indeed this is going to be.

Ultimate Sharp Images

One of the things which I notice amongst many photographers and in some instances I should admit I am at fault as well is that we spend tons of money buying the best equipment that we can afford only to not fo justice to our images. I would attribute this not only because of lack of skill but in most cases..... its sheer lazyness.

Areas under our control which when mastered will help to better the quality of images :

1. Regularily clean your lenses and optics - get hold of a good airbrush kit and clean your optics after a shoot and preferably before you go out with the camera as well. Make this a habit, not only will it improve the sharpness of your images, but will also prolong your investment in your precious equipment. (easy to do!)
   (see http://sixdegrees.typepad.com/photos/travel/3orchidbunch.html)
   
2. Film Selection - start using good film with minimum grain! You will be amazed how this can change the quality of your images. Often I get a WOW for my photos. The secret has been High Saturation, Low ASA/ISO film like Fuji Velvia and Kodak Ektachrome. Sure these are slide film and a tad bit on the pricier side, but believe me you wont be complaining when the results pop out in your face.
   (see http://sixdegrees.typepad.com/photos/travel/canberra.html)
3. Use a Tripod! - Okay I'll stop nagging on this one. All of us even the pro's winge on this one. Yes, its tough to carry one around town, but belive me they come in real handy. You will rarely see a landscape or architectural photographer without one. The above image used a Tripod! And I carried i all the way over and across and under that bridge. If you dont have a tripod - go out and get one. If you already have one, then start using it.
   (see http://sixdegrees.typepad.com/photos/travel/escape.html)
4. Get A Good Depth of Field - sure we all claim to know what we mean by this? Wrong, I still make mistakes on this. I read a technique called Hyperfocal Focusing to Maximise Depth-of-Field. The limitations of this is that most modern auto-focus lenses do not have the DOF Scale on them. Hence like most photographers, we all need to understand the hyperfocal distances for various lenses and apertures. A couple of examples are :
   
   50mm Lens
   f/8 8.5m
   f/11 6.3m
   f/16 4.3m
   f/22 3.1m
   
   An example of a shot I took with f/22, taken at night with a shutter of 16 secs.
   (see http://sixdegrees.typepad.com/photos/travel/melboune.html)

So lets promise ourselves that we'll all consciously try not to cut corners while we are out on the field. Look forward to seeing your new submissions in the coming weeks and do let me know if you found this to be a useful post.


Happy clicking!

National Geographic - Photography Field Guide

After much searching to get a good copy of the book I finally managed to find a pristine copy of it at Borders. Its a fantastic book now in its second edition with its revised and updated content.

The book is for amateurs to professionals and it covers all aspects of photography from the basics to the more complex issues. Its equivalent to my little Barrons Dictionary of Financial Terms.

If you ever intend to buy just one book in the coming months then do give this a read. I've pretty much read the entire book and its been a real learning experience. I kid you guys not, this book is good and its a keeper. I'm going to have this in my camera bag at all times. Stay tuned for some excerpts from the various chapters.

Go here for more information : http://www.nationalgeographic.com/b...079225676X.html

Creative Photography Pointers

1. Make photographs that make you happy.
Forget the judges, forget the competitions, dont worry about what anyone else thinks; photography is an art and art is all about self expression. Express yourself!

2. Go the extra distance.
Have the courage to look beyond the ordinar; walk an extra mile, wait another minute, ask an extra question, look in other directions.

3. Look and Learn.
Spend time looking at professtional photography and international photography magazines. Look at some of the ideas being used in photography and try and apply a few of the techniques and processes to your own work. Dont copy photo ideas, copy good technique.

4. Let the picture tell the story.
Avoid using complicated of funny titles on your images; if the picture is not enough to tell the storythen maybe you need to reconsider how you visually tell stories within your photographs. If you look at famous photographs you'll realise it is the image that talks to us first - the caption usually only provides supplementary information.

5. Revisit old ideas.
Its often worth revisiting a familiar area or subject with an eye to exploring deeper into the potential of the situation. You know what you have achieved in the past and you know how you achieved it; now use that knowledge to go beyond previous ideas.