|
**************************************************
* PHOTOGRAPHY HAPPENINGS !!
*
* Photography news in Singapore
*
**************************************************
Greetings all photo enthusiasts !!
1) This a private mailing list for photographers in Singapore, so that
we
can all be kept informed of the latest happenings in the photographic
circle, eg. any courses, outings, interesting websites, and new products
in photography.
2) If you wish not to receive any mails, or if you have any photography
enthusiast friends who wants to be added onto this list, pls e-mail
me their
e-mail addresses. All the recipients on this mailing list will
not be listed, so your address will be kept private and confidential.
3) Depending on the amount of news, you should be receiving one update
every
two weeks or so. If you have any news of photographic interest you
wish to
share with the rest, pls mail it to me !! Remember, this mailing list
is only as good as the info I receive !
4) I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information posted, but I'll
try my best to verify the information before putting it up.
5) The official "Photography Happenings !!" homepage is located at:
Http://home.pacific.net.sg/~nelson88
Best regards,
Nelson Tan (Editor)
********************************************************************************
Issue #17
Dated: 1 Apr 1999
*** CONTENTS ***
Okay, and in this issue of "Photography Happenings !!", we have:
1) Announcements
- Editor's
notes
- New
Articles
2) New Products
- New
Hasselblad camera and lens
- New
Gitzo ball-head and revamped tripod designs
- Metz
34 AF-3: Mini flash with maxi power
3) Website Reviews
- The
Art of Photography
- Building
an SLR system
- The
Jerry Uelsmann Homepage
- Death
Spiral of Serious Amateur Photography
4) Events in Singapore
- Montage:
Photography Seminar
5) Special Offers and Bargains
- Special
offer for GEPE anti-newton glass slide mounts
(for subscribers)
6) Photography tips
- How
to build your own Nikon external battery pack
- All
you want to know about films
- How
to make your own EOS remote control
- SlideLabel
Printing Program for Nikon Photo Secretary
- Real-time
Weather Report of Singapore
7) Classified Ads
- WTB:
Canon EF20-35/2.8 L or Canon EF17-35/2.8 L USM
- Lowepro
Trim Trekker for sale
- Wanted:Processing
of Tri-X film
________________________________________________________________________________
* ANNOUNCEMENTS *
Editor's notes
--------------
This bumper issue of "Photography Happenings!!" is packed with more
photography info than usual ! For the technical experts, this issue's photo
tips focuses on a few mini "Do-It-Yourself" modifications to your Nikon
and Canon cameras to save yourself some bucks by building your own stuff.
Beginners in photography... check out the few websites highlighted in the
Website Reviews section - they provide excellent explanations and illustrations
!
For those of you who are sick of hearing the usual weather report "Showers
over several parts of Singapore, temperature will range between 20-40 degrees
celcius" will be glad to know that the Met Service will be providing real-time
weather info for specific areas of Singapore !! And check out the new products
that are arriving in the market too.
This is a great week, with two public holidays. So pack your bags, give
the Met Service a call first to check the weather conditions, and then
go shooting to your heart's content !! Also, check out the photo seminar
that is coming your way on a Saturday in June. Finally, a photo event !!
(Note: This issue has been released a day earlier, so that you guys
can read it over the weekend, especially those who receive it through office
servers.)
Here's wishing all readers a great holiday for Good Friday, and enjoy
your long weekend ! Yes... you can be assured that even though this issue
is released on April Fool's day, none of the stuff here is a joke !!
New Article
-----------
For this issue, I have written a short review on the Rodenstock 4X
Aspherical Loupe. There are two sections - an introduction about what a
loupe is and why it is used, and the review section about the Rodenstock.
So whether you are a beginner or intermediate level photographer, this
article may still be useful.
Check it out under the Equipment Review section:
Http://home.pacific.net.sg/~nelson88
[Total list membership stands at 402]
********************************************************************************
* NEW PRODUCTS *
New Hasselblad camera and lens
------------------------------
Hasselblad has launched an improved version of their 553 - the new
555ELD will be available in the stores soon. The new camera incorporates
design improvements which leads to better resistance against internal flaring
and a more rigid magazine mount for absolute accuracy when using digital
backs. The camera also features databus connections to interface directly
with the digital backs. The new 555ELD can be used with an optional IR
remote release unit up to 10m.
Even more exciting is the all-new Carl Zeiss Superachromat FE 300mm
f/2.8 lens lauched at the recent Photokina. The combination of a long focal
length and such a wide aperture is virtually unheard of before, and creates
compression of the image with incredibly shallow depth of field, making
it ideal for fashion, sports, nature and wildlife photography ! This lens
can be used with the Hasselblad 2000/200-series of focal plane cameras,
and it comes complete with a specially matched apo-mutar 1.7XE converter
to reach 500mm f/4.5. The lens focus down to 2.5m, and features a rotatable
tripod collar for easy use on a tripod. It also comes with a polarizer
filter. The price is currently unknown, but you could probably buy a car
at that price.
New Gitzo ball-head and revamped tripod designs
-----------------------------------------------
Gitzo launches two new heavy-duty ballheads: G1377 and G1577, designed
to handle loads up to 8kg and 15kg respectively. Both ballheads contain
a teflon-coated precision machined ball for smooth rotation. The G1577
has a hollow ball to reduce its overall weight, due to its size. Both the
Gitzo ballheads have separate locking controls for panning and ball movement,
and variable friction control for the movements is available. With the
optional Quick Release Adaptor, the existing Gitzo quick releases can be
used on the G1377 and G1577.
Metz 34 AF-3: Mini flash with maxi power
----------------------------------------
There are always times which we bring our cameras out with us for functions,
but we do not want to lug around a heavy flash. However, those little flash
units never seem to be able to deliver sufficient power, so we still end
up with our bulky flash units. Now Metz has developed a new mini flash
unit that delivers maximum power. The Metz 34 AF-3 is a small compact flash
that is hardly larger than a pack of cigarettes, but delivers a guide number
of 34 (ISO 100 at 85mm). The actual guide number should be around 30 for
35mm. This is very powerful for a flash of this size !
The Metz 34 AF-3 is made for Nikon, Minolta and Canon, and they feature
TTL-dedication to the three brands. The unmodified reflector covers 35mm,
and there are two interchangeable screens for covering 28mm and 85mm. The
design of the flash is pretty cool, and the three different models are
colour-matched to the three brands !! Talk about designer fetish !! It
is too bad that this little Metz is not made for Contax G-series or Leicas.
The Leicas and Contax G1/2 would really go well with such a flash !
********************************************************************************
* WEBSITE REVIEWS *
Here are this issue's recommended websites:
The Art of Photography (for beginning photographers)
----------------------------------------------------
Don't get frightened off by the arty-farty sounding title - this website
is actually a good resrouce for beginners. It covers the basic concepts
of photography, and the contents include:
- Exposure
- Perspective
- Lenses and Focal Length
- Lighting
- Shutter Speeds
- Composition and Framing
- Aperture and Depth-Of-Field
- Films
- Using themes to expand your creativity
Lots of useful information here for beginning photographers here, and
ample illustrations with pictures. It is hosted by Canon Marketing Malaysia
(arrhhh.. sacrilege !! Just kidding !), but you will find the site useful
even if you are not a Canon user. Check it out at:
http://www.camera.canon.com.my/photography/art/index.htm
Building an SLR system (for beginning photographers)
----------------------------------------------------
This page is great for beginners who needs advice on where or how to
proceed in building for up a SLR system. In addition, Phil Greenspun offers
some projects which you can do with the equipment you already have. If
you want build up your equipment in a sensible way (without making mistakes
and wasting your money), check out this page at:
http://photo.net/photo/building-an-slr-system.html
In addition, the father of the great Photo.Net has written a great
piece of article providing tutotrials for beginners. It includes sections
such as:
- Light
- Lens
- Film
- Exposure
- Camera
http://photo.net/photo/tutorial/
The Jerry Uelsmann Homepage
---------------------------
Those who are into darkroom techniques will hear of Jerry Uelsmann.
Uelsmann is a master of darkroom montage techniques, and his evocative
images are done entirely without any digital manipulations. By combining
various scenes and objects from different negative seamlessly, Uelsmann
creates highly surrealistic images that arrest the attention of the viewer.
His works have been exhibited in more than 100 shows in the States, and
in many museums throughout the world.
This website features many of his works in the online galleries, and
you can order his books through the website if you wish to.
http://www.uelsmann.com/
Death Spiral of Serious Amateur Photography
-------------------------------------------
Some of you have inevitably wondered about the future of photography.
With digital technology coming of age, and compact cameras becoming better
everyday, is conventional silver-halide SLR photography doomed ? Some people
believe this is so, while others argue that film-based photography will
never be replaced by digital, at least for the next 50 years. Check out
the various arguments made for and against conventional photography in
this compilation of e-mail contribution for the topic of the future of
photography at:
http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/brondeath.html
********************************************************************************
* EVENTS IN SINGAPORE *
Montage - Photography Seminar
-----------------------------
Complaining that there is a lack of photo seminars in Singapore ? Itching
for some action ? Well, here's one coming your way !
The NUS Photographic society will be conducting a photo seminar named
Montage, which is a seminar cum exhibition on youth photography. The event
will be show-casing the best in youth photography, with special guest speaker
George Gascon of Straits Times talking about photojournalism and fashion/commercial
photographer Alan Lim speaking on his area of expertise. Also, representatives
from various institutes such as LaSalle, NTU and Temasek Polytechnic will
be speaking on topics such as experimental photography and lighting.
Date: 5th June 1999 (Saturday)
Time: 9:30am to 5:00pm
Venue: NUS LT 31
Tickets: $4 [NUS Photographic
Society member]
$6 [Students - please show student pass]
$8 [Public]
Please page for Mervyn at 95877277 or email Rodney at ckhua@singnet.com.sg
for
tickets. Seats are limited (less than 100), and available while tickets
last.
For more information, please visit the website at:
http://scicblc.nus.edu.sg/~photosoc/
(It isn't everyday that there're photo seminars in Singapore. This seminar
is sponsored by Nikon & Kodak Professional Division. Sounds good -
don't miss it!)
********************************************************************************
* SPECIAL OFFERS AND BARGAINS *
Special offer for GEPE anti-newton glass slide mounts
-----------------------------------------------------
Special offer to all subscribers !! Buy a carton of 1000 GEPE anti-newton
glass slide mounts for only S$100 !! Studio is clearing stocks and this
offer will only be valid while stocks last. Less than 10 cartons left.
Call Mr.Tan Kah Heng at 2561363 for reservations and purchase.
This is a really great offer compared to market prices.
********************************************************************************
* PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS *
Editor's note:
This issue features many do-it-yourself projects, which require some
basic understanding and knowledge of electronics, and lots of common sense.
Please
do not attempt any of them unless you know what you're doing !
How to build your own external battery pack for Nikon FM/FE/FA/F2/F3/FG/EM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nikon camers, especially the manual/mechanical models, are considered
to be some of the toughest cameras in the world. Being mechanical, they
are able to operate without batteries, enabling them to be used in all-weather
conditions. However, in cold environment, even though they can function
without batteries, the meters will not work when the battery is down due
to the cold temperatures. Thus, to faciliate cold weather shooting, you
should keep the batteries stored in a warm area, external from the camera.
You can purchase battery packs for some of the models, which you keep in
the pocket and use your body heat to keep them warm. But they tend to be
expensive, and some models do not have external battery packs available.
So the only way is to build one yourself !!
http://www.mts.net/~dswayze/batpckdl.html
All you want to know about films
--------------------------------
There are hundreds of types of film out there - how do you know which
is the right one for you ? Find out more about the types of films available
in the market, and special characteristics which you should take note of
in this film guide. It is really meant for the beginners who have just
started out in photography, or those who wants to try out other films.
Also check out some of the comments on some of the more popular films at:
http://www.picture-perfect.net/filmguide.shtml
How to make your own EOS remote control (for Canon EOS Elan IIE / EOS
50E)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why should you make your own remote control for the EOS when it is
available on the market ? The author of this DIY tip says it's because
he doesn't like to be ripped off paying big bucks for a simple switch.
So he built one, and posted the instruction on the internet, so that others
can do the same and use the money saved to buy more film !! Cool...
http://www.dsp.net/chantal/remoteControl.htm
You can find other tips on this page too, like:
- How to extend the RS-60E3
remote switch by Chieh Cheng
- Computer Controlled Eos
Shutter by Daniel M. Germán
- A DIY remote control by
Tom Waugh
How to generate your own barcode for EOS 10/100
-----------------------------------------------
Remember second-generation EOS cameras like the EOS 10 and 100 ?? Those
oldies but goodies are still circulating around the second-hand market,
and they are good buys for the price. Although they are considered old
models, they are still very highly-specified and capable. Canon launched
the EOS 10 and 100 with a unique feature - a bar code reader. It doesn't
tell you the price of your groceries, but you can use the barcode reader
to scan a small book of pictures which correspond the closest to the scene
in front of you, and the info is transmitted to the camera so that the
settings can be adjusted for best exposure ! Bet the younger readers have
never seen it before !!
This JavaScript page is supposed to calculate the contents of Canon
EOS 10/100 barcodes, from the selections you make in the form. You can
also create your own barcodes for creative photography, such as controlling
the contrast between a fill-in flash and the natural lighting, or pre-loading
your desired settings as a bar-code, they could be brought into use whenever
you wished by merely switching to the bar-code mode.
Go for the program here:
http://home5.inet.tele.dk/deepo/barcode.html
Read about the program here:
http://home5.inet.tele.dk/deepo/barcodetxt.html
SlideLabel Printing Program for Nikon Photo Secretary
-----------------------------------------------------
Liang-Wu Cai has an excellent website with much information on Nikon
products. In this case, he has written a program to print shooting data
stored by F90X as slide labels, using Avery labels #5267.
The following information are included in each label: Film roll identifier,
copyright notice, date, frame number, exposure mode, metering mode, shutter
speed, aperture, exposure compensation, flash mode, flash compensation,
film name, film speed, lens focal length, and lens information.
To download the program, go to:
http://web.mit.edu/cai/www/nikon/slidelabel.html
And now for the weather report...
---------------------------------
Photographers always face this problem - getting to a location and
finding out that it is raining when you get there. If you wanted to take
pictures at Chinatown, it would be very frustrating for you to wake up
at 6a.m in the morning and travel all the way from Woodlands just to find
rainy conditions. Now, the Meteorological Service of Singapore has installed
a new weather report system called Nowcasting, which allows you to find
out the weather condition of any part of Singapore at any time of the day.
It's supposingly 85% accurate - you no longer have to take chances ! This
24hr service is updated once hourly from 0600-2359 (6a.m to midnight),
and once every 3 hours from 0000-0559 (midnight to 6 a.m).
To find out the weather conditions, call 542 7788 or go to the Met Service
site:
Http://www.gov.sg/metsin
(Finally, our taxpayer's money is put to good use !!)
********************************************************************************
* CLASSIFIED ADS *
WTB: Canon EF20-35/2.8 L or Canon EF17-35/2.8 L USM
---------------------------------------------------
I am looking for a used Canon EF20-35/2.8 L or Canon EF17-35/2.8 L
USM.
Please contact me via email.
Loh Koah Fong <kfloh@ntu.edu.sg>
Lowepro Trim Trekker for sale
-----------------------------
Item : Lowepro Trim Trekker
Colour : Grey
Price : $50.00
Contact : Randy Koh
Pgr # : 9-556 8737
Randy Koh
Wanted:Processing of Tri-X film
-------------------------------
I need someone to process 9 rolls of Tri-X film (35mm), at $3.50/roll.
If you can do it well and you're willing to do it, please e-mail me.
nelson88@pacific.net.sg
Nelson Tan
________________________________________________________________________________
That's all, folks !
Happy shooting !!!
Your friendly list-maintainer,
Nelson Tan
Visit the official "Photography Happenings !!" website at:
Http://home.pacific.net.sg/~nelson88
|