**************************************************
* 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.
Best regards,
Nelson Tan
********************************************************************************
Issue #6
Dated: 6 Oct 1998
*** CONTENTS ***
Okay, and in this issue of "Photography Happenings !", we have:
1) Announcements
- Classified
Ads
- Contents
of articles
2) New Products
- Kodak
Portra Professional films
3) Website Reviews
- Agfa
Website
- Apogee
Photo Magazine Website
- WWW
Photo Zone
4) Events in Singpore
- The
Goh Chee Wee Cup Photographic Competition
5) Photography tips
- Shooting
for the moon
- Sunny-16
rule
- Filtered
flash
- X-rays
at airport
________________________________________________________________________________
* ANNOUNCEMENTS *
Classified Ads
--------------
Due to popular demand, I've decided to put up a small Classified Section
from the next issue of "Photography Happenings !!" onwards. It shall
be
located at the end of every issue, so people who are not interested
can skip
it totally (suggestion thanks to Anders Blomqvist). Those who have
something
related to photography you wish to sell or buy, please mail a short
advertisment to me, with the following information:
-
Your Name and how to contact (phone, pager, or e-mail)
- Item for sale and price (in S$)
- Short description of item and condition
I will not be responsible for any transaction taking place, so conduct
all
sales at your own risk ! However, it is my belief and my personal experience
that most net citizens are pretty responsible during such transactions.
This will still be strictly on a trial basis, but I will monitor it
to see
if it can be put on a permanent basis. If anyone has any violent objections
to placing a classified ads section, pls mail me your comments. So
keep your
fingers crossed and send in your adverts !!
Contents of Articles
--------------------
Some of you have written to me, saying that the articles are too complex.
I
realize the problem of having everyone grouped into one list, given
varying
standards of expertise. But I cannot afford the time and energy to
have
separate lists for basic, intermediate and advanced photographers !!
So what I'll do is that I'll try to have different articles that suit
the 3
catagories. So you'll find at least some articles that is suitable.
I know
this is not the best solution, but at least it is the most efficient
one. If
you have any suggestions, or like to see certain changes, please feel
free
to send me your comments. I'd be most willing to listen and make changes
if
required.
Because care and attention is required to write, compile and edit every
issue, the frequency of every issue is once a fortnight (every two
weeks) or
longer. And because Photokina just passed, there are less new products
releases. So bear with it if the new issues are slow in coming. I think
everyone would rather have quality than quantity !!
There is no "Sales and Bargains" section in this issue.
Total list membership currently stands at 272 members.
********************************************************************************
* NEW PRODUCTS *
Kodak Portra Professional Films
-------------------------------
(This article is a bit technical, so beginners may find it a bit confusing)
Kodak introduces a new family of negative films that claims to bring
consistency in colours, no matter what speed you choose. According
to their
news release:
" A family of four new color negative films from the Eastman Kodak Company
features a Unified Film Emulsion technology that advances the art of
professional photographers and allows them to attain matched prints
even
when using different film speeds."
There are basically 4 films in the Kodak Professional Portra family:
160NC, 400NC, 160VC and 400VC.
NC stands for Natural colour, for controlled lighting situations. VC
stands
for Vivid Colour, for more brilliant colours. Both the NC and VC range
has 2
film speeds each (ISO 160 and ISO 400).
So if you shoot the NC films, regardless of the speed (either 160 or
400),
you will expect the prints to have the same look. The same goes for
the VC
range. And based on the emphasis on colour accuracy and choice of film
speeds, I'd guess that this new line of film is targetted at wedding
photographers. It's closest rivals would have to be the Fuji NPS 160
and NPH
400, both very good films in their own right and very popular with
wedding
photographers in S'pore.
For more info about these new Kodak films, visit the Kodak website at:
Http://www.kodak.com/go/portra
Nikon Coolpix 900
-----------------
This is cool....
For those of you guys who're into digital cameras, Nikon has just launched
a
new digital camera, the Nikon Coolpix 900. It comes in 2 versions -
the
personal and the professional edition. It is unique because it allows
you to
take special IPIX pictures. The digital images are combined seamlessly
into
a 360 degrees rotating digital image. The camera comes with a Nikon
fisheye
lens and a special tripod for taking the 360 degrees photos. If you've
never
seen a Java IPIX picture, I'd suggest you pop down to this website
to take a
look at it. The sample pic is taken in a forest, and using the cursor,
you
move the images 360 degrees to see everywhere in the scene !! It's
sort of
like being there yourself. More info about the Nikon Coolpix is available
at
the website:
http://www.ipix.com/
Hint: Check out the browser frame on the left, scroll down to the icon
"Java
IPIX Showcase" and click on it to see the picture
(Thanks to Tay Yue Weng for directing attention to this product)
********************************************************************************
* WEBSITE REVIEWS *
This issue's recommended websites are:
Agfa Website
------------
Oh yes... I can hear all the groaning out there. For photographers who
took
photos on AGFA film and paper years ago and found them badly faded
today,
AGFA is a much maligned brand. Fading and non-permance applies to all
colour
negatives, especially the early technology. AGFA was one of the earliest
makers of colour negatives. Although AGFA does not have a strong presence
here in Asia, it does command a strong following in Europe.
Anyway, I'm not commenting on AGFA films. Rather, I'd say something
about
their website. It is a very good website, with loads of information
and
hints/news. If you are there, do not miss their gallery !!! It contains
many
images by non-pro users and pro portfolios in the archives. I found
the
pro-gallery to be of a high standard, esp. so if you like American-styled
portraiture. The Agfa Scale section is also very good, but it is a
pity that
the film is not available here in Singapore. Also, do check out the
various
articles in "Trends and Experiences".
http://www.agfaphoto.com/home.html
Apogee Photo Magazine Website
-----------------------------
Desmond highly recommends the following website to the other photographers:
Simply click your mouse on the "Table of Contents"
icon and then
scroll down to the "The Apogee Photo Archives"
and you should find
many interesting topics and articles which
are very well-written. The
amazing thing about this website is that the
quality of their articles
and subjects is so good that you will want
to read them all in a go.
See it for yourself. There are hundreds of
photography websites but
few can come to match with this, in my opinion.
See it to believe it.
Http://www.apogeephoto.com
(Contributed by Desmond Bang)
WWW Photo Zone
--------------
John <coolice@cyberway.com.sg> recommends the following website:
http://www.cmpsolv.com/photozone/
It contains various technical information on camera equipment and lenses.
There are comparison tables for you to easily compare features between
the
different models and brands. Also check out the misc. articles on Sigma
lenses and Depth-of-Field calculator etc. Beginners could also find
articles
on SLR equipment and Beginner's Guide to Light Metering. Something
for
everyone !!
********************************************************************************
* EVENTS IN SINGAPORE *
The 13th Goh Chee Wee Cup Photographic Competition
--------------------------------------------------
Boon Lay Community Centre and Sembawang-Hong Kah CDC jointly organizes
The
13th Goh Chee Wee Cup Photographic Competition. There are two catagories,
the Goh Chee Wee Cup and the CDC section. All entries must be submitted
by
29 Nov 1998 (Sunday) to Boon Lay CC. Entry forms are available at Boon
Lay
CC office and SAFRA Photography Club. While you are at Boon Lay CC,
check
out their activities. They have very nice photography courses and slide
shows.
Goh Chee Wee Cup
- open only to Boon Lay CC Photographic Club Members only
- 3 sections: monochrome prints, colour prints, and colour slides
- prints must be in 8R or super 8R size
- no restrictions to subject of entries
CDC
- this section is open to all photographers
- photos taken must be in Sembawang and Hong Kah CDC, reflecting the
constituency feature or activities
- Entries must be colour prints of 8R or super 8R size
********************************************************************************
* PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS *
Shooting for the moon
---------------------
(Inspired by all the photographers pointing their lenses at the moon
during
the recent Lunar MoonCake Festival. Thought that you guys might like
to know
this!)
For those of you interested in taking pictures of the moon, you may
like to
know that unless you use a long lens, you will end up having a small
picture
of the moon. The general guideline is that, for every 1 mm of the moon
image, you need a 100mm of lens. So if you are using a 400mm lens,
the moon
will end up as a 4mm image on your film. So to get a decent sized image
of
the moon, you'll need to use at least a 400mm lens or more.
What about the exposure ? For a full moon, use an exposure of 1/125
at f/8
(using ISO 100 film) as a starting point. Bracket a stop over and under
for
insurance.
Sunny-16 rule
-------------
This is a fairly common rule of thumb for exposure, but some may not
know
it. When photographing on a sunny day (bright clear blue sky), the
correct
exposure would be at f/16 and the shutter speed would be 1/film speed.
For
example, if I'm using ISO 100 film, the correct exposure would be 1/16
at
1/100 sec. If you don't have 1/100 sec, set it to the nearest speed,
which
would be 1/125 sec.
This rule comes in useful when your lightmeter is not functioning, or
when
you suspect your light meter is not working like it should.
Filtered Flash
--------------
Want to try something wacky ? Try this !!
When shooting a person against a sunset, place a orange filter over
your
lens, and a blue filter on your flash (preferably Guide No. 32 or more).
The
final image will have a very warm orange sunset with a properly exposed
person. Why ? Because the orange filter enhances the warmth of the
sunset,
and the blue filter on the flash causes the light from the flash to
be
bluish, cancelling out the effect of the orange filter wherever the
light
from the flash falls on.
X-rays at airports
------------------
There has been a lot of arguments about whether X-rays will damage films,
but the general consensus among photographers is that it will, especiall
with films rated ISO 400 and above. Now, with a new type of X-ray machine
installed at airports, even slow films like ISO 100 will be irreparably
damaged by the new machines. The new machines are named CTX. The following
is a excerpt from the Agfa website news:
"In the USA a new type of X-ray scanner has
been developed, which can
detect hidden explosives better than in the past. It is incorporated
in a
luggage checking system which functions in a similar way to a computer
tomograph.
The cases are first pre-checked at a normal
radiation level. A software
program carries out an analysis, and warns if it suspects the presence
of
weapons or explosive.
Then comes a second inspection, this time with
a thinner but much more
powerful X-ray. This checks only the suspicious items in the case.
Since
there is a specially high risk of films being damaged, the film industry
has
reacted very early and formed a joint examination team. This team has
carried extensive tests and evaluated the results.
All the reputable film manufacturers put together
a test package of
their main types of film, from 100 ASA to 1000 ASA, and in the 35 mm,
APS
and 120 rollfilm versions. The test films (some exposed and some unexposed)
were passed through the luggage scanner for up to fifty times, and
their
positions on the conveyor belt were also varied.
<The test results>
The new luggage checker damages every film
from 100 ASA onwards. They are
fogged, and images of objects, for instance keys in the beam in front
of the
film, appear on the film. Films which have already been exposed (but
not yet
developed) may suffer less damage, depending on the type of subject
exposed
on to them.
<Recommendation>
If your trip takes you through airports with
the new luggage checkers,
you should definitely put your films in your hand luggage. This is
exposed
to the X-rays either not all or only moderately. Films in surrendered
luggage will be fogged or spoilt by images of other items you have
packed.
Examples of airports which are already using
the new systems are:
New York (John F. Kennedy), Miami, London,
Amsterdam."
<Excerpt from the Agfa Website>
If you are at a airport, you may like to pack your films in a ziplock
bag
and ask for a hand inspection. Put them in clear bags to faciliate
the
inspection. In this aspect, Fuji clear canisters are preferable to
the black
Kodak ones. If you keep the film in the boxes they came in, they'll
probably
be X-rayed. Be courteous when asking for a hand-inspection, and arrive
early
for the flight so that you do not need to rush for a hand-inspection.
When
refused, explain nicely why you would prefer the high-speed films to
be
hand-inspected. In Singapore, I have been granted hand-inspection when
I
requested for it. And my ISO 400 film did pass through conventional
X-rays
without problems.
________________________________________________________________________________
That's all, folks !
Happy shooting !!!
Your friendly list-maintainer,
Nelson Tan
Send any comments(commend or condemn), or information to me at:
nelson88@pacific.net.sg
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