**************************************************
                        *      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
 

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Issue #8                                                   Dated: 4 Nov 1998

                                *** CONTENTS ***
 

Okay, and in this issue of "Photography Happenings !!", we have:
 

        1) Announcements
           - Launch of Official "Photography Happenings !!" website

        2) New Products
           - Canon EOS 88

        3) Website Reviews
           - Robert Slade's Basic Photography Guide
           - PhotoLink Gallery
           - The Picture Gallery of Kawasaki

        4) Events in Singapore
           - Reminder for Pulau Ubin Exhibition and Leonid Meteor shower

        5) Photography tips
           - Some in-expensive equipment storage ideas
           - Tungsten films
           - Blue/Yellow Cokin filters

        6) Classified Ads
           - Olympus parts and Tamron lens
           - 4 month old Dynax 700si Body for sale
           - Nikon 24mm Lens for sale
           - Bronica GS/1 medium format camera and accessories
           - Cosina lens 28-210mm f/3.5-5.6 (Canon mount)
           - Wanted: Portable Studio Lighting and Background, Flash Meter

________________________________________________________________________________

                             * ANNOUNCEMENTS *

 
Launch of Official "Photography Happenings !!" Website
------------------------------------------------------

And now for the little surprise which I promised in the last issue:

I have decided to launch a official website to accompany this mailing list. It is a simple website, containing the following few sections:

- Introductions
- Photography Articles
- Books and Equipment Reviews
- Archives of past issues
- Links page

The Introduction Section will contain some important information about "Photography Happenings !!", such as its aims and some its operation. The Photography Articles section will contain 14 articles written by me. You are welcome to submit your articles to expand the section. Books and Equipment Reviews contain 15 reviews, and like the photography articles, I'd welcome your reviews if you have any, especially on Canon, Minolta and other brands, since I am a Nikon user. Also if you want any past issues , please go to the Archives section to download a HTML version of it. And finally, there is a comprehensive links page for you guys to go to many photography websites.

Because of limited server capacity, there is only one photo found on the website, which is on the opening screen. And if you're interested, there is also a section containing some info about me. Please do not rush through all the articles at once and complain there's no new updates. You can read a hundred times faster than I can write !!
 

The Official "Photography Happenings !!" website can be found at:

                   Http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~nelson88
 

(Note: It is "home-one", not "home-L")
 

Sending me the classified ads
-----------------------------
For those who are sending me the classified ads, I'd appreciate it if you could send it in a format which I could do a "cut-and-paste". Just follow the layout which you see in this issue's classified. It'll make my job easier. Thanks !!
 

Sourcing for Photography Articles and Reviews
---------------------------------------------
The NUS Photographic Society is seeking for photographic articles and reviews for its website. If you have any contributions you'd like to make, please contact Rodney via e-mail at:  eng80398@nus.edu.sg

The NUS P.S Website is at Http://scicblc.nus.edu.sg/~photosoc
 
 

                                        [Total list membership stands at 285]

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                            *  NEW PRODUCTS  *
 
 
Canon EOS 88
------------

Canon has launched a new budget camera - the Canon EOS 88. Like the Canon EOS 888 that it replaces, the EOS 88 is exclusive to Asia (you can tell by the model number !!). It has a list price of $498, and is targeted at the beginning photographer.

It is very small and lightweight, almost like the original EOS 888. And like the EOS 888, it has a built-in pop-up flash. However, it comes with much more features than the EOS 888 (whose lack of manual control made it more like a compact camera with interchangeable lens).

For one thing, you can now manually adjust the settings such as aperture and shutter speeds in the Manual setting, or use the Aperture and Shutter Priority modes. The predecessor was really limited in the exposure mode. Canon seems to have corrected this flaw in the EOS 88.For the absolute beginners, the EOS 88 can be fully automatic, where users can choose from 4 easy-to-use pre-programmed modes. There is a Portrait mode, Landscape mode, Sports mode and Close-Up mode.
The EOS 88 is equipped with a 3 point wide-area autofocus sensor.

The Canon EOS 88 seems to be a competitor to the newly launched Nikon F60. The Canon EOS 88 is available at all major camera and departmental stores. Interested readers can call 273 5311 for further information.

Click here for a picture of the Canon EOS 88
http://www.canon-asia.com/index/ind_wh47.htm

Or click on the EOS 88 press release under October for more technical info.
http://www.canon.com.sg/web/acms0004.nsf/release

Note: For some strange reason, Canon Singapore kept referring to it as a professional camera, when obviously "professional" is the last thing on my mind when I see it. Weird, isn't it ??

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                           * WEBSITE REVIEWS *

 
This issue's recommended websites are:
 

Robert Slade's Basic Photography Guide
--------------------------------------
This site is recommended for the beginning photographer. It includes quite a bit of info on shutter speeds, aperture, flash, film, lenses etc. There are various pictures which illustrate the concepts.

        http://www2.bath.ac.uk/~masres/photo/manual.html
 

PhotoLink Gallery
-----------------

     This is a "virtual reality" experience that is not to be missed. It will take you some time to explore it all, but that is nothing compared to the time it must have taken its creator, Daniel Leighton, to build it. There may not be another photography site on the Web that is simply as much fun as this one.

     Photolink consists of many very realistic computer-rendered images of an actual gallery - and more, which you must explore like an adventure game. According to Leighton, there are more than 2000 links involved. Along the way you will find Leighton's nude and figurative portrait photography, in addition to photographs and mixed-media work by other artists. But be warned, there are sexually explicit photographs in the gallery. Do not view when minors are around.

                http://www.photolink.com/
 

The Picture Gallery of Kawasaki
-------------------------------

Kawasaki is a Japanese photographer whose works reflect spiritual zen quality. It is different from other types of images which you usually see, involving calm thoughts as you view them. The pictures are very well taken, and it is obvious that a lot of thought have gone into capturing of the mood of the moment. The gallery is very well laid-out, and the scans are excellent to say the least. I'd love to have a few of his prints hanging on my walls. Take a look for yourself at this link:

                http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~rh6y-kwsk/index-e.htm
 
 

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                            * EVENTS IN SINGAPORE *
 
Reminders
---------

There are no new events in Singapore. So this is just a reminder of the events already reported in the previous issue:

1) Leonid Meteor Shower
   17th November (1 a.m)

Please note that the time is 1 a.m on 17th November, which means you stay up on the night of 16th November to the morning of 17th November ! Do not mistake the time and wait on the night of 17th November!
 
 

2) Pulau Ubin Photo Exhibition
   9th November (4 - 5.30 p.m)
   Great World City

For those of you who wants to view a slice of life on Pulau Ubin, there will be a one-day photo exhibition of the island at Great World City, in conjunction with the "Clean and Green" week. The exhibition will feature the works of five local photographers (including me) who went around the island documenting the way of life. I have seen the pictures, and they are glorious. Definitely worth a visit !!

(The pictures will be put up around lunchtime, and taken down by 5.30 p.m)
 
 

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                             * PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS *
 
 

Some in-expensive equipment storage ideas:
------------------------------------------

Instead of spending on drying cabinets and supposedly air-tight camera
boxes. Here are some ways in which I have stored my cameras and lenses cheaply.

1) Use of ZipLock backs.

They are so cheap. For a few dollars, you get to buy so many of them.
I store my cameras and some lenses this way. In the bag I put a film
cannister of silica-gel (with the top punctured with holes).
Change the bag once it is old or leaking. Recently I got those "Freezer
Bags" which seem to be thicker. For the more *kia-su*, use two ZipLock bags!

(I also store my film this way in the refrigerator - not in the freezer
compartment!)

2) Use of cookie jars

I used cookie jars to store some of my lenses. They are so much better than
camera boxes. They have a rubber ring at the mouth that ensured it stays
air-tight for a very long time. Get a jar that fits your lens. But not to
tall that you have to "drop" your lens in!

To store, pour in the required amount of silica-gel. Then put a piece of
paper above it to prevent lens in direct contact with the silica-gel. The
lens will sit on top of the paper.

Try to buy those which are transparent so you can see the change in the
colour of the silica-gel.

When you give up your hobby, the jars can still be used by your mum in the
kitchen! :)
                                                <Sumbitted by Loh Koah Fong>
 

Using tungsten film     (intermediate level)
-------------------
For those of you who find that your pictures taken under tungsten lights turn out yellowish, it is because the film in your camera is for daylight and not colour balanced for tungsten lighting. To get proper colours under tungsten lighting, use tungsten slide film. You can get tungsten slide film from Kodak, at various speeds like ISO 64, 160 or 320. Don't try to ask for them at your neighbourhood stores - they are only available at the specialized film stores like Cathay, Foto Guide or Ruby. Fuji doesn't seem to sell tungsten-balanced film in Singapore.

If you use tungsten-balanced film in daylight, you will get a deep bluish tint to your images. You can try using this effect for special purposes like fashion photography. If you want to use tungsten-balanced film in daylight, without the blue colour cast, use a warm-up filter like the 85C.

If you are using negative films, you can ask the printer to correct away the yellowish tint at the stage of printing. It may not totally go away, but you can remove quite a significant amount of the colour cast.
 

Cokin Blue/Yellow Polarizing filter
-----------------------------------

Most people know what is a polarizing filter and what it is used for. But few people know that Cokin offers a Yellow/Blue Polarizing filter that turns the polarized area either blue or yellow. This is a very useful filter for landscape photography, since it enhances the sky and adds a golden warm look to the picture when it is set to yellow. The Cokin filter number is 173. However, I'm not too sure whether it is a circular or linear polarizer.
 

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                              * CLASSIFIED ADS *

(Disclaimer: the list maintainer will not take responsibility for any                        transactions carried out through this classified ads.)
 

Olympus parts and Tamron lens
-----------------------------
 
     1)Olympus Hotshoe #1 & #4 ($20.00 each)
 
     2)Olympus Screen Type 1-1, 1-4, 1-6 ($20.00 each)
 
     3)Tamron 24-70 AF Zoom for Nikon w/box (please offer)
 
     Interested party please page for Jim Teo at 92505220
 
 

4 month old Dynax 700si Body for sale
-------------------------------------

Selling a quite new Minolta Dynax 700si for $600. In good condition with 1
yr warranty still available. Selling cos upgrading to 800si. Mail me at
peterlo@singnet.com.sg                                  (Peter Lo)
 

Nikon 24mm Lens for sale
------------------------

FS: Nikon 24m f/2 Manual in Like New Condition $750

Bought in June 98. With papers and box. Interested parties please email
webmaster@memphisewest.com or call 95227170/3536044.       (Wesley Loh)
 
 

For sale: Complete Bronica GS/1 medium format camera and accessories
--------------------------------------------------------------------
For sale to best offer:

Body
6x7 cm Back x 2
6x6 cm Back
Polaroid Back
AE Prism
Speed Grip
50 mm Lens + UV Filter
100 mm Lens + UV Filter
150 mm Lens + UV Filter
200 mm Lens + UV Filter
2x Teleconverter
Electronic cable release
Polaroid Filter

All in excellent condition with cases and manuals.
Ideal for someone starting a studio or serious amateur.

Call Peter on 96170901 or email to pwalker@singnet.com.sg
                                                        (Peter Walker)

Cosina lens for sale
--------------------

AF 28-210mm f/3.5-5.6 (Canon Mount)
Filter size 72 mm
Excelent condition, owner wants to upgrade.
Selling price S$200.00 (brand new price was S$450.00)
 
Contact : Koh (Pgr : 9556 8737)
 

Wanted: Portable Studio Lighting and Background, Flash Meter
------------------------------------------------------------

1) A few units of flash lights with stands and background.
   Portable with a single person.

2) Flash meter (Polaris, Sekonic, Minolta)

Please e-mail and quota price (include details like weight, years of use etc)
E-mail: SeetChong@letterbox.com
________________________________________________________________________________
 

That's all, folks !
Happy shooting !!!

                                                 Your friendly list-maintainer,
                                                                    Nelson Tan
 

Visit the official "Photography Happenings !!" website at:
 
                        Http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~nelson88