lehtung: I feel the Raw Rubber shot is a bit miscomposed - you could get a real nice tiling effect, if framed correctly. I can't figure out what #2 is but if it's rusted metal I think it would've looked better in color.

braindead_fr3ak: I am looking forward to your project!

For inspiration, go down to Annexe Gallery behind Central Market - you can see real photos with meaning there. There's always one exhibition or another.

It is one thing to take a picture that makes your eyes stim, and another thing to take a picture that can change the world! I'd choose the latter.

braindead_fr3ak: Always good to have an idea in your head. Actually, I bet a lot of us would paint better paintings, than photograph better photographs - it is easy to add to a painting, but not easy to subtract from a scene.

And whoa, what a nice analogy!

akumirul: Here's a challenge - make your cars look real. You can, with the right angle. GO!

Ksano: That is a good question. I purposely didn't want to say "EH GUYS GUESS WHAT IS MISSING IN THIS PICTURE!" I wanted to see if anyone noticed... and nobody did.

Maybe it's the crowd here - maybe if I posted on PhotoMalaysia they'd be like "ooo, something is missing!"

I purposely framed the signboard so it looks like a full signboard. If I stepped to the left or right, the signboard would look obviously slanted on top, so you know I was cropping it off. But I guess it was my fault, to make the picture too cryptic, unless I pointed it out, nobody would notice.

"Apa yang best sangat apasal gambar ini kat Galeri Petronas?"

Think! There is a reason that each and every picture is there. They don't simply point at anything, submit, and win.

For the low caste girl (I don't remember such a picture) the photographer could've looked for hints to add to the picture. For example, low-caste-looking parents sitting outside waiting for their daughter. Or maybe she should be wearing old shoes.

Yes, those in the Commercial category were Photoshopped. Most commercial work has to be.

lehtung: Just keep at it. Go wide, go tele, go close, go far, try everything until you find something that works.

Or better still, stand far away, and wait for a worker to walk past. Imagine, a big wall of Raw Rubber, and suddenly there is a worker going there to take just one piece away... what an awesome picture, right?

This post has been edited by albnok: Feb 15 2010, 02:10 AM

One of my local heroes for street photography is this dude:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vignesbalasingam/

And of course this dudette, who is going to give a talk at Galeri Petronas on the 28th of February 2010, 2-3pm:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/szetooweiwen/

braindead_fr3ak: What is the small square white book?

And yeah it's quite sad to see people go for typical cliches. Wah here's my ROL (Ray Of Light) shot! Here's my moon shot! Here's my sunset shot! Here's my HDR! What you do, I also try to do!

I'm not against visually appealing pictures. However, pictures can have a purpose, e.g.:

Food photography - promotes awareness of a restaurant!
Gig photography - promotes a band, or a band can use that as profile pictures.

I hope your thoughtful photography is contagious.

ieR: LOL are you saying I failed (not that I perasan the first bit, just asking.)

I usually show my clients know what my style is (which is not much editing, just vivid color) and I make sure they understand that if they want Kukubesi or what, they should hire Kukubesi. In a way it's a good way to indemnify yourself in case they ask why your style so different.

And yeah man, the god-send chair and table LOL! What we photographers go nuts over (WAAAHHH bokeh!) the subject may not like (eee why you make me look fat?)

ahmike89: Earlier shots are a bit blue-green-ish. Suggest warmth to add pop to the prawns!

Ksano: Looking at your Flickr, I'm quite impressed that you go one shot at a time.

This post has been edited by albnok: Feb 15 2010, 04:36 AM

ieR: LOL perhaps everybody is expecting some gearhead talk about the picture.

Which is a problem here right - we here, don't really talk about meaning of photos.

Sometimes we have to read the mind of the girl - is she fine with her weight and self-image? If she is not, wah damn challenging man.

Yes, people have sued for unsatisfactory quality in pictures, in Malaysia. I don't know if they have won, though.

braindead_fr3ak: Then it's like photography is a checklist, instead of a tool of expression.

And yes, everybody assumes a pro photographer does everything!

As for the boring housing shoot - there might be elements you might not be aware of, until you've had to shoot it. It might look plain, but you might not have noticed how the sky/house exposure is just right - or how there are no people or stray animals in the scene - or other things he/she would've paid attention to. You'd only know when you'd have to shoot it yourself.

He/she may have been asked to take a plain shot of a field so that a house plan can be superimposed on the background.

Seng_Kiat: Yes correct - notice he is using a bright aperture and high ISO.

lugiamcg: Thanks!

Since you have what appears to be newspapers, why not use one of them as a background for the pitcher plant?

#2 makes the pitcher plant look tiny. Why not shoot from below?

Mikeshashimi: It is a bit underexposed - makes it look not very prosperous. It seems either a bit too big in the picture, or could be centered (so it looks like 3 buttons on a shirt.)

neo_lam has got an example of how vibrant a lantern can be.

Wonka: Somehow #1 might work better centered.

Also, check out this very useful tutorial to do a digital Graduated Neutral Density Filter effect:

http://www.ronbigelow.com/articles/neutral...ral-density.htm

I would love to see #2 as a landscape crop. The way they are positioned, with nobody's shadows overlapping, is already very nice! +1 for you if you waited for that.

lwliam: Might be attributed to the randomness of this Alpha Thread version - 37 is the most likely number to be picked when somebody is asked for a number between 1 and 50. Plus 3, 7 and 37 are prime numbers.

hkhk: Was it flourescent light, which flickers by characteristic?

mastering89: If you have the time... take a few steps back and zoom in. You will still have the trees and leaves, but the sunset will be bigger!

Banzai_san: Look to inspiring pictures and try to see what makes them work. Then do the same.

Seng_Kiat: Your A700 comes with a remote.

Set camera to M, shutter speed to BULB, Drive to Remote. Press the RMT-DSLR1's shutter button to open shutter, press again to close.

hkhk: Yes, that is how spot metering works. However spot metering is for the ambient light not the flash.

lugiamcg: Wide Area AF is the only mode that allows multiple AF point selection (automatic).

d4rkholeang3l: Nice mood, though the bag may not be vintage enough. The signature also stands out a bit too much.

ieR: I like your example of the flower. We should all pay more attention to what is going on in the picture.

Now that I think of it, I'll call that picture "What don't you see?"

The withered flower in the top-right corner is a bit bothersome - I guess, it could be shot from directly in front, so you can see 2 withered flowers and one blooming one.

Banzai_san: Fastest flash sync is on the A700/A850/A900 - 1/250s with SSS off, 1/200s with SSS on.

vandechrome: cjlai would know who - there are some in KL with it.

eddybeh: Show us the front of the sea cockroach. That would be more interesting.

#2, hmmm the tilt is a bit odd. Not sure what the message is. However visually, you could shoot from directly above the charcoal.

Car shots aaa usually they turn out worse than you think. You'll also have to use faster shutter speeds.

#5 seems like you cropped off the right. Weird. Otherwise perfect.

#6 - get lower, so the people can be shadows at the same level as the hills.

#7 - if you can see the guy on the right intersecting with the shadow, take a few steps right.

cjlai: For the V-Day shot, I'd adjust the horizon slightly and crop tighter - fisheyes can be cropped quite nicely!

Also, try de-fishing your first orangey Pyramid shot?

signither: International Camera can do it too - it's a simple screw-drive lens.

alex_cyw1985: #1 is nice but please pay attention to the distracting thing in top-right corner, it really spoils the shot! Crop it as a square.

#3 looks like a hand - try to make it look like something it's not?

#4 - get it from a different angle, it's got that ugly twig in front.

hazril: Am bugging macdude about it - the server people moved it to a different server. Guess this new one isn't so stable either.

Seng_Kiat: Have you remembered to remove the plastic tab that blocks the battery from its contacts? Are you blocking the IR sensor on the camera grip?

What happened to mine though, is that I left the remote in the bag and it got pressed all the time in the bag, so the battery died. However it definitely worked before.

d4rkholeang3l: It's either too tight (the items in the background have been cropped) or you could stand further away and zoom in to get a cleaner background.

eddybeh: Ohhh. I'm not familiar with this custom, but the way you describe it... maybe a picture with them standing over the flame, looking at it? Then at least we know there is something in the flame.

#5 - yes weird framing.

achew: Interesting lantern shot; I like how the guy on the left touches the frame, but the guy on the right fades into darkness. Would be cool if both faded into darkness.

kevinwcw: Nice shot, it shows the kid's mischievousness. Traditionally people would prefer to focus on the eye closer to the viewer but it's okay, if you're okay with it.

cjlai: Many - RectFish, PTLens, GIMP, DxO - have not tried looking in Photoshop or the common RAW processors.


Shot with the Peleng 8mm F3.5 and 2x teleconverter (for an equivalent of a diagonal fisheye), then de-fished in DxO Optics Pro.

The left pillar in the orange atrium is distracting, though - fisheyes mean you gotta get in the center of everything. I like the escalator shot though.

destfull: Aiyo LOL.

I stopped playing games when I had more pictures to process, and found them to be more fun than games. I feel more productive when I'm not playing games.

You need to say to yourself "I will only play once I have done this chapter of studies". And that is how I played only one game (NFS Shift) and took over 2 months to finish it!

Back in college, I would take breaks by playing Spider Solitaire - bad idea. So even a Mac won't save you if you decide to open MSN/YM/GTalk. You have to be in control of yourself.

Plus you can make a side income from your camera, but not so with playing games (unless you're really good). Your i7 already has more photo processing power than a Mac at the moment.

Anyway I like the mood in #1 #3 #4 and #5. Try to reprocess your file to expose the burned fella and overlay him into the existing picture.

ieR: A850/A900 in APS-C crop mode is 11 megapixels. Yes, not practical.

Honestly looking at the specs of an iMac 27" and considering I bought a much more powerful PC for half its price I am glad. If your PC is sufficient there is no need for it really.

signither: No idea, you'd be the first to find out.

ahmike89: #1 #2 #3 all are a bit too tight (or loose, depending how you look at it.)

aqiera: Nice #1 especially due to the inclusion of the tourist! I like the mood of #3 also.

This post has been edited by albnok: Feb 18 2010, 10:27 AM

braindead_fr3ak: It's okay, haven't rode on anything bigger than a scooter; just that you missed a turning after the turning you couldn't go in LOL.

dazzle: Welcome!

The Zeiss lenses are great optically. I've tried the Nikkor 135mm F2.0 DC (man, how hard it is to find one!) and it seems to be missing some colors that the Zeiss 135mm F1.8 brings out (especially ambient tones and small reflected surfaces.)

Notable lenses to check out:

Zeiss 16-35mm F2.8 SSM
Zeiss 24-70mm F2.8 SSM
Sony 70-200mm F2.8G SSM
Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6G SSM
Zeiss 135mm F1.8
Sony 135mm F2.8/T4.5 Smooth Transition Focus (the effect is nothing like the Nikkor Defocus Control/Canon Soft Focus)

If what you need is high resolution and color tonality, you might save a fair amount of money with an A850.

The owner of dyxum.com has both a Sony A900 and Nikon D700 - and while he does like the D700's high ISO performance, he still keeps the A900 for color and tonality. Plus the D3x still costs a lot!

My friend has a Fujifilm S5 Pro and a D700 but he still keeps the S5 for its fantastic WB.

Some guy I know was quite interested in the Sony and Zeiss lenses. Instead, he a Nikkor tilt-shift (if I remember correctly, the PC-E Micro-Nikkor 45mm F2.8) to use with his D3, to copy large artwork - for every shot, he would shift the lens left, take a shot, then shift it right and take another shot, and buy expensive software to correct for distortion and vignetting before merging both shots into one 24 megapixel file.

I still think he could've bought an A850 and a cheap zoom that does well at F8, saving him a lot of time...

gizmo_pony: No but you can plug the HDMI port to a HDTV. However, you can make a fake tethering experience by getting the RMT-DSLR1 or a cheap remote shutter cable. For studio shots, if you've already set the aperture/ISO/shutter/WB you just leave it there anyway and press the remote shutter cable while staring at the HDTV.

d4rkholeang3l: Interesting. It's almost there, almost. Expression is good.

eddybeh: You get Mirror Lock Up on the A100 whenever you set the Drive mode to 2-second self-timer. It has been changed for the A200-A550 though.

lugiamcg: Haha, cute. I guess the out-of-focus couple is not obvious enough, and it should be bigger in the frame to call attention to it. Try reframing so you see more of the angry dude and the couple in relation to the size of the picture.

Seng_Kiat: There's the Peleng 8mm F3.5 but you'd rather use the Samyang 8mm F3.5 for APS-C as it does not have the dark circle corners. The Sigma 10mm F2.8 EX DC has autofocus and is available in A-mount at a much higher price.

The battery is quite easy to find in watch and older camera shops. Bring your remote and camera there (must test on the spot, sometimes their battery stock is so old it might not have any power)!

Kul | Mo0: Only Tokina and Pentax produce fisheye-ultra-wide-angle zoom lenses. Canon and Nikon don't.

Interestingly, Tokina and Pentax have a lot of identical APS-C lenses; the 12-24mm F4, 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 zoom-fisheye, 100mm F2.8 Macro, 16-50mm F2.8, 50-135mm F2.8 and 35mm F2.8.

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-...out-tokina.html



cjlai: LOL I think Azrul is going to say "fisheye is not for buildings!" His talk is interesting, enjoy it!

ForlornBrat: That's a very... confusing picture.

As for the Ah Long picture... is there a connection between the background on the left, and the poster?

kevinwcw: Range only lah. I don't have experience with the 16-35mm SSM focusing speed but the 24-70mm SSM is one of the fastest. Never noticed the 16-35mm being slow.

d4rkholeang3l: Could use a bit more of a warming filter - still looks a bit cold. The hill shot could use a cooling filter.

ForlornBrat: Look first, visualize the picture in your head before taking it. Your er... hanging thing picture is overexposed on top.

Only the Minolta 3600 HS(D) and 5600 HS(D) are fully compatible with the Alphas - the Sony HVL-F36AM and HVL-F56AM are the rebadged versions of those Minolta flashes. Do not bother with older Minolta flashes; they will not work with wireless or fire at full power all the time.

e-jump: It obviously was very dark - get her into a spot with light. Yes the 5-series will serve you well with its better high ISO performance.

Kul | Mo0: Since uh... we don't really see what you shoot these days, we can't tell which you should get.

linkinstreet: F58 on A700 can trigger F42 and F58.

weixuan: Nice #3 (though #2 if framed direct would be better.)

kevinwcw: No, not unless you intend to get a FF later. Have you tried it on your camera? It's big, heavy and not wide on APS-C.

If a lens is hard to focus... honestly, it's user error. You must know how to find a point of contrast to focus on. The center AF point is a lot faster.

Ranceed: Could you pull the shadows on the signboard? It's not very readable.

fas29: I like your shot, because it is not the usual twin-tower shot. Instead it looks like 2 of 3 towers. Just wish you framed it so the right side had a bit more.

freddy manson: I can't make out your shot - use flash bounced behind, for fisheye?

khairi83: Where is the second fisheye shot from?

khairi83: I thought so too, but I didn't realize there was a TV array there... interestingly you've made it look far more spacious!

kevinwcw: Of course! The 16-80mm focuses pretty fast. It is much smaller and lighter, your back/shoulders will thank me later.

Banzai_san: In Photoshop, adjust Levels (Ctrl-L) and pull the middle slider.

In any RAW processor, there is the Shadow Fill or Fill Light slider.

freddy manson: I like how you fisheyed the straw! Creative!

mastering89: Interesting, though you can make it better by Digital GND (Google it).

Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG on the A900. Which gives the same angle of view as the new Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM.


This one is slightly cropped.

kevinwcw: SSM doesn't mean it will focus faster. It depends. Some Minolta lenses have the HS (High Speed) suffix which means it is geared quickly. The Minolta 200mm F2.8G HS APO is definitely faster than the Sony 70-200mm F2.8G SSM, for example.

Crap, more SAM?

ieR: Somehow I think her pensive look might work better in portrait orientation.

d4rkholeang3l: Good expression, nice color. Hope she likes it too!

Seng_Kiat: I would expect it to be RM24xx as it has to cost more than the 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM and cheaper than the 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG (I think.)

hokc77: Wow interesting to see what happens to other bikers when they are not the subject of your panning! Interesting effect.

#2 - recee?

cjlai: Nice shots of Azrul. Feels a bit cool and #2 a bit underexposed.

freddy manson: The Sigma 8-16mm is not a fisheye - it's a regular rectilinear.

I think the hand shot has potential, try doing something like that again but closer.

hafeez71: Try cropping off the top and bottom?

e-jump: The A700 replacement needs to be APS-C. There is a market for it.

I like #2, #5 and #6 but #3 could be framed lower.

danieliew: The Samyang 8mm F3.5 diagonal fisheye for APS-C is a good deal, ask cjlai for details.

They forgot the A450 LOL!

Read it carefully and properly - Sony words their releases very specifically.

The compact Alpha has the Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor (why not APS-C, typo?) They do not mention anything about the A700 replacement having video.

Nice to know they've upped the 500mm which was previously rumored to be F4.5 (but would be much lighter.) Bummer about the 24mm, wished it was F1.4, but if it is F2.0 it better be the same size as my 24mm F2.0 then.

Kul | Mo0: The D300s costs more than that.

weixuan: Concept cameras take much longer. They're just saying "hey, we didn't forget!"

The supposed compact Alphas should be here sooner than the A700 replacement.

Kul | Mo0: The A700 and 40D have always matched price, with the D300 being a bit higher (rightly so.)

neo_lam: The Nikkor 24mm F1.4 AF-S is probably around RM6xxx so the Zeiss had better be a few notches below that. I'd guess RM4xxx but it would be sweet to be RM2xxx.

wingster: Er, how are you getting these numbers? The magnification is measured as say 1.15x, not a divisor.

lwliam: Huge potential with the bricks on the floor and an ultra-wide angle lens. Like the shot of the kid though!

ieR: A bit more below and left?

yinho: Definitely the bigger one.

Sigh, it's a rather fat-looking 24mm F2.0, supposedly 72mm filter thread. Which means for F2.0 it better have awesome optical performance, even for a Zeiss!

Also, curiously, the smaller Alpha has a mono mike while the A700 replacement doesn't have one visible.

The pancake appears to have its own lens hood bayonet - whatever for?

They have not removed the screw-drive, yay! The AF/MF switch is still on the small Alpha.

The big fat lens next to the compact Alphas should be the supposed 18-200mm SSM (it has to be very quiet for good video recording.)

This post has been edited by albnok: Feb 22 2010, 01:52 AM

ieR: Legs not so necessary, but since you already show the arms you might as well leave the hands in.

Well, where will the ISO, WB buttons be? I hate what pressure from others has done to Sony. Just because some other brands have a top LCD (which I honestly think is a total waste of space) now there are 2 buttons missing. Unless they are on the back, which is not so bad.

Then again, they probably had to redesign the button layout to make it Live-View friendly and video-friendly, like how the A200 without Quick Navi is really an A300 without Live View. (Obviously, Quick Navi will not work with Live View - check out how the A550 redoes it.)

wingster: But the future of semi-pro is full-frame!

Of course they don't because the model name is not announced yet.

lwliam: Looks like the classic AF/MF toggle (YAY!) There's also the Menu/Disp on the left, but where is the Delete or Play button? Or the Fn and C buttons?

Maybe it helps to reduce the jumpy A700 dial problem.

ieR: We already have excellent battery performance. I've never had to stop chimping to save battery power.

braindead_fr3ak: Welcome back! Would like to see more of #1 in a cleaner background.

ieR: Yes DOF Preview button (hopefully with Intelligent Preview, so you can tweak WB?)

Sadly no more Grip Sensor. Unless it's an IR Remote sensor and Grip Sensor in one the Eye-Start sensor is a pair - one IR light, the other a sensor - if you use a phone camera you can see the IR light.)

Is your screen warm? Mine isn't.

The classic setting to reduce noise on the A700/A850/A900:

Any color mode (e.g. Vivid)
Contrast 0
Saturation up to you
Sharpness +3 (makes noise grain less blotchy)
Brightness -2
Zone Matching -1

ieR: Somehow I felt there is more potential in making the road a leading line, and using a fisheye to shrink the size of the building.

tmj: Your camera needs to focus on something with contrast. Look for something with an edge, for example a black text on white background. Cameras cannot focus on flat surfaces which have no detail.

shootkk: Don't get the 24mm F2.0 - you will be tempted to change all your lenses to Zeiss lenses. Or at least the Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM since it's as contrasty as the Zeiss lenses.

TrutH_SeeKeR: It's in the manual of your A700.

mie_75: Long time no see! I like #1 how it appears to come out of the darkness. #2 is a bit cool - try setting your WB accordingly.

destfull: Whatchu talking about? The joystick has been there since the A700! And we have no idea how this grip will feel like.

Anyway you must realize that the A700 has Quick Navi because it's not a Live View camera - the A550 is optimized to be used in Live View (do you find that when using the optical viewfinder, the button layout isn't so friendly?) So the A700 replacement is following the A550's style, with possibly more optimization for video shooting (except the non-tilt screen, bah.)