What mode you're on? Auto or Night mode? Or other modes?
The one without flash, I think you can play with EV for darker exposure to bring out the give similar effect with the one with flash. Need SIFU aspire to comment

Sure lo, without flash, and if auto ISO, it's bumping up the ISO to get correct exposure. For night shots like this, you might want to lower the exposure to get different effects.

Aside from white balance, probably the exposure also? The picture looks more expose than the one with flash, since there is flash, the shutter speed is faster, iso lower, getting less exposure. Without flash, it will adjust the shutter speed slower and iso higher to get the exposure.

Also wonder what mode he's using.

Try to play with exposure compensation (EV) when taking these kind of shot, you would want to lower the exposure to bring the lights out, and you can also try to force the ISO at certain number. You have to play around with it as lowering the iso, it will slow down the shutter speed and you will might get blur picture.

GRANDMASTER SIFU aspire is right!
See the picture after I adjust the white balance! lower the temperature~

You're GrandMaster for photography ma; hehe~
Many things to learn from GrandMaster SIFU; How is your 'TOU DAI' doing with his 550D?
Play too much N900 FCam, faster train him hard in DSLR

Color Temperature Chart for White Balance (but N8 have limited choice):
http://www.geofflawrence.com/color_temperature.html

If you're there again, try play around with different white balance, ISO and EV and see the results.

Similar like before, try to play with EV, ISO. When use flash, you can force higher ISO to get more exposure, or use Night Mode. You can try Night Mode with and without Flash and compare.

No choice, big upgrade from FCam, haha. He really play a lot with FCam, and FCam really have nice built-in features like adding vignetting to the photos, easier exposure control, etc. When using DSLR, it's somewhat different already, and using the viewfinder is again another experience, reading all those meters, and all those functions.
It's a good experience.

Need your guidance, tips, etc. to help him become a "Jedi".

Yup, you also need steady hands.

Yea, lens, not to mention how expensive they are, especially those wide aperture lens, like f2.8 zooms.... f1.4 primes... crazy price, and when you get wide angles, the price is another killer or super zooms with f2.8 constant apertures... crazy stuff..... unless it's a job that generates money, else it's a crazy expensive hobby...

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Added on December 16, 2010, 1:30 amMacam-macam ada. 1Nokia.

This post has been edited by Andy214: Dec 16 2010, 01:30 AM

Definitely!

Especially when take indoor pictures, the capabilities of handling higher ISO, better AWB, better metering system, better and faster AF, etc. ESPECIALLY if you put on a prime lens with wide aperture like 50mm f1.8. Totally beats point and shoot like those high end compact digital camera flat. No fight, too big difference.

This post has been edited by Andy214: Dec 16 2010, 01:38 AM

Sadly, hardly any new exciting or good games. I think during N-Gage time was better. Imagine back during those days with Nokia 3650, 6600, there is games like King Of Figthers, Fifa, etc on N-Gage and can multiplay via Bluetooth, and the game can... urm... run on 3650, 6600, etc. Can play multiplayer mode via Bluetooth.

Now is like totally different and seems the high end games has slowed down or no news for N8 or Symbian^3?

The point I'm highlighting is the apps and games; Last time it was Pocket PC/Windows Mobile OS era, less competition. iOS came along, nothing special "actually" but with the tons of apps, especially games, attracts many people attention.
Back in those days, imagine N-Gage, 3650, 6600, etc. able to play games like King Of Figthers on the handphone! It was WOW and lag? I don't really notice lag except when playing multi-player via bluetooth.

What people are buying? Many people do not, they get a smartphone when what they really want is just a phone that have many games, or have great camera, etc. Many people buys a phone because of what others people say, people say it's good, they buy, ended up they're not satisfied as it doesn't meet their requirement and then calls it a bad phone. The most important is choosing the right phone for each individual.

Is it a must to get DSLR?

I think those EVIL cameras might do the job better, such as, Sony SLT cameras like A55 (if you prefer DSLR type body) or the Sony NEX series; You should try check out Sony NEX videos on youTube and see how good it is, it has very high FPS, APS-C size sensor (DSLR size sensor)... Plus, there is many nice to have features, like Sweep Panorama, and there is build in photography guide for beginners, teach you how to shoot, and get certain effects, etc.

kit also is zoom lens, hehe

Does your D70 have motor, if no motor, get the 35mm f/1.8G DX
If got motor, can go for cheaper 50mm f/1.8D, but focal range X 1.5 will become 75mm. Cost less than RM400, or if you willing to spend more can consider the 50mm f/1.4D for around RM900++.

50mm can be quite tight, 35mm will give better space/convenience because the focal range X 1.5 will become around 50mm.

The "D" version will focus faster than the "G", very impressive. Snap on lock in maybe 0.5 seconds?
Get either one, you'll be satisfied with the image quality, performance and bokeh~
Zoom, you can zoom with your legs.

Quick googling, seems like have; Anyway, you can always try out the lens before buying, feel the difference and quality of prime lens, be amazed~~~ You might not want to touch your kit lens or zoom lens anymore, except when you need to go wide, or zoom far away (or not convenient to move around).

Not really active , but Nikon thread already merged into 1. You want to learn, better use google and find those photography tutorial, or if you prefer videos, youtube got tons, videos give you better picture and show you how its done, the differences, etc. Then you can try it out yourself.

550D is entry level loh. See below attachedment for timeline, googling you'll get entry level. It has very simple entry level body, with simple controls, mostly set in menu, targeted for entry level users.

Nikon FX lens can be used on DX lens. DX lens can be used on FX lens.
Canon is the one that's different, they have EF-S lens which is for crop sensors (APS-C), and won't physically mount on Full Frame.

Your D70 falls under midrange, replace by D80, D90... D7000, supposedly a replacement for D90 but it seems it outclass this range. D90 is against 50D, which now is replaced by 60D.
As you use D70, you should check out D7000 or 60D, or for lower budget, can go for D90 or 50D? But do try out the controls and everything, Nikon and Canon has different feel, different menu/navigation, etc.

D7000 is great, you should try it. Should I say, AMAZING? It has pro like body, nicely weighted, weather sealing, magnesium alloy body shell, etc. The ISO performance is another great improvement, great RGB metering system, 39 Focus Points, etc.
There're even D300S owners change to the D7000.





This post has been edited by Andy214: Dec 22 2010, 01:08 AM

Usually, the more they use, the more apps they install, the more they use the phone without restart, I think there is more problems? I restart the phone once in a while. Monitoring the memory usage using the widget, the usage is really high already, if those widgets goes online, it'll use more, when I go offline on those widget, it doesn't free up the memory. Sometimes, after exit some apps/games, the memory usage remain stuck at > 90% for some time.

D7000 body is around RM3800... just released not long ago only. D90 drop price a lot, if no budget can consider D90, at least still have mid-range body and features; plus, for Nikon, flickr statistic, most pictures are from D90. You can re-use your current lens, and get one 35mm f/1.8G or the cheaper 50mm f/1.8D, experience the world of prime.

Yup, really depends on what type of game. I prefer PSP since the game I prefer requires more controls and buttons, even PSP is not enough (e.g. MGS).
For Racing Game, touch screen with accelerometer seems fun, but that's it. To really play, you need more controls, unless you drive auto only and simple controls, or just play for fun.

Honestly speaking, I hardly or never touch my iPod Touch for long time already. The good thing about it is that it has many variety of games which are not available on consoles or portable gaming device, and some games are actually better than PSP version (e.g. NFS Shift... look at PSP version, what is THAT? Total rubbish...).

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Added on December 22, 2010, 11:02 pmSerious game or more complicated games which require real control, e.g. MGS, Colin McRae (manual transmission), Monster Hunter Freedom, GTA, Gundam, etc.
Some of those games, even PSP is lack of control buttons, especially if you used to play it in PS2/PS3 and play it on PSP...

This post has been edited by Andy214: Dec 22 2010, 11:02 PM

Sony Xperia Play...
Go check it out...

CMR is really nice, realistic and nicely done.

Some very famous racing game, so call real driving simulator and so on, isn't realistic at all, the steering is too tight that it just won't turn. Perhaps, the realism is the car, the roads, but definitely not the handling and driving.

For street racing game, I like NFS High Stakes, NFS Underground I and Underground II. Classic but gameplay is nice.
Microsoft has one very nice one,... Midtown Madness!!! However Midtown Madness 2 is less realistic, it's more arcade style.
For drifting game, I prefer PS1 version of Initial D and also TougeMax G2 on PS1. The latter seems more arcade style already.

But, that's just me

force feedback (as in road feedback, steering feedbaack, etc) is good. But the physic is preventing you to turn even you turn the steering fully is fake. In real driving, there's is no such thing as cannot turn and cannot "buang", unless of course you're talking about wheels lock. But, under normal circumstances, driving straight, you can turn your steering all the way to the left or right and you car will respond and suffer the consequences, but in some racing game, it just won't let you turn too much, it will be super stable, so darn fake.

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Added on December 22, 2010, 11:36 pmPortable Console, PSP FTW
IF we talk about real serious games, PSP have God Of War, Monster Hunter Freedom, MGS Portable Ops, MGS Peacewalker, Colin McRae, SW Force Unleashed, God Eater, Dynasty Warriors Strike Force, Grand Theft Auto... ah, just so many to list...

This post has been edited by Andy214: Dec 22 2010, 11:37 PM