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Archive for August, 2008

The Feeling Strikes Me Again, This Time Nikon D90

Published August 27, 2008 in Life Log and Shutterbug. 8 Comments

Last time before owning my very first smart phone, I was drooling over it for more than 2 years. It was a kind of “I want it badly” feeling, a feeling that I know if I own a smart phone one day, I’ll love it very very very much, and I’ll feel very very satisfied.

Aaahi~~ people who can afford to own anything easily will not understand this complicated feeling one la hehe.

Then, when I saw the sneak pic of Sony Ericsson P1i, I knew that is the first smart phone that will make me feel very contented. Waited about 6 months for its release, and yes, I finally got my very first smart phone – SE P1i. Now, I’m already been loving my P1i for a year.

Already for some time, that I wish to upgrade my Lumix FZ30 to a middle range DSLR. I wish to have a DSLR which has solid body build (I really don’t mind the weight, but I do mind about the plastic feeling :p), good ergonomic design, LCD live view, tracking AF (preferably) and satisfying picture quality at ISO1200 (at least).

If I must buy (yes if I must) a DSLR now, then I will go for Canon 40D. Actually, I like Nikon D80, but it doesn’t have LCD live view and dust removal system. Ya, as I just said, I will only buy Canon 40D if I have no choice but to get a DSLR immediately now.

Which means, hehe… within my budget constraint, 40D is still not really my dream DSLR yet lo :) It doesn’t give me the feeling I had for Sony Ericsson P1i.

The Feeling Strikes Me Once Again

Nikon D90 by Chase Jarvis

Picture by Chase Jarvis

Recently, the feeling strikes me once again! In the recent 2 weeks, I keep on googling for Nikon D90 (not a good sign). The moment I read the first leak-words article on Nikon D90, I started to develop a kind of “I really want it!” feeling, very similar to the feeling I had for P1i. Continue reading ‘The Feeling Strikes Me Again, This Time Nikon D90′

Today’s Sunset View from Kelana Jaya

Published August 25, 2008 in Shutterbug. 5 Comments

Sunset View from Kelana Square Roof-Top

It was drizzling, and Hui Lee noticed the orangey “yolk” outside the window. As I have my camera with me, so I went to the roof-top, and got this picture. Wai Pei “shot” this scene too, but with her eyes and memory.

Beautiful sunset is always such a short moment.

Adding RAW (CR2, NEF, PEF, SR2, ORF) Files Support into Vista Photo Gallery

Published August 25, 2008 in Shutterbug and Tips & Tricks. 0 Comments

If you are shooting with your DSLR in RAW without JPG, then quick preview of your RAW files (Canon’s CR2, Nikon’s NEF, Pentax PEF, Sony’s SR2, Olympus’s ORF) is quite inconvenient, unless you have installed any third party viewer.

Thanks to modular design, camera manufacturers can create their RAW image codecs for Windows Vista, which will add RAW file support to the built-in Vista Photo Gallery.

After installing the relevant codecs, the support RAW file can be previewed as thumbnail. Besides, you can also double-click your RAW file, and it will be shown in Photo Gallery, just like any other typical image files.

However, the codec doesn’t provide any image editing support.

Click at the following links to get the relevant RAW codec.

By the way, on a side-note, there’s a new slider called “Clarity” in Photoshop Camera RAW, since version 4.1, which increases mid-tone contrast for selective parts of the image, resulting in a “punchier” image. Personally, I find this extra feature to be very useful. If you don’t see the Clarity slider in your Photoshop Camera RAW, it’s time to consider upgrading the version :)

Fireworks at Putrajaya (Team Canada)

Published August 22, 2008 in Shutterbug. 2 Comments

The Malaysia International Fireworks Competition (MIFC) is back again. On the recent Wednesday, I went to shoot for the fireworks display by Canadian team with some of my The Third Eye kakis.

Fireworks at Putrajaya (Team Canada)

That was the the third session of this year. Final will be held on next Friday, 29 Aug.

Same like last year, even though the fireworks were fired from Putrajaya Seri Gemilang Bridge, but we were not shooting from Putrajaya. But instead, we went to one of the most strategic spots - Cyberjaya Perdana Lakeview.

GPS coordinate: N2 54.631 E101 40.161 (show location map)

Map - Perdana Lakeview Cyberjaya

Before our photography outing, it started raining in PJ and Cyberjaya at around 5pm. This has caught some of our kakis worrying about the possibility for fireworks photography. However, as always, being the optimistic me, I was quite confident that the the rain would not distrupt us. There was still 4 hours before the fireworks display le!

And luckily, luck was on our side. After rain, the lakeside was cooling, very comfortable for our outing.

Quite Disappointing Fireworks Performance by Team Canada

Fireworks at Putrajaya (Team Canada)

Fireworks at Putrajaya (Team Canada)

Fireworks at Putrajaya (Team Canada)

Fireworks at Putrajaya (Team Canada)

Last year, I attended the MIFC for final, presented by Japanese team. That was a great fireworks performance, with many different fireworks formations presented. This time, the performance by Canadian team was quite disappointing.

There was very little variety in the formations of fireworks. All look similar from beginning till the end. Until the middle of the session, most of us were bored, and I stopped shooting, just left my finger standing-by on the shutter.

By the way, for this photography session, I wasn’t using my own camera hahahah. Itchy hand, borrowed Canon 450D from Wai Pei.

Champagne Grapes, Raspberries and Blackberries

Published August 19, 2008 in Food. 2 Comments

Champagne grapes, raspberries and blackberries

Sunday afternoon, it was hot, and this plateful of fruits came in just at the perfect time. My gf spent some time in the kitchen, and came out with these juicy champagne grapes, raspberries and blackberries.

Wah~~ what a berry tea time.

Amongst these fruits, champagne grape is my favorite. They are not to be confused with the grapes to make champagne. Champagne grapes are usually small black grapes without seeds - the smallest of all seedless grapes. So, simply grab a handful of these seedless grapes and stuff into the mouth.. wah~~ heavenly to have a mouthful of juicy grapes yet without seeds.

For these fruits, I got to thank Lee Fang sis (my gf’s second sis) hehe. She dotes on my gf, and these fruits are her typical contribution haaha. So I also directly or indirectly benefiting from this :D

Choosing a Good Pair of Optical Eyewear Lenses

Published August 18, 2008 in My Thoughts. 11 Comments

Though I’m not paid to write this post, but I’m truly passionate to promote the eyewear lens that I’ve been wearing since 9 years ago.

For the past 9 years till now, I’m using Essilor prescription lenses for my spectacles. Why am I so loyal to Essilor lenses, even though the price is slightly above average? Well, simply because of 2 words – superior quality.

Most of the people who are wearing spectacles, I’m sure the majority don’t even bother to find out what exactly the pair of lenses he/she is wearing.

“The shop told me this is multicoated, this is high-index.. that’s all lo..”

Yet the funny thing is, many people seem to be paying different prices for the same specifications – multicoated and high-index, ranging from RM60 to a few hundreds. Aren’t you interested to find out more about the eyewear lenses that directly affect your eyes??

Essilor Products that I’ve Tried

Essilor

Essilor has many brands for various needs. For example:

  • Airwear which provides light, thin and high impact-resistance lenses
  • Transitions which provides photochromic lenses (clear indoors and at night but darken outdoors)
  • Varilux which provides progressive lenses (I still don’t need it yet :p)
  • Crizal, a type of coating innovated by Essilor, which provides no-glare, scratch-resistance and dirt-resistance properties. Crizal is generally available on Airwear, Transitions and Varilux lenses.

Personally, I have satisfying experiences with Airwear and Transitions lenses. As mentioned, these lenses are applied with Crizal coating too.

Essilor Airwear

Essilor AirwearWhen I was wearing Nike Flexon rimless prescription frame, I needed a pair of lenses which must be lightweight, thin and durable. Airwear meets all the requirements, and at the same time the polycarbonate material provides impressive impact-resistance properties.

I was given a piece of Essilor Airwear lens, and a piece of brand X polycarbonate lens, together with a hammer (yes, it was a real hammer). With just an easy smash, the brand X polycarbonate lens was broken. However, to my surprise, I couldn’t break the Airwear lens at all, yes, not at all. After a few smashes, there were scratches on the Airwear lens, but it didn’t break!

Because of the Crizal coating, Airwear lenses are very easy to clean too. Even with smudges, the smooth lens surface makes it extremely easy for cleaning. After years, the lens surface is still as smooth as it was. Continue reading ‘Choosing a Good Pair of Optical Eyewear Lenses’

How to Check Hardware Status and Firmware Version of Your SE P1 and G900?

Published August 12, 2008 in Phones. 2 Comments
Sony Ericsson P1i Whether you’re buying a Sony Ericsson P1i or the latest G900, or simply would like to periodically check the hardware status or firmware version, then you can access the Sony Ericsson service menus to find out hidden gems.

If you’re buying a new phone, the service menus can help you to confirm if the main hardware components are working correctly.

Access P1i Service Menus
scroll up, *, scroll down, scroll down, *, scroll down, *

Access G900 Service Menus
right, *, left, left, * left, *

What Are in Service Menus?

The most important interfaces in service menus are service information and service tests. Service information menu will tell you the version of PDA software, phone software, Bluetooth software and CDA running in your phone. These are the components determining the localized features available to software of a region (such as text input), and the version number will reveal how updated your firmware is.

On the other hand, the service tests menu has a number of quick and easy hardware tests to confirm the hardware component status, whether they are working properly. Examples of test available are display, camera, touch screen, keyboard, speaker and etc.

Periodically, I would access and run the service tests to check the hardware status (make myself more comfortable :p)

These are the links to listing of UIQ3 CDA and firmware available for:

If you find enough reasons to upgrade your phone CDA or firmware, you may refer to the guide here.

Tweet to Twitter from Mobile

Published August 8, 2008 in Internet, Phones and Web Applications. 1 Comment

Twitter Bird by Darkmotion
by Darkmotion@flickr

This post is inspired by LiewCF’s “7 ways to tweet”.

Ever since I’ve started mini blogging (or more specifically mobile status broadcasting :p) with Twitter, the need for me to tweet from mobile has soon been realized. The need for mobile tweeting became significantly obvious, especially when I was traveling for Peninsula trip convoy.

In fact, mobile tweeting has made mobile blogging easy! Simply by showing the latest tweets in my blog, I can easily update my blog with short messages that describe my life, without the hustle of writing a comprehensive post with proper content structure and titles. Check out my Twitter updates at twitter.com/tiensoon

So what’s my most preferred way to achieve mobile tweeting with my Sony Ericsson P1i?

There are many apps out there that allow you to tweet from mobile phone. But hey… I’m not going to tell you all the options available; instead, sharing experience on approaches that I’m most comfortable with.

Twitter Mobile

To me, this (m.twitter.com) is the most convenient and least interruptive medium to follow my buddies’ tweets. When I feel like checking out my friends’ statuses when I’m on mobile, simply open my phone browser (provided I’m in a 3G, GPRS or WiFi zone) and I’ll be signed on to Twitter Mobile – a simplified light weight interface showing the latest 20 tweets, and a text field to post my tweet.

The interface is so light weight that, I don’t need to really matter much about the amount of data transferred. It wouldn’t burn my phone bill hahaha Continue reading ‘Tweet to Twitter from Mobile’

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