Konstantin's Adventures

I’m going to start a new segment on here since I’ve just been posting pictures lately. This will be a wrap up of anything photo related that happened in the previous week.

The folks at Montreal-based Pheromone Lab designed a Lego robot whose main function was to automate photo-taking on the iPad 2. Yes, you probably could use a software tool like UI Automation for the task, but that’s no fun. Gizmodo

A Dad Photoshopped Ewoks Into His Family Pictures to Convince His Kids Ewoks Were Real Gizmodo

Scientists use brain imaging to reveal the movies in our mind Berkeley

The world’s smallest camera finally hits the US Engadget

Canon’s Gigantic 8-Inch CMOS Sensor Now Shooting Meteors at 60FPS Canon

My ever-expanding camera bag has inspired me to write up my current collection of gear.  What started as 1 camera and 1 lens has grown exponentially over the last few months.  Here’s everything I currently have:

So lets start with the cameras:

• Canon T1i
• Canon Rebel G
  • Great film starter camera, not enough flexibility and control for pros.
• Canon A2
  • Since I got the 1N, this has become my backup.  But it is still a great all around camera.
• Canon 1N
  • This is now my go-to for film.  Has well laid out controls and the construction is really sturdy.  It’s a bit bulkier than the A2, but not too bad.

The lenses:

• Canon EF-S 18-55 mm f3.5-5.6 IS
  • Kit lens with the T1i.  Used maybe twice to test it out.
• Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II
  • Great portrait lens on the T1i. Really lightweight and super sharp.
• Canon EF 28 – 80mm f3.5-5.6 II
  • Kit lens with the Rebel G.  Barely used, but seems sharp.
• Canon EF 28 – 135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM
  • This is my all around lens.  It’s a workhorse, is super quiet, and fast.

So there it is.  That’s all of the camera equipment that I use.  Right now, I’m working on building a lighting setup so I’ll keep you posted.

So I decided to order another tripod that I could use for studio work.  After much deliberation and reading a ton of reviews online, I decided to go with the Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head.  It’s cheap and seems to be sturdy.  You can find it on Amazon for under $50.

I’m going to do a full review of it after using it for some time.  For now I’ll just give some thoughts on it.

So my first impression of it:

• Very sturdy – made of aluminum and has some heft to it.
• Good Height – I’m not tall by any stretch, but a lot of tripods make me hunch down to shoot, I can shoot at eye-level with this one
• Accessory hook – can weight it down to reduce shake
• Fully adjustable legs – 4 sections on legs to adjust height
• Great ball head – locks into place pretty tightly and stays there
• Padded bag – Comes with a padded bag to transport.  This alone costs about $50 with manfrotto

So after 1 day of use, great tripod.  I’ll write up a full review after using it for some time.

Here’s a link to the tripod: Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head

Canon announced a new flagship model to it’s line of cameras. It’s been a while since the 1D has gotten a revision.

The 1.3 crop factor camera is getting 1080p video recording and an incredible low light shooting mode. The ISO goes up to 102,400, that’s right 102,400. That’s about 100 times more than any previous Canon SLR camera.

Other new features include:

Dual Digic 4 processors allowing for continuous shooting at 10fps.

New 45 point AF system

And a whole bunch of other goodies.

Check out the full post for the press release:
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Well it appears that Polaroid was just playing possum.  They have decided to bring back their lines of instant films.  They have struck a 5 year licensing deal.

Long live the Polaroid format!
Follow the link to read the whole press release.
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