I was recently asked by a reader if I could do a comparison between the Canon kit lens (EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II), the Canon 50mm "Plastic Fantastic" (EF 50mm 1:1.8 II) and the Canon 40mm pancake (EF 40mm f/2.8) with respect of sharpness. I was a bit curious myself, so I went out and took a few shots. I also included the Tamron 18-270 DI II. Read on for more.
I recently picked up the Nexus 4, and it's the first time I find myself really using a cell phone as a camera. Obviously, a DSLR has better image quality, but just how much better? I compared the Nexus 4 to the Canon 600D (AKA T3i) to find out - and also threw in the the compact point and shoot Olympus TG-310 for good fun.
I have just recently hooked up a dedicated PC to my TV to use it as a media center. This obviously calls for a suitable device to operate it with. I am not ready to ditch the keyboard for a "real" remote just yet, so in order to comfortably control the PC from the couch, I looked at two options: The Logitech K400r and the Plexgear Mediatrack Ergo (AKA MCSaite W9710RF AKA Generic Wireless Trackball Keyboard). Read on for a short review and comparison.
Been a bit busy lately to post much here, reason being me relocating to Sweden. Moving from one country to another is quite a project, but luckily things went (mostly) as planned. The summer in Sweden is beautiful, but also short. Expect to see articles on my experiences with polar bear photography soon. ;)
The free and hopefully fun to use Shiny Icon Maker just learned a new trick: Saving and loading icons. After creating that super-cool icon, maybe you want to save it on the website for later use. And now you can! You can save up to five icons and load them later. Note that the feature uses the LocalStorage in the web browser, so you need to use the same machine and the same web browser to load them later. Try it out!
The Canon 50mm 1.8 "Plastic Fantastic" is an interesting lens. With its sub 100 USD price, basically anyone should pick it up just to see what it's like to shoot with a fast prime. However, since Canon introduced the 40mm 2.8 pancake lens, the 50mm may no longer be the obvious choice for a reasonably priced second lens. I happen to have both now, but which one would I have chosen if I could choose today? Read on for a (subjective) comparison between the two.
I have been using the Canon 50mm more and more lately, mostly because it is small and light, making it easy to carry around. However, the quality of the lens is terrible, even bordering to hazardous. The Canon 40mm 2.8, which is even more compact but offers superior build quality, seemed like a good alternative. Since I just picked this one up, I haven't been shooting with it much yet, but expect a rundown soon. Amazingly, now my DSLR fits into my coat pocket!
If you need a completely random icon, or if you just feel plain bored, I have great news. The Shiny Icon Maker can now generate random icons by the click of a button. Just click "Surprise me!" above the icon preview and a random icon will be generated. Keep clicking until you've found that perfect avatatar, company logo, or whatever. Check it out and have fun!
I was close to missing the deadline for this week's submission, which was "One". Being out with some friends instead and not having the camera with me didn't exactly help either - or so I thought. After loosing at darts, however, I did get an idea, which also reflected my darts skills. When shooting, I had to resort to the cellphone I had with me, an HTC Wildfire S. Being a fan of DSLRs, I was sceptical, but I like how the little camera manages to keep almost everything in focus. The shadows may be noisy, and the left side a bit blurry, but I got the shot and I like it. But don't expect me to ditch the DSLR anytime soon! ;)
I have an external flash gun that I often use when shooting. Using it on the camera is alright, but when you start using it off camera, things really start to get interesting. To trigger the flash remotely, I simply use the built-in pop-up flash of the camera. Problem is, this often causes some unwanted light or shadows from the pop-up flash itself. The solution? An infrared filter. Hold it (or tape it?) in front of the built-in flash and it will filter out almost all visible light, but still trigger the external flash. Works great. Continue reading for some sample shots.
