1 Feb

Long Exposure Photography

Posted by lukeintas in Photography. Tagged: , , , .

After seeing some of the excellent long exposure photographs taken by a fellow Tasmanian (well, I’m sort of Tasmanian after 16 years here), Alex Wise, I was inspired to give it a go myself.

Long exposure photographs involve using a neutral density filter on the front of the camera lens. This cuts down on the amount of light entering the lens, but without affecting the colour of the image. As a consequence the camera’s shutter must be left open longer to capture the same amount of light as it would have without the filter. This in turn results in photographs with blurred motion for elements that move (e.g. water, clouds, etc) and the resulting photographs have a markedly different look to those taken with fast shutter speeds.

My first step on this journey was to get myself a B+W #110 neutral density filter. This particular filter cuts the amount of light entering the lens by 10 f-stops. Possessing the filter I then went off to take my first test shot:

Although it may not be obvious at first, the water in this shot appears smooth as a consequence of the longer shutter speed capturing the motion of the water of the period of the longer exposure (30 seconds in this case). To see what the scene really looked like, checkout the below photograph, which was taken without the filter, and a consequently faster shutter speed of 1/60th of a second:

With the filter having only just arrived this week I haven’t had any more of a chance to play with it, but I’m looking forward to getting some more practice. I’m also considering whether I also need to get a graduated filter to go with it—that is, one that is dark at the top and fades out to clear at the bottom. The advantage of such a filter is that it would allow for better overall exposure of sunset/sunrise photographs, where the sky is often brighter than the foreground. In the mean time I might have to try my hand at some HDR, like in the following (knocked-up) effort, combining two images with different exposures to get a correctly exposed sky and foreground:

31 Jan

Newspapers a Killer App for iPad

Posted by lukeintas in Apple, Photography. Tagged: , , , .

I re-watched the iPad keynote today with Deearne, and it struck me that newspapers (and magazines) really are a killer app for the iPad.

During the keynote an app for viewing the New York Times was demoed. While watching this is struck me how frustrated I get with buying/reading the newspaper where I live. If I get the newspaper delivered, half the time it arrives after I leave for work. If I buy it on my way to work it can sometimes be painful if I don’t have the right change, and lining up when I might be running late is annoying. Not to mention that if I get the paper on my way to the office, it often occurs that I get too busy there to read it. And although newspapers these days all have web sites, they are usually a cut-down version of what you get in the printed edition.

What I’d love is a full version of my local newspaper that I could download to the iPad when I want to read it. If I could get this I’d buy an iPad, despite my comments yesterday, and would buy the downloadable content from the newspaper publishers as well (are you listening newspaper publishers—I don’t reckon I’m alone in being prepared to pay for an electronic copy of the full paper).

I’d guess the situation is similar for many magazine purchasers. The form factor of the iPad would appear to make it an excellent reading device, something which most desktop and laptop computers aren’t. The ability to download content whenever you want, and wherever you are, also makes it much more compelling than the printed editions.

For now I guess I’ll just have to wait, but to me devices like the iPad would appear to be the future of periodical publishing.

30 Jan

My Thoughts on the iPad

Posted by lukeintas in Apple, Tech. Tagged: , , , , , .

My verdict

I like it.

It seems to me that most mobile computer users are consumers of information. They want to surf the web, check their email, watch/listen/read media, or give a presentation. Very few actually create much content (with the exception of emails, which are generally pretty short). Consequently the iPad is exactly the type of mobile computer these users need.

This however assumes that an individual’s mobile computer is a 2nd computer. For techie people like me this is a non-issue. I have no issues owning a desktop and a portable computer, and in fact create enough content that I couldn’t get by with just a portable computer (regardless of the form factor), as a full-size keyboard, mouse and large screen are important to me. But many casual computer users want one device to do it all, and for them I don’t think the iPad is the solution—instead they’ll most likely opt for a notebook.

So will I get one? Probably not (for me). I think I use my notebook for more content creation and heavy lifting than many mobile users. I take it to work every day, and use it for many tasks for which my own software is better suited than what is available on the corporate network; for storage of all of my work-related content; and like the multi-tasking capability when I’m using it effectively as my main computer. Plus, when I travel I like to be able to edit my photos and video, as well as being able to video-chat to home.

For Deearne though, the iPad is probably the perfect computer. Her computer use consists almost exclusively of surfing the web (mostly facebook), email, and playing the odd game. As a consequence she rarely uses our desktop, and instead tries to do it all on her iPhone, especially as her casual usage means she wants to do these things from the lounge or bed, instead of having to go to the study. Plus the media capabilities of the iPad mean she’ll likely extend her computer use to the consumption of eBooks and more video.

Which Model?

The question for us then is which model: the Wi-Fi version or the Wi-Fi+3G version?

Being that the primary uses of a device like the iPad involve accessing the Internet, the 3G option seems highly desirable as it offers that connectivity everywhere. But the 3G option also adds the additional cost of a data plan, which in reality won’t get a huge amount of use when Deearne would largely use the device at home, especially given she already has an iPhone. But although she won’t take the iPad to work, she would want to take it when she visits her parents, and possibly when we go on holidays.

In addition to cost (extra for the 3G functionality and the data plan) the other issue with 3G on the iPad is that in regional areas of Australia it will only work with Telstra. 3G connectivity on the iPad supports 850/1900/2100MHz. With Telstra this is fine as their NextG network uses the 850MHz band everywhere, but both Optus and Vodafone use 2100MHz in metropolitan areas and 900MHz in regional areas. So for many places we visit, including Deearne’s parents, 3G would only be available with Telstra, who historically aren’t particularly cheap.

That being the case—unless Telstra offer a really competitive pre-paid data plan for the iPad—the Wi-Fi version looks like it will likely be the best option for us. Especially as I already have a pre-paid USB modem for my notebook, and also have a 3G/WiFi router I can connect it to for use in locations where we are likely to stop, like hotels or Deearne’s parents’ place. Plus, the option of devices like the MiFi make the Wi-Fi-only version more widely connectable.

For those without a smartphone though, I think the 3G model would be more compelling.

eBooks

There are still a range of things we don’t know about the iPad, but the ones I’m most interested in have to do with eBooks.

I’ve been a reader of eBooks for a while, mostly with Palm Reader/eReader on Palm, Windows Mobile and iPhone OS devices, but also with Microsoft Reader from when I briefly owned an iPaq (I tried Adobe’s offering in the early days, but found it clunky and never went back). eBooks are great in that you can buy them without having to travel to the bookshop, meaning you can get them anytime, but lack one of the great advantages of paper books—the ability to lend them to other people.

No doubt Apple’s eBook implementation will have some form of DRM attached, but hopefully they will consider this and provide the ability to loan books to other iPad users. For me, this functionality is critical to garner wider acceptance of eBooks, and providing it could also be a driver to encourage more people to buy iPads.

I’m also hoping, given I probably won’t get an iPad myself, that the iBooks app finds its way to the iPone as well.

What’s Missing

In the end, the iPad is more like an up-sized iPod touch than a cut-down notebook. Accepting that, and realising the device is aimed at consumption rather than creation, it is a pretty full-featured device.

Still, there are a couple of features I think would have made it more compelling, especially to users like me. Of these the two most desirable would have been a front-facing camera for video-chat support and multi-tasking.

No doubt Apple’s decision not to support multi-tasking is based on the same reasoning the iPhone doesn’t (performance and power consumption). For most users of the device this doesn’t pose a major issue, especially given the usage model and work-arounds like push notification, but the lack of multi-tasking is what hobbles effective instant messaging, and in turn limits the value of a front facing camera.

The current device though is still pretty awesome, and I’m sure will sell amazingly well.

3 Jan

From My Back Deck

Posted by lukeintas in Photography. Tagged: , .

A bit random, but the other night I was sitting at home watching a movie when I happened to look out the window and notice the rather dramatic scene of the mountain and river caused by the setting sun. Being a wannabe photographer I quickly grabbed my camera and tripod and fired off a few shots. The below is a composition of two of them, in what I suppose is a very mild HDR image:

Mountain

For those who are interested, there is a larger version (on black) available here.

20 Dec

Day/Nighter Cricket

Posted by lukeintas in video. Tagged: , , .

An annual tradition at my work is the Day/Nighter—a full day and night end-of-year function to reward the troops for all their hard work through they year. This year the Day/Nighter had a ‘Hollywood’ theme, which required everyone to be suitably attired for the office cricket match held between breakfast and lunch. The video below shows a couple of the highlights from the match.

1 Dec

Sydney Video & SD Buyers Remorse

Posted by lukeintas in Travel, video. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

In anticipation of our trip to Africa in March I just got myself a new video camera after my old Canon MV630i stopped working recently. Only having a 720p television, and being unable to tell the difference between SD and HD footage on it, I figured I didn’t need a HD video camera, and that a widescreen SD version would be just fine. Especially seeing the frequency with which I take video footage means I couldn’t really justify spending around $1,000 on a HD camera. So in the end I got myself a Canon Legria FS200 (why I went flash memory as opposed to DV is a whole ‘nother story).

After getting the new camera I took it away with me to Sydney a couple of weeks ago, and this week I did some quick editing in iMovie to produce the below:

It’s not the best camera work or the most sophisticated or artful editing, but the point of the exercise was just to get familiar with the camera and start learning how to use iMovie ‘09. However, the thing that struck me while editing the footage is the apparent low resolution of the video footage—especially when compared to the still photos included in the edited movie (which of course were taken with a much higher resolution still camera)—although, to be fair, the concert footage wasn’t taken with the camcorder, but with an IXUS 80 IS (which only does SD in 4:3). So now, after what I thought was careful consideration, I’m questioning my decision to buy an SD camcorder?

Perhaps a better option for me, especially considering I don’t do a lot of video, would have been to get a compact still camera that also does HD video? For the price I paid for my SD camcorder I could have picked myself up something like the Canon IXUS 200 IS, the equivalent of which is reviewed here by Lisa Bettany. This is what I have just advised my sister to do for an upcoming overseas trip, so I’ll be interested to see how she goes.

So the moral of the story for all you potential camcorder purchases is not to underestimate the value of HD, even if like me you can’t really tell the difference on your TV set.

28 Nov

Henry Likes it Like That

Posted by lukeintas in video. Tagged: , .

Recently I’ve been poking fun at Jill over her claims that her 11-week old son (and my godson) likes Guy Sebastian’s new song. After getting some video of Henry on my iPod this week I put this video together for them:

22 Nov

Africa Here We Come

Posted by lukeintas in Travel. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

For a long time Deearne has wanted to go to Africa to play with lion cubs for her 40th birthday. Well, the planning is almost complete and come March next year we’ll be doing exactly that.


View Larger Map

The plan is to fly from Australia to Johannesburg, where we’ll overnight at the Mondior Concorde Hotel, before flying on to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. From there we transfer by road to the Chobe Safari Lodge in Botswana.

While in Chobe we’ll do game drives and a Chobe River cruise with a view to seeing as many African animals in the wild as possible. However our chances of seeing any big cats here is relatively slim. After a couple of days in Chobe we road transfer back to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe where we’ll stay at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge.

In Victoria falls we have our first lion encounter with an excursion to the Masuwe estate. Here we get to spend an hour-and-a-half walking with two to three lion cubs aged from 3 to 16 months. In addition to the lion encounter we’ve also organised a guided tour of Victoria Falls—the largest curtain of falling water in the world—and a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River to see more animals in the wild.

From Victoria Falls we fly back to Johannesburg and then on to Port Elizabeth, on the south coast of South Africa. There we’ll be staying at the Beach Hotel from where we plan to visit the Seaview Game & Lion Park for our second lion encounter. Here we’re hoping to be able to play with some young lion cubs, and at this stage they should have some 4-month-old cubs around the time we are there.

From Port Elizabeth it’s then back to Johannesburg for another overnight stay before flying on to Mauritius for a week of rest and relaxation at The Sands Resort. So far we don’t have a lot planned for the Mauritius leg of our trip, other than the pool/beach, but we’ll probably take at least one outing to Cascavelle for another lion encounter at Safari Adventures Mauritius.

From Mauritius we then head home on a very long flight via Perth and Melbourne, but no doubt worth it for the experiences we’ll have had.

21 Nov

The Blog Dilemma

Posted by lukeintas in Web. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Old BlogFor quite a while now I’ve been neglecting my blog. With the growth of facebook (in particular) and twitter personal blogs seem to have become a thing of the past. If you don’t have something to share with the masses, then social networking sites really do seem to be a better way to share with your friends, especially friends who aren’t techo nerds.

But the social networking sites don’t really allow you to tell stories in the way that a blog does either. facebook might have ‘notes’, but the functionality just isn’t quite the same.

So having decided there is a benefit to maintaining a blog I have just created this new WordPress-hosted blog to, hopefully, overcome the other reason I’d neglected my blog—that being my previous blogging software and hosting. Previously I’d been using an application called RapidWeaver to maintain my blog, which was published to my MobileMe account. RapidWeaver is an excellent web site creation tool, but as my blog became larger it was harder to publish—RapidWeaver blogs are made up of static pages, rather than drawing on a database to store the posts. As a result, when publishing a new entry it was necessary to republish every existing entry, which was a fairly clumsy exercise. But with no database or php support on MobileMe my only other alternative was iWeb, which shares issues that limit the spontaneity of posting.

These issues made me realise I needed a database-powered blog, and preferably one that facilitated spontaneous posting. Having looked at some of the available options (e.g. WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, Squarespace) I’ve decided on WordPress for the time being. This decision was based mainly on cost (I’m still paying for MobileMe), features (e.g. ability to have additional non-blog pages, flexibility in the layout of blog entries, and blog comments), and the ability to post more spontaneously (from the web, my iPhone, or from a native OS X application—I’m testing out Blogo at the moment).

The test now will be whether I maintain this new blog or whether it also falls into disuse (for the time being my old blog can be found here—I’ve yet to decide whether to try and migrate my old posts).