29 May Fast And Slow – The Hare And The Tortoise In The Studio
Move over Mr. Aesop - we're going to do science, not fables...
May 2017
26 May Melbourne – A Photographer’s Smorgasbord
If you were to visit one capital city in Australia to immerse yourself in photographically then Melbourne would be my first choice hands down. Much of the character of the city centre can be attributed to Robert Hoddle who in 1837 planned the layout of the streets in the original Melbourne City Centre and has become known as the Hoddle Grid. Today the City Centre is home to Melbourne’s famed alleyways and maze of arcades along with its distinct blend of contemporary and Victorian architecture all this is encompassed by beautifully maintained parks and gardens. The inner city has one of the best public transport systems in Australia incorporating the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop, trams run down all the main streets and out to St Kilda, ferries dock along the northbank of the Yarra at Federation Wharf and there is a water taxi service to Melbourne and Olympic Parks. All this makes for easy and cheap access to all the best locations for your photography. Staying in Melbourne is easy there is heaps of accommodation ranging from backpackers to quirky...
26 May Canadian Wilderness – A Travel Tale By Stan Davies
CANADIAN WILDERNESS If you want an Indiana Jones experience, then a trip to the north of the Hudson Bay in search of the elusive Musk Oxen will have you transported in time. Following the long flight to Montreal via Vancouver, the real adventure begins. From Montreal a 3 hour flight on First Air - an Inuit owned and operated airline - will have you alighting in the remote settlement of Kuujjuaq. Here your legendary guide Tundra Tom meets you and briefs you on the upcoming adventure. From here we head out to a tent campsite approximately 80 km north of Kuujjuaq that will be accessed by floatplane. Tommy May the bush pilot knows this region like the back of his hand and after an exciting take off from the lake we are soon over the tundra landscape spotted with hundreds of freshwater lakes. Several Musk Oxen herds are spotted on route to our campsite. The landing is sensational as Tommy descends onto the lake and taxis to our landing. The supplies and camera gear are unloaded and we move into our...
26 May Hype, Happiness, and Hahnemühle
We've sold Hahnemühle paper for years at Camera Electronic but oddly enough have rarely used it in our shop printers. The reasons are simple - economics and operational expedience - Hahnemühle paper is expensive in comparison with standard Ilford inkjet material and the small-scale signage that the Stirling Street shop has needed could be done with A4 Galerie Smooth Pearl. Plus the Epson printers that we have used in the shop to crank out the signs have suitable profiles inside them for the Ilford product. The fact that we use the Epson paper profiles for the Ilford Galerie is neither here nor there - a similar description in the printing menu of Photoshop Elements gets a very similar result, and you don't need to be Picasso to make a " Buy More Stuff " sign in black and white with Gill Sans lettering...
25 May The Camera Makers That Keep On Giving
The bottom line in any sales consultation is the bottom line…* In this respect the new graphite Fujifilm X-Pro2 camera with the matching graphite 23mm f:2 lens have somewhat more of a bottom than the same model camera in black with a black lens. About $ 415 more. In both cases the combo is going to set you back over $ 3000. While these are the prices that have come straight off the regular CE catalogue - it is worthwhile doing a daily check of any specials that are going or promotions coming in the future. And when the Fujifilm people decide to have a little fit of the cashbacks you can benefit substantially…though it must be said that you cannot expect a hot selling item to hit the cash back list quickly. Can you spend that kind of money? Can you look at it spread over the next few years and see the benefit? I can see that benefit…because with Fujifilm the value of the devices continues long after other manufacturers have abandoned their products. You see, Fujifilm has perfected the art...
24 May Sorry To Drone On About This…
That is not exactly just a bad pun - I have already commented upon the DJI drone announcement in a different weblog column. But I've been asked to give a more authoritative version of it here on the Camera Electronic page - a note was sent to us by the importers of the DJI drone systems - and the details may well concern a number of the shop's customers. Here's an brief outline: DJI have sent word that they are going to introduce a new activation process for international customers ( I take that to mean everyone outside of China, where the devices are made.) It will apply to currently-owned drones as well as ones purchased in the future. You will be required to send log-in information to the company in relation to update with a new version of DJI GO or GO4 app. This involves you having internet connection on your mobile phone or tablet to do this. The reason stated by DJI is that your drone needs to have the correct geospatial information and to be governed by geofencing bondaries and altitude limits. If you don't...
24 May Fujifilm X-Pro2 – Their Style In Your Own Hands
The X-Pro series of cameras from Fujifilm have been taking pictures long enough for people to have had time to decide whether they like them or not. Of course for the photographers bound to another system or another philosophy of shooting, they may only be of peripheral interest. Nevertheless the features they carry are enough to get debates started, and perhaps to suggest to others that THEIR manufacturer of choice might be lobbied to incorporate them. I don’t know how closely the other large Japanese or German manufacturers monitor feedback from their users, but I suspect Fujifilm do keep a close eye on what is written and an open ear for the photo-talk. Well, away from speculation, here are the things I most enjoy about this new X-Pro 2 camera - remember that I own the previous model of the line: a. Gosh, it looks wonderful. You’ve read the gush two columns back so I needn’t repeat it here. b. The card slots - slots, note - are accessible from the side of the camera. Hooray and up she rises! This is a vast improvement...
23 May The New 23mm Champion
Okay - our last column praised the aesthetics of the new Fujifilm X-Pro2 in the graphite finish. The lens only got a passing mention, but as many of the readers have discovered, many cameras function better with lenses mounted on them...
22 May Just Glorious Graphite
“ Just Glorious ” is not the sort of thing that you generally want to read in a photographic analysis column. Figures on sensor size and density, autofocus speeds and EVF refresh rates, MTF charts…all these are the meat and drink of the avid internet reader. “ Just Glorious “ is the sort of language that you expect from a travel writer or music reviewer. But you’re getting it here based upon several factors; the appearance and the function of this Fujifilm camera have called it forth. It’s not a fresh chassis - the Fujifilm X-Pro2 has been with us for several months now - long enough to garner the first of its Fujifilm ‘ kaizen ‘ firmware updates. I have no idea whether the camera that I got to use in the Little Studio is running on those updates or not, but I can report that it is running magnificently by all means. I’m not entirely unfamiliar with the brand, nor of the lineage - I own and use a Fujifilm X-Pro1 for lots of things. I can find my way around...
19 May How To Take A Selfie
Step One: Find a suitable location. Picking a spot to take your own picture can be easy or hard - but it always reflects upon you when you show the result to others. We have all seen the pre-ball, pre-dance show, or pre-wedding selfie taken in the hallway, broom closet, or toilets. No matter how wonderful the occasion or stunning the outfit, it never looks good with a background of a mop and bucket or an open stall door. National monuments, scenic wonders, and iconic locations make for a better deal, even if you are bobbing away in the middle of a harbour while you are doing it. Step Two: Hold the camera away from yourself. If you hold it close, you may get a picture of you ( and in many cases this is really the center of attraction for you...