Fuji FinePix x100 - The perfect walk-around camera?

The new (not yet in the US) Fuji x100 camera has enthusiast and professional photographers chomping at the bit. I preordered mine from B&H Photo and I'm dying in anticipation of its arrival. This camera will provide high end SLR quality and control, in a light weight all in one package. There are a few similar options out there, but not one with all these features, such as the hybrid viewfinder, dials for all the manual controls, APS-C (large) sensor, and a classic look which is just gorgeous!

This camera will cost as much as an SLR with similar lens, or even a micro 4/3 with similar lens and viewfinder, so it's no break in price. But if you know what you are doing with a camera, the Fuji x100 is the camera to have when you don't want to look like a pro, or carry the weight of a full SLR kit.

My next best choice is the Olympus E-PL1 or 2 with a Panasonic 20mm 1.7 lens.

I'll post more about it once I get it. My wife took over the E-PL1 I had, but I'm not letting her take this one!

Handling Y-Cam Security Camera files on my FTP server

The y-cam is generating hundreds of files a day. The files are very small (about 65K) but they become a mess to keep organized. To handle this I have developed a solution. It's still a work in progress and is not fully implemented, but here is what it does:

Every night at midnight my Ubuntu server will:

• Clear a temp folder
• Move all the pictures to the temp folder
• Renumber the pictures in sequential order
• Convert the pictures to an MP4 time lapse video
• Email the video to my gmail account

I have two cameras so this process will happen for each camera. It takes less than a minute to complete the process. This gets the videos off site (gmail), and keeps the surveillance organized.

As I said, this is a work in progress. I don't actually have the script running automatically. Right now it does everything from end to end, except renumber the pictures. The Y-Cam has an option to automatically number the images sequentially, but it doesn't start over. I had hoped that the y-cam would start over once the folder was cleared.

Security Camera Follow-up

I purchased a y-cam knight. It's just like the y-cam black except it is white. The knight offers Wifi and Cat5 connectivity, night vision with IR leds, web based interface and management, motion detection, automatic sending of pictures to email, ftp, etc, and more. The Y-cam costs about $260 and has an optional outdoor enclosure for $100 more. You can not simply aim this through a window because once the night vision turns on, the camera is blinded by glare.

I created an account on my FTP server which the knight logs into to upload pictures any time it detects movement. This has been working well and it gives me something to look back on.

I also purchased the Axis M101 to do a comparison. In general the axis cameras are more expensive, but they are supposed to be good cameras. However after some testing I have determined the axis is harder to tune as far as motion detection goes and has a worse picture. For the most part, it sends to the FTP server just the same.

Y-cam has also released a new Y-Cam bullet model which is supposedly even better at night, and comes in an outdoor weather proof enclosure. The bullet itself is smaller than the y-cam knight in the outdoor enclosure, but it has a rather thick bundle of cables which you will have a hard time getting through a wall. I have installed one of these at my parents house and it is working well.

What I like most about having cameras is I can check the status of my house at a moments notice via my iphone. I can see if my wife is home, or if the handy man has arrived. I can also sleep easier knowing that if anything happens I have a picture of it.

Next time I will discuss some of the home grown solutions I am putting in place on my FTP server to handle the hundreds of files I am generating daily.

How to keep your eye balls

This is something new I've started doing to all my cameras. Fast and simple. All my camera straps seem to have about an inch of strap which tends to poke my eye when I rotate the camera. Ouch. I know this sounds silly, but it happens.

Finally it frustrated me enough. I grabbed my Gaffers tape and went to work. For a 2 second fix, I don't know why I didn't do it earlier.

Here is a picture of the fix.


BTW: if you don't have any gaffers tape, buy some now. It's the best stuff in the world. It tears easy so you don't need scissors, its super strong like duct tape, and it's removable and reusable without leaving a residue. Duct tape used to be my tape of choice, but not any more.

Loving my new camera... Olympus E-PL1

My friend ditched his rebel and bought an Olympus Pen. I told him he was crazy. Then he started a blog about his camera (Though he is slow to add content sometimes). His images looked great with no editing.

So life goes on and I buy a Canon s90 for my 'casual' shooting. My problem was although the s90 provides the best image you can get in that pocket size, I am too used to SLR quality. I was never happy. Finally I am at a shoot and another photographer was using a Leica Point and Shoot. It got me excited when he touted the quality. However after some research it's no better than the s90 unless you get the $2000 fixed focal length P&S leica. My wife would kill me.

Well after a lot of research, Micro 4/3 options ended up being the best option. Noise, image quality, hot shoe, it's all there. There was a trade in size, as it's not as micro as it sounds, but still not an SLR. Here is a picture of the Micro 4/3 camera with kit lens vs. a 30D with 50mm 1.4


As you can see, I went out and bought the camera right away. This has the wife pissed at me, but at least I'm not dead. I had to look for a while to find the Olympus E-PL1 camera locally. It's hard to find right now, in fact all micro 4/3 stuff seems to be hard to get so don't expect any deals, even online. I checked dozens of stores and only Ritz of all places had one in stock.

The quality of the camera's images are great. I don't want to post process this kind of casual shooting, I just want to take pictures. I also don't believe in getting a lot of lenses for this camera as that would destroy the portability. However I do plan to get a lens that I will leave on somewhat permanently (the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7) This lens is even smaller than the lens above and with a lens this fast I should not need any flash.

The E-PL1 has it's downsides, no view finder, no knobs and dials for fast adjustment, not yet compatable with adobe, etc. However it does have Image Stabilization in body, outstanding image right out of the camera, and a low cost (relative).

Well, I'm cutting this off as I always ramble. Here is a link to some sample pictures.

How to control the orange.

When photographing indoors we are faced with many challenges. One of those challenges is low lighting. This is where the flash comes in. However this flash presents another challenge... Orange backgrounds.

Various lights output different colors. Florescent lights output green, and your typical incandescent light bulb puts out orange. The flash on your camera is designed to be closer to natural daylight, but even that is variable.

So when you take a picture using flash in a room with a lamp, you have to make a choice. The surfaces being lit by the lamp can look orange, or the surfaces lit by the flash can look blue. If your camera is set to auto, it will automatically favor the flash.

So how do I fix it?

• Use one type of light.
• Turn off the lamps and just use flash (the space that would have appeared orange will now be close to black.)
• Turn off the flash and just use the lamps. You will need a good fast lens and high ISO settings.
• Make the flash match the lamps
• You can put orange plastic on top of the flash to make it match the lamp color. Then you force the camera to use tungsten (usually a little light bulb icon) The orange plastic sheet is called a gel.

If you are dealing with florescent lights all the same applies but you will use a green gel instead.

Here is a photograph of my flash with the Gel on it.


I made the gel myself. (sorta) I bought the plastic in a large sheet. I cut it to fit and I put Velcro on it.

Here is a photo of how I store my gel so it is always ready to go.


That's it. When I need it, I put the Gel over the front of the flash. On my flash I have a velcro strap for attaching accessories. Its not glued to the flash so it is easily removed if needed.

There are many more pictures showing my equipment here including close-ups of the gels, and other configurations.

Stay tuned. Over the next several days I am posting practical photography tips.

Security Camera Recommendations

There have been some break-ins in a few neighborhoods around my house. Mostly just smash and grabs with stuff left in cars. My Wife had her ipod stolen and a dvd player two years ago, so I have been personally affected.

Since then I have been on the look out for outdoor security cameras which have a decent image at night and don't cost a fortune. I've not been happy with many of the options I have found but after quite a bit of research I have narrowed it down to two cameras.

Both cameras are capable for outdoors. Both can perform at night. Though the Panasonic may need SOME light from a porch light.

Panasonic bb-hcm531
Offers Pan/Tilt controls.
Power Over Ethernet (PoE)
Must buy a PoE adapter or switch
Sample Images: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B000P7X438/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_1?ie=UTF8&index=1


Y-Cam Black - $269 or $999 for 4
http://www.y-cam.com/y-cam-black
Wireless networking, just need power.
No Pan/Tilt. Its fixed
IR LED for night illumination
Must buy outdoor housing for $99 more per camera.
Sample Live Camera here: http://ycam3.dtdns.net:8150/en/login.asp
Login is guest Password guest


At this point I don't see the need for pan tilt because once it's set there should be little reason to move it. I've looked for other options but with the low light requirement and outdoor mounting you can't get much better image wise without spending at least $1200.

The cameras can serve the video themselves over the internet, but I'm going to try to use ZoneMinder. A free security application which can control multiple cameras.

As of now, I'm going to buy the Y-Cam Black because it seems to be easier to install and has a true night vision mode. The pan and tilt just isn't that important for what I need. To install the Y-Cam properly you should run the power cable through the soffet(sp) and in the attic run an outlet from the nearest junction box. I'm thinking of avoiding ladders and just mounting it outside a window and run the power through the window. We'll see.

The big photography question.

I have many people ask me what they should buy for a digital SLR or for a lens. If you are new to SLR photography or if you care about your budget, I recommend the Canon Rebel XSi.

Why Canon?
Because they are generally cheaper than the other manufacturers. Sure you can get a good deal on a body from other manufacturers but you will start to pay for it later when you want to expand. Another benefit from using Canon is more choices. Canon has more lens options and accessories than any other manufacturer.

Why a Rebel XSi?
If you are bothering to ask what to get, it means you don't know what you need. Until you know you need a very specific feature and you know you will actually use that feature, don't buy it. The easiest thing you can do is over buy on the body and skimp on the lens. Don't buy a Canon 50D or 5DII if you don't know what truly makes it different in a practical manner. Your pictures will NOT look better and your wallet will be much lighter. The other rule is don't get sucked into megapixels. 3 Megapixels can make a decent 8x10 and after 5 megapixels it will be hard to tell the difference between that and an 8x10 from a similar quality 22 megapixel camera. The rebel XSi is an outstanding camera. It's pictures will look just as good as the pictures from a 50D or a 5DII which is why the others are a waste.

Video?
I don't buy still cameras for video and I don't buy video cameras to take stills. These cameras aren't made for that. The controls and handling are messy, memory is limited, and battery life won't hold up the same. In the end, I just say don't buy camera x because the manufacturer also decided to put video into it. There are videography enthusiasts who buy some of the recent SLRs just to use them for video. But those people are buying only for the video and not the still. It's different, they have a very specific need and they have researched enough to know how one of these SLRs will help them and in which ways they will hinder them.

Which lens?
If you have the money (because you decided to save money and buy the XSi) I would put money into the lens. The first thing a beginner wants out of an SLR is super telephoto zoom. They see some gigantic lenses on an SLR and assume that they really 'zoom' in. This is not always the case. Lenses get bigger as their 'quality' improves. They also start to cost a fortune! Either way, here are some recommendations:
If you don't have extra money, just stick with the kit lens until you have money and know what you are missing.

• Wide Zoom - Canon 10-22
• Standard Zoom - Tamron 28-75mm f2.8
• Telephoto Zoom - Either Canon 70-200 f4 or Tamron 70-200 f2.8

Also popular once you figure out why you need them:

• Canon 50mm 1.8
• Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro
• Canon 85mm 1.8

If these prices scare you, perhaps you should consider staying with a high end point and shoot camera. One of my favorites is the Canon s90. For photographers, all the lenses above are considered inexpensive. Some readers may notice a slight contradiction between my lens recommendations and body recommendations. Yes many people get outstanding pictures from the pure consumer lenses like 70-300 or 18-55, etc. However if you really want to do some of the more creative work with photography you need to avoid buying your lenses at big box stores.

Investing:
Also lenses are more of an investment. They don't loose value like a Camera will and you will generally keep them longer than your camera. I have had a lens which I bought for $800, used it for an entire year, and sold it to someone for $750 on ebay. Basically I paid $50 to rent a $800 lens for an entire year. And no it wasn't luck. Lenses can go up in value too. Exception: The cheap kit lenses, ie 70-300, always drop in value the instant you buy them.  Camera bodies always drop in value in relation to how many newer models there are from the same line.

Enjoy your camera.