GX GARNERINGS

^President Obama aboard Air Force One ^Durham, North Carolina. May 1940. Jack Delano, photographer. "At the bus station." We, the world, have come a long way. The old photographs were taken by photographers working for the Farm Security Administration Historical Section (later transferred to the Office of War Information) of the US Government.  They were encouraged to document continuity and change in many aspects of life in America during the years the unit was in operation.   ^President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama meet Queen Elizabeth II April 1, 2009, during their visit to Buckingham Palace. ^Memphis, Tennessee. October 1939. Marion Post Wolcott, photographer. "Second-hand clothing stores and pawn shop on Beale Street During those days of yore, these photographers were particularly encouraged to photograph billboards and signs as one indicator of such developments. Although no documentation has been found to indicate that ...

Go there to see the stunts performed by brave photographers risking the sand storm with their cameras in Sydney.

^A young macho butcher leans on the bench in a rather girlie posture.  The wet market is a convenient shooting location which affords you chances to get good results. Many fellow photographers prefer shooting in unfamiliar settings which they believe can better ignite creativity.  Contrary to this belief, good photographic themes and actually many great photographs originate from where people are familiar with.  The reason is that familiarity enriches the image with a stronger affection. Here are some tips on how to discover such themes and work on it: 1) You should have a topical idea about the shooting.  Observation is pivotal to good photographs.  So, be prepared to analyses a scene from different visual perspectives in relation to your theme.   Put the irrelevant information out of the frame, but make sure that there will be sufficient contents in the image to accentuate the theme. 2) For a theme on human conditions, a camera turned on...

On Monday, GX GARNERINGS published a post linking shots for comparing the performance of cameras including the GRD III, GF-1, E-P1, DP2 and more. The deductions and observations on the comparison heated up a debate in a popular Taiwanese gadget website, so much so that the issue stayed afloat on the homepage as one of the hottest throughout Tuesday. The furore didn't quite surprise me. The general photographers tends to reckon that the camera they own is the best in the universe. So, if a photographer tell his counterpart probably the truth the it is not, they will end up virtually and verbally stabbing each other’s back. The catharsis could be quite bloody if put into real-life action. It is sort of expected, and used to. So, what was really gob-smacking is how some have thoroughly known the nagging technical differences between the cameras as the back of their palm. Some could show all the scientific and technical details to prove why Camera A is better Camera B without producin...

Today, we come to the finale of my user's impression of the GRD III. I am going to write about for what the camera impresses me the most, who it is for and where the thorns of this rose are. This post features pictures of Tokwuawan, an old area reminiscent of the old way of life in Hong Kong. The name GRD III conjures up in me an immediate impression of a very enjoyable light camera. The built is absolutely solid and of a high grade. I am especially impressed that the camera has catered for all the unexpected decisive moments for a photographer, thanks to the fast lens and the flexible implementation of the focusing modes. When I took the camera with me in the street, I could comfortably use a fast shutter speed or a higher ISO value. The long-awaited shutter priority mode is the right move. I hope that it will stay on the mode dial in the future Ricoh cameras. ^This is a typical streetscape in the Tokuawan neighbourhood. These tenement buildings have a history of half a decad...

^ Raindrops blurred our visions. So do the loads of functions in a camera. The Co-editor thought that the GRD III review is a hefty serving. Well, it is for a camera the size of a palm. For five days running last week, we had gone through the major improvements as I see in the GRD III. A faster lens, the smarter imaging sensor and engine, and the improved ergonomics are they. We stopped at the discussion of the decidedly better implementation of some novel and exisiting functions in the GRD III. Before passing my last verdicts in the next post, and you know there is no rose without a thorn, I would like to mention three nice, useful features of the GRD III. Pre-Focusing ^ At half press of the shutter release, the green frames shown on the LCD confirms the focus. A full press takes the image at left. If the pre-AF is turned on alongside Multi-AF or Spot AF, the camera focuses continuously without you pressing halfway the shutter-release button. I've tried it and the impression is ...

Panasonic GF-1 is selling in Japan.  I've added links to GF-1's test shots to the comparison shot table as below.  All I can say is that the GF-1 images are very clean up to ISO 800.  The ISO 1600 images are comparable to those of the E-P1, and visibly better that DP2's at ISO 800.  I am wondering how the Leica X1 fares.  Supposedly better?  Hmmm….       Shots taken with         GRDIII GRDII E-P1 GF-1 DP2 F200EXR G1 G10   64 80     50     80 ISO 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Values 2...

The photo reminds me of an English Rhyme: What's your name? Puddin Tame. Ask me again And I'll tell you the same. Where do you live? In a sieve. What's your number? Cucumber! This is Sunday. Enjoy your day!