Friday, November 04, 2016

Kalanchoe Revisited

Sometimes we need to look again ...

Kalanchoe Flower
Original Edit: Distracting, unopened bud needs attention.

Kalanchoe Flower
New edit: Background, added Gaussian Blur (+2) with a slight colour balance adjustment
and a little digital noise removed.


Saturday, July 23, 2016

A New Used (Film) Camera: Olympus OM-10

The OM-10 (according to Wiki) hit the markets in June 1979 at the same time as the OM-2N. The camera was a 35mm focal-plane shutter aperture priority AE SLR camera with an electronic shutter.

Only aperture-priority AE was available with the camera unless the optional manual exposure adapter (photo) was installed. This allowed the setting of shutter speeds between 1-sec, 1/1000-sec with bulb mode. The camera came equipped with a fixed pentaprism viewfinder which contained a LED exposure indicator. The finder coverage was measured to be 93%.

Exposure control was aperture priority AE using center-weighted light metering. Film speeds of the camera range from ASA 25 to ASA 1600. Film winding was done by using the film wind lever located on the top right of the camera. Film rewinding was done manually using the film rewind crank located at the top left. The camera body measured 136 × 83 × 50 mm and weighed approximately 430 grams (15 oz)."

My example came equipped with the no longer in production but made in Japan ZUIKO MC Auto-S 1:1.8 f=50mm Normal Lens (Reviewed July 5, 2009: tested for use on a digital camera) and the camera came equipped with the optional Olympus Manual Exposure Adapter (colour).

Time to find a lab to develop and print my film?


Retailer:  
Download: the OM-10 Manual (PDF) from Olympus America

Three somewhat current reviews of the Olympus OM-10

Introduction to the Olympus OM10 by David Hancock via Youtube

  • 1 of 2 - 24:19 min Published Apr 10, 2013
  • 2 of 2 - 24:50 min Published Apr 11, 2013
Olympus OM-10 with an 35-200mm off brand lens - September 22, 2014
"I wanted to use an SLR for the sake of variety, as the last camera I’d spent any considerable time with was a rangefinder; the exceptional Canonet. So it was fortuitous that only a few days earlier I’d received an Olympus in the mail, the OM-10. A descendant of the OM-1, this consumer-grade camera is as well-renowned for quality and compactness as its illustrious progenitor, but I’d never used an OM-of any kind, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I equipped the camera with a 35-200mm off brand lens, threw it in my bag, and hit the road. - Casual Photophile"
 

A “Street” Review: The Olympus OM-10 with the Zuiko 50 mm 1.8 - January 18, 2013
"Olympus OM-10 is probably one of the first serious analog camera i bought. I was searching something cheap, easy to use and capable of high quality photos.This camera satisfied all of those points. giorgioscalici"
 
 

Olympus OM-10 - Sepia tone

Olympus OM-10 Top - Sepia tone



















Olympus Manual Exposure Adapter - Sepia tone
Olympus Manual Exposure Adapter (colour).
  



























































Friday, April 22, 2016

Selene, Luna or The Moon: Friday April 22, 2016

Selene, Goddess of the Moon in ancient Greek mythology
and identified with Roman Luna. The Moon ...
  
Full Moon




Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Smoking DIY: Add Smoke to Any Image

Trick: Add a Smoke Image (ideal, dark background w/ light coloured smoke) into own Layer then set it's "Blend Mode" to "Screen".
 
Bada-bing, bada-boom! 
... There is the (simulated) Blue-smoke-of-death.
   
Paintshop X4 Ultimate Layer
MSH PRÔTOS 500 RC Helicopter Image







For this photo edit Paintshop X4 Ultimate was used.



Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Kalanchoe Flowers

Great subject for photography. 
Nikon D90 w/ AF-S MICRO Nikkor 105mm 1:2.8G ED, Paintshop Pro X4 Ultimate.

My Kalanchoe (WiKi) plant and it's new flowers ...

Kalanchoe Flowers. Nikon D90 w/ AF-S MICRO Nikkor 105mm 1:2.8G ED Photo-edited using Paintshop Pro X4 Ultimate.

































  
Kalanchoe Flowers MACRO. Nikon D90 w/ AF-S MICRO Nikkor 105mm 1:2.8G ED Photo-edited using Paintshop Pro X4 Ultimate.

























Friday, April 24, 2015

NEW Bird Added to the Fleet

The Gintrude H7 QUAD-Copter
   
The Gintrude H7 QUAD-Copter
    A new and inexpensive Chinese made Nano QUAD
 
Salient Features:
  • Flight Stability via 6-axis gyro
  • 2.4GHz RC-Flight Controller and Receiver
  • Batteries:
    • Transmitter: 2x AAA Alkaline 1.5v... I prefer 2x AAA Sony CycleEnergy NiMH 1.2v 800mAh rechargeable batteries 
    • Flight: Internal rechargeable LiPo 3.7v 1S 150mah  
  • Charge Time:  Approximately 40 minute via supplied USB Cable
  • Flight time: Approximately 6 minutes
  • Flight Range: Approximately 20 meters 
  • Built-in Red, Green and White LEDs
  • Size and Weight: 47mm x 47mm x 27mm at 14grams
  • Includes Protective (Crash) Guard for Propellers
  • Trick Mode Button: Press for 360-degree flips in direction of travel
  • Speed Button: repeated presses to change speed
    • Slow (beginner)
    • Fast (advanced) 
    • Super FAST (for the criminally insane)
        
































What's in the box

In the BOX: Moving clockwise the box contained a 2.4ghz Flight Controller, the Gintrude H7 (nano) QUAD-Copter, set of four spare propellers, USB Charging Cable and the instructions which had text so bloody small I almost needed a magnifying glass just to read! 

Gintrude H7 (nano) QUAD-Copter

Up close and personal. This is a 'Nano' QUAD which means it is quite small. In fact it is so small the bird might qualify as the smallest QUAD-Copter on the market (Google).
     



Night QUAD: H7 and it's internal LEDs

Night QUAD: H7 showing it's internal LEDs.
... Turned on and waiting to connect to the Flight Controller.



First Flight
... was GOOD fun.

I have finished my first flight with the NEW Quad and yes, there will be the customary leaning curve to become a proficient flyer. This little QUAD is NOT like it's more expensive and larger brethren insofar as it's NOT an autonomous ($1000.00+) QUAD-Copter. Within the Gintrude H7 there are NO electronic "smarts" such as GPS to keep the bird stable and in position without any controller input. 


Even after proper 'trim' setup you pretty much have to be on the sticks all the time due to left/right and forward/back drifting. In short YOU have to actually FLY this QUAD ... but that's NOT a BAD thing, I like to fly and is the reason why I love the hobby. It's all in a name "RC-Flight, the ART of flying." 

Towards becoming a proficient flyer with the H7 Quad "Practice makes perfect." Actually to be more accurate better to say "Perfect practice makes perfect (Google)"...


H7 Quad Take off

 


H7 Quad Take off - Slow motion







Review:  
  • RC-Groups.com:  Featuring an excellent tear-down of the Gin/Eachine H7




Thursday, March 12, 2015

MACRO: Kalanchoe Flowers

Kalanchoe (WiKi) also written Kalanchöe or Kalanchoë, is a genus of about 125 species of tropical, succulent flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, mainly native to the Old World. Only one species of this genus originates from the Americas, 56 from southern and eastern Africa and 60 species in Madagascar. It is also found in south-eastern Asia until China.

Kalanchoe Flowers
Nikon D90 with Nikon N AF-S Nikkor Micro 105mm 1:2.8G ED Lens
  
Kalanchoe Flower
Nikon D90 with Nikon N AF-S Nikkor Micro 105mm 1:2.8G ED Lens.
See Update to view additional editing of this image.





Monday, February 09, 2015

Inside a Customized ALIGN Trex 450 RC Helicopter

ALIGN Trex 450 (customized) RC Helicopter
Helicopter's canopy see-through look edited within 'Paintshop Pro X4' photo-editor
... Larger View in browser

   
Inside this RC Helicopter, Three Cyclic Servos, ESC Speed Controller,
Drive Motor and the Tail Servo with GYRO. Not shown in this graphic
is it's LIPO battery, 35C 2200mAh 3S 11.1v