Case for AA batteries, part II

In February, I wrote about a small pouch/case to carry extra AA batteries. The reason I wanted one of those was really because I do not want to carry around a big backpack everywhere I go. The backpack is great for hiking and traveling but going into a gala, a wedding, a restaurant, or some party, it just does not fit the occasion.

After a wedding a couple of weekends ago, I happened to be at Walmart's looking for the small pouch in an earlier post. I could not find the exact pouch but did find something similar and similarly priced. I did not pick it up though. I decided what I needed was a something elegant enough for me to take into the special occasions, something I could store my camera and other accessories -- but wait, is that not what a Lowepro camera bag is made for? Yes. I had a Lowepro camera bag and gave it away because it was too small for my camera. I could get another bigger camera bag, but then thought a small travel bag would do. I would be able to store all my lenses and camera accessories including those AA batteries in it.

At Walmart's, I picked one of those travel handbags for $20. I need to pad it with some old sweater but it looks decent enough for me to take to a wedding in July.

Upgrading my camera

So, it's been three years since my purchase of the Nikon D80. The D80 is a nice camera and has endured a lot of abuse. After over 40K clicks, it is about time for an upgrade, not for its deficiencies but for its potential shutter failure. I am thinking of purchasing a D90.

Camera, lights, action!

It is hard to imagine you could produce professional quality studio images but with the right equipments and proper setup, it is not that hard. I was at the Henry's Photographic and Digital Imaging Show this afternoon, and this year, they introduced a new area called the "Shooting Centre". There were some pretty models and old bikes on display as well as a circus performer, and you get to try out some photo equipments like the strobes and light boxes. It was amazing. I took a few shots of a model on a vintage bike with a sidecar. I also took some shots of a bike alone. What a difference it makes when you have the right equipments. Below are some of the shots.

Shot with my single hotshoe flash:


Shot with the light equipments set up at the show (with three light sources):


Shot with show equipments (only the left strobe light was fired):


Model on a bike with the studio lights:

Case for AA batteries

I am looking for a small case to carry extra batteries (I have 17 rechargeable batteries in total) and other small camera accessories on my belt or in my pocket for easy access. I am thinking of buying this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Case-Logic-MEQB-1M-Eva-Hardshell-Small-Digital-Camera-Case-Blue/10297714

For $8, it's pretty cheap uh?

For a cheaper alternative, there is this DIY battery case:

http://www.diyphotogear.com/AA%20Battery%20Case.html

However, there is no belt clip or carabiner.

BTW, about those Duracell batteries I just bought ... I used them yesterday (after the Energizers failed to work) -- these Duracells worked great.

Rechargeable batteries for my SB800

I had to throw away a couple of rechargeable Energizer 2500mAh AA batteries that I used in my SB800 speedlight. Below are the two batteries I threw away. Notice the white blotches on the side wall of the batteries and white powder residues on the edge of the negative terminal. I don't know what caused the white blotches and the residue -- the negative terminal is made of one piece, like those pressed aluminum cans of Coke, so it's not like something leaked out. In any case, I threw these two batteries away and bought some new Duracell 2000mAh Pre-Charged rechargeables. These Duracell rechargeables behave like the Sanyo Eneloop rechargeables in that they will maintain 80% of their charge for up to a year, unlike normal rechargeable batteries.

Just to be clear ... you should not mix the different types of batteries when used in the speedlight. I will keep the Energizer set separate from the Duracell set.



For more information on the Duracell Pre-Charged Rechargeables: http://www.duracell.com/en-US/product/pre-charged-rechargeable-batteries.jspx

Ringing in a new year with a "blue moon"

As the party goers were pouring back onto the streets of Toronto after the stroke of midnight, I looked up into the overcasted sky. The moon appeared different. It was bright and turned the sky blue. It's rare to see a blue moon on New Year Eve.

I took a couple of shots at 17mm, f/2.8, ISO 800.

P.S. Besides this blue moon, this is also this "Blue Moon" by The Marcels, 1961. Enjoy!

Tamron's Vibration Compensation (VC)

My first post of 2010.

I mentioned earlier that the Tamron 17-50mm I just bought has Vibration Compensation (VC). I also mentioned that through the viewfinder, you can see the image jerking a little when the VC mechanism kicks in. Normally, this is fine, but when I used the delay timer on my camera and flash, the jerking caused major problems. I am not certain which component (delay timer or flash, or some specific settings) was causing problems, but see it for yourself. Below are crops of photos I took last night.

For these shots, the camera was placed on top of a backpack as I did not bring my tripod along. The flash was my SB-800 speedlight. The camera was set to slow+rear sync with the flash. I set the timer to 10 seconds, just long enough for me to run into the picture.

This crop of a photo, shot with VC, clearly shows the jerking:


On the spot, I initially attributed the blur to a possible camera shake as the camera was placed on a backpack with a big speedlight flash on the hotshoe so it could have been unstable. However, three consecutive shots gave the same result. It dawned on me then it could have been the Vibration Compensation -- yes, VC should not have been turned on in the first place, but with the Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens, I never had problems leaving VR on on a tripod.

Here was another shot without VC:


Know your gears. Know their quirks. Know their limitations.

Happy New Year! Happy Shooting!