Zuiko and a New Addition

A new addition to our family...

Introducing... Imran!

Our boy born on the 8th of June, 2009 at 3:51pm. Weighing at 3.63kg, or 8.0lbs.

Isn't he cute?

All shots by E-30 with Zuiko Digital 14-35mm F2.0 SWD lens. All apertures at wide open (f/2), with low shutter speed between 1/20s and 1/40s (ISO set to 200).

Zuiko and the Coming of Olympus m4/3

I wonder what the new Olympus micro FourThirds camera will look like.

The first glimpse, as sourced from www.omuser.com.

Wow!! A pancake Olympus Digital 17mm F2.8 (Note: there's no Zuiko name there.... I wonder why...)!

I hope this is the real deal!!!

This will be a real cracker in the DSLR camera industry!!! It will be just like the coming of the Olympus OM-1 back in 1971 that shocked the SLR world!!!!

In a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the legendary Olympus Pen, the upcoming E-P1 as its codename, definitely continues the Pen's DNA.

Also, first sketches of the E-P1 can be seen here. The retro styling will continue the romance of the nostalgic with the technology of now!

The E-P1 is a dynamite pocket rocket that can:

1. Fit in the pocket and still look cool
2. Capture D-SLR quality images
3. Support interchangeable lens system, even with its bigger brother the 4/3
4. Capture HD video
5. Integrate fully with Panasonic m4/3 system

It is truly a great era in the digital imaging world!

Zuiko and In-camera Editing

Sometimes, in-camera editing is handy for those quick touch ups. E-system users are blessed with very powerful in-camera editing tool, such that simple but essential capabilities can be accessed with a quick touch of the editing buttons.

With my E-30, editing images can be done for both RAW and JPEG formats. The plethora of control also enable multitudes of possibilities. Take for example, the E-30 has an added control for multiple layers. I have not done this, but knowing I can do this function in-camera is just great!

For this example, I added Auto Gradation and upped the maximum Saturation twice. I chose to process the JPEG instead of converting from RAW. Typically because I did not see much advantage of the RAW for this image.

E-30 with Zuiko Digital ED14-35mm F2.0 SWD

14mm, f/5.0, 1/100s, ISO200, -0.3EV

JPEG Large SuperFine, Auto Gradation, maximum Saturation 2x

Zuiko and the Bridge Up Close

Next time, try to shoot landscapes using a telephoto lens. And put an interesting subject in the foreground, for example.

You'll be astounded with the compression effect.

E-30 with Zuiko Digital ED50mm F2.0 Macro + EC-14 Teleconverter

70mm, f/6.3, 1/800s, ISO200

"I have never seen the bridge this huge before...".

Zuiko and the View from a Hill

A shot of the domes from a hill nearby.

E-30 with Zuiko Digital ED50mm F2.0 Macro + EC-14 Teleconverter

70mm, f/5.6, 1/640s, ISO200, Pin Hole Art Filter

I discovered a nice vantage point overseeing the Putra Mosque and the Prime Minister's Office. Located nicely on the east side of the bridge, the hill is nicely landscaped with pathways and seats for passers by to enjoy the beautiful landscape of Putra Jaya.

As you walk across the bridge from the Mosque, there is a park on your left - Laman Bunga Raya or Hibiscus Lawn.

Climb the stairs up the hill, and you will see a pathway across the hill terrain. Chances are you will see gardeners tending the park. Quite clean, too.

A retro touch to a classic landscape image. The foreground provided the framing to isolate the Putra Mosque and the Prime Minister's Office. The overpowering contrast makes some fine textures seem to bolt out of the scene.

Zuiko and the Boat

A boat zipping across the lake. The texture richness of the water surface intrigued me!

What I like most about this scene was how the water form being sliced through by the speeding "sampan". To emphasize the fine textures of the shadow and highlights, I chose the "Film Grain" Art Filter. Indeed a wise choice!

E-30 with Zuiko Digital ED50mm F2.0 Macro with EC-14 Teleconverter

70mm, f/6.3, 1/800s, ISO200, Grainy Film Art Filter

The trail of the boat's wake can be seen across the image. The calmness of the lake stirred by the motorboats roaring blades captured brilliantly in shades of shadows and highlights. 

If it was in color, I do not think it will convey the same impact!

Zuiko and Two Sisters at Putrajaya

Doing some street photography; that is one of my photography goals for 2009. 

To start with, I am not really a real street photographer, as I do not have the panache for such subtleness to shoot strangers in public. But, sometimes, I do manage to sneak a few images into my niche street photography portfolio.

E-30 with Zuiko Digital ED50mm F2.0 Macro + EC-14 Teleconverter

70mm, f/6.3, 1/800s, ISO200, Light Tone Art Filter

I already set in my mind to shoot a compressed landscape with a 70mm focal length, especially with the magnificent PICC building as the point of convergence. 

Then, with an instance two sisters raced to the car. The elder arrived first... I noticed this and quickly reframed my shot.

All I did next was just waiting for the little sister to run in front of the dark columns to accentuate her running profile. 

Snap... perfect.

The compression of perspective introduced by telephoto lens strengthened the background, and I did crop the bottom part of the image as it was mainly pavement.

This is one of the images I made during my brief escapade to Putrajaya. There will be more coming in the next blog entries... 

The E-30 was really cooking, in which I really put the Art Filters to the test!