Thoughts and Non Thoughts

Beach! Sun! Fun! Less than three hours from Manila. It's more fun in the Philippines!

Canon DLSRs of recent years have in-camera features that are supposed to extend Dynamic Range. One feature - Highlight Tone Priority (HTP) - aims to retain details and prevent clipping of highlights (bright areas). Another feature - Auto Lighting Optimizer (ALO) - aims to lift details from shadows (darker areas). ALO is deemed useful for high contrast scenes, eg, backlit subjects; HTP is deemed useful for high-key shots. Both are used on jpegs. For the Canon 550D, HTP is enabled or disabled within the menu (Cn Fn 6), while ALO has four settings (Off, Low, Standard, Strong). ALO is disabled if HTP is turned on. I did a few test shots using the EF 17-40 mm F4/L lens. The images below were taken a few seconds of each other and have not been edited except for resizing. Aperture f/5.6 and shutter speed at 640 and ISO 100, except for the image with HTP on at shutter speed of 1250 and ISO 200. The effects of HTP and ALO are not s...

In black croc. In brown cordovan strap.

Rega  turntables and arms have developed quite a good reputation. But they make some nice carts too, most of the time, matched with their turntables. I recently got a Rega Exact, the model that sits atop Rega's MM offerings, and mounted it on a Technics SL1200. The first word -- Dynamic. The gain from this cart is higher than many MM carts, and it matches well with old solid state or tube pre-amps and amps. Old records come to life. Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream and Other Delights sounded like it was just recorded yesterday. The music almost jumps out of the vinyl like the girl on the cover. I won't be surprised if you'd feel like dancing to it. It is not an analytical sound, nor would I call it neutral. Rather what it does is let the music through. So the second word -- Musical. You listen to the music and not to your system. Listening to Charlie Byrd's Byrdland, the warmth of the recording is there from the first n...

When I bought the 550D with the 18-55 IS kit lens three years ago, I got a good deal since the 600D was just coming out. I was impressed at how much Canon DSLR's image quality has jumped since the 10D, but I always considered the 550D a "bridge" camera for casual  use while waiting for full frame to come down in prices.  I finally got my wish and bought the 6D a few months back. Full frame just felt right. My enthusiasm for photography was rekindled. Ironically, the 6D has also made me appreciate the 550D even more. It does not give away much to the best DSLRs in the market today. It focuses fast and fits nicely in the hand. With the kit lens, it makes for a very handy travel camera, which is not bulkier than a SL1 or EOS-M fitted with a similar lens. I don't do video and don't care for articulated LCD in DSLRs, so the latest enhancements on the 600d to 700d don't mean much to me. With the same 18 megapixel count and arguably simi...

This lens continues to pleasantly surprise. Raindrops EOS 550D, f8, 1/100s, ISO 1000, handheld

The sun rises above Nonoc Island and Siargao. View from The Tavern. Taken with Canon EOS550D.

I figured I can't wait till full frame becomes more affordable and got an EOS 550D in the meantime. What a revelation! Canon's DSLR technology has moved in leaps and bounds since my EOS 10D. The higher resolution megapixel count of the 550D really matters in improving image quality, and the low-light ability is amazing. The kit lens (efs 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS ) is quite sharp too. Perfect companion for a day trip when one wants to travel light.