New batteries for the D300s
I got two additional original Nikon batteries. This alone is not worth a post, so I would like to reference to a very early post on this blog. I experienced an annoying effect when using third party batteries with the MB-D10 battery grip. The effect only occurs when...
Nikon D300s shutter sounds
The Nikon D300s offers several modes in which you can shoot. Here one can see the difference between a consumer camera and a pro camera. The consumer cameras have those cute settings like "portrait", "landscape" and "macro" in addition to the aperture priority (A),...
Don’t be shy, try Eye-Fi !
What a corny post title. But what a not-so-corny new toy I have here ! I got myself an Eye-Fi SD card. Eye-Fi cards have a built-in WLAN antenna, meaning they can stream the photos you took wirelessly to your computer. Or iPhone or iPad, if you are on the road. The...
Wedding Photography – Can Do !
Saturday was the big day. Not only for the happy couple but also for the first-quite- nervous-and-later-on-very-happy me. The king tiger tank of photography, churches, proved to be not so biting than I expected it to be, thanks to thorough preparation. But first...
How to prepare a wedding photography session
I knew it would be work, and it proved to be quite some work. Preparing a wedding shoot, and especially your first wedding shoot as a professional photographer ("professional" as in "paid") takes quite some time. It is a church wedding of a colleague from work (from...
Moo ! Cards ! Moocards !
I received my photography business cards today. They were printed by a fine company called Moo. With Moo you can individualize your business cards to better reflect the nature of your business. The front of the card shows your details on every cards, as business cards...
Solmeta responded
Quite quickly Solmeta responded to my repair inquiry. They regret the malfunction and offer free repair. I was given a repair return form and instructions on how to mail the item. To China that is. Now I packed a bubble wrap envelope and will post the thing tomorrow....
Solmeta support contacted…
I wrote a polite email to Solmeta, explaining the defect and linking to this blog (see last post). I bought the geotagger directly from China over the Solmeta homepage. If I had bought the product via a German (or European) distributor, local laws would apply and I...
Solmeta N2 geotagger- faulty plugs
I am on a short vacation trip over a long week-end. I took the opportunity to use my geotagger again. You might remember that I bought new cables since the old one broke during my India trip. Cable-tagger connection is a design flaw on that product. It turned out that...
First job – Wedding photography
Yesterday I got confirmation on my very first job as a commercial photographer. I will photograph a church wedding ceremony. This is quite a responsibility and I am very (positively) excited about it. Now the real planning starts: Meeting the bride and groom for...
iPhone ba…. you know what – resolved (hopefully)
After going cuckoo about the recurring battery problems with my iPhone4 I finally managed to identify a software problem which leads to the rapid decrease of battery life. To be precise: A colleague who had the same problem gave me the hint, so I can't take credit for...
iPhone4 bat…RAAAAHHH. Guess what.
I am going mad. Yes. Absolutely definitely incredibly mad. Not the Freddie Mercury "slightly mad" but the "running naked on the street wreaking havoc on parking meters with a chainsaw"-mad. Guess what. Today the bat...RRRAAAAAAAHHHH... battery of my iPhone4 went dead...
Rolling shutter effect (helictopter landing and take-off)
I had the opportunity to film a rescue helicopter with my iPhone4. I could film one landing and two take-offs. As I watched the material I noticed two funny effects, which come naturally when filming with a digital camera. Have you ever noticed that in movies the...
The mother of all tele zooms
This afternoon I made a walk into town and stopped by at a local photo gear dealer to go shopping for a picture frame. And of course I did some window shopping to spark new wishes and desires. And I found the ultimate item for my birthday and christmas wishlist. It is...
iPhone battery … can’t hear it anymore
Growing tired of the same old headline. Ok, short summary: My iPhone4 started to suck battery power again. 100 % => 10h standby => 0 %. iPhone reset => problem solved. After some syncing back and forth I also managed to transfer all important data to the...
iPhone battery problem #2 -update
I called Apple support. After ruling out wrong usage ("Did you kill all applications, you know the iPhone4 can do multitasking ?" and "Have you switched off WiFi and location services ?") I was advised to backup the phone, reset it completely and see what happens....
Technology seems to hate me – iPhone battery problem again
Nooooooo..... again my iPhone4 shows battery suckysucky. It started yesterday when I noticed a rapid decrease in battery power and a noticeable temperature increase on the backside of the iPhone. And over night the iPhone battery went dead from 36 % when I put it on...
Presents from DigitalRev !
A few weeks ago I entered a video into the DigitalRev.TV competition on Youtube. As announced in an earlier post, I did not make first price but got one of the runner-up prices they were giving away. The package arrived yesterday. It contained two items: First...
iPhone4 Location tracking
In the past few days there were news in the tech world that the iPhone is secretly tracking your location, storing the position of the communication towers it had contact with. This data is stored along with time and date, so that a movement profile can be created...
Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 lens review
Finally, after dramatic weeping and nagging, after a spectacular unboxing video, I finally went out and took some pictures with the lens. It was a beautiful day in Aachen and here are the results. I think it is pretty clear that it is a very sharp lens. But see for...
Unboxing Video
Finally the eBay hassle with the 24-70mm is over and I won't bore you any more with this issue. Instead I edited and finished the video which I recorded after receiving the lens. It's an unboxing video - I did not realise the lens was broken at the point I was...
DIY Wedding Rings – Finished
The rings we made ourselves in the workshop are finished now. The goldsmith made the final touch - polishing, engraving and setting the diamond. The rings came in a handy red box, as rings usually do. 1/60 sec, f10 Tadaa ! 750 white gold and a 2.2 mm diamond for the...
Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 update – Resolved !
Today I got a call from the camera store which handled the repair case for me. Nikon repaired the lens and acknowledged the warranty case- I got the lens back without further comment. I tried to inquire about the nature of the defect, but the repair protocol simply...
DigitalRev TV Video Competition Results
Wohoo ! The results for the DigitalRev TV video competition are out. My video did not make it to the first prize, but I was notified by DigitalRev taht I am one of the runner-up prizes. I think it is a camera and lens cleaner kit. I mailed them my postal address, and...
Defect 24-70mm f2.8 Nikkor lens – update
An update with nothing to report, but I felt like creating some content in the blog. Still no news from Nikon about the lens. Either I will find a cost estimate this week in my mailbox or Nikon will repair the lens and send it back, which will be in another 2-3 weeks....
DIY wedding rings
I am getting married this year. My future wife and I decided to make the rings ourselves. There are a number of goldsmiths and jewelry designers who offer courses in ringmaking. Today we made the course. It lasted only about 5 hours and in the end we had the rings...
Update: defect lens now shipped to Service
This morning I brought the damaged Nikkor to the Nikon Service. Nikon will assess the damage and check whether it might be a warranty case. If the warranty is acknowledged, I will get back the lens repaired in about 4 weeks. If the warranty is not acknowledged, I will...
Geotagger replacement cable arrived
I just realised that I blog an awful lot about things which broke or went wrong. What kind of attitude is this ? More positive posts in the future, promised. Today the replacement cable for my Solmeta geotagger arived. I ordered two pieces in case another mishap...
Defect eBay 24-70mm lens – update
It's a week-end full of grief and despair later because of the defect lens I got on eBay (24-70 f2.8 Nikkor with a supposedly bent inner tube => zooming not possible) I exchanged a couple of emails with the seller. It was an eBay classic: Seller claims the item was...
Another defect toy 🙁 – A potential eBay disaster
(Why "another" in the title ? Remember my Iphone4 battery problem ?) In an adventureous maneuver I exchanged some lenses. I sold my 17-55mm f2.8 on eBay and bought a 24-70mm f2.8 lens instead. I got the 24-70mm yesterday. It is only half a year old, came with original...
Guide on how to assemble a Zenza Bronica ETRS
Youtube fever got me. I discovered that making videos is quite fun and so I did another one today. This time I am showing how to assemble, operate and disassemble a Zenza Bronica ETRS analog middle format camera. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQATpWwDDaU
DigitalRev TV Competition
I am a subscriber to a pretty interesting and fun photography channel on Youtube. It is called DigitalRev TV. These are some guys from Hong Kong, doing equipment review and tests in a somehow different way. The most impressive video is when they test entry-level DSLRs...
Cable replacement
I just ordered two spare cables for my geotagger. It's a pricy thing, since each cable is 12 USD and shipping is 15 USD from Hong Kong (4-5 weeks of delivery minimum 🙁 ). The order procedure was very simple since Solmeta has a very neat and tidy homepage with a...
Equipment for India
On this journey through Rajasthan I packed quite a lot of equipment. To name the major items: D300s with the 17-55mm f2.8 lens, D70s with the 70-300 f3.5-5.6 lens, Samyang 8mm f3.5 lens and a SB-800 flash I am happy to say that I made good use of all items. Both...
Solmeta N2 Geotagger cable Knockout
A few days ago the cable for the geotagger died. The plug broke, exposing the fine wires which contact the socket in the tagger. Solmeta offers replacement cables for USD 12 plus shipping of USD 15. I wanted to order two cables (since they break so easily), not happy...
iPhone 4 battery life
I am on the road in Rajasthan, India. And I am making heavy use of my iPhone4. I am surfing, writing emails, taking and modifying pictures, blogging. I have an indian SIM from Airtel, 2gb data in 30 days for 10 Rupies (about 0,16 € 🙂 The network coverage is...
Solmeta N2 Geotagger on the road
I am currently on the road heading for Bikaner in Rajasthan, India. On my D300s I have my Solmeta N2 geotagger for GPS localization. The tagger itself performs well, long battery life and quick position finding after switching it on. But one weak point is now...
Photogear for India
Friday I am going on a three-week trip to beautiful India. A colleague from work is Indian and he gets married. that's a whole week of celebrations with over 400 guests. After that we will travel another two weeks through Rajasthan. We are pretty excited ! My little...
Cologne Cathedral
Last Sunday I went with my Friend Keb Leynad to Cologne to attend a photo seminar conducted by grenzgang, a non-profit organisation dedicated to organising exotic and spectacular presentations on people who did unusual things. People holding presentations there are...
Solar Eclipse – At the edge of my camera settings
Today between 09:20 and 09:40 am there was a partial solar eclipse over Germany. And here is my contribution. When I headed out for work this morning I nearly forgot that this event was imminent, so I sprang back into the apartment and got my Nikon along with two tele...
Another journey into Analogland
You might remember the Belfoca Junior I posted about earlier this (errr, last) year. It is an old bellow camera with a stunning 6x9 format (that's centimeters, 60x90 mm !). It was the camera which still had an old exposed film inside which I got developed. The...
Absolut Analog Workshop – Reloaded
Beginning of October 2010 (Happy New Year by the way !) I went to Braunschweig to learn more about analog photography at the Absolut Analog Workshop. As reported earlier, most of the films I used came out with close to no exposure at all and I was somehow...
2010 in review
I got this summary today via Wordpress. I think it's worth sharing with you. ======= The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here's a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog...
iPhone 4 battery issue – Update !
I forgot to post an update in time, but here is how the issue was resolved: After resetting my iPhone as told by the support, no improvement could be observed. Battery still went dead in standy in under eight hours. So I called up the support again. They acknowledged...
iPhone4 – The battery sucky sucky syndrom
For a month now I have an iPhone4 - my first Smartphone with internet access. While I love the possibilities and gadgets this device offers, I was astonished by the enormous amount of energy this thing consumes. Yes, I knew in advance that the battery won't last a...
Range 2000 – focus free !
In a recent post I showed some product pictures I made for eBay. One of the cameras was the Range 2000 focus free point'n'shoot: Last week I tried it. Man, what a camera. Completely made of the cheapest plastic and there is literally nothing you can control. Aperture...
Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam
There are now 21 entries on this blog (with this one). I received 81 comments, of which 79 are Spam. Hm, not many people reading this stuff 🙁 Is it that boring ?
Product photos for eBay
Last week I met with two of my friends and we did something pleasant and useful combined. We took photos of some stuff I wanted to put on eBay. All those articles you are about to see are now for sale, so grab what you can while it's still hot ! I got the stuff from...
Birthday cards for photographers
It was my birthday a few months ago. From my family I got two cards which I found worth mentioning on this blog. The first one is a coloured fold-up card my sister found in Amsterdam. The second card came from my mother, and it is also a fold-up-card. Of this one I...
Greetings from the past
You remember the Belfoca junior I got on eBay ? There was an exposed, very old film inside. I found that much fun and developed the film. Today I got the negatives back. The pictures are not that fun - they were made on a burial. Must have been in the 70s-80s when I...
Autumn Colours
Today I made a nice walk through the colourful landscape. It's nice to see all these blazing colours, and even more fun capturing them on sensor (or film for some of you). Get up, get out, capture the autumn feeling ! And I also did some b/w shots, which do not really...
Photo contest results !
Earlier this year I went on a two-week trip to Iceland. The travel agency we booked with ran a photo contest where you could submit your best picture of your trip. I sent in a shot made on the open road. The horse was trotting along the way. We drove along and I made...
eBay shopping spree
A week ago I got one of my ill-famous attacks which set free within me the powerful urge to fuel the motor of our beloved economy with fresh money. In other words - I was on an eBay shopping spree. And I was successful ! I got two analog cameras - an Agfa Isolette II...
Absolut Analog 2010
I am a child of the digital age. Since I am a very impatient character, analog photography never thrilled me. My interest in photography awoke when I had my very first digital camera, a Casio Exilim EX-Z 30. Point-and-shoot cam, nothing fancy. Press the button, see...
Reaching for the stars
Nighttime at the sea, no clouds, full moon. It's already a little bit kitschy, but that is the setting I had two days ago. And off I went to the shore. Camera settings: Aperture mode, tripod, remote control, noise reduction for long time exposure activated....
Lunacy (again)
I tested the Samyang 800 mm f8 mirror lens again. Here is the result: It's not a crop, this is the full frame on the D300s (which is not a full frame camera, just for the records). I did many shots, improving the result bit by bit. This is the best sharpness and...
A classic fail: Low Battery
You think you are good. You think you are experienced. You packed your gear hundreds of times, preparing for a shoot. And still. Sometimes you make the same dumb mistakes. Yesterday I experienced a new one. I had all my gear with me to shoot the signature of a...
Getting close with insects
I like getting close, really close. For macro shots I use the 105 mm f2.8 lens from Nikon - a very sharp and accurate lens. A must-have for all macro enthusiasts. I have one picture gallery which I update now and then with insect shots. Again I would like to share the...
Stuff from France
I sorted the pictures from the trip to the Côte d'Azur. I selected only a few shots to post here. If you wonder why nearly nobody shows up on those pictures: Since some people might feel uncomfortable when their photos are published on the net I chose to respect their...
Shooting the moon
It's nearly full moon and my wife came home late stating: "There is such a beautiful moon today, you have to go outside and shoot it." Everything for my dearest, and so I went... Shot with a Samyang 800 mm f8 mirror lens. 1/800 sec and ISO 1600 (could/should be...
Battery Grip: The “posh battery syndrom”
I have a MB-D10 battery grip for my D300s. Battery grips are screwed below the camera, they hold, well, a battery and another set of buttons, which allows you to shoot upright pictures while holding the camera the usual way. I do not use this thing often. It is good...
Geek Stuff – Nikkor lens cup
Some things are so geeky that I absolutely must have them. If you think a Darth Vader costume is cool, behold this: These are not recycled lenses - It is a 1:1 replica of the Nikkor 24-70 f2.8 lens (a...
Protecting the Camera Displays – Vikuiti 3M Display Foil
Bummer. Last week I unvoluntarily scratched the top LCD screen of my D300s.It happened like this: I have a Crumpler Jimmy Bo 500 holster bag for my camera. It's an easy-access bag which is quite small, providing space for just the camera and some smaller items...
First response – SPAM
SPAM is a pest. I created the blog yesterday late in the night, today I had the first message from a Spambot. Thanks to the Wordpress Spam filter it was sorted out immediately. I am still waiting for the day where you get a button in your software that says "Delete...
Solmeta N2 Compass Geotagger
In May we went to Iceland on a two-week round trip. On this trip I borrowed the Nikon GP-1 Geotagger from a friend to see what all the geotagging fuss was about. The result after the journey was quite clear. With more than 2.700+ pictures from the trip I could...
Into the unknown…
…well, not completely. While photography is something I do on a regular basis, blogging isn’t. I maintained a few smaller blogs in the past, but they were all “project-based” blogs, like a travel diary for example. This blog, lumonatic, is intended to be a continuous...