Twenty-one months and only clocking 50,000 in the number of visitors. It is really a painstakingly slow journey. Still, thank you for those who come by. I hope to cover the next 50,000th milestone in half that period, say in 10 months. I really hope to be able to reach 100,000 by May 2010.
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I don’t know about you but this shot makes me giddy somehow. It must be due to the perspective “distortion”.
Dizzy spell... feeling giddy yet?
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Wasp...
This blog is dedicated to the world of macro photography using point and shoot cameras and will remain so until this blogger acquires all the tools he wants for his macro photography needs.
While truly stunning macro photographs can only be achieve using DSLR cameras and dedicated macro lenses, not everybody can afford them.
Thanks to digital cameras however, you can now get as close as less than 1cm to your subjects and shoot them up close. The results can be as good as those shot by DSLR cameras or can be as bad.
If you think you have shot macro photographs with a point and shoot camera and feel like sharing them, please email them to jaxonsblog [at] gmail [dot] com. They need not be the best shot; just simple macro shots will do.
The photos will be published here under the category “Macro Photos From Around The World” with a link back to your site or blog.
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UPDATE: Thanks to reader Tadpole, we now know the insect is not a cicada but rather, a horned treehopper. Original posting:
Actually I don’t really know the name of this species of cicada. I am not even sure whether this is a species of cicada although it does fly like one. I call it “tiny Borneo horned cicada” because it is tiny, about 8mm in length, it has what looks like horns and it is photographed in Borneo.
Anyone with etymology, err… I mean entomology background should help identify this insect for the benefit of humankind. Who knows, these could be the first ever pictures of a species no one thought existed until an erstwhile unknown photographer captures it from an undisclosed location in Borneo. 
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Yesterday, I posted a feature-per-feature comparison of three waterproof cameras — Pentax Optio W80, Olympus Stylus TOUGH-8000 and Canon PowerShot D10.
That entry is of particular interest to me because I am planning to buy a waterproof camera so that I can take my macro photo shooting to a new level by taking underwater macro photographs.
While I have not tested any of these cameras, I am more or less convinced that Canon will come out top in terms of image quality.
Today, DPReview posted a group test of five underwater cameras — Canon Powershot D10, Pentax Optio W60, Olympus Tough 6000, Olympus Tough 8000 and FujiFilm Z33 WP, and proclaimed the D10 to be the overall winner and put the Pentax Optio W60 as the runner-up.
Reviewer Don Wan has one complaint about the D10 though, similar to the one I have, namely its disappointing focal length. It starts at 35mm and ends at 103mm which Don says, “is neither very wide nor is it very telephoto.” I don’t think I can live with that.
So the choice is now Pentax Optio W80?
Anyhow, if the older Pentax W60 can play runner-up to the D10, would it safe then to assume that the newer Pentax W80, announced less than a week ago on June 25, is better than the W60, and therefore can be as good as the D10 in terms of image quality? If only the law of physics can flow as smooth as the law of logic, that would have to be the case with the W80.
And then there is the law of the wallets to consider too… the W80 is cheaper than the D10 and with HD video to boot. And on top of that, it beats the D10 in terms of focal length as it starts at 28mm and ends at 140mm, the range I can live with. I think I have just found my underwater camera.
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UPDATE: If you find this comparison table useful, this short entry which discusses highly-recommended waterproof compact cameras may also interest you.
Waterproof cameras are not just for underwater photography. Think of them as members of a highly specialised elite unit of the military who are able to carry out war in any situation despite their obvious lack of armament.
You can carry them with you while snorkeling, mountain hiking, jungle trekking, put them in your pockets while walking in the rain and so on without having to worry they might stop functioning.
Here are three weatherproof affordable cameras you can choose should you decide to take the plunge and acquire additional assets in your list of photographic tools.
They are the Pentax Optio W80, Olympus Stylus TOUGH-8000 and Canon PowerShot D10.
| Pentax Optio W80 | Olympus Stylus TOUGH-8000 | Canon PowerShot D10 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor | 12.1 megapixels | 12 megapixels | 12.1 megapixels |
| Image sizes | 12M (4:3 4000x3000, 3:2 4000x2672, 16:9 4000x2256), 7M (3072x2304), 5M (2592x1944), 3M (2048x1536), 1024 (1024x768), VGA (640x480) | 12MP (3,968 x 2,976) 5MP (2,560 x 1,920) 3MP (2,048 x 1,536) 2MP (1,600 x 1,200) 1MP (1,280 x 960) VGA (640 x 480) 16:9 (1,920 x 1,080) | 4000 x 3000, 3264 x 2448, 2592 x 1944, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480, 320 x 140 |
| Waterproof | Up to 5 metres (about 16 feet) for up to two hours | Up to 10 metres | Up to 10 metres |
| Coldproof | - 10 degrees celsius | - 10 degrees celsius | - 10 degrees celsius |
| Shockproof | Up to 1 metre | Up to 2 metres | 1.22 metre |
| Dustproof | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Movie | Yes, HD video at 30fps; 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 | 640x480 30fps, 320x240 30fps | 640 x 480 30fps, 320 x 240 30fps |
| Shake reduction | Triple protection: Low ISO sharpness, high-sensitivity mode, movie shake reduction modes | Dual image stabilisation | Yes, lens shift |
| Macro | Up to 1 cm | Up to 2 cm | Up to 1 cm |
| Optical zoom | 5x (28mm - 140mm) | 3.6x (28mm - 102mm) | 3x (35 - 103mm) |
| Digital zoom | 6.25x | 5x | 4x |
| Focus mode | Standard, spot, auto tracking, infinity landscape, super macro, macro, manual, pan-focus | Intelligent Auto, Program Auto, Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization, Beauty Mode | Auto, Scene, Movie |
| Scene modes | Auto Picture, Program, Night Scene, Movie, Underwater, Underwater Movie, Landscape, Flower, Portrait, Digital Wide, Surf & Snow, Digital SR, Kids, Pet, Half Length Portrait, Sport, Fireworks, Candlelight, Night Scene Portrait, Text, Food, Digital Panorama, Frame Composite, Report, Green | Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Night Portrait, Sport, Indoor, Candle, Self Portrait, Sunset, Fireworks, Cuisine, Documents, Beach and Snow, Pre-capture Movie, Underwater Snapshot, Underwater Wide, Underwater Macro, Movie | Program, Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids and Pets, Indoor, Sunset, Fireworks, Long Shutter, Beach, Underwater, Aquarium, Foliage, Snow, Digital Macro, Colour Accent, Colour Swap, Stitch Assist, ISO 3200 |
| Sensitivity | ISO 64 - 6400 | ISO 64 - 1600 | ISO 80 - 3200 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1000-1/4 sec; 4 seconds in night scene mode | 1/2000-1/4; up to 4 sec night scene mode | 15-1/1500 sec |
| Drives mode | One shot, self timer (10s, 2s), continuous shooting (up to 2.9fps at 5M, and 5.9fps at ISO3200/6400 at 5M) | 5fps, 11fps (3MP), 0.99fps (12MP) Self timer 12 sec | 1.1fps, self timer (2 or 10 sec) |
| LCD monitor | 230,000 dots | 230,000 dots | 230,000 dots |
| Price | US$299 | US$399 | US$329 |
Technorati Tags: Waterproof cameras
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Sharp pictures are good pictures. Blurry, out-of-focus pictures are bad pictures. Is this true? I wish I had the answer. But if sharp pictures are good pictures, why then there is a need for photo editing software to include tools to soften or blur pictures?
I’ve seen stunning out-of-focus pictures, especially close-up or macro pictures and wished I were the one who took them. The photos below are far from stunning, but really, is there a place for blurry pictures?
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Insect macro photography. This one is taken with Canon Powershot SX1 IS with the Raynox DCR-250 super macro conversion lens attached.
Technorati Tags: Insect macro photography, Raynox DCR-250, super macro conversion lens
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Guys, the results for the Google photography competition are out. It was won by Daniel Halasz of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest.
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