xty

Flamingo at Al Areen Wildlife Park, Bahrain.

I use a mini-dv/memory stick combination, and am happy with that.

Anyone buying a camcorder now, I'd advise to look into the very compact, memory card only stuff available. This seems to be the way it's heading, anything else may be obsolete in a few years...

If you are looking for value for best quality, I would recommend MiniDV format and would NOT recommend at all memory-card (MemoryStick, SD, xD) media. Why?

- Because memory card is still considered expensive than MiniDV tape (4000 Baht of 1 GB SD/MemoryStick vs 100 Baht of 60 minutes MiniDV tape)

- Because memory card has limited capacity (2 GB max for SD, 4 GB max for MemoryStick), unless you can afford to purchase big capacity card (the new launched 4 GB SD or 8 GB MemoryStick) which is too way expensive

- And the most important one, because using memory card the video would be compressed as MPEG format. You're loosing the quality especially when you want to have DVD quality video. Using MiniDV you would not loose a single bit.

How do others cope with it? Does it drive you crazy or do you just accept it as part of the culture here?

Same for my 22 months daughter (100% Asian), ever since she was 4 months old, and mostly when we're living in Middle East. For us the parents, it's a pride. Apparently they say that my daughter looks like a baby doll (black round eyes, round chicks, light skin). As long as it doesn't scare her, all should be fine. Once or twice it happened when other older babies/toddlers just grabbed or pinched her. I just took her away from them. You can't yell to them not to disturb, can you?

Once I had a problem where ALL the channels become scrambled (popular "no service or scrambled" message) after a short power cut from my apartment building.

Called UBC support, the officer ask me to do reset (off wait on) while she's resending signals to my box. After several tries, it went back to normal again.

Hi all - ive been doing a bit of looking around on the net for information on camcorder formats...

I realise that DVD is the best and provides the best "ease of playback", but was wondering what your thoughts are to the main formats.

Im after a camcorder to buy in the UK for filming the current snow flurries, and other various english things to show the in-laws on our next holiday - im not after really high end quality for making blockbuster movies...

And can you also explain the method for playback and editing of these.. i.e. how does minidv playback? is it as simple as just plug into the TV etc..?

any advice welcome.

Some camcorder medias:

• Hi8 : old technology, analog, big tape, AV connection (RCA/S-Video cable) for playing on TV and capturing to video files (need video capture card on PC)
  
• Digital8 : newer technology than Hi8 but still old, digital, big tape, AV connection (RCA/S-Video cable) for playing on TV and capturing to video files (need video capture card on PC)
  
• MiniDV : most popular technology, digital, small tape and quite cheap, AV connection (mini/proprietary RCA/S-Video cable) for playing on TV, USB connection for transferring still photo files to PC (if the camera supports external memory card), IEEE1394 (aka Firewire/iLink) connection for capturing to AVI video files (need FireWire card/interface on PC/laptop and FireWire cable)
  
• MicroMV : similar to MiniDV technology but smaller tape & camera size, not very popular
  
• DVD : new technology, digital, use mini DVD-ROM/RAM/RW, not as popular as MiniDV due to expensive DVD media, advantage of fast navigation & playback than tape but still need connections (as MiniDV) for playing and capturing
  
• Harddisk : latest technology, 2.5" harddisk based, capturing & encoding to MPEG format video files on-the-fly while recording, very long recording time (compare to 60 minutes on MiniDV tape) with tens of gigas of HD capacity, AV connection for playing on TV, USB/Firewire connection to transfer the video files (no need time consuming capturing process). Product: JVC Everio G
  

For regular use, MiniDV is recommended. For techie-minded, ease of workflow, and latest technology, harddisk-based is recommended (though still expensive).

Is that E1 price for a new one? If so that sounds like a good buy, even at only 5MP.

Yes, I believe it's new with the box etc. I saw on the display window and no sign that the store sells second hand cameras.

I saw another one at another store but more expensive, for 30K.

After all, it's almost the same as in US ($750-$800).

I think Sony-adopted KM should join 4/3 camp.

Yeah.. that would be great for the future. Though I doubt it, unless they want to kill KM mount. Or better then come up with KM to 4/3 vv lens mount adapter.

It's not only Olympus advocating 4/3 system and it means more than just sensor size. Did you see today's latest news from dpreview.com? Panasonic 4/3 standard based dSLR and Leica lens with 4/3 mount. Now with this camera you have a freedom to choose from Olympus or Sigma lenses too or you can use Leica lenses on Olympus 4/3 dSLR.

Gee.. I though it was only about sensor size and sensor technology. Didn't know that it covers also common lens mount. Interesting... got to read more. Moreover I saw Olympus E1 in one of the shop in Bangkok for only 28K Baht, about half price than when it was launched a couple of years ago.

What about Foveon advantages over CCD/CMOS?

Also I think some of the Olympus models like E-330 have very unique features that is very much demanded of dSLRs from other camps too but none yet seen from Canon or Nikon camps such as "full-time live view CCD" that allows you to frame with LCD monitor (a feature previously non-existant for dSLR) and "dust reduction system" that removes the dust on sensor surface that might attach when changing lens, all at very reasonable cost to the camera.

Self cleaning sensor mechanism and more weather-proof features have been there since E1. I remember this because an Australian guy in dpreview KonicaMinolta forum upgraded his KM A1 over 20D because of this reason.

Now I'm imagining 4/3 systems with KM integral AntiShake...

I bought the 70-200L and was initially a bit disappointed compared to my 300L IS. I am getting better at using it; but I lose too many shots to camera shake and wish I had "invested" the extra to get the IS; I am wondering how much Fotofile would give me on a trade in (I bought the lens from them).......

So now it's not about the L, but the IS which is more important.

Ha ha ha. Well, I don't think I am going as far as replacing my flawless EF70-200mm F2.8L for an IS. But the other day I had a chance to inspect the new EF24-105mm F4L IS USM at fotofile and was stunned by its second generation IS's capability to stabilize the image that some say you can go as slow as 1/2 sec. hand held and still can freeze the image. They say this lens at f/4 with IS adds three stops of hand holdability, and I did test this lens with my 5D in the dark TRUE shop in Siam Paragon both on telephoto and wide side, at 1/6 sec. and 1/4 sec. respectively, and both shots turned out completely blurless. I don't think I can achieve the same result using my much brighter EF24-70mm at F2.8 lens at the same shutter speed. Now, IS is the kind of a lens feature you would want for a full-size sensor as with full-size's resolving capability you can see what was hardly noticeable little motion blur very clearly when enlarging the image up to 100% size. But of course, you always have an option of carrying a solid and heavy tripod with you when leaving home with with your full-frame camera.

IS/VR/AS/OS/OIS or whatever the name is, indeed help the photographer to get sharper pics with slower shutter. Even on prosumer class like my KonicaMinolta A2 with its AntiShake.

For this reason (no need to invest expensive stabilized lenses), I could've decided to buy KM 7D (or its successor) if KM didn't shut down the business. Now let's see if Sony will bring this patented technology to their new products.

It's too bad for KM. If they had more good & vary product lines and excellent marketing, they could've beaten Canon/Nikon at this point.

And there are some interesting news released from ongoing PMA 2006 in Florida... The first Panasonic dSLR (with 4/3 mount) and Leica AG's entry into 4/3 standard lens.

I've known this new 4/3 format and Foveon sensor since the launch of Olympus E1 but didn't pay attention too much. I thought that this was just a new breed of sensor and saw no clear advantage than regular CCD/CMOS sensor.

Not a bad choice at all! But chances are, unless you have fast and expensive lenses, you might replace all your slow, non-L lenses (suppose you'll get Canon) when you replace your camera from APS-C to full-frame. Recently I got rid of Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX ASPHERICAL HSM and Canon EF28-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM (traded them in at fotofile for a Canon L lens) and got myself a new L lens. As you might know full-frame like 1Ds Mk2 is merciless in showing the flaw of your lens and I can say the same is true even for my 5D at less pixels than 1Ds.

What about the quality of cheaper but fast lenses from third party like Sigma (EX) or Tamron? I understand that the 2nd hand price will drop further than the original brand one, but I intend to keep it for long time if possible.

Fast lens (or L lens for Canon) usually doesn't just mean more depth of field and faster shutter speed but also more sharpness, more contrast, less vignetting, less ghost and flare, solid build, etc (generally speaking). Flaws of the cheap lenses that would seem tolerable with less pixel cameras are no longer so with unforgiving resolving capability of full-size sensors.

This answers my "is it really worth it" question (or "doubt") about the difference/advantage of using fast or high quality lenses. But I think it also depends on how big you want the prints (suppose you want to). For regular prints up to A3 size, I think there's not much different between high or regular quality lenses, is there?

For instance, I do have a EF70-200mm F2.8L USM and I just used this lens for the first time a few weeks ago on 5D shooting my wife from a distance in a park. And it turned out none of the 5 - 6 shots I took with this lens at 1/60 sec. with monopod which are usually acceptable with film turned out to be motion-blur free, when viewed at 100% size on PC monitor. So I'm now thinking of getting myself a heavy and solid tripod or perhaps even replacing EF70-200mm F2.8L for an IS (image stabilizer) lens which is 30,000 Baht more expensive. So you see, full-size is expensive but your spending doesn't just end there when you get a full-size.

Wow... slow down a bit! Investing full frame sensor camera... that skips investing APS-C sensor camera. Fast lenses... that skips investing slow lenses. Then stabilized fast lenses... so I guess even we should skip investing unstabilized fast lenses. Oh man... I'd never have a good DSLR systems

You are actually losing a lot of money when getting rid of your APS-C and a few steps farther toward reaching a full-size monetarily than you are if you haven't bought APS-C and saved that money for future purchase of full-size, so to speak.

Again... now back to my second question/doubt after the lens one. Do I really need or will ever need a full frame sensor camera? And would this APS-C sensor camera survive? For how long?

In the end, I think it comes down to the availability of lenses designed for APS-C size sensor that I would base my decision on, and whether or not there is a lens in the focal length and apperture that fits my need. There just aren't enough of EF-S or AF-S lenses IMO and if there are, often they just aren't fast enough for me - eg. EF-S 17-85mm IS at f/4-5.6 is too dim for a normal, day to day lens for me (but you can argue the same lens at F/2.8 can be too big and heavy for a day to day lens).

I also think it's a rather poor investment buying lenses that can not be shared with film SLR or for that matter full-size and APS-H size sensor dSLR (which is big part of why I bought 5D albeit expensive). But if I have to choose from APS-C sensors I would rather go for 8mp 30D than 10mpx D200. Just read an amagazine review that Nikon D200 without noise reduction feature on at ISO400 performs poorer than 5D at ISO1600. I would not need extra pixels for more noise. Plus recent release of EF-S 17-55 mm F2.8 IS lens would have me inclined toward Canon camp.

If buying dSLR for the first time and starting from the scratch, I would also seriously consider Olympums 4/3 system.

Guys, I enjoy reading your different perspectives on what to consider before investing lots of money on buying camera. Not like the brand war I used to see in many forums.

As I can't afford to buy full frame sensor camera and all fast lenses, I can say that if possible buy non-digital lenses. Fast one is better if you have money, but slower one might do well also. And APS-C sensor camera for beginning. Then when I had the money to buy more professional full-frame sensor camera, I can still reuse the lenses. What do you think?

so now can 30D be comparable to D200 seeing the price class is not much different (about $200)? or they are in different class?

Yeah.. but I mean... come on, the govt shouldn't be so naive. They block adult related website but not the adult-related practice at bars or on the street? Got to be kidding

thecrims.com

100% free

Yeah, it happens with my "just one month old" optical mouse. Twice. I's a cheapo, at Pantip. I better buy the expensive and more reliable one.

(Probably) starting today I can't open some sites.

Access Denied (policy_denied)

Your system was configured to deny access to this URL.Because this url was and improper/obscene website or your package is localnet

For assistance, contact your network support team.

Okay, some of the sites are adult related. But it was fine until few days ago. New policy?

If this getting worse, I'm starting to think to change to other broadband provider. Not that I'll be sick can't access those sites, but we are paying for the service and we are not underage to take the responsibility.

I've just heard from one of the fotofile staff last weekend that they also buy many items in bulk from Yodobashi. But then I don't know how they can offer warranty for products they bought from resellers in Japan.

maybe local distributor doesn't dare enough to buy in bulk, but fotofile does, so they make somekind of arrangement. don't know.

I also heard some shop in Bangkok is selling new EOS 5D for 90,000+ Baht, but they didn't tell me where.

5D for 90K? that's pretty ###### cheap! i wouldn't mind to buy if i had the money, i don't care if it's grey product or stolen as long as 100% new.

Items from Photofile will have a official guarantee.

Is the same true in Jakarta?

Mind you, for a 10,000 baht saving I might not mind.

For a few baht less in KL it is not worth the hassle later.

Wherever you buy, be sure to know your local prices beforehand.

AFAIK, both jpckemang.com and ek-gadgets.com usually they offer 2 kinds of products (same case when buying mobile phone) with slightly different prices: official (warranty by local distributor or international) and grey market (store warranty only). Check with them for sure before buying.

I agree. If the difference is not much and you really care about warranty then don't bother to buy out of the country.

I'm looking for some advice on prices of digital SLR's in Thailand compared to for exampke Singapore / Dubai. Is there a big difference, is it worth looking outside. Also, where is a good place to find the best deals, I've been looking at the Nikon D200. Any advisce appreciated.

Cheers

Kev

In Bangkok (specific store/URL hughden mentioned) is cheaper. But if you want more cheaper, try jpckemang.com store in Jakarta. Use currency at xe.com as reference. The price can be up to 10000 Baht cheaper than here, though they haven't list D200 price yet (upon request).

Just checked at ek-gadgets.com (Jakarta), they offer 17.75 millions Rupiahs for D200 (about 75500 THB or 1925 USD). However don't know if they have stock.

I understand that the 35D will not include the D200 banding facility......

Seems that they just offer the fix:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06021101...d200banding.asp

I'm looking for some advice on prices of digital SLR's in Thailand compared to for exampke Singapore / Dubai. Is there a big difference, is it worth looking outside. Also, where is a good place to find the best deals, I've been looking at the Nikon D200. Any advisce appreciated.

Cheers

Kev

Singapore and Dubai don't have the best price on adv to prof digital cameras. I bought my camera while in transit in Singapore (just because it was newly launched and couldn't find it in Middle East) and I lived in Dubai for a while (don't ever get tempted with free tax).

In Bangkok (specific store/URL hughden mentioned) is cheaper. But if you want more cheaper, try jpckemang.com store in Jakarta. Use currency at xe.com as reference. The price can be up to 10000 Baht cheaper than here, though they haven't list D200 price yet (upon request).

One thing in Dubai (Salam store, Wafi mall) that I find the cheapest anywhere (including US) is when I bought Manfrotto tripod+head (190PROB + 322RC2) for 720 AED (about 7200 THB). Just yesterday I checked at fotofile for 9000 THB.

From the reviews I read, I thought 20D has been a good camera so far, such as good pic, very low noise on high ISO, and 5 fps. Though there's one rumour about focusing problem. And for 5D, I heard also about vignetting issue on some lenses. Don't know more than that. Are they true?

What else do we expect from the upgrade/35D? At least to level D200 specs?

Of course I know non-EF-S lenses can be used with 20D/350D too but I am talking about X1.6 cropping factor.

ahh.. you're talking about full frame sensor... that's my dream but i don't think i can afford it now. unless i'll make some money out of it (pro photographer).

1. Keep it; if you like it and it works for you.

2. If you want a DSLR, wait for the PMA announcements. Expect a new offering from Canon on 21st February as a replacement for the 20D.

you mean the upcoming 2Ds?

20D was not so much a cheap alternative to me as I would need one or two EF-S lens to go along with it, while with 5D I could use all my existing lenses.

dpreview.com: "The EOS 20D has a standard metal EF / EF-S lens mount which means that it supports all Canon EF and EF-S lenses plus some older as manual focus and compatible third party lenses."

Are you using special lenses?

I don't think the service for Konica Minolta cameras will be suspended immediately and I'm sure they will stock the spare parts for at least few years to come.

I agree. But you know it's always difficult when you're not the big players (C*/N*).

So I decided to keep my F828.

If I had an extra budget to buy second camera (wish for mid-class DSLR like 20D/D200) , that would not be an issue.

BTW I believe Sony has announced it will release its first dSLR this year.

I heard that too. It will come with Minolta mount. Myself, I'm pesimistic with the product. Maybe the second DSLR will do, with the full support of ex-Minolta great experts & innovators.