Change of Mind!

Instead of keeping my Panasonic 20mm f1.7 I decided to use my Olympus 17mm f2.8 and buy an Olympus 45mm f1.8  and I’m glad I did so.  The 20mm was had bad AF in low light which I couldn’t stand at all.  I never used the 17mm before because the 20mm came on the same day my camera kit came and I was pleasantly surprised with the low light autofocus with my 17mm! I think I might be keeping this kit lens for a while and maybe get the Panasonic 25mm after I acquire the Olympus 12mm  Here are some sample shots taken with the new 45mm at a park!

out of focus..

A little accessories-ing

2 items have arrived in the mail! The Gariz soft button and the Aki Asahi Custom Leatherette case.  The shipping was pretty fast (10 days) considering that they are overseas.  Mind you, these are not cheaply made products like you would think.  These were nicely packaged and have a quality feel to them. Less talking more pictures!

black and red soft buttons, there are 2 other colors believe that you choose from.

Now here is what it looks like on the camera!

The skin definitely gives a better grip and I can see some people being able to take off the thumb grip, if they wish, and give the camera  a cleaner look.  As for the Gariz I see myself using the part where your first joint is in your index finger rather than the tip of the finger to shoot pictures.

Sushi/Movie Date!

So I just got back from Hermiston, OR and decided I needed to go out on a date with my girlfriend!  So being the deal finder I am, I found a coupon for 2 movie tickets and $50 worth of food at a food discount site for $25.  Great deal right? Well, sort of.  There is a requirement for using the food coupon at a particular restaurant, for a $25 coupon the minimum purchase is $35 plus 18% gratuity before taxes and discount applied.   This means that you’re paying at least $16.30 for the meal. ($35 * 1.18 – $25)  Which is still okay since I had a movie ticket bundled with this deal, however, if you decide to just buy this coupon of $25 discount it would cost you $10.  This brings the total to $26.30. No bueno.

Putting that aside, I wanted to see how well I can take pictures with my newly acquired E-P3, BUT I found the inside restaurant shots to be too yellow and I didn’t want to fiddle around with the WB because I wanted to eat! So, I took the easy way out and put on art filters that are in the camera.

I didn't want to drive since I drove a lot recently, plus it was during traffic and I would have been mad. Thanks Janice

This is one of about 15 paintings the restaurant had inside.

 Now, the food arrives! I know that these types of filters are not that great for food photography, but I didn’t really care at the time.  Not very pleased with how the photos turned out though and I now realized that my auto ISO was maxed at I think 1200…  I feel like I could have taken better pictures with a mobile phone..

This is Janice's meal!

My chirashi meal

Janice wanted me to take so many pictures of her...

Here is my favorite picture of her from the night.

The sushi was good, but a little pricey without the discount.  It would be great if the prices were $2-3 less per meal and if it wasn’t so far away. Oh, and the movie we watched was Mission Impossible 3. It was a good movie! Everyone should go watch it.

Crumpler Haven

I don’t put much effort inside “reviews”, but I finally have something to store my camera in and I’m very pleased with it.  It’s the Crumpler Haven(M).  It’s not an ordinary camera bag, it’s more like a well padded-pouch where you can put inside any other bag you like making it more convenient for you to bring you’re favorite messenger, backpack, etc.  Here are some photos of it.

Stores cables, sd cards, or lens caps

While I was back visiting my parents I found this bag that I received LONG ago as a part of some church event and I figured it might be a useful bag.

Kind of looks like a platypus

Guess what fits perfectly inside this bag!

Remember that this is a smaller than average backpack, so I don’t want to give an illusion that the Haven is bigger than it actually is.  This bag would be perfect for traveling.

Olympus E-P3 w/ VF-2 & Panny 20mm 1.7 has arrived!

I have been waiting forever for this camera to come!

This is the Olympus E-P3 with the VF-2 attached.   The VF-2 is good for sunlight when you are not able to view the screen. It also came with a Domke strap. I’m planning to sell the 17mm that came with this camera and the VF-2 if I don’t find it worth its price tag in order to fund another lens I want, Olympus 45mm 1.8

It also came with this brown bag, but I don’t think I’ll be using it anytime soon…

Here is the lovely Panasonic 20mm 1.7

I find that the micro 4/3 cameras are MUCH more convenient than carrying around a DSLR .  It’s lighter, smaller, and somewhat pocketable if you have a jacket pocket to put it in.  Although, the price of the lens is not much cheaper if you’re comparing it to the non L-lenses.  I love the retro look it has to it and being smaller, I would imagine that it won’t scare off people as easily if you like doing street photography.

Here is an image I taken from the E-P3 w/ 20mm.

WELCOME TO MY PHOTOBLOG!

I will be updating every now and then with pictures I take throughout the new year.  Hopefully I can keep up and hope you will enjoy!