This 180 degree panorama is a photomerge from a series of 6 ultra wide angle images I took while looking over the edge from the top of AT&T Park. The street heading off to the left and to the right is really the same, straight street with no curve in the road. The distortion is due to the photomerge and the close distance I was to the street. You can’t see this view in real life without turning your head from side to side.

To the far left is the Pacific Ocean and to the far right is the San Francisco Bay. You can see a bit of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to the right, especially if you click on the image to make it bigger.

Posted on May 15th, 2012 under Other. Tags: dusk, nikon d7000, panorama, photography, photoshop, san francisco, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Lens for Nikon. Comments Off on King Street – San Francisco

At 11mm on my DX (crop sensor) Nikon D7000 today’s top image of Dodger Stadium is pretty wide. But I wanted to see what I could do with photomerge in Photoshop CS5 so I merged/stitched five images from the same vantage point together with the following result.

Not only do I like the result much more, but photomerge did a couple of really cool things. First, with each of the five images, the picture on Diamond Vision in left field changed. I thought photomerge would blend them all together into a mess. Instead, it took just the first one for a clean Diamond Vision scene. Second, players on the field and people in the stands were moving between the five photos. Somehow photomerge detected this and didn’t put multiple versions of the same person into the final scene. Very cool, photomerge. I think I love you. I guess I can ditch my ultra-wide angle lens and just photomerge my future photos together!

Posted on April 14th, 2012 under Other. Tags: baseball, california, los angeles, nikon d7000, panorama, photography, photomerge, photoshop, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Lens for Nikon. Comments: 1

I just picked up a Nikon 35mm f/1.8G lens, and this was the first photo I took with it. Let me introduce you to my friends. From left to right…

First we have a Nikkor 18-200mm, which was my first lens and the lens I used 90% of the time during my first six months with my D7000. Now I use it only on rare occasions (when I’m going to be outdoors, don’t want to carry more than one lens, don’t need an ultra wide angle, and don’t plan to be shooting anything in low light). If you are interested in buying this lens, I could part with it for $700 delivered.

Next we have a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. I love this ultra wide lens and use it all the time.

Second from the right is a Sigma 85mm f/1.4 lens which is my go-to lens for concert photography, indoor sports (when I don’t want the large and heavy 70-200mm), and portraits.

Finally, on the right, we have the big daddy, a 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II lens from Nikon. Great for sports, portraits, macros, and pretty much any photo that doesn’t required a wide angle.

Posted on April 1st, 2012 under Other. Tags: Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens, photography. Comments: 2

I really love my Caselogic SLRC-205 SLR Camera Sling Bag. It is the perfect size for a DSLR with lens attached if you only need to bring along one extra lens (or no extra lenses and a lunch or water bottle). However, if the lens attached to my Nikon D7000 is my 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II then it doesn’t fit. The 70-200 lens fits fine as the spare but not when it is on the camera body.

So I decided to get a second sling bag (pictured above), just a little bigger than the first. Well, it arrived today and even though it is roomier, my D7000 still doesn’t fit if my 70-200mm f/2.8g lens is attached. Rats! I’m keeping it, though, as this bag can fit multiple lenses, lunch, and a netbook computer or iPad in addition to a DSLR with lens attached. The DCB-308 will be handy on my trip back east this summer. I just wish it was an inch or two deeper so that I could have my 70-200mm lens attached while carrying.

2018 update

Posted on January 31st, 2012 under Other. Tags: photography, reviews, travel related goods. Comments Off on Case Logic DCB-308 SLR Camera Sling Backpack

Japanese photographer takes aim at some plum blossoms in Ikegamibaien (池上梅園)

When you get bored of taking photos of flower blossoms in Japan you can always turn your camera on the dozens of (mostly) old, Japanese men targeting the flowers with their giant DSLRs.

One of the best places to see plum blossoms this time of year in (or near) Tokyo is Ikegami Baien. The flowers probably won’t hit their peak for another few weeks, but the viewing should be good for the next six or seven weeks.

Posted on January 25th, 2012 under Japan. Tags: people, photography, ume. Comments Off on Japanese photo enthusiasts (shashin aikouka or 写真愛好家)