Sony Action Cam AS30V Review

Sony Action Cam AS30V Review

I got my hands on the latest Action Cam by Sony last week and I can’t help myself but write a review about it since it’s just super awesome. For those who didn’t know what an Action Cam is, it’s actually a camcorder targeted for those who indulge themselves with extreme sports (superbike racing, mountain climbing, surfing etc). Since nobody can see what the person is going through, a Point-of-View (POV) camera is suitable for such situation. It’s going to enable recording during such activities plus providing GPS data to keep track of your route. We’ll see what the Sony Action Cam has to offer.

Hardware and Design

Inside the small package lies the 1/2.3” type back-illuminated Exmor R^TM CMOS sensor with 12 effective megapixel for photos and videos. The lens is the ZEISS® Tessar® Lens if the highest quality and I have to admit, it gave such a nice and sharp shots of mostly everything that’s in focus. With the max aperture of f/2.8, it does provide a clear, sharp images and recordings. However, be aware that the minimum focusing distance for the Action Cam is 30cm and nearer than that would give you an OOF (Out-of-Focus) shots. Recording button on the back is quite flimsy but it does have a lock to prevent from accidental recording that would end up drying up your juice. Underneath the record button is the battery and memory card slot. The battery would last around 2 to 3 hours. Standy would last for a week I guess. The action cam can either too a microSD or Memorystick micro. I get a 64gb microSD since it gave much more recording time for me (around 5 hours of full HD recording or 10k plus shots). The two button on the side are for navigating the menus and a super-small LCD to show the menus. It was built with great aerodynamic since the wind resistance will be much less than the GoPro. The slot for microUSB, microHDMI and mic were placed on the bottom and covered with a flimsy hard plastic cover. Charging is definitely with the microUSB since it remove the hassle of taking the battery out and using the external charger.

Video

The Action Cam maxed out it’s recording at 1080p 60fps with 18mbps. Beside, it also has 1080p 30fps, 720p 120fps (SuperSlowMotion), 720p 60fps (SlowMotion), 720p 30fps and 480p. After using it on a few occasion (especially on my superbike), the Action Cam proved to be smoother though there’s few artefact which I believe came from the waterproof casing. Videos without stabilization will be at 170º and turning it on and you will get a little bit tight which is around 120º. That might be a lot but for me, it works best on some events. Most of the time I would turn off the stabilization just to get the extra view.

Photo

I would say it’s a mixed bag. This little cam is definitely not suited for photos but it does it’s job. Though it gave you 12mp of photos each time you’re on your own selfie, high noise is the drawback. I managed to get a great outdoor shot with great lighting but indoor is very much acceptable. Not very good but you can still see your own smile. Sometimes I would take clips from the video itself cos it looks much cleaner than taking a photo.

Accessories

Sony has thrown mostly everything you can think of. From the headmount to the chest harness, you name it. Mostly are upgrades from its little brother, the AS15V. What you will basically get right from the box are waterproof case, a curvy and a flat sticking mount. Others like the chest harness require you to blow some cash. The most significant of all the accessories is the LiveView Remote. It has a small LCD that act as a viewfinder and it would also act like a watch to show time. You can record from the watch which means you don’t have to go for the cam itself to push the record button. Changing the setting and view was made easy by the watch. It’s also waterproof. That’s why I get one.

Usage

It works great. Sometime, you can just hold it during your walk and you will still get great videos. The cam alone is not waterproof. It requires the waterproof case to make it waterproof and maybe a little shockproof. It will still break if you smash it on the floor though. I had great time using it in the pool with my friends and the SuperSlowMotion mode is very, very smooth. It’s just like peanut butter cream. The cam is built specifically for extreme sport users. However, if you’re a person who prefer travelling alone, this is also the one for you. You can take you own selfie or record whatever you’re going through your holiday. Since I travel alone with my bike, having this is a much better option.

Price

It’s a Sony. You can’t expect a low price. You think this is a junk? It was priced nearly the same with the GoPro3+. I got mine with the LiveView Remote watch and it costs RM1,499. The GoPro3+ was priced the same with a recording remote watch. I guess Sony’s watch is much better since it gave me a look at what I’m recording though it was like a bulk on my wrist. All the accessories were plastic and it’s gonna cost you premium price. Don’t tell people that I didn’t warn you for this.

Final Verdict

This is not a normal camcorder. If you think you’re getting this for your home video, you would better off using your smartphones for that. My Samsung S4 did better home video or even stupid video compared to the Action Cam. Get this cam if you are going jumping off the cliff, bungee jumping or even skydiving or even any other sports that is going to make recording impossible. Videos are smooth, shots are considerably acceptable and it is quite tough. Get this one if you’re going to do so extreme and crazy stuff.

Flash Your Shot

Salam.

It is a very good day for a good blog post. Yeah. Last time I mumble about being a tripod hugger and how exciting it is to get one and hug one. This time, my mumbling will be about flash unit. Flash unit is basically an accessories used together with a DSLR to provide that extra lighting required to get extra sharp or extra creative shots.

Flash unit is basically mounted on the top side of the DSLR and there are also some which can be mounted to the front of the lens like a macro flash unit. Some mid-range flashes will be able to tilt and swivel while some low-end one are just going to shoot straight. High-end flashes will be able to provide wireless as well as high-speed synchronization (HSS).

Then name of this thing already provide you with understandable meaning of its function. Flash means it will flash a high amount of light in just a fraction of time. It will not provide long continuous amount of light like a flashlight does. There’s also some cheap flash unit using LED as its source of light and able to provide long continuous lighting but it’s not powerful compared to normal flashes. It’s because normal flashes uses xenon gas rather than LED to distribute its light and the light is more reflected and powerful. LED is just some light used in electrical appliances.

For portraiture or macro photography, lighting using flashes is vital. For example while doing macro photography, photographers uses a very low aperture up to f/22 and such small apertures couldn’t have enough light from normal lighting. That’s where you need a flash. It’s the same concept as some wedding photographers where they need their client to be present while having their background together. Also in some cases, lowlight situation such as shot during convocation events or any indoor shooting, it’s proves to be quite important. People can just use high ISO while shooting indoors but it will affect the quality of the shots. Of course you wouldn’t want your shots from a DSLR to look like shots from a mobile phone, won’t you?

Normal flashes have an ability called TTL or foremerly known as Through The Lens. TTL is actually an automatic feature which let it set out automatic exposure and power of your flash based on the lens. It means, everything is automatic for you. I’m using Yongnuo YN560EX which is a manual flash so I have to set the power level accordingly before shooting. All those Nikon, Canon and other manufacturers have such unique name such as i-TTL, e-TTL and much more. As long as it has TTL, it means automatic, that’s all.

Mid-range to high-end flashes uses normal AA batteries/cells. So, before you start getting it, you might want to consider getting a rechargeable one so it will save you money from getting a lot of normal alkaline batteries. I used Eneloop XXX 2500mAh cells and they worked great. I’ve been to nearly 500 shots on a single charge. You should also prepare normal cells just in case your juices run out dry in the middle of your shooting. I’ve experienced such situations while carrying out my macro shots. It’s just so suddenly that my flash stops flashing and there’s no recharging sound.

Stop worrying about not having wireless capabilities in your flash. It’s not vital for everyday or casual shootout. Shooting wireless flash is usually for pros and masters where they go around doing crazy shit such as strobist where multiple flashes are required. The last time I use wireless flash is like last year during my sister’s wedding. That’s it. As of today, most of the time that I use flash is during my macro shootout.

If you’re really getting one, make sure you know what you’ll going to use it for or you will end up keeping it in your drawer. Mind you that it’s going to add more weight to your gear and it might tire you out. If you ever get one, enjoy using it.

Salam.

All About Tripod

Salam.

Today I would answer the frequently asked question about tripod.

“Why do I need a tripod?”

“Do I really need a tripod?”

“It’s heavy and expensive. I wouldn’t want that!”

Yeah right. You shouldn’t get a tripod if you have such words running across your mind. Besides, a good tripod for DSLR is quite a burden on your cash. Apart from that, it’s also heavy. Like 2 – 3 kg on one’s back. Faq all of that bullshit you people have thrown to those poor and sturdy tripods. I am a tripod hugger and having one is like having a stand for your sniper.

Tripod is actually use for certain types of photography that require stability and exposure. For example, landscape photography which requires several shots from different exposure to create that detailed shot. Also macro photography which requires shots to be taken from different depth of focus to get that super-detailed shot. So why don’t you want one?

It has been a great debate of the use of tripod among forumers and photographers alike upon the importance of this three-legged-metal. Some would just state that they could also get great shots without a tripod. For me, I just have it by pure coincidence. Yes. More of like accidentally.

I kid. Actually for me, tripod is one of my must-have gears when I travel. Mine is a Manfrotto 190XDB paired with a 390RC2 ballhead and yes, it’s about 5kg altogether. Why do I get such heavy and expensive tripod? I get it because I know I’m going to need it for my shots. Unlike most photographers, I am not keen into taking portraiture or any picture with human in the frame. I prefer my shots to be filled with nature and scenery rather than human.

Therefore, macro and landscape photography suits me better and I have been photographing them since 2008. Yes. My first tripod that I received sucks because it couldn’t support the weight of my gears. Therefore I made my own research and come across Manfrotto and some other manufacturers that made high quality tripod. 2009 and 2010 are years where I’ve been doing quite a lot of videography and having a tripod helps a lot. Now, although I’m a teacher, I did travel a lot especially across the Borneo. Tripod does help me a lot during my photo shoot.

If you’re thinking of getting a hold of a tripod for photography, let me advise you. Get a worthy one. When you get something, you are going to use it until it breaks and surely you don’t want your gears to break. So you better get a worthy one. I’ve been using my tripod on numerous challenging situations such as in the river, near the beaches and on top of one of the highest peak in the world! The best thing is, my tripod never breaks! It does its job completely fine and since I’ve purchased it in 2009, the only broken parts is the ballhead because I travelled to a place so cold (-24°C), all my gadgets were not working well! Even my camera! So, it wouldn’t surprise me if the metal ballhead have a crack due to the change in temperature.

There is also something called monopods which only have 1 leg. Some latest tripods have this ability where you can take off two legs of the tripod and you’ll get a monopod. Monopod is quite essential but it might not give you the stability compared to a tripod. Most sports photographers use monopod because it gave them the speed to move the frame as quickly as possible. I’m not really into sports photography so I avoided monopod for good.

Besides, having a tripod will give you some exercise because you will end up carrying it around and build up your biceps and triceps. Some of us are not getting enough exercise so by getting a tripod, you get exercise as well as a great shot. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.

If you’re getting a tripod just for the sake of getting it, you will end up keeping it rather than using it. Stuff that has been kept without use for a long time will surely be torn apart by time. If you have one, use it well. People have been talking bad and laughing when they saw me carrying a big ass tripod around. Well, I don’t care. Laugh at me while your tripod in the closet rots to dust.

I use my gears at least once every fortnight except my camera where I use it most of the time.

That’s it from me rumbling about a tripod. I’m no great photographer. I’m just a teacher who loves to go the extra mile. I hope those who have tripod in their arsenal would put it into good use rather than keeping it.

Salam.

Tips For New Photographers

Salam.

Shot after 2 hours of trekking deep into the Borneo rainforest

I have been observing a lot of people who have been indulging themselves in the world of photography, be it new, noob, pros or masters. But I'm not going to comment on any of that. My post here is for those who have just dived into the crazy world of photography.

When you enter such world, it doesn't matter what your gears are. DSLR, compacts, bridge or even smartphone, this is a world of endless possibilities and creativity. Let's start the lesson will ya?

Lesson 1 - Get Your Gears

You should always have your gears around you. Within your reach. So the possibilities of losing your shot can be reduced. Yes. You’ll never tell what’s going to happen. It would be better if you have it in your hand rather than in your pocket or around your neck. If you happen to see something interesting, get that shot. You can never tell if your shots are going to hit the jackpot.

Lesson 2 - Shy or Lazy is not an Option

You can never be shy or lazy. Damn it. If you have any of it in you, quit being a photographer. Just what kind dimwit are you? Being shy means lazy and vice versa. You just can't be one or both. You have a mathafaking-big-ass camera in your arsenal yet you mention something about being shy? You better throw your shitty gears to me baby.

Lesson 3 - Never Compare

“My pals got this mortar-like lens whereby I only got this tiny-cheapo bastard.” The faq do I care? Million-dollar lenses aren’t going anywhere if your creativity is down to earth. In fact, kit lenses are what you are going to shoot most of the time as amateurs. Those bazooka lenses are only for those who know what they are doing. You noobies should stick to your kit lens! FYI, even masters and pros uses kit lens most of the time. Yeah! Better believe me. Kit lens cover most of our shots focal length and in certain situation, it outperforms expensive lenses by tenfold! Way to go kit lens!

Lesson 4 - Shoot & Learn

Shoot random stuff and keep saying," Aww, my shots were bad!" Well then, just die. You shoot and never learn to improve. You expect to master photography without any learning. You think you're some kind of genius or something? Go and google amazing images on the net. Also check out the tutorials. Some would provide in-depth details of tutorial for everyone reading it. That will punch some ideas to that boring little brain of yours.

Lesson 5 – A Little Editing Won’t Hurt

Just because you’ll get amazing shot from you $10k cameras, you’re wrong. Sometime you just need to get that extra saturation, a little of white balance and also pieces of this and that. Editing doesn’t mean that you’ll lose that so-called naturality of the shots. Think of it as a way to enhance your shots. Just like injecting steroids up your shot.

Final words from me, just use your camera. Use it. Capture the moment. Some shots are worth millions of words. You got that 8GB cards and keep telling others you’re lazy. If you keep saying that, just pack all of your gears, put it back into the box and mail them to me. I’ll put them into good use rather them letting them rot in your coffin.

Salam.

Landscape Photography

Salam.

Once upon a time, I was a clueless photographer. Means I just grab my gears and went on shooting stuff. From portrait to macro and sometimes underwater photography. After taking millions of shots, I realised that I am not into all those shots I've taken. Be it candid or planned, I never thought of it. Just snap and go. I've also ventured into the world of Sony, Canon and Nikon. Currently I'm with Nikon. Regardless of brands, creativity is much more important that that.

Enough bullshit for today. Rather than bragging about myself for the next twenty posts, let's get down to business. Here I would like to share on landscaping. Or landscape photography.

Landscape photography basically means taking shots of the world around us. Be it with or without people in it. I'm not going to share about any sure-fire or any easy way tips to a great landscape shots but just sharing some requirement for it. Just basic requirement within my boundaries of knowledge.

1. Get a camera
Any would do. Even a compact or mobile phone. In my case, I'm on a DSLR. Just don't kill yourself over a 10k camera. Even a basic one will do.

2. Get a tripod
If you're on a compact or smaller size camera, get a cheap tripod as it would not wobble much since your camera is not too heavy. Compared to a DSLR or other big-cam, you should get a sturdier and muscular tripod. So your camera would not shake too much to the point of you yourself tossing it in the river. On top of that, landscaping might require you to use slow shutter rather than normal shutter.

3. Push the aperture
You would want everything to be in focus. Thus smaller aperture such as f/8 and below, will be a necessity. That is why I recommend you having a tripod so it will help you with your framing and shooting.

4. Wide-angle Lens for DSLR (if possible)
Landscaping is not about getting everything in the frame but its about getting the most out of the environment. For DSLR users, it is very convenient to use a wide-angle lens to be able to get the most out of the environment. Even a kitlens would be great (if you know how) for landscaping due to its 18mm wide. Its not like you can't use a telephoto lens such as the 70-200 for landscaping but the opening is very small and not much stuff can enter the frame. But it doesn't mean you can't. Its just difficult.

5. Cloud
If the cloud is super beautiful on that day, don't hesitate.

6. Subject
Get a subject in your shot. Its essential as it will provide as a rest area for the eyes. Without any subject, the eyes will wander around the shot without knowing where to rest. Its also tiring for the viewers.

Here is some shot from my landscape collection.

I'm just stating some tips here. Your creativity would be vital in getting better shots. Get out there and have fun with your camera.

Salam.

Tokina AT-X Pro 11-16mm f/2.8 DX Review

Salam.

Tokina AT-X Pro 11-16mm f/2.8 DX

I have been using this lens for a few months and I really feel like writing down a review on it. Based on my experience of using it for most of my shots. I would basically categorised this lens as a creative wide-angle lens. I used the word 'creative' here to let everyone know that this is not like any other wide-angle lens produced by Nikon or Canon.

Body

This lens is more like a mortar launcher than it is as a lens. The feel of the lens when you have it in your hands is like having Modern Warfare hallucination. Yes. It does feel secure. Its gonna make you feel safe. Since most of it is metal, including the mount, you won't be having problem banging it against someone. But please stay away from doing that. Due to the sheer presence of metal, it also weighs a lot. Yes. So much until you're gonna keep wondering if you are really carrying a camera. The weight is just too much to be used on my D7000. Except when you're using tripod, its gonna be your hell of the day. The focusing system uses shotgun-clutch type rather than normal switch system. No wonder this bastard is cheap. The zooming ring is very well constructed. Its tight and able to keep your framing precise. The focusing ring is quite loose while on Manual Mode. This lens does not have rear gasket to keep it dust free but since there's no moving parts while using the lens (zoom or focus) basically, no or very little air will be able to enter it.

Focusing

On Nikon bodies without built-in motor, you won't be having AF. Only D90, D7000 and above would be having AF since it is using conventional AF screw for AF. However, the latest version would have built-in motor that enables AF even on older bodies such as the D3000. Canon and others won't suffer from such. Focusing speed is quite fast but not as fast as a Nikon lens. Due to its wide angle opening, you should be using it at f/5.6 and below. Using it at f/2.8 won't be a problem but it will be quite soft. Also, mind you that the focusing plane is not straight due to its distortion. Hunting is not a problem. Because I've never experienced it before. Everything is well focused but it has to be at small apertures to maintain focus.

Sharpness

Sharpness is not an issue if you go for smaller aperture. Large aperture really pose as a problem. Since the focusing plane is not really straight, you will lose sharpness in most subject. I mainly use this lens for landscaping rather than portraiture. For portrait, I use 35mm f/1.8 DX. It's not worth using this lens for portraiture. For group photos, its fine. Real world sharpness can differ according to the situation. Mine for example, loses a little sharpness even after stopping up to f/8. This is due to the reason that my environment is very damp and moisture level is very high (nearly 90% at all times).

Distortion

This lens have a bit of a fish-eye effect due to the presence of barrel distortion. While it is not much, it does give you the fish-eye idea after you view your shots on your computer. You will be able to correct it with Adobe Photoshop. The distortion is not that bad and easily corrected.

Ghosting

I have experienced this a lot. Yes. A lot. Not circles of green but a straight line of lights. Basically occurring in the worst possible angle where the sun rays meet your lens' front element. And while landscaping, I'll always be there and also the ghost.

Price

Pricing at the time of writing is at RM1,899. Some would charge more as this is a very difficult lens to get hold on to. Same like the Tokina 100 Macro. It's cheaper and sturdier compared to the Nikon and Canon.

Conclusion

This is a very good wide-angle lens. The price, the built and the optics are excellent. No wonder many photographers prefer to have this in their arsenal. However, right now many were tying to sell away their's. This maybe due to the reason that its zoom range is so little, it feels like you're not not zooming at all. From 11 to 16, even I feel that it is too wide. Unlike others where it gives 10 to 22/24, the large range gave those lenses versatility. But for this lens, you need creativity. Get this lens and never gave up on it.

Salam

Tokina AT-X Pro 100 f/2.8 D Macro Review

Salam.

Here is my review on Tokina AT-X Pro 100 f/2.8 D Macro lens.

Tokina AT-X Pro 100mm Macro f/2.8

After using this lens for quite a while, I realised that there is a need for a review on this lens. Aside from the amazing Nikkor 105mm Macro f/2.8 VR, this lens can be considered as one of the best macro lens in the photography world. I will review this lens based on various aspects such as the body, image quality and others.

Body

The body of this lens is sturdier than Tamron 90mm Macro SP. It doesn't feel cheap at all. The focusing ring feels smooth and you can just flick it with a finger. Some would prefer the focusing ring to be tighter as it would avoid you from losing your focus. However, with smoother focusing ring, it would enable you to find your focus faster. Its lighter compared to the Nikkor and it is definitely a great plus for the user as it won't pose much of a burden for them. Besides, shooting macro might require you to focus with your own body rather than using the focusing ring.

Focusing

Focusing up to 1:1 will extend the lens to about its whole body size. Unlike Nikon or Canon which doesn't extend, it might as well pose a problem for you as the extension will disturb your subject. In my case, it does occur in 2 out of 10 shots. Also, going to 1:1 will drop the aperture to f/5.6. However, if you're using it as a short-tele, it will stay 2.8. Auto focus is fast on my D7000. However, its not that fast compared to Nikon 35 f/1.8 but it is still fast for a short-tele. 

Sharpness

I will not say much about sharpness. This is a macro lens. Of course its super-sharp. It is sharp across the frame. Especially the centre where sharpness maxed out. At 2.8, its sharp but a little soft at corners. Stop it at f/5.6 and it is hell sharp. Some reviews mentioned that it maxed out at f/16 where diffraction started to occur. However, mine is still sharp up until f/18 and sometimes at f/20. My results are based on real world results rather than lab results.

Distortion

There is a little distortion which you may not realise at all. I put it to test and found that just a bit of distortion occurs at corners. Other than that, none at all.

Ghosting

I never come across ghosting while shooting macro but if you use it as a short-tele, you will get some. I got it while shooting my students playing football and my colleagues playing badminton. But it is a rare occasion as it depends on the angle of the source of light. There's just a few circles that would fill maybe 1/10 of the frame towards the corners.

Price

I got mine for RM1,499 which is more than a half cheaper than the Nikon 105 Macro VR. It's always out of stock so you might have to order it. Photographers have been after it as it performs nearly the same or better than the Nikon for a tad cheaper price. 

Conclusion

In the nutshell or coconut shell or even seashell, this is one of the best option for a macro photographers looking for a dedicated macro lens. Since it can provide a 1:1 magnification, you can even reach 3:1 in certain occasion with an extension tube or macro converter. I managed to reach 4:1 magnification with full stack of extension tube. Get this one if you can't get hold of the expensive brand such as Nikon, Canon or Sony. If budget is not a problem for you, get a Nikon or Canon.

Salam.