Tuesday, July 31, 2007

shoot now, focus later camera! its real!







check this out. this is one of the coolest tech in photography. this is the technology that i've been waiting for for almost 2 years but still it hasn't been integrated into our current cameras yet. There are such plans but it will require time for this technology to mature and becomes more affordable.

It's like 5 years ago, you go telling the die-hard film user something like this...
"there's a camera that doesn't use film and when the pictures were taken, it would be stored inside a chip(memory card) and then downloaded into a computer using a cable. one chip can store few hundred pix and a film can only store 36 exposure"
The die-hard film users would probably laugh and maybe don't believe or accept such things at the beginning.

Few months ago, i once told a professional photog that such technology would be integrated into our future systems. he seem like he did not accept what i say. I think i understand why...it takes time for people to adapt to BIG CHANGES.

Apparently when this shoot now and focus later technology was announced, manufacturer was actually complaining that they have to change the entire way they design and built their systems for this. Who won't right? Well, its like film switching to digital. If it happens, it will happen rapidly. Manufacturers will have to adapt to it when the consumer demands for it.







See shot above. The picture was taken as a single frame (one shutter click) but computed on a PC to generate 5 different frames. if you look from left to right, the girl on the left is in focus then when you move from the left to the right frames, the people at the back is in focus and now the girl on the left is out-of-focus (it's not blur, its out-of-focus). The software that comes with the camera can specifically tell where to focus at a later stage. Scary i know!

Apparently they have removed a lot of test shots and movies which was previously posted for preview.
Check Video Avi (74.4 MB) Uses XVid codec.
Can't play the video clip? Download Video Xvid codec and install to view movie.

For more details of this technology see here

the world's largest telephoto lens




























this is a real big mama! monster lens that weighs 256kg, custom built for a super damn rich guy. imagine how you have to handle something like this???

"This lens becomes the largest telephoto lens for non-military use anywhere in the world. The price hasn't been disclosed (although we've heard rumours) nor has the private owner, although some of the text on the lens is in Arabic and it carries a 'State of Qatar' emblem."

The range? 1700mm maximum opening at f4!

"At a focal length of 1700mm and a speed of f/4, this project even challenged the manufacture of the optical glass. The delicate, special glass types required for this unique design had never been cast before in such huge dimensions. Some of the resulting lens blanks weighed more than 25 kg (55 lbs.) and were valued more than a luxury sedan! Turning these blanks into the finished lens elements added even more to their value."

Ok now i take back my words when i was calling the 400mm f2.8 a big mama. I think the one i was carrying is merely half the size of this one. For a sense of scale, look at the picture below..

































Maybe DC would like to give this a try for pre wedding? heeh i bet he would...im just wondering what sort of tripod we have to use to screw this big mama on! GITZOMONSTER? GIGA-MANFROTTO?

OK !magine this, i could stand at the portview restaurant or TAMBING where all the boats are coming in from kampong ayer and ask the wedding couples to stand at the other side of the river (at the kampong ayer) and ask them to pose for portrait shots. well a walkie-talkie would come in handy haha but it would be super-ridiculous. OK now imagine carrying this big mama onto the boat....i think the boat owner would be very worried that the boat would sink hohooo...