Olle

I bought a genuine license for Windows 7 Ultimate today. Since our PC is still using XP, I can see a busy weekend on this OS upgrade but I think it'll be worth it...

I got a pre-owned Valkyria Chronicles (VC) last week so after enjoying it for an hour - the game crashed. After a couple of hours of troubleshooting and forum surfing, I concluded that the lens of my PS3 got busted :-( I brought it to a local shop and we have the same conclusion. They replaced the lens for a fee and gave me a 2-week warranty. So this situation forces me to "burn-in" the replacement for the next 2 weeks. I'll be switching between MGS4 and VC though the latter will get majority time as I'm loving this strategy game. PS3 games I'm currently thinking of acquiring - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and NBA 2k10.

My eBay purchase of a HDMI-DVI cable is not good as the item hasn't arrived yet. Today's the 51st day :-( I'll be requesting for a refund next week. Fortunately, a new shop in SM Northwing has one last stock available last saturday so I grabbed it immediately. With this cable, I was able to display 1080i with our Samsung 2233sw monitor. Graphics' awesome! Time to buy MSG4 this coming weekend! ;-) Anyway, I immediately upgraded to Firmware 3. Download & upgrade were fast and smooth. It didn't take 10 minutes. PlayStation 3 Firmware 3.0:

Our ancient workhorse CRT monitor is acting up so to avoid downtime we immediately bought a new Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW . Now, watching downloaded HD TV shows is much more enjoyable! And doing work in PS CS4 is much more fun & effective. I'll be selling the CRT unit to the "junkyard" tomorrow.

I did some testing yesterday and result shows no hotspot issues with this lens-filter combination. A sample shot: I would suggest though that to minimize potential hotspots, try to stop down the exposure. Settings: Exposure Time = 2 secs F Number = F11 ISO Speed Ratings = 200 Focal Length = 11mm

My Tamrac Velocity 8x is complaining from the abuse so I went to the nearest Crumpler outlet and bought a The Whickey & Cox . Awesome backpack, I must say! But I still can't get around the fact that this bag costs almost as a Nikon SB-600 flash. So for casual urban stroll, I'll use my Tamrac and use the Crumpler for serious photoshoots.

I receive this item today. So leadtime is 12 days including weekends. From HK post to Lapu-lapu post, it's 8 days. Not bad for free shipping. My next step would be to play with this filter during next week ;-) as during April 4 to April 12, I only have 1 working day. Woohooo! Hopefully, this filter and my Tokina UWA will make a good match.

I ordered one today and this blog entry serves as a reference for delivery leadtime. Have a nice weekend, everyone!

If you enjoy taking HDR images, then you know that the more exposure reference you have, the better HDR image result will be as transition is smoother and more realistic looking. So how many exposure reference is needed? Between 3 and 9 is optimal depending on image scenario. With Nikon D90 (or D80), bracketing has 3 options: 3F, +2F, and -2F. For better HDR work, always set +/-2EV for F. So by default, D90 can achieve 0EV, -2EV, and +2EV in one setting (3F). This is my default option when doing casual HDR images. But for serious or really extreme scenario, I usually employ 9 exposures. Here's my step: 1) Use a tripod to minimize post-processing alignment. 2) Turn OFF Auto ISO and set a fix White Balance value (or shoot in RAW to fix WB later). 3) Use aperture-priority mode. For landscape work, f8 and above (smaller aperture opening) is recommended. 4) Make sure exposure compensation is set at 0EV. See page 90 of Nikon D90 manual. 5) Make your composition. Focus and then disable au

I ordered one today and I'm number 6 on the waiting list. This blog entry will enable me to know length of my "waiting". My estimate? Hmmmm, perhaps 6-8 weeks. ;-)