Anybody living in Japan?

[ricoche]

ic,, ill look up those bags later when im not on dial up
do you guys still use the regular strap that came wit the camera as well?
i feel its a little too small for me

I use the regular strap with my cameras but I also have a strap from Optech which works well. Lately I've been thinking of getting a hand strap because I really don't like to wear the camera around my neck much. I usually wrap the strap around my wrist and carry the camera at the hip most of the time.

I finally was able to snag some Sakura shots today. I had a lot of fun working with finding and shooting different background colors today.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2414/2406928067_417c53d66e_s.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimatwood/2406928067/) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2113/2406600645_5df1d659c9_s.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimatwood/2406600645/) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/2407431468_20b6217e7e_s.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimatwood/2407431468/) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/2406600817_ed151eb2e9_s.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimatwood/2406600817/) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/2406624507_8a43d1bd4c_s.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimatwood/2406624507/)

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice and sunny in Nagano so I'm looking forward to getting out tomorrow as well.

[tommy52]

wow jim......
thats pretty damn awesome idea you shot with and it came out incredible too

[ricoche]

wow jim......
thats pretty damn awesome idea you shot with and it came out incredible too

Thanks very much Tommy.

By the way, I have a Photoshoot Japan group over on Flickr in case any Flickr or Japan buffs are interested. It's relatively new, but people are joining. Just FYI.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/photoshootjapan/

[swapnali]

Hi Jim,
I loved your photographs of Sakura. and certainly the bokeh is very beautiful. I did such thing while shooting a red mapple last year.
I will try to join the group.

Tommy your kids are cute :-)

BTW do you know that the term "bokeh" is Japanese term? I tried to search it in japanse and with lots of other strange meanings, I found this one suitable
暈ける 【ぼける】 (v1) to fade (colour, color), (P)
Still I am not sure if it is accurate.

PS: Wow I happy to see so much activity here.

[swapnali]

Oh and I did not realized that it was my 400 th post. :)

[swapnali]

A request to you guys.
I have changed my website. I modified images on my iMac and uploaded from there. Now when I saw the images from office they are looking dark to me.
Can you please check it and let me know if it is dark to you.

I know iMac screen is too bright, so I am still struggling to match WYSIWYG thing. Even for prints :(

Sorry but there are some other defects too on my site. But I will rectify them ASAP.
Thanks for help

[Livinthalife]

In "my favorites" the fuji pic has some sensor dust on the center left in the sky ;)

I see what you mean about them appearing abnlittle dark, but maybe that's due to the Black BG? I don't think it's bad by any means. I like the new layout. As I have told you before, you work is beautiful. I favor the your shots from your travels around Japan. Especially the shot you used as the album cover. Just beautiful. Nice to see you have more photos on your site. I'm going to forward your site to my wife. I don't think she has seen Japan like the way you captured it and she grew up in Japan lol! beautiful shots Swapnali. Just beautiful!

i don't think everyone's monitors will ever represent the photos exactly the way you viewed them. So many of us don't calibrate our monitors you know. But I think the over all quality looks good. I don't think they look too dark, but as I said, above. I think it's the BG more than anything.

I noticed your shots are shot in Adobe RGB? What is the purpose shooting in this mode for you? I was always told to shoot sRGB.

[swapnali]

HI Andy,

Thanks a lot for all that praising. I am delighted to read that you liked my images so much :)
Yes you may be right, it is the dark background that shows photos more darker.
About sensor dust !! It shows how careless I was when I took my camera to Yamanaka ko :( All my images has this. and when I had hard time removing them with GIMP, thus it remains there!! But now I got the PSE6 and it can be done so quickly. I should do that ASAP.

Oh great to make the point about ARGB. Long back when I read about aRGB, somehow I thought I should use it instead of sRGB (I dont know why I did that) and that continues till now. Just now as you mentioned here, i went and read some documents. Found that for 8bit images I should use sRGB. and for 16 bit images I can use aRGB if my images has dark greens or orange highlightes etcs. So now i should convert these web images to sRGB as well. Thanks a lot for pointing that out.
I read this artical
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/sRGB-AdobeRGB1998.htm
BTW how did you see that?

I used Jalbum this time so adding new images and creating album is matter of few minutes. But I took lots of efforts on modifing the current layout. This is one time effort though. The present jalbum skins does not give the elegant look and also does not provide the left thumbnails.
I have to make the gusetbook working now.

[Livinthalife]

book marked.

I just noticed by the file names.

_mg 345 usually is Adobe
img 345 is sRGB

I didn't notice any deficiency in the images. just the file names. great job on the site. I wil have to check again when I'm home (2 weeks) and sign the guest book as well :)

[tommy52]

photos dont look dark at all too me
and nice photos btw

[haisai-ojisan]

Hi Jim,
I loved your photographs of Sakura. and certainly the bokeh is very beautiful. I did such thing while shooting a red mapple last year.
I will try to join the group.

Tommy your kids are cute :-)

BTW do you know that the term "bokeh" is Japanese term? I tried to search it in japanse and with lots of other strange meanings, I found this one suitable
暈ける 【ぼける】 (v1) to fade (colour, color), (P)
Still I am not sure if it is accurate.

PS: Wow I happy to see so much activity here.

Your images look fine from my monitor at work.
Nice shots too! I really enjoyed the Matsumoto-jo ones.

I too have the same problem.
At home my primary is a 17" MBPro and doesn't have the greatest color. So sometimes when doing edits, I end up over-doing it without really knowing. Then looking at them on another monitor/s, they look like ass (but that could be a good thing...sometimes...ha x 2). What I do is (or try to do) use one image as a sample to compare when adjusting contrast and other post-editing. Not sure if you do post-editing but it works for me.

As for "bokeh" ぼけ actually short for ぼやける (boyakeru): the term is more used as slang these days so you may not find the same meaning, as used when relating to photos, in the dictionary.　ぼけ basically means the blur in the photo. ピンぼけ (pin-boke) may be a term you'll hear in this country and may soon on this forum. That's a term used for when the photo is out of focus. Like you said, if you look in the dictionary you'll find other meanings. ぼける or ぼけている (bokeru or boketeiru) is a term used for senile people. As you probably know, there is a different kanji for both which seperates their meanings.

FYI: If you have JN turned on on your iMac, when you type "bokeru" #4 is the meaning you're looking for....but you used the correct kanji so no need, I guess.

[Livinthalife]

Back to the bokeh thing again lol!

I also thought that bokeh came from ぴんぼけ　or ピンぼけ. Who knows! English is tearing up Japanese as Japanese tears up English ;)

[CTM]

I didn't know there was a thread on people living in Japan! Just saying HI...

[swapnali]

Wow welcome in this thread CTM. We would love to see your pictures soon here.
There is one more member here from Nagoya!

tommy thanks for the reply. It seems my office monitor is really bad!!

[haisai-ojisan]

Back to the bokeh thing again lol!

I also thought that bokeh came from ぴんぼけ　or ピンぼけ. Who knows! English is tearing up Japanese as Japanese tears up English ;)

Ahhh Jinglish, drives you crazy but I guess I have to give them credit for even trying.

You probably have already seen this but www.engrish.com is a perfect place to see it in all forms.

[Livinthalife]

that is hilarious! I wonder if there is a site for Japanese about foreigners. My wife loves seeing the kanji tattoos on people here in America. Some of it is deceiving, or just plain wrong! ;)

[Sasit]

Konnichiwa. I just found this thread and just want to say hello. I live in Japan too, and it is nice to hear about all of you :D

[swapnali]

Hi Sasit. Good to hear from you. Keep posting your images.

[swapnali]

2 new photos. I did the photography for this concert last week
http://www.flickr.com/photos/swapnalim/2427209148/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/swapnalim/2427209092/

[Sasit]

Thanks for your greeting, Swapnali. Your images are very nice!
I don't have any file with me now, will come back whenever I have a chance.

[CTM]

Wow welcome in this thread CTM. We would love to see your pictures soon here.
There is one more member here from Nagoya!

tommy thanks for the reply. It seems my office monitor is really bad!!

Thanks for the warm welcome. I totally forgot about this thread! I will post some up once I return to Japan.

[[AP]Red]

Hi People! I just spent a little time skimming over this thread trying to catch up to you all. This is a great thread you guys have going here.

Unfortunately, I do not live in japan. My wife has many family members there and we visit often. We make the trip at least twice a year to visit her folks. It looks like we will be there from the end of may until the first week in june. I would love to hook up with some of you if possible. Let me know.

Aloha,
John

[tommy52]

hey [ap]red, whats up.. im from hawaii too but now living in japan
what part are you from?
well im down to meet if you want when you come down.
oh and did you ever check out this thread too
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=302787
its a hawaii one

[[AP]Red]

Tommy,

Yeah. I checked out the thread before. I missed the last meet at Kailua beach. I wish i could've made it. It wouldv'e been nice to meet other POTN'rs living in hawaii.

Im from Honolulu, Salt Lake area. We'll be in shibuya for a few days and in Kamakura for a couple. We will be spending most of our vacation in my wifes home town, Usami. I will let you now some specific dates as soon as i find out. What area do you live in?

What style of photography do you like to shoot? Id like to shoot some architecture and street candids. Thats something i need practice at.

Aloha,
John

[tommy52]

i live in funabori, edogawa, its east side of tokyo.. its like 30min train to shinjuku/shibuya
i like shooting anything ... mostly people i guess, and i did like to shoot some sunsets back in hawaii.. but dont see me doing much that in japan, i barely did it in hawaii too..
i guess the only thing sucks for me is i dont have much focal range.. longest i got is the 17-85 but i dont like using that lens anyways
so i either got the 50 f1.8 or my sigma 10-20 which is good fun to play with

[tommy52]

john i jus check out ur zen.... mean..

[swapnali]

Hey, [AP]Red good that you visit Japan so frequently. It's a beautiful place!
Yeap I too will love to meet you all, 2 yrs back I had even planned one walk here. After that I could not because of my baby. she is now 1yr 4mths and its very difficult to go out alone on weekend. I still sometimes manage that when my hubby is at home but it is very difficult to plan in advance. I see her mood and then decide if I want to go out. Still drop a line when you come here. If possible we can have a meet somewhere. I mostly do nature, stills, I love architectures too. I don't do any street photography because whenever I try to, those photos look so bad!
Here is one more photo, taken last month in a friend's daughter's program. Then did PS for black background.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2389/2307697292_12b19de52b.jpg?v=0

[[AP]Red]

Tommy, Thanks for the comment. I like your sunset gallery. I love the colors. I've been thinking about picking up the sigma 12-24. Also been looking at the Sigma 10-20. I need some really wide shots for architecture. How do you like yours?

Swapnali, It would be nice to get a small group together and walk around in the evening. I've been wanting to do some night shots with traffic/buildings at long exposures. Do you know of any good sights around western or central Tokyo? I walked around shinjuku and shibuya a few times by myself but could not find good vantage points.

Aloha,
John

[swapnali]

Hi John,

Shibuya is very crowded. so does Shinjuku.
I work in Nishi Shinjuku, and there lots of open sky and tall building isolated from each other. Looks really good. The main attraction would be Tokyo Metropolitan Building. The observatory and other 50+th floor restaurants are also good for a city view.
But I am not sure if buildings are illuminated during night.

The places near the Imperial palace may also be good. Need to check that.

[rad_dev]

Good day! Im new to this forum. And planning to get an Xsi this month.
You guys have great shots going on here. Are you still living here in Japan?

[swapnali]

Yes Most of us are in Japan.
welcome to this thread.
Are you in Japan already? or planning to come to Japan soon?

[swapnali]

This is Tokyo Metropolitan building in Nishi Shinjuku. I took this shot in Spring

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2051/2456873228_33f87a5605.jpg?v=0

[davidinjp]

Hey swapnali, amazing shots in your galleries. Where did you find waterfalls in Japan? I always keep an eye out for waterfalls on road trips around Japan, but not much luck so far.

Cheers,
David

[swapnali]

Hi David, Thanks a lot.
Those are from Nikko. Ryuzu waterfall.
Japan did have some waterfalls, but mostly on the hiking routes etc.
However 2 in Nikko can be very easily reached. Ryuzu & Kegon.

Nishizawa Keikyoku has a beautiful 5 step waterfall. I dream of visiting it once. But its not convenient location. Search for this on google , you may get good photos of it.

[rad_dev]

Yes Most of us are in Japan.
welcome to this thread.
Are you in Japan already? or planning to come to Japan soon?

Thank you swapnali... Im right now in Shizuoka City.
Soon to be an X2 owner... so I thought I could learn from the big league.

David: There is also a famous waterfalls near Mt. Fuji...Shiraito falls.
If you are from Tokyo or Osaka...by Shinkansen get off at Shin-Fuji Station.
Then from Shin-Fuji tranfer to Fuji Station then take the Minobu Line to Fujinomiya.
From there take the bus to Shiraito falls.

I know you didnt ask for directions...I just thought of posting it for anyone who may one day want to visit it. ;)

[davidinjp]

rad_dev, thanks! I actually just found shiraito falls while doing some searches after I posted. I'm going there late next week, hopefully after the GW rush!

[swapnali]

Oh yes SHiraito falls are great too. I saw them 4 yrs back in winter.

[tommy52]

Red;5428931']Tommy, Thanks for the comment. I like your sunset gallery. I love the colors. I've been thinking about picking up the sigma 12-24. Also been looking at the Sigma 10-20. I need some really wide shots for architecture. How do you like yours?


thanks, sucks i only went and took so few shots of our sunsets/beaches while i live in hawaii...

i like the 10-20 alot, i think its alot of fun and you can mess around alot with and have fun with the distortion
i do sometimes question its IQ tho (either that or my focus is off), so maybe springing an extra 100 for the canon 10-22 mite be a better choice

[tommy52]

HI,
about the internet.
You can select any Broadband company. Yahoo BB, ADSL , Hikari Fiber etc. call them get prices and compare which one is cheapest.
They will ask you with telephone you already have. (I suppose NTT ). Then they contact NTT. the NTT person comes to your home and does something with the NTT connection. The telephone line remains same. then you get the Modem and wires by post. You also get instructions about how to connect. I think the phone is connected through the modem. thats all.
The telephone line, number everything remains same.
Further there is a advantage (I know only with Yahoo BB) They have one code like 9999. When you want to make a domestic call, and if you dial 9999 first, then the call routes through Yahoo BB network and price of the call reduces a lot (I dont remember how much)
But dialing such a code is optional.

Another option is buy a wireless network connection and card. em-mobile is one I have been using since last year. They were saying their network will be available in all japan soon. need to check that. Check with Yahoo BB, ADSL etc. compare prices. This may be little costlier and speed not as great as BB connection.
man, and i still have no internet yet...
we just receieved a letter from kddi saying that they have to go and ask permission and get it from all the neighbors in the area and also the city council or something.. i guess noone in the area has the hikari fiber.. so this may take another month or so...
im guessin hikari fiber is fiber optic type of connection? so if this doesnt work out, do you think i could still get yahoo bb or adsl instead??
im dieing here, having to pay at an internet cafe or use dial-up is not good.
i probably already spent over $150 at the internet cafe...
swapnali- so you use the em-mobile right, how is the speed on that? one thing i really will need internet for is to watch movies and tv shows... do you think its good enough for that? or does it run a little too slow for that?
or what is your typical download speed when downloading files off the internet?

[[AP]Red]

Swapnali, Thanks for the tips. I actually spent a few days in shinjuku last may and did some shooting. I failed to ask if there was a public observation deck until we were on the train heading to Atami (real smart!) I did get some day shots of the Tokyo Metropolitan building. Yours looks great. Were you standing on the back side (park side) of the building? I have a couple i can share...

http://johnakinaphotography.com/img/v3/p516600833-3.jpg

http://johnakinaphotography.com/img/v3/p302766713-3.jpg

Tommy, I have been debating whether to do just as you suggested... Spend a little more for the Canon. I have a Sigma 70-200mm and have been pretty impressed with the IQ of that one. I would really be disapointed if i brought the sigma and lost some shots because of bad IQ. Is it really bad or is it something you can live with?

Aloha,
John

[swapnali]

Wow. Lovely photo #1 is great. Thanks for sharing

[rad_dev]

WOW! How did you do that first shot John?

[[AP]Red]

Thank you for the comments!
Rad_dev, I was standing in the entry area of the second pic with a fish eye pointed up at the tower in the first pic. The building in the second pic has a natural horse shoe shape so it adds top the distorted look of the buildings. Makes it a little more extreme. I hope that isnt confusing...

Aloha,
John

[[AP]Red]

Swapnali, I just browsed through your gallery... thats a very nice collection you have.
Aloha,
John

[swapnali]

HI JOhn,

Thanks a lot.

Btw what is Aloha? I see lots of advts in japan recently "Discover Aloha". what does it mean?

[tommy52]

aloha means love, thanks. its kind of used for alot of things that are positive like that.
wat is advts?

also, swapnali, i recently checked out em-mobile, the person working said i mite need a japanese version OS for it to work.. is this true for you?

[swapnali]

Thanks for explaination.
advts is abbravation for advertisements. I saw few of them around Tokyo, I think they are about Hawaii(not sure..)

I use em-mobile on English OS. The software will show everything in Japanese. I can just figure out connect and disconnect buttons!

[rad_dev]

Excuse me... any of you guys know anything about Tamron lenses?
Someone is selling me a AF 18-200.. I want to know if anyone here uses one
aside from Canon lenses... Thanks.

[tommy52]

Excuse me... any of you guys know anything about Tamron lenses?
Someone is selling me a AF 18-200.. I want to know if anyone here uses one
aside from Canon lenses... Thanks.

you should check out the lens section in the forums, they have a sticky up with almost every lens and threads showing peoples photos taken with it and also how they feel about the lens it self

[rad_dev]

you should check out the lens section in the forums, they have a sticky up with almost every lens and threads showing peoples photos taken with it and also how they feel about the lens it self

Thanks for the advice Tommy! It was too late for me to buy that lens though :oops:...

Any of you know a reputable store selling 2nd hand lenses?
Im looking for a 70-300mm & a 10-22mm... but it seems to be widely used lenses that no one is re-selling.

[tommy52]

Any of you know a reputable store selling 2nd hand lenses?
Im looking for a 70-300mm & a 10-22mm... but it seems to be widely used lenses that no one is re-selling.

are you talking about the 70-300 f4.5/5.4 or something like that?? if you are, save your money and dont buy it... i thought the IQ on it was pretty crappy

[davidinjp]

According to all the image tests online the 70-300 has fantastic IQ, especially for the price. It's the old 75-300mm that has poor IQ.

I have the Tamron 90mm macro. It's ok, but did a test last week and discovered it front focuses a bit. All my Canon lenses have perfect focus, so I recommend sticking with Canon lenses.

Map Camera in Shinjuku mapcamera.com has a pretty good selection of used stuff and ok prices. Map and a few others also sell used stuff on rakuten.co.jp. I also found great deals from reputable sellers on Yahoo Japan auctions.

In fact, everything I ever bought used in Japan has been in near mint condition. I guess that's why used stuff is not discounted so much in Japan.

[rad_dev]

are you talking about the 70-300 f4.5/5.4 or something like that?? if you are, save your money and dont buy it... i thought the IQ on it was pretty crappy

According to all the image tests online the 70-300 has fantastic IQ, especially for the price. It's the old 75-300mm that has poor IQ.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 USM IS is a brand new lens replacing the old EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM IS which was the first Canon IS lens to hit the market back in 1995. - photozone.de

And here's the verdict... The performance of the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 USM IS came as a total surprise. Unlike its predecessor the lens is capable to produce a very high performance throughout the zoom range without the significant drop in quality at 300mm typical for most consumer grade lenses in this range. It seems as if the new UD element helps to lift the optical quality significantly. Distortions, CAs as well as vignetting are also very respectable. So in terms of optical quality the EF 70-300mm IS can be almost described as a hidden Canon L lens.

I have the Tamron 90mm macro. It's ok, but did a test last week and discovered it front focuses a bit. All my Canon lenses have perfect focus, so I recommend sticking with Canon lenses.

I am planning to buy a chuko of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM macro by end of this year. And it seems that you are right about the sticking with Canon lenses.

Map Camera in Shinjuku mapcamera.com has a pretty good selection of used stuff and ok prices. Map and a few others also sell used stuff on rakuten.co.jp. I also found great deals from reputable sellers on Yahoo Japan auctions.

In fact, everything I ever bought used in Japan has been in near mint condition. I guess that's why used stuff is not discounted so much in Japan.

Glad to know that chuko are almost near mint condition... and you know mapcamera's reputation in terms of prices too. I too have explored the Yahoo Japan auction world! :) but would rather bid on a store than a personal seller. Rakuten I havent visited yet... though I use it on booking for hotels to stay in when I got to other prefectures.

Thank you for the advice Dave & Tommy.

[tommy52]

how much does the new 70-300 go for?

[davidinjp]

how much does the new 70-300 go for?

They start around 55,000 used, 70,000 yen new.

I just used this lens this morning in Kamikouchi. This I present the duck shot of the day!

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s255/davidinjp/Duck.jpg

[tommy52]

They start around 55,000 used, 70,000 yen new.

I just used this lens this morning in Kamikouchi. This I present the duck shot of the day!

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s255/davidinjp/Duck.jpg
holy crap that looks sharp... nice man
maybe i should get this lens too

[CTM]

Very nice!

[swapnali]

Nice picture. The lens looks sharp

[swapnali]

I have added few new photos in flickr please take a look here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/swapnalim/sets/72157604305895348

[CTM]

Just to revive the thread, most of you on here speak english, so I am assuming most of us here are gaijin, so where are you all originally from and why are you in Japan?

I will start. I am married to a Japanese, we previously lived in New Zealand for quite a while and I was born in Malaysia. (complicated, I know).

[tommy52]

almost same situation as you ctm,
married to a japanese, met in hawaii.. we lived there together for about 4 years , after having our 2nd kid , my wife wanted to live back in japan .. all her family and friends are here.. i was always wanted to live here too.. so now im here.. i did find a teachng job.. its pretty fun and easy money i guess, but not as much hours as i wish i could work..
i was born and raised in hawaii.. lived there my whole life.. and im glad to be out

btw, does anyone here know where i can buy an electronic english/japanese translator thing.. but one that is meant for an english speaker and not a japanese speaker..

oh and has anyone here ever tried ton ka su ramen??
i ate at this place in nagoya called kunekune... best ramen i had in my life..

[swapnali]

Okey It's my turn.
I am Indian. lived and brought up in India.
My hubby (Indian) came here for Job. and then I quit my job in India and Joined him here. After 4 months struggle I got a good job too. Not to mention in IT, which pays for my hobby ;)
It's been 5 years now (exactly in Jun!!)

[CTM]

Nice to meet you all, looks like you are all in Tokyo.


btw, does anyone here know where i can buy an electronic english/japanese translator thing.. but one that is meant for an english speaker and not a japanese speaker..

oh and has anyone here ever tried ton ka su ramen??
i ate at this place in nagoya called kunekune... best ramen i had in my life..

Ton Katsu Ramen is very nice. :p I am also looking for one of those electronic english / Japanese things.

[gherrry]

wow!! everyone is at tokyo. . . i wish i was in tokyo too but my family will be heading over to kadena ab in okinawa.

[swapnali]

Wow Okinawa would be great place to live. I heard a lot and seen many photos of beautiful sea there. i was planning to visit the place, but airfare are really high. I think this is great time to be Okinawa. Post some photos here.

[CTM]

Would love to visit Okinawa too, but Guam is cheaper than Okinawa airfare wise. Why so expensive???

[swapnali]

Why so expensive???

Thats the question I am still waiting for the answer!!!
Why shinkansen so expensive?
Why domestic travel in japan so expensive?
Why things made in Japan so expensive?
Why u pay higher price for same cameras or lenses in Japan than in US?(I bought my 24-70L for much much cheaper from amazon, the lens is "Made in Japan", I also got a filter set, cleaning set and a tamaron bag with it!)

[john-in-japan]

Greetings - Just discovered the forum. I live in Kamogawa in Chiba. Working at a large hospital - been here this time 20 years next month. Photography a growing hobby. Looking for a PhotoShop class - Just bought Elements 6. Been using Picture It.
Canon Service Center Ginza quite good. Each trip into Tokyo I get the sensor cleaned - gratis, in about an hour while I get coffee. Planning second body 1dsMarkIII, probably later this year.
Just bought the 85mm f/1.2L in the USA, friend is bring it over in two weeks. I like Yodobashi Camera, but prices can be steep compared to USA (even with shipping).

Gear: (nor sure yet how to get it to be repetitive)
5D, 24-105 f/4L, 100-400 f4/5.6L, 200 f/2.8L, 180Macro f/3.5L,
85 f/1.2L and 50 f/2.5 Compact Macro, 550Ex, Canon RingFlash, Velbon Carbon Fiber Tripod with PH275 Head, a bunch of filters etc...

[swapnali]

Welcome to this forum John. 20YEARS. Its really LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time!
If you join Canon Photo Circle, you may find some classes there. All in Japansese though. and again expensive!
I can see Lots of L there!!! great.
You can add those lines in you signature , in your profile and those will under every post. Show some of your photos here.

[kitacanon]

[quote=swapnali;5669895]Thats the question I am still waiting for the answer!!!
Why shinkansen so expensive?
Why domestic travel in japan so expensive?
quote]

To keep you home....same reason most buses and trains stop at midnight...sweet dreams...

[dandan]

Im American/Canadian but was born and raised in Japan and never left. Currently residing in Hamano, Chiba. My Japanese still sucks. :D

[rad_dev]

I'm from the Philippines. currently, a student in Shizuoka City.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really am a newbie bout photography...started a year ago,
with an S3IS. Now, playing with an X2. Some of my takes.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/rad_dev/Canon%20S3%20IS%20Forum/IMG_6989.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/rad_dev/Canon%20S3%20IS%20Forum/IMG_7062.jpg

[Livinthalife]

Update:

I will be back in Japan in December. I hope we can do a little POTN meet. I will be in Tokyo. Hope to you see some of you then!!! ;)

[john-in-japan]

Greetings All - Posted this in travel, but with all the great cherry blossom shots, I thought I'd post it here. Nagoya Castle.
Bought the 50 f/1.4 at Yodobashi last Friday but have not taken any shots with it. My 85 II F/1.2L gets her on Friday afternoon. I know I'll snap it on a shoot over the weekend. Many cheers,
John

[ricoche]

Wow! Amazing how time flies. Had a short absence here on the forum. This thread just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

For those who haven't read from the beginning, I have been living in Japan for 16 years now and am self employed. I have lived in Yokohama, Tokyo, and now Nagano City. I have a Japanese wife and two fantastic, genki daughters.

In response to John in Japan, I recently went to Nagoya as well and had a blast. My favorite part was hanging out on the Streets and drooling over the numerous photo opportunites around, but I also did manage to go to Nagoya Castle as well. Here are a few from my shoot that day. Great fun!!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2400/2439752131_0473d24a9b_s.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimatwood/2439752131/) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3265/2439752225_249a5d3a50_s.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimatwood/2439752225/) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2444890338_ca15089188_s.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimatwood/2444890338/) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2202/2451928340_fea8f32c5b_s.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimatwood/2451928340/) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/2444062801_9f1f72ded8_s.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimatwood/2444062801/)

[haisai-ojisan]

It's been a while since I posted on this thread too.
Great shots of Nagoya Castle!!
I especially like the nostalgic look ricoche!
Too cool!

The reason why I'm posting is, since castles seem to be the subject for now, that I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that Himeji Castle (Hyogo pref) will go under construction starting in April 2009 (from what I was told by our tour agency clerk at the company that I work for). The constuction will go on for 5 years (you do the math)! So if you are into castles, world heritages, blah blah, now may be a good chance to get good shots.

I visited Himeji-jo in 2006 and was able to get a few good shots then but I noticed blue tarp in certain areas and structures. Could have been prep for this 5 year long project...don't know. ?!?!? Anyway, here's a thread from a few months ago.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=471006

[john-in-japan]

Hi Jim and All -
Great castle shots. I first came to Japan in 1964 and bought my first 35mm camera - a Petriflex, followed by an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic. Those were the days ($1=360yen!!!).
Here are a few shots recently with the the Canon Rebel about three years ago. Himeiji Castle on a Kutani plate by Fukushima Buzan and a Maiko in Kyoto. I loved that camera! Interested in some of your best photos here in Japan.
John

[tommy52]

are you kidding me??? $1 = 360yen??!?!?!?

[tofuboy]

are you kidding me??? $1 = 360yen??!?!?!?

then again, $1 in 1964 != $1 in 2008

[tommy52]

hey does anyone know if its possible to use unlocked phones from the US in japan with like softbank as carrier.. just switchng the sim card?
i want to get the iphone.. but not too sure how much it would cost if i buy from japan.. i would think its going to be ridiculously overpriced

[Livinthalife]

No clue, but if you figure it out, I will be in Tokyo December, I can deliver ;)

[swapnali]

hey does anyone know if its possible to use unlocked phones from the US in japan with like softbank as carrier.. just switchng the sim card?
i want to get the iphone.. but not too sure how much it would cost if i buy from japan.. i would think its going to be ridiculously overpriced

I heard some news that iphone may be launching a phone in Japan for Softbank. Not sure when. But is so, there may be promotional price for first few months like it was there for windows mobiles

[SG1Jeff]

Hey guys, I'm moving to Japan next year. Any info on the (actor/model/corporate) headshot and wedding photography market in Japan? Which is better? I heard Japanese are not into having photographs taken and most wedding or actor headshots are done by agency contracted photographers. Any tips?

[john-in-japan]

Hi Jeff - Not certain but I will ask around. 95%+ weddings are done in hotels with package deals that include stills and video, so I think that hotels have exclusive contract with photographer(s). The 'wedding" ceremony is just a renactment, and is really a ceremonial affair that is more of a reception. Couples are married first in a (usually) private affair, family only, often at a shrine or temple. Some married weeks before the actual "wedding". Little photography takes place there (exceptions exist). My company owned two hotels. 3-4 in sequenced weddings a day was average, same photographer each wedding, every day. Big hotels can do concurrent weddings, sometimes 3-4 at a time, but again, I believe they contract for wedding photographers. I could be wrong, but I don't think the couple has a choice, using both the photographer contracted by the hotel and the hotel in-house studio (most have them). I have been to many weddings here in more than 25 years, and it is very production/business like and very standardized/scripted. Couples buy a wedding package, all inclusive, with everything done on site, from kimono/dress/tux rental, gift selection, music, table setting and almost all hotels have a Western chapel with a foreign 'priest' to perform the ceremony, often with a live choir and Western religous music. A Japanese 'chapel' equivalent, looking much like a Shinto shrine is also in many hotels. If you Google on Japanese Weddings, you will see the difference in those done in the West. Hope to meet you when you are here. I am in Chiba, about two hours from Tokyo.
Cheers,
John

[SG1Jeff]

Thanks John. So it seems that the "private" wedding photography business is a no go in Japan. Well at least Tokyo.

So how about headshot photography? Is that also contract based like weddings?

[john-in-japan]

Hi Jeff - I have little experience but there are many, many studios here even in the smallest of towns. Most are attached with or combined with camera equipment sales and photo development. Some are in department stores (similar I suppose to Sears), and most have an extensive costume inventory. Children get photographed at ages 3, 5and 7 years (Google on Shichigosan) in special attire. In February of each year, those turning 20 (Adults's Day) years old don kimono or suit (or men's kimono) and have a photographic memory album done. Christening equivalent at shrine or temple is often studio shot prior to actually going to the shrine or temple. It too requires special attire. 99% of folks here go to a studio close to their home for all professional photography needs. Most are quite small, mom and pop or family owned operations. My town 30,000 population, and we have four of five of them. Tokyo might be different with freelance possibilities particularly among the huge ex-pat population. I'll check for you, since I do know some folks at the Tokyo American Club.
Cheers,
John

[SG1Jeff]

Great John. That gives me hope. I rent a studio here in NY for $30 and hour I am sure I can't get such a deal like that in Tokyo. It is a rehersal studio for broadway actors that has many rooms. I rent the room for photography. Any ideas about getting the same in Japan? How about advertizing in the freelance world in Japan?

[john-in-japan]

Hi Jeff: Try this: http://www.photojpn.org/pj/list.php
The one person recommend has left Japan, so I don't know who is active in the ex-pat market. Hope this helps.
John

[WRCfan]

I am living in Chiba, next door to Tokyo. Always keen to meet people who head to events around Tokyo. I am shooting at Tokyo Auto Salon 09. Is anyone here going to be there?

[Livinthalife]

I'll be in Tokyo (katsushika) from Dec 12th - Jan 5th!

[john-in-japan]

I live in Kamogawa, in Chiba a little more than half way down the peninsula, pactfic ocean side. Hopefully we can get together in Tokyo to take some photos and have a beer while you are here.
Cheers,
John

[Livinthalife]

Im here...leaving Jan 5th though :( trying to get something going for this weekend in tokyo. Anyone interested?

[john-in-japan]

Wish I could! We will spend time with friend and relatives here this weekend. Let me know when you are coming back and post more photos!!!!!
John

[Livinthalife]

Yeah the holidays, forgot! Will do, should be back next year during the winter.

[cjlacz]

Hello. Surprised to see this thread going for so long. I'm living in Tokyo, Shibuya-ku and it would be fun to meet some other people.

[Livinthalife]

CJlacz, if we can get some more people together, I'm interested! I leave VERY soon though. 5th

[yokotas13]

i is in tokyo as well

akiruno...but im game for anything

[kitacanon]

Anyone see the TOP GEAR show (on BBC-TV) on the race between a Nissan GT-R and travelling on JR from the west coast to the east....? it was a virtual tie...fun to see what I went thru traveling there in my "kei-ban"

[swapnali]

All,
Any new photos of Sakura?
It should be bloom this weekend in Tokyo. Yesterday I checked the Ueno park, and its full with buds.
I also came to know about a good place called hitachinakamachi. There are large flower beds of Tulips in April, and some other flowers later.
http://www.hitachikaihin.go.jp/06_event/soyo_omote.pdf

スイセンガーデン　March to 12April
Tulip　１８April to　２９April
Nemophilia ２－May　To　２５－May

Anybody interested in going there?
I am planning to go for tulips and nemophilia.

[tonydee]

All,
Any new photos of Sakura?
It should be bloom this weekend in Tokyo. Yesterday I checked the Ueno park, and its full with buds.
I also came to know about a good place called hitachinakamachi. There are large flower beds of Tulips in April, and some other flowers later.
http://www.hitachikaihin.go.jp/06_event/soyo_omote.pdf

スイセンガーデン　March to 12April
Tulip　１８April to　２９April
Nemophilia ２－May　To　２５－May

Anybody interested in going there?
I am planning to go for tulips and nemophilia.

I took a few shots the other day, mixed in with other stuff at...
http://picasaweb.google.com/anthonypon/RainbowBridgeOdaiba#
http://picasaweb.google.com/anthonypon/Kamakura04#

Kind bored with what my 5D and lenses can do, so the top album is all with the G9, which can get up a lot closer (1cm) with more depth of field and magnification.

Not sure about the tulip thing... may get back to you. Meanwhile, might head back down to Kamakura with my Mamiya sometime next week. Not working so thinking weekday. Company would be welcome. (I'm in Shinagawa.)

Cheers, Tony

[WRCfan]

The Tulip fields you speak of are they the ones in Sakura or not? There is a large windmill and some tulip fields there. Will go out there and shoot as would make for nice photos!

[john-in-japan]

Hi Tony -
I just heard from Aaron who is in Chiba. Maybe on a Saturday in May we can get together in Tokyo with other POTN Japan folks and shoot the breeze and some photos.
Can't believe you are bored with the 5D and lenses (smiling...). My 50 macro and 180 macro are pretty versatile on close-ups. In decent light or with fill-in flash, DOF is well controlled. MPE-65 is much more limiting, but spectacular when I can get it right (rarely). Not exactly a walk around close up lens. Hope others living here look in. I will be in Tokyo on 25 May with an evening plan, but could get in early to meet folks and shoot some photos. I told Aaron, I will look for an earlier opportunity to get into Tokyo. Cheers,
Jogb

[john-in-japan]

And a P. S. -
Anywhere in Tokyo where I can take a class in photo editing? I am struggling with Photoshop Elements and Lightroom.
John

[DamienPaul]

I am also in Tokyo - in Koto-ku, fairly close to the Imperial Palace (about 3 stations away)

[tonydee]

Hi John, Damien,

A meet up with Aaron in May sounds great... will keep an eye on here, but please private-message me if it's organised last minute as it's much harder to miss those :-). Damien: think you'll join in too? Do PM me if you're doing anything mean-time and want a chin wag into the bargain....

I suppose the reason I'm bored with the 5D for macro of sakura is that I don't have (and can't justify right now) the awesome macro lenses you're sporting, and I've taken thousands with what I do have. Sadly, that's just a Canon 50mm, and only goes to 1:2. I had forgotten that when I was in Yodobashi that day... wish I'd bought the Sigma. Then somehow I put other things first - a 50mm f1.8, 12-24mm, 8mm fisheye, 24mm tilt-and-shift, 70-200f2.8IS, 50 f1.4, 24-105, 18-200 for my old 400D, flash, HDD backup/viewer, 1.4x, 2x, 3x, extension tube, filters... I reached saturation point where I couldn't fit them all in my largest backpack, then stopped.

I do quite like flower shots with the 70-200 f2.8 IS, especially with the 1.4x on, and the 24-105 gets surprisingly good magnification for a general purpose lens, but it's not the real deal. One day. But the G9 does it now, and I like the extra depth of field... kind of bored of macro shots with shallow focus... so not too stressed about it. Seen what the guys on the macro forum are doing with their MPE-65s though... must get there eventually as that's an altogether different world from what I can approach with the 5D or G9.

No idea about classes... sorry.

Hope to catch you soon,
Tony

[rcarlson80]

What is a gaijin ?

[tommy52]

And a P. S. -
Anywhere in Tokyo where I can take a class in photo editing? I am struggling with Photoshop Elements and Lightroom.
John
i think buying a book would be good enough to use lightroom and elements

[DamienPaul]

What is a gaijin ?

Gaijin is the Japanese word for 'foreigner'

[john-in-japan]

Greetings All -
If anyone is up for a get together in Tokyo on Saturday the 23rd of May to shoot the breeze and shoot some photos, I'll come into the city from Kamogawa early, since I have a dinner plan in Tokyo later that day. I think Aaron was up for it, Tommy too maybe. Please pm me at johnwocher@kameda.jp if you think this is doable give a one month advance notice. Those who know Tokyo well might suggest a theme or location to shoot & we can post our results here. Harajuku is always good for colorful people:rolleyes:. I can meet just about anywhere that might be convenient for others. Earliest I can get in is about 9am since the train/bus takes me just over two hours to Tokyo Station. Many cheers and I'll send out some pm to some who post here in case they are not subscribed to this thread.
John
PS - On Photoshop - I have a book - not so user friendly - maybe I am impatient!

[swapnali]

All,

Sorry for such a late reply. That place I am talking about for tulip has a big garden of tulip from Mid April to End of April. And seems to have nice large fields of flowers.
There will not be any Sakura (Cherry blossoms), as season is already over and its warm.
Here is photo from that Site
Disclaimer: THIS iS NOT TAKEN BY ME. AND LINKED TO ORIGINAL SITE.
http://www.hitachikaihin.go.jp/cgi/topimg/main1.jpg

John, I am interested in coming to this Photoshoot. Sorry for the wrong PM, as I had not seen this page. I had miss read the date.

About the Photoshop Elements, John please let me know if you have any specific questions. I will send my email address in PM. I may be able to guide you (free ofcourse). However I don't have exp in Lightroom.
Once (a month or so back) I had seen a advt in metropolis.jp about somebody teaching Photoshop for 10000Yen for around 3 hrs course. I do not know contents or quality, but you may check. I tried to search for that advt on internet but could not find. If somebody has the printed magazine, they may be able to give details here.

Tony,
Have you tried the kenko extension tubes yet? They are inexpensive but serves well for macro photography.

[swapnali]

One of the very old photo I took with Kenko extension tube and Kit lens is here in this thread
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=147749

[tonydee]

John, Swapnali,

23 May sounds great... (thanks for the PM, John). Harajuku's great for me. Meiji Jingu shrine is right there too... nice. Will be looking forward to it.

Re extension tubes, I've got a Canon EF25II... not as versatile as the Kenko set... do you find it helps to go much past 25mm though? Not sure if it affects minimum focal distance linearly....

I was surprised to find the 1.4x Kenko TC works quite well for macro too... I can focus by my feet if I tippy-toe it a little, so the 1.4m minimum focal length of the 70-200 f/2.8 seems unaffected, and I get twice the pixels covering the subject. I have a 2x Canon TC, but don't tend to lug it around as it's much heavier and bulkier, and only fits the 70-200. Might be better though as it's longer - might have more of an "extension tube" effect into the bargain. Then there's the Kenko 3x... haven't experimented with that much... seems a little foggy. I did whack them all on together one day and found I could get a terrible quality picture of a grain of rice... :-).

Cheers,
Tony

[john-in-japan]

Greetings - Well... it looks like Swapnali-san and Tony-san are in for a total of three (so far) on Saturday the 23rd of May. If Harajuku/Meiji Shrine is a good venue, I'd like to suggest that, but as more want to join in and shoot with us, we can always do something different. Entrance to Meiji Shrine just up from JR Harajulu Station could be a good place to meet, but flexibility on that too. Fingers crossed more of us ex-pats and Japan residents/visitors will join us!
Cheers,
John

[skygod44]

Oh...just spotted this thread.

Luckily for you guys "up there", I'm a LONG way south - not as far as Okinawa, but plenty far enough!

If any of you are ever doing a trip down south, let me know and I'll show you the weirdness that is Kagoshima.

Simon

[john-in-japan]

Simon - Hows the shochu down your way? I hear the new brews will microadjust your corneas, create kalaidoscopic special effects and assist you when shooting from a face down position. True?
John

[skygod44]

Simon - Hows the shochu down your way? I hear the new brews will microadjust your corneas, create kalaidoscopic special effects and assist you when shooting from a face down position. True?
John
:lol::lol::lol:

Actually, the latest one was 45% alcohol and gave me gut-ache!

Missus Skygod now wants me off the stuff and says I should stick with red wine....oh, the stress of it all. ;)

What's it like living up there? I'm rather fond of the pace down here these days....oh, and having a skim through the thread, I noted that the OP - Swapnali - is heavily into photography. Is that actually in Japan?
I'm ending my BoE contract after 5 years in July to open my own English school (there really aren't enough down here!), but could do with some hints and tips about making some money on the side - got a mortgage and kids to feed, you see. I already plan on having the parents' waiting area as a "gallery/sales/promo" area, but if you've any extra ideas to help me generate some income using photography/painting, let me know.
:D

[haisai-ojisan]

And a P. S. -
Anywhere in Tokyo where I can take a class in photo editing? I am struggling with Photoshop Elements and Lightroom.
John

Hey John. tks for the pm.

Books do suck so here's my tip; may be worth a try. If you use iTunes, go to the iTunes store (in iTunes) and do a "LightRoom" search. You should see a few Adobe training video podcasts for free download or viewing. LightRoom, PS, even Illustrator, etc. etc. etc. Good stuff and may be useful. Hope it helps.

[swapnali]

Hi Simon,

Nice to see you on this thread :)
Yes I am in Japan. And all photos on my website are also taken in Japan. But photography is my serious hobby, and not first profession (Yet ;) ) I wish that becomes possible some day :)

John, Tony,
I am really looking forward to meet you. Hope some other members join too.

Swapnali

[dmf]

am based way down south west in kochi-ken. shimanto city area.

Martin

[john-in-japan]

Hi Martin -
You are more than welcome to join us on 23 May. Details to follow.
Probably by pm to avoid taking up too much bandwidth.
John

[skygod44]

Hi Simon,

Nice to see you on this thread :)
Yes I am in Japan. And all photos on my website are also taken in Japan. But photography is my serious hobby, and not first profession (Yet ;) ) I wish that becomes possible some day :).....
Swapnali

Hi there and thanks for the welcome.
Hope to see you when I can get up there from the deep, dark south!

Simon
:D

Oh, and if you're a fan of The Last Samurai, I'm going to post some shots of the tomb of the "real" Last Samurai - Saigo Takamori - and his "mates" in the next few days, as I had a chance to drop in there on my way home tonight...

[tonydee]

Hi Simon,

Great to see you on here... would be strange to meet someone of such legendary stature on CC... hope it'll happen one day. I don't get down south that often, and job hunting right now so being a bit conservative with the holiday expenditure (to say the least). I'd be very disappointed if that image turned out not to be a self portrait... I am safe aren't I? ;-). Last Samurai was a surprisingly enjoyable movie despite the alien-reincarnate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology) Cruiser... will keep an eye out.

Cheers,
Tony

[skygod44]

Hi Simon,

Great to see you on here... would be strange to meet someone of such legendary stature on CC... hope it'll happen one day. I don't get down south that often, and job hunting right now so being a bit conservative with the holiday expenditure (to say the least). I'd be very disappointed if that image turned out not to be a self portrait... I am safe aren't I? ;-). Last Samurai was a surprisingly enjoyable movie despite the alien-reincarnate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology) Cruiser... will keep an eye out.

Cheers,
Tony

Hey Tony,
Great to hear from you and I've posted the pics of Saigo Takamori's tomb today on the thread I started called "Bring out yer dead!"

Here's the link - post #160 is Beppu Shinsuke Kagenaga who was supposed to have lopped Saigo's head off, and #161 is Saigo's tomb "dead" centre, and what the "locals" do there...... (you'll understand that when you see the pic).;)

Well, I hope to get up there some time, but my contract ends in 4 months, so I'm being careful with cash too!

Catch you soon,
Simon
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=661754&page=11

[swapnali]

Simon,

great photos there.
your last photo reminded me of something, and I added a post there. Check it.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=7793692#post7793692

[skygod44]

Simon,

great photos there.
your last photo reminded me of something, and I added a post there. Check it.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=7793692#post7793692

Checked it...loved it....commented :D

btw, how's that 5D2 working out for you? I saw a 2nd-hand one for sale today - ￥１２０，０００.

Tempting......soooooo tempting...... :confused:

[tonydee]

Yikes... that sounds like an amazing bargain! Must mean my old 5D wouldn't get anything like the Y100,000 it might have when the 5DII first came out. I need to do a "delta analysis".

Like the dead thread... beer cans and all. I might have a couple lying around... will check later... photos that is, I don't drink beer, or collect cans.

Cheers, Tony

[swapnali]

Thanks for viewing.
5D2 is amazing. but still there is lot to learn.
I find it more difficlt to meter when too much contrast.
Needs a lot of space too :)

second hand so cheap? Please check why is so cheap when the model is new.

[skygod44]

Yikes... that sounds like an amazing bargain! Must mean my old 5D wouldn't get anything like the Y100,000 it might have when the 5DII first came out. I need to do a "delta analysis".
Like the dead thread... beer cans and all. I might have a couple lying around... will check later... photos that is, I don't drink beer, or collect cans.
Cheers, Tony
Hey Tony....and Swapnali. The 5D2 was in "Hard Off". Do you have that shop near you? Basically people who need money sell their gear to the shop, and then I can buy it! Bought a music stand today - ￥600 :-)
Anyway, checked it out and it had less than 1000 actuations, no dents, clean inside and so I'm guessing the owner was broke.
Thanks for viewing.
5D2 is amazing. but still there is lot to learn.
I find it more difficult to meter when too much contrast.
Needs a lot of space too :) second hand so cheap? Please check why is so cheap when the model is new.
What does that mean? You didn't buy the Giant version usually used at exhibitions did ya?
;)

[swapnali]

Yeah I got one of those limited edition giant 5dII. Its a collectors item ;)


Anyways I was talking about harddrive space! I have 500GB of hd on Mac, 130GB very old drive and 2 TB latest hd. 130GB is already full long back. 40% of mac is full, with some scrape, I need to check whats all those things.

[skygod44]

Yeah I got one of those limited edition giant 5dII. Its a collectors item ;)

Anyways I was talking about harddrive space! I have 500GB of hd on Mac, 130GB very old drive and 2 TB latest hd. 130GB is already full long back. 40% of mac is full, with some scrape, I need to check whats all those things.

Seriously? Wow! Reading about the peeps who have the 5D2 I'd already gathered it took a lot of RAM and HD-space, but that's ridiculous.

Makes it look likely that "buying a new body" from now on actually means "buying a new computer" too! Sheesh! :confused:

[john-in-japan]

Greetings - Same concern here on computer, shooting LF and RAW, not to mention the video is going to race through the gigabytes. Just had a custom made computer in Akihabara delivered about a month ago. Took 30 days to buld it to what I and a smart colleague figured what I would need. Quad Core 1TB hard drives (with RAID 2) and now I have space for the 5D2 whenever it gets here, but.... I think I will have to be very selective on what the keepers will be. I have two 320GB USB powered external hard drives, and my 5D managed to keep them comfortable with some housecleaning now and then. I have not shot in RAW much, mainly because I don't have good skills with Photoshop Elements 7 or Lightroom. I keep playing with these, but not easy. I work a 12 hour day and on Saturdays too, so time to get more involved is limited.
Swapnali-san - Do you shoot mostly in RAW?
Simon - Surprised you did not snap up that 5D2 at 120,000 yen!!!
Cheers,
John

[skygod44]

Greetings - Same concern here on computer, shooting LF and RAW, not to mention the video is going to race through the gigabytes. Just had a custom made computer in Akihabara delivered about a month ago. Took 30 days to buld it to what I and a smart colleague figured what I would need. Quad Core 1TB hard drives (with RAID 2) and now I have space for the 5D2 whenever it gets here, but.... I think I will have to be very selective on what the keepers will be. I have two 320GB USB powered external hard drives, and my 5D managed to keep them comfortable with some housecleaning now and then. I have not shot in RAW much, mainly because I don't have good skills with Photoshop Elements 7 or Lightroom. I keep playing with these, but not easy. I work a 12 hour day and on Saturdays too, so time to get more involved is limited.
Swapnali-san - Do you shoot mostly in RAW?
Simon - Surprised you did not snap up that 5D2 at 120,000 yen!!!
Cheers,
John

Hey John, your reasons above are exactly why I couldn't snap up that 5D2.
I'm changing work in 4 months, so blowing maybe 400,000 on a new body and PC would not exactly go down well with Missus Skygod, if ya know what I mean....
:rolleyes:

Besides, I'm waiting at least 6 months until after the new 1D4 is released before I buy another body. My trusty 30D still has under 9000 clicks on it, I love shooting hawks, and can't believe for a millisecond a 5D2 will match those boys when they're homing in on a scrap thrown to them, or a fish!

[swapnali]

Yeap you are right. This big images take a lot of RAM too, even my MAC shows the slight slowness showing images in directory etc (through Adobe bridge)
I must say is 130GB was full using my 20D pictures.

[skygod44]

Yeap you are right. This big images take a lot of RAM too, even my MAC shows the slight slowness showing images in directory etc (through Adobe bridge)
I must say is 130GB was full using my 20D pictures.

Yeah....I must admit, I'm beginning to get close to the point where some extra RAM and HDD space are needed in my current setup. Certainly, when I start playing with a RAW file in the GIMP, the file size becomes fatter than a tax-inspector's hate-mail in-tray!

I think John said it right up there ^^^^
And before I get a second body (come on Canon, Simon wants his 1D4!) I'll be looking into some serious new hardware....plus a big monitor!
Sheesh....it's lucky my wife isn't reading this!
:confused:

[swapnali]

I request you not to use Swapnali-san. It feels strange , as if I am in office :(

to answer you, I ALWAYS shoot in raw. There were first 2/3 months when I bought 20D I shot in jpg. but once I realized what raw can offer, I never use just jpgs.
Sometimes its a bad habbit when I shoot family photos. The time to convert them is boring.

BTW : This recession put me in job market. IT. please let me know if you know any openings.

[skygod44]

I request you not to use Swapnali-san. It feels strange , as if I am in office :(

to answer you, I ALWAYS shoot in raw. There were first 2/3 months when I bought 20D I shot in jpg. but once I realized what raw can offer, I never use just jpgs.
Sometimes its a bad habbit when I shoot family photos. The time to convert them is boring.

BTW : This recession put me in job market. IT. please let me know if you know any openings.

Hey there Swapnali, sorry to hear you're also looking for work. Good luck there.
Regarding RAW v jpeg....I jump between the two EXACTLY because I don't want to spend huge amounts of time on the computer for every photo I take. I have the menu button on my 30D set up to switch between jpeg and RAW, and if I'm shooting a straight forward scene with no tricky light...I use jpeg. Then, if I shoot something more technical, or where I'll be cropping, I switch to RAW.

This way, I spend more time shooting and less time doing PP.

Catch you soon...... :D

[swapnali]

Did you submit for the earthmosaic project?
I just submitted one here earthmosaic.org

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3538/3489640041_cd7b2ddd14.jpg?v=0

[skygod44]

Did you submit for the earthmosaic project?
I just submitted one here earthmosaic.org

Nice pic! Love the effect....but I'd not heard of Earthmosaic, and looking on their website, I've missed the date.

Oh well....

[swapnali]

I think you can still post the pict. We are at east, and ahead of time. And as the upload button still there, you should try.

[john-in-japan]

Greetings All -
I think I mentioned unwanted visitors here in Chiba, and for the last week or so, I have had many, some in gropus of more than 20! Here are two visitors from this morning, shot with the 100-400 at 400 through a window in my bedroom that needs cleaning.
They are eating up the vegetation around the house, eyeing my garden next. The large leafed plant to the right is an Angel's Trumpet plant (poisonous) that I just planted, so they left it alone. These were taken this morning, just before I went to work.
Cheers,
John

[swapnali]

Wow you are having lot of fun from your window then:)
take care of your camera.
You live in nice area though, so much green and land.
The place where I live, I have to search for uncovered land. Even the children park is covered with some kind of sand, and not soil

[john-in-japan]

Ha! Ha!
I know what you mean! If I could teach the monkeys to cut the grass, I might tolerate them occasionally helping themselves to my garden. Last year, they ate all of my tomatos - leaves, stems, and roots! This morning, about fifteen visited including a lot of baby monkeys. They no longer ride on mom's back, but do weird acrobatics - not well coordinated. Here is a photo of my house in Chiba. The ocean is just behind it, 42 meters below. So far, typhoons have caused some anxiety, but we survived. Country living in Japan is wonderful in spite of the monkeys. We see an occasional Hakubishin (Palm Faced Civet), Kyong (a small Asian deer the size of a large dog) the occasional Tanuki (Racoon Dog) and in summer the centipedes and leeches are abundant when off the beaten path. With all the vermin and bugs, I need to do more macro!!!! Ha! Ha!
Cheers All -
John

[skygod44]

Ha! Ha!
I know what you mean! If I could teach the monkeys to cut the grass, I might tolerate them occasionally helping themselves to my garden. Last year, they ate all of my tomatos - leaves, stems, and roots! This morning, about fifteen visited including a lot of baby monkeys. They no longer ride on mom's back, but do weird acrobatics - not well coordinated. Here is a photo of my house in Chiba. The ocean is just behind it, 42 meters below. So far, typhoons have caused some anxiety, but we survived. Country living in Japan is wonderful in spite of the monkeys. We see an occasional Hakubishin (Palm Faced Civet), Kyong (a small Asian deer the size of a large dog) the occasional Tanuki (Racoon Dog) and in summer the centipedes and leeches are abundant when off the beaten path. With all the vermin and bugs, I need to do more macro!!!! Ha! Ha!
Cheers All -
John

Hey John, that is one BEAUTIFUL house! Best I don't tell my wife about that post or there'll be hell to pay.....but it was her who chose a condo! Not me!
[Hmm, thinks to himself....I'd still get it in the neck though!]
:confused:

[swapnali]

Wow John thats a really wonderful house you have.
It doesnt look like from Japan in any angle. The houses I have seen are all without must open space around.
But then I m talking abt tokyo. And where I live is a apartment; straight gray building without any beauty. The only good thing is I can see sunrise from home, over the tall cranes and a small bit of ocean(I think so!!!) But then again in Summer, its too early to get up and see the sunrise. When we get up, the sun is already up high!

You are really lucky to live in such a house.

[DamienPaul]

John, that is a beautiful house and property! That is a far cry from the 7th floor shoebox i live in, in this multi-storey filing cabinet

[john-in-japan]

Greetings All -

Well... a week from tomorrow is Saturday the 23rd. Unless there is an alternative suggestion (looking for options), we can meet at the entrance to the Meiji Shrine just a few meters up from Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line. The Meiji Shrine and Omote Sando provide good photographic opportunities, particularly the narrow side street across from Harajuku Station that parallels Omote Sando. I think Swapnali is interested and Paul Damien and maybe Tony Dee (others?). It takes me about 2 hours and 30 minutes to get to this location, so if someone will suggest a time in late morning or in the early afternoon, I'll be there. I have not looked at the extended weather report yet. Although not a fair weather only shooter, a rainy forecast is best avoided eh? I have a dinner at 6:30pm in Midtown near Roppongi at 6:30 so have to be in Tokyo anyway.
I hope we have good weather and I look forward to meeting you. Cheers, hoping to hear from many of you here in Japan.
John

[skygod44]

Greetings All -

Well... a week from tomorrow is Saturday the 23rd. Unless there is an alternative suggestion (looking for options), we can meet at the entrance to the Meiji Shrine just a few meters up from Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line. The Meiji Shrine and Omote Sando provide good photographic opportunities, particularly the narrow side street across from Harajuku Station that parallels Omote Sando. I think Swapnali is interested and Paul Damien and maybe Tony Dee (others?). It takes me about 2 hours and 30 minutes to get to this location, so if someone will suggest a time in late morning or in the early afternoon, I'll be there. I have not looked at the extended weather report yet. Although not a fair weather only shooter, a rainy forecast is best avoided eh? I have a dinner at 6:30pm in Midtown near Roppongi at 6:30 so have to be in Tokyo anyway.
I hope we have good weather and I look forward to meeting you. Cheers, hoping to hear from many of you here in Japan.
John

I'm jealous of all you guys.....
.....hope to make it up there before too long.

Simon.

[michael.luczkow]

how many tsubo are your house and land? Looks nice! I'm getting ready to build here myself.

[john-in-japan]

Michael - Just PM'd you.
John

[swapnali]

John I PM you yesterday.
So we will be meeting at 11:00 near Harajuku.

see you and anyone else who is joining there.