My first impression with D2h were not so good. The 8fps is lovely, but the image colors are so strange… I’m so used to see vibrant supper sharp images on my D200 screen. I realized the 2.5″ LCD is not that high quality, about 200,000 dots. It took me a day to get used to the color and White balance(WB) settings and to get it right. It’s funny how what the LCD color is so different from what it really look like on the computer screen. Even though the pictures looks like shit? dont worry, it’s the LCD, you just have to trust the D2H system

So don’t let the screen fools  you, check the Histogram and shoot at corrected exposure, and shoot RAW!

For those who owned a D2H alrdy, this is for you!

A few setting tips that is very helpful: (help to get best image quality and controls)

Shooting Menu:

• Always shoot Raw, unless you need to rip 40 pictures  in a row for sports.
• Auto WB set to +1 ( it cools down the color temp and looks fresher, This only work in some situation, so you have to learn how to use manual WB (K setting)from the book to be able to master the WB on this camera. To know exactly what the camera is thinking. )
• Image sharpening set to +1
• Tone set to (-) Less contrast
• Color mode set to (I) for portraits and (III) for stills and landscape
• Hue set to +3* (I haven’t try this yet.. i leave mine at 0*)

CSM Menu:

• a1. I set it to FPS + AF  (but some ppl like it just FPS to obtain the 8fps)
• a2. Set it to Focus
• f5. Go to “Menus & Playback” and choose “On”. This enables menu selections and image playback to the Command and Sub Command dials in addition to the Multi-Selector rocker switch
• d5. File Number Sequence “On”

Set Up:

• Make sure to get the latest Firmware from Nikonusa website
• Set the LCD brightness -1 (or -2) for accurate colors on image

here is some images from the portrait photoshoot with D2H

ps. on the side note, If you choose to read the following, please comment, it helps me a lot through your feedbacks. The more feedback I get, the more notes I’ll write for you guys.

• Project 365:

“Back in jan 1st 2004, a photographer started taking a photo each day for 365 days, and he realized it doesn’t just help him to remember the year through his photos. It also helped him to understand what was important in his life. Telling a story through a photo he shot each day for a whole year has giving a rich visual history of his life.”

• Why do it?

“Imagine being able to look back at any day of your year and recall what you did, who you met, what you learned… (Often we find it hard to remember what we did just yesterday or even last night, let alone a whole year ago!)

Your year-long photo album will be an amazing way to document your travels and accomplishments, your haircuts and relationships. Time moves surprisingly fast.

Taking a photo a day will make you a better photographer. Using your camera every day will help you learn its limits. You will get better at composing your shots, you’ll start to care about lighting, and you’ll become more creative with your photography when you’re forced to come up with something new every single day.”

• My thoughts

I have written a Note here saying I will post every day and I will do it in pictures. I didn’t do what I said. It was hard to keep doing it. I heard about this 365 projects for more than 6 months now, and I never have the Balls to do it. I was afraid my shots are not good enough, worrying about tons of things. Just a few weeks ago, I realized I have been shooting picture every single days for months. I was surprised how many pictures I took. I even have a lot of picture I don’t get to post up yet.

Over the years many photographer took on this challenge and created lots of amazing work. It’s something every photographer knows about.

So thinking back and forth, I have more confident now to take on this Challenge!I’m considering to start this soon to start a new 2010 365 project.

I believe this will help me mature as time past each day, not just taking better pictures, but to be a better man.

ps. I need to take less and take better pictures >.<”

I was told by a friend that becoming a movie director must taken the course of photography for years. Why does that matter? I believe that an Award winning movie must have Award winning picture in every single frame of the movie, that is 24 frames per second, you do the math for the total frames of the movie. It teaches us to value each frames like it is last.(Watch HOME documentary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU you’ll know what I’m talking about)

Anyways, the idea of these video capture in DSLR are not useless. It has its own purpose.

I have always dream to make a short future trailer with cinematic quality, but I really don’t have $6,000 to buy a professional camera…. With these new DSLR video capture ability, I am able to do it with what i have.

To me, shooting HD video with Shallow DOF is like making the picture comes to life.

here are some samples:
Nikon D300s

Nikon D3s

Canon 5D MII

Thanks for reading, I hope you find it useful

I read an article about Aristotle’s logic in Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. As I quickly glanced through it, a word caught my attention immediately “essentia”.. I will explain what it means in this post. Since I could not find it anywhere on Wikipedia or Google.

This is the direct translation from the article:

Essentia:”…Roman translators, vexed by this odd Greek phrase, devised a word for it, essentia, from which our “essence” descends. So, an Aristotelian definition is an account of the essence of something…”

I think that “essences” is being, and only being can be defined in definition.

It was a weird night when I created a this blog for the first time. And I needed a nice title that can relate to me personally. So I looked up several words that I use a lot. After a while I searched for “logic” (i use logic_nguyen for everything) and stumbled on the Aristotle’s logic article. At first I wouldn’t read those pages pages of words as you can see in the link at the bottom, but I was managed to read all the way to 7.1 Then I came across “Essentia” I must say I fell in love with that word on first sight.

So the real question is “What it is to be?”

_____________________

Source: Aristotle’s logic

Search for section “7.1 Definitions and Essences”

I guess discussing it won’t change anything, yet understanding it will help either . I always thought I understood it very well. Until I don’t know myself anymore. It is invisible inside of me. I can not see it, but I can feel its presence. I can feel the pain caused by it. I’m tired of it. I just want to understand it so bad.

What if I fully understand my feelings? What good will that do for me?… Oh wait, I wont be confused and sad right? If that is true then I will never understand it.

Maybe I am just afraid.

A lot of things had changed for me this year. I never felt more confidence than ever to write, to express my feelings in writings. This is very new to me, yet I will try my best here.