KOH KHO KING

ASKA Tripper V Portable Storage Device (120GB, 4.3″ LCD, 10MB/s) FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING!

Posted on September 28th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Rojak.

ASKA Tripper V Portable Storage Device
(120GB, 4.3″ LCD, 10MB/s)

(BETTER than Epson P-5000!)

FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING!!!

RM1,895.00 / US$574.24

Reviews:
http://shashinki.com/blog/index.php?…earchsubmit=Go

0 comments.

What did Nikon use to shoot their D300 product shots?

Posted on September 26th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Rojak.

Is it a Nikon DSLR? Is it their secret Nikon DSLR? Is it D2Xs? Is it a Canon 1Ds MK II?

Nah…it is a medium format with Phase One P-45 back! (Ok, we don’t know what camera they are using with the P-45 digital back). Nikon forgot to delete the exif info in their D300 product shot. Click on the file/photo below and check out the exif. Guess what software they are still using nowadays to edit the photo?!

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0 comments.

Renewing Student Visa

Posted on September 25th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Rojak.

What do you need when renewing your student visa?

Before I came to Japan, I was given 2 years visa pass. Now…in Oct 4th, my visa will be due. I need to renew my visa two weeks before the due date.

Here’s what the required documents:

1. Scholarship/letter of scholarship from Hiroshima University
2. Letter of attendance (meaning that you do attend the classes or go to the university)
3. Letter of student’s results (showing what grade you got for your classes in the university)
4. Passport
5. Alien card (yeah…Japanese calls foreigner alien…)

1~3 just go to the administration office of your faculty and they will assist/prepare you with that. For 2 &3, you can actually print it out from the “machine” using your student card. Free of charge.

You will need to fill in some lengthy form at the foreign registration center in Hiroshima-shi. Just go to the country and ask for the form. Tell them you want to renew your visa and they will give you the form.

Update:

I just got my new renewed visa today. One year extension. Fee? Yeah…need to pay JPY4000 per person. Any other document needed? No, but I was actually supposed to wait for the foreign office to post me a card telling me my visa is ready before I went, thank God I manage to get the visa today too and the people there are very nice and efficient.

One thing I notice. They have official lunch time from 12pm-1pm, but the staffs there never use the time till full. They will take their lunch quickly, and then come back to work. This is Japanese culture, their working style, which is the very main reason they can be such a develop and successful country/nation.

0 comments.

A wedding photographer test driving Nikon D3

Posted on September 25th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Photography.

See the link below:

http://cliffmautner.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/09/ok-its-after-1a.html

Though the files/photos are small, but it still amaze me that the photographer used very high ISO is most of his shots. If he dared to use it, I am sure the quality is just going to be stunning and very usable for his clients!

Now my new dream camera…forget about the D300…let’s dream for D3!

1 comment.

Drinking Milk…

Posted on September 22nd, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Family.

This is the whole scene when I took the toes photos in the previous post. My wife was feeding Megumi with soya milk. I love the scene, so took my D200 and snap snap snap…no flash, ISO800, Tamron SP 17-50mm lens.

the whole scene picture…

- horizontal view of whole scene -

- little hand holding bottle closeup -

- face closeup -

Uploaded many photos today…hope you all enjoying reading…I hope this serves as a good growing memory of Megumi… God bless and good night…

2.42am, Saijo, Hiroshima, Japan.

2 comments.

Megumi feet - toes… (21st Sept 2007)

Posted on September 22nd, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Family.

Isn’t that cute & innocent?

0 comments.

Double eyelip…now you see…now you don’t…

Posted on September 22nd, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Family.

Normally few seconds after wake up, you will see double eyelip on Megumi’s eyes…here’s a quick snap…

Sleeping soundly & happily…a good dream?!

My D200 shutter sounds awaken her…(take note of the eyelip)

FLASHED!

Not so happy with people disturbing her sweet dream…(actually I accidentally fired a flash…very harsh and bad…)

2 comments.

Megumi Koh - Sleeping (3 months 8 days)

Posted on September 22nd, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Family.

Just have to take my camera and snap snap snap…

3 months 8 days young…three different angles…

0 comments.

SPAMS!!! Akismet!

Posted on September 20th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Computer / IT.

I notice that my site got many comments recently…Oops…should I say SPAMS! Yeah, many are spams…with a few are from genuine users that left appreciation comments on my blog.

Got tired of deleting spams, and knowing that they will only get worse once they found you…as all are posted by bots (inhuman). I searched at wordpress site, and I remember last time there was a nice spam combat plugin…found it: Akismet!

Not sure how good is it, but instead of using Captcha, I think I want to try Akismet first, since it is very popular. Captcha can be good…only if those bots are not very smart (Captcha at vBulletin forum software site is very powerful and complicated, yet my forum (PhotoMalaysia) still got many new spam bot registration daily. So I have to implement extra question for verification to avoid bot registration. Those spam bot’s OCR is just way too good!).

Akismet, hopefully not going to disappoint me…

4 comments.

Internet Explorer 7 Fonts not sharp (IE7)

Posted on September 14th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Computer / IT.

I noticed something strange today when I use IE7 to browse PhotoMalaysia.com. Yeah…I just installed IE7 yesterday in order to tackle some browser issue which happens on IE7, so was “forced” to install it. I am a FireFox user, the best and perfect browser in the world (period).

So, what exactly is the problem with IE7? The first thing I notice is that everything seem blur on IE7. The fonts are not sharp…as if my spectacle is under power. Makes my head dizzy…

On the same site, when I browse with FF2, everything is “normal”, sharp and clear.

Is my mind playing illustration magic? I thought some would not believe what I am saying, so I make some screen capture of the same site using both browser and compared them side by side. See below for yourself:

It seems that IE7 cannot interpret the text colour correctly. Making single colour text into multiple colours, hence the unsharp effect.

I checked with some other sites, all same, so it is not a site issue but rather an issue with IE7. I am glad that there are choices other than IE7…my favorite is still FF2:

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

3 comments.

Ebay - shashinki

Posted on September 11th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Computer / IT, Photography, Rojak.

I found and discovered something interesting on ebay today.

3 comments.

The Star: “UTM a thief�s heaven”

Posted on September 10th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Rojak.

It is a shame with this kind of title that makes UTM popular…

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/10/nation/18834926&sec=nation�

Below are the quote from The Star newspaper:

PETALING JAYA: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) lost about RM900,000 worth of assets such as computers and LCD screens in six years � because just about anybody could borrow the items and not return them.

The Auditor-General’s report said that there was lax security and monitoring at the university, allowing people to steal easily.

Examples of this included no closed-circuit television cameras installed in strategic areas, no grilles on windows and doors, and too many people sharing the same key to a lab or office, the report said.

It was also reported that almost all offices and faculties did not maintain records on equipment usage.

The AG audited both campuses in Skudai, Johor, and Kuala Lumpur, and found that of the RM854,346 total loss of assets, RM605,761 (70.9%) worth were stolen from 2004 to August 2006.

It also said that the cases increased from three in 2001 to 22 in 2006. (more…)

0 comments.

ASKA Tripper V - Packaging & Extra Battery

Posted on September 8th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Computer / IT, Photography.

Previously I thought ASKA Tripper V is just having a white box packaging as stated in my First Impression post. Which is quite unprofessional and not so appealing for such a high end and expensive product.

I WAS WRONG!

Today I received the stock that I ordered from ASKA (SHASHINKI is ASKA Official Dealer in Malaysia). I ordered the 120GB in quantity, which I think is the best value for money as compared to the 160GB version. Here’s the photo of the nice REAL packaging of ASKA Tripper V, which is actually very professionally designed, and they even have the 120GB stated on the box. Officially ASKA only selling 120GB and 160GB to dealers.

I can only say that the box can only be BETTER design than the Epson P-5000 and P-3000 (made in China). Very nice quality, matches the product (ASKA Tripper V) inside. (more…)

0 comments.

Nikon D2X versus D200 at ISO800

Posted on September 7th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Photography.

I got the chance to test out a Nikon D2X today. It was a dream camera for me long time ago…whenever I saw people using it…my eyes would just follow the camera. Yeah…a handsome nice piece of art technology machine.

People were complaining about the NOISE of D2X photos, so I thought of checking and seeing it myself.

Original photo but resized to fit the web (D2X):

100% crop (D2X ISO800):

100% crop (D200 ISO800):

D200 seems to be sharper with more details, but it could be due to my handholding shot that moved the focus area differently.

Both D200 and D2X have about the same noise. D200 might be even smoother than D2X.

During the test, I do fine D2X focusing to be more accurate and faster than my D200. Shutter sound is also very different. Shutter count is very short, my guess is that the reflex mirror returns to its original position FASTer than D200. D200 sound is a bit longer, and as if there are two sounds. D2X is just like having ONE sound. This is quite hard to explain, one have to listen to both to differentiate and know the difference.

0 comments.

What is GREY Product?

Posted on September 7th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Computer / IT, Photography, Rojak.

We often hear the term “grey product” when shopping online, especially in USA shops.

What is GREY PRODUCT? Why USA shops use the word GREY for their parallel import products? The reason is simple: because the origin of the product is unknown, hence making it a grey (not white not black) product with unknown origin. In USA, shops will not tell you where their grey products came from. It can be China, Japan, Hong Kong…etc., unknown.

ShaShinKi.com parallel import products are official from Japan, I stated it clearly. You know the origin, you will have the Japan warranty card (sometimes no), Japanese menu…etc. That is why it is not called as grey product. If you know the origin of a product, you can’t call it grey set anymore.

When you go shopping oversea and bought a DSLR from say Singapore shop, do you call it a grey product? NO, because it is an official product in Singapore and you have all the document and you know the origin of the product.

People nowadays like to use GREY PRODUCT name too simply without knowing what they are talking about…hope this post will clear the cloud and give GREY a clearer definition.

0 comments.

Nikon Vibration Reduction Test

Posted on September 7th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Photography.

In my opinion, a very important new technology in photography these few years is Vibration Reduction or Image Stabilization or Shake Reduction. It makes shooting at low shutter speed possible, with acceptable sharp and good results.

I got the chance to test and try out one of the Nikon best telephoto zoom today. The Nikon Zoom Telephoto AF VR Zoom Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8D G-AFS ED-IF Autofocus Lens!

I did a simple test on a easy to identify subject in my room, a wall clock.

Here’s the results:
Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon Zoom Telephoto AF VR Zoom Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8D G-AFS ED-IF Autofocus Lens
Shutter Speed: 1/2s
Focal Length: 200mm
ISO 100
Hand-holding, took a deep breath and hold it when clicking the shutter.

VR OFF

VR Normal

VR Active

No editing was done other than resizing the photo to 700 pixels width for web purpose. VR really does make a BIG difference. This kind of shot would be IMPOSSIBLE in the old days without a tripod, but now VR has made hand-holding at low shutter speed on long focal length POSSIBLE!

For 70-200mm focal length, VR does prove itself to be very useful. A definite must have and must upgrade for those who are still planning on those without VR.

0 comments.

Embassy of Malaysia in Tokyo, Japan

Posted on September 5th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Rojak.

Embassy of Malaysia in Tokyo, Japan

Malaysia government official website for foreign embassy:
http://www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/tokyo

6 comments.

ASKA Tripper V Speed?

Posted on September 4th, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Computer / IT, Photography.

One of the most important aspect of a Photo Storage Device is the download speed of photos to the device or so call backup of memory card during shooting. Some device can take upto 20 mins to backup a 1GB memory card, while the fastest that I have known to date is NEXTO Ultra ND-2525 which can backup a 1GB memory card in less than a minute. Since I got some extra mood today, so I tested the speed of ASKA Tripper V. Backup memory card data to Tripper V is very very easy. Insert the memory card and press the COPY button, copy will start immediately.

Once it finished, it will play a nice piano sound twice (no, the sound is not disturbing). Then it will show a message Completed. You must press the OK button before you can continue. There are two types of COPY function in ASKA Tripper V: Normal or Quick Copy. Normal copy is the slow type. During copying, the LCD screen will still remain ON and you can see the copy status bar showing in real time how many files or data has been copied. Quick Copy is also called as High Speed Copy. During Quick Copy, the LCD screen will go black and the Copy button will flash the blue light. Default is Normal Copy, but can be changed in SETTING to Quick Copy.

80 Files 988MB Data (Imation CF memory card, 2 years old, maybe around 60X):

• Normal Copy = 3 mins 12 seconds (http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp shows similar results of 3 mins 23 seconds in their test. Not extremely fast in today’s standard.)
• Quick Copy = 1 min 52 seconds (http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp shows similar results of 1 mins 34 seconds in their test. Pretty good by today’s standard.)
• ASKA website claims the time to be 88 seconds with high speed CF memory card, which must be in Quick Copy mode. Memory card does play an important role in backup/download speed, so with faster card, the time should reduce.

(more…)

0 comments.

ASKA Tripper V - Dimension and Weight

Posted on September 3rd, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Computer / IT, Photography.

ASKA Tripper V biggest target is Epson P-5000 potential buyer, so I did a comparison in size of weight of the two products.

The photo below shows the plan view of the two products based on their specifications dimensions:

In terms of weight (both with battery and HDD):

• ASKA Tripper V = 370g (very accurate weight, I personally measured it with my digital weight meter)
• Epson P-5000 = 430g

(more…)

0 comments.

ASKA Tripper V - Design

Posted on September 2nd, 2007 by KhoKing.
Categories: Computer / IT, Photography.

Part TWO from me.

Here’s some views from various angles of the ASKA Tripper V.

Made in Japan product. Input power is 5V, but the power adapter provided is 100-240V worldwide compatible, so no worry when traveling oversea and charge the Tripper V in country that uses 100V or 240V power voltage. Tripper V is said to have 70GB download capability from one full charge of battery.

(more…)

1 comment.