My wife love the dinner that we took in Tokyo on 6th November 2007 in a Korean (?) restaurant. That was around 9pm at night, after windows shopping at Shinjuku.
We ordered some extra foods, all were on metal hot plates. The meats are raw and got cook on the hot plates after being served. It is a very nice dinner, though a bit rush eating due to Megumi becomes a bit impatient and tired.
Here’s some photos to share. 
I have the chance to try out Olympus E-3 professional DSLR today in DEODEO electronic superstore in Japan. That was a surprised actually, as my main purpose going there wasn’t for the E-3 (didn’t expect they have one) but Nikon D300.
I spent some time checking out Nikon D300, while finding subjects to focus…I spotted the E-3. After fiddling the D300 for an extra minute, I went to take up the E-3 and ON the power.
I remember Olympus users talking about E-3 having the world’s fastest Autofocus system…I thought that was just a marketing gimmick until I tried it out myself just now.
Just how fast is it?
LIGHTNING FAST!!!
I test the E-3 by focusing to close and then to far subjects, making sure that the camera and lens have to travel some “long” distance in order to get focus. The result is just amazing! The lens snap into focus almost instantly!
I can’t remember which lens was mounted on the E-3, if I am not mistaken, it should be the “12-60mm F2.8-4.0 SWD” (confirmed the lens, just update with photo). The lens extend quite long (almost double the original length after zoom to telephoto).
Bare in mind that I was just testing the D300 with AFS 18-200mm lens before trying out the E-3. If I can explain the speed of E-3 AF better…it is like the sound of Zop while D300 is like ZOoooop. Yes, the difference is very obvious. On the viewfinder of E-3, you can see the focus change is instantly. You don’t see from blur to sharp in progress…but instantly change!
To be honest, I must say I am impressed with the E-3 AF system. Definitely deserves the title of “among the world’s fastest AF” if not already the world’s fastest!
On the side note of E-3 physical built, the camera does feel good in hand with firm grip design. It is definitely a very big size camera as compared to the E-510 or other E-DSLR. There are lots of buttons at the back of the E-3…which I am not familiar of, so I didn’t try it out. The Flippable LCD screen actually makes the E-3 looks a bit cheap…discount the professional feel of the E-3 in my humble opinion. Of course, this is just my personal feel, in terms of practical use, it is definitely better than those fixed LCD. Yeah, imagine shooting from above your head or on the ground.
That’s all from my few minutes try of the E-3. If I got the time, I will go try it out again. By the way, I notice the price of E-3 is around RM1k cheaper than Nikon D300, so it is definitely a very good competitor to the Nikon system.
I went to a local electronic shop in Japan today – DeoDeo. Main purpose is to try out the Nikon D300 system but I have found another surprised of Olympus E-3 professional DSLR.
Thanks to my wife, she helped me to take care of Megumi for nearly an hour, so I have the time to try out the D300 and pull out my D200 and insert my memory card into the D300 to test and get the photos I want.
(I find the photo below kinda cool…D300 is considered as a little brother to Nikon D3, sharing many similarities.)
Before I go to the ISO comparison shots, let’s share a bit of how I feel about the D300.
Our friend, Misty Sargent, who we have not met her since I gave birth to Megumi on June. She has given birth to a baby girl, Joanna, on August 2007. We met them last Saturday at the Hiroshima Diamond City. Read More
Previously in the film days, only the best Nikon SLR has mirror lock up (MLU) feature. That’s in the Nikon single digit F series. Even the F100 which is considered as the little brother of F5 doesn’t has MLU feature.
So, how useful is MLU?
With the advancement and convenient of digital photography, I can now take shots and experiment shots easily. Nikon now has MLU in their single digit D series and also in the Nikon D200 (D80, D70, D100…etc. all doesn’t have MLU). So, now the question is…how useful is MLU?
Many people have the mis-conception that MLU is only used when you have your camera on tripod. Quite true during the film days where one have to turn a lock manually to lock up the mirror manually, and this required quite big movement and will definitely change/move your subject composition. However, now with better technology and design, Nikon MLU shots can’t be done any easier!
On my Nikon D200, change the drive mode to MLU (there are S, Cs, Ch, Timer…etc. and MLU is on the farthest right on the dial – not seen in the picture below, but is just next to the timer symbol).
When you have set your drive mode to MLU, then the rest is easy. Half press your shutter button to focus, then full press your shutter button to Lock Up the Mirror. Full press again to then take the actual exposure, the mirror will go down after taking the exposure.
So, how does mirror lock up helps in taking photos?
When taking a shot in SLR (Single lens reflex) camera, the reflex mirror will go up, the shutter blade will then open to expose the film/sensor to the light. After that, it shutter blades close and mirror return down.
Just to share with you guys the mouse that I am using (bought on 19th Dec 2006, costs me around RM350 or US$95 in Japan):
Logitech® MX™ Revolution
More info at:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2135,CONTENTID=12134
My first wireless mouse. Took me quite some time to finally decided on a wireless mouse. I kinda worry of the hassle having to charge the mouse every few days…but after using a cheapo wireless mouse few months ago, I am hooked.
For me, mouse is one of the most important item in PC components, as a unresponsive mouse will make you crazy.
In Japan, they call it LOGICOOL! Yes, it is such a COOL mouse! 
Traveling
One thing about wireless mouse is that it is not so convenient when traveling. Though the battery of the mouse can last for nearly 5 days (12 hours use a day), still if you went for long holiday, then you will need to bring the charging unit together. Not so convenient and normally I will just bring a small wired mouse that power directly from my notebook USB port. Read More
Planning to go Tokyo on Monday (5th November 2007) to do passport and birth certificates for Megumi, renew passport for Foong.
We plan to drive there…it is going to be a long journey…around 850km far…roughly 11 hours drive. Toll will cost around JPY16,500 one way. Still cheaper than air ticket which cost over JPY20,000 one way per person.
We decided to drive so that the journey can be more flexible. Since we have a nice car now (Toyota Wish) and with Navigator, so finding the way is not a problem. Praise the Lord!
Now…one thing that we must bring in order to make our lives easier…
Yeah…the sarung swing. Megumi now must use sarung in order to go to sleep. She will cry for sarung when she is tired. I can’t imagine for the days without sarung in Tokyo…we just can’t take the chance. If she can’t sleep without it…then there is no way for us to find one for her…so must dissemble and bring to Tokyo with us. Thank God our car is big enough for those things, but taking it to the hotel might have some headache… 
May God bless us and protect us all the way, in Jesus name I prayed. Amen.
Nikon Capture NX photo-finishing software to
be bundled with D3 and D300 digital SLRs
during special release campaign
October 29, 2007 Tokyo – Nikon Corporation has today announced that they will conduct a special promotion in conjunction with the release of the new D3 and D300 digital SLR cameras, bundling the next-generation Capture NX (ver.1.3) photo-finishing software as an accessory to be included in the camera body packages.
Nikon Capture NX is a high-quality image editing and processing application that enables versatile, highly intuitive image adjustments using innovative U Point Technology.
Image adjustments can be made simply by positioning a Control Point on a given image, without having to deal with special tools or layers. Using Nikon’s original RAW and NEF (Nikon Electronic Format) image files, you can edit images while retaining the original file and without decreasing image quality.
Here are some photos of my wife and baby using Lambency flash diffuser.
With flash, I was able to shoot at lower ISO and higher shutter speed, hence getting sharper images. You probably won’t notice much different from my previous other photos posted here, as 99% of the previous photos that I have posted are without flash (hence natural feel) at high ISO and are not very sharp (still looks good for online presentation, but not so sharp when you do bigger prints).
Some may asked:”what is a good flash photo?”
My answer:
Below are some photos taken using Nikon D200 + SB-800 + Lambency with flash head vertical upward (without dome):
I just received my Lambency Flash Diffuser last week. Tried it last night and I am totally blown away by the results!
Lambency Flash Diffuser
The shots look so natural that you can hardly notice flash was used! I shoot in portrait mode, with flash pointing directly upward to the ceiling. Lambency is without the dome.
The results? I will post it later tonight.
Built?
Lambency is made of soft rubber material. It has translucent effect, allowing light to pass through it. Inside surface is textured, my guess is to allow better light transmission from inside to outside. Yes, did I mention that the material is soft? You can bend and crumpled it to your bag and there will be no crack on it. The rubber looks and feels soft and durable in hand. Quite thick and heavy. Yes, quite heavy. If you set your flash at 45 degree or 60 degree angle, a slight movement will have the head goes down again, due to the heavy weight of the Lambency.
Fitting?
I ordered one for my SB-800. I must say that my first thought when trying to fit the Lambency to the SB-800 is that my staff must have sent me a WRONG model! Width will fit onto the SB-800 nicely, but height doesn’t fit so well. It seems that the SB-800 is a bit too thick or the Lambency is a bit too small in height. My staff checked and confirmed with me that she did send me the right model for SB-800.
So, but using some brute force, I can fit Lambency to my SB-800. First try is difficult, subsequent tries make it easier and easier. I guess the rubber needs some exercise to get it soft and expand a bit. Yeah…I later brutally pull the Lambency in several directions and it seems to be able to slot onto the SB-800 easier (but still not so easy) now. On the plus side you can be sure that the Lambency will not drop off your flash even with a big knock here and there once you slot it in (tightly). (my SB-800 life might get shorten due to the frequent brute force applied onto it).
Copyright?
Lambency is apparently copy of Gary Fong Lightsphere, with some “improvements” made. Due to the general design of the diffuser, I am not sure if the product is patented or not, as Gary Fong seems not able to stop the China maker from fabricating and selling it all over the world! Yes, you can now find Lightsphere in USA, UK, Europe, Asia, etc.! If the product was indeed patented, Gary Fong would have made a fortune by just suing every single shop/company that sell Lambency. Just a wild guess…this might be the reason why Gary now turn to WhaleTail and promote whaletail as a better product than Lightsphere. WhaleTail seems to have more obvious design variant, easier to patent I guess…
Last word…
Nevermind about the design or patent issue, if you haven’t got a Lightsphere or Lambency, go get one and your flash photography will never be the same again! 
Related reading:
KWSP stands for Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja. Which is the government body that managed the money for workers that can only be withdrew after retired (age of 55). Certain part of the KWSP saving can be withdraw before the age of 55 (eg. for house loan, computer purchase (no longer available), medical expenses…etc.).
Do you know how much your KWSP is?
Quite a lot actually. Every month, both employee and employer have to pay a good amount of money from the basic salary to KWSP. It is illegal if your boss did not do that.
MonthlyÂ
This means that every month you are saving at 23% from your basic salary with KWSP. If your basic salary is RM2000, you are saving RM460 monthly. Every year, you are saving RM5520. With 5% annual interest (most of the time is higher, vary depends on KWSP investment performance) given by KWSP, you have around RM5796 saving per year. Work for 10 years, you have RM57960 at least in your KWSP account.
Say if you started working at the age of 25 (university graduate), average RM3000 salary, retired at age 55, total working period = 30 years, you then got RM260k at least with KWSP. You can take out the money in one big lump sum and enjoy your life…but do remember…RM100 nowadays is probably only worth like RM10 after 30 years, so spend wisely.
ASKA has just announced a new firmware for their Tripper V portable storage device – version 1.23.
Changes:
Download:
http://www.aska-corp.co.jp/support/download/dl-trv03.htm
I have emailed ASKA about a month ago, suggesting some update via firmware to their Tripper V, I am curious if they do listen to customers feedback and change the Tripper V functionality based on that or not.
DO NOT TRY TO SHUT DOWN THE TRIPPER V YOURSELF! Tripper V takes around 10 mins to update the firmware. Be patient
Just received a new toy today from Malaysia…
Yeah! Crumpler the Seven Million Dollar Home!
Mummy made me a snow white blanket! Yes, mummy stitch every part of it! Am I cute and girl like now?!
See…if I covered my head, my face does looks like a pretty girl!
It is now getting cold in Saijyo, Hiroshima, Japan. My wife and I were having very heavy/bad flu on Sunday. We took a good rest and was getting better on Monday. I took another day off on Monday and resting more at home. I am feeling 99% back to normal now.
However, my wife is getting bad flu again today. She has work hard in taking care of Megumi while letting me get all the rest. We cleaned the house today and changed all the blankets…etc., tired and now the flu from bad to worse.
I hope she will get well soon. May God bless and protect my wife. May God also protect Megumi from all these disease and grow healthily. May God cleans our sins and protects us from all evil temptations.
In Jesus name I prayed. Amen.
It seems like there will be no 5D MK II from Canon, instead they go with a new digit:
7D
As recorded in UPC database in USA:
http://www.upcdatabase.com/item.asp?upc=0013803086706
Here some specs:
Surprisingly cheap, US: $ 1,899!
I ordered this lens for my customer. The seal on the box was broken, so I was kinda worry. When open and check the lens inside, I saw a dust in the middle of the glass. This is definitely not a new lens. The rear lens mount also looks as if it has been mounted on a camera before.
I complaint to my supplier. They agreed to send a new replacement but it requires 3 days. I was in rush, because my customer needs to receive the lens in Malaysia before flying oversea. It is either I deliver the lens before she flies or a full refund. My supplier doesn’t allow for refund or cancellation of the order, so I have to take the risk and rush it.
Thank God, everything went smoothly. I managed to get the lens to my customer in Kuching from Japan in time. I sent on Sunday evening, reached my customer on the next Thursday. Thank God, He is just amazing!
Here are some photos of the lens that I returned (I circled the dust in red in the 2nd row firstphoto from left):
This is an incredible lens, but will you spend that much money on a 50mm lens? Only for the richie rich.
Head press-up training to strengthen the neck bone my wife said…can last for around 2~3 minutes…
Starting…looks curiously…
Continue…Looks shock?!…
Can still look around…use hands to hold and press…notice the eyebrow changing? Start feeling pressure…
Continue to hold…
Head started to get lower…tired countdown…3…
Tired countdown… 2…
Tired countdown…2…started crying…(no tear…)
Tired countdown…1…scream even more…(no tear…)
Touch down…0… SHOUTING LOUD…we have to stop taking photo and rescue her…
A little exercise day should keep her healthy and strong…
(my friend kept his baby sleeping in this head down position. His baby can turn her head side way to breath, but Megumi has not learn that “technique”… )
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
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:
1~3 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.
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!
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…)
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…
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/
I found and discovered something interesting on ebay today.
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. Read More
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. Read More
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.
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.
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):
