Walkabout

I fulfilled my civic duty today when I reported for jury duty at the Orange County courthouse. I didn't serve on a jury; this makes the third consecutive time I've been called to jury duty without having really done anything except sit around and wait. This last time was the worst; I was called up to a courtroom with 29 others; during the initial questioning period the questioning was abruptly stopped, a side-bar was convened between the judge and all the lawyers, after which the judge dismissed us because a key witness could not make it. We all marched back downstairs to the jury assembly area; 45 minutes later we were dismissed for lunch.

I went back up to the parking deck and got my camera out, then started to walk down Orange Avenue looking for a bite to eat and something interesting to shoot. Here are six shots from that walk-about. Everything was taken with the E-3 and the 12-60mm. Post-processing was done in Lightroom 3 beta.

The entire day was overcast, which made for interesting lighting. After lunch I went back to the jury assembly area, then sat there reading a book until 2:30pm, when we were dismissed for the day.

My tax dollars at work.

Watching Orlando Unravel 7

What started this entry was the second failure, this year, of the former KFC store on University Blvd. The store was re-opened as a Chicken Lickin's franchise store in January (top left photo). Then last week, as I was driving down University towards UCF, I happened to look to my right and see that the store was closed down completely again (top left photo). This posting's collection of photos is from stores and businesses on University and around UCF, such as the Research Park. Why is this important? Because there are major defense contractors in the area (SAIC, Northrup Grumman, Raytheon...) as well as the Army and Navy contract houses. Gathered around a state university with well over 50,000 students. In short, a dynamo for economic activity.

Identification of photos, from left to right, top to bottom:

1. Current empty store that housed the former Chicken Lickin's on University (empty again);
2. Former Chicken Lickin's in January 2009, getting ready to open;
3. Former Krispy Kreme franchise location on University (still empty);
4. Former Bennigan's franchise store on University (still empty);
5. Former Fazoli's franchise on University (still empty);
6. Former Chevron torn down, at the corner of University and Alafaya (still empty);
7. Former Sun Microsystem's building in Research Park;
8. A long, empty office block in Research Park (former occupants unknown);
9. A brand new empty building in Research Park;
10. Interior shot of that brand, new empty building in Research Park.
    

As for empty buildings in the various parks surrounding UCF, what I've shown barely scratches the surface in that area. Many of the buildings are only partially full, and there are smaller emptier buildings that aren't worth showing. Needless to say, the economy in Central Florida continues to drag on, with no reasonable end in sight. 2010 will mark the start of the third year in which the economy really started to implode here in Central Florida.

In my next entry, I'll show that a number of former out-of-business buildings are being filled, many of them with 'junk' businesses. Stay tuned.

Watching Orlando Unravel 6

I haven't written one of my Orlando Unravels entries for some time now because it's too depressing and I've been very busy doing other things, like holding on to my job. So busy is good. In fact busy is wonderful.

I felt compelled to write another Unravels entry because today, while out picking up a few necessities with the wife, we happened to stop by a local Books-A-Million store. This particular store is at the corner of Lee Road and I-Drive (Kirkman/I-4 exit), in the same complex as Sweet Tomatoes. It used to be open four weeks ago. Today, when we drove up, the store was locked and completely empty. We had no idea they were going out of business, and there are absolutely no signs anywhere indicating where they might have moved if they moved. The only thing left is the store with the unbleached wall showing where the letters used to be.

That entire store block is empty now. That Books-A-Million was the last store in a block of stores that once contained a Micheal's Crafts and a big Hallmark Card's store.

The photos are, going from left to right, top to bottom:

• First row: former Books-A-Million on the left, the store block on the right.
• Second row: Two views of a large empty office complex right behind Universal Studios, across the street from Dr. Phillips High School.
• Third row: An office complex near my house at the corner of Della and Dr. Phillips, while on the right is another office/shopping complex across from Universal Studios on Vineland.

The economy is still in the pits. The unemployment rate is still climbing. And businesses, minor and major, are still closing their doors faster than they can open newer businesses to take their place.

Olympus E-3

One of the reasons I invested heavily in the Olympus system was the E-3 body. The E-3 body is built of molded magnesium, has a bright full-frame optical viewfinder with 1.15 magnification, image stabilization in the body, an articulated LCD with live view, is dust- and splash-proof, and has IMHO one of the best 4/3rds sensors on the market.

Full Frame Viewfinder

The viewfinder, more than just about any other feature, was the deal-maker for me. It's an optical penta-prism design that shows 100% (or nearly 100% according to the ad copy) of the image that will hit the sensor, while providing a magnification factor of 1.15x. This helps produce a bright, sharp viewfinder that's very easy to focus with, especially compared with my older E-300. Don't get me wrong. I love that E-300 and still continue to use it, but the E-300's viewfinder, a porro-based penta-mirror, is darker and at times difficult to use, especially in low-light situations. The E-3 in comparison is blindingly bright.

The E-3 also comes with a built-in eyepiece cover. The eyepiece is closed when using Live View (more about that below), where it's closed to avoid exposure inflation due to light coming in through the eyepiece.

All is not perfect harmony with the finder. A minor nit is the clip-on eye cup. It can be easily knocked off; I've spent more effort than I care to admit noticing it's gone and having to re-trace my steps to find and put it back on again. I've lost the original that came with the body; I ordered its replacement and an additional spare (at $8 a pop).

Body and Environmental Protection

The body is constructed from injection-molded magnesium alloy, wrapped in fiber-reinforced plastics and rubber-like coverings. It's the biggest body you can purchase in the Olympus line, and the heaviest. In spite of being the biggest and heaviest, it's not too big nor too heavy for me. The size and shape of the body fits my hand like a glove, especially when I slip my hand under the attached AS-GS3 grip/hand strap; it feels like one with my hand. The body is "balanced" with an HLD-4 vertical grip/battery holder bolted onto the bottom. Over the past ten months I've learned where everything is (reading the manual, practice, and with the occasional questions on forums about certain features). I'm quite comfortable with operating the camera, and the more I use it the more I grow to like it.

In spite of how well the whole assemblage feels to me, there is a problem with the body and grip combination mounted on a tripod. I own a Benro A-269 M8 tripod. I discovered during a Labor Day weekend shoot that with the E-3/HLD-4/50mm macro mounted on the tripod head and with the camera on, that moving the entire assemblage (camera + gear + tripod) will cause enough of a flexure between the grip and the body that the camera momentarily looses electrical connectivity with the grip and causes the body to reset itself. I'd read of this issue before. Once I encountered it I simply turned off the camera before picking everything up to move it. It's the most annoying quirk in an otherwise excellent system, and the obvious work around is to turn off the camera before you move it mounted on the tripod, but that problem shouldn't be there. I have heard that the E-30 and HLD-4 combination do not have this issue.

Sensor

The sensor measures 17mm by 13mm (hence the aspect ratio of 4/3) and is capable of 10mp resolution. There have been more than enough reviews of Olympus DSLR models and their various sensors; I'll let you hunt them all down. However, if you want the definitive reason why Olympus developed the 4/3 sensor, you can read about the benefits of the four thirds system here.

While there are now higher resolution sensors (12.3mp) in newer models (E-30, E-600/620, and E-P1), the resolution, dynamic range, and noise are more than adequate for my needs. I have discovered that the range from ISO 100 to 800 produces excellent results. In a pinch, and keeping prints and images down to 5x7, I can shoot all the way up to ISO 3200 and get very good results.

The E-3, like so many current Olympus models, has image stabilization built into the body via the sensor support assembly. This is one key advantage over other systems that insist on adding image stabilization to the lens; with a contemporary Olympus body (E-5x0, E-6x0, E-30, and E-P1) every single lens, from the least expensive to the most, benefits from image stabilization.

Articulated LCD and Live View

This was a feature I didn't appreciate immediately; it's usefulness to me grew with time until I find it almost indispensable, especially combined with live view and macro work.

I own the Olympus 50mm f/2 macro. When used for its primary purpose, macro photography, its performance is second to none. The best way I found to use it with the E-3 is to mount the E-3 on a tripod and then rotate the LCD out and enable live view, using the now-comfortably positioned LCD to compose and critically focus the image. I can not only immediately view what I'll eventually capture, but I can also view the effects of aperture, exposure compensation, and color temperature selection as well. I'd much rather take the time setting up a good shot rather than blindingly shooting away.

The only problem with near-perfect feature is the heat generated by the sensor in live view. While shooting outdoors in direct sun one hot Florida day (temperature in the mid-90's), the sensor overheat indicator illuminated on the LCD. I shut the camera down momentarily (it would have shut down on its own) and moved out of the direct sunlight for several moments before turning the camera back on and continuing. In the future I'm going to put up a small umbrella to shade the camera if it's out in the direct hot sun. That's the only time I've ever had a heating problem. Other than that, it's been a stellar feature.

In-body Image Stabilization (IS)

A key feature that I have found useful in low-light situations is the in-body IS. Unlike other manufacturers that add IS to their lenses (such as Nikon, Canon, and Panasonic), having the IS in the body means that any lens attached to the body becomes image stabilized. To give you an idea of how useful IS can be, consider the image of Ruby and Max to the right. This image was shot, hand held, with the 12-60mm at 60mm, f/4 (wide open), ISO 800, at 1/5 second. The image is sharp enough that you can easily see the stitching on the sofa as well as details on the dogs (Ruby's eyelashes, for example).

IS is best for those shots in low light where the subject is fairly static; active subject will blur anyway due to their motion, which negates the reason for turning it on. Most of my experience has been with IS1. I've tried IS2, but I've not been too satisfied with it, and prefer to just turn off IS and pan with the subject (like I did in the 'old days' with film). And there have been several instances, specifically with flowers blowing in a breeze, where IS caused the image to be blurrier than if I had just left it off. In all cases I was shooting outdoors during the day in direct sun and the flowers were in sunlight.

Once again though, thoughtful application of the feature can return excellent results.

Oh, and one other peculiarity of the IS feature. If you leave it enabled and turn the camera off, the camera will emit a low buzz or 'rattle'. This is the sensor calibrating itself. It is disconcerting to hear it when it goes off, and I have never quite gotten used to the noise. Call me silly but I've learned to automatically turn it off before turning off the camera.

Overall

Complaints aside, I consider the E-3 an excellent camera. The E-3 has opened up a whole new world of photography for me with respect to the E-300, and has helped to build upon the capabilities of the Olympus system I first discovered with the E-300. The E-3 combined with High Quality lenses such as the 12-60mm, 50-200mm, and 50mm has produced impressive results for me and for others for whom I have taken photographs. I'm very glad I purchased the camera, and look forward to adding new bodies and lenses to the system.

Camera Website Homage

Ever since I bulked up with the Olympus E-3 Christmas 2008 (and actually, even before then) I've been hunting down and reading many an on-line photography blog and review site in an effort to gather as much useful intelligence as possible about the pros and cons of the current state-of-the-art in camera gear.

And make no mistake; I'm more the gearhead than the photographer. And why not? A camera is the ultimate convergence of optics, mechanics, material science, electronics, and cybernetics into one convenient awe-inspiring hand-holdable device. The only other device with nearly that much 'pull' in its construction is the smartphone, and it doesn't take nearly as good a photo, in spite of what may be written.

To scratch both the gear as well as the artistic itch of photography, and to make sure I know how much it's going to really cost me, I've developed a list of sites over the last 10 months where I go and seek the wisdom of the oracles. So here, in no particular order, are the sites I frequent on a simi-regular basis so I don't miss out on anything.

1001 Noisy Cameras It wasn't the first one I found, but it comes pretty close. The proprietor (or proprietors, I can't determine which) work to aggregate news from other enthusiast sites of interest from around the web. They're good about giving proper attribution to sources, and they have a number of sub-sites devoted to rumors, news, reviews, and special camera deals. Noisy claims no favorite brand; as a consequence their coverage is both broad and deep. A nice touch is to tell you about a review but not spoil the conclusions of the review. They will provide a link to the conclusion if (like me) you just want to cut to the chase for the executive summary and then read the details at your leisure. You need to go there on a fairly regular basis, since the news flows fast and furious and you may miss something if it slips off the front page before you get there. If you've got a Twitter account you can follow them @1001noisycamera.

Photo Tidbits and Biofos These sites are included together because they are devoted to Olympus DSLRs and equipment. The Biofos site goes further in talking about Olympus film equipment as well. I heavily depended upon both those sites before making my purchase, as both sites go into great detail about the features and operational characteristics of all the current Olympus bodies and lenses, as well as a few non-Olympus lenses. Photo Tidbits is more approachable in its layout, but both will reward the reader with critical information about Olympus equipment.

dpreview Everybody knows about, or should know about, dpreview. They have extensive reviews of nearly every brand and model of camera gear. Their reviews are long (20 or more pages) and extensive, with enough detailed gear shots to sate anyone's lust. They also devote quite a bit of pages to sensor performance, as well as comparing test images with what they consider equivalent cameras. It's that part of the review you can take with some grains of salt. They redeem that part of the review with an extensive collection of test images at the end of the review, and it's there that you can really see if the camera produces the kind of output you're looking for. If there's a part of the site to stay away from, it has to be the discussion forums. It doesn't take very long before you find flamers and trolls in abundance who make Linux and Windows flamers and trolls look like rank amateurs. It might be flawed (and critically so in some areas), but it is an important and reasonably authoritative site.

The Visual Science Lab This site is run by a highly talented professional photographer named Kirk Tuck. Kirk lives and works out of Austin, Texas, and has so for decades. Kirk has worked with multiple camera brands over the years, but recently he sold his Nikon gear (including a D700) and settled back to using Olympus (two E-1's, an E-30, an E-520, and two E-300s). Kirk brings a lot of talent and a no-nonsense point of view to digital photography. He stresses repeatedly what's important about photography, which is the photograph, and backs this up with his own work as well as the work of others who are like-minded. To me he's a breath of fresh air in a crowded and pretentious nation of digital photographers. It should be noted that Kirk writes as well as he shoots, and he shoots extremely well. Kirk has published three books, two of which I own, and which can be found on Amazon.

ThewsReviews I first ran across this site around January while looking for reviews of the Olympus 7-14mm UWA zoom. I didn't buy the zoom because of the cost (deciding to purchase the 9-18mm for roughly 1/3 the price of the 7-14mm). I stayed to read Matthew Robertson's other reviews on Olympus gear and third-party gear that worked (or didn't) with Olympus. His style is fresh and funny, as exemplified by his story of autofocus woes with the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro and his E-3. Matthew is another practical no-nonsense working pro, and it shows in his wide-ranging reviews. He's since added a Nikon D700 to his camera arsenal, and his reasons for doing so are reasonable and logical.

Torontowide I found this blog while looking for substantial information on the 9-18mm (see above). The author of this site works at TorontoWide, a news site dedicated to promoting Toronto's arts community. The blog (and its author) are interesting because he's a photojournalist who shoots Olympus. He's written about his working experiences with the 9-18mm, 35-100mm f/2, as well as the E-3 and E-30. Read the fine print at the bottom of all the postings and he'll tell you what equipment he used. If there's a problem with reading the blog (and the site) it's that I'm in Orlando and not Toronto; it hurts to read about such good (some might say stellar) productions and not be able to go see them.

There are certainly a lot more sites to read about, but these are the ones I visit on a regular basis (read: about once a week on average), and that's about all I can handle with everything else I need to do to make a living. I'm unabashedly pro-Olympus and will remain so, unless, of course, Olympus does something drastic like drop out of the DSLR market. And even then I'd keep what I have and buy up off the used market. Using Olympus (or any brand) should never be about any particular item; it should be about the overall system and how it helps you take photographs. In the end it's all about the photograph, not the camera.