tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51586577383771801182024-03-13T09:06:22.052-07:00Surviving Vancouversteve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-14646662971759105112013-02-18T12:48:00.000-08:002013-02-18T12:48:11.094-08:00Upgrade your Nokia Lumia to 7.8If Zune is unable to upgrade your Windows 7.5 phone to 7.8, you will have to do so by forcing an update. <br />
<ol>
<li>On the phone – turn off Wi-Fi and Data. You can do this manually for each one, but activating airplane mode does both at once</li>
<li>Connect the phone to PC, and in Zune. Click Settings --> phone --> update – and let it fail.</li>
<li>Now, go back to select update – but this time, after a few seconds –
disable your internet (disconnect the wire, turn off Wi-Fi – which ever
one applies to you). The timing is
totally random — I would try disabling after 2 seconds, if it fails,
enable internet, and try again – but this time wait 3 seconds, if it
doesn’t work – repeat – but increase your wait time before disabling
internet. It can be frustrating, but it will work with persistence.</li>
</ol>
** The trick for the update is counting the seconds it takes to get to the “no update” message and then going off that
tab to another and back, and disconnecting 1 second before the "no update" appeared the first time. <br />
<br />
** For my Lumia 710, I had to install 3 updates before it finally made its way from 7.5 to 7.8. <br />
<br />
** Credits: MobileSyrup forums<br />
<br />
Upgrading to 7.8 will give your phone a new lease on life. If you're still on the fence, check this video out.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/u14y6MpLEYU" width="560"></iframe><br />steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-83598136485966186782012-11-01T14:08:00.000-07:002012-11-01T14:08:00.565-07:00Use Fido Dollars to get free Caller IDFido Dollars can be redeemed for a number of things, many quite useless and overpriced, but you can get caller ID for months on end.<br />
<br />
Fido will say that only 1 month can be claimed before you get charged, but all you have to do is call them before the term expires and ask for an additional month. Sometimes they can add 2 or more months if you talk to the right customer service representative. steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-23406925931899743222012-08-07T13:07:00.000-07:002012-10-17T23:10:56.496-07:00Motorola Defy - Upgrade to Android Jelly Bean<br />
This is a quick guide to help you upgrade your old Motorola Defy to the newer generation of Android mobile OS. There are tutorials out there that are just too long and tedious to follow, but the following steps should save you a lot of time. <br />
<br />
** There are <u><b style="color: red;">4 major steps</b></u> that need to be done to the phone <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/Support/Experiences/Global_Drivers/MotoHelper_2.1.40_Driver_5.5.0.exe">Download </a>the Motorola device drivers for Windows. Connect your phone to your computer and make sure the drivers install properly and it is recognized.<br />
<br />
1) Now you must <u style="color: red;"><b>Root</b></u><span style="color: red;"> </span>the phone:<br />
<ul>
<li>On your phone, go to Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging. This box should be clicked</li>
<li>SuperOneClick is probably the easiest root tool to automate this process. Download <a href="http://download.cnet.com/SuperOneClick/3000-2094_4-75447027.html">here</a>. Once installed, plug in your phone to your computer and from the computer program interface, click 'Root'. Once this process is done, click 'Allow Non Market Apps' from the program. Close the program when all is done</li>
<li>If you had trouble using SuperOneClick, you can always try to root your phone manually. <a href="http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Motorola_Defy:_Full_Update_Guide">Cyanogenmod wiki</a> has a tutorial. I tried following this at first with no avail. </li>
</ul>
2) Once your phone is rooted, it needs a <u style="color: red;"><b>B</b></u><b><span style="color: red;"><u>ootmenu</u>:</span></b> <br />
<ul>
<li>Download <a href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032212">2ndInit</a>. Scroll down the first post until you reach the Attached Files section. Firstly, you will need an <i>QR Code</i> reading app on your Android phone. There are a couple of free ones on the Google Play Store. Once you have installed the QR reader, on your computer, click the newest SndInitDefy file (I downloaded 2.3). Use the QR reader on your phone to scan the code that appears your computer screen. Once downloaded, open and install it. </li>
</ul>
3) Now that the bootmenu is installed, it's time to <u><b style="color: red;">download the new Jelly Bean update and </b><b style="color: red;">Google Apps</b></u>.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Jelly Bean:</b> Quarx is a developer that has been working hard to get the new Jelly Bean OS to work. Find the newest <b><i>cm10 nightly build</i> </b>for your Defy <a href="http://quarx2k.ru/">here</a>. Save the .zip file to your computer. There is no need to extract it.</li>
<li><b>Google Apps:</b> Download the newest <i><b>gapps </b></i><a href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1814256">here</a>. The link should be on the first post. Save the file to your computer. </li>
<li>Now that you have downloaded both files, you must move them to the root folder of your SD card</li>
<ul>
<li>Plug in your phone. It should appear as a drive. Move the cm10 and gapps file to the root. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
** Make sure your personal information is backed up. If you have your phone synced to your Google account, you won't need to worry about backing up your contacts, e-mail etc.<br />
<br />
4) It's time to <u><b><span style="color: red;">install the new updates</span></b></u>.<br />
<br />
First, open the bootmenu you downloaded earlier on your phone and make sure it's working. The version I have tells the user it's ready when the green led is on. Now, shut down your phone. When you turn it back on, you will see the Motorola icon. Once it disappears and the blue led on the top of your phone blinks, press the volume down button. This should get you in the bootmenu.<br />
<ul>
<li>Go to Recovery > Custom Recovery > Wipe Data/Factory Reset > Yes. You can make a backup your previous installation before your wipe everything away. </li>
<li>From the same Custom Recovery menu, go to Advanced > Wipe Dalvic Cache > Yes</li>
<li>Time to install the 2 files we downloaded earlier</li>
<ul>
<li>Custom Recovery > Install zip from sdcard. Find the cm10 file and install. Do the same for the gapps. </li>
<li>Once both are installed, find the 'Reboot system now' option in the Custom Recovery menu of the bootmenu. </li>
<li>Done!</li>
</ul>
</ul>
The phone should reboot into the new Cyanogen Jelly Bean update. <br />
<br />steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-50553185904052711152012-04-24T19:53:00.001-07:002013-02-18T12:49:11.754-08:00Canada Line transit to VancouverIf you're taking the Canada Line from the airport to the city, you will notice that the price of a 1-zone and up ride listed on the ticket machine charges an extra $5. You can save yourself this $5 by buying a faresaver ticket. Remember to have an extra ticket with you for your arrival the next time you leave the city. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
When buying a ticket through the machine, remember that a 1-zone ticket will get you anywhere around Richmond. If you're traveling more than 2-zones, just add fare to your 1-zone ticket.<br />
<br />
Discount fare periods (1-zone fare will you travel multiple zones): Weekdays after 6:30 pm and all day Saturday, Sunday & statutory holidays.steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-63299469977254924072012-04-24T19:30:00.000-07:002012-04-24T19:30:36.607-07:00Traveling to Manhattan through Newark airportA few tips for those traveling to the Big Apple through Newark airport.<br />
<ul>
<li>An easy and cost effective way to get to Manhattan from Newark airport is the NJ Transit line. Take an AirTrain from the airport to the first NJ Transit stop and from there, hop on a train to New York Penn Station. Cost should be around $12 one-way. </li>
<li>Arriving in Newark airport affords you a free ride on the AirTrain. </li>
<li>NJ Transit line does not run between 2am - 5am. This is what's stated on the website, but there may be trains that start at 4am.</li>
</ul>
Going back to Newark airport from Manhattan is pretty much the same. Take a NJ Transit train from New York Penn station to Newark airport. <span style="color: red;">Remember </span>to keep your train ticket as it allows you to take the AirTrain to the airport for free.steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-89806310541025365642012-02-08T01:37:00.000-08:002012-02-08T11:18:49.377-08:00The best walkaround lenses for a crop-body camera<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-CA</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:enableopentypekerning/> <w:dontflipmirrorindents/> <w:overridetablestylehps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef/> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="267"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="heading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="35" qformat="true" name="caption"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="10" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" name="Default Paragraph Font"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="11" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtitle"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="22" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Strong"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="20" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="59" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Table Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Placeholder Text"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="No Spacing"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Revision"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="34" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="List Paragraph"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="29" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="30" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif][if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">For this post, a Canon crop body will be my point of reference</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Some factors to consider when buying a lens:<span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""></span></span></span><br /></p><ul><li>Maximum aperture (lowest f-stop)</li></ul><ul><li>Focal range</li></ul> <ul><li><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""></span></span></span>Image quality</li></ul><ul><li><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""></span></span></span>Build quality</li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal">For a walkaround lens on a crop body, you will want the minimum focal range to be around 17mm. The range of any lens you attach to your camera will be magnified 1.6x. 17mm will be 27mm and so on. This is important because you will want some wide-angle options. On a full-frame, 17mm stays as is.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The list</span></span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">17mm+ lenses</p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Sigma</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1329/cat/31"><span class="titlereview"><b>Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM</b></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Has constant f/2.8 aperture and Sigma’s version of image stabilization (IS)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1311/cat/31"><span class="titlereview"><b>Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM </b></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Has macro, but doesn’t have a constant f/2.8 aperture. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Tamron</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1297/cat/23"><span class="titlereview"><b>Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical IF SP AF</b></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Has image stabilization but average build quality. f/2.8 aperture</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Canon</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/31/cat/11"><span class="titlereview"><b>Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM</b></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This lens has the best build quality of all the lenses I’m listing since it’s in the L series. It’s the most durable and heavy of all the lenses in this list. It’s a bit slow at f/4 and doesn’t have IS, but if you ever decide to upgrade to a full-frame body in the future, this lens will give you great wide-angle shots. Your body can accept EF and EF-S lenses, but full frames can only take EF. This particular lens is an EF lens. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/353/cat/11"><span class="titlereview"><b>Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM</b></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the EF-S walkaround range, all lenses compete with this. It’s not an L lens, but has L lens elements and great image quality with a constant f/2.8 aperture. Build quality is not the greatest though. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Others</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1293/cat/11"><span class="titlereview"><b>Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM</b></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">People seem to like this lens because of its overall quality, but it’s not very fast if you take a look at its aperture. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1219/cat/11"><span class="titlereview"><b>Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS</b></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is Canon’s best superzoom lens. Has an amazing range, but sacrifices speed and image quality. This is a lazy traveler’s lens. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/145/cat/11"><span class="titlereview"><b>Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM </b></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">L lens with great everything, but its range is more suited for full-frame bodies. Also not the fastest at f/4</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-53727563114460493942011-11-30T15:12:00.000-08:002011-11-30T15:29:06.019-08:00Play videos with subtitles on your XboxIf you're trying to share video from your computer to your Xbox, you'll notice that the gaming system does not support subtitle (.srt) files. Same goes for Windows Media Center. While adding a media extender to your Xbox will allow you to play .mkv and other unsupported Xbox formats on your TV, subtitles are still not supported. TVersity will help you get around these problems.<br /><br />Follow the instructions <a href="http://forums.tversity.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56534">HERE</a><br /><ul><li>For step 2, the new version of TVersity does not give you the option of not including its codec pack in the installation. Simply install the program and DO NOT uninstall the codec pack from your control panel. </li><li>All the other steps are straightforward. You can open each program through your start menu. </li></ul><p>To share your computer's media to your Xbox, TVersity must be open when accessing files from your Xbox. When accessing media on the Xbox, TVersity + your computer's name will show up under each media category.<br /></p><p><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">IMPORTANT</span>: Both the subtitle (.srt) file and the video itself must be in the same folder AND have the same file name. If not, the subtitle will not load when you open the video on your Xbox.</p><p>If you want to learn more about TVersity, read <a href="http://tversity.com/support/quickstart-upnp">HERE</a></p>steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-88921479745764203462011-07-01T18:02:00.000-07:002011-07-03T00:07:59.020-07:00Team Fortress 2 - How to redeem Summer Shades<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/images/thumb/2/2a/Backpack_Summer_Shades.png/90px-Backpack_Summer_Shades.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 90px; height: 90px;" src="http://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/images/thumb/2/2a/Backpack_Summer_Shades.png/90px-Backpack_Summer_Shades.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Want the new Summer Shades that just came out for Team Fortress 2? Follow these 3 easy steps.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Join the 'Steam Summer Camp Group' </span><br /><ul><li>Open Steam > click 'Community' at the top<br /></li><li>Then click 'Groups'.<br /></li><li>Search 'Summer Camp' in the search box.</li></ul><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ry8mXN6Hh1w/Tg9ySqcdrWI/AAAAAAAALUA/5Wa6MFsAFFk/s1600/1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 188px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ry8mXN6Hh1w/Tg9ySqcdrWI/AAAAAAAALUA/5Wa6MFsAFFk/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624840124565925218" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><ul><li>Join when you get to their group page. </li></ul><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QPO3VxxJFk8/Tg9yenL5iWI/AAAAAAAALUI/0fjKfWbIFVM/s1600/2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 217px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QPO3VxxJFk8/Tg9yenL5iWI/AAAAAAAALUI/0fjKfWbIFVM/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624840329849571682" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2) Link your Steam account with your Facebook profile.</span><br /><ul><li>Again in Steam, click 'Community'. Click 'Profile'. Under the Action menu to the right, click 'Edit my Profile'. </li></ul><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sv1GMV68xvE/Tg9yjod84YI/AAAAAAAALUQ/LAyCq3_lTw0/s1600/3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 175px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sv1GMV68xvE/Tg9yjod84YI/AAAAAAAALUQ/LAyCq3_lTw0/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624840416093069698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><ul><li>Scroll down until you see the Facebook icon. Follow the steps to login. </li></ul><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m1oXBDwFHjk/Tg9ynCpWrqI/AAAAAAAALUY/toEFMDbc1Qk/s1600/4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 97px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m1oXBDwFHjk/Tg9ynCpWrqI/AAAAAAAALUY/toEFMDbc1Qk/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624840474659827362" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3) In Team Fortress, complete the 'Escape the Heat' achievement </span><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TJkD1gRdySg/Tg9ypYv77tI/AAAAAAAALUg/IogA8aR0OwE/s1600/5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 390px; height: 80px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TJkD1gRdySg/Tg9ypYv77tI/AAAAAAAALUg/IogA8aR0OwE/s400/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624840514952752850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />You're almost done..<br /><br />Now in Steam, go their store front page and find the 'Earn Prizes & Win Games' link, or anything connected to their prizes.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JE7GboiajKU/Tg9ytH-Ey0I/AAAAAAAALUo/dR7CRJDR_Ws/s1600/6.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 120px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JE7GboiajKU/Tg9ytH-Ey0I/AAAAAAAALUo/dR7CRJDR_Ws/s400/6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624840579168127810" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />You'll be directed to a 'Prize Booth' page showcasing a bunch of games. Scroll down until you see a picture of Golden Sunglasses. You can now redeem your glasses by clicking on the Sunglasses picture.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7z_qvZ5rOc/Tg9yyKQ2a7I/AAAAAAAALUw/y6Sa4XBbeW8/s1600/7.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 165px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7z_qvZ5rOc/Tg9yyKQ2a7I/AAAAAAAALUw/y6Sa4XBbeW8/s400/7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624840665683094450" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Open TF2 and there are your new sunglasses!<br /><br />If you enjoyed this tutorial, please help me by viewing my video below. I want the ugly hat!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Zrn6TQ-hdPA" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />Not clear enough? Watch it again in HD - fullscreen.<br /><br />Let your friends know by sending them this link or be a douche and keep it a secret. Either way, enjoy the summer and give me a Bill's hat!steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-37775992069765651832011-06-29T12:46:00.000-07:002011-06-29T13:07:19.153-07:00Team Fortress 2 Replay - Flare Gun SnipingCheck out my replay video I made for the Saxxy Awards!<br /><br />Pyro is probably one of the funnest classes to use in Team Fortress 2 and once you start using the Flare Gun, it's hard not to stop. The gun deals out mini-crits to enemies that are already on fire, so if they run away, you can gun them down. The crit will deal a bunch of damage and if they don't die from that, you'll probably burn to death.<br /><br />Pyro all the way!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Zrn6TQ-hdPA" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="560"></iframe>steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-91181784341700444302011-02-04T00:02:00.000-08:002011-02-04T00:53:49.061-08:00Using Picasa pictures for CraigslistUsing high-resolution pictures for your Craigslist posting will give it more pop and generate more interest.<br /><br />1) Make sure you have a g-mail account. Activate and Log into your <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/home">Picasa web albums</a>.<br />2) Open Picasa on your computer and log into your Web Albums - at the top right of the screen.<br />3) Your pictures should be displayed in Picasa. Select/highlight the pictures you want to use. Right click one of the highlighted pictures and choose 'Upload to Picasa Web Albums'.<br />- A small screen should pop up. Since you're using it for Craigslist, you don't need the picture to be too big. Under the 'Size to upload' dropdown list, select 'Small: 640 pixels'.<br />- Visibility for this album: 'Anyone with the link'.<br />Click 'Upload'.<br /><br />Your pictures should now be in your <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/home">Picasa web albums</a>.<br /><br />Inserting the pics in your Craigslist post is a little tricky, but simple once you get a hang of it.<br /><br />1) Open the picture in your Picasa web album. Right click it and select 'Copy Image Location'. The URL of the picture is now copied.<br />URL Example: <a class="linkification-ext" href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/something.JPG" title="Linkification: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/something.JPG">https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/picture1.JPG</a><br /><br />2) In your Craigslist '<span style="font-weight: bold;">Posting Description</span>', you will need to enter a little bit of HTML.<br />- I normally put the pictures under the description<br /><br />Example:<br /><br /><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/TUu9k6ZSQlI/AAAAAAAAK5I/MLppoyiL0j0/Fullscreen%20capture%2004-Feb-11%20124434%20AM.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 442px; height: 26px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/TUu9k6ZSQlI/AAAAAAAAK5I/MLppoyiL0j0/Fullscreen%20capture%2004-Feb-11%20124434%20AM.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />So the HTML part is<br /><br /><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/TUu9kuNGh1I/AAAAAAAAK5E/bdjpOvPIGUk/Fullscreen%20capture%2004-Feb-11%20124553%20AM.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 109px; height: 24px;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/TUu9kuNGh1I/AAAAAAAAK5E/bdjpOvPIGUk/Fullscreen%20capture%2004-Feb-11%20124553%20AM.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />You just need to paste the URL in between the 2 quotation marks<br /><br />** You cannot copy/paste the HTML code to your listing. You will have to type it out yourself.<br /><br />** IF you find a picture on the internet and would like to use it in your Craigslist post, just copy the URL and insert it in between the quotations above, just like you would if it was your Picasa Web Album picture. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Final Example:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Posting Description:</span> Nike Shoes: Air Pegasus 83 SI White - Men's USA Size 9<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Price:</span> $55<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Specific Location: </span>Vancouver - Oakridge Mall<br /><br />- Never been worn - Includes box<br />- Perfect for summer<br />- Rare green & Grey color combination<br />- USA Size 9<br />- E-mail me for more pictures<br />- Initial correspondence will be made through e-mail not by phone. - Lowball offers will be ignored!<br /><br /><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/TUu9kT919eI/AAAAAAAAK5A/A0NNY6vm5G4/Fullscreen%20capture%2004-Feb-11%20124745%20AM.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 447px; height: 82px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/TUu9kT919eI/AAAAAAAAK5A/A0NNY6vm5G4/Fullscreen%20capture%2004-Feb-11%20124745%20AM.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A <a href="http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/clo/2196436740.html">live listing</a> I have on Craigsliststeve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-15585204136788962962011-02-03T23:05:00.001-08:002011-02-25T22:07:51.721-08:00Selling stuff on CraigslistSelling anything on Craigslist is quite simple. The more effort you put into your listing, the better chance you have of getting a quick sale.<br /><br />1) Create an account on <a href="http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/">Craigslist</a>. Login if you already have an account. ** Craigslist now requires users to verify their account which you must do by submitting a secret code they send to your phone.<br />2) You will be directed to your account home page. Here you will be able to track your items once they are listed. Find the '<span style="font-weight: bold;">post new ad in:</span>' list on the top right of your account screen. Choose '<span style="font-weight: bold;">vancouver,</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">BC'</span> and click '<span style="font-weight: bold;">go</span>'.<br />3) There will be a list of posting options on the next screen. Most likely you want to sell something so choose '<span style="font-weight: bold;">for sale</span>'.<br />4) You will be given a long category list of what you want to sell. Select the most relevant category and then on the next screen choose 'city of vancouver'.<br />5) The next screen is where you will do the most work.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Posting Title: </span><br />- Write a short and condense description of your item.<br /><br />Ex. Nike Air Pegasus: Mens' size 9.5 Green & White.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Price:</span> $<br />- Research how much similar items are selling on Craigslist or eBay. Or enter a price you find reasonable. If the price is higher than other Craigslist listings, you probably will not get many hits.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Specific Location:</span><br />- General location where you want to meet up.<br /><br />Ex. Vancouver - Oakridge Mall.<br /><br />Never give them your address.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Posting Description:</span><br />- Describe the item as much as you can. Short concise note form is the easiest.<br />- Things to describe: cosmetic condition, age, working condition, whatever you find relevant.<br />- To generate greater interest in your listing, post a nice picture of the item. I never use the picture uploader on Craigslist. <a href="http://survivevancouver.blogspot.com/2011/02/using-picasa-pictures-for-craigslist.html">For a better way, find out here.</a><br />- Once you are done with your description and have clicked 'continue', you will be directed to a screen where you have to type in the 2 jumbled looking words to finalize your posting.<br />- You will be sent an e-mail of your listing. You can now track it on your account home page. You can always access your home page by clicking on your e-mail address on the top right of screen.<br />- When you have sold your item, make sure to delete it via your Craigslist account home page.<br />- Listings expire in 45 days.<br /><br />Example of item I recently sold:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Posting Description:</span> Nike Shoes: Air Pegasus 83 SI White - Men's USA Size 9<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Price:</span> $55<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Specific Location: </span>Vancouver - Oakridge Mall<br /><br />- Never been worn - Includes box<br />- Perfect for summer<br />- Rare green & Grey color combination<br />- USA Size 9<br />- E-mail me for more pictures<br />- Initial correspondence will be made through e-mail not by phone. - Lowball offers will be ignored!<br />** Pictures at the end<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Tips: </span><br />- For the price, if you have a non-negotiable price in mind, mention that. Or simply say - Ex. $100 FIRM.<br />- Negotiable item: $100 OBO. OBO = Or Best Offer.<br />- Mention how much the product is retail or the scarcity of it.<br />- If you prefer to respond to replies via e-mail or my phone, mention that. I never call people to negotiate, only when they have actually agreed to buy the item.<br />- I always meet people in a public place i.e. Oakridge Mall. I will never drive to someone's preferred location. Never. You are the seller and you should set the rules.<br />- People will always lowball your asking price. In that case, write something like "Lowball offers will be ignored" in the Posting Description.<br />- You should never give out private information.<br />- If you want to relist your item either because it has expired or you just want it bumped back up the search results, you will have to follow similar steps as when you originally posted the item.<br />- Be smart.steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-31412316449143324442010-09-24T22:35:00.000-07:002011-02-25T22:21:04.329-08:00Updating Username & Password on Nod32You must update the Username & Password for NOD32 every 30 days to keep it from expiring.<br /><br />1) Open Nod32 console from your taskbar (bottom right part of your screen - Icon looks like a eye)<br />2) Click 'Setup' > 'Set up Username and Password for update...'<br />3) Open <a href="http://nod325.com/">nod325.com</a> in your browser and copy/paste any of the Username/Password combos into the Nod32 box<br /><br />** If you forget to update it after 30 days and it expires, click 'Update' > 'Username and Password setup...' and do step 3).<br /><br />** Click to Enlarge<br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/TJ2N4kdIjLI/AAAAAAAAKxo/J_y_wJp790Y/nod32.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 569px; height: 380px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/TJ2N4kdIjLI/AAAAAAAAKxo/J_y_wJp790Y/s400/nod32.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520724721224158386" border="0" /></a>steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-84564924349587971232010-07-15T18:25:00.000-07:002010-07-15T18:38:21.550-07:00NOD32 - Excluding sites from being blocked<a href="http://www.nod325.com/">NOD325.com</a> provides usernames/passwords for trial purposes lasting 30 days. If you've installed a new version of the NOD32 Antivirus, the software will block your computer from accessing the site. Here's how to exclude this site and any others from being blocked.<br /><br /><ol><li>Open NOD32 and access its Advanced Setup. Or just press F5.</li><li>Find Web access protection > HTTP, HTTPS > Address management</li><li>Click 'Add...' and type *nod325.com* in the space provided. Make sure the little asterisks are included before and after the site address. Click OK and you're done.<br /></li></ol>steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-74778412560304048972010-04-19T15:36:00.000-07:002011-02-25T22:20:04.407-08:00Buying from the US in VancouverPurchasing from the US is becoming more common these days especially since many sites offer Free Shipping withing the US or have prices that can't be matched by Canadian stores. If you're in Vancouver, it is quite easy to purchase items from the US.<br /><br />There are several postal outlets located at Point Roberts, but the one I use is called <span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://www.thelettercarrier.com/home"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Letter Carrier</span></a></span><br /><br />You simply use the address of The Letter Carrier as the <span style="font-style: italic;">shipping address</span> in your purchase.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" class="df" ><span style="font-family:Arial;">(YOUR NAME)<br />(YOUR PHONE NUMBER)<br />145 Tyee Drive<br />Point Roberts, Wa 98281</span></span><br /><br />Remember to include your name. phone number and e-mail address in the shipping address.<br /><br />Once the postal outlet receives the package, they will contact you and you then simply need to drive over the border to Point Roberts and pick up your stuff. Once there, they will charge you a small pickup fee per package - the lowest being $3.00.<br /><br /><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=145+Tyee+Drive+Point+Roberts,+Washington+98281&sll=49.000239,-123.062496&sspn=176.050943,193.359375&gl=ca&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=145+Tyee+Dr,+Point+Roberts,+Whatcom,+Washington+98281,+United+States&ll=48.997607,-123.068526&spn=0.020582,0.055747&t=h&z=15&output=embed" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no" width="425"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=145+Tyee+Drive+Point+Roberts,+Washington+98281&sll=49.000239,-123.062496&sspn=176.050943,193.359375&gl=ca&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=145+Tyee+Dr,+Point+Roberts,+Whatcom,+Washington+98281,+United+States&ll=48.997607,-123.068526&spn=0.020582,0.055747&t=h&z=15" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small><br /><br />** Remember to bring your receipts and documents with tracking numbers if possible.steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-536908238932965352010-04-19T00:53:00.000-07:002011-02-25T22:19:11.562-08:00Installing Hotspot Shield - NOD32 FixThis fix should work if you're getting Nod32 threat popups and error messages when downloading or running the new versions of Hotspot Shield. I'm using Nod32 version 2.7 with Hotspot Shield version 1.41, but the steps below should work for most versions of Nod32.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">*Click images to enlarge</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) </span>Open services.msc from your start menu<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S8wYT1kdqWI/AAAAAAAAKHI/T1lY29CvzNA/s1600/01_services_aufrufen.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 367px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S8wYT1kdqWI/AAAAAAAAKHI/T1lY29CvzNA/s400/01_services_aufrufen.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461767177170168162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2) </span>Scroll down until you find 'Nod32 Kernel Services'. Open it and under 'Startup Type' - Select 'Disable'. Press 'Apply'. At the Notification Area on your taskbar (bottom right of your screen), open Nod32 and Quit the program.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3)</span> Now open the Task Manager - Right Click your taskbar > Start Task Manager. Under the 'Processes' tab, find 'nod32krn.exe' and click 'End Process'.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S8wYcA20vFI/AAAAAAAAKHQ/vMjCvGS91O4/s1600/taskmgr.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 355px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S8wYcA20vFI/AAAAAAAAKHQ/vMjCvGS91O4/s400/taskmgr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461767317638921298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4)</span> Download and Install Hotspot Shield. Run it to make sure it works. Try Hulu.com. <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Remember to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Disconnect </span>from the server when you are done!!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S8wYjhgIgJI/AAAAAAAAKHY/knwa1Lq--M4/s1600/Disconnect.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S8wYjhgIgJI/AAAAAAAAKHY/knwa1Lq--M4/s400/Disconnect.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461767446661202066" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />** You can easily Bookmark the Hotspot Shield Connect/Disconnect site instead of using the separate Hotspot shield program. If you do so, remember again to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Disconnect </span>when you're done since the Hotspot shield icon will not appear in the Notification Area of your taskbar.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5)</span> If everything is working, you will have to start and enable Nod32 again. Open 'services.msc' > Find 'Nod32 Kernel Services' and change the 'Startup Type' to Automatic. Where it says 'Services Status', press 'Start'.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6)</span> Start the Nod32 program by opening your Start Menu > Eset > Nod32 Control Panel.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7) </span>Now open Nod32. Find 'AMON' > Click 'Setup' > Find the 'Exclusions' tab > Click 'Add' > Add this in the 'Folder Name' space > C:\Program Files\Hotspot Shield\*.*<br />Remember the *.*<br /><br />Also add this next location to your exclusions list, but this time choose the 'File' bubble > C:\PROGRAM FILES\HOTSPOT SHIELD\BIN\OPENVPNAS.EXE<br /><br />Lastly, go to IMON > Setup > 'Miscellaneous' tab > Find the 'Exclusion' section and click 'Edit...' > 'Add' find the same 'openvpnas.exe' file as shown above.<br /><br />All this does is tell Nod32 to exclude the Hotspot Shield folder & files from scanning.<br /><br />If you get errors for other Hotspot Shield files, just add them to the same IMON and AMON exclusions list.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S8wYsAFqsdI/AAAAAAAAKHg/nxk-mOeXtlA/s1600/nod32cc.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 236px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S8wYsAFqsdI/AAAAAAAAKHg/nxk-mOeXtlA/s400/nod32cc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461767592310649298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Done!<br /><br />You might get error messages from Nod32 if you try to move/delete the Hotspot Shield install file after you enable Nod32, so make sure you move/delete before enabling Nod32 again.steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-30704673436125972762010-04-18T22:16:00.000-07:002010-04-22T00:49:55.787-07:00Using your DSLR Camera - Taking a PictureReview the basic concepts here at <a href="http://survivevancouver.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html">Using your DSLR - Lesson 1</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">This post will be set in AV mode with a manually set center-focus point. </span></span><br /><br />Now that you have seen several pictures that demonstrate effects such as <span style="font-style: italic;">depth of field</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">bokeh</span>, it's time to take a more hands-on approach and begin taking your own pictures.<br /><br />We'll start by learning how to <span style="font-style: italic;">compose </span>your picture.<br /><br />A picture normally takes shape when you spot something catches your attention. We'll call this 'thing' the subject. Once you have chosen your subject, it's time for some camera action.<br /><br />You may eventually develop your own methods of picture taking, but here are the steps that I follow when I take a picture:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Frame > 2) Focus > 3) Re-frame > 4) Shoot</span><br /><br />Before we begin with step one, you should manually choose your camera's focus point. You're smarter than the camera so you want to have as much control as possible when it comes to choosing what to focus.<br />(If you don't know how to do this, you'll have to read your camera's manual). When your focus point is chosen, the point should light up <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">red<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> in your viewfinder like the one seen below (no focus point is chosen in this picture). </span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.steves-digicams.com/2008_reviews/canon_rebel_xsi/xsi_viewfinder_info.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 347px;" src="http://www.steves-digicams.com/2008_reviews/canon_rebel_xsi/xsi_viewfinder_info.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Remember to have your focus point or points figured out in advance or else the opportunity to take the picture might disappear. I will stick to a center focus point in this post.<br /><br />Now back to your subject. Once you have chosen the subject, you will have to <span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Frame</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>the image. Through your viewfinder, decide what other elements you want to have in your image. Remember the depth of field and bokeh effects you can achieve by adjusting the aperture and shutter speed.<br /><br />Now it's time to <span style="font-weight: bold;">2) Focus</span> on your subject. You will have to move your camera so the center focus point is targeted at the subject. Press the <span style="font-style: italic;">shutter button </span>half way down until you hear a beep. This means that the camera has locked onto and is focused on what you have chosen. If it doesn't beep, you are either too close to the subject; there's not enough light for the camera or the camera is just having troubles locking onto the subject.<br /><br />You can take the picture with the subject dead center in your shot, and in this case you'll be skipping the<span style="font-weight: bold;"> 3) </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Re-frame</span> step. It's difficult to re-frame subjects that are moving, but in the case of static objects, you can be creative and thus use the <span style="font-weight: bold;">3) Re-frame</span> step. It's pretty simple to achieve a shot like the one below. Try to think about it yourself before you read on.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7AcQV_ez8I/AAAAAAAAJnQ/T70rXxH5myQ/s912/nyc%201571.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 619px; height: 409px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7AcQV_ez8I/AAAAAAAAJnQ/T70rXxH5myQ/s912/nyc%201571.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />You probably figured it out, but here's how it's done. Once you have <span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Framed</span> the image in your mind and through the viewfinder and<span style="font-weight: bold;"> 2 ) Focused</span> the subject by pressing <span style="font-weight: bold;">and </span>holding the shutter button half way down, you now have to <span style="font-weight: bold;">3) Re-frame</span> the image. With the shutter button still held down, move the camera in any direction and in the case above - to the left - and <span style="font-weight: bold;">4) Shoot</span> - press the shutter button all the way down. Finished!<br /><br />For subjects that you have difficulty focusing, especially ones that move, you can set your camera's focus point to Auto. Setting the <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">AF </span>mode</span> to <span style="font-style: italic;">AI SERVO</span> can also help. An explanation of AI Servo can be found <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_servo">here</a>.<br /><br />It's time to take your own pictures. Remember the concepts discussed in Lesson 1. Experiment with your camera and use it all the time and you'll figure everything out in no time.steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-65762786811458136662010-04-03T15:50:00.000-07:002011-02-25T22:08:58.475-08:00Spotting Feikos - Fake Seiko WatchesHere are a bunch of pictures I collected on ebay back when I was still roaming that site for good deals.<br /><br />Telltale signs of a Feiko in disguise:<br /><ul><li>'Electra' on the dial</li><li>Ridiculous numbers and adjectives i.e. 'Unbreakable'</li><li>Diamonds<br /></li><li>Font sizes and styles</li><li>Signs etched into the glass</li></ul>If you have any new pictures or useful info to add, let me know and I'll update this post when I have time.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Electra Models</span><br /><br /><div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTK2oBctI/AAAAAAAAJy0/Ex4Qmr78u3c/s1600/8e6b_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTK2oBctI/AAAAAAAAJy0/Ex4Qmr78u3c/s160/8e6b_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSCiPWU0I/AAAAAAAAJw8/mzEEgNEThe4/s1600/3170_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSCiPWU0I/AAAAAAAAJw8/mzEEgNEThe4/s160/3170_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTcBJTWwI/AAAAAAAAJzc/I1RHUbJefKg/s1600/52983725_o.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTcBJTWwI/AAAAAAAAJzc/I1RHUbJefKg/s160/52983725_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTbyiqF2I/AAAAAAAAJzU/ijVRIexxEvs/s1600/52983731_tp.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTbyiqF2I/AAAAAAAAJzU/ijVRIexxEvs/s160/52983731_tp.jpg" border="0" /></a></div> <div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTcp9abDI/AAAAAAAAJzk/HJ3bnr67cb0/s1600/52983742_tp.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTcp9abDI/AAAAAAAAJzk/HJ3bnr67cb0/s160/52983742_tp.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTsvHc2qI/AAAAAAAAJzs/HgOLGA3cXOg/s1600/52983752_tp.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTsvHc2qI/AAAAAAAAJzs/HgOLGA3cXOg/s160/52983752_tp.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTs98bpOI/AAAAAAAAJz0/-0pUTs6sJaU/s1600/52983728_o.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTs98bpOI/AAAAAAAAJz0/-0pUTs6sJaU/s160/52983728_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTtN0Cc2I/AAAAAAAAJz8/bM-TKmsqKU0/s1600/52983729_o.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTtN0Cc2I/AAAAAAAAJz8/bM-TKmsqKU0/s160/52983729_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTtmyzdZI/AAAAAAAAJ0E/CrULFmSzHnE/s1600/52983739_o.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTtmyzdZI/AAAAAAAAJ0E/CrULFmSzHnE/s160/52983739_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fT34HSeyI/AAAAAAAAJ0M/dxvs6B0KiYQ/s1600/52983723_o.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fT34HSeyI/AAAAAAAAJ0M/dxvs6B0KiYQ/s160/52983723_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fS5DgipzI/AAAAAAAAJyU/riS4LQ014DI/s1600/e15a_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fS5DgipzI/AAAAAAAAJyU/riS4LQ014DI/s160/e15a_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUo7Jq19I/AAAAAAAAJ2E/vYLjV27NmHU/s1600/dd0b_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUo7Jq19I/AAAAAAAAJ2E/vYLjV27NmHU/s160/dd0b_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSlQf_-II/AAAAAAAAJxs/GX4L7W_SPjQ/s1600/seikowatch.jpg"> </a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUn9ZFhRI/AAAAAAAAJ1s/PsaOu0Fcp80/s1600/26seiko1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUn9ZFhRI/AAAAAAAAJ1s/PsaOu0Fcp80/s160/26seiko1.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUyCQNPhI/AAAAAAAAJ2M/GuM-O2fNtOA/s1600/c25c_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUyCQNPhI/AAAAAAAAJ2M/GuM-O2fNtOA/s160/c25c_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUykoFwFI/AAAAAAAAJ2c/GAPaYpJ3PyU/s1600/7b78_1_b.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUykoFwFI/AAAAAAAAJ2c/GAPaYpJ3PyU/s160/7b78_1_b.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTbU26bTI/AAAAAAAAJzM/zr7USrHcfhg/s1600/52904587_tp.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTbU26bTI/AAAAAAAAJzM/zr7USrHcfhg/s160/52904587_tp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSmfRKW7I/AAAAAAAAJyE/xBy8tnW-Xrw/s1600/f121_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSmfRKW7I/AAAAAAAAJyE/xBy8tnW-Xrw/s160/f121_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSV8DeFCI/AAAAAAAAJxc/1hrakeCEf9Y/s1600/7c0c_1_b.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSV8DeFCI/AAAAAAAAJxc/1hrakeCEf9Y/s160/7c0c_1_b.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUDKz2ayI/AAAAAAAAJ0s/JPuRN14-s3w/s1600/40f7_12.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUDKz2ayI/AAAAAAAAJ0s/JPuRN14-s3w/s160/40f7_12.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwBpVDOqI/AAAAAAAAJ6I/nYyu0iEErvE/542a_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwBpVDOqI/AAAAAAAAJ6I/nYyu0iEErvE/542a_1.JPG?size=160" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwJvPCafI/AAAAAAAAJ7A/NKU81G5_3so/s1600/8088_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwJvPCafI/AAAAAAAAJ7A/NKU81G5_3so/s160/8088_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwCLw4uAI/AAAAAAAAJ6Q/u2qEHSwELaA/4192_12.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwCLw4uAI/AAAAAAAAJ6Q/u2qEHSwELaA/4192_12.JPG?size=160" border="0" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwDEqCQKI/AAAAAAAAJ6g/mNUcIXVmCno/87a3_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwDEqCQKI/AAAAAAAAJ6g/mNUcIXVmCno/87a3_1.JPG?size=160" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Font sty</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >les, si</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >zes & wording</span><br /><ul><li>The 'Seiko' font is just not right<br /></li></ul> <div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSD0BKKWI/AAAAAAAAJxE/fX_0kmIeZZ4/s1600/4a61_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSD0BKKWI/AAAAAAAAJxE/fX_0kmIeZZ4/s160/4a61_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSCY9ND0I/AAAAAAAAJw0/J9D9uDMIiaw/s1600/az58.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSCY9ND0I/AAAAAAAAJw0/J9D9uDMIiaw/s160/az58.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSlxi2WOI/AAAAAAAAJx0/mu6LVjDtkAA/s1600/4b87_12.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSlxi2WOI/AAAAAAAAJx0/mu6LVjDtkAA/s160/4b87_12.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSBtEJ0lI/AAAAAAAAJws/xqUcNMATEJU/s1600/SEIKOWORLD3.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSBtEJ0lI/AAAAAAAAJws/xqUcNMATEJU/s160/SEIKOWORLD3.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSlQf_-II/AAAAAAAAJxs/GX4L7W_SPjQ/s1600/seikowatch.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSlQf_-II/AAAAAAAAJxs/GX4L7W_SPjQ/s160/seikowatch.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fS5RnL_TI/AAAAAAAAJyc/85Y0aEyuDrw/s1600/388f_1_b.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fS5RnL_TI/AAAAAAAAJyc/85Y0aEyuDrw/s160/388f_1_b.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTK69iK8I/AAAAAAAAJy8/tCxKSHwijeU/s1600/c2f9_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTK69iK8I/AAAAAAAAJy8/tCxKSHwijeU/s160/c2f9_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fT5BMhuMI/AAAAAAAAJ0k/by1vkcGYVv0/s1600/7199_1_b.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fT5BMhuMI/AAAAAAAAJ0k/by1vkcGYVv0/s160/7199_1_b.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUDyyDD_I/AAAAAAAAJ08/-W8yCjpsXUo/s1600/ba00_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUDyyDD_I/AAAAAAAAJ08/-W8yCjpsXUo/s160/ba00_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUDXrjQVI/AAAAAAAAJ00/7V5hTSYe5WA/s1600/ce0a_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUDXrjQVI/AAAAAAAAJ00/7V5hTSYe5WA/s160/ce0a_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwCj7qwtI/AAAAAAAAJ6Y/9IvP1_1Z4jg/watch3.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwCj7qwtI/AAAAAAAAJ6Y/9IvP1_1Z4jg/watch3.jpg?size=160" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S8vlPEEjhII/AAAAAAAAKFA/WKZ8HbPOfRI/s1600/fake+chrono+15+04+2010.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S8vlPEEjhII/AAAAAAAAKFA/WKZ8HbPOfRI/s160/fake+chrono+15+04+2010.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><ul><li>Sometimes will see words like 'Swiss Made', 'Incabloc' or crazy water resistant depth numbers</li><li>Words look like they're painted on<br /></li></ul><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fT48EiHMI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/mJV9JlhJKxg/s1600/1475.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fT48EiHMI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/mJV9JlhJKxg/s160/1475.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTKuXgfyI/AAAAAAAAJys/ZjQ1nqfC2uM/s1600/IMG_7895.jpg"><img style="width: 160px; height: 120px;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTKuXgfyI/AAAAAAAAJys/ZjQ1nqfC2uM/s160/IMG_7895.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUEERnvAI/AAAAAAAAJ1E/QR6o-WaObBU/s1600/ef+119.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUEERnvAI/AAAAAAAAJ1E/QR6o-WaObBU/s160/ef+119.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fT4Yzv8KI/AAAAAAAAJ0U/qmymT6v0V-E/s1600/c42b_12.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fT4Yzv8KI/AAAAAAAAJ0U/qmymT6v0V-E/s160/c42b_12.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7gMNKFNM_I/AAAAAAAAJ4Y/uzxp16DyQxc/s1600/Seiko-AS1916.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7gMNKFNM_I/AAAAAAAAJ4Y/uzxp16DyQxc/s160/Seiko-AS1916.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwGSbdmOI/AAAAAAAAJ64/s6ce7nUJ690/s1600/ed57_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwGSbdmOI/AAAAAAAAJ64/s6ce7nUJ690/s160/ed57_1.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Ugly</span><br /><br />A bit trickier to spot because the font looks fine, but the style is just plain ugly. Seiko makes some ugly models, but these just look cheap.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fS5pqJcOI/AAAAAAAAJyk/AK8lQ-4duNw/s1600/2439_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fS5pqJcOI/AAAAAAAAJyk/AK8lQ-4duNw/s160/2439_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTLLG92jI/AAAAAAAAJzE/2pp8-tGatR8/s1600/9cff_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fTLLG92jI/AAAAAAAAJzE/2pp8-tGatR8/s160/9cff_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSmFTi91I/AAAAAAAAJx8/qqLwPUsFO4k/s1600/100_6362.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSmFTi91I/AAAAAAAAJx8/qqLwPUsFO4k/s160/100_6362.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7gMNihrxSI/AAAAAAAAJ4g/3DOiPO1do14/s1600/Feiko-1.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7gMNihrxSI/AAAAAAAAJ4g/3DOiPO1do14/s160/Feiko-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwFlKfdkI/AAAAAAAAJ6w/5dYww3TJj5U/s1600/2087_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwFlKfdkI/AAAAAAAAJ6w/5dYww3TJj5U/s160/2087_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7rioeo-WAI/AAAAAAAAJ-Q/aCyMpRTPqm0/s1600/chrono.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7rioeo-WAI/AAAAAAAAJ-Q/aCyMpRTPqm0/s160/chrono.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> <div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><br /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Diamonds</span><br /><br />Seen on a lot of 'Electra' models<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fS4wga2ZI/AAAAAAAAJyM/2A2GZCzLKxY/s1600/a974_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fS4wga2ZI/AAAAAAAAJyM/2A2GZCzLKxY/s160/a974_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwE7GlpoI/AAAAAAAAJ6o/e4zGbCHiVSg/s1600/2231_12.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwE7GlpoI/AAAAAAAAJ6o/e4zGbCHiVSg/s160/2231_12.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSWDRbz5I/AAAAAAAAJxk/uv3QwtOgIvg/s1600/bb3.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSWDRbz5I/AAAAAAAAJxk/uv3QwtOgIvg/s160/bb3.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSVvvYgOI/AAAAAAAAJxU/V-RQiCzXNSw/s1600/30020735_tp.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSVvvYgOI/AAAAAAAAJxU/V-RQiCzXNSw/s160/30020735_tp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Etched Glass</span><br /><br />A bit trickier to spot. The sign is normally just above the 6 and towards the center.<br /><div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><br /></a></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUooifEyI/AAAAAAAAJ18/C_mdS2bxbmY/s1600/eb1e_1_b.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUooifEyI/AAAAAAAAJ18/C_mdS2bxbmY/s160/eb1e_1_b.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUy1puavI/AAAAAAAAJ2k/3sXDO3FCDP8/s1600/3ced_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fUy1puavI/AAAAAAAAJ2k/3sXDO3FCDP8/s160/3ced_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSVeiVezI/AAAAAAAAJxM/WoKq1Ue7jj4/s1600/c1f9_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7fSVeiVezI/AAAAAAAAJxM/WoKq1Ue7jj4/s160/c1f9_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jwE7GlpoI/AAAAAAAAJ6o/e4zGbCHiVSg/s1600/2231_12.JPG"></a><div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><br /></a></div><ul><li>Just need experience to notice this one. It just doesn't look right.<br /></li></ul><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jxHU3mFwI/AAAAAAAAJ7I/YLMYlLJ0_7c/s1600/f662_1.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jxHU3mFwI/AAAAAAAAJ7I/YLMYlLJ0_7c/s160/f662_1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7jxHU3mFwI/AAAAAAAAJ7I/YLMYlLJ0_7c/s1600/f662_1.JPG"></a><div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><br /></a></div>steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158657738377180118.post-21703793484761519422010-03-28T16:53:00.000-07:002011-02-25T22:18:11.110-08:00Using Your DSLR Camera - Lesson 1This will help you understand the variety of features for your camera and also the various numbers seen on your camera's control screen and those on the lens of your camera. Basic definitions will also be explained. Many definitions intertwine with each other and have important relationships. Read slowly and more than once until you understand. (<span style="font-size:85%;">Some of the pictures are not mine)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Part 1</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Aperture & F-Stop</span><br /><br />The aperture is <span style="font-style: italic;">the size of the opening</span> in your lens. Imagine it as your eye's iris. In a dark environment, your iris will enlarge allowing more light into your eye, but in a brightly lit place, your iris will shrink. Basically, the aperture controls the amount of light that enters your camera. A bigger aperture means more light can enter, and a small aperture allows less light in.<br /><br />A few notes about <span style="font-weight: bold;">big </span>apertures:<br /><ul><li>Great for low-light conditions and very versatile.<br /></li><li>Because of the above mentioned point, lenses with large apertures are generally more sought after by photographers and are typically the most expensive lenses available.<br /></li><li>Lenses with very large apertures are generally <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Prime </span>lenses, which are lenses with a fixed focal length - cannot be zoomed. Ex. <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/457680-USA/Canon_1257B002AA_Normal_EF_50mm_f_1_2L.html">Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L</a></li><li>If your lens has a large maximum aperture, it does not mean that you need to always use it at its largest aperture. You have full control of the camera. This will be explained later. Taking a picture with the lens at its maximum aperture is called shooting <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Wide Open</span>.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-style: italic;">Controlling Aperture on your Camera</span><br /><br />The number that indicates how big or small the aperture is on your lens is called <span>the </span><span style="font-style: italic;">F-Stop</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">number</span>. Remember this important point: F-stop numbers and the size of the aperture are inversely related meaning <span style="font-weight: bold;">the <span style="font-style: italic;">smaller </span>the F-stop the <span style="font-style: italic;">bigger </span>the aperture</span>. Increasing the F-stop decreases the size of the aperture and vice versa. Put your camera in Aperture Priority (AV) mode. You will see the F-stop number somewhere and it'll look something like F/3.5. I would consider a lens with a large aperture that's ideal for low-light conditions something with an F-stop at or lower than f/2.8. A steady hand and tripod can compensate for most slow lens.<br /><br />Very important points to take from what you've read:<br /><ul><li>Bigger Aperture = Faster Shutter Speed<br /></li><li>Small Aperture = Slower Shutter Speed</li></ul>This is why you need a big aperture in low-light conditions. If you don't, your pictures will likely turn out blurry if your hands are not steady enough. Practice keeping your heads super steady when you take pictures. This is really important if your lens is slow (small aperture when wide open) or when the lighting conditions are not good.<br /><br />What about in brightly lit places? Why is controlling the aperture useful in this situation? This will be explained in the <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Depth of Field</span> explanation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Part 2</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Depth of Field</span><br /><br />Now to put everything together. We know that the aperture is the size of the lens opening; changing the aperture changes the amount of light that can enter the camera which affects how fast or slow your camera is; and finally the aperture can be controlled by adjusting the F-Stop number on your camera.<br /><br />These settings and functions are important for the Depth of Field (DOF) in your picture. Depth of Field controls the visual contrast between the subject and the background/foreground. There are two important terms here: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Small/Shallow DOF</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Large/Deep DOF</span>. I will be using Shallow & Deep DOF in my explanations. Confused? Keep reading.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Remember:</span> Large Aperture = Shallow DOF. Small Aperture = Deep DOF. Do you remember what the F-Stop Number rule should be in both situations?<br /><br />Simply put, if you want to <span style="font-weight: bold;">isolate </span>your subject from its surrounding, you will want a Shallow DOF. Your camera will mainly focus on your subject and blur the background or foreground. The <span style="font-weight: bold;">blur </span>is called <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bokeh</span>.<br />If you want more of your background or foreground in focus/clearer and less blurry, you will want a Deep DOF. Aperture is extremely important here so remember its relationship with DOF.<br /><br />In the next two pictures, try to guess:<br />1) What type of DOF.<br />2) Guesstimate the size of the Aperture & F-Stop number.<br />3) For the aperture you guessed, what happens to the speed of your shutter? Fast or Slow?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Photo #1<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Jonquil_flowers_at_f5.jpg/800px-Jonquil_flowers_at_f5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 497px; height: 327px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Jonquil_flowers_at_f5.jpg/800px-Jonquil_flowers_at_f5.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photo #2<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Jonquil_flowers_at_f32.jpg/800px-Jonquil_flowers_at_f32.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left; cursor: pointer; width: 495px; height: 324px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Jonquil_flowers_at_f32.jpg/800px-Jonquil_flowers_at_f32.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Photo #1<br />You see how the closest flower is in focus and the background is blurry, so to answer the above the questions - A Shallow DOF was used; A large aperture was used meaning a low F-Stop number; and a fast shutter. There's a lot of Bokeh here. The picture was shot at F/5. Can you imagine if it were shot at f/1.2?<br /><br />Photo #2<br />The background is much more in focus compared to that in the first picture so you can assume that: A Deep DOF was used; A small aperture was used meaning a large F-Stop number; and a slow shutter. The picture was shot at f/32.<br /><br />Pictures with Shallow DOF can give you some cool shots that isolate your subject and directs the viewer's eyes to a certain object.<br />Those with Deep DOF are useful when you want most of your subject in focus ex. a static subject like a mountain or bridge or when there's no specific subject in the picture that you want to isolate. Remember that if you want a Deep DOF and the lighting is not good; your camera will be slower so you'll have to steady it on a tripod or on something that's not moving.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Important!</span><br /><br />Because the shots above were shot in very well lit conditions and there was an abundance of light, the shutter speed for both were still pretty fast, albeit different. So if you're taking pictures during the daytime when there's a lot of light and you're not isolating anything in particular and want more things to be in focus, feel free to increase the aperture. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />BUT (more advanced reading)</span>, if you do this it does not necessarily mean your pictures will be <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">sharper</span>. Each lens has a specific aperture where its the sharpest. If you increase the aperture too much, the sharpness of your pictures will likely degrade. If you sharpen a pencil too much the lead might chip or even break off.<br />Remember that increasing the aperture makes the shutter speed slower. Even if you have a tripod to help you with keeping your camera steady, you don't always need to increase the aperture to a ridiculously high level to focus your subject. Each camera and lens setup is unique and you'll have to find which settings provide optimal <span style="font-weight: bold;">sharpness</span>.<br /><br />Do you understand everything so far? If you are, then you can read the notes below.<br /><ul><li>Have an interesting background or foreground to contrast against your focused subject. Imagine you're at a hockey game and you want to take a picture of your ticket. What kind of background do you want in your picture? The floor or the rink? Of course the rink so you'll have to hold the ticket up and focus it while blurring the background of the rink. Basically try<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>to <span style="font-weight: bold;">avoid </span>shooting something from above unless there's something interesting on the ground.<br /></li><li>When you have a specific thing you want to focus and get the viewer's attention, try to get close to the subject either by zooming or walking to it. This will eliminate distracting surroundings. </li><li>Ex. Imagine you're taking picture of a fence. You want to create a Shallow DOF. What would you do to accomplish this and create something like the picture below?</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2561/4152353046_8415f50553.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2561/4152353046_8415f50553.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>From the picture above, the shooter focused and got close to the left post either by zooming or walking; then framed the picture from eye-level and avoided shooting from above. An aperture of f/5.6 was used (I found out through the author). If the aperture was bigger, the other posts would be blurrier creating a shallower DOF and more Bokeh<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Part 3</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Brief explanation of the numbers and letters on your lens</span><br /><br />Use the below picture as a reference.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_UsnZRf-aD5A/SufNrVKBoiI/AAAAAAAAB8s/GNMAjccDmfg/s1600/18_55mm_kit_front.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 594px; height: 455px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_UsnZRf-aD5A/SufNrVKBoiI/AAAAAAAAB8s/GNMAjccDmfg/s1600/18_55mm_kit_front.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><ul><li>58mm = diameter of the lens filter</li><li>EF-S - Type of mount between the lens and camera body. There are two types of mounts: EF-S & EF. EF-S mounts are mainly for Crop Cameras and EF Mounts are mainly for Full Frame lenses. You can read <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/crop-factor-explained">here</a> for a longer explanation. EF Lenses can be used on newer Crop & Full-Frame bodies, while EF-S Lenses can only be used on Crop Bodies. The difference between Crop & Full Frame bodies is pretty simple. Crop bodies have smaller sensors while Full Frames have larger ones. So if you take a picture from a single position using both bodies, a picture from the Crop body will look like it's zoomed in. The article above has some good pictures. </li><li>18-55mm = Minimum & Maximum focal length of your zoom lens. This is a standard range for kit lenses. Remember that <span style="font-style: italic;">prime lenses </span>have <span style="font-weight: bold;">fixed </span>focal lengths.<br /></li><li>1:3.5-5.6 = Maximum aperture for your focal length. So at 18mm, the max aperture is f/3.5 and at 55mm it's f/5.6. If you start at 18mm and then zoom to 55mm, the camera will change the aperture. You can see a visual of the aperture changing its size on new Nikon DSLRs. Many lenses have fixed apertures meaning that even if you zoom, the aperture can always stay the same. These lenses are typically more expensive if it provides a large maximum aperture.<br /></li><li>IS = Image Stabilization. The lens compensates for some camera shake <span style="font-weight: bold;">NOT </span>the movement of your subject. Also called VR on Nikon cameras.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Homework</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Exercise #1 </span><br />Similar to the example above of the two pictures of the same flower, I want you to tell me:<br /><br />1) What DOF is used.<br />3) What part of the picture is in focus.<br />2) Guess the size of the Aperture & F-Stop number (Nothing bigger than f/2.8) and if possible tell me Why were these settings used.<br />3) For the aperture you guessed, what happens to the speed of your shutter? Fast or Slow?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">#1<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7AcQV_ez8I/AAAAAAAAJnQ/T70rXxH5myQ/s912/nyc%201571.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 508px; height: 337px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7AcQV_ez8I/AAAAAAAAJnQ/T70rXxH5myQ/s912/nyc%201571.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>#2<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/Svdb-3UGdQI/AAAAAAAAHlI/xrTvrxRF63M/s912/rdv%20138.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 506px; height: 321px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/Svdb-3UGdQI/AAAAAAAAHlI/xrTvrxRF63M/s912/rdv%20138.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>#3 & #4<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.shortcourses.com/images/b5ch1/aperture.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 392px; height: 535px;" src="http://www.shortcourses.com/images/b5ch1/aperture.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>#5<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7Am5lY3x7I/AAAAAAAAJng/rjgmx5l-cm8/s912/nyc%201460.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 508px; height: 336px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_q3vSsVbKJXw/S7Am5lY3x7I/AAAAAAAAJng/rjgmx5l-cm8/s912/nyc%201460.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Exercise #2</span><br />Take pictures of the following:<br />1) Two pictures of the same subject at the same shooting position with one having a shallow DOF and the other with a deep DOF. A tripod will be useful here. Explain what settings were used and why. I want something with a nice background - nothing shot from above.<br />2) One picture showing a strong Shallow DOF that attracts the viewers attention on a specific part of the photo. Explain what settings were used.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Exercise #3</span><br />Answer the following questions.<br />1) If I'm outside and the sun has set and it's dark, what settings should I use on my camera?<br />2) My camera is set at f/20. Is the size of the lens' aperture big or small? What about the sharpness of the image?<br />3) It's during the day and I want to take a picture with most of what's in view to be in focus. What settings should I use?<br />4) I'm taking a close up picture of something and I want to isolate the subject from its surroundings and create a shallow DOF. What settings should I use? How should I focus the subject?<br />5) Can EF-S lenses be used on crop bodies?<br />6) What's the other name for<span style="font-style: italic;"> background blur</span>?<br />7) If it's dark outside and I want to use use a high F-Stop, how should I accomplish this?<br /><br />Have fun!steve604http://www.blogger.com/profile/04004218394338606108noreply@blogger.com0