The Mark IV snoot diffurser

I've began on a frantic pace to develop my latest snoot diffuser and learned that there aren't enough raw materials to go around.The housing material for the snoot tube was depleted and what's left of a small black plastic sheet is barely enough for me to build a light box.It took me nearly an hour to construct the new snoot head, which resembles a small bento lunch box.And for the diffuser material, I used a sheet of corrugated plastic board. This gave it a rigid surface, not like the earlier bio-degradable plastic sheet that is flimsy and frail looking.Since the black housing is flexible, I applied duck tape to fasten it.It shouldn't be too heavy to ease mobility.And what I like about the new snoot head is the fact that its now more solidly built.Speaking of light deflection angle, I cheated a bit by using my MKII housing and attached the bento box onto it.Now, test-wise, I can see a flash of light hitting the subject.So, the angle of deflection is almost there.And the results are also encouraging.Further tests would be done and with the design getting better, I will come up with a Mark V design soon.

A question of two formats..

A coupla weeks back, I was having lunch with one of our editorial artist.Then came a visualiser from the Marketing Services Department.I noticed that the lady has been taking some photos and had posted them on her facebook
account.This budding photography enthusiast is also a keen learner who is going to turn
professional.She then posed this statetment: "The Canon EOS7D is a lousy camera. My friend
recommends the Nikon D700.."I asked her is she realised that both cameras are different in many ways and that their
sensor size are also different."What is APS-C and full-frame? I don't understand," she said.The lady also added that her friend, some guy who is well off, had made some thorough
research on the Nikon system.He said the immaculate truth is that the EOS7D is an inferior product.I asked her if the guy had used or tested the 7D, in which the answer was: "No".Having summed up her findings, I conclude that most enthusiasts are fickle-minded and are
also easily influenced by personal opinions.Photography today, is a totally different game.Many enthusiasts labelled themselves as professionals because they own high-end
systems.I wouldn't consider them as pros because they don't make a living out of photography and
definitely would not agree to half assed statements like the 7D as an inferior product
because someone had combed the entire internet for an opinion to influence their purchase.Be it the D700 or the 7D, good results can only be produced by a pair of skilled hands and
eyes.Beyond that, the cameras are only tools.

The micro four-turd

How reliable are the micro four-third cameras?Late last year, I was contemplating on trying out the Panasonic Lumix GF-1 system, but was not convinced with its practicality.I think of the lot who produces the micro four-thirds, Panasonic has the worst representation in Malaysia when it comes to media relations.They suck in every aspect.Anyways, I went asking around about the GF-1 and learned that a basic system with two kit lenses covering wide angle and medium-telephoto has an asking price of RM4.5k.This is not including its external flash (small guide number) which is priced at RM800.I wouldn't give Panasonic a single sen for selling Indonesian-made accessories although their camera body and lenses are made in Japan.With the fridge and television maker out of the equation, the next best thing is Olympus.Now, despite what they have done about three decades ago with their OM system, Olympus had lost out to giants like Canon, Nikon and Pentax.The micro four-thirds are jointly developed by Panasonic and Olympus and till now, I don't see folks like Canon and Nikon following suit.I know for a fact that Sony had showed their prototype micro four-thirds, But then again, Sony is a failure in selling their A-series D-SLRs and having micro four-thirds would further sink them.Now, back to the Olympus, I was impressed with their latest offering - the EP-L1 camera.This is the more compact little brother of their EP-1 and EP-2 'pen' cameras that are heavily promoted.I don't know if they are effective, but seeing as it is -- the EP-L1 is more of a lifestyle camera.I am yet to see any superb images produced by the GF-1 or the EP-series cameras.And since it has a point-and-shoot kind of feel, the micro four-thirds are good as a back-up camera.One of the factor that is preventing me from sinking my claws is price.They are expensive and if you factor in accessories and after sales service, both Panasonic and Olympus suck big time.Anways, this is just my opinion on the micro four-thirds. They might improvise the system further by leap and bounds.