Today, the island is a tourist attraction, reachable by ferry. The ride takes about 30 minutes and you are free to roam the island. It is a great place for photography, with wonderful views of San Francisco, that is . . . if the weather cooperates.

I find it particularly good for HDR as I really like what the tonemapping process does to brick walls, concrete floors and the like. So here are a few different views of the place. A variety of applications were used, in particular: Topaz (a Photoshop plugin), PhotoMatix and Dynamic Photo HDR.

[View with PicLens]

 

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Several things hit me when watching this video. First of all, the setup required to take a photo of something seemingly simple, two iPhones. The lighting, the setup, the post processing, the number of people, etc. all show there is a heck more to taking these types of shots than one would imagine. Then, after the photoshoot, the front-page design exercise starts, which is in itself an interesting process.

Interesting to note too that the video itself was taken using a 5D MarkII because of its HD video capabilities. Peter explains how he used a 24-70mm lens and shot in sRAW1 to get smaller file sizes.

Thanks to the time-lapse approach of shooting this video, what you see in a few minutes actually took half a day.

Enjoy the video

Cover creation from Peter Belanger on Vimeo.

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Several different preventative methods and corrective procedures have been introduced to compensate for errors caused by camera shake, which occurs when a camera moves while its shutter is open and its image sensor is exposed to light.

Canon began researching methods to compensate for camera shake in the 1980s, and in 1995 launched the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, the world’s first interchangeable SLR camera lens to feature a mechanism that compensates for optical camera shake. Since then, the company has continued to produce a variety of interchangeable lenses with image stabilization capabilities, and boasts a total of 21 such lenses in its current product lineup.

Canon’s newly developed Hybrid IS technology optimally compensates for angle and shift camera shake. Sudden changes in camera angle can significantly affect images taken during standard shooting, whereas shift-based shaking, which occurs when a camera moves parallel to the imaging scene, is more pronounced in macro photography and other close-range shooting.

The new Hybrid IS technology incorporates an angular velocity sensor that detects the extent of angle-based shaking and is found in all previous Canon optical image stabilizer mechanisms, as well as a new acceleration sensor that determines the amount of shift-based camera shake. Hybrid IS also employs a newly developed algorithm that synthesizes information from the two sensors to make optimal adjustments, thereby dramatically enhancing the effects of image stabilization during shooting, including macro shooting, which had proven difficult for conventional image stabilization technologies.

Canon is actively engaged in ongoing research and development of interchangeable SLR camera lenses incorporating Hybrid IS technology, and is aiming for the early commercialization and inclusion of the lenses in a wide range of products.

What does this mean – Our Interpretation

In camera stabilization has become very popular thanks to brands like Sony, Pentax and Olympus. In these systems, it is the sensor that moves to compensate for minor movements due to handheld shaking. The benefit of this is, of course, is that ANY lens can be used and you still get the advantage of stabilization.

Canon (and Nikon too) put stabilization in their lenses and charge a premium for them. For example, Canon’s 70-200mm L f/2.8 lens lists at $1249 while version with image stabilization (IS) lists at $1699, a $450 premium.

The forums are full of people asking (demanding) that Canon and Nikon introduce in camera stabilization.

It would appear that Canon is listening to this (to a degree), but obviously is resisting to go that way. Most likely they are concerned it would erode the premium they can charge for image stabilized lenses. So, Canon is obviously trying to raise the bar by introducing newer generation stabilization techniques into their lens systems, thus trying to differentiate from the in camera stabilization techniques.

So which is better? Time will tell, but in the mean time, this type of one-up-man-ship is good for consumers as it drives technology to become better and better, and that benefits us all.

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This big cat was moored in Darling Harbor and I believe it is a private yacht.

This picture was taken with my wide angle lens to get that “look” in the sky and to make the cat look even larger than it is.

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As you all know, Hugh Jackman is Australian and it is perhaps no real surprise to learn that parts of the movie were shot on Cockatoo Island, the largest island in the Sydney harbor. Cockatoo island is open to the public and I visited there last year with friends and heard that a movie was being filmed there, but not realizing at the time which one it was.

Cockatoo is quite a place. For starters the views from the island of Sydney are nothing short of spectacular. The ferry ride there is also a great way to see this amazingly picturesque city from the water. No one lives on the island. It has a interesting past starting out as a ship yard. The first of its two dry docks were built by convicts in 1857. The island has also been used as an imperial prison, industrial school, reformatory and gaol.  It has not been in use since 1992.

It was opened to the public in 2007 and you can take regular ferry rides from Circular Quay. Its prison buildings have been nominated for World Heritage listing. Today, you can can visit the workshops, slipways, wharves, residences and other buildings, all remnants of the island’s industrial past.

I decided to display these images in B&W to emphazise the desolate and somewhat dark history of the island. Having said that, it is actually a great place to visit, there is even a camping site on the island and I am sure there are few places in the world where you wake up in the morning to such magnificent views from your tent.

You can see the full gallery here

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Fuji Velvia Preset

Download Fuji Velvia (2553)

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