Over 10 million viewers tuned in to this week’s episode, “Fruit of the Poisonous Tree,” to discover the Magic Mirror’s origins and see where Sydney Glass’ true allegiance lies.
King Leopold stumbles upon a magic lamp and unleashes a downtrodden Genie (aka the Man in the Magic Mirror). The genie grants him three wishes, but the kind-hearted king has everything he wants so he uses his first wish to the give the Genie what he deeply desires – his freedom. The King then generously uses his second wish to transfer his third wish over to Genie. He is grateful for his freedom, but explains that he will not use his wish because in all of the 1001 wishes he has granted, all of them have ended poorly and all of them come with price (sound familiar?). Besides, what Genie wants most is to find true love and as we learned from Aladdin, you can’t wish for true love because it has to happen organically. Cut to Genie’s introduction to Queen Regina and it is love at first sight.
Later that night in the King’s court, King Leopold gushes over his beloved Snow White, saying how she is the fairest of them all, just like her mother was. Crushed Queen Regina leaves the room to seek comfort by the apple tree that was brought over from her mother’s garden and Genie is quick to console her. The two are kindred spirits, for both know how it feels to live a cruelly confined existence. Genie gives her a mirror, so that she can see herself through his loving eyes. Unfortunately, that ends up being a huge mistake.
King Leopold finds the mirror and an entry in the Queen’s diary alluding to their blossoming love affair and he asks Genie to seek out the man behind the mirror. While Genie waits for the Queen, her father approaches him with a box to take to her room, in it is the only thing that can set her free. Genie rushes to Queen Regina’s side and she opens the box to reveal a double-headed poisonous viper from his homeland. She reaches inside to commit suicide, but he stops her and declares that he shall kill the King instead so that they may be together.
Genie creeps into King Leopold’s room while he is sleeping, thanks him for his kindness, then unleashes the vipers. With his dying breathe the king confesses his regret for that wish. Genie then returns to his beloved Queen only to be disappointed because she set him up. She says he should be thankful that she is even giving him a chance to escape before the guards capture him, but he refuses to leave. Instead, he uses his one wish to be with the Queen forever and thus he becomes trapped in her mirror.
As Henry digs up his book from its hiding place under the crumbling castle where Henry and Emma have their secret pow-wows, Regina appears and sneers at Emma for allowing her son to play in such a hazardous environment. She tells Henry to get in the car and he doesn’t have a chance to move his book to a safer spot. The next day, Regina tears down Henry’s fortress and he discovers that the book is missing. This pushes Emma over the edge and she agrees to work with Sydney on knocking Regina off of her mayoral pedestal.
Sydney discovered that Regina has stolen $50,000 from the city and Emma, being a bounty-hunter and all, can use her cunning means to unfold Regina’s endgame. Emma hesitates to play dirty, but Sydney justifies it by saying that sometimes it is okay to do a bad thing if it is for a good reason. This is where we get a snippet of how Mary Margaret feels about her affair; she has just come from a romantic picnic with David at “their” spot by the toll bridge. Although she feels guilty for having an affair with a married man, she uses Sydney’s logic to justify their actions because their love for each other feels right. Nonetheless, Emma insists on giving Regina one fair chance to come clean before sinking to her level.
Regina lies to Emma and Sydney, so she plants a bug in the mayor’s office. They overhear a conversation about a money hand-off and drive off to catch her secret rendezvous. Unfortunately, Emma’s car breaks have been cut and they crash into the woods to find Mr. Gold. Turns out Regina bought his land, so Emma and Sydney break into Regina’s office to steal the blueprints and related files. While going over the evidence, Emma feels guilty for breaking her promise to Henry and stooping to Regina’s level, but Sydney reassures her that what she is doing is necessary because Regina always destroys what people loves most and she must be stopped.
While Emma and Sydney head off to expose Regina at the City Counsel meeting, we get to check back in on Henry’s quest. He hasn’t found his book, so he is in the diner frantically sketching every story he can remember when the Stranger pokes his nose into Henry’s business. When he asks what the book is about, Henry cryptically replies “stuff,” so Mr. Stranger coyly smiles, wishes the kid luck on his “stuff” and leaves. Back at City Hall, Emma calls Regina a selfish thug and reveals her plans to build a lavish palace for herself in the woods. Regina displays the plans on a projector and says she is building a playhouse for the kids, leaving Emma speechless. After the meeting, Regina threatens to issue Emma a restraining order if she doesn’t stay away from Henry.
Emma explains to Henry via their walkie-talkies that they must be apart for a while, but she promises to find his storybook. Cue the big reveal we’ve been waiting for – Mr. Writer Stranger has Henry’s book! But, that is not the only twist this week. The episode concludes with Regina thanking Sydney for his excellent work on gaining Emma’s trust because now they will know everything she will be up to.
2012年1月30日 星期一
2012年1月17日 星期二
‘Emerging Artist Series’ with Koki Tanaka
“The Piano Played By Five Pianists at Once (First Attempt)” is the latest chapter in Koki Tanaka’s string of works.
Currently housed in UC Irvine’s Room Gallery, the artwork consists of a singular screen with long, wooden benches provided for viewers to sit on. A single paper lamp hangs in the doorway. Pale and poised, the orb of light beckons to visitors while another fluorescent fixture awkwardly hangs to the bottom half of the wall on the right.
The projector switches on and upon the screen are UC Irvine students, both film and music majors, undergoing a project of collaboration. The five performers sit around a table that holds a neatly-centered arrangement of cookies, oranges and water bottles. The mechanical setup, along with the formality of the beginning, add uniformity and tension to the work.
Set upon a motion capture studio, Tanaka stages the students to follow two rules: “a soundtrack for collective engagement” and “to play one piano with all the pianists playing together.”
One might think of it as a challenge of sorts. Five pianists equal five crammed bodies on a bench utilizing 10 hands. Of course, there exists no rule which states that all ten hands must be playing. Such exceptions to the rules provide creative leeway for the students.
When they begin playing, the subjects’ nervousness is nearly palpable. The viewers can sense their heightened awareness of being in front of the camera. Under harsh, artificial lighting, the students uneasily shift in the plastic chairs.
At times, the notes can be characterized as glaringly discordant. Jarring noises provoke the audience to flinch at the students’ somewhat worthy attempts to harmonize. In certain moments, randomness rises to the surface and tonality falls out the window.
The subjects then go back to the drawing board.
A subject clad in a royal purple sweater suggests taking a “kind of minimalistic approach … like the person already there subtracts what he already does.” Another adds to not “be afraid to use more black keys.”
Just shooting out random ideas, they experiment and mold themselves to adjust to a particular format.
Yet, while the students engage and interact, the viewer sees the camera crew capturing each other’s movements. One sees the mirrored images of cameras and equipment upon the glossy body of the piano. Noticing the filmmakers’ obvious presence draws the work slightly backward and stimulates the question of whether Tanaka’s project can be classified as just an artwork. Nevertheless, the obvious, reflective qualities and the breaking of the fourth wall make a statement.
Whether he zooms in on the subjects or does a revolving shot, Tanaka has the audience personally engaged to peer into the step-by-step process of discussion and experience the trial and error procedure. The blurring effects also create the simulated, surreal mood and heighten the dizzying illusion.
The title of the work alone evokes reluctance. “First Attempt” elicits insecurity as an excuse of the lack of clarity or unsure beginnings of the project’s capability to be carried out. Or even, perhaps, it lightheartedly makes fun of itself.
As an experimentation not only on a collaborative level of getting the music right, but also on a social level of what interactions are needed and compromised, the artwork emphasizes collective engagement.
Finally, it appears: a moment when all the music flows. The notes align and the audience actually witnesses the melody working in balance amongst the many fingers as they move almost effortlessly over the keys. Ebbing in and out of the beat, they pick up the tempo. Haunting baritones and easy Sinatra one-liners blend well.
A short encounter with the artist himself can be an evident reflection of the work. Slightly stout and wearing a casual black jacket, Tanaka looks, well, just normal. Born and raised in Japan, he majored in art at Tokyo Zokei University and went on to receive his master’s degree at Tokyo National University of Fine Art and Music. Despite his ordinary appearance, Tanaka gives an impression of humble eagerness, flat-out seriousness and an aptitude for details.
Having asked if he had always created “new media,” Tanaka corrects the labeling of his work, saying, “[This is] a film, a creation and I am the producer.”
Tanaka has the viewer realize that perceptions and critiques play a huge role in reaching progression and cohesion. Although the performers do not reach a perfect melodious composition, understanding the possibility of the goal and ascertaining collaboration along the way demonstrate the importance placed on the film’s capturing of the process of attempt. That way, the students enjoy the rising satisfaction of progression.
Currently housed in UC Irvine’s Room Gallery, the artwork consists of a singular screen with long, wooden benches provided for viewers to sit on. A single paper lamp hangs in the doorway. Pale and poised, the orb of light beckons to visitors while another fluorescent fixture awkwardly hangs to the bottom half of the wall on the right.
The projector switches on and upon the screen are UC Irvine students, both film and music majors, undergoing a project of collaboration. The five performers sit around a table that holds a neatly-centered arrangement of cookies, oranges and water bottles. The mechanical setup, along with the formality of the beginning, add uniformity and tension to the work.
Set upon a motion capture studio, Tanaka stages the students to follow two rules: “a soundtrack for collective engagement” and “to play one piano with all the pianists playing together.”
One might think of it as a challenge of sorts. Five pianists equal five crammed bodies on a bench utilizing 10 hands. Of course, there exists no rule which states that all ten hands must be playing. Such exceptions to the rules provide creative leeway for the students.
When they begin playing, the subjects’ nervousness is nearly palpable. The viewers can sense their heightened awareness of being in front of the camera. Under harsh, artificial lighting, the students uneasily shift in the plastic chairs.
At times, the notes can be characterized as glaringly discordant. Jarring noises provoke the audience to flinch at the students’ somewhat worthy attempts to harmonize. In certain moments, randomness rises to the surface and tonality falls out the window.
The subjects then go back to the drawing board.
A subject clad in a royal purple sweater suggests taking a “kind of minimalistic approach … like the person already there subtracts what he already does.” Another adds to not “be afraid to use more black keys.”
Just shooting out random ideas, they experiment and mold themselves to adjust to a particular format.
Yet, while the students engage and interact, the viewer sees the camera crew capturing each other’s movements. One sees the mirrored images of cameras and equipment upon the glossy body of the piano. Noticing the filmmakers’ obvious presence draws the work slightly backward and stimulates the question of whether Tanaka’s project can be classified as just an artwork. Nevertheless, the obvious, reflective qualities and the breaking of the fourth wall make a statement.
Whether he zooms in on the subjects or does a revolving shot, Tanaka has the audience personally engaged to peer into the step-by-step process of discussion and experience the trial and error procedure. The blurring effects also create the simulated, surreal mood and heighten the dizzying illusion.
The title of the work alone evokes reluctance. “First Attempt” elicits insecurity as an excuse of the lack of clarity or unsure beginnings of the project’s capability to be carried out. Or even, perhaps, it lightheartedly makes fun of itself.
As an experimentation not only on a collaborative level of getting the music right, but also on a social level of what interactions are needed and compromised, the artwork emphasizes collective engagement.
Finally, it appears: a moment when all the music flows. The notes align and the audience actually witnesses the melody working in balance amongst the many fingers as they move almost effortlessly over the keys. Ebbing in and out of the beat, they pick up the tempo. Haunting baritones and easy Sinatra one-liners blend well.
A short encounter with the artist himself can be an evident reflection of the work. Slightly stout and wearing a casual black jacket, Tanaka looks, well, just normal. Born and raised in Japan, he majored in art at Tokyo Zokei University and went on to receive his master’s degree at Tokyo National University of Fine Art and Music. Despite his ordinary appearance, Tanaka gives an impression of humble eagerness, flat-out seriousness and an aptitude for details.
Having asked if he had always created “new media,” Tanaka corrects the labeling of his work, saying, “[This is] a film, a creation and I am the producer.”
Tanaka has the viewer realize that perceptions and critiques play a huge role in reaching progression and cohesion. Although the performers do not reach a perfect melodious composition, understanding the possibility of the goal and ascertaining collaboration along the way demonstrate the importance placed on the film’s capturing of the process of attempt. That way, the students enjoy the rising satisfaction of progression.
2012年1月8日 星期日
He knows the score on lumberjack culture
Sumner McKane remembers second grade in Damariscotta when a teacher wheeled in a film projector and showed a grainy black-and-white movie about Maine lumberjacks.
The film was called from "Stump to Ship," and it chronicled a Machias River log drive in the 1920s. McKane can't recall another instance during his education when he learned about the woodsmen of Maine who helped give the state its character.
McKane, a singer-songwriter who specializes in folk-rock and Americana music, wants to change that with a new music and movie experience he has created, "In the Blood." He and bandmate Joshua Robbins will present "In the Blood" on Saturday at Space Gallery in Portland and on Feb. 3 at Bates College in Lewiston.
McKane spent three years researching the lumberjack culture in Maine around the turn of the 20th century. He assembled a montage of films from those days, as well as still photographs, then composed a score to accompany the visuals.
"In the Blood" is presented in two acts, with an intermission. He and Robbins perform music live as the visuals project on two screens.
McKane's goal is to create an entertainment and educational experience that honors the Maine woodsman.
"Many Maine towns owe a lot of their existence to these guys," says McKane, 34, who now lives in Wiscasset. "Their character, their skills and their integrity made the whole system work. Their way of life has gone by the wayside, but that character also seems to be dwindling, where work came first along with a sense of self-responsibility."
McKane describes the lumberjacks as the backbone of Maine's old society. Their work drove the economy, and helped build the state from the dirt up. They had character, strength and resilience, and worked dangerous jobs under horrid conditions. They lived difficult, crude lives, and survived among themselves deep in the woods on a steady diet of beans. In winter.
They were resilient and gritty, and now mostly overlooked.
The movies McKane has compiled demonstrate their existence. Viewers see the camps, the roads, landing yards, rivers and lakes, and in some instances can hear the voices of the men. To add texture to the visual experience, McKane composed a score with music that matches the action on screen.
"I tend to write music that is pretty ambient and sparse. The cold, frigid Maine woods connotes a melancholic mood, so I wrote music to match it," he said.
McKane plays electric guitar; Robbins plays bass. McKane also has sequenced percussive elements, which include samples of woods sounds -- leaves crunching, axes cracking, trees falling.
Most of the movies, which he mined from the files of Northeast Historic Film, are from 1905 to about 1920. The stills go back a little earlier, to the late 19th century. He found many of the photos from the archives of the Maine Folklife Center.
McKane debuted "In the Blood" with a live concert experience at the Opera House in Boothbay Harbor, and now is attempting to tour it around the state. He wants to get into schools so he can help today's students understand the role of the lumberjack in Maine.
Other than that single 36-minute film that he saw in second grade, McKane said his education lacked any context about the men who worked in the Maine woods.
He has a few school showings lined up, in Lewiston and at Deer Isle. But he has found that most schools lack money to support this project. To address that issue, McKane is seeking donations that will be matched dollar for dollar by the Maine Arts Commission.
"I am trying to put a tour together, but it's not easy to do," he said. "I must say, I have newfound respect for booking agents. It's very hard, and is proving difficult. I really want to get it into the schools. Kids should be introduced to this stuff, and I am surprised that they aren't."
The film was called from "Stump to Ship," and it chronicled a Machias River log drive in the 1920s. McKane can't recall another instance during his education when he learned about the woodsmen of Maine who helped give the state its character.
McKane, a singer-songwriter who specializes in folk-rock and Americana music, wants to change that with a new music and movie experience he has created, "In the Blood." He and bandmate Joshua Robbins will present "In the Blood" on Saturday at Space Gallery in Portland and on Feb. 3 at Bates College in Lewiston.
McKane spent three years researching the lumberjack culture in Maine around the turn of the 20th century. He assembled a montage of films from those days, as well as still photographs, then composed a score to accompany the visuals.
"In the Blood" is presented in two acts, with an intermission. He and Robbins perform music live as the visuals project on two screens.
McKane's goal is to create an entertainment and educational experience that honors the Maine woodsman.
"Many Maine towns owe a lot of their existence to these guys," says McKane, 34, who now lives in Wiscasset. "Their character, their skills and their integrity made the whole system work. Their way of life has gone by the wayside, but that character also seems to be dwindling, where work came first along with a sense of self-responsibility."
McKane describes the lumberjacks as the backbone of Maine's old society. Their work drove the economy, and helped build the state from the dirt up. They had character, strength and resilience, and worked dangerous jobs under horrid conditions. They lived difficult, crude lives, and survived among themselves deep in the woods on a steady diet of beans. In winter.
They were resilient and gritty, and now mostly overlooked.
The movies McKane has compiled demonstrate their existence. Viewers see the camps, the roads, landing yards, rivers and lakes, and in some instances can hear the voices of the men. To add texture to the visual experience, McKane composed a score with music that matches the action on screen.
"I tend to write music that is pretty ambient and sparse. The cold, frigid Maine woods connotes a melancholic mood, so I wrote music to match it," he said.
McKane plays electric guitar; Robbins plays bass. McKane also has sequenced percussive elements, which include samples of woods sounds -- leaves crunching, axes cracking, trees falling.
Most of the movies, which he mined from the files of Northeast Historic Film, are from 1905 to about 1920. The stills go back a little earlier, to the late 19th century. He found many of the photos from the archives of the Maine Folklife Center.
McKane debuted "In the Blood" with a live concert experience at the Opera House in Boothbay Harbor, and now is attempting to tour it around the state. He wants to get into schools so he can help today's students understand the role of the lumberjack in Maine.
Other than that single 36-minute film that he saw in second grade, McKane said his education lacked any context about the men who worked in the Maine woods.
He has a few school showings lined up, in Lewiston and at Deer Isle. But he has found that most schools lack money to support this project. To address that issue, McKane is seeking donations that will be matched dollar for dollar by the Maine Arts Commission.
"I am trying to put a tour together, but it's not easy to do," he said. "I must say, I have newfound respect for booking agents. It's very hard, and is proving difficult. I really want to get it into the schools. Kids should be introduced to this stuff, and I am surprised that they aren't."
2011年12月11日 星期日
X10 - Experience Report
This is a rather technical (as in: more about function than about photos) report of my experiences with the Fuji X10. Originally it was meant as a simple forum post, but I quickly reached the word limit of 6000 chars. So you might miss some nice images and more story-like writing here.
I am a beginner photographer and this is the first more or less "serious" camera I ever bought. It has to serve the following usage-cases and the jury is still out of whether to keep it or not (1 week left before I would have to return it). You won't see any photos yet.
Main purpose of buying the X10: Shoot sharp, bright and detailed enough photos of my kid(s) in often rather bad lighting condition without having to deal with the bulk of a DSLR system.
Work: Occasional shots of technical equipment that I am testing/reviewing. Should offer enough control to handle the demands of the corresponding situation (including "screenshots" of what is shown on a LCD display).
Other things: Explore possible fun of portrait, night, street, macro or whatever shooting that I find myself become interested in once I get the grip on a nice cam.
At the end of this article I will contribute my own analysis of the white disc/orb/blooming problem. While I may be a beginner photographer I literally make a living from analyzing technical issues and finding possible workarounds. And while lots of words have been lost over this issue I hope to start a more "technical" than "emotional" discussion with more profound arguments on what's going on under the hood. In the process I hope to learn a few facts and and corrections to my interpretation as well.
Even though reviews of current cameras praise their "high" dynamic range and "good high ISO noise and detail" I still find cameras' performance to be /very/ underwhelming when compared to what you see with your naked eye. To (technically) master photo-shooting seems to be mostly about working with and around the limits of cameras. Even after decades of development it's still all about worrying to get the right exposure. Knowing that these limits are a reality and that a good camera should help you get away with them I had the following reasons trying to replace phone-cams with a good "real" camera.
After one week of mixed testing in various modes I can say so much:
For me this is the most important aspect that has to be weighted against all the other points I make below: Kid photos work! I got a whole number of sharp enough low-light indoor shots that are very usable for what we want, namely looking at photos on screen (30" display, laptop display, HD projector) and printing them in photo-books at up to A4 sizes (usually smaller). Results surely best any phone-cam shots easily and also beat grandma's Samsung S850 P&S clear enough to see the benefits of a pricey (in its range) cam like the X10.
Auto Focus speed may be a problem when kids move towards you, but I have to test all the possibilities first (face detection, tracking focus, manually presetting a focus range). Using Auto EXR is a considerable problem with movement (different exposure of half of the pixels), but it's a starting point for learning how to handle the beast. Next week will show how much light and detail remains when exposure times are down to "kid is running around wildly" settings.
One drawback of the 28 mm wide angle vs. a 24 mm is that when kids come close to you indoors (like "hey, papa has that photo toy holding up again, let's go and see what it can do") you quickly run out of angle. So you often end up cutting off feet or even arms/hands from the picture when the little folks come too close. Strangely EXR Auto mode chooses Macro mode automatically while AUTO Auto mode does not (still focuses down very close though). On the other hand you cannot chose 1 cm Super Macro in EXR mode while it is available at AUTO mode.
AF in good light is fast (enough) and in low light still faster than any iPhone camera is ever going to be (even when the iPhone is helped by the X10's AF assistant light)! Comparing it to a Canon S95 and Nikon P7100 in typical fluorescent store light showed the S95 to be considerably slower and the P7100 to be somewhat slower. The most important thing for me is that I can shot kid(s) while they are sitting in one place (may still be moving wildly), but hopefully it will also work with running kids (still have to try). I also successfully shot moving kids that where thrown around by their parents during a swimming session. ;)
Autofocus reliability is something that needs to be judged by time and shots, but it can be thrown off very visibly by bright reflective non-plane surfaces where the P7100 has a little less problems (but still has). I found that decreasing focus area size (in Area mode) help to get around that simply by allowing me to easier aim for an area where no bright reflection from lighting is happening. According to a forum thread the manual warns about that and I assume it is a common problem for contrast detection based systems.
It works! I'd have to do serious testing to tell how many stops you can win by using IS, but I can get sharp enough handheld shots with little available lighting, fully zoomed in at F2.8 and 1/4 s exposure time. Sure, with such a long exposure time most shots are not going to be sharp, but they are sharper than without IS. Most important: some shots are sharp and overall all shots are consistently sharper than without IS.
As I will most often do handheld shots under low lighting conditions (except for sometimes using the rather weak flash) this is a very welcome addition. Sure I'd like it to work even better, but "working" is better than not available at all.
Coming from phone-cameras and P&S every detail coming from the X10 is a big step foward, so I may lack comparison with what other quality systems can offer. That being said, I saw plenty of shots from beginner's DSLR cams in various reviews over the last few years (couldn't decide to jump on the DSLR train) and what I'm seeing from the X10 seems to cope well. Noise is visibly present with higher ISOs but upto 1600 ISO enough detail is preserved to enable good looking crops. Even ISO 3200 seems usable enough, especially since the general noise pattern seem to be more luminance than chroma heavy. I like some luminance (aka gritty) grain in dark shots, so it's a welcome tendency.
The fast lense really helps to get better shots in AUTO modes and a lot more creative/technical options once you know how to handle the beast. Being that fast wide open allows to keep ISO down (aka details up) and that a beginner like me can get away with doing crops until he knows how to compose properly. And even a seasoned photographer will always enjoy the options. That the lense remains fast at tele means that you can zoom in for better detail instead of losing detail due to having to use much higher ISOs.
A wide range of ISO settings fortunately helps to deal with all these situations by somewhat intelligently chosing in-between steps. The X10 offers ISOs 100, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500 and 3200 for both AUTO ISO and manual settings. And seeing that on the X10 ISO noise seems to increase quite linearly (also shown by some review site) it's comfortable to know that the camera has these in-between steps at its disposal. Higher than ISO 3200 is done by interpolation (=smaller picture size) and I still have to try if there is any usefulness with these.
Having a fast lense and usable high ISO available again can be important for doing kids shots as it allows to use faster exposure times. I rather take a somewhat grainy but otherwise sharp picture of a moving kid than getting no usable picture at all. And when I zoom in to take a portrait of my son's stunning eyes I very much appreciate the protected detail.
I am a beginner photographer and this is the first more or less "serious" camera I ever bought. It has to serve the following usage-cases and the jury is still out of whether to keep it or not (1 week left before I would have to return it). You won't see any photos yet.
Main purpose of buying the X10: Shoot sharp, bright and detailed enough photos of my kid(s) in often rather bad lighting condition without having to deal with the bulk of a DSLR system.
Work: Occasional shots of technical equipment that I am testing/reviewing. Should offer enough control to handle the demands of the corresponding situation (including "screenshots" of what is shown on a LCD display).
Other things: Explore possible fun of portrait, night, street, macro or whatever shooting that I find myself become interested in once I get the grip on a nice cam.
At the end of this article I will contribute my own analysis of the white disc/orb/blooming problem. While I may be a beginner photographer I literally make a living from analyzing technical issues and finding possible workarounds. And while lots of words have been lost over this issue I hope to start a more "technical" than "emotional" discussion with more profound arguments on what's going on under the hood. In the process I hope to learn a few facts and and corrections to my interpretation as well.
Even though reviews of current cameras praise their "high" dynamic range and "good high ISO noise and detail" I still find cameras' performance to be /very/ underwhelming when compared to what you see with your naked eye. To (technically) master photo-shooting seems to be mostly about working with and around the limits of cameras. Even after decades of development it's still all about worrying to get the right exposure. Knowing that these limits are a reality and that a good camera should help you get away with them I had the following reasons trying to replace phone-cams with a good "real" camera.
After one week of mixed testing in various modes I can say so much:
For me this is the most important aspect that has to be weighted against all the other points I make below: Kid photos work! I got a whole number of sharp enough low-light indoor shots that are very usable for what we want, namely looking at photos on screen (30" display, laptop display, HD projector) and printing them in photo-books at up to A4 sizes (usually smaller). Results surely best any phone-cam shots easily and also beat grandma's Samsung S850 P&S clear enough to see the benefits of a pricey (in its range) cam like the X10.
Auto Focus speed may be a problem when kids move towards you, but I have to test all the possibilities first (face detection, tracking focus, manually presetting a focus range). Using Auto EXR is a considerable problem with movement (different exposure of half of the pixels), but it's a starting point for learning how to handle the beast. Next week will show how much light and detail remains when exposure times are down to "kid is running around wildly" settings.
One drawback of the 28 mm wide angle vs. a 24 mm is that when kids come close to you indoors (like "hey, papa has that photo toy holding up again, let's go and see what it can do") you quickly run out of angle. So you often end up cutting off feet or even arms/hands from the picture when the little folks come too close. Strangely EXR Auto mode chooses Macro mode automatically while AUTO Auto mode does not (still focuses down very close though). On the other hand you cannot chose 1 cm Super Macro in EXR mode while it is available at AUTO mode.
AF in good light is fast (enough) and in low light still faster than any iPhone camera is ever going to be (even when the iPhone is helped by the X10's AF assistant light)! Comparing it to a Canon S95 and Nikon P7100 in typical fluorescent store light showed the S95 to be considerably slower and the P7100 to be somewhat slower. The most important thing for me is that I can shot kid(s) while they are sitting in one place (may still be moving wildly), but hopefully it will also work with running kids (still have to try). I also successfully shot moving kids that where thrown around by their parents during a swimming session. ;)
Autofocus reliability is something that needs to be judged by time and shots, but it can be thrown off very visibly by bright reflective non-plane surfaces where the P7100 has a little less problems (but still has). I found that decreasing focus area size (in Area mode) help to get around that simply by allowing me to easier aim for an area where no bright reflection from lighting is happening. According to a forum thread the manual warns about that and I assume it is a common problem for contrast detection based systems.
It works! I'd have to do serious testing to tell how many stops you can win by using IS, but I can get sharp enough handheld shots with little available lighting, fully zoomed in at F2.8 and 1/4 s exposure time. Sure, with such a long exposure time most shots are not going to be sharp, but they are sharper than without IS. Most important: some shots are sharp and overall all shots are consistently sharper than without IS.
As I will most often do handheld shots under low lighting conditions (except for sometimes using the rather weak flash) this is a very welcome addition. Sure I'd like it to work even better, but "working" is better than not available at all.
Coming from phone-cameras and P&S every detail coming from the X10 is a big step foward, so I may lack comparison with what other quality systems can offer. That being said, I saw plenty of shots from beginner's DSLR cams in various reviews over the last few years (couldn't decide to jump on the DSLR train) and what I'm seeing from the X10 seems to cope well. Noise is visibly present with higher ISOs but upto 1600 ISO enough detail is preserved to enable good looking crops. Even ISO 3200 seems usable enough, especially since the general noise pattern seem to be more luminance than chroma heavy. I like some luminance (aka gritty) grain in dark shots, so it's a welcome tendency.
The fast lense really helps to get better shots in AUTO modes and a lot more creative/technical options once you know how to handle the beast. Being that fast wide open allows to keep ISO down (aka details up) and that a beginner like me can get away with doing crops until he knows how to compose properly. And even a seasoned photographer will always enjoy the options. That the lense remains fast at tele means that you can zoom in for better detail instead of losing detail due to having to use much higher ISOs.
A wide range of ISO settings fortunately helps to deal with all these situations by somewhat intelligently chosing in-between steps. The X10 offers ISOs 100, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500 and 3200 for both AUTO ISO and manual settings. And seeing that on the X10 ISO noise seems to increase quite linearly (also shown by some review site) it's comfortable to know that the camera has these in-between steps at its disposal. Higher than ISO 3200 is done by interpolation (=smaller picture size) and I still have to try if there is any usefulness with these.
Having a fast lense and usable high ISO available again can be important for doing kids shots as it allows to use faster exposure times. I rather take a somewhat grainy but otherwise sharp picture of a moving kid than getting no usable picture at all. And when I zoom in to take a portrait of my son's stunning eyes I very much appreciate the protected detail.
2011年12月4日 星期日
Repair LCD Power Supply The Easy Way
The power pack module type is easy to diagnose because you can replace another working unit just to make sure is the power pack that giving problem. You may also use an external dc power supply to power up the LCD to confirm if the power pack is faulty. If you do not have the external dc power supply, you can always use this method to isolate the problem especially the symptoms are no power, low power and power blink. Using the rear light bulb (12 volt) from a car and connect it to the power pack output jack. If it light brightly then the power pack is okay. If it blink or dim the power pack have problem. Why have to use this method to test it? Because, if there are components shorted or leaky at the LCD main board, it will affect the power supply performance.
From experienced, most of the LCD power supply problems whether in the power pack or built into main board were due to the failure of electrolytic capacitors (most probably due to heat) in the primary and secondary section. Most of the capacitors have a high ESR which causes the power supply to produce low output, blink or no power at all. Typical value electrolytic capacitors in the primary side are 47 and 100 micro farad 50 Volt and the secondary sides are 1000 to 2200 micro farad 25 volt. Sometimes you can see the capacitor top casing became bulge and the sleeve that covered the capacitor casing turned into darker color like brownish.
The power section in some of the LCD screen are still using the UC3842 pulse width modulation (pwm) ic. This type of ic is quite easy to find in the market compare to some power ic which is very difficult to get. Samsung 153V LCD monitor is using the TOP247F power ic which is quite easy to troubleshoot if power fail in this model. Some power pack that came in only have minor burnt and after cleaning it and replaced the fuse, it will work as good as the new one.
Troubleshooting LCD power supply is not that difficult provided if you know how a power supply work. If you are unsure of how to troubleshoot power supply, I urge you to read all my power supply articles at the power supply page. I will continue to post more power supplies articles at that page and hope you could drop by more often to check out my website.
From experienced, most of the LCD power supply problems whether in the power pack or built into main board were due to the failure of electrolytic capacitors (most probably due to heat) in the primary and secondary section. Most of the capacitors have a high ESR which causes the power supply to produce low output, blink or no power at all. Typical value electrolytic capacitors in the primary side are 47 and 100 micro farad 50 Volt and the secondary sides are 1000 to 2200 micro farad 25 volt. Sometimes you can see the capacitor top casing became bulge and the sleeve that covered the capacitor casing turned into darker color like brownish.
The power section in some of the LCD screen are still using the UC3842 pulse width modulation (pwm) ic. This type of ic is quite easy to find in the market compare to some power ic which is very difficult to get. Samsung 153V LCD monitor is using the TOP247F power ic which is quite easy to troubleshoot if power fail in this model. Some power pack that came in only have minor burnt and after cleaning it and replaced the fuse, it will work as good as the new one.
Troubleshooting LCD power supply is not that difficult provided if you know how a power supply work. If you are unsure of how to troubleshoot power supply, I urge you to read all my power supply articles at the power supply page. I will continue to post more power supplies articles at that page and hope you could drop by more often to check out my website.
2011年3月20日 星期日
MyProjectorLamps Maintains Industry Position with International Outreach
It was late 2010 when online projector lamp retailer, MyProjectorLamps, maintained its
position in the projector lamp industry by announcing a new, international range of domains
for serving greater Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Australia and South America. This is the
second wide-ranging addition to the company's purchasing interface to occur during the first
half of 2010.
As TMC (News - Alert) Contributor, Erin Monda, reported, “The projector lamp website
displays important information regarding purchase in 13 additional languages like Norwegian,
Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese, Italian, Czech, Hungarian, Greek, Russian, Turkish,
Hebrew and Arabic. MyProjectorLamps President, Michael Newman, hopes that with this the
company will now be able to reach deeper into these new markets and build lasting
partnerships for the long-term growth of his company.”
MyProjectorLamps is now shifting its international approach from a digital interface to
customer support centers, as it opens its Australian projector lamp distribution and customer
support center. The expansion is aimed at serving Australia, New Zealand and the overall
pacific region better.
With the opening of the new office comes MyProjectorLamps' high level of customer service and
support, which means that customers buying within the region will now have access to local
telephone support, quick and inexpensive delivery, and trusted high-quality projector lamps.
MyProjectorLamps.com is the supplier of projector lamps for more than 5000 DLP and LCD
projectors. Projector Lamps are shipped to each and every country in the world from North
America and Europe using FedEx and TNT services. MyProjectorLamps is a privately held company
which provides the buyer with the option to either buy the pre-assembled projector lamp in
the plastic housing or just the bare projector lamp, hence enabling the buyer to save
hundreds of dollars on their purchase.
Most of these projector lamps are priced under $300 and last between 1,500 and 3,000 hours.
While the Australian economy continues to boom and prices of retail products continue to
skyrocket, with four regional offices MyProjectorLamps is able to use its global projector
lamp purchasing power to keep its prices low, while providing quality maintenance and great
customer service.
MyProjectorLamps offers projector lamp trade accounts to Resellers, Government and
Educational Institutions, and Worship Centers. TMC’s Projector Lamp channel is where you can
learn more about projector lamps in these verticals, as well as the use of project lamps in
childhood expression and green initiatives.
position in the projector lamp industry by announcing a new, international range of domains
for serving greater Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Australia and South America. This is the
second wide-ranging addition to the company's purchasing interface to occur during the first
half of 2010.
As TMC (News - Alert) Contributor, Erin Monda, reported, “The projector lamp website
displays important information regarding purchase in 13 additional languages like Norwegian,
Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese, Italian, Czech, Hungarian, Greek, Russian, Turkish,
Hebrew and Arabic. MyProjectorLamps President, Michael Newman, hopes that with this the
company will now be able to reach deeper into these new markets and build lasting
partnerships for the long-term growth of his company.”
MyProjectorLamps is now shifting its international approach from a digital interface to
customer support centers, as it opens its Australian projector lamp distribution and customer
support center. The expansion is aimed at serving Australia, New Zealand and the overall
pacific region better.
With the opening of the new office comes MyProjectorLamps' high level of customer service and
support, which means that customers buying within the region will now have access to local
telephone support, quick and inexpensive delivery, and trusted high-quality projector lamps.
MyProjectorLamps.com is the supplier of projector lamps for more than 5000 DLP and LCD
projectors. Projector Lamps are shipped to each and every country in the world from North
America and Europe using FedEx and TNT services. MyProjectorLamps is a privately held company
which provides the buyer with the option to either buy the pre-assembled projector lamp in
the plastic housing or just the bare projector lamp, hence enabling the buyer to save
hundreds of dollars on their purchase.
Most of these projector lamps are priced under $300 and last between 1,500 and 3,000 hours.
While the Australian economy continues to boom and prices of retail products continue to
skyrocket, with four regional offices MyProjectorLamps is able to use its global projector
lamp purchasing power to keep its prices low, while providing quality maintenance and great
customer service.
MyProjectorLamps offers projector lamp trade accounts to Resellers, Government and
Educational Institutions, and Worship Centers. TMC’s Projector Lamp channel is where you can
learn more about projector lamps in these verticals, as well as the use of project lamps in
childhood expression and green initiatives.
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