January 2012
2 posts
7 tags
Fuji X100 - a rough diamond
I own the X100 for about a month now and it is a pretty amazing camera, but at the end it is a rough diamond. This not a review or anything like this, for this you rather read the one on luminous landscape or dpreview, or just do a google run, there are many of them. This is just a list of good and bad points, just to have a clear view of what this camera can do and cannot do.
Morning Sleep...
4 tags
あけましておめでとう
Better late than never.
October 2011
1 post
the understatement: Android Orphans: Visualizing a... →
understatementblog:
The announcement that Nexus One users won’t be getting upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich led some to justifiably question Google’s support of their devices. I look at it a little differently: Nexus One owners are lucky. I’ve been researching the history of OS updates on Android phones…
July 2011
1 post
12 tags
みつばち（Mitsubachi）in自由が丘
If there is an awesome delicious restaurant it is Mitsubachi. It also has the most awesome name. Three 八 so it becomes みつ (Mitsu) ばち (bachi). Isn’t that awesome?
Anyway, without much ado, I just post some pictures of the shop, because this is way more interesting than boring writing.
Free or reserved tables each have a little mascot. Ours got the shops Mascot :D
Free floating monkey...
June 2011
2 posts
10 tags
Remove the haze
So one thing I recently found on the awesome Phase One Blog is how to remove haze from a photograph. If you take a landscape picture and expose it as usual you often end with blank spaces on both sides of your curve (visible in the Level display).
Lets take this picture I took from Osanbashi in Yokohama:
Canon 5D MkII and Canon EF 50/f1.2L @f4
It is darker because I underexposed it at -1/3EV...
13 tags
Pure Symmetry
I love symmetry, whenever I am unable to hold my camera straight or fail to get the ultimate symmetry without post cropping I feel really bad. So when I got this shot, I really felt very happy. It is a homage to this guy, who always makes the perfect symmetrical shot.
清水寺、京都 (Kyomizu Temple, Kyoto). Canon 5D MkII / EF35/f1.4L
Can’t get better than this :D
May 2011
2 posts
3 tags
Radioactivity in Tokyo, not
At least according to the Tokyo Government. But I am sure people will say this is all lies or so. Or probably a conspiracy by all the evil atomic nuclear plant producers around the world. Or Humpti Dumpty, or the Reenters or I really don’t know …
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
11 tags
When darkness falls
Went to Odaiba, some of the more awesome pictures I took there. Both with Canon 5D MkII and Canon 35/f1.4L
And it is another proof what awesome things you can do with a good RAW converter.
大台場、青海
大台場、青海
April 2011
2 posts
7 tags
Kuumba du Falafel
The most awesome Falafel in Tokyo. Unspoken, can be found here. It’s about 10min walk from Shibuya station or a view Minutes from Shinsen station on the Inokashira Line. 150% worth a visit, and the whole food is 100% vegan, so all the vegans out there can rejoice, and all the normal food people have to go there to know how awesome vegan falafel can be.
Warning sign, because the most...
23 tags
桜
So this years Sakura season is over and below is my collection. Nothing really super stunning this time as I did no experimentation, but there are some really nice ones I would say.
This time the pictures are from five locations: Tamagawa (多摩川), Jiyugaoka (自由が丘), Naka Meguro (中目黒), Shinjuku (新宿) and Odawara (小田原) in Kanagawaken. All were shot with a Canon 5D MkII and either the EF 50/f1.2L or the...
March 2011
3 posts
13 tags
Recent Photos
I haven’t shot much last year, especially not much I am actually proud. But last week I was in Yokohama, Sakuragicho and went to the Oosanbashi Pier. That place is a feast for anyone interested into Architecture.
Below are two of my most favorite shots, thought they do not show much of the architecture, they just show my style.
Shot with Canon 5D MkII and Canon EF 35/f1.4L
Vague...
6 tags
Various Radiation Measurment Pages
UPDATE, 2011/3/28: added two new links.
With all the troubles nothing is more fun than to follow all the various web sources for radiation measurement. It is like a new hobby, instead of reading hyped web pages, I check those pages in the morning.
A list of them below
http://park30.wakwak.com/~weather/geiger_index.html
This is a private one, part of a small weather station in the center of...
14 tags
Why the western media is really bad.
UPDATE 1: I added two a link to the official tepco radiation reading from Fukushima and a graph based on this reading.
UPDATE 2: IAEA moved the disaster from a Level 4 to a Level 5
UPDATE 3: They have been moved up to Level 6
UPDATE 4, 2011/3/16: I cannot confirm if the Level 6 is from IAEA or just from the France Atomic Group. The IAEA web page is a horrible mess. I also added the radiation...
February 2011
2 posts
8 tags
Why chromes missing title bar sucks
In the recent months I use Chrome a lot. It is my primary browser at home and I also use it quite a lot at work. But at work I also use Firefox 4 Beta (currently 11) for my non-work browsing. Just to check it.
The most annoying thing of Chrome, next that you cannot make it open links in new windows, is the missing title bar. I can understand the idea, space. As modern displays get wider and wider...
8 tags
December 2010
1 post
4 tags
2011卯年
Yeah, I did nothing in 2010, really nothing. And so nothing will happen in 2011, really nothing. Well, one year less to wait for death. The only final solution to this whole shit.
November 2010
1 post
6 tags
iPod Nano, some afterthoughts
I am using this little square box now for some time and I like it, even thought there is no album shuffle.
For example, the iPod Nano tells you when the battery is low. Some really nice feature. Thought it doesn’t help you when you forget to charge it in the evening.
But what sometimes makes me crazy is the fickleness of the interface. I just make a slight swipe and it is a swipe. Or...
October 2010
3 posts
14 tags
Destruction
Most the of the time I don’t care if stuff disappears in Tokyo. This is Japan. Today the building is there and tomorrow there is a new building.
But this time I was really shocked. Look at this google link, and now imagine it with all trees gone. Yes, all of the big trees have been cut down. And not only that, parts of those awesome old statues have been moved to make space for graves. I...
11 tags
Fisheye
Fisheye is fun. Mr. Uchujin had one with him, but this lens is actually from Mr. Eichiscart.
Expensive, but it is real fun.
The man himself. You can actually take the whole room from corner to corner.
Or you can do like taking something else.
Or some close up porn.
7 tags
iPod Nano 1G vs 6G
So everybody on the intertubez has already twittered, blogged, reviewed and what not else about the new iPods. Especially the new Nano, that is sort of not a “Nano” anymore.
There was only one Nano that had a slight different style but in general they had all a display and the click wheel. This new Nano has only a display, in a iOS style way, no click wherel, square form.
Square is...
September 2010
9 posts
7 tags
焼酎：もぐら２０１０年
Now that I am a very avid Shouchu drinker is well known, at least under my friends and co-workers.
I am now drinking for almost three years and have drunk tons of different brands. My friends often asked my why I never blog about this, well I think it is time that I start doing it.
Yesterday I started a new bottle called Mogura, but not the normal Mogura, which I drank before, but a bottle from...
8 tags
Todays Exhibition: Uemura Shoen
Currently showing in The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (東京国立近代美術館) is the exhibition of works from Uemura Shoen (上村松園), link to wikipedia english and japanese. An amazing painter who lived during the radical chanage from old Japan to the after war Japan.
Her paintings have an amazing calming style, very much in the old traditional japanese art. Each and everyone of her paintings is more...
8 tags
Black and white at night
Although color at night is amazing, sometimes the pure light that you get with black and white is just superior.
Canon 5D MkII / Canon EF 50mm f1.2L @f1.2
somewhere near Shimo Maruko.
8 tags
Todays Exhibition: Shadows
Today I went to the the Exhibition Shadows at the The National Art Center in Tokyo. There were some really amazing art there.
I was really impressed by Indo Matate (印藤真楯) and his painting Cherry Blossoms at Night (夜桜). Another painter who had a really interesting painting there was Higashiyama Kaii with his painting Reflection Image.
The next interesting artist was Yokoyama Taikan (横山 大観), who...
3 tags
And again IOGraph
Yesterday was a kind of different day with no break and a lot of web work …
Almost no twitter, but quite some messenger chatting with co-workers. Not so much mail reading (right side), but a lot of browser and terminal work on my main screen.
4 tags
IOGraph again
So yesterday was another wild working day, and I had IOGraph running again, for about 12.1 hours.
We get a similar pattern, but the screensaver corner is less used and we have more stoppage over the konsole windows. Twitter usage seems to be about the same.
Somehow this is really fun :D
2 tags
Fun with IOGraph
So there is this fun little toy called IOGraph that will track your mouse movement and create a nice graph.
Yesterday at work I let it run through the whole day of busy work, result was quite interesting:
Very interesting to see where the most darkest spots are, which means mouse stayed there longest. Bottom left corner is the screensaver corner, so during meetings, lunch break, etc the mouse...
14 tags
Exhibitions I visited today
Today I went to several exhibitions. The first one was in Zen Foto Gallery in Shibuya. They showed photos made by amateur photographers before the war, called Japanese Photography of the 1930s. It is a three part show in three different galleries. Very interesting old pictures, but at the end not really my style.
After this one I went to Shinjuku, Epson Gallery, and saw a very interesting show...
12 tags
Todays Exhibitions
Today I was at four exhibitions. The first one was in Shibuya, Le Deco called Shiro Kuro Show (白黒ショー). This one was from several photographers, all black and white, and very interesting as you could see several styles.
One of the photographers was there and I had a nice talk with him. He showed me around and one of the photographers, who works at the Osaka Tax Office, always takes a shot of...
August 2010
5 posts
10 tags
Todays Exhibitions
Today I went to the show Umeppu from Ume Kayo in Omotesando Hills. Was a real awesome show. Very different style of pictures to all the other photo shows I have been to in the last days. Most lucky thing was that Ume Kayo was there too and I could talk to her. Very interesting girl.
Ume Kayo in the middle.
After that I went to Ribbon Gallery in Asagaya. Very nice little gallery in an old...
12 tags
Lightroom vs Capture One Pro
So, I own both, and I use both. Most of the time I am much more happy with the results from Capture one Pro. But this time, and with this picture, I am at a loss. Basically the Lightroom version looks much more pleasing, but there are minor detail problems in Lightroom, that are not in Capture One. On the other hand, the noise
reduction is much better in Lightroom.
Left: Lightroom 3.0, Right:...
6 tags
More Exhibition stuff
Today I went to the Photography Museum in Ebisu (東京都写真美術館) and checked out 私を見て！「ヌードのポートレイト」and オノデラユキ. I went to the second one first and although not bad, it was not worth the 700 yen. The whole thing was a bit to artsy. I didn’t get the whole thing at all.
The other show was way more interesting. Although personally I have zero interest in nude photography, this show showed photos from...
13 tags
Exhibitions in Japan in August
So in the last days I went to two awesome exhibitions currently showing in Japan. The first one is from William Eggleston named Paris-Kyoto in the Hara Museum near Shinagawa.
The show is running until the 22nd of August. I really recommend to see it, not only is the show impressive, the whole museum is very impressive. A lot of windows, white, bright and wonderful. The building design is pretty...
6 tags
IR Effect with Capture one
Some time ago I downloaded a pack with additional styles for Capture One. Today when I processed my shots I found one that is called “Dark Sky” which makes the sky look like it was shot with an IR Film and IR Filter.
This is so amazing. This pictures looks almost creepy. So amazing.
Canon 5D MkII / Canon EF 35/f1.4L @f4
Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, Japan
processed with Capture One Pro...
July 2010
1 post
5 tags
Good bye Linux on the Desktop
Today I switched my work boxes and my Linux box is not any longer the main work PC I use. I switched it with my Mac.
The reason for this are manyfold, but first lets look back and see how Linux evolved in the last 10 years. Yes, I use Linux as my main workstation for 10 years. Well, it didn’t evolve at all. It might got prettier, needed more CPU and memory, but at the basics, it stayed the...
June 2010
2 posts
6 tags
Lens upgrades
Since I got my 5D MkII I am mainly using this camera for my photography. I still love film, but that camera is kick-ass.
But, the sensor is just amazing, good, too good for some of the lenses I own.
Point is, when most of the normal lenses were designed, digital was in its infancy or not existent and the main medium was film. So if you out resolved film, it was good enough. Well not with these...
April 2010
1 post
5 tags
Canon 5D MkII
I am not the primary digital shooter. I like film, I really like it, even thought it is troublesome in this digital age. But I was not always a film shooter. I didn’t even really start photography until I got a digital camera. I never owned a film camera when I was young. But since I started shooting film my main problem with digital was, that it looked, well, digital. Especially the...
March 2010
1 post
3 tags
February 2010
2 posts
2 tags
Got myself a Canon 5D Mk II
After months and months of thinking of getting this camera I finally saw more than enough proof that my good old 30D just isn’t the youngest horse in the stable.
And my first impression is just wow. What an awesome camera. With my first results I am very very happy.
Still, the on/off/wheel lock switch is still at the most idiotic position ever. They only started to change this with the new...
December 2009
2 posts
明けましておめでとう！
6 tags
Voigtlaender Nokton 50mm f1.1
And there it was, the annoucement, for a super fast 50mm lens with a pricetag I can afford. So the next moment I had time I placed a pre order, the first one in my life for this lens. When I first open the box I was surprised how big this lens is. It is just pure amazing glass in a metal wrapping. The lens built is as good as it gets. An all metal case, smooth focusing ring with all aroudn...
September 2009
1 post
7 tags
富士急ハイランド
Rollercoaster? Roller…what? When I think of the word Rollercoaster I think of old wooden buildings on county fairs in the 1800. But no, let’s take the japanese term for it. Scream Machine!絶叫マシーン！
So I went to Fuji Q yesterday with a friend and I had a blast. This was serious fun.
The first we rode was FUJIYAMA. A serious Rollercoaster, not some chicken shit kiddy thing. A real...
August 2009
2 posts
5 tags
Everything new in August
Yeah, somehow there were some issues with my old blog, plus I really didn’t use it for two years. So a new start here.
If you are looking for some old posts you need have some patience, they will come back, in some way, in some point in time. I guess.
Inbetween enjoy my flickr page.