I’ve recently purchased a Fuji FinePix F600EXR so that I have a camera that I can keep in my pocket all the time. On my list of ‘must haves’ was the ability to shoot RAW which most pocket cameras don’t have, and those that do tend to be in the £300+ price bracket. When it was first introduced in August last year its list price was about £320 (street price £280) but in January this year a new model (F770) came out and the F600 can now be got for about £160 – half the original list price. It’s probably not quite as good as some of the other cameras in its class (notably the Panasonic LX5) but it has some features that I’ve been very impressed with, notably the ability to shoot panoramas. When compared with the panoramas that I shoot with my Nikon D300 they’re obviously inferior (and only pan horizontally), but considering that they’re stitched in a couple of seconds in the camera, I’m really quite impressed. This, coupled with a 15x optical zoom (24-360mm equivalent), macro focus down to 5cm and a whole string of features I’ll probably never use, has made me very happy.
Southwark Cathedral have just added a tour of three 360° panoramas that I produced to their website. The tour shows views of the nave, altar and crossing, and choir. The cathedral dates back to Norman times when it was known as St Mary Overy (over the water) although it only received cathedral status in 1905. Much of the current building dates to between 1220 and 1420 when it was rebuilt following a fire. In 1536 following the Dissolution of the Monasteries the church was rededicated to St Saviour. The tower and choir were restored in the early 1800s and the nave was totally rebuilt in 1839 in Gothic style. Further extensive building work was carried out in 2000 to provide conference and educational facilities.
About three years ago I blogged about how crazy it is that it’s cheaper to buy a new inkjet printer than it is to buy a set of new ink cartridges. Well the printer I bought then died recently just because the nozzles on the print head were blocked. Replacing this part is just a question of taking out the ink cartridges, unlocking a clip and lifting out the print head. I phoned HP to find out if I could order a replacement part, but was told that it would cost me £15 just to speak to a service technician! I did find a way of ‘speaking’ online to someone who told me that the part would cost about £60 plus delivery, so here I am again having just bought another new printer. It had to be an HP which takes the same size cartridges, as I have about £100 worth sitting in my drawer. But now it’s impossible to buy a small A4 inkjet without it having a scanner built in. I don’t need another scanner – I already have a high quality one. But there was no choice. So now I have an old printer that needs just one replacement part that will be going into the recycling bin and a new printer with a redundant scanner. Madness!
I’ve just updated the menu system on the main part of my website using Project VII’s Pop Menu Magic 2. This allows for sub-menus to open upwards from my bottom menu. They make a great range of products. I just wish that they made them in a form other than Dreamweaver Extensions.
Stefan Lindblad – like me a long time CorelDRAW user and beta tester – has just published a series of interviews with CorelDRAW users… and I’ve been included!
The summer of 1973 had not been good. I’d split up with my girlfriend and had to move back home for a couple of months before I started on the photography course at the London College of Printing. I hadn’t been out of the house for weeks, but I’d heard that there was going to be a Festival of African and Caribbean Music in Kennington Park so I thought I’d go. It was fantastic and was the first time I’d smiled in a long time. I recently rediscovered the negatives of some of the photographs I took there and after a mammoth scanning session I thought I’d share. Let me know if you like them.
Byron McGregor has just updated Floatbox to v5.0. Floatbox is probably the best of the Lightbox clones. Luckily I spotted a small problem with some of the graphic GIF files that come with the download. Byron had run these through Google’s Page Speed optimizer but some of them had been corrupted by this process. All’s been put right now, so if you’re looking for a Lightbox clone that does a whole lot more (see the demos on his website) start downloading. Floatbox isn’t free, but at just $20 per site license it’s a bargain – especially as the technical support (if you should need it – the documentation is extensive) is as good as it gets.
It’s a while since I’ve blogged, but I’ve been doing quite a few new panoramas recently and also tidying up some of the old ones. New ones include small tours of Bedruthan Steps in Cornwall, the newly restored bandstand on Clapham Common and The Rookery (the site of the old Streatham Spa) at the top of Streatham Common.
I’ve just produced a quick little website for a neighbour of mine to advertise her caravan for hire at Harlyn Bay in North Cornwall. I did all of the photography including a 360° panorama of the interior of the lounge. I didn’t realise how spacious caravans can be these days. When I was a student I lived in much smaller flats than this – and much less well appointed. Harlyn Bay is a beautiful spot, so if you’re looking for a week away…
In the last couple of days I’ve been uploading some of my panoramas to 360 Cities, the world’s largest 360° panoramic photography community. You can see my panoramas here.
I’ve recently purchased a Fuji FinePix F600EXR so that I have a camera that I can keep in my pocket all the time. On my list of ‘must haves’ was the ability to shoot RAW which most pocket cameras don’t have, and those that do tend to be in the £300+ price bracket. When it was first introduced in August last year its list price was about £320 (street price £280) but in January this year a new model (F770) came out and the F600 can now be got for about £160 – half the original list price. It’s probably not quite as good as some of the other cameras in its class (notably the Panasonic LX5) but it has some features that I’ve been very impressed with, notably the ability to shoot panoramas. When compared with the panoramas that I shoot with my Nikon D300 they’re obviously inferior (and only pan horizontally), but considering that they’re stitched in a couple of seconds in the camera, I’m really quite impressed. This, coupled with a 15x optical zoom (24-360mm equivalent), macro focus down to 5cm and a whole string of features I’ll probably never use, has made me very happy.
Southwark Cathedral have just added a tour of three 360° panoramas
