I'm a sucker for presets.

I'm a sucker for Lightroom/Photoshop presets. Period. I'm just too lazy. One-click-boom. Thats why i love VSCO presets. They are so worth it. Recreate film looks, polaroid looks.... ya know, those vintage looks. But at the moment, i'm done with film looks, i got a bit tired of it. But thats today, maybe tomorrow i'm back into it. Right now, i'm into those contrasty but desaturated colors. I was actually looking for a tutorial on recreating that look when i stumbled upon free presets for Lightroom. See, i'm not that lazy, i want to learn on how to recreate those looks but instead i found presets thus diverted me from learning to just using the presets. Lazy over learning. Nice.

While browsing the internet, i found presets and tutorials but mostly free preset on creating gritty, grungy look, which is the look im into right now, some are really nice which made me search for more free presets all over the net. Who doesnt like free stuffs right?

While on the topic of grunge look, I also stumbled across a bloke named Dave Hill. Though his pictures are nice but not really my type, i mean i really like it but i'm not gonna use it all the time. and then there's the DRAGAN effect too. Based on my findings these free presets that tried to recreate the grunge, dave hill and dragan effect look are mostly pushing the sliders in lightroom to the max!

Highlights pushed to 100
Shadows pushed to 100
Blacks bring down to balance the look
Clarity pushed to, yes you guess it right, to 100. I love pushed clarity. Gave that painted look
Vibrance pushed to 100
Saturation pull to taste, -50, depends on how unsaturated look you're looking for.
Exposure to taste.

Some presets pushed the sharpness too hard, like 80, but for my taste i pulled a bit and just play around with it.

Let's use a sample image i've downloaded from Robin Wong EM10. I hope he don't mind. This are not my photo. It's Robin's.

Original File 

This is my Bleach Bypass look, i've edited from Lightroom's own bleach bypass preset 

 Not too forget, the "300" look, i found this lightroom preset on google

I called this my Wannabe Dave Hill look although i adjusted to my liking. I dont remember which preset i based this on. but i adjusted it to make it less painted effect.

*I based this on the Grunge preset i found on google*

Some may dig the look, some may not. Its for fun, sometimes i just want to push the files to never before land lols.

Focusing moving subjects..... at night!

To be honest i'm not really an experience photographer when it comes to tracking moving subjects although i have the "theories" embedded somewhere in my brain. One theory is to use Not-so-fast shutter speed or otherwise the subject looked static, not moving at all.

Last weekend, i had the pre wedding photoshoot session with the motorcycle and just for fun, i'm gonna take a picture of them riding the motorcycle. It was 10pm, low light, the roads are all lit with ambered/orange colored road lights which gonna look suck in the photos and i just have to rely on my cameras to do the work for me. Pre-focus, and continuos high speed shooting. Its gonna be an experiment. For this work, i kinda trust my Olympus for its high speed AF although i did give my X100S a fair chance, the Fuji did nailed it but as it was in different lighting situation, the rider's faces were a bit too much shadow, i prefered my Oly pics for this..... if i dont pixel peep. Most of the Olympus pictures were in the right lighting condition or at the right moments. And even Oly did not accurately nailed focus everytime. and of course these pictures look great if you're not zooming pixel peep style. 4x3 or even 8x10 should be fine without showing not so sharp faces.

Here's one from EM10. i used the olympus 25mm.

i adjusted the white balance and thanks to the filter fitted in front of the lens, i get the blue flare. (clapped hands....NOT)

Here's from X100S.

Forget the colors. Forget the white balance. Pictures like these i'd prefer to convert it into black and white. as you can see the girl's face has too much shadow. 

But the point is, 

the x100s is able to get in focus with moving subjects.....in low light too.

But for the above 2 pictures, i'd prefer Oly for its moments and composition.

Between Fuji and Olympus...

Okay,

This is an old age debate i've been having ever since i got the Olympus OMD EM10. From shooting with a Fuji system with stunning images quality to the small micro four third system of Olympus which is also praised all over the internet/world for its images quality. But i am still having second thoughts on Olympus. How did the world praises it so much that sometimes some would say the images quality is the same or even greater as the bigger size sensor of the Fuji? 

First off, i'm a totally JPEG only shooter, i like to shoot people, portraits, and candid plus street photography. Expression is more precious to me than a beautiful landscapes. With landscapes, you can come back to it twice, triple or more, to get a better light, better composition, better this and better that but not with expressions, that can only come once and its gone. Poof! Thats my type of photography, For me Out of Camera JPEG, the Fuji wins hands down. Something about the skin tones that the Olympus failed for me. I always read Olympus colors are the best and best this, best that.. but i think Fuji wins hands down. But salute Olympus for having a small sensor to produce a great image quality that can rival say, a crop Canon DSLR like a 700d. But people talking about Olympus being great than Fuji? That is just nonsense talk.

Or Maybe i should start shooting RAW with Olympus but that is just adding work for me. More hassle. With Fuji i can just shoot JPG and be done with it. If i want to edit the files, there are so much details in the Fuji's JPEG file.

Then there's the High ISO talk. Okay, noise is noise, grain is grain. But Olympus JPG files produce something what my friend like to call "a low JPG quality effect". There is just this black artifacts, or oversharpen kind of effect, that is always visible on skin tones. And it does not just affect the HIgh ISOs even at base ISO of 200, there's still that effect. i'll show you what i mean.

 Nothing is wrong with this pic.

OCD kicks in. Zoom in. See those black dots/spots on the face. This is ISO200.

 Nothing wrong with this one too.

 Zoom in and see those fingers, black spots/dots or smudges (i cant explain). i dont think its grain or noise. This is at ISO400.

Here's the Fuji. Shot with X-M1

OOC JPG. Look at it. There's little or no editing you can just print it or post it straight away.

Clean noise free at ISO400. 

There's maybe noise reduction in camera but still it doesnt look painted to me.

Let's try another Olympus picture.

I think this is not a bad one. 

 OMD EM10 at ISO500. Not bad not bad.

Ooooh mama. Ouch! What is those black spots-dots-smudges? i did not add grain here. Thats edited JPG.

Its just annoying. I hate looking at those black smudges (i dont know what its called). Its just annoying. I know its only visible if you zoom in and pixel peep but its just annoys me that its there if you wanna look. It probably matter if you do a lot of large prints which i dont but it still annoys the hell out of me that its there. it might be my OCD talking but its there. i would just zoom in and pixel peep and look at it and be frustrated about it. Gosh! But there's none of that effect with Fuji. I'm not bashing Olympus     (maybe i did a lil bit) but its just there.

 Well maybe thats just me being anal wanting the best, perfect and ultimate camera. but there's none. I can praise Fuji for all of their fine stunning images quality but the focusing is slow. Sometimes its painful to miss a shot just because my Fuji's aren't locking the focus. Thats where the Olympus win.

Olympus is speed king. If your photography needs speed then i would suggest Olympus.

Its been a while since i last use a Fuji, i've been shooting with Olympus (its the new toy!). But yesterday i get to used my X-M1 for the whole time and i did not zoom in pixel peep. Man, i just realised it was tiring to pixel peep. With the Olympus i pixel peep a lot! hohoho... but with Fuji, i dont have to. Clean noise free images and no black spots, dots artifacts. But i do miss shots because of Fuji's slow auto focus technology. Sometimes it focus quick only to get the focus box in red color which means it didnt focus right. Blarghh!

Since i am too picky over image quality but i still need the speed of Olympus, i guess i need to realise that i have to get that....

Fuji X-T1 !!!!

GAS alert!

Just some Olympus 25mm 1.8 lens sample pics for the sake of updates. LOL

Okay,
lack of updates,
doesnt really matter as i'm not sure i have readers or not... lol
Oh well, i just need to take this rant off my chest.

Seriously, my lazy mode is ON.
But i did bought that Oly 25mm 1.8 lens.
I plan on showing off the lens on the camera and some pics taken with it.
No scientific test, just some random snapshot. Dont pixel peep. Please. Not here.

Again, seriously,
I post this sample pics just for the sake of updating this blog.
Its been quiet.
Where have all my rants went to?
Fingers are just lazy to type in what i have in mind.
Okay, lets just start posting pics. Not much, just a few.

So i bought this brand new Olympus 25mm lens in Singapore at TK Foto. If you're in Singapore, get it there... the cheapest price i found than anywhere else and if you're a tourist you still get to claim TAX refund. Good Job TK Foto. Its in Funan Digi Mall.

 The guy who sold me the lens. 

i was putting the lens on my camera to do some test shots.

He said "This lens is great for portrait"

"Oh yeah?" i said

"Let me take your photo"

*Click*

Too bad i forgot to set the aperture wide open. This was at f3.5.

Still nice background blur.

Would love it at f1.8. Just because i like to shoot wide open.

 Wide open at f1.8

The fork is super sharp.

I'll post a photo of the lens on camera next time. 

With the JJC Square Lens hood On. Pure Camera Porn.

Okay, while i'm at it....

i have the feeling to post more pics now. Let me check whats in my Lightroom Library.

 Cool Scooter.

Spot the girl in cab with a haunting face. 

Must be that poster on the cab.

 My fav spot!

The pedestrian!

Nobody cares if i take a picture here..... i guess..

 Added more grain here.

i love how grain and Black & White combine.

 A tiring day

 This place used to be "hot" back in the 80s for us tourist.

I'm just waiting for this guy to pass into my frame.

To be honest, i find it hard to use this 25mm (50mm equivalent) for street photography.

Maybe i'm so used to x100s focal length, 35mm. 

Thats why its perfect for street.

The more reason for GASing the 17mm 1.8 Oly lens.

Next on the list it is.

All pictures are shot in JPGs.

Edited in Lightroom.

With VSCO presets.

Thanks for stopping by.

Lack of updates... I'm off to S'pore again!

OMD EM10

I'm off to Singapore for a business trip, will be pretty busy, i just brought my OMD EM10 only instead of Fuji X100S. I'm also hoping to get my free gifts for my EM10 because i bought it during the promotion period. Not sure if i'll take lots of pictures but i might go crazy and just buy the new Olympus 25mm 1.8 lens. Just for my Camera porn pleasures!

Ciao

A reference if you want to print your OMD pictures..

Got this from http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/omd-em5/omd-em5A5.HTM
For your reference if you ever want to print your OMD photos.

This is for OMD EM-5 but since EM10 is using the same sensor as EM5 i guess it's valid. I dont usually print large but sometimes i get a free offer to print 12x18 if i print 40 or more 3Rs. I've printed some of my Fuji x100s pictures and boy am i glad with the free 12x18 picture. I'll show you that on future post.

Now i want to print my OMD pictures.
2014 resolution. print my pictures.

Note: After my previous post, now i want an X-T1. GAS alert. 

Comparing ISO noise between Fuji X100S and Olympus OMD EM10

Okay,
First off, this is gonna be an apple and oranges comparison.
Some will say these are 2 different cameras but they both take pictures.
Coming from a straight Jpg shooter only, no RAW involve.
I just want to compare how Fuji and Olympus tackle ISO noise.
This is not even a high ISO test.
I always had in mind that Fuji is better than Olympus.
First sign showed me, Yes, its true Fuji is better.
But i always read online that some claimed Olympus is on par with Fuji.
Or at least, its negligible.
That i find it hard to swallow.
Is my OMD settings wrong? someone please shed a light...please.
The noise on my OMD pictures are too obvious to ignore, at least compared to a Fuji.
You see, i owned the Fujis first and then OMD second, so my view is coming from a Fuji ISO perspective. My eyes probably got used to Fuji's quality.
But everywhere i read on the internet claims OMD is on par with Fuji... did i say that already?
You see my disbelief?
It could be the complicated menu of the OMD or wrong settings or thats normal OMD ISO...
Maybe i need to shoot RAW but then i just want to shoot JPGs.
Fuji JPGs is awesome.
Based on my ISO findings of these two camera, it only matter if you print large.
Do you ever print your photos?
Well i do though mainly just normal 3Rs, 4Rs.
It didnt matter. The OMD will do just fine.
But there's always a corner in my mind that knowing the noise on the OMD makes me frustrated.
i just cant brush it off.
Knowing its there, it just unease you.
Its like having a dead pixel on your camera. You cant see it. But you know its there. And over time you'd know the location of the dead pixel everytime you look at your pictures.
I cant keep sliding the luminance noise slider all the time...everytime i import new OMD pictures.
And if you slides too much, you lose details and the skin tones will get smooth and painting like effect.
Some claim Fuji has noise reduction in camera which you cant turn off but hey, the picture is still awesome.
Enough me whining let show you photos already.
Exposure is different but i just wanna show you ISOs

The first photo is from OMD. OOC. Large SuperFine.

OMD EM10

Noise reduction AUTO

Noise Filter LOW

ISO400 

Can you see how grainy the skin tones? 

Its not the grain that really bothers me, its that over sharpen kinda effect noise that really really bothers me.

This is Fuji X100S. OOC

ISO500

There maybe noise reduction in camera here but at ISO500, this is just clean.

Excuse the exposure settings. These are OOC. i could brighten the OMD pic but lets just leave it like that.

So let me ask you Olympus OMD users.... is this noise normal? or i had my settings wrong?

Is there any way to improve my OMD Jpg settings?

I did read Olympus OMD sharpening could exaggerate the noise. i haven't fool around with that kind of settings yet. Mostly default except for the noise settings above.

Note: i also like the fact that i can easily get the look that i wanted with manually setting exposure quickly on my Fuji.(if you get what i meant. i dont know how to explain it). i dont have to adjust the flash brightness. Just play around with the shutter speed and ISO. There! Or maybe i already know my Fuji well. i'm already one with my Fuji, He's the one. Blue pill or Red pill. Down the rabbit hole. Oh sorry my mind wanders to the Matrix.

If you shoot RAW with the Olympus OMD then read this...

i found a video http://robknightphotography.com/olympus-viewer-2-vs-lightroom-4/ where he claimed that the Olympus Viewer software is much better at processing RAW than lightroom.
i havent try it yet as i mainly shoots in JPG but am interested, i guess i have to install it on my mac and start shooting in RAW and see the difference myself.
i love my Olympus OMD but still noise peeping the ISOs of the Jpgs. Coming from Fuji made me this way. Peeping noise. i guess its just placebo on my end.

OMD EM10 Live Composite Mode.... Fun Fun Fun!

I haven't pushed the capabilities of my OMD EM10, this guy needs a stress test but i just fooled around with the live composite mode and boy, such a fun experiment. Light painting made easy. Here's a test shot 1 second exposure OOC Jpg lighted with an iphone. Such a cool feature this Live Composite although some claimed it increased noise. Oh well Olympus noise sucks anyway. But the picture is razor sharp.

Finally none enhancement photo by Blogger. 

it was getting annoying i just had to google on how to fix it.

Yongnuo RF603CII Wireless Trigger on Olympus OMD EM10... OMG it works!!

I've been reading that Olympus OMD EM5 only works with Yongnuo RF602 but not 603 although there is a hack to it but i wont go into that. i dont want to hack my stuffs. i want to buy it and pray that it works. pay and pray. thats how i roll. thats just the way it is. i dont want to open up my trigger and solder this solder that. no. just too much hassle.

EM10 being almost similar to EM5, i worry the same issue with RF603 would resurface. I just purchased a set of RF603 before i bought the OMD although the ones i bought are the latest from Yongnuo, the RF603CII, i guess its a version 2 or Mark 2 they say. Anyway, its still model 603 but good news it works!! so if you want a cheap wireless triggers for your OMD, get the new RF603CII.

Some test shots below...

shot with OMD EM10 with RF603CII to trigger the flash. Flash is Yongnuo 560III

i just bought a pair of Yongnuo's flashes, the YN560III, as it has a built in wireless so you dont need to buy a receiver for it. Just get the RF603CII and set it to the same channel and viola, you got some strobing/strobist project to do!! This flash is cheap too.. i got it for USD$136 for 2 flash.

i set both flash to the same channel and triggered wirelessly by OMD EM10 using the new RF603CII

All i can say is its...

AWESOME!

Look whats in the mail today.... Yippie Ki Yay!

Actually the postmen never sent me a card telling me my stuffs arrived. no. poor service. boo hoo. i had to called the post office and asked them to track my stuffs. luckily there's a tracking number to be tracked or else i'm doom. its almost a month now and my stuffs has yet to arrived. But actually it already is in the post office, i dunno why they didnt call me to get it. again, poor poor service.

The stuffs that i've been waiting for are my Yongnuo's 560 III and the latest wireless triggers by Yongnuo as well the RF603CII..... Yay!

On a side note i hate Olympus OMD's noise... thats iso1600....

Gotta try this Yongnuo's on the OMD EM10......

thats after this break....

Street Shooting in Singapore with Fuji X100S ..... Black and White style!

Okay, i admit. i suck at street photography.
I aint got no balls to shoot strangers in the street, up close? nop.... far? .. yea maybe i can do that...
i shoot a lot of people's back, thats how suck i am in street photography... i hate my life... not! haha...
Oh hell maybe i just make a series of people's back street photography. Instead of face, i see heads, back of heads. i always try to be a ninja, sometimes i do it, sometimes i dont. i just worried too much. And being socially retarded, i cant just ask a stranger and shoot their portrait, just not my thing. i cant talk to strangers, mama dont let me but seriously i just cant. words got stuck at my throat, literally it felt that way. But i like street photography, actually it was fun. its like a challenge and being a ninja and all, i just find it to be fun. i get to use a lot of my camera ya know. As Before.... like i mentioned, i only wait for the right buildings or the right place to take photos. now with street photography, i dont. and looking back at all the pictures i took, i felt satisfied. even though they are strangers and no pictures of me, i felt happy, and its a pleasure this street photography is.  Anyway, yadaa yadaa yadaa....where are the photos? so here goes...

i didnt do much post processing here, just a VSCO preset and pasted to every photos that i'd post. copy and pasted, thats how i roll... just like my exam papers.... sshhhh!

Picture bomb! (Lots of photos)

 Just reached hotel at about 10pm i think, and yup i shoot ppl's back...

 i loved shooting sign boards

 Nice to have a coffee place near my hotel

 MRT in Singapore is awesome. Most famous places have MRT, so its easy to explore Singapore

Here i am trying to be a ninja... saw few people smoke, i think its not that pin sharp because of the motion blur, i was too worried to be caught snapping them.

 i just had to shoot his back.

 Hello my chinese friends please translate this to me...

 i took my time to take this shot, i see her busy looking at the map, i think she wont noticed me taking her pic.

 Yes dude, i'm waiting for you to enter my frame and then i shoot. thanks

i love how the light falls here, okay okay, i shoot their backs.

i used to be crazy with guitars, at one time i had 10 guitars. now that is awesome terrible GAS!

i see Doraemon guitar, how that play? 

Honestly blogger made this look washed out, i just dont know how to fix this.

My favorite place to dine at Funan mall. i ate 2 meals here. please dont judge me. its so good!

 i dont wanna bore you with my GAS, but i am GASing for this, just today... 

 At first look i didnt realised it was handphones..

 A series of shots of people's back.

i dont know what happen here. blogger just make this look like sepia toned.

i love shooting at crossing road

 Again, blogger just doesnt seems to like dark pictures. 

This guy dont seem to mind i took his picture, i meant the map, or was it his? or the map?

 Whats down there?

 You know the rest of this story....

i went home with it, the OMD.

Cleaning services for free

 Universal Studios just across the water

 Big ball of flowers

 The cable cars.

This was supposed to be a dramatic picture, end up as washed out by blogger

My OMD died on me so i took out my x100s to continue my night street shooting 

 Wow, blogger made this super sepia toned. Motion blur due to being a ninja. this is where the stabilisation of OMD wins. 

 oh no blogger what have you done! too washed out!

This is one of my fav strangers photo. that madam is looking at me. ruuuunnn!!

i was pretending shooting the sign board above and chimping to take this shot.

 pre wed photos?? or Singaporean drama?

 You want satay? You got satay!

 Again with the Sepia tone. i think this is one of my ninja successful photo.

 Time to head home

 Look ma, i'm in the middle of the road!!!

i'll see you next time Singapore!