LuLu Publishing Review

 Lulu offers an economical way to print one offs. I have printed several books, both in B&W and color and have been extremely pleased with the results. Lulu offers many options for printing books. The options I have used so far are as follows:

Book, >500 Pages (so far)
Print Book: US Letter (8.5 x 11 in / 216 x 279 mm),
Print Book: Digest (5.5 x 8.5 in / 140 x 216),
Standard Black & White,
Premium Color,
80# White,
60# White,
Paperback,
Glossy Cover - cover created using Lulu's cover designer
Perfect bound

I generate my content with a python program that I wrote. This program produces print ready pdf's with the exception that it does not embed fonts. Fonts must be embedded for pdf's used on Lulu. This is easy to accomplish - simply open the pdf in a pdf viewer, like FoxIt and print to "Microsoft Print to PDF" in Windows or something similar for MAC/Linux. I have also used Affinity Publisher to generate content as well.

The pricing is very reasonable. The quality is high. I used MagCloud at first but switched to Lulu and saved $$. You can easily find coupons/promos as well to save even more. I highly recommend Lulu for publishing the type of books described above.

Book Cover Example

Continuing Konuspot 80 Digiscoping adventures

Since the last post on the Konuspot 80 I have purchased and received a T-ring adapter for my Olympus OMD-EM1. Now I can mount the camera directly on the scope. This immediately makes life easier. The next thing I did was to mount the scope on my best tripod/ballhead combination. This greatly improved the steadiness of the image.


Sadly, it seems the Rose Breasted Grosbeaks were just passing through and now that I am ready to take their picture they are gone. Oh well. To test out the new setup I tried some flower shots. The biggest problem here is that our climate in SC has changed. Now we have day after day of dry air with lots of wind, unlike the usual humid and still days. While absolutely beautiful weather, it makes capturing flower images at high magnification challenging.


I did take some test shots. Most were soft. I bumped up the ISO to get a higher shutter speed. Even so, focusing on a moving target is near impossible.


The results were mostly soft as I said. There was movement is some which I liked – kind of a dreamy artsy look. Nonetheless, I am waiting for calmer days.


One thing I did not expect was that I cannot use Live View on the EM1 when it is attached to the scope. I was hoping and assumed it would work. I guess since the camera does not recognize a lens is attached it will not do Live View. A perusal of the manual is in order.


In the meantime I have ordered T-ring adapters for my other cameras, the Olympus E30 and Pentax K30. With these adapters I can leave a camera on the scope all the time.

My digiscoping experience with the Konuspot 80 so far

I purchased a Konuspot 80 about a year ago with the intention of doing some digiscoping.  Eagle Optics defines digiscoping as:

Digiscoping is a unique kind of photography using a digital camera and a field spotting scope. Now you can expand your ability to photograph the wonders of nature by putting your digital camera to work with any spotting scope.

On this past Sunday, I finally got around to trying out the Konuspot 80 as a digiscope. I was not following a particular tutorial or procedure, I was basically just remembering the steps from what I had read in the not too distant past.

The Konuspot 80 is a 20X-60X x 80 scope. Mine came with a T type camera adapter and a small tripod.

First thing I noticed is the tripod is too flimsy to be of much use. Of course it didn't helpl that I was using a makeshift table constructed of deck rail, deck chairs, and large books. But I think it's safe to say a better tripod is in order. There is a lot of droop in the supplied tripod. At the magnifications we are dealing with the droop is a major problem.

My suggestion is that whatever tripod you use, get it mounted on a solid surface.

Next, I attached the camera adapter. I had planned on using my Olympus SH-1 point and shoot. There would be no mechanical connection between the camera and scope. I was unable to get a decent shot by hand-holding the camera up to the eyepiece. The fact that I had an unstable tripod setup didn't help the situation, nor did the fact that one hand was always on the camera, leaving the other to adjust the position of the scope, focus of the scope, and magnification of the scope. I quit using the SH-1 without a single image.

I got my Olympus OMD-EM1 and fitted it with a 50mm F2 macro lens. It was easier to hold this camera/lens combination up to the scope eyepiece. Using live view on the camera, I was able to get a few shots - all of which were not as sharp as they might have been. Again, the issue was having enough hands to do everything required. I gave up pretty quickly.

I came in to regroup. I realized I needed someway to attach the camera to the scope. I ordered a T to micro 4/3rds converter for the EM-1. This way I will have the camera mechanically connected to the scope and will have both hands free for other things like positioning, focus, and magnification.

So, if the adapter gets here this week I will try again this weekend.

Other issues/comments.

1. The images in the scope are sharp and bright. I think they will make good photos.

2. I was working in the shade, which required a high ISO for the photos. The brighter the view the better.

3. The bokeh with the scope was interesting.

Onagofly Drone Experience - Good and Bad

I received the Onagofly drone a couple of days ago. I am impressed by the quality/design of the packaging and the device itself. It feels really solid and is surprisingly heavy. I don't have the right version of Android on my phone, so I had to get my son to load the app so we could try it out.

The instructions are minimal but adequate. We finally got connected and started the drone. We used the auto takeoff. My son did the driving. The first flight ended up in a bush beside our house. Maybe we could use this as a hedge trimmer.

We decided to move to a more open area for the next try. Started out ok, but for some reason, the drone took off away from us at a high rate of speed. And as if drawn by a magnet - straight to a big oak tree. BAM! Gone are two propellers. Otherwise - everything seems intact. There are spare propellers. Each propeller is marked with a letter. I assume that they have to match with the motor letter. In my haste, I put the wrong letter  propeller on a motor. The propellers have a press on fit. They do not come off easily. As I was trying to remove the propeller, I ripped the entire motor from the unit. %#$%^ !

I have written customer service about this incident. Hopefully they can sell me a motor, and I can replace myself. We shall see.

There is a crash avoidance feature. It is not on by default. Even if it had been on, I don't believe it would have saved the drone because of the speed it was traveling and the 8" range of the avoidance system.

My luck with drones has not been good.

Update 5 May 2016: I heard from customer service after a week. They want me to send pictures of my problem, which I did. Here's what happened:

Update 19 May 2016: I received an response from my last contact with Onagofly. They said my issues weren't covered by warranty. That's a surprise. No where in my emails did I mention warranty. So I replied asking could I get parts to fix it. They replied that they have forwarded my request to the appropriate staff. Hopefully I will get a quote on parts soon.

Update 16 Sept 2016: Onagofly is incredibly slow in solving this issue. After numerous emails they gave me a RA and I sent the unit back. I know they received the unit over a month ago. Still no info at all from them. I am waiting - pretty frustrated with the company.

UPDATE 18 OCT 2016: I still have not received any information about the repair of my drone. I have pretty much given up and admit I have lost $200 on this journey.

Huion DWH69 Review (Part 1)

Newegg had a great deal on the Huion DWH69 Wireless graphics tablet I purchased one and received it yesterday. . I have a small Bamboo tablet, but never got used to it (for sale, comment if interested).

Seems that lately some of the Asian companies have spent a little more time and effort on packaging. Huion is no different. The tablet came in a sturdy two piece box. Inside, it was cleverly arranged in various compartments. A very nice presentation.

I began with my laptop. I downloaded and installed the latest driver for the unit from Huion's website. I like the way they set that up to. They use OneDrive and share the driver files. If you have a OneDrive account you can copy the file to your storage area, or you can just download it. Pretty cool.

After installing the driver I attached the unit via USB cable and immediately the tablet/pen combination behaved as a mouse. I don't have Photoshop on my laptop so I opened Krita. Sure enough, you can draw with the pen! I am not a big Krita user (yet) so I don't know much about it or what you can do with it. Huion says it does not support Krita. I guess this means that the pen pressure functionality doesn't work among other things. This appeared to be the case. But I could draw.

It will take some time to get used to the two buttons on the pen which function as the two buttons on a typical mouse. They worked as expected. The pen is quite comfy to use.

That's as far as I got on Day 1. Next I will install the tablet on my desktop and give it a try with Photoshop.

ICY Dock Black Vortex MB174U3S‑4SB Storage drive cage Review

I recently purchased a new desktop computer that only had space for 2 HD's. I have a few other drives that I wanted access to. The new computer has highspeed usb3 ports so I was looking for some device to attach my drives through usb3. I decided on the ICY Dock Black Vortex MB174U3S‑4SB storage drive cage.

First of all, it's cool looking. It is well ventilated and has a forced air cooling via a fan on front. It also has cool blue LED lighting. The fan has 3 settings - off, low, and high. The LED's have 3 settings as well - off, some, all. I leave the LED's off, but if you want the cool blue lights, they are there.

The cage has four 3.5inch drive slots. 3.5inch drives are easy to install. A simple handle is screwed onto the drive and it slides into the dock and that's it. If you want to use 2.5inch drives, I suggest you purchase the Icy Dock EZConvert Lite MB882SP-1S-3B device, which will allow a 2.5inch drive to easily fit in the 3.5inch dock.

The power switch is on back of the unit. I presently leave the power on at all times, even if I shut the desktop down. When I power on the desktop, the drives are immediately available.

My unit is presently filled with three 3.5inch drives and one 2.5inch drive. The unit comes with 2 additional handles, so one could have 6 HD's ready for use in the unit. The drives are hot-swappable.

I have not had any issues so far and the unit has performed quite well.

You can find it on Amazon here.

Red River Paper 45lb Zeppelin SemiGloss Double Sided Inkjet Paper Review

The 45lb Zeppelin SemiGloss Double Side paper from Red River is a beautiful paper. The paper has a smooth luxurious feel. It prints very well on my Canon MG6200. I have just received this paper and I think I am going to love it for making photobooks. The paper is rather thin, but I see no bleeding from images on either side to the other. I have used only the 8.5x11 size.The paper is not super white. A very nice paper and highly recommended.

Review of Panasonic Lumix Vario 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 Aspherical Lens for Micro Four Thirds Lens Mount Systems

I had a Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4-5.6 lens. Somehow, my camera and lens got knocked off the table. The camera was fine, the lens was not. So it was an opportunity to get a new lens! I wanted something a little wider - cause I wanted this to be my street lens. I found the Lumix 14-140mm and I really like it. First of all, it appears to be metal (unlike the Oly). Yes it is bigger and heavier, but not too bad on the OMD-EM1. I think the image quality is very good. Focus is very fast. I have used it with extenders with good results. It is an outdoor lens. Interior shots need to be well lit or use a flash. At twice the cost of the Oly 40-150mm - I think it is well worth it.

Photo Mug from Shutterfly Review

I recently purchased a photo mug from Shutterfly. I choose the collage design, which I believe required 14 images. You place your images in various spots. You do not control the size of the images.  I recieved my mug within 5 days of placing the order, which I thought was pretty good service. It was packaged in a styrofoam box which protects the mug in transit. The image quality on the mug is excellent. My only complaint is that there is one photo which is out of bounds with the rest of the images. You can see that in the images below.

I decided on the collage because I couldn't determine from the available products how to make a simple white mug with one photograph.

The quality and finish are excellent.

Dwayne's Photo Review

I sent some 120 film into Dwayne's Photo for developing. I had heard about Dwayne's from the Film Photography Podcast. I sent two rolls in using a bubble type mailer. I filled out the form for B&W developing, weighed my package, and bought postage at USPS. I mailed it in on a Monday. To my surprise, I received my negatives on the following Saturday. Pretty fast service for Dwayne's and the USPS.

One roll was taken in a HolgaPan 120. These negatives turned out as well as expected. The negatives arrived clean, packaged uncut in a sleeve, rolled in a cardboard tube. The only thing missing was the 120 roller, which I asked to be returned.

The second roll was taken in a Lubetel 66. I messed up sequencing these images + I didn't have the setting correct (images too dark) so there's not much to blame Dwayne for on this roll.

Given the quick delivery and good processing of the one roll, I will definitely use Dwayne's again. The price is very reasonable too.

Gorilla Duct Tape Review

I've been using Gorilla Tape for awhile now. It is the best "duct" tape out. I have used it in making my pinhole cameras. I have used it making masks for my through the lens-finder photos. It is suited for any kind of construction with cardboard or foamcore.Excellent in every way  Tough. Very adhesive - but can be removed without too much trouble. No sticky mess. It costs a little more but it is definitely worth it.

You can find Gorilla Tape at Home Depot. Their website is here.

Impossible Black Frame Edition Instant Film for Polaroid 600 series cameras

I bought a pack of Impossible B&W Instant film for my Polaroid 660. I had already shot some Impossible color film. The color film was ok. But I really like the B&W film. And the black frame is a nice touch. I have uploaded one selfie taken with the film, shown below. This was taken inside, handholding the camera at arms length. I really like the tones and contrast. It reminds me of wet plate images, although not as sharp and contrasty. But still a nice image.

Scan of Impossible Black Framed instant film for 600 series Polaroid Cameras.

I didn't have any issues with the film. I immediately put the film back in the foil lined box it came in for 3 mins while it developed.

Looking forward to finding more interesting subjects to shoot with this film.

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II Lens Review

Originally submitted at Adorama

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGI

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II Lens

Good Reach, Sharp Images

By HWPhoto from Greenville, SC on 8/15/2014

 

4out of 5

Pros: Fast / accurate auto-focus, Lightweight, Nice Bokeh, Easily Interchangeable

Cons: Poor in Low Light, Not Waterproof, Weaker Construction

Best Uses: Wildlife Photos, Macro Photography

Describe Yourself: Semi-pro Photographer

I am having good success with photographing butterflies, dragonflies, and other insects with this lens.

(legalese)

Artifact Uprising Soft Cover Instagram Photobook Review

I recently made a small booklet of macro images at Artifact Uprising. I received the book in about 4 days, so the delivery was good. Packaging was minimal, but it arrived in good shape. I printed only images - no text, except for the cover. Creating the book was quite easy. I used the online editor to create my book. I added images uploaded from my computer. The quality of the book is excellent. The images are a little dark, so I wish I had brightened them all. Otherwise I am quite pleased with the images. I am not particularly fond of my image selection and sizing - but that was up to me - not Artifact Uprising.  I think for the price the result is a nice little book that should last for years and years.

You can find Artifact Uprising here.

Review of Walgreens Wall-Art Panel

I received my 5x7 Wall-Art Panel from Walgreens last week. I received this free as a gift from Walgreens. The panel is about 3/16" thick would painted black. Your photo is attached in some way and coated with a UV resistant scratch free glossy finish. I must say that I am impressed with the workmanship. There are no bubbles, no peeling edges, and the image looks great. The panel has an easel back (as does the 8x10 version). Larger versions have a keyhole hanger on the back. The panel looks good and I can recommend it for your photos.

Review of Refrigerator Photo Magnet from Shutterfly

I received a free Photo Magnet from Shutterfly and decided to give them a look. The physical size is 3"x5". The photo is mounted seamlessly on a magnetic backing. The magnetic backing is about 1/16" thick, much more substantial than the magnet sheets you can run through your printer. The photo I submitted was rendered beautifully. The quality of the piece is excellent.  I recommend the Shutterfly Photo Magnet for your refrigerator or as gifts. They can also be a great advertisement for your work.

Walgreens 5x5 Photo Cards Review

Walgreens has added a 5" square photo card to it's selection of photo printing options. The cards are sold starting in groups of 20. They come with 20 envelopes. I recently had the opportunity to get 20 cards for free. Here are my impressions.

1) The quality of print is very good. The photos are printed on card stock.

2) You are able to select from various templates, including a single photo. Templates range from thankyou, birthday, wedding, graduation to one single photo. I chose the single photo with no text for the front.

3) You can add a small photo and text on the back. Cool. You could print your message, address, phone number, etc. on back. My cards look equally good - front and back. On the back, you do get a small "Walgreens" logo centered at the bottom. It is small enough not to be a problem.

4) The envelopes fit the cards and are plain white, fairly thin paper, but sufficient.

I printed one of my photos with my name and address on back. I will use as an advertisement for my photography. Overall I am please with the quality. The delivery took a little over a week using the standard US mail option.

Twenty cards would normally cost approximately $30. This seems a little pricy, but the ability to personalize a card and have it professionally printed may appeal to some at this price.

Review: Photo Printing on Wassau White Metallic Cardstock

I purchased some Wassau white metallic cardstock from Office Depot a while back. I thought I would try printing photos using the paper on my Canon inkjet printer. The plain paper sparkles in the light on the print side. The reverse side does not have the metallic finish.

The first two items I printed were dark and while the glistening effect is nice, the contrast is low and these prints were not anything special. Next I printed a lighter less contrasty print of a butterfly (shown below). I thought it came out pretty good. You will not get highly saturated contrasty prints with this paper. You will get a shimmering dreamy image that is suitable for use in some situations.

I set my printer up for medium glossy. I did not adjust any of the other settings. You might get more contrast by upping the saturation (increasing the ink levels). I didn't try this. For certain images and applications this paper is worth a try.

I searched for the Wassau metallic paper online and really couldn't find much on it. It appears that Wassau sold it's specialty paper division to an investment firm in June, 2013. I don't know when and how the paper will be marketed now.

Scan of image printed on Wassau Metallic paper

Review: SMC Pentax-FA 80-320mm F4.5-5.6 Teleoto Lens

I recently picked up this lens on eBay for $80. I got the silver version. I use it on my K30. I already had a Tamron 70-300mm telephoto lens. So basically, I am comparing the two. The autofocus is similar to the Tamron, slow and imprecise at times. The sharpness of the Pentax lens is much better than the Tamron. I find the sharpness suitable wide open. The color reproduction is excellent. I do not get the CA on the Pentax that I easily get on the Tamron. I have just had this lens for one day and I think I no longer need the Tamron 70-300. Sadly, I paid more for the Tamron than the Pentax lens. Very good lens for the price. Here is an image taken with the Pentax SMC FA 80-320mm lens:

Spicebush Swallowtail

Review of Nanguang 5400K LED Video Light Lamp for Camera DV Camcorder Lighting

I purchased 2 Nanguang 5400K LED lights for use with my DSLR from Amazon here. I received them very quickly. They are $20 lights, so I didn't expect much. They lived up to expectation. They are very basic units that are not designed for durability. I had to disassemble one unit to replace the on/off dimmer knob which had come off. Fortunately the tiny screw used was still inside the unit. While I had the unit apart to replace the knob one of the wires broke so I had to resolder it. Crappy build.

Pros: Cheap, good light, accepts AA cells, hot shoe mount
Cons: Cheap build, very fragile - not professional quality at all.

I already had a Sima  led light for my camera. The design and build on it were much better.

Ok for occasional use.