The Bird Park

Posted on February 13, 2011 by TV Smith

I took the Olympus E-PL2 and a tele lens for a workout at the KL Bird Park yesterday. The M.Zuiko 75-300mm lens is equivalent to a 150mm to 600 mm lens in old money. At f4.8 to f6.7, it may not be very fast but this zoom lens is so small and light. It made my romp around the park more enjoyable.

The weather went from hazy to sunny to rainy, all within a short span. Even under adverse lighting conditions, the AF was surprisingly snappy and accurate, requiring little manual intervention.

The only caveat is that the optional VF-2 electronic viewfinder becomes a necessity. Otherwise, it is near impossible to compose and keep steady by looking at the LCD screen alone. Every curious stranger who wanted to peep through the hotshoe-mounted viewfinder was blown away by its amazing clarity. It is a very expensive accessory, though.

Olympus E-PL2, ISO 1600, f6, 1/640 sec, M.Zuiko 75-300mm lens at 187mm

The Victoria Crowned Pigeon is the largest (surviving) pigeon and is very photogenic with its beautiful crest and plume. The ones at the Bird Park are quite tolerant of cameras.

Olympus E-PL2, ISO 640, f5.6, 1/640 sec, M.Zuiko 75-300mm lens at 132mm

The Cockatiels, Conures, Parrots and Parakeets are the first batch of birds to greet you when you walk into the world’s largest free-flight walk-in aviary. Unfortunately, the colourful Sun Conures are now caged-in. There are also a lot of netting in the background that is hard to avoid in this area.

Olympus E-PL2, ISO 200, f5, 1/640 sec, M.Zuiko 75-300mm lens at 75mm

This giant Pelican is a favourite with visitors. The diminutive 75-300mm lens also makes a great candid and portraiture lens at its shortest end.

Olympus E-PL2, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/1000 sec, M.Zuiko 75-300mm lens at 300mm

At the long end, the plane of focus is extremely narrow and tricky. The Auto-Focus nailed it when it locked onto this bird’s eye. It took a few attempts as the bird would turn back and forth, in rapid succession.

Olympus E-PL2, ISO 1000, f5, 1/640 sec, M.Zuiko 75-300mm lens at 75mm

No. This is not your regular Kampung Kok Kok Kai. It is the majestic Red Jungle Fowl.

Olympus E-PL2, ISO 250, f4.8, 1/640 sec, M.Zuiko 75-300mm lens at 75mm

Contortionist Bird. Since I always shoot at the wide 16:9 ratio, how can I resist this guy? The E-PL2 metering (and sensor) handled the scene with decent enough latitude.

Olympus E-PL2, ISO 400, f5, 1/800 sec, M.Zuiko 75-300mm lens at 75mm

Pretty In Pink. The colony of Flamingos turned out to be a little difficult to photograph. They were flapping, turning and twisting randomly, almost non-stop.

Olympus E-PL2, ISO 800, f4.8, 1/180 sec, M.Zuiko 75-300mm lens at 75mm

When the going gets dark, the flash gets going. The sun was setting and the light level was getting too low. I just popped (up) the flash and use it as fill light. Works pretty well on this colourful Indian Blue Peafowl.

Olympus E-PL2, ISO 1000, f3.6, 1/500 sec, M.Zuiko 14-42mm lens at 15mm

Olympus E-PL2, ISO 1000, f3.6, 1/500 sec, M.Zuiko 14-42mm kit lens at 15mm

Pocket Rocket. For its reach and quality, the Olympus Micro Four Thirds 75-300mm (600mm in 35mm equivalent) lens is smaller and lighter than a bottle of mineral water!

Getting There: MyCen Map to The KL Bird Park

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Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team 2011 Challenger

Posted on February 8, 2011 by TV Smith

The new Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team 2011 Challenger made its debut in Malaysia last night. The MGP W02 was launched last week by Michael Schumacher at Cheste, near Valencia in Spain. Under the backdrop of the Petronas Twin Towers, the new car was unveiled by young drivers from Petronas’ talent development programme, witnessed by Tun Dr Mahathir and other VIPs…

A Horizontal Vertical

Thumbs Up

Wind Tunnel

All pictures captured with the Olympus E-PL2 camera by TV Smith.

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The Art Of Art Filters

Posted on February 6, 2011 by TV Smith

Recent Olympus cameras are equipped with so-called Art Filters. They are actually special effect presets which users can use to create what Olympus calls “artistically impressive” images. While many will find this convenient, I personally prefer to add any effect in post using Photoshop or similar software as I can control the parameters.

Nevertheless, the ability to create and see the effects immediately on camera is a great time (and money) saving feature. Since I am still reviewing the Olympus E-PL2, I thought I should see what the art filters can achieve on the streets…

Chinese Temple - Diorama Filter

The Diorama Filter changes the focus selectively and it also alters the colour / contrast. Processing time seems to be the longest with this filter. It can take up to 7 seconds sometimes.

Friendly Stranger - No Filter

I was photographing the coffee shop across the street when this gentleman stopped right in front of the camera to ask about the pancake lens. He wanted to know if it retracts. To get out of Art Filter quickly for this shot, all I had to do was to rotate the mode dial from Art back to A (Aperture Priority).

Polite Vandal - Dramatic Tone Filter

This filter is my favourite art filter but toughest to use as it appears to be as unpredictable as KL’s graffiti artists.

Wooden Clogs - Dramatic Tone Filter

Saw these clogs outside a Chinese astrology shop in Chinatown.

Happy Rabbit Year - Grainy Film Filter

Certain subjects lend itself well to this monochrome filter. The back lane where Pasar Karat (aka Thieves Market) is located is just as sleazy after sunrise.

Lion Dance Trouper - iEhnance Picture Mode

I prefer the iEhnance Picture Mode over the Pop Art Filter as the colours appear over-saturated with the latter. Use it sparingly, if you have to.

Old Sikh Temple - Pin Hole Filter

The result appears more like corner vignetting than pin hole. I know because I built a working pin-hole camera when I was a kid. Now, I don’t have to spend a fortune on a full frame camera to get vignetting 🙂

Drive-by Shooting - Dramatic Tone Filter

I took this photo while waiting at the traffic lights. In this case, I turned up the saturation a bit. Does it not look like an album cover?

It's A Jungle Out There - Soft Focus Filter

How many of you remember smearing some Vaseline on a glass filter to achieve a dreamy effect? Or placing a stocking over the lens so as to soften your girlfriend’s skin blemishes? I think this filter will be least appreciated as the current generation is brainwashed into thinking that sharp is always good.

Independence Square - Dramatic Tone Filter

Dramatic Tone Filter seems to work best with clouds and back-lit subjects. The filter made part of the flag pole disappear into the clouds. Drama Filter 🙂

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Category Archives: Photography

The Bird Park

Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team 2011 Challenger

The Art Of Art Filters