Dare's Photo Page

DARE'S PHOTO PAGE

UPDATE: The content below is becoming very old. All of my 'regular' photos are now stored in various Google + theme groups, Flickr, and Facebook:

Here is a smattering of some pics I have taken. For a larger showing of what I consider to be my 'best', visit http://picasaweb.google.com/darethehair.

NEW: Want to see some Canon DSLR lenses? Check here!

NEW: Want to see some Time Lapse photo experiments? Check here!

NEW: Want to see some HDR photo experiments? Check here!

UPDATED: Want to see some infrared photo experiments? Check here!

UPDATED: Want to see some 360° panorama experiments? Check here!

Want to see some comparison pictures using an 8x40 monocular attached to my camera? Check here!

DARE'S SAMPLE DIGITAL PHOTOS

Here are some of the earlier digital photos that I ever took -- as well as some that digital scans from old photo slides!

DARE'S HOME-MADE PHOTO GADGETS

PANORAMA TILT ASSISTANT

OFF TRIPOD VIDEO STABILIZER

DARE'S DIGITAL CAMERAS

CANON T1i DIGITAL CAMERA

Canon T1i Specs and feature :

Image Sensor: 15.1 million effective pixels.
Metering: Evaluative; centre-weighted average; partial; spot.
Effective Sensor Size: 22.3×14.9 mm.
35mm Focal Length Equivalent: 1.6X.
Memory: SD/SDHC cards.
Image Sizes (pixels): 4752×3168, 3456×2304, 2352×1568.
Movie Clips: 1920×1080, 1280×720, 640×4809 at 20/30/30 fps.
File Formats: JPEG, RAW, QuickTime MOV.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 12,800.
Flash: Auto, red-eye reduction, forced on and off.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, AC.
Dimensions: 128.8×97.5×61.9 WHDmm.
Weight: Approx. 480 g (minus battery).

NIKON COOLPIX 4500 DIGITAL CAMERA

Specifications


Effective pixels		4.0 million (total pixels: 4.13 million)

Image size		2272 (2,272 x 1,704), 3:2 (2,272 x 1,520), 1600 (1,600 x 1,200), 1280 (1,280 x 960), 1024 (1,024 x 768), 640 (640 x 480)

Lens / Digital zoom		4x Zoom-Nikkor; 7.85-32mm (35mm [135] format equivalent to 38-155mm); f/2.6-5.1; 10 elements in 8 groups; 4x digital zoom

Focus range		30cm (11.8 in.) to infinity (∞), 50cm (19.7 in.) at widest zoom angle setting, 2cm (0.8 in.) to infinity (∞) in Macro mode

Storage media		CompactFlash™ Card Type I/II, 512MB/1GB Microdrive™

Storage		Uncompressed: HI (TIFF-RGB) Compressed: JPEG (Baseline-compliant: FINE, NORMAL, BASIC)

Number of frames (approx.)		Hl: 1, FINE: 8, NORMAL: 16, BASIC: 32 (With 16MB CF Card, image size 2,272 x 1,704)

Shooting modes		AUTO, SCENE (Portrait, Party/Indoor, Night Portrait, Beach/Snow, Landscape, Sunset, Night Landscape, Museum, Fireworks Show, Close Up, Copy, Back Light, Sports, Panorama Assist, Dawn/Dusk and Multiple Exposure), P, S, A, M (includes shooting menu for control of White Balance, Metering, Image Adjustment, Image Sharpening, Saturation Control and Noise Reduction), Movie

Built-in Speedlight		Automatic pop-up; Range: 0.5 to 3.0m (1.6 to 9.8 ft.) (W), 0.5 to 1.6m (1.6 to 5.2 ft.) (T); Flash control: Sensor flash system; Flash modes: Auto, Flash Cancel (off), Red-eye Reduction, Anytime Flash (fill-flash), Night Portrait (Slow Sync Flash)

Power requirements		One Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL1, or 6V 2CR5 (or DL245) lithium battery, AC Adapter/Battery Charger EH-21

Battery life		Approx. 100 min. with EN-EL1 battery when using LCD monitor

Dimensions (W x H x D)		Approx. 130 x 73 x 50mm (5.1 x 2.9 x 2.0 in.)

Weight		Approx. 360g (12.7 oz.) without battery and storage media

NIKON COOLPIX 995 DIGITAL CAMERA

CAMERA SPECIFICATIONS

Type of camera

Digital camera E995

Effective pixels

3.2 million

CCD

1/1.8-in. type high-density CCD (3.34 million total pixels)

Image size

2,048 x 1,536 pixels; UXGA-size (1600 x 1200); SXGA-size (1280 x 960); XGA-size (1024 x 768); VGA-size (640 x 480); 3:2 (2048 x 1360) selectable

Lens

4x Zoom Nikkor; f = 8.0~32.0mm [35mm (135) format equivalent to 38~152mm]/F2.6 ~ 5.1 with macro; 10 elements in 8 groups; all elements are made of environmentally friendly glass; Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC) applied; glass-molded aspherical lens elements included

Autofocus

Contrast-detect TTL AF; 7,123-step autofocus control including macro range; 5-area Multi AF or Spot AF selectable

Focus modes

1) Continuous AF mode (when using LCD monitor), 2) Single AF mode (when not using LCD monitor and/or selectable from shooting menu), 3) Manual [50 steps from 2cm to infinity with Focus Confirmation indication]

Focus range

30 cm to infinity; 2 cm to infinity in Macro mode

Optical viewfinder

Real-image zoom viewfinder; dioptre adjustment: -2 ~ +1 m-1; LED indication

LCD monitor

1.8-in., 110,000-dot, low-temp. polysilicon TFT LCD (LED backlight); brightness (5 levels)/hue (11 steps) adjustment; frame coverage: approx. 97%

Auto OFF mode

30 sec.; can also be set manually (1/5/30 min.)

Storage

System: RGB EXIF file (uncompressed TIFF or compressed JPEG)Design rule for camera file system (DCF) Media: CompactFlash™ (CF) Card Type I and Type II (not compatible with Microdrive) No. of frames with 16MB CF Card (approx.)

Image size	FULL	UXGA	SXGA	XGA	VGA	3:2
Image quality
HI	1	-	-	-	-	1
FINE	10	16	24	37	86	11
NORMAL	19	31	47	69	144	22
BASIC	37	59	86	121	229	42

Shooting modes

Fully automatic ([A]-REC) mode; Custom ([M]-REC) mode (three combinations of mode settings can be memorized)

Shooting menu options

1) White Balance, 2) Exposure Metering, 3) Continuous, 4) Best-Shot Selector (BSS), 5) Lens, 6) Image Adjustment (Auto/Normal/More Contrast/Less Contrast/Lighten/Darken), 7) Image Sharpening, 8) Digital zoom (up to 4x), 9) Noise Reduction, 10) Saturation Control

Capture modes

1) Single, 2) Continuous, 3) Multi-Shot 16 (16 frames in 1/16 size), 4) VGA Sequences, 5) Ultra high-speed Continuous (approx. 30 fps for 70 QVGA-size images), 6) Movie (40 sec. for QVGA-size images at 15 fps)

Exposure metering

4-mode TTL metering; 1) 256-segment Matrix, 2) Centre-Weighted, 3) Spot, 4) AF Spot

Shutter

Mechanical and charge-coupled electronic shutter; 8 to 1/2,300 sec. and Bulb (up to 60 sec.)

Aperture

7-blade iris diaphragm; 10 steps in 1/3 EV increments

Exposure control

1) Programmed Auto with Flexible Program, 2) Shutter-Priority Auto, 3) Aperture-Priority Auto, 4) Manual; Exposure Compensation (±2 EV in 1/3 EV steps); Auto Exposure Bracketing (5 steps within ±2/3 EV)

Exposure range

EV -2.2 ~ +17 (W) (ISO 100 equivalent)

Sensitivity (approx.)

ISO 100 equivalent; 100, 200, 400, 800, Auto; can be controlled in any exposure mode

White Balance

1) Matrix Auto White Balance with TTL control, 2) 5-mode Manual with fine tuning (Fine/Incandescent/Fluorescent/Cloudy/Speedlight), 3) Preset, 4) White Balance Bracketing

Self-timer

10 sec. or 3 sec. duration

Built-in Speedlight

Pop-up typeGuide number: 10 (at ISO 100)Flash control: Sensor flash systemFlash modes: 1) Auto Flash, 2) Anytime Flash,3) Slow Sync, 4) Red-Eye Reduction

External Speedlight

Multi-flash sync terminal connects to external Nikon Speedlight SB-28DX/28/26/25/24/22s through the Multi-Flash Bracket Unit SK-E900; built-in Speedlight can be canceled when using external Speedlight(s)

Playback menu options

1) 1 frame, 2) Thumbnail (4/9 segments), 3) Slide show, 4) Enlarged playback (up to 6x); Histogram indication and highlight point display; Focus confirmation indication; Hide and protect attributes can be set to each image

Interface

USB 1.1 interface System requirements

For Windows®	For Macintosh®
OS: Windows®98/98SE, Windows®2000, Windows®ME pre-installed model	OS: Mac® OS 8.6, 9, 9.1 (Only built-in USB ports are supported)
CPU: MMX® Pentium® or later	Models: iMac™, iBook™, Power Macintosh® G3 (Blue/White), Power Macintosh™ G4, PowerBook® G3 (USB built-in model)
RAM: 32MB minimum (over 64MB recommended)	RAM: 32MB minimum (over 64MB recommended)

I/O terminal

Power input; Video output (NTSC or PAL selectable); Digital output terminal (USB 1.1/Remote Cord); Sync terminal for external Speedlight

Power requirements

Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL1 (included), 2CR5/DL245 lithium battery (optional), AC adapter (optional)

Battery life

Approx. 110 min. when using LCD monitor and EN-EL1 battery at normal temperature (20°C)

Dimensions (W x H x D)

138 x 82 x 40 mm

Weight (without battery)

Approx. 390 g

Accessories included*

Lens cap, Neck strap, Video cable, 16MB CompactFlash™ Card, USB cable UC-E1, Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL1, Battery Charger MH-50, Nikon View 4 (COOLPIX) CD-ROM, Photoshop® 5.0 LE CD-ROM

NIKON COOLPIX 4300 DIGITAL CAMERA

CAMERA SPECIFICATIONS

Type of camera

Digital camera E4300

Effective pixels

4.0 million

CCD

1/1.8-inch type (4.13 million total pixels)

Image size

2272 (2,272 x 1,704 pixels), 2048 (2,048 x 1,536 pixels), 1600 (1,600 x 1,200 pixels), 1280 (1,280 x 960 pixels), 1024 (1,024 x 768 pixels), 640 (640 x 480 pixels) selectable

Lens

3x Zoom-Nikkor; f = 8-24mm (35mm [135] camera format equivalent to 38-114mm); f/2.8-4.9; 9 elements in 8 groups

Digital zoom

4x digital zoom

Autofocus

Contrast-detect TTL AF: 5-area Multi AF or Spot AF selectable

Focus modes

Continuous AF, Single AF, Manual Focus (49 positions, focus confirmation image)

Focus range

30cm (11.8 in.) to infinity (�‡) at widest zoom angle setting; 60cm (23.6 in.) at telephoto zoom angle setting; 4cm (1.6 in.) to infinity (�‡) in Macro mode

Optical viewfinder

Real-image zoom optical viewfinder with LED indication Frame coverage: approx. 80%

LCD monitor

1.5-in., 110,000-dot, low-temp. polysilicon TFT LCD; brightness adjustment (5 steps); Frame coverage: approx. 97%

Storage system

Exif 2.2 file (uncompressed TIFF-RGB or compressed JPEG) Design rule for camera file system (DCF), Fine: approx. 1/4; Normal: approx. 1/8; Basic: approx. 1/16; uncompressed mode TIFF-RGB, Quick Time Motion JPEG (Movie)

Media

CompactFlash (CF) Card Type I

No. of frames with 16MB CF Card (approx.)

Image size Image quality	2272	2048	1600	1280	1024	640
HI	1	-	-	-	-	-
FINE	8	10	16	24	37	86
NORMAL	16	19	31	47	69	144
BASIC	32	37	59	86	121	229

Shooting modes

Auto, SCENE, Manual, Movie

Scene modes

Portrait, Party/Indoor, Night Portrait, Beach/Snow, Landscape, Sunset, Night Landscape, Museum, Fireworks Show, Close Up, Copy and Back Light.

Capture modes

1) Single, 2) Continuous, 3) Multi-Shot 16 (1/16 size), 4) VGA Sequence, 5) Ultrahigh-speed Continuous (QVGA-size images; approx. 30 fps; up to 70 frames)

Movie

Up to 40 sec. QVGA-size images at 15 fps

Exposure metering

4-mode TTL metering: 1) 256-segment Matrix, 2) Spot, 3) Center-Weighted, 4) Spot AF Area

Shutter

Mechanical and charge-coupled electronic shutter; 8 to 1/1,000 sec., and Bulb (up to 60 sec.)

Aperture

Electronically controlled preset aperture

Exposure control

1) Programmed Auto, 2) Manual; Exposure Compensation (±2 EV in 1/3 EV steps); Auto Exposure Bracketing

Exposure range

EV -3 ~ +15 (W), EV +1.4 ~ +16.6 (T) (ISO 100 equivalent)

Sensitivity (approx.)

Auto or Manual (ISO 100, 200, 400, equivalent); can be controlled in Manual mode

White balance

1) Matrix Auto White Balance with TTL control, 2) 5-mode Manual with fine-tuning (Fine/Incandescent/Fluorescent/Cloudy/Speedlight), 3) Preset, 4) White Balance Bracketing

Self-timer

10 sec. or 3 sec. duration

Auto OFF mode

Selectable (30 sec. 1/5/30 min.)

Built-in Speedlight

Shooting range: approx. 0.4 - 3.0m (1.3 – 9.8 ft.) (W), approx. 0.4 – 1.7m (1.3 – 5.6 ft.) (T) Flash modes: 1) Auto Flash, 2) Flash Cancel, 3) Red Eye Reduction, 4) Anytime Flash 5) Slow Sync

Playback menu options

Single frame, Thumbnail (4/9 segments), Slide show, Enlarged playback (up to 6x), Movie; Histogram indication and highlight point display; Hide and protect attributes can be set to each image; Focus confirmation indication

Interface

USB

I/O terminal

Power input; Video output (NTSC or PAL selectable); Digital terminal (USB/Remote Cord)

Power requirements

One Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL1 (included), one 6V 2CR5 (DL245) lithium battery (optional), AC Adapter EH-53 (optional)

Battery life

Approx. 90 min. when using LCD monitor and EN-EL1 battery at normal temperature (20°C [68°F])

Dimensions (W x H x D)

95 x 69 x 52mm (3.7 x 2.7 x 2.0 in.)

Weight

Approx. 230g (8.1 oz.) (without battery and storage media)

Supplied accessories*

Lens Cap, Hand Strap, Video Cable, 16MB CompactFlash™ Card, USB Cable UC-E1, Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL1, Battery Charger MH-53, Nikon View 5 CD-ROM *Supplied accessories may differ by country or area

Optional accessories

AC Adapter EH-53, Battery Charger (DC 12V in) MH-53C, Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL1, Various size CompactFlash Cards, Soft Case CS-E885, Step Down Ring Lens Adapter UR-E4, Wideangle Converter WC-E24/WC-E63*, Telephoto Converter TC-E2/TC-E3ED*, Fisheye Converter FC-E8*, Slide Copy Adapter ES-E28*, Remote Cord MC-EU1, LCD Hood HL-E885

*Step Down Ring Lens Adapter UR-E4 is necessary.

NIKON COOLPIX 880 DIGITAL CAMERA

[accidentally destroyed!]

Nikon COOLPIX 880 Specifications

Type of camera

Digital camera

CCD

1/1.8-in. high-density CCD; total number of pixels: 3.34 million

Image size

2,048 x 1,536 pixels; XGA-size (1,024 x 768), VGA-size (640 x 480) selectable

Lens

2.5x Zoom-Nikkor; f = 8~20mm [35mm (135) format equivalent to 38~95mm]/F2.8~4.2 with macro; 9 elements in 7 groups; all elements are made of environmentally friendly glass; Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC) applied

Digital zoom

Up to 4x in 0.2x steps; operable using zoom buttons

Autofocus

Contrast-detect TTL AF; 5-Area Multi AF or Spot AF selectable

Focus modes

1) Continuous AF mode (when using LCD monitor), 2) Single AF mode (when not using LCD monitor and/or selectable from shooting menu), 3) Manual (48 steps from 4cm to infinity (

) with Focus Confirmation indication)

Shooting distance

40cm to infinity (

); 4cm to infinity (

) in Macro mode

Optical viewfinder

Real-image zoom viewfinder; magnification: 0.4~1.0x; frame coverage: approx. 80%; LED indication

LCD monitor

1.8-in., 110,000-dot, low-temp. polysilicon TFT LCD; brightness/hue adjustment; frame coverage: approx. 97% (through/freeze image)

Auto OFF mode

30 sec.; can also be set manually (1/5/30 min.)

Storage

File format: Uncompressed TIFF or compressed JPEG, or QuickTime® movie
Media: CompactFlash™ (CF) Card
No. of frames with 8/16/64/96MB CF Card (approx.)

Image quality	FULL	XGA	VGA
Image size	FULL	XGA	VGA
HI	0/1/6/10	-	-
FINE	5/10/40/61	19/39/159/238	48/97/390/585
NORMAL	10/20/81/121	38/76/309/459	88/177/725/1,064
BASIC	19/39/159/238	71/144/588/867	161/324/1,300/1,951

Shooting modes

Fully automatic mode; 11 scene modes (Portrait, Party/Indoor, Night Portrait, Beach/Snow, Landscape, Sunset, Night Landscape, Fireworks Show, Close Up, Copy, Back Light); custom modes (P, A, M and full custom)

Shooting menu

1) White balance, 2) Metering, 3) Continuous, 4) Best-Shot Selector (BSS), 5) Lens, 6) Image Adjustment (Auto/Normal/ More Contrast/Less Contrast/Lighten/Darken/Black & White), 7) Image Sharpening, 8) Image size/quality, 9) Sensitivity, 10) Exposure, 11) Focus, 12) Folder setting, 13) Card format

Capture modes

1) Single, 2) Continuous, 3) Multi-Shot 16 (16 frames in 1/16 size), 4) VGA Sequence, 5) Ultra High-speed Continuous (approx. 30 fps for 70 QVGA-size images), 6) Movie (up to 40 sec. for QVGA-size movie at 15 fps)

Exposure metering

4-mode TTL metering; 1) 256-segment Matrix, 2) Centre-Weighted, 3) Spot and 4) AF Spot

Shutter

Mechanical and charge-coupled electronic shutter; 8 to 1/1,000 sec. and Bulb (up to 60 sec.; picture noise may appear)

Aperture

Electromagnetically controlled preset aperture; Range: Two stops (f/2.8 and f/7.8 [W], f/4.2 and f/11.3 [T])

Exposure control

1) Programmed, 2) Aperture-Priority Auto, 3) Manual; Exposure Compensation (±2 EV in 1/3 EV steps); Auto Exposure Bracketing (5 steps within ±2/3 EV)

Exposure range

EV 0~16 (W), EV 1.2~17.2 (T) (ISO 100 equivalent)

Sensitivity (approx.)

ISO 100 equivalent; 100, 200, 400, Auto; can be controlled in any exposure mode

White balance

1) Matrix Auto White Balance with TTL control, 2) 5-mode Manual with fine tuning [Fine (Sunny)/Incandescent/Fluorescent/Cloudy/Speedlight], 3) Preset

Self-timer

10 sec. or 3 sec. duration

Built-in Speedlight

Shooting range: 0.4~2.5m (T), approx. 0.4~3.7m (W), approx. 0.2~2.5m (Macro at T)
Flash control: Sensor flash system
Flash modes: 1) Auto Flash, 2) Flash Cancel, 3) Anytime Flash, 4) Slow Sync, 5) Red-Eye Reduction

Playback function

1) Quick Review, 2) 1 frame, 3) Movie, 4) Thumbnail (4/9 segments), 5) Slide show, 6) Zoom playback (up to 4x); Histogram indication/highlight point display; Focus confirmation indication; Hide and protect attributes can be set to each image

Delete function

Deletes all frames or selected frames

Interface

USB interface or Serial interface (Windows®: 115kbps, Macintosh®: 230kbps)

Note: Serial Cables (SC-EW3 for Windows® and SC-EM3 for Macintosh®) are optional.

Video output

NTSC or PAL (selectable)

I/O terminal

Power input; Video output; Digital output (USB/Serial)

Power requirements

Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL1 (optional), 6V 2CR5 (DL245) lithium battery; AC Adapter/Battery Charger EH-21 (optional)

Battery life

Approx. 110 min. when using LCD monitor and 2CR5 (DL245) lithium battery at normal temperature (20°C)
Approx. 90 min. with rechargeable Li-ion battery

Dimensions (W x H x D)

Approx. 99.5 x 75 x 53.2mm

Weight (without battery)

Approx. 275g

Accessories included*

Lens cap, Wrist strap, Video cable, CompactFlash™ Card, USB cable, 6V 2CR5 (DL245) lithium battery, NikonView Ver. 3 CD-ROM

Optional accessories

Soft Case CS-E880, Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL1, AC Adapter/Battery Charger EH-21, CompactFlash™ Cards, PC Card Adapter EC-AD1, Serial Cables (SC-EW3 for Windows® and SC-EM3 for Macintosh®), Remote Cord MC-EU1, Telephoto Converters TC-E2 (2x)/TC-E3ED (3x), Wideangle Converters WC-E24/WC-E63, Fisheye Converter FC-E8, Slide Copying Adapter ES-E28, Step Down Ring Lens Adapter UR-E2

DIGITAL CAMERA INFO

Some links to useful digital camera reviews:

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