Canon S95

Wednesday, 30 November 2011

It was time to replace my trusty Canon SD770IS. I wanted another Canon camera for a couple of reasons: they have great battery life, well made, but most importantly i could continue to use the CHDK program.

I still wasn't sure whether i should get a new camera that cost around $200 or buy a cheap used one for around $80. I thought about getting a used Canon PowerShot A580. New they cost around $180, but i could not find a used one.
As far as new camera's i looked at getting the Powershot ELPH 300 HS, it was recently on sale for $160. That bad part is that they haven't written the CHDK program for that specific model. Maybe they will in the future but i decided not to get it right now.
I had seen and read about the Canon S95 for a while now. Every magazine review says it's the best point and shoot camera there is. The downside is that it cost $400. But after Thanksgiving it went on sale for $290.

It was the closest thing to what i wanted, a DSLR that's not $1000 and fits in my pocket. So i bought it.

Here's what the CHDK program menu looks like on the camera.
I also bought a leather case that attaches to the camera. It's a little awkward to take pictures while the case is attached.

But i do like it when it is completely covered.

I still might get a cheap used Canon for the more "risky" type of pictures, like tying it to a kite.

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Final Flight

After getting the flowform kite to fly with the camera i was almost ready for my homemade kite to give it a try. Here's the link from the earlier kite making.
I did the last bit of finishing touches to the kite, mainly the bridle. Then i had to make a better, steadier, harness for the camera. The thing to use is called a picavet. It is a harness and bracket that ensures that the camera is always level, no matter what angle the string is at.

This was my first attempt. I used light aluminum box tubing and pvc tubes instead of pulleys. It was pretty light, but i didn't like it.
So next i made this out of a thick wire hanger. Simple and strong.

Someone online said that they attach it to the kite string using a simple metal o-ring. It loops over the line and seemed like a good idea. I didn't have an o-ring so i used copper washers.

I first tried the Rokkaku kite, but it was way too windy and it didn't fly at all. The kite kept zig-zagging back and forth. So i used the flow-form kite that flew before when the wind was really blowing hard.

Again it went right up with the camera.
This time i was in the park down the street.
That's 15 mile road at the top.



Notice the sidewalk down there...
Well i guess the saying is "you can't make an omelet without cracking some eggs."

Just as i started pulling the kite in the string snapped and it fell to the only area of pavement, of course, the bike path. The problem was that the washers used had too sharp of edges and after 20 minutes the kite string snapped.

The kite floated away, even after an hour of looking for it i never saw it again. I'm pretty sure it landed in someones backyard on the other side of the woods.

Since the camera was totally broken i decided to just take it apart and see how it's made.

I plan on getting another used or new Canon camera and making another flow-form kite. It's a bummer, but i've needed a different camera for a while. That one had so many things wrong with it:

• broken battery door
• dirt inside lens
• missing lens cover

but it always worked and was great for doing these CHDK projects.

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HDR + Photoshop

Thursday, 3 November 2011

I've tried taking some more HDR photos.

This one i did earlier but i also converted to a vector image.
I'm starting to get a little better processing HDR photos but i still have a while before they look they way i want them too. But i am getting better with Photoshop. Just in changing the contrast, color, saturation, levels....

Here's some old photos that i've recently improved. This photo originally came out very dull looking. I increased the color and contrast to make it appear the way the Grand Canyon really looked that day.
Here's a picture i took in Arizona. I did a bunch of stuff to this as well and ended up changing it to black and white.

My favorite sculpture, The Bean in Chicago.


This one i didn't do a whole lot to. This is actually how Sedona looks.
I've found that after a while i do the same 4 or 5 things to most of the photos in Photoshop. Here's sunrise at Lake Erie
Pictures like these of sunrises or sunsets are difficult because of the huge change in light. Some areas are dark and some are very bright. I tried to use Photoshop to get a good balance.

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