Visit my gallery and 10D page

These pictures in my gallery were taken with my UZI and 10D.

And my 10D page has tips for the Canon 10D.

Dead pixel test

Click on the photo to see a larger sample. This was taken with a 13 sec exposure.

The CCD's in digital cameras may have some flaws where certain pixels may be "on" when they shouldn't be. These pixels show up when the camera heats up or when using long exposures. Here's an extreme example of my camera's hot pixels (and some dead pixels) before I sent it in to be fixed. The picture should be completely black, but some pixels have the wrong value and are various colors. Some newer cameras are actually set up to block hot pixels so they don't show up in pictures. You can use the Dead Pixel Test to check your camera for hot or dead pixels.

Hacking SmartMedia cards to support panorama

Olympus SmartMedia cards have a panorama function that can be used directly in the camera to frame scenes. Other brands of SmartMedia cards have this function "turned off." You can turn it on by rewriting the header on the card. The detailed instructions are at http://www.geocities.com/roberthaus/pan/.

Add-on lenses

Olympus B-300 Teleconverter

I got this to take pictures of the moon. It was very hard to find over the last 2 years because it was discontinued. Olympus recently announced that they will make this lens available again as the TCON-1.7x.

Click on the photo to see a larger sample. This was taken using the Raynox HD-6600 at full wide 38mm.

Wide Angle: People at the Olympus forum at www.dpreview.com recommend either the Tiffen 43 mm 0.75 wide angle converter or a Raynox HD-6600 Pro 0.66 wide angle converter (49mm or 52mm threads). The Tiffen model may be difficult to find because Tiffen filed Chapter 11 a while back. I used to own a Raynox (49mm threads) that I sold to help pay for the repair of my UZ when it died from SDS. I found the lens to be good, with some slight barrel distortion in architecture-type pictures but no distortion in landscape pictures. It also had soft edges, which doesn't bother most people (but it bothered me a bit).

Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize: the bag

So, why do you need a bag?

Well, it's better to carry your camera in one because that way you won't bang the camera around and scratch it.

What are the most important features of a good bag?

It must be big enough to carry the things that you want and the strap! (yes, the strap!) must be made of good soft material.

I learned this the hard way after my first bag (a $20 Case Logic) ruined all my sweaters. The strap was so tough (and sharp) that when it moved around, it tore up the fabric on my clothes. I got my upgrade bag from Yodobashi on a trip to Japan. It's a OVA-004DR. For more models, you can go to Elecom's Webpage in Japanese) and search for OVA. Or look at this snapshot. I like the bag because it looks nothing like a camera bag, and its strap is very soft. The orange compartment at the bottom holds the camera. And the top compartment has enough room to hold batteries, my B-300, and SmartMedia cards.

Case Logic Bag	OVA-004DR Bag

These days, I like Crumpler bags (from Australia).

Other people recommend Lowepro and Tamrac. They have soft straps and come in all different sizes. For example, the UZ can fit perfectly in the Lowepro TLZ1. A lot of people I know also recommend the Lowepro Nova series.

SmartMedia cards, card holder and portable hard drive

SmartMedia Case Closed	SmartMedia Case Open
This case holds 4 cards (with sleeves).

I have survived on 296 MB worth of SmartMedia for week-long trips. And, a card holder/case is a great way to prevent me from losing all those little cards. I got this case from Japan. I think it sells in the US under the Hakuba brand. If you plan on taking long trips, then a portable hard drive is a cheaper alternative in the long run. I have an image tank which I take along on almost every trip, including a very crazy 3-week backpacking trip in Europe. It is very reliable.

Rechargeable batteries and make-shift case

A must. The camera came with one set of NiMH AA's. A set of batteries usually last for a full day's worth of shooting for me. However, how long your batteries will last usually depends on how many pictures you take, whether you use the LCD, and whether you use the flash. I have many sets of batteries (the brands are Olympus, Energizer, GP, Powerex, SunPac) and I carry around a spare set or two in case I run out. Good batteries have high capacities (MAH). See this article at imaging resource for the battery bake-off. Here are some reliable sources for buying batteries:
Green Batteries
Thomas Distributing

Before	After

I use this make-shift case for carrying my batteries. It came with Sucrets cough lozenges (resourceful and cheap, huh?). It did not take me long to discover that the case was just the perfect size to carry 9 AA batteries. The only problem I have had is that the case tends to open easily on its own, especially when full, and the batteries will sometimes spill out into my camera bag. But, you can use a rubber band to secure it. I'm really proud of this one...such a resourceful person I am.

Filters, you can't have enough

I use 55mm filters. I attach a step-up ring (49mm-55mm) to the front of the camera, and add the filters on top of that. The reason I went with 55mm instead of 49mm is because I was worried about vignetting. I chose 55mm instead of other sizes (like the usual SLR 52mm) because I wanted it to be compatible with my B-300 teleconverter. I got my Hoya and Tiffen filters from the Filter Connection.

Hoya Super HMC UV Filter

Some people believe that one should not put a cheap piece of glass (filter) in front of an expensive good-quality piece of glass (camera lens). I tend to believe this, too. But, I also didn't want to risk scratching my expensive piece of glass and forever ruining it. So, I bit the bullet and got a UV filter as camera lens protector. I always leave the UV filter on my camera.

Hoya R72 IR Filter

This filter is fun.

Tiffen Grad ND Filter

I bought this to take pictures of sunsets. But, I haven't used it much.

Quantaray Polarizer

There is some vignetting at the wide angle.

Quantaray Close-up Set

I found it difficult to focus when using these filters. The overall effect is soft.

Lens hood, lens pen, and LCD protection

Lens Hood:

I use a Hoya multi-angle lens hood. It cuts the flare and improves constrast (less washed-out pictures), especially on bright days.

Lens Cleaning:

My philosophy on cleaning is that I do not clean unless it is absolutely necessary. I use a small blower to blow off any particles. And I use either a lens pen (got mine from Circuit City) or a microfiber cloth to deal with smudges.

LCD Protection:

I use da protector. It attaches to the LCD in the back of the camera to protect it against scratches. It makes the screen less bright, so you'll have to adjust the brightness of the display.

Printing Pictures

There are many online services out there. I have tried a bunch. My favorite place is dotphoto (see below) because they can print 4x6's on matte paper, which I prefer over yucky glossy paper. The prices were last updated on 12/29/03.

Website	Paper	Number of Free Prints	Shipping (Base Price)	4x6	5x7	Comments
dotphoto	Kodak (glossy and matte)	30 (over 2 months 10/month, and 10 more with subscription plan)	$1.39	$0.29	$0.95	One of the few places that offers matte prints. I just printed some matte 8x10's and they are spectacular!
shutterfly	Fuji Crystal Archive paper	15	$1.49	$0.39	$0.99	-
snapfish	Kodak	10	$0.99	$0.25	$0.95	-
ofoto	Kodak	10	$1.49	$0.29	$0.99	I didn't like how my prints turned out.
photojo	Kodak	-	$2.95	$0.39	$0.95	-
webphotos	Kodak	20	$1.99	$0.25	$0.75	-
walmart	Fujicolor Crystal Archive Paper	-	In-store pick-up is free.	$0.24	$0.96	The colors come out way too saturated.
photoaccess	matte and glossy	10	$1.95	$0.29	$0.95	-

Where my money is headed. Buying stuff

• The Filter Connection Filters, lenses, and other accessories.
• CameraFilters Filters.
• Camera People Filters.
• Adorama They sell everything.
• B & H Photo They sell everything.
• Bug Eye Digital Lenses.
• Power in Numbers Portable Hard Drives (X's Drive and X's Drive II)
• Inside Computer Tripper, Image Tank, X's Drive II, Super DigiBin
• CompGeeks X's Drive II
• My Digital Discount Portable hard drives