The Trip to Hamilton "Canon" Island Part One

Other than my trip to come to Perth, it was the best trip I have ever taken in my life. It was the first trip I've gone on where I have been sad to have to come back home.

Hamilton Island - Early Morning





Wing and I arrived late because of flight delays, but that didn't stop us from jumping right into the swing and spirit of things. Awake for 36 hrs (we took the red eye from Perth, to Sydney, then a puddle jump flight of 2 hrs to Hamilton Island) and we were all greeted and introduced around to everyone. First thing: we had a "Buggy Rally". A scavenger hunt, teams of 4, in the resorts' carts. It didn't matter who won, because it was just fun. It was also a great way to for all of us to get to know each other. Then, the evenings' entertainment.

Arabian Nights:



There was no assigned seatings, or groups. It was like meeting up with old friends you hadn't known for very long. The entertainment was 2nd to none. If rain threatened (which it did) they always had a back up plan. This came in handy on more than one occasion. We were supposed to go out to the Great Barrier Reef, but the rain and wind made it dangerous. So, there was an alternate location planned for ahead of time. That evening's entertainment.

Under The Sea:



It was great entertainment.



Happened again, but again, the Canon Reps/Staff had back up plans. And the Canon Reps.. wow. There was no hard sells, no promos, nothing like that. The entire trip was for the fun and relaxation of the guests. But I got to question some of the assigned photographers. They had no problem giving help, advice, and for once, there was no "Kit Snobbery" that runs rampant in other gatherings. You know, PC vs Mac, Canon vs Nikon, etc etc. Everyone was more than happy to help others out who weren't familiar with their cameras.

Our Entertainment for the next afternoon was, no joking, Guy Sebastian.

And he is so much better live, than studio.



I have photos of more of the events and entertainment, but haven't gone through them yet.

Just in time

Wing 's and my order from Make Your Own Jeans arrived this morning. Just in time for our trip this Sunday. We got an email they had been shipped on Monday, and arrived Friday. Makes me wonder why it takes 2 to 3 weeks for something to come across Australia, when something from Mumbai gets here in 5 days. heh

All four pairs of pants have been laundered and are out on the clothes line drying. Love the carry bags they were packed in. Will put them back in for the trip, especially white linen pants.

Trying to keep on top of things

5 More sleeps until Hamilton Island trip. Trying to keep up on the laundry, and have made a list of things to take.

Also been wearing my Teva's to make sure they are comfortable, as I need shoes that are waterproof, sturdy and not uncomfortable (aka chafing/blisters)

My biggest do I or don't I is what lenses/camera gear to bring. Will bring the 7D body, battery grip, CF, CF reader and laptop. Maybe three lenses: wide angle, GP lens and telephoto.

I seem to have become sensitive to all three of the tattoo ointments. Papaw, Benpathen and Dermeze. *sigh* So, just been gently washing it cool water when the itching starts.

Oh well, my eyes are trying to cross. early night for me.

"Riding the Last Wave of the Day In" Canvas Prints by Sandra Chung | RedBubble

"Riding the Last Wave of the Day In" Canvas Prints by Sandra Chung | RedBubble:

Dear Universe, you can go.. as my grandmother used to say

Go piss up a rope.

I bought Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended, and LightRoom 4. Imagine my grrr when I tried to open the CR2 files from my G1X, only to have PS say "unrecognizable format". Whohuhwha.." Tried PhotshopElements 10... same same.

Tried in LightRoom 4, and had a (temporary) YIPPY! Right clicked, "edit in Photoshop" only to have a popup window say "This version of Lightroom may require the Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in version 7.0 for full compatibility. Please updated Camera Raw plug-in using the update tool available in the Photoshop help menu"

The GRRR ARGH! is that there is only Adobe Camera Raw 6.7RC1. The kicker is, according to many sites, that v7.0 will only be available for those using Photoshop CS6.

Whiskey
Tango
Foxtrot?

They release software that isn't even compatible with itself? An order of logic, table one, please!

Busy Sunday

Wing had another "Black and White Photography" lesson, and asked me if I wanted to go along. Was feeling kind of tired, so said no at first. Then I figured I would be tired at home doing nothing, or tired walking around Fremantle and doing something, so I opted for the something. Also, I could give my Canon G1X a serious test drive. It passed with, not with straight A's but with a solid B- to B+. The Minuses were the same issues I had with the G12, so it was a familiar issue. I don't use the Articulated live view screen for a view finder. I use it for light metering, and to set F Stop and Shutter speed. Then look through the diopter and take photo. It handles higher ISOs wonderfully, and even though it's only 4x zoom (the G12 was 5X) the larger sensor allowed for larger and sharper photos, so you can zoom in by cropping if you feel the need.

I pretty much went my merry, while Wing and the other students followed the teacher around. I did end up running into them, and even got to chat with the teacher. He told me that Wing takes great photographs. I told him I have said that to Wing several times, and he had my permission to convince Wing.

"Yes, Wing. You do know what you're doing."

Went shopping for some holiday clothes

Needed some shorts/capris pants, some shirts that didn't look like they could be used to wipe engine oil off a crescent wrench, some waterproof shoes, and a new floppy hat.

Tried going to a store that caters to bigger than swizzle stick, but all they had was winter stuff in stock. So, off to K-mart. I wasn't too enthused about having to get shorts at K-Mart because last time, i couldn't even get my backside into the largest size they had available. So, in I went, and luckily they did have denim capris pants. So, I grabbed the largest size, and the next three sizes down. Off to the embarrassment of the fitting room (yeah, right).

Tried on the largest pair... so baggy I didn't have to unbutton them to remove them. Tried the next size down... still a bit too big. Down another size.. almost but too loose around the waist. Next size down fit but the rise in the back was just a bit too low. I'm a firm believer in "Just say no to crack!". So back up to the previous size. I got the pullover shirts loose floppy, as I will be wearing singlets under them.

Off for shoes! got a nice pair of dress shoes for the formal stuff at Hamilton Island. Got some waterproof sneakers/sandals. Also discovered my left foot is almost a full size larger than my right foot! heh.

Last but not least, a new floppy hat, as my old one has a piece of duct tape closing a split on the top. Got one dressy enough to use for other than traipsing around the beach.

Wing showed me his selections of clothing. He bought himself some board shorts! With a rather festive pattern on them! Well, tweak my nose and call me Pinocchio! Surprised the heck outta me!

So, we are all set for glad rags. Wing still needs to find some waterproof shoes in his size. Better hurry up...we only have 10 sleeps until Hamilton Island!

My first ever problem with my Stakka

One of the discs decided it didn't want to come out. Have no idea why. So, I unplugged it and look it over carefully, and spotted two screws. I loosened those, and went looking for more. Nada.

So, I very carefully lifted the section that had the screws and with the slightest bit of upward pressure, the top lifted off. So, I clicked on the EJECT and noticed the disc wasn't quite aligned with the gate. So, after I closed the error message, I clicked eject again, and then gave the disc a wee bit of assistance to exit. YAY! Removed the disc from the data base, which spun the carousel around. Then re-added it. Everything's back to working A-ok.

Today was a scorcher of a day. Wing and I went pillaging. Yeesh, felt like I was melting. He ended up not going out with his mom for coffee, as this hot weather really gets to her. So, he waited until later, after "the Fremantle Doctor" had kicked in. Then took her out for a few quick errands.

Wing fixed a delicious red curry tonight. I'm tempted to hand him my cooking apron... then I remember that I can also cook. heh

Oh Em Gee!

Wing poses behind one of the more amusing sculptures on Cottesloe Beach

Canon G12 vs Canon G1X

Went to Camera Electronics to give the new G1X a 'test drive'. I brought my G12 with me so I could take photos of the same things with each camera.

Identical camera settings: ISO 800 f6.3 1/40 of a second. I chose this because I had read that the G1X was better at the higher ISO settings so decided this would be the bench test. The results were interesting.

The G1X is a bit slower to focus than the G12. This is due to the larger sensor. You also lose 1x zoom, but this isn't a big hardship, as the photo size is 14mp, whereas the G12 is 10. So, zoom in X4 and crop, and you end up with same sized image (just remember to open it in camera RAW so you get all the data) With the G1X, you can't get your lens in as close as you can with the G12 when doing macro shots, but again, larger image allows for cropping. The G1X is a bit bigger and heavier, but again, that's no hardship. I do like that the ISO settings can be changed via dial on the back of the camera rather than having to keep looking on the top, as you have to with the G12. Menus are a bit more intuitive, also.

Onto to the show:

G1X - ISO 800 f6.3 1/40 of a second, on board flash. Light evenly dispersed, photo nice and sharp
	G12 - ISO 800 f6.3 1/40 of a second, on board flash - Over exposed and blown out in the foreground. This has been ongoing issue with the G12 to the point I bought a flash arm to hold my speedlite for better control

Next: noise.

G1X - ISO 800 f6.3 1/40 of a second, No Flash. Good photo quality, handles the high ISO without too much noise
	G12 - ISO 800 f6.3 1/40 of a second, No Flash. Ok photo quality, but suffers from artifacts and noise at high ISO.

So, yes, the G1X takes a second longer to focus, and you lose 1x zoom. But because of the larger sensor, you don't really lose the zoom. Would I recommend this camera to someone who already had the G12? Yes and no. (don't you love ambivalence?)

The No: Probably not right away, I would suggest waiting until the price dropped. If you're mostly shooting outside with sunlight around you, or in a well lit area, the G12 is just fine.

The Yes: But if you want a bigger sensor (meaning richer colors and larger images) more intuitive menu, and a camera that can handle higher ISOs (to me, anything above 200 is high) without blurring or making the image noisy, I suggest you get the G1X. But if you get it right away, be ready to pay.