HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

[hulagirl]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

Pomai, I like your flower pics a lot! The orange flowers are my fave- so beautiful... and Lika Nui, your pix make me want to go swimming!

I wanted to ask you guys what your favorite point and clicks are. My Canon S500 elph is acting up and according to the canon website it costs $115+ shipping to fix it. It's 5mp and about 4-5 years old but the pictures that came out of it before were pretty nice:

Ko'olina, little fuzzy because I enlarged the pic...


My backyard.

So... my questions for you experts are, should I pay the money to repair my old 'relic' (made in Japan btw) or should I buy a new one? And if you guys think just chuck it and buy a new one, which camera do you all like?

I totally love my new toy but it's nice to have a little one to put in my purse... ykwim? Thank you guys in advance...

[Jim75]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

By the way, the water was only ankle-deep where I was standing.

One of my grad school professors said, when telling us how we'd need to conduct ourselves if we planned on succeeding in the program, "You don't have to walk on water, but you'd better not get in over your ankles". Thankfully, my reputation for getting in over my head hadn't preceded me.

I'll bet it was fun seeing those copters. Sometimes B-1's from Ellsworth AFB do fly-overs in the Black Hills and I always get a kick out that.

Took these three flower shots about an hour ago at the "Surfers' Garden" located in between the first two lookouts at Diamond Head.

All three of those are excellent, Pomai! I like the Plumeria's best. That's one of the best shots of Plumeria I've ever seen. Great light.

My backyard.

So... my questions for you experts are, should I pay the money to repair my old 'relic' (made in Japan btw) or should I buy a new one? And if you guys think just chuck it and buy a new one, which camera do you all like?

I love this picture from your yard.

Cost of repair is prohibitive with so many of todays electronic devices. Still, $115 gets you your Elph back and those are great little cameras. I had a shot printed from a Pentax 5mp camera at 20"x30" and it looks great (just required adjusting the pixels up to 425ppi along with the dimensions). Canons have nice lenses and the number of megapixels isn't really a big issue, so one way to look at it is your getting a nice, extremely compact camera for $115 by repairing it.

I just did a little searching and found you can get a Canon Elph1000 for $169.00 through Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._cp_ob_title_0 The black face model is $159.00. Here's the CNET review. http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-came...-32365159.html

For $215.00 at Newegg.com (which I've bought stuff from several times), you can get the newer version which has Image Stabilization, SD1100 IS. I wouldn't buy a new camera that didn't have Image Stabilization. Canon makes an underwater housing for this one. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsd1100is/ Here's a link to the housing. Not cheap, but mine works like a charm. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16830996467

These Canon A720's are very new and come 'highly recommended' by DPReview.com. They are a little bigger than an Elph (not really a pocket camera), but more ability to choose manual controls. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona720is/ I see at the bottom of the page this link leads to that you can get a refurbished one from Amazon for $139.00. Unreal. If you back up on this thread to where I posted the sea turtle pic you can see what this camera is capable of.

I guess, in the end, you can get a brand new camera with warranty for just a little bit more than it would cost to repair your old one.

[Jim75]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

Here are some nightfall pics taken with a 5-megapixel Pentax and a tiny tripod that fits in your pocket. It has a velcro strap so you can also attach it to available handrails and so on for stability.

The first one is Paris from the second level of the Eifel Tower. This is the pic I had printed at 20"x30".

The second is Firenza (Florence), Italy from the Piazza de Michelangelo. The tower of the Uffizi art gallery (at center) and the dome of the Duomo Cathedral are the prominent buildings.

The third is Positano, Italy. It's on the Amalfi Coast, which is beyond spectacular. Positano is in some respects like South Kona, ie on the sea, on a mountain side, etc. And in Positano, like Kona above Kealakekua, roosters start crowing early in the morning all over town. It really is every bit as steep as it looks, a true workout for the knees.

[hulagirl]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

Wow, Jim those photos are GORGEOUS!!! That is awesome that you took those with a 5mp camera... very, very nice! Sorry, but can you tell I'm impressed?

Thank you so much for the information you dug up... I will be reading up on all of the suggestions you made- I'm not in a big rush or anything, so it might have to wait until Christmas or something but I really really miss my little camera, which is why I was asking for opinions. I'm not sure it's worth repairing since the ones you pointed out to me were a few dollars more, so I think that's the direction I'll go. But yeah, MAHALO again for your advice!!!

Now I can go to sleep happy...

[Jim75]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

Wow, Jim those photos are GORGEOUS!!! That is awesome that you took those with a 5mp camera... very, very nice! Sorry, but can you tell I'm impressed?

Thank you so much for the information you dug up... I will be reading up on all of the suggestions you made- I'm not in a big rush or anything, so it might have to wait until Christmas or something but I really really miss my little camera, which is why I was asking for opinions. I'm not sure it's worth repairing since the ones you pointed out to me were a few dollars more, so I think that's the direction I'll go. But yeah, MAHALO again for your advice!!!

Now I can go to sleep happy...

Thanks Hulagirl. I didn't mean to be showing off by posting those Europe pics, but I think maybe I was. Just a little anyway. They're some of my favorites and not many people ever got to see them.

They do illustrate that higher and higher megapixels is not really necessary for most photo applications. As the number of pixels increases, you do see noticeably less "grain" in skies and such. Now they're coming out with sensors that are as big as 35mm film. That makes a big difference. Those cameras will be priced out of reach for most of us for a while. A 5-megapixel camera is not outdated at this point.

DPReview.com has lots of good detailed info. If you look around the site, you'll see you can compare cameras that have the features you identify as being most interested in.

[hulagirl]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

OMG Jim, showing off, are you kidding me? More like displaying your art... I'm still impressed. I hope you framed them and put them up on your wall- or at least entered them in some kind of photo contest. Seriously- they are that gorgeous...

I'll definitely check out DPReview for a small camera. I'm thinking about getting one with waterproof housing- not that I'm gonna shoot turtles or anything- just think it's good to have to take pix of my kids in the pool.

Mahalo again!

[Pomai]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

The third is Positano, Italy. It's on the Amalfi Coast, which is beyond spectacular. Positano is in some respects like South Kona, ie on the sea, on a mountain side, etc. And in Positano, like Kona above Kealakekua, roosters start crowing early in the morning all over town. It really is every bit as steep as it looks, a true workout for the knees.

Awwwwesommmmme! I bet the food there was just as spectacular as the view! If there's a country in Europe I'd consider living, Italy would be high on my list. Then maybe Austria. With some research first, of course! Is there a "Italy Threads" or "Austria Threads" like we have here at HT?

This first pic here isn't meant to showcase any photography skillz, but just a glimpse at the current progress of the new Hilton Grand Waikikian tower...


Hilton Grand Waikikian. Photo taken 5.27.08.

To note, this sits on the parcel where the former Tahitian Lanai once occupied at the foot of the lagoon. The Ilikai Hotel can be seen on the right. Tutusue might be seen off to the left. lol

A few more floral fotoz from Diamond Head Beach's "Surfers' Garden"....





Once again, if you know the name of these flowers (because I dont), hollah back.

[Pomai]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

A closer view of the Hilton Grand Waikikian, this time shot through my windshield (good thing it was clean!) while sitting in traffic on Ala Moana Blvd.....


Notice that foam-based facade (the brown/tan colored panels) they're applying over the concrete walls at the base of the tower. The whole tower is covered with the stuff.

At the Shack Hawaii Kai (marina), this charter fishing boat's name (seriously!) is "Honey Girl"...



"Honey Girl". Too funny. lol I much prefer "Shack Attack".

Some of the first harvest of common mangoes from Ewa Beach side...

[tutusue]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

Beautiful Europe photos, Jim. I have a daytime photo on my fridge of eldest spawn with the Amalfi coast in the background. I love your dusk shot. Whatta drop dead gorgeous area. ES, like you, Pomai, would love to live in Italy.

How 'bout that Grand Waikikian? It completely obliterated one heckuva a lot of ocean views from other condo buildings. Bring back the old Waikikian...and the Tahitian Lanai...puh-leeeeeze!

Oh, and Pomai? ALL of your flower pix could be iCards!

[LocalMotion]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

Here's a shot I got while i've been in San Antonio...

Done with 9 exposures, Tone Mapping, and some other tricks.

[Pomai]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

Here's a shot I got while i've been in San Antonio...Done with 9 exposures, Tone Mapping, and some other tricks.

Sweet! Use Photomatix? Photoshop? Lightroom?

That image looks almost gothic, and I don't know why, but I'm thinking it would match on the cover a RUSH album. Just superimpose Geddy, Neal and Alex in there.

Tutu (or anyone), go right ahead and use any of the flower photos I took for iCards if you wish.

Here's several more I took today at the same place, which there was full sunlight (clear day!)....

Yellow Hibiscus...



White and Yellow Plumeria...


These were actually a bit smaller than your "normal" Plumeria. Not sure if it's the location near the ocean where there's plenty of wind, or if it's a variation of the type.

These may look "normal" size in the photo, but each of these brilliant pink flowers are no larger than a penny...


They grow like ground cover. The leaves look like cactus leaves, so it could be in that family. There's quite a vast area covered with this stuff over there.

[LocalMotion]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

Sweet! Use Photomatix? Photoshop? Lightroom?

That image looks almost gothic, and I don't know why, but I'm thinking it would match on the cover a RUSH album. Just superimpose Geddy, Neal and Alex in there.

Pomai,

Yep I use Photomatix, combine exposures, tone map, then go into photoshop and high pass, and a couple other small things...

I totally get what you mean about the Rush album cover, that's funny

[Jim75]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

Awwwwesommmmme! I bet the food there was just as spectacular as the view! If there's a country in Europe I'd consider living, Italy would be high on my list. Then maybe Austria. With some research first, of course! Is there a "Italy Threads" or "Austria Threads" like we have here at HT?

To note, this sits on the parcel where the former Tahitian Lanai once occupied at the foot of the lagoon. The Ilikai Hotel can be seen on the right. Tutusue might be seen off to the left. lol

Thanks Pomai. Italy rocks and so do the Italians. They definitely eat well over there. I think I've got some pictures of outdoor markets, cafes, and deli's and so on. I'm not aware of any "Italy Thread" type internet sites, but there might be.

Is Grand Waikikian the one they were building by that little lagoon right next to the Ilikai Marina?

Some of the first harvest of common mangoes from Ewa Beach side...

Pomai, was it you who mentioned there was some special kind of mango. I see you noted these were common mangoes. Are the other ones better tasting? I can't wait to get some more dried mango.

Beautiful Europe photos, Jim. I have a daytime photo on my fridge of eldest spawn with the Amalfi coast in the background. I love your dusk shot. Whatta drop dead gorgeous area. ES, like you, Pomai, would love to live in Italy.

Thanks Tutusue. I hope I can go back again someday. It's not more beautiful than Hawaii, just in a different way.

Here's a shot I got while i've been in San Antonio...

Done with 9 exposures, Tone Mapping, and some other tricks.

Brian, that's an outrageous shot! Is that the Alamo? That'd make a great Giclee' print on stretched canvas.

Here's several more I took today at the same place, which there was full sunlight (clear day!)....

More great flower shots, Pomai. That yellow hibiscus is really a standout.

[Pomai]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

Is Grand Waikikian the one they were building by that little lagoon right next to the Ilikai Marina?

Yes. I mentioned that in the caption. Tutusue is highly bummed out about that, and for good reason. Look at how this "thing" dwarfs the view. Even more amazing is how they were able to put such a high-rise in such a narrow parcel of land.

Still, Waikiki is already a concrete jungle with no turning back, so, as a resident here, this development doesn't necessarily irritate or overwhelm me.

Pomai, was it you who mentioned there was some special kind of mango. I see you noted these were common mangoes. Are the other ones better tasting? I can't wait to get some more dried mango.

Yes, those are common mangoes in that photo, but honestly, Mom's Pirie mangoes from Hawaii Kai blow them away in sweetness and flavor.

I attended the latter half of Waikiki by Moonlight last night, and caught the tail end of the Kalapana performance. It was AWWWWESOMMMMME!

Here's a picture taken last night of Malani Bilyeu backstage after the set...



And the whole band onstage, located about a block Diamond Head of the Hyatt Waikiki...


Malani Bilyeu (lead), DJ Pratt (guitar) and I don't know who that other guy is on the right

All the original Kalapana band members!....


Gaylord Holomalia (keyboards), Kenji Sano (bass), Malani and DJ

Except Mackey, which I sure do miss.

[Pomai]

Re: HT's Photo Sharing Thread - Chapter 3

More of Kalapana at Waikiki by Moonlight last night...

DJ Pratt and Kenji Sano...



Malani and his wife...



Still jammin'...