http://www.michaelchang.com/blog A lighthearted blog on photography, technology, and general musings Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:57:38 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Are you driving in California?  If so, the GPS laws have changed, again, this year.  There's a lot of old material and misinformation circulating around the web, so here's the definitive source from the California DMV, legalese and all: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc26708.htm What does this all mean for California GPS users? GPS units must be ... http://www.michaelchang.com/blog/gadgets/gps-mounting-in-california/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gps-mounting-in-california In the past few years, keeping track of Gitzo tripods is much like sorting out the iPod product variations-- there have been a few lineup changes in just a few years, and the naming convention went through some confusing changes, as well.  So, reading forums and reviews about popular past ... http://www.michaelchang.com/blog/photography-gear/gitzo-replacement-guide/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gitzo-replacement-guide One of my favorite coffee beans at the moment is Trader Joe's Bolivian Blend.  The "blend" label is used because the beans come from a variety of farms.  The coffee is still 100% Arabica beans-- no cheapo Robusto beans here!  The Bolivian Blend is a medium-dark roast, and it's very ... http://www.michaelchang.com/blog/food/bolivian-coffee/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bolivian-coffee The Panasonic LX3 (and the similar Leica D-LUX4) is a bit of a clunky "compact" camera in terms of its form factor.  The protruding lens barrel gives the camera an slightly odd, "non-box" shape, and finding a good carrying solution is a challenge.  Personally, I don't want to carry the ... http://www.michaelchang.com/blog/photography-gear/panasonic-lx-3-case-strap/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=panasonic-lx-3-case-strap Finding a decent, pinch-style cap for the Sekonic 758 light meter was more of a challenge than I had anticipated!  Major online photos stores (like BH and Adorama) only carried slip-on caps, and finding the right slip-on size can be tricky (need to add 1 to 1.5mm for these small ... http://www.michaelchang.com/blog/photography-gear/28mm-30mm-and-305mm-lens-cap/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=28mm-30mm-and-305mm-lens-cap Oh, happy day!  Mozilla Firefox 3 now supports color management!  This means color-aware browsing of photos and images in a decent browser.  Windows users didn't have a mainstream color-aware browser available until Firefox 3. To activate this breakthrough in WinXP: Install and launch Firefox 3. Type in "about:config" in the URL box.  (Ignore ... http://www.michaelchang.com/blog/computers-hardware/firefox-3-color-management/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=firefox-3-color-management This is what I typically carry around in most outdoor, walk-around shooting situations: Lowepro 75 AW top-loading holster bag (great for dusty and damp situations) Really Right Stuff Arca-Swiss L-bracket (for tripod shooting) Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer (slim) (for landscapes) Hoya Pro-1 S-HMC UV filter (B+W MRC filters work great, too) Lens hood Extra compact flash cards Extra batteries WhiBal gray-card reference (for ... http://www.michaelchang.com/blog/photography-gear/whats-in-the-bag/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whats-in-the-bag Shooting spring flowers is a great exercise in composition.  How do you manage the foreground, background, "middleground", focal point, colors, perspective, depth of focus, highlights/shadows, etc?  Shooting dense flower beds really helps you to explore your compositional style. I like shooting dense flower beds, in particular, because you need to strictly ... http://www.michaelchang.com/blog/photography/shooting-spring-flowers/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=shooting-spring-flowers Yes, the Nikon 18-200 VR lens is a real, compact gem, and yes, it suffers from zoom creep after some use. (In other words, if you point the lens straight up or down while at ~135mm, the lens will zoom in or out because of gravity. The ... http://www.michaelchang.com/blog/photography-gear/18-200-vr-zoom-creep/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=18-200-vr-zoom-creep Stores sell these specialized metal bars that magically wash away garlic oils/scents on your hands. These bars often cost around $10. What's the secret? They're stainless steel! So, you can save yourself counter space and a few dollars by using your run-of-the-mill stainless steel spoon, instead. Why ... http://www.michaelchang.com/blog/food/stainless-steel-and-garlic/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stainless-steel-and-garlic