Return back to Ottawa & receiving my new camera - Olympus E-M1

I flew out of Vancouver on Monday night and arrived at Ottawa after midnight on Tuesday.

 

Goodbye, Richmond.

Thoughts on Pentax K-01 (not my new camera)

Today, a friend working in the department who recently bought a new Pentax K-01 camera nicely lent it to me for a few hours.  Unfortunately it was too cold outside for me to do a proper test (and comparison with my Olympus E-620), but from the few hours that I had it, it seems to be a very nice (although quirky) camera.

As always, DPReview has a fairly standard review of the camera, so this post won't be that.  Plus, I am not too fussy about most of the stuff.

First, the size and shape.  It's brick-shaped and a relatively heavy camera, despite the plastic-feel to it.  The colour is nice, but this may be because yellow is my favourite colour.  Traditionalists may not like the shape of it (I am impartial but mainly because of the lack of grip and thumb rest), but it has a pretty interesting and artistic design, I'd say.  Photo taken with my Olympus E-620 with OM lens.

Test shot of Nikon Coolpix S4100

Got myself a little point and shoot camera yesterday so that I don't have to bring my DSLR to events not worthy of bringing it, e.g. socializing with friends, biking to get groceries, etc. It is a Nikon Coolpix S4100. Not exactly the type of camera I was hoping to get, but it is small and portable enough for my to use everyday. For example, while I was working this afternoon (yes, I am working on my research from home during the holiday season) and I heard geese calling from a field nearby, I quickly grabbed the camera, lifted the curtains, and snapped the shot. As simple as that.


Really wish the weather would get better at least once before I leave BC next month.

Arrival of Olympus E-620 & its first trip to the dyke...

My Olympus E-620 arrived at 10:43 this morning safe and sound. I looked out my window ever so often hoping to see the delivery truck, and when it pulled up, I was almost out the door ready to greet the delivery gentleman!

The unboxing photos. This is the 2 lenses kit.

In the afternoon, I brought both cameras to the dyke to test them out. But wanting to get familiar with the new camera quicker, all photos below were taken with it.

My new addition & Birding in Steveston

This is a rare mid-day post, but I want to show off my newest addition to my camera (Panasonic DMC-FZ18). I just purchased a SONY VCL-DH1758 Tele Converter Lens (seen on the left) and it gives me a 1.7x magnification to allow me to shoot from 856mm at 8 megapixels!

There are a other (better) teleconverters out there usable with this camera, but this is a relatively cheap purchase at $60CDN, and I can't wait to try it out. Sadly, I will need a special lens adapter ring at 58mm (about $10CDN) that can be bought from Asia so I will ask my mother to buy it for me. But I will have to wait for another few weeks or so before I can properly join them together. Nevertheless, here're what the whole thing will look like if combined (use your imagination to imagine an adapter between the camera and the teleconverter). Nice, eh?

I met the seller in Steveston this morning and we did a quick exchange, and I was on my way birding along Steveston again. Even though I don't have the proper set-up yet, I did a little experiment. These photos are straight off the camera (other than resizing and framing). The top left photo is 8 MP at 504mm, and the bottom left photo is the 100% cropped picture of the seagull. The top right photo is hand-helding the lens in front the camera, so 8MP at 856mm, and the photo below it is the 100% cropped. Not too bad, but it will get better.

Along the shores, I saw many shorebirds.

Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)

I think this is a Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla). I am not too good with Family Scolopacidae, so any help is welcomed here (and everywhere). This is a lifer for me.

There were many of them around, poking and feeding in the mud.

Occasionally, there were a few Killdeers among them too.

I'll make another post today if I do go out biking in the afternoon. Cheers!
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