I took tripod along during my Singapore trip. Can you imagine how tired I was?

My Manfrotto 190XPROB PRO ALU tripod, 1.8kg and with the Manfrotto 486RC2 tripod head, 0.5kg, the total of 2.3kg. Not only these, but with my camera and lens.

Yea, sound stupid! The reason behind was, I wanted to shoot the night view of Esplanade, the theaters on the bay!

This was my first time for night view shooting.

Below are some tips for night view photography:

1. Long exposure time, this can aid in taking clear, crisp night photos
2. Small aperture, suggestion for F/8 and above
3. Use tripod to steady your camera when taking long exposures
4. Use your camera’s noise reduction mode to clean up noisy night photos
5. Use ISO 200 or below
6. Don’t use flash, it may not help your night time photography
7. Use self-timer mode to reduce camera shake

Esplanade, Singapore

The Esplanade is a waterfront location just north of the mouth of the Singapore River in downtown Singapore. It is primarily occupied by the Esplanade Park, and was the venue where one of Singapore’s largest congregation of satay outlets until their relocation to Clarke Quay as a result of the construction of a major performance arts venue, the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, which took its name from this location.

Merlion Statue - Singapore

The Merlion Malay: Singa-Laut; is an imaginary creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Its name combines "mer" meaning the sea and "lion". The fish body comes from Singapore’s ancient name back when it was a fishing village — Temasek — meaning "sea town" in Japanese. The lion head represents Singapore’s original name — Singapura — meaning "lion city" or "kota singa" .The symbol was designed by Mr Fraser Brunner, a member of the Souvenir Committee and curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium, for the logo of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in use from 26 March 1964 to 1997.[1] The Merlion continues to be its trademark symbol since 20 July 1966. Although the STB changed their logo in 1997, the STB Act continues to protect the Merlion symbol.[2] Approval must be received from STB before it can be used. The Merlion appears frequently in STB-approved souvenirs.

I wonder, nowadays, what is the purpose DSLR serves for?

I read an article about DSLR fits into Nikon’s Microscope. Well, with today’s technology, we can study the micro world! I can use it to see how virus looks like! Oh, I can’t imagine that. With this technology, will microscope sales drop because of this replacement?

Below article is adapted from Nikkei Business Publication.

Nikon Vision Co Ltd will release the “Fabre Photo EX,” a portable stereoscopic microscope that can be fitted with Nikon’s digital single-lens reflex camera for observation and photo shoot.

The “NAS-L1 digital SLR camera attachment” is used to connect the camera to the microscope. Both the microscope and the attachment will be released Feb 20, 2009, at the price of ¥108,150 (approx US$1,214, including tax) and ¥37,800 (including tax), respectively.

The products are intended for field observations as well as for industrial use including observation, visual inspection and image recording in the processes of inspecting materials and electronics parts.

The Fabre Photo EX is an upgraded version of the “Fabre Photo,” a microscope that was released in June 2006 and is equipped with an optical system developed exclusively for digital camera shooting. The optical system uses a prism applied with phase difference correction coating to improve image quality, according to Nikon Vision.

The Fabre Photo can be fitted only with a compact digital camera, but the new model can be used with a digital SLR camera. Also, the rigidity of the base was improved by increasing its size and using die-cast aluminum. Furthermore, a grip is included as standard equipment. As a result of these modifications, operability and toughness were improved, allowing use under severe environments, such as of industrial inspection.

With one AA alkaline battery, the Fabre Photo EX can be operated for about ten hours. It is equipped with a white LED light for observation and photo shoot in a dim environment. The light can be switched between “OFF,” “One Light” and “Two Lights,” making it possible to adjust shading and brightness.

Magnification can be adjusted in three levels by adding an intermediate tube to the attachment. It supports the Nikon DX format (approx 15.7 x 23.7mm) and Nikon FX format (approx 23.9 x 36.0mm) imaging devices.

With the “FSB-U1 Compact Digital Camera Bracket,” which can be shared with a digiscoping (super-telephoto shooting) device and will be released Feb 20, 2009, many of the Coolpix series cameras can be connected to the microscope.

The observation optical system features 20-times magnification, and the actual field of view is 11mm in diameter. The shooting magnification varies depending on the connected camera, but it will be about 45-times without the intermediate tube, 56-times with one tube and 66-times with two tubes when a Nikon DX format camera (A4-size print) is used.

Interpupillary distance can be adjusted in the range from 51 to 72mm. The focus ring is equipped with a torque adjustment mechanism to reduce blurring during observation.