All Good to Go
August 30, 2008 | Filed Under Announcement, Other, Photography | 3 Comments
My desktop is all good to go now, everything’s pretty much set up with almost identical settings from my laptop. My files have also been transferred through and even my Firefox 3 is a clone of my laptop’s. Updates soon! 
Hello! If you like my entries, make sure you comment below and subscribe to my RSS feed!!
Samsung 2253LW Review
August 22, 2008 | Filed Under Other, Photography, Review, Thoughts | 7 Comments
I got my Samsung 2253LW 21.6″ 2ms LCD monitor today for $289 at Netplus Micro Computers in Myaree. It was their official opening today and I was probably one of the first few customers, if not the first, to buy anything from them in their new store. A little upset because all the stock has yet to arrive at the store and most items are just being displayed today when they could have done it prior to the opening day. The main store is located in Osborne Park, a little too far for me to travel to get my parts.
This review is based on my first impression and my 4th hour or so running it from my laptop. Displaying 1680×1050 which is the same as its 22″ competitors, Samsung 2253LW doesn’t look any smaller than its .4″ larger counterparts. In fact, I reckon it looks larger than the others due to its frame that is rather thick. Sporting a glossy frame and base, it stands out and looks elegant unlike the normal matte look on most panels. However, this means more dust and fingerprint will be collected and is definitely more prone to dirt. I was initially worried that the glossy look of the frame will be distracting when watching a movie, but it proves to be not a problem at all.
Backlight bleeding is minimal on my unit, at least to me anyway, with about 4-5% of top and bottom of the LCD, which is really unnoticeable unless if I probably have another >$500 LCD placed side by side. I honestly don’t think it’ll be a problem at all when watching movies, more to say gaming. I also checked for dead pixel on my unit with Dead Pixel Buddy and didn’t see any dead pixel, so this unit is close to perfect
Only one glitch that is common among some Samsung LCD panels - the audible humming frequency when the brightness is below a certain point. Mine is about 60 or so? It’s not a problem for me because I set my brightness to 100%, but it still is annoying knowing that you paid your hard-earned money into an item that has problems, small or big.
The viewing angle of this panel is simply great vertically, but not exactly the case horizontally. The colour changes to slight yellowish when viewed horizontally (don’t ask the angle because I won’t know). The base/stand swivels with the monitor, which is quite weird, but thankfully it swivels with ease, so I won’t complain on that.
The monitor can be tilted upwards by a great deal, which is really good, but doesn’t really tilt downwards much, which I would like because I like watching movies away from the desk on my bed. One downside of the LCD is that there isn’t an adjustable height stand for it, so for people with low/high desk, you may need to get either a new desk or chair. Mine is just right, so no fuss with that.
Anyway, enough rambling:
Pros - Great IQ, viewing angle (vertical), swivels & tilts (with limitation), great resolution, response time of 2ms, 1000:1 contrast ratio, elegant looks (may not be the case for some), value for money.
Cons - 8000:1 DCR gimmick, bad Magicbright bullshit (use default please), horizontal viewing angle quite limited (but viewable), buttons a little hard and plasticky, humming audible sound at certain brightness level, no height adjustment.
Don’t let my description of the monitor fool you. I give Samsung 2253LW 4/5 because it’s a great deal for <$300 22″ LCDs and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great LCD monitor but doesn’t know which one to go for.
Hello! If you like my entries, make sure you comment below and subscribe to my RSS feed!!
Logitech EX110 Review
August 21, 2008 | Filed Under Review, Thoughts | 3 Comments
I got myself one of the lower end keyboard and mouse combo by Logitech today, the EX110. Comes with a USB/PS2 receiver with a pretty long cord, it is decently priced at $49 at PLE Computers, Perth. I had thought of the EX310, which comes with the same keyboard but slightly better laser mouse instead of the optical mouse that the 110 has, but seeing that this mouse is going to be upgraded in months to come just doesn’t seem to be wise for me to pay $20 for a mouse that will not be $20 more in terms of quality.
I personally like the keyboard of the EX110, definitely better than the ones in Murdoch University and larger than the laptop one that I have been using faithfully for the past 2 years or so, although definitely not the quietest. It requires two (2) AAA batteries on the keyboard and I believe the battery life is decent on the keyboard (according to trusted reviews). It’s also spill-free (read: spill, not water-free), so I’m safe to drink my glass of water without fear of spilling on the keyboard. Although the Home/End/Delete keys are placed a little bit different from the common ones by Microsoft and most other keyboards out there, it just takes some getting use to.
UPDATE: The mouse battery-life, according to the Setpoint Software by Logitech is said to be still Good, meaning after using the mouse for 3 months, the battery life is still good. Note that I am only using 2xAA 1800mAH rechargeable batteries and I sit on my computer for about 4-5 hours a day (web browsing & gaming). Then again, when compared to my newly acquired Logitech MX1100 Laser Cordless Mouse, the mouse cannot be compared in terms of comfort. The EX110 mouse is now kept by my bedside and used when I watch movies on my bed
The mouse is disappointing. I read reviews of the mouse battery (2xAA) life which is short, ranging from 2 weeks to a month or so. I’m definitely going to use rechargeables for a while until I get an upgrade. The scroll wheel is too loud compared to any scroll wheels I’ve used, but it’s fixable according to a user who reviewed the mouse. I’ll definitely fix it when I get the time to in a couple of days time (it will probably void my warranty though). The glide of the mouse is not as smooth as the more expensive ones, which is not too bad but considering the price paid for the mouse and keyboard, I guess that’s what you get.
In short:
Pros - great keyboard, does everything that needs to be done, plug & plays well even without installation, great build quality, good value for its price. Good mouse battery life and no interference with other devices.
Cons - mouse scroll wheel noise, keys on keyboard not the quietest, no backlight on keyboard, mouse not very comfortable after long hours of usage.
I give Logitech EX110 Keyboard and Mouse 4/5 for its simplicity and value. Definitely recommended for consumers who are looking for cheaper alternatives to the overpriced keyboard/mouse combos in the market.
Hello! If you like my entries, make sure you comment below and subscribe to my RSS feed!!
Unedited Photos
August 19, 2008 | Filed Under Night, Photography, Places, Portrait | 8 Comments
Okay this one's slightly edited :P
Like Louis Pang always tend to say, when you get the shot right the first time on camera, you got it right. The near perfect shot. I cannot agree more to this.
Last week (or was it two weeks ago), L and myself went to a suburb called Karawara for a minishoot because I once saw a picturesque spot for a shoot. It was a lamp outside the shopping mall that generates the type of light that I personally think is attractive when combined with a subject (or should I say, model). My subject (model) that night was none other than L
It took a while (maybe 5-10 minutes with about 10 shots?) for me to get the right combination of settings on the camera. I was armed with my trusty 18-55mm VR kit lens and 55-200mm VR lens, but I only managed to utilise the kit lens. I am somewhat more confident with the kit lens for reasons unknown. I had my SB600 speedlight with the “fake” Sto-fen diffuser on as well.
Looking up
I could only wish I had a tripod or at least a monopod instead of upping the ISO, but I hadn’t got a choice at that time.
There was a purplish light there, so it's not the camera playing up
I love how L managed to pose for me although at times she could be reluctant. There were quite a lot of people walking past us with some cars and some stares, but we managed to ignore the passers-by and kept the shoot going.
Of course, the night was not without its downs. I just can’t seem to get the white balance right on some shots. Perhaps it was the lighting of the location or perhaps I am just too much of a noob. I tried pre-setting the white balance with my white cardboard (foam), but the results were still unsatisfactory. Then again, other than a few shots of a different lighting, the colours were pretty accurate.
A little overexposed, I know, but the "correctly" exposed shot is not as attractive as this one
I shot in jpg because I had no intention of major editing to begin with, and was not really keen to do any post-processing.
There’s so many good shots that I don’t know which one to put up.
Actually, part of the reason of these unedited photos is because I’m still stuck with my laptop which takes me so long to edit the images.
Take for example the first picture in this entry. I took at least 20 minutes just to edit that single shot. Do the math yourself.
Easily my favourite shot
Another reason that I didn’t edit the photos is because I messed around with the gamma and settings of the laptop LCD two weeks ago, causing my monitor to be inaccurate in colours. My plan is to hire a Spyder monitor calibrator from the local Gerry Gibbs CameraHouse after my desktop is set up. They have a $30 hire fee for 3 days, so I can calibrate both my laptop and desktop monitor as well.
If only this shot wasn't overexposed. We tried again and again to get the same shot but didn't managed to after that.
We both got too cold after the shoot and decided to call it a night after about 30-40 minutes.
Hello! If you like my entries, make sure you comment below and subscribe to my RSS feed!!
Final Desktop Specifications
August 18, 2008 | Filed Under Announcement | 2 Comments
This is my final specs for my desktop:
- Motherboard Gigabyte EP45-DS3L
- CPU Intel Quad Core Q6600
- RAM DDR2-800 Kingston 2GB-Kit
- Hard Drive 320GB SATA-II Samsung 16MB Cache 7200rpm
- Case Lian-Li PC-K7B (Hybrid Aluminium with 450W PSU)
- Monitor Samsung 22″ (21.6″ viewable) 2253LW 2ms 1000:1 Contrast (Not the best monitor for photo-editing, but will have to do for a couple of years or so)
- Video Card GeForce 8600GT 512Mb DDR2
- Sound Card Will rely on onboard sound card until I upgrade my Logitech R20 2.1 speakers.
- DVD-Writer Pioneer DVR-215 (20x)
- Keyboard/Mouse A cheap Logitech EX110 keyboard + mouse set until I can afford better ones.
That’s it. Final cost of putting the whole system together is give or take $1100. Getting the rest of the parts this Wednesday/Thursday, should be ready for use hopefully by the weekend.
Hello! If you like my entries, make sure you comment below and subscribe to my RSS feed!!
Lost Your Underwear?
August 18, 2008 | Filed Under Gibberish, Humour, Photography, Work | 4 Comments
I found it outside work a couple of nights ago. Thought it was interesting, so here are the photos from my N95
Hmm?
Is this yours?
Another angle
Hello! If you like my entries, make sure you comment below and subscribe to my RSS feed!!
Desktop Update
August 13, 2008 | Filed Under Announcement | 2 Comments
It’s almost time to say goodbye to my trusty laptop. My desktop should be ready for use by the end of next week, if not this week. As of now, I only have three parts in hand - the motherboard, RAM and hard drive.
Receipt
If you can’t read fine prints, it’s:
- Motherboard Gigabyte EP45-DS3L
- RAM DDR2-800 Kingston 2GB-Kit
- Hard Drive 320GB SATA-II Samsung 16MB Cache 7200rpm
I will still need:
- CPU (still deciding between Dual Core E8400 and Quad Core Q6600, and it’s a tough one to make)
- Case (Lian-Li preferably, but opting for Antec’s Sonata due to Lian-Li’s heavy price)
- Power Supply of around 500W (if not included with casing)
- Monitor (22″ LCD 2ms), thinking of the Samsung 2253LW but having second thoughts now. I’d also need to rent a Spyder from the local CameraHouse to calibrate the monitor for accurate colours, too.
- Video Card (an average one for day to day use, but good enough for casual gaming)
- Sound Card (make it the cheapest since I’m not investing in speakers at the moment)
- DVD-Writer
- Keyboard and mouse (I know. I’m pathetic)
It should set me back about at least another $800 or so, but hopefully less as I’m pretty tight on money right now.
Time to sleep, too much of me trying to understand all these computer jargons.
Hello! If you like my entries, make sure you comment below and subscribe to my RSS feed!!
