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Photo's ..... The Big Question.


FastFreddy2

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So far, the camera has proved very difficult to use.

The setup button [for all the camera settings] is sat on the rear of the camera where the inside of my palm grips the camera body. Consequently, when I grip the camera, I seem to keep pressing the 'setup' button. Maybe the camera was designed by a left-hander? rolleyes.gif

I think it's going back. £1000 is a lot of money to spend on something that seems to have something of a handicap? [back to the drawing board.... sad.gif ]

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  • 2 weeks later...

Went to London with Mrs Freddy to visit a store that had a toy we specifically wanted for a family member. While there we anticipated eating out, which we did.

It was bitterly cold. And a little windy.

Alone, I took the camera close to where I know there's a popular night club. The cold had either kept people in, or taken them somewhere that wasn't troubled by a queue. I walked about taking 'happy snaps' to avoid being noticed. The camera had the focussing illuminator switched off, the on-board flash switched off. The electronic 'click' switched off. To all intents, I was an idiot playing with a broken camera. wink.gifbiggrin.gif

After hovering for a while, testing the speed of the auto-focus, one of the doormen from the club approached me, and TOLD me to stop taking photo's of people. "It's illegal". I told him I wasn't talking photo's of people and offered to show him .... [Almost all I'd done to that point was take photo's of buildings and empty streets.] He wasn't interested. He just said "Stop, or I'll call the police." I suggested he did that very thing. In fact, I waited even longer than I wanted to, to meet the police. None arrived. I know enough about Bar licenses to appreciate you want to avoid calling the police, not get them called out [which can affect your licence status].

It was after I'd been threatened with the police, I actually took the two interesting photo's attached.

Just for the record, I wasn't being obtrusive to anyone. In fact I have my doubts anyone noticed me other than the 'group' working on the outside of the club. [it looked like they had something going with the cars hired to bring/remove customers .....] But I am someone who likes to use the rights I have. UK law says no-one has copyright on their face. Anyone can take photographs of people/objects in public space. As long as I don't defame anyone, I legally have free reign to do as I please. If I did upset anyone there, I would have gladly deleted any images someone would rather not be held anywhere. [ie. Boyfriend out with his mates girlfriend.]

I got so cold I had to leave whether I wanted to or not. Back at the car, Mrs Freddy was ready to go too. Interesting night. Could have gone better, but if there's a next time I'll be better prepared.

The pictures.....

This really was a test of the camera. The ISO speed was set to max: 6400. This is quite fast for anyone who might not know what this figure means. The lens used was a fixed f1.7 though I wasn't bright enough to make a note of the shutter speeds. I would guess at 1/30th to 1/60th of a second as there was some blurring with moving objects.

Quiet street

Outside club 1

Outside club 2

I'm really quite pleased at what the camera can do. cool.gif

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And for all it's worth, it doesn't seem verry cold according to the ladies clothing in your pics. :)

They were dressed to be inside dancing in the warm. cool.gif Believe me, it was bitterly cold outside, especially given that it's been unseasonally mild for some time. ohmy.gif Mrs Freddy didn't/wouldn't leave the car a second time - it was so cold. And we may even see snow tomorrow ...... huh.gif

This taking photographs in public had gotten me a bit bothered. I've done a fair amount of reading, and spent some time on You Tube. Seems there are similar problems in the US of A. There are no laws against it either here or across the water. In fact it remains one of our basic freedoms, but the police on both sides of the Atlantic prefer not to agree. [On a personal level.] I've found at least one instance here in the UK were the Police had to issue a public apology, and pay damages for interfering with and subsequently arresting a 16 year old for no better reason than they chose to. Which of course is itself, unlawful.

I think on balance the Nokia might be a better solution. And funnily enough, as a girl approached the club while I stood there watching the queue, blatantly took a photo of the venue with her phone before she herself joined the queue? mellow.gif

....

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They were dressed to be inside dancing in the warm. cool.gif Believe me, it was bitterly cold outside, especially given that it's been unseasonally mild for some time. ohmy.gif Mrs Freddy didn't/wouldn't leave the car a second time - it was so cold. And we may even see snow tomorrow ...... huh.gif

Well, the snow came ...... and went. wink.gif

So did the camera. sad.gif

On balance, it is a great tool, and I got it at a great price. But it'll be quite a while until I would be in a position to do anything useful with it, so I'm going to keep the money in the bank for a bit longer. The unreleased GH3 may be available mid 2012, and maybe I'll get that. It's supposed to be even more sensitive in dark conditions, though a good deal more expensive too. blink.gif

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  • 5 weeks later...

I have priced up a new camera phone, but not acquired it yet, so no new street pictures.

This is a pity, because over the last two weeks, I have missed getting photographs of some quite stunning women in high heels. sad.gif

While it might seem that I could be taking these photo's for less than savoury reasons, I actually take photo's of attractive people, or attractive clothing combo's as much for the topical fashion statement as anything. By way of illustrating this, when I used to spend a lot more time in Camden [when it was easier to park there], I often took photo's of people while walking around. I don't think a single photo of girls with heels? Mostly of goth's or punks if I remember. I still have every photo, and it wasn't unknown for me to ask first about a picture either.

Today, I'm in a different age group and younger/trendy people might [understandably] be a bit more suspicious these days. No longer am I the dashing 25 year old that used to sweep women off their feet with a single smile. wink.gifbiggrin.gif

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  • 4 weeks later...

Looks like I missed the chance of buying the 12mega pixel N8 (new) for £200 from one of the independent retailers. rolleyes.gif

That'll teach me to not spend hours everyday trawling the Internet....

On the up side, I've actually tried a Nokia 500 camera and it seems to work faster than the N8? Maybe due to the 1ghz onboard processor, and the smaller image size. [5 mega pixel.] Hopefully I'll own one by the end of the week. cool.gif

....

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Well......

Finally bought the Nokia 500. Currently charging up...... I already like it. On screen keys, that is surprisingly accurate. Shame I didn't have it working last night. Was in the supermarket where there was a quite attractive girl walking around in 6 inch heels. I got a photo, [uploading to gallery later. Black courts.] Picture would have been so much better with the new camera.

If it has enough memory, I might even get some video done, some time in the future.

More later. smile.gif

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  • 2 weeks later...

The 'cruel hand of fate' dealt me a couple of nasty hands this week. sad.gif

Firstly, I noticed the new phone switched itself off 4 times in the first week of ownership.

Yesterday (Tuesday) while attempting to use the camera/phone for the first time as a camera, it kept shutting itself off again. As I was only 300 yards from where I purchased it, I took it back to the shop and showed them the problem. Apparently, it was a software fault. "Bring it and the box back for a new unit on an exchange basis." Fair enough.

Today, without me noticing, the phone dropped off me onto a grass verge. Leaving the car I noticed a pedestrian watching me cross the road, and wondered why he watched me. [i have two heads, so expect this from time to time.] About 10 minutes later, I realised the phone wasn't with me, and went back to the car [30 yards away] to retrieve my phone.

No phone.

I got the line stopped immediately, as the sim had already been removed from the phone anyway. [Calls going straight to voicemail, though the phone had plenty of charge in it.] The phone will be 'blocked' and made useless tomorrow [Thursday.]

Before I remembered the bit about being watched, I had hoped someone would do the right thing and help it back to its owner. No-one else I've mentioned this to expects that, and after remembering the watcher, neither do I. sad.gif

As I don't have the money for a replacement, I'll have to go back to using my old phone, until I have some more pennies. Mrs Freddy, seeing my distress, has offered to replace it. It's a nice gesture, but not one I feel I deserve due to my carelessness. Until I bought the Nokia, insurance was always more expensive than the phone I used, and I've around 18 years of not needing insurance anyway. [This is my first permanent loss.] Put another way, premiums saved would buy me a couple of phones by now.

The worst bit, is the loss of my contact list. Some numbers I can never get back, as they were the only way of ringing people I have very very very little contact with. sad.gif I would not have trusted a business based repository, as these have had very public security issues in the past. The Nokia, if it had the facility, would have been the first phone I owned smart enough to provide a PC based 'backup' program. [And currently beyond my experience level.]

Not a good one, today.

P.S.

While telling Mrs Freddy about the loss, we both stood in a large retail 'Outlet' store, and a fellow lady shopper kept walking around us wearing 6" heels. They had platforms, but the heels were high and she was so close she could have joined in the conversation. I couldn't stop myself from mentioning the irony of it all to Mrs Freddy..... Perfect opportunity ..... rolleyes.gif

....

Edited by FastFreddy2
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  • 1 month later...

I may have another couple of camera phones lined up. Again £90 items, but both options have better reviews than the Nokia 500, which was globally slated for its unreliability. The Nokia suffered with the problem I had experience of; hanging. The only way to get the thing awake afterward, was to remove the battery. Far from ideal.

Here are the options compared: http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Orange-San-Francisco-II,T-Mobile-Vivacity/phones/6843,6618

My network is T-Mobile, but Orange and T-M are essentially the same company sharing both their networks. I could own and use either. The Orange phone looks to have the edge with the camera, though auto-focus isn't something I want. It only adds lag [delay] to the photo snapping. I'll have to check them both soon.

My old phone, really is on its last legs.

....

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Not made time for phone shopping yet..... So no progress on a replacement camera/phone.

Thought I might mention the continuing use of the 'old' Nokia, used again on Saturday. Not only the phone, but some of the work that goes into providing a picture for the gallery?

For example:

http://www.heels4men...-image0504djpg/

Each of these three images had work done, that probably no one noticed?

Starting from the right .....

View of back, legs crossed: Compared to the other two images, the original made her legs look short. The image has been cropped and stretched.

Centre.....

The girl and her companion (Mum?) Where shopping for flowers. What has been edited out, is a great big orange warning sign that coloured up the area between her legs [warning of water on the floor]. The area was painstakingly recoloured.

Left .......

In the original, there were two laden shopping trolley's surrounding the subject. Both were a distraction. [Check the cardboard boxes on the right.] Either trolley has been disguised or over-painted..

The three edited images were merged to provide a single identity.

I didn't see it myself, but apparently the girl couldn't walk in her heels without holding onto her escort. Always a good sign I feel. cool.gif

....

Edited by FastFreddy2
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