Macro Photography with M2M Ring & Reversed Lens

I just finished trying a Male-to-Male (M2M) Ring for Macro Photography. I mounted my EF-S 18-55mm IS lens to my EOS 40D. Then by using the Male-to-Male Ring 58mm-52mm, I linked the reversed EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens to the main lens. The good thing about this method is that the capabilities on the main lens are still available, such as the Auto Focus and the Image Stabilizer. Beside that it is more flexible if the main lens is a zoom lens, so we can try some focal length to get your best shot.

I took some shots of my wife's watch (smaller than my watch), our wedding rings and some other ring. Personally, I am more comfortable with this method than using Body-to-Male (B2M) Adapter or Macro Extension Tubes. Next time, I will try my EF 70-300mm IS lens as the main lens for outdoor macro photography.


Below are sample pictures. None of them are cropped.


Click here for more pictures.

Price in IDR:
* Male-to-Male Ring (M2M Ring) 58mm-52mm: IDR 45,000

Photos courtesy of Boaz Wibowo
If you upload the photos to other sites, you must add the phrase "Photo Courtesy of Boaz Wibowo and iorboaz.multiply.com" somewhere near the photos.

pumpkin tootbrushing

Enchanting Indonesia 2009

Sejak tahun 2007, tiap tahun KBRI Singapura bekerjasama dengan beberapa institusi lain, mengadakan event spesial Enchanting Indonesia. Masih tetap diadakan di halaman depan Ngee Ann City (Takashimaya), Enchanting Indonesia 2009 diadakan selama dua hari penuh (18-19 Juli 2009). Secara dekorasi panggung, Enchanting Indonesia kali ini lebih sederhana dan klasik jika dibandingkan dengan Enchanting Indonesia 2008. Namun acara dan pertunjukannya dikemas sedemikian rupa menjadi lebih menarik dan interaktif. Mungkin tahun ini lebih banyak sponsor yang mendukung, seperti Batik Danar Hadi, Batik Keris, Garuda Indonesia, AirAsia, dan beberapa perusahaan terkenal lainnya.

Saya hanya mengunjungi Enchanting Indonesia 2009 di sesi ke-dua di hari Sabtu. Padahal sesi yang paling menarik adalah di hari Minggu ketika Miss Indonesia 2008 dan Putri Indonesia 2008 berada diatas panggung. Walau hanya menonton sebagian kecil pertunjukan tari-tarian dari beberapa propinsi di Indonesia, saya cukup puas bisa mendapat beberapa foto di event ini. Terlebih lagi, di event yang menyertakan 13 propinsi yang memiliki penerbangan langsung dari SIngapura, ada beberapa restoran Indonesia di Singapura yang membuka booth untuk melayani selera lidah Indonesia, seperti: Ayam Bakar Ojolali, Java Kitchen, Waroeng Penyet, dll.

Click here for more pictures.

Link:
KBRI Singapura

Equipments:
Canon EOS 40D
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

Photos courtesy of Boaz Wibowo.
If you upload the photos to other sites, you must add the phrase "Photo Courtesy of Boaz Wibowo and iorboaz.multiply.com" somewhere near the photos.

Macro Photography with Macro Extension Tube Set

Continuing my exploration on Macro Photography, I tried the Macro Extension Tube Set that I have. It is very simple and dirt-cheap, because there is no AF confirmation available on it. Coming in five sections, it allows us to play the combination to varying length: 12mm, 20mm, 36mm, or any combination between them. Using Macro Extension Tube Set, the distance between the object and the lens is much more flexible rather than using Body-to-Male (B2M) Adapter and Reversed Lens.

By placing the extension tube between my EOS 40D and its kit lens EF-S 18-55mm IS, I took some pictures of coins, bank notes, a pen, and an xD card. My tripod helped me a lot to get sharp and blur-free results. Actually, it was still not easy for me to get good pictures of tiny things, especially in manual focusing part. I think it will be more comfortable and easier if we have Macro Extension Tube with AF Confirmation. :)

Below are sample pictures which are not bad to share (no cropping):


Link:
About macro extension tubes

Price in IDR:
* Macro Extension Tube Set for Canon EOS: IDR 120,000

six-month-old pumpkin

Kemarin, tanggal 14 Juli 2009, our little pumpkin tepat berumur 6 bulan. Bukanlah waktu yang singkat dari saat dia lahir hingga saat ini. Tangisan, ocehan, senyuman, dan tawa menjadi hiburan bagi kami tiap hari. Kami bersyukur karena si pumpkin sangat sehat dan tumbuh dengan baik. Terlebih lagi setiap hari dia juga mendapat penyertaan dan kasih sayang dari Oma-nya. Jadi kami boleh meninggalkan si pumpkin dengan tenang ketika kami harus pergi ke kantor. :)

Untuk imunisasi, si pumpkin juga baru saja mendapatkan vaksin 6-in-1 (suntikan DPAT, IPV, HIB, HBV/HEXA, serta vaksin Rotavirus lewat mulut) seri yang ketiga setelah sebelumnya di bulan ke-2 dan ke-4 mendapatkan vaksin yang sama. Di bulan yang ke-6, si pumpkin juga bertumbuh lebih baik dibanding bulan ke-5. Saat ini beratnya mencapai 7,880 kg, panjang 67 cm dan lingkat kepala 42 cm. Yang terpenting si pumpkin jauh dari sakit-penyakit dan tumbuh dengan baik tubuh dan jiwanya. ^_^

Ini beberapa hal tentang si pumpkin di bulan yang ke-6:
- rambutnya mulai tumbuh banyak setelah di-gundul tiga minggu yang lalu...
- masih belum bisa tengkurep sendiri... kenapa ya? :(
- ngeces-nya makin parah... harus selalu pake bib... ^_^
- suka ngemut salah satu jari telunjuknya... hihihi...
- mulai suka melet-melet kayak Michael Jordan... lidahnya panjang lho... :p

Click here for more pictures.

Peranakan Museum

Peranakan Museum di Singapura terletak di 39 Armenian Street, menempati gedung tiga lantai bekas Old Tao Nan School, tidak jauh dari City Hall MRT Station. Seperti halnya museum-museum peranakan di kota-kota lain, seperti: Baba Nonya Museum di Malaka dan Penang State Museum, museum ini menyimpan berbagai pernak-pernik, sejarah, dan budaya yang unik dari komunitas peranakan di Asia Tenggara. Tidak hanya peranakan di Singapura, museum ini juga merekam keterkaitan budaya peranakan di daerah lain seperti Malaka, Penang, Sumatera, dan Jawa.

Dengan adanya 10 galeri dan dua geleri untuk special exibition, serta alat-alat multimedia yang tersedia, kita akan menjelajahi dimensi sejarah dan etnologi dari budaya Peranakan, termasuk warisan bendanya (seperti perak, porselin, perhiasan, tekstil) serta warisan yang tak berwujud (seperti gaya hidup, bahasa, makanan, dan ritual keagamaan). Normalnya harga tiket masuk museum ini adalah 5 dollar saja, namun karena kebetulan ada special exibition Baba Bling, harga tiket hari itu adalah 6 dollar.

Click here to see more pictures.

Links:
Peranakan Museum
[Wiki] Peranakan Museum
Uniquely Singapore - Peranakan Museum

Equipments:
Canon EOS 40D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Photos courtesy of Boaz Wibowo.
If you upload the photos to other sites, you must add the phrase "Photo Courtesy of Boaz Wibowo and iorboaz.multiply.com" somewhere near the photos.


© Photographer: Iorboaz | Agency: Dreamstime.com

Macro Photography with B2M Adapter & Reversed Lens

Because I don't want to spent some money for a dedicated macro lens which is cost around S$800, several months ago I bought some equipments for macro photography in the Bursa.Fotografer.Net. Following a tutorial and some other pages in the internet, I bought a Body-to-Male Adapter for EOS-58mm, a Male-to-Male for 58mm-52mm, and a Macro Extension Tube Set for Canon EOS. But only this evening I tried those equipments.

I took my first macro shots with Body-to-Male (B2M) Adapter between my Canon EOS 40D camera and reversed EF-S 18-55mm IS lens. I put my objects about 5cm from the end the lens. In the beginning it was not easy as I thought. But after some shots and trying some focal length, I got used to it. You can see the detail picture of some coins and some images of bank notes below (no cropping):







Prices in IDR:
* Male-to-Male Ring (M2M Ring) 58mm-52mm: IDR 45,000
* Body-to-Male Adapter (B2M Adapter) EOS-58mm: IDR 83,000
* Macro Extension Tube Set for Canon EOS: IDR 120,000

Links:
Reverse-Lens Macro Photography [tutorial]
Reverse Lens Technique

Canon Speedlite 430EX II

Last Saturday at John 3:16, beside Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens, I bought a Canon Speedlite 430EX II flash for S$480. It was a bit expensive if we compared with its price in Jakarta. I didn't started using it when I was in The Armenian Church and Singapore Philatelic Museum. But after reaching home, I unpacked it and read the user manual carefully since it is the first speedlite I have. Then I took some shots on my wife and my baby pumpkin. I got a lovely picture of them. ^_^



Video of unpacking Canon Speedlite 430EX II




Link:
John 3:16 Photo Supplies

Review:
The-Digital-Picture: Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash Review
Photo-Tips-Online: Canon Speedlite 580EX II flash review

Singapore Philatelic Museum

Setelah mengambil beberapa foto di The Armenian Church, saya mengunjungi Singapore Philatelic Museum yang tidak jauh dari situ. Terletak di 23-B Coleman Street, museum ini bertempat di gedung bekas Anglo-Chinese School yang dibangun tahun 1904. Singapore Philatelic Museum pertama kali dibuka untuk umum pada tanggal 19 Agustus t 1995 untuk mempromosikan sejarah dan perkembangan filateli di Singapura yang multi-etnik. Tiket masuk cukup murah, 5 dollar saja.

Di tempat ini, kita akan melihat tidak hanya sekedar perangko dan kartu pos, tapi juga segala peralatan dan pernak-pernik seputar pos, seperti kotak-kotak pos unik, proses pembuatan perangko, vespa untuk mengantarkan surat, macam-macam stempel tanggal, dll. Terdiri dari dua lantai, ada beberapa ruangan utama, yaitu: Green Roon, Purple Room, Orange Room, Atrium, Room of Rarities, Heritage Room, dan Children's Room. Selain itu ada beberapa ruangan untuk eksibisi khusus: Gallery 1 dan Gallery 2.

Click here to see more pictures.

Links:
SPM Website
[Wiki] Singapore Philatelic Museum

Equipments:
Canon EOS 40D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Tokina AT-X 124 AF PRO DX lens - AF 12-24mm f/4

Photos courtesy of Boaz Wibowo.
If you upload the photos to other sites, you must add the phrase "Photo Courtesy of Boaz Wibowo and iorboaz.multiply.com" somewhere near the photos.

Armenian Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator

Armenian Church adalah gereja tertua di Singapura. Terletak di Hill Street, gereja ini dibangun oleh komunitas kecil orang-orang Armenia di Singapura. Gedung gereja tersebut selesai dibangun tahun 1835. Di halaman belakang kita akan menemukan nisan-nisan dari beberapa pendiri gereja dan tokoh gereja seperti: Agnes Joaquim dan beberapa anggota keluarga Sarkies. Armenian Church ditetapkan sebagai monumen nasional pada tanggal 6 Juli 1973.

Click here to see more pictures.

Links:
The Armenian Church of Saint Gregory
[Wiki] Armenian Church, Singapore

Equipments:
Canon EOS 40D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Tokina AT-X 124 AF PRO DX lens - AF 12-24mm f/4

Photos courtesy of Boaz Wibowo. If you upload the photos to other sites, you must add the phrase "Photo Courtesy of Boaz Wibowo and iorboaz.multiply.com" somewhere near the photos.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

This afternoon I just bought a Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II lens. This is my 4th lens. John 3:16 at Funan IT Mall sells it at S$130 only. Right after getting the lens, I tried my first prime lens on my EOS 40D. I took some shots at Singapore Philatelic Museum and The Armenian Church not far from Funan IT Mall and I started loving this lens and its bokeh result. Beside the good price, I like its lightweight. The image quality is also good and it gives sharp result at f/1.8. This lens allows us to take picture in a low-light environment without setting the camera at high ISO. The cons are the plastic material and slow focusing. But what else can we expect from 130-dollar lens? :)

Below are some test pictures:


See the comparison with Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS at:
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6mm IS versus Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

Specifications:
Focal length: 50mm
Diagonal Angle of view (FF): 47º
Diagonal Angle of view (APS-C): 31º
Maximum aperture: F1.8
Minimum aperture: F22
Lens Construction: 6 elements/5 groups
Number of diaphragm blades: 5
Minimum focus: 0.45m (1.5 ft)
Maximum magnification: 0.15x
AF motor type: DC Micro Motor
Focus method: Unit focus
Image stabilization: None
Filter thread: 52mm (does not rotate on focus)
Dimensions: 68.2mm diameter x 50.5mm length
Lens Mount: Canon EF only

Link:
John 3:16 Photo Supplies

Reviews:
DPreview: Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II review
The-Digital-Picture: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens Review

Sample pictures from this lens in Dreamstime: