Learning the Ropes of DSLR Photography

Snapshot of a DSLR EOS Rebel T2i (550D) with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. The S in EF-S stands for "Short back focus". Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

If you have been following my blog, you already know that I recently purchased a DSLR camera in an effort to upgrade the quality of the pictures posted on Lingua Franca.  For over three years I have used a compact P&S Canon PowerShot A720 IS with decent results.  But I thought that after three years, it was necessary to climb up a rung in the ladder of good photography.  After reading hundreds of reviews on DSLR cameras on the Internet, I finally decided the Canon EOS Rebel T2i was my cup of tea.

The kit lens that came with the camera is not the best lens you can buy, buy it is fine for somebody like me who is just entering into DSLR territory.  It has a wide aperture (f/1.8) which allows you to take pictures in low light without flash and it’s also great for portraits if you want that blurry background (or bokeh) look.  It also has an image stabilizer which is great if you have the tendency to move your camera while taking a picture.  This movement will result in blurry pictures.  The IS features will enable you to compensate the camera movement and produce crisp sharp images.  Generally speaking, this kit lens is cheap (about $100), plastic mount and a low end consumer lens.  It’s small, it’s light, it’s cheap and a good performer.  For $100 you can’t really go wrong with this consumer lens.

For several week I’ve been reading the Instruction Manual and watching instructional videos of the Canon Rebel T2i in YouTube.  At this moment, I would say, I’ve learned the basic operation of the camera and am ready to start acquiring experience actually using the device.  I tested it a couple of days ago and compared the shots with my Birthday Camera and you could easily see the difference in quality.  The only problem is that it’s a bulky camera and heavier than the P&S camera; but of course I knew that when I made the decision to purchase it.  There’s no such thing as a free lunch.  You always have to sacrifice something in most situations in life.

The learning curve was not so bad.  I was initially intimidated by the size of the camera and the numbers of buttons on it.  But after a while, I noticed that many of its features were identical to the Canon PowerShot A720 IS.  The Instruction Manual is excellent and reveals interesting features.  For example, the camera has a small scroll wheel known as the “Dioptic adjustment knob”  to adjust the focus of the viewfinder to your own specific vision. All you have to do is turn the knob left or right until the nine AF points in the viewfinder look sharp.  I wear graduation lens, so this feature is very convenient for me.

I’m planning a shooting excursion to Summit Gardens in the former Canal Zone sometime next week, probably on a Sunday.  It will be my first full experience with the new camera.  I’ll initially start shooting in Full Automatic Mode and later to Program Mode and Creative Auto Mode.  This means the camera will automatically take care of adjusting the shutter speed, aperture and ISO sensitivity.  As I learn the ropes, I’ll start dipping my toes into shutter speed and aperture adjustments.  I’m not in a hurry to learn.  Patience is a good word to have under the pillow.  Good Day.

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My First Experiences With The Amazon Kindle Fire

Snapshot of my Kindle Fire playing a video from YouTube. The name of the musical piece is "Beethoven Violin Romance" beautifully played by Ann Fontanella. Shot taken with my ole Canon PowerShot A720 IS. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

I pre-ordered my Amazon Kindle Fire on October 7, 2011.  I received it in Panama on November 23, 2011.  During that period, I was reading everything I could lay my paws on.    As usual, there were good, bad, and ugly reviews; it all depended on how well you did at the party.

Let me start this review by saying that the Kindle Fire is a minimalistic gadget.  Nothing flashy and stylish about it.  The Fire is dressed in black and sports no adornment.  There’s not even an Amazon logo on the front.  Only the grey-on-grey branding and CE certification info on the back give any clue which way is up, or down for that matter.

At the bottom of the gadget you will find a 3.5 mm stereo audio jack (which will accept external speakers), micro-USB 2.0 (for charging and file transfer), and a small power button.  On the opposite end, are two modest top-mounted stereo speakers.  The Kindle Fire is slightly smaller than a DVD case and slightly larger than a Blue-ray case.  It has a great built quality and felt very solid in my hands.

When I first started using the Kindle Fire, I thought I would be climbing a stairway to heaven.  This was not the case.  My first disappointment with the gadget was that it was aimed at the U.S. market exclusively.  At least for the time being.  Being in Panama, I was unable to download any movies, TV episodes or music from Amazon´s Instant Video Web site.

When I tried to stream the video, “Steve Jobs:  One Last Thing”, the following message hit me on the head like a red brick:  “Video Playback Not Authorized.  We have detected that you are not located within the U.S.  Due to licensing restrictions, Amazon Instant Video customers must be located in the United States when viewing videos online.”   I sat still and cold on my seat.

This U.S.-centricity brings some immediate limitations to potentials users outside of the United States which have been aroused by this affordable tablet.  You can’t, repeat can not, rent or buy videos using your foreign Amazon account—even ones with a zero dollar price, like TV trailers.  All attempts to download software—including free apps, popped up a message, “The Amazon Appstore is not yet available in your region.”  The Android market is inaccessible to all, at least not without hackery.

This limitation killed one of my main reason for buying an Amazon Kindle Fire—streaming movies using my Netflix account.  The Netflix Apps would not work—not even my Panama Netflix subscription could be used.  I called Netflix over the phone and asked if they had any plans on making the Netflix app available for Latin American users.  They said, “We’re  were working on it.”

 Amazon divides everything based on media type:  Newsstand, Books, Music, Video, Docs, Apps, and Web.  At this moment, I’m off-limits regarding downloading Amazon’s periodicals, music, videos, or apps.   Some applications originally included in the gadget will work, others won’t.  For example, Pandora Internet Radio won’t work in Panama, yet the E-mail app worked just fine.

Email setup was very easy—it took about a minute to set up my main Yahoo account, and I was able to send a test message to another account as well as receive and reply to other emails.  However, it was not a pleasant experience.  The screen was too small for typing on the digital keyboard.  I found it to be too sensitive and difficult to correct errors.  Lots of useful productivity is lost while composing E-mails.  Another major disappointment.

Surfing the Web was less than satisfactory.  Everything is too small on the screen.  I found frequent tap errors and accidental activations.  Scrolling can feel erratic.  I also found huge lags in response after pressing the command buttons.  However, most of the time the operating system was very fast, even though the Android 2.3 OS was originally designed for mobile phones; not for tablets.

I enjoyed streaming YouTube videos from the Web.  The screen looked like a small movie screen.  The image was staggeringly crisp and bright—it’s the best feature of the Amazon Fire.  The gadget has a 7″ multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors. The speakers did not have a nice listening volume.  I could not enjoy orchestral music; maybe this problem can be solved attaching external speakers or using adequate headphones.

I found surfing the Web cumbersome and confusing.  Maybe it’s because it’s the first time I’m using a tablet.  The Silk web browser was not as fast as Amazon has boasted.  It’s fast, but not so outstandingly fast that I would brag about it.  I was able to stream several TV Internet sites such as Bloomberg, CNN and MSNBC with satisfactory results.  The volume was somewhat better than streaming YouTube videos.  I wonder why?

Where the Kindle Fire really shines is with e-books.  It has a backlit screen which is very convenient if you are reading a book with poor lighting.  The fonts are brisk and clean on a snow-white screen.  I enjoy reading my books using the Kindle Fire.  I would say, it’s the best feature the tablet has.  It’s cozy to be able to read my books outside my office—specially on the back porch where it’s nice and cool during the late afternoons.  The same applies to streaming TV web stations anywhere in the house.  The volume seems to improve with certain Web sites.  YouTube unfortunately is not one of them.  Sigh…

Though Amazon’s founder and Chief Executive, Jeff Bezos, says the Kindle Fire is a “premium product” some pundits have complained that it is not as responsive or capable as an iPad.  I can understand that, just by comparing the price tag of both products.  For $199.00 there’s so much you can ask for.  However, I feel the software is below par.  I think it was rushed to the market, just in time for the holiday season.  It’s possible that after the rat race of the holidays is over, we could receive a software upgrade improving the overall experience of the tablet.

If you enjoy reading e-books, reading/sending a few e-mails now and then, and streaming YouTube videos, the Kindle Fire would be right for you.  If not, save your money and go for an Apple iPad or for a low-priced notebook with a full keyboard.

Currently I’m reading the gadget’s User’s Guide to acquaint myself with all its rated capabilities.  After coughing $199.00 for this baby, I plan to extract every single drop of satisfaction I can possibly get.  Good Day.

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Not Exactly Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Snapshot of a pair of young kids having breakfast at McDonald's in Panama City, Panama. The posture of the little girl attracted my attention and the lens of my Point & Shoot camera. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

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Netflix is Now Available in Panama

Credit: Netflix Inc.

True to its word, Netflix became available in Panama and other countries in Latin America.  On mid morning yesterday, Monday, September 12, 2011, I received an e-mail from Netflix advising that I could open an account to use their services in Panama.

A month earlier I had already done that, and was only waiting for the launch date sometime in September.  All I needed was to include my credit card information and apply for a 30-day-free-trial period.  That process took less than 5 minutes.  I was ready to go with a database of hundreds if not thousands of movies at my disposal.

For $7.99 a month, you get unlimited movies and TV episodes instantly over the Internet either directly to your TV set or computer.  There are no ads, and you can pause, rewind, fast forward, or rewatch as often as you like.  You can watch as often as you want, anytime you want on a 24/7 basis.

You can also cancel your subscription at anytime online 24 hours a day.  There are no cancellation fees, caveat, there are no refunds for partial months.  Your account is charged each month on your anniversary date; meaning when you opened your account.

If you have an iPad or an iPhone, you will be able to download a Netflix application coming soon from the Apple Apps store and log into your Netflix account.  Wonder if something similar will be done with the expected Amazon tablet.

You can instantly watch your movies or videos with three different levels of broadband (e.g., Good ‘up to 0.3GB/hour’, Better ‘up to 0.7GB/hour’, and Best‘ up to 2.3GB/hour when streaming HD content—generally about 1.0 GB/hour’).  The default setting is Best and you can change the setting anytime you want—your price will remain the same—$7.99 per month.  Netflix recommends a minimum Internet speed of 500 kbps (0.5MB).

Oh…one more thing.  In order to start streaming you need to have the Microsoft Silverlight Plug In installed.  The link is readily available if you need it, and the installation process is a breeze.

Netflix in Panama offers two different categories, (e.g., Just for Kids and Genres).  Let me expand on this.  The Just for Kids category has the following options:

1. Adventures
2. Animated
3. Comedies
4. From Books
5. Talking Animals

The Genres category includes the following options:

1. Action & Adventure
2. Children & Family
3. Classics
4. Comedies
5. Documentaries
6. Dramas
7. Foreign
8. HD
9. Horror
10. Independent
11. Latin American Movies
12. Musicals
13. Romance
14. Sci-Fi & Fantasy
15. TV Shows
16. Thrillers

You can also set your account to reflect your taste and preferences like for example:  Rate shows & movies, taste preference, rating history and reviews.  When you open your Netflix site, you will see the selection of movies that reflect your inclinations.  Pretty cool.

The Search features is also very useful.  You can search for movies, TV shows, actors, directors and genres.  Finding a movie (if they have it) is extremely fast and easy to do.  I was looking for the movie “The Day of the Jackal” and found it in fractions of a second.  The speed is dazzling fast.

You can watch movies in English, Spanish, French or Portuguese.  I prefer to listen to movies in English, because nothing in lost in the translation.  You know what they say; However something strange happened last night.  When I decided to watch “The Day of the Jackal”, even though my language of choice was English, the movie was streamed in Spanish.  (Confused)

Netflix doesn’t carry the latest movies coming out of Hollywood.  Most of them are least three years old, but that doesn’t mean their database is mediocre.  I found good thrillers which I would enjoy viewing.  The quality is nothing to brag about.  Blockbuster’s DVDs have a much higher quality—a lot more I might add.  At the optimum quality—Best—the picture lagged and slowed down almost to a halt, then it gathered speed and then slowed down again.  In order to calm my nerves I had to change the broadband speed to Better.  The lags diminished but now much.  Today I’ll downgrade to Good and see what happens.  I was let down at this problem.  High quality in audio and video is a must if I want to enjoy a movie.

In a nutshell, Netflix is pleasing, but nothing close to exceptional.  I have my doubts I will subscribe when the free trial period ends.  During the meantime, I’ll keep on using the service.  Maybe I could change my mind if the service is improved, which I doubt it will.  On a scale of ten points, I would give Netflix in Panama a humble seven.

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Panama New Subway is Under Construction

Credit: Presidency of the Republic of Panama

When presidential candidate Ricardo Martinelli said he would build a brand new subway in Panama, everybody thought it was an April Fools’ prank.  One more political promise to rake in more votes, but would never be accomplished.  Since the beginning of the republic we have seen these vaporware political promises that vanish like magicians’ white rabbits into thin air.

However this time, the president of “El Cambio” is making things happen.  All over the city there are construction workers hard at working on the subway which is expected to open sometime in 2014.

The building of a subway is a mega-project which challenges the expansion of the Panama Canal in complexity and cost.  Construction started on February 14, 2011, coinciding with Saint Valentine’s Day.  The cost of the complex project is approximately $1.6 billion and will open to riders in 2014.

The subway—the first in Central America—is being built by an international consortium that includes French Alston, Brazilian Norberto Odebreth and Spanish Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas.

Alstom will design and build the trains and electromechanical systems for the metro.  The system is expected to open with an initial capacity of 15,000 passengers an hour in each direction with more being added until a maximum capacity of 40,000 passengers is reached.

When the project ends, trains will travel the 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) line in 23 minutes with stops at 13 stations, some above ground and other below.  There will be four subway lines, one of them over the Panama Canal.  Ricardo Martinelli will only build the first line.  The rest will be completed by the next administrations.

Below are some historic pictures of the initial construction of this grand public works.

Historic picture of the construction of the first line of the Panama subway in the neighborhood of Vista Hermosa, Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the construction of Panama metro with pedestrian instructions to avoid accidents. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a safety net separating the construction site from pedestrian traffic. The sign reads, "We apologize for the inconvenience. We are building the Metro of Panama." Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the construction of the Metro of Panama in the neighborhood of Vista Hermosa in Panama City, Panama. I consider these pictures to be historic as we look back from the future. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

In an effort to save some pictures for tomorrow, I will temporarily stop here.  If you’re interested in looking into the future, we encourage you to return tomorrow for more pictures of the Panama Subway.  Good Day.

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A Enticing Park by the Ocean

Snapshot of a small colorful park near the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the premises of the Union Club in Panama City, Panama. The park leads to a boat ramp and an abandoned jetty. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

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A Boxing Ring in Panama

Since I was a small boy growing up in Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, I listened to boxing matches on our big living room radio.  Back then, Ismael Laguna was the most popular athlete in the country.

When I graduated from primary school and traveled to the capital city, I had the opportunity of viewing two life-experience boxing matches of Roberto “Mano de Piedra” Durán.  Once against Esteban de Jesús from Puerto Rico, and the second against Héctor Thompson from Australia.  I was seated far away from the ring, since I couldn’t pay the exorbitant prices of ringside seats.  After that, I viewed boxing matches on television.  Never again attended a boxing fight at the actual venue.

Recently I returned to a boxing gym, probably to remember the Panama’s golden boxing era when Panama was the center of boxing in Latin America together with Mexico and Puerto Rico.  I went to the ring, in the middle of the gym.  It was an experience difficult to describe being right there where the real action takes place, where men are separated from the boys.

Below are several pictures of the Gimnasio Pedro “El Rockero” Alcázar located in the humble neighborhood of Curundu in Panama City, Panama.  Here we go.

Snapshot of one of the corners of a boxing ring in a gym in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

A closer look at a cornerside of a boxing ring in Panama City, Panama. The floor canvas looked considerably dirty and deteriorated for lack of maintenance. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a corner of the boxing ring with a water disposal accessory. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the boxing ring at the level of the floor canvas. It felt soft like a sponge under my feel. It was a wonderful experience being up there where the eagles fly. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the whole ring of the Pedro "El Rockero" Alcázar's Gym. It was a marvelous sight with a soft touch of light falling from above. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Video:  Roberto Duran Versus Esteban de Jesús (November 17, 1972) – Boxeo WS

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The Revolution Tower

The Revolution Tower is one of the latest additions to Panama’s growing high-rise buildings which are transforming the city into a modern metropolis.

The Revolution Tower is a controversial “corkscrew” tower complex of modern offices in one of the most prestigious real estate areas in Panama City, just a few minutes away from the banking center.

The construction of this stunning high-class office tower started in 2008 and will be finished this year.  It consists of 52 floors.  The tower will be used to accommodate modern offices and fall under the category of high-rise twist-scrapers.  Its main construction materials are tainted glass and reinforced concrete.

The Revolution Tower is a magnificent example of contemporary urban architecture which is sure to raise many brows in Panama City transients and locals alike.  I’m sure it will be an impressive landmark in the heart of Panama City’s banking and business center.  It’s office space ranges from 2,000 to 6,500 square meters with private, secure working areas and a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean and glittering urban lights at night.  The last height (including the spire) is 242.90 meters.

The developer of the building is F&F Properties Ltd. Inc. and the architect is Pinzón Lozano y Asociados.  F&F Properties Ltd. Inc. is one of the Central America’s leading real estate developers and responsible for many of the architectural landmarks on the city’s skyline.  Among its gorgeous buildings projects are:  the Venetian Tower, the Vitri Tower, Ocean Two, The Panamera, the Twist Tower, the Titanium and the Revolution Tower amongst many others.

The Revolution Tower is currently 92 percent sold and is located in Calle 50 and Calle 56 in Panama City, Panama.  I took many pictures of this tower, but only selected 12 of them to include in this blog.  Not all of them will be included in a single blog post.   It would saturate the readers with too much pictorial information.  Instead, I will include two or three images of the building per post, to give you ample time to flavor this unusual “corkscrew” design edifice which stands out amongst the crowd in the middle of the metropolis.

Below are two pictures of the base of the Revolution Tower.  Enjoy.  (Click on the images to expand them.)

Snapshot of a construction worker face lifting the trademark sign (F&F Tower) of the Revolution Tower in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the F&F Towers sign identifying the developer of the commercial real estate and the base of the structure. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the base of the Revolution Tower in Calle 50 in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

I encourage you to return tomorrow to discover the rest of the structure of this controversial building in the vibrating capital of Panama in the middle of the Americas.  Will be waiting for you here.  Good Day.

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Reflections on the Walls

During a recent foray into the tourist center of Mi Pueblito, I went to an Afro-Caribbean church to take pictures inside the building.  It was approximately noon and the sun was very bright outside.  The church had brilliant glass-colored windows which reflected multiple shades of color on the white walls.  I was really mesmerized at the awesome reflections inside the edifice.

This is what I saw inside a church at Mi Pueblito.  Here we go.

Snapshot of reflections of bright colors on the walls of a small church at Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

In this shot you can see the beautiful colored windows of the building. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Take notice of the color rainbows on both walls. Absolutely gorgeous, in my humble opinion. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the inside of an Afro-Caribbean church exhibited at Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. I was stunned at the beauty of the reflected colors on the white walls. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of an African-Caribbean church at Mi Pueblito next to Ancon Hill in Panama City, Panama. The color tints are lovely, to say the least. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

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Pounding the Grain

If you live in a remote rural village.  If you have a cash-strapped budget.  If you plant and harvest your own rice for family consumption.  If you don’t have a large family to help to the chores of the home; then you have no alternative but to use a “pilón” or rice pounder if you want to calm your hunger.

In some small villages in the countryside, farmers called “campesinos” still remove the chaff from clusters of rice using a wooded instrument called “pilón de arróz”—rice pounder.  A rice pounder is a solid piece of wood hollowed in the middle where the clusters of rice are placed and a woman or child uses a pounder to manually pound, and pound and pound the rice until the chaff is totally removed.  Some of these peasants are so skilled in the use of a pilón, that they can do it with only one hand.  The rice pounder is used in several African countries and in Southeast Asia as well.

Below are a couple of pictures of a typical Panamanian pilón still used in some back road villages of the countryside.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a "pilón" (rice pounder) with several pounders on the top. They are extremely efficient and don't need to be connected to the power grid. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a Panamanian "pilón" on display at Mi Pueblito in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

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