Ronnie Chung's Blog
My Little Corner on the Web
Theora vs Submarine Patents
Mar 28th
A lot of FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) has been thrown around regarding Theora and h.264. This article does a good job at explaining the situation so check it out: http://www.osnews.com/story/23058/Theora_More_of_a_Patent_Threat_than_H264_Wait_What_
This is a very important topic for me and it should be for everyone else. The web was built on open standards and it needs to remain that way. As I mentioned before, this battle between Theora and h.264 is reminisce of the whole GIF debacle back in the day. The article and others related to it (look at the bottom of the page in the linked article) does a much better job at explaining things than I can ever do. Partly due to my lack of research in the background details and partly because I simply don’t have the motivation to pursue the topic on my own. I have read every article I can find on this topic; both pro and con. I’ve done tests to check the technical aspects of Theora and h.264. I agree that h.264 is the superior of the two codecs and my own tests have shown that. At least at high bitrates, I haven’t tried encoding at low bitrates. And I have to say, I’ll take Theora over h.264. That is unless Google decides to open up VP8. If the day comes, I’ll most likely jump on VP8.
EF-S on EF Only Camera!
Mar 21st
John came over Friday evening and brought along his newly acquired Kenko extension tubes. Since the extension tubes are made for both EF-S and EF lenses, you can technically attach an EF-S lens to a EF only camera such as my 1Ds Mark II:
A Canon EF-S 55-250 IS attached to a Kenko extension tube attached to my 1Ds Mark II.
It’s not something you would ever use on a day to day basis. The extension tubes maintain AF and have no glass elements so image quality isn’t affected. However, you can’t really focus normally anymore. Why? They’re extension tubes… d’uh. If you don’t know what I mean, look up how extension tubes work.
I did take a picture with this setup:
Shot with the Canon 55-250 IS on my 1Ds Mark II.
Till next time…
Done With Finals!
Mar 20th
Finals are finally over which means that it’s time to go out shooting! First off, some pictures taken from a few days ago:
Lizard in my driveway. Taken with my MyTouch on 2010-03-17 18.39.43.
Shopping carts being prepped.
Perry, my cousin, with his 40D and my 35L.
Anyway, this Spring Break I will be undertaking a complex and … “crazy” personal project. It will set me apart from the rest of what I consider to be photographers in my skill level. I hope it works out but the likelihood is very slim. Details will come as the day of the shoot approaches.
Till next time…
CD Reflection
Mar 17th
Reflection of a CD. Taken on 2010-03-12 11.56.09 with MyTouch.
Now back to studying…
Random Shots – 03/14/10
Mar 14th
This will be my last post to the blog until my last final on Friday. Just some random pictures.
Today's special...
Pamphlet on the ground in front of Garden Cafe.
Graffiti in a parking lot. Blacked out the license plate of the car for privacy reasons.
Storming the front to pick up papers.
Till next time…
Jessica Jann Shoot
Mar 10th
Had the chance to do a shoot with the lovely Jessica Jann. It was a fun shoot and Jessica was a pleasure to work with. And yes, she’s Janice Jann’s sister. I’ve been favoring impromptu shoots lately. Go in with no ideas and just let things flow. No assistants again and kept the lighting real simple. Unfortunately, I broke my Lastolite umbrella when it fell over from the wind… now both my umbrellas are broken -_-
Anyway, here’s the gallery: Jessica Jann
Finals Again – Winter 2010
Mar 9th
Week before finals… *sigh* Week 10 of last quarter this is what I was working on:
B-Trees!
Been making a lot of short, mostly picture posts lately. There will be a new article after finals are over. A continuation of the prime vs zoom article.
Till next time…
Janice Jann as 1st Princess
Mar 5th
Had the pleasure of doing a shoot with Janice Jann as 1st Princess (Miss Chinatown LA 2010). The shoot was very impromptu and I didn’t have any assistance (I know, the insanity!). Kept the lighting setup as simple as possible. Didn’t have to do much, Janice would look good in any kind of lighting.
Till next time…
I Love My 35L
Mar 4th
Need I say more:
I love the rain...
Walking around in the parking lot of HK Plaza.
Walking around in the parking lot of HK Plaza.
Till next time…
My Days at School
Feb 26th
Engineering Job Fair at UCI.
Engineering students showing off their projects in front of the Engineering Gateway at UCI.
Engineering students showing off their projects in front of the Engineering Gateway at UCI.
A lone bike outside the ICS2 building.
Till next time…
