Slow performing Add-ons in Firefox

Mozilla Firefox has released a list of Add-ons that can lead to a slow browser. I was surprised to find two of my add-ons in the list.

Check this out.

Slow Performing Add-ons

Ubuntu 11.04 'Natty Narwhal' - Revert back to old UI

Ubuntu's new release 11.04 'Natty Narwhal' includes Unity, the new desktop, by default.

But some people (including me :-)) may not like it. Call us Gen-Y or whatever... So here are the steps to revert back to Ubuntu classic desktop.

1. Select 'System Settings' from the 'power' menu on top right.

2. In the 'Control Center' window that opens up, select 'Login Screen' under 'System' category.3.

In the pop-up window, there will be a drop down menu at the bottom

for default session. Choose 'Ubuntu Classic' in the drop down list.
4. Close the window and log out of the system.
5. Login back and you are there.

It's that straight. Hope Ubuntu guys do not remove this option in their future releases.

Open Source Applications

A list of free and open-source software.

Free and Open Source software for Microsoft Windows...

Open Source alternative to commercial software...

Canon or Nikon ???

Every first-time DSLR buyer has this question in mind - Which DSLR to buy? Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Sony...? Hell lot of options in the market. But when it comes to SLRs, Canon and Nikon are the preferable brands. Availability of wide range of (comparatively) inexpensive accessories, especially lens and filters, is the main reason for this.

Now the next question is whether to go for Canon or Nikon? Followers of both the brands have been debating on pros and cons of their gear since long. You ask anyone for suggestion and they will tell their own experience.

With DSLRs, one's experience and preferences may differ from others. And since buying a DSLR is not a cake-walk (it's expensive and requires planning your budget), no one can know where you stand. There is a very simple way of deciding what to buy.

1. Decide your budget.
2. Do your research on what is available in the market within your budget. Look for various options and brands. Check reviews.
3. Tweak your budget if required (Most of the times it is required). ;-)
4. Go to a camera store and check the cameras. Here it is very important to hold the camera in hands and take few shots (if possible). People with bigger or smaller hands prefer one brand over the other. And this is the most important deciding factor too.
6. Check for type, price and availability of accessories (lens, filters, tripod, flash, batteries and charger, memory cards, etc) for the camera that you selected.
5. Once you narrow down on a camera, go get it !!!

One more thing. While looking for options in the market, remember that your should spend more on a good lens rather than on a costly camera body. If Canon 50D without a good lens is in your budget, then go for Canon 450D with a good lens. Buying camera body is just a beginning. If you are serious about photography, you will have to spend much much more on adding lens and accessories to your gear.

Happy shooting... :-)

Add Tag/Label Cloud

Visit the link to know how you can add Tag/Label cloud to your blog. It is cool with good customization features.

Blogger Label Cloud

Make it a habit to take backup of your template before doing any changes in HTML.

Beginning Photography - Shutter Speed

Shutter Speed controls the amount of light that falls on the sensor.

There is a shutter curtain (an opaque sheet that blocks light) in between sensor and lens. When shutter is released, the curtain opens to lets the light fall on sensor. The duration for which the shutter curtain opens is known as shutter speed. It is measured in seconds.

A values of 1/30 means that shutter opened for 30th fraction of a second. A shutter speed of 1 means that shutter opened for one complete second. Higher shutter speed means that shutter is opened for lesser time. Similarly reducing the shutter speed means increasing the duration for which shutter opens.

Shutter Speed of 1/400 is higher than 1/100 which is higher than 1/5 which is higher than 1 and so on...

Why is it important?
Shutter Speed is the most frequently used camera setting. When in low light, shutter speed should be decreased to allow more light to fall on the sensor. Similarly, increase shutter speed to limit the light.

What is the appropriate value?
Depends on light condition and other settings. Also remember, if you are hand-holding the camera and shutter speed is very low, then it may lead to camera shake and hence blurred images. Minimum shutter speed at which you can hand-hold the camera and shoot sharp images varies from person to person. For me, it is 1/60 as my hands tend to shake alot.

Techniques using Shutter Speed
Have you seen racing pics in which the moving bike/car is in focus and the background is blurred? That is shot with low shutter speed (1 or 2) and moving the camera as the bike/car moves (known as panning). Another example is photographs in which 4-5 crackers are bursting in the sky. That is also done by keeping shutter speed low.

Shooting at higher shutter speed gives better sharpness. But you cannot always do that. So, when shooting at low shutter speed, always use a tripod.

See how the background is blurred giving that speed effect in the first pic above. On the contrary, second pic is shot at high shutter speed; although subject is sharp but so is the background and hence it lacks that speed effect.