Canon's Basic Photography Workshop with Rhonson Ng

Print ads for Rhonson Ng Photography in M Magazine

Cagayan de Oro City, the Whitewater Rafting Capital of the Philippines will be one of the fortunate cities this Saturday (July 26, 2014) as the award-winning Photographer no other than Mr Rhonson Ng, a certified Crusader of Light will visit the city and share his skills and knowledge on Photography.

THE SPEAKER:

Rhonson Ng also known as the "Maestro" by his students is an award-winning and renowned Travel Photographer and Photojournalist based in the Philippines whose works have graced posters, brochures, billboards, covers and spread such as the Mabuhay Magazine, InFlight Magazine, Turista Magazine, M Magazine, Manila Bulletin, and Sunstar Davao. Not only that, his works are also published in international magazines and publications such as Silk Road (Dragon Air's Flagship Magazine, Tiger Tales, and HK Magazine. He has been the Official Photographer for the Department of Tourism Region XI before opening his own Photography Studio.

Accordingly, "he has honed his eye in film photography and darkroom processing before moving on to digital photography, so he remains partly purist by heart".

You may wanted to check Rhonson Ng works at http://www.pbase.com/rhonson_ng.

(Philippines) Series of climbs in the Philippines' highest peak, Mount Apo by Rhonson Ng using Canon EOS 5D Mark II at 1/1250s, f/4.0 at 20.0mm, iso400

Brought to you by Canon PH (Canon Marketing Philippines, Inc.) and Canon DHUB (Canon Digital HUB), the companies who brought Ms Jojie Alcantara to interested photographers from hobbyists to professionals from Cagayan de Oro and nearby provinces are invited to join the Basic Photography Workshop with Rhonson Ng on July 26, 2014 (Saturday) at 1st Level South Concourse, Limketkai Mall, Limketkai Center, Cagayan de Oro City. This event is exclusively for Seekers of Light, thus Canon users only.

THE EVENT:

This event is exclusively for the Seekers of Light, thus Canon Users and Advocates only given a limited slot and pre-registration.

Registration is FREE.

Important information to consider below are as follows:

- EVENT TYPE: Basic Photography Workshop

- EVENT TIME: Registration starts at 1:00pm and ends at 5pm.

- LOCATION: 1st Level South Concourse, Limketkai Mall, Limketkai Center, Cagayan de Oro

- REGISTRATION: FREE

- THINGS TO BRING:

    - Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras and/or Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens cameras

          - Point and Shoot camera owners are also welcome to join.

          - Your creativity!

          - Yourself! Yourself! Yourself!

Again, this workshop is exclusive for Canon Users (with emphasize). For inquiries and/or pre-registration, please contact Canon DHUB CDO (088) 856-3313, 0917-3085540.

Please do us a favor! Kindly spread this word to all your Canon user friends living in Cagayan de Oro City and nearby provinces!

See you on July 26, 2014!

Print ads for Rhonson Ng Photography in M Magazine

Image credits: Photographs by Rhonson Ng (Philippines) and used for reference only.

Hobbyist Photographer Captured the Milky Way along Paranaque City, Philippines

Dubbed as the Brightest Side of the Milky Way by the Photographer itself who is behind these images, Mr Jervin Manankil captured the sky along the area of Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Jervin Manankil, a Filipino by blood, considered himself as a Hobbyist Photographer who loves to click and shot people and experiences using his Canon DSLR camera. One clear night while seeing the vastness of the sky with so much awesomeness, he decided to capture the Milky Way using his Canon EOS 70D and a Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Art lens.

What's something tremendous about the images is the clarity of the sky with so much details, thus showing the immensity of the galaxy. To add the spice, Mr Jervin captured these photos during the clear night of June 22, 2014 at 11:37pm along the Bicutan Area of Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

General Review of the Canon  EOS 70D

Click   >HERE<

According to Mr Jervin, he used a 30 second exposure time at ISO 500 with focal length of f/5.0. Additionally, he used the Manual Exposure Mode of the DSLR Camera at Evaluate Metering Mode. On the other note, he added (with honesty) that he used some post-processing image program just to enhance more or (we) say, sharpen the captured images. Nonetheless, the images really captured the sheer size of the sky with so much information.

Below are the images he shared to us as his best captured Milky Way photos so far. Today, the idea of Astro-Photography caught his interest, from Portraiture and Candid. He also added he currently continue his journey to capture the sky, "just waiting for the right timing- a clear sky".

The first and third image were taken last June 22, 2014 while the second image below was taken last June 26, 2014 at 01:13am same area.

Mr Jervin Manankil, the Hobbyist Photographer behind the Milky Way images

Image credits: Photographs by Jervin Manankil (Philippines) and used with permission

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens Test Results

The EF 50mm II lens with fast aperture of f/1.8 is one of Canon's best-selling models mainly for a reason that it's the cheapest EF lens available in the market yet producing a sharp optical and high quality images albeit its plastic housing or the lens mount. The focal ratio of 1.8 which is the maximum aperture of the EF 50mm II allows you to focus your subject sharply while creating a blurred background or even a very shallow depth of field also known as the bokeh.

General Review of the Canon  EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens

Click   >HERE<

Now, for this particular review, let's try to examine how this little lens has earned the nicknames "nifty fifty" and "plastic fantastic". Moreover, let's try to stretch the so-called sharp optical quality and very shallow depth of field or the great blurred background known as bokeh with this EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens.

AUTO FOCUS:
Since the EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens uses the old DC Micro Motor for further focus, the result might somehow distracting (for some) as it produces a noisy sound. But we are not particularly up for that matter rather we try to deal with the Auto focus feature of this lens. We'll try to check and examine our test results and compare it with our own captured images.

The image below shows a captured test shot image using the EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens with the Canon EOS 600D, an APS-C Sensor with 18.0 Megapixel and Digic 4 Image Processor.

We used the Auto-focus feature of the 50mm II lens at 400 ISO with 1/13 seconds of shutter speed or the exposure time. We also used the focal ratio of 1.8 of this lens which is considered to be its maximum aperture. For the exposure mode, we used the AV or the Aperture-priority AE in order to focus our subject while producing a blurred background. 

As you may noticed, the image focused on the toy car while using pattern as our metering mode. Additionally, we fired our built-in flash for added illumination. At its maximum aperture of 1.8, it produces a smooth blurred background with circular shapes surrounding our subject.

Make:	Canon
Model:	Canon EOS 600D
Shooting Mode (Exposure Program):	Aperture-priority AE
Tv (Shutter Speed):	1/13 sec (Exposure Time)
Av (Aperture Value):	f/1.8 (F Number)
ISO Speed Ratings:	ISO400
Metering Mode:	Pattern
Lens:	EF 50mm f/1.8 II
White Balance:	Auto White Balance
Exposure Mode:	Auto Exposure
Scene Capture Type:	Normal
Focal Length:	50mm
Flash:	Built-in Flash Fired

MANUAL FOCUS:
Aside of the Auto Focus, the 50mm II also have the standard Manual focus allowing you to shoot and control the lens manually.

Now let's try to examine our test shot while using the Manual focus of the EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens.

While using the lens with its manual mode including the exposure of our Digital SLR, the image produced a pentagonal shape at f/3.5 aperture. As you may noticed, while using the focal ratio of 3.5, the subject was focused clearly including the circular ball object. Although the subject was focused, our depth of field is not that deep compared on using the maximum aperture of the lens at f/1.8.

Make:	Canon
Model:	Canon EOS 600D
Shooting Mode (Exposure Program):	Manual
Tv (Shutter Speed):	0.8 sec (Exposure Time)
Av (Aperture Value):	f/3.5 (F Number)
ISO Speed Ratings:	ISO100
Metering Mode:	Pattern
Lens:	EF 50mm f/1.8 II
White Balance:	Auto White Balance
Exposure Mode:	Auto Exposure
Scene Capture Type:	Normal
Focal Length:	50mm
Flash:	Built-in Flash Fired

PRIME: 
Considered as a prime lens with Standard Focal Length and Medium Telephoto at 50mm, the EF 50mm f/1.8 II is a better add on lens with your kit lens. A prime lens is considered a better alternative because it allows you to capture images with natural angle of view. Prime lenses are much more rewarding than the standard lenses as it produces great image quality.

IMAGE QUALITY (Sharpness):
With regard to its image quality, I personally like the fact that the EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens produces a sharp image quality compared to other standard zoom lenses. This may perhaps the reason on why other photographers from hobbyists to professional likes to use and/or own this lens.

At its maximum aperture of f/1.8, it can produce a very shallow depth of field while placing a subject on focus against a blurred background with circular shapes.

Make:	Canon
Model:	Canon EOS 600D
Shooting Mode (Exposure Program):	Manual
Tv (Shutter Speed):	0.8 sec (Exposure Time)
Av (Aperture Value):	f/3.5 (F Number)
ISO Speed Ratings:	ISO100
Metering Mode:	Pattern
Lens:	EF 50mm f/1.8 II
White Balance:	Auto White Balance
Exposure Mode:	Auto Exposure
Scene Capture Type:	Normal
Focal Length:	50mm
Flash:	Built-in Flash Fired

BOKEH (Swallow Depth of Field):
In a mere standard of photography, the bokeh is the quality of blur produced in the out-of-focus  light parts of an image by a lens. Thus, the blur-effect.

With the given image below while using an Aperture Priority AE exposure mode at ISO400, and setting our focal ratio at f/1.8, it produces smooth circular shapes. The subject is still in focus while the background produced a shallow depth of field. At focal ratio of 3.5 (as you may noticed on the sample image above while using Manual Focus), it produces pentagonal shapes. These shapes may be because of the 5 diaphragm blades of the lens being slightly closed.

Make:	Canon
Model:	Canon EOS 600D
Shooting Mode (Exposure Program):	Aperture-priority AE
Tv (Shutter Speed):	1/13 sec (Exposure Time)
Av (Aperture Value):	f/1.8 (F Number)
ISO Speed Ratings:	ISO400
Metering Mode:	Pattern
Lens:	EF 50mm f/1.8 II
White Balance:	Auto White Balance
Exposure Mode:	Auto Exposure
Scene Capture Type:	Normal
Focal Length:	50mm
Flash:	Built-in Flash Fired

CONCLUSION:
As what we concluded on our general review and even basing it with our own test shot images, the EF 50mm f/1.8 II can deliver a very shallow depth-of-field, allowing you to place a sharp subject against a blurred background, an effect desired by many portrait photographers.

The EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens may be made up of plastic mounts and may not be the best EF lenses Canon produced but this lens is a better lens after a standard zoom lens as it produces sharper image quality.

I would recommend this lens as your secondary lens after your standard zoom lens. The value of money is much rewarding for this prime lens.

OVERALL RATING:

DETAILS:	RATING (1-10)
Build Quality:	5.0
Image Quality:	9.0
Features:	7.5
Value of Money:	10.0
Handling:	7.5

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens Review

Brand: Canon

Lens: Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II

Lens Type: Prime Lens (Standard and Medium Telephoto Lens)

Lens Mount: EF

Test Shots Result of the Canon  EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens

Click   >HERE<

One of the 6 (six) EF 50mm lenses made by Canon, the EF 50mm f/1.8 II is considered to be the least expensive lens available yet ranging at P4,499.00 to P4,998.00 and light weight at 130g EF lens Canon has ever made. It has been in the line up of the Canon EF Series since 1991 replacing the late EF 50mm f1.8 lens of 1987 (referred to as the Mark I).

The EF 50mm II lens is a compact standard length prime lens that features a faster maximum aperture of f/1.8 which is effective in low light situations. With symmetric-Gaussian optics that offers great aberration correction combines with 6 elements of 5 groups, and 5 diaphragm blades, this lens provides sharpness from near distance throughout its focus range.

Auto-focus:
Since the EF 50mm f/1.8 II uses an old feature of micro motor drive in order to focus, the AF motor produces noisy sound which is somewhat like distracting. Nonetheless, the AF is fast enough to detect the given subject especially on its maximum aperture at f/1.8.

Manual focus:
Same as the other EF 50mm lenses and other EF lenses Canon produced, the EF 50mm f/1.8 II also comes with full-time manual focus allowing manual adjustments. However, the EF 50mm f/1.8 II doesn't have a focus and/or distance scale which mainly measures the distance and set it on the scale compared to other EF 50mm lenses such as the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM.

Optical Features (Specifications):

Lens Focal Length:	50mm
35mm film format equivalent focal length :	About 80mm
Lens Construction (Elements/Groups):	6/5 group
Camera Mount Type:	Canon EF
Format Compatibility:	Canon (APS-C Sensor, APS-H, 35mm Film, Full-frame)
Aperture:	Maximum: f/1.8 Minimum: f/22
Number of Diaphragm Blades:	5
Closest Focusing Distance (m):	0.45m
Maximum Magnification (x):	0.15x (at 18mm)
Image Stabilizer:	No
Auto-Focus:	Yes (DC Micro Motor)
Filter Diameter (mm):	52mm
Weight (g):	130 g
Maximum Diameter x Length (mm):	68.2 x 41.0mm

Accessories:

Lens Cap:	E-52mm
Lens Hood:	ES-62 Bowl-shaped Plastic Hood (With Adapter Ring)
Supplied Accessories:	Front and Rear Caps
Rear Cap:	Standard EOS cap
Tripod Collar:	No

CONCLUSION:

Although the EF 50mm f/1.8 II is built with mostly plastic, the glass is made of Canon's finest multi-coated optics. The image quality produced by this lens is much better compared to standard zoom lenses. Sharpness is very excellent which creates less or even no lateral chromatic aberration.

Given the super low price compared to other EF lenses produced by Canon, the EF 50mm f/1.8 II is reasonably satisfactory.

Overall, this lens is suggestively an added line up of your lenses especially those who do portraiture. Additionally, any photographers won't be discouraged with the performance of this lens given its quality, AF speed and price.

REASONS TO BUY (PROS):

- Compact and very lightweight (130 g)

- Excellent image quality (super sharp)

- Extremely low price

- Lateral Chromatic Aberration is minimal

WEAKNESSES (CONS):

- No USM (Auto-focus Ultra-Sonic Motor)

-Lens mount is made of plastic

The EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens can be mounted with both APS-C Sensor, APS-H, Full-frame and 35mm format. Image above shows the lens being mounted by the Canon EOS 600D which is an APS-C Sensor Digital SLR.

Image above shows the front view of the EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens. The filter diameter of this lens is 52mm.

The EF 50mm f/1.8mm II lens