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This spot in Dotonbori Osaka always draws my attention for the signage that is plastered everywhere and those 2 separate metal stairways that lead to the same destination!
Shot in the early evening when the lanterns have been lighted up.
串 is the Japanese Kangi character for skewers. The kushikatsu (deep fried skewers) joint with the lighted lanterns is open for business but the 2nd floor eateries are not as evidenced from the bicycle and ice-cream stand being placed across the stairways blocking access. Underneath the stairways is yet another space likely housing a different eatery in an alternate universe!
Hideouts of The Penguin and Doctor Octopus 😂!
In case you are wondering, the Penguin🐧 is Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot and Doctor Octopus 🐙 is Otto Octavius!
This little section of Dotonbori looked really dark and gloomy, just like Gotham!
Sensory overload as well with Thai, Indian restaurants beside local Japanese eateries along colorful Dotonbori!
Very late afternoon shot, the neon signs already lighted up.
There's a plethora of camera gear review sites on the internet these days, many are click-bait sites in masquerade.
Some sites review "absolute" lens quality on an optical bench with a single consistent sensor while other sites test lenses on the latest camera bodies the lenses were designed for. Different pros and cons but it is important to know the difference.
Total system output makes the most sense since the lens can't take photos on its own and generally can't be used optimally on mounts it was not designed for. Comparing lens quality across different generation camera bodies however is meaningless as many review sites do not update their reviews with the newest camera bodies.
Synthesizing lens quality down to a couple of numbers can also be very misleading, especially when it comes to Zooms.
The lack of consistency in approaches in reviews can get very confusing.
End of the day, best to exercise patience and not buy any gear on release, wait for the opinions of real users (not those on cameramakers' payroll) after using the gear under field conditions.
Post processing exercise 24Nov21, 3 years after this was originally uploaded, obvious improvement.
Handheld shot, from under the umbrella.
Colorful even during a downpour but kinda gloomy, just like the state of the camera market currently.
Interesting comments from the Sigma CEO Yamaki-san during his recent interview with Imaging Resource, in particular on the future of the imaging market. Sigma is a family owned business so there’s less B/S yada yada like those from division heads of public listed companies in Japan.
“I guess the market would shrink in 2020, even if we didn’t have coronavirus. Probably the coronavirus issue will escalate the problem. Without coronavirus, I assumed that the market would shrink but probably toward the end of this year to next year, I expected it to hit the bottom, and then level out.
Last year, the quantity of interchangeable-lens system cameras sold in the market was 8.5 million units. But actually, the peak time was 17 million units. So last year was about half. But before digital cameras, film SLR sold about 4 to 5 million units. So it was originally a very small market. So I think it was kind of a boom economy starting from mid-2000 to the beginning of 2010, and then it’s going down to the normal level.
I think probably 5 to 6 million is a good number to be stable.”
From Yamaki-san’s comments above in inverted commas, the market has already halved from peak as of 2019 and is predicted to shrink down to around 1/3 of peak sales.
The trend in m4/3 of using the same sensor in successive bodies or just add on dual processors have started to show up in some FF brands. Less sales result in less R&D budget with minor iterative updates which may well lead to even lower sales, a death spiral.
Another interesting tidbit from Yamaki-san is;
“I'm pretty sure that the FLD has almost the same characteristic as fluorite. Because we have studied several times if we should use fluorite, because many people said fluorite is good. But after many studies, we concluded that there is no reason to use fluorite because the cost is high, but the character is the same. So if we used fluorite, probably it would just be for the marketing purpose. We could not tell the difference between fluorite and FLD in terms of the optical performance.”
Some of the “advertised” exotic features we paid extra for may very well be a marketing ploy to differentiate the product rather than give us any qualitative advantages.
Sony’s 1st new Bionz XR processor in 7 years will hopefully herald a true leap forward, finally after all the minor iterative upgrades!
#osaka #osakastreets #osakacitylife #osakanightlife #nightphotography #osakariver #twilight #cityscape #nightsky #japan #street #japandiaries #japanstagram #nightlights #nightscape #urban #japanfocus #japan #canon70d #canon70dphotography #dslr #ultrawide #dotonburi
Excerpt from www.planmyjapan.com/glico-running-man-dotonbori-osaka/:
The most iconic of the Dotonburi attractions, the Glico Man in Osaka has been ‘running’ since 1935 (at least give him a breather) and is a ‘shining light’ (literally) in the Shinabashi community attracting millions of tourists every year.
Japan’s most famous sign and brilliant billboard, the Glico Man is a lit-up advertisement found in Dotonbori Osaka depicting a male athelete winning a race with his arms aloft as a sign of victory
First put up in the 1930s, the Glico Man is an iconic advert for a Japanese confectionery company that has been seen by millions of people from all over the world.
The original ‘running man’, the very first Glico Man billboard was put up in 1935 to promote Glico, a food and snacks company that was founded in 1922 in Osaka.
Rumour has it that the running man motif was chosen by Glico as their ad, as one of their original candy products was thought to boost energy levels (it may or may not have had oyster juice in it) so it would be suitable for an athlete or runner to help them power through.
The early Glico candies were heart-shaped and originally packaged in boxes with a runner with raised arms with a slogan ‘300 Meters in a Single Piece” (in the sense one chocolate would provide an energy boost for upto 300 metres of running).
Whilst many marvel and glare at the Glico Man every night, many don’t know that there have been six or seven different signs over the last few decades, each being replaced with newer and ‘better looking’ versions (and by that, we might brighter and more energy efficient).
The current Glico Man is the first LED version which comprises almost 150,000 LED lights – previous generations of Glico Man have been made from neon gas tubes.
The lively entertainment area of Dotonbori is Osaka’s most famous tourist destination and renowned for its gaudy neon lights, extravagant signage, and the enormous variety of restaurants and bars.
The name “Dotonbori” generally refers both to the Dotonbori Canal and to Dotonbori Street which runs parallel to the canal’s southern bank. It is one of the most colorful areas in Osaka and an absolute must-visit location when traveling through Kansai region.
Dotonbori Area: The Bright Heart of Osaka
The lively entertainment area of Dotonbori is Osaka’s most famous tourist destination and renowned for its gaudy neon lights, extravagant signage, and the enormous variety of restaurants and bars.
The name “Dotonbori” generally refers both to the Dotonbori Canal and to Dotonbori Street which runs parallel to the canal’s southern bank. It is one of the most colorful areas in Osaka and an absolute must-visit location when traveling through Kansai region.
The history of this area goes back to 1612 when a merchant by the name of Yasui Doton invested all of his personal capital in an ambitious local development project. Doton’s plan was to divert and expand the Umezu River into a new waterway that would link the local canal network with the Kizugawa River. Unfortunately, Doton’s project was interrupted by war and he himself was killed during the Siege of Osaka in 1615. Later that same year, Doton’s cousins completed his work and in his memory the new canal was named Dotonbori or “Doton Canal”.
The new canal brought with it a flood of trade and from 1626 the area began to flourish as an entertainment district too after theater companies and playhouses began to move into the area on the canal’s southern bank. At the same time the north bank of the canal began to prosper with restaurants and teahouses that supplied food, drink and entertainment to theater goers after they left the theaters.
Lots of quirky character along Dotonbori that really comes alive at night.
All systems have their strengths and weakness, the trick is to understand the strengths and shoot within these parameters.
Sony ILCE is great when shooting conditions become marginal.
Handheld shot.
#osaka #osakastreets #osakacitylife #osakanightlife #nightphotography #osakariver #twilight #cityscape #nightsky #japan #street #japandiaries #japanstagram #nightlights #nightscape #urban #japanfocus #japan #canon70d #canon70dphotography #dslr #ultrawide
#osaka #osakastreets #osakacitylife #osakanightlife #nightphotography #osakariver #twilight #cityscape #nightsky #japan #street #japandiaries #japanstagram #nightlights #nightscape #urban #japanfocus #japan #canon70d #canon70dphotography #dslr #ultrawide #dotonburi
#osaka #osakastreets #osakacitylife #osakanightlife #nightphotography #osakariver #twilight #cityscape #nightsky #japan #street #japandiaries #japanstagram #nightlights #nightscape #urban #japanfocus #japan #canon70d #canon70dphotography #dslr #ultrawide #dotonburi
#osaka #osakastreets #osakacitylife #osakanightlife #nightphotography #osakariver #twilight #cityscape #nightsky #japan #street #japandiaries #japanstagram #nightlights #nightscape #urban #japanfocus #japan #canon70d #canon70dphotography #dslr #ultrawide #dotonburi
Haut Lieu touristique d'Osaka, Dotonbori est une rue incroyable qui longe un canal.
La démesure est totale, voici quelques images qui valent plus que mille mots.
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The tourist Mecca of Osaka, Dotonbori is an incredible street which goes along a canal.
The immoderation is total, here is some images which cost more than one thousand words.
Haut Lieu touristique d'Osaka, Dotonbori est une rue incroyable qui longe un canal.
La démesure est totale, voici quelques images qui valent plus que mille mots.
.
The tourist Mecca of Osaka, Dotonbori is an incredible street which goes along a canal.
The immoderation is total, here is some images which cost more than one thousand words.
I was intrigued by this almost perpetual long queue outside this sushi shop in late afternoon.
Being in Dotonbori, outrageous shop displays is the norm.
Proceeded to frame in the giant hand holding sushi together with the queue.
This little section along Dotonbori is rather different.
It's got an original, old feel about it with the dim warm lighting, nothing like the swankier sections.
Multiple signage with the exact same message, 2 staircases that lead to the same spot.
Handheld shot in low light as good as one made on tripod, love this setup!
Haut Lieu touristique d'Osaka, Dotonbori est une rue incroyable qui longe un canal.
La démesure est totale, voici quelques images qui valent plus que mille mots.
.
The tourist Mecca of Osaka, Dotonbori is an incredible street which goes along a canal.
The immoderation is total, here is some images which cost more than one thousand words.
Haut Lieu touristique d'Osaka, Dotonbori est une rue incroyable qui longe un canal.
La démesure est totale, voici quelques images qui valent plus que mille mots.
.
The tourist Mecca of Osaka, Dotonbori is an incredible street which goes along a canal.
The immoderation is total, here is some images which cost more than one thousand words.
I loved photographing the outrageous lighted signboards along Dotonbori, Osaka.
The fugu lantern of the Zuboraya restaurant is my fave.
This is a handheld shot, the 16-35GM certainly has better color fidelity than the Sony Zeiss f4 version and crispier with better contrast.
Personally, fugu is mostly hype as it is said that eating it is akin to playing Russian roulette since fugu poison is 1,000x more poisonous than cyanide with no known antidote! Fact is, it is actually quite safe in the hands of qualified/certified chefs but as a dish, it has no real character making it rather overpriced.
Fugu fins are usually dried and sold separately, some prefer to soak them in Japanese sake for the unique flavor it imparts to the drink.
Very interestingly, due to climate change, there has been an increase in the incidence of puffer fish hybrids making identification difficult especially when external clues are not foolproof. The location of the poison is uncertain in the hybrids so the risk of eating this may well increase unless they have a foolproof method for identifying the specific species going forward.
The fugu's tetrodotoxin comes from eating other animals infested with tetrodotoxin-laden bacteria, it can be farmed poison-free by keeping them away from the bacteria.
Haut Lieu touristique d'Osaka, Dotonbori est une rue incroyable qui longe un canal.
La démesure est totale, voici quelques images qui valent plus que mille mots.
.
The tourist Mecca of Osaka, Dotonbori is an incredible street which goes along a canal.
The immoderation is total, here is some images which cost more than one thousand words.
Dōtonbori (道頓堀), Osaka, Japan.
Handheld shot with FE 16-35mm f2.8 GM.
Couple of the best features of mirrorless are IBIS and a dual-gain sensor, a boon to handheld night photography.
In post-processing such images, my aim is to preserve the contrast of the bright vs the dark areas. All too often night images appear flat and lifeless from overzealous pushing of highlights recovery and shadow lifting.
Got the iPhone 15 Pro Max recently as my iPhone 11 Pro Max died abruptly after successfully completing an IOS update.
Just like cameras, there’s no need to buy into every newly released iteration, IMO skipping 3 or even 4 iterations is fine these days, less waste for the planet besides.
This is the 1st time I got to play with Apple’s ProRAW and in particular 48mp ProRAW Max. New stuffs in iPhone 15 Pro Max are; 1) 24mp photo mode, 2) 48mp HEIF Max and ProRAW Max, 3) Night mode in 16-bit color space, 4) 5x camera and 5) Action button.
1) 24mp photo mode
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From dpreview;
“Using Apple’s Photonic Engine technology, the camera captures multiple versions of a scene that are optimized for different things, such as light capture, noise removal, color fidelity, subject awareness and so on. It then compresses those images into a single layer. What the iPhone 15 series adds is another computational step, combining that optimized result with a 48MP image to add detail, resulting in the default 24MP image.”
This much advertised new 24mp mode, it’s limited ONLY to the 1x Main camera (ie not on 0.5x, 2x or 5x) with further limitations when using Night mode, Macro, Flash or Portrait Lighting which can only be saved at 12mp. Tapping on the 1x icon toggles to the 1.2x (28mm) and 1.5x (35mm) cropped modes. We do get 24mp with the 1.2x and 1.5x crop mode from the main 1x camera but 2x crop yields only 12mp. The greater the crop, the smaller the file size even as resolution remains unchanged.
I’m really not happy with the 12mp limitation for Flash and Macro shots even though I can understand this helps with better noise performance (pixel-binning) for Night mode. The current Sony A7SIII is still only 12mp even though A7RV is 61mp. iPhone cameras have no physical variable aperture control hence Macro shot are not stopped down for greater DOF (like in ILC cameras) which will result in loss of light so I can’t see why Macro mode needs to default to 12mp especially if focus stacking is used without the ability/need to stop down the aperture. My old iPhone 11 Pro Max could focus at close subject distances even though it did not have a “dedicated” Macro mode, in iPhone 15 Pro Max, at similar close distances, it can’t even focus until you invoke the Macro mode, what gives? Imagine your 48mp premium camera can only take 12mp images when you attach a Macro lens, how is this acceptable!? (See postscript (1) below).
2) 48mp output
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ProRAW files are in uncompressed 12bit DNG file format. ProRAW is unlike our typical camera RAW, this is an Apple creation in collaboration with Adobe. ProRAW is a demosiaced file that stores results of computational photography right inside the RAW. Apple avoids sloppy demosaic algorithms in third-party programs or apps by doing this step themselves, which makes Apple's DNG file already different from one you'd get out of a DSLR.
Unedited 48mp ProRAW Max files seem to look a little soft almost as if lacking critical focus, the files can be pushed quite a lot and do take (in fact require) a lot of sharpening compared to the HEIF files. These 48mp ProRAW Max files are around 60+mb (apparently can go up to 100mb!) vs 5mp HEIF Max, the size difference is more than 10x. High time Apple introduces lossless compression to their ProRAW files. The 61mp Sony A7R5 lossless compressed RAW is 83.1mb vs 133.7mb uncompressed. The 42mp Sony A7R2/A7R3 has lossy compressed RAW at 43mb vs 83mb uncompressed so 48mp ProRAW at 60-100mb is just ridiculous for a smartphone. Simple editing of 60+mb ProRAW Max files on the iPhone, clicking “save” has a bit of lag.
Fortunately there is also an on-screen HEIF Max=>RAW12=>RAW Max toggle.
In summary, 48mp ProRAW Max or HEIF Max or 24mp HEIF are only available to the 1x camera because only this main 1x camera has the quad-Bayer sensor. 1.2x and 1.5x cropped from the 1x camera will also produce 24mp HEIF but ProRAW is 35mp for 1.2x and 24mp for 1.5x. The 2x cropped only produces 12mp files. Apple up-scale the 1.2x and 1.5x photos to maintain the 24mp output. Quad-Bayer sensor first appeared on iPhone 14 Pro models.
3) Night mode in 16-bit color space
==============================
I can’t see any difference indoors, will have to try some outdoors night shots soon.
4) 5x camera
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The new 5x (120mm) camera has 3-axis sensor-shift stabilization, I believe the 1x is stabilized at 2-axis only and the 0.5x has no stabilization? Sensor-shift stabilization first appeared in the iPhone 12 Pro Max, lens-based stabilization was the previous standard, just like DSLR to Mirrorless cameras.
This new 120mm equivalent tetraprism camera is useful, the screen appeared nicely stabilized to compose the shot and the results are crisp.
[Postscript: The 5x camera’s native aperture is f2.8 but can be adjusted post shot to simulate f1.4 if “Portrait” mode is turned on.]
5) Action button
==============
IMO best use of the new “Action” button is to assign it to “Camera” which not only allows us to invoke camera in locked screen but also as shutter/record button, it’s a little more instantaneous then the camera icon in locked screen.
A couple of personal takeaways;
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1. Always backup your phone before updating the software and have it plugged in to a power source while updating,
2. ProRAW is great and in particular 48mp ProRaw Max enabled by the quad-Bayer sensor. This is a real step in the right direction to turn smartphones into viable cameras. Just like in cameras, RAW files will not look good compared to JPEG/HEIF. Apple ProRAW files do respond to edits well and can be pushed further than HEIF files, more importantly ProRAW can and should take a lot of sharpening to look like HEIF/JPEG from iPhones. Apple will need to upgrade its in-phone “Photos” app editor IMO to better exploit the 48mp ProRAW Max files.
Yet to try;
1. Portrait “faux-keh”,
2. Night mode with new 16-bit color space for outdoors.
Future evolution? I’m listing out important features I hope to see in future iPhone iterations, will skip each iteration until Apple makes the iPhone I desire, or until my current phone dies whichever comes first.
1. True optical telephoto zoom lens,
2. High-resolution photos in all modes including Macro and Flash modes at least on the main 1x camera,
3. High-resolution for the 0.5x ultra-wide camera,
4. Lossless compression for ProRAW Max files,
5. Manual settings allowing users control shutter speed, ISO, sensor-shift stabilization on/off. As it is, we already get EV control & AF/AE lock on iPhones,
6. 1 touch White Balance adjustment like the way Ricoh GR does it.
7. Tripod-based pixel-shift high resolution mode at Base ISO.
8. Better “Photos” app with selective post-processing capability.
9. Dual-slot backup; with external SSD, if file is large 48mp ProRAW Max, the phone should retain a 12 or 24mp HEIF file.
Postscript
=========
1) iPhone 11 Pro Max 1x main camera sensor size is 1/2.55” while the 15 Pro Max is 1/1.28” which explains for the worse minimum focus distance for the newest phone. iPhone 15 Pro Max has to switch to its 0.5x ultra-wide camera for Macro, this 0.5x camera sensor has the same size and resolution as the 1x in the iPhone 11 Pro Max at 1/2.55” 12mp hence Macro mode on iPhone 15 Pro Max drops to 12mp. IMO the so called “Macro mode” is kinda bogus!
2) Found yet another limitation to the 24mp and 48mp modes on the 1x (incl 1.2x & 1.5x) camera. If 16:9 widescreen format is selected, output resolution drops to 36mp from the original 48mp.
3) 5x camera with native f2.8 aperture can simulate f1.4 post shot when Portrait mode is turned on.
Curl (カール Kāru) is a brand of cheesy flavoured corn puffs snack produced by Meiji Holdings and the mascot Karl (kah-roo) Ojisan is that character with the yellow hat. Probably a Japanese play on words between "Curl" and "Karl".
Apparently at the top of every hour, Karl Ojisan's hat rises to reveal the small green frog character Kerota-kun. From around 3pm, you can see yourself projected live on a big TV monitor on the right side of the billboard if you stand close to the glass planes across the alley.
Gotta love all the quirkiness in Dotonbori!
I’m hopeful the Nikon DSLR to mirrorless lens adapter will be a good one although I believe it will work better with their latest E lenses than G lenses.
Sony had problems with A mount lenses to E mount mirrorless body due to their translucent non flipping SLT mirror.
CaNikon’s treasure trove of DSLR lenses is crucial for the success of their new mirrorless bodies. Metabones and Sigma MC-11 have worked reasonably well for Canon and Sigma DSLR lenses on Sony mirrorless bodies from the A7r2 and newer bodies. Nikon with obvious full knowledge of their own AF algorithm should be able to make their adaptor work better than the Metabones and MC-11.
3rd party adapters for Nikon DSLR lenses to Sony E mount bodies have however been dismal because Nikon mostly used body-driven mechanical couplings for aperture and focus control except for their newer E lenses. Canon does not have this problem. All of Nikon’s latest telephoto lenses are E type, so are their latest and greatest (very expensive as well!) 24-70 f2.8, 70-200 f2.8, 105 f1.4 and 28 f1.4.
Nikon’s FT-1 adapter for their DSLR lenses on their now defunct mirrorless Nikon 1 system gives me hope. Looking forward to finally upgrade my Nikon D800E with the new high mp mirrorless body that will allow close to native F mount performance on my remaining Nikon F mount “G” DSLR lenses that I have avoided duplicating over on my Sony E mount, as soon as that rumored 58mm f0.95 lens is released ☺!
Shinsaibashi is a popular shopping district in Osaka which has a long history as a regional center of commerce. The entire area is named after the former Shinsaibashi Bridge which was first built by Shinsai Okada in 1622. This bridge crossed the Nagahorigawa canal and was a popular local landmark until 1964 when the canal was filled in and the bridge was removed. The name remains though and has become closely associated with high fashion retailers and chic brand goods.
One of the big-name stores in Shinsaibashi now is the main branch of the Daimaru department store chain. This store’s history actually goes back to 1726 when it was first opened as a kimono and textiles store called Matsuya. Already at that time there were many well-established small stores in the area, and Shinsaibashi grew to be Osaka’s major center of trade, with goods coming from all over Japan. In the early 20th century stores here began to trade in goods from overseas, and Shinsaibashi grew to challenge Tokyo’s Ginza district as a leading commercial center for high class luxury products. There was even an expression: “Ginza in the east, Shinsaibashi in the west.” These days, Osaka can’t compete on quite the same level as the capital city, but Shinsaibashi is still fashion central for Osaka and for the major brands and retailers it is very important to be represented here.
The backbone of Shinsaibashi is the Shinsaibashisuji shopping arcade that runs north from Dotonbori to Nagahori Dori Street and which parallels the Midosuji boulevard to the west. This roofed arcade runs for 580 meters and contains roughly 180 stores among which you can find major department stores, brand retailers, independent fashion boutiques, teashops, and cafes. Because of its roof, it is a great location for rainy day shopping. However, it does get crowded, with 60,000 people passing through it on an average weekday, and double that number on weekends. If you don’t mind the crowds, this is an excellent place for discovering the latest fashions in clothing, footwear, jewelry and accessories.
Some of the big names on this street are H&M, Uniqlo, Zara, United Arrows, Samantha Thavasa, Calzedonia, and Ralph Lauren. However, be sure to watch out for the side alleys that branch off from the arcade, as it is there you will find some of the older, more traditional stores selling traditional crafts, hanging scrolls, and kimonos. Here are some highlights.
Very pleasantly surprised by the OOF (Out Of Focus) rendering of the FE16-35mm f2.8GM.
At 35mm and f2.8, there's too much DOF for much bokeh blur but this GM lens still managed to have a very smooth OOF rendering, no hard edges whatsoever.
Sony claims to push sharpness and smooth bokeh to the max for GM level lenses, I can see that in the 3 GM lenses I own but I don't know what they have done to achieve this.
Just to add, the new Olympus 17mm f1.2 Pro lens sells for US$1,200, now that to me is just insane!
Une des spécialités d'Ōsaka, le takoyaki est un mets délicieux à base morceaux de poulpe enveloppés de pâte à crêpes et cuit dans des moules à gaufres.
Servies chaudes avec différentes sauces c'est un véritable délice?
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e of the specialities of Osaka, the takoyaki is a delicious dish on base pieces of octopus wrapped with crepe batter and cooked in waffle-irons.
Served hot with various sauces it is a real delight