Amazed by Camera on the Samsung J7

I may be a bit slow about these things, because although I've had my new smartphone, the Samsung J7 for half  a year, only very recently have I discovered that its camera offers some amazing "modes." My actual camera may do some of those things, but I find it almost impossible to control/program, while the phone is very easy.

I must admit that I only began playing with it after trying to show a friend how to use her new phone camera. I feel pretty stupid admitting such a thing at this stage.  Now before shooting, I check how the scenes/subjects look in the various modes and sometimes shoot a variety.

Now I understand how/why many people don't bother buying cameras anymore, and the chances are that my little red Canon IXUS 145 won't be replaced.

Do you still use both or just a phone? Why? And which brand and model?

Which Camera is Takes Better Photos?

This morning I took pretty much the same pictures with my phone and with my camera. And they were taken seconds apart, so there wasn't any change in the lighting or sun or angle. I stood in the same place and first used my Canon IXUS 145, which is a small, lightweight low-end Canon I've had for a few years. And then I used my Samsung J7, which is the best of the "bargain" Samsung's J version. At least it was about half a year ago, when we bought "his and hers." Yes, my husband also has one.

None of the photos were edited in any way, not even cropped. Here are the photos:

a-

b-

Vote which pair you like better and why in the comments. Thanks.

Daily and Weekly Photos, 365 and 52

As if I have nothing else to do, I've been participating in two photography groups, a daily one, 365Project, and a weekly one, 52Frames.

They have one thing in common and that's the time restriction. The photo for 365project must be taken the day it's uploaded, and only one per day, while 52Frames gives us a week to photograph for that weekly deadline.

The big difference is that there are "strict" weekly challenges we're supposed to attempt. The challenges are basic, and sometimes more advanced photographic techniques, styles, etc. And for the 365project we can photograph anything we want. There are those who join members taking on a specific challenge, but for most members it's more of loosely themed photographic diary.

For this week, deadline was early Monday morning Israel time, 52Frames asked for a black and white photo:

"Follow..."
As rushed and freezing cold as I was, I just had to stop, take off my gloves and shoot this scene. I could just see it in black and white, especially the stone sidewalk. My eyes blurred from shooting into the sun, but we photographers are always taking risks for our art..

And here are a few of my recent 365project photographs:

Peeking in the Schoolyard

When my children studied here the school was so very bare-bones basic. We were grateful that the small prefab structures that were used as classrooms for many didn't leak. And there certainly wasn't a fence around it.
Now besides the landscaping, there is outdoor musical equipment like this xylophone.

Traffic Jam

Suddenly, as we rode south on the Alon Road to Kochav Hashachar, we were forced to stop.

Golden Morning

Winter

I photograph with both my Samsung J7 smartphone and my small Canon IXUS 145 camera.

Both groups are now very international, though 52Frames started in Israel, if I'm not mistaken. Sometimes I explain Jewish customs on 365project, like here:

Last Whiff of the Sabbath

A new week has begun. According to Jewish Tradition, one part of the "Havdalah," Separation ceremony is smelling "spices."
May this be a good week for all.

Although both groups do have an optional paid membership, I don't pay, and I can still participate.

365Project, A Diary-Like Daily Photo Group

I've been having fun with a daily challenge photo group, 365Project. I manage to send a photo in almost everyday, very much like a photo diary. When I'm on the go I use my smartphone, the Samsung J7 I got a few weeks ago.

Members are from all over the world, and the photographs are pretty mixed. If you're a member, then look for me. And if you're not, maybe you'd like to join up.

Here are a few of my recent ones:

Keeping Up With Our Son's Football Game

Our son is the Head Coach of the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions IFL tackle football team. And since we're not at the game, too far, my husband and I are keeping up with it by twitter and whatsapp. Let's hope for a safe victorious game and also safe traveling for the team and fans

Could There Ever be Too Many Vegetables? #6

Cooking for our Jewish Sabbath, and we do eat a lot of vegetables. This is now baking in the oven.

Last Pomegranate

Over a month ago, when pomegranates were plentiful and finishing their season, I bought a box of them. They stayed fresh in my cold refrigerator. This morning I took the very last one out, and I'm slowly savoring it. It is so delicious.

Morning Coffee

I'm enjoying my new gigantic 1.5 liter French Press. As you can see, I drink my coffee with sugar and milk. That French Press was my Chanukah present to me!

Camera's Missing*, but Compared to What Others have Lost...

This morning the big yellow sun called to me for a picture. I went to get my camera, and it wasn't there. So I tried all sorts of the usual hideouts, and I couldn't find my red Canon IXUS 145 😕😟.

Believe me, I'm not the type to lose and misplace things. I checked every possible place.  It's not the end of the world, really. I still have my phone, bli eyin haraa, not to tempt the evil eye... and the camera may show up, of course.

But even more important to remember is that over the past few days many Israeli homes have burnt to a crisp or sustained so much damage, that something like a camera is just history and one of the most easily replaceable items of the horrendous amount lost.

Mateh Binyamin, Benjamin County website

Mateh Binyamin, Benjamin County website

Facebook

May Gd quickly send rain to put out the flames, and may those flames turn on the terrorist arsonists who lit them.

*PS I did find my camera. I suddenly remembered that I had put it with my phone, on the shelf over my bed. Prior to that I had remembered that it was around right before Shabbat and that it was in a place not usually placed. May Gd help those with real problems!

Photo Experiment on My Virus "Cure"

Let's "kill two birds with one stone" as the saying goes...

• this is a health post, a natural health cure
• experimenting with simple settings on my camera, Canon IXUS 145

For years I've been using a very simple "cure" for "colds" and other viral annoyances. I drink water, tap-room temperature, that has freshly squeezed lemon juice added. Yesterday, I, davka, added another simple natural ingredient, a bit of fresh ginger. And since then my "scratchy, then painful throat has softened into a runny nose, but my hip now hurts a bit. Actually it hurts less now than earlier in the day. And Gd willing this little "virus" will soon be gone. 

Now for the photo experiment. 

no flash
1/50 sec. f/3.2 5mm, ISO 800

flash fired
1/60 sec. f/3.2 5mm, ISO 125

Slow Sync flash mode
1/10 sec. f/9 5mm, ISO 500

These photos are totally untouched, unedited, not even cropped. So you can see that I was the same distance from the glass mug when I shot the pictures. All three were done at the sametime, with barely seconds between them. All adjustments were done automatically by the camera. All I did was choose the flash mode from none, flash and slow sync.

Which do you like better? 

Sounds like 52Frames!

This week's theme/challenge on 52Frames was Sound. I ended up going for the household kind of sound. If you like this photo, then please click its title and like it on facebook, thanks.

"Listen to the Spin"
Even the quietest of washing machines makes noise as it spins. This is probably the most silent washing machine I've ever had. Our previous washing machines could've be used as alarm clocks if they had timers. Yes, it's almost like Science Fiction that this one can be set to finish its final spin cycle in the morning, or whenever I decide... Never could I have imagined such an amazing invention. 

I had to do a lot of laundry the week this photo had to be shot, because it was just before the Succot Holiday, when the custom is not to do unnecessary milachot-a certain type of reality-changing work, even on chol hamoed, the "intermediate days" those between Succot-strict holy day and Simchat Torah. So now that it's decades after I've had to launder diapers, and over a decade since my sons are in army uniform visiting home, I do try to take a holiday from the laundry chore. So, I was hearing that gentle buzz of a spin quite a bit last week. Can you hear the spin?

Make Your Own Path... 52Frames

"...go instead where there is no path.."

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/path.html

This week's theme/challenge for 52Frames was "Path," and I took it very literally. I didn't photograph anything paved. That meant no roads and no sidewalks. And I really couldn't stand any of my "path" pictures, so I walked around my neighborhood and found this lovely rustic scene, just seconds from my house. Then I did a search for a suitable "path" quotation which would connect it to the "challenge."

Yes, since my photos can't compete with the 52Frames "stars" and their top notch equipment, I've been very "out of the box" of late. It's now getting more fun for me again. As I had expected, this photo and certainly the meaning behind it is one of the least, if not the least popular in the entire album of hundreds. From the few comments, it seems that my meaning/intention is a bit too obscure for others to comprehend, but that's fine, too. I'm making my own path...

Hand it to 52Frames

This week's challenge for 52Frames was "Hands." I must admit that after about three years, never missing a week, I'm on the verge of burnout. And I do find it rather depressing frustrating that some of my favorite photos, of those I've submitted, are ignored. There is an unofficial competitive bent in all this. There are well-heeled professionals with the best of equipment, and there are amateurs with top-notch equipment. And there are members with lots of enthusiastic friends who always "like" their photos, and then there are members like myself with bargain equipment and fewer fans, if any.

Hands aren't all that easy to photograph. My previous tries, other years, were worse than pathetic. Davka during the days I could take the photo, which must be only from early Monday morning, Israel Time, to the following early Monday morning, I wasn't any place good for the "challenge." I did sneak a couple of shots on the bus one day. And I had taken a photo of my husband's hands last year and mine the year before... Neither were decent photos.

Then all of a sudden, as I left the pool last Friday, the last day it was open this season, I got a brainstorm. It suited my mood. I felt I'd be mocking the whole super-sharp macro, wrinkled, hairy hand scene. My brainstorm would be like hanging a "fingerpainting" next to some dainty Japanese landscape painting. For the "hands" I took my bright blue swimming gloves and placed them on the edge of the pool. I took a few pictures, some with and some without the flash. I didn't use Automatic mode.

Swim HandsI wear these swimming gloves when in the pool. They add to my upper body exercise, and friends with poor eyesight recognize me by my blue gloved hands. We have now ended our pool season here in Shiloh. I hope to wear these "hands" in other pools over the next nine or so months before the local one reopens.

Ironically, there are people who like this photo, and it certainly stands out. It's totally different from all the others. And you should know, that I used the flash for this photo. Even though the sunlight was extremely bright at the time, this photo with the extra light is much more interesting and striking than the one without the flash. Recently, I haven't been using the Automatic flash, in which the camera chooses if flash is needed. Either I prefer no flash or even if there's light, I want the addition of the flash.

This was taken seconds before, but without the flash.

What do you think?

Night Shot for 52Frames

I tried all sorts of ways to get a decent night shot. Many of the other photographers have these fancy cameras with all sorts of controls and lenses. They keep telling me, in comments by my photos that my camera also has controls. Hah! Try to control it and read the menu especially at night. I've tried clicking all sorts of things, and it just doesn't do what the Canon site claims it can. And I can't trust automatic, because I don't want a flash to go off. Anyhow, I got a halfway decent shot, or so I think, considering all...

"Tabernacle Synagogue, Shiloh, at Night"

Here in Shiloh, our main synagogue is modeled after the Biblical Tabernacle which had "rested" here in Shiloh for almost four hundred years. A few months ago, it didn't look so bright and well-lit at night, but since then it has undergone a major sprucing up.

Camera: Canon Canon IXUS 145
Shutter: 1/8th of a second
Aperture: f/4
ISO: 800
Location: Shiloh, Israel

One night last week, I wandered around with my camera and a little tripod. I set it up on benches and walls. That's when I took the picture of the synagogue. Before then I had taken a couple I liked. Here's #2 choice:

The Pool at Night

And there were a few others I liked, but I knew they weren't up to standard. Ort maybe I haven't a clue as to what "standard" really is.

"Chaos" on 52Frames

I didn't have to go far to find chaos to photograph for 52Frames.

"Buried in Chaos"
Last week I sent in my "Calm" picture* before traveling to my brother's funeral. My friend was keeping me company here in the den as I did it. I was complaining to her that it would be hard to shoot "Chaos" considering the Jewish mourning restrictions would have me stuck at home during most of the week. She told me to look around the den where we were. "There's plenty of chaos here," she said. And she's right. What do you think?

Camera: Canon Canon IXUS 145
Shutter: 1/60th of a second
Aperture: f/3.5
ISO: 800

My life has been pretty chaotic as of late, but it was easier to photograph my husband's books and papers, a very, extremely small portion of them.

*In the end I photographed the cemetery for "Calm" and sent that one in. 52Frames allows a change of mind...

Photo-Editing on My New Computer

Never say never...

I had always considered myself a purist as photography goes and would put down those who did too much beautifying of their photos. In  a sense I still consider it cheating, but I now realize that I'm at, or more precisely-- I've been at a terrible disadvantage, because many other doctor aka photo-edit their photos a lot, while I rarely did more than simple cropping.

Sometimes on the 52Frames page on facebook a member would post the "before and after" of a photo, and I'd feel miserable. It's bad enough that their expensive camera takes much sharper pictures, but then they have these fancy advanced photo-editing program that gets just the right colors and effects I couldn't even imagine.

Now I still have the same relatively simple and inexpensive Canon IXUS 145, but my new computer has a better photo-editing tool. I'm not quite sure what it's called...

Last night I took one photo and just kept changing it. What do you think?

5am for 52Frames

Am I insane? There I was still jetlagged in the eastern direction,which is the hardest to recover from, and I still set my alarm for 4:56am in order to grab my robe, scarf and camera in time to shoot a 5am photo for extra credit. Crazy for sure. But I'm going to let you in on a secret... remembering to shoot at 5pm is sometimes more difficult, even after setting the alarm for 4:56pm. I can get so quickly distracted and waylaid in the afternoon.

52Frames can sure make me do the strangest things.

"5AM!"
I set my alarm to get up and shot this early morning photo!

Camera: Canon Canon IXUS 145
Location: Shiloh, Israel

Critique: SHRED AWAY! I feel no pain.
This photo qualifies for the "Extra Credit" challenge: "In the Morning"

When "Red" Brings Wonderful Memories

This week, I needed a photo with "red" for 52Frames. After taking lots of photos, I ended up submitting one which wasn't planned at all. Some red clothespins caught my eye.

"Red Clothespin, Memories"
I get very nostalgic about clothespins and hanging clothes. It's my favorite household chore, and we even planned the terrace so I'd have lots of clotheslines, 20 meters total. I grew up in Bell Park Gardens, Bayside, NY, which has not only the expected playgrounds and parking lots, but even until this day, there are areas with clotheslines for the residents to use to hang and dry their laundry. I absolutely adore the smell of freshly sun-dried laundry.
As a little girl, I loved helping hang the wash, and when I couldn't reach, I'd stand on a milk-box. Way back in the middle of the previous century, milkmen delivered milk straight to the door and the glass bottles were placed in sturdy boxes, strong enough to hold me.
Memories...

I know that many, many people have absolutely no experience hanging clothes on lines to dry, but for those of us who grew up, or even still live, in Bell Park Gardens, Bayside, NY, clotheslines are normal. Here in Israel some people, like myself still hang out the wash, and there are apartments designed with clotheslines, but they are "hidden," which reduces the sunlight on the wash, very much defeating the purpose of the clotheslines.

Here are the other photos I had thought to send in to 52Frames, but some members who helped me choose thought there was something more mesmerizing in this photo of the clothespins.

"One Man's Trash is Another's 52Frames Photo"
When the time frame started I noticed this "red garbage" among the leaves on a bush, I couldn't resist, but this wasn't acceptable by others.

Still Life in Red
Not having planned this, I suddenly noticed that these "kitchen tools" could be perfect for the "Red" challenge. But nobody agreed.

I took lots of photos of these flowers, but I didn't like the focus.

Sing Along... "The Wheels on the Bus"

This week's 52Frames asked us to photograph the, and for some peculiar reason I kept hearing in my head.  So I snuck round some buses at Sha'ar Binyamin and came up with this one.

"Wheels on the Bus" 

Yes, these are wheels on t h e bus. Sing along:

Of course afterwards I had much better ideas. I had also thought of using boots for "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'."

But I decided that they looked pretty lame, too. So I went with the wheels which weren't going round and round... And I didn't skip a week!!

A Chair for 52Frames

I found this week's 52Frames "Chair" Challenge much more difficult than expected, but luckily a good friend stepped in to pose.

""In This Chair You're Never Alone""
Jerusalem Cinema City has a bunch of benches with built in partners. One of my friends was willing to pose for me there. 
"A true friend encourages us, comforts us, supports us like a big easy chair, offering us a safe refuge from the world." H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/true_friend.html

Camera: Canon Canon IXUS 145
Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Here are some other Chair pictures I took, but decided that "In This Chair You're Never Alone" was better.

And here I am in the same chair.