davidsmeaton.com

I thought I knew a lot about photography, but I was completely taken by surprise when some photographers started talking about pancake lenses. What is a pancake lens? Jessica, Jeju Island.

Photographers are strange people. Sometimes photographers like big lenses, sometimes they like the smallest possible lenses. The smallest lenses available are commonly called pancake lenses because they’re flat, like a pancake.

For quite a while, pancake lenses had fallen out of favour in photographic circles. A little while ago Olympus released a pancake lens for its new DSLR cameras. That kicked off a surge in renewed interest in pancake type lenses.

Why are they so popular? Well, the biggest reason is that they’re small. One benefit of their size is that the lenses are light and easy to carry. However the biggest benefit is that the small, flat lens makes the camera much more discrete.

Pancake lenses are popular amongst street photographers for this very reason. A long lens is quite obtrusive. Pointing it at someone can attract their attention or make them aware of the camera. Since photographers want to capture people in natural situations, a big lens is too noticeable. A pancake lens makes the camera appear much smaller and less obvious. It allows a photographer to remain unnoticed while taking photos of people.

Pancake lenses are usually short range prime lenses. Most pancakes are between 35 and 50mm in length and around f1.8 to f2.8 maximum aperture. These apertures are important and one of the biggest benefits of prime lenses - because it means the lens is fast and sharp.

Often, pancake lenses will be manual focus, due to their small size - autofocus pancakes are rare indeed.

The other important aspect is image quality. Short prime lenses are a playground for bokeh; out of focus area. Bokeh is important to photographers because it determines the aesthetics of any area beyond the camera’s depth of field settings. If a lens is poorly designed, it will not render out of focus areas very well. The bokeh will look harsh and flat. A good prime lens will produce great bokeh, much better than most zoom lenses.

The resurgence in popularity has resulted in a number of companies developing pancake lenses. Nikon and Canon both have new pancake lenses hitting the market. Panasonic and Olympus have already released lenses with various mounts. There are also a number of third party lens makers who have pancakes; the two most popular being Zeiss and Voigtlander.

The only real downside to pancake lenses is their price. Usually, a pancake will be two or three times the price of a similar standard prime lens. The higher cost is due to the engineering required to make the technology work in a ‘flat’ lens.

With photography’s recent surge in popularity, camera makers have been outdoing each other to make newer and better equipment. This will probably result in companies also developing many more lens types. Nikon have already released tilt shift lenses to appeal to architect photographers. It’s likely that there will be more pancake lenses on the market in the next few years.

For now, it’s probably not worth owning a pancake lens, unless you want to practice your manual focusing. Save your money and invest in some good standard prime lenses, such as a 50mm f1.8.

Happy shooting!

David Smeaton

nikon continue to release new bodies at breakneck speeds … the latest in the line is nikon’s D90, the successor to the popular consumer D80. the D90 features a very interesting new set of features that has nikon fans giggling like school girls, despite the fact that many of the new ‘features’ are just bells and whistles.

amongst the most talked about features is the D90’s ability to shoot video. it’s the first DSLR with video capabilities (thanks to its other new feature, live view). nikon are also claiming that the D90’s video is better than most consumer camcorders and can produce more interesting movies (thanks to myriad of lenses, especially the fisheye, telephoto and macro lenses).

personally, i see a lot of pitfalls here. users are going to start trying to make movies with these DSLR cameras, winning users with a few ‘eye candy’ features that are starting to move nikon away from their true focus - quality DSLR cameras.

the new D90 also has sensor vibration cleaning, 12.9 mp DX sensor, live view (as mentioned, bigger 3 inch screen, better iso noise control, more frames per second, but a poor buffer rate (only 7 raw images, meaning a burst rate of less than 2 seconds when shooting raw), and a few other bells and whistles.

although the D90 is a greatly improved camera, it still fits the model of releasing minor improvements and bleeding consumers dry … amateur photographers should not be buying bodies every 12 months.

the only thing i’m even remotely excited about is not the nikon D90, but an accessory that has been released at the same time; nikon’s GP-1 GPS unit. this handy gadget will attach to the hot shoe and add gps data to each photo as its taken. the gps data is stored into the image’s exif data for later use. this has come just in time for me to make use of it during my travels!

although i’m no expert (and nobody cares about my opinion), i think users should keep away from buying the latest camera bodies. if you have no camera, then it makes sense to buy the best body you can afford (i did that when i bought my D200). but if you have a good camera, upgrading to a new body … to get a few extra megapixels and new features … is a snake oil sales pitch that people are falling for. nikon and canon have both worked out that the ‘camera wars’ are not good for consumers, but good for profit margins. by constantly releasing new models, the camera companies are greatly improving their revenues.

live view and movies are not what DSLRs are about. DSLR cameras have a viewfinder because they’re professional cameras with interchangable lenses. let the point and shoot crowd have live view. let camcorders have the movies. nikon and canon should stick to improving lens technology. they should spend time developing DSLRs with gps built in (not a hot shoe accessory). they should be working on electronic shutters (where 50 frames per second would be possible). they should work on sensors and noise reduction … btw, some of nikon’s bridge cameras and “point and shoots” DO have gps built in.

i personally think nikon is losing sight of its true purpose with this new camera. many will disagree with me, but the serious photographers will know what i’m talking about.

i guess the next camera that comes out will also have a phone, mp3 player, and be able to make espresso … although i have to admit, that some of the D90 sample movies do look very good.

These days, a lot of cameras are coming out with full frame sensors. My camera has a cropped sensor, so it’s not full frame. Is full frame better? - Matthew, Seoul.

The concept of ‘full frame’ is something of a misnomer. Every frame is a full frame. However, the standard for full frame is based on 35mm SLR cameras, which were the most popular cameras before digital came along.

A full frame camera, then, is a camera with an equivalent of a 35mm sensor. Most DSLR cameras, however, have smaller sensors or ‘cropped sensors’. The reason for this is that DSLR technology is still being developed and full frame sensors were very difficult to make, had numerous technical issues, and were quite expensive. So manufacturers decided to offer cropped sensors instead.

Full frame sensors have two distinct advantages. The first advantage is that old lenses, which have very high build quality) are designed for SLR cameras. SLR cameras use 35 mm film, upon which the standard full frame is based. So full frame SLR lenses are perfectly suited to full frame DSLR sensors.

The second advantage is that a full frame sensor is bigger. Simply, the bigger sensor has more photosites (the small buckets that collect light). The bigger sensor collects more light than a cropped sensor. Cropped sensors, therefore, have more difficulty collecting light to make the image. So the camera amplifies the signal from the sensor. As a result, cropped sensors create a lot more noise.

These days, manufacturers are very good at making cropped sensors, so the noise factor is less of an issue. It’s very easily solved with software. Also, due to the popularity and affordability of cropped sensor DSLRs, camera makers are producing a lot of cropped format lenses. These lenses are specifically designed to get maximum benefits from a smaller sensor.

Cropped sensor DSLRs actually have one cool advantage over full frame. They receive a magnification bonus on full frame lenses. Because the sensor is smaller, the range of a full frame lens is altered.

For Nikon, the camera receives a bonus of 1:1.5 for a cropped sensor with a full frame lens. This means that a 100mm lens is actually 150mm. I have a 70mm – 300mm lens for my Nikon D200. The lens is full frame but the camera has a cropped sensor. In effect, my lens has a range of 105mm – 450mm. That’s an awesome range for a lens. For Canon, the bonus is 1:1.6 and for Olympus, the bonus is 1:2 because they use a unique four thirds sensor system.

This bonus, however, doesn’t work the other way around – such as cropped lenses on full frame cameras.

Don’t be put off by the whole ‘sensor size’ issue. Full frame DSLRs are still expensive and new technology. Cropped sensors and lenses are affordable, practical, and very high quality. If you have a cropped sensor DSLR (as most people do) then stick with it. In the future, when full frame is ubiquitous and affordable, make the switch.

Happy shooting!

David Smeaton

Warning: This tutorial makes use of some Korean characters. if your computer cannot display the Korean, it might be helpful if you install the Korean language fonts. Otherwise, the Korean characters will appear as crazy symbols which will be illegible. If you have Korean fonts installed and you still can’t see the characters, go view -> encoding -> Korean … that will work if your browser is set to detect western fonts.

Let’s get started …

So, the history of this ‘how to’ is that I made a few posts on eslcafe about cameras. As a result, I get emails every week from people asking how to get a good, cheap digital camera. I get a lot of requests for help, especially from people who are trying to move into the DSLR market. So, I’ve decided to make this guide … ’cause I’m tired of repeating myself! Just kidding … I’m happy to make this guide to help other people out.

Caveat: My experiences relate mainly to DSLR cameras. However, a lot of this information is also useful for point and shoots or any digital camera technology. In fact, much of this guide could be useful when shopping for any electronic equipment.

This is a guide only and is based on my experience. I don’t know everything! This is an accumulation of what I have done over the past 6 years. Others are welcome to disagree with my opinions, and I’d welcome comments. Constructive discussion will help make buying digital cameras (or other electronic equipment) a lot easier for everyone.

I provide this information as a public service. So I accept no responsibility if you don’t have the common sense to ensure you don’t get ripped off! Caveat Emptor!

Where to go …

First, there are three common places around Seoul where technology is purportedly cheap.

Yongsan - A very popular place and prices are indeed cheap. A smart shopper can get good bargains there. Yongsan is an older area and many stores can keep their overheads low. Shopping with cash is recommended. However, Yongsan is also the place where unwary shoppers are more likely to be ripped off. It’s more common with computers than cameras, but there are a lot of stories about knockoff gear being sold as genuine. Popular stories are of people buying gear that has had the internal components stripped and replaced with cheap junk. Personally, I rarely go to Yongsan … unless it’s to buy computer parts. Yongsan however, is a great one stop shopping place. Depending which buildings you go to, you can get just about anything. I think Yongsan is better for computer and console bargains, than for cameras and other electronics. There’s less hawking here too!

Technomart - I like TM a lot. However, it’s harder to haggle here. I think it’s because their overheads are higher (cost of rent, etc). You can still get good prices if you haggle and have cash. But I’ve rarely been offered rock bottom prices. Many sellers will become angry if you try to push prices down. They’d rather protect their profits than do business. I’ve never heard of knockoff gear in TM, and store owners are usually going to be there long term. So it’s an easy place to deal with if you learn to work your way around. Btw, TM has EVERYTHING you could ever need in electronics. Like Yongsan, it’s a one stop shopping mall. The biggest downside is that used shops are less common and it’s harder to find electronic items that are a year or two old. Usually, once it’s no longer the newest gear, TM won’t sell it. Hawking has become quite popular here, especially on the phone floors. So be prepared for people trying to ‘lure’ you to their stores. The general rule of thumb is that the higher floors and stores away from the escalators have better deals. Stores with lots of foot traffic won’t haggle as much, because they know that they can wait for a customer who will offer better prices. So if you want to shop at TM, get away from the front stores and wander around into the back areas.

Namdaemun - These are regular stores, however the streets near Namdaemun Gate are crowded with camera shops. Wandering amongst the shops is fun and many of them will let you haggle them down to rock bottom prices. There’s a particular shop in Namdaemun that I frequent often. I recommend it to anyone … but we’ll get to that later. There’s a few small technology malls in Namdaemun. These cater to ignorant tourists and their prices are higher. Steer clear of these mini-malls and stick to the storefronts which are independently owned.

Those are the most popular places. Of course, every mall and many streets have electronics shops. But it’s the places with a concentration of the same products that drive prices down … don’t expect the same deals at your local store or in places like COEX.

Another factor is the ‘import’ issue. Unbeknownst to many foreigners, there’s two ways to import electronics into Korea.

Genuine Imports - These imports are bought legally and all import taxes, customs and stamp duties are paid. This is what you expect to buy.

Grey Market Imports - These are imports which are shipped to Hong Kong (usually) but are bought and re-shipped to Korea. They avoid the import taxes and duties, and are therefore cheaper. However, of course, there’s a catch. The catch is warranty. Companies which represent their markets (eg Nikon and Canon) don’t like grey market (d’uh!). So, any product that you buy which comes from a non-genuine importer will not have its warranty recognized in Korea. This is weird, because the warranty is valid world wide, regardless of where you bought it. But Korean after service centers will not honour warranties if you didn’t buy it from an authorised seller!

How do they know it’s not genuine? Simple, the serial number! Manufacturers record serial numbers and know where the camera was destined to be sold. If it was destined for Hong Kong, chances are it’s an unauthorised import.

This is the rule, but it’s not a hard and fast rule. Nikon Korea has serviced and cleaned grey market cameras. In fact, a friend of mine had a dead pixel repaired on his camera’s sensor … even though the camera was grey market. I think that a smiling foreigner is probably bound to get away with more than many Koreans! The other fact to consider is that in 6 years I’ve never needed warranty repairs. Dropping a camera, losing it or having it stolen doesn’t come under warranty. So, for me, the risk of needing my warranty is low. Also, my warranty is still valid outside Korea. If I need warranty repairs, I can ship my camera to Japan for a small fee, have it repaired, and ship it back.

Keep in mind that the difference between original import and grey market is 100,000 won or more, depending on the value of the item. Spending thousands of dollars on digital gear would mean a saving of a few hundred dollars by buying grey market goods.

Finally, all grey market goods are IDENTICAL to original imports. They’re just products manufactured by the company which are destined for other markets.

Obviously grey market is not legal … however, I don’t think it’s illegal. Hence, grey market. And since very few laws are seriously enforced in Korea, this is a nice loophole that can be exploited by savvy purchasers.

Do some research …

So, that’s the background information. Let’s get down to actually purchasing something.

If I make a purchase, my first stop is the internet: www.danawa.com. Another good site, which is somewhat newer, is www.enuri.com. Although these sites are Korean, You can search in English and the prices are quite obvious. Searching for your equipment, camera, whatever, will bring up a list of what’s available. You’ll also see a vast array of prices. The cheaper prices will be from private sellers (often based in Yongsan, TM or Namdaemun). The more expensive ones are the big chain markets (GMarket and CJMall) who jack up their prices and pander to ignorant, lazy people.

word of warning: never use auction.co.kr … even though some of the results at danawa and enuri show auction items. auction.co.kr is owned by ebay, but it’s the korean version. there’s one fundamental difference between auction.co.kr and ebay: auction is NEVER cheaper. auction.co.kr is basically online stores pretending to be cheap. again, this is where the ignorant koreans go who ‘think’ that auction is the cheapest, without ever doing any real research. stay away from auction!

Search for the item you want … usually English is ok, because the brand names are often in English anyway.

Hint: To make things easier, after you search press 낮은가격순and it will sort your search results from lowest price to highest price (like ebay does). The lowest priced item will now be at the top and you can quickly see which prices are the cheapest!

Once you see the item you want, take note of whether it’s grey market or original (yes, they actually TELL YOU, right there on the page).

This is an original item - (정품) - look for these Korean characters (Jong Poom), they mean original import.

This is a grey market item - (내수) - look for these Korean characters (Nae Soo), they mean grey market.

UPDATE - Recently danawa changed their system slightly. In some cases they write 비정품 (bee jong poom) meaning non original import. 비정품 means the same as 내수.

Compare the lowest original price and the lowest grey market. You’ll see quite a difference. Now you have a very good guide for prices. You know the best price you can expect. Very few stores will give you that EXACT price, but most will come within a few dollars. Danawa offers the best price guides in Korea. I’ve never seen cheaper deals. The whole point of using Danawa is to become aware of what the price SHOULD be. This is how you guarantee that you don’t get ripped off.

Your research is done. See! It took about 5 minutes. Take your time to compare brands, models, prices, etc. Also, consider other brands. Use sites like www.amazon.com to get a benchmark for western prices, and also use www.amazon.com to read reviews or user feedback about the items you’re looking at. This should give you a guide to what you’re buying and whether it suits your needs.

Final stage, the leg work …

Ok. I’m going to provide directions to a store in Namdaemun that I frequent regularly. I’ve pointed a number of friends towards this store too, and everyone has had good experiences. The owner speaks decent English and his prices are good. The best part is that when buying camera gear, he often throws in a lot of little extras in for free - such as UV filters, cloth bags, etc.

Disclaimer: I have NO affiliation with this store. I make NO money from your purchases and there is NO benefit to me when you shop there. I like the store and I like the owner. So I’m happy to throw some business in his direction … ultimately, it’s all good karma!

How to get there -> Jump on the subway and head to HoeHyun Station (회현 - blue line, next to Seoul Station). Get out and head for Exit 5.

When you reach street level at Exit 5, turn right and walk down the street (it’s down hill).

This is the top of namdaemun market. It’s nearly 100 meters to the bottom of the street.

Over half way … keep walking!

Keep going until you can see the end of the market street.

Once you reach the corner (Gate 2), turn left.

When you turn left, you’ll be on the camera street. There are lots of stores, so it’s worth your while to check a few stores and see if you can get any good prices.

Three or four stores from the corner you’ll see a small camera shop. It’s called YesDica.

That’s your destination, walk in and say ‘hi’. The owner’s name is Mr Choi. He will be very helpful if you know what you want. He likes cash and he’s happy to haggle, but don’t haggle too much if he’s already offering good prices, that would be rude!

His store is online, but he doesn’t update it often. You can see it at www.yesdica.co.kr … and actually, I don’t buy all my stuff from him. Sometimes he doesn’t match the best price. However, his prices are usually good. So it’s worth your while to have a look, check some prices and look around further if you want.

Afterthoughts …

Armed with this information, you can get good deals in Yongsan and Technomart too. In fact, if you print out the danawa prices, you can use it to haggle in most places (if you take cash). If you use a credit card, don’t expect great discounts. There are fees for credit cards, and store owners have to declare their sales. If you deal in cash, store owners can avoid taxes and such. Yeah, it’s dishonest, but it’ll save you money too!

So, choose what you want to buy … and decide whether you need a warranty in Korea or if you’d rather get cheaper gear. Then decide where you’re going to buy your stuff.

I thoroughly recommend YesDica in Namdaemun. It’s a camera store (not much use for computer equipment), but if you get over there, then you’ll get a good deal. But I know that some people will want to shop a little closer to home, which is one good point about Namdaemun, Yongsan and TM. They’re spread all over Seoul, so one of those places shouldn’t be too far away.

As I said at the start, comments and constructive discussion are welcome. I don’t know everything about Korea, but the advice above has served me and many people (to whom I’ve given recommendations) very well.

If you go to YesDica, tell him you read the ‘how to’ guide made by David (it’ll make him happy) … and let me know how it works out!

Good luck …

PS. If you stop by and read this guide, please take a second to leave a comment … it’d be nice to know how many visitors i get!