Sino-Story #4: Window Garden

I come from a small city in America that offers homes with large lawns and personal gardening space. Large cities don’t usually provide such luxuries, yet it doesn’t mean urban-dwellers are excluded from the pleasures of home gardening. Indeed, the challenge of raising your own flowers and vegetables with limited space and conditions can be part of the fun of this sort of D.I.Y. project.

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/45sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 200ㅣ4.9mm]

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/15sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 400ㅣ4.9mm]

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/125sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 80ㅣ4.9mm]

The first step is to decide what you would like to grow. I bought some dry beans and fresh peas at the local super market, with a plan to sprout and plant them in my own window garden. I prefer growing vegetables, because I like eating the fruits of my labor. Legumes are particularly easy to grow, as you can sprout them in your home with nothing more than water and paper towels. I also made a plan to keep yogurt containers for a few weeks before starting, so that I would have some small vessels for planting once the project began.

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/20sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 200ㅣ4.9mm]

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/20sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 200ㅣ4.9mm]

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/45sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 160ㅣ4.9mm]

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/15sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 400ㅣ4.9mm]

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/30sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 200ㅣ4.9mm]

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/350sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 80ㅣ4.9mm]

I kept the legumes wrapped in paper towels for a week, occasionally replenishing the water in the towels so as to create a moist environment for my new sprouts. Once things had started to grow, I purchased a small bag of soil (the only money spent on this project), and planted the sprouts into used yogurt containers filled with fresh soil. Finally, placing the containers in my window, it was only one week later that green sprouts began to poke their heads out of the dirt looking for warm sunlight.

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/250sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 80ㅣ4.9mm]

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/250sㅣf4.7 ㅣISO 80ㅣ4.7mm]

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/350sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 80ㅣ4.9mm]

Come summer I should have plenty of fresh peas and beans growing just outside my kitchen window, as well as adding some beautiful green color to my view. The amount of work is very minimal, and knowing you can grow something yourself is a very satisfying feeling. I will update this post later in the year with some photos of the mature plants and perhaps some of the meals I prepare using my home-grown legumes!

 
[Samsung ST550(TL225) 1/250sㅣf3.5 ㅣISO 80ㅣ4.9mm]

All photos, above, may not otherwise be reproduced, distributed, cropped, re sized, or otherwise altered without the written permission of the contributor. All photos represent the sole opinion of their individual authors and contributors and don’t express the opinion of Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd., Samsungimaging.net or the opinion of any affiliates unless specifically marked as such. All photos, above, have been shot with the Samsung ST550(TL225), which has been provided by Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd. In order to become an official SamsungImaging.net blogger, please click here

Serbia and National Park Tara

Samsung Digital Imaging has provided the author of this article with the mentioned digital imaging device.

Hi guys,

here is little reportage from my country Serbia and National Park Tara

I’ve spent here amazing weekend and so much of good sleep that I usually miss in the vrowded city.

Samsung ST550(TL225) / shutter speed: 1/54 / lens aperture: F4.7 / ISO:160/ Flash: NO

So, let me introduce you with part of my country…

Tara Mountain, part of the Outer Dinaric Alps, is located in western Serbia and stands at 1,000-1,500 meters above sea level. The mountain’s slopes are clad in dense forests with numerous high-altitude clearings and meadows, steep cliffs, deep ravines carved by the nearby Drina River and many karst, or limestone caves. The mountain is a popular tourist center. Tara’s national park encompasses a large part of the mountain.

Samsung ST550(TL225) / shutter speed: 1/45 / lens aperture: F3.5 / ISO:100 /
Flash: NO

Samsung ST550(TL225) / shutter speed: 1/45 / lens aperture: F3.5 / ISO:120 / Flash: NO

The national park consists of a group of mountain peaks with deep picturesque gorges between them. The most striking of these gorges is the Drina Gorge, with its sheer drops from 1000-250 meters and extensive views of western Serbia and nearby Bosnia.

Samsung ST550(TL225) / shutter speed: 1/118 / lens aperture: F3.5 / ISO:80 /
Flash: NO

Samsung ST550(TL225) / shutter speed: 1/118 / lens aperture: F3.5 / ISO:80 /
Flash: NO

Forests account for three quarters of this national park’s area, some of them being the best preserved and well-kept in Europe. Tara also boasts a rare endemic Tertiary species, the Picea omorika, or Serbian Spruce, which is now protected in a small area of the park. Because of its rarity and scientific importance, it has been placed under national protection.

Samsung ST550(TL225) / shutter speed: 1/45 / lens aperture: F3.5 / ISO:120 /
Flash: NO /

Samsung ST550(TL225) / shutter speed: 1/35 / lens aperture: F4.7 / ISO:200 /
Flash: NO

Samsung ST550(TL225) / shutter speed: 1/54 / lens aperture: F4.7 / ISO:100 /

Flash: NOAll photos, above, may not otherwise be reproduced, distributed, cropped, re sized, or otherwise altered without the written permission of the contributor. All photos represent the sole opinion of their individual authors and contributors and don’t express the opinion of Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd., Samsungimaging.net or the opinion of any affiliates unless specifically marked as such.

All photos, above, have been shot with the Samsung ST550(TL225), which has been provided by Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd.

Samsung Gets You Much Closer To The Action With The New WB5000 Compact Camera

Samsung Gets You Much Closer To The Action With The New WB5000 Compact Camera

1st September 2009 : Samsung Digital Imaging, leaders in innovation and digital technology, today announced the launch of the WB5000 – a camera which offers photography enthusiasts an unrivalled Schneider-KREUZNACH 26mm wide angle lens and 24x optical zoom, all within a compact camera.

The WB5000’s powerful zoom lens breaks new ground in offering users unmatched wide angle versatility, with the chance to take pictures much more closely than ever before. This cements Samsung’s position in the growing and important High-zoom category - compact cameras equipped with the sort of advanced zoom lens technology traditionally seen only in SLR cameras. Combine that with full manual control and taking professional looking shots is easy and fun. 

Full Manual Control and RAW Shooting
For the more advanced user who prefers to have more control over camera settings, the WB5000 offers aperture priority, shutter priority and two “User defined Modes” as well as full manual shooting modes. The ability to manually focus the lens and shoot in RAW format for maximum detail will also be a welcome addition for the budding enthusiast.

Dual Image Stabilization
The WB5000 combines Optical and Digital Image Stabilization into a Dual Image Stabilization function, providing fantastic quality photos without any blur from handshake - even in low light conditions.

HD Movie Experience
The 12.5 mega pixel WB5000 records HD video in 1280x720p resolution at 30 frames per second using the latest H.264 format. This format allows more than twice as much recording capacity as the MP4 format, so gives you more room on your memory card for images and movies. With a dedicated movie button to allow an instant switch into movie mode, you’ll never miss a movie opportunity again.

Smart Face Recognition
Samsung’s innovative Smart Face Recognition technology actually remembers faces it sees frequently and then prioritises them when focussing and exposing future shots. It can store up to 20 recognised faces in the cameras’ internal memory and allows users to search for their favourite faces in playback. This can be done quickly by using the ‘Face’ search in Smart Album, instead of viewing every single photo on the memory card.

In “Blink Detection Mode” the camera will take a series of shots when closed eyes are detected so everyone is captured with their eyes open; in “Smile Mode” a picture is automatically taken when smiles are detected and, in "Beauty Shot" mode, facial skin is retouched to three different user defined levels for brighter and smoother skin tones.

Smart Auto and Smart Album
Take professional-looking photos with Samsung’s advanced Smart Auto feature so you never have to worry about your photos being washed out, too dark or out of focus. Smart Auto analyses key elements of your composition such as colour, brightness, motion and subject and then automatically adjusts to take the perfect shot.

This advanced compact camera also features the ‘Smart Album’ Digital Contents Management system; a contents management program within the camera that makes it quick and easy to store and manage your photo collection. The clever navigation program automatically organizes photos based on the date they were taken, their contents, colour or themes making it quick and easy to locate your favourite images. 

The WB5000 will be available from leading high street and online retailers from September 2009. All Samsung cameras include a one year warranty.

Samsung WB5000 specifications

Sensor	• 1/2.33 " CCD • 12.47 million effective pixels • 12.70 million total pixels
Image sizes	• 12M: 4000 x 3000 • 10M : 3984 x 2656 • 9M : 3968 x 2232 • 8M : 3264 x 2448 • 5M : 2592 x 1944 • 3M : 2048 x 1536 • 1M: 1024 x 768
Movie clips	• 1280x720 (30fps & 15fps) • 640x480 (30fps & 15fps) • 320x240 (60fps & 30fps)
File formats	• Still Image : RAW (DNG1.1), JPEG (DCF), EXIF 2.21, DPOF 1.1, PictBridge 1.0 • Movie Clip :H.264(AVC) • Audio : WAV
Lens	• 26-624mm equiv. • 24x Optical zoom • f = 4.6 ~ 110.4mm • F2.8(W) ~ F5.0(T)
Image stabilization	Dual (OIS + DIS)
Digital zoom	Approx. 5x
Focus	TTL Auto Focus
AF area modes	• Cente • Multi • Face Detection • Tracking • Selection
Focus distance	• Normal : 80cm ~ infinity (Wide) • Macro : 10cm ~ 80cm (Wide), 50cm ~ 80cm (Tele) • Auto Macro : 10cm ~ Infinity (Wide), 50cm ~ Infinity (Tele) • Super Macro 1 cm
ISO sensitivity	• ISO 80 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 • ISO 1600 • ISO 3200 • ISO 6400 (Up to 3M)
Metering	• Multi • Spot • Center-weighted • Face Detection AE
Exposure modes	• Smart Auto • Program • Manual • Aperture Priority • Shutter Priority • User1 • User2 • Scene • Portrait, Night
Exposure Compensation	+/-2EV (1/3EV steps)
Shuttter speed (TBC)	• Auto : 1 ~ 1/2,000 sec. • A, S, M, U: 8 ~ 1/2,000 sec. • AEB, continuous : 1/4 ~ 1/2,000 sec.
Scene modes	• Scene Recognition : Portrait, Night Portrait, Night, Backlight Portrait, Backlight, Landscape, White, Macro, Macro Text, Tripod, Action • Scene : Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Text, Close-up, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow
White balance	• Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Fluorescent_H • Fluorescent_L • Tungsten • Custom • Kelvin
Self timer	2 sec., 10 sec., Double
Continuous shooting Modes	• Single • Continuous • HS Continuous • AEB • Motion Capture
Flash	• Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off, Red eye fix • Range : Wide :0.3m ~ 6.0m, Tele : 0.5m ~ 3.0m (ISO AUTO)
LCD monitor	• 3.0 inch TFT LCD • approx.230,000 pixels
Digital input/output	• USB 2.0 High Speed
Video output	AV : NTSC, PAL (user selectable)
Storage	• Internal memory (Approx. 40 MB) • SD/SDHC memory cards
Power	• Rechargeable SLB-11A Li-ion battery
Weight (no batt)	TBC
Dimensions	TBC

Additional images