In A Galaxy S8 Near/Far/Pan Focus Away

I have had my Galaxy for about a week. In that time,  I have played with the camera,  quite a bit. One of my favorite features is Selective Focus. It will take a single photo and allow you to change the focus. To do this you need to select Selective Focus from the camera menu. 

What happens,  is that the camera simultaneously takes multiple photos and gives you these options for effect. You get an option to choose the closest item as a near focus, or the background as a far focus,  or a pan focus,  which puts everything in focus. The editing screen for making that selection looks like this:

So, while the feature is not exactly the same as the dual camera Portrait Mode on the iPhone 7, the flexibility of the multi-frame approach does provide creative options for the photographer. 

Here are some shots with Selective Focus. 

Having the option to change your mind is a convenient and useful feature. Which focus do you prefer? 
Here you see that it works on the front facing camera, as well. 

Do I share my focus with the Beverly Hills sign or not? I can decide that later, with Selective Focus. 

Finally, it works with the front camera in low light. Craziness… 

After a Spinning workout at RPM Fitness Studio

There are limitations to selective focus. The dual camera option on the iPhone 7 lets you do these things from a distance where the Galaxy S8 needs the subject to be relatively close to the phone. For most of what I do this is not a deal-breaker but it would be awesome to combine both approaches and maybe Samsung has that a in mind for the Note 8. Of course, Apple surely has some tricks up its leaves with the upcoming iPhone 8. For now, the Galaxy S8 was the best option for me to choose. What do you think?

Please note, that I wrote a majority of this blog with voice to text on my phone. I think this mobile thing is here to stay and make us even more productive.

Have an apple! 😊 

Tap That – My Tap To Pay Experience

It has been promised for years, but today actually having a wallet in one’s phone is now a real option.   The media’s love affair with all things Apple has made Apple Pay very visible in the headlines.  Outside of the orchard, there are phones that, for years, have had the proper hardware, NFC (Near Field Communications) to get job done.

How does all of this work in the real world? Does it work at all?  Is this all worth it?  I will attempt to answer those questions, with first hand experience.  I setup my Windows Phone powered Lumia 1020 and…well…no spoilers.  Read on to see how it all turned out.

Does Size Matter– In Pro Photography?

I have owned a Lumia 920 for over a year and been using the Lumia 1020 for a couple of months.  They both take excellent still photographs and amazing video and in many scenarios, I can see using these devices on professional jobs.

Whereas the image quality is up to par, I think that paying clients have a “gear bias”.  Meaning, that they expect big gear and lots of it to justify that they are paying for the shoot.  Is the bias real or am I just imaging it?

Let’s delve in and let it be known that I have big equipment and I know how to use big equipment. In no way do I have lens envy.  Now that’s out of the way, let’s get going.

Why Windows Phone & Nokia Lumia?

I’m often asked about my phone and what I like about it.  Lots of times those questions are from iPhone or Android fans who just want to get into an argument, so I just rattle off a couple of features and let them retort.  When someone is really interested or curious, I go out of my way to answer the questions and to say what I like about Windows Phone.

Today I got an email from a woman I know and her contract has been up and she has a pretty old Android device.  She said “What do you like about Windows Phone? Sell me, Mr. Daly…”.  That was my clue and started to craft an email.  I did have some knowledge about her scenario.  What she liked about Android was in her words, “that I understand Android”.  She’s not a super techie person, so learning curve is a consideration.  I also know that she likes taking pictures. SCORE!  She’s really into Groupon. SCORE!  She does the usual Facebooking, Texting and get this…she talks on the phone!  She also asked me about the notification light that is missing in Windows Phone that is part of Android and how would she know what activities she’s missed whilst potentially away from her beloved Nokia  Lumia 928 (she’s on Verizon).   Finally, she has seen my phone and felt overwhelmed by my Start Screen.

I took all of what I know about her and what I know about Windows Phone, matched them up and I started to jot down some notes in an email and it turned into a Top 10 list, invented for her.  This seemed appropriate since Windows Phone was invented for her…and me….and  you.  What? You don’t remember that ad?  Before we get started, let’s get that out of the way:

Now, let’s get into my sales pitch.  I’m hoping to welcome another into the WinPham!  Let me know if you think I missed something.

Take Control – A JD Rant (with video)

Slogans have meanings, my friends.  I can tell you that breakfast CAN be the most important meal of the day, but this is not a blog about nutrition.  This is a blog about taking control and motivating yourself to move forward in your career.  It’s all about the #NoExcuses mantra and with this video, I’m not just taking about it, I’m being about it!

One of my motivations was my friend Jenna who I know because she runs a group for on-camera hosts on Facebook.  Proactive, right?  Well, today she took it another step.  She was asking for suggestions for a new DSLR camera, so that she could use that tool to take control of her own career.  This is in the rant, but if you want to follower her awesomeness on Twitter, I got the hookup for you.  Get thee to Twitter and follow @jennatimetweets.  Hit her up with some #NoExcuses props…you know, after you finish with this blog! 🙂

Why I Hate Instagram

As I sit to write this blog entry, the thought strikes me that it is odd to have such an emotional response to a service, especially one that I don’t even use.  Needless to say, since I’m still typing, that those thoughts were quickly squashed in my brain.  To the many that rely on InstaGrime to display your meals in what you think is a quirky, artsy way, I might have to spend a bit more time explaining.  Let’s see if I can filter through the nonsense and get this issue squared away.  See what I did there?

Apps You Didn’t Know You Needed

OK, you have every “must have” that all of the blogs tell you that you need.  Well, I have a few here that you might never have heard of, but I have found them very useful.  I use a Windows Phone, the Nokia Lumia 900 to be exact, but some of these apps are available for Android and iOS.  I’ll let you know, because I’m cool like that.

Why Nokia Wins – Post Beta Test

There is finally some good hardware competition going on with Windows Phone.  Samsung and HTC have really been repackaging successful Android devices and Nokia is focused solely on Windows Phone.  That focus seems to be paying dividends.

Nokia is now the best-selling Windows Phone device after being in the market for just a few months.  The reviews have been great and the customer satisfaction has been off the charts.  The greatest testament was when Siri got caught recommending the Lumia when asked “What is the best cell phone ever”.  Apple has since hard-coded the answer to be more Apple friendly, but the customer satisfaction data that Siri originally based her answer on, doesn’t lie.  Now let’s look at WHY Nokia is winning and elevating the status of Windows Phone.