ISO Settings for Night Photography

29 March, 2017 | Digital Photography School | 82 seen

The purpose of this article is to familiarize the user with the best practices regarding ISO settings for night photography. We will go over a basic introduction to ISO as well as a short guide on using different ISO values in relation to other camera settings in order to achieve best results.

One of the reasons casual photographers decide to upgrade to a DSLR camera is so they can capture quality photos during night.

However, DSLRs often require understanding of different camera settings and shooting parameters in order to achieve best possible image quality for night photography. One of these settings is called ISO.

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In film photography, ISO number is an indicator of film’s sensitivity to light. Similarly, in digital photography ISO number determines light sensitivity of a digital sensor. Higher ISO levels will produce brighter images, but it will also introduce more grain (noise) into the image.

With most digital cameras, ISO can be set to Auto, meaning the camera will automatically choose what ISO settings to use. It can also be set to manual, where the user chooses the ISO value himself. 

ISO settings

We have already established that higher ISO values will give you brighter images, with a downside of increasing noise levels in a digital image. So, what ISO setting should you use after the dark? Well, as a general rule, the short answer would be to use the lowest ISO value (ISO100, for example) you can while producing a photo with optimal exposure – not too bright or too dark. In practice, if you want the best results, it is not always that simple, as there are several internal and external factors to consider. First, you should ask yourself these questions:

• What type of night photography are you doing? You may be capturing cityscapes, portraits, street or starry night skies.
• Can you use a tripod? Photographing while your camera is firmly fixed on a tripod can make a huge difference in the final quality of your photo.
• Are you shooting a stationary or a moving subject?

When shooting landscapes of any type usually means your subject is far away and static, which is great news if you want to avoid noise in your images. The trick here is to use slower shutter speeds as an alternative way of getting more light into your images. As long as the shutter is open the sensor will be continuously collecting light. Set the shutter speed slow enough (such as 1s, 5s or even 20s) and you will get bright images while keeping the ISO at low levels (ISO50 – ISO400). Note that using slower shutter speeds makes the camera more sensitive to movement and vibration. For this reason, we recommend using a tripod to keep the camera stationary, or at least resting it against the floor or some other firm object. If you must shoot with your camera hand-held, it would be of great help having some type of optical image stabilization (IS) – integrated either in-lens or in-body. IS compensates for vibrations in your hands, allowing you to use slower shutters speeds (down to a point).

When shooting portraits in low light it all depends whether or not you want to use flash. Be it internal or external flash, it will provide more than sufficient lighting for you to avoid high ISO values. If you want to capture a portrait using natural lighting only, you will have to increase ISO, which will ensure your subject is sharp, but will also increase noise.

For street photography during night you probably don’t want to use artificial lighting and will have to use a faster shutter speed (something like 1/80s – 1/120s) if you want moving subjects (such as people and cars) to remain sharp. Faster shutter speed means you will have to increase ISO, but if the street is well lit than you probably won’t have to push the ISO level too high.

In case you are interesting in capturing photos of the night sky and achieving special effects such as star trails, using very slow shutter speeds and a tripod is must. In this case ISO will not be a problem and you can set it anywhere between ISO50 and ISO200.

Examples

• Using a mid-range DSLR, shooting a cityscape during night, with the camera mounted on a tripod, you might want to use the following settings:  Sensor sensitivity at ISO100, shutter speed at 8s and an aperture of F/8.
• Using a high-end DSLR, shooting a stationary portrait in a well-lit street during night without flash, camera hand-held, you might want to use the following settings:  Sensor sensitivity at ISO1600, shutter speed at  1/100s and an aperture of F/1.9.
• Using a mid-range point-and-shoot digital camera, shooting a photograph of a well-lit street, camera hand-held, you might want to use the following settings: Sensor sensitivity at ISO400, shutter speed at 1/32s and an aperture of F/4

Please note that these are only approximate values to give you an idea how ISO settings work in relation to other shooting parameters. These settings may not work best for real-world scenarios as there are even more factors which will impact the final result. Sensor size, quality of lens and in-camera JPEG processing algorithms all have a great effect on the quality of your photo.

It has hard to give exact values without knowing how and what you are shooting. But I will try to give some examples so you can get a general idea of ISO settings for night photography.

Champions Academy Tbilisi

28 March, 2017 | Health & Wellness | 93 seen

Champions Academy in Tbilisi is a gym/ fitness / crossfit training facility, located on a 4-storey building on David Agmanashebeli avenue. 

I've enrolled at Champions Academy at the start of February 2017, with a goal to train my heart using cardio vascular trainings, also I'm using a little bit weight lifting and some crossfit workouts. 

The gym seem to be open starting 7:00 AM, which is great because of two reasons - first I love to exercise in the mornings, and second yes, this gym is located really close to our apartment. 

Unfortunately during the early hours, there are no trainers / coaches available, and I'm left to train my self using knowledge I have from my previous almost 20 years (though irregular training sessions). Luckily YouTube helps a lot.

The price per month without a trainer (which still is not available at 7:00 AM) - 160 GEL, with kind of limited access, just to the buildings second, third and fourth floor. Unlimited access, and probably some individual graphic from a trainer - 200 GEL.

The first floor seems is for power lifting, second floor is for dog sled and ropes, third floor is equipped with treadmills, exercise bikes, including dumbbells and other gym equipment, while in the fourth floor there is a boxing rink and few punching bags.

For my training sessions I'm mostly using third floor, where treadmills and a little section from crosfit is located, but I love to push and pul dog sled or punch a boxing bags also. So, that's great about this place.

Treadmills at Champions Academy

I'm using treadmill for a warm up section and fat burning workout. 

My starting weight, starting was 105 kilos (in some other article I will write how did it go), and for the next two months I'm planing to loose minimum 5 kg body weight (fat), and of course improve cardio. I prefer treadmills over running outside, as they are equipped with gadgets like heart beat monitor. After first training on treadmill I quickly learnt what should be my maximum heart beats per minute, which is 189. I never push more than my maximum. At the end of training session I try to run at least 1km. My result after 4th training day 8 minutes and 45 seconds, with max heart rate 183. 

gym for power lifting

My access to gym does not allow access to this hall, and seems it' s visited by Georgian rugby team. Yeah, I should mention this gym is using some method called Barwis Methods, I actually have no clue are they using it because of method being great or because of marketing (sounds great - I'm training at Champions Academy using Barwis methods). Anyhow, probably that's something great - take a look here: Barwis Methods

Dumbbells at Champions Academy

I include dumbbells in my exercises

Dog sled

Restaurant Kus Tba (Turtle Lake) in Tbilisi

26 March, 2017 | Restaurant reviews | 17 seen

Restaurant Kus Tba is located next to the popular recreational area Turtle lake in Tbilisi, here serves a traditional Georgian cuisine in a touristic sauce. 

I have been to this place several times, I cannot tell neither good, neither bad - I'm more neutral regarding this place, it definitely is not the cheapest, but also not the most expensive, from what I have met in Tbilisi. See Tbilisi restaurant reviews.

I have my favorite Turtle lake restaurant, maybe that's way I cannot be objective today - Intelligentsia Coffee Bar Tbilisi, which actually is located just few meters way from Kus Tba.

Cozy interior at Kus Tba restraunt

Salads with chicken filet dressed with matsoni

Sleep Inn Philadelphia

25 March, 2017 | Hotel reviews | 6 seen

Offering a fitness centre, Sleep Inn Philadelphia is located in Philadelphia. Free WiFi access is available. Each room here will provide you with air conditioning and cable channels. There is also a microwave. Featuring a bath or shower, private bathroom also comes with a hairdryer and free toiletries.

We booked this hotel at the start of 2017 (January) and stayed here for about 3 nights, during a short, but remarkable trip to Philadelphia. We paid about $120 per night. Though this hotel is listes as a 2 star hotel, it actually is really good, I realy love the location of this place, it's just a few blocks away from famous Terminal Reading market, and Greyhound terminal is very close.

Sleep in hotel in Philadelphia

The hotel is 100 m from Pennsylvania Convention Center, 800 m from Liberty Bell and 1.1 km from National Liberty Museum. Philadelphia International Airport is 11 km away.

King Size Bed at Sleep in Hotel

Cost of living in Batumi, Georgia

24 March, 2017 | Living in Georgia | 66 seen

This article was originally written as a guest post by Ms. Irina Nikolaeva (written back in 2017)

In the article 5 reasons why Batumi is better than Moscow (or other big cities), I specified the low cost of living as the first reason why I moved from Moscow to Batumi. So let’s have a closer look at this topic.

Apartment. The middle price of apartments for 1-2 people (about 50 sq. m., studio with a separate bedroom) is about 300$. That would be a flat not far from the city center (honestly the city is so small as most living areas would be in 15 minutes from the center), with good design, fully equipped with consumer electronics. If you have less money, you can find something lower, from 150$. This price is real if you would search for a flat in the period from October to March and rent a flat for one year or until May or June.

Batumi Real Estate Crypto Investment

Then closer to the summertime flat rents are growing and becoming extremely high (from 500$ for the same flat). This way every apartment owner tries to earn more money during three months of holiday time.

Utilities. If you rent a flat for a long term you need to pay yourself for electricity, Internet, water and gas. The sum depends on how much you spend on heating in the cold season (3-4 month). If you use hot A/C or under floor heating you will have to pay from 250 GEL (90$) only for electricity. If you use central gas heating it would be from 100 GEL (40$) for gas. So I advice you to look for a flat with central gas heating, that would be more bounce to the ounce. The bill for water is low, about 20 GEL (less than 10$). Summary living alone I pay for utilities about 150-200 GEL per month (55-75$).

Transport. In this city I use only taxi, because it is extremely cheap. The life hack - use Maxim taxi mobile app and never ask drivers for the price. In the app you can see the price before a taxi driver see you. If a taxi driver notice that you are a foreigner the price will grow twice or even more. The costs in Maxim taxi:

• From the city center to the airport - 6 GEL (2.5$)
• From the city center to Batumi Garden - 9 GEL (3.5$)
• Inside the city center and near areas - 2 GEL (0.7$)

You can also use public transport - buses or microbus. One ticket on bus is 0.40 GEL (0.1$), on microbus - 0.60 GEL (0.2$). But be prepared to wait 10-15-20 minutes on the bus stop

Food and drinks. As a solo feamle who doesn’t cook a lot I spend about 100$ per month in supermarket and 50$ in restaurants and fast food cafes. So the cost of my food and drinks is about 150$. The average prices for some products in Georgia:

• Chicken - 7 GEL (2.5$)
• Pork (1k.) - 14 GEL (5$)
• Beef (1k.) - 18 GEL (7$)
• Fish (1k.) - from 15 GEL (5.5$)
• Bread (1 piece) - 0.60 GEL (0.2$)
• Milk (1l.) - 2.5 GEL (1$)
• Cheese (1k.) - 12 GEL (4.5$)
• Eggs (10 pieces) - 2 GEL (0.7$)
• Season fruits (1k.) - 5 GEL (2$)
• Season vegetables (1k.) - 2-3 GEL (0.7$-1.2$)
• Wine (1 bottle 0.75l.) - 12 GEL (4.5$)
• Beer (0.5l) - 3 GEL (1.2$)

Entertainment. Honestly from September to June there are too less entertainment in Batumi - no parties, no clubs, no theaters or concerts. So I go only to the cinema one time per month, it is 8 GEL (3$) for ticket, 3,5 GEL (1,5$) for popcorn and drinks. And the second activity is playing games with friends in a bar. There I spend 20 GEL (8$) for drinks or food per evening. Two evenings with games per week is 160 GEL or 64$ a month

Healthcare. Batumi is the place where I don’t have problems with health. Usually I spend in a pharmacy about 40 GEL (15$) per month, just for common reasons. Be prepared that all doctors for foreigners are paid. But anyway Georgian healthcare (doctors, analysis, medicines) is cheaper than European.

Beauty. The column for girls. I spend on beauty about 100$ per month. It includes:

• Manicure (shellac) - 25 GEL (10$)
• Hair coloring (whole length, long hair) - 70 GEL (25$)
• Eyebrows (coloring and correction) - 15 GEL (5$)
• Wax epil (three areas) - 50 GEL (20$)
• Lenses - 40 GEL (15$)

Sport. Fans of running could feel great in Batumi, because there is a long boulevard for running in the city. The same for bicycles. I like to swim and in cold time need to pay for the swimming pool - it is about 180 GEL (70$) per month

The Bottom Line.

Summary I spend 800$ per month living alone, having fun, taking care of my beauty and health. And that is the great quality of life, not stressful and pleasant.

Home Remodeling - End Of The Season 2

23 March, 2017 | Home Remodeling | 8 seen

Wow, that was a ride. In this post I will write down all major tasks we performed during Summer 2016, which was second year since we started to manage and repair our rural property.

Learn more how it all started: Home Remodeling - How It All Starts

Each year, at the start at April we arrive to our house and put a lot work and investment to make this a livable place. In the first year, the major task performed was roof replacement, see: Meet the New Roof (Pictures Before and After)

Season 2 we started with following goals: 

For this years plans - a water supply is a must have, in order to get water here, we need to dug a well at first. We plan to construct a bathroom (for that we will need to change few bearing beams and rebuild from scratch few walls). I believe a lot of effort will be put on territory improvement, one of the things we plan to do on this - to dug our small fish pond a bit bigger)...and plan a really cool outdoor terrace.

The good news - we completed about 85% of initial goals. And yes, there are no bad news. 

We started in Spring with territory cleanup, chimney repair works, trimming trees and branches, planted some plants both in garden and both in wooden boxes. I bought a trimmer and trimmed grass as a madman.

We made a quick repair in second floor's room and made it as a nice guest bedroom

Later a bore hole was drilled and for the first time we had a drinking water. Nex followed pond excavation works and we shaped a really cool, though small, pond.

Pond at the start of October 2016

Yes, we are still waiting water level to rise

A nice rock garden was formed in the front of house

View towards rock garden and house

In the place a rock garden is built, use to were a huge dump, see: The Big Spring Territory Cleanup

From rock garden we moved to the bathroom and auxiliary room construction works, by replacing old rotten log walls with aac blocks. See: Bathroom, I should mention a lot of force was put on foundation works, which were carried out by my next best friend this summer - a concrete mixer.

Back view of house

On the left side - bathroom, on the right - auxiliary room

Again, I should mention, before actually proceeding with wall replacement works we had to take down a massive chimney inside, see: Taking the Chimney Down.

From the soil left over after foundation digging with shovel and rack I graded it around house, see: Grading Soil Around Foundation

The loft

Next Summer it's planned to perform some remodeling works here, that will involve changing beams, building a new chimney, adding flooring e.t.c. but that's already story for next Summer.

View towards house from apple orchard

We have a lot of apples, I should start to brew something

Pine coppice and backyard

The central party place, at this area is planned to build an outdoor terrace

View towards house from woods

What's Minimum Wage in European Union 2017

22 March, 2017 | Macroeconomics | 55 seen

This is already fourth annual article covering minimum wage and its disproportion among 22 of 28 European Union member countries.

Update: Minimum Wages in European Union 2018

Feel free to browse through the archives for previous years, before proceeding, see: 2016, 2015, 2014

In 2017 there were 22 out of 28 European Union member states with official minimum wage set by the government.

N.B. Countries that don't have a minimum wage set by the government in European Union - Austria, Denmark, Finland, Cyprus, Italy and Sweden (collective bargaining agreements effective, instead of minimum wage)

Now, the biggest question about future reports involves Britain after Brexit. As for 2017 United Kingdom still counts in as a member country of EU, in the following table below you will still find data on how much Britons receive in the minimum wage in 2017

Key findings

As for the previous years, there are no changes in the country with highest and lowest minimum wage. Luxembourg as usual ranks #1 with almost EUR 2,000 minimum wage in 2017, while Bulgaria ranks last with just EUR 235.50. Making a gap between highest and lowest salary in European Union 8.48 times. That's huge. 

All, but Slovenia, former Communist block countries fall below EUR 500 minimum wage in 2017

Minimum wage map in European Union 2017

Southern European countries Spain, Greece, and  Portugal fall between above EUR 500 and bellow EUR 1,000 minimum wage in 2017. With Greece being the only country which minimum wage has increased just by 0.11% during the last three years (2014-2017).

So-called, Western countries - Benelux countries, Germany, France and UK have more or less similar minimum wage. With Britain experiencing a huge, more than EUR 200 increase, over the last three years, well that, of course, involves British pound strength against euro.

For this year's minimum wage table I've included data for 2014 and current 2017,  with added minimum wage growth over three years, to better understand the overall scene. Also, for the first time I've included Forecast for minimum wages in 2020, using last three year growth rate as an indicator. 

Data used in this table are from Minimum wages on Eurostat, List of European countries by minimum wage and my previous articles: Minimum wage 2016;  Minimum wage 2015; Minimum wage 2014;

Also, it should be noted: The calculations are based on the assumption of a 40-hour working week and a 52-week year, with the exceptions of France (35 hours), Belgium (38 hours), United Kingdom (38.1 hours), Ireland (39 hours), and Germany (39.1 hours). Most of the minimum wages are fixed at a monthly rate, but there are countries where the minimum wage is fixed at an hourly rate or weekly rate.

* Minimum wage in Germany was introduced in just in 2015, in above table historical data for minimum wage in Germany is used values from 2015.

Exchange rates for hourly minimum wages are set as of 3/21/2017 and might differ for countries with minimum wages set in other currencies than euro.

The average minimum wage for 22 EU member states has increased by about EUR 70 during past three years, from EUR 779.14 in 2014 to EUR 890.51 in 2017. Of course, its just a median indicator as we already know - minimum wages in EU member countries vary.

Also, it's clearly visible that minimum wage growth is relatively much faster in Eastern European countries, with Romania growing it's minimum wage for the past three years almost by 60%, followed by Bulgaria (35.95%) and Estonia (32.39%). 

Minimum wage is growing relatively slower in old EU member states, with an exception the United Kingdom. If British Pounds exchanged to Euros, UK shows a very nice about EUR 200 growth for minimum wage in the past three years.

Planting Strawberry Plants In Fall

21 March, 2017 | Home Remodeling | 11 seen

It was at the end of September (2016), when we planted 80 strawberry plants in a field which was prepared few days ago with a tiller. See: Ground Milling With A Tiller

Earlier this Summer we planted about 15 strawberry plants in wooden boxes, but as we were of for a week long travels to Spain, corvine's ruined 90% of our harvest. This is the thing I worry most, probably some net should be added over plants in future.

Strawberries planted under film

We bought about 6 varieties of strawberry plants (in total 80 plants) at local plant nursery, paid for both film and plants under EUR 20. Film is strengthened using special plastic bolts. Rocks are added as an extra safety against wind.

View towards house and rock garden

First harvest is expected to be around Summer Solstice 2017.

Temporary Window For Bathroom

19 March, 2017 | Home Remodeling | 7 seen

This year's (2016) home remodeling works are coming to the end, though one problem were left - a window for bathroom. 

As just outer constructions of walls were performed, and there are still a lot to do inside, before having actual working bathroom, I was left with two options, either purchase an used plastic window and install it or be more creative. I opted for the second variant. And as a temporary window I used old wooden doors.

Window box for bathroom

See complete works for bathroom.

Old wood doors

These doors will be used as a temporary bathroom window for upcoming winter.

Window installed and secured from inside

Carpe Diem Cafe Bar in Tbilisi

18 March, 2017 | Restaurant reviews | 21 seen

Carpe Diem is a cozy cafe bar in Tbilisi, located between Narikala fortress and Shardeni. Here at Carpe Diem you can try tasty home made burgers and have a herbal tea in pot. 

Because of this place been located in a steep uphill between Narikala fortress and Old Town, I have visited this place just twice so far, both of the times after climbing down from the fortress. The good news, this cafe bar have been in business for years, and it means just one - it's a good place. 

Carpe Diem is one of the rare places in Tbilisi, where  smoking inside is not allowed.

Carpe Diem in Tbilisi

Carpie Diem in Tbilisi is located next to the Armenian Apostolic church. Had to make a panoramic photo, to frame both places in one photo. 

Interior at Carpe Diem

Ground Milling With A Tiller

17 March, 2017 | Home Remodeling | 6 seen

During the Summer of 2016 we met some new faces, and so back in July we met with a neighbor (Ok, he is actually living some 10 km from our rural house) with a tractor with tiller - I started to ask about the device, would it be possible to mill ground at our place, as we are really into growing some veggies not only in a wooden boxes, but would love to grow something in the soil. 

It was at the end of the September, when I got a call from the neighbor and he asked - OK, I will be at your place tomorrow with a tractor. I thought, cool, let's do it. And so did in couple of hours neighbor with a tractor an tiller did the magic - the ground was milled. 

Tractor with a tiller

With time I'm planing to buy some tractor with a tiller and grass mowing functionality, but for now this was a win-win deal. Sometimes its cheaper to rent.

Ground milling process

After milling the soil is soft as a powder

New garden is ready

Noe it's time to seed in something, more on that in upcoming blog posts.

Former Archaeological Museum Building in Tbilisi

16 March, 2017 | Tourism objects | 252 seen

Former Archeological Museum Building in Tbilisi is a great example of the Soviet architecture in Georgia.

I had a chance to discover this place and explore surrounding area, first time in February 2017, thanks to the Tbilisi Soviet Architecure tours organized by Brutal Tours: See: Brutal Tours - Explore Soviet Georgian Architecture in Tbilisi

​The museum was established in 1988 by the well-known Georgian archeologist, head of the Tbilisi archeological expedition, Rostom Abramishvili (1924-1996). The museum housed monuments, discovered by the archeological excavations in Tbilisi. The chronological frames of the collections were from the V c. B.C. up to the feudal times. In the museum was kept the earliest in the world samples of tinned bronze objects from the Delisi (Tbilisi district) dwelling, dated as 4.000 years old; bronze buckle inlayed with silver decorated with horse rider image; inventory of the Treli royal burials (XII-VIII-VII c.c. B.C.)

Museum is not operational in 2017

Former Archeological Museum Building in Tbilisi

This place was a great discovery to me, I enjoyed it a lot, and I will definitely return here more often. It would be awesome to make a HDR golden hour photography here, or maybe a star trail photography, might come up with really bizarre photos.

View towards Tbilisi from the former Archeological museum hill

Autumn in Latvia

15 March, 2017 | | 6 seen

In today's Piece of Life photo series a story from Autumn 2016 - when almost all major planned home remodeling works for this Summer were finished, in a dank September morning we decided to catch a morning mist by visiting some nearby objects.

Road in mist

I love mist photography, in fact i love to capture mist in the early mornings in our backyard, see: Beautiful morning mist and Another morning, another beautiful mist

Crop fields in Autumn

They look even more beautiful in Summer, see: Summer in Latvia

Water reflections

One of the ways to make your photography more interesting is by shooting water and water reflections, see: Water Reflections on Lisi Lake

Road in mist

These are the forests we went gathering mushrooms this Summer, see Deep in the Forest

House in mist

Not ours, but our neighboring Berghof manor

Kazdanga mill lake in Autumn

See: Kazdanga Mill Lake And Its Surroundings

Brutal Tours - Explore Soviet Georgian Architecture in Tbilisi

14 March, 2017 | Travel guides | 43 seen

A while ago with a friend of mine (another expat in Georgia) we started an online community on Facebook: Georgia Expat Photographer club.

In matter of no time we gathered a critical member count and were looking to start offering some day trips in Tbilisi or Georgia, helping other photographers explore interesting and cool sites for a free or minimum charge.

Like organizing these trips by ourselves between club members, kind of crowd funding for photographer travelers.

Learn more: First Georgia Expat Photographer Club Meeting

We did a few day trips at the start, like Hiking in Borjomi (Georgia) or Hiking In Birtvisi Canyon (Hidden Trails Of Georgia), also we did some tutorials on HDR photography for club members and so on. Unfortunately, at one stage we stopped our activities, because of passive interest from group members, people were joining but didn't showed much activity toward organizing things, and we let the club in a free flow, after all - basically photographers were just submitting their photos or some club members tried to marketing their services, which IMHO is OK, as long services offered are useful for other club members. 

The other day another advertisement, by BrutalTours.com was published offering Tbilisi Free Photo Walking tour:

During this 3 hours walk tour we will visit the places that are not on the list of other tour operators.
Under our guidance and with a couple of tricks and tips, gathered in years of working as professional photographers, we can show you how to turn an average picture into something unique.

All levels are welcome. It is a must though that you have basic knowledge of photography and your camera settings.

I decided to apply and take my chances of seeing something new, but what's most important to hang out with other photographers, soon an old ally we started our FB group decided to join, and on a windy Thursday's (February 2, 2017) midday (around 13:00) 5 people's met at Pushkin's squire (near Freedom Square) in Tbilisi, to explore some magic from Soviet era architecture.

Tour guides, French girl Helene Veilleux and Dutch guy Maurice Wolf,  a pro photographers, told we are going to take a metro ride to get to the neighborhood of Delisi. Luckily, my old ally, offered to take us there by car, though, I believe for the first time visitors in Georgia, a metro ride in Tbilisi is a must have attraction, don't be afraid of metro or marshutka in Tbilisi, it's fun way to explore city. 

Our photography session started at some place were 3 residential buildings are connected each to other by bridges in the middle. I decided to go in panoramic photography mode, and here is what I got:

Soviet architecture in Tbilisi (neighborhood of Delisi)

As we arrived to site, I remembered that about 3 years ago in Summer we were just wandering around exactly this area,  and took exactly the same route we did it today. Unfortunately, back then in Summer of 2013 or 2014 I wasn't not doing any photography, anyway a cool coincidence, right?

A Gem of Soviet Architecture in Tbilisi - Former Archeological Museum

Now, let me make it clear - it doesn't seem this museum is still operating, here is what I found on Tbilisi Guide

The museum was established in 1988 by the well-known Georgian archeologist, head of the Tbilisi archeological expedition, Rostom Abramishvili (1924-1996). The museum housed monuments, discovered by the archeological excavations in Tbilisi. The chronological frames of the collections were from the V c. B.C. up to the feudal times. In the museum was kept the earliest in the world samples of tinned bronze objects from the Delisi (Tbilisi district) dwelling, dated as 4.000 years old; bronze buckle inlayed with silver decorated with horse rider image; inventory of the Treli royal burials (XII-VIII-VII c.c. B.C.). 

View towards Tbilisi from the former Archaeological museum hill

This place was a great discovery to me, I enjoyed it a lot, and I will definitely return here with a tripod very soon. It would be awesome to make a HDR golden hour photography here, or maybe a star trail photography, though not sure about city light effect.

Our tour guides took as to some other cool site today, but my attention span was already limited, as it was cold and damn windy outside. 

18 Top Best Selling Asus Laptops in 2017

13 March, 2017 | Laptop Reviews | 291 seen

ASUS laptops continue to be popular in 2017, making up about 20% of best-selling laptop computers on Amazon's TOP 100 best sellers list. 

In this article I've listed 18 traditional ASUS laptop models, that will suit almost all consumer verticals, starting with cheaper editions affordable for students, and ending with very powerful laptops designed for gamers.

Top 14 Best-Selling Asus Laptops in 2023

I've excluded ASUS Chromebooks, which actually are pretty popular nowadays, but it just seems fair to list here traditional laptops. In case you are looking which Chromebook to choose here are two models from ASUS you might consider:

• Asus Chromebook C202SA-YS02 
• ASUS C302CA-DHM4 Touchscreen Chromebook

​Speaking of me, I have been a proud owner of a budget ASUS X552 since the end of 2015, and have no regrets yet.

Alternatively see: Popular ASUS Laptop / Notebook Releases in 2017

A quick note: This article contains affiliate links to Amazon.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a purchase on Amazon site, I will earn an affiliate income at no cost to you. Prices for laptops listed on this page are retrieved using Amazon Product Advertising API and is updated daily. For actual prices please refer on product page on Amazon.

ASUS E200HA Portable Lightweight 11.6-inch Intel Quad-Core Laptop, 4GB RAM, 32GB Storage, Windows 10 with 1 Year Microsoft Office 365 Subscription

• 11.6” ultra-compact design (2.2 lbs) with Windows 10 Pre-installed and 1 year Office 365
• Intel® Quad-Core Atom™ Z8350 1.44 GHz (Turbo to 1.92 GHz) Processor, 32GB eMMC storage, 4GB DDR3 RAM
• Free 1-Year subscription to Microsoft Office 365 Personal ($69.99 value). Access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Onenote, Outlook, Publisher, and more.
• Full-size chiclet keyboard with intuitive Smart Gesture input and large trackpad, 802.11ac WiFi with Multi-user MIMO for the strongest wireless connection
• All-day battery, 2Cells 38 Whrs Polymer Battery rated up to 13 hours of video playback
• Product Dimensions - 7.6 x 11.3 x 0.7 inches

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ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 13.3-inch Ultra-Slim Laptop (Core i5 Processor, 8GB DDR3, 256GB SSD, Windows 10) With Harman Kardon Quad Speakers, Backlit keyboard, fingerprint

ASUS ZenBook is lighter, slimmer and faster than our notebooks in its class to give you the unmatched power and all-day portability you need to conquer your day.

• The new ZenBook UX330UA packs an Intel Core i5 processor and a responsive 256GB Solid State Drive (SSD), everything from startup to loading demanding programs happens in a flash.
• Incredibly Powerful with Intel Core i5 2.5GHz 7200U Processor and 8GB DDR3 Memory
• Our Toughest ZenBook designed with Premium Aerospace-grade Aluminum and Corning Gorilla Glass 4
• With the built-in fingerprint sensor in the touchpad and Windows Hello, there’s no need to type in your password
• For the ZenBook 3, Harman Kardon and the ASUS Golden Ear Team joined forces to produce unsurpassed distortion-free sound with their SonicMaster.
• 4-Channel, 5-magnet, Quad-Speaker, Smart-Amp Audio technology

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ASUS K501UW-AB78 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD) Glacier Grey

The ASUS K501 boasts a clean and portable metallic design with the performance to match. Featuring the latest Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M graphics which enables you to stream HD videos, run MS Office programs or even do some casual gaming without hiccup.

• Powerful 6th-generation Intel Core i7-6500U 2.5GHz (Turbo up to 3.1GHz). Skylake
• 15.6 inches Matte FHD display. 1920 by 1080 resolution. Windows 10 Operating System.
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M gaming graphic card; 8GB RAM; 512GB SSD Storage.
• Gigabit Dual-Band 802.11AC ultra-fast Wi-Fi.
• 2x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0, 1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack, 1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert, 1x HDMI, 1x Card Reader

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ASUS F556UA-AB54 NB 15.6" FHD Intel Core i5 8GB 256G SSD Windows 10 Laptop (Gold)

Your laptop is often your main device, so it’s important that it has the speed and features to get you through all of life’s needs. The new ASUS F556 is redesigned to sport the perfect balance of specifications for all your productivity and entertainment needs, like a blazing-fast 256GB Solid-State Drive, a 7th-generation Intel Core i5 Processor, and Windows 10.

• Powerful 15.6” Full HD laptop with latest 7th-generation Intel Core i5 processor 2.5 GHz
• Thin and light design for superior portability weighing only 5.1 lbs and 1” thin profile
• Fast memory and storage for superior boot times and multitasking. Equipped with 256GB SSD and 8GB DDR4 RAM
• Extensive connectivity with HDMI/D-SUB/USB Type C, 802.11a/c WiFi, and SD Card Reader
• Long-lasting 38 Whr polymer battery 2.5 times the lifespan of standard Li-ion; NOTE: Check User Manual in Technical Specification before use

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ASUS ZX53VW 15.6" Gaming Laptop, NVIDIA, GTX 960M 4GB, FHD, Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, Backlit keyboard, Microsoft signature image, Anti-Glare Matte Display.

The ASUS ZX53VW is the perfect balance between gaming power and slim portability, letting you dominate your game anywhere you take it. With a brand new redesigned metallic chassis, ZX53VW is as stylish as it is powerful.

ASUS ZX53VW is powered by the 6th generation Intel Core i5 quad-core processor, with a discrete NVIDIA GTX 960 graphics card with Full DirectX 12 support. SSD (available on select model only) gives ZX53VW superior load times and faster data transfers.

• 15.6-Inch wide-view Full-HD Display with Windows 10 Pre-installed
• Latest 6th generation Intel i5-6300HQ 2.3 GHz Processor (Turbo to 3.2 GHz)
• NVidia GeForce GTX 960 4GB discrete graphics
• Fast 512GB SSD with 8GB DDR3 RAM
• Extensive connectivity with HDMI/D-SUB/USB Type C, 802.11a/c WiFi, and SD Card Reader

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ASUS F556UA-AB32 15.6-inch Full-HD Laptop, Core i3, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD with Windows 10

Your laptop is often your main device, so it’s important that it has the speed and features to get you through all of life’s needs. The new ASUS F556 is redesigned to sport the perfect balance of specifications for all your productivity and entertainment needs, a large 1TB HDD, Core i3 Processor, and Windows 10.

The F556 features a new chassis for superior portability and a luxurious look and feel. It features the latest connectivity, housing a USB 3.1 port for fast data transfer and the latest 802.11ac wireless for fast Internet connectivity. You will be amazed by how fast and easy it is to get things done with the F556.

• 15.6-Inch Full-HD Display with Windows 10 Pre-installed
• Powerful Intel i3-6100U 2.3 GHz Processor
• High-capacity 1TB 5400 RPM HDD with 4GB DDR4DL RAM
• Extensive connectivity with HDMI/D-SUB/USB Type C, 802.11a/c WiFi, and SD Card Reader
• Long-lasting 38 Whr polymer battery 2.5 times the lifespan of standard Li-ion

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ASUS VivoBook X540SA 15.6-Inch High Performance Premium HD Laptop (Intel Quad Core Pentium N3700 Processor up to 2.4 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Windows 10) Silver

• Keyboard with chiclet keys, 1 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, HDMI, Headphone output/Microphone input combo, LAN (10/100), VGA output (15-pin, mini D-sub)
• 15.6 in HD LED Display (1366 x 768), Intel HD graphics with shared graphics memory, SuperMulti DVD/CD burner (including DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, DVD-RAM and double-layer DVD)
• Built-in high-speed wireless LAN, Integrated webcam, SD card reader, Built-in stereo speakers with SonicMaster technology provides a crystal-clear sound experience.
• Windows 10 Home 64-bit, Silver Color, Silver, Hairline finish, 3-cell lithium-ion Battery
• Intel Pentium mobile processor N3700 Quad-Core processor 1.6 GHz with 2M Cache up to 2.4 GHz - four-way processing performance for HD-quality computing, 4GB DDR3L 1600 MHz, 5400 RPM HDD

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ASUS T102HA-D4-GR Transformer Mini 10.1-Inch 2 in 1 Touchscreen Laptop (Intel Quad-Core, 128GB EMMC, Grey, keyboard included)

The ultra-thin, feather-light, 10.1-inch ASUS Transformer Mini is two amazing devices in one. Built from magnesium-aluminum alloy, it’s less than 1.7 lbs with up to 11 hours of battery life. Transformer Mini comes with pen, keyboard, and fingerprint reader all included. It’s the complete Windows 10 experience in an ultraportable device.

• Versatile Windows 10 device with keyboard and pen included, 2-in-1 functionality: use as both laptop and tablet
• All day battery life, rated up to 11 hours of video playback; 128GB EMMC storage
• Latest Intel Atom Quad Core x5-Z8350 Processor with 4GB RAM for fast and efficient performance
• One-touch login and enhanced security with fingerprint sensor supporting Windows Hello
• Magnesium Alloy body weighs less than 1.7 lbs with keyboard attached and only 0.6 inches thin

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ASUS ROG STRIX 15.6-inch G-SYNC VR Ready Core i7 2.6GHz Thin and Light Gaming Laptop [GL502VM] GeForce GTX 1060, 16GB DDR4, 1TB 7200 RPM HDD, Intel Core i7 6700HQ

Meet the ROG Strix GL502 Gaming Laptop - our lightest gaming laptop that punches far above its weight, equipped with the mighty GTX 1060 Graphics Card and Intel Core i7 Processor. With a sleek new design and gamer-centric features, the Strix GL502 strikes the perfect balance between gaming performance and everyday portability.

• Unmatched Performance with 6th Generation Intel Skylake Core i7 6700HQ 2.6GHz Processor
• Immersive Virtual Reality Ready and Stutter-Free Gameplay with GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 Graphics Card
• Boost your Gaming Experience with 16GB DDR4 Memory (supports up to 24GB with four DDR4 slots)
• Ultra-Smooth and Lag-Free Gameplay with our NVIDIA G-SYNC 15.6-inch Full HD 1080p Display.The GL502’s Ultra-Portable Thin and Light profile is just under 1-inch and weighs less than 4.75lbs
• LCD panel may emit some degree of light (“bleed”) around the edges of the panel

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ASUS ROG GL502VS-DB71 15.6" Full­HD Gaming Laptop,Intel Core i7­6700HQ,NVIDIA GTX 1070,256GB PCIE SSD+1TB HDD,Windows 10,Black

Meet the ROG Strix GL502 Gaming Laptop - our lightest gaming laptop that punches far above its weight, equipped with the mighty GTX 1070 Graphics Card and Intel Core i7 Processor. With a sleek new design and gamer-centric features, the Strix GL502 strikes the perfect balance between gaming performance and everyday portability.

• 6th­ generation Intel Core i7 quad­ core processor and with a discrete NVIDIA Ge-Force GTXTM 1070 graphics.
• 15-­inch IPS G­ SYNC panel with wide 160° viewing angles and Windows 10 pre­-installed.
• 0.94-inches thick and 4.8 pounds for superior portability.
• GL502VS­DB71: 256GB M.2 PCIE SSD + 1TB HDD for ideal balance of fast OS and storage space
• Red­ back-lit scissor­ switch keys offering 1.6mm of travel distance for tactile keystrokes.
• 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, USB Type­ C Gen 2, Up to 5 hours battery life.

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ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW 15.6-Inch 4K Touchscreen Laptop (Core i7-6700HQ CPU, 16 GB DDR4, 512 GB NVMe SSD, GTX960M GPU, Thunderbolt III, Windows 10 Home)

Imagine what you can do with the power and mobility to not only create visual masterpieces but to do so wherever you want. The stunning ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501 redefines its class combining high standard craftsmanship and high-performance components. Featuring a 15.6-inch IPS touchscreen display with 4K resolution and a host of technologies that all add up to breathtaking clarity and definition. Inspired by Zen inside and out, do what you thought was only possible before on a home PC on the move.

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ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360CA-UBM1T 13.3-inch Touchscreen Convertible Laptop Core m3 8GB DDR3 256GB SSD with Windows 10

ASUS ZenBook Flip is lighter, slimmer and faster than other notebooks in its class to give you the unmatched power and all-day portability you need to conquer your day. 360-degree rotation to fit and allow you to instantly switch between 4 modes-laptop, tablet, tent and stand mode.

Despite its ultra-thin body, the new ZenBook UX360CA packs an Intel Skylake Core M3 Processor. Adding to that is the incredible responsiveness of the Solid State Drive (SSD), everything from startup to loading demanding programs happens in a flash. Its laser-edged, concentric circle pattern is inspired by a circular clock, and the aluminum unibody adds form to functionality as it travels with you weightlessly throughout the day.

• 13.3-Inch Touchscreen FHD display, 1920 by 1080 resolution, Chiclet keyboard
• 6th generation Intel Core m3-6Y30 Processor (Turbo to 2.2 GHz). 256GB Solid State Drive with 8GB DDR3 RAM
• 1x Gen 1 USB 3.1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.0, 1x Micro HDMI. Bluetooth 4.1, 802.11ac Wi-Fi. 54WHrs battery
• Windows 10 OS and 1st Zenbook that certified with Microsoft Cortana with Voice-Premium
• 1-year International Warranty with ASUS 1-year Accidental Damage Protection

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2017 ASUS Premium High Performance 14" Full HD 1920x1080 Flagship Laptop Intel Celeron Dual Core-Processor 4GB RAM 32GB HDD HDMI WIFI WEBCAM　Windows 10- Blue

• 14 Inch TrueLife Full HD LED (1920 x 1080) Backlit Display, 720p HD Webcam, No Optical Drive
• Intel Celeron Dual-core processor N3060 2MB Cache 1.6GHz up to 2.48GHz, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 32GB Flash eMMC Storage
• 802.11BGN Gigabit WiFi combo with Bluetooth 4.0, 1 x Ethernet port, 1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, Media Card Reader(microSD)
• OnlyWeighs 3.2 lbs. and measures 0.8" thin, Dark Blue, HDMI, VGA, Headphone output/Microphone input combo, LAN (10/100), Integrated webcam
• Windows 10 Home Premium 64-bit Operating System

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ASUS ROG Strix GL753VD 17.3" Gaming Laptop GTX 1050 4GB Intel Core i7-7700HQ 16GB DDR4 1TB 7200RPM HDD RGB Keyboard

Strike the balance between gaming firepower and practical portability with the ROG Strix GL753 gaming laptop, featuring the latest 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and GTX 1050 graphics to give you powerful performance and flawless gaming visuals.

ROG Strix GL753 has been newly redesigned for 2017 with a sleek and aggressive styling on the chassis and an ROG Aura Keyboard.

• ROG Strix GL753 comes with Windows 10 Home pre-installed and Microsoft DirectX 12 support.
• 7th-generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor and with a discrete NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX™ 1050 4GB graphics
• 17-inch panel with wide 178° viewing angles and Windows 10 pre-installed
• 1TB 7200RPM HDD for fast performance and large storage space
• Aura RGB-backlit scissor-switch keys offering 2.5mm of travel distance for tactile keystrokes; 4 zones of lighting control
• 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi for superior bandwidth and stability; Bluetooth 4.0, USB Type-C Gen 2, Up to 5 hours battery life

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2017 ASUS 17.3-Inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Premium Laptop, Intel Core i5-6200U Processor, 12GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB HDD, NVIDIA GeForce 950M 2GB, SuperMulti DVD, HDMI, Bluetooth, VGA, Wifi, Windows 10

• 17.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) WLED-Backlit Display, NVIDIA GeForce 950M(2GB DDR3L delicated) Video graphics
• 6th Gen Intel Core i5-6200U Dual-Core processor, 2.3GHz with turbo boost up to 2.8GHz, 12GB DDR4 Memory (2133 megahertz), 1TB 5400RPM Serial ATA hard drive
• 802.11BNG Wireless, Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN, Bluetooth 4.0, SD Media Card Reader, 1x USB Type C, 1 x USB 3.0, 2X USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI, 1x VGA, 1 x Headphone-out/microphone-in combo jack, Built-in Webcam, SuperMulti DVD burner
• Full keyboard with 10-key numeric keypad, IceCool design keeps the palm rest comfortable, ASUS SonicMaster Lite ASUS AudioWizard
• Windows 10 Home (64-bit) Pre-installed, 2-cell battery up to 5 hours, Glossy dark brown IMR, Matte brown hairline

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ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360CA-DBM2T 13.3 - inch Touchscreen Laptop (Intel Core M CPU,8 GB RAM,512 GB Solid State Drive,Windows 10)

ASUS ZenBook Flip is lighter, slimmer and faster than other notebooks in its class to give you the unmatched power and all-day portability you need to conquer your day. 360-degree rotation to fit and allow you to instantly switch between 4 modes-laptop, tablet, tent and stand mode.

Despite its ultra-thin body, the new ZenBook UX360CA packs an Intel Skylake Core M3 Processor. Adding to that is the incredible responsiveness of the Solid State Drive (SSD), everything from startup to loading demanding programs happens in a flash. Its laser-edged, concentric circle pattern is inspired by a circular clock, and the aluminum unibody adds form to functionality as it travels with you weightlessly throughout the day.

• 13.3-Inch touchscreen IPS FHD display, 1920 by 1080 resolution
• 6th generation Intel Core M CPU, Intel HD Graphics 515, 512GB Solid State Drive, 8GB RAM
• 1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.0, 1x Micro HDMI. Bluetooth 4.1, 802.11AC Wi-Fi, 3 cell 54 Whr battery
• Windows 10 OS and 1st ZenBook certified with Microsoft Cortana with Voice-Premium
• 1-year International Warranty with 1-year Accidental Damage Protection

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2016 ASUS 15.6 High Performance Premium HD Laptop (Intel Quad Core Pentium N3700 Processor up to 2.4 GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, SuperMulti DVD, Wifi, HDMI, VGA, Webcam, Windows 10-silver)

• 15.6 inch HDWidescreen LED Display (1366 x 768), Intel HD Graphics
• Intel Pentium N3700 Quad-Core processor, 1.60 GHz, 4GB DDR3L 1600 MHz, 500GB HDD
• 1 x VGA, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Headphone output/Microphone input combo
• Stereo Speakers, 802.11b/g/n, Webcam, Media Reader
• Windows 10, 1" Thin, 4.41lbs Weight, Battery: 3-cell lithium-ion, Color: Silver

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ASUS L402SA Portable Lightweight Laptop PC, Intel Dual Core Processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB Flash Storage with Windows 10 with 1 Year Microsoft Office 365 Subscription

The ASUS EeeBook L402SA is an affordable 14-inch compact and lightweight notebook. It gives you a larger display, fast storage, and is packed with technologies designed to enhance your computing experience, making it one of the best choice for daily productivity tasks and entertainment.

• Free 1-Year subscription to Microsoft Office 365 Personal ($69.99 value). Access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Onenote, Outlook, Publisher, and more.
• Compact 3.6lbs lightweight and portable Windows PC for everyday productivity
• Powerful Intel Celeron Dual Core Processor, 32GB flash storage, and 4GB RAM for quick and responsive performance
• Extensive connectivity with 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x Headphone Jack, 1x RJ45 LAN port, 1x VGA Port, and 1x HDMI port
• Durable, full-size chiclet keyboard design for accurate typing with 1.6mm of key travel distance

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