GAS-ing for a new camera!

Wow, its almost one year after my last post.
As usual i get GAS every now and then, lusting for a new camera.... ive never GAS for a new lens...its always a new camera, doesnt matter if its a 10 year old camera as long as i have never owned it.... problem with my country we dont have camera rentals....if we do, it will save me a lot of money....

So which camera u asked?
I dunno the list goes on but i have so little money....but huge LUST...not need Just WANT..... sigh....its a problem i have, if only im Effing richhh 

Im looking for a small compact camera suitable for travel, in the lines of Ricoh GR, Fujifilm X70 or the newer XF10 but also got a great offer on a USED SONY RX1 which i have been lusting all these years but havent pulled the trigger.... but the RX1 is not pocketable like the Ricoh or Fuji, but they're are not quite pocketable (GR and X70) at least they're slimmer. But what about my Sony A7S plus 35mm 2.8 combo?? its similar in size to the RX1.... its good enough but like i said, i WANT something new!!
If i wanted to save money, i'll just stick with my A7S + 35mm, i brought that combo to New York and no complaints! Of course trying to take a picture of the Liberty from the pier is SAD AS FUCK. Need ZOOM. but for what it is, street photography and travel, the 35mm is great!
I'm also looking at the Sony 28mm f2, because i love bokeh so much...albeit the size will become bigger....

Why do i want a small camera you say? is because i want it for my Travels...i have Japan trip coming up so i need a camera i can bring everywhere...i want it compact as  fuck because im sure i'll be the one handling all the luggages and the baby stroller, i only have two hands, so bringing a bigger camera usually ends up in the bag, too hassle to take it out....i also need to be aware of my kid who likes to run once his feet hits the ground!

So yeah, problem im having,
Ricoh isnt easily available
Fujifilm X70 is probably still available but with its price i can buy the Sony RX1
Sony Rx1 is waiting for me
Sony 28mm f2 is also waiting for me...

So which one should i spent my money on???

I want to love the Ricoh but the dust problems ive been hearing and reading is putting me off.
I would want the Fuji X70 but since i can buy the RX1 for the price, its giving me headache.
The RX1 can produce great IQ but im hearing AF issues and low light performance not quite great.
If i want to invest i should get the 28mm lens because i know my A7S has great IQ and i can shoot wide open for bokeh which i really fond of....

But .... i want a brand new camera!

ciao

Fuji X-E3, just so you know i dont have it on hand, these are just my thoughts

I'm trying to like the Fuji X-E3. Maybe i'm just having GAS.
But its so damn ugly...
yuck.....
I never liked the X-E series.
But i liked the rangefinder style and was hoping the X-E3 would change my mind.
But it still is damn ugly....
Silver or Black... still urrgghhh...
But I like it how they make it smaller.
I'm looking for a Fuji rangefinder style with EVF + Interchangeable lens.
that only leaves me with the X-E series.
Why Fuji u say? Well i always liked their IQ.
But if i wanted a Fuji i probably go with the X-T20.
Maybe because i liked the Tilt Screen so much.
I dunno why a camera with Tilt Screen is consider as a non pro camera.
Fuck you pros!
It is just damn handy.
I always love the X100 series
But its time to get the interchangeable lens camera.
I love the X-Pro2. BUT its just too big.
And then came along the X-E3...
Small...probably better....
But OMG its ugly...
I guess i'm sticking with Olympus for now.
And fanboys......stay away!

Fuji this, Fuji That....blerrgghhh!

I love Fuji as a brand and the cameras they are making and selling, but there's one thing that really annoys me about Fuji, it really gets on my nerves... its their FANBOYS!!!!

It started a little something like this,
"Why i shoot with Fuji....."
"Why i Switch from BRAND to Fuji.."
"The X-T2 shoots wedding"
"The X-Pro2 at the racing car"
"Fuji the Leica killer"
"Why Fuji is the best bla blabla"
bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla..... yeah WHATEVS!!

It just frikkin annoys me, fucking fanboys!
I love how back then it used to be just....
"Shooting landscapes",
"Weddings by ..... " ,
" Sunset in Greece or something"

Back then it was all about the photography first, nowadays, its camera/gear first and then photography second.... and sometimes its shit photography but i have to admit these fanboys do take great photos.... i just hate it when the gears get worshipped too much....

I HAVE TO ADMIT THOUGH I PROBABLY DID THE SAME THING!!! Bahahahaha!!! but i think nobody reads my blogs anyway, so i get away with it....just one friend who is my superfan, i meant supporter.... *wink*wink*

Anyways back to my rant,
Back then they photographers talked more about the photography itself, the technique they used to shoot them photos, and i have to check the notes of the photo to know which camera/gears they used.....

Nowadays, its gears vs gears....
while it is convenient, i mean it is good to have these comparisons....
I JUST DONT LIKE THE WORSHIPPING PART!
and its worst if you read at forums like DPREVIEW, all the fanboys bashing each other, keyboard warriors, trolls, u name it.... them fuckers!
"OH i can do this with this camera, can you do with yours???"
"BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA Fuji, BAL BLA BLA Leica, BLA BLABL A BLA LA SONY"

All brands have FANBOYS but the most annoying ones are the FUJI FANBOYS!

I love Fuji, I love Sony, I love Olympus, I love Leica

I love all brands....

Each have their own weaknesses and strengths.

Please dont worship too much or bash others for using a different brand...

Just take a photo and shut up.

Trolls let em come.

Now that that's out of the system.....

Talk about FUji,

The XE3 will be announced today!!!

I am somehow pretty excited....

i guess my honeymoon with Olympus is over???????

Maybe its just GAS...

I am certain it is GAS!!!

Another day another GAS!

This time its the Fuji X70!...
I used to have GAS for the X70 before but i never pulled the trigger..
But now the GAS is back...
I love my Sony A7S and the output i will get..
but somehow that camera just lacks the soul...
It didnt make me want to take a picture...
unless im shooting the night sky and maybe going for that crazy bokeh look..

The reason im GASing for the X70 is the size....
Because i have a trip to DC coming up...
so a smaller camera would come handy...
my iphone is small but id like the best IQ possible...
I would love to bring my Sony A7S but somehow thinking of bringing it already felt unliberating..
unliberating = not free = no freedom
Its kind of bulky although it is small, blame it on the protruding lens..
So if i have a X70, will it give me a peace of mind?
It is small for sure, and the Fuji quality is no question but will it be able to capture the milky way like the A7S did?

There are a few things that put me off from buying the X70.
First is money baahahah...
Will i go crazy and spend my life savings on a camera that i will use for a one week trip?
Will i fully utilise it then? or maybe it will stay in the bag?
Will i bring it everywhere? im sure i must!
I would love the X70 if someone can show me if it can take portraits with decent bokeh...
ive been looking online...its tough! i know i know....
it is wide angle and a bit slow lens at f2.8, not a popular choice for portraiture work but hey...as long it didnt distort way too much and at least decent bokeh, i dont mind...
i know Fuji is good at low light but im already used to the Sony A7S low light quality, will i be disappointed?
My heart says wait for the new iteration, X70S or X80 but my trip is this Saturday.
Have i told u that the X70 is a discontinued product? Not that it turned into a bad camera, its just i happen to like the latest and the greatest...
if i wait for the X80, it will have a new sensor and the ACROS mode but do i need them?
Do i need bokeh? I do love them but do i need them for all my photos?
Sure its good to have bokeh if it can but is it a deal breaker for me?
If i did buy the X70, why do i keep thinking that i will still bring the Sony A7S? whats the point then?
Hmmmm, decision is tough unless im super fucking rich.
And then theres the question whether to get silver or black...
Oh money why dont u grow on trees?

taken from/credits to photodoto

Smaller/shorter than an iPhone but cant fit pants they say...

SONY vs FUJI DILEMMA

Hi folks, its been a while since i wrote something here, well here i am now and that means im on GAS!!

So here is my dilemma, i am in the midst of making a choice on which brand to choose, either Sony or Fuji.

As of yesterday i was leaning towards the Sony A7ii, why sony u might ask? well for one i already have the A6000 which is a nice camera and if i get the A7ii, it can be my backup camera and they both use the same battery, i also have the full frame 35mm 2.8 which i intend to use on the A7ii. I also wanted to try the A7 systems since it offers full frame... but do full frame vs crop still relevant nowadays? 10 - 15 years ago yes but now the APSC technology is so advance that the noise u get from high ISO is not so much difference from what you get out of a full frame sensor, or maybe the A7 is not that good in low light?? All these talks are based on what i read from the internet by the way, but Ken Rockwell shot a dim room with ISO25600 using A7ii and the picture was quite nice, viewing from my iphone that is but thats the thing, i never print large and i always use my pictures for web, social media and this blog. In other words i also dont shoot RAW which is what A7ii excels at, i shoot only JPEGs and thats why Fuji came into the picture because they're pretty frikkin good at it (JPEGs).

There's also the debate of Full Frame look? Do i noticed? Do anybody noticed? To be honest NO, if i give you a picture do you know it is shot from full frame or APSC just by looking at it? i'm sure no unless you have exif reader in your eyes! Maybe from a trained eyes but i doubt anybody would notice.

So again why Sony? let me lay down why i'm GASing for A7ii. So first i'm on GAS, i just want a new camera, second, at the moment i own a Sony A6000, so they are in line. third, its because of the full frame and IBIS, should i jump into the full frame mirrorless bandwagon???

And why should i talk myself out of it? First, its bigger than the Fuji n heavier, Second, the lenses are also gigantic, third, which is kinda of a deal breaker to me, no silent shutter!! Cos i got no balls, the only way i get to be stealthy is to have silent shutter. But when on GAS, this wont matter though! bahaha.

So i almost bid on a low shutter count Sony A7ii until i noticed the seller's feedback is 92%, so i decided not to as i dont want to risk it. That was this morning! haha

As of today i am leaning towards the Fuji X-T20! Well that is GAS for you. So easily switch brands, in the end i just wanted a new camera! and it wont be a surprise that i still want to buy the A7ii. Too bad there is no camera/lenses rentals here! to let off some steam.

So why i wanted the Fuji? Because i've used the system and love them! I've used X100S and X100T and there is nothing wrong with the pictures i took, FULL Frame or NOT. Love the gorgeous JPEGs, The Fuji XT20 is small too! And Fuji also comes out with the trio lens of my favourite focal length in small sizes too! the 23mm f2, 35mm f2 and the 50mm f2! I think thats more than enough focal length for me unless i wanted super wide! The problem with Sony is they lack the lenses i want. And the size is bigger too. I want a camera for my travels, so the smaller the better but i knew in the end i would just use an iphone instead! I used to have Sony RX100iii and it stays in the bag all the time. Iphone gets out everytime. Im just lazy and im not a dedicated photographer. There are times though when i just want to take photos with a real camera, not smartphones. By right my A6000 serves me well but then they dont have the lenses i want. a 28mm becomes a 42mm on the A6000. The smaller size faster lenses is lacking.

I also love the Fuji for its retro design. Hipster camera. Too bad they dont have IBIS. but IBIS is really advantageous with video which im not really into.

For my travels and street photography i want the camera to be small, lightweight and stealthy which the FUji Xt20 ticks all the right boxes. but i still want a Sony A7ii.... why??? oh why???

I know i should get the X-T20 but still contemplating on the Sony A7ii. but the size of the lenses is turning me off.

Actually way back i plan to upgrade my X100T to X100F, but i think i should go with interchangeable lens this time as i havent really explore Fuji lenses. i used to have X-M1 but i only used it with the kit lens. i love the rangefinder style but i think i want a tilt screen, it is handy... X-T2 is just darn expensive and probably has features that i dont really need, i think all i need are in the X-T20, the sign is strong...i should go Fuji all the way but somehow A7ii temptations, GAS for A7ii is still there....sigh.... its the FULL FRAME mindset which is not relevant nowadays....still bugging me....does it really 3D POP??? i used a Leica M9 before and compare to the M8 i had i actually shot more with the M8.

Well i also read the if you shoot a lot of portraits then u will want a full frame because the bokeh is so much nicer than the APSC ones....hmmmm......

Actually i have more to talk about but i am kinda lost for words so here goes...

Sony or Fuji????

Ciao

IT IS BEEN A WHILE!!

HO HO HO
Christmas is almost here. It's been a while since i last post something here. Now its almost new year... sheesh how fast time passed!! I just watched Star Wars Rogue One and i just thought The Force Awakens was only a few months ago....NOT... its already been a year.
So Star Wars aside..... Lets talk photography side of the story. Anyway i sold all of my gear, the last one was the Sony RX100iii but but but... just after a few days selling my RX100iii i got a bargain on a Sony A6000 and that camera is still with me. I guess i am stuck with Sony for now. I said to myself to only have my iPhone7plus as my every day camera. Its easier to bring, pocketable, and i bring it with me everywhere...but i just had to have a real camera, thus i bought the SOny A6000.
IQ wise is good for APS-C of today. low light not as clean as Fuji but sometimes Fuji can get plasticky. I only have the kit lens and just bought a FE35mm 2.8 at a bargain. $300SGD used!!! thats about $230USD. bloody cheap! Although id prefer a faster lens such as 35mm 1.8 but at that bargain my resale value would still make me a lil bit of money so  ijust bought the lens. At 2.8 the bokeh is ok. But not so blurry as a 1.8.
I dont have pictures to show, i might as well talk out of my ass. Its becasue my pictures are at my laptop. Im writing this on my desktop, nobody cares but yea whatevs.

Even though i want to build my lens collection for my A6000, i still cant brush aside my thinking for the Fujis. Man, i just love those retro looks. Holding it in my hands will gives me so much pleasure, eventhough lack of features and what not. I think Sony has more features than a Fuji. Or that is only my thinking. Well basically what i been trying to say for the past 2 paragraphs is i have GAS! LOL. I love the Xpro2. So sexy. But it didnt have a tilt screen, deal breaker for me, or maybe i can live without it. Its a handy feature though. but its also bigger than the a6000. Theres also the new A6500 which is way better features, things such as IBIS, you dont have to depends on Lens OIS anymore. But A6500 is not retro. Theres also the rumored X100F coming, i guess with the new sensor. i love X100 series. but i wanted to try interchangeable lenses. ive been living a one focal lenght kind of life. If i want retro through n through should i buy the old Leica M9? i had one. The LCD screen sucks. it aint worth the price. Just that red logo is. If that makes any sense.

So should i buy a new system again, this time Fuji? or should i just stuck with Sony A6000 and be busy making pictures rather than drooling new gears? but thats my problem, please dont answer me, i have terrible GAS. Trust me, when i have GAS, id buy them all, for the past 2 months i have shitloads of VANS because i have GAS. Yes, VANS the shoes, i think i have 10 VANS kicks and 2 converse, just one of my terrible GAS moments. Trust me, its terrible. i have 3 BMW's too.....

Old BMWs though....

i always think i have shitloads of money but i dont. i just have my feelings. bwahahahahaha.

Ciao.

P/S Just some random pics taken with A6000. I dont travel a lot lately so less pictures.

 Just 3 of my many VANS.

 My BMW

 My REAL BMW

 One of my many VANS. This is with 35mm 2.8. Such a great product lens

One of my Converse out of many VANS. Same 35mm 2.8 lens. 

I promise to be a good boy and post more updates.

Throwback: On Rialto Bridge at night, Venice, Italy

Shot with X100S with WCL converter.

Such a beautiful city, day and night. On the Rialto Bridge, just looking out the river as far as my eyes can see and the lights that light up the city. I remember eating pasta and pizza next to the river. Pasta and pizza sounded cheesy.... italy = pasta n pizza. well literally it was cheesy.

Throwback: Milan in 2014

Taken with Fuji X100S.

I love Italy.
Will i ever be back?

X100T in 2016!!! Just another X100T first impression thoughts....

I finally pull the trigger.
After too much thought, took me one long year, i finally bought the X100T.
"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done." ... i saw this on google and i think its right.
"Buy first, think later"

I drove 30 miles to the only Fujifilm authorised dealer here to seal the deal. I've been thinking too much about the X100T. X100T versus this, versus that. TCL this versus primes and what not. Google this, google that. Why didnt i get the X-T10? Why didn't i wait for the X70 or even the X-Pro2? I guess i just love the X100T design too much. Like i said, my heart will never settle if i dun go buy the X100T. Anyway it is also available here. Tell you, its really hard to get new cameras here except for Canon which has its authorised dealer here for so long. But a new Fujifilm agent is here! Yay! No more going to Singapore to lust for Fuji cameras.

The Camera

When i first held it, i dun remember it being this tiny! It felt like it was smaller than the S but thats impossible. Mind u the last time i held the S version was late 2014. I guess i forgot how small it was. My only proper camera at the moment is the Leica M8. So my muscle memory must have been used to the M8 size and heft solid body. When i handle it i was like "Wow, this thing is small." So how smaller can the X70 get? ...so i thought.

 I got a free faux leather half case and a free 32Gb SD card with it. The camera itself is sexy. beautiful. sleek. i just want to hold it, grasp it, brush it...whatever. I want to peek into its OVF/EVF. I wanna take pictures with it. I put on the case and it handles even better and looks good too. THe battery compartment kinda hard to open with the case on but i just need to learn the trick. i think i figure that out already.

I have this habit for something new it needs to be put on the bed. even shoes. 

Such a beautiful camera. I miss Fujifilm. I miss X100 series. 

The lens cover is a bit hard to pull out.
THe battery took ages to be fully charged. I havent charge the camera via smartphone charger because the camera is still new. Still fragile in my mind. i dun wanna fry its circuits but by right it never will. You know how you really take good care of your stuffs when its brand new but after a few weeks or months you just kinda roughen it like yeah-i-dun-give-a-shit care.??
I opt for the silver colour. That retro look im going for.
Took me a while to customised the buttons and functions to my liken. and it eats the battery. I mean the battery life is shit. I need a few spare batteries. I love how you can customised the Q menu to your chosen function. And also customised different buttons like the arrow pad to different functions. What i didnt like is there is no more a one button silent mode. Used to have with the S version. I think just pressed long the disp button i think. Now with the X100T no more. I dun remember how the silent shutter sound like. But i believe it was dead quiet with the S or maybe im wrong. but with the T, there's a barely audible tick sound. i honestly dun remember. but i believe the S was silent literally or maybe i just forgot. it probably is the same. But with the electronic shutter it was dead quiet. like literally no sound.

3inch LCD is a blessing and so is Wifi. Man, i love me cameras some Wifi. With todays technology and social media, it is just easy to transfer your images to your phone for sharing with people, on FB, IG, WA, and just looking at the images via your phone. Godsend!

Holding the camera is like riding a bike. Its familiar, getting the muscle memory to remember the S but somehow it feels different. It is faster and snappier, less hunting but Olympus is still king of speed focusing. The X100 focusing felt familiar but somehow with the T, its faster. although at times there's not much different (I'm using it indoor). THere are times it needs to hunt but felt much faster than the S.

Face detection is awesome. I dont have to move my camera to focus and recompose technique. It just find the face and i just half press the shutter to focus and take the shot. Its easier to take pics of my kids.

I've been using the camera indoors, not so much outdoors as i just had it for 2 days. and i was staying home for the weekend so i just took a bunch of photos indoors. and so far the classic chrome is ...meh...for indoors. I was really looking forward to classic chrome but indoors, hmmm not so much to like. It was ok but i prefer what i get out from VSCO presets. For outdoors i think it is pretty awesome. i love desaturated colors. but again indoors...not so much. but i still shoot solely Classic Chrome because thats the look that i after and the reason to get a new X100. Maybe i need to shoot more and see if its the colors im going for. Maybe i'll just eat my words.

Excuse the upside down Fujifilm. its not anti-fujifilm. 

SO far i did not noticed if there's a lag in the EVF. which is a good thing. I havent try the hybrid viewfinder. *edit* so last night i just switch to the hybrid viewfinder and i find the focusing window on the bottom right is quite small. i dunno how you can focus with that small window but i havent try it yet. just a peek. i think i'll stay with the EVF.

Image quality is oh so fujifilm wonderful. I miss fujifilm. i miss the X100. i did not miss my X-M1 though. The X100 does something to me that makes me just wanna take pictures. a beautiful camera can make you take more pictures i guess. I really miss Fujifilm IQ. Its so good, i dun wanna go four third anymore. and to be able to transfer that images via Wifi to your phone on the go, the X100T is perfect.

IQ is more or less the same as the S. Should be the same because same sensor. Wide open it gets hazy but i guess thats the character of the X100. I set the NR to -2 and sharpness +1. I shoot JPGs only. and i set iso max at 1600 to avoid the plastic waxy skin that Fujifilm is known. I dunno if this workaround works for JPG, its actually for RAW but i just use it on JPGs. Ha.

I love the headroom i can get with Fuji jpgs. I can push the exposure to +2 and the image has yet to suffer. its like editing RAW files except this is JPGs. I've been editing SOny RX100iii's images and i cant get much headroom like i did with Fujis.

Face detection seems to be working well. I can approximate selfie and let the camera do its thing, take a shot and my face was in focus so i guess the detection works well.

Comparing to the S, i believed this is a great upgrade.
It felt snappier and faster.
Wifi is godsend.
Less hunting.
Face detection works well.
Customised button functions.
Customised Q menu.
Much better EVF
3inch LCD
Better autofocus performance.

I dont have to dive into menu so much as i can customised different functions to different buttons and customised Q menu. If i have a conversion lens on i can just press the left button to (which i set) either wide mode or tele mode or normal mode. Easy. No more browsing the menu.

Now do i still want the X70? yes i do. one can never get enough of Fuji gears but i think...i think my GAS is lessen with the recent purchase of the X100T. I hope i can wait for the new X200 before i'd buy an X70.

The only thing that my X100T cannot beat the Sony RX100iii is size. Sony is smaller that i can just grab and take pictures. but it can never give me the feeling of joy as i have with my X100T. The Sony IQ's will be satisfying but with X100T i am satisfied and also pleasured?? ahah..  like orgasm is released everytime i press the X100T shutter. thats overly dramatic but yeah. pleasure.

Things that got me frustrated with the S have yet to occur on the T. S was back focusing prone. I havent got this problem on the T. So far. I think on contrasting scene the X100 might be having a difficult time to focus but you gotta know the trick to get faster focus. Just aim your focus box in between dark and light. if u get my drift. There's dark scene and bright scene inside your focus box. that would speed up the focus. Dont just aim the box onto a dark scene. it will hunt. Focus Tip = Half bright, half dark.
The X100 series seems to pre-focus initially and then when it achieved focus, it will be faster afterwards. But believe me coming from S to T, the autofocus is a snap. better. less hunting. i think i keep saying this over n over. which literally means the autofocus is better.

instant noodle with corned beef. ooooh ma ma. This is shot wide open and you can see the haziness. but sharp nevertheless.  

Classic Chrome....indoors. Ok i think im just gonna take back my words on Classic Chrome. I just compare this OOC Classic Chrome with my favorite presets on VSCO. Turn out the colors are the same except for contrast level. So my words about liking it better with VSCO presets is unfounded. 

My camera so cool im not stealthy. I got caught taking his picture but what r you gonna do about it?? get my coffee done! aha 

So i guess thats what i had in mind as my first impression.
If you have the S version and you want to upgrade u ask? Just upgrade it. its worth it. sell the S n get the T.

Cycling at Tower Bridge

I was tired from all the walking so i sat down at one of the seating area near the Tower Bridge, there were a lot of people whether cycling, strolling, jogging, photographing, u named it, with my X100S in my hands equipped with the WCL, i tried to capture this cyclist and see if my X100S is fast enough to focus and take a shot. i think it did well here. No hunting by the X100S. Although its a hit and miss, hopefully the X100T improves on that.

A street artist in Florence

Florence, its like a one big Festival city. The streets are crowded. Its like woodstock.
I was walking down the street when i stumbled this street artist. He's good. I took a bunch of pictures and tipped him.

Taken with a Fuji X100S. 

It made my face smirked when i see tourists with their big DSLRs. It looks heavy hanging there on your neck. Get a Fuji. Small, light and awesome IQ. plus that retro look that everybody seems to fond of. but thats just my opinion and i am entitled to it.

haters gonna hate.

From London to Italy and Leicester .... (Part 1 London)

12th July 2014

Its 6.15am and i'm hovering above the clouds of london, it was beautiful up here, the sunrise gave the clouds an orange tint glow and we're circling up here waiting for our turn to land. This is typical of london heathrow traffic, as we circled, there were a few planes visible from looking outside of the plane window as they takes turn to land. While we're up here it reminds me of the scenes from a movie called the langoliers, all you see is clouds blanketing the world below. I should have taken my camera but i'm too lazy to take it out of the bag, and just like that i missed the moment. As we descend into the clouds, i was expecting a little turbulence and to my surprise there was none. And then the city below begins to appear, London, gone was the sunrise, the city in mist and a typical london weather, grey skies. The mood definitely turns dark. The temperature outside is 17degrees celcius, not quite the hot summer but maybe it was just morning weather. I'm still adjusting the time change as my body prepares to prevent jetlag. I do feel like its 6am in the morning, thats a good start.
I hop the next train to Paddington.

I've arrived at Paddington station and it was quite a busy morning. Hundreds of people getting their coffees and catching the next train. There were a few cyclist, in their spandex also getting breakfast, there's burger king and some bagel stations, a lot of options to choose and me i just sit on the cold steel chair thinking what's good for breakfast. Pigeons literally flew past my face and i'm the one who needs dodging. Not from where i come from, a slight move of your hands, and there goes the birds fleeing for their lives.

Its 9am and the hotel check in policy is at 2pm. 5 hours to burn. My fuji x100s sits in my bag and have yet to come out. I'm too tired from the long flight and i need to sleep in a proper bed. Sitting for 16 hours is not cool. Your bottom hates you and your sleeping pattern messed up. I left my luggage at the hotel and head back to Paddington Underground Tube station. First stop, Whitechapel.

I am in Whitechapel to check out the market but it seems that i'm too early as they were just about to setting up their 'tent'. I've been to Shepperd's bush and i think Shepperd's is the better market. I'm talking about street market. cheap ripoff clothings, and stuffs. Its 10am and the weather is about to show its summer. cloudy blue skies and warm sun, here comes summer i thought. As i was taking out my camera and started taking pictures, one guy came to me, he was pushing a trolley full of stuffs, i guess he's one of the sellers there, he said "Brother, no picture please". I said "OK" and just like that, it turned me off, of doing any photography. I guess i am a sensitive guy. I also found out that, that place is quite dodgy. Quite a few hobos, asking for a penny. When one hobo came to me and ask for two penny, and me being the "NO" guy, of course said no, he started swearing and mumbling, all i heard was "Cmon its only 2 pennies". I am totally a foreigner there and for my own safety, I left whitechapel.

June 10th 2015
***at this moment, i have lost my idea for a write up, might as well post some pictures rather than me talking out of my ass, this has been a long overdue blog post LOL***

I knew it would come to this!

GAS works in mysterious ways. at least with me yes. It comes and goes. At one time i would go Fuji crazy then at one time i go Leica crazy. Now that i dont own a Leica M9 anymore, guess what? you're right, i got the Leica bug back again. Just days ago i was so into the Fuji X100T, i still am but i'm still justifying the purchase of yet another brand new spanking camera. Its just a hobby of mine, i dont get money from taking pictures so why get a new camera when the one with me still works right? Well i have GAS disorder. i need rehab i think. But the camera i have right now cant compete with Fuji's IQ. at least thats what GAS told me. and the nifty features i like from X100T are the :-

• ability to print directly to Instax Share printer, 
• the classic chrome emulation, 
• Wifi integrated, 
• bigger LCD, 
• faster EVF,
• Face detection
• Better faster autofocus

But all of these features i research via Google and various blogs reviewing the X100T, i have yet to test the camera myself. All those features i mentioned above are what makes me want to upgrade from X100S. Back during the S days, i have to transfer my pictures via a memory card reader which is kinda an ass. iPads being difficult, sometimes it just wont work straight out of the box with the memory card reader. basically it takes a lot of steps. Now with Wifi, it solved just that.

I have an Instax SHARE printer so i would love to have my camera print directly to it.

Classic Chrome not so much actually because i have VSCO but VSCO didnt have the KODACHROME film emulation which the classic chrome emulates. Bigger LCD is better to have because i have "the bigger the better" bug. i want the nexus 6!!!!

Now this one feature is i'm really curious, FACE DETECTION. Some reviewers said it works out of the box, some said it still needs improvement. but i really want this feature to work. so i can easily just put the camera to my hip and let the autofocus/face detect choose the faces and snap the photo for my candid street photography. that would be interesting. and with Face detection i dont need to do focus and recompose thingy.

I haven't updated you guys but i dont have any Fujifilm cameras no more. i just sold off my X-pro1 over the weekend. Thats why i'm hunting for an X camera now. at first i wanted the X-T10 but then i always like the X100 series. Still i haven't make the plunge. Maybe this week or next year or wait for the new X100F.

SO i was speaking about the Leica bug. At the moment, gratefully i am not crazy for a used M9 yet or the M240. Actually i'm loving my M8. Now i just wanted to add a collection of lens for the M8. i'm eyeing the voigtlander 35mm or the zeiss 28mm zm. I love the M8 but it being not full frame i have a hard time choosing lens as it is cropped sensor. 35mm becomes 46mm, etc etc etc. i'm not sure i wanna get wide or tele. and then there's the IR cut filter issue. it is bloody expensive. but i still put up the M8 for sale. Not sure if there's a crazy person will come up with cash like the M9 buyer did. LOL.

Time for updates

I sold my X100S and now i'm missing the X100 series. Now i'm GASing for X100T. Why not? the X100S was after all my all time favourite camera. Its simple. One focal length to rule them all. Of course it cant do all types of photography. but for my type of photography, eg. portraits, landscapes, streets, the X100 series is great enough. With the new T model, i hope it fixes and improves all the niggles of the S series. To be honest, i sold the S so i could upgrade to the T. or should i wait for the F series? YOu may wonder why F? because F stands for Fourth but also stands for Five, i'm not sure whats the next naming convention. I'm sure you know that T stands for third? You dont? i dont blame you.... nobody cares what it actually calls. Anyway, i'm not sure if the T is sold here locally. i guess my best next bet is Singapore. but i'm not going to Singapore anytime soon.

I knew i'm gonna get the X100 series again because i kept the wide converter lens. I just love that camera. Awesome IQ, classic looks, although at times i wanna smash it to the ground because it keeps back focus (focus the background instead of subject). But now with face detection available, i hope it does what it does and be good at it. What else is there to be GASing about the T? Wifi implementation.... at first i thought of it as a good feature but not important but then i realised i loved transferring my recently took photos to my tablet and phones and upload it to instagram or just for viewing. I always do that with my Sony Rx100iii. it was indeed convenient! Large LCD is always a good thing. although non tilt, i dont think thats a deal breaker though.

As a taking still pictures tool, the T IS GREAT. but for video? based on reviews its bad although i wont probably noticed because i dun really know wat to look for in video quality. as long its not choppy i'm alright.

I brought the X100S for a trip to Italy last year. and i loved all the thousands of images that i took but i have to admit i kinda tired lugging it around. but the images taken was worth it.

I can also take pictures like above because the X100S is so damn quiet. Thats what i like about the X100 series. Suddenly i have guts to take candid photos. just because i'm stealthy. Because its basically mute. No sound! You cant do this with a Leica. unless you have balls. I dont. I also respect people's privacy. unlike certain Eric K.  but that's just me, different people different thinking. whatever to get your pictures.

I love this picture. This is how useful and stealthy the X100S can be. I was sitting on the opposite side when i noticed this man reading a book and at times looking out of the window. His face has got that character, the lines, the age, what is he thinking? is he heading home to his loved ones? is he going to work? thinking of the grand children? its a mystery. but from his face you can see he is definitely thinking of something.

Some people may not understand why i took pictures of strangers or why photograhers take pictures of strangers but thats what street/candid photography is all about, they were never your friends or families, just strangers running their daily business, their emotions, just characters, subject of a picture. Its like questioning why Monalisa?

What i dislike about Fujifilm is their aggressive noise reduction. if only we can control the NR manually. Its great to have noise free images but sometimes skins looked like mannequins and thats bad.

Why not X-T10 you say? Sure, its new, classic SLR looks, interchangeable lens, something about the X100 series is just so simple. no need to worry about focal lengths. and size wise the X100 is shorter? the lenses on X-T10 will be bulkier and longer.

I put up my two Leicas for sale. My M8 and M9. and i sell them cheap. especially the M9. too cheap. i think i wanna upped the price a bit. actually i felt a bit of regret selling those. Its a Leica. and i might never owned one of these again. I'm selling my M8 with Voigtlander 15mm about SGD$3000. and my M9 with Voigtlander 40mm at SGD$4200. Actually i'm having second thoughts about selling them but i believe i needed the money. SO far no buyer and i'm not desperate selling.

I love Leica, its like owning a Ferrari. but owning a Ferrari is over the top? not justified? i cant find the words here. any car can go from point A to B, just like a camera, it just take pictures. Leica is too expensive. i can get 3 or 4 Fujifilm and have one Leica.

One reason of selling it is i'm not really good at that rangefinder focusing. i'm just too slow. trying to aligned the patch sometimes it took me a while and the photo opportunity just gone. especially taking pictures of them kids. You cant ask them to stand still. and if you can its not natural. i like candid and natural expression. not created. i'm better off with a camera that can do fast autofocus just like a X100S. Shooting wide open at 1.4 with the M9 is harder for me. if i didnt get the eye to focus the pictures will become blurry or at least the nose is sharp. thats a bad photo in my book. With the M8 is okay because of the smaller aperture at 4.5.

But but but, this Leica M9 that i purchased has a very low mileage. the last picture i took was only at 473 shutter actuations!!!! its a steal! Its in pristine condition. I want to keep it for collection but then i might need money too. Confusing times. I wanna sold off just the M8 but the pictures it took was amazing too. super sharp. although need to put IR cut filter or else all black shirts becomes purple. uweeekkkk... and the M8 is in silver. its super sexy retro look!

Should i sell or should i keep?

I brought my M8 to New Orleans with the 15mm. 

This is where Nicholas Cage is heading when he'll rest peacefully. He's not dead yet. but very much owned this part of the cemetery. 

Jackson square New Orleans taken by Liam Neeson...Not... by Leica M8

The only thing Fuji cant take is sunstar. Correct me if i'm wrong. but i never got the light to burst into a sunstar with my Fujifilm X100S but with the Voigtlander there she is....

And just look at that color noise on the M8. but why peep when you can just watch and look at the picture of the alley.

Oh.... such tough times. 

To sell or not to sell the Leicas.... 

To buy or not to buy the FUjifilm X100T.

GAS comes and goes.

There goes my X100S.....

I just sold my fav camera the X100S!! I am really sad to let it go but i have to sell it to fund my Leica lust. Awww maaaannn...... I just wish that i could at least sold the X-pro1 first and then sell the X100S. Now i am left with my X-pro1 which no one seem to have taken interest with. Its not that i dont like the X-Pro1 but i just prefer my X100S over it. This is all Leica's fault. A really good deal on a used Leica M8 in chrome!! i just cant let it go. it had to be done. And a quite good deal on a Voigtlander 40mm 1.4 lens too! and now im wanting the 15mm and be done with it. i hope so. i know i wanted the 28mm f2 ultron because i just missed my X100S. lol. I know i was a clean high iso freak, i was spoilt by X100S. now i need to accept that the M8 is a no challenge in the high ISO contest with the X100S. i hope i can adapt and accept it. because thats also the main reason i sold my Oly EM10 back then. the high ISO is not clean enough!. but as time pass by, i slowly accept, the non Fuji IQ i can get with my latest camera the Sony RX100M3. I find it good enough. i need to get back to basics. grain is good. i started to put sense in my brain, i never really gonna print that large every day or at least every month. the pictures will always stay in the hard drive. if i can recall, i made a resolution slash revolution last year that i want to print as much as i could but i cant believe that its already been a year and i have yet to print anything. I cant believe i had the X100S for a year now,  i thought i just had it like 5 months back. woahhh, the time passed very quickly. scary. so thats that. i did miss my X100S but theres always the new one, the T. I guess if i got fed up with my Leica in the future, i might as well get back to Fujifilm and get the X100T.

Oh well.

I got the Leica Bug!

I always want it, i'm always thinking about it, i always dream about it, owning it, holding it, take a picture with it, heck, let's just do this, lets buy it!

And i bought it.

My first Leica, and its gotta be M, the M8.

Half nuts, half guts.

Nuts, because its a 2006 technology. thats a lifetime in digital age. But it doesn't mean its a bad camera, it took breathtaking shots back then, it still is gonna take the same shot now, unless the sensor went bonkers...well i pray hope not...

I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas came early they say.

Cant wait for that package to arrive.

Should be here in one week. Fly across continents my Leica will.

I bought a Voigtlander 40mm 1.4 to mount it with. Its gotta be a fast lens. I need bokeh. i want bokeh. Not necessary for all photos but i need it. its like drugs. although i find the 40mm is gonna be quite tele if you know what i mean, because i so like wide angle, but i could not find a wide angle fast lens, most of the lens are f4 onwards, i'm thinking about the Voigtlander 15mm 4.5. Thats my next lens. or should i just buy it now? and be done with it? but wait, i also want the 28mm f2 ultron. so i can get that 35mm FOV. just like my x100s. but why compare it to my Fuji. Leica is leica. what the hell m i talking about?

I'm all Voigtlander lenses here, thats probably the only lenses i be able to afford. i still need my kidney...

I'm planning to sell all my Fuji gears, my X-pro1, my X100S, and my X-M1 and just shoot Leica. Now i can shoot more shitty photos from a Leica. I've done it with Fuji, now its Leica turn. OMG, its a dream come true. i think i'm still dreaming! but my Leica is on its way. i pray to God that its in working order. I hope its not a bad copy.

I bought mine in chrome. now i want black too!

I always read that Fujis are better than Leica but Leica is a Leica. its a dream. a dream come true. Why buy a wannabe rangefinder when the real rangefinder is getting closer to affordable territory. well, thats the M8 for you, you can get it less than $2k, i'll wait for another 10 years for the M9.

I still love Fuji, but as i said, Leica is a Leica.

Its like Megadeth is great but Metallica is greater...... kinda.

Sony RX100iii, my nonsense review

I owned the RX100iii for almost 2 weeks now,
being the lazy bum i am, i did not really explore the camera features wholeheartedly. I just set my new camera on intelligent mode and begin snapping away.

I bought it at Sony store Bugis in Singapore, and i didn't even had time to come back to get my warranty card! Yes, they were out of warranty card, unbelievable. They asked me to come the next day or before i leave the country but i had too many places to go and in the end i left Singapore without the warranty card. and you know what the suckiest part of this story, i have a DEAD PIXEL on my Sony RX100iii, out of the box!! and the saddest part of it i didnt have time to exchange it, if they ever exchange one to one which i doubt it. maybe i'm wrong. oh to hell with it, now i just have to live with it, no warranty card and a dead pixel. which isn't really that annoying in broad daylight, but indoors....baarghh , sometimes it looked like a speck of dust that needs blowing but when i blow it of course it is still there. its a dead pixel. oh well....

Now with my rant aside, its actually a fun camera! Small and pocketable, although with my kind of skinny jeans, its bulging in pocket. and the horror of dust spots in Ricoh GR, i try to avoid putting it in my pocket which to be honest defeats the purpose of being pocketable. Yea, im too paranoid. But lucky me when i bought it i got a free belt strap bag, an extra battery and an SD card. So i use the belt strap bag most of the times although it gets kinda annoying when you loosen your belt, its kinda heavy to put the belt on, if you know what i mean.

To be honest i was kinda debating whether to purchase the Sony or the new iPhone 6plus. i was leaning towards the iPhone but lucky me, it was out of stock everywhere in Singapore, you know why i was lucky? because the iPhone6 BENDS when you put it in your pocket, which again defeats the purpose. Thats my purpose, to find a pocketable camera! small and take great pictures. i still believe an iPhone is better since it goes everywhere with me, hopefully one day Apple will make a 1inch sensor iPhone.

I have to say i am very happy with my purchase, the Sony RX100iii, even though it has a dead pixel on it... i am cursing myself for not testing the camera in store when i bought it!!! i was in a rush, people are waiting for me, i just could not stand the pressure i put myself to take a lil bit of time to test the camera so i just brought it home back to the hotel thinking everythings gonna be okay which is not. okay sorry for the random rant..

where am i? ok, Sony RX100iii. yes, i am very happy with it. its fun. it has a selfie mode. it got wifi. too bad it did not have touch screen. why oh why? in these days and age, every camera nowadays should be automatically built with touch screen features. and i just realised that 70mm is not really much of a zoom. its a "meh" zoom. i find myself needing a lil bit of reach. i guess 100mm should be fine. Well i guess a zoom is better than no zoom at all, unless you want prime lens but thats a different story. and as others on the net has reviewed, its actually a f2.8 aperture most of the time. the only time its f1.8 is at the very wide end at 24mm. Once you start to zoom a bit the aperture kind of instantly change to f2.8. i think these are my only gripe with this Sony RX100iii. Maybe the mark4 will fix these and if im crazy enough i'll buy it.

oh theres another, the selfie mode, most of the time with the intelligent mode, it tends to shoot at f1.8, yes, bokeh, i like that, but not in selfie mode, i want everything to be in focus, because when i want to take a quick group selfies or some BS new word ussies, i tend to be in front of the group as i'm the one holding the camera and because i want to get everyone in the pic and get the background as well, 24mm, its not as wide as the GoPro (the best selfie camera) and being f1.8 i'm the one in focus, the guys at the back is kinda blurry if you look at a bigger screen, it's fine if you look at tiny screens where everyone seems to be in focus but not really........ its not really a big deal, thats my problem i guess. i just need to quickly change the aperture to f4 or more and get everyone in focus. i guess thats where custom settings is handy, which i have yet to explore with.

So to summarise,

the PROS,

- Small, lightweight, pocketable
- Tilting Screen
- EVF
- Wifi
- Remote Control Wifi
- Selfie Mode
- Fast Lens

the GRIPE,

- No touch screen (which means no touch to focus, touch to shoot, bla bla bla)
- "Meh" zoom (sometimes i feel like needing a bit of reach)
- f1.8 only at 24mm
- Selfie mode on intelligent mode tends to defocus the background (ok for ownself, sucks for group)
- what else is there? i'll update if i found more 
- Oh yea, the stabilizer isnt that great like those on Olympus. or maybe im just too shakey.

During photokina, Canon comes up with a 1inch sensor model of their own, the G7X, which remedies most of my gripes, it has a better perform lens on paper, more reach up to 100mm, it retains its f1.8 a bit longer when zooming and touch screen! but the video features kinda sucks thats why i stick to buying the Sony!

Did i mention that the Sony RX100iii is a pocketable cinema camera? Just search on google or youtube for Sony RX100iii videos, and most of them are impressive coming from this little powerhorse! and since i am into videography now, i chose Sony rather than waiting for Canon G7x.

I did not say a lot about the EVF, i used it sometimes, its okay i guess, its tiny though.

Handling wise i must say is a lil bit slippery, since the body design where the hand holds the camera has no grip. There's a thumb rest which is nice but there are no "fingers rest" on the front, ya know, the grip..... i saw online theres a grip called Franiac i think, which seems to add grip for the Sony.

Wifi is a great feature nowadays, it is easier now to share pictures among friends and families, you can either download the original file or resize to 2Mb which is great for phones and saves a lot of storage. Remote control via wifi is a blast, now i can take selfie with a monopod, although the Sony can be a bit heavy when hand holding it with the monopod. I haven't test it yet but i think i cant touch to focus on my iphone via remote control, so just hope for the face detection and its wide focus points to choose focus. correct me if im wrong.

I've tried recording videos, and my only gripe is the stabilizer isnt as great as those on Olympus. When i used my Olympus before i can see the stabilizer working (some sort of smooth glide kinda motion, not so much on the Sony), its there but not really noticeable. but at least there is a stabilizer. On stills i think its great, i shot in low light at 1/10s and the picture came out sharp.

Built in flash is meh, the best built in flash camera i have ever experience is the Fuji X100S series. The flash on the Sony is just like those compact cameras flash, hard-direct-dump-on-all-of-your-face flash.

Live everyone else on the net said, the EVF is kinda annoying when it automatically shut down the camera when you decide not to use it and push it back in the camera. There should be a fix where i can just pull it up or push it down without it powering off. Powering on is fine but not powering off.

I saw a book on Google, i havent bought it, something called "A photographer's guide to Sony RX100iii" by Alexander White, seems a useful book to have for us Sony RX100iii owners. looks better than the manual. it explains better i guess.

IQ wise it is great enough for a small camera. Better than the iPhone4. like i said, its not Fujifilm territory but its great. Great in low light too. i dont mind shooting at iso6400 but i pretty much limit my auto iso to iso3200. its not the grain that i'm worried, its the smearing of details. maybe i post on another blog post comparing isos and what not.

Oh well, enough words, lets see some pictures.

Lets stack it up with the Fujis. Sizes wise.

 With the Fuji X100S. Look how small the Sony is.

Looking at the bulging lens of the X-M1, you know that aint pocketable.

Lets look at some sample images from my Sony RX100iii.

i went to the Singapore Zoo and waterpark, a great place to take a lot of pictures and test the camera.

Most of the time i'm on intelligent mode. Auto ISO. 

Just snapping away.

No editing done. Just resizing for web.

 Here's the zoom at 70mm

Here's the wide angle at 24mm

Here's another one,

 70mm

24mm

The rest of the sample images.

 This camera is great for food pornography

This little squirrel doesn't mind me shooting up close and personal, ......too busy munching this peanut, too busy. 

 Zebras are horses that escaped from prison

 Hello donkey, whats with the long face? ... they called you pony is it?

iso800 and 1/10 sec. i guess the stabilizer does good here. 

 Smell gasoline everywhere, those guys must have bad breath literally

On a moving tram at night safari, i didn't take a lot of pictures because the conductor was pissed someone used flash photography and her speaker got blown off everytime she gave the warning. 

 One more for the road, food pornography

My favourite look recently.... why not..

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