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.
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.
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 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.
It's 12pm and i am in Bergamo, Milan. The weather is hot unlike Leicester's cool breeze, its about 30degrees celcius and i'm sweating. I just had the worst morning, i was holding my pee and my bladder felt like its gonna explode, i was queuing to board the airplane but as it was a really long queue, i'm at the front by the way, i didn't want to simply leave the queue and go to the restroom, so i'd stay and planned to use the restroom on the plane instead. As i boarded the plane, i head straight to the restroom after putting my bags on my seat but the stewardess simply said "After take off" with her italian slang, her face was like "Dude, NO", being the optimistic guy i am, i sat and wait for take off and it feels like forever. Finally the plane took off and when the seat belt lights turned off which also felt like forever, i went for the restroom but it was still locked, so i asked the stewardess to unlocked it for me and she got the nerve to joke "5 euro please" with a straight face, you know.. the "NO" face and then she giggled and open the door for me, if only she knew what i just went through! I'd kick her ass all the way to italy
As we approached Milan, i looked out the window and below me is the Alps of Switzerland. It was a breathtaking view, it looks cold but somehow Milan being next to it, is hot.
The bus ride to Milan central is 60min non stop as advertised by terravision, and i dont want to sleep through the journey, i want to see what italy looks like. This is my first time in Italy. Italy always looked beautiful in films, movies, pictures. I want to see the old houses, the old buildings, but the long stretch highway journey was disappointing as there was nothing to see, just factories and gas stations.
As we approached the city, i've come to see the mostly brown and beige coloured buildings that later on i've found out its a typical italian buildings, so far nothing special yet. It did remind me of Paris. I've checked in at hotel Gonzaga, which is nicely located near the train station, i have Venice, Florence and Rome to look forward to and train ride is the best mode of transport for my Italy trip. I'm staying for 2 nights here in Milan. I was given a map by the hotel concierge and recommendations of places to visit and shop. To my surprise everything is walkable, in walking distance, to the main point of interest, its all within the map. The concierge said "Milan is not big like Rome, all the shoppings and the main points of interest is here (points to the map), Buenos Aires street, 200m from the hotel and here, Piazza Del Duomo."
I made my way to the Buenos Aires street and my first impression was, a bit disappointed. It is interesting but this just looked like Oxford Street in London or Orchard Road of Singapore. I'm not a big shopping guy, i wanted to see the unique buildings, the old buildings, what is this? i said to myself. Walked myself till the end of the street, this is a shopping street indeed. Not really my cup of tea. Time is getting late, gotta head back to the hotel and i'll visit the Duomo tomorrow.
These italians love graffiti, everywhere i look there will be walls with grafitti on it and even on a van!.
Next morning, i hop on the closest metro to get to the Duomo. Ya, i said everything is in walking distance, but to be honest, the long stretch of the Buenos Aires street is enough for me to ditch walking, it is tiring or should i say it's an unnecessary walk. i'd rather have fresh legs on the Duomo than tired legs. On a map the Duomo does look closer but when you're on the street itself, pheww... no comment.
When i reached the Duomo, i cursed myself for taking the wrong Uscita (Exit). The exit that i took involving me climbing a long flight of stairs, and that exit was quiet. There was no one else. i'm sure i took the wrong exit, i believed the other exit has an escalator. No time for turning back as i've already climbed so much stairs. So much for fresh legs. It was like climbing a hill, your legs tenses up, blood pumping, sweat, all the fun stuff.
I finally see the light on my way out, and when i got out of the exit, i was greeted with Piazza Del Duomo. I have to say i was in awe. "Ahhh finally, this is my awe moment, this is italy!" i said. Standing in the middle of the Piazza Del Duomo was all i can say breathtaking. It is the main city square in Milan. Its beautiful. Now this is much better than yesterday. Its like standing in the middle of 3 football field, surrounded by old architectures, monuments, cathedral and history. I'm in the middle of history.
What surprise me was this place is not just museums and cathedrals, this place is a shopping mall too! All the fashion big brands, i think the first ever Prada boutique was opened here.
I've read all the "Top ten places to go in Milan" all over the internet, everyone mentioned the same thing, go to Piazza Del Duomo, go to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele ii, do this, do that, eat gelato, eat pizza... duhh!! but nobody ever mentioned about those dodgy taking advantage rip offs guys who offers you something or stuffs and then asked for a certain steep amount of money. Yeah, those guys. If you've been to Italy you know these guys i'm talking about. They offered you string bracelets or seeds for pigeons, at least i've encountered those two. I am usually a "NO" guy, that's a rule i always kept to myself when travelling, always say NO to strangers, whatever their offerings. Its ok to be rude when you're travelling (depends on situation really), my philosophy could be different than yours, i'm sorry but this country is also famous for pickpockets! I'm just being safe.
And so i was offered a bracelet made of colourful strings, usually i would say no, maybe i was under a spell, i said yes, besides this guy said its "free". I was hesitant at first but my heart somehow goes weak, maybe i was amazed by the Piazza and said OK, why not. So he fixed the string on my wrist said its for good luck and then start asking for money, 5euro to be exact, i meanwhat?! 5euro for a piece of string? and you said its free?. At first i didn't want to pay a single dime and then i realised that these guys worked as a team, or maybe the other guy just helping a brother out, (he also offers those bright coloured strings). He said "Pay him bro"........ "Shit, i'm not just handling one guy here, there's 2 or more" i thought to myself. I didn't want to make a scene or being mug, but i've seen this before and experienced this, so i decided to just give him 1euro and left him as quick as possible. I think that made him happy or at least satisfied. But my mood is ruined. So much for Piazza Del Duomo.
Then there's the other guy with the pigeons seeds, while i was standing in the middle of Piazza Del Duomo, i was amazed at how many of the pigeons can stay close to the humans, the pigeons were not afraid, this is amazing i said, this is something i'm not used to, from where i come from, pigeons flew like crazy when you're near, ......apparently there is this guy who's been feeding these birds. He offered me the seeds although quite forcibly, even when you said no, he just put the seeds onto my hands and let the pigeons eat it on my hands, that was nice. Okay, i'm just gonna give this guy 1euro and be done with it, i said to myself.
He dont really speak good english but i swear i heard him said "10euros"....... "What? 10euros for a bloody frikkin seeds?" Man, that is just a ripoff. So i left him with 1euro and move on quickly, i can faintly heard him said "What is this?" while he looks at the 1euro i gave him on his palm.
I still let the colourful bracelet on my wrist and it was indeed good luck, good for preventing the other guys to offer me more bracelet that is. They were offering bracelets but when they saw the bracelet on my wrist they simply move on to another tourist. Wow! talked about good luck.
Everywhere i go be it in the streets of Milan or the Piazza Del Duomo, i must come across the word, "SALDI" .... its everywhere.... SALDI SALDI SALDI....
Italy is famous for pizza and spaghetti but they are also famous for their coffee! Espresso, Machiato, capuccino, all sounded italy, they must have invented that drink and me being a coffee lover slash addict, have to try them all. I just had my first espresso, i'm not really a black coffee guy but
thats the best black coffee i ever had, usually i'd take milk but not this time, its so good.
Thats pretty much sums up Milan.
Ciao, the italian way of saying hi AND also goodbye.......
So this is Venice, or as the italians called it Venezia, during my younger days i've been dreaming about this place, people say its boring, they say its only buildings on water and gondolas but so far i've enjoyed it. And here i am. Its kinda surreal. But i am in venice. I only used to see Venice from TVs, travel channels and pictures, now, here i am. First impressions compared to Milan is definitely different and interesting. This place is beautiful! I love old buildings and this checked in my check list. The moment you stepped out of the train station, you're greeted with water taxis. This is the main transportation of Venice, boats, gondolas and water taxis. The water taxis worked similar like the metro trains in Milan. But here its 7euro per trip. The Metro in Milan costs only 1.50euro. Bummer. Venice is certainly more expensive than other parts of Italy. A tourist traps they say.
I reached my destination at St.Angelo and meet the apartment owner, Alessandro. Very italian but speaks good english. I think he's making good money for renting his apartment here in venice. Roughly about 120euro per nite, good for 3 to 4 adulto. The room is spacey, it feels like home and i am already liking Venice. No view of the grand canal but i'm closed enough to the point of interest areas. Great deal.
My apartment, and that couch is a cool sofa bed
This is definitely a tourist place. I'm not sure if i'm seeing Italians or a tourist. Everyone looks like a tourist. And they said Milan is a shopping city but Venice is definitely a shopper's paradise too. I think Italy is a shopping paradise. Definitely a lot of shops here in Venice. All the big brands located nicely behind the no.1 top spots in Venice, the Piazza San Marco. For you inglessia, (that's english by the way) its St.Marks square. Me, parlo non italiano (I dont speak italian). I'm picking up little italian. Souvenirs, leather bags, handbags, there is H&M, (H&M is everywhere!!!), there are 2 hard rock cafe shops, a lot of cool tees. You can also buy the gondola's tee shirt as well which looks like the old cartoon prisoners stripes shirt.
Piazza San Marco
Shopping in Venice
I spent a lot in Venice compared to in Milan, somehow this beautiful place made me feel like spending. You know how a place can give you a feeling of spending/getting something, "I want to get something from here so i can remember/treasure this place" sort of feeling. Souvenirs, key chains, tees, and i should have buy a fridge magnet even though in my experience it always got broken played by my 2 highly active kids.
I had dinner in one of the restaurants near the Rialto bridge, although a bit expensive but this place is really romantic, at night, everything just glows with bright amber lights by the canal. i'm thinking this is a great place to bring your significant other. A Honeymoon. Dinner by the grand canal. Kissing on the Rialto bridge. Venice is indeed special.
Rialto Bridge
Gondola by the Grand Canal
i find my mind is at peace here. Its relaxing. Peaceful. A good retirement home.
One thing to note, all the towers in Venice are leaning, not just the famous leaning tower of pisa. "What is up with that?" Most of the towers. What are the italians thinking? Probably back in the days, when they worked their way up the tower, it looked straight from down below, not until they almost finished the tower they then realize it was leaning but its too late to turn back or redo, they just leave it as it is.
And the world thought it was genius! Its either the architect is a genius or the world is a fool!
I'm joking, of course i'm joking...... but am i??
Burano, i guess someone a long time ago decided to play with colourful paint or they just discovered paint itself and painted their houses with different striking colors next to each other. To be honest i did not know and did not look up burano's history. Anyway, Burano has a lot of colorful houses and that's just it. Its beautiful in a way but i guess its a once in a life time experience. Unlike Venice, i'd love to come back to Venice anytime. With Burano, maybe just once. Dont get me wrong, its worth the experience. I'm happy that i visited Burano. I took a lot of pictures. Might be the same scene for a couple of shots. Which means its really that beautiful.
The boat took a lifetime to reach Burano. It's a 30 min ride but the slow speed make it felt like ages. At first i thought Burano is part of Venice, so i decided to just stand and let those empty seats being taken. "Well, its only gonna take 10-15mins just like those metros in milan", i thought. I was wrong. Actually Burano is another island next to Venice. I should have taken the seat. Anyway, Burano is a small island. One whole day should be enough for sight seeing, its a place to relax. A retirement home i guess.
On the way back to Venice from Burano there is another island in between named Murano, i made a stop here before heading back to Venice to explore Murano. It is another small island, much closer to Venice which is famous for making glasses into beautiful shapes. Be it pendant, vase, rings, animals, orchestra dudes, flowers, lots of shapes. If you're into these kind of thing, then its worth a visit. Its also cheaper compare to prices around the world. Made in italy, this is as original as it gets. The origin. Great as souvenirs. "I just came back from italy and look what i brought, a glass made in italy!" Me grin, the rest gasp! With their hands on their mouths.
There is this one island i passed by, in between Venice and Murano, long walls and no boats seems to stop there. It looks like Alcatraz island from the movie The Rock. Or this is the cemetery island that i read about in a book called something like "things to do in Venice".
A funny thing, actually i took a trip to Burano twice, because i took the wrong boat. The information display said its going back to Venice at 18.17. 18.17 the boat came, i hop in with full confidence but the boat is going in the direction of Burano. Oh Em Gee, i'm heading back to Burano.i feel like a fool. Its gonna be a slow long ride, now where's that seat. 19.17, i'm finally back in Venice.
I am in my hotel scrolling through all the TV channels looking for an english speaking channel. Nop. Everything's in italian. I'm watching Homer Simpson speaking fluent italian. The best thing with these dub audio is that they try to imitate the voice of the character themselves. Well not all works. Bruce Willis did not sound like Bruce Willis but close haha. I wish there was an option to put on an english subtitle, at least i could enjoy the movie. Thank god there's internet.
I had a trip to London and Italy last month and there are a few blog post that i wrote while i was there, i didn't update the blog on the fly, instead i jot down what i would write on my blog on my tablet, old school style, like a diary kind of style. I wanted to include the photos i took with my X100S on the blog. While the Fuji is smaller and lighter than big SLR, i still find it a drag to carry around, it still gives me sore shoulder. During the trip i wish i could leave my X100s in the hotel but thinking of all the photos opportunities, i just had to bring it. But that is just me. I'm too nitpicky. I love to travel really really light. I dont want to carry anything. I dont want to carry a shoulder bag which i did the whole duration of the trip. and it sores my shoulder. did i say that already? But the images of the Fuji is astonishing. Sharp and superb tonal range although there is one time when it misfocus i would love to smash it to the ground. It misfocus when the moment mattered. Nice........ that was really really frustrating. With the WCL fitted, makes it more heavier. and bulkier. I should have gone with the fixed 23mm, less bulk but i need the wide angle coverage. Bahhh!!
These are my opinions on the Fuji x100s as a travel camera but i'm too overly critical on certain things:-
- Most of the time i use aperture F8 - F14 on a bright sunny day to get the most depth of field, sharp picture front to back. No bokeh needed. and its easier for others/strangers who doesnt know to prefocus to take pictures of yourself/me so that it did not back focus/misfocus.
- Silent mode is best. Unobtrusive street/candid photography. Just let the X100s hanging on the neck and press the shutter button with the thumb while walking/moving.
- Pressing and holding Q button will activate the monitor sunlight mode, a must in bright sunny days so that you could see the LCD properly. Too bad no effect on EVF. I find the EVF to be dim in bright sunny days. but i also did not adjust the EVF brightness in the menu. To me, i find that adjusting brightness and monitor sunlight mode did not give the same brightness. its better with sunlight mode on than increasing the brightness to plus 5.
- I did not use much EVF. i mostly use the LCD for composition.
- I used high speed burst mode for candid photography.
- low light auto focus fail miserably. (smallest focus box) . That was frustrating. i keep getting the RED BOX of DEATH.
- No zoom can sometimes be limited. There are times i wish i could zoom. But i'm fine on 19mm all the time.
- I mostly shoots in JPGs. There are times when i shoot in RAW+Jpg. But 90% i stayed in JPG. I'm too lazy to get into Q menu and change to raw.
- I find the X100S gives me sore shoulder but that could be due to the sling bag that i carried too. But this is definitely better than DSLR.
- I wish i could fit the x100s in my pocket so i dont have to bring a sling bag with me.
- 5% misfocus in bright sunny day. which is annoying. Bright sunny day. Cmon.
I'm sure there are more but i forgot a few.
To summarise, i think i'm better off with a point and shoot smaller camera for travelling/personal/leisure (*i'm looking at you Sony rx100iii*). but thats just me. If it is a paid job, then of course i just need my Fujis!
For my style of photography, which are just snapshots, i better go with point and shoot for travel. i did not take time to think of composition and other photography skills. I think during my travel, time is of the essence, or time is gold, if that is the right quote, i mean there are so many places to go, to explore, i dont have time to take my time with my photography, i need to keep moving, its worst if you're in a group. Everyone else were moving and you're left behind because you were taking photos. and then you have to play catching up. Do that over and over in a day. no fun. so i just compose and take a shot and then move. But i'm too spoiled of Fuji's image quality. I'm looking at the thousand of photos i took during the trip, and the Fuji's IQ is superb! Super, super, super. I'm worried that if i finally indeed buy the Sony RX100iii, i might get disappointed with a 1inch sensor quality. But lets get real, when do i really going to print large? like really large? maybe a family portrait but the other snapshots? i dont think so. Since i like to zoom in, pixel peeping my photos, "occasionally", i might get disappointed with Sony's IQ as i have with my EM10's IQ just because i was spoiled with Fuji's great IQ. I wish Fuji can come up with a pocketable camera and still keeping with the retro design. But rumors has it that Fuji X30 is still gonna be a 2/3 sensor, why not 1inch? I dont care for XE2 EVF on it, i want a big sensor in a small camera and a decent EVF will be fine.
After the trip, i got sick of bringing my Fuji X100s anywhere but the image quality does made me think twice. To bring or not to bring?
I have a trip to Singapore coming, again, i might try and get the Sony RX100iii after all. Gadgets are like toys. Big boys toys.
UPDATE: When i first wrote this blog post, i just got back from the trip, and at that moment, i don't feel and i don't want to bring my x100s anywhere with me, but after looking at the thousand of images that i captured during the trip, i think its worth the sore shoulder. i just love the image quality, its astonishing! superb! The details in the JPG is so good. It puts a smile on my face.
I am heading to London later in the evening, and surely this long haul flight is gonna suck *$$. I love travelling but i hate the flying part. One, there's the long flight, crammed in a confined space, cant straighten your legs, and the elbow resting invasion. its either you or him, that get to rest their elbow on the elbow rest. i love the aisle but this time i got checked in the middle like sandwiches, sitting next to a stranger. I'm socially retard and i'm not good at making small talks. breaking the ice is worst. Two, there's that thing called turbulence. Man, i hate it when the plane trembles, shaking like you're in a cocktail shaker. Thats when you'll remember god. Oh please god, save me. Third, take offs and landings, especially take offs, my mind goes wild when the plane starts rising at 45 degree angle, the plane at full throttle against the wind, i hate my life for seeing that youtube video where the plane take offs and rise to an angle of 90 degree upwards (thats a straight line upwards) and goes round all the way till 180 and boom. i'm not sure if i was looking at a real plane or a big scale model that looked like the real thing. but still that thing look real as sh!t. and me being a worrier, i have a lot of negative things in my mind when flying.
Travelling to London plus Italy, is a photography opportunity, be it street, buildings, landscape and snapshot photography. and dont forget food photography! So which camera is the best? I have the x100s and the X-pro1 but bringing both is not an option. i dont want to lug 2 cameras for travelling. Just not my style. i love photography but i'm not really that 'serious' into it, what it really means is that i'm not about to bring a tripod, 2 cameras, few lenses, and do long exposure shots. Mostly i just get away with snapshots. I want to enjoy more on the travelling, exploring the city and the camera is just for recording the memories. I dont want it to be a burden. and i'm not about to sell a poster of the tower bridge or the tower of pisa. I just need one camera. The ultimate camera.
Both have their pros and cons. I've already decided to bring the X100S but i'm having second thoughts. I prefer the JPEG images that i got out of it compare to the X-pro1. I found that there's more headroom for editing the X100S Jpegs. and its more punchy and contrasty compare to the X-pro1 but to be honest they're similar but x100s is better/cleaner. Speaking of cleaner thats also the cons of the X100S, the noise reduction is too aggressive at high ISOs. Skins would turn to plastic or wax. I love shooting low light and indoors, thats the worst light for taking pictures of humans with the X100s, ISO bumped up to 3200 - 6400 and humans turns to mannequins. I used to love Fuji skin rendering and when my eyes were 'open', it was actually the effect of aggressive noise reduction. i wish i could turn off the NR or turn off my NR 'eyes'. Maybe future firmwares but i doubt it, it seems that the NR is built into the sensor. Oh wait, they said RAW did not have this wax skin problem. I havent try it though.
The X-pro1 is much more versatile as the lens can zoom. i have the 18-55 kit lens. and its also one of the reason that i didnt want to bring it with me. its just too long. Not DSLR long, but its no compact too. I want a smaller camera, thats where the X100S shines. Its size being smaller than the X-pro1 makes it much easier to bring it anywhere. But since i acquire the Wide Converter Lens, it's always on the camera. and it adds a considerable amount of length. I love 28mm. Just nice wide angle. Really good for taking pictures of the city. More objects/subjects to fit in. But the size of the X100S is now similar to the X-pro1. Arghh. Choices, Choices.
If i remember correctly, the reason i bought the X-pro1 is for this planned trip and GAS. I have a love and hate relationship with this camera. I love it and then i hate it. I just recently used this camera for my evening coffee with friends. and i'm in love with it again. its like an old fling. Sometimes the feelings just comes back. LOL. I love how it feels good in my hands. But i also bought the WCL for my X100S for this trip. WCL is a much more recent purchase. and i love the versatility. 28mm? no problem. 35mm? perfect! But i have 3 batteries for the X-pro1, surely thats enough. I only have 2 for the x100s which i still doubt if its enough for a day. The battery life on the X100s sucks.
Looking at both cameras, i love how handsome the X-pro1 look and i kinda have a change of heart.
Sorry X100s.
You're still coming with me.
Below are photos taken from iphone4 OOC.
Almost similar in size but the X-pro1 is bigger. Sorry for that messy desk.
X-pro1 is definitely longer and bigger
The WCL fitted to the X100S makes it similar in size to the X-pro1.
Choices, choices
I'm stopping by Dubai on the way to London, i might get myself a Ricoh GR.
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