So i stop whining and brought my Sony A7S to the States!

So in my previous post i was GASing for the Fuji X70 because of its small compact kinda size compare to my Sony A7S for this trip to Washington DC.... in the end i did not buy it because i'm being wise and saved me $700USD at the same time. haha..Although i keep checking B&H photo and lensrental websites for great deals. There was a used X70 for $500 but in the end since i already brought my Sony, why would i buy the X70.... So i just stop whining and brought my A7S. My argument was hand carrying my Sony A7S for these 2+8+14 hours of flying not including layover. My lowepro fastpack seems to be a great travelling backpack although i hate using backpacks since it would sweat my back more.  Overview of the trip was i didnt get to shoot the milkyway (the original plan) because of lack of tripod and the distance of my hotel from the Washington DC Mall is quite far.

P/S Shopping and taking photographs for me cannot coexist lol. So in the end i think the best camera is still my iphone because its either you got your picture or you dont.

But here are some shots from my A7S....

reminds me of the Shining....pity who stayed at the end....long walk to the elevator 

Although its a bitch to carry this Sony A7S but i love the output id get out of it...

Photography tips 101: It's all about catching the moment! Hashtag Sony a7s is quick!!

Just a quick note, the Sony A7S is quite quick/fast! To those who worries about AF performance, for travel/street i think it is quite capable.

One tip i've read about photography is to capture the moments....especially candid moments! Ones that can never be replicated back! Because those moments will never be back and if you able to capture those precious moments, it's like winning the jackpot, you know what i mean! and it also make a great photo.

I was walking and pushing the baby stroller in hand when i saw my subject approach towards me, i was quite impressed with my Sony A7S for able to focus quickly and capture the photo. Its not a super sharp photo as i was walking while taking the picture, didn't have time to stand still, also i want to be stealthy as well, its a combination of tricks and skills bahahaha.... anyway, what i like about this photo is i was able to capture that lady's face pure smirk of awesomeness, and that guy creeping up that cleavage and that kid's craving for milk "I want milk now", kid said bahahahaha

Anyway my subject was a 7-11 sign board. 😂😂😂

Throwback: Milan in 2014

Taken with Fuji X100S.

I love Italy.
Will i ever be back?

I'm in dilemma new gear GAS want need mode!

I'm in dilemma.
I guess i hate money.
Shudup n take mah money.
I think i need/want a proper camera.
At the moment i have a Sony RX100m3 which i love for its size and great IQ but it is still a 1inch sensor. I love Fuji APS-C sensor.
And i still have my dinosaur Leica M8 which max out at usable ISO 640, black to magenta issues and i cant afford a fucking leica lens.
I dunno if i'm still in love with the M8, she's still hot but i dont really have that thrill using it. Not much love.
I need new thrill, new love, new lust. I want a new camera!!
That feeling when you unbox and play with the new cam. Love booming, blossoming. i need that. I want that.
I want WIFI in my camera and Auto Focus, my Leica fails that test.
I put it up on sale but nobody's buying it, only get likes in Facebook...the most famous book in the world. not even Harry Potter beats that book.
I want a proper camera, by proper i meant bokeh. i love bokeh. i need fast lens. so bokeh is achieved.
My Leica can give me bokeh but i cant transfer the pics over Wifi because it didnt have that feature. and i dont want to deal with the IR issues anymore. I want CLASSIC CHROME. out of the camera.

So why dilemma?
Because i have choices. i had to choose. and i hate choices. i wish i only have one choice so i dun have trouble making choices.
I love cameras. Cameras nowadays are beautiful. and i love retro. except for Lumix cameras, their looks suck but got great features.
So what choices do i have?
Olympus PEN-F is out of the pic. bcos i think im done with micro four thirds. with the newly announced X-pro2 with new sensor i think it'll kill the micro 4/3 for IQ.
Choices are Fuji X70, X100T, X-T10 or Sony A7S.
Of all the bunch the Sony is the most expensive. but i love low light. i want to shoot without thinking which ISO to choose. Fuji is also great in low light but skins can get waxy in HIGH ISO JPGs n i only shoot JPGs.
X70 is the newest but its still not available here.
X-T10 with 35mm is a bokeh dream.
I just love the X100 series.

So whats the problem here?
like i said...choices.
of all the camera if i want to buy based on looks, i'd definitely go for the X100T but its a 2 year old camera now. its not like its stop being a good camera, its just..... a X200 might be around the corner.
Like i mentioned in my previous post, i'm just gonna get the X70 but there's not a lot of review on it yet, i want to see how portraits would look like with 28mm 2.8 lens look like and sumhow i love peeking into an EVF which the X70 do not have. OVF is different. i want to see the actual shot/pic even before i take it which is what the EVF is for.
The X-T10 is third on the list just because its bulkier than the rest of the mentioned Fuji. but i have the flexibility to change lenses. I can bokeh all i want as long as i am able to purchase those Fuji lenses.
But if i am rich i just buy the A7S.
A7S with my prefer angle 28mm and fast f2.0 lens would be my ultimate camera. but it cost double than the Fujis. I could buy 2 Fujis with the cost of A7S.

In the end camera is just a tool right? Pictures will always be pictures.
Looking back at my X100S pics do make me miss the X100 series. i still keep hold of my WCL in case i bought the T but years passed and the T is getting old. unless it gets a new firmware making it as fast as X-T10 then im sure i'd buy the X100T. but is new firware coming??? Even X-E2 seems a good choice now a new firmware is out but i just cant get to like them X-E series looks.

So okay let me list down things i like n dislike from each camera for my amusement......

Fujifilm X70

likes:-
- newest and greatest which means AF is faster than X100T
- tilt screen
- selfie tilt screen is a plus.
- compact but im not sure if it is as compact as the Sony RX100iii
- touch screen! woohoo a first for Fuji.
- classic chrome

dislikes:-
- no EVF... I love me an EVF. I love peeking into it. it makes me feel professional. although i must admit i dont always really use it. and when i do street photography i almost not using it because i just want to be stealthier.
- looks is just ok compare to X100T.
- still not available here (Waiting game hurts)

X70 accessorized looks awesome.

Fujifilm X100T

likes:-
- my favorite series, FUN camera
- looks is killer
- faster lens, more bokeh albeit narrower than 28mm
- better performance than my X100S (from what i read online)
- Got EVF
- Classic Chrome
- leaf shutter
- built in ND filter
- Conversion lens available
- available and in stock (GASPS!!!)

dislikes:-
- bigger
- almost 2 years old which means a successor is in the wings
- no tilt screen
- Even bulkier if i need 28mm and 50mm
- From what i read performance is not as fast as the newer X-T10/X70
- but most of all it is getting old, the sole reason i press the brakes on buying this. but i still want to push the GAS! pun intended.

The thing about X100T...you dont need accessories to make it sexy. it already sexy as fuck as it is.

Fujifilm X-T10

likes:-
- Can change lenses
- Bokeh all i want with those fast lenses
- Not bad looking retro camera
- Faster performance
- Classic Chrome
- Tilt screen
- Got EVF
- available and in stock (gasps!)

dislikes:-
- not pretty as X100T
- bulkier depends on lens
- No selfie tilt screen although not a deal breaker
- not travel friendly camera (for me). Even i hate the X100S for travelling. that tells you much. Ha Ha but better than those DSLRs.

X-T10 looks hot. Better with square hoods. i love me square hoods. couldnt find a pic online

Sony A7S

likes:-
- With vintage lens it looks good
- King of the low light
- Performance on par with FUjifilm (from what i read online)
- Full frame (not sure if this is an issue anymore)
- tilt screen
- Got EVF
- Better video performance
- Since i like to shoot in low light this could be the ultimate camera!

dislikes:-
- With native lens it looks MEH..
- Super expensive
- bad rolling shutter effects (not sure if it affects with my kind of photography)
- bulkier/ more or less the same size as X-T10... maybe....... i never hold one in flesh/plastic
- lens also crazy expensive
- SOle reason not to get this is expensive!!
- No Classic Chrome

Anything with Vintage lens will always make the camera looks good

So the question IS actually what do i want this camera for.....
1) Travel????? Or
2) Professional Bokeh Monster pictures of my kids???? (which means the camera is okay to stay on the shelf)

let me sit in one corner and think about it.

One can never have just one camera for all.
But that is always GAS talking

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.

A Man with Trombone

I was in New Orleans just walking along the street when i spotted this guy with a trombone. As usual i took a quick shot as if i'm taking a picture of the whole damn street but i was caught. He was cool about it and said "How was it?!"
I said "Nice!" and gave him a thumbs up.

Such a cool city!

"Lenny Kravitz" with a trombone.

Leica M8 with Voigtlander 15mm. 

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***

Random 35

Sometimes, i just have no idea what to rant about, but i have some pictures that i would like to post. Just to update the blog. ya know, its kind of like a diary to me. maybe in the future i can look back and read all the nonsense that i had written.

So i'm calling this new set "Random 35", just some random collection of pictures from my X100S.

Handheld, x100s, night shot wide open at f2, iso3200 at 1/25s

Just some Olympus 25mm 1.8 lens sample pics for the sake of updates. LOL

Okay,
lack of updates,
doesnt really matter as i'm not sure i have readers or not... lol
Oh well, i just need to take this rant off my chest.

Seriously, my lazy mode is ON.
But i did bought that Oly 25mm 1.8 lens.
I plan on showing off the lens on the camera and some pics taken with it.
No scientific test, just some random snapshot. Dont pixel peep. Please. Not here.

Again, seriously,
I post this sample pics just for the sake of updating this blog.
Its been quiet.
Where have all my rants went to?
Fingers are just lazy to type in what i have in mind.
Okay, lets just start posting pics. Not much, just a few.

So i bought this brand new Olympus 25mm lens in Singapore at TK Foto. If you're in Singapore, get it there... the cheapest price i found than anywhere else and if you're a tourist you still get to claim TAX refund. Good Job TK Foto. Its in Funan Digi Mall.

 The guy who sold me the lens. 

i was putting the lens on my camera to do some test shots.

He said "This lens is great for portrait"

"Oh yeah?" i said

"Let me take your photo"

*Click*

Too bad i forgot to set the aperture wide open. This was at f3.5.

Still nice background blur.

Would love it at f1.8. Just because i like to shoot wide open.

 Wide open at f1.8

The fork is super sharp.

I'll post a photo of the lens on camera next time. 

With the JJC Square Lens hood On. Pure Camera Porn.

Okay, while i'm at it....

i have the feeling to post more pics now. Let me check whats in my Lightroom Library.

 Cool Scooter.

Spot the girl in cab with a haunting face. 

Must be that poster on the cab.

 My fav spot!

The pedestrian!

Nobody cares if i take a picture here..... i guess..

 Added more grain here.

i love how grain and Black & White combine.

 A tiring day

 This place used to be "hot" back in the 80s for us tourist.

I'm just waiting for this guy to pass into my frame.

To be honest, i find it hard to use this 25mm (50mm equivalent) for street photography.

Maybe i'm so used to x100s focal length, 35mm. 

Thats why its perfect for street.

The more reason for GASing the 17mm 1.8 Oly lens.

Next on the list it is.

All pictures are shot in JPGs.

Edited in Lightroom.

With VSCO presets.

Thanks for stopping by.

Street Shooting in Singapore with Olympus OMD EM10 ..... VSCO style!

Ok, today i'm gonna be lazy. I'm just gonna post process my pictures with VSCO's Fuji Superia 400 preset and adjust the tone curve to make it look faded and washed out. I wont bother with the color or white balance or exposure, this is OOC jpgs applied preset and boom!. I am no street photographer but with this kind of hat/thinking i get to just fire away shots, unlike back in the day, i was only shooting iconic places, or statues, or famous landmarks and so forth sometimes with that kind of habit i didnt get to really use my camera because Singapore is full of buildings, what so nice about shooting buildings?...yes, yes, yes, some buildings are awesome, like the white house, abe lincoln memorial, empire state, but those are still iconic, okay cityscapes is beautiful too but you know what i mean... i'm talking about boring buildings.... just an ugly tall building with windows...  but with street photography kind of thinking, i finally be able to just take pictures of whatever in front of me.... its gonna be shitty but hey, at least it brought back memories of the trip!

Just shoot shoot shoot....
thats where digital wins over film, flexibility to delete or keep photos, unless you're super duper rich to buy rolls of films, i dont. i just need an SD card.

So the story goes like this, i just bought an OMD EM10 at Vivo city Singapore, and i straight away want to test the camera.... i havent figured out how to focus at the center, it automatically chooses for me. Hell, lets just do it. This is also in 4:3 format thus the non wide look. i set the auto iso limit to 3200. i dont remember which mode i was, its either aperture or program mode. and so i left Vivo city with a brand new OMD EM10. Black.

Hop into the MRT 

 And stopped by Chinatown

So this is Chinatown, my first time here. its a street market. nice.

Lanterns anyone?

 My main reason to go Chinatown is to eat Chilli Crab or Satay, i'm looking for Maxwell Hawker Centre.

That aint maxwell hawker centre, lets move on

The year of the horse. Chinese new year just ended last week.

i love this kind of shot. blurred pedestrians. in chinatown nobody gives a shit if you have a camera with you. its a tourist area. so its kinda cheat/easier street photography 

My first taste of Boudoir photography. Some onlookers may think i'm a pervert and give me a strange look but hey the lighting is nice. Sorry but VSCO didnt do it justice. told ya im lazy!

This guy needs a bed

Told ya, nobody gives a shit with your camera but i do think twice here that white tshirt guy just seem so mean looking! dont hit me please!

Olympus focusing here is a snap. Olympus really is fast at focusing. Beats Fuji everytime. Thats why i got this shot. i hope there's no car on my left...

Made my way to the temple. Some chromatic aberration here. poor olympus.

 Which way to Maxwell Hawker Centre? No? No Sign?

Wide angle is really handy here. The Fuji X100S cant fit this scene from where i stood. but you can fit a wide converter lens which costs millions.... just kidding... its about SGD$500 here, so thats about usd$390

 Finally here....

 Damn, this place blows..... everything is closing. I did not find any Chilli crab here and the satay here is pork satay. i dont eat pork. What a waste of walking time.

In the end i settled for Indian Mutton Steak. Man, this stuff is tasty. and the lime juice is cold and yummy. i can feel my sweat dried off after drinking that lime juice. The Fuji X100S is for aesthetic only haha, i didnt bother to use the x100s as i had to carry a backpack too.... i dont want too much to carry around. i also want to test the EM10 capabilities. i think at this point the battery died on me.

THE NEXT DAY

By this time i'm already exhausted from my yesterday all day walking trip but i still have to make my way to the airport, i dont know where else to go, i dont want to go to Orchard, i already spent on a new camera, i should just stop shopping now and just wait for my plane but flight home is at 9pm. There's more time to kill. a lot of time to kill. i need to go somewhere. chill somewhere. last thing to do is to eat some good food. shitty part is i have to walk with my backpack and my hand carry luggage, dragging it around. i love that luggage. its been with me everywhere i went, Washington, Vegas, London, all throughout UK, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore.....drag drag drag and the wheels are still working. one bad-ass hand carry luggage. Almost didnt fit all my stuffs but when there is a will there is a way hahah...

Anyway, i charged my OMD EM10 battery the night before and it took about 3 hours plus or maybe 4 hours.... and the charging light went off... i thought it never gonna went off..... pheewww... i thought id fully drained the damn thing till theres no more juices to charge. Again, i keep my x100s in the bag and hang the em10 on my neck.... but to be honest i just wanna stop taking pictures.... too tired.... too exhausting... too many things to carry.... a full hand.... i just wanna go home....

After checking out, i'm heading to Little India 

 Assalamualaikum brothers

i love how that path leading to ............... there....

 i dunno how to explain that...

perspective this perspective that...

 Some funky cool looking buildings...

or a failed window measurements hahah

Uhuh!.. Little india mari.... 

 I had to adjust the shadow slider here to get more details... i wanna take picture of the lady, so i pretend that im shooting this "chef" here... but i havnt figure out the focusing so the camera chooses the background...oh well.... and metered the background too... this is actually a dark picture.

Ah well..

 i'm not being sexist but please ladies... dont urinate here.. hahaha just kidding.

Okay okay its for the guys... Dude, please dont...

 Some dudes waiting for their meal

 The main reason to come here in little India Tekka Centre.. the let-me-translate-the-malay-words

"Power red bone soup"

 And 2nd reason, the briyani.... oh man... i need to lose some weight...

After my little india trip and my awesome lunch, i did not do a thing. i went to Funan, just to feed my GAS some camera window shopping and sit in one corner just killing time. so i decided to go to the airport early. by this time i'm already too tired to take pictures. but when i saw a moment i just took some pictures anyway. i just cant resist.

Thats a giant ass ceiling fan, just circling around like a windmill speed... i wonder how crazy it is on full speed. 

 For the life of me i havent figured out the auto exposure lock, i was trying the Zack Arias skill, pretending shooting the sign board and want to shoot those strangers on the bench but in the end, i couldnt figure to set the exposure right...the camera meters for the background, 

 so i'm left with this dark picture

on 2nd look, this silhouette looks nice too.. 

 Time to head home, 

"its coming home, its coming home, its coming," - Lightning Seeds Three Lions

Again AEL fail, but i like this photo. 

Its not the EM10 fault's, its just me not reading the manual yet!

Thats me on the airplane.... i used my OMD EM10 wifi to shoot this selfie in the plane.. hahahha

just kidding!

That is a lot of pictures...phewwwww....

See you again Singapore.... March!