Lazy Saturday evening....

Lazy Saturday evening...., originally uploaded by benny ng.

..with no spectacular sunset.

Sunsets in our part of the world is so short! And if there are thick clouds, you can forget about it.

I always enjoy sunrise and sunsets in temperate climates. Being in countries on a higher lattitude, the duration of these beautiful moments are also much longer than the 15 minutes we get over here. I will always remember trying to wait for the sunset in Scotland during July 1996 at the Loch Ness. We started at 6pm and left at 12.30am when we ran out of food and water. And it was still bright and the sun was far from reaching the horizon.

All's not lost, we do get a good 12 to 13 hours of daylight year round. Great for outdoor fun.

Cheers,

What in the world is a MOOK?

Epson R-D1 World, originally uploaded by benny ng.

I think this word only exist in Japan. It's a cross between Magazine and bOOK.

Similarly, the content is much more substantial than a magazine, but less 'heavy' compared to a full fledge reference book. And of course, like magazines, it's plastered with loads of pictures. In Japan, you can find MOOKs for just about anything. Watches, Luxury Brands, Cars, and of course cameras!

I think this must be the only publication on Epson R-D1.

Cheers,

Stock Billed Kingfisher

Stock Billed Kingfisher, originally uploaded by benny ng.

Stock-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis)

Lucky shot of this Kingfisher at the Zoo. Just thought I'll share this as well.

Cheers,

Lion-tailed Macaque

Lion-tailed Macaque, originally uploaded by benny ng.

Ok. Doing slightly better on this trip, but the keep rate is still very low. Shooting with long telephoto lenses seems so difficult when you've shot with little rangefinder systems. But rangefinders don't have reach....

Oh well. Another few chances to practice before the trip. Let's see if I get better.

Cheers,

Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee Portrait, originally uploaded by benny ng.

With the upcoming trip to Africa, decided to take out my SLR gear to refresh my skills with these gear.

Boy! Do I need a refresher. Anyway, one of the few decent pictures from the session at the zoo.

Hope I get up to speed before I leave for the African Safari.

Looking up

Looking up, originally uploaded by benny ng.

Hanging out with the guys again at the usual spot.

I think the patrons of Isle Cafe must be sick of being shot to death by the hordes of photographers that hang out there. Here I was trying to create a perception of depth with the use of the 'sandwich' effect. Obviously not very successful.

Shot with the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 wide open on Zeiss Ikon on Kodak Portra VC.

Film is so much more challenging as there is no second chance...

What's with the old crap?

So some friends asked, after looking at some of these vintage photo gear that I've been accumulating over the last twelve to fifteen months. I think to a lot of folks, especially in Singapore, where efficiency and productively is valued, old analog technology is discarded as fast as what new gadget/gizmo the big companies can dish out.

So... What's with the old crap?

My first camera was actually a small little 110 Kodak that my mum bought for me when I was about ten. It's a tiny, all manual, no frills camera and I was so proud of it. Being the sentimental fool that I am, I still have it today. When I was about twenty one or so, my dad let me played with his Canon AE-1 and that's when I got a bit more serious about photography, albeit that it's all film those days. Without the internet or money for books, I was pretty much a self taught one camera, one lens guy. Photography as a hobby phased in and out of my life, switched to digital in 2002 and at one point, almost dumped all my old film gear as I simply don't use them anymore.

Of course, the recent interest in rangefinder gear took me back into film photography as there's only really two digital RF option, the Epson R-D1 and Leica M8. Being the gear geek that I am, the foray into vintage M39 mount optics was a progressive development, and subsequently the old bottom loading cameras.

These old crap today are no less than what they were built for during their hey days. Some of them still produces fantastic images that rivals the lastest gizmo. But what exactly is their appeal? It's subjective of course, but to me, it's a system that takes time to achieve results. No Auto focus, no auto exposure, no exposure compensation. Full manual. If you don't know your basics, you don't get decent pictures. Period. That being said, the process as well as the final result are equally as enjoyable when you use these antique equipment.

So, one thing lead to another and now, I have a box full of old Canon Rangefinder gear. Junk to many, but to me, its a celebration of the photographic process as well as a reminder of a time where things were made to last and instant gratification weren't the order of the day.

Cheers,

It's such a hassle sometimes...

London Heathrow Terminal 3, originally uploaded by benny ng.

Whilst Britian is a great place to visit, entering or leaving the UK is always such a hassle. As the first and last contact point for tourists and business travelers, the airport experience certainly drops the UK experience by quite a few notches. I wonder why they spend bucket loads of money promoting UK as a great destination instead of upgrading the facilities at the airports. Strange....

In addition, photographers are treated with less respect and often with suspicion by the security staff. If there's a load of folks with happy snappies shooting away in a public place and one chap with an SLR/DSLR, this chap will probably be the one who gets questioned. Photography in public places has become such a difficult and unpleasant experience. I should think that if terrorists are really trying to get pictures, they will be as inconspicious as possible. And these days, even the smaller compact camera or mobile phone can produce great pictures.

I was led to believe that in UK, photogrphers have less rights that those in the US.

I suppose if you leave the camera at home or just bring a small compact like the Panasonic LX3, you'll still have a great time.

Cheers,

Voigtlander Heliar 50mm f/3.5 LTM

6 X Voigtlander Heliar 50mm f/3.5 LTM, originally uploaded by benny ng.

Was trying to organize the dry cabinet and realized that I have 6 of these! Some history behind the strange numbers..

The lens is part of the limited edition Bessa T Heliar 101 Anniversary Edition which I like very much. I got the blue set initially and was very happy with it. Then I realized that that there is actually a matching trigger winder with it! So I got another blue set that came with the winder. But the black paint version was also very pretty and I gave in to temptation. Logged in 2 bids and hoping to land one, I ended up with 2 black paint editions instead. But the one that I really wanted was the Olive version, which I finally got. According to Cosina, they only released 500 set of each color and probably about 100 to 200 trigger winders in matching color.

So.... the lenses came with the pretty bodies and it's a consolation that it's a great performer in a little quirky package. I may trim down on the collection and just keep one of each color instead.

Cheers,

Myself!

Epson R-D1 digital rangefinder camera!, originally uploaded by benny ng.

A quick shot of me with my Epson R-D1!

This was taken at the bathroom in the Ritz Carlton. They have nice light surrounding the mirrors so the overall effect is quite pleasing. My next bathroom shall have lights like that too! I'm sure the wifey will approve..

Cheers,

Leica camera - Made in China?

Leica camera - Made in China?, originally uploaded by benny ng.

Almost everything is made in China these day. When will Leica be made in China as well?

What a mess!!!!

What a mess!!!!, originally uploaded by benny ng.

We were suppose to go shooting. John was late and it was going to rain. So it's Coke, Cookies and Cameras instead. Oh what a mess!!!

Leica Fashion!

You might have the Leica bag, the Leica cap, the Leica T Shirt, or even the Leica keyring...but do you have this!?



Seems to be a Leica USA commerative issue for some event. Interesting, but I don't think I'll be sporting it even if it was given to me. But I might hang a D-Lux 4 around my neck if Leica is so kind enough to give me one... Ha!

Cheers,

p.s. Not an April Fools Joke. This buckle really exist!

Two week of absence!

Trapped in camp for two weeks! So many missed auctions and opportunities. Oh well....

Plenty of deliveries so I suppose I'll be running around arranging for redelivery and well as arranging for collection from the various courier services. There's also trips to the Customs.

Amongst those that have landed should be

Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.5 ASPH
Canon RF Sports finder
Leica M3 black plate
Canon accessory finder for Canon 7
Canon 100mm f/3.5 LTM X 3

etc, etc.

Can't wait!

Cheers,

Canon 35mm f/2.8 LTM in black

A bunch of new toys landed after a trip out last week. Amongst the stash, the more notable ones are..



Canon 35mm f/2.8 LTM in black. It's the one mounted on the Canon IVSB. This is different from the earlier chrome version.



Canon 35mm f/2.0 LTM in complete packaging and paperwork. Supposingly new and unused. It's indeed very minty and can't seem to see any mounting marks. Even the 'Canon' plastic bags for the lens and the case are still intact. From the packaging, you can see that it's a type 2 lens, meaning the later version.

Artisan & Artist leather case for the Epson R-D1. Discontinued and extremely hard to get. Finally managed to land one after 3 tries.

I believe there's also the Canon 100mm f/3.5 Type 7 amongst the packages. Haven't got around to it yet. Also Canon Rangefinder filters, shades and viewfinders.

Cheers,

Canon 85mm f/1.5 LTM on Panasonic Lumix G1

Canon 85mm f/1.5 LTM on Panasonic Lumix G1, originally uploaded by benny ng.

The Panasonic Lumix G1 micro 4/3 digital camera! Long awaited as a solution for LTM and M mount lens owners to be able to use their beloved stash with a digital body.

I know of quite a few that have already jumped on the band wagon. It's fun while it lasted, but how long can the fun last?

One of the drawbacks is the 2X crop which effectively double the focal length. Even the Voigtlander Ultra Wide-Heliar 12mm f/5.6 Aspherical becomes a 24mm on the G1. Then, there is the use of the Electronic View Finder (EVF). It takes quite a while to get used to it. On the flipside, since it's not rangefinder coupled, there is no alignment issue.

Will I get one?..............Nah..

Cheers

A380 - the double decker!

A380 - the double decker!, originally uploaded by benny ng.

Nope. I'm not on this flight. I'm actually on the much smaller plane next to it. It's overwhelming presence never fails to impress. Was on it a few times last year, but it's really nothing to shout about. A ride's a ride. Perhaps the airlines can configure it differently as Airbus originally touted. Then again, in this economic climate, who would pay the premium?

Anyway, took the Epson R-D1, the Voigtlander Nokton Classic 40mm f/1.4 S.C and the Leica Summicron-M 28mm f/2.0 ASPH on this trip. BUT I FORGOT THE BATTERY!!! How stupid can I be. Good thing that's still one fully charged inside the camera.

Cheers,

The markets' gone to the dogs!

The market is topsy turvy and the exchange rate is crap. US dollar is up and Japanese yen is at it's all time high.

Time to cut back on the visits to the auction sites. Sigh....

On a more positive note, the British pound and the Australian Dollar is still attractive. But treasure hunting for vintage gear don't yield anything interesting in these two markets. New gear can benefit from the exchange rate though. Perhaps I should spring for a new Digital SLR or some new Canon lenses.

Cheers,

It was a sight to behold....

It was a sight to behold...., originally uploaded by benny ng.

Was at Michael's place yesterday to drop off some lenses before flying off.

Thought it was going to be a splash and dash but ended up having dinner at his place. And got the chance to see part (and only part) of his extensive collection! Not for the faint of heart! I think you can easily buy a Mercedes C class with what's on the table.

Cheers,

What the F#$&!?

What the F#$&!?, originally uploaded by benny ng.

This was actually taken 3 days ago in flight rather than on land. LH025 from Hamburg to Frankfurt. I was seated on the wrong side and would really have preferred his window seat for some spectacular light. Oh well....

It's a shame that I don't really get the time to go around in Europe. Usually splash and dash. Would have love to go beyond Hamburg and see some sights.

Anyway, I'll be back in December again.

Cheers,