Sunday, December 30, 2012

Lavender street walkabout session

A last minute decision to crawl out of bed in the morning and join the guys for a short walk at Lavender street.
It has been quite a while since i last did a morning walk and shoot session.
This area is pretty nostalgic in its way..

Lavender walkabout

Lavender walkabout

Lavender walkabout

Lavender walkabout

Lavender walkabout

The early residents
Lavender walkabout

Lavender walkabout

The greens
Lavender walkabout

Lavender walkabout

Lavender walkabout

Ending the year 2012 with this post and hopefully, i get to shoot more in the coming new 2013.

Fuji XE1, Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5

Fast lens: Canon 50mm f1.2 ltm

We know that Photography is always about light and exposure, and so much so that these 2 key elements became one of the most important factor when it comes to the choice of equipment. Of course, a good picture is made easy with good lighting but in less than ideal situations that you need to shoot in low light, this is where the equipment plays an important part. Another reason is the love for "bokeh" aka the thin dof, everyone just love it.

Jim Richardson tells us that  "Great lenses pay off when the going gets tough"
High ISO handling performance camera, Big aperture lens has always been the consideration and of course  these doesnt come cheap.

So recently, i came across a Canon 50mm f1.2 ltm lens on flickr. It belongs to Keith's dad and this lens should have been with him even before 1983. (I wasnt even born then)
He didnt have the camera to mount this lens and coincidentally i had earlier asked to buy it over in the event if he plans to sell it.
Finally after a long wait for the shipment, it finally reaches me before the end of the year. Well, my fastest lens are a f1.4 and owning a f1.2, isnt something that i wishes for. Nonetheless, its a good chance to own one.

Canon RF & Lenses

Canon RF & Lenses

Canon RF & Lenses

Other than the copy that Eddy owned, this is the 2nd copy of this lens that i have came across in superb condition.
Canon RF & Lenses
Lens mounted on a Canon 7

Some history about this lens, its built for Canon Rangefinder, which explains the LTM( Leica Thread Mount)
Dante Stella explains that "the Canon 1.2 is a straight Zeiss Planar pattern lens (7 elements in 4 groups). Huge with a 55mm filter diameter (which impringe slightly on the 50mm frameline. Has full f/stops from 1.2 to 22, circular diaphgram, and infinity lock. Min focus is 1 meter. On-axis, focuses well at f1.2. Not a super high contrast lens but if you think about what you use superwide apertures for (night shooting, for example) its is not a huge problem. Noticeably soft in the corners wide oen."
My personal experience and read up on this lens is that it has some reputation of hazing easily which is probably due to its infamous oily aperture blades. This lens when wide open render a soft skin tone on the subject and under spot lighting would show some glow.

Rightfully, i should load a roll of film on my Rangefinder to get some shots from this wonderful lens. Well, that would take a while before i can show some pictures here. So here are some prelim shots from my Fuji X-E1.

If you owned a f/1.2 lens, you would definitely love to shoot at f/1.2 to see the thin dof from the lens. I'm no exceptions, and while the X'mas lighting are still everywhere, its a good chance to shoot some colors!
Canon 50mm f1.2 ltm

Canon 50mm f1.2 ltm

The glow under the spot light...soft rendering here
Canon 50mm f1.2 ltm

Manual focusing on a f/1.2 isnt as hard as i thought...
Canon 50mm f1.2 ltm

Shooting out-door is much easier..
Canon 50mm f1.2

If you are thinking if that difference of f/0.2 makes a difference from a f/1.4 lens, it does and trust me, you can tell when you get it.

Of course, for me buying this lens has another personal agenda, i just love Canon history so much that i added this new purchase to my existing collection. Definitely not the best collection compared to others, but some of the best Canon lenses here at an affordable price :)

Canon RF & Lenses

Time to go shoot with my Canon RF!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Full Moon

After a drinking session, i had a glimpse of the full moon. It was mesmerizing as the moon light lit up the sky, creating a different ambiance to this happening night spot.

Full moon

It has been awhile since i last shot a roll of film and while people are expecting higher iso performance with noise reduction on digital, the grains from film never fail to retain my love for them.

Oly OM1n, 50mm f1.8
HP5+ @ iso 800

Friday, December 28, 2012

After Work Session - A peaceful ride home

What would be better than a peaceful ride home after a hard day at work.

After Work Session ~ Travelors on train

After Work Session ~ Travelers on train

Fuji XE1, Ultron 35mm f1.7 ltm

Monday, December 24, 2012

After Work Session - Backpackers

In my day to day work environment, i get to meet alot of tourist, travelers and backpackers.
Each of them seems to carry adventures and stories from their past travels. I would definitely love to hear from them their stories...

After Work Session ~ Travelors on train

Fuji XE1, CV25mm f4

Sunday, December 23, 2012

After Work Session ~ Travelers

I bring my camera to work almost everyday, hoping to get some nice pictures but in reality the only time that i get to use is always after work.
Inspired by Simplyoxford.com, "Oxford: Lunch hour session", i decided to do a "After work" series on my journey home from Airport.
I will keep this series going. Some of the pictures i took with my Fuji XE1, which is extremely suitable given the low light environment on train.

After Work Session ~ Travellers on train

After Work Session ~ Travellers on train

After Work Session ~ Travellors on train

Fuji XE1, Ultron 35mm f1.7 ltm

Friday, December 21, 2012

Luedella Blogshop shoot (Collection 6)

Once again, i had the chance to shoot for Luedella collection 6. This shooting session was pretty fun despite the wet weather and probably its due to the easy-going and cooperative model and the nice partners from Luedella.

Well, DSLR still does a better job when it comes to such shoot...even with my slow Canon EF 35mm f2, i still managed to get some quick shots than the Fuji XE1. So...+1 for DSLR!

Some pictures here, do support them and like them on Facebook

Luedella Blogshop shoot

Luedella Blogshop shoot

Luedella Blogshop shoot

This was one of the few that i did on Fuji XE1 with Nokton 50mm f1.5ltm, Im The colors are just so vibrant!
Luedella Blogshop shoot

And we ended off with some old school polariods!
IMG_6509
Canon 60D, EF 35mm f2

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Merry X'mas

The lights are forever beautiful during this festive season...
Merry X'mas everyone...

Xmas Bokeh

Fuji XE1, CV 75mm f2.5

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Inside the Fridge

If you are a film user, this should be a familiar sight for you. I have already cut down a portion of my stock but still its taking up half the area...
Well, to us, its a "necessity" after-all. :)

Films in fridge


Monday, December 17, 2012

Smile

Its been awhile since i last did a portraiture shoot...here's a picture i took of SY. Pretty isnt she?

DSCF1183v2

Just a favor link to the blog if you are interested in their clothes
http://luedella.livejournal.com/

Fuji XE1, Nokton 50mm f1.5 ltm

Friday, December 14, 2012

After Rain

It has been raining these few weeks and its always good to see abit of sunshine after the rain.

After rain - flowers behind the bar

Fuji XE1, Nokton 50mm f1.5ltm

Thursday, December 13, 2012

美发院

Do you still remember when you were young, where did you went for your hair cut?
I can still recall my childhood visit to a barber, where each time without fail, i would bring a photo with me and show it to the barber to request for a similar trendy hair style.

However, i would always ended up crying. It took me a few years to realize that every barber in the shop learned from one master and the master happened to only know 1 hair style.

Although these experiences were quite a nightmare, im glad that somehow it became good memories for me.

Do you remember this Retro Neon lighting outside a salon? Its really "Old school" and definitely one day, everyone will start missing it and look for one...

美发院


Fuji XE1, Ultron 35mm f1.7

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Happy Tourist

Its always nice to have tourist around. Their presence always create a lively mood around that brightens my day as well.

Despite the wet weather, this couple was enjoying their photo session outside the Buddha Relic temple..
Tourist

Tourist

Fuji XE1, Nokton 50nn f1.5

Monday, December 10, 2012

Curiousity

Not till he realised that I am taking a picture of him...

Curiousity

Fuji XE1, Canon 50mm f1.4 ltm

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Masjid Sultan

My first successful roll from the Flexaret VII. This camera isn't without flaws. I didn't like the design of depressing the knob to open the film back. Its so accessible that the back opened twice in the bag and resulted in part of the film got exposed. I lost at least 2 frames due to the counter reset as well.

Even so, im determined to bring it out to re shoot another session.
Here are some of the pictures that were taken yesterday at Masjid Sultan.
Masjid Sultan

No footwear in the Mosque
Masjid Sultan

Prayers
Masjid Sultan

Prayers

Masjid Sultan

Masjid Sultan

Undeniable, the lens has a soft coating rendered on pictures and can be seen easier on overexposed picture. However, this can be compensated by pushing the films a little. Overall, It still outperform my expectation...

Flexaret VII, Shanghai GP @ 400
HC110 Dilution G

The Convenience of Digital

Walking the streets, and processing the pictures are far more convenient compared to shooting film and this left me with no excuses to not post more pictures regularly...

The XE1 isnt as stealth as it seems..the experience of shooting hasn't change much from using my RF...and perhaps for that reason, i love it..
DSCF0639

Flash...
DSCF0653

Deep in thoughts
DSCF0663

Mesmerizing...isnt it?
DSCF0665

Well, in case you are wondering, i still shoot films...

Fuji XE1, Nokton 50mm f1.5cm