The First Shots With My (yes, mine!) 5D Mark II

I finally bought my 5D Mark II in end November 2009.  It was near year end bonus time, so I thought it would be the right time to make some space in my wallet.  I got the kit set that came with the EF 24-105mm F4L lens.  This camera would become one of those in my longest possesion, close to 4 good years.  

I was really excited with my new acquisition and practiced quite a lot.  These are some of my early shots with the camera. Within 2 weeks I had captured close to 1500 photos. 

They are not my best, but they are definitely some of my favourite first ones. 

Apartemen Mediterania Garden Tanjung Duren Jakarta; Taman Anggrek Mall Jakarta; Wheelock Place Singapore

The Only XF Lens Worth Waiting For in 2015

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!  Fujifilm is going to release a Fujinon XF 16mm F1.4R in 2015!

Fujifilm XF Lens Road Map - From Fujifilm Website

Hands-on With a Rented 5D Mark II

So I sold my D90 to my colleague and good friend.  I was "DSLR-less" for a while, pondering which full frame camera I want to get, or more importantly which system I want to commit to.

The D700 is good in ISO performance, dynamic range & 51 AF points.  I also love the cooler colours of the photos and built-in flash BUT only 12 MP.

The 5D Mark II boasts 22 MP which was really quite something at that time.  But only 9 AF points which were slow compared to D700 and no built-in flash.  However the colour depth was there and the ISO performance is remarkable given the resolution.  More importantly, the full frame lenses in the Canon camp are not as expensive as Nikon's (oh yes, this is a very important consideration too...  I don't want the missus to kill me for spending so much on photography stuffs!).

So based on the considerations above I decided to go with Canon 5D Mark II.  Not wanting to regret the choice, I decided to rent a 5D Mark II first, and what better opportunity to use it than when my company sent me on a business trip to Tokyo. My gear for that trip was a Canon 5D Mark II and the EF 17-40mm F4L.

This charming lady is my colleague who bought my D90 and this photo was taken with the 5D Mark II. That was my D90 she's holding there!  ;)

My D90 Diaries

The Nikon D90 was my first DSLR.  As mentioned in my previous post, I had it for less than a year.  But that doesn't mean I didn't take lots of photos with it.  In fact by the time I sold it I suppose I must have taken at least 4500 photos with it.

As it was my first DSLR, I could say it was my first teacher in photography.  Most of the time I would take photos from the balcony of my parents' condo in Tiong Bahru.  I love the view of the pool from their condo.

The view from my parents' condo on the left and the Merlion on the right

A Short Lived Affair With My D90

I had my D90 for less than a year.  Most of the time I used it to take photos in Bintan where my father works.  My father works in a Resort in which he has quite a large stake.  The Resort is called Bintan Agro Beach Resort (www.agrobeach.com).  Not only was this a great opportunity to hone my photography skills, I was motivated to take good photos for promotional materials.

In the Gallery of the website you'll see some of my photos there which are mainly the landscape photos. For the photos with models, they were taken by another photographer.

The View of The Kelong To The Restaurant

What Comes After a Wedding - Part II

Here comes the follow up to my part I honeymoon blog.

For the second round, we went to Hong Kong & Macau.  My wife and I had always wanted to see Macau as we were charmed by the beauty of the place which is much influenced by the Portuguese.  As luck would have it, we came towards the end of winter so the weather was still cold.

On the first night we simply took a walk along Tsim Sha Tsui to enjoy the neon lights which is so characteristic of Hong Kong.

When visiting Hong Kong, Victoria Peak is a must visit.  The view is splendid, but on a winter day the fog may cause quite an "obstruction" as shown in the photo below.  But still quite a splendid view nevertheless.

View of Hong Kong From Victoria Peak