[ahblack] APAW 2016 ~ maintaining pace... CONSISTENCY!

[ahblack]

It has been one fun ride last year! Although missing couple of weeks, being committed to APAW does "force" me to go out and shoot (good thing actually, or else I'll just be laying on bed playing game going no where LOL)! Not to Siok Sendiri or being arrogant, but I think I'm getting better at this (photography)! I've meet many friends who share the same passion as myself, and learn many things (not just about photography!) from them. A big thank to the community here for being so kind and generous all the time!

Last year, I made the jump from Fujifilm (X-T1) to Sony (A7ii) and some of my friends wondered why as I've been loving the X-T1 and enjoy shooting with it. Well... butt itchy I guess? LOL To be honest, no matter how many time people ask me what's my favourite camera, I will always answer them "Fujifilm X-T1". That thing is truly made for photographer who want to enjoy every moment of shooting, from lifting it up to your face, looking into EVF with your eyes, turning the dials and press the shutter button, until you upload your photos onto Flickr and staring at it on screen for minutes in awe. I used to do that and my wife thought I was crazy hahahaha! But as I progress slowly into legacy lens, I found out to fully utilize those amazing lenses, I have to move from APS-C to Full Frame, especially after I got a taste of the lens turbo on X-T1, I knew I wouldn't go back to crop... A7ii now serves me as a tool to enjoy full flavour of legacy lenses, unlike my eX-T1 who has been my great companion. Not to say A7ii sucks or bad or anything, with what Sony is offering now (Full Frame, Compact, and affordability), it totally fits my need (YMMBV)!

Enough mumbling to myself! First post of 2016, to kick off the pace!


week 1



Gotta look good doing anything! by Lee Wooi Chun, on Flickr


Sony A7ii + Cosina Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35mm f1.4 MC VM

​

 

[wonglp]

happy new year, Mr Black More legacy lenses shots ?

 

[ahblack]

happy new year, Mr Black More legacy lenses shots ?

Happy new year to you too Mr Wong hahaha! Coming soon hehehe...

Sent from my SM-N9208 using Tapatalk

 

[ahblack]

Another week full of amazingness! Meetup for poison session on Friday with bunch of friends. My friend was kind enough to lend me his CV12 for the weekend to test it out on A7ii. CV12 has been known being notorious for its serious vignetting and color cast at 4 corners. Luckily on A7ii, it wasn't that serious (worst case with A7r). And with the lens I explored the crazy Ultra Wide-Angle for the firs time. I must say, it's a hard beast to tame! It is so wide, to the point there will always be a lot of space in your shots, rendering your shots look very empty. I need to constantly look out for "things" to fill up the frame.

Last sunday, I had the chance to go on private boating with bunch of great friends (not forgetting to put the CV12 to its pace, but I must admit I enjoyed too much that I almost forgot about it hahaha)! Gotta give a big shout out to LUGS for organizing such extraordinary outing! We sailed toward Lazarus Island early in the morning (I damn glad I sacrificed my sleep and woke up early morning to join them!). We had foods, drinks and lot of talks on the beautiful private boat, owned by one of the LUGS member! It was my first experience on private boat, and it was overwhelming (I know I know... I've always been very sua ku...). I didn't get a nice shot on the island, as there wasn't much things to shoot except on the "link" in-between Lazarus Island and St John Island, there were quite a few friends and families fishing. I ended up with my best shot of the day taken at Seah Im food court when I was waiting for another member.


week 2



Just walk on by by Lee Wooi Chun, on Flickr


A7ii + Cosina Voigtländer Heliar Ultra Wide-Angle 12mm f5.6 VM

Credits to Jesmen who lend me his CV12 for a weekend run!

​

 

[pinholecam]

Nice start to APAD 2016!

 

[ahblack]

Nice start to APAD 2016!

Thanks for dropping by pinholecam bro!

 

[ahblack]

I gotta say... Money is one big factor no matter which hobby you got into. UWA usually cost more than your usual lenses, especially when it's fast and af and zoom (ya FE1635F4 is expensive...). Even offerings from Voigtlander ain't cheap, usually cost 1k and above. Not everyone needs a UWA, but it's always good to have when you shoot landscape occasionally. So it doesn't make sense for someone like me to throw that kind of money into a single lens that I'll barely use it. How about Samyang? Well I read about it, and I'm kinda concern about it's distortion. I have no personal experience with it, but from the looks of reviews all around forums, the distortion is hard to correct and there's a big NO. Of course, stitching pano is another way to go, but it's kinda troublesome specially to those who doesn't really know much about post-processing (me? I'm just lazy hahaha...).

This cannot that cannot, ai pi ai chi ai dua liap ni... So how?! Luckily I managed to find that one lens that fits all my needs! I saw one on the eBay (200 bucks including shipping woohoo!!) and I didn't think twice! You guys sure know how painful it is to wait for the shipment... Too bad it didn't make it on time before I went back to Penang, but it arrived last week and I managed to find time to test it out!

Well you can't really ask for more from a UWA lens that costs 200 bucks. It's a FULL FRAME 17mm!!! And at f3.5, it's not that slow when compared to Voigtlander's offerings. Mostly importantly... 200 BUCKS!!! Distortion is definitely better than Samyang 14mm (from the looks of images from both lenses), although IQ is not that great (again, it's a 200 bucks lens...). I can safely say this lens is best bang for buck!

week 3



Central Business District by Lee Wooi Chun, on Flickr


A7ii + Tokina RMC 17mm f3.5 FD


​

 

[wonglp]

CV10mm, any interest? hehe

 

[ahblack]

CV10mm, any interest? hehe

Of course Im interested LOL First of the kind leh, wonder how 10mm FF looks like haha

Sent from my SM-N9208 using Tapatalk

 

[wonglp]

Of course Im interested LOL First of the kind leh, wonder how 10mm FF looks like haha

Sent from my SM-N9208 using Tapatalk

Imagine looking left to right with 1 eye for 130degrees haha.

 

[ahblack]

Lol cant imagine la later break my eyes

Sent from my SM-N9208 using Tapatalk

 

[ahblack]

This time, 2 photos will be featured, to dedicate each to 2 groups of friends who I joined for photo walk during the weekend!

week 4 Saturday
Before I start to get into the detail, I wanna share a little bit of my thought/feeling about the place itself. I did not grow up in Singapore. So to me, attachment of some to those soon-to-be-demolished buildings seems a bit unfamiliar to me. Back at my hometown, we don't usually demolish an old building and rebuild a new one off the same ground. We just simply build a new one at some place else, and I get it as limitation of land and space is still one of the main problem of Singapore.

Rochor Centre, a truly one of a kind building I ever seen in my life (ok lah I know I suaku...), where all the living houses and playgrounds were built on top of the 3 stories of complex that houses many varieties of shops and eateries. The 4 different colored blocks created a very pleasant scene too! There are still a lot of people living at the place, and I managed to catch a glimpse of their daily life. 1 particular scene caught my attention, is the flock of birds. I just had this feeling, that they've been living in group for some years, as if they born, live, and die there, just like the occupants. It struck me, as where will they go once the place is torn down? At first, when I reviewed the shot on my camera, it was just a lucky shot to me. But after the walk and when I got back to my place and look the shot, I felt differently, and so I decided to give a title to photo, the one I made up to express my feeling toward the subject. Lastly, it was great to meet up with Deon, and get to know some new friends! Nice to meet you Shijo, Sanjeet and Bren!! It was fun and hope to join you guys again!!!



Where to by Lee Wooi Chun, on Flickr


week 4 Sunday
Thaipusam! Well I never been to one, not even when I was back in Malaysia, so last Sunday morning was pretty new to me! Again, joined with a bunch of good/retard friends, we did a simple walk from Little India to Dhoby Ghaut following the devotees. Much to my imagination, the scene was very well organized! They walked in dedicated lanes, authorities and volunteers maintaining order throughout the celebration, and photographers were free to roam around and capture photos as long as they were not interfering anything. Most of the devotees being not camera-shy was another great help for newbie like me! Shooting solely with 1 lens is really painful for me, especially when it's 35mm and I'm a 50mm guy... But challenge is good! Although hit rate is just low low low... This particular shot, I must admit I screwed up the focus, but I'm glad I accidentally focused on the guy at the 2nd row (the one staring at me, wearing specs), and it turned out "differently"!



Thaipusam by Lee Wooi Chun, on Flickr


Both images were shot with

A7ii + Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f1.4 MC VM

​

 

[ahblack]

It has been a slow week for me, not being productive in both work and personal life... Maybe it's due to the upcoming holiday?? It's always hard to keep up on life when your heart just keep telling you to slow down. But anyway, my wife and I went out shopping, on Saturday AND SUNDAY... Oh man... I almost couldn't feel my legs after the shopping... But I gotta thank my wife for dragging me out, or else I'm gonna miss out my weekly assignment! Here's another "Distance between us", my ongoing and infinite due date personal project!

week 5



Distance between us by Lee Wooi Chun, on Flickr


A7ii + Cosina Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35mm f1.4 MC VM

​

 

[wonglp]

Using legacy lenses does slow one down and rethink composition. I should start doing so this year

 

[ahblack]

Using legacy lenses does slow one down and rethink composition. I should start doing so this year

It sure does! The experience is certainly magical hahaha...

Jiayou!

 

[ahblack]

Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Previous weeks had been super busy for me, as I went back to Penang to spend time with my family and friends. My days in Penang were so fun, yet it felt so short... What do they say, happy time tends to pass by much faster? ;p

What comes before CNY? PREPARATION!!! Running here and there to pick up stuffs, shopping (my wife of course...), meet up with friends, etc... Really no time for myself! But it was all worth, time well spent!

This CNY was very happening to me. My dad FINALLY got along with his brother (used to be like enemy even before I was born), and he even asked him & his family to come over for dinner (yes, I was in shocked, but very glad). My aunt thrown a very special CNY gather for the whole family (my dad has 10 brothers & sisters, some of them passed away, but when you include their family AND their son & daughters' family... Yes, it was a HUGE gathering LOL), there was lucky Angpau drawing, and everyone went crazy and high LOL It was probably my best CNY.

Said goodbye to the CV Nokton 35mm :cry: I finally returned it to my friend after weeks of time. To be honest, during the last few weeks with it, I felt clumsy with the focal length (35mm). I always tell people I'm a 50mm guy, and say anything wider is not my thing, yadaa yadaa... Deep down inside, I guess I'm just too comfortable with 50mm, and a bit reluctant to step away from my comfy zone. I forced myself shooting with only that lens on last few outing with friends, and it does open my eyes to many things I never really notice.

Distortion (tilting up/down). Especially when you shoot a scene with pillar or lines, pointing your camera upward or downward can really mess up the shot (Your Height Might Be Vary). I already noticed some of my shots in China had the problem (with FE28mmf2), and I thought I was prepared for it, but NOPE. End up using a lot of "Transform" on vertical and horizontal perspective correction in Snapseed, which resulted some weird and ugly shots... I did use the LCD screen when shooting to get the angle i want, and it really helps. With the flip screen, I avoided squatting like a weird ass tourist trying to take a photo in many scene, but my neck was screaming at me most of the time... However, the distortion helps in certain shots, to draw your eyes into your subject, but of course nailing it would require lot of practice.


week 6



Chop! by Lee Wooi Chun, on Flickr

A7ii + Cosina Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35mm f1.4 MC VM



Yep, after the CV35, it's my Helios 44-2's turn to hit the spotlight! Ever since I got my A7ii, the Helios was never on the camera (well I've been "busy" with the Sonnar 50 LOL), and another reason is I lend it to my friend, and it stayed in Penang ever since. This time, I got the chance to use it because I didn't bring any 50mm back. Shooting with it was really fun! It's always fun to shoot with any of the "effect" lens anyway, and you don't need me to tell you about the special effect of the Helios hehehe No swirly bokeh in the following shot, but it's just a simple "pretty" shot that shows how lovely can the Helios be in such casual scene.

week 7



Lovely by Lee Wooi Chun, on Flickr

A7ii + Helios 44-2 58mm f2 M42

​

 

[ahblack]

It's always fun meeting with new people, especially those who share the same interest as yours. Last Saturday, there was another LUGS outing and we did it at Joo Chiat! And because it's LUGS, I used the only thing that ties me with the group, my beloved Zeiss C Sonnar T* 1,5/50mm ZM (the tie is the "M" mount :sweat. A day before, my wife asked me, I don't own a Leica but why I get to join. To be honest, I'm just lucky to have a bunch of crazy friends from the group who are very determined to convert me to Leica user, to the point they are willing to give me "half" ticket to join in the fun. Well, I'll probably not being able to afford one but I'll do my best! Maybe a Leica CL would be sufficient hehehe...

The sonnar is probably my favorite (most expensive...) among all the lenses I ever own. As you all may or may not know, Sonnar has been famous for it's bokeh rendering, as well as some other flaws (strong purple fringe, field curvature, etc...). The ZM is the latest reincarnation of the original sonnar design (I'll spare you all the boring history about the optic design). What different from all the previous sonnar 50mm f1.5, is that Zeiss takes the best of both world (original optic design + the most famous T* coating + modern glass) and made it into this tiny little amazing lens! Best part of all is you can buy it new! If you're more into the classic rendering of the older sonnar, there's plenty of choices (from the first of all Opton, all the way to Russian copies). But one problem, is that you can hardly get a decent copy with good price, and you have to pay for a decent copy, which doesn't make much sense as it will probably close to a 2nd hand Sonnar 50 ZM.

Those who use the lens would agree to this, it's a lens with multiple characteristic. Wide open, beautiful bokeh with amazing pop and plentiful sharpness. F2.8, amazing sharpness with little to none purple fringe while retaining . F4 and above, razor sharp and beautiful 10-pointed starburst once you stop down to F8 and above.

Zeiss C Sonnar T* 1,5/50mm ZM, definitely a lens with a league of its own.


week 8



Man in the frame by Lee Wooi Chun, on Flickr

A7ii + Zeiss C Sonnar T* 1,5/50mm ZM

​

 

[ahblack]

Many of you will surely agree with me on this one, IT'S DAMN HARD TO WAKE UP EARLY IN THE MORNING TO GO OUT AND SHOOT SUNRISE! But somehow I managed to wake up at 4.30am and work my way to Marina Bay to meet up another 2 crazy (as in willing to wake up so early to join my madness) good friends, Henry Goh and Mark Lim! The sky was so so though, hopefully everyone got some shots they like.

Originally, I was gonna pack my Tokina 17mm and leave the house. But somehow I got a hunch, that 17mm might be too wide. Well well... the best photo (for me) of the day is indeed made by this wonderful lens. It's the only auto focus lens I have, and it's a Sony native lens! It's the cheapest (price wise) among all FE lenses, and I think you can already guess what lens is it. Yes, it's the little wonder, FE28mm f2!

There's nothing much you can complaint about this lens, except for the horrible distortion (there's always a lens profile to fix it!) when you shoot RAW. Another thing is that its AF (be it accuracy or speed) leaves much to be desired. It tends to miss focus quite often zzz might be user problem, but anyway... It's my lazy lens, and the main reason I bought it (got it at a very low price!) is that when I need people to take a photo of me, or me with my family or friends, at least it would be easier for the person to shoot, as it's an AF lens, and it's an easy focal length (similar to your iphone actually).

It's a modern lens, so you can expect great sharpness, great contrast and great color (I think Sony color is... uhm... so so...) for it. 28mm can certain does landscape well. The wide angle is good especially when you wanna focus on certain part of a large landscape, and of course it's less distorted than those UWA. Other than that, it's a great focal length for street! As some told me, 28mm is the new 35mm, and you can certainly see 28mm getting more and more popular these days. Of course, it would required you to be close to your subject if you were to do street photography with it. Me? I like to keep my distance (ya ya... I'm a p*ssy...) from my subject LOL


week 9



Sunrise over Gardens By The Bay by Lee Wooi Chun, on Flickr

A7ii + Sony SEL28F2

​

 

[weewee98]

Your photo no horse run :thumbsup:

 

[ahblack]

Your photo no horse run :thumbsup:

Hahaha thanks!

You are being too kind with me, I'm still in the process of learning, these photos are nothing compared to the sifus around here.

Glad you enjoy the photos, cheers!

Sent from my SM-N9208 using Tapatalk