Archive for the ‘Lens’ Category

Holiday greetings: Happy Lunar New Year 2015

Thursday, February 19th, 2015

It’s the first day of the Lunar New Year. This year, it’s the year of the Goat, according to the Chinese zodiac.

Happy New Year to all the people from cultures that celebrate this traditional festival! And to all Chinese around the world, Happy Chinese New Year!

I snapped this photo of a kid in a small town called Takamori at the Southeastern corner of the Aso caldera in Kyushu, Japan. The Chinese greetings is a pun during the Goat (on the Chinese Zodiac) years on the traditional Lunar New Year greeting “三阳开泰” - which augurs an auspicious year as the sun ushers in the warm Spring from the cold Winter. Photos taken in 2012 with a Nikon D800 DSLR with an AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

I snapped this photo of a kid in a small town called Takamori at the Southeastern corner of the Aso caldera in Kyushu, Japan. The Chinese greetings is a pun during the Goat (on the Chinese Zodiac) years on the traditional Lunar New Year greeting “三阳开泰” – which augurs an auspicious year ahead as the sun ushers in the warm Spring from the cold Winter. Photo taken in 2012 with a Nikon D800 DSLR with an AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

It’s customary for Chinese to give out Ang Pows during the Lunar New Year. These are red paper envelopes containing money that’s given to relatives and children.

It being the new year, you’re supposed to use crispy new notes in these red packets.

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Olympus announces 2 new lenses & update to OM-D E-M1 firmware

Tuesday, February 10th, 2015

Olympus Imaging Singapore has announced the launch of 2 new lenses as well as the development of a v3.0 firmware update for their flagship OM-D E-M1 camera. Prices TBA.

From left: M.Zuiko Digital 14-150mm ED f4.0-5.6 II super zoom lens; Olympus OM-D E-M1 MIL camera; fast-aperture 8mm f1.8 fisheye lens.

From left: M.Zuiko Digital 14-150mm ED f4.0-5.6 II super zoom lens; Olympus OM-D E-M1 MIL camera; fast-aperture 8mm f1.8 fisheye lens.

The two new lenses are the M.Zuiko Digital 14-150mm ED f4.0-5.6 II super zoom lens and a fast-aperture 8mm f1.8 fisheye lens.

M.Zuiko Digital 14-150mm ED f4.0-5.6 II super zoom lens

The new M.Zuiko Digital 14-150mm ED f4.0-5.6 II super zoom lens is suited for ‘one-lens’ travel, sports and family photography given its compact size and versatile wide-angle to long-telephoto 28-300mm zoom range (35mm equivalent focal length).

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New arrivals: Canon launches 18 cameras & printers for 2015

Friday, February 6th, 2015

Canon has launched a whopping 18 imaging products for their 2015 consumer line-up in Singapore, in conjunction to their global launch.

Highlights include the new EOS 5DS & 5DSR, EOS 750D & 760D, EOS M3 cameras; and the new MAXIFY line of SOHO printers.

From Left: Canon Connect Station CS100, MAXIFY MB5370 and EOS 5DS. Not shown to scale.

From Left: Canon Connect Station CS100, MAXIFY MB5370 and EOS 5DS. Not shown to scale.

Below is the list of products showcased at the media launch in Singapore, when Canon Singapore also dished up the traditional Lohei at the Bacchanalia restaurant in The Masonic Club.

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POTD: Laughing boy statuette in Hua Hin book cafe, Thailand

Sunday, February 1st, 2015

We were walking around the beautiful railway station in Hua Hin, Thailand when we stumbled upon this happy figurine of a laughing boy, sitting at the entrance to a quaint book cafe.

A cheerful little statuette of a laughing boy welcoming us into the book cafe. I’m posting this photo here to welcome February 2015. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

A cheerful little statuette of a laughing boy welcoming us into the book cafe. I’m posting this photo here to welcome February 2015. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

The peaceful cafe was on the other side of the traffic circle in front of the railway station.

The small cafe was simple and peaceful, a welcome refuge from the direct heat of the midday sun.

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New arrivals: Nikon D5500 & 2 new NIKKOR lenses (300mm & 55-200mm)

Tuesday, January 6th, 2015

Nikon has introduced the 24.2-megapixel DX-format Nikon D5500, as well as the AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200MM F4-5.6G ED VR II and AF-S NIKKOR 300mm F/4E PF ED VR lenses.

Available in February 2015, prices TBA.

The Nikon D5500 is available in classic black and chic red colour kits.

The Nikon D5500 is available in classic black and chic red colour kits.

Nikon claims that the D5500 is “the world’s smallest, lightest and slimmest DSLR”. It comes with built-in wireless connectivity and touch-screen.

The FX-format AF-S NIKKOR 300mm F/4E PF ED VR incorporates Nikon’s Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element for the first time in NIKKOR lenses, resulting in a light 755 grams.

The AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200MM F4-5.6G ED VR II (bottom) and AF-S NIKKOR 300mm F/4E PF ED VR (top) lenses.

The AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200MM F4-5.6G ED VR II (bottom) and AF-S NIKKOR 300mm F/4E PF ED VR (top) lenses.

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POTD: Door flowers in Hua Hin, Thailand

Saturday, January 3rd, 2015

We were walking around our hotel in Hua Hin, Thailand and admiring the aesthetic decor all around us.

Here are some flowers decorating the doors of some of the rooms in the garden. We loved the peacefulness just looking at the flower arrangement. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

Here are some flowers decorating the doors of some of the rooms in the garden. We loved the peacefulness just looking at the flower arrangement. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

It was really therapeutic just walking around and smelling the flowers around us.

POTD: Happy New Year 2015

Thursday, January 1st, 2015

A new day … in a new year … has begun …

A little wild yellow flower in the old city of Jakobstad (also known as Pietarsaari in Finnish) on the coast of Finland. Taken with a Nikon D600 with 24-120mm lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

A little wild yellow flower in the old city of Jakobstad (also known as Pietarsaari in Finnish) on the coast of Finland. June 2011. Taken with a Nikon D600 with 24-120mm lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

Here’s wishing everyone a fantastic year ahead in 2015.

Travel: Thailand 2014 – A week in the Land of Smiles

Friday, December 12th, 2014

It’s the year-end school holidays and the family decided to take an impromptu short break to Thailand for a week.

Welcome to the Land of Smiles. Here the welcoming facade of our hotel in Hua Hin, Thailand. Photo taken with Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

Welcome to the Land of Smiles. Here the welcoming facade of our hotel in Hua Hin, Thailand.

We’d initially thought about going to Krabi but it looked so crowded in photos on the Web that we decided to choose somewhere that’s more “off the beaten track”.

So we settled on Hua Hin, a popular weekend getaway for the local Thais in Bangkok.

Time for relaxation. Laidback sculpture in the gardens of our hotel in Hua Hin.

Time for relaxation. Laidback sculpture in the gardens of our hotel in Hua Hin.

It’s a two-and-a-half hour drive from Bangkok and four-plus-hour journey by train or bus.

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Photokina 2014: Sony ZEISS 16-35mm F4 full-frame wide-angle zoom lens for Alpha E-mount cameras

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014

The Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL1635Z) lens has a versatile wide-angle zoom range and is optimised for Sony A7 series 35mm full-frame cameras. Available in Singapore from November 2014. Price TBA.

Unveiled at Photokina 2014: Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL1635Z) lens.

Unveiled at Photokina 2014: Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL1635Z) lens.

The lens ships with Optical SteadyShot in-lens image stabilisation and is compact and portable.

It is built with dust and moisture resistant design.

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Canon announces EOS 7D Mark II and other cameras & lenses

Monday, September 15th, 2014

Canon has launched the EOS 7D Mark II, PowerShot G7 X, N2, SX60 HS and three new lenses.The “Flag Off” event also showcased the PowerShot SX400 IS, SX520 HS and camera bags that were announced earlier this summer.

Update (28 October, 2014):

The Canon EOS 7D Mark II will be available in Singapore from early November 2014 at Canon authorised dealers at the following recommended prices.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II SRP (incl. GST)
EOS 7D Mark II Kit II (w/EF S15-85 IS USM) S$3,499
EOS 7D Mark II Kit (w/EF S18-135 IS STM) S$3,049
EOS 7D Mark II Body S$2,499

Update (24 September, 2014):

The Canon PowerShot G7 X is now available in Singapore for S$799.

Canon unveiled the EOS 7D Mark II along with three new lenses and three new PowerShot compact cameras at Photokina 2014 in Cologne, Germany.

Canon unveiled the EOS 7D Mark II along with three new lenses and three new PowerShot compact cameras at Photokina 2014 in Cologne, Germany.

The highlight of the event was the EOS 7D Mark II which was unveiled in conjunction with the global announcement at Photokina 2014 in Cologne, Germany.

EOS 7D Mark II

The EOS 7D Mark II is the much anticipated successor to the EOS 7D, and features a 20.2-megapixel CMOS sensor with Dual Pixel Phase AF, high-speed continuous shooting of up to 10 frames per second (fps), and a 65-point all-cross-type Autofocus system.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

The APS-C DSLR sports dual DIGIC 6 image processors and ISO up to 16,000 (expandable to 51,200); with shutter release cycle rated to 200,000, up from 150,000 in its predecessor.

The camera weighs 820g (body only), has built-in GPS, and comes with double memory card slots for CF and SD cards.

It is expected to go on sale in the US in November for US$1,799 (body only) or US$2,149 (with EF-S 18-135MM f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens).

Three new lenses

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