Archive for the ‘MIL’ Category

POTD: Fortress Hohensalzburg in Salzburg, Austria

Saturday, April 4th, 2015

Photo of the Day: Hohensalzburg Castle is named “Festung Hohensalzburg” which means “High Salzburg Fortress” in English. The fortress is built on top of of a small hill in Salzburg, overlooking the historic Austrian city.

* Information for this article was from Wikipedia.

View of Fortress Hohensalzburg from Kapitelplatz at the foot of the hill upon which it is built. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

View of Fortress Hohensalzburg from Kapitelplatz at the foot of the hill upon which it is built. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

Construction of the fortress began in 1077 at the behest of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg.

With a length of 250m (820ft) and a width of 150m (490ft), Fortress Hohensalzburg is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.

View of Salzburg City from the Fortress Hohensalzburg. You can see Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom) in the centre with the Salzach River flowing in the background. The golden globe statue in front of Cathedral was where the above photo of the fortress was taken from. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

View of Salzburg City from the Fortress Hohensalzburg with the Altstadt (old town) in the foreground. The Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom) is in the centre with the Salzach River flowing in the background. The golden globe statue in front of Cathedral was where the above photo of the fortress was taken from. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

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Holiday greetings: Good Friday 2015

Friday, April 3rd, 2015

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at Calvary. It is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians, and is a public holiday in many countries, including Singapore.

We were trekking from the Salzburg Fortress to the Nonnberg Abbey one evening on vacation when we came upon these beautiful altarpieces set into the rock surface of the hill upon which the fortress was built. It even had a shelter above it to protect it from the elements. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with 24-70mm lens. Photo credit: John Tan, 2014.

We were trekking from the Salzburg Fortress to the Nonnberg Abbey one evening on vacation when we came upon these beautiful altarpieces set into the rock surface of the hill upon which the fortress was built. There was even a shelter built above the altarpieces to protect them from the elements. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with 24-70mm lens. Photo credit: John Tan, 2014.

The year of the crucifixion is estimated to have occurred in AD 33.

Here’s wishing our Christian friends a peaceful and reflective Easter Weekend.

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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POTD: Wall flowers in Hua Hin, Thailand

Sunday, January 4th, 2015

We were walking around our hotel in Hua Hin, Thailand and admiring the aesthetic decor all around us, when we came across these wall flower arrangement. Loved it!

Here are some flowers decorating the walls along the walls of the garden. So creative. 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 walls along the walls of the garden. So creative. 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.

Door flower, wall flowers – so much nature and creativity all round.

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.

Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 25th, 2014

Here’s wishing everyone who celebrates Christmas a very Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This photo was taken with a Sony α7 II full-frame ILCE camera, and FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS Full-frame E-mount Zoom Lens (SEL70200G).

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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POTD: Water spray in Sentosa in sunny Singapore

Sunday, October 19th, 2014

Photo of the Day: The weather in Singapore is Summer all year round. So a shower, be it in the stall or from heaven, or in this case – from a water spray in Sentosa – is always a welcome treat.

The red water jet spray stands dormant for the moment while the water sprinkler sprays cooling water droplets into the air. Photo taken using a Sony A7R full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with a Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS telephoto zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

The red water jet spray stands dormant for the moment while the water sprinkler sprays cooling water droplets into the air. Photo taken using a Sony A7R full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with a Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS telephoto zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

We were at the “Port of Lost Wonder” in Sentosa in Singapore to enjoy the sun, sand and beach for the weekend.

The water theme park had this watery playground for little children to revel in slides and water sprays.

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