So we decided that there was a 2-week window to grab a quick break. But that’s like one-week away. Is it possible to plan the usual DIY self-drive holiday at such short notice?
Aerial view of Fukuoka, our gateway to Kyushu.
The answer is yes, with the advent of the Internet. Here’s a recap of what I did for my own holiday.
Cutting it close
I booked the air tickets the day we decided to go for the break, the car rental the next day, 3 hotels on the third day, and the remaining 3 on the fourth day.
The remaining days were spent planning the itinerary for each stop.
It’s as close to the date of departure as I’ve ever tried going on a self-planned, self-drive vacation.
First the obvious, decide how long you’ve got and where you want to go. In my case, we’ve long wanted to visit Kyushu in Japan, and the window of opportunity available was roughly two weeks.
If you’re thinking of visiting Japan, I recommend this site called japan-guide.com. It has comprehensive descriptions of popular tourist spots all over Japan, as well as travel tips for Japan.
Even more useful is its forum where vacation planners get their queries answered in detail with advice from a community of fellow travelers, as well as useful links to resources – such as timetables, rates etc – outside of the website.
Next book the air tickets. The availability and price of last-minute tickets usually determine whether your vacation destination will become a reality.
That’s almost 4 kg of camera gear but for the sake of image quality, I believe the 36.3-megapixel full-frame camera and two FX lenses from Nikon are worth every ounce of their weight.
Besides, we have the rental car to carry the gear between sights.
For a second camera, my wife will be carrying our trusty Olympus E450 with the ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens.
I use Zuji.com to get a feel of the airlines plying Singapore and the possible stops and the price range, then if there’s time, check competing sites or the airline’s website for better rates.
For Kyushu, it was pretty straightforward, only Singapore Airlines fly directly there from Singapore – to Fukuoka. It’s straightforward until you hit the SIA website. For a premier airline, it sure has a terrible website for bookings and reservations – plenty of long waits.
Next is the car rental. I use ToCoo car rental. It helps you check the rates for multiple car rental companies with cars available in the cities where you intend to pick up and drop off the car. But you’ve got to compare rates manually yourself.
The X1 Carbon is sleek in design, wonderfully thin and light, yet powerful enough for surfing Web and running Photoshop and Dreamweaver CS6 for photo-editing and blogging back in the hotel room.
The 7-inch PlayBook keeps the children entertained with game apps, and serves as an e-book reader. Its biggest bugbear is that it’s the Wi-Fi version and does not have 3G, but I don’t use 3G data in Japan anyway.
To store and back up the 40MB RAW photo files generated by the D800, I brought along the 1TB Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive. The 2.5-inch plug-and-play drive constantly backs up the hard disk and makes posting photos online a breeze.
Usually, I pick up the car at the airport, drive off to the first destination and return the car at the airport I’m flying off from. If the pick-up and drop-off locations are different, check if a surcharge is levied and how much it is.
Fuss-free music
For music in the hotel room, we’re bringing along the Jabra Solemate portable speaker. Instead of lugging stacks of CDs around, simply download your favourite tracks onto an SD card and plug it into the Solemate.
What I like most is we can play our song collections and playlists wirelessly from our smartphones, tablet and Ultrabook via Bluetooth. It’s portable, easy to use and the sound quality is superb.
Finally, book the hotels. I know some Japanese so I used to browse Japanese booking websites and hotel websites directly, calling them on the phone for enquiries and reservations.
This time round, I discovered that my favourite accomodation-booking website for Europe holidays – booking.com – now has quite extensive list of hotels in Japan. Enough to find hotels that fit your budget in most places in Japan.
I like booking.com because of its clear information and easy booking. So even if you don’t know ANY japanese, you can still find and book accommodation easily.
Smartphones
We don’t use smartphones an awful lot, but for the record, we’re bringing along the Android Sony Xperia ion and an aging iPhone 3GS.
I’ve left the Nokia Lumia 900 at home because Nokia maps does not have the navigation map for Japan, and I’m renting an English GPS with the car anyway.
Another website that I tried last year – hotels.com – seems to be only beginning to move into Japan, with poor selection and high prices. I’m hoping there coverage and pricing will improve over time.
Once you’ve gotten the flight, car and hotel bookings out of the way, what remains is the physical packing for the big day.
Or get S$267 worth of discounts and freebies with an Olympus XZ-1 (S$498 UP. S$748) compact camera that comes with an F1.8 bright lens is still alluring.
For those moving beyond compact cameras, enjoy up to S$600 of discounts and bundled gifts for the retro PEN mini E-PM1 (S$498) and PEN E-P3 (S$998-S$1,298) mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras.
Olympus also sells voice recorders and very fashionable accessories for its cameras.
Check out the new Olympus LS-14 (S$398) and WS-813 (S$238) voice recorders.
Here’s a selection of interesting tech events happening this week (28 October – 3 November 2012). It is not an exhaustive list and represents only a sampling of events that gives a taste of the tech pulse in Singapore.
What are some of the more interesting tech events happening in Singapore this week?
Lenovo is showing off its exciting lineup of convertible notebook/tablet hybrids for Windows 8 this week. I played with some of the models during the Windows 8 launch in Singapore last week, and they are amazing. Watch this space for the hands-on.
Event listing on tech4tea.com
You can see this selection of events in the right sidebar on every page.
Event organisers can submit your events for listing to johntan@tech4tea.com – but there are no promises that your event will be featured.
This week sees Microsoft move its focus from the launch of Windows 8 to the formal launch of Windows Phone 8, which shares a common core with its bigger sibling.
Will the Metro-based new smartphone operating system increase its market share from a meagre 3.5% (for the second quarter according to IDC).
Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android dominate with 17% and 68% respectively. Windows Phone 8 smartphones announced thus far include Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820, HTC 8S and 8X, and Samsung ATIV S. We might actually see the HTC models showcased in Singapore this Friday!
Midweek, Brother is launching a new printer while A*STAR Data Storage Institute will show off the world’s thinnest 2.5-inch 5mm hybrid drive for consumer and business devices.
For those interested in the latest trends in Cloud, Mobile, Social and Big Data, be sure to register for Oracle Day 2012 at Marina Bay Sands. Get the hottest updates on critical business drivers, meet Oracle experts and experience their latest technologies at the Demo booths.
And for photography buffs, the Singapore leg of Canon’s annual PhotoMarathon Asia 2012 takes place at the Marina Bay Sands this Saturday. To be guaranteed a participation slot do register online prior to the event.
Samsung GALAXY Camera combines the image quality of dedicated compact cameras with the connectivity and apps of the smartphones.
Available in November, price TBA.
The Samsung GALAXY Camera is a camera that has the connectivities and funtionalities of a smartphone (minus voice calls).
The GALAXY Camera made its appearance in Singapore during Samsung’s “Be Creative” gala event at the Ritz-Carlton, which also saw the debut of the GALAXY Note II LTE in Singapore.
Samsung GALAXY Camera
Megapixels
16 MP
Optical Zoom
21 x
Wide angle
23mm, F2.8
Max zoom
483mm
ISO
ISO 100 – 3,200
LCD
4.77″, 308ppi, 921.6k dots, 1280×720 pixels, HD Super Clear Touch
Movie
1920 x 1080 px
OS
Android 4.1, Jelly Bean
Processor
1.4GHz Quad-core
Connectivity
3G, Wi-Fi
Memory
8GB int + mem slot
Slow motion video
758 x 512 (120fps), 320×240 (30fps)
Vido output
HDMI 1.4
Flash
Built-in
RAW
No
Image stabilisation
Optical Image Stabilisation
Size /mm
128.7 x 70.8 x 19.1
Weight
300 g
Battery
1,650 mAh
Price
TBA
Enjoy 21x long optical zoom and 16 megapixels, as well as WiFi/3G and the latest Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean operating system and apps.
The GALAXY Camera has a 16-megapixel 1/2.33-inch CMOS sensor with 23mm lens for wide-angle shots.
It boasts a large and vivid camera display – a 4.8” (1280 x 720 pixels, 308 ppi) HD SUPER CLEAR LCD screen.
Smartphone technology, powered by a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor, provides the Voice Control for users to manipulate functions such as ‘Zoom in’ and ‘Shoot’ through voice.
The GALAXY Camera includes a comprehensive set of 35 powerful photo editing features within the ‘Photo Wizard’ – such as the “Auto Face Calibration” feature – allowing users to edit their photos on the go.
The “Movie Wizard” allows users to create and edit expert-quality videos easily using the touch screen.
The GALAXY Camera also features ‘Smart Content Manager’, which intelligently creates folders, tags faces, and even suggests which pictures to delete when they do not come out as desired.
Internet connectivity enables users to share their photos easily on the Web.
Users can share photos simultaneously as they shoot when they use the ‘Share Shot’ feature.
The Samsung GALAXY Camera has 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity on to the Internet, as well as apps running off the latest Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.
The camera’s convenient ‘Auto Cloud Backup’ feature will automatically save photos into the cloud via Samsung’s AllShare the instant they are taken.
Infographic showing features of the Samsung GALAXY Camera.
In addition to sharing photos on social networks and cloud services, users can also connect to a range of GALAXY devices including the GALAXY S III and GALAXY Note II.
In addition to the pre-installed applications from Samsung, users can browse the web and enjoy any application from Google Play or Samsung Apps stores.
‘S Suggest’ will also be able to recommend a new photo editing app or fun game to download if users are spoilt for choice.
The GALAXY Camera enables connection to 3G networks (HSPA+ 21Mbps on 850/900/1900/2100 MHz) via a micro-SIM, allowing photo sharing and browsing anywhere.
The GALAXY Camera also functions on Wi-Fi with Dual Band and Channel Bonding for extra speed.
Connectivity is supported by a 1.4GHz Cortex-A9 quad-core processor that enables fast web-browsing and multitasking, as well as high-speed image processing without significant impact on battery life (1,650 mAh).
The camera comes with 8GB internal memory, with a memory slot for additional external memory (SD card, micro SDHC, micro SDXC).
Cameras crossing into smartphone territory
Nikon launched its COOLPIX S800c back in August – with Android 2.3 and Wi-Fi connectivity.
It had 16 megapixels and 12x optical zoom.
I had mused about when a camera would get 3G connectivity as well.
So it is opportune that Samsung is going to deliver that in the form of GALAXY Camera in November.
The Nikon COOLPIX S800c runs Android 2.3 and has Wi-Fi connectivity.
The 3G-capable GALAXY Camera will have the same 16 megapixels but will come with 21x optical zoom and Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.
What’s next?
A camera that you can press to your cheeks to call someone?
The Samsung GALAXY Note II LTE (S$998) and GALAXY Camera (available November, price TBA) were launched at a gala event at The Ritz-Carlton.
Samsung also announced two local celebrities – Olivia Ong and Desmond Tan – as ambassadors for the two new gadgets.
Samsung celebrity ambassadors, Olivia Ong and Desmond Tan with their newly launched devices – GALAXY Note II and GALAXY Camera at the ‘Be Creative’ event.
Singaporean singer-songwriter, Olivia Ong will be the brand ambassador for the GALAXY Note II LTE; while MediaCorp artiste, Desmond Tan will be the ambassador for the GALAXY Camera.
“The GALAXY Note II LTE allows me to be more creative and expressive in my daily life. With its large touchscreen, S Pen and easy-to-use functions, I can now take photos and scribble words and phrases which come to mind wherever I go, and they could be the next inspiration for my upcoming albums,” said Olivia Ong.
Olivia Ong, known for her soothing and powerful vocals and songwriting prowess, will be participating in “The Wonderland” project, and embark on a creative journey to compose an original song “Wonderland”.
“Wonderland” will be made into a music video, to capture the story behind the song and more importantly, better understand what inspires her.
Olivia will capture her inspirations and write her thoughts using the Samsung GALAXY Note II LTE, and fans will get to join Olivia in her creativity process by interacting and sharing ideas with Olivia and catch behind-the-scenes videos of her creative journey to create this original song.
Olivia Ong singing her favourite song “Let It Rain” at the launch of the GALAXY Note II and GALAXY Camera at Samsung’s ‘Be Creative’ event.
MediaCorp artiste,Desmond Tan, enthuses about how he loves sharing photos with fans and loved ones on social media instantly after shoots.
Chosen as the new celebrity ambassador for the Samsung GALAXY Camera, up-and-coming MediaCorp artiste, Desmond Tan is a photography buff, who loves to share photos of his special moments with friends, fans and family.
“I love to take photos and share them online so the GALAXY Camera works perfectly for me. I can take professional-like photos, edit and upload onto Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and also use the smart and social GALAXY Camera to surf the internet and send text messages to friends and families as and when I want,” said Desmond Tan.
In preparation for his upcoming lead role in a drama, “96 Café” where he will be taking on the role of a photographer, Desmond has been exploring the various features of the GALAXY Camera by taking photos and sharing them directly from his GALAXY camera with fans who follow him on Instagram.
Other celebrities and personalities who were present at the event included creative and theatre director, Beatrice Chia-Richmond, and boutique hotelier and entrepreneur, Loh Lik Peng, who are Samsung’s ambassadors for the recently-launched GALAXY Note 10.1.
Lytro cameras have been launched in Singapore. RRP is S$648 (8GB) and S$778 (16GB). Lytro has also introduced manual controls in its cameras.
The Lytro light field camera is now available in Singapore, with manual controls, and in Red Hot, Electric Blue or Graphite. RRP is S$648 (8GB) and S$778 (16GB).
The Lytro camera captures all the light traveling in every direction in a scene.
“Manual controls give Lytro photographers the opportunity to take control of the exposure in a scene,” said Eric Cheng, Lytro’s director of photography.
The camera enables photographers to refocus a picture after it’s taken, so that different subjects in the photo can be brought into focus for creative composition.
These living pictures can be shared online with friends and family.
Lytro, creator of the world’s first consumer light field camera, also announced the introduction of manual controls.
Available colours
Red Hot (16GB)
Electric Blue (8GB)
Graphite (8GB)
These will ship with new cameras purchased, and as a free firmware update for existing customers.
With these easy-to-use manual controls, Lytro photographers can take even more creative pictures in a wide variety of conditions – from low light settings to high-speed subjects.
The new controls are:
Shutter Speed – By manually controlling the shutter speed, Lytro photographers can keep the shutter open longer to capture living pictures in dark conditions. The maximum shutter speed is 8 seconds and the minimum is 1/250 second.
ISO Sensitivity– Controlling ISO gives Lytro photographers more ways to take creative living pictures in a variety of lighting conditions, from low-light concerts and restaurants to brightly lit soccer fields and amusement parks. The ISO range is 80 (min) to 3200 (max).
Neutral Density (ND) Filter – When in full manual mode, Lytro photographers can turn on the ND Filter to adjust the amount of light captured in extremely bright settings.
Auto Exposure (AE) Lock – Lytro photographers can lock the auto exposure while changing the composition of a picture in a scene.
You can view some sample pictures shot using manual controls here.
The Lytro camera is available from today in the following retail locations in Singapore.
Olympus has released the Recommended Retail Prices for the new Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5 for Singapore. Two options are available – a Single Lens Kit (S$1,098) and a Double Zoom Kit (S$1,348).
The Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5 body comes in Black, White, or Silver and comes with either a single lens or two lenses.
The micro four thirds mirrorless interchangeable lens PEN Lite E-PL5 was first announced at Photokina 2012 in Cologne in mid September, together with the STYUS XZ-2 flagship camera (RRP to be announced later).
The RRP kit options for the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5 are listed below:
Adobe introduces the latest versions of the photo and video editing software with revamped user interfaces that makes editing, organising and sharing easier.
Available as stand-alone products (S$131 each), Photoshop Elements 11 and Premiere Elements 11 can also be purchased together as a bundle (S$197).
Check the buying guide for Adobe Photoshop Elements 11, Premiere Elements 11 or the bundle.
Photoshop Elements 11 offers a complete solution for editing, organizing and sharing photo creations while Premiere Elements 11 offers easy creation of engaging home movies with professional flair.
Prices listed are the Adobe direct store prices in SGD and reseller prices may vary.
Prices do not include tax or shipping and handling.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 and Adobe Premiere Elements 11 software for Windows and Mac are now available here.
Both solutions are available for Windows and Mac.
Powerful, intuitive tools in Photoshop Elements 11
Make photos look their best with editing options that offer virtually everything from quick fixes to a number of creative possibilities.
A completely refreshed, user-friendly interface featuring the same engine as Adobe Photoshop – includes easily-navigated Quick, Guided and Expert editing modes; one-click options; a helpful Action bar; and big, bold icons to help users get the most from their shots.
Organise photos based on people, places (via Google maps geo-tagging) or events easily and intuitively.
New Guided Edits make pro-level effects like tilt-shift, vignettes and high and low-key easy to create.
New filters – Comic, Graphic Novel and Pen & Ink – inspire creativity by turning photos into stunning illustrations.
Intelligent Photoshop technology makes it easy to extract objects from different photos.
Easily share photos via email, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo and more.
Easy pro-quality videos with Premiere Elements 11
Create attractive, pro-level videos with automated moviemaking options to take the work out of editing.
An entirely new and improved user interface including many of the same updates found in Photoshop Elements 11.
Add polish with a wide range of great-looking effects, transitions, themes, titles, disc menus, and professional-level effects and sound.
Give videos Hollywood movie styles with FilmLooks; easily apply slow and fast motion effects; dial-in colors with slider controls; effortlessly integrate blends for seamless transitions; and make adjustments with Quick Presets.
Show off finished creations with integrated video sharing on Vimeo.
I popped down to Caterham’s garage last Thursday to take a peek at what went on behind the scenes when the F1 car was being prepped for the Singapore leg of the Formula One Grand Prix.
This stunning shot of the Caterham F1 car during practice was taken by Singaporean photographer Pat Law. Check out his Facebook page for other great photos.
The Caterham F1 Team is owned by Malaysian Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia. The team is based in the United Kingdom in Leafield, Oxfordshire.
The team competed as Caterham for the first time this season after team principal Fernandes acquired British sportscar manufacturer Caterham Cars.
Understanding the different types of tyres and when each type is best employed.
The team had competed as Team Lotus in the 2011 F1 season last year, and had finished 10th in the Constructors Championship, with three 13th place finishes.
Partners of Caterham F1 Team.
For the 2012 season, Caterham’s F1 cars are powered by Renault engines and driven by Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov.
Both of them have achieved one 13th place finish each in terms of best placing so far.
In the Singapore leg last night, Kovalainen came in 15 while Petrov came in 19.
The team has set as their target this season the capture of its first point in F1 racing for the young team.
The garage tour was made possible thanks to Jacinta Yeo from LG Electronics Singapore.
We were told that the electronic LED signalling system used for F1 on the track was designed and implemented by LG.
The system has replaced the manual flag system waved by human marshallers that were used in the past.
The garage tour was made possible thanks to LG.
Unfortunately, no photos were allowed within the garage.
Apart from the cover photo by Pat Law and video from YouTube, all the other photos in this post were taken by Muhamad Farhan Harmid from LG-One.
Olympus has unveiled two new cameras and three new lenses for Photokina 2012 (18-23 September). At the same time, it is consolidating all its compact cameras under the new STYLUS branding.
The Recommended Retail Price of the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5 has just been announced.
Option 1: Single Lens Kit (S$1,098)
Body (Silver, Black or White)
M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 IIR
Option 2: Double Zoom Kit (S$1,348)
Body (Silver, Black or White)
M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 IIR
M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 R
The new Olympus STYLUS XZ-2 with its selection of accessories. The PEN Lite E-PL5 has its own set of chic accessories.
Photokina 2012 begins tomorrow and ends on Sunday. Below is a summary of the slew of cameras and lenses that Olympus has lined up for the biennial trade show in Cologne, Germany.
PEN Lite E-PL5 micro four thirds MIL camera
Skipping the inauspicious number “4” in the Japanese language, Olympus introduces the E-PL5, the successor to the E-PL3.Available in October 2012 in Silver, Black or White.
Features:
16.05 megapixels
Live MOS Sensor
FAST AF
Touch AF Shutter
TruePic VI image engine
12 Art Filters including new “Water Colour” filter
STYLUS XZ-2 compact camera
The first member of the new STYLUS line, the XZ-2 is the successor to my favourite compact, the XZ-1.As the latest member of the STYLUS X series, the XZ-2 will be the flagship of the Olympus compact cameras.Available in November 2012 in Black.Features:
12 megapixels
f1.8-2.5 bright lens
4x Optical zoom
28mm wide angle
Touch AF Shutter
Swivel screen
11 Art Filters
Removable grip
Hybrid control ring around the lens
M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 12mm f2.0 Limited Edition Black Kit Lens
This lens will have a limited worldwide release of 3,000 sets, with 50 allocated to Singapore.Available in early October 2012.Features:
Dual Super Aspherical lens element
ZERO (Zuiko Extra-low Reflection Optical) coating
Fine-textured metallic outer finish
Snapshot focusing mechanism for pan-focus shooting
M.Zuiko DIGITAL 17mm f1.8 Lens
With product launch scheduled in the first half of 2013, the detailed product specifications are not determined yet.It will have the same snapshot focusing mechanism from the M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 12mm f2.0 lens.It will also feature the MSC (Movie & Still Compatible) mechanism for fast, quiet autofocusing.
M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 60mm f2.8 Macro Lens
This lens promises high resolution and contrast, as well as the ability to shoot close-up with 1x magnification.MSC mechanism for fast, quiet autofocusing.Dust and splash proof construction for secure shooting under poor conditions.Enhanced control with focus limit switch and indicator window.
