Suzuki Swift

Owner: Joe aka SLK
Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/zey/swift
Equipment: Canon EOS350D, EF24-105mm F/4L IS USM

Paint Cleaner: Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner
Polish : Deep Crystal Polish
Protect : NXT Tech Wax, Gold Class Wax, ColorX, M16, M21 & M26
Wash : Gold Class Shampoo & Conditioner

Myvi Club Meguiar's Detailing Clinic

Event: Myvi Club Meguiar's Detailing Clinic
Venue: Hypercoat Enterprise
Time: 9AM - 2PM
URL: http://www.meguiars.com.my/forum2/viewtopic.php?t=1705
Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/zey/myviclub

KL Bird Park

Venue: KL Bird Park
Date: 26th April 2007
Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/zey/kl_bird_park
Equipment: Canon EOS350D, EF300mm F/4L IS USM


300mm (480mm 35mm equiv.), F/4.5, 1/200s, ISO200

You Should Love NIKON

Yeah, a female friend of mine threw this phrase to me. When I asked "Why?", she threw me another powerful reply saying:"Because main photographers use NIKON!". Oh well, ever since I started photography, I never like the "Canon vs. Nikon" debate.

Photography isn't all about technology and equipment. Skill is far more important and what makes a great shot isn't solely due to the lens' sharpness. The main ingredients are still the composition, framing, proper exposure, etc...If one can shoot nice photos with a Nikon, one can also shoot nice photos with a Canon, Pentax, Olympus or whatever brands out there.

If a photographer is highly skilled, a good tool will definitely aid in getting perfect shots. But a good tool can never help photographers who have poor skill. Might makes things worse and looks ugly, as generally, people expect photos to be better when better equipments are being used.

I hope my friend will not ask me to shoot with Nikon anymore, unless she's going to sponsor me a fullset of Nikon gears. :)

Swee Ching & Ching Yee

Congratulations! My secondary schoolmates' marriage registration at Cempaka Buddhist Temple. Congratulations to this new couple! More pictures can be viewed here.

Detailing vs Photography

Car detailing and photography might not be related to each other. But, being having enthusiasm on both fields makes me start to relate each other.

First of all, you need passion for both. Without passion, it will not work no matter how much of money you spend on the equipments. Definitely you can send your car to detailing center for a luxury detailing job, or you can hire a professional photographer to take pictures for you during a holiday trip. Both ways might please most people, putting the cost factor aside.

However, if you're a 100% DIY fan, you might not fancy the idea of paying someone to do a perfect job for you. Instead, getting a perfect result by yourself would satisfy you even more. Nothing beats the great feeling of admiring at a self-detailed shiny glossy ride or enjoying a wonderful sunset photos taken by yourself during a holiday trip.

Putting the passion and effort aside, let's see how I relate detailing tools/terms and photographic tools/terms together. Will put it into some 'equations' but in reality, it's NOT equal, and it's just my personal opinion...

Compact camera = Random Orbital Buffer (ROB)
Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) = Rotary Buffer (RB)
DSLR Lenses (interchangeable) = RB backing plates & pads (interchangeable)
Filters = Polishes
Flash = Worklamp (haha!)
Mini ladder (used during fashion events) = Mini ladder (used when detailing roof)
Shutter speed = Buffer speed
ISO level = Polish aggressiveness
Aperture size = Pad size

That's about it. I will add-on more if I get new ideas :-) Last but not least, the most important factor is still the man behind the buffer/camera. Given a set of tools, one should fully utilize it to achieve the best result. Do not always put the blame on your tools. If you get poor results, give yourself a review on your techniques, that might save you alot on spending unnecessary money. Definitely good tools will aid you in achieving better results, provided you know how to use it. Happy buffing and shooting.

Telephoto Close-up

300mm, F/4, 1/60s, ISO400

Canon EOS350D, EF300mm F/4L IS USM

[WTS] Bosch GEX-270AE

Brand: Bosch
Model: GEX-270AE
Age: Less than a year
Price: RM280
Feature: A great random orbital buffer used for polishing to remove light swirls and holograms. Also can be used for waxing to produce a nice thin and even wax layer.
Contact: Please leave your email address in the "Comments", the owner will reply you accordingly.

Peace

The Myvi had been "hospitalized" for 3 days in the Perodua service center (PJ Branch). Engine gasket was replaced due to the poor engine assembly workmanship and causes engine oil leakage. The car came back with water vapour in both headlamps, and this causes bad spotting on both the reflector and lens after it dries up this morning. Perhaps it's time for another visit for warranty claim again. Certainly my mind needs a peaceful moment. The sunset at 7:15PM helped me quite abit...

Canon EOS350D, EF300mm F/4L IS USM

Another Bad Day

During last December, the Iswara was badly wrecked. And it was scuffed on last Wednesday. Today, I found out that the Accord was badly scratched. Those long uneven scratches are on the rear left door and rear left fender. Initially, I thought it was being keyed by someone. But after careful inspection, I think it was accidentally being scratched by a few sharp objects. The paint was chipped at the edge of the door too. To the person who intentionally did this, he shall get something in return due to his bad Karma...

I quickly pulled out my rotary buffer and started using M83/W8006 combo. It helped to remove those mild scratches efficiently, but those heavy ones are remained. To save some time, I changed to M85/wool combo. It was much faster eventhough I'm running at about 600rpm due to body edge. After 3 passes, 70% of the scratches were cleared. The remaining 30% (about 5 inches) are those which the clearcoat has gone, the only solution is to repaint.

I'm glad that I usually don't do much rotary buffing, hence the paint still has quite an amount of allowance for rectification. So guys...start preserving your paintwork by washing and waxing your car properly. Take the extra effort to hunt for a better parking lot if time permits cause prevention is better than cure.

Take care.

*Sorry for not taking any before and after pictures.

Fashion On 1

Venue: 1Utama
Date: 14th - 22nd April 2007
Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/zey/fashion_on_1 (Growing)
Equipment: Canon EOS350D, EF70-200mm F/4L IS USM

Spring Summer

Venue: Sg. Wang Plaza
Date: 12th April 2007
Time: 7:30PM
URL: http://www.pbase.com/zey/spring_summer
Equipment: Canon EOS350D, EF70-200mm F/4L IS USM

Busy April/May

Many events will be held in the month of April and May. Will be busy with the following events:

Fashion On 1, 1Utama (13-22 April 2007)
Canon Digital Imaging Fair, Mid-Valley (18-22 April 2007)
MyviClub Detailing Clinic, Hypercoat (28 April 2007)
Grass Racing Autosport (5 May 2007)
Fashion Week, The Curve (10-13 May 2007)
SwiftClub Detailing Clinic, Hypercoat (12 May 2007)
WajaClub Detailing Clinic, Hypercoat (26 May 2007)

Before / After (Iswara)

Before (90mm, F/4, 1/200s, ISO400)

After (90mm, F/4, 1/200s, ISO400)

Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover

Claying removes quite abit of the black scuff mark (plastic transfer) and Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover removes the remaining stubborn mark. Part of the bumper paint is removed hence it's not recoverable, but at least it's not as obvious as before.

Due to my laziness, I mounted my DSLR onto my monopod to capture this macro photo during overcast weather. Depth-of-Field might not be sufficient for such photography if you notice it from the photo, but to maintain a shutter speed of 1/200s, I had to boost the ISO to 400 and could only afford F/4 aperture size.

Canon EOS350D, Tamron SP AF90mm F/2.8 Di Macro, Manfrotto 680B

Unlucky Bump

My work started late in the evening yesterday. I drove the Iswara and while waiting at the traffic light in front of Universiti Malaya (UM), my Iswara was hit from the back. I came down immediately to take a photo of the car number plate (WCT 9889) and spoke to the driver - a young lady driver. She drives a 1992 Honda Accord SM4, quite bad in condition with scratches and dents everywhere. The refinished paint has almost no gloss.

She told me that she's a UM student and has no money to pay me. The light bump causes scuff marks on my flawless rear bumper. I spoke to her father on the phone and guess what? Her dad says accident is due to both parties' fault. I felt quite angry as it wasn't my fault at all. I'm not the one who should bear the responsibility for such mistake. In my opinion, it's not worth wasting my energy to speak to such people. He slashed the price I quoted and I got the money and left to work...

Will work on this defect by first claying to remove paint transfer and polishing with Scratch-X. Stay tuned for the "before" and "after" photos.

Porsche Cup

Had a great day spent at the Sepang International Circuit for the 1st day of F1 event. Besides F1 cars practice, there was also Porsche Cup practice going on. Here are some shots...

Canon EOS350D, EF70-200mm F/4L IS USM

Hypercoat Relocation

Great news for car detailing enthusiasts! Hypercoat Enterprise has just relocated to a new and bigger Meguiar's detailing/training center. With such facility, Hypercoat Enterprise is now ready to conduct FREE detailing clinics to car clubs. If you're a committee member of a car club, please do not hesitate to enquire about such event. You can email to me at askzey@gmail.com.

This is the new address if you wish to pay them a visit:

Hypercoat Enterprises Sdn Bhd
30, Jalan Industri 1/1,
Taman Perindustrian USJ 1,
47600 Subang Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan

(O): +603-80244594
(F): +603-80245594
(U): http://www.meguiars.com.my/forum2