EF Primes

I started to fancy prime lenses ever since I own the 5D. The older generation (back in 80s and 90s) of EF lenses were designed for 35mm film SLR. There's a series of (non-L) prime lenses in the EF range such as 20/2.8, 24/2.8, 28/1.8, 28/2.8, 35/2, 50/1.4, 50/1.8, 85/1.8 and 100/2. These prime lenses are fast (at least having aperture of F/2.8), light in weight (between 200g and 500g) and cheap (less than RM2000). If you wish to travel light, consider bringing one or two prime lenses. I'm pretty sure the total weight (and price) would still be less than a EF24-70mm F/2.8L USM. Of course you lose the convenience of changing the focal length in just a twist, but people usually believe that using prime lens will drive the photographer to think more, compose more carefully and shoot better.

Apart from the weight/size/price, prime lenses allow me to shoot a photo under low light condition without using a tripod. Of course if you have the luxury to shoot with a tripod, that would be the best. Stop down the aperture to F/8 or even smaller i.e. F/11 to get more DOF and use the lowest ISO setting for best image quality. The trade-off which anyone can think of is the inconvenience, not to mention certain locations disallow the use of tripod.

Generally, on fullframe bodies, 20mm - 24mm are considered ultra wide angle; 35mm is considered wide angle; 50mm is considered standard; 85mm - 100mm are considered medium telephoto. For APS-C bodies, 20mm - 24mm are considered wide angle, 35mm is considered standard; 50mm is considered medium telephoto; 85mm - 100mm are considered telephoto.

For APS-C body starters, I would highly recommend the EF35mm F/2 lens. With an effective focal length of 56mm, it can be used as a walk-around lens. The minimum focusing distance of 0.25m allows close-up yet capturing the blurred background at F/2. Very versatile. The price is just nice, around RM1000. As for half-body portrait, the EF50mm F/1.8 II is a steal at RM300. With an effective focal length of 85mm, you can capture half-body portrait without distortion at a reasonable distance to maintain communication with your model. If you feel the F/1.8 version build quality isn't up to the standard, you may consider its sibling EF50mm F/1.4 USM at a higher cost of around RM1300.

My personal favourite combination of these primes depend on the type of the trip. For landscape and portrait, I migh couple 24/2.8 with 50/1.4. If I just wish to bring only a single lens, 35/2 could be an all rounder. How about coupling 50/1.4 and 85/1.8 for just portrait? Too many combinations! But I will always try to limit to 2 lenses at once. Either of these combinations would easily fit into my DOMKE F-5XB shoulder bag.

If you wish to know more about these prime lenses, please read this article "Ugly Ducklings: the early EF primes".

Just for price comparison purpose, checkout how many prime lenses you can buy from a single high quality L-series zoom lens:

EF24-105mm F/4L IS USM (RM4500) = EF24mm F/2.8 (RM1500) + EF35mm F/2 (RM1000) + EF50mm F/1.4 USM (RM1300) + RM700 of cash

EF24-70mm F/2.8 USM (RM4800) = EF24mm F/2.8 (RM1500) + EF35mm F/2 (RM1000) + EF50mm F/1.4 USM (RM1300) + RM900 of cash

EF70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM (RM6300) = EF85mm F/1.8 USM (RM1400) + EF135mm F/2L USM (RM3300) + RM1600 of cash

EOS5D, EF24mm F/2.8, F/2.8, 1/40s, ISO800

EOS5D, EF24mm F/2.8, F/2.8, 1/40s, ISO800

M16 Professional Paste Wax

50mm, F/8, F/160s, ISO100
Canon EOS5D, EF50mm F/1.4 USM

Product Shots

Just to share what I shot before I went to bed...Two light sources diffused with umbrellas. The bottle was positioned far enough from the background (which was my cupboard :P) to take advantage of the rapid light fall off and specular highlight (of the umbrellas).

Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax

Meguiar's M82 Swirl Free Polish

Canon EOS5D, EF35mm F/2, Speedlite 580EX (x2), PocketWizard Plus II (x3)

Another Weekly Wash

I put on the 2nd layer of Meguiar's M16 Professional Paste Wax on my ride last week. After a week of rain, the water still beads nicely. In terms of water beading durability, it wins NXT Tech Wax hands down. Not quite sure about NXT Tech Wax 2.0 which I'm still waiting for the stock to arrive Meguiar's Malaysia. I stopped using Soft99 Fusso Coat because it sticks dirt easily especially on horizontal panels.

Check out the water beads on the paintwork after hosing down the car. To minimize DOF, I switched on the macro mode on the Fujifilm F11, positioned the camera almost as near to its minimal focusing distance (6cm) and took this photo. The water beads as if the paint was just waxed.

Fujifilm F11, 35mm, F/2.8, 1/160s, ISO80

I simply love the image quality of the F11. Bokeh is considered excellent in its own class. And most of the time, the sharpness wins some DSLR kit lens! Another two closeup shots after the car wash.

Fujifilm F11, 35mm, F/2.8, 1/60s, ISO100

Fujifilm F11, 35mm, F/2.8, 1/80s, ISO100

Fujifilm F11: Samples

This camera is so light and small that I don't feel there's a burden carrying around. Auto focusing is quite fast and accurate. Unlike DSLRs, compact cameras will not suffer from front/backfocusing issue. If there's any focusing error found, most of the time it's due to human error. Talk about DSLR AF issue, I got my Canon EOS5D calibrated a few months ago. When shooting with aperture larger than F/2.8, it is exhibiting backfocusing error. On the other hand, my EF50mm F/1.4 USM suffered from frontfocusing error! This is annoying enough but once sent in to Canon for calibration, it works perfectly fine again.

Back to the topic...Here are two samples taken over this weekend. The first one is my gf's F11 and the second is my car.

81mm, F/4.3, 1/100s, ISO80

36mm, F/2.8, 1/80s, ISO200

Fujifilm F11: Noise Challenge

*Photo courtesy of Watch Impress

Most of the photography enthusiasts might have heard of Fujifilm F11 regarding its low noise performance at high ISO setting. Other models such as F10, F30 and F31fd share the same platform. Though it was launched in 2005, but it's still being rated as one of the top performers in that range. By using a larger than conventional compact camera sensor (1/1.7") with 6.3 megapixels on it, it's one of the reasons why it could produce very low noise at ISO800 and 1600. Focal length range of 36-108mm (3x zoom) is quite usable for light travel.

The best part was lately my buddy encountered a bargain on this model at one of the Foto Shangrila chain stores, selling at only RM499. This price tag includes a 1GB xD card and also a camera pouch (which is useless for me). Without considering much, I grabbed it while stocks last.

Why do I still need a compact camera while I have a range of lenses and a fullframe body? You guessed it correctly, it's due to its size and weight. At around 200g, it's almost weightless compared to let's say a EOS5D fitted with EF35mm/2. When you don't wish to grab attention from the public while capturing street photos, this is the "weapon". Most people might assume that you're not so serious in photography, hence less obstruction.

Alright, not too much of reviews here, but just to share with you photos I captured this evening. Photos had been resized, no touch up.

35mm, F/2.8, 1/80s, ISO800

35mm, F/2.8, 1/60s, ISO1600

Camera Bag Craze (Part 3)

During 2007, Lowepro launched a new series of backpack named Vertex. It comes in 3 different models: Vertex 100AW, Vertex 200AW and Vertex 300AW. This series of backpacks are very solidly built. Extra thick padding, seam-sealed AW cover and water-resistant zippers easily hint that the design is meant for serious outdoor usage. At that time, I was unable to view the actual bag locally as it was relatively new in the local market. Based on the online reviews, specifications and photos, I decided to try the Lowepro Vertex 100AW. Thanks to my friend who used to work in Singapore and helped me to buy from there. Its internal size is similar to Lowepro MiniTrekker AW, except that it's deeper at 15cm. The depth easily accomodates an EOS5D with BG-E4 (1D-series body too). Similar to MiniTrekker AW, the height of the bag is beyond the length of an EOS5D attached with EF70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM or the slightly longer EF300mm F/4L IS USM. There are also alot more compartments to store your memory cards, batteries, remote release, cleaning cloths, lenspen, keys, etc...Vertex 100AW also features a laptop compartment, but it's rather useless for me since my company laptop is way too big for that. Perhaps it will fit a 12" laptop. I use this compartment to hold 3 units of PocketWizards Plus II or sometimes magazines, so I don't have to worry having a bent antenna or a crumpled magazine. The adjustable harness system makes this bag suitable for long distance travelling. A detail review will be made in the future.
Lowepro Vertex 100AW


Like I mentioned above, Vertex 100AW doesn't fit my laptop. Furthermore, its internal dimension is not sufficient for most onsite assignments I do (besides wedding). I needed a Lowepro Vertex 200AW to simultaneously carry 2 bodies with lens attached (EOS5D with EF24-105mm F/4L IS USM and EOS30D with EF70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM), my company widescreen laptop, several other lenses such as Tamron SP AF90mm F/2.8 Di Macro 1:1, EF50mm F/1.4 USM, EF135mm F/2L USM, 2 units of SpeedLite 580EX, 3 units of PocketWizards Plus II, laptop power adapter, and not to forget several lens hoods. It sounds insane for the amount of equipment it can fit, and it's even crazier to carry it. Each time I use it, it easily weighs more than 15kg, and I can never withstand the weight for more than 15 minutes. However, transporting all my equipments is always less hassle if I were to split it into 2 or 3 bags. This bag can even fit a pro body attached with EF300mm F/2.8L IS USM with lens hood inversed! A strong competitor for this bag is the ThinkTank Acceleration, which features thinner padding and not really meant for outdoor usage. Compared to Vertex 100AW, Vertex 200AW provides more comfort for the same amount of equipment which Vertex 100AW can hold due to larger surface contact with your back.

Lowepro Vertex 200AW


For the last few wedding assignments, I did not carry any shoulder bags nor backpacks. I prefer to use the Lowepro belt system. It's scary to leave your equipment behind while you're shooting the event. You wouldn't know whether it'll be stolen or damaged. Using shoulder bag or backpack ain't practical either, especially if the event location is crowded. So Lowepro Street & Field Deluxe Waistbelt is the solution. It uses Lowepro's proprietary Slip-Lock mechanism, able to hold several Slip-Lock accessories such as lens cases, water bottle holder and pouches. You can customise it for each different shooting events. On top of that, I use a Lowepro Toploader 65AW to store my body with one zoom lens attached. Here is a list of cases I'm using:

Lens Case LC1S - EF35mm F/2, EF50mm F/1.4 USM (without hood)
Lens Case LC1W - EF50mm F/1.4 USM (with hood), EF85mm F/1.8 USM (with hood)
Lens Case LC4S - EF17-40mm F/4L USM (with hood), EF24-105mm F/4L IS USM (hood reversed), EF135mm F/2L USM (hood reversed)
Lens Case LC4 - EF70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM (hood reversed), EF300mm F/4L IS USM
Sliplock Pouch 20 - Microfiber cloth, memory cards, Lenspen
Sliplock Pouch 60AW - CP-E3, Speedlite 580EX
Bottle Bag

Lowepro Toploader 65AW


(Updated 15/3/2008)
With the aforementioned modular system, the belt easily weighs 4kg and above. This will require me to tighten the belt around the waist to prevent it from slipping down. It's also not going to be comfortable after long hours of shooting. And here comes the need of Lowepro S&F Shoulder Harness. This harness effectively distributes weight to the shoulder. The buckle of the Deluxe Waistbelt is only used to restrict horizontal movement (instead of vertical weight prior to shoulder harness usage). The extra SlipLock loop on the shoulder allows me to attach the SlipLock 20 Pouch, and provides me extra space on the belt. The best thing is, it's much easier to access to CF cards, MF cloth and Lenspen with this attachment. So if you're carrying more than 2 heavy lenses, this is a highly recommended product to be used with the Deluxe Waistbelt. (Note that the S&F LightBelt doesn't support the S&F Shoulder Harness.)

Lowepro S&F Shoulder Harness


More stories to be shared in Part 4...

Camera Bag Craze (Part 2)

As my gear collection grows, I started to be greedy and wish to carry more things in my shoulder bag. Though the Crumpler 7MDH is able to fit quite alot of things, but there isn't enough of compartment for me to isolate my accessories such as memory cards, batteries, Lenspen, etc...Plus the non-padded flap doesn't give me a safe feeling. An almost similar size bag by Lowepro would be the Lowepro Stealth Reporter D400AW. This bag has several hidden compartments, which is good for storing important documents such as your passport. Besides that, there's a padded pocket which can fit a multimedia storage such as the Epson P5000. There are proper places for your name card, pens, keys and much more. It comes along with a pouch to hold your battery charger, and a digital wallet to store your SD/CF cards. It's quite a pretty neat bag for reporters. The main flap is lightly padded, and features a water resistant top zipper. This zipper allows me to reach my lenses or flash without having to open up the flap at all. Compared to 7MDH, this bag is more suitable for outdoor use due to the zippers and the built-in rain cover, but it doesn't look as trendy as 7MDH.

Lowepro Stealth Reporter D400AW


Not all the time I carry along my long lens, so getting the Lowepro Stealth Reporter D200AW makes sense to replace my 5MDH. It's slightly taller and wider compared to 5MDH. The features are exactly similar to the SRD400AW, except that it's smaller. It fits my EOS5D (with BG-E4) with EF24-105mm F/4L IS USM attached, 2 units of SpeedLite 580EX, and EF50mm F/1.4 USM easily. Quite a nice bag for assignment and travelling.

Lowepro Stealth Reporter D200AW


Cra"zey" enough, I went to get a Lowepro Stealth Reporter D100AW for my EOS350D (with BG-E3) with EF-S 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 II attached and EF50mm F/1.8 II. Due to its size, it restricts me from carrying more equipments, which I ended up feeling comfortable even if I lug it around my shoulder for the whole day.

Lowepro Stealth Reporter D100AW


More stories to be shared in Part 3...

Camera Bag Craze (Part 1)

Looking back at year 2006 when I just got my first DSLR, one question hit me: What kind of camera bag do I need? Since photographic equipment is quite a heavy investment, so I need a bag which can provide good protection and comfortable to be carried around for long hours. During that time, Tamrac had just launched their latest Adventure Series Backpacks. I was quite attracted by its design, since it doesn't look like a camera bag, the top half can be used to carry things like a jacket and the bottom half is dedicated for equipments. This model was too new, the local distributor had not brought it into Malaysia. By just viewing the photos online, I chose Tamrac Adventure 7 and purchased it from Adorama's online store in the States. After waiting for a few weeks, the bag finally arrived Malaysia via my friend's friend who worked in Colorado Springs. This bag fitted the EOS350D, EF17-40mm F/4L USM and SpeedLite 580EX nicely. It's a great daypack for travelling. As usual for most camera backpacks, the accessibility is poor. To get the equipment out from the bag, I have to put it down and unzip the compartment to reach for them. This isn't really convenient if you plan to take street photos. You either have to carry your camera all the time, or find a proper place to take it out when you want to shoot.

Tamrac Adventure 7


Due to the accessibility issue, I started to seek for a shoulder bag. Traditional shoulder bags with Canon/Nikon logos are out from my list as I never want to announce to the public that I'm carrying a camera inside. Crumpler caught my attention. To fit the same amount of equipment which I had during that time, I chose Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home. The outlook of this bag is absolutely simple yet trendy. People who do not know this brand will never know it's a camera bag. With this bag, I carried my equipment with more confidence in the crowd.

Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home


In the late 2006, I got my very first telephoto zoom: EF70-200mm F/4L IS USM. This is the smallest white lens in the Canon EF range. By fitting it on the EOS350D, the total length is around 24cm, which easily exceeds the height of the Tamrac Adventure 7 and Crumpler 5MDH. To reduce the frequency of detaching lens, I prefer to store the body with lens attached in the bag. Here comes my interest on the classic Lowepro MiniTrekker AW. It's one of the most popular Lowepro model among local photographers. This backpack's main compartment is purely for equipments. The remaining front pocket are for accessories. This bag offers plenty of room for majority of the photographers without overloading their back. The "AW" along with the model name denotes All-Weather. It has a built-in weather cover which can be unfolded from the bottom of the bag just in case you encounter less favourable weather during your outing.

Lowepro MiniTrekker AW


Again back to shoulder bags, I chose Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home which can fit the camera body with telephoto zoom lens attached in the vertical position. The design is pretty much the same as 5MDH, except it's alot larger. Crumpler's X Million Dollar Home series of shoulder bags have average padding. The main flap itself is very thin, fastened by a single buckle and some velcros, and there's no padding at all. There's also no weather cover and extra zips to completely seal the camera compartment from the elements. If you're using this bag for city usage, it should be fine. I would not recommend it for outdoor activities.

Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home


More stories to be shared in Part 2...

CNY Events @ 1U

This is the second last weekend before Chinese New Year comes. And as usual, every shopping complex will start to organize events and decorate their premises. Since I had my lunch at 1U today, and wanted to try out my new EF85mm F/1.8 USM so I stayed abit longer to catch the 4PM show. It's challenging to shoot with large aperture lens, especially on a full frame body - DOF is very limited. It's either you nail it, or you miss it. It was a good chance to capture candid photos as those kids were very active. Some would even pose for you. :D

A Long Sunday

Set my alarm clock to ring at 5am on a quiet Sunday morning. I'm not an early person but due to work, I have to reach my client site at Putrajaya, 8am. To take advantage of this trip, my colleague and I met up at Hassan Cafe (Cyberjaya) at 6:15am for breakfast. With the new KL-Putrajaya highway, I reached Cyberjaya within 30 minutes with a sleepy head. After the breakfast, we rushed to the Lake Club at Putrajaya to catch the sunrise. The air was certainly refreshing and it's the best time for a morning walk. Captured a few shots before I rushed to the client site. It's a long and fruitful day as I managed to take photos and migrate client's network successfully.

Right before the sunrise.

Right after the sunrise.

Misty feeling. Distance building is the Istana.

Putrajaya

Outdoor Portrait

The weather had turned really fined and it's time for detailing and outdoor photography. So I took this opportunity to take some outdoor portraits at the TTDI park. Most shots were taken with two strobes diffused with umbrella. PocketWizard didn't disappoint me due to its 100% consistency.

KK

Had been escaping from KL working at Kota Kinabalu for the past few days. With much less working pressure and relaxing environment, it's more like a leisure trip. Generally people go back home from work around 5:30PM as the sun sets at around 6PM.

It's definitely the right time to visit KK now as it's the first time Sabah hosting the F2000 World Cup Powerboat Race at the Waterfront. Just opposite of where I stayed, Le Meridien Hotel. Too bad, I'm back to KL even before they started the event, from 1st to 2nd Dec.


The famous Filipino Market is also located opposite the hotel. It features vendors selling traditional handicrafts, souveniers, as well as woodstuffs. This is the colorful outlook of the market.

And the bench along the walkway of the market. I managed to capture it without having anyone sitting on it.


One of the stalls specializing pearls. They do have a branch at KL Sentral, but selling at a much higher price. I had a hard time choosing as there're just too many varieties.


I like the way this cheeky monkey staring into my lens :P