The Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.2 Aspherical Ver.1 is one of the best 35mm lenses that I've ever owned.. But it is also one of the heaviest.. I've started shooting with 35mm lens (50mm in my application) when I'm using Fujifilm mirrorless cameras.. It is one of the focal length that I'm most comfortable with.. Since Fujifilm are using 1.5x crop factor (ignore the GFX series), 35mm will technically become around 50ish mm.. Not ideal but I can deal with that as I've been shooting crop factor ever since I've started my photography journey.. Mounting the 35mm lens on my Leica M8 (1.33x crop factor) will make the focal length to close to 50mm.. So a bit wider comparing to what I've used to previously.. I can adjust to the difference so no issue on this as well.. Though I must admit I do feel fatigue after some time of holding it but that's the price you pay for a well built all metal lens..

What I love about this lens is the fact that it is one of the fastest 35mm lens around.. If not the fastest!! F1.2!! Bokehlicious!! Who said 35mm lens can't produce nice bokeh?? Mounting it to the Leica M8, it produces one of the creamiest bokeh that I've seen.. Don't mind the bigger and heavier size of the lens.. Don't mind the lens hood blocking the lower right of the viewfinder.. I just love the way it renders the pictures.. Bought this lens to Japan last year and it was glued to my M8 throughout the whole trip.. 

My style of photography changes over time.. When I first started shooting, bokeh is one of the most important criteria for me. Everything need to be bokehlicious.. Doesn't matter whether the subject is interesting or not.. So long the bokeh is nice, then 90% of the time I will be satisfied with the picture.. Fast forward a few years later, bokeh is becoming less and less important for me.. Not sure whether does it correlate with my age?? 

Love everything about this lens as it complement the shortcoming of my Leica M8.. Although I seldom shoot at night with my Leica M8 (because it is rubbish comparing to my phone!!), I know I can have a decent shot mounting the Nokton 35mm F1.2 without going over ISO 640 (which is the max that I will go).. So everything is about give and take.. Nothing is perfect in this world.. Just like the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.2..

There is nothing quite like the Ricoh GXR.. None that I can think of.. This is a very unique camera but unfortunately not very well accepted.. The concept is good where instead of changing the lens, the camera let you change out the sensor as well.. The lens is fix to the sensor in a single module.. Less or no dust on the sensor and the lens will be pair to a sensor that is deem the best.. A win win combo..

The camera itself is small.. Very compact camera like.. When I first started off with photography, all I wanted was a big fat DSLR and a big lens to match it.. Never care much bout the weight or the sore arm and neck after using it extensively.. Those are the days..

So the reason why I got this camera is because of the A12 M-Mount module.. I believe this is the only camera outside of Leica with a purpose built M-Mount camera.. This is a 12MP sensor with APS-C crop which is slightly smaller compare to my Leica M8.. I'm not a sucker for the megapixel war.. 10MP on my Leica M8 is more than enough for me..

This is the reason why it is called a freak/frankenstein of the camera world.. It can be dismantle and fix back just like Lego building blocks.. The handling of the camera itself is very good with a substantial grip and the lack of weight making it really easy to handle.. The camera itself is very light but the built quality is excellent.. One might mistaken it to be flimsy with all the moving parts but it is not.. Is not as solid as a Leica M but the built quality will put a lot of cameras to shame.. Good job on that..

The Ricoh GXR is dubbed the poor man Leica M8.. The picture that it produces really do look like the M8.. The black and white output is very nice as well.. Definitely a good backup camera for my Leica M8..

*Unfortunately, I've decided to sell it as I'm not using it like I've intended to in the very first place.. Brought the camera along to Japan last year and I believe I've shot less than 30 pictures.. Most of the pictures taken using the Leica M8.. So I don't see the point of keeping it if I'm not going to use it*

I finally took the plunge and bite the bullet to get myself this.. The first Leica digital camera - the Leica M8.. Why would I get an old camera which is around 12 years old?? In the world of digital camera, this is consider as antique.. 

Reason for me to get this camera is pretty simple.. After shooting with Fujifilm camera for some time, I felt that the camera is way too advanced for me especially the X-Pro 2.. Don't get me wrong as the X-Pro 2 is a bloody brilliant camera jam pack with every function that you can think of.. Too good for me in fact where I felt the camera is doing all the things for me.. What I need to do is just point and press the shutter.. I feel disconnected.. The whole process of taking pictures made easy by such a capable camera which is something that most people want.. But this is not I wanted.. 

I wanted something simple.. Something manual just like what a manual driver's car can do.. Bring a smile on my face.. The same can be said when it comes to photography.. Coming all the way from DSLR to mirrorless system, and now a Leica rangefinder.. 

There are trade off when using a rangefinder.. I definitely can't take pictures of my girls playing and running around as my skill is still not up to par.. I definitely can't nail the perfect focus.. But when you do, you will give yourself a pat on the shoulder for doing a good job.. You can't say that when using the latest camera where the autofocus is blindingly fast.. A sharp focus pictures is just a click away.. 

I'm not saying the Leica rangefinder is the best thing that ever happened.. Definitely no.. If you want quality pictures after pictures without missing focus even when shooting at F1.2, get yourself the latest camera in the market.. The Fujifilm will definitely get my recommendation.. But if what you want is the feeling and process of taking a picture then please try out a Leica rangefinder.. If it is the feeling that you are looking for then I can assure you will fall in love with photography yet again when shooting with a Leica M!!

Decided to try out the Carl Zeiss Biogon C 35mm F2.8 as I'm a BIG fans of Carl  Zeiss.. Another reason is I can't afford any Leica lens at the moment :).. This little wonder is stupendously sharp even wide open.. The only downside is the slow aperture  at F2.8.. But I guess this is the trade off that I need to accept unless I can afford a Summilux or Noctilux!! Really satisfied with this combo at this moment.. 

The Carl Zeiss doesn't comes with a lens hood as standard so I get a third pary JJC lens hood design for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 and Leica D-Lux (Type 109).. This is a standard 43mm screw on metal hood.. The original Carl Zeiss hood look almost similar but cost almost 5 times the price of the JJC!! I'm not going to get that as I can use the money to fund for another lens.. The reason why I get a hood is not because of flare.. I just like the look of it and it makes holding the camera from the lens much easier.. 

So that's all for now and I will talk more about this combo of mine next time..

Ever since I got the 'Fujifilm X100' camera with its fix 23mm F2 lens, I found that you can actually live with a camera with a fix focal length... So when I got the 'Xpro-1' I wanted to recreate the feeling of using a rangefinder style camera with a prime lens attach to it... I do owned prime lenses before but I rarely use it unless for potraiture...

The first lens that I got for my 'Xpro-1' is the 'Zeiss Touit 32mm F1.8'... I'm a big fans of 'Zeiss'... I think they made incredible lenses... So when I found out that 'Zeiss' made lenses for 'Fuji X-Mount', I started my search for it... Reading and watching video online trying to make my purchase easier... But after tons of reading and watching, I came to a conclusion that the lens is not that special... Still I decided to give it a try... The blue 'Zeiss' logo is hard for me to resist...

The lens is damn sharp even wide open... But the bokeh produce is not very pleasing to my eyes... I find it too nervous and distracting... The bokeh is definitely not creamy and I just can't live with how the lens look... Call me vain and I will admit... Pairing the 'Zeiss Touit 32mm F1.8' to 'Fujifilm Xpro-1' is like asking a model wearing a glamorous dress with a 'Fipper' slipper!!! Is that bad... Although I really like the sharpness and contrast produce by the lens, I decided to get rid of it...

Make no mistake as this is by no means a bad lens... Just that I don't like the way it look (especially the hood)... But the lens is built like a tank... The lens is made from metal and it is really solid without feeling hollow like the 'Fujinon 35mm F1.4'... The manual focus ring is buttery smooth and turning it will give you the satisfaction that you can't get from the 'Fujinon' lens I mention earlier... Too bad no matter how smooth the manual focus ring is, there's no point using manual focus on 'Fujifilm X-mount' system as their focus by wire manual system sucks BIG time...

Sample images from the 'Zeiss Touit 32mm F1.8'

The next 35mm lens that I get after getting rid of the 'Zeiss Touit' is the new 'Fujinon 35mm F2' lens from Fujifilm... I really like the design of this lens as it really complement the retro look portray by the 'Xpro-1'... I got the silver version in order to make it look like 'Leica M' rangefinder... This is more to personal taste and it has nothing to do with picture quality... 

The new 'Fujinon  35mm F2' is an incredible small lens... It focuses super fast and quiet... It even came with weather resistant... The build quality is top notch as well... The aperture ring is tight and clicky and the whole lens is built from metal... The only complaint that I have is they shipped the lens with a tiny screw on plastic hood... Thankfully that is something easily rectified... 

So how do these two lenses compare??? I find this lens less contrasty if compare to the 'Touit 32mm  F1.8'... However I find the bokeh so much smoother although this is a F2 lens (frankly speaking there is not much difference comparing a F1.8 to a F2 lens)... I'm a sucker for bokeh so this is a big deal for me... The 'Fujinon 35mm F2' also focuses much faster and quieter... It will lock on to focus more accurately as well and definitely the better lens for me... This speaks a lot for 'Fujifilm' as they can produce good lenses at an affordable price... The 'Fujinon 35mm F2' will cost much lesser brand new compare to the 'Zeiss Touit 32mm F1.8'... So this lens is a no brainer but  still I got rid of it... Getting rid of this lens is a tough choice as this is a very good lens... But as I mention earlier I'm a sucker for bokeh so the though of a Fujifilm 35mm F1.4 lens keeps popping up in my mind...

Sample images from the 'Fujinon 35mm F2'

So here comes the last 35mm lens for the Fujifilm X-Mount mirrorless system... The oldest among the three (one of the first 3 lenses by Fujifilm for their X-Mount mirrorless camera) but definitely not to be forgotten... The best among the three in terms of picture quality... There is something special about the way it render pictures and it is super sharp... A truly amazing lens... Yes, the autofocus of this lens is nothing to shout about and it is very noisy when focussing... It doesn't comes with weather resistant as well... Feels really old skool comparing to the latest offering from Fujifilm... If you can get pass these issue then I will highly recommend this lens... This lens came with a nice and unique metal hood... Some people hated it but I'm really attracted to it... 

This lens is very well made as well... Fully metal including the unique looking hood... But as I mention earlier it can feel hollow... Although made from metal, the lens feels really light making it less solid feeling comparing to the 'Zeiss Touit'... If low light photography is important for you then this is the lens to get as it is one stop faster comparing to the new 'Fujinon' lens... 

Sample images from the 'Fujinon 35mm F1.4'

After going through three different 35mm lens (32mm for the Zeiss Touit), I believe I found what is best for me... The 'Fujinon 35mm F1.4' is truly a keeper and nothing will make me part with this little gem...

*I'm not a professional photographer nor a lens reviewer... Everything I've written here are based on my own opinion*

So how do I entertain myself when caught in jam??? For a lot of people I believe browsing Facebook or Instagram on mobile phone is the norm... Recently I found something new to entertain myself when caught in jam (which happened everyday without fail!!!)... Whipping out my camera and snap away... Since the car is stationary so it is actually quite safe to do it... Don't worry I won't do it when the car is moving... Not going to put myself or other driver in danger... 

Go ahead and try it but make sure that you're in a standstill jam before doing it ya... 

I have nothing but praises for the 'Fujifilm X100' that I wrote about in my previous post... Sad to say that the camera is no longer in my possession... I've sold all my photography gear which includes my antique 'Sony A700' DSLR with the 'Sony 16-50 F2.8' and 'Sigma 50 F1.4' + a 'Sony F58' flash together with the 'Fujifilm X100'... All gone... Now what I'm left with is an empty dry box with nothing in it... Not forgetting a few camera bags lying around collecting dust...

The decision of selling off all my photography gear is not impulsive... After weeks of deep though, I came to a conclusion that less is actually more... Since I got my 'Fujifilm X100' camera, my 'Sony DSLR' had been collecting dust ever since... Not sure whether I'm getting old or just a change of taste, I now prefer a much smaller camera... Another possibility is because of my princesses... There are so many things that I need to take that my shoulder can no longer fit another camera bag...

So whats the journey that I talked about earlier??? Less is actually more... I learnt this when I started using the 'X100'... This small but awesome camera really got me thinking... Do I really need to lug a big DSLR around everytime I need to take pictures??? Sure the focus is much faster and the ergonomics is definitely better as well... With the DSLR, I have the habit of changing lenses and used the lens that is best suited for the situation... But I can't do that with the 'X100' as it came with a 23mm (35mm equivalent on a full frame) fix lens... Is just so much easier and it totally converted me to a prime lens shooter... Is something that I need to get used to initially but after a while I just forget about all the lens changing and just concentrate on the composition instead... Besides that, I believe shooting prime will definitely improve the overall photography skill as I'm force to think of getting the best out of the fixed lens... There are times that I wish I had a wider or zoom lens with me as I can't quite get what I wanted but that's the beauty of it... It force me to be more creative with my shots (or just totally forget about taking that shot which I had visualize in my head... lol)...

My current camera setup... still sticking to the one camera or one body and one lens setup... Till then as this will be my next blogpost...

I'm so in love with my new toy... Introducing the 'Fujifilm X100'... Got this little gem  almost a year now and I'm loving every moment spend with it... The performance of this little wonder is nothing short of extraordinary... In fact I stop using my 'DSLR' since I got the 'X100'... My old 'Sony A700' is being blown to pieces by it in every aspect... 

The 'IQ' of this thing is something you need to see in order to believe as this camera is so compact and you will never imagine the awesome picture that it produce... Simply amazing... Besides the incredible 'IQ', the retro design ticks all the right spot as I'm sucker for retro/retro looking things!!!

So anything bad about this camera??? Maybe is the fix lens if I really need to choose... But it is not something that really bothers me as I'm accustomed to fix lenses... Just sometimes I really wish I had a zoom lens with me... I'm really nit picking as I can't really find any fault with it... 

So what's next in my photography journey??? Selling off my trusty 'Sony A700' and aim for a 'Fujifilm X-Pro 2' with a 35mm or 56mm lens... Best if I can have both lenses :)... This will really be my dream camera line up... Till then...

Time really flies... In a blink of an eye, my princess turns one and we decided to organize a small gathering celebrating her birthday last weekend... Just a small party where only relatives are invited... The party was being held at 'Marmalade, Publika'... Frankly speaking this was not the first venue as at first we decided to organize it at 'Jkids (children playground where we can source for our own food provider), Paradigm Mall'... We even paid deposit for it and we are dead serious that this will be the venue... But after giving some deep thoughts, we decided to abandon the plan as there are only a number of kids around... 

So a quick search around 'Google' and it seems that a lot of people like to organize kids birthday party at 'Marmalade'... Went to the restaurant for a quick look around and I'm liking it already... The decoration is kind of cozy and it serves our theme really well... Ohh is a 'Hello Kitty' theme by the way... 

Decoration of the day... Just some simple 'Hello Kitty' add on here and there to make it a 'Hello Kitty' theme... Notice the yellow gift pack??? This is something that I would like to brag about as it is custom made by yours truly!!! Nice??? Lots of credit goes to the queen as well as she's the one who source for all these 'Hello Kitty' theme items... 

What I really like about 'Marmalade' is the freedom for us to customize our own menu... They do provide us some samples and we can mix and match to our liking... Below are the menu that I've chosen...

 Garden Salad...

 Spaghetti Prawn Aglio Olio...

 Chicken Lasagna...

 Chicken Drummettes...

 Mini Cheeseburgers...

 Mini Bacon Fritattas...

 Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes...

Mini Tiramisu...

As for the cake, we go for something simple and not 'Hello Kitty' theme cake... Don't really fancy those cake as it gives me an impression that it is not edible!!! Maybe too adorable that I'm unwilling to stuff it in my mouth!!! We ordered 'Lola' cake from 'Wondermilk' which is just a floor down from 'Marmalade'... Really convenient if you ask me... But we do ordered it earlier just in case and this 'Rainbow Lola' cake is made to order according to them... Not really sure about it as it seems so normal...

 Custom made cake banner...

Princess of the day!!! 

Still remember the day she's born and now she's a BIG girl now... Happy Birthday Princess!!!