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... 

Got myself a new scooter recently (well not really... is been more than 6 months if I'm not mistaken)... I've exchange the previous 'Oxelo Town 7 XL' to this futuristic looking 'Oxelo Town 7 EF'... I'm old skool therefore I'm not attracted by it's futuristic look and that's the reason why I didn't choose this model in the very first place... I much preferred the previous kick scooter which is more angular than curve... Anyway I got no choice but to change as the previous kick scooter is driving me crazy with all the creaking and squeaking!!! 

Very nice grip which is ergonomic and super fast quick release for raising or lowering the handlebar... This kick scooter has a very nice trick up it's sleeve... You can fold and unfold this kick scooter in a matter of seconds.. 1-2 seconds to be exact... That's really mind boggling if you ask me...The silver lever below the quick release is the one where you pull it to drop down the kick scooter... Once you pull the lever, the kick scooter will drop down automatically and you are ready to ride it...

Just step/kick on the grey plastic near the head tube and the whole kick scooter will swing up and lock to place automatically... Phenomenal!!! Thumbs up for the designer...

There are a few reasons as to why I choose this model... One of it is the size of the wheels... 200mm which is consider one of the biggest in the world of kick scooter... Bigger wheel will roll faster hence less effort and don't need constant kicking to keep it up to speed... 

Fast forward 6 months later...

I will start off with the build quality... Make no mistake that this is a beautifully made kick scooter... No creaking or squeaking from this model unlike the previous one that I owned... However not everything is top notch especially the wheels... The bearing doesn't spin as fast as the rating suggested... The bearing used are ABEC 5 which can be found on mid to higher end kick scooter... Comparing it to my 'Micro Speed +' scooter which is using the same ABEC 5 bearings, the one on the 'Micro' spins much faster and smoother... 

The compound of the PU wheels are much harder hence the hard and bumpy ride where you can really feel it... After prolong usage, your hand will feel numb from the constant bumping unless you ride on ultra smooth pavement... The benefit of fitting a harder PU wheels is the wheels will definitely last much longer comparing to softer one... But for me I will opt for the latter where I can ride longer without feeling tired as the softer wheels will soak up some bumps for you...

This is a large kick scooter so handling is definitely not as agile as smaller one do... But because of the size, the scooter is ultra stable and you won't feel the nervousness when turning the handlebar... So pros and cons here... If you are looking for an agile and portable kick scooter then you will need to look elsewhere... This is not the kick scooter for you...

I will recommend this scooter to those that want easy operation and recreational use only as like I said before, prolong usage will cause numbness to your hand... I really wish they use a softer compound for the PU wheels as the ride is really harsh...

Another thing to take note is the higher ride height due to the 200mm wheels... So naturally with a higher ride height, you will need to bend your knee more in order for your other leg to kick the pavement causing fatigue to the leg standing on the kick scooter... But there is a benefit to a higher ride height as you can take the scooter to rougher surfaces without scratching the body of the scooter... But I don't recommend off road as this kick scooter is not design for it... Hmm a real dilemma here as with a higher ride height you are able to take the kick scooter to rougher surfaces but the wheels are so hard that it cause the ride to be bumpy??? Lets just stick to the smooth pavement I said... 

This is my honest review for the 'Oxelo Town 7 EF'... A well designed kick scooter with good build quality... The only let down is the harsh ride causing unnecessary numbness and fatigue... You can purchase this kick scooter from Decathlon Malaysia at RM599...

Is the time of the year again where family and friends can gather around... Meeting in person instead of looking at pictures from 'Facebook' or 'Instagram'... Besides that the best part of 'CNY' is still the holiday where we can forget about work and relax and slow down our pace for a while...

Every year without fail we will have our reunion lunch on the eve of CNY... No exception for this year as well...

That's all for now... Just a short post on the first day of CNY... Hope you guys enjoy your holiday and 'Gong Xi Fatt Chai'!!!

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...

Recently got myself a new scooter... This time round the scooter is not from 'Micro' as the price for a 'Micro' scooter is really exorbitant (but to be fair they are really well made)!!! So I did what I do best which is surfing the web and look for alternative...

Before this I have never heard of this brand 'Oxelo' and it seems like they made really nice scooter as well... You can get the scooter from 'Decathlon' and I believe 'Oxelo' is one of their own house brand for scooter... 

Anyway long story short, I went to 'Decathlon' and test out the scooter... I like this particular models that came with dual suspension and a huge 200mm wheels... My 'Micro Speed +' scooter only came with a 145mm wheels... Bigger wheels means faster and less effort to make it go faster... Besides that, the scooter also came with a hand operator brake much like those you find on a bicycle... Much easier braking compare to leg operated one for sure... The price for this 'Oxelo town 7 XL' scooter is actually cheaper than the 'Micro Speed +' and I'm thinking to myself... With 2 huge wheels and dual suspension this looks like an absolute bargain... So I happily bought it!!!

Looks pretty... I really like the way it looks... 

Front suspension... Frankly speaking I can't really feel the suspension when I tried it out... Not sure whether is this some kind of gimmick or marketing stunt... 

The rear suspension... Same like the front, I can't feel it... The ride is pretty harsh if you ask me... the 'Micro' definitely ride much quieter and smoother for sure... This is something that I did not expect to be honest... 

The hand operated brake which makes braking a bliss!!!

I had the scooter for around 2 weeks and I returned it back to 'Decathlon'... The one good thing about 'Decathlon' is their 90 days exchange or refund policy which makes buying things from them a really no-brainer!!! 

So why do I returned it when I love it so much... I can accept the flaw that the dual suspension have which is not soaking up any bumps and feels almost like riding rigid!!! The one thing that I cannot accept is the sound the scooter is making... A lot of creaking noise coming out from the joint... I tried tightening the quick release to the point that I believe I might break the whole thing and loosening it up to the point where the quick release is not clamping on it properly... I tried everything but to no avail... Reluctantly I took it back to them and wanted to ask for a refund and thinking of getting a 'Micro' just to be on the save side... Instead of getting a refund, I got myself another 'Oxelo' scooter and this is a story for another time... And before I end my blog post I really like to give 'Decathlon' a BIG thumbs up!!! Please go to 'Decathlon' retail outlets to experience it yourself... They have a lot of demo units around for consumers to try out before deciding whether to purchase or not... Currently they have 2 outlets, one in 'Sri Damansara' and another one is at 'USJ 1'... Mind you this is not a sponsored post... Just speaking from my own experience... 

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...