On April, I've encountered some mishap while on my way back from work. While driving suddenly i heard a very loud bang!! I can't see anything on the road and once the bang happened, I quickly glanced from the rear view mirror and try to see what I've hit.. Nothing.. I see nothing on the road.. After that, the car drive a bit funny.. Not very stable but still drivable..

Cut the story short, I quickly find a tyre shop that is still open because is almost 730pm.. Luckily found one but they don't have the identical tyre so I have no choice but to get a different one instead.. I don't really like to mix and match tyre as I have OCD on non matching things.. Haha.. But no choice.. Is either I change or can't drive at all.. 

That's the hole and I'm not sure caused by what.. But you can see the whole chunk of tyre was ripped open.. The original tyre on my car was Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 225/45 18".. Is a nice tyre with aggressive thread pattern.. But the tyre shop only have Michelin.. I'm more than happy to have a set of Pilot Sport 4 ZP but too bad they don't have ready stock for it.. So I got no choice but to settle for Michelin Primacy 3 ZP instead.. Definitely not the kind of tyre that I will go for usually.. But looking at the current situation, I have no other choice..

 

I'm those that will always go for the sportiest tyre that I can afford.. Previously, I even used semi slick on my daily driven.. Performance is my number one priority.. When they told me they only have Michelin Primacy around, my heart sunk!! Because Primacy is designed for comfort rather than performance.. Still gave them the green light because I have no other choice as this was the only shop open..

Once done fixing, they came and told me the rim got some crack in it and is leaking air fast!! Haiz..What a day indeed.. No choice but to wait until the next day to get the rim fix.. 

Fast forward 2 months later..

I would like to share some quick update on the Michelin Primacy 3 ZP.. So far the tyre felt softer and definitely quieter than the original Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3.. Not surprising as the Primacy are suppose to be more comfort oriented.. So far with hard driving, the grip is actually very good. No complaint so far.. So now need to see how long can the tyre last..

Another Burger Motorsport product this time.. I have really good experience with Burger Motorsport product namely the awesome JB4.. That thing transform my car.. The drivability is so much better as the whole car felt light on the move.. 

This time round I'm going to talk about BMS Pedal Tuner.. I have never try a pedal tuner before so I don't really have much expectation.. I always categorise them as a gimmick to be honest because when you think of it, it doesn't provide any power or torque.. What can you get by just altering the throttle response where the power and torque figure remain the same.. THIS IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THAT I'VE MADE!! The difference is significant!! I don't really know what sorcery is this.. But the whole car felt so much lighter and the response is really awesome..

In my opinion, this setup will give you the affect that the whole car is on another level.. Felt like driving a 330i instead of 320i.. Horsepower and torque increase by ten fold!! I might exaggerate a bit here but you need to try it to believe it.. Felt like it generated more power than the JB4.. Combine both together and it totally transform my 320i into 330i!! 

There are a few settings that you can tinker with.. The off mode, Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3.. In between the stages, you can fine tune it even more by decreasing or increasing the severity of the throttle response.. I put mine on Stage 3 with maximum setting.. MY GOD!! The throttle response is instantaneous but you need to get use to it as sometimes it might jerk a bit.. And on extreme downshift, there is a slight lag to it.. Nothing major as once the car gets going, you can really feel the pulling power.. It just keeps pulling until the very top end.. I can only imagine the power the engine will generate with the addition of a full exhaust system and intake. These mods will be in a few years time when the warranty period is over.. So for the time being, I will have to be content with what I have now.. 

Got myself a JB4 piggyback from Burger Motorsports.. Burger Motorsports is a tuning company from the United States that is famous for their no nonsense JB4 tuner.. The first time i saw the product, I'm not impressed.. Box design so so only.. Very minimalist approach with nothing but a BIG JB4 in the front accompanied by MADE IN USA.. But the review for it is nothing short of ordinary.. A lot of good reviews and testimony from customers all over the world.. 

One of the reason I got the JB4 instead of an ECU remap is because of warranty issue.. If I do a remap, very high chances I will void the warranty as BMW technician can detect the ECU been remap before even when I revert back to stock factory setting..

Most people claim service center can't detect when using JB4.. But there are some who claim they can as well because a stock standard engine will not boost over the original value unless being program to do so.. But I choose to believe the former 😊.. Keeping my finger cross and hope everything will be fine..

Very normal looking box.. Doesn't show that it packs a punch.. I got the JB4 together with the Connect Kit so that I can control it on the fly.. What I need to do is buy the program (can be downloaded from Apple App Store and Google Play Store.. A lot of things can be customize ranging from what MAP to run and also what kind of information to show on your phone.. This is really very convenient as I don't need to send my car to tuner in order to change to run a different MAP.

I've been using MAP1 since I got it.. Here is the explanation on what different MAP will do..

JB4 Map Guide:

Map0: Stock tuning, fully disable JB4
Map1: 3psi over stock added (91 octane)
Map2: 4psi over stock added (91-93 octane)
Map3: 6psi over stock added (93+ octane)
Map4: Absolute target map with peak target of 20psi (93+ and/or 30% E85, EWG connector suggested)
Map5: Absolute target map with peak target of 22psi (30% E85+ fuel, EWG connector suggested)
Map6: Custom tuning map -- see details on n54tech JB4 page
Map7: Progressive WMI map with tuning a function of meth flow and user defined boost additive. 
Map8: VALET / Low Boost Map

Been running around in MAP1 for more than 8 months and just a few days ago I decided to change it to MAP2 instead.. Still haven't really test it out but the difference is not that apparent comparing to stock standard and progressing to MAP1.. Let me try it out for a while more and I will update accordingly..

I'm planning to do a dyno run and see what's the gain I get when running on MAP1 and also MAP2.. My hand is itching to press on MAP3 as the boost is double of that comparing to MAP1.. But I'm not sure whether RON97 petrol is sufficient or I need to run RON100 for not getting engine detonation.. Because 93 Octane is around RON98 so running on MAP2 is still consider safe as you can see from the above.. I can't get any information on Octane 93+ hence I dare not venture into MAP3 for this particular reason alone unless I'm running on RON100 which is definitely safe enough to run on MAP3.. 

This is the JB4 apps that I was talking about.. The apps alone cost more than RM100 but this is a one off payment.. I think the apps is worth getting if you have the Bluetooth Connect Kit because it will make your life so much easier.. You can use the apps to do logging and also find out if there is any error code from the car and diagnose the issue..

UPDATE

My finger decided to push on the MAP3 button 🙈.. Whoaaaaaaa.. The difference between MAP2 and 3 is pretty obvious.. Can really feel the car pull strongly.. Before doing that, I drop an email to Burger Motorsports and asked them regarding MAP3.. They said 'SHOULD' (very clever choice of word here) be ok to use MAP3 with RON97 petrol.. So I did it.. Push that damn button and all hell break loose.. The power delivery is pretty addictive.. What I'm afraid now is the boost level.. Sometimes I see the boost spike to 20psi.. Pretty high to me.. I'm not sure on the actual boost for a stock B48 on the 320i but someone wrote on the net saying is around 8psi.. So MAP3 will increase 6psi over the standard 8psi and we are looking at 14psi.. Most of the time the boost will be around 14-15psi.. But sometimes it will spike to 20psi.. Anyway I'm enjoying it way too much.. Can't wait to get it dyno and see the difference between all the different MAP..

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..

I really like the look of the new BMW G20 generation.. To my eyes, it is the most beautiful BMW 3 series ever produce.. I'm not just talking about the exterior.. The interior is mind blowing as well.. Thought not as flashy as the latest generation of Mercedes, but I find it really pleasant to look at.. 

The one thing that bug me whenever I see this car is the big and shiny chrome kidney grill.. It just looks weird to my eyes.. The 320i in Malaysia came in the Sport variant with black out door frame and the big chrome grill just looks awful.. So naturally, this will be the first mod that I did for my car..

I chose the design grill design that is similar to the original instead of the M3 or M340i style grill.. Actually, I regretted getting this as the insert can be taken out.. If I bought the M3 style grill, then I will have 2 different design for the grill.. But can't complaint much as I don't think I will have the time to keep changing the design.. This is basically mod and forget.. 

The size for both grills are actually the same.. Just the angle of the pic making the black one looks a lot smaller.. The black out version looks so much meaner comparing to the chrome version.

This is 100% original before any mod done to it.. 

After changing to the black out version.. Really transform the looks of the car.. In my opinion, it should leave the factory with the black out version as standard! Luckily this is something that is easy to do.. Those interested to change it can search from Youtube on the steps of dismantling it.. Is a very easy job which takes around 15 mins.. But the outcome is priceless.. 

Been driving around in the latest BMW 3 series codenamed G20 for the past 8 months or so.. So far I got nothing but praises for it.. My G20 is the base 320i Sport variant.. Not the 330i or the full blown M340i that was launched recently.. But no complaint so far.. However, those that know me personally will most probably know that I got a disease that is call 'ICLMCS' which translate to 'I can't leave my car standard' disease'!! 

Did some small mod here and there and so far I'm loving it.. Didn't go crazy with the mod yet as the 5 years unlimited mileage warranty is still intact.. Don't wish to void the warranty because of all the mods.. Most of the mods I did so far were mainly cosmetic.. Did something to the engine as well but that is plug and play.. No crazy ECU flashing at this moment.. 

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*