GX GARNERINGS

(A Busy Street: Before reading on, think of one desirable element which will improve this image) The other day I had a shootout with a friend who had been into photography lately. We had a coffee break and soon, leaving the cafe, noticed people bustling about in the street. At a confined corner facing the street near an entrance to a shopping centre, I asked the fellow, “Now, how would you express this busy street?” Shoppers were trooping past us. The confined conrner didn’t allow much room for maneuvering for a good angle. So, my friend pointed his camera to the crowd on the street and pressed the shutter, ending up with a usual image of a street full of passers-by. It was as bland as bland could be. So, I cued him to notice a flight of stairs behind us and the reflection on the ceiling. At once, I stood a step higher on the stair for a better view of the street, zoomed my GX200 to 72mm to tighten the frame and for the desired perspective, dialed the exposure to one step down to

By SY Hsu (translated by Nevin): Why only so little can I recall things about him? Why only so few and far between did I go see him then? Why the grin I saw on his face was when he no longer had any idea of who he himself was? When Grandpa was about to be admitted to hospital, he, lying in the Emergency Ward, hemmed and hawed. At long last, he asked me to call my Mum and spoke to her over the phone, “There is nothing to worry about, my dear. A cold, and that’s all. I’ll be alright in an instant .” There I could hold my tears no more. The other day Grandpa was immobilised in the living room by such a grave stomach pain that he insisted Mum to fetch him some sort of gripe water. As hard as could be, he tried with his trembling hand to write the Chinese characters for “Seirogan” (a Japanese gastrointestinal pills), which ended up in some illegible lines and strokes even though Mum, the nurse and I made our best guess to figure out his twisted handwriting. At a loss for a while, we final

(Fruit Spies: The couple are looking for fruits to give as gifts for the Chinese New Year goodwill visits. This is an unedited image straight out of my GX200. Check it out and I think the image is colourful) I was met with this question from a friend of mine who just bought a new camera. In fact, probably so do you, I have came across photographers grumbling about the hazy colour of photos taken with their cameras. Maybe the GX200 has a tricky in-camera setting which I am not aware of, or maybe it is a more advanced piece of machine, I have read similar questions more often from GX200 users. Every where has a wherefore. To name a few possible explanations: 1) The sky is hazy. 2) The sun is not shining at the desirable angel. 3) The air is polluted. 4) In case of a night shot, there is heavy light pollution. 5) The exposure combo is not right. 6) The EV has been pulled up for an average scene. 7) The scene is too contrasty and spotmetering is not used. 8) The previous exposure is accid

I have met quite a number of people who are gear freaks which actually doesn’t matter because most of us are, wanting and buying new gear regularly. What is sad about it is that these people acquire new gear without actually learning about, to take photography as an example, what the old camera can do and how to use it well. Sometimes, I am almost emotional for an advanced camera which is retired with its dial still on the P mode while its advanced buyer-owner is lauding an upgrade and use it for the same mode, which his the P mode. P-mode is not a sin but a photographer should try to use all available means to experiment his or her creativity. Improve Photographic Skill It will stand us in good stead if we spend at least as much time studying how to do photography as comparing the specs of almost every new camera. So next time your Acquired-gear-In-Defciency (AgIDS) symptom revives to haunt you, buy something other than a new camera which can help improve your photograph

(Very, very busy hands with three great cameras in one go) The three inseparable friends in The Three Musketeers, a novel by Alexandre Dumas , live by a well-known motto, “One for all, all for one”. Last Saturday, I managed to arrange a meetup in my citadel for the three modern musketeers (LX3, G10 and GX200). A variant version of the motto sprang to mind, “One camera for all purpose, all great features for one camera”. Before the meetup, I had a shootout with both the LX3 and the GX200. Then I returned home and played with the G10. I had actually played with the LX3 and the G10 before. But this was the first time I could sit down, compare notes with the users and feel the differences of the three in real time. (Focused: I walked behind the lady and, noticing the captivating gaze of the little girl, turned on my GX200 to MY2 which is set to MF at less than 1m and shot) The Focus This post is not going to compare the photos and give a review. There are already enough of them. I am m

Yesterday was the seveneth day of the Chinese New Year, which is also called "Yan Yuck" (Everyone's birthday). Back twenty years ago, shops generally returned to business on this day after the long Chinese New Year break. And it was on the seventh day when people could try their luck whether they could see the Chinese lions or even dragons dancing to give well wishes to shop owners. Colin Bradbury , who gave us a mini review of his GRD2 some week ago, was lucky enough to see a dragon dance and took some photos of it. He is going to share his luck with us. Thank you, Colin. By Colin Bradbury: I took the children to Sai Kung (literally, West Tribute; aka the backyard garden of Hong Kong) square last Sunday and at the last minute put the GRDII in my pocket. Just to prove the old saying that "the best camera is the one you have with you when you need it", while we were there the local lion dance around the square and in and out of the shops happe

Sunday is meant for a relaxing day. So, forget about the technique stuff and let me tell you a story. The above photo was taken in a typical open wet market in Hong Kong. Usually it is a road which has been flanked and occupied by the kiosks for so long that it becomes an open market at last. The kiosks continue to expand as time wears on. Eventually, the road is reduced to the width of a single lane carriageway. As the open market is actually sitting on a traffic road, cars are allowed to drive through it. Shoppers have to shun the moving cars, retailers sometimes to relocate the goods to make way for the drivers, who must drive in a cautiously slow speed while honking all along the narrow road. This is aptly illustrated by the photo. When I was a small boy, a friend of mine had to walk through an open market on a long ramped road to his school and back home. It was a long time ago and the environmental hygiene was not good. The road was uneven with numerous holes holding waste water