GX GARNERINGS

The Radio and Television of Hong Kong, the local version similar to BBC, just published the results of its photo contest themed on the aged. Here are the winners. Let's learn from them. Category One: Old People Having Fun ^Winner: I Am a Happy Fellow. Gist of adjudicators' comments: Colours are soft and complementary. The subject gives a smile which looks young. A warm image overall. ^First Runner-up: Comparing Notes of Yore. Gist of adjudicators' coments: The composition and vibrant colours are impressive. The feeling between the two old ladies is truly represented. The hand holding gesture speaks strongly of their friendship. ^Second Runner-up: I Am Specific About My Hair. Gist of adjudicators' comments: The image has a sense of depth in terms of composition and connotation. It vividly reflects the leisure mood of the old man. The angel of shooting from behind the man is really intriguing. Category Two: Old People Gets On Well ^Winner: Family Fun. G...

I thought for awhile about the title. With the confine space of the subject line, I was left with limited choices. Long time readers of GX GARNERINGS are not familiar with the name SY Hsu , a young rising star in photography from Taiwan and two-time winners for several categories in PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris contest. In a previous post , his publication which won him the honour was introduced to readers. I just corresponded with him and learnt that the University for Creative Arts in UK, where he is going to earn his MA in Photography, has had him interviewed. For reason of controversy which these pictures may cause, the interview was withheld from appearing in the British press. (You may have well known that the rumour about the general way of doing things in the UK: If someting is mediocre, say good; good, say great; great, say excellent. Can the conservatism displayed be a matter of similar manner? You tell me.) So I have the pleasure and his courtesy to publish another th...

(Continue from yesterday's post) Well, did I succeed? I wandered around the children's section the size of a football pitch and noticed a small girl in a halter top reading a comic book. As the time-tested popular draws in any image are repetitive patterns and symmetry, what intrigued me for the scene was, besides the back of the little girl, the patterns repeated by the books. The colours look pleasant and conforming too. But without a frontal glimpse of the subject, the shot lacks punch. The image cannot reflect any unique aspect of the theme Readers Reading, which I knew in the next second and therefore moved on. Then I came across two young readers sitting on the floor reading. I am not a feet fetishist but the curves of the four skinny legs simply held my interest. But how could I relay the image to the theme? I tested a shot including only the young chaps and the shelf behind them in the image. (Later on, I experimented the same for the two adutls behind the book shelf.)...

^I was so tempted by his typical gesture of reading to tell of the same theme and the more dramatic light/ shade disturbution I could find in the bookstore that I balantly pointed the GX200 exactly this close to him and prepared to shot. He gave me a glimpse but didn't budge, so I released the shutter. The shot was pre-exposed and done in teh black-and-white TE mode. Only for a month or two since I bought the GX200 did I, being too occupied, not joined the monthly photo contest kindly arranged by Pavel of ricohforum.com, now the de facto official global customer centre for Ricoh cameras. The participation is not simply for winning's sake but more for showing support and sharpening my photographic skills. This is why I have actually contested some other photo competitions, sometimes successfully, sometimes not so. The greatest reward is not in the prizes but the recognition. I expect to see my other photographic works to be exhibited alongside other finalists' who also almo...

If you are a GRDII user but haven’t noticed it, Ricoh is nice enough to share some of the GRDIII functions to the GRDII through a firmware to be released on 5 August for free download from the Ricoh website. It will be the final function-enhancing firmware update for the GR DIGITAL II. For details of the additional new functions, click here .

(A link to the translation of a preview with sample images is attached at the bottom of this post) The GRDIII looks promising with its new 28mm/f1.9 lens and the suspiciously full-TTL-compatible GF-1 flash, besides which, unfortunately, there is nothing really exciting about it. This controversial remark without looking at the real images is made on the previous assumption that the GRDIII would be powered by a larger sensor.   Of course, just as every dog has its day, every camera has the attention at some point of time, especially when it sees the first light. The matter is, after all the gleaming and glittering under the spotlight, whether the camera does justice to the photographers who buy a piece of machine at a dear price which is supposed to afford them some of the most advanced imaging technology at present and in the one or two years to come. The GRDIII is to be sold in an expectable higher price range. What if it had been given a bigger heart? It will sell l...

As expected, Ricoh releases the successor to the GRDII. And as expected, its codename is GRDIII. The Internet is certainly awash with the news now. The new features mainly include: 1.28 mm/F1.9 GR Lens (great!) 2.high-performance lens (as assumed) 3.low ghosting (hopefully addresses the issue in GRDII) 4.GR ENGINE III (lower noise? to be justified by samples) 5.lower pixel density (this sounds tempting really) 6.dynamic range expanded by up to +1 EV (disernable in reality) 7.multi-pattern auto white balance (interestingly, migrated from the lower-grade CX1) 8.quicker focusing response in low light (to be observed in reality) 9.quick-shooting function (AF operates when the shutter release button is pressed half way, but for a one-push full-press, the photo is taken at a set focal distance [1m/2.5m/5m/∞]. Thoughtful on paper. Really handy if its works as what Ricoh states.) 10.focusing follows the subject’s movement (sound like the simultaneous focusing as in G10) 11.Continuo...

Congratulations  to Nevin for his new toy, the VF-1.  I just hope to see when his plan to acquire the VF-1 and the accessories for the two conversion lenses plus the CX1, as well as the user’s review then, will be completed sooner. So, to accelerate the plan of all those which also include buying the CX1, here is a link to a group test featuring Ricoh CX1, Canon IXUS 110 IS, Casio EX-Z400, Fujifilm F100 EXR, Nikon CoolPix S620. The result is somewhat in flavour of the CX1.  I think the camera will make a good choice for the readers comtemplating it.

The iced tea is supposed mine. She steals a sip when I am not looking! So does this man! This is sunday. Have a nice day.