Yuo Gai with GXR S10

^I like using the S10 with Ricoh's wide-angle converter to give an exaggerated perspective to the images.

If you've been with GX GARENERINGS for some time, you've learned a number of Cantonese expressions. While Mandarin or Putonghua is called the national language, Cantonese has a stronger links to the old Chinese culture as it retains a close tie with the ancient Chinese language. We can talk more about this topic in some other posts.

A large part of the Chinese words is homophonic. While "yuo" means "again" when pronounced in the sixth tone, it also means "travel" in the forth tone. "Gai", as you've learnt, refers to "a street".

So, the post topic says, "travel (on the) street with GXR S10".

Like the GX200, the 1/1.7" small sense makes the S10 better suit to street photography. The improved high ISO performance allows the photographer to use as high as ISO 800 for images with reasonable IQ.

The Chinese New Year is coming. So the kiosks are covered in red because this is the auspicious colour for Chinese. Tuning the White Balance Correction can either water down or boost the reddish tone. This is really a great function to be included in a camera, especially when the user interface is so friendly.

Having used the GX200 for over a year, honestly, I am more used to the shallow DOF than the "regular" DOF given by like the APS-C sensor of the A12. So I have found the S10 more familiar. The GXR body does give the S10 an edge over the GX200 in ergonomics, not least because of the new VF-2 of a higher resolution mounted on the GXR I am using.

Another reason why the S10 is a better choice for street photography is that it has vibration correction while the A12 has none. I think for the new generation of photographers, a lens without shake correction capability is something they cannot forgive.

Using the GXR S10 for street photography is fun but as a GX200 owner, the amazement does not come as great as using the A12. For one thing, the A12 has ,unlike the GX200 or S10, a prime lens and requires the photographer to move to the right location rather than zooming the lens to an ideal focal length for the desirable angle.

Comments

A Real Hero

(Grip On Reality: This photo was taken on my way to work. I was walking past trucks parking on a cul-de-sac when the ropes caught my attention. The light was right, the colour was right and the criss-crossing pattern was perfect and I held up my GX200. People passing by checked me out and wondered what could be made out of such a boring scene. To me, the fun in photography is that the photographer makes something interesting out of what is not obvious to most at the scene. The ropes tied in knots somehow reminded people I know who are in the grip of the recession) You must have also known a friend or two, or even yourself, being baffled by the spiral downturn of the economy. Bank went bankrupt and the rich was faced with a shrinking wealth. A friend of mine has just had his salary cut by over 10% and some of his colleagues started to be shed. But, wait. Was this done really for the sake of continuing the business? Or is there a factor or greed in it? I wonder whether the

New Low Prices

The window shopping some hours ago has almost provoked my AgIDS illness. Just in case you’re in Hong Kong or are coming here, and have the money to burn (All in HK$/ body only): GX200 = $3,280 GRD2 = $3,380 LX3 = $3,180 G10 = $3,280 Prices are available form a gear shop on the 1st floor of the Mongkok Computer Centre. Besides these new low prices, I found that Wing Shing Photo (55-57Sai Yeung Choi St., MK Tel: 2396 6886/ 91-95 Fa Yuen St., MK Tel: 2396 6885) is offering a Sony A700 + Carl Zeiss Lens package for HK$9,980 (hopefully, a bargain will make it some hundreds cheaper).

Eye Contact

(Leica D-lux 5) The digital era may make it easier to end up with fave shots. Even lousy photos may be turned likable after a few clicks in the post-processing workflow. But if digital advancement or amendments have any bearing on the cultivation of personal style, no photographers will need to discover his or her own photographer’s eye. Undoutedly, this is out of the question. Only with a trained photographer’s eye can we give a thinking gaze and capture an eternal moment, in our unique style. Style is the soul of a great photo. A few posts have been written in GXG to touch on the topic of photographer’s eye. Instead of finding an answer, which would require academic discussions, the posts are intended to give my general reflections and spark interests in moving towards further exploration of the topic. The posts can be viewed after the links: 1) Photographer's Eye: Storytelling 2) Photographer's Eye: Little Show of Observing 3) Photographer's Eye: Sight-Worthy 4

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