The Joy of Using a New Camera

(Camera: Sony a55)

For photographers, it is always a joy to try out and, much more so, own a new camera, especially when the camera is full of surprises. The Sony a55 is definitely in the category of camera with surprises.

Although size-wise the a55 can in no way be called a compact, it actually feels lighter than the Samsung NX100 in the hand, thanks to its better weight distribution. Fitted with a 50mm lens for the shot of today, the a55 is really a gem in hand -- with loads of useful features and a cheap price tag. You would have marvelled at its value-for-money.

Today's shot was done with the HDR Auto on. In the unlikely event that you are not aware, Sony has engineered this function to combine three simultaneous shots into a final image with a dynamic range similar to that of the human eyes. It can either be left on auto-pilot for the camera to decide when and how to use it or be tuned to the desired effect levels to the user's taste. For all the shots taken with the HDR Auto on so far, the results come out with flying colours.

The poorly translated instruction manual doesn't help users understand the seemingly overlying HDR/ D-Range/ Multi Frame NR functions. Fact is, the HDR mode is primarily for scenes with statutory subjects, the D-Range for moving subjects (because it simply adjusts the tones without combining multiple images) and let's call the MF-NR function the catchy "museum mode" as this mode is for doing shots at high ISOs which need noise reduction.

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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

GX GARNERINGS

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