GX GARNERINGS

I have not been quite in touch with the launches of new cameras but learnt that Ricoh announces the CX4.  Just before I left Hong Kong, I tested the GXR P10 alongside the CX3, which I have yet to write my impression to post here.  There are some new features in the CX4 to maximise the fun of photography.  Good move!  But it is a shame that Ricoh has not added in the manual mode which will certainly boost the usability of those new features as well as the old ones, especially when the longer focal length is in use on account of the safe shutter speed, for one thing.  Next time maybe. The shame is the same for me not having the time to really travel around Tasi.  Next time maybe. Apart from my gripe about not being able to do many street shots with human activities, I like Tasi a lot for its atmosphere resembling that of a quite fishing village or an exotic Mediterranean isle.   Tasi is a great place for photographing the nature in especial ...

Tasmania is an island, though a big one, which has cities rather unlike the bustling urban areas in the big cities like Hong Kong, Sydney or London.  There have not been many chances for taking a street shot with passers-by or much human activities in Tasmania.  It was a rare chance that I noticed these two men taking a cigarette break an hour before lunch.  On the other hand, Tasi offers photographers opportunities aplenty to shoot the spectacles of Mother Nature.  The settings of a place do have some bearing on the photographic style and surely themes of a photographer. It reminded of a poem about Australia which roughly goes like this: Big, big, trees, trees Wide, wide,  roads, roads Nothing, nothing, empty.... Makes OZ sound uninspiring, right?  Interesting to read but opinionated.

A post office sign heaved into view when the car wound around the mild turn onto a long straight section.  The car was stopped soon for doing posting which became a chance for doing photos too. The way the locals arranged the makeshift mailboxes is simply adorable.

The shots are taken on a mountain of no name somewhere in Tasmania. The Samsung WB600 I took to Australia has produced some good shots which others may not able to with a large DSLR. It makes me grow increasingly tired of any cameras larger than the size of a palm and heavier than, say, a small bottle of distilled water. These small cameras cannot achieve clear images at high ISO values. But that's just a matter of taste and what the photographers shot. And nothing can beat the lightness of them in weight. The WB600 features most of the colour style as the NX1 does which for me works like choices of different films, saving me time to post-process the final images for slightly better results. The possibility to manually adjust the exposure combo is the strongest point of WB600, giving it an edge in flexibility and usability over its competitions, especially when the farthest focal length is in use. But, of course, the GX200 is still the gem if you ask me, save the restricted reach ...

These are some of the photos taken on the summit of Mt Wellington at Hobart of Tasmania. It was really cold up there and felt like barely above zero degree centigrade. The GX200 was mounted with the wide converter to achieve the wider perspective of which you may see the advantage by comparing the relevant photos with the third one taken at 24mm by the Samsung WB600.

"Dude, watch your hand.  That's MY car." (The truth is I robbed him of his toy car to get this expression from for the photo.) This is Sunday.   Have fun!