Cherry Blossom Memories.

最後一年的春天就要到了。

加油。

初春

晩熟

池袋ハロウィンコスプレフェス 2016

昨日、池袋へ友たちと遊びに行きました。

今年の池ハロに写真はあまり撮らなかったが、いつも通り楽しかったです　(^ ^)

Sundown. Embracing a new self.

写真から

音楽が聞こえたらいいな

君は今

どんな曲聞いてるの

デジタル編

我對隨身相機完全沒有抗拒力

I'm a sucker for compact cameras.

不管是數碼相機還是膠片相機，隨身相機在我的器材庫中總有它們的一席之地。

我深愛著我最近兩個月每天塞口袋裏面的GR。但是我想也是時候在隨身家族裏加入新朋友了。

這臺Olympus XA是我的下一個收藏品。

雖然也不算是什麼稀有物，但是相信我應該會很珍惜它。我一直在找一個比我的Konica C35和Canon Canonet QL17 G-III更小的手動對焦隨身相機，而這臺XA正是我選擇的答案。

Olympus把35mm的小廣角鏡頭配合F2.8的光圈做到這麼小的機身裏面，實在很難得。據說這裡面的鏡片裏面還有一枚是螢石鏡片，不知道是不是真的。

Love for GR

It has been over 3 months since I bought the Ricoh GR and GR1S, and unlike most other cameras I have owned, it's really been a no-regret kind of relationship between me and the GR.

I don't think I need to elaborate more on the cameras themselves. They are the GR. What makes them special, I believe, are the innate simplicity and utilitarian design that's inherited all the way from film to the digial age.

The only gripe I have with the digital GR is not that it doesn't have a full-frame sensor, because I'm actually fine with it having an APS-C sized sensor if it means to limit the size and weight of the body. I find it funny, using my GR and GR1S alongside each other very often, that I can sometimes hit the OVF-less digital GR in my face because I thought I needed to look into the viewfinder like when I use the GR1S.

That's it. I have no other complaints.

「ＧＲを超えるものはＧＲしかない。」

夏 花火 北海道 *･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

北陸旅行から帰りました。

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

2年ぶりの旅に出て、昨日帰宅しました。以前は北海道へ行ったことがあるが、今回は初めて富良野と美瑛町へ行きました。美しい景色や場所を巡ってみました。

この夏は、去年より、幸せな思い出が心に残りましたね。

来年は関西へ行きたいです。ＵＳＪへ行きたいです　♪( ´▽｀)

北海道編

行って良かった

A Taste of Yashica and Tomioka

This is a late exhibition report.

The author of Time for Lenses（レンズの時間）, Mr. Suzuki, held a little exhibition at Popeye Camera a few months ago. On display were photographs taken by him with rare lenses (like the Zunow 50mm F1.1) and fun, mostly unknown stuff such as some modified-lenses.

There were also a couple of his favorite lenses on sale, most with pretty decent price tags.

Intrigued by compact rangefinder cameras, I was immediately gravitated towards a modified-Yashica COLOR-YASHINON DX 45mm F1.7 converted to the Fujifilm X-Mount. Although by no means is this lens hard to find on the internet for sale, it's definitely a rare sight in person.

Legend says that this lens, which was originally paired with the Yashica Electro 35 series of cameras, was designed and made by the guys over at Tomioka. Tomioka famously made many great Yashica lenses in the past, and was also credited in manufacturing the legendary Yashica ML 55mm F1.2 on the C/Y mount. 

Mr. Suzuki, having done various interviews with optics manufacturers, later confirmed for me that this lens was indeed made by Tomioka.

The Beauty of Vintage, Or Why I Use Fuji X

Telling other photography enthusiasts that I use Fuji is sometimes a scary thing to do. You see, there are many other enthusiasts who believe that “Full Frame is the way to go” or that “Mirrorless cameras are for pussies”. Although I strongly disagree with these statements nowadays, I can see where they are coming from. Because being a FF-addict myself in the past, I can definitely remember my lust for ever-shallower DoP (BOKEHHHHHH!!!) and (on paper) amazing high ISO capabilities.

But everything got a bit bland for me once I dove into the the world of FF cameras. Nikon D810s of the world and Sony α series of cameras of the world just seemed too boring for me. Sure, DSLRs are great work horses, but I find them implausible to shoot streets with without intimidating one or two pedestrians; Sony FF cameras are IQ-beasts, but I found them ill-designed in the software department. Now, I realize that photography is not all about the looks, the style, and glitters and gold, but sometimes just a bit of ‘oomph’ to entice one’s photography zeal wouldn’t be so bad, right? That’s exactly why I started exploring Fuji-X and vintage lenses.

The new generation of APS-C sized sensors are really, really, really good, to my pleasant surprise. Recently updated models like Nikon’s D7200, Pentax’s K-3II, and Fuji’s 16 megapixel sensor cameras are all capable of squeezing out outstanding IQ in low light. In some cases these APS-C sensors, I found, are even outperforming certain FF cameras. (i.e. Sony’s original A7 and A7R)

And today, Sony has just announced three G Master branded lenses to expand their growing FE mount lineup of lenses. They look incredibly amazing from the specs, and I truly believe Sony has just brought another wave of image quality revolution. I have never been disappointed by Sony cameras’ and high-end lenses’ image quality.

Nostalgia | Shooting in Digital & Film

Danish photographer Thorsten von Overgaard once said in his video “A Life with Leica”, that “When I have something, where it’s timeless. It could be 1950, 1930, it could be 2004, and nobody can really tell, and it doesn’t really matter. That’s a good photograph.”

I believe there is always something that all of us can have a soft-spot for, in our nostalgic human nature. Whether it is a retro artifact or a treasured memory, something that is considered ‘old’ in today’s technological advancements can still be timeless to our hearts. And I believe this is exactly why many of us photo enthusiasts still dedicate ourselves to shooting film every now and then in this digital age.

I’m not a film-only shooter by any means, nor am I a film-centric shooter. I own a Nikon F3 and a Contax T2, and that’s about it for me. Every once a while I grab one of these cameras and load a roll of Ilford or Portra into them, but I do it for mostly the sake of enjoyment of slowing down my photography and not worrying about reviewing every shot after pressing the shutter button.

After a year into my Nikon F3 especially, I’ve found that not only have I learned to capture scenes with the atmosphere-exposure balance I have imagined, but I’ve also fell for the lure of the ‘fimilc look’: the natural grain, the controlled contrast, and the subtle fade. Now in my digital works I try to mimic the colors and tones of my film photographs. Not that I want to trick people to believe I don’t use digital, but I have a lust for that (not to sound too cliché here) timeless look.

X-Gene: A Love and Hate Story | Fujifilm X-PRO1 & X-T1

I am happily married to my Nikon gear.

But there’s always room for lovers. Right?

So before I tried out the Sony stuff, I’ve also found myself buying a X-Pro1 from Fuji. For about 4 months I used the Fuji for everyday snaps and of course occasional usage in portrait sessions; however, I have to say my experiences were… Let’s just say I was puzzled, and I’ll elaborate on that later. I ended up selling the X-Pro1 in mid-2015.

When I eventually sold the A7 II, I decided to give Fujifilm another chance. This time with their flagship X-T1. Two months into my purchase, all I have to say is: WOW.

I would like to share my thoughts on both the X-Pro1 and X-T1 with you. But first, let’s take a look at the size comparison of the X-T1 with my D800.

I understand it might not be fair to judge a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens on a DSLR with a crop-mirroless paired with a kit-prime, but hey, I dare you to try putting a 50-equiv. on the Nikon body and see for yourself. It’s pointless to compare, guys. Let’s just get over it.

Image Quality & Dynamic Range:

There isn’t a significant difference between in the IQ department between my X-T1 and the X-Pro1. Now, I do realize they use different sensors (yet both owning a X-Trans 16mp identity) and processors, with the X-T1 clearly being more advanced and matured. But both share perfectly acceptable high-iso capabilities and killer JPEG engines. What’s more on the X-T1, safe to say, is just better at high-iso, but only just a smidge.

I am NOT a JPEG guy when I can shoot in RAW. Typically because I do like to take time in post to adjust my pictures to my liking. With that being said, Fujifilm does offer a killer JPEG engine in these X-series cameras.