A New Tune

I had been contemplating going up onto medium format for quite some time. There were plenty of contenders, and the couple main ones at the moment were the Pentax 645Z and the Hasselblad X1D. They were not cheap certainly. But the one I was anticipating would be the Fuji GFX 50S. All 3 uses almost similar sensors, about 1.7 times bigger than my current full-frame gears.

But they were going to be big and heavy. And I mainly like street work. And I have fast glasses to cover 28, 35, 50 and 85mm, not to mention standard and wide-angle zooms.

In the last few months, I had been mainly doing wide-angle walks. I decided to use a 85mm 1.4 rig yesterday. The overcast weather made the decision easy. And I was able to snap both indoors and evening outdoors without much hassle.

After looking at the results, it made me think about whether it would be worth the effort, cost and hassle of upgrading and abandoning the system I built over the years to accommodate this new endeavour. Bearing in mind, I was not planning of getting any monetary return from all this.

So, as it stood at the moment I might venture into medium format in the future. The question was not if, but onto which system. Apart from the Hasselblad, I don’t think the other medium format setup had the upper hand to my current kit. When I do go medium format, I would expect the results to blow me away, similar to when I was first able to use a Leica properly and appreciate what a sharp lens really meant.

I remember the advise from one of my mentor, that when you go into the field I am in - a Haemato-Oncologist, you would need an escape. For me it had always been photography since my student years. Guess, I would need to up my game now ….

Monumen Alaf Baru

This entry was originally written in June 2015

The name could literally be translated to "The Millenium Monument", and built to mark the turn of the century. It was located at Presint 2, just 500m from Masjid Besi and across the river from Ayer@8. It had a lush green surrounding and the breeze from the lake made at a popular attraction.

I had the chance to fly my drone near it and capture a number of snaps. It looked like there was a new attraction near the monument in the form of a tethered hot air balloon ride, called the Skyrides Festivals Park. Not really to ride in one for the time being. Maybe I would do so if I had a foreign visitor with me.

It was quite fun flying there since there were plenty of landmark to see. I also flew across the lake towards Ayer@8 and also inland towards a race track for those into motor sports. That morning, there was a mini bike event taking place. I took the time to hover around the event trying not to catch too much attention.

There was also a cafe there by the lake for breakfast, but I had to rush back to the hospital to do my ward round. So, maybe next time.

What did I learn this time around? Flying at 9 am gave the best lighting for landmarks - although the shimmer won't be as brilliant as a sunset flight I took at Titiwangsa. It might also be fun to see if there are events going on at the sight when you plan to drone. You never knew that there may be things to photographs. But obviously, best to ask permission first .... Although most of the time, nobody would bother.

More Exploration

This entry was originally written in May 2016

It was Sunday morning and after gaining confidence from the flight at Marina Putrajaya the evening before, I decided to return to Putrajaya, but this time around, I picked a more conventional spot. It was Dataran Putra, right in front of the Prime Minister's Department and the famous Masjid Putra.

I arrived there quite early, when the sun was still low and hidden behind the hills and low clouds. I took the time to plan my route. I realised that to get some good light for the Masjid, I had to approach from the opposite site, far too close to the Prime Minister's Office.

So, I decided to take the high route and flew high to get a clear connection to the drone while taking the footage. It worked out great in the end and when the sun finally came out, the light was brilliant.

Apart from the Masjid, the actual Dataran Putra - basically a roundabout - was also a vista. I also flew across the lake to look at Istana Darul Ehsan as well as Jambatan Seri Wawasan.

The Istana was a gift from the Federal Government to the Sultan of Selangor for giving away the land - Putrajaya - to the Federal Government to build this administrative centre. It was clear from the aerial view how well the whole township was planned. There were still plenty of space and there were areas which were still not fully developed. The public transport over there was still a problem with the initially-proposed tram system not coming into fruition.

What did I learn from this outing? Basically how to plan for the routes for great light when flying the drones. Angle was everything as you were at the mercy of available light when you take photos of such buildings.

Halloween at BSC

It was that time of the year again and certainly around Bangsar, there were plenty of expats family playing along with the celebration.

It was all in great fun although there were parties who took themselves too seriously at times and went on to ben this kind of thing. It was up to them, but certainly quite interesting to browse around at BSC ….

Another Combo

The sunshine this morning was amazing again. And before heading out to work, I decided to dust off another lens of mine, the Zeiss Distagon FE 1.4/35 for my Alpha 7R mk2. I was using my Summicron-M on Monday. I decided to have a change. I missed how easy it was to use a setup with built-in autofocus ….

After around 40 shots, I think I might just take combo out the next time I was in town. A bit heavier than my usual setup, but judging from the results, it may be some extra weight worth carrying.

The pop that you would normally see with a Zeiss lens was definitely there. The shimmering morning light certainly brought out the luminous colour of everything I snapped. Sharpness? No question about that …. So watch this space!