Canon 17-40 F4L and Canon 70-200 F4L IS USM

My wife recently got me 2 L-lenses that will help us provide quality photographs for our Studio 2716 clients.   I chose these lenses because they are the cheapest, sharpest, lightest and toughest L lenses of Canon to date.

The things that I considered why I bought the Canon 17-40 F4L are:

•  It is the cheapest ultra-wide angle lens in Canon's lens lineup.
•  Although it doesn't have IS (Image Stabilization), I don't think that it will be a major factor on my photo-shoots.
•  It is an easy walk-around lens.  It is light yet it is weather sealed.
•  I chose this over the Canon 10-22 because I plan to go full-frame (I hope my wife will not kill me, if she sees this...)
• It minimizes flare or most of the time shots reflected with no flare when shooting directly to a light or sunlight.

 

 And the things I considered why I bought the Canon 70-200 F4L IS USM (Ultra-sonic Motor) are:

• It is a little expensive over the Canon 70-200 F4L USM and a little less expensive over the Canon 70-200 F2.8 USM.   These two lenses doesn't have IS that I believe will be a major factor when shooting indoors with a telephoto.
• It is lighter than the Canon 70-200 F2.8L USM and  Canon 70-200 F2.8L IS USM.   Its light-weight features can greatly contribute when doing a photo-op on events (birthdays, christenings, and weddings).
• It has great image quality and sharper than the Canon 70-200 F2.8L USM.
• It is a cheap L lens for its class.
• Well built and weather sealed.

To all who are considering to buy their first L-lens, these two are really worth of your investment.

The Fun Balance

Work life balance is a state we professionals want to achieve.  A topic we often come across in trainings provided by our company.  It is mistaken to be too ideal instead of an attainable goal.  It will not make you superhuman once achieved but it rather requires our out most discipline and time management to maintain it.

When I thought of it further, it would be great if I can share things that I’ve learned during the course of my career.   Then, I wondered if I’m credible to provide these insights.  I asked myself if 8 years of working as an IT professional is enough to gain wisdom and impart it to those who are just starting in their careers and to those who I look up to and are ahead of me.  In reality it is not, but I believe I have bumped into one or two things that helped me achieve a sense of work and life balance.

The picture above describes what work life balance is, which is all about having fun. As I watched this man and his group of friends take turns on going through their mini-obstacle, I realized that this is somewhat similar to our lives.  Life is full obstacles no doubt and this does not deviate from the obstacles we face in our life at work.

Oftentimes we are presented with daunting tasks and we stress ourselves thinking that it is too much. We forget what brought us through during those sleepless nights in college, why we chose our fi eld of expertise and what we used to be when we had a burning desire to prove ourselves at work.

Delight is often forgotten when we are consumed by things in our life. Work will not be tiresome if we delight on what we do. Dragging ourselves out of bed and coming early in the office will not be a problem if we find something delightful to look forward in our work.  One can ask: how can I fuel myself to enjoy things at work? I say to you that there are lots of things in the office that you can have joy with.  It can be your coworker that you have fun talking and working with.  It can be your boss that shares with and mentors you.  It can be new things you learn. A nifty way of doing
a C# code, a satisfi ed customer, a fast and accurate fulfilment of a customer concern, an involvement in improving your team’s process, a simple tap on the back by a colleague saying you are doing good job.

These are just things that we can enumerate and use to satisfy our thirst for joy in work.  I would like to end by saying that in whatever you do, put your heart into it.  It really makes a difference if there is happiness, love and passion in what you do. It sustains and affects the people around you. It reflects in your whole being and you’ll learn to appreciate the beauty of life.

Earth Hour 2012

Every year we participate in Earth Hour.  We got home just in time for the event while I was so excited to unwrap our new gadget.  But, I opted to wait patiently and give something back to Mother Earth.  I hope everyone took this opportunity to do the same. :)

Chinese New Year at Binondo Manila

My visit at the oldest Chinatown in the world were celebrated with a lot firsts.  It was my first time at Binondo, the first mini photowalk of our company's photography club and my first time to experience the celebration of the Chinese New Year.

We started our trek at the Ongpin friendship arc near the Carriedo fountain.  As we entered the arc, the sidewalks were filled with vendors selling fruits, little Chinese ornaments, jewelries, hopia, tikoy and so much more.  I told myself that the place was promising and it looks exactly the way I have it on my mind.

We continued our trek inside the Ongpin street and stopped every time we got curious on the items sold by the street vendors.   Until, we heard a loud drumbeat.  We paused for a while and look at each other.  In our eyes you will see that everyone knew that the sound was the signal of a dragon dance performance.  So we hastened our walk and followed the beat. As we approached the show the drumbeats got louder and louder and it was in T. Alonzo that we stopped and saw the dragon dance performers.

We gathered our selves and took our spots were we can have good angles of the show.   The spectators pile up anticipating and watching as if it was the first dragon dance of the morning.

The performance ended with a long and loud sound of fire crackers with dragons dancing and running all over the street.   It was a great start of our adventure, we already saw a dragon dance and we haven't finish walking the long Ongpin street yet.

So, we walked up until the end of the street and saw a lot of the stores that made famous the "Binondo Food Stop".  We continued taking pictures at vendors and stopping at famous stores in Chinatown.  We also stopped on every drumbeat and every firecracker we heard.

It was nearing noon when we decided to take our lunch.  We went to T. Pinpin street to look for the famous New Toho Food Center (one of the oldest restaurants in Metro Manila).   I used the GPS built in my phone and we were able to find the resto.  We immediately picked our orders and we ate yang chow fried rice, beef with broccoli, chop suey and Toho's famous pork asado like hunters. :)

We culminated our adventure by taking a photo with a dragon and buying at the best-selling shanghai fried siopao.

Overall, it was a very fun experience for me and my wife.  We've meet new friends and we were able to enjoy the festivities and good food!   I can't wait to go back to Binondo next year for another Chinese New Year experience or better yet explore the different restaurants here even if it is not a new year's celebration.

Where the City Lights Begin

Dusk is approaching
Its time for me to go
Caught up with this busy traffic
Searching for the path that I should flow
Droplets gushing at my window
I wonder if beauty can be bestowed
In the midst of this chaotic scene
The city lights made himself known

Canon EF 28mm 2.8

Last year I got a flash and this year I got a lens!  Thanks to Maffie who is very supportive of my hobby.  I initially thought this lens was already discontinued but surprisingly, it is still sold here.  I tested this lens and compared it with Tokina's 12-24mm F4 DX ii; Canon's 28mm resulted to be sharper.  It was sharp at 2.8, 4.0 and 8.0 and I believe that this is sharper than my 50mm 1.8, which is a bit soft at 1.8 and 2.8.   Although, this lens is noisy when on AF but definitely well compensated by its sharpness.

(From left to right: Nienie, Flippie, Yongie and Happie)

Maffie made a habit of of naming my gadgets and she named the 28mm Happie.  I did not get the chance to blog about my other gadgets, so might as well talk about them. :)

I'm glad to have a powerful camera that the Canon 60D offered.  ISO handling at 3200 was very good and the noise in the pictures were well compensated. It felt different using it because I started with a small camera (a Canon Rebel XS).   The automatic lighting optimizer had 3 levels compared to the Rebel which only has one level.  It helps minimize the shadows on your picture but of course reflectors are still the best to use.  It has a whooping 5.3 FPS but mediocre from its ancestor's FPS which is at 6.3. Plus, the good thing about this camera is that I got it on sale!

The Lowepro Flipside 300 can fit all of my lenses, two cameras and flash. It has 2 side pockets to keep  SD cards and compact flash cards.  The right side pocket can be use as a bottle holder in case used for travelling. It has a center holder for a tripod.  Gadgets are easily accessed by flipping the bag at the back, maybe that is why it is called Flipside.

Powered by 6 Alkaline batteries or 2 Sony Li-on batteries, the Yong-nuo LED light is a portable and compact light source.   I use it as my extra light for our food adventures in the city and a light source for low-light conditions.

  The family photographed by Nonnie, Gripie and Zoomie

A Thousand Months to Remember

360 months had past and it feels like there is already a thousand months to remember.  Moments that are captured by our cerebrum data bank or by the friendly digital picture makes me ponder and wonder of the great things that are ahead of me.

Trials and tribulations hone me to be a strong rock and defines me to be a man.  Good times and fun stuffs declare that I am still a kid at heart.

To my family and friends that cultivate the seeds that are planted in my heart.  Thank you for teaching me the simplicity of life and how to appreciate it.  Indeed you are blessings from up above.

To my Maffie who helps me to become his Dabbie, I look forward for our thousand months to remember. =)

Timothy's 1st: A Pre-Birthday Shoot

It was my first time to do a pre-birthday shoot.  I did not have any concepts in mind but I just want to project the happiness and love of a family in my pictures.

It was a 1st for Timothy who is celebrating his 1st birthday and his 1st pre-birthday shoot.  We had a great weather at that time and the sunshine was added by the smiles of Timothy and his parents.  I hope you guys will like this!

I have a long way to go in photography, but I'm glad that I had fun taking pictures and meeting these friendly people.  It has also been a while since I last posted here and at that brief moment, I think I lost the passion in photography.  Good thing I have friends who share the same passion with me and that brought back the fire burning within me. :)

See you again sir and ma'am! :)

Bhang's Justice League Birthday Party

2 weeks ago I attended a colleague's birthday party at Shakey's.  Its been a while since I last saw her and she is making good progress in her recovery.  It is a fit for her to have a justice league party because she is really fighting her recovery like a superhero!

I'm glad to see you Bhang and I hope you will see this is as a simple gift and you will also realize how much people love you as a person and how much they miss to hang out with you.  I am hoping and praying for your fast recovery!   See you soon!!! =)