Bali photos in flickr

Written by Bernie
Posted July 4, 2008 at 11:34 am

Went away last weekend to Bali. Surprisingly, I felt that there wasn’t enough time for this photo trip, due to the many popular photography sites such as Uluwatu, Tanah Lot, the trip to Mount Batur and also Kuta beach itself. Wished I had more time there. Brought along all my lenses - 30mm f1.4, 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 and 10-20mm f4-5.6, resulting in a variety of shots from ultra-wides to telephotos.

Having used sharper lenses like the 30mm, I’m starting to find the 18-200 a bit of a disappointment at times (usually mid range, wide open) where it’s down right too soft. I’m no pixel peeper but this is just too much. Lucky that at 200mm, it’s sharpens up a bit. Even the 10-20 renders sharper images most of the time (though definitely not as good as the 30mm).

Here’s to hoping I can somehow afford a 70-200 or 50-150. Btw, this is the Inna Grand Bali Resort where I stayed my first night in Bali.

4 Comments

Filed under: Photography, Ramblings

Another New Day, Another New Lens

Written by Bernie
Posted June 22, 2008 at 5:10 pm

OK, that was a bad header. Who cares? The important thing is, I got a new lens! In preparation for the trip to Bali the end of the month, let me introduce the new member of my family, the Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6 ultra-wide angle lens. Purpose of the lens - to capture the dramatic landscapes of Bali. Got it second hand off another photographer who’s less inclined for ultra-wide angles and wanted to sell it off (gotta love these rich kids ). Reviews of the lens:

http://kenrockwell.com/tech/digital-wide-zooms/comparison.htm
http://www.shutterasia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3168 (local forum)
http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/nikkor-12-24mm/super-wide_shootout_3.html
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Sigma-10-20mm-f4-56-EX-DC
http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/Nikkor%20/%20Nikon%20Lens%20Tests/308-sigma-af-10-20mm-f4-56-dc-ex-hsm-lab-test-report–review

I’m loving the lens so far. It has an odd distortion effect for a non-fisheye lens @10mm but I’m OK with it. In fact, used properly, the exaggerated angle and distortion works. Can’t wait to try this thing out in the field!

2 Comments

Filed under: Photography

Wesak Day Outing

Written by Bernie
Posted May 20, 2008 at 11:10 am

It’s funny where photography leads you. It’s been years since I’ve last been to a place of worship - *any* place of worship. I’ve always been a person to question anything and everything, probably to the point of being plain unhealthy.

Well anyway, yesterday was Wesak Day and I ended up in the Maha Vihara Buddhist temple in Brickfields. It was tough for me because I really had no clue on what to shoot. I knew that if you go somewhere with no idea on what you wish to capture, you’ll probably end up with half-baked shots. I hope mine pass as half-baked.