Easter Weekend shoot with Olympus Ep-1

During the long weekend of Easter, I went to an offshore island in Singapore called St John Island. The ferry took about 20mins from the new Marina South Pier. As it is a public holiday, there was a significant crowd.
There is not much to do in the island and that's the beauty. We had a simple picnic and we think hard to play with the kids. In our so called busy life style in Singapore, we always busy with kids enrichment, work, TV, Ipad and Handphone. Going to a simple island like St John is a good break. We have good bonding session with our kids too.

The next morning, I also went to the Sembawang park to shoot some sunrise shots with one of my church friend who love Landscape shooting.

The equipment used was Olympus Ep-1 and the new 17mm F1.8 and the super wide 9-18mm.
The new 17mmf1.8 was bought to replace the Fuji 35mmf1.4. I personally preferred a (m43/ 17mm with is 35mm equivalent focal length rather the 52mm equivalent on the fuji 35mm lens) The 50mm focal length in fullframe term seems too tight for me in most situations.

In comparison with the 35mm Fuji X lens and the 17mm Olympus, I found that the AF on the latter is much smoother and positive thus giving me more joy and confidence. If I were to upgrade the EP-1 in the future back to a Ep-5 or OM-d, it will be much more faster in AF. But for now the EP-1 is good enough for me.

I really don't know why I still prefer Olympus Pen (m4/3) more than the Fuji X system. In term on image quality, although the Fuji wins hands down in terms of noise in high ISO. I still find my Pen more appealing in terms of simple handling and colours.

Here are some photos.

Exploring the island

Old sampang (boat) 

Abandon House in St John 

One of the many cats in St John

Hilly contours in St John

Sunrise in Sembawang

Domke F6 Rugged Wear

I have used a Domke F5BX and F803 before. Both has it's advantages and disadvantages in terms of sizes and handling. If I am having a single mirrorless system like the EM-5 OMD and fix lenses (14,25,45mm) the F5bx is more then enough. As I started to go into the Fuji X system and adding a longer zoom lens like the 55-200mm Fuji X lens, the F5BX seems too small.
The F803 is a great design where it is able to hold a ipad on the back slot. However, due to the narrow width design (look like a messenger bag) , it is  kind of tight to put in  a body and lens into it. Definitely not a smooth process in loading and taking out the camera.

I have tried the Lowepro Passport sling 2. It is a cool looking bag, but I do not like the fact that the small pockets for accessories are unable to be zipped or closed. So I won't dare to put anything like batteries/SD cards into the side pockets. The nylon material is not as comfortable and felt rough.

So until recently, I saw this Domke F6. It met my requirement, with a spacious interior and 2 zipper pockets where I am able to put smaller items into these pocket with security.
The F6 is able to hold 1 EP-1 and 17mm lens. I can put  my second body Fuij XE-1 with 55-200mm fixed. There is space for another 2 more additional lenses (18-55mm Fuji or the 9-18mm Olympus).


Inside of F-6- Xe-1 w 55-200mm mounted. FEB5 rangefinder w 55mm. Plus 2 lenses and a flash. More space for another body or accessories.

The fact that the canvass material of the domke is stretchable gave lots of additional space. The bag is soft and comfortable to carry. I also love the classic look of this camera bag. It is not too big or too small.

Fuji Xe-1 w 18-55/55-200 at Bandung Indonesia

I was traveling to Indonesia Bundung City for the 1st time with my company. This is a short trip and a free incentive trip. I knew that it was not a photography trip but more a sightseeing trip with fellow colleagues . Nevertheless, a day tour trip brought us to a volcano area and there is some photo opportunity. I stay as light as possible putting my mirrorless Xe-1 and 18-55/55-200 in my Lowepro Passport sling II. I would say that the passport sling is very well suited for travel. With the camera setup, I can put my jacket, wallet and Samsung Note II into the main compartment.

The Fuji XE1 with the zooms lenses well covered everything the trip need. From personal style shoot to shooting my company colleauges (normal and low light)  My Olympus wide angle 9-18mm and Fuji 35mm was kept at home.