Two from Saturday

Ok, these pictures are not from today but I could not post them on Saturday since they did not fit in so decided to post them now. Both are taken with the Ricoh GR lens at f2.8.

First Ricoh HK Meetup

Today, was the first Ricoh meetup in Hong Kong so let me start by saying thanks to Nevin and Laikok for organising this meetup.
There were only 20 seats available but over 100 applications for this meetup.

Unlike the last London meetup we had a wider variety of Ricoh cameras with the GRD cameras being the most prominent, followed by the GXR with M mount and then some GX200 and CX cameras.

There was a relaxed atmosphere and some games and speeches held by some of the local bloggers, including Nevin.
Since my Cantonese is none existent I could not follow all of it but it was great to talk to some of the people attending.

As a treat for the people joining this meetup Ricoh released some information about the upcoming GXR zoom module.
The official announcement will be on Monday so you have to wait till then for all the details but you can get a very good idea what to expect from reading my last London meetup report.

With this my holiday is over and tomorrow will be my flight back to London.

Tablet Photography

I understand taking pictures with your phone but I will never understand how people think it’s a good idea to hold a massive 10″ tablet in front of your face to take pictures with. What’s even more puzzling is that cameras found in tablets are really poor compared to even the cheapest phones. It is fun to see though as it looks pretty silly.

More from the Mong Kok Markets

Walking around the markets in Mong Kok is a great way to spend the day and something everyone coming to Hong Kong should do.

Visit to Tai O

I took the ferry to Mui Wo and then the bus to Tai O where I spent most of the day wandering around and taking pictures. In the end I did not take all that many pictures but enjoyed the walk.

People in Mong Kok

Just a few pictures from my walk around Mong Kok this morning, I wanted to have a theme so kept it to only these pictures for today.
Afterwards I went to the Walled City park and walked up to the Peak in the evening which was a bad idea (note to myself, next time walk down rather than up).

As a special I have a bonus picture of the Ginger Man.

I took pictures of him last time I’ve been here in 2008 (see one here) and was really happy to see him again. He either recognized me or always has a smile for people taking pictures of him but whatever the reason I hope to see him again next time I come to Hong Kong.

If you are in Hong Kong and wander around the markets in Mong Kok, keep an eye out for the Ginger Man.

Hong Kong Bay Cruise

Arrived in Hong Kong today.It’s great to be back here but I kind of miss Vietnam already.

Sunset over Lamma Island

GX200, f3.5, 1/230, ISO 64, RAW, 50mm

After Guangzhou it was nice to have a break and be away from crowds and big cities. Lamma island is fun and a nice visit, at least once.
The GX100 got drenched by a wave while being on but it still worked fine and after drying it for a while it’s like new. The lens might be wobbly as a design choice and there are dust problems with it but it survived this without a problem.Water definitely god inside but drying got rid of it. My GRD I started acting up after having water get inside through the lens.

Why Boats?

GX200, f7.1, 1/320, ISO 64, RAW, 50mm

This will probably be what you are thinking after today’s picture. Well, the answer is simple. First, I wanted something different and second, I went to Stanley today and it felt like a beach holiday so decided to share this. Should also bring some more color in my blog. At the same time it is a different part of HK and shows that HK is not only tall buildings, narrow alleyways and markets.
Don’t worry, you can find my street shots and b&w pictures in my Dropbox gallery. Also today no camera or gear talk, just the picture :).

Change Given

GRD, f4, 1/250, ISO 1600, JPG b&w

Ok, I just love the GRD I for street photography. I know, I said it before but there is no better camera out there. The JPGs at ISO 400 and 1600 look great, grainy but very crisp and with lots of detail. The huge depth of field and instant shutter release are also very helpful and allow me to look for photo opportunities and compose my shot rather than worry about various things. The GRD I never gets in the way and I can rely on it to take the shot when I want to.
Having both the GX200 and GRD I with me in HK is great as it helps making clear what I really want and expect from a camera.

HK is great for street photography and especially in the evening you can get some great shots. I can only recommend you walk around and step away from the main roads and into the dark and narrow side streets, this is where you get some great shots of people and the gritty stuff :).