New Gears in the House XXVI

Sometimes I really like to buy from Shashinki.com. Its fast and convenient.

Back to the topic, my 1st tripod was severely damaged in my Sabah trip, hence I have to find a replacement unit.

I bought this tripod while I'm in Kundasang, Sabah, using my friend's iPhone 4. And when I reach home, the tripod was delivered to my door step next day.

(The tripod at its highest)

(At its lowest)

(Closer look at the Jusino AX-254C)


(One of the leg can be removed and used as a monopod)


(Carbon Fibre!!)


(The tripod legs can be reversed for easy storage)

Although this is not a popular brand like Manfrotto, but it is a Carbon Fibre tripod, which is what I dream for. Its light and yet durable.

I have not really try it out yet, but certainly it is better than my old tripod. I can now shoot low angle pictures!

Price: RM 728.00
Discount: -
Net: RM 728.00

Total spending to date: RM 16,563.03

Kota Kinabalu - Sabah Trip 2011

This is a year full of trips for me.

Kota Kinabalu (KK) is located East of Peninsular Malaysia. Perhaps the most famous attraction is the Mount Kinabalu, which is the tallest mountain in Borneo.

I was hoping to snap some sunset pics near the beach during this trip, but too bad I missed the chance.

Oh well, we had some great seafood though.

(Scallops)

(Cockles)

(Clams)

(Crab)

(More crabs!)

(Lobster)

(Prawns)

For the first 2 nights, we stayed in KK town (Grand Borneo Hotel), the hotel was quite cozy and clean.

(This is how a standard room looks like)





(Sutera Harbour, a harbour beside KK Town)


(All 6 of us)

We even went snorkelling at Manukan Island & Sapi Island (no pics as I did not bring my camera), whereby Sapi Island being the best spot for snorkeling in my opinion (the current in Manukan Island is rather strong that day, making us hard to swim & less fish near the shore).

For the 3rd night onwards, we stayed somewhere near the foothills of Mount Kinabalu (Kundasang Village), in a resort named Kinabalu Pine Resort.

(I like this place so much!)

(A great place to relax but too bad the weather was not on our side)

(Relaxing)


(HDR with some strong winds = no good)

I did plan to take some pics of star-trails or even pics of milky way here, but raining for two consecutive nights......my plan was ruined!

(A short clip showing the view from my balcony)

There ware nothing much to do in Kundasang, perhaps the most interesting place I went was a dairy farm near the resort.

(The view of Mount Kinabalu's peak from the farm)

(Fresh milk!!)

The weather was quite cold though (around 13°C I guess with some strong wind). This was my first time going a trip with my secondary schoolmates, it was fun although I did not managed to take those pics I wanted (sunset, stars...etc).

Ulu Bendul 03

The 3rd visit to Ulu Bendul.

Some lethal accident happened not long ago, drowning 3 kids. This that place is not crowded like usual.

(I have no idea what these creatures are, they are in a large group, and dosen't fly away when disturbed)

EDIT: Psocoptera sp, provided by Wong Chun Xing


(My first Lantern Bug)



(Natural light shot - not really nice as it moved)

(A very common Weevil)

(I'm getting this spider [Heteropoda boiei] every time I go Ulu Bendul)

Not much interesting bugs to share today.

New Gears in the House XXV

My rechargeable batteries finally failed me. The batteries was fully charged but it can't be used when I inserted it into my flashgun.

I will never trust Uniross anymore.

Anyway, It happened than Sanyo launched a new range of its famous Eneloop batteries last year, called Eneloop XX. With higher capacity (2500mAh vs 2000 mAh) compared to the old one, however, the rechargeable cycles has reduced to 500 times only (1500 times for the older ones).

However, if you calculate it, it dosen't bother me at all. Lets say you recharge your batteries once every week, 500 cycles can lasts you about 9.6 years. For the money I pay (RM65), it is worthwhile.




I bought the Sanyo Eneloop Quick Charger as well (NC-MQR03R) - RM95 and few accessories like lens rear cap.



Price: RM 175.00
Discount: -
Net: RM 175.00

Total spending to date: RM 15,835.03

Star Chasing at Bidor

This is my first time doing Astrophotography with my photography friends.

Well this is certainly a new thing for me although I had tried shooting Star Trails in Bali before. We traveled from KL to Bidor during midnight and we did not sleep after that. The sky was stunningly beautiful (although occasionally some clouds blocks the stars).

(The Milky Way)

My 8mm lens failed to capture the Milky Way due to its small maximum aperture of only f/4.5
A large aperture lens (minimum of f/2.8) is essential for capturing Milky Way. Luckily Liew lend me his 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens to me.

(My 8mm f/4.5 lens is struggling to capture the Milky Way)

Basic rule for shooting stars or star trails:

- High ISO (800-1600)
- Moderate shutter speed (20-40 second)
- Largest Aperture possible
- Prefer Wide Angle Lens

We waited til sunrise and tried to capture some shots as well










Both shots are 7-exposures blended HDR.

Bali Trip 2011

The plan started half a year ago. It all begins with booking tickets in the office without bosses' consent.......

(Bali here I come)


(Because of AirAsia, now everyone can fly!)

(Clear beautiful sky of Bali)

(Our 1st meal in Bali was actually Nasi Campur - Rice with mixed dishes)

(Typical strees of Ubud, Bali)


（Day 2 - On the way to Sukawati Art Market)


(The market itself)


(Arts & Paintings!)


(Portrait of Buddha)


(Hmm...!!)


(Our 1st lunch in Bali - Babi Guling with Rice)


(Ubud Palace)


(Ubud Palace)


(People heading for a prayer)


(Road to Bersakih Temple - A gruesome 1km slope)


(Finally arrived)


(Picnicking)








(HDR applied)


(The ceremony)


(The last and the highest temple of Bersakih Temples)








(I'm pretty sure the ducks are dirty!)


(Our dinner - Bebek Bengil Dirty Duck)


(My 1st star-trails photo was taken in Ubud, Bali)



(Day 3 - We started off our day with a Spa at Verona Spa, Ubud. Nice! My 1st Spa)


(The famous Naughty Nuri's Warung - famous for their Pork Ribs)


(Grill Pork Ribs - Almost perfect dish)





(Next destination - Ulun Danu Temple)





(HDR applied)


(Tanah Lot - A must-visit destination)


(It's all rocky path)







(Day 4 - Uluwatu)


(HDR)


(A group of people gathered to watch Kecak Fire Dance)


(Beware of all these monkeys)


(My friend's glasses was snatched by this monkey)


(Heading to Kuta - A highly commercialized city with lots of famous brands)


(Day 5 - Badung Market, Denpasar)


(A very localized wet & dry market. You can hardly see any tourists here)


(We had our lunch here as well - Satay)


(Bajra Sandhi Monument)





(Surfers at Kuta Beach)


(I wish I could do this one day...)


(Souvenirs that I bought)


(And a painting)