Life's been busy over the past few months, work has picked up it's pace, life has been busy at home, with my wife due in the next 4 weeks. I haven't got much time to workout or read, let alone writing in this blog..
What has happened in the few months? Lets see...
a) I got a kettlebell. I wanted two, but finances don't really agree with me.. And it's a 20kg KB, not a 24kg KB that I'm used to back in Singapore.. However, as I haven't got time to workout, it will suffice for now.. Also it feels heavier than I remembered (I used to carry 2 20kg KB's around with no prob), so maybe that shows how much my strength has been slipping..
b) Got a new car. A Malaysian made Perodua Alza, a small minivan.. Since we have a kid on the way, I guessed a more practical car is important. Its a 7-seater, so its good during the family outings and whatnot. Being 1.5 valve, the engine capacity will suffice for now, and it doesn't eat up too much fuel (which is important for the wife since he workplace is far away). So I get to use her problematic Proton Perdana, but since my workplace is nearby, it isn't much of a prob (note that with RM30 or 15.8 litres of fuel, it can last me slightly over 8 days).
c) Been busy with baby stuff. Had a detailed scan; it's a boy! Also the scan back in January showed that the baby is perfectly healthy (Alhamdulillah). It also showed that it has my features (my nose), much to my wife's delight. Been buying, reading, and buying more baby stuff.
Wife is having a bit of a prob, though.. Her sugar levels during her pregnancy is slightly high, and I keep telling her its attributed to several factors, namely (i) her lifestyle, where she doesn't move around much (ii) her eating habits are too 'asian', where she eats namely high carb food like rice, snacks, etc. and (iii) she's stubborn as a mule when I tell her to change her diet! I know its slightly inconvenient but I wouldn't mind putting in the extra effort to prepare her meals, just that she's too picky on the food! I will be preparing what in Singapore we called 'cat food'; the basic food stuff that my friend was eating everyday to reduce her size (and it works!). Her menu? Mainly roasted/grileld chicken with steamed/stir fried broccoli and carrots.
d) I've restarted my passion of photography once more.. I've taken out all my old cameras from the drybox and started shooting. I also managed to get an old camera our family used to use 10 years ago (and still works perfectly) for snapshots. Its an Olympus MJUii.
I also got other small camera like the Minox EL and Olympus XA, which unfortunately I haven't finished my roll of film in them yet....
Sure, film is noisier than current high end digital cameras, but (i) the cameras are cheap, and (ii) there's a feel to film photos that cannot be simulated by most entry to midlevel cameras. A small compact film camera can give you that depth of field that only a full framed, RM5,000, big-assed camera can give.
However, for convenience, I still use digital.. A LOT.. Its for me to practice my composition, lighting, etc.
One thing though.. I sold off my Olympus E-PM1, which btw is a GREAT camera for it's function, to a Fuji X10. Why the downgrade? Several factors came into play:-
a) E-PM1 give great pictures when you know EXACTLY how. There are limitations to this camera due to the sensor and function. Images are great up to ISO800, usable to ISO1600. However, it requires a lot of tweaking to get great images, during and after the photo taking.
b) The sensor size, although smaller than an APS-C sensor, still gives you great DOF variations. Its good for creative works, from portraits to wide angle shots. However, I've found that it works great mainly with prime lens, which unfortunately I'm not capable of getting much of them (I only have a 20mm Panasonic prime lens, and various K-mount lens used with an adapter). Sure, there are some great zoom lenses on the market, but I have to fork out as much as what I did to get the camera.
Having a kid on the way means that I need a camera that is fast, and takes great photos with a small margin of error. The E-PM1 cannot do that unfortunately. Not that its not great, but for its intended use, maybe not. I needed a camera that my wife can just pick up, snap a photo, and be pleased about it.
The E-PM1 is mainly for seasoned photographers who just needs a spare m4/3 body, or a small camera to take around daily, or those who wants to learn how to take great photos using a simple yet professional body. While it ticks all my boxes of a great camera for me, it doesn't tick the boxes for US (me+my wife).
That being said, I reverted back to a great camera that I've previously used before the E-PM1. The only reason I changed to the E-PM1 in the first place was that I wanted to get a real shallow DOF which the X10 cannot exactly give.
Enter the X10. Fuji is known for their different approaches when it comes to their cameras. They opt for classic designs and propriety sensors (which are GREAT), which works!
What makes the X10 so special is its 2/3" EXR sensor. I won't say anything much about it, except that works great for a sensor that small. Its slightly larger than normal compact sensors (Canon S and older G series uses a 1/1.7" sensor) but still smaller than the Nikon V or J series (1" sensor) or even a m4/3 sensor.
In digital photography, we use the relative cropping equivalent to compare sensor size. Meaning to say, the higher the number, the smaller the sensor compared to a full frame 35mm film size or sensor size. So here it goes:-
Full frame (35mm film, Nikon D3, D3s, D3x, etc) = 1
APS-C (Nikon D90, Canon 1000D, Fuji X100, X100s, XE-1, etc) = 1.6
m4/3 = 2
Nikon V series (1") = 2.7
Fuji X10 (2/3") = 4
1/1.7" sensors (Panasonic LX series, Canon S and older G series, etc) = 5
normal compact camera (1/2.5") = 5.7-6
The X10 2/3" sensor approaches image production differently than normal sensors, which results in great noise control, high dynamic range and a very film-like feel to the picture. While not perfect and bulky for a sensor it's size, I feel its the perfect camera for daily photos that can be used by my wife with ease.
The IQ on this pictures is nice, with all details tack sharp. While a DSLR will be able to capture more details, this camera manages to generate the photo comparable to DSLRs. For comparison sake, let me show two photos; one using the E-PM1 and another by the X10.
E-PM1, f/3.2, 1/60 sec. ISO640 (EV +0.7), 12MP, Low noise reduction
X10, f/2, 1/60 sec. ISO2000 (EV -0.7) 6MP, Pro Lowlight Mode
The X10 manages to control noise levels better, although the the noise reduction is somewhat slightly aggressive to my taste. I had to reduce the EV levels to give it a nightshot feels. The X10's exposure levels are spot on, but it also tends to clip highlights easily (making anything bright blown off). Olympus cameras have the tendency to underexpose pictures to preserve details, but with unpleasant way they handle noises, I'm more than happy to bump up the EV level.
That being said, thanks to the smaller sensor and high quality lens, most pictures can come out sharp all round. Of course it limits the creativity sense of a bigger sensor (shallow DOF), but then it will teach me how to use composition and angles much better than just relying on shallow DOF to make the pictures interesting.
I've enjoyed this camera before, and I know I'll continue to enjoy it with the years to come. Although there's the newer X20 in the market now with better features that are very seducing, I really enjoy using this EXR camera (which the X20 is not however). Plus, to me, the IQ of this camera is spot on for my kind of usage, which makes me more than happy to hang on to this camera for a couple more years.
