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Over at 4/3 rumors, Vitaliy finally hacked the unhackable GH1 and GF1 bodies.

Mine is hacked already but I think I'l' give this a try.

Hack download file at http://www.gh1-hack.info/wiki/PToolSoftware

A Day without Traffic

Well, a bit but not much. There were 2 accidents at NLEX-Bulacan and we saw the accident at Dinalupihan that happened yesterday.
Here are some snaps w my digital 'Swiss knife'. We reached Subic in 3hrs, fast road today ü

Stealth Mode

Took a trip to Cebu early this month.

It was 'too darn hot' that day when we visited Carbon Market hoping to get some good bargain on souvenir stuff.

The kids cooperatively walked along even though we were sweating a lot underneath the blazing sun :D
(We made sure they were properly hydrated during and after the market visit)

Some shots I took 'from the hip' with the GH1 and 20/1.7.

The "problem" with fast aperture lenses is when they are used on broad daylight,
I had to stop them down to f6 to avoid over exposure. ISO already at 100, lowest setting.
I then lose the isolation effect of the fast aperture.

Alamang
This alamang (small fish/krill) caught my eye, too colorful for my taste :D
GH1 admirably reproduced the tone faithfully.
Brought up some detail on the dark parts w/ Irfanview ;)

Little Boy
Little boy killing time watching market activities.
Picture straight from the cam.

Inside the market, I had to adjust the ISO up to 400 and set the aperture back to 1.7.

Drinking Water for Sale
That (blue/green) drinking water dispensing/vending machine is I think unique to Cebu and I said to myself I have to get a shot of that machine as souvenir.
It's a 5gallon (blue plastic) water container in cool green enclosure that accepts coins.
You get a plastic/celophane, put a coin and it will dispense the drinking water.
I never got to try it though - preferred water bottles :P
I took this one in front of an 'internet cafe'.

No Luck

Was looking at my MF lens stuff and realized I have a Canon FD 55/1.2 :P
I have yet no luck on acquiring the Rokkor 58/1.2 but maybe someday...

Anyway, I found a comparison between the Rokkor and FD at fredmiranda and I really have to test this Canon lens soon.

But I have to get this adapter first:

(USD27.95@amazon)
Fotodiox FD to MFT adapter

Then maybe I'll be shocked with its bad bokeh :P

Bokeh Happy

A sample shot from GH1 w/ the Auto Yashinon 5.5cm f1.8 w/ sticky aperture :D
I brought the lens (for baptismal) for low light shooting, it performed admirably :)

Waiting Game

Just came from trips to Cebu/Bohol and Hundred Islands w/ my MFT system.

Was able to borrow the Panasonic 45-200/4-5.6 Lumix G Vario Mega OIS
(available at USD299.99 at Amazon)

from a colleague and it impressed me during the vacation. The Mega OIS really works (Mode 1)!

One deal breaker for me though is that the 45mm's AOV is not wide enough hence I usually end up switching lenses. Hence I've decided to go for the 14-140.

But then again... I have to wait for a couple of things.

1. If ever I get the refund for my Olympus M.Zuiko 14-150
(price has gone down to USD499.99 at Amazon)

2. According to 43rumours, Panasonic is due to release 5 new lenses in June. I'm anticipating further price drops on the old lenses.

That's about it for the zoom lens.


Then there's the news about an Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm/f2.

This definitely stopped me dead on my tracks about getting the M.Zuiko 9-18/4-5.6
(available at Amazon for USD599.99)

I've been lusting on the Panasonic 7-14 but the price is too much for me.
Found a local seller for the Oly 9-18 but the price is steep.
Now I'm not sure if I should bargain.
Do I really need a 12/2?
Questions and Decisions...

Not sure if I should be happy or not, the waiting and deciding will definitely hurt my head :D
but it will definitely give me more time to think about my MFT lineup.
I'd rather wait then.

Last thing...
was very surprised to learn that I didn't use the 20/1.7 much during the trips
Sell? :D

Basilica de Sto. Niño

Delayed!

Finally onboard our flight to Cebu via AirPhilExpress which was delayed by 6hrs.
Ampfth!!!

3 is my favorite number

Panasonic G3 is available for pre-order!
Available at Amazon for USD599.99 (body only)

Product Features

• 16-megapixel compact mirrorless system; Micro Four Thirds format camera
• 3.0-inch free-angle LCD with touch control; new Pinpoint AF feature
• 1080/60i HD video capability in AVCHD format; Venus Engine FHD enables Intelligent Resolution technology
• Intelligent Auto and Intelligent Auto Plus (iA, iA+); more burst shooting options; new Photo Style Mode

I hope the sensor is an improvement over the older models.

And no, 3 is not my fave number --- it's 7...
as in Minolta 7 ;)

Holy Crop!

Been thinking on which UWA lens to get...

I was set on the Tokina 11-16/2.8 for the A-mount
(available @ Amazon for USD659) but if I get it, I can't use it for my FullHD videos :P
of course that's unless I get the Sony NEX
but I digress...
That constant f2.8 is really really tempting!

So I'm back with the Pana 7-14 vs Oly 9-18 debate.
The Panasonic 7-14/4
(available at Amazon for USD978)
is what I like but it's not very practical, damn expensive :P
I may need that extra 2mm on the wide side but still the price is outrageous for me.
Plus the 14mm on the other end could be short at times.

Crop sensors make you loose the angle of view when compared to 35mm.
7-14mm on a 2x crop sensor like M4/3 and 4/3rds will look like 14-28mm.
The 9-18mm will look like 18-36mm and I think that would be more useful for me.

So I might just go for the
Olympus M.Zuiko 9-18/4-5.6
(available at Amazon for USD600) I just hope it doesn't die on my like what happened with my Oly M.zuiko 14-150 :P

2 is expensive

So my refurbished M.Zuiko 14-150 died on my first day of use :P Decided to just ship it out back to the seller - that's one good thing about US sellers - no questions asked. I will get the full refund once they get the unit back with the original packaging.

It's a shame because I was really impressed with the 1-lens solution. In my early years of [film] photography, I started with a Vivitar 28-210. It served me well. I was expecting the same from the Oly 14-150 but it didn't last :D

Anyway, I am looking at replacing it with the Panasonic 14-140 w/ OIS which I deemed very useful on the long end. A light tele setup is useless without a tripod or OIS. I'm also dying to get the 7-14 but it's still very expensive...
hence I am selling my beloved Sony A700/SAL1680 combo to cover for the future expense in acquiring the UWA.

But there's some rumor that Panasonic will be introducing the G3 and 5 new lenses soon...

I might just end up with dual system :P
Expensive
But well worth it :P

For now - it's a waiting game :)