Abarth, it's poetry in motion

There's a lot to say so I'll get right into it. Here's a car that I wouldn't mind having ... Ran into it on my way home from work, it's not exactly a mean looking car ... but you don't see a whole lot of these in Sydney. In my street you see a lot of Range Rovers, R8, Cayenne S, 300C, and the occasional AMG or Gallardo (owned by rich real estate agents).

But this car ... you definitely don't see too many of these. Yep, it's the Abarth powered Fiat 500. If you're thinking "are you serious dude?" or "what the f@$*?". Well I like cars that are unique. There aren't even that many Brabus Mercs around here, so seeing an Abarth Fiat 500 was quite a sight. If you don't know what the fuss is about ... go right ahead and google it.

I know all my readers are lazy, so I did the googling for you. Read car reviews here and here, and believe me ... the Abarth treatment is definitely worth the extra money.

By the way, even Michael Schumacher drives a Fiat Croma as a family car. I'm not lying, just watch Topgear season 13 episode 1.

Last wednesday I posted a pre-hands-on preview on the Olympus Pen E-P1 (you can read it here). The Olympus sales rep for our store came in today to let us play around with the camera and see our input. The first thing you notice when you hold the camera is the exceptional build quality. The all metal body, with a shiny silver finish across the middle (undoubtedly inspired by the old Pens) puts it in a class of its own.

The next thing you notice will be the kit lens 14-42mm that retracts in a locked position (much like the LX-3) when not in use. Both zoom rings and manual focus ring are nicely dampened, reassuring the user that the Pen is more than a compact camera. All the camera functions are easily accessible, changing the shutter speed, aperture, ISO quickly became 2nd nature. Manual focus was VERY easy, I found manual focusing on the E-P1 easier to do than in DSLRs (I'm not kidding).

So you've heard me talk up the build, ease of use and how nice this next generation Pen is .... but what about image quality? I'm going to go out on a limb and say ... its GREAT, AWESOME, SURPRISINGLY GOOD.

This photo was taken with the Olympus Zuiko 17mm f2.8, wide open, manual focus and at 800 ISO. Yes, 800. You can't judge it very well from this image, so hopefully I'll put up some 100% crops soon. Take my word for it, it's sharp, colour rendition is nice, and keep in mind this is STILL not an SLR. Long story short, I love this camera.

So now that you're more informed about the world (or just my world) ... until next time :)

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Moment of madness

By the time you read this I may have already had a heart attack, possibly in the hospital recovering from a quadruple bypass (if that's even possible). No I'm not suicidal, but as I am writing this I'm trying to get into the website which reveals my uni results. After what seems like a million attempts of refreshing the page and retyping my password, I still haven't gotten in. There is a ridiculous amount of nervous energy and adrenaline flying through my limbs as I sit idly in this cold, wooden chair.

I think I'm in ... hold on

No ... wait the page didn't load properly

This must be what gameshow contestants and reality TV stars suffer through as they announce the correct answer (or the winner). Fuck, this is annoying.

Here we go, I'm in for real this time

FUCK YES!

Ladies and gentlemen, I stand undefeated.

If I was a boxer, this would have gone down to the wire, and it would have been a points decision. If this was basketball, it would have been like that 6OT game from the 09 NCAA Tourney.

The rush of relief when the letters P and C came up next to the subjects was comparable to hitting a game winning shot, or coaching a winning team.

Nerve wracking would have been an understatement.

Oh, and that photo above? That is the most correct representation of my mind through this state of affairs. No, not blurred (or bokeh), more like an organised mess. Please excuse the short, choppy sentences and the butchered english language. In this case, it seemed fitting :)

p.s. photo was shot at f/2, manual focus (deliberately out of focus) with the Panasonic LX-3

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Somebody say Pen?

The original Olympus Pen camera, revolutionary, sharp, simple, ingenious. By using the half frame format (rather than 35mm film), Olympus was able to reduce the size of cameras while still maintaining great image quality. These Pen series cameras sold over 17 million units before eventually giving way to the Olympus Pen F cameras which were capable of interchangeable lenses.

In mid 2009, amidst masses of leaked information and rumours, the camera gods stepped beyond the golden arches and sent the son of the Pen down to earth.

I present ... The Olympus Pen E-P1, a new breed of compact digital cameas that utilises the "micro four-thirds" system (used also by the Panasonic Lumix G1/GH1). Camera enthusiasts will appreciate the retro look despite almost 30years since the last Pen camera was made.

Key Features/Specs

- 12.3 mp Live MOS sensor

- TruePic V Image processor

- Micro four-thirds mount

- Sensor shift stabilization

- HD (720p) movies with stereo sound

- HDMI output

- SD card! (thank god, those flimsy XD cards were the downfall of Olympus)

- Interchangeable lenses

- Hot shoe

- Built in pop art filters (much like the Olympus E-30, E-620 DSLR)

- 3in Hypercrystal LCD

- In camera RAW processing

In other words, this is an SLR without the mirrors in the camera body, allowing it to be much smaller while still retaining SLR quality to an extent. Regardless of how the camera performs, it will almost certainly outperform most compacts released to date. If not for the Panasonic G1 and GH1, this new generation Pen would be in a class of its own (it could still be).

If you are as intrigued as I am about this camera, you can read more at the Olympus website here. No doubt this camera will be a hit and you can order this camera at most camera houses.

Why is it so good?

- It's small

- It's EASY to use

- Timeless design with good build quality

- Interchangeable lenses

- It was made to be perfect for EVERYBODY (in EVERYDAY situations)

- SD and SDHC cards :)

This camera actually makes me want the original Pen camera to have in my camera cabinet. if anyone is selling, let me know :)

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Like father, like son

Definition: Having the same characteristics as ones parents

There are also various resonance phrases such as "like mother like daughter" etc etc.

You hear it all the time, and not once do you actually think it could be true. Yet time after time, this tested theory of fortune telling proves us wrong.

Back in the days, the son or daughter would continue the family trade whether it be blacksmith, lumberjack, or royalty. Over the years this phrase has been true for even more aspects of life, even cars. For some reason, we never think that it would apply to us. Sometimes we think "nah, that's not me, I can't see myself doing that" or "I'm not good enough for that".

Dad (dinosaur years) in front of the camera cabinets full of filters, 35mm film cameras, and lenses

Me (2009) at Castle Hill Camera House

In front of DSLRs, L-series lenses, memory cards and digital photo frames

Well you can all see how different camera stores have become, but photography is photography, and the fundamentals are still the same. Just like me saying I didn't think I'd be taking photos like I do now (2 posts ago), I never considered this. Not that I thought I couldn't do it, it just never occurred to me. And the astounding similarities in that photo still surprise me.

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Change

Since I'm on holidays, I have a lot more spare time on my hands ... still working, but no studying :).

I thought about an interesting question that gets asked around quite often, and the answers are almost always biased or bullshit. Here is my compilation of the best answers I've seen/heard/read/given to the age old question

"Will people ever change?"

- Once a cheater always a cheater

- You can't turn a hoe into a housewife

- Yes, but he won't do it for you

- "A man can train himself to stop chasing women,

but if a woman is chasing your man, he can't run fast enough",

the prophet Chris Rock

- Players change in their locker room

- Only werewolves, every full mooon

- when STD happens

- "Players don't change, they lose

so if you don't want a defeated man, let a player play" Anon

Me (4 years old)

Point & Shoot 35mm Film

Me (19 yrs old)

Canon 50D + 24-105 f4L

(who would have thought?)

When I posed the question to a wide demographic, it was interesting to find out that nearly everyone linked that question to a relationship (Chris Rock quote is definitely a personal favourite though haha).

Initially the idea came into my mind when I saw an old photo of myself (4yrs old) holding a point & shoot film camera. I'm now 19, and still holding a camera. That hasn't always been the case though, between the ages of 8-15 the photography part of me got brushed off to the side. Even though I haven't achieved a whole with photography, I'm always surprised with the photos I find buried in my hard drives.

I guess if you used me as an example, I didn't change, but I came full circle. Took the long scenic detour away from photography and came right back on the expressway. Or ... I could be an exception.

Change, maybe ... but we'll always go back to the roots

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