Kodak gives the world a brand new Moment – PIXPRO SP360

November 2, 2014 Leave a comment

Kodak could be on its way back from the brim of extinction. This week, Kodak beats its competitors to launch the world’s first single-lens 360° camera. Introducing the new Kodak PIXPRO SP360 Action Cam  – a multi-function action camera that allows the user to capture 360° videos and photographs in full HD format!

The Kodak PIXPRO SP360 Action Cam is the first player in this brand category of 360° action cam. 2015 marks the year of 360° digital action photography. I strongly advise those who are interested to buy a 360 action cam to wait for more releases and reviews. Panono, Bublcam and 360Fly are the 3 spherical cameras to watch for in 2015. Until then, the Kodak PS360 is one of the lightest and cheapest 360 cameras today. We aren’t too far from more major launches – just wait for another 2-3 months.

(See 360Fly and Bubl videos below).

Built to handle the most rough action, the PIXPRO SP360’s water-&-dust-resistant body can handle drop-fall up to 2 meters and extreme temperature as low as -10°C. Weighing at only 103g (and smaller than the 35mm film box), the portable SP360 captures stunning 360° HD panoramic/spherical images and video footages. With an impressive ultra-wide F2.8 lens,its 16-megapixel-CMOS sensor captures photographs at 10 megapixels and 120fps video at 848 x 480 resolution. For those of you who prefer the traditional wide frontal view, this camera captures a wide angle up to 212°. It also comes with other useful features like self-timer, timelapse, motion-detection and 10fps multi-burst shooting.

Watch PIXPRO SP360 Video (Underwater Diving & Skydiving):

One of the biggest plus points is the long battery life – an impressive 160 minutes for video or 350 still shots. During my 1-hour time-lapse trial, there is no battery overheating issue like GoPro. This is a major plus point for me. My previous GoPro 3 lasted barely 40 minutes.

Another big plus point is its Kit Accessories. Unlike Gopro which is often stingy on accessories, the Kodak Extreme Kit (HKD2,970) comes with many generous accessories like bar mount for multiple mounting options such as handle-bars; flat adhesive mount for skate or paddle board; curved adhesive mount head strap; helmet mounts; surfboard adhesive mount; suction cup mount; extended arms; quick clip; tethers; clear standard mount housing and clear waterproof housing.

I played with the SP360 for 2 days. I enjoy its lightness and fast WIFI connectivity. Time-lapse is so easy to use. There is hardly any video-lagging in the live-viewing on the iPhone App (as the live-view is a lower-res compressed version). File saving and processing time is reasonably fast. Microphone is decent. Video and photo quality in the daytime is great (though I feel the colour in Sony Action Cam is much more vibrant and brighter). One of the best things I like about this camera is its tripod hole. I can attached the camera directly to any tripod without an adapter.

The great thing about having a 360° camera it captures the people behind and in front of the lenses! You not only be able to see the 1st-person’s perspective, you also get to pan anywhere you like during the video – side, top and back! Imagine putting this camera in the middle of a round dinning table or inside a F1 car – you get to see the excitement inside out and all around! The possibilities are endless! And with the growth of VR headsets (like Oculus Rift + Nimble Sense and Google Cardboard), this will change the way we view content in the future.

Watch Nimble Sense Video:

Of course, there are some flaws with this. One of the key negative points about SP360 is the lack of an universal interactive 360° video / photo player. Kodak should lead and launch a new video standard for its 360° content. Currently, all my trial videos and photos are all in this odd spherical format (unless I use the PIXPRO software to unwrap them on my Mac). Right now, the easiest and sharpest way to enjoy the 360° content is viewing them through its unstable mobile app. The amateurs will find it difficult to edit and share (the sharing bit is the most important factor to success!). The current extraction software is very inferior. The HD content, after extraction, looks low quality and terrible. Hopefully the developer improves the extraction/sharing software.

At this novelty stage, new viewers may find these 360° spherical formats unique, but in the long run, no one wants to edit and watch a dizzy spherical 360° video. Without allow viewers to interact or empowering them to pan the screen on popular platforms like Youtube or Vimeo, this hardware will be just a fad. This is the reason why I think 360Fly or Bublcam (two other 360° cam brands) may win over Kodak as their file conversion is more user-friendly and sharable.

Another negative point is the location of its tripod hole. While attaching to the tripod, it captures part of the tripod in the recording. Also, it is located at the side of the camera and not at the base. I foresee users may need to buy 3rd party tripod adapters to overcome this minor imperfection. The last negative point is its poor performance in low-lighting environment. Like most action cameras, Kodak’s performance is average (feels like a GoPro 2) and loses out to GoPro 3.

Despite some flaws, it is an awesome great first experience! Welcome to the new age of virtual reality and this will only get better! Maybe in the near future, all mobile phones will come with 360° camera. Right now, I am looking forward to use this for my end-year adventure trip.

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Jo's Thoughts, Travel

Remote Control Paperplane by PowerUp 3.0

September 7, 2014 Leave a comment

Thanks to the advancement of smartphones and remote-control devices, there are more and more flying objects in the air. I am not talking about drones. Recently, I got an unique gadget from a Kickstarter initiative. Introducing the PowerUp 3.0 Smartphone Controlled Paper Airplane – now we can remote control via bluetooth and extend flight time of our very own home-folded paper plane.

It is a very small and durable device. It is a stick with an aero-head and a propeller attached on the other end. Simply attach the paper plane to the aero-head and use the smartphone to navigate its flight. Like most remote control drones, the only dissatisfaction is the short flight time, each full charge lasted only 15 minutes.

This afternoon, Elkan and I took turns to test the flights at Victoria Park. It wasn’t difficult to master and we managed to keep the plane slightly more than 10 secs in the air. Some of the passersby stopped as they thought it was an unusual flying paper plane. As the device was so small, it was difficult to notice that it was a battery-operated plane.

For USD49, it promises many hours of fun and explorations. Time to be creative and test different foldings for the most optimal flight. Enjoy our little video.

Filed under Cool Stuffs

Enjoy 360° DIY VR for less than 10 bucks!

September 7, 2014 Leave a comment

Move aside Oculus Drift, Samsung VR Gear and Sony HMZ VR, Google just made VR an affordable gear for everyone. 2014 marks the year of limitless virtual reality!

A few months ago, Google launched a DIY VR headgear made of corrugated paperboard. Introducing the Google Cardboard, it is an open platform that allows anyone to create their own virtual reality headgear. For a production cost less than USD5, this will be one amazing marketing tool for new brand engagement and experience.

I managed to get my hands on one last week via eBay. Just like those given out during the Google I/O conference, the Google Cardboard was delivered to me flatten. Looking at the low-grade paper materials and plastic lenses, I was skeptical about the virtual experience. It took me about 2 minutes to form the box. Once I turned on the Google Cupboard app, inserted the smartphone into the slot and looked through the lenses, the VR experience was indescribable amazing! Using the phone’s gyroscopic sensors, I was teleported into a different world. The perfect combination of smartphone’s gyroscope and 360 imagery technology opens up a brand new world of possibilities in virtual entertainment. It is a big leap for virtual reality. This simple DIY device put all the expensive VR gears and brands to shame.

The possibilities are simply endless! Forget about watching 3D/4D movie on a flat screen. Just imagine watching a movie right inside the scene itself. Pan your head around and you can choose where to see or walk alongside with the characters. Try imagine diving with the National Geographic documentary crew in the dark abyss or watch a magic performance live right beside a close-up magician. For hardcore gamers, imagine playing soccer on the pitch or taking cover in a cross-fire battle in the street.

The only setback is the imperfect phone-screen pixels and the limited iOS VR apps. With newer and more high-definition screen resolution, this can only get better! It is difficult to express the level of excitement. Seeing is believing. Go try it to experience!

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Create Your Very Own Personalised Russian Nesting Dolls (aka Matryoshka Dolls)

June 29, 2014 1 Comment

When Felicia gave me a handmade doll-house last Christmas, it was a cozy lovely house. It was a gift of craftsmanship and love, every thing was created to the finest details. But there was one problem, it was an empty house. Over the past six months, I have been thinking how to fill this beautiful empty home with our own personalised characters. Finally an idea came to my mind! I planned to surprise and cheer Felicia and Elkan up with a very special gift on their last day in Hong Kong since I expected it will be another heart-breaking farewell.

Thanks to my colleague who recommended me to “Etsy“ – a wonderful e-commerce website that focused on handmade or unique-manufactured items. At Etsy, I found 2 talented artists who helped me to personalised my first very own Russian nesting dolls! (As I couldn’t made up my mind on what I prefer, I ordered 2 different painting styles for the dolls – The Graphic Dolls were produced by Shiny in Hong Kong and the Still-life Painting Dolls, produced by Julia in Russia). Special thanks to Shiny (the artist who helped me with the Graphic Dolls!) What a small world, Shiny is also a friend to my ex-poly school mates, Eric and Dorothy! I sent Shiny a cartoon sketch of what I wanted and attached photographs of the attire and props, she quickly sent back the work-in-progress. The production was so smooth and easy! Shiny managed to paint my “favourite Superwhite Tees!” for me too! I personally like the Graphic Dolls more as it is timeless and neater. It is a personal preference. There is a always risk if the Still-Life Dolls don’t turn up to be as accurate as the real photos. Both dolls of mine are great!!! (Here is Shiny’s shop link: https://www.etsy.com/people/shinykins and this is Julia’s shop link: https://www.etsy.com/people/bakalnchik1)

It took about 2-3 weeks (plus a few days for overseas delivery) for the artists to produce the dolls. The gifts arrived just in time! I decided to surprise them this morning. They loved the gifts! Felicia was in tears when she saw the dolls! There are 5 nesting dolls, the first 3 characters are predictable – Me, Felicia and Elkan. What Elkan didn’t know was about the “Marriage Proposal Robot” and Felicia’s favourite bear! There are a lot of details in the dolls. I was holding a SX70 Polaroid camera, wearing my favourite Superwhite attire. Felicia was wearing her favourite crystal necklace and carrying a heart-shaped bread toast (which she made last year!) and she was in the beach attire that she wore in Bintan. Elkan was in the attire he wore at X-Box360 Dance Event 2 years ago and was accompanied by his addictive Minecraft character. The Robot was holding a bouquet of white lilies and a proposal ring and the Forever Friends Bear marked the date of our anniversary!

I am so happy to see the smiles on their faces. These are very meaningful and priceless gifts! What’s more, it is collapsible and doesn’t take up much space at home! We have plans to carry the dolls to all our future travel destinations as a photo marker!

Most importantly, the doll-house is no longer empty now! Home sweet home!

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Family

Wahbiang @ Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, Hengqin Zhuhai

June 23, 2014 36 Comments

After 18 months and many unsuccessful attempts to organise the Wahbiang Tour this June holidays, a small group of us managed to find time for a small gathering in Hong Kong last weekend. Juliana and Karen flew in with their boys and joined us for an arduous trip to the new Chimelong Ocean Kingdom at Zhuhai Hengqin (横琴长隆海洋王国).

This was quite an unusual and unique travel group combination. It was an interesting traveling experience with the company of four tough women and three very mischievous boys. I was the only man in the group. I know how chaotic it can be whenever you travel with a group of naughty kids and tiger-mums. Knowing we have to take multiple transports and cross 2 cities to the final destination, I was prepared for the worst travel experience but this group proved me wrong. Everything was very smooth. Everyone was on time and there was no delay. The pace was fantastic and it was pretty enjoyable! Best of all, I got to know the kids and mothers better!

How to go to Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom from Hong Kong / Macau – Heading out to the new attraction can be challenging. There was no direct ferry connecting Hong Kong to Zhuhai Hengqin Port (珠海横琴口岸). The most direct route would be taking a 75-min ferry (cost about HKD220/adult) from Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal (港澳碼頭) to Zhuhai Jiuzhou Port (珠海九洲港). From Zhuhai Jiuzhou Port, take a 40-minute taxi (cost around RMB65-75) to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom. Using this route, the total cost for each pax is about HKD300. The whole journey takes about 115 minute.

We took a cheaper and slightly shorter route. However, this route took us a total of 5 transfers, compared with only 2 transfers in the earlier option. First, we took a 60-minute ferry (cost about HKD185/adult) from Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal to Macau. From there, we took a free 15-minute shuttle bus to Venetian Hotel where we transferred to another free 5-minute shuttle bus to Lotus Port (莲花口岸). There was no queue at all at this Macau-Zhuhai border. The distance between these two border-checkpoints is about 1km and we paid HKD5/pax for a 5-minute border shuttle bus. At Zhuhai Hengqin Port (珠海横琴口岸), we took a 7-minute hotel bus (free if you have the hotel vouchers or if not it will cost only RMB8/pax) to the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom Hotel. 



There were taxis outside Zhuhai Hengqin Port and it cost RMB30/ride to the hotel. There are many guys asking you to hop on their cab, do negotiate the price. If unsure, ask the local custom police for help. Using this route, the total cost for each pax is only HKD225. The whole journey takes about 100 minute.

At the Zhuhai Hengqin Bay Hotel (横琴湾酒店), China’s largest ocean ecological theme hotel lobby intrigued us with its gigantic spectacular dolphin pillars. Houses over 1,800 spacious and luxurious suites and 4 big swimming pools, the hotel is connected to the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom by a 1,000m water canal. Visitors can take a private cruise from the hotel to the theme park.

Despite the grand interiors, services and hotel standard, in my opinion, was only so-so. Check-in queue was long and it took me over 30 minutes to get my room cards. Food charges were rather costly and the quality was satisfactory. There were a couple of convenient shops in the hotel but the prices were 200-300% more than usual. There was little signage around the premise to guide you to the key locations in the hotel but the hotel staffs were at every turn to guide you. Swimming pools closed at 8:30pm and it was quite a distance to our rooms. The only thing we liked was the hotel room. It was really spacious, clean and the beds were very comfortable.

We decided to watch the Hengqin Chimelong International Circus (横琴长隆国际大马戏) on Saturday evening and visit the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom on Sunday morning. During our free time, I brought the ladies and boys to Gongbei Port (拱北口岸地下商场) for lunch and shopping. We bought so many things! Both ladies and kids loved it!

Comparing with the Guangzhou’s Chimelong International Circus and Macau’s House of Dancing Water, the Hengqin Chimelong International Circus was appalling. Some of the acts were out-dated (even the kids were able to see through the magic shows), there were only 2-3 worthy acts. Judging from the overall applauds, only the Duo Golden Men Slow-Mo Act was astounding. There was no high point in the show, it was flat from the beginning to the end. It was not worth to pay RMB680/adult for the VIP seat. In fact, if you have watched any of the other 2 circus in Guangzhou or Macau, you can simple skip this and save some money. (Check the photos, I only captured those acts that were worthy.)

The next morning, it was pouring cats and dogs. We were at the theme park entrance 10 minutes after its opening hour at 930am. Despite the heavy downpour, there were thousands of visitors at the park!

At the entrance, we were greeted by a gigantic “Manta Ray” LCD roof canopy. It was massively impressive! Officially opened in March 2014, the RMB20-billion 132-hectare theme park houses 8 different zones. (Loop starting from the right: Ocean Main Street, Dolphin Cove, Amazing Amazon, Ocean Wonders, Polar Adventure, Colourful World, Mount Walrus and Hengqin Sea). Zoned in a circular format, it was very easy to navigate around the theme park – even without a map.

At Dolphin Cove, we came face to face with bottle-nose dolphins in its underwater enclosures.

Next stop at Amazing Amazon, Karen and Tracy took the park’s most scary roller-coaster ride, the Parrot Coaster. At a height of 50m, it is the third tallest ride in the world. Running at a distance of 1,278m, this is also the world’s longest and fastest “wing coaster” ride with a top speed of 108km/h. The girls didn’t know about all this fact before they queued up for it. All we knew was Tracy sprained her neck during the ride.

The Ocean Wonders is majestic and record-breaking! Here lies the world’s largest aquarium (yes, it topples the Singapore Sentosa’s record). Boasting a total water volume of 12.87 million gallons, the attraction holds another 4 new world records for “Largest Underwater Viewing Dome, Largest Aquarium Tank, Largest Aquarium Window and Largest Acrylic Panel”! Impressive marvels!

Here, we took a kid-friendly Deep Sea Odyssey ride. It is an unique 2-seater capsule ride that goes inside the aquarium and volcanic land.

At Polar Adventure, temperature was at 10-14 degree Celsius. We were soaking wet and cold from the rain and we didn’t stay long in this enclosure. Here, we saw the beautiful Beluga whales and the polar bears. At 11am, we went to the Polar Theatre to catch the talented Beluga performance! Like dolphins and orcas, the Beluga whales are very talented with an IQ of 6-year-old. After the show, most of us felt sad for these peaceful mammals as they should be freed and belong in the wild. While it is a good enclosure for the kids to learn more about these magnificent creatures, there should be more sustainable model to house and protect the animals.

Our last stop was at Mount Walrus (we skipped the Colourful World and Hengqin Sea). By then, the adults were fairly drenched and tired. We contemplated at the Walrus Ride and in the end, we all decided to give this a miss. At 3pm, we left the theme park and made our way back to Macau for dinner and a few rounds at the casino.

Like all Wahbiang gatherings, the trip with Karen and Juliana was an enjoyable one. After spending 2 solid days with the kids, I discovered new things about the kids. Zechariah isn’t a shy and gentle boy, he can be a very cheeky, active and adoring child. Alston and Elkan become good travel buddies and they share their toys and iPads. There weren’t any fighting among the kids, just the usual “catch and play” sessions. The ladies took turns to watch over the kids during the travel and shared parenting tips with one another. While the rest of the Wahbiang clan weren’t here, we talked a lot about them throughout the trip.

This trip opened my eyes on future Wahbiang trips. As long as the parents are able to manage their own children and be very discipline in the timing, it is highly feasible to plan a trip with kids and adults. While it might be difficult for every adults and kids to bond with everyone, it is still a wholesome get-together session for the clan – as long as we know how to manage ourselves and learn to divide and conquer.

Let’s plan for the next Wahbiang Trip soon. Looking back, the Perth trip is certainly ambitious but it is still possible. Let’s start with something small. Thanks Karen and Juliana (and kids) for the reunion and all the happy moments! Bet you ladies are well “China-trained” now!

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Travel, Wahbiang

A Very Twisted and Mind-Blowing Birthday Gift

June 17, 2014 Leave a comment

This is just so ridiculous, outrageous and twisted! I swear I never saw that coming, especially after last year’s notorious “harassment” case! Instead of giving me something more pleasurable and safe, my colleagues teased me with a very special gift that I cannot bring home! Seriously???? You could have top up some more dollars to get me one with Artificial Intelligence!

Meet “Joey” – my new inflatable action-figure-heroine! She is very very flexible and semi-transparent! Best of all, she is super light…We are talking about really Air light! My mum nearly got a heart-attack when I showed her Joey. Still, I am not going to discriminate my colleagues for their sincere gesture. I have already a list of ideas how I am going to make Joey useful:

1) Mid Autumn Festival Light-Up Lantern (I certainly need a long bamboo to hoist her up!)
2) Life-Saving Float for the next flood
3) Sex Education Tool for my boy when he turns 18 (mum just violently disapproved)
4) BB Gun Target
5) Leg-rest for the living room floor
6) Flying Drone Girl – with Gopro camera
7) Stand-In queue marker for the next iPhone 6 release
8) Convert her to the world’s first SIRI 3D
9) Scarecrow at open-air food court to chase those annoying birds away
10) Forget all the above – I am going to pass it to Harshad the next time he is super-drunk!

Thanks guys for the lovely “Playboy” cake and the very special QR-coded eCard! (Yes, it is a working QR-Code, just scan and you will see the e-Card). And a very “big thank you” to Chowpo for the touching birthday speech and the extraordinary Lego Portrait! I had a very “sexed-up” birthday celebration! Other than that, Joey is a big responsibility for me now. Really “超级白” to all!


Not forgetting I do get slightly “normal unique” gifts too! Thanks for all the messages and wishes posted on Facebook and Wechat! Thanks my sister Jovel, Tracy, Felicia and Kalinda for all your lovely and very special gifts!

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Life in Hong Kong

ORIGRAMI – Print Your Instagram

March 31, 2014 Leave a comment

Like most Instagram users (200 millions of them!), I love the “Polaroidic effects” on my digital photographs. These perfectly imperfect colorised photographs (grainy, under and overexposed, under and over saturated and vignetted) carry more depth and character than the other white-balanced-perfect digital shots. That is the reason why many users like Instagram!

I had over 2,000 Instagram shots and most of them are precious moments of my friends and loved ones. Finally, I found a wonderful company that converts my Instagram photos into beautiful prints! Introducing ORIGRAMI (http://www.origrami.com/) – a Sydney-based husband and wife team – who created a super user-friendly website (and now an iOS Origrami app) that allows you to browse your personal Instagram images effortlessly and get them printed! I love their passion and this awesome business idea!

For AU$29,95, you get 36 retro prints on 4″x5″ premium matte cards, housed in a very attractive “RangeFinder” tin pack. There are multiple design themes to choose from including a photo-map (printed at the back of each print) showing the location where the picture was taken* (that’s provided if you have stated the location of the photo taken in the Instagram). Best of all, delivery fee is free and it covers worldwide shipping! The web interface is so simple to use that I produced a couple of boxes for my wife and friends within half an hour! My favourite theme is the Polaroid frame.

Thanks to its co-founder, Jeff who is super-attentive and provides great after-sales customer service! Through him, I managed to get all 5 “RangeFinder” tin packs today to share with all my readers! Origrami is no doubt one of the greatest personalised gifts for your friends and families!

Filed under Cool Stuffs

Instant addiction ~ Polaroid!

March 3, 2014 Leave a comment

It has been a week since I started my new obsession with my newly acquired vintage Polaroid cameras. My new hobby is highly poisonous and infectious! I have already indirectly infected a couple of my friends over the short 5 days. Worst of all, the addiction keeps growing deeper and deeper.

I love the touch and feel of these old cameras and films. The chemicals made the colours of the photographs so unique and rich. I enjoy the endless experimentation of the shutter, aperture and flash. I love watching the slow-processing photograph because the outcome was always so different and unexpectedly surprising.

3 days ago, my addiction in Polaroid drove me to acquire another new toy – The Impossible Instant Lab. Funded entirely by Kick-starter a year ago, the Impossible Instant Lab is a simple instant-photo printer that allows you to transfer any digital photographs onto the Polaroid films. All you need is just an iPhone 4/5. The device comes with an iPhone 4/5 tray that acts like an photo projection. All it takes it just an iOS app and 3 simple steps to print the photographs. For those who find it difficult to achieve photo-perfect on the SX70 camera will enjoy this. Every digital projection casts out a rich and vivid Polaroid photograph.

It is so addictive! I spent 3 hours on Sunday afternoon to print out all my favourite travel photographs. The result? A wall full of Polaroid Precious Moments.

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Hong Kong, Travel

Falling in love with vintage gadgets

February 23, 2014 Leave a comment

The last few months have been rather strange. I am no longer intrigued by the latest smartphones, game consoles, wear-techs or even the upcoming new AR drone and the Instagram Socialmatic camera. None of these new gadgets has aroused me.

Surprisingly, I found myself falling in love with vintage gadgets. It all started when someone in office left a vinyl player on my desk. I was intrigued by the mechanism and the way it was built. And over the holidays, my parents showed me a stalk of old family photographs. I love the colours and textures of old photographs. The imperfections of these images show a lot of character. Unlike today’s digital photographs, these film-produced vintage photographs reveal the passage of time.

I found out that there are more and more people like me who appreciate the goodness of these vintage stuffs. One of my art directors inspired me to go gadget-hunting online. I started browsing the internet for vintage gadgets and read more about them. Many of them are still very well-preserved and kept in good working condition. After 5 long nights of bargain-hunting on eBay, I bought 7 vintage cameras (3 classic 1940s Canons 35mm rangefinder cameras and 4 iconic 1970s Polaroid SX70)! It was a good (and risky) bargain to shop on eBay as some of these refurbished vintage cameras are selling at 4X more the price in Hong Kong. The biggest risk is the working condition of these old gears. Out of the 7 cameras I bought, 2 had to be sent out for repair locally. Nevertheless, it is still worthwhile.

It is an expensive new love. While the cameras are cheap, the films and its processing fees aren’t. I have to be extra attentive before I press the button – especially on the Polaroid. Each Polaroid Film cost HKD25! It took me almost 20 trials before I got to that ideal shot! My first 10 Polaroid Films came out super over-exposed. It was an expensive lesson. Thankfully, the friendly staffs at Mint Hong Kong (a shop that refurbish and sell vintage Polaroid in mint condition) gave me lots of tips to guide me. Check them out here: http://www.mint-camera.com/en/

While trying out on these vintage cameras, I came to realise how difficult it was to handle these slow manual machines. Without any digital sensors or auto-focus features, it is very difficult to compose and capture that “magic moment”. Legendary photographers from those eras are truly respectable! It is not easy at all to achieve a good shot. It certainly require lots of skills and practices.

Despite the pain and the very expensive trials, I love the final outcome of all my shots. I love the imperfect colours and textures in my photographs. The images are truly rich and authentic. And best of all, it starts to age beautifully with time.

Polaroid is no longer producing films or those old cameras since 2008. For those who are interested to get an authentic 40-year-old Polaroid SX70 or new films, you can still find them here:

1) MINT HONG KONG –  http://www.mint-camera.com/en/polaroid-sx70/
2) THE IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT – https://shop.the-impossible-project.com/shop/
3) eBAY – http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=polaroid%20sx%2070&_fscr=1

While buying on eBay is certainly 1-2X cheaper than some local photoshops, but you have to be extra careful. Always make sure you check the camera’s description is “TESTED” and in “WORKING CONDITION” with the sellers. I ordered 4 pcs but 1 of them is not working at all.

Check out the 35mm sample-photos below. These were shot on a 66-year old 1948-Canon Rangefinder camera.

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Jo's Thoughts

Christmas Weekend – Part 1 – London & Stonehenge

December 26, 2013 Leave a comment

It was like walking into the set of the TV show “Walking Dead”. London Central was like a ghost town on Christmas morning. We didn’t see anyone in our hotel lobby. The street outside our hotel was empty and most shops (including Starbucks, McDonalds) were closed on Christmas Day. Even the subway and public bus were closed. Litters and dried leaves flying around. Traffic lights were blinking purposelessly. It was so different from the usual London I knew.

We were staving for food. I had only a tiny pack of peanuts in my pocket and I rationed the portion evenly amongst us. Like hungry zombies, we walked for an hour along Thames River, hoping to find some food. When we saw a passerby with a cup of hot coffee in his hand, we were thrilled! Food, I yelled! You can imagine how “desperate” we were. Nope, we didn’t rob him. We figured his route and it led us to a cafe near Tower Bridge. There, we had our mini Christmas Lunch! And we filled ourselves with so much food! It was the most satisfying lunch I had! I guess it was the fear of not able to find food made us appreciate that meal.

With our stomachs filled, we brought Tracy and Harshad to conquer the standard list of landmarks– Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Oxford Street, Hyde Park and the list goes on. There, we saw many other tourists and cafés super-packed with hungry crowd. Finally, there was some Christmas atmosphere in the city.

Later that evening, we repeated our food-hunting ritual. Along the way, we were so bored that we attempted our own “ghost photography”. We walked for a very long distant before we found a decent Italian pizza joint. But the staff told us that the restaurant was closing. At 6pm, that was early! The owner explained she sold out everything. I figured why. Darn, we walked on and found a small steakhouse along Regent Street. It was packed with people. Thank goodness, they had enough food and seats for us. We had our little Christmas Dinner there. The food wasn’t delicious at all but it filled our empty stomachs. We were so tired due to the endless walking and food hunting. We decided to head back to our hotel after the dinner for our Christmas gift-exchanges. That brighten up my boy’s gloomy and tired face!

The next day, we took a morning tour to visit the mystical Stonehenge. It was a 2-hour bus ride from London Central to the Stonehenge. Along the way, we saw hundreds of Boxing Day shoppers (mostly Asians) queuing outside branded stores. What a big contrast from Christmas Day. The streets were filled with so many people! Many of them had queued the night before. Tired, restless, aggressive and hungry looking, these zombie-like shoppers were waiting for the big hunt. There was no jolliness in their expression. It was a good idea that we left the city.

Finally, we arrived in the middle of nowhere. It looked like a farm, I thought. To some, Stonehenge is nothing but a pile of well-stacked stones in an uncanny formation. For me, it is getting a tick in my “places-I-must-visit-before-I-die” checklist. I have seen the Stonehenge many times in TV documentaries and photo books, I am just curious to see them in real life. The story of Stonehenge is just so intriguing and well written that it continues to draw millions to its site every year. Not bad for a broken down solar temple.

I was a little worried when I saw busloads of tourists alighting at the Stonehenge Visitor Center. I was concerned about the quality of my photo shoots. I hate the feelings of not able to capture the Stonehenge in full view. These crowds are going to block and pollute my shoot, I thought.

Thankfully, the Stonehenge Visitor Center set up a 360-circumference-barrier to keep onlookers from going too close and blocking the ancient structures. The position of this barrier was very well spaced and placed so that every one can take a good photo of the entire Stonehenge without anyone blocking the camera’s view. That is very thoughtful. However, it also means we cannot walk inside the Stonehenge. I guess with crowds like this, this is a better option for everyone. It is more of a “sight” than an experience.

It was surprisingly sunny yesterday and I was lucky to capture the Stonehenge under a clear blue sky setting. It was picture perfect for me. And most importantly, I was far far away from the Boxing Day craze.

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Family, Life in Hong Kong, Travel

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