7th May 2009 - I took my Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX for a spin around the then newly-constructed office next to mine.


What lies behind the door?


They got the view. We didn't.


Secret window. (Obviously, not with the same ultra-wide angle lens.)


Then I headed over to Bentley Music and checked out Homegrown Space! That's my picture of Andrew Netto (second from right, top row).


It was still under construction and smelling very funky!

I loved Bentley Music's vast space - it was that kind of feeling that made me want to buy an electric guitar back in 2001-2002.


Stairway to...

Back in 31st October 2007, my then new Sony Alpha 700, a fish-eater and me went down to Titiwangsa Lake Garden to check out the Eye On Malaysia!


Business was pretty slow on a hot Wednesday afternoon.


Here's a de-fished image from the Peleng 8mm F3.5 circular fisheye.


The walkway to the Eye On Malaysia.


The Tamron 200-400mm F5.6 makes a rare appearance, stalking buildings at 400mm.


Another 400mm shot. Through the window I needed a lot of sharpening.


Down on the ground at 330mm.

Everybody in KL knows Pudu Plaza as the serious place to go for some camera pr0n - Digitalsmania's accessories, YL Camera's second-hand lenses, Studio Zaloon's Sony Alpha lens/camera range, E-Six's slide film support...


First, here's a quick overview using Google Maps - you need to walk from the Pudu RapidKL (STAR LRT/Sentul/Ampang/Sri Petaling line) station. You'd go out, follow the back of the shops, come out at Maybank, and pass by the shops.


Circled in red is Digitalsmania, a camera accessories shop. It is on the Lower Ground floor, meaning when you get there you take a floor down. They carry lots of interesting bits and ends!

Circled in green is YL Camera, a second-hand lenses/cameras and camera/lenses shop. It is on the First floor, meaning when you enter you take a floor up.

Circled in blue is Studio Zaloon, a camera/lenses shop. They're having a launch this Saturday 9th January 2010, 12 Noon, of their Sony Alpha Pro Shop. Come by if you'd like to try some of the more exotic Sony Alpha lenses!

Not circled, but covered by the "A" label, is E-Six, a film processing shop. This is the only place in Malaysia that still processes positive slide film using the E6 method! Every other shop can only do C41 for standard negative film.

(Edited 12th January 2010: Singapore does have places that will process E6.)


And now, for a fisheye walkthrough with my A700, Peleng 8mm F3.5 circular fisheye and Kenko 1.5x teleconverter (for a 180 degree diagonal fisheye effect!)

You'd need to be at the correct Pudu LRT station - some people have mistakenly gotten off at the Hang Tuah LRT station which is next to Pudu Jail, and some others get off at Plaza Rakyat LRT which is next to the Pudu Bus Station.


Alternatively, if you get off on this side, you can probably spot a corner of Pudu Plaza from this side.


Anyway, exit the LRT station and turn left.


Walk along the passageway...


...until you find this shaded lane, between the two Sek Yuen Restaurants.


Here's the tricky part - cross the road, then go right to find the opening in the fence, then cross again and go left along the Maybank.

Or you could go left (not shown in picture) and take the overhead bridge.


You should find yourself in a quiet street. Keep going forward.


And there it is! Pudu Plaza! Head to this corner...


Go up the stairs to go to the Ground floor (and take the escalator up to YL Camera) or go diagonally across the building to reach Studio Zaloon. Alternatively, following the blue arrow you can go downstairs, walk through the arcade.

The moment you exit the arcade, Digitalsmania will be on your left.

Hmmm, I need to get a picture of the actual Pudu Plaza map; if not refer to the second picture for the relative positions of the shops - should be quite easy to find!


This is probably the most famous second-hand lens/camera shop in KL. Not that I know of anywhere else even in PJ!

I don't have a proper picture of Digitalsmania, because they will be moving!

I don't have a proper picture of Studio Zaloon, because they just renovated! Did I mention that there is a launch?

What: 1st Alpha Pro-shop launch
Where: Studio Zaloon, LE-4 Lower Ground, Pudu Plaza, 51, Jalan Landak, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
How Much: Free Entry
When: Saturday, 12 noon, 9th January 2010
Why: There will be door gifts, a lucky draw, a photo competition, food and beverages and workshop registration (for Sunday).
Tel: 03-21411355

Sometime 17th August 2008, I was down in Malacca with my A700! Here's the Peleng 8mm F3.5 M42 circular fisheye shot through a Kenko 1.5x teleconverter to give a nice diagonal fisheye conversion.


Sup dawg. Friend of Cheddie's?


Malacca is colorful!


For tea.


Dad out of frame.


Kid out of frame.


66% crop from the Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan, a perfect travel lens.


St. Francis Xavier's statue in front of St. Paul's Church.


The beercan does 1:4x macro in front of Dutch Square.


66% crop.


Buzz off.


Onward to February 2009, when I got the A900 and took it down to Penang. This is where the bus stopped. Serious!


Ah, where I came from.


Templar brought me on the ferry and all the way across the island to Batu Feringgi (however the heck it is spelled - different signs had totally different ways of spelling it!)


The other way would have been the Penang bridge.


Here's a 100% crop from the beercan!


Sunset.


Safety.


This is absolutely why you must bring a light telephoto to the beach. Not sure if Waifon took this...


...and/or this.


You must absolutely also bring suntan lotion even if you are as fair as I am. Got a nice sunburn and a good lesson from that!


You can bank on that.


I got on the RapidPenang! Not as hard as I thought as the buses seemed quite regular.


Went down to Komtar, and took this bus back since it was there and happened to service the same route. The last time I got in a bus that looked that rickety was in Klang!


Watchman. (Watchmen was an excellent movie!)


Sleeping pregnant lady, on the bus back home.

Thank you company (again)!


...and now, for more shots from the company trip in Redang (anywhere from the 27th February 2008 to 1st March 2008.)


Yes, it was obvious whose territory we were now in!


The ferry.


The island. No, wait, not this one.

Anyway one thing that really made the islands and greens and skies pop out was the use of my Sony Alpha 700's Dynamic Range Optimizer set to Level 5, the maximum available. You know what it's like if you were to shoot the same scene without such a fantastic feature - the island would be dark and the sky would be a bright white.


Ah, here at last!


Laguna Redang Beach Resort. This is the one with the More More Tea Inn (I bought the T-shirt! I thought Summer Holiday was a really nice movie even though they played it on repeat on TV, making sure I could catch both the ending and beginning...)


My colleagues ran right into the waves!


Wet benches. We came at the wrong (or right) time - the waves were coming in, and so the sea was not safe for swimming on subsequent days.


Oh well, what a waste.


And when the sign is red, NO SWIMMING!


Another sign tells you not to feed the monkey. Yes, there is one solitary monkey on this island. Poor, poor lonely monkey.

That's why they call it Monkey Island.


Splash!


Seafood green is in fashion.


It's quite something to watch waves crash, while the rocks resist.


Tired with the view, we crossed over to the other resort.


On the way back, we made a pit stop. Interesting prices the other states in Malaysia have!

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