REVIEW | Leica R8 + Summicron 50mm f/2

This is just a quick simple review of how this machine performs at low light/ night time.

An earlier photo sample from this machine can be found here



The above photo is the actual photo from the Leica R8, where the film negative was developed then scanned digitally directly from the photo-lab, so from my side, there is no additional post-processing or 'watsoever', and it is a full-frame, real 50mm view.

This was taken some time ago during a night discussions.

As you can see from the photo, it is easier to focus as it is using a full manual focus system plus the large clear split-image view i.e. "parallax error system" , it performs brilliantly under a low-light situation, where some dSLR with AF find it difficult to focus perfectly.

As you might already know, the Leica R8 is a film SLR (thou you can buy the add-on digital back, so it can be used as a digital SLR, but with a hefty sum of about $9K!), anyway, the film used in this photo was the one with the ISO400, (can't find any higher one).

In short, this is a very nice camera if you are want to do a photography in a "relaxing" in-your-own-sweet-time photography, as it is a full manual camera, hence everything need to set accordingly before you can actually capture those moment.

Note: Not recommended for Wedding, unless if the subject has so much time in hand.

RANDOM | ENRST LEITZ | LEICA IIIB (Leica F) - 1939

.. this is a rangefinder.... manufactured in 1933-1939 by Leica ....

... in order to look thru the viewfinder... one needs to really squint to see properly ... it is quite tiny ...... there's actually two viewfinder .. one to "see" what you are capturing .. another for focusing purposes...... thou there's an external accessories for it ....

.. built like a tank .... ( what do you expect if it was built during the World War) ... u can drop this on your foot .. if u want a bump on your foot that is ....

... the lens could be extended accordingly ....


...loads of dial ... and obviously ... everything is manual ... setting the aperture ..... the shutter speed....focusing.......and such ... hence the know how of manual photography is crucial here... in order to have a well exposed photo ....

... one interesting aspect of one of the many dials is...... for setting the shutter speed ... if u need to set the shutter to .. say 1/20s .. then u turn the knob to the 20 mark ... and the knob will rotate for 1/20s ... and if u want it to be at 1/200s.. then set it to the 200 mark ... and the knob will then move 1/200s ... i.e. the length of the opening of the shutter ....

... holding this classic ... ( won't say antique ) ... in your hand ... is like holding a piece of history ... or being a part of the history ... hmmm.... I suppose so .... oh well...

BRUNEI | FILM OUTING | The Golden Water ...

... been quite a long day ... was out with the guys ....

anyway .. just wanna leave u with this photo for today ....



.. the golden water of Brunei ....

BRUNEI | FILM OUTING | Red Post Box..

.. one of the first few photos that I took during the film outing ...

... the lighting was still quite harsh at that time .. but oh well .. could not find other interesting subject at that time .. so might as well ....


... funny thing about ordinary mail .. or snail mail... .. people would have thought that due to the increase usage of electronic media ... e.g. e-mail ... Instant messaging .. or even SMS .... the ordinary mail will be used less.... but instead....the British Royal Mail have informed that .. business is booming!

... I think the reason is that ... thou it is true ... people are frequenting the net ... but they are also ... ordering/ purchasing more online ... which .... affect the ordinary mailing industry ... so .. even if they do loss out in one area ... but they gained more on courier service ....

.. brilliant ... such business strategies like these... are the one we should not overlook ....

BRUNEI | FILM OUTING | 'ol IBB Building ...

... .. few decades ago ... building with a double digit storeys were a rare sight .. or perhaps .. even non-existence at all... the buildings are usually .. double storeys ... or at most seven or eight storeys high ...

.... then .... there was a breakthrough ... IBB (now BIDB) ... built the first building in BSB with a double digit floors .... it was for their HQ at that time ..situated a the very corner.. of the street ... facing the water village ...... but now.... they have move to a new HQ with a new building .. also with a double digit floors ... just few blocks away ....



... .. hmmmm... and WHY .......

• Why .... are they called buildings, when they're already finished? .... aren't they suppose to be called builts? ...
• Why .... are they called apartments, when they're all stuck together? .. (stuckments perhaps...)
  
• Why ....... do banks charge you a "non-sufficient funds fee" on money they already know you don't have?
• Why .... is it that woman have a "pair" of panties and only one bra?
• Why do people go to McDonald .. or ... Burger King and Order a Double cheese burger or Whopper with a Large French Fry and insist on getting a Diet Coke?
• Why...... do ballet dancers always dance on their toes? ..... Wouldn't it be nice to just hire taller dancers?
• Why ......do scientists call it research when looking for something new? ... doesn't research means that .. you have search for it.. but then .. u are searching it again ... .. just like exam's re-sit ... or ... drinks refill .... hmmm.....
  
• Why....... is a carrot more orange than an orange?
• Why ....are there 5 syllables in the word "monosyllabic"?
• Why ........ do we go under over-passes and over under-passes?
• Why ... if 2 planes nearly hit each other .. they are called ... near-miss ...? ..
  

... why.... hmmm.....

BRUNEI | FILM OUTING | Yayasan Plaza ...

... another photo during the film outing ...

... there was some sort of event at that time ...

... I think ... Yayasan should organise some sort of event every other week ... if not weekly ... to lure people to clamour the Yayasan Complex ....

.. it could be a bazaar .. or perhaps .. a local.... cultural ... traditional performance of some sort .... of which ... not only the foreign tourist will benefit from it ... but also ... our local tourist ... KNK ... ;)

BRUNEI | FILM OUTING | The Waterfront...

... the day's getting dark ....

... the sun's setting ...

... the boat's getting bouncier due to the "wavy" water ....

... it's getting harder to get a "still" photo .... this is when u really need those Image Stabilizer ...

... with the unchangeable ISO setting .. (due to film constrainted.. ) .. you are stuck with just a single ISO setting ...

.... most autofocus lens would find difficulty in focusing in low light ... the lens would hunt for the right amount of light to get into focus .... and this is where the manual focus with the parallax-error-mirror comes in handy ......

... then gazing the magnificient cloud formations ... .. and with a limited amount of film exposure left.. ...... made you think twice .... .. either to capture the clouds .. or the waterfront .....

... hmmmm ..... but not much time to think about it .. otherwise.... you will miss the moment ....

.. then... * click * ....



... this is what I finally decide to take ...

.... another perspective of the waterfront .... with the marvellous cloud formation .....

FILM OUTING | BRUNEI | Jetty Business ...

... "close-up" of the village's jetty ... where the boat load/unload passengers and goods ....

.. modern jetties are now built from reinforced concrete .... although there are still wooden jetties being use ......

... the reinforced concrete do still get eroded due to the erosion of the steel bar by the salty water .....

... I think it is about time for those concern to build a properly computer design jetty .. which can withstand those salty water.... and other natural .. or man-made impacts ....

... a floating jetty should also be considered .. so that it is easier to unload/load .. regardless of the tide of the water .....



... people bargaining for fare price before taking ride to their respectful destination.....

TIPS FOR NEWBIES TO THE WATER VILLAGE

1. Use an appropriate footwear, especially during climbing the steps of the jetty, as it is quite slippery, use high heels only if you think you are stunt acrobats from a circus, hence a flat rubber sole is recommended.

2. Bring small change, a short trip across the river, can be as little as from $0.50 per person, but if you give them $1, there will be no change, anyway, on the other hand, just give them the $1, share the wealth.

3. Bargain the fare first before taking the boat ride.

4. While walking along the wooden plank walkway, see not only the front, but watch your step literally, you would never know what you gonna step on ;)

5. Due to the "mysterical" and fascinating maze of walkway, becareful of where you are heading, you might end up at someone's kitchen!

6. Smile, and be polite, the villagers especially the children are very welcoming and friendly, and please do not be rude, as the people in the village are all related to one another in every other relationships i.e. uncles, aunties, granddad, cousins, 2nd cousins, 3rd cousins, sister's husband's cousins etc ....

7. Make sure your camera have enough film, batteries and memory cards etc, unless you wanna miss your chance of a lifetime ... leaving all those sweet, beautiful memories of Kampung Aying just in your heart ....... I Heart You ....

BRUNEI | FILM OUTING | Yayasan Water Front ....

... where there's a river ... or water .... there's usually a water front .... or water/river banks ... what ever you wanna call it ...

... looking at the photo .... if only they can extend the water front (to the left of the photo) .. to about few hundred metres more ... this for sure will make a beautiful and magnificient water front .... facing the serenity of the soothing water ....

.. and that water front can then be used as a spectators arena for any water events... such as "dragon" boat race ... kayak race ... and such ...

.... and during normal day ... it can be used as a jogging track ....

.. for sure will gonna be a touristy event/area in the Brunei calendar ....

.. thou many years ago ... an annual water events were done along this stretch of water ... which include ... night time boat float processions during HM's Birthday Celebrations .. powerboat racing .... and "dragon" boat racing etc ...



... a view of the Yayasan Water Front .... from the water .... ;)

BRUNEI | FILM OUTING | School on Water ....

... sssss ... aaaaaa...... yyyy ...... aaaaa...... SAYA ....

.... aaaaa.......ddddd....... aaaaaa ...... ADA

..... bbb ... uuuu .... kkkk....... uuu .... BUKU .....


.... SAYA ADA BUKU .....


... those rythmic tune... of the school children in the school .. still lingers in my ears ....

... for those living next to the school ... or just happened to pass by the school .... never fail to capture those melodic voices of the children learning to spell .... read ..... and counts ....


.. then listening the cheers of the children everytime ... the bell rings for break ... and seeing their ever so happy face especially during the-end-of-school bell ...........

... I was still small at that time ... and I presume ... some of the children are now having some good jobs somewhere....



.. The photo shows Sekolah Rendah Dato Godam, Mukim Sungai Kedayan ..... one of the primary schools at the water village ....


..... dua kali dua ... empat ....

.... dua kali tiga .... enam ....

.. dua kali empat .... lapan .....

...... dua kali lima ...... ;)

BRUNEI | FILM OUTING | River Cruise ...

.. I think I have uploaded about 10 photos from the 36 exp. film roll (.. thou 2 frames were exposed)... so here are some more of it .....

... when visiting a foreign land ... the visit is usually not worthwhile unless you cruise along their river .... with their local means of transport ....

... Bangkok with the Chao Praya River ........ in London.. one will cruise along the River Thames ... .......... and the famous Seine River boat cruise is a "must" in Paris ... .......... and obviously relaxing in the gondola in Venice....

.... well my friends ... in Brunei ... the visit is not complete without cruising along the Brunei River ... seeing all those "exotic treasures" .. that is unique only to Brunei ....



... cruising along the Brunei River .... with Mukim Tamoi on the background ... (few villages form a Mukim ..... few Mukims form a district) ....

Mukim Tamoi is one of the Mukims at the water village .....

FILM OUTING | BRUNEI | Of The Jetty & The Clouds ...

... before going to the film outing .. I said to myself I will only use one roll film of 36 exp. ... but after processing I found out that, the actually exposure was less than 36, because the first few frames was expose earlier while inserting the film rolls...

.. so is a 36exp. enough for an outing?

... well it depends on what u wanna shoot ... but for me I just wanna challenge myself.... challenge myself as to how much "useable" / "quality" shots that I could take with just the 36exp. ....

... I guess... if you manage to get at least 20 good photos from a 36 exp. that should be better than .. having a digital camera with 4GB but with more half of them are deleted ...

.... in handling film camera... one can not just shoot in continuous mode .. *traatatatatatatat* ... 3 or 5 or 8 fps .. or what ever the frame speed of your camera... otherwise... u will just waste the whole roll of film ....

... buuuut... if u think just because you are using digital SLR ... you can just shoot in that *tratatat* mode ... think again ... DSLR have a limited shutter cycle counts ... once it reached that "expiry" mode... u need to fix your shutter ..... ( I guess.. this part is where the salesperson often left out....) ... so you've been warned .... ;)



.... a long extended jetty .. with a lovely cloud formation at the background ....

FILM OUTING | BRUNEI | Kampung Aying The RIght Side ...

.... still taken from the film outing ... as the previous post was taken on the left side of Kampung Aying ... where as this photo is the view of the right side....



.. a water taxi passing by the river ... a typical daily scene at the water village ....


COMMUNITY NEWS !

.. on the other hand ... here is a community news...

WHAT? .. a 6KM walkathon to promote the awareness of HIV/AIDS with the theme "WALK FOR LIFE" ...

WHEN? this SUNDAY | 27 May 2007

WHERE? TAMAN Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien, BSB

TIME? .. 0630 HOURS

HOW? .... jus go to venue.. with your running attire .. or even fashion clothing .. or baju melayu if u want... what ever you are comfortable with ... but ... yea what important is.......do wear something red ... doesnt't really matter if it is your Superman Underwear ....or anything.... as long it is red ....

.. so everyone is welcome .... spread the news ......

... for more info ... please visit ..... this site Completely & Utterly Human

FILM OUTING | Tahun Melawat Brunei 2008 ...

.. Tahun Melawat Malaysia 2007 ..... manakala .... tahun 2008 merupakan Tahun Melawat Brunei ....

Bangkok, Thailand terkenal dengan Pasar Terapong atau "Floating Market" nya ....

.... Gondola pula terkenal di Venice Italy ...... yang mana merupakan bandaraya "di atas air" ...

... dan Brunei Darussalam, juga mempunyai keunikan "atas air" nya sendiri.. iaitu Kampong Air ... atau lebih dikenali oleh orang tempatan sebagai Kampung Aying .... dimana di sinilah terletaknya Pusat Pemerintahan Kerajaan yang terawal ..... beberapa kurun yang lalu ....



... penduduk di Kampung Aying .. memerlukan mutu tambang (Perahu) untuk berulang alik dari rumah ke darat ....

... walaubagaimanapun setiap rumah di Kampung Aying mempunyai kesemua kemudahan moden yang ada terdapat di rumah-rumah di daratan .... seperti elektrik, paip air, telefon, TV, radio, komputer dan sebagainya ..... termasuklah kemudahan TV satelit ...

FILM OUTING | BRUNEI | Membali Kain ...

.... so what can one do at Jalan Sultan ....

..... hmmm... well u can do loads of stuff actually ....

...... obviously .. u can shop ... shop for various stuffs.... local Brunei souvenirs .... local products ... fashion accessories ....but no car accessories thou .. eermm.. unless you consider those yellow signs as one... then nope .....

... and as u can see from the photo .... perfumes and "kain-kainan" ....




.. a simple review of the Leica - Summicron 50mm f/2 lens

... can't really quite remember about the setting of the aperture ... but if u look at the (enlarged) photo ... u'll noticed that, the subject on the foreground seems to be "cut & paste" like ... eeer 3D like... eermm.. ( I might be exaggerating a bit here...) but yea... macam timbul nya orang.... stands out quite a bit ... don't u think so ...?

FILM OUTING | BRUNEI | Jalan Sultan ...

... actually I wanted to shoot using the black & white film.. which I've already bought many months ago ... unfortunately (or fortunately) ... after double checking the suitability of the film ... it was found out that .. it could not be processed by the film lab in Brunei ... no such equipment to develop it ....

... hence I just resort to using the colour film .... but as not to "menghampakan" .. harapan .... I just convert the coloured photo to Black & White ...



.. a glimpse of the 24 Hours weekend bazaar along Jalan Sultan in the Capital ..... which started on 1800Hours Saturday to 1800 Sunday ......

.. this photo was taken during Sunday afternoon ...

FILM OUTING | BRUNEI | Golds Within ....

... one of the most photographed landmark in Brunei Darussalam .... the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque .... taken at a different angle .. i.e. from the middle of the Kedayan River (Sungai Kedayan) ....

.... this photo was quite challenging to take ..as the sun's setting ... (i.e. low available light) ... plus .... we were on a rocking boat .. (.. gotta need to hold the camera steady... ) .... plus ... as I was using the Leica R8 .. hence... manual focusing ....



.. btw.... Did You Know That ...

If you are lucky enough to go into the mosque .. u can find the "Tongkat Mimbar" .. ( a kind of stick/cane which the Imam hold while giving the sermons) .... which according to a source from the Ministry of Religious Affair ... the Tongkat Mimbar is about 179cm long with a diameter of 14cm on top and 13cm at the bottom....

.. the wood is made of "Kayu Impas" which comes from Kampong Bokok, Temburong.....

... the top of the Tongkat Mimbar is made from a mixture gold & silver (.. suasa... ngam kah tu ...?) .. and designed to look like the Dome of a mosque ... with comlimentary motifs of 5 stars & moon crescent ....

... the moon crescent and the stars... were meant to be a symbol of Islam.. which was the idea of Sayidina Umar Radiallahu anhu... from the style and attitude of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.)

.. the Tongkat Mimbar was designed by Pengiran Abdul Momin Bin Pengiran Osman (Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Setia Jaya Pengiran Haji Abdul Momin Bin Pengiran Osman) .... and was made by 10 blacksmiths/silverware specialist from Kampong Sungai Kedayan .....

... it was a kind of Wakaf... by the Brunei Islamic Associations... to remember the grand opening of the mosque .... on the 26 September 1958 ... as written on the Tongkat Mimbar in Jawi Scripts...

FILM OUTING | BRUNEI | The Padlock ...

... as the film outing was done on a sunday ... many of the shops were obviously closed ...

... hmmm... now there's this dilemma ... do one close their shop (on Sunday) .. when there are actually loads of people in the capital .... or just open it ... but then again ... if one open their shop on a sunday ... that means ... there will be no day off for the shop owner ....

... but may be ... if they want to have an off day .... perhaps... they can close the shops on Monday ..... hmmmm... .. oh .... may be ... just leave it open throught the week .... or even better ..... 24-7 ..... oh well just a thought ....



... this photo was taken after sunset ...

... btw .... just to share a story regarding this open close shop ..... happened while travelling to Malaysia ....

GF's Team: .. eh mamak .. ini kedai selalu buka awal ... pukul berapa dia tutup...?

Mamak: ... ini kedai ... mati baru tutup lah ....



awu ... atu ... inda tah pandai tutup tu banar.... 24-7-365 tu banar.....

FILM OUTING | SUBARU 555 ...

... Kampung Aying ( Water Village ) ... was not part of our earlier outing plan ... ( .. in fact we didn't have any plan .... ) ... but ... we just follow what ever it was .... hence.... we manage to cruise along Sungai Kedayan (Kedayan River) ... taking shots whatever that might be of interest .... and obviously .... Kampung Aying never fail to bore anyone ....

......... Kampung Aying is where.... the villages ... will stop doing whatever they're doing ... and then.. smile .. and wave .. or perhaps .... do some stunning or "sexy" pose ... to the passing "tourists" ..... especially if the "tourist" are carrying those "large bulky cameras and stimulating zoom lens".... like us ...



.. Another shot from the Leica R8 ....

... this scene reminds me of my childhood days living in Kampung Aying ... where we also did .. wave frantically ... cheering ... doing sommersault... and doing mexican wave ....eerr.. ignore the mexican wave thingy ... was just exaggerating .... but yea... we wave whenever we see real tourists lurking with their cameras... and happily will pose for the camera .... I guess... the friendly welcoming "tradition" of waving by Orang Kampung Air ( Water Villagers ) .. still occurs up to now ... really glad about it ... hopefully it will continues for many years to come.....

.. another fascinating stuff about Kampung Aying .... is the way how they name their "super boat" with various interesting name ... just like above .. "Subaru 555" ... one can even find name such as .... " Ferrari Merah" ... "Roda Impian" ... " Kau Bukan Milikku Lagi" ... "Jaguh Aying" ... "Kalau Takut Dilambung Ombak Jangan Berumah DI Tepi Pantai" ..... " Mutubot Dayang Rogayah Dan Haji Bagol Dan Anak-anak Serta Keluarga Dengan Gandingan Gabungan Kumpulan-kumpulan Hadrah dan Gambus dan Dijamin Oleh Tauke-tauke Balak Dengan Tanggungan Berhad" ... eermm.. oh well I might add them myself... but yea... U get me right ...?

... Welcome to Brunei Darussalam ... ;)

FILM OUTING | Papan Kenyataan

.. here's another photo of the film outing .... ( Leica R8 + Summicron 50mm f/2 + Fujicolor Superia XTra 400 )

.. the notice stated that .... the area is a protected archeaological site... hence .. people is not allowed to disturb, or cut any trees (thou there's no tree) within the area ......

... I'm still not sure what they are going to do about the building .... i.e. the ex- Royal Custom & Excise Headquarters, Wharf Building.... very interesting building indeed... hopefully .. it will not be demolished ...

... but ... hmmm... what they can do is ... by still maintaing the actual structure of the building ... but the upper deck can be turned into a huge dining area ... where people can dine ... overlooking the magnificient water village .. and even perhaps overlooking Jalan Sultan ... but the brick wall... should be made transparent ... i.e. tempered glass walls can be put in place ... hence .... a clear sightly view of bandar.....

.... such ambience would be more pleasing ... in the evening .... with local traditional performance playing each nite .... not only alluring .... foreign tourist ... but as well as local tourist ..... can be use as some sort of Local Malay Fine Dining.. with Local Performance scene ... ..

... then .. on the lower deck .. or ground floor ... can be turned into handicraft centre ... where people can bought quality local product as souvenir ..... .

.... and both deck should be clear of any obstructive interior dividers or walls... let it just be one huge hall .....



Papan Kenyataan

Kawasan Arkeologi

Ditegah masuk, menggangu, merosak, mengambil artifak, menggali, membina sebarang bangunan & menebang pokok.

Mengikut Akta Barang-barang Purbakala & Harta Terpendam 1967 (Pindaan 1984, 1991, 2002)

Dengan Perintah
Pengarah Muzium-muzium Brunei