Ironwulf.net: En Route – Best Philippines, Travel, Photography Blog

I’ve had the Olympus E-420 since last June 2008 and had been a companion to my recent trips to Coron Palawan and Northern Vietnam. This field review is long overdue but I believe that in order to really know a camera, you really have to take some time with it to avoid posting just an impression or a superficial review. On the inside page is my field review of the Olympus E-420 with the 25mm Pancake Lens.

It’s been quite some time since I wrote about my travel gears here. With the coming holidays and the summer a few months coming, I’m sure a lot will be packing their bags and be heading of to their desired destinations. But remember that in travel you must take proper precautions as well, especially in regards to your possessions and security. Comfort as well in your foot gear since you spend most of the time walking around. With these let me share my recent travel gear acquisitions.

Olympus Philippines was kind enough to lend me one of the latest model from Olympus DSLR line for testing and review, the Olympus e-420. The Olympus e-420 is currently the world’s smallest and lightest DSLR in the market. I was really attracted to this little wonder and wanted to really test out the unit before actually jumping into buying one. Olympus was famous for creating the OM-system cameras in the 70’s and 80’s which was also known for being small and light yet still manages to bring out the excellent quality images. A lot were excited with the release of the e-420 as it brought back the retro style cameras and also introduced the highly anticipated Zuiko 25mm 2.8 pancacke lens. I have been using a production unit for more than a week now and here are my initial impressions.

At the camp, we get to pitch our tents. The Columbia Dome tent is actually very nice. It has 2 doors, one on each side and very spacious iteriors with a hanging compartment at the ceiling and can room 3 medium sized persons. Early morning, it actually rained more but we were still dry inside the tents. At camp we get to eat some pasta, toasted breads and baguettes prepared by the Columbia folks. We get to share some stories as well with the other bloggers. The next day, we had some clearing and we get to do a summit. This is actually the 3rd time I visited this mountain and it’s the first time I did a summit. Maybe because I knew the summit here wasn’t that spectacular as the other Batangas mountains.

I have been a Sony Ericsson user for some time, so will this phone make me switch to Nokia? Is the Nokia N82 the ultimate camera phone?

It’s been 4 years since I have been here and since then I’ve always wanted to go back. My first trip to Batanes has been one of my most memorable travels since then. And when the chance to go back there came knocking in, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Batanes has this long lasting charm that holds you once you have stepped up on its land. And now thanks to Epson Philippines, Geiser Maclang and fellow bloggers Juned as well for the referral, the dream of going back has been fulfilled. And the charm of Batanes is still there.

If in the USA, they have the Photo Marketing Association Trade Show which the world of Photography seems to follow as most photo companies exhibit and reveal their newer models. Here in the Philippines, we have the Photo World Asia. Before, it was called Photo World Manila, I guess for marketing reasons the popped in the “Asia” to make it wider in scope but it really isn’t that wide a coverage. Photo World is also an annual event held usually early February in Glorietta Activity Center, Makati. This year, the event is held from January 31 – February 5. Most local photo distributors have their exhibit booths and most retailers give good discounts and freebies during this event, making it an ideal time to buy new cameras and accessories.