Ironwulf.net Ver 6: En Route - Philippines, Travel, Photography

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.

Just taking a breather from my Siquijor post. And this is not a paid post by the way, I was able to attend one of Samsung Philippines’ product launch last Wednesday at Manila Peninsula Makati. Yes, that’s the day before the Trillanes Stand off in Makati happened. Again, bloggers were included in the company’s marketing wheel so a few were invited in this 3 day event. That was the last day and there were supposed to be some other bloggers on that day along with other media from TV and print publications as well. Well it seemed that the others rescheduled and came on different dates. As for that night I came with fellow invitee Ricky Manzano of ProjectManila. All photos taken with my Sony Ericsson K800i.

I think I have been asked quite a number of times in comments here and people as well on what camera I use and why. Also there were questions if I ‘Photoshop’ my images or not and what gears do I bring when I travel. Well this post would serve to answer those questions. I posted my Camera History before but this would be nice to explain my current set up. Warning, this could get a bit technical.