2017 July, Hulu Langat Revisited (Birding)

I revisited Hulu Langat again today after I have put down the Sigma 150mm-500mm earlier in March this year. Yes, I haven't been birding much since March, except the time when I was traveling in Thailand with my Olympus OM-D E-M1.

Anyway, around 8 o'clock in morning, I picked up a friend of mine in Puchong and headed towards Hulu Langat after a quick breakfast. Upon reaching there, we were surprised to see a group of photographers were already there! Surprise ! Mind you, it's on a Wednesday...

We were there for the Blue-eared Kingfisher. But lucky for us, another two birds also came to the same spot searching for food, the Rufous-backed Kingfisher was one of them.

All photos are taken using the Sigma 150-500mm adapted to the Sony a7ii using Sigma mc-11 in APSC mode. I also used the fluidhead monopod instead of the tripod this time.

© Edward Chen.

Galeri Wau Pak Sapie and Sony a9 (2017 Sony Alpha Super Workshop Kelantan - Part 2)

We departed to Galeri Wau Pak Sapie, which is along Jalan Pantai Cahaya Bulan. Upon reaching the gallery, I was given the chance to try the Sony Alpha 9 (a9 [Shashinki]). So I immediately took off my Sony 16-35 Zeiss lens from my Sony a7ii and attached the lens onto the a9. 😆

Me and Sony a9. lol © Edward Chen

2017 Sony Alpha Super Workshop Kelantan - Part 1 (Arrival)

I went to the 2017 Sony Alpha Super Workshop in Kelantan. Here are some of the photos taken during the trip which was sponsored by Sony Malaysia and Kelantan Tourism (transportation, lodging, food and venue).

We reached Kota Bharu around six o'clock morning and stopped at Dataran Muhammadi. I went to the nearby market for a short walk while waiting for photographers from all over Malaysia to gather up.

Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah Kota Bharu. Sony a7ii + Sony Zeiss 16-35mm © Edward Chen.

Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah Kota Bharu. Sony a7ii + Sony Zeiss 16-35mm © Edward Chen.

Some Photos of The Rufous-backed Kingfisher and more

Hulu Langat is one of the popular places for cyclists, probably due to its location near the forest reserve where the traffic is not as heavy as in the city. There are also eco-camps in the area where tourists stay in huts next to small rivers and waterfalls.

Here, after consulting my anonymous friends on the location of the bird, I had the opportunity to see for myself the beautiful Rufous-backed Kingfisher, 4th type of kingfisher on my list. 1st - white-throated kingfisher (everywhere), 2nd - Black-naped Kingfisher (Tanjung Karang), 3rd - Collared-Kingfisher (Tanjung Karang).

Edit: I actually saw the Collared-Kingfisher before my trip to Tanjung Karang. Stumbled upon an old photo of it which I took at Pantai Jeram a couple of years ago.

Rufous-backed Kingfisher. © Edward Chen

Updating the Sony a7ii Firmware from v3.10 to v3.20

Since I do not see any complaints online about the firmware messing up the camera, I went ahead and updated my camera firmware today. The firmware has been made available since September 23, 2016. I downloaded it at the Sony website here: https://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-home.pl?mdl=ILCE7M2&template_id=1&region_id=1&tab=download#/downloadTab

Bangkok: Sea Life Ocean World

During my trip to Bangkok, my friend, Joy, brought my family to visit Sea Life Ocean World, one of Bangkok's tourist attractions at the city centre. Located within Siam Paragon shopping mall, it's easily accessible using the BTS. It's just next to the Siam BTS station.

It opens daily from 10am until 9pm. As we reached there in the evening near 6pm, we got the "Late Savers" tickets for foreigners at 645baht each adult and 515baht for each child (originally 990baht for adults and 790baht for each child). 

All photos are taken using the Sony A7 ii with the Sony Zeiss 35mm Sonnar f2.8 ZA lens.

A huge lion fish swimming in the aquarium.

Natural Joy Vision at Young Place, Sukhumvit 23, Bangkok

My family was invited by my friend, Urapa (Joy) Watanachote, to her eye clinic, Natural Joy Vision, in Bangkok. It's located in a small business area at Sukhumvit 23, which is near the Interchange 21.

Her guru/consultant, Dr. Amajith Swain, showed us the way to the clinic one fine morning.

We took the light rail transit in Bangkok called 'BTS' and exit at Asoke station in Sukhumvit. We walked through Interchange 21 and then followed him to Young Place.

Map to Natural Joy Vision

Using the Telezenitar 135mm f2.8 APO Legendary Russian Lens on Sony A7 ii

I have the Telezenitar 135mm with me for more than a couple of years now. To me it's a sharp and fast medium telephoto lens. The only "weakness" is that it's a manual focus lens. I used the lens on my Nikon D800e (the lens is in Nikon F mount) and after a few uses it ended up in the dry box until I even put it up for sale. (It never got sold as I had reserved it for a friend who eventually didn't buy it.)

Using the Canon EF 50mm f1.8 ii on the Sigma MC-11 Canon EF to Sony FE Mount Converter

© Edward Chen Photography

This is a subsequent post from my previous post on using the Sigma 35mm f1.4 art lens and the Sigma MC-11 mount converter kit. I have brought along in my recent trip my Canon EF 50mm f1.8 ii and attached the lens on to the Sigma MC-11. Below are some photos taken during my travel to Bangkok using this combination on my Sony A7ii.  

First Impression: Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon EF and MC-11 Mount Converter/Lens Adapter for Sony E Kit

Photo from Shashinki.com. [Clicking the photo brings you to their website]

The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 is a beautiful lens. I had the Nikon mount version months back and it was one of my favourite lenses until I traded-in that lens for a Tamron 15-30 VC. It was a move I have regretted since, mainly because its signature DOF feel and sharpness is hard to beat. It's a heavy lens no doubt but it's worth the weight.

Shooting with the ProoCam Easy Go Portable Mini Studio Light Tent with LED Light

ProoCam Easy Go Portable Mini Studio Light Tent with LED Light

Photo from ShaShinki.com

I got hold of the ProoCam Easy Go Portable Mini Studio Light Tent while attending a recent photography club meeting in Petaling Jaya. Famcart was having a booth behind the meeting hall and I was curios as to how a small lighting tent like this can be useful. 

At Last ! I am blogging !

Hello there, and welcome to my blog!

I have been procrastinating to start blogging my photography related thoughts for quite some time now. Imagine that I've actually created my domain name "http://edwardchen.photography" more than 2.5 years ago!

If you haven't known me already, I am an enthusiast /freelance photographer from Shah Alam, Malaysia.

More about me...

Retrospective: Sony A7 ii Touch and Try on 1st November 2015

*This is one of the blog entries written in retrospective based on my recollection of the events which took place earlier. 


I signed up for a touch and try session at the Studio Zaloon Sony shop in Pudu, KL on the first Sunday of November. The participants were briefed on the different Sony A7 cameras available then and we were given the opportunity to use some of the demo sets available. I got myself a Sony A7 ii with the Sony Zeiss 55mm f1.8 attached to it. 

All photos below were shot using this combination. The photos were saved in JPEG only and later processed in Lightroom CC (except for the last photo which required additional edits in Photoshop CC) .

Sony A7 ii Key Features. © Edward Chen Photography

More on the Sony A7 ii 5-axis image stabilization .
© Edward Chen Photography

Product briefing. © Edward Chen Photography

Sony Representative from Japan.
© Edward Chen Photography

Model shooting session. © Edward Chen Photography

Model shooting session. © Edward Chen Photography

Model shooting session. (Edited in Photoshop.) © Edward Chen Photography

First impression

Somehow it didn't seem to make me feel I want to shoot with this camera. Don't get me wrong. It's a good camera. (I bought one eventually.) Probably it's because of the camera menu navigation and dials which were very new to me. 

There is also a copyright feature missing if compared with models from many other brands. It's handy to have if you are shooting events and your personal data (i.e. name) is saved in the photo which may then be shared immediately. It's no big deal. To many, this is probably a negligible option. (But hey, Sony eventually added this feature to the later A7R ii model !) ;) 

Other than that, the initial feeling was that it's just a copy of an Olympus OM-D in a Sony fullframe body. 

So why did I (eventually) get one?

I have a handy collection of classical / manual focusing lenses lying unused in my dry box. They are not expensive lenses. I have used them for fun, attached to my Olympus OM-D. However, I am still curious as to how the lenses work with the A7 ii and the potential of the endless lens combination. The image stablisation is not as good as my Olympus OM-D E-M5, but it's the first mirrorless fullframe with in-body image stablisation (Sony calls it SteadyShot). 

I like the feel of the EVF on the mirrorless cameras (minus the dreaded short battery life due to it as well).

Besides, age is catching up. The thought of being able to use lighter manual focus lenses is enticing. 

And I just got rid of my road bike. More time for photography. :D

What do you think?