Photographer John is finally back from his one week holiday in Taiwan.
As you know, I am very much of a fan of the Micro Four Thirds. Barely 3 months after getting my first MFT camera, it has already become my travelling companion and a very easy going one too.
While nothing ruins a trip more than a bad travelling companion, according to America writer and traveller Randy Wayne White with his travel philosophy: ``Two things guaranteed to ruin a trip are dysentery and bad travelling companions, and I frankly prefer the former, because dysentery at least ensures some quality private time.''
Bad travelling companions can certainly add burden to his mates and ruin the trip however a good companion can actually halved everyone's load and double the fun. For my trip, my Olympus has been such a great companion. A free-and-easy trip like mine where you need to do lots of walking and climbing up stairs, running after trains and carrying lots of cheap shopping from the Taiwanese night markets, size indeed matters.
While nothing ruins a trip more than a bad travelling companion, according to America writer and traveller Randy Wayne White with his travel philosophy: ``Two things guaranteed to ruin a trip are dysentery and bad travelling companions, and I frankly prefer the former, because dysentery at least ensures some quality private time.''
Bad travelling companions can certainly add burden to his mates and ruin the trip however a good companion can actually halved everyone's load and double the fun. For my trip, my Olympus has been such a great companion. A free-and-easy trip like mine where you need to do lots of walking and climbing up stairs, running after trains and carrying lots of cheap shopping from the Taiwanese night markets, size indeed matters.
Besides my trusty Olympus EPL6, I have also gotten with me 3 lens to Taiwan ; The M Zuiko 14-42mm kit lens that I gotten with my camera, my newly purchased M Zuiko 40-150mm as well as my all time favourite, the M.Zuiko 45mm F.18.
I shoot anything and everything and do not have any specific style of photography, therefore I have decided to this basic 3 lens setup; The 45mm for medium range shooting and portrait photography, the 14-42mm for landscape and close up shots and finally the 40-150mm for the ultra zoom. This setup should suffice for most scenarios. I guess I may be sticking to this for the time being until I have saved enough money or till Lady Luck decided to smile on me and bestow me with the million dollar lottery.
I did not get any extra batteries for my MFT as I always have a habit of charging my battery every night at the hotel, and that was the case for my Canon 60D when I brought it out during my last trip. Unless I am travelling to some really rural locations where getting electricity can be as challenging as snapping a beautiful shot.
I have also gotten with me a lightweight tripod for the steady shot. And one thing I would like to remind all travellers to remember to check in your tripod with your luggage. A tripod cannot be hand carried. Under aviation security regulations, a tripod if used the wrong way for purposes other than mounting a camera, can just be as deadly as a hammer or a knife. Very soon, airports might be banning Canon L Lens from hand carrying altogether.
Lastly, for every trip, I do ensure that I have enough memory cards as I always have a phobia for card errors. Its not so much of the capacity of the cards but rather the number of cards that is important. Nothing is more frightening to a photographer than lost images due to card malfunctions. Even though I do not shoot for a living but losing images is just like losing money to me - Equally heartbreaking.
Therefore for this 9 day trip, I specially prepared 3 cards altogether ( 16GB x 2 and 32GB x1 ; One card every 3 days so that should there be any mishaps, I would just lose 3 days of shots. It may sound a bit too much but I always believe in this saying.
I have also gotten with me a lightweight tripod for the steady shot. And one thing I would like to remind all travellers to remember to check in your tripod with your luggage. A tripod cannot be hand carried. Under aviation security regulations, a tripod if used the wrong way for purposes other than mounting a camera, can just be as deadly as a hammer or a knife. Very soon, airports might be banning Canon L Lens from hand carrying altogether.
Lastly, for every trip, I do ensure that I have enough memory cards as I always have a phobia for card errors. Its not so much of the capacity of the cards but rather the number of cards that is important. Nothing is more frightening to a photographer than lost images due to card malfunctions. Even though I do not shoot for a living but losing images is just like losing money to me - Equally heartbreaking.
Therefore for this 9 day trip, I specially prepared 3 cards altogether ( 16GB x 2 and 32GB x1 ; One card every 3 days so that should there be any mishaps, I would just lose 3 days of shots. It may sound a bit too much but I always believe in this saying.
" Its better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one,
than to have an opportunity and not be prepared."
Another alternative would be to back up every now and then with an Eye Fi card but this would drain the battery off my phone which I would very much like to retain for navigation purposes in a foreign land. I would also love to bring my laptop along but then, lugging around a trip with a laptop, its very much like bringing along a bad travelling companion again.
Anyway, with all these equipment housed inside my Vanguard bag, the entire gear is still so light and comfortable to carry. The switch to MFT has clearly given me lesser weight, more flexibility and more lens options with me all the time. In fact, while I was roaming along the streets of Taipei, I can see many users of MILCs, with their cameras hanging on their neck as they proceed with their daily tasks.
Anyway, with all these equipment housed inside my Vanguard bag, the entire gear is still so light and comfortable to carry. The switch to MFT has clearly given me lesser weight, more flexibility and more lens options with me all the time. In fact, while I was roaming along the streets of Taipei, I can see many users of MILCs, with their cameras hanging on their neck as they proceed with their daily tasks.
Here are some shots straight from the cam.
Taken from the plane window
Carton King : Everything's made of paper!
Paper Pig from Carton King
Am still in the process of organising my photographs and therefore I shall post them when I am done.
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