New Glass for Portraits
For the longest of time I've loved the 85mm focal length prime lens, especially with a large aperture so that it can make the subject stand out by blurring the background. However, they are rather expensive. That is why my very first 85mm was the affordable Samyang f1.4 manual focus prime. This lens with such a shallow depth-of-field is a challenge to nail focus manually. Several years later, I purchased the Nikkor 85mm f1.8G that is autofocus and this works well on my Nikon D750 and Zf attached to the FTZ II adapter.
The time has come to migrate to a proper Z-mount version that was not only affordable but has an aperture ring to match the retro functionality of the Zf.
My decision was to buy from Amazon the Sirui Aurora 85mm f1.4 Z that costs me about RM 1,911, including shipping and import tax, a price that is cheaper than buying locally even with the end-of-year discounted sale prices (eg. Shashinki was offering it for RM 1,999 instead of its usual RM 2,650). So, it was such a steal deal that I couldn't miss, partly due to savings provided through Sirui's own festive discounts and also, at the time of purchase, unusually stronger than normal Malaysian Ringgit value in the currency exchange rates.)
What can I say. This is a pretty impressive lens that is not only compact and light, but performing acceptably well on my Nikon Zf, in terms of autofocusing speed as well as final image results. Also it has an aperture ring that I'm sure Nikon will never introduce in their Z-mount lenses. In any case, if Nikon were to produce its own 85mm f1.4 Z, it would easily cost more than double of what I had paid for. Some pictures of the lens can be seen here.
You can see a few comparison photos I took verses my older 85mm lenses taken on the Nikon Zf here. The older Nikkor 85mm f1.8G is no slouch and has very good image quality; in fact, it has a closer focusing distance. But it can't challenge the buttery bokeh produced by the f1.4 of the Sirui, not to mention its excellent micro-contrasts, sharpness, and colour rendition. Highly recommended!
New Eye for the Street Shooter
I've been waiting for a long time to get this since I first bought my Nikon Zf.
You see, Nikon has the 40mm f2 SE lens, which currently costs around RM 1,350. This is marvelous for street and documentary photography as it is small and light with a retro design matching the Zf. The sad thing is that it does not have an aperture ring.
Then, just late this year, TTArtisan released its 40mm f2 AF Z-mount lens that has an aperture ring. Costing less than half of Nkon's older version at RM 597, it was a no brainer to buy it considering it has very good reviews on the Internet.
Once it had arrived, I updated its firmware to the latest. On my Zf, it works flawlessly with quick autofocusing and brilliant resulting images.
You can see more picture of it here.
You can also see photos that I took with it, in and around my house (Note: all pics are SOOC handheld and had film grain added using built-in Zf feature).
New Blue Apple
My old Apple iPhone 13 Pro, that I bought four years ago for RM 4,198, is working fine.
That didn’t stop me from getting the new iPhone 17 Pro, which normally costs RM 5,499. By trading in my old iPhone at Apple The Exchange TRX Kuala Lumpur for RM 1,300, I ended up paying only RM 4,199 — almost the same price I originally paid for my old iPhone!
One of the main reasons for this purchase is that the old 13 Pro didn't detect my Malaysian Passport via NFC scan. I needed to get this scan done as I plan to do my Umrah early next year and the Saudi Visa Bio app requires it. I can now confirm that the 17 Pro did the NFC scan successfully and I have obtained approval for my Umrah application, Alhamdullilah.
You can view more pictures here.
Music to my Ears
A few months ago, the remote controller that I used to operate the Bose home theatre system for my TV stopped working - I cannot switch the speakers on and it is the only means to activate them. I think the problem is the contacts of the power button on the controller is defective. So, I bought an alternative replacement controller via Shopee, but unfortunately that wasn't the exact model so it didn't work. I didn't want to get an original replacement model from Bose as it was too expensive to purchase. This meant that I had to revert to using the TV's speaker instead, which sadly sounded somewhat lame. This also meant that the games I play on my PS5 Pro had to endure the audio deficiencies of the tiny TV speakers.
Today, I decided to buy the wireless headphones made for Playstation that is the Sony Pulse Elite headset, for RM699. Since Sony bought over the Audeze company that makes the incredibly awesome Maxwell gaming headset, the technology of planar magnetic drivers has been incorporated into the Pulse Elite giving it superb sound reproduction quality. You can read a review by IGN on this headset.
All I can say about its performance is wow! This is especially true after Sony released the latest PS5 system update just a few days ago that improved its audio features. I listened to both modes, with the audio focus deactivated and then activated, and the difference is astounding. With the audio focus enabled, the surround sound effect is much more profound, and the separation of audio elements is way more distinct. Playing PS5 games with this headset is amazingly more immersive than listening through the Bose system, what more the weaker TV's built-in speakers. Luckily, I didn't splurge out to buy a better speaker system, that would have been a huge waste of money.
Take a look at a few more pictures of the Sony Pulse Elite.
The Father of Camera Bags
Although I had recently purchased the Domke F2 camera bag, it was not suitable to carry the telezoom Tamron 150-500 lens, unless I rearranged the layout of the Domke bag. Even then, it didn't have a way to carry an external water bottle that I usually need if I went for a trip to the Zoo or to some outdoor activity.
I still can carry the Nikon Zf + Tamron telezoom if I used my Crumpler 7 Million Dollar shoulder bag, or perhaps with my Kata 3N1-30 backpack, but both didn't have a means to hold a water bottle or a tripod.
After searching for a suitable bag, I found the Think Tank Darklight 20L backpack.
It ticked all the necessary boxes and costs just RM 900: -
- Feature rich backpack that can carry a water bottle or tripod externally
- Can fit the Nikon Zf + Tamron 150-500 telezoom attached
- Can fit my other lenses and accessories such as flashgun and microphone
- Has a top flap that can access the camera directly
- Can only access the internal content from a back flap - more secure than a front opening flap
- Can access the internal content without removing bag from oneself - you do this by swiveling the bag around the waist belt and opening its back flap
- Can easily access all the internal content - this is unlike the Kata 3N1-30 bag that somewhat obscures some of the equipment as the flap doesn't fully open flat out
- Can store a 16" laptop inside a padded sleeve and has a separate front pocket to store an iPad Pro.
It's very comfortable to carry the bag even with full load, especially once you attach the chest and waist strap.
You can see more pictures of it here.