Happy Jaywalking in Hong Kong

Picture taken by esteemed photographer/sportsman/historian/traveler Vincent L ©2012. Jaywalking, the birth right of every New Yorker even when he wasn't even born there. Wow, I looked so happy when I was travelling and with friends.  And Jaywalking.

UPDATE:  The date code on picture is the epitome of cool now.  At some point it just turned from tourisy to cool.  Especially when it's set wrong on the time code.  Dude, I don't think it was 5:57AM or PM when you took the picture. You must have left the Amazon time there.

Compare and Contrast

I thought the 300mm f/4.5 would be a much bigger lens.  I was wrong.  Compared to the 80-200, the 300mm is slimmer and lighter.  Most obviously, the 80-200 takes a 77mm filter, meanwhile the oldie takes a 72mm.  The 300mm is a manual focus lens with a huge and smooth focusing ring.  For the 300mm, focusing in of itself is not an issue.  It's only an issue when you need to focus something that's moving.  The 80-200 does a better job, at least relatively speaking, in acquiring in-focus action shots using the various AF modes of the D7000.  As in the case of digital, I can always counter my own deficiency in focusing fast moving objects by shooting like crazy (or use anticipation and preparation to increase the yield).  In terms of optical performance, I think it's on par with my 80-200mm.  The 300mm comes with a nice removable oversize tripod mount but some folks lost it, too bad so sad.  The 80-200 has a smaller focusing ring and non-removable tripod mount so it won't be lost by anybody unless you lose the entire lens.
You can definitely hand hold this lens to shoot provided you have the good stance, good steady hands, a reasonably high shutter speed and don't shoot with your elbows out like an amateur should definitely help too.

Neighbor's Front Yard

(What kind of post title is it?)
Nikon 300mm ED f/4.5.  On tripod liveview to focus.  Raw to JPEG,

This Week in Review

AAPL "surprises" all expectations, so nothing is new. The real surprise I imagine will be when AAPL doesn't surprise any more.  The stock goes back up to the $600 territory.  I fully expect Android phones gnaw at or take a big bite out of Apple's market, but so far the market is still big enough for AAPL's iPhone and iPad to grow.  I was in Hong Kong a month ago, it seemed everyone was holding a large Android smartphone. Would the iPhone 5 catches on with this super size craze? Will find out soon.

More tidbits on why Bo Xilai fell from the upper echelon of the Communist Party are beginning to percolate into the Western lame stream media. The latest being because he dared even wiretap President Hu and worst got found out about it. This is still a developing story but I got the impression that this has more intrigues than whatever Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy that I have been reading the second time.

Wow! This is news.  Who would have guessed this Anthony Wong?

Something is better left unsaid. Or so it had been for the past 25 years for the openly closet gay Anthony Wong Yiu Ming until he outed himself in front of an audience in the last day of his concert series in Hong Kong a couple days ago dressed in a stage costume somewhat reminiscent of Riktor & Rolf 2007 Fall runway show.  Wong is the other half, arguably and stereotypically, the better looking if less talented half of the duo Tat Ming Pair.  The other half is Tats Lau.  Some of the endearing qualities of Tat Ming Pair are they are somewhat alternative, avant-garde (if there is such a thing at all), disreputable, current, relevant, naughtily sexual and yet harmless enough to attract a main stream following through out all these years.  Now that the charade is over, Wong is afraid the press would have nothing to ask him about, I guess music or otherwise, mainly otherwise?  Well, the gutter press can always ask ....  Never mind, something is really better left unsaid.

A Vespa

Nikkor AI 105mm f/2.5

Grand Central

Taken with Nikkor 24mm, f/2 with Nikon LB1c skylight filter.  This is converted from RAW using the D70 profile.  I can't find any D7000 color profile out there.

Lens Shades

One nameless for the 105mm f/2.5 and the HK-2 for the 24mm f/2.

The HK-2 is such a delicate piece of apparatus. Now I know perhaps why it's kind of rare and expensive. Not long after taking this picture, the screw simply broke off. I have the impression that the way is designed is really faulted, the filter like screw in or the snap on is so much better. The HK-2's tightening screw or in Nikon's parlance slip-on to prevent vignetting on wider angle lenses is really is Achilles's heel. Perhaps getting the Nikon HN-1 hood is the way to go. I am not going to take another chance with HK-2 again.  KEH is going to issue me a refund ....  They are pretty good at that.

Grand Central

Nikon just announced its latest 28mm with maximum aperture at f/1.8, nano coating, SWM and whatnot.  I like my 28mm f/2 manual focus lens all right and I have no plan to acquire the latest and greatest.

Update:
Comments:  My pictures are exceedingly and astoundingly boring, as usual.  My take on the manual 28mm f/2 lens is that, chromatic aberration, ghosting are well under control.  The lens produces sharp, colorful and contrasty images.  Unfortunately its 28mm focal length which is not exactly wide to begin with becomes even more normal, or 42mm, when mounted on my D7000 or any Nikon DX cameras.  Having said that, there is actually nothing wrong with the 42mm focal length except it's not really behaving like a 28mm on a DX camera.

Update update 4/24/2012:
Regarding CA, I think if you shoot JPEG, like I do most of the time, the camera actually corrects that in-camera.  So I don't know how much is the lens and how much is the camera that I should credit for the lack of CA.  In any case, I still think the 28mm f/2 is a superb performer.

Update update update 4.24.2012
I checked the 28mm taken with the oldie D70.  The images have no CA or at the very least well under control.

Dear Diary ...

Ordered some "junk" from KEH.  First time ever I ordered the UG grade.

I can understand how some people can become a shopaholic.

Old Friends

Previously ...

Chungking Mansions

Yuen Long

The noodle shop I used to go with my family when we visited Yuen Long

This is where I saw my first movies with my old man.

This is where I ruined my hair.  I don't recall I ever went here before.  This was one of the few barber shops that was opened on April 4.  He didn't shave as well as he made himself to be, I got cuts and nicks.  I do a better job using a straight razor on my own face than him doing my mine.  Nice guy though.

The first Western restaurant experience I had I probably got it from here.  It was dark and (hence) romantic.  All I can remember is their cabbage soup or Russian Soup I guess.

The best part of Hong Kogn is it has public lavatory everywhere.  That's except the god damned original MTR.

Where I got my fancy stationary about once a year.

When you need to pawn your underwear, this is the place.

Hang Heung

Postcard From Antarctica

Bye Hong Kong

IFC Apple

David Chan

Government House

Breakfast from Maxim's