Day 1, 6 Jan 2012
Leaving Singapore at 1330hr, our bus travelled to two other pick up locations in Singapore for the 3-4 hour journey. Soon, we cleared both Customs Checkpoint (Tuas Checkpoint) and Malaysia Customs. Both were extremely quick, and chatting on camera gear quickened the pace. A nap ensued.

Arriving at 1730hr Meleka Sentral, I was amazed at the bus depot. We should have one of these centres for bus trips in Singapore. This made us look trivial.

A RM$20 taxi ride to our hotel was all it took to kick start this journey of possible cheats. The driver claimed it was a ‘standard rate’ for the 5-7km trip to the hotel. I bet he was pulling a fast one. That’s S$10 for a short journey. I knew it was a con. But what could we do? There were no other viable options in sight.

The hotel. Hallmark Hotel. Horrid.

Room was extremely warm and small. Especially for three fully grown men who aimed to pack the entire camera gear into Malaysia. Ha!

This was the first shot fired, and I shall try to keep this as chonological as possible for fun reference

A group of passengers awaiting their transport at Melaka Sentral, Malacca.

We didnt really know how to get to our hotel near Jonker Street (although it could be very near, which was about 5-7km). We had to find a taxi….

The first offer came at RM$20. Not wanting to get conned, we drove a bargain at RM$15. He refused. He asked another passing taxi, who also offered RM$20. So we said to ourselves, what the heck, lets go and shoot!

Motorcyclist alongside our taxi towards Hallmark Hotel

David concussed during the 3-4 hour coach ride to Melaka Sentral

Fried Kway Teow (noodles)...the first meal

Home-fixingAs we devoured out dinner, the stall owners were busy preparing for the usual Thursday - Sunday Night Bazzar held in Jonker Street. I should have thought to photographing the full shop after it was prepared. Dang.Travelling buddies for Melaka, David (left), Jackson (right)Its about time I introduced my travelling company. We are all into the Rangefinder system, using the M-Mount by Leica. Hanging on David's neck is the Leitz Wetlzar M6 Classic (black) with a Summarit 35mm. This was shot at the main entrance junction into Jonker Street. Customers waiting for their Carrot Cake to be freshly madeDavid was too full to have a plate of this on the first day (dinner). So just after the bend we had dinner at, David was paying off a street vendor for his Fish Ball soaked in Curry Sauce. He can eat!Trishawman at rest, Jonker Street, Malacca

Right in the middle of the junction, was this trishawman having a good nap. Oblivious to traffic and people around, I could not resist a shot with the 25ZM. This could be Ilford’s Delta 100 or Fomapan 100. The Fomapan is excellent value for money, and I’d reccomend it to anyone going to practice their film cameras in the initial stages of photography.

Street vendor, preparing for the evening's Bazzaar

They don't push for sales, and are rather calm in business

'Bing Tang' Seller, also known as Rock Candy, (I think)

I had to pull a good fake one for this shot, squatting innocently in front of a well weathered man selling Rock Candy. The Zeiss 25mm performs extremely well even at close range, giving me a nice depth and perception of space. I dont know much in detail about distortion, but to me this is as good as it gets. I like how it pulls the other elements into the frame, unlike a 35mm for such a shot.Home baked tarts and handmade snacks are their specialty. They do it, and they do it well.

BBQ squid, local favourite!

 

1. Travel to two Asian cities India + Vietnam or Japan. Total of 14 days in all trips.

2. Nikkor HC 5cm 1.4 LTM

3. Voigtlander 15mm 4.5 Chrome LTM

4. Manage weight to 58kg

5. Summarit 5cm 1.5 LTM (Cancelled)

6. Print 7pc A3 B&W Street shots

7. Print 7pc A3 B&W Portrait shots

8. Completion of 7 Photo Series, 15 shots each

9. Finish at least 15 books in my current library

10. More to come!

A meal is best downed with a cup of strong coffee:)

The trend leans towards the newer materials such as ‘Ballistic Nylon’ as favoured by Domke. Or the ‘???’ by LowePro. Both have their advantages, and the Billingham’s have their special draw of their own too. So here we go…

(pictures will be added so stay tuned)

The main draw of the Hadley Large is that it’s slightly wider than the Pro, does not have a back zipper compartment (some users may find this a pain though) and two lovely large front pockets. These two pockets are expandable with the same stud buttons. The quality of the buttons are outstanding. The only concern I have with the buttons is that I ‘feel’ it’s possible over time to rip them off the canvas.

It can hold plenty of stuff, depending on how much weight your shoulder can take.

I shall use my Domke F2 (canvas) as a benchmark.

In my Domke I can have:
1. Nikon D3s (no lens attached)
2. Nikon 14-24mm AFS 2.8
3. Nikon 35mm AFD 2, Hood
4. Nikon 85mm AFD 1.4, Hood
5. Nikon 50mm AFD 1.4
6. Nikon F100 (no grip, but possible due to height allowance
7. Cleaning kit
8. Film canisters (average 15 rolls)
9. Passport
10. Wallet
11. Note book
12. Pen
13. Map + compass

Now, that’s plenty!

The Domke cost about S$225.
The Hadley Large (canvas) is S$330.

Quite a difference to a Hobbyist like me. I fall into the category of Bag Freak to my friends, and this is a serious vice.

But dang. The canvas of the Billingham’s are out of this world!

My first Billingham was the Fibernyte Khaki/Tan combination of the f1.4. It’s still with me after 8 months, and it has some serious advantages over the Hadley Large. I shall have to compare this at a later time.

The Large has a powerful height advantage (pun intended). it can safely include my Nikon 180mm AFD 2.8, and even a 70-200mm 2.8 (which I don’t have). The main question here when using a bag, is actually how you lay it out in the bag.

In all honesty, the Large has problems accepting my D3s with a 35/2 AFD with the original HN-1 hood attached. This is a small puny hood. The bag’s leather buckle still looks in place, but it looks thicker and clumsier due to the weight change.

The bag’s width can accept the huge 14-24/2.8, standing up or lying down.

The Large can have:
1. Nikon D3s
2. 14-24/2.8
3. 35/2 (with hood)
4. 85/1.4 (with hood)
5. 50/1.4 ( with hood)
6. Leica M3 with 50/1.5 Zeiss M Mount
7. Light meter, Sekonic 308L
8. Plastic container 9 rolls of film
9. Wallet, mobile phone
10. Notebook, pen, marker
11 cleaning kit

Specifications of the lens can be found here. If you are in Singapore and would like to know where to get your filthy paws on a brand new copy, Chiif Cameras is the dealer for Voigtlander. I am not affiliated with him, its just that he is the friendliest camera dealer I know to date.

Back to the 35mm. Its small. Its light. Its darn fast.

People will say it has distortion, pin-cushion etc. But Hell, its S$780 thats about US$600. What do you get for US$600? Speed and a fantastic weight/size ratio. Or, you could go for the Leica 35mm Lux or Cron, which will set you back 3-4 times the cost of the CV (Cosina Voigtlander). It was a no-brainer for me.

I am not a professional photographer. I am merely a serious hobbyist. This is as value for money you can get. At S$780, this is a steal!

Distortion? Do I really care? Come on lets be realistic. As a hobbyist, do we really need the zero distortion? Or the superb sharpness of the Leica’s? The fact that we can ‘bang’ the shot at f1.4 with this S$780 lens as compared to a S$3,000 Leica ‘glass’, gives us great pleasure already.

The other contender would be the Zeiss 35mm F2.8 or the F2. That my friend, is another S$1,550 for the F2. I could get the Cosina Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 AND the CV35mm 1.4 for that price!

When darkness falls…

These shots above are from a roll of Kentmere 400 shot at ISO 1600. Developed with Ilfotec DDX (my favourite developer at the moment ). As the Massive Development Chart did not have the rated times, I used my personal times of 14min 30sec, with 2 inversions/minute. I started off with a full 1:10min inversions too, similar to the way I develop TriX and most of my other films. Looks like I should also write about the underrated Kentmere films too

The built quality of the speedy Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 is lovely. Its diminutive size is not to be messed with as it packs a good weight in your hands. I am not saying its heavy, I am saying it feels damn good in your hands

Sleeping

Just in case you are wondering, most of the shots are not post processed. They are straight from the scans via my Epson V600. I am embarking on a series titled R.A.W where I shoot and compile them into shots that do not have post processing. Why? 

Well, its personal. I am looking to keep it as natural as possible. To see the film and nature of the shot as it truly was in my eyes. It may seem cliche, but I am tired of spending time in front of the computer and giving my mouse an orgasm.

The Wait

The competitors for a 35mm are varied, and so are their prices. Look at Leica’s 35mm Cron’s, and they are only F2. Their prices though, remain sky-high. Not to mention the 35mm Lux, which is F1.4. The wake up call is the price. The Lux goes for an average of S$3,000 – S$6,000. Or even more if you consider the ASPH Chrome versions. The Chrome though, is SLURP. The Voigtlander 35mm do not come in chromes though, if you happen to be a sucker for chrome.

The Kid

Friends

To a serious hobbyist like myself, I personally feel that the Voigtlander and Zeiss range of lens more than suffice in terms of cost-per-ratio value. At their price point and image quality (IQ), they present a fantastic option to try various focal lengths and a fair price.

Independant OR non-independant.

It is not a question of their intellect or upbringing, neither is it their education level. Its about their desire to help themselves by even trying.

I’m sick of helping those who expect to be helped as an when they please.

I Love her tones and depth of range.