The SM MoA Fireworks and the Canon G7x Mark II

I absolutely love fireworks. And photographing them has been one of my most favorite thing to do as a photographer.

So, around March, whenever there is a fireworks display in SM MoA, the wife and I, together with my niece and her boyfriend, trek out to the Manila Bay area to watch the spectacular fireworks show.

Also, it was a good chance to test the mettle of the Canon G7x Mark II (my review) in capturing the fireworks display.

I must say, the G7x Mark II performed admirably in capturing the fireworks show. Set in a sturdy tripod, the camera took shot after shot of the spectacle.


















A few caveats though...

One of the weakest points in the Canon camera experience is the iOS app. (As I don't have an android phone, I cannot comment on the status of the app in that system...) I always like to geotag my photos so that I will know precisely where I took my photos. But with the app, sometimes, the recording of the geo-locations stops. I don't know why... So, on my iPhone, I have the app open all the time. Even if the screen turns off, when I open the phone up, the app would be the first thing I will see. So far, this has worked out for me.
















Also, with the latest version of the app, geotagging photos takes a really, really long time…

Another thing, I tried taking photos using this same app as my remote control. However, the time it takes for me to take a photo using the app to the camera actually taking the photo takes a measurable amount of time! By the time the photo was taken, the fireworks has already dissipated out and all I got was a dark sky. So, I ended up activating the the touch shutter where touching the screen triggers picture taking. I was worried though that touching the screen would shake the camera, but, as you can see, my photos did not come out blurred.










Another downside to using the app to trigger picture taking was, it turned out, the app stopped recording geo-locations! So, when I geotagged my photos using the app, some of the photos didn't get any geo-locations.

And, oh, if I transferred the photos via wifi, the photos I end up getting don't have geo-locations. If I transfer the same photos using the Apple SD-to-Lightning adopter, the photos are geotagged. I don't who has the problem here, if it's Apple or Canon, but someone has to look at it...












Anyway, the Canon G7x Mark II has proven time and again, for me, that it is a very capable camera. I just wish the iOS app is improved soon...

As always, the Canon G7x Mark II is Highly Recommended.

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Canon Philippines’ 20th Anniversary

Last January 19, 2017, at the newly-opened BGC Art Center, Canon Philippines celebrated its 20th anniversary in the country. On hand were people from the press, independent bloggers, and of course, people from Canon and Ogilvy.

It was such a lovely event, highlighted by the remarks from Lim Kok Hin, president of Canon Marketing Philippines. In his speech, Mr. Lim Kok Hin highlighted the company’s commitment to making great products and more and direct interactions between the Canon and its consumers.

Also highlighted were the new Canon products like the Canon Powershot G9x Mark II, the Powershot SX430 IS, and the Pixma Ink Efficient G4000 with wifi and fax, among others.

It was a lovely event and it is always a lovely affair to meet with some of my favorite people from Canon and Ogilvy as well as my fellow bloggers and friends in the media.

Keep the conversation going! Contact me via my Twitter or Facebook account. You may also email me here!

The photos made with the Canon G7x Mark II. You can find my review of that camera here!

Photos edited using the iOS app VSCO

The Philippine Launch of the Canon 5D Mark IV

Last September 29, 2016, Canon Philippines launched one of the most eagerly awaited camera, the Canon 5D Mark IV.

The camera is the successor to the very successful Canon 5D Mark III. This line of cameras had been a favorite go-to cameras by videographers and have been extensively used in big budgeted movie sets, independent film producers, and the occasional/casual videographer.

Canon Philippines brought over media experts Michael Ori and Joey Jonaitis to highlight the extensive capabilities of the the 5D Mark IV.

With the new model, 4K video is now available. Also, GPS is built into the camera so there’s no need to buy an extra accessory to geotag your photos and videos. It also has a built-in wifi and NFC antennas so transferring photos and videos to your smartphone is now a possibility with this line. With the wifi and NFC connection also, you can use your camera as a viewfinder for remote shooting. There’s also a time-lapse mode so that is a big plus for those who want to capture these kinds of shots.

The 4K video quality is so great that you can actually "pull" stills from the video and actually make printable photos!

But of course, the Canon 5D Mark IV is first-and-foremost a stills camera and with this, fashion photographers, wedding photographers, and even street and landscape photographers will be very happy.

The Canon 5D Mark IV produces 30 megapixel cameras. And the ISO rating ranges from ISO100 to 32000 and can be expanded to ISO102400. What this means is that, even in almost complete darkness, you will still be able to produce photos, albeit you would need to reduce the noise down.

With the Digic 6+ processor, the camera can also shoot stills at 7 frames per second so you will be able to keep up with some sporting events.

The Canon 5D Mark IV starts at PhP 170, 000 and, as of the time of the event, is available for pre-order.

The photos that appeared here are from Canon Philippines. Alas, it's the first time I've had an SD card failure... The worst feeling for a photographer... Well, one of the worst...

The Canon Powershot SX530 HS - An Ultra Powerful Zoom Camera!

When I reviewed the Canon Powershot SX610 HS, I was already greatly impressed by the zooming power of that camera. And then the Canon Powershot SX530HS dropped onto my lap.

The SX610 HS's 18x zoom seems so paltry compared to that camera. The zooming capability of the Powershot SX530 HS changed my view of power zooms forever.

Let's start of with the basics...

The camera shoots about 17 megapixel stills and Full HD videos. It's focal length ranges from 24mm to 1200 freaking mm!!! It has 50x zoom!!!

Let that sink in first...

It has 50x zoom!!!

It has a built-in flash and built-in wifi and NFC antennas. There's a 3-inch fixed screen at the back and optical image stabilization is also built-in.

The camera is well-built - there are no squeaking parts when it is held, though I felt as if the camera is on the light side... Another camera I am reviewing, the Canon G7x Mark II, seems more dense than this one. Though don't take that as a knock on this camera. I just felt that this camera is light for its size.

This is the first Canon camera that I held that came with a lens cap that can be attached to the camera via a string. I thought that was an innovative idea because you wouldn't have to worry about the lens cap getting lost. But, come shooting time, I find the hanging lens cap really annoying. I ended up not using the cap at all. Wish the lens cap has a built-in clip so that, when you are out shooting, the cap can be clipped, say, to the camera strap...

The photos produced by this camera are good, especially in amply-lit situations. The photos get grainy though, in low-light situations. This is because, when you zoom, the maximum aperture opening gets smaller. (The reason for this is to cut down the camera's size. If you make this with a huge maximum aperture, then the camera itself will be huge!) Actually, the maximum opening is not as big as, say, a regular point-and-shoot. This camera's aperture opening maxes out at f/3.4 on the wide end and f/6.5 on the telephoto end. However, this is typical for these types of cameras.

So, what can you do with this camera?

First of all, tracking of this camera is good. When it comes to camera reviews, the first thing I test is how good it is in tracking moving objects. This camera is really good with that especially in the wide end. And since you can go Full Manual with this camera, you can pan your shots and produce really nice pan-blurred, motion photos.

Macro photography is also handled well. If you set the camera to Macro mode, then the minimum focusing distance is reduced to less than two inches! You can really go in and make pleasing flowers photos. Even your food photos for Instagram will look good if you take photos with this camera.

And since this camera has a zoom lens, then your portraiture will also benefit from this. Just start your portraits with the lens zoomed, say ¼ of the way...

But really, this camera is mostly beneficial for those who really want to "go in" to their subjects. To demonstrate, I will post here a sequence of photos from full-wide to full-zoom and you will see the power of this camera.

With this all-in-one camera, you can photograph the whole scene and the full moon!

But, having a great zoom range comes with a great caveat: when zoomed all the way, a small movement of your hand will produce a great movement in the lens. Moving your hands slightly - a small tremble, too much caffeine in your system - and you will easily lose your subject. That's why Canon put special buttons along the side of the barrel: the Zoom Framing Assist button, when pressed and held, will make the lens zoom out to a wider focal length. This will make it easier to see your subject. Once you found your subject, you can focus on it again and let go of the Zoom Framing Assist button. The lens will zoom in to the original setting and you can go and shoot your subject again!

Other camera features include remote shooting via wifi, image transfer to your smartphone or tablet, Canon's proprietary Creative Shots and High Speed Autofocus. But really, this camera is meant for those who wish to see more through a narrower field of view. If you are going to a Safari, if you want to photograph the moon, or if you want to do street photography - from across the street - then this camera is for you.

The Canon Powershot SX530 HS is Highly Recommended!