Pandan Article on PAL Mabuhay 2012 Issue

If you’re flying on board Philippine Airlines this April, check out the latest issue of Mabuhay Magazine April 2012. Their main feature is Palawan but I wrote a short article on Pandan and Tibiao Antique. It’s very interesting and a good alternative if you’re visiting Boracay. Pandan Antique is just 30-45minutes away from Caticlan. Check it out. In the meantime, here are the images used on the article.

Bugtong-Bato Waterfalls in Tibiao

2nd page of the Pandan Article

Chilling at Malumpati Health and Cold Springs Resort

The Chicken Binakol

Kawa Hot Bath at Tibiao

Young boxers in for a fight at the streets

I was riding at the back of a habal-habal while riding in the  dirt road  of Pandan province. We caught sight of a pumped-up crowd gathering at a street and decided to stop by and see what was happening. It was a couple of kids doing street boxing complete with boxing gloves. At first it was an amusing sight and I’m sure the spectators thought the same. But it drawned on me how early kids nowadays are easily caught up into violence. Not to belittle Pacquio’s noble efforts to fight for our country, the exposure to young ones can lead to disturbing moral questions. Especially these kids who are just caught up in the emotions that its becoming more than a play but a competition.

Getting ready to pound

In for the blow

Smart dodge

One eventually falls down

Seair Inflight page spread

If you’re flying Seair anythime this month, do check out their latest Inflight Magazine. I got a couple of photos on a spread. The Cape Engano lighthouse in Palaui Island, Cagayan as well as a photo of Pension Ivatan in Batanes.

Cape Engano Lighthouse

The Olympus OM-D E-M5

OM-D E-M5 seems like a daunting mathematical equation more than a camera name, but Olympus is quite confident that at the sum of it all, this camera would spell the difference in their line of Micro Four Thirds cameras. Announced last November 2011, the excitement surrounding the Olympus OM-D E-M5 hasn’t dampened yet, in fact it seems to heighten as the actual release approaches. Little by little, shedding light by the numerous hands-on and previews who were fortunate enough to play with the camera. To add to the ever increasing previews and pre-release samples, let me share with you samples I took with the OM-D E-M5 during its Philippine Launch earlier at Shangri-la Hotel’s Heat Cafe.

(Update March 11, 2012, I’ve added direct download mirrors to the raw files which will only be available until the end of the month. Many thanks to migeO for hosting the files)

Olympus E-M5, Lumix 20mm, f2, 1/80sec, ISO 500, AWB

Just a brief background, the E-M5 is positioned to be a different line from the Olympus PEN. The design, while harkens back to the glory days of the analogue OM System Cameras uses an M43 mount, not OM. This is also the first model from Olympus to have a built-in electronic viewfinder. These are the highlight features:

• New 16MP MOS Four Thirds Sensor (undisclosed manufacturer)
• Weather-sealed body (Olympus E-3/5 grade)
• Front and rear control dials on top
• New “5-Axis” image stabilization
• ISO sensitivity up to 25,600
• 9fps shooting and 4.2fps on C-AF
• Improved C-AF autofocus with 3D Tracking
• Latest TruePic VI processor
• Same 1.44mm dot electronic viewfinder as VF-2 but built-in with tweaked refresh rates
• 3” OLED touch screen display that tilts up and down
• Flash Sync Speed up to 1/250^th sec
• Full HD 1080i .MOV format (MPEG-4 ACB/H.264)
• New and Evolved Art Filters (Key Line, Cross Process II, Dramatic Tone II and Echo Effect for Movies)

Olympus E-M5, 20mm Lumix, F2, ISO 1000, AWB

Download RAW File

Please note, that while the camera software version is Version 1, the camera is still a pre-production model. I could tell since the menu interface is not as responsive yet. The sample images were taken with the new M.Zuiko 12-50mm 3.5-6.3 EZ lens and my own Lumix 20mm pancake lens. The JPGs are taken as Large Fine, the RAW files are also available. Images were taken indoors in the restaurant, Aperture Priority and are straight out-of-the-camera. Click on the images to access the large and original files.

Olympus E-M5, 20mm Lumix, f2, 1/60s, ISO 400, AWB

Download RAW File

Initial Impressions

• The feel is really solid, I like the Silver more
• Autofocus even indoors was really fast
• Handling feels good, though as usual, the new controls and dials still needs getting used to. The back buttons are small but bevelled enough.
• I do like that the compartments for battery and SD Card are separate
• I was only able to shoot up to 1600 (setting the ISO to Auto) but it is a vast improvement from my E-PL2
• I still find the new 12-50mm lens big since I’m used to the pancake, but I understand that its weather-sealing made it so. I do like the snap focus ring, similar to the 12mm focus where I pull it back for the zoom focus. And this is indeed very fast

Olympus E-m5, 12-50mm EZ, f3.5, ISO 400, Manual WB

Indeed, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 is the most exciting release for Olympus to date and it does deliver. For a pre-production model, the images produced does show vast improvements from the previous line. If it’s any indication from the final release, it’s definitely worth upgrading for, if you held on to your previous E_PL1/E-PL2/E-P2 awaiting a new sensor. I do hope I could have a chance to take out the E-M5 for a real world test on some of my upcoming trips to see how it really performs in the real world.

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is expected to be available in the Philippines by mid April with an SRP of Php 59,900 for body only and Php 65,000 with the 12-50mm kit lens.

Note: The RAW files area hosted in depositfiles.com. If you have suggestions where I could better host them for free, let me know.

Olympus E-M5, 12-50mm EZ, f6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, AWB

Download RAW File

OlympusE-M5, 20mm Lumix, f2, 1/60s, ISO 1000, AWB

Download RAW File

Olympus E-M5, 20mm Lumix, F2, 1/80sec, ISO 250, AWB

Download Raw File

Olympus E-M5, 12-50mm, f4.4, 1/50sec, ISO 1600, Manual WB

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Olympus E-M5, Lumix 20mm, f3.5, 1/60s, ISO 250, AWB

Olympus E-M5, Lumix 20mm, f2, 1/80sec, ISO 320, AWB

More JPG Samples at my SmugMug Gallery

Cotabato City's The Grand Mosque

If you’re flying Philippine Airlines this month of March, don’t forget to get a copy of the March 2012 edition of Mabuhay Magazine, their travel and lifestyle Inflight Magazine. Inside, I wrote and took photos on Cotabato City entitled “Cotabato’s Pride”. Sharing here some photos the magazine used for the article.

Mabuhay Page 1

A Mother and Child at the Grand Mosque

Weaving the Inaul

Mabuhay Mag Page 2

Brasswares

Mabuhay Mag Page 3

Al Nor Complex

Putting on the make up in Caracol 2012

Makati’s Caracol is the city’s Mardi Gras which aims to celebrate love and awareness for Mother Nature. Most of the costumes revolve on earth themes like animals, underwater creatures and reptiles. It’s been years since I last saw this celebration which usually was held on the third week of January coinciding with other Sto Nino festivals. Now it was held on the third week of February 2012. It’s not the grandest of festivals but the effort in terms of costume design and make up is commendable. In this series of photos, the spotlight is on the Make Up artist and custome designers working behind the scenes to make the performers as presentable, photogenic and in-character with their performance.

Making her more pretty

Powdering up the Flower Girl

More details on the neck

More details for the eyebrow

Glue on the eybrow

Sticking the glitter

Drawing the scales

Fixing up the girl's costume

It's the hair!

Rocks of Paganaman

The Paganaman Port has dramatic rocks and beautiful light in the afternoon. A popular port among the locals in Itbayat Island, Batanes. Print available here.