Field Test Archives - Ferdz Decena

Bags | Pacsafe Camsafe Venture V16 Camera Slingpack

Posted on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013 at 10:00 am.

Written by Ferdz

Shooting at Mt Tapyas Coron with Pacsafe Camsafe Venture V16 (Photo by Oggie Ramos

The camera bag I bring on a trip is dependent on what gear I would bring or the type of photography I would be doing. For casual street photography, I would eventually bring something like the PacSafe Camsafe Venture V12 Sling Bag. But on my recent trip to Coron Palawan, I knew I would be bringing a lot more, like my MacBook, a larger selection of lenses, some reading materials, notebooks, a water bottle and probably a few quick snacks since I would be staying longer and shooting a wider variety of subjects. I was fortunate to have the PacSafe Camsafe Venture V16 Slingpack for me to try out on that week long trip to Coron, PacSafe’s new camera bag geared for the active traveler.

Bags | Pacsafe Camsafe Venture V12 Camera Sling Bag

Posted on Thursday, April 18th, 2013 at 9:00 am.

Written by Ferdz

On the field with the Pacsafe Camsafe Venture V12 (Photo by Roadworthy Man)

Choosing a camera bag requires the same care and conscientious thought as buying a camera itself. Why? It’s the one thing that would hold your precious gear. It should be tough enough to carry its weight, rugged to take everywhere and withstand the elements and to add to that growing concerns, secure enough for prying thieves. That where PacSafe comes in. I’ve been using their “anti-theft” products for years now and it does add a certain piece of mind when securing my stuff while traveling. And lately they have been extending their line to include camera bags that caters to different styles of photographers. One of the recent camera bag models they have is the Pacsafe Camsafe Venture V12 Camera Sling Bag. I put the bag to the test on the recent Aliwan Fiesta 2013 and here I share my impression of this camera sling bag.

Field Test | Sony Alpha SLT-A99 and 85mm 1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T Combo

Posted on Friday, April 12th, 2013 at 10:00 am.

Written by Ferdz

The Sony Alpha SLT-A99 full frame camera

While we were in Singapore for our talks for the Sony Digital Workshops there, the people at Sony Singapore were generous enough to let us use a couple of their cameras like their Sony A77 and their current flagship full-frame camera Sony Alpha SLT-A99. It was a good opportunity to see how far Sony has come since I tested their Sony Alpha A550 years ago. The new breed of Sony Cameras incorporates their SLT (Single-Lens Translucent) Technology which uses a fixed semi-translucent mirror to remove the delay from the flipping mirror typical DSLRs have along with the other benefits of the technology. I won’t delve much into the technicality here since a lot of reviews out there already covered them but share my short stint with the Sony Alpha SLT-A99 on this while roaming around the lively street life of Singapore at night pairing the camera with the Sony 85mm f1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T on this post.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Goes Underwater with the Dicapac WP-H10

Posted on Sunday, December 16th, 2012 at 6:15 pm.

Written by Ferdz

The Olympus OM-D EM-5 inside a Dicapac WP-H10 floating on sea water

So I was off to an island where the reef is excellently preserved and it would be a shame if I didn’t take any underwater pictures. I was thinking of getting a dedicated underwater camera but I thought the price was too much so decided on getting a Dicapac WP-H10 instead. The Dicapac is a brand of camera underwater housing, the WP-H10 model is ideal for advance compact cameras like Canon’s G-Series or even mirrorless cameras such as my Olympus OM-D E-M5. The underwater case cost PHP2700 (US$65). I was a little adamant putting my gear inside such case but I thought the OM-D’s weather sealing can handle a little wetness in case water gets in.

Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-50mm Macro Field Review at an Orchid Show

Posted on Monday, September 3rd, 2012 at 1:30 pm.

Written by Ferdz

My main objective in visiting the Philippine Orchid Society’s Orchid Show at Quezon Circle was to test out the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ. While I’m not really an Orchid enthusiast, I didn’t expect to be enamoured by nature’s natural patterns and beauty especially looking through macro eyes. The M.Zuiko 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 may be one of the most underrated lenses in the M43rds judging from the slowness of aperture, but how does it perform in real world use?

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Quick Hands-on in the Philippines

Posted on Thursday, March 8th, 2012 at 8:48 pm.

Written by Ferdz

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 M.Zuiko 12mm f2 lens Impressions and Samples

Posted on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 1:33 pm.

Written by Ferdz

It’s one of the most beautiful lens I’ve seen. I know it’s not something you say to a photographic tool every day. But seeing the lovely metallic sheen, the cool, smooth and sturdy feel in my hands and the very snappy mechanical zone-focus is really a joy to use. Yes, finally Olympus delivered on a High Grade lens for the Micro Four Thirds in the form of the all-metal Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2. I had the chance to take this baby in the streets, albeit short, I was able to see how it performs.