2008 in pictures

We are nearing the end of 2008 and here is a link to selections from The Big Picture's photographs of some of the major events.

LIFE photo archive

Some of the best photojournalism work ever published appeared in LIFE magazine. I am delighted that LIFE's photograph archive is available online, hosted by Google.

DxOMark

Innovations in digital camera technology have been made at a remarkable pace. New cameras are released almost every day and it is hard to even keep up with the different models. DxO Labs have a new DxOMark website which offers objective comparisons of new cameras, particularly digital SLRs and higher end compact cameras that shoot RAW images. The site is well worth visiting if you are considering purchasing a camera.

Old photographs of Hong Kong

This album has lots of old photos of Hong Kong and his site is well worth a visit. Other photos are available from the online Hong Kong Public Libraries site. The photo below is an aerial view of Tsim Sha Tsui from 1937.

The Olympics You Didn't See

Here a great video from David Bernett about his experience covering the Olympic Games in Beijing. Both funny and informative, it is well worth watching. If you are interested in the daily work of a top photojournalist you should also read his blog.



The Olympics You Didn't See from David Burnett on Vimeo.

A couple of good Asian photography blogs

Here are a couple of blogs well worth visiting.

1. http://www.chngyaohong.com/blog/ A blog from a Singaporian photographer about Asian photography
2. http://japan-photo.info/blog/ A blog about Japanese photography

Sean Gallagher

Magnum photographer, David Alan Harvey, has an emerging photographer's fund. The first recipient, Sean Gallagher, had an excellent photographic essay on the encroaching desert in China which is well worth viewing.

Manuel Libres Librodo Jr.

I came across these wonderful photos of Asia by Manuel Libres Librodo Jr. He captures people in their environment and he is a truly excellent photographer.

Fritz Hoffmann Photographs of China

Here is a link to some excellent photos of China by Fritz Hoffmann for National Geographic.

Where to purchase photographic equipment in Hong Kong

We are often concerned that many visitors buy their equipment from unreputable dealers, giving Hong Kong a bad name. There are many stores on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui and I would not recommend any of them.

One needs to be careful as not all of them are authorised dealers and, in fact, one has the option of choosing grey market goods (which are imported from overseas and do not have the Hong Kong manufacturer's warranty) which, depending on the product, may be considerably cheaper.

I don't have much experience buying grey market goods although I have bought a few point and shoot cameras from the Mong Kok Computer Center (8 Nelson St, Mong Kok) and they gave me a great price and good service. Grey market dealers import from overseas (usually Japan) and the warranty is handled by the shop you buy it from. A friend had the opportunity to have something repaired under warranty from a grey market shop, and had no problem, the item being returned in 3 weeks.

For the authorised dealers, there is not a large price difference between them and the prices are normally fixed so no haggling over the price is entertained. For those who want to learn about all of the shops in detail, I suggest you read the excellent thread at http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000GnZ.

For those of you who just want to buy a camera from a very honest dealer at close to the best price, most local photographers just go to Wing Shing in Mong Kok (map below). They have a huge range including all of the common brands (Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony, Ricoh etc) as well as professional gear such as Gitzo, Leica and Hasselblad. They are a few steps from the E2 exit of the Mong Kok MTR station.

Finally, if you would like to know the price of DSLR equipment, Billy Ho has done us a wonderful service of having a frequently updated price list at http://www.ygdragon.net/index.php?page=photo/cameraprice.htm.

Wing Shing Photo Supplies
G/F, 55-57 Sai Yeung Choi St., Mongkok Kowloon, HK
Tel 23966886 / 23966961
info@wingshingphoto.com


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