tasmania (the journey)

travel mates: allan, alvin, lj & raymond
date of travel: 18th august 2010 to 22nd august 2010
duration:5 days 4 nights
route: hobart -> bay of fires -> oatlands -> hobart
accommodation:

• narrara backpackers, 4/5 we arrived late at the hostel due to a delayed flight and were greeted at the doorstep by the friendly owner, mo. lots of smile from him even though it was already 8pm and he was still waiting for us before heading for his dinner. hostel is clean and comes with thick and comfy mattress with great hot shower in cold winter night. he charged student price for all of us despite only allan and alvin are still studying. highly recommended and do visit mo's site at www.narrarabackpackers.com
• dolphin lookout cottage, 4/5 the cottage occupies a very good spot which provides clear view of binalong bay. the only complaint is the lack of dryer and good heater. it was raining almost everyday when we were there and we have difficulty drying our clothes and at the same time, the heater is unable to warm up the place properly. the flooring felt a bit dusty when we first stepped into the house but nevertheless it was a good 2-nights stay in the cottage
  
• armytage house, 5/5 this is probably the most beautiful and cosy place i ever stayed in. nice little 1800's barn with its' interior extensively renovated to a luxurious self-contained accommodation, and managed by a lovely couple, gil & june, what else can you ask for? stayed at armytage house during the last night for our tasmania trip and it was the perfect ending for our tasmania's chapter. visit my blog entry dedicated to armytage house for more photos (http://blackandwhite-themoments.blogspot.com/2010/08/armytage-house-bagdad-australia-moments.html) or visit their website at www.armytagehouse.com.au

~ hobart ~

first impression when we arrived in hobart city, it is filled with beautiful buildings and lovely people. we drove to salamanca place for a great dinner at ball and chain grill and we loved the place so much that we came back the next morning for a picnic breakfast. mount wellington is a short drive (45mins?) from the cbd and the city view from the mountain is simply astonishing. it was winter when we were there and there were lots of snow lining the roadside towards the peak. supposed to head back to mount wellington for a sunset shot on the last day of our trip but did not manage to make it and am still regretting over it. had our last dinner in tasmania at hobart waterfront before flying off to melbourne, nothing fantastic about the fried seafood and chips but the waterfront sure looked lovely.

~ wineglass bay lookout ~

it was a 45mins walk to the lookout point, the view is alright but would prefer to have a more elevated view so that i can capture more of the bay. upon viewing the photo i took from the lookout point, a friend told me that i can actually trek higher for a nicer view which i did not know is possible when i was there. there were many wallabies at the carpark and you could get really close to it for a good photography opportunity. did not visit the beaches as the lookout is only a short stop over for our journey towards bay of fires. freycinet marine farm was closed during winter time, a big disappointment for us who were hoping to try the fresh and succulent tasmanian oysters.

~ bay of fires ~

the bay is just gorgeous! the sand is unbelievably fine and water is amazingly clear. we wish we could swim in it but the temperature in winter just killed that thought. this place is so blessed with not only white sandy beach and crystal clear water, but also colourful stones that add substance to this serene bay. we saw lots of seaweed near the beach and were thinking that it is probably a sign of a healthy sea. take your time to explore every single beach from one end to the other, starting from binalong bay towards the gardens and rest assure there won't be any disappointment. angasi restaurant, the award winning restaurant is also located at binalong bay. drive along main road and you should be able to spot the restaurant easily. as for the quality of the food, it's 3/5 from my perspective and the reason for it not getting 4/5 is simply due to the lack of "surprises". a lot of asian element was added to the food and such fusion probably did not suprise me as an asian.

~ ralph fall ~

we drove pass winding mountainous road and muddy field to reach ralph fall and the direction to the fall wasn't sign posted properly. we struggled quite a bit to get there and it took us much longer time than expected. the view wasn't rewarding enough to justify the hassle so i would recommend to skip this, probably try other falls in the area.

~ launceston ~
after dropping alvin at launceston airport, we did a quick tour around the city but since it is already pretty dark, we didn't get a good view of the place. my impression is that launceston is more modernized and city is not as attractive as hobart.

~ oatlands ~
we took the coastal road to binalong bay and decided to come back via midland highway for a different view of tasmania. did a quick stop at oatlands before heading to arthur. oatlands did live up to its reputation, a beautiful historical village with lots of colonial sandstone buildings. the street is so quiet that we didn't get to see anyone on the street when we were there. we did not stay in oatlands, instead we moved on to bagdad and stayed for a night at the fantastic armytage house.

~ port arthur ~
port arthur is rated as one of the "must-see" for visitor to tasmania for its importance in tasmanian history. we decided to give up the sunset photoshooting session at mount wellington, also a visit to barilla bay's oyster farm, and made our way to port arthur but were slightly disappointed by that decision. port arthur has undergone an extensive "makeover" and we felt more like visiting a park than the eerie prison that it is supposed to be. i would prefer if it is in original state as the prison itself should be able to tell more stories than the guide. one man's meat is another's poison, it's just not my cup of tea.

lowepro specialist 85 aw (review)

sold off my offtrail 2 for specialist 85 aw but regretted over the decision due to:

1. 85 aw is more suited for fitting at the back of your waist and not at the side, meaning you can't carry your backpack while using it so there will be a big problem when you hike with it. it is not as versatile as offtrail 2 because of the size.
2. zipping and un-zipping is not as smooth as offtrail 2 due to the positioning of the zip is too close to the edge and obstructed by your body
3. the weight

the weak point of offtrail 2 is due to the positioning of side cases and the strap tightening mechanism. when you are tightening the waist straps, it will be pulling the two side cases nearer to your body at the same time and this causes the soft cases to sink in. you will find it difficult for you to take out the lens from the case after that.

purchase of 85 aw is supposed to solve this and seriously, it does work because all lens can now be fitted inside the bag which is hard and does not sink in during tightening but i did not expect to bump into more inconveniences with this new bag.

right now, i am using the 85 aw as shoulder bag with the shoulder strap provided and i am looking for another belt system that will work for me. perhaps it is time to look at other brands.

update: brought specialist 85aw along with me during the recent cambodia trip. it is not so bad after getting used to it but still, you can't carry anything else on your back (even my smallest daypack) due to the size of this bag.. argh.....

sigma 10-20mm test shots (the journey)

trying out sigma 10-20mm that i bought from hk last week. overall, the contrast is good with minimum flare problem when shooting with sun in the frame. i vaguely recall that the first version that i owned (have since sold it off due to corner softness problem) has a mf/af switch but this second piece that i owned doesn't have any. it makes setting the hyperfocal distance slightly tedious since there is no mf switch on my camera body either. i will have to auto-focus, with my shutter release half pressed, then re-focus to hyperfocal distance.

sigma 10-20mm test shots (the moments)

tian ya filter (review)

tian ya filters have arrived few days back. shipment from the hk online shop was prompt but there is a slight problem with the 5 in 1 reflector, which the silver side has peeled off, leaving non-reflective and dull surface. have informed the person in charge to look into it, sent them some photos yesterday night and still waiting for a reply.

did a quick check on the filter quality at 100% crops, seems like it does not reduce the overall sharpness and so long the photo quality doesn't deteriorate, for me it is a good buy. i heard some rumors that you will lose resolution after using filter, perhaps my 6mp sensor is not able to resolve the difference.

(*update: the shop refused to replace the faulty reflector and had given me a lame excuse, stating that it is a norm to have peeling but it won't affect it's performance. i am still wondering how is it going to reflect light when it is supposed to be silverly reflective, which has in turn becomes, greyishly dull. i will re-emphasize this point to them and should they decide not to attend to my complaint, i will post the info on hk's photography forum and make sure everyone avoids that crappy company)

tripod review (manfrotto 725b)

managed to get a 2nd hand manfrotto 725b (c/w integrated 484rc2 ball head) at a good price of S$90. condition of the tripod is very good and scratch-less. the reason for me to get this instead of the initial setup of 190prob and 486rc2 is because it is much cheaper and also lighter for me to carry during hiking (2.46kg vs. 1.54kg). 1kg means a lot, especially when i am going to carry it together with my camera, flash and 3 lenses for 5 hours each day during my up-coming hiking at chiangmai.

my first impression:

• positive ~ manageable weight, smooth ball head, easy to deploy, clean look
• negative ~ no independent panning base/lock

there are a few limitation on this tripod, (1) not suitable for panning if you are doing sports or moving object (2) no detachable column for odd angle shot (3) legs can open-up to 45 degree max (4) ball head is non-detachable, and (5) no additional hook for stability

for me, i don't do sports photography, or maybe not at this point of time so i can do without panning, (1). i took mostly landscape so i can live with (2) and (3). my current setup is well within the maximum weight this tripod can carry so (4) and (5) doesn't affect me much. all in all, this is the right tripod for me, at least for now.

11 december 2007, update: this tripod has served me well over the last 2 months. i am currently looking for another tripod for low angle shot so that i can include some foreground elements since i have expanded the scope of my landscape photography. i will still keep this light weight tripod in my arsenal for usage as and when i plan to travel light. it is simply a gem!