Samsung NX10 with 18-55mm

Samsung passed me the kit lens, 18-55mm f3.5-5.6, over the weekend for a review. This kit lens' specs is no different from the majority of the kit lens out there offered by most camera makers.

If 30mm makes NX10 perform beyond expectations, 18-55mm relegates the NX10 to mere mortal. Here's why:

- small aperture, and varies with zoom length.
- problems focusing, probably because it's not as bright as the f2.0 on the 30mm lens.
- the lens mount to the camera is plastic, while the 30mm is metal.
- less sharp, noticeably more optic artifacts like chromatic aberrations when viewed from the AMOLED screen. I don't get that razor-sharp experience like I did from the 30mm.
- focusing ring less responsive than 30mm one. I seem to need to turn a lot more.
- due to small aperture, the live monitor is more grainy, as the monitor auto-gains to show the live images.
- standard 18-55mm zoom range is neither here nor there (converted to 35mm, the zoom range is 27-82mm).
- variable aperture reduces shooting experience. I abhor that. I like to shoot in manual exposure, but zooming in and out changes the aperture, and thus my exposure.

But hey, I do like the lens for:

- AF/MF switch allows me to toggle quickly
- zoom allows flexible framing compared to 30mm
- Optical Image Stabiliser

My personal view is that one of the key success of gaining market share in the hybrid camera market is lenses availability. Despite having early-mover advantages, Panasonic and Olympus still do not have sufficient lenses to win the buyers votes. Many DSLR users are looking to "downgrade" to hybrid cameras but they are still waiting to find out which makers provide better lenses and variety. The APS-C sensor doesn't necessarily pose any selling advantage at this point because buyers who are concerned with sensor size would be just a particular with lens quality and variety. And looking at the sheer number of DSLR users walking around in shopping malls, I'd say the hybrid camera market has great potential in winning this segment over.

With the hands-on experience I get from Samsung NX10, the lines between compact camera and DSLR has finally become indistinguishable. I am really using the NX10 with the mindset of a compact camera, but with the added advantages of changing lenses and superior image quality given the right lenses. It still possesses limitations not uncommon for compact cameras, but its performance is closer to the DSLR.

Growing Up With Toys

My new house has a large display cabinet that allows me to showcase my humble toy collection. It's not a lot, because I only had a small display cabinet in my old house, and my practical personality prevents me from buying them. I mean, I never thought that I would move out of the house where I have enough room to house my collection. Besides, toy collection is never a priority at all. I recalled selling a bagful of dozen M.A.S.K. toys for less than $100, complete with boxes. That must have been a collector's dream, but I decided to make room for more room to house practical stuff.

I must have been fortunate enough to experience some of the collector's toys that my family bought for me to play. Star Wars C3P0 (played until limbs detached from torso), Red Imperial Guard, X-Wing Fighter (diecast), they are all long discarded. I recalled loitering at United Square ogling at the fresh boxes of M.A.S.K. that I yearned to own. I was totally fascinated with M.A.S.K. and that it is the only toy line that I collected. I owned nothing from Centurions, G.I. Joe, or Transformers then.

My parents were very strict with me with regards to toy purchases. I remembered I had to pay for my own toys, and even so I needed permission to buy them. During those 80s, the cheapest toy like the M.A.S.K. Piranha costs about $13.95, the larger sets like Goliath would cost more than $50. I remembered buying Rhino at a discount of $29.90 (probably an end-of-line sale). I also once owned Thunderhawk, Gator, Switchblade, Stinger, Vampire, Raven, Slingshot, Bullet, Buzzard, Detonator (wow, as I listed them down, I realised the amount of money I've spent on M.A.S.K. toys) At that era, it's a lot of money. Thinking back, I wonder how my parents actually allowed me to spend that kind of money on toys, but I am grateful that they did. M.A.S.K. is great fun because it's easy to transform from one vehicle to another, so you get double the fun with a single toy (today's Transformers toy series are so difficult to transform - and fragile too - that it can take many minutes of delicate action to accomplish the task. The cartoon series also helped in evoking fantasy stories when playing with the toys. I even drew several books of M.A.S.K. comics!

Over the weekend, I returned to my parent's house, where many of my childhood toys still remained. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I still have a few M.A.S.K. "relics": posters, instruction sheets, a few action figures, and empty boxes that I used to store other toys. No M.A.S.K. vehicles in sight, sadly.

Another pleasant discovery of a toy that I almost forgot - Gatchaspartan! 旋風小飛俠! Gatchaman F, Battle of the Planets, G-Force, whatever you call it. It's not the Phoenix-looking plane that it's commonly associated with. This is a triangular jet plane formed by combining the 5 vehicles manned by each of the Gatchamen. I can't recall how I convinced my parents to buy them for me at Isetan Outram, and I can imagine how expensive they must have been, because the build quality is really very good. In fact, it's made in Singapore. I also can't believe I kept every accessory that came with the toy, like the rocket launchers and the 5 mini-figurines.

In those days, you do not buy toys for collector purposes. You play them, abuse them, and most of the time, lose them. As for Transformers, it's a toy that I started to collect in recent years. The revival of my interest came about when I discovered that many of the characters are being remoulded with greater details and accuracy. The Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, has been successfully remoulded to look accurate in both robot and vehicle. But it appears there is no way Megatron the Decepticon leader can be remould to be accurate both ways - not beefy enough. While many collectors would buy every single Transformers product ever released, I go for those toys that look accurate when transformed both ways. Nothing irks me than a Transformer that doesn't look like a robot as illustrated in the cartoons or movies.

Transformers is really a grown-up toy because of the challenges in transforming the figures. A young child would easily rip it apart. Hasbro acknowledged that a majority of the collectors are grown-ups and so they have various versions (and prices) of the same character, ranging the "Legends" (smallest), "Deluxe", "Voyager", "Leader", and "Ultimate" (largest) classes. Interestingly, the Japan Takara-Tomy editions are more sought after by collectors because of the attention to details and the absence of laws governing the safety of the toys. Not that there aren't laws in Japan, but the target market for these "collectors editions" is the grown-ups, unlike the U.S.-made Hasbro line that is meant for all-age mass-market. For instance, the Optimus Prime 20th Anniversary Edition smokestacks (above picture) are shorter than the Japan version.

(left: Devastator "Legends" size got hold of Bumblebee "RPMs" series while Prime and Ratchet tried to fight back)

My latest and most expensive single purchase to date is the Takara-Tomy "Jetpower Optimus Prime" that consists of Prime and Jetfire that can be combined into a single figure, just like the movie. The issue with collecting Transformers is that the makers always come up with new variants that are better than the previous. I was almost convinced not to buy any Optimus Prime movie figures because I believed it can only get better. But the price offer was too good to miss, so I decided to just buy it and keep it until when I'm in the mood to play it (or sell it). In fact, some of the toys I bought months ago are only opened recently to fill up my new cabinet. Technically, toys that are opened will no longer have much value, but the irony is that most recent toys rarely appreciate in value unless they are true "limited edition" items. And even so, savvy collectors would buy them off and sell the extras to make quick bucks on eBay. More often than not, they end up selling below purchase price when the items proved to be less than desirable. I happened to pick up a few bargains from these "speculative collectors". In all fairness, though I do hope some of my unopened toys could get some collector's value, I'm really just waiting for an appropriate time to play them in future.

Action figures have evolved too. Decades ago, these figures can only articulate 90-degrees on each limb joint in a single direction (like those M.A.S.K. figures I still have). Today's figures can allow multi-degree joint rotation by using ball bearing. So for my latest grey Iron Man figure, the movable parts include: neck, chest, shoulder, elbow, wrist, thigh, knee, ankle. 

There is this "Revoltech" series in Japan where the figures are sculpted to be cartoon-accurate and the joints allow much better articulation, but are non-transformable. I recently got myself Megatron and Rodimus Prime (there was also Optimus Prime and Starscream but I did not get them because I already have them in alternate versions). I also bought Macross Valkyrie VF-1S Fighter because I recalled I used to have one. This Revoltech edition happens to be able to transform just like the cartoon. Nostalgic!

I'm really not a hard-core toy collector. These toys that I bought selectively are capsules to my childhood memory. They signify a time of innocence and boundless imagination that I once possessed. While I might forget the movie I casually watched last year, I'll always remember the impression I've had on the cartoon series I watched 2 decades ago.

All photos shot using Samsung NX10 hybrid interchangeable lens camera, except the collage of M.A.S.K. boxes and the full cabinet shot.

Best Selection of Piano Spa

Unknown to me, Warner Music has another Piano Spa compilation album in the market. Best Selection of Piano Spa is a 2-CD compilation sold exclusively at CD Rama. I came across it when I was comparing prices at CD Rama.

I managed to find my RBS credit card and went down to HMV to buy a couple of "Piano Spa: The Timeless Collection" (and at the same time, found Yanni Voces CD+DVD selling at a bargain). But later in the evening I passed by That CD Shop and they are selling 3 for $49.90. Great bargain.


So which one should you get? I'd say "The Timeless Collection" is a wiser purchase. 4CD 60 tracks vs. 2CD 30 tracks, both selling are similar prices. You might also want to get the "Best Selection" because it contains quite a lot of tracks not available in "The Timeless Collection". Between the 90 tracks, 12 are duplicates, so by getting both, you will still get about 78 songs. Considering the complete Piano Spa (series 1 to 5) has 150 tracks, that's a pretty good listening list.

Why are there 2 compilation albums? I reckon this "Best Selection" is already in the stores for many months, sold exclusively at CD Rama. Perhaps the sales was good, so Warner decided to launch a "collector's" edition that can be distributed across all stores.

One mistake though: in this "Best Selection" album, they left out Fred Lin as the other composer/arranger for some of the tracks. For the record, the following tracks are composed and arranged by Fred Lin: tracks 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 19, 21, 22, 24, 27, 29. Good thing "The Timeless Collection" is detailed in crediting the tracks to him. I'm very anal about getting the credits right, because I expect the same proper credits on me.

I'm just elated that Warner Music still appreciates the "Piano Spa" series and continues to find means to increase sales. I'm very proud of what James Kang has created for the "Piano Spa" concept back in 2005, which was originally under Play Music but took over by Warner when they acquired the former.

Many people have asked me whether I am also responsible for other piano albums in the market. To be sure, look out for the "Piano Spa" branding together with the "Warner Music", "Play Music", and "Rhythmiz Music Production".

Piano Spa: The Timeless Collection

Piano Spa: The Timeless Collection. 4CD collectors set. A selection of 60 best Piano Spa masterpieces. Now on sale at all music stores.

I was caught by surprise when I visited HMV this afternoon. A quick call to my music agent confirms it. Actually, Warner Music has planned to release a compilation many months back, but I wasn't told when the release date was.

If you have bought all the past Piano Spa albums, then you can skip this compilation. But if you have not gotten a copy yet, now is the best time. The album is available for sampling at HMV, so listen before you buy. But well, it's number 2 on the HMV Jazz charts, so you can't go wrong buying this album.

I wanted to buy a few copies (yes, even I had to pay for my albums), but I forgot to bring my RBS credit card, which offers $5 HMV vouchers for every $50 spend. So I'll get a copy next time, and then I can listen down the tracks on this blog. But at one glance, most of my favourite tracks are in the compilation.

Thanks to Warner Music Singapore for this compilation, so that people who have missed the earlier albums can finally get a copy. While stocks last, and believe me, you will not find the album in stores 12 months from now. Call that "limited edition" if you like, but I think the cover design is already worth owning it.

Oh, and while you are at the store, you might want to check out "Rock On Piano". Rock songs never sounded so good on piano. 2CD 24 tracks, arranged by Chester Tan.



International Order: please click the below Paypal button to purchase at US$35 including shipping charges.

Samsung NX10: More Review and Photos

In my last NX10 post, I blogged about the immediate experiences on the first 24 hours. During that review, I focused on what matters to me. In this review, I shall continue to talk more about the camera and the other areas that I got to experience more over the week.

I would like to make it clear that like most other reviews in my blog, it is not a technical review. If you want to know how fast the NX10 switches on down to the millisecond, or how much ISO noise the NX10 exhibits compared to the peers, or the entire list of features in the NX10, these are available on the professional review sites like DPreview.com . What I am offering here are real experiences when using the camera and how the features work and doesn't work in certain situations.

1. How compact is NX10?
It's so much smaller than my Nikon D300, considering they are using the same sensor size, and NX10 has a 14.6mp sensor compared to D300's 12mp. But it's not compact enough to fit nicely in the pocket, despite mounted with the smallest 30mm "pancake" lens. I find it hard to carry around without a bag, unlike the ST550, where I can easily slip into my pocket.
(I don't have the other hybrid cameras with me to do side-by-side comparison, but you can find out from DPreview.com. Sorry for keep mentioning that site, but I absolutely love the information they provided for the photographic community.)

2. Can the NX10 handle fast subjects - like children?
The NX10 can only be as fast as the user who demands it. Simply put, it depends on your expectations. For me, it's certainly not fast enough. To shoot children, you need fast continuous AF, fast shutter response, and immediate refocus after a shot is taken. Such demands can only be fulfilled by a DSLR. When using the NX10 to shoot my child, she has to be quite still when I half-press to lock the focus, and has to be at the same focal length that I locked when I press the shutter. This didn't happen half the time. However, I can still capture images of her that are slightly out of focus. 

3. The AF speed seems slow.
I would want to reserve my comment on this one against NX10 since the AF speed depends on the lens. DSLR users should know this dependency. What I experienced is that the NX10 requires to fine-tune focus before it locks, unlike DSLRs where it locks the moment the focus point is reached.

4. Oops, the focus-shutter-lag syndrome.
I forgot to test this during my first 24 hours, and now that I tested, it's unfortunate that NX10 has this. Basically, if you full-press the shutter before the focus is locked, the shutter will only fire once the focus is locked a few milliseconds later. Basically, no change of mind once you hit the shutter. The workaround is simply to half-press every shot, make sure the focus is locked, the subject is where you wanted, then full-press.

5. No review on the ISO noise?
I might set something up next week, but from what I see, ISO 800 is good enough for non-professional use, ISO 1600 might get you some chroma noise, and ISO 3200 is still usable for monotone or casual shots (it's better to catch something grainy but sharp than clean but blur).

6. Photos, please.
OK, here are some photos representative of the qualities of NX10. To conserve space, I have resized them to 1200 pixels on the long side using Picasa, certainly not the best resizing tool, but it should be representative of a web user. All shots are taken with 30mm lens, without any post-processing image adjustments, unless otherwise specified.

Top: ISO 100, 1/800s, f10. Processed to increase saturation and colour.

Above: ISO 1600, 1/80s, f2. The only way to shoot this while driving is to set everything in manual, including focusing. So I just snapped without requiring the camera to do any focusing or metering.

Above: ISO 1600, 1/4000, f2. The only way I could get this shot is manual focus and fast shutter. The NX10 allows me to get sharp focus reliably via the 3" screen.

Below: ISO 800, 1/80s, f2.8. Only kids room can get so colourful. Slight saturation boost.

Below: ISO 800, 1/180s, f2.8. Shallow depth-of-field. Slight saturation boost.

Any chance that hybrids can be better than DSLRs?
I guess most of the other camera features could be evolved to match the current DSLR standard, but of course the DSLR would not wait for competition. By the time hybrids make it, the DSLR would have evolved with better features.

The "flaw" that DSLR will always face is the need for image and shutter blackout due to the mirror mechanism (unless they become hybrids themselves!). The advantage of a mirrorless camera - apart from size - is the mirrorless mechanism. Technically-speaking, there should not be any blackout, since there is no blockage whatsoever. I envision one day that hybrid cameras will be able to stream live view continuously even when a shot is taken. It's like capturing a still image during video recording on a camcorder, where some good models are capable of.

Until then, there is no substitute for a real DSLR. And face it: quality comes in a big package.

No Smoke Without Fire: Nikon Rumours 3 New DSLRs for 2010

Seems that the camera specs of the rumour isn’t very exciting. If that’s true, then Nikon is again proved to be product-oriented rather than market-oriented like Canon, who would typically launch new models regularly to keep the market interest. So the D300S and D700 might remain in the market for another year or so, which isn’t a bad thing, since the models are already very good (except the video recording which Canon wins hands down).

As I am testing Samsung NX10, I wonder if there is really any possibility that Nikon can build a mirrorless body and re-using existing lenses. Maybe that’s what keeping them busy for the year instead of enhancing their existing DSLR models.

A Review on Samsung NX10: Hybrid Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera

Samsung has selected me once again to review their latest imaging product: NX10. Anyone in the photographic field would have heard about this latest hybrid model that boasts the largest image sensor for a mirrorless interchangeable lens digital camera.

Again, to keep up with my tradition, I did up this first-hand review within 24 hours of obtaining the set (but only got to write and post this a few days later). Some might say that I should give more time to learn about the camera, but in this era of comsumerism, products must be intuitive enough to be used out of the box without flipping through the manual. For NX10, I only had to flip the manual ONCE to find out one particular function that eluded me. Otherwise, I am exploring this camera rather well wthout any assistance. Of course, one will uncover more and more good (or bad) things, but like everything else you do, the 20-80 rule comes into play: I only need 20% of the review period to experience 80% of the camera features. So you can take it that this review is 80% accurate. The remaining 20% would be shared over the course of the next 2 weeks.



The NX10 is designed like a traditional DSLR, except it's slimmer. It has an on/off switch on the shutter release button, a command dial, several hardware buttons, a pop-up flash, a hotshoe, a mode dial, and even a preview button. The grip is certainly too small for my hands, but it should fit well on a small lady's hand.

(below right: ISO 200, f2, 1/13s)

The immediate impression I had when I switch on the NX10 was: "this camera is fast". This comment is relative to the experience I had with all the compact cameras, including mirrorless hybrids like the micro four-thirds. It proves that there are still room for technology enhancement to match the expectations of a DSLR user (like myself). Obviously, the NX10, like every other wannabes, have not attained it, but NX10 seems to take the small lead at this moment.

The nice touches:

1. Samsung logo shows only when you switch off the cam. Little things like this show that Samsung means business. Obviously if you show the logo when the cam is activated, you would have a startup lag, so Samsung put it at the end. And the startup is fast: you can take a shot within a second of startup.

2. Live view is fantastic. It's lag-free: from the bright scenes to the dark scenes, the refresh rate is kept up to show you real life details. It works in low light, I can literally see the scene as is, without any artificial boost or reduction of refresh rate.

3. Electronic manual focus is responsive, lag-free. It almost feels natural.

4. The provided 30mm f2 lens is sharp and delivers nice depth of field.

5. It has a depth-of-field preview button that is customisable. I set it to "one-button WB" and I think it's a really useful alternative. Nikon should have this.

6. The "menu" button positioned on the left doubles up as a "back" button, which works pretty logical too.

7. The camera gets warm on prolonged use, but the heat doesn't build up excessively.

8. During video recording, I can still adjust aperture and do manual focus, although the audio picks up the focusing motor. Shutter speed is fixed at 1/30s (30fps).

9. The camera processor speed doesn't feel very sluggish. For instance, I can move from one photo to the next very quickly (I have experienced worse from a proper DSLR manufacturer), or I can apply an image effect and it gets saved within seconds. The funny thing is that the menu navigation, which doesn't take up much processor power, is laggy.

10. A small but very important design behaviour about the NX10 is that, after I made a setting change (e.g. change from MF to AF), I can just half-press the shutter and the selection is committed and I'm ready to shoot. For that, I applaud Samsung for incorporating what a real photographer needs.

11. NX10 has a handful of unique and useful features. For instance, when selecting the self-portrait mode, the NX10 lets out a beacon that indicates whether faces are detected. When the beacon beeps rapidly, it means faces are within the frame and you can trigger the shutter. I thought it's a really novel way in the absence of a tiltable screen.

Another popular feature in many consumer cameras is the beauty shot mode. Here, the NX10 adds 2 customised parameters to set the intensity of the post-processing: face tone and face retouch.

I also like the burst shooting mode, where the NX10 captures 30 individual images in 1 second at 1.4mp. There are also WB bracketing, and the NX10 takes one shot and post-processes into 3 images.

The Picture Wizard is also quite an easy to use feature to let you adjust the colour, saturation, sharpness and contrast. There are 9 presets and 3 custom styles, from which you can adjust on top of the presets. Best of all, the settings do not get reset to defaults, there is no need to remember to save them, yet you can easily reset to defaults when you needed. I don't remember such implementation on other models.

(below left: ISO 400, f2, 1/750s)

The NX10 is not without any limitations, but it's generally due to the fact that the camera does not have a mirror viewfinder and relies on the live view monitor for all shooting operations. As such, the NX10 can never attain the response of a digital SLR. This cannot be helped, for if you were to use the live view function on a DSLR, the performance would be worse due to the clumsiness of the mirror mechanism. Still, I want to highlight my opinions. After all, the NX10 wants to be DSLR-like, if not, why do they want to throw in an APS-C sensor that is on-par with most DSLRs in the market? Anyway, I believe this list may be of interest to readers who are led to think that these hybrid cameras could replace DSLRs. No doubt these hybrids offer photography in a different level, giving the user fun and convenience on top of enabling the same creative flexibility of a true DSLR.

So, what's limiting about the NX10?

1. Live view blackout after shot. The shutter release response is actually quite good. It would feel almost like a DSLR, if not for the blackout period after the shot. It's not worse than the competition. In fact, you can take it as a plus point. After all, I did mention earlier that the NX10 feels like a fast camera. But combined with the electronic blackout, the NX10 experience is banished to "compact cam"-like.

2. Extremely disappointing electronic viewfinder (EVF). To degrade the experience further, Samsung's EVF is nowhere the standard of the AMOLED 3" monitor. The colour shifts are very apparent when you change the viewing angle. And while you can see details in low light on the monitor, you can't see anything on the EVF, which, by the way, cannot be disabled. So whenever an object is sensed by the proximity sensor, the screen switches from the monitor to the EVF. Good thing for compact cam users is that the EVF will not be an important feature, and maybe that's why Samsung is not putting in any emphasis for this feature.

3. When using manual focusing during video recording, I can hear the focusing motor very distinctly, so you can forget about doing pro-like video recording unless you abandon the creative controls or if you dub over the audio tracks during post-production. Under certain conditions, there will be constant flicker when shooting indoors under fluorescent lighting, which doesn't occur on the Samsung ST550.

4. NX10 has the majority of the buttons located on the right side. The left side has only the flash and the menu buttons. While it seems like Samsung designed it for one-hand use, it's not quite possible to navigate purely with one hand. You still require to support the cam with the other hand, especially when trying to press the buttons on top of the camera, i.e. the zoom buttons. So I would rather the buttons be spaced out on both sides so that the left fingers can also work out.

5. While the AF speed is generally fast, there are times when it requires a bit of hunting. Post note: After more use, I'd say that the AF logic would need some improvements (read: not consistently fast, depending on the scenes).

6. The buffer isn't DSLR standard. At Super Fine setting, the buffer is filled after 13 shots. With RAW, the buffer is filled after 3 shots. Thereafter, shooting is still possible but the continuous rate drops.

7. Image noise is not as well controlled as the competing DSLR makers, but being able to shoot at ISO 3200 presents great shooting possibilities.

I just realised that there is just one small design feature that very few cameras in the market have: backlit buttons! I hope this will be the norm for new models in future, especially when cameras are evolving to cater to low-light photography. Perhaps Samsung might want to consider this feature in future models.

(below: ISO 1600, f2, 1/125s)

Final words:

I may sound rather critical in my review. After all, I should not expect DSLR performance on the NX10. Most other reviewers would simply "moderate" their reviews to make the review set sound good. Make no mistake: I quite like the product that Samsung has painstakingly developed. It's a bold step, in fact, being one of the few makers that releases a completely new camera system on its own (Ricoh is the other maker with GXR, while Sony is working in progress), Samsung has done a great job at meeting the modern consumers' demands and expectations. Besides, why compare the NX10 with the point-and-shoot, when a majority of the purchasers are comparing these hybrids with the DSLRs.

No one expected Samsung to release a good enough hybrid camera at first attempt. The micro four-third makers didn't get their first product right. Lumix G1 doesn't have video recording. Olympus E-P1 doesn't have a built-in flash. But in my opinion, Samsung has got it right at first go. NX10 is a hybrid camera that tries hard to match the expectations of the DSLR in terms of features and performance, within current technological means. The only glaring weaknesses on the NX10 would be the poor EVF and the not-so-pro video output (although probably sufficient from the lay people).

I am very happy to have had the chance to review the NX10, a milestone in hybrid camera market. Samsung has proven that it doesn't need decades of experience to get the product right. All it needs is to identify the usage patterns and needs of today's consumers, who are more sophisticated, wants professional controls with consumer-level fun factor.

Now that I'm done with the review, I can enjoy playing with the camera over the rest of the loan period. I'll try to share more images representative of the NX10 quality.

P.S. If there are any features that I missed out mentioning, or facts that require clarification, drop me a mail at blog@chester.sg before 30 April. I will try to respond.

First Composition for the Year 2010: Spring Bloom

I christened my song to my new home, where it gives me new inspirations to start composing once again, after months of hiatus.

Listen: Spring Bloom by Chester Tan (5:01)

I only realised after I uploaded the track that the composition has references to 2 pop songs, an English and a Mandarin. See if you can catch the similarity.

Ballet Pianist - Again (2010)

I'm still receiving blog comments from my ballet pianist posts 2 years back, so I decided to blog again.

The search for ballet pianist has begun again after our other regular pianist who has played for 2 years is going to study music in Melbourne in June.

As I finished playing for this year's ballet exam (my 10th year playing for exams), my teacher once again encouraged me to play on, as she received compliments from this year's examiner, Jan Mills from Australia, about my playing.

I am still wondering why it's so difficult to find pianists. Is it because the standard is too high for the school that I am playing? They prefer pianists that can improvise free music on-the-fly as the teacher creates exercises for the students on the spot. Is it because the pay is too low? Certainly the teachers wouldn't mind paying as much as I am getting if the pianists are as good as me. Is it because there is a lack of an interest in the area of music accompaniment? It's such a worldwide phenomenon that the RAD actually revised their Pre/Primary syllabus to include instrumental accompaniment that is allowable for exams. In fact, the instrumental CD is better than the piano transcription because it is more musically adequate to bring out the dance movements. The RAD also created an alternate music syllabus taken from the classical music genre to go with the existing Grades 1-5 dance syllabus in hope that more pianists who are less skilled can master the music.

I remember starting playing for ballet classes in Dec 1993. I remember I had a bad first class. The teacher required me to play for 3 grades, but I only could manage 1 grade. So the teacher asked me to operate the cassette player. 2 months later, she recommended me to play for another ballet teacher. So I went on, playing for years. Then over time, I tried improvising for free work in 1996, the time when I started composing music. Again, I remembered I struggled very hard, as I listened attentively to the teacher going through the dance steps with the students. I had to think on my feet what music style should I use, what melody should I create, what chord progression should I attempt. As the months go by, it got better. After all, everything is about practice.

So when do you want to start?

Melissa and ION Orchard

I came to know that ION Orchard is opening their shopping mall to photographers to shoot for a photo contest. Instead of joining the contest, I arranged to shoot Melissa Jane there. It's a rare opportunity for a shopping mall to open their doors to photographers to shoot freely.

Movie Insight: A Single Man

On Wednesday night, I watched "A Single Man", starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Not many cinemas are screening the movie, and it's rated R21 for homosexuality content. Tom Ford produces and directs this artistic film that was nominated for several film awards and won some.

After the movie, my wife asked me my thoughts about watching a film showing homosexual activities between men. I told her that I felt "uncomfortable" seeing 2 men locking lips and caressing intimately with each other, more so when the scenes are filmed in such romantic fashion.

Wifey commented that watching a film on gay men brings the film to a greater artistic emotional level, as compared to lesbian women. I added that lesbianism is portrayed generally under the context of sex, or that the film producer often chooses to use lesbianism in an erotic way, and ended up attracting viewership for the wrong reasons.

What I cannot fathom is how 2 men can love each other. To me, it's easier to "appreciate" lesbianism because women are objects of beauty, and beauty transcends gender. So I can accept women liking each other. But men liking men? OK, even if some men do like men, it still boils down to "beauty", that hint of femininity. I have to admit that the male cast of "A Single Man" is very attractively "beautiful" and do not exhibit the aggressive, bestial look.

Anyway, it's a beautiful movie with depth, certainly inspires me in many ways and offers me new insights to life. Love some of the screen lines, check them out here. I'm glad I caught it on cinemas because this is one of those films that you might find it hard to get hold of in local DVD stores due to its controversial topic.

iPad: It's Apple or the Rest of the Brands

So the iPad is finally on sale 3 April, and it brings a new hope to the world hunger for beautiful technology. I have not owned anything Apple yet (except for the first-gen iPod Shuffle 512MB). I think I am getting rather tired about rationalising why Apple product seems to be so popular and so sought-after. To me, it's quite simple.

Products are entirely Apple. There is no third party OS or hardware. Apple controls everything and takes responsible for everything. Software and hardware developers only have to ensure compatibility with Apple. Not the case for every other computing device. Laptop brands running on Windows include HP, Lenovo, Acer, MSI, Toshiba, Fujitsu, the list goes on. If you want Windows, you have to decide which brands offer the best price with the most suitable hardware and software. If you want Apple, there is only Apple.

In other words, it's Apple or the rest of the brands.

Let me walk you through an example of my thought process. As you know, HP Slate is coming out, and in every way, the spec far surpasses iPad. Would I buy the Slate? Yes I would like to, but before I sink my dollar in, I would wonder if there are better Tablet models from other brands at a cheaper price or with a combination of features that I favour more, including after-sales support and battery life. On the other hand, the iPad specs will never change for the next 12 months, nor will you worry about a competing model coming out in 2-3 months, or whether the price will drop. It's either you buy it or you don't. You would justify about the lack of some hardware features on an iPad, and you wouldn't care, because if the other 700,000 iPad owners can do without, so can you. If anyone is laughing at your iPad, they're laughing at the 700,000 other owners too. That's not the case if you bought the HP Slate. Someone would come over and say, "Why Slate? XXX model has better features and cheaper." And you would hope you had not bought the Slate.

The Move of the Decade

After 10 years of residence in a HDB estate, I have upgraded to a condominium. The entire process is long and I have to thank my wife for doing a lot a lot of work to make this move a reality. She picked the interior designer, researched on the ideal property to go for, negotiated the price, liaised with the lawyer for the transaction, proposed the home decor, sourced for the furniture, selected the mover, picked the paint colour... you get the point. So what did I do? Well, frankly, I just give the nod. It's not to say that she makes all the decisions. In fact, she keeps bugging me for suggestions, ideas, recommendations. Where possible, I will offer my opinions, but some things are just not my scope, for instance, kitchen cabinet design, or wardrobe layout. I'm really a person who adapts, so give me a square, and I'll fit into a square.

In the process of designing the home, we spent time thinking about practicality and aesthetics. But when the carpentry is actually completed, we realised that as a result of customising things, we encountered some accidental problems. For instance, in the attempt to have a tidy study table, I instructed to have only one hole on my table top, and this results in my monitor VGA cables barely able to reach my computer on the floor. Or, my piano nearly couldn't move into the study room because of tight clearance of my built-in cabinets. Or, a kitchen cabinet with some unusable space due to close proximity of the sink and cooker.

Looking beyond these minor problems, we are settling into the environment. Being new and spacious, I do have a feeling that I am living in a serviced apartment, or even hotel. I'm not referring to the decor, but rather, the spaciousness, the amenities, and the view. It so happens that our window view is blocked by a neighbouring distant condo that has a rather non-local feel (it has pointy castle-like rooftops), and our full-length living room has a clear view of our condo children's pool, complete with resorty umbrellas and benches. It feels just like a typical hotel setting! Sorry if I sounded "suaku" (country bumpkin, so to speak), but I wished I had time to appreciate this new surroundings.

Here's some move photos documenting the move process. Great job by Shalom Movers.

Above: nice drawings by supervisor, denoting "fragile".
Below: my 29-yr-old piano nicely wrapped up.

Below: Doesn't my kitchen look brand new?

Below: piano reached its new resting place...

And this is how it looks like, after some tidying up:

The pool view from my unit.

I'll share more photos once everything is in place.