What Goes Around : November 2012

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Studio Scene Brunei : Dance Concert Recital

This event was where I felt need for a more portable drums. Stuffing and carrying a Tama Imperial Star with extra 2 floor toms and 22" bass drum, cymbals and stands, plus a keyboard into my tiny sedan in bad weather is more than enough to make you feel like a worn out rag.

The concert was held in Jerudong Park Amphitheatre. Back in the mid 90s was the popular venue for concerts of famous artists like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and a few more others.

The wonderfully made program.

My task was to play drums together with a band for the intro song Juke Box Here and I Love Rock n' Roll from the musical/movie Rock of Ages.

Click here for footage of our performance.

Tama Imperial Star and Silverstar.

The teachers briefing dancers before the program.

Mary Poppins

The Addams Family and Lurch

to be continued...

Friday, November 2, 2012

Tamron Quick Comparison (17-50mm and 18-200mm)

I bought the Tamron 18-200mm as surf season is supposed to be coming and I needed one. Hopefully the waves will come soon. Since a few mos ago I've been using the Tamron 17-50mm and its a nice lens for taking portraits, quite sharp and built tough like a grenade.

The 18-200mm is cheaper than the 17-50mm by a few hundred dollars and it isn't that sharp but if in well lighted situations, i think it will be a good lens to have specially with the price and 200mm range. The AF goes crazy trying to focus in low light so its best to use Manual.

For Tamron and Sigma lenses, the most common problem is Err 01, which is faulty communication between the camera and lens. Once you have this, other people would say a firmware update or simply cleaning the contacts will fix it, but 99 percent of the time, it does not. So when you buy these brands, make sure it is still under warranty and thoroughly test the actual lens.