My New Canon EOS M10

In 2011, I purchased my 1^st DSLR using my 13^th month pay. At that time, I was choosing between Canon and Nikon. Both cameras are almost identical in features, design and price. However, I choose Canon because its interface is more user-friendly. Five years later, I am still happy with Canon in terms of quality of the product and after sales. I only brought it once to the Canon Service Center when the 18-55 kit lens was “stuck” after I brought it at Malico, Nueva Ecija (it’s a cold place).

I first saw the Canon EOS M10 at the recent FPPF judging at the Chamber of Commerce in Intramuros, Manila

Last Thursday, I was at Camerahaus BGC and I bought a mirrorless camera. I have P22,000 in hand from the back pay I got from my last company (I resigned August 2016). I first check for Fuji and the lowest price they have for a Fuji mirrorless camera (that is available) is P27,000. I don’t have enough “funds” to buy it. Luckily, Camerahaus BGC has a Sony mirrorless camera and the Canon EOS M10, which was released recently.

The Sony ILCE-5000 is being sold at a cash price of P20,000. It has 20.1 megapixels and comes with a free 16 GB SD card and a camera bag. It’s almost identical with the Canon EOS M10 – both wireless capable and has an LCD screen that can be flip. The Sony model was released in 2014 and I actually wanted to try other brands (aside from Canon). However, the interface of Sony is complicated for me. The lens that comes with the EOS M10 (15-45mm) is also “wider” than that of Sony. The EOS M10 also feels more like a compact DSLR unlike the Sony ILCE-5000 which is more like a digital camera. Although the Sony is lighter than the EOS M10, I find it more convenient to grab the M10 that the Sony, which feels like it would slip my hand anytime.

I purchased my Canon EOS M10 at the new Camerahaus branch in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), which is located at the 3^rd Floor of Central Square Building. If you’re coming from Market-Market, it’s at the very end of Bonifacio High Street. I paid it in cash and It’s P19,800. For the freebies, I got the red “jacket” and a Sodexo Gift Certificate worth P500.

I am still on the process of getting to know my new mirrorless camera. I’m glad that I’m not going to create #ElmerLovesSony blog but instead, stick to my current #ElmerLovesCanon blog. I’m posting my test shots of the Canon EOS M10 here. Both the Sony and the Canon mirrorless camera come with a 3-year warranty. I hope by then, I’ll have enough money to purchase a new one if needed.

I just read the manual of the Canon EOS M10 and I’m happy that it has in-camera features (effects) like HDR, fish-eye, toy camera and miniature models. It can also be linked to a smartphone and can also upload to the cloud storage of Canon, for easy transfer of images, wirelessly. The EOS M10 is the entry-level mirrorless camera of Canon – a cheaper version of the EOS M5. Back in 2011, I purchased an entry level DSLR. Now, I purchased another entry-level camera but it’s mirrorless now. I hope I can make the most of this new gear.

This camera by the way has a free “housing” (or casing) color red worth P1,500. It gives the Canon EOS M10 better grip. The only take-away is that, you have to remove it using a coin whenever you’ll charge the battery or change SD card. The battery is also below 1,000 mAH and I only got 104 shots with a fully-charged battery. I guess, I’ll need an extra battery.

The guy in red is the one who convinced me to choose Canon EOS M10.

The Camerahaus in BGC (3rd Floor Central Square Building)

Taken around the Bonifacio High Street.

Technorati Tags: BGC High Street,Canon EOS M10

My First Tripod: Benro T600EX

I love taking night shots. I love to take pictures of parks and other places at night. I love capturing the lights from posts, lamps, fireworks and candles. Unfortunately, last New Year’s Eve celebration, I don’t have a tripod yet. I tried to capture the fireworks with my bare hands and the results are blurry pictures.

My Canon EOS 1100D has a bulb feature designed to take pictures of fireworks but it really requires a tripod to come up with an outstanding picture. After attending workshops with such photographers like Ricky Ladia, Winston Baltasar, and Jiggie Alejandrino and Noel Puyat (and partly due to advertisement), only one brand of tripod came to my mind: Benro. So when I got the chance to buy a tripod at Shangri-La EDSA, I immediately asked for Benro. That’s how advertisement affects a newbie photographer’s mind like me.

Well, I tried it first with my Canon EOS 1100D and it really doesn’t “sway” as hard as the competitor brand. The tripod’s material itself is thicker, thus I went for Benro. Here are the other specs of the Benro T600EX Photo & Video Tripod:

• 4 section tripod
• 3-way, 1 pan-handle
• Elevator type
• With water level and quick shoe
• Maximum height: 56.50” (roughly 4.70 feet)
• Normal height: 46.85” (roughly 3.90 feet)
• Folded: 22.44” (roughly 1.87 feet)
• Made by Benro Industrial Inc. (China)
• Weight: 1.46 kilograms
• Price: P1,200 (from Shangri-La EDSA)

I can’t wait to try my new tripod.

BuzzNet Tags: Benro T600EX,Gadgets,Ricky Ladia,Winston Baltasar,Photography

My Dream Laptop: MacBook

Most photographers uses a MacBook – a laptop made by Apple Inc. It’s probably because of the software that comes with it. I admire and envy photographers who have MacBook.

I’m a member of Fotograpika Manila (a group of newbie photographers) and one of our members uses a MacBook. I took the opportunity to take pictures of her MacBook. I don’t know what exact model this is but I sure hope that one day I could have my own MacBook.

It’s definitely my dream laptop.

BuzzNet Tags: Fotograpika Manila,MacBook,Photography Group

I’m Now A BB User

Yup, I’m now a happy BlackBerry user. I purchased the BlackBerry 8520 (Curve) last Tuesday and I’ve been busy lately trying to figure out its basic functions.

I purchased my BlackBerry unit from Mobile World in SM Megamall. I’ve asked almost all stores in the Cyberzone area about the price of this BB unit and they offered the lowest price at P8,900.00. It comes with 2 years warranty and 2-gig memory card. I wanted to purchase the next BB unit (9300) but it’s price was around P12,000.00 and it’s beyond my budget.

They next day, I added Globe’s BlackBerry Social (P299.00/month) to my subscription plus the SUPER ONE promo (P175.00/month). The BlackBerry Social includes the use of Facebook, Twitter, BlackBerry Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger (and other messengers like Windows Live, AOL messenger, and Google Talk). Unfortunately, the BB Social promo doesn’t come with email access.

The SUPER ONE promo on the other hand is for Sef so that I could call and text him unlimited. He’s my current SUPER ONE and I often call him My Sweet Cornetto Boy. Tomorrow by the way, we’ll be watching the Azkals match versus Korea at the Rizal Memorial Stadium at 7PM.

So far, I’ve been enjoying my BlackBerry and I’m rediscovering Twitter because of this unit. I also post Facebook status every once in a while using my BB. It’s nice to see that some of my FB posts were posted via BlackBerry.

Who among you are using BlackBerry? Care to post your PIN here?

BuzzNet Tags: My Sweet Cornetto Boy,BlackBerry Curve,BB 8520

Dream Gadget Come True

Today is a very memorable day for me. I finally bought one of my dream gadgets – a Digital Single-Lens Retractable (DSLR) camera. Thanks to my 13^th month pay, I was able to purchase a Canon EOS 1100D.

I consulted a lot of my friends who’s into photography and they all suggested Nikon. I was considering Nikon D3000 when I went to SM Megamall earlier this evening. However, when I saw the two DSLRs in person, I was persuaded to buy the Canon EOS 1100D because of its aesthetics (design). The Canon sales guy also helped in my decision to purchase this camera over Nikon. Lastly, the price added to my decision to go against all my friends’ advice and go with my instinct. Thus, my first DSLR is the Canon EOS 1100D.

Let’s talk first about the price and some basic specifications of the two cameras. The Canon EOS 1100D has a tag price of P29,998. The Nikon D3000 was priced at P27,998. A price difference of P2,000. However, the Canon Sales person can give the Canon EOS 1100D at a cash price of P28,000. Luckily, I have cash!

Let’s talk about the freebies. The Nikon D3000 comes with a strap, a 4gig SD card, 2 year warranty and a bag. The Canon EOS 1100D has 2 beautiful straps, a 8gig SD card, 3 years warranty, a photography book and a beautiful bag.

Now, let’s discuss the sales representative. The Nikon sales lady seems to be busy (although there is only one customer and she has another colleague who’s assisting the said customer). She also mentioned that Canon EOS 1100D is comparable to the Nikon D3100 (the one comes in shiny red). It was priced at P32,000 with a 5% discount making it P30,400. Thus, the Canon EOS 1100D (P28,000) is equivalent to Nikon D3100 (P30,400). That’s according to the Nikon sales lady. She didn’t elaborate on the features of both the Nikon D3000 and Nikon D3100.

The Canon sales guy demonstrated some of the key features of the Canon EOS 1100D including the ability to select the effects of the picture prior to taking a shot. He also mentioned about the ability to do a live view of the subject being taken care of. Plus, the emphasized that it’s definitely for beginners (to DSLR). He also showed that the camera has a short description of the features whenever it is switch to that feature. It helps that I own a Canon digital camera and almost all the basic functions are the same.

Just an added bonus, the sales guy is handsome. Thus, with all the features, warranty, freebies and price, the Canon sales guy persuaded me to purchase it. Lastly, as I was paying for the camera, they gave me a final price of P27,500 and they’ve added a card reader. Talk about going the extra mile!

The competitor: Nikon D3000

 

The Canon sales guy

 

The camera without the lens

 

The free bag

 

The photography book and SD card

 

The camera with lens

 

The whole package at the cash price of P27,500.

BuzzNet Tags: Nikon D3000,Nikon D3100,Canon EOS 1100D