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My era of digital photography started officially in 2003. The SARS disturbed my travel plan. I was not able to do my first tour after May. My first digital SLR, the Fujifilm S2Pro, was purchased in late 2002 after trading off my Hasselblad and Leica gear. It had only been traveled abroad once until May 2003. I teamed up with 3 large aperture lenses, Nikkor 20-35mm f2.8 AF, Nikkor 35-70mm f2.8 AF and the Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8 AF. All lenses are great and good value for money. I sold the Nikkor 20-35mm f2.8 AF and the Nikkor 35-70mm f2.8 AF recently and replaced with Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 AF and Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 AF.

FUJIFILM S2PRO

NIKKOR 20-35mm F2.8D AF

NIKKOR 35-70mm F2.8D AF

NIKKOR 80-200mm F2.8D AF

Unfortunately, the S2 Pro was dropped and the body was damaged in Beijiang in later 2003. I replaced it with a Kodak Pro14n. In April 2004 I brought another Nikon D70, so that I don't need to change the lens so frequently. It was convenient to use both cameras simultaneously with lenses ranging between ultra wide and telephoto. In late 2004, the macro lens, Nikkor 105mm f2.8D MICRO AF and Nikkor 15mm f2.8D fisheye were added to my system.

KODAK PRO14N

NIKON D70

NIKKOR 105mm f2.8D MICRO AF

The Fijifilm S2pro was a great camera. You can control the colour the your picture using the built-in functions. Every control is at your finger tip. It was the leading camera in 2003 and 2004. Bit it is still worthwhile to own one now if you can find it at the second hand shop with a reasonable price, say $2000 something. My first full frame digital SLR was the Kodak Pro14N. It was also the first full frame SLR with Nikon mount. This high-end camera was meant for studio professional pfotographers. But is was no good for night shots, because of the high noise over ISO400. I did not keep the D70 for long. It was replaced by a D50 after 14 months. The D50 was surprisingly good for its newly improved firmware and other feactures. I should have kept this camera if my dry box was big enough to house it. it is worthwhile to get one if the price is good or if you don't mind the low pixel (only 6 million) or the handling problem when mounted to a big lens like the 80-200mm f2.8D. Otherwise it is a good choice for the second camera. But I could not resist the temptation of my second Fujifilm - the S5Pro which joined my team in 2007.

Nikon D50

Fujifilm S5 Pro

Apart from the big zooms, I also got other special lenses too, the Nikkor 500mm f8.0C Reflex, Nikkor 14mm f2.8D and Nikkor 16mm f2.8D Fisheye. All are supposed to be the best among those from other make. However, I sold the fisheye in 2007 because I traded the Kodak Pro14N and it was no longer useful without a full frame. Not until I got another full frame, the D700, I filled its position with an non-manufacturer fisheye lens with zoom feature. The Tokina 11-17mm f3.5-4.5 fisheye was exceptionally good. This is my second non-manufacturer lens.

Tokina 11-17mm f3.5-4.5 Fisheye

This mirror lens was also the best among those from other manufacturers. It was also the best value lens in my collection. I found it in a second hand shop and only cost me $800! It can deliver high contrast and best resolution, view my "lotus album".

Nikkor 500mm f8.0 C REFLEX

I bought this outstanding lens in 2004 for $9,600. However, it was still worth $7,200 when I traded it with the Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8G. Not surprisingly, the zoom is even more outstanding. It is particularly good for landscape photography and snap shots.

Nikkor 14mm f2.8D

Nikkor 16mm f2.8D AF Fisheye

Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8G

Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8G

It had been a long while since I teamed up my second last Nikon member. I bought this new D800 in September. The D800 is a great step forward, for it's 36 million pixal CMOS sensor and the full HD movie feature. The picture quality of this camera is unbeatable!

Nikon D800

Not long after owning the D800, I bought another Nikon camera, the last one using CCD sensor, the D200. I just wanted to preserve the scent of CCD.

Nikon D200

I acquired my first Canon in 2003. It was a 3 million pixel IXUS V3. I never question about the quality of the Canon lenses, especially the non SLR lenses. This handy camera housed the leading technology of Canon at that time. My second Canon digital camera was the IXUS i with a fixed f2.8 lens. It has a size as a cell phone.

Canon IXUS V3

Canon IXUS i

The Canon DC of mine may be the G7. I cannot think of any reason to criticize this camera. The only thing I can say is that it is so perfect if the size can be halved.

Canon G7

I bought my forth handy Canon last week. It was a water proof Super Shot D10 with 12 million pixel.This camera can fill the vacancy of my fleet in extreme conditions, e.g. heavy rain, underwater, on a speed boat and sub-zero weather etc.

Canon Power Shot D10

Of course I would not miss the technology of Canon in making SLRs. My first Canon SLR, EOS350D was acquired in 2006. I started collecting Canon SLR from an adaptor ring. This ring made by an non-manufacturer, can couple any non-Canon lens to the body. But my trial with some Carl Zeiss manual focus lenses was not successful, mainly because of the focusing problems. So I switched to the stunning Canon lenses.

Canon EOS 350D

My favourite Canon legendary lenses include 17-40mm f4.0 USM, 35-350mm f3.5-5.6 USM, 24mm TS-E f3.5, 50mm f1.8, 85mm f1.8 USM, 135mm f2.0 USM and the latest but the greatest 17mm TS-E f4.0. I am happy with their performance in any occasion.

Canon EF 17mm f4.0 TS-E

Canon EF 24mm f3.5 TS-E

Canon EF 35mm f2.0

Canon EF 50mm f1.8

Canon EF 85mm f1.8 USM

Canon EF 135mm f2.0 USM

Canon EF 17-40mm f4.0 USM

Canon EF 35-350mm f3.5-5.6 USM

The only non-Canon manufacturing lens is the Sigma 8mm f3.8 which delivers crystal clear and crispy sharp 180^o circular images.

Sigma 8mm f3.5 EX DG Fisheye

Continue to my flagships of Canon, the EOS 5D plays an important role in the team. It is a full frame camera with 12 million pixels. It is crucial when I use the wide angle lenses, especially the EF 24mm TS-E and the EF 17-40mm f4.0 USM in the early days. Of course, the EF 17mm f4.0 TS-E needs EOS 5D to make the most of itself. I bought the EOS 50D in 2008 to replace the EOS 350D and make my EF 35-350mm f3.5-5.6 USM longer (it becomes a 56-560mm lens when mounted to the EOS 50D.)

EOS 5D

EOS 50D

EOS 5D Mark II

I have just bought the stunning 5D Mark II. It is excellent, especially the video function!! For the sake of video, I got another excellent fisheye lens, the EOS 15mm f2.8.

Canon EF 15mm f2.8

On 26/6/2011, I decided to get hold of the brilliant EF 24mm f1.4 II USM. It will help me explore the new perspective of the world. The next and the most important task of this stunning lens will be the mission to explore the Aurora of the North Sea in 2012.

Canon EF 24mm f1.4 L II USM

This is my 4th item purchased in October 2012, the Canon G1X. I bought this camera because it has a big sensor, almost the same size of an APS. The second reason is that I bought a underwater case of the G1X before that.

Canon G1X

The next travel partner I am going to introduce is the Panasonic FZ series. FZ10 was an excellent camera, except for its low pixel CCD (only 4 million). It had been travelling with me from Lisbon to Madrin in 2004 and Prague to Budapest in 2005. It gave me a lot of high quality pictures because of the Leica high power zoom lens. I missed the 6 million version - FZ20. But I made a mistake that I replaced the FZ10 with the FZ30. The drawback of FZ30 was the re-designed lens. The lens quality, aperture and overall control were inferior to the old one. So I replaced it with the Canon G7.

Panasonic FZ10

Panasonic FZ30

Another important member is the Sony team. The team started with A100 Kit. I acquired the A350D in 2008 for its advanced live view design and the multi-angle screen. But it was replaced by a higher version, the A700 later.

Sony A100 with DT 18-70mm f3.5-5.6

Sony A350

Sony A700

I employed Sony to my fleet mainly because of the Carl Zeiss lens group. The low cost APS lens 16-80mm f3.5-4.5Z is excellent and good value for money. But I had focusing problem with this lens when coupled to A350 and A700. So I replaced it with the full frame version 16-35mm f2.8Z as well as the 24-70mm f2.8Z. I got another travel iens, the SAL18250 f3.5-6.3. It may be an OEM of Tamron.

Sony Zeiss SAL1680Z

Sony SAL18250 f3.5-6.3

The old lens made by Minolta, 28-85mm f3.5-4.5 AF, is still available in the market at reasonable price (less than $700). The quality can be good if coating is not faded. Another lens bearing the name of Minolta and Konica, 17-35mm f2.8-4.0 AF, is an OEM product from Tamron.

Minolta Konica 17-35mm f2.8-4.0 AF

Minolta 28-85mm f3.5-4.5 AF

Another great lens, the 500mm reflex, is the only AF mirror lens in the market. But inaccurate focusing may happen at times. So I swaped with the Sony 500mm f8.0, all problems solved.

Minolta 500mm f8.0 AF

Sony 500mm f8.0

The old version (made in the '80s) of 75-300mm f4.5-5.6 lens has the best resolution among other other Minolta lenses in my Sony team.

Minolta 75-300mm f4.5-5.6mm AF

Sony Zeiss SAL 1635Z

Sony Zeiss SAL2470Z

To widen the scope of photography, I need another tool, the Sony TX-1. It should be my last purchase in 2009. The panaromic is coming up next in 2010. See you there.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1

My latest Sony member is the A850 with over 24 million pixels. I include it in my fleet because I need a full frame camera for my Karl Zeiss lenses.

Sony A850

On the first day of 2011, I bought my fifth SONY SLR. Well not really SLR, but more precisely SLT, the Alpha 55. This camera is great with a lot of new features, 10 frames per second, handheld night shot, panorama, HDR and the most important function - full time swift AF on video recording. I love SONY!

SONY A55

The latest member of TX Series is TX100V. It offers the attractive features of 1080i movie, handheld night shot, GPS and panorama which makes it indispensable in every trip. It is one of my best travel companion!

SONY TX100V

I bought 2 more SONY items in September 2011. They were Carl Zeiss 135mm f1.8 and NEX-5n. Sony becomes the second largest fleet of my collection . The NEX-5 is my forth mirrorless interchangeable camera and is also the one with biggest light sensor.

SONY 135MM F1.8 ZA

SONY NEX-5N

I trade=in my A700 and A55 with the brand new A65 on 7 November 2011 without paying more. I no longer need the A77 because it was out dated (poor noise control, only 12 mega pixal and no movie mode). The A55 is a good camera. The only thing it dispointed me is the overheat effect when filmed more than 9 minutes. The new A65 has solved the above problems.

SONY A65

It was difficult to get hold of the Sony SEL 55-210mm f4.5-6.3 lens. But finally I got it from the Sony Store. It is essential for my NEX system, because of the OSS and its slim body.

SONY SEL 55-210mm f4.5-6.3

I keep receiving new member of the Sony fleet. The 70-300 f4.5-5.6 G SSM. This is an excellent lens with a bit plastic feel, but very light and easy to carry. The picture quality is stunning.

SONY 70-300 f4.5-5.6 G SSM

I bought the Sony A99 after the Nikon D800 in October 2012. This is my first full frame Sony having the full HD movie function. It has a 24 million pixel sensor and excellent auto focus system in movie mode.

SONY A99

I was impressed by the filter function of K-m. The amazing toy camera effect creats lomograph feel. There are 13 different filter effects to choose from. The traditional pancahe lenses from Pentax continue its legend with three brand new pancake lenses, 21mm f3.2, 40mm f2.8 and 70mm f2.4. But I owned two of them. According to most test reparts, the 21mm f3.2 is not that good.

Pentax K-m

Pentax Pancake 40mm f2.8 & 70mm f2.4

Pentax Pancake 21mm f3.2

Apart from the pancakes, it does not seem worth to acquire other Pentax lens. So I employed the Tamron 18-250mm f3.5-5.6 LD Di II as my travel lens. In March 2010 I bought the 21mm f3.2 pancake and traded the K-m with a red K-x.

Pentax K-x

Tamron 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 LD Di II

In November 2010, I bought a Sigma 8-16mm f4.5-5.6 for my K-x, mainly for taking HDR pictures.

Sigma 8-16mm f4.5-5.6

In late 2009, I met the Hasselblad again on the internet. I could not resist the temptation of the real bargain. With less than HK$10,000 I acquired 5 stunning lenses from a second hand shop in the States. The condition of the lenses are generally good with excellent lens quality, only a few wear and tear on the mounts and the outside. I bought these lenses for making movie like quality using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. The results are exceptionally gorgeous. But it may take sometime to get familiar with the operation of the lenses when mounting on a Canon digital SLR. But trust me they are a perfect match.

50mm f4.0C T* black

80mm f2.8C chrome

120mm f5.6C chrome

150mm f4.0C chrome

250mm f5.6C chrome

I acquired my first Olympus digital camera in summer 2010. Now I own the big five of the old days again. It is an attractive EPL1 with 14-42mm zoom lens. I could not resist the unbeatable price, it's video function with art filters and the smart look. It will accompany me on the street for snapshots apart from my favourite Sony TX1

Olympus E-PL1

I bought a second hand 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 lens (35mm eq. is 100-400 mm) for my E-PL1. I need an adaptor to fix this forth third lens to the micro forth third body. The foscing is a bit sluggish but the performance of this lens is excellent. It provides an extra 1.5 stop faster than other 100-400 mm lens.

Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5

The latest member of my Olympus micro 4/3 family is the 9-18mm f4.0-5.6. This is an excellent 18-36mm lens at 35mm eq. It does not make any difference with other flagship lenses in terms of quality, except for the aperture and size.

Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6

My second micro 4/3 camera is the Panasonic G2. It is a great camera with build-in view finder suitable for coupling telephoto lenses, e.g. my Olympus 50-200mm f2.8-3.5. It carries more advanced features and functions than the E-LP1.

. Panasonic G2

Following the Olympus micro 4/3 9-18mm f4.0-5.6., I bought it's brother 14-150mm f4.0-5.6 to complete my collection of the micro 4/3 system. I shall bring the E-LP1 with Panasonic G2 with there two lenses to Scotland in order to relief my low back pain!

Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f4.0-5.6

Following the micro 4/3 lens, I could not resist the temptation of HD 1080 video function of Panasonic GH1 at a reasonable price. This is my third micro 4/3 camera now!

Panasonic GH1

In January 2012 I replaced my E-PL1 with the latest E-PL3 because of the HD video function and its built-in anti-shock CMOS. The quality of still picture is a bit better than the Panasonic GH1. But for video side, GH1 is still taking the lead.

Olympus E-PL3

I bought the Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8 in March 2012. The lens will strengthen my 4/3 fleet with better night shots and depth of view.

Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8

The latest 4/3 lens I bought in July 2012 was the PANASONIC LUMIX G VARIO 100-300mm f4.0-5.6 OIS. I will use this lens mainly on stage video and close up video or pictures for nature photography. This is my first Lumix lens.

PANASONIC LUMIX G VARIO 100-300mm f4.0-5.6

The main The last camera I bought in 2011 was the GoPro HERO 2. This camera will help me explore the new perspective of images and motion pictures. This is a mini camera with 1080p HD movie function for capturing actions and sports. It will accompany me to explore the iceberg and fjord or Norway.

GoPro HERO2