On the Internet people are saying the Solitar S on my Agfa Optima 1535 produces a very vibrant color in the output. While I am able to see relatively more colorful output from the Optima versus other cameras such as the Solinas, I wasn't sure I am pushing Optima to its full potential.

If I was asked to pick one film stock in my inventory that has the most vibrant color, I would probably say it's UltraMax, or Portra 160, depending on what light I am shooting on. To verify this I went to look at the datasheets of UltraMax 400 and Portra 160 respectively, nope, I can't make out how to compare them. What I could say is UltraMax 400's color reproduction works across different lighting condition at the cost of excess grain, whereas on Portra 160 you need enough light to make it work, preferably under sunlight.

After having tried Portra 160 on the Optima, naturally my next try would've been with UltraMax 400.

The East Coast Park Precinct is a small park near Fortress Hill. The harbourfront features an award-winning CWB East Vent Shaft, colorful ground-painting design, and a good-for-nothing "VICTORIA HARBOUR" wordart. Perfect subject to test UltraMax 400 on, for a city filled with overly dull-colored architectures.

UltraMax did not disappoint. On an overcast day it was able to pick up the bright yellow gate(?) and the colorful ground painting. The shot was properly exposed even though the light meter of Optima was slightly over-voltaged with 3 PX625A (1.5V) batteries, instead of the recommended PX625 (1.35V).

Originally I was trying to capture some abstract aesthetics from the combination of the yellow gate and the track, yet there's simply no way to remove all the distracting pedestrians, despite my patient waiting. If I were to re-attempt taking this photo, I'd have gone close, trying to get a corner of the gate and the sky. Or, if I had a drone as well, a shot from top of the gate of the track, the gate, and its shadow on ground.

This place now is only the phase 1 of the The East Coast Park Precinct, meaning as development progresses, more areas will become open to the public. Who knows what else is on the blueprint of this colorful park, giving me perhaps the motive to go there for another time, with another film stock.

This shot was take not much later than the Best #1 shot of the month, on the same Optima 1535 and UltraMax 400. This shot would have easily been overexposed, yet Optima's battery-operated light meter works wonders, producing a properly-exposed shot.

At extreme light conditions, each individual film stock has their own color shift. On UltraMax 400 the sky and the sea, both highly lit, resulted in a pleasant blueish color. Such is the "magic" or "surprise" one gets from film, it does its thing where the photographer has little control of, and the result looks quite ok.

After visiting The East Coast Park Precinct I walked towards Causeway Bay, along the way many parked sailboats can be seen. The one with a ridiculously tall mast caught my attention, and I took the shot of this otherwise dull scene.

The surprise came when the bright white appearing blue due to how UltraMax 400 handles extreme lights. I guess this is what motivates people to shoot film, and something I have forgotten for some time.

The more photos I take, the more I think I have seen everything. That's why I was surprised. I don't understand my gear and my film stocks. I kept trying out new things (camera/film/form of photography) in an attempt to find the next thing, the thing that'll define me and my photography.

What ends up is I thought I have seen everything, so a random shot like this one surprised me. The effect should have been calculated and expected without too much deviation between my imagination and the outcome. Maybe it's time (again) to cut down on purchasing, and focus on what I have, explore the capability of my many gears.

My Olympus Mju Zoom Deluxe is what I call the "party camera" for when I go on a party or excursion where serious photography cannot be achieved while entertaining other people. I popped in a roll of Fujicolor C200 on a vacation to Cheung Chau, the film stayed in the camera for nearly half a year before it got fully consumed.

Being a typical point-and-shoot camera, Mju Zoom has no particular control except for zoom and flash mode. Really, just point the camera at something and shoot, there's no complicated control, and the subject will not be annoyed by me fiddling with the focus and exposure setting before taking a shot. Thus, the "party camera".

Me and a couple friends once went cycling in Cheung Chau, to visit the island from one end to another. After which we had a great chat with each other over a bag of Doritos on benches set up alongside Cheung Chau Sai Tai Road.

A few years later we returned with a party half the size of the original, and we sat under the early Summer sunset of May on Tai Hing Tai Road. As the sun slowly set, the heat radiated from lightyears beyond gradually heated us up. Direct sunlight was blindingly bright, and conversation began from when I took a shot, and died down without significant discussion.

Sometimes it's amazing that a single photograph can bring back such detailed memories and emotionally intense moments. Simply by looking at this photo the details of events of the past vividly reappear in my mind despite changes in the circumstances.

Photographs serve the undeniable strong reminder of "that-has-been". They'll remind us of people in the past, without zero regard of the desperate attempts to forget.

When choosing my new mobile phone in the recent years, I have been prioritizing image quality and versatility (wide, normal and zoom) of the phone. OnePlus 7T was at the time a high-tier phone at mid-tier cost and it has been serving me well in various situations.

This photo was taken when I encountered a spectacular scene on a hike. I packed light for hiking because I have to haul everything up the hills and back down. The only camera with me was my trusted OnePlus 7T. And when the situation demands, it did not fail to impress.

I was hiking with two colleagues through Violet hill to Twin peaks and to Stanley. On the last stretch of the leg wrecking climb, I saw spots of sunlights in the overcast sky. "If the sunlight pierces through, it'll look spectacular."

I was helping a companion to take his "proof-of-fun" photo for him to show his family. The other guy came to me saying "You got to look at this." and went we did to an open area, a viewing platform.

The sunlight did pierce through the sky, casting rays onto the sea like there's no tomorrow. Quickly I took out my phone—the only camera I had, and took this photo. OnePlus 7T's built-in post-processing will enhance sky color and protect highlights with HDR.

Fact is, I don't like hiking. I wouldn't go hiking alone for the sake of it. I might feel motivated to go if there's something I want, like autumn leaves, or sunset, or camping, and I'd think about it for months before actually going.

This group, however, kind of drags me to it. Everytime it felt like a dreadful waste of my precious weekend, yet every time the company has been pleasant. The trail is always new, and there's something to gain from it. Out of all the time spent on the trail, 10% will come out good, and they are really good that I feel happy at the end of.

Next time, though, I need to again be dragged to it. My weekend = stay home mindset is deeply rooted.