Philippines Filipino RF users!!!

[retrocam]

FilteredLight,

I you decide to focus on the Luzon Island (where Manila is), may I suggest going to:
a) Batanes - as what eddie says
b) Vigan - where big old houses from the Spanish era are.
c) Baguio - there might be some exhibits there that you might like to see.
d) Tagaytay - to see the Taal Volcano...you won't see this during the rainy season though...there might be thick fog.
e) Hundred Islands or where Mt. Pinatubo is - that eruption has made a beautiful lagoon. On second thought...since you're going in August, scrap this one.

If focusing on the Visayas Islands, yes, go for Cebu, Boracay, Bohol and Palawan.

Enjoy!

 

[sharpf8]

Hi,

Kumusta sa inyong mga Pinoy RF members. Eto yung kwento ko...

I received a Minolta P&S as a gift when I was 8. As a kid, I browsed through a Japanese magazine and saw a picture of boy a with an RF-looking chrome camera slung on his shoulder. I don’t know what brand it was but I knew that it was the camera that I wanted.

Fast forward to 1999. I bought a Canon Elan 7e with a kit lens from Wolf Camera (that’s the only camera purchase I’ve regretted so far) as an upgrade from very old Canon P&S (a hand-me down from my sister). I hung around online photo orgs and saw pictures taken with a Leica M3 and 50mm Summicron; I thought those pictures were of the best quality and wanted an M3 and the 50mm Summicron. I dug some info on M3 and when I saw a picture of it, I remembered the camera in the old Japanese magazine.

In 2001, I got my first Leica kit – an M6 and 50mm Summicron from KEH. From then on, I was hooked. I love using RFs because of the quality of the lenses, because I can see what’s going on outside the framelines, because the user really controls the outcome not some computer...and also for their small size. Plus, I still like film. I also learned about Contax cams and Zeiss lenses online. The bug bit me hard, I couldn’t stop.

In another forum, Jay (Zorkikat) was among the first to welcome me to the group. He introduced me to Russian RFs and lenses. He helped me acquire a Zorki-4 with an Industar-22 for starters (read: teaser). When I met him in 2005, he let me to try his Jupiter-3. I liked it a lot. He told me about Fedka.com since I’m wary of auction sites. In fairness to Jay, I don’t know if he was aware that I was already deep in RF addiction. But, Jay aggravated it!

Sige Jay, tumawa ka dyan!...

I was trying to temper my excitement reading your story, and it brought me some smiles on my face. However, it is a typical story of people falling in love with photography. You seemed to have skipped your childhoold, having your life being fast forwarded. I admire your passion in photograpy. My only small comment though is, not to have a jaundiced attitude towards other formats, such as SLR's and medium formats; you can also get excellent results with both. And, most often, it's tough to tell the difference.

Many moons ago, I took classes in Photography. Lots of classes. Personally, as I had stated previously--PASSION matters. It matters in Photography a great deal.

I had had read before, a comment made by a compatriot, in Photonet, that "Filipinos, are the worst press for the Philippines." In this case, the advice that FilteredLight has had received, from our distinguished RFF members, makes me think, otherwise. Kudos to all of you.

 

[retrocam]

My only small comment though is, not to have a jaundiced attitude towards other formats, such as SLR's and medium formats; you can also get excellent results with both. And, most often, it's tough to tell the difference.

I regret buying the Canon Elan 7e with kit lens because I didn't do much research then and didn't know much about buying used items. I feel it's an undeducated purchase. Overtime, I've learned to buy used equipment and ended up with SLRs (35mm and medium format) that I really like. It's just that I get the most enjoyment out of RFs.

Cheers!

 

[Kat]

Filteredlight,

If you decide to visit Cebu, it has an international airport so you can fly directly there and go through Manila later on your way back home. I'm not sure about film availability there, though, usual minilabs in the country generally have basic 35mm negative Kodak (gold 100, 400) and Fuji (YKL, Superia 100, 400). I think there are one or two stores in Manila that regularly stock 120 and slides (limited choices), but you might be safer bringing your own.

Be sure to try the local roasted pig we call "lechon" when you're in Visayas area or Mindanao (it's not as tasty in Luzon/Manila). I'm afraid I'm not a very outdoorsy person, so I'm not sure about parks, volcanoes and the like, but I think you can find those either in Luzon or Mindanao. I'm told that Davao has river rafting, caves and hot springs nearby, and if you are adventurous, you can try interesting native fruits and "balut" (cooked duck egg with a duck embryo inside) there. In Luzon, you can take a land trip to the places the others have mentioned, mostly in the north (baguio, sagada, rice terraces) and to the south (taal volcano, natural springs, and diving beaches). In Visayas, probably about a ferry ride away from Cebu, you can see the "chocolate hills" of Bohol (plus beaches). Cebu beaches are great for snorkeling, and nearby is Bantayan Island, which I have not been to but the pictures are beautiful and I hear it's not as commercialized as others may be.

You can get a lot of things and places done, actually, in a span of 2-4 weeks, unless you prefer to stay longer per place. People are generally friendly, esp. to foreigners, and most have at least a basic knowledge of English.

 

[eddie con]

films and fares

films and fares

I don't like to lay out in the sun. I do love boogie-boarding, snorkeling and doing other beach-related things. But I don't want to just go to the beach after traveling to the other side of the world! I'm also interested in national parks, forests, volcanoes, that sort of thing. And seeing arts and crafts would be fun, not to mention the photographic possibilities. Most important: good food!

How are film labs and film availability in Manila? 35mm and 120 transparencies, particularly? I don't want to fog my film with airport X-rays.

Thanks again, everybody![/quote]
filteredlight,

uhh... visit manila? unless you are into photodocumenting a dying city, perhaps? one to two days might be tolerable but the traffic and the pollution can kill you. literally.
philippines will be more memorable if you go for the countryside. annie and kat's lists/tips are great.
you may wish to check out some domestic flights that come dirt cheap. they will email you to inform you of special bargain prices and buy online which you may have to do ahead of time. great savings.
cebu pacific is one example. their planes are as air-worthy as any of the domestic commercial planes. (and that is as assuring as i can get).
i have had no problems with the airport xrays but i am not sure how high speed films would fare. i don't know if the airport guys allow hand inspection. they just point you to the xray machine ALL THE TIME. no harm in requesting though. they tend to have a soft spot for foreigners. and kat is right; very few photo stores have 120 films and her list of films are what you often see around here. film processing can be a problem, too. black and white processing will take a week sometimes, and few shops still do that (island photo is one). it is diy as far as this is concerned. many shops are not good film handhandlers too. they smudge up the negatives by touching the film surface. (they are trained to handle memory cards now). there are a few good photo shops left that use fresh chemicals. i go to sanly photo shop in cubao and in edsa-shangrila in pasig for my film processing; they are nearer and i am a regular. (120 fuji films are available there). the owner is a photographer who is into medium format. i am sure the other pinoy rff members have their "suki" -- favored -- shops which they can refer you to.
as regards food, uhhh... maybe somebody else can pick that up.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Hi,

Sige Jay, tumawa ka dyan!...

Paano mo nalaman na tumatawa ako? ROFL .

Jay

 

[ZorkiKat]

How are film labs and film availability in Manila? 35mm and 120 transparencies, particularly? I don't want to fog my film with airport X-rays.

Thanks again, everybody!

Kodak Philippines have long given up on E6 processing some time ago. The local Fuji representative, YKL, have also done the same. Issue of economics. It's not economically feasible to run processing lines which consume loads of expensive perishable chemistry and electricity for film which probably lands in their labs at a frequency of about 1 a week, if any.

There is still one custom processing lab in Manila which will do BW, E6, and custom C41.

As for film availability, the likely one you'll find is 35mm colour negative. Transparencies and slides are getting rarer by the day. I got a clutch of Velvia 100 120 from YKL yesterday, given to me to 'play' with

Jay

 

[sharpf8]

I don't like to lay out in the sun. I do love boogie-boarding, snorkeling and doing other beach-related things. But I don't want to just go to the beach after traveling to the other side of the world! I'm also interested in national parks, forests, volcanoes, that sort of thing. And seeing arts and crafts would be fun, not to mention the photographic possibilities. Most important: good food!

How are film labs and film availability in Manila? 35mm and 120 transparencies, particularly? I don't want to fog my film with airport X-rays.

Thanks again, everybody!

filteredlight,

"uhh... visit manila? unless you are into photodocumenting a dying city, perhaps? one to two days might be tolerable but the traffic and the pollution can kill you. literally."



eddie con: It saddens me to hear that Manila is dying. It breaks my heart, too. For it is the city where I grew up and have loved and adored all this years, in spite of my long absence. I have been away almost half of my life, and perhaps I haven't noticed that it is dying. Is it? Well, Rome eventually collapsed; Paris burned and Jerusalem ransacked-- in their respective histories. Manila, I suppose, is no different from the great cities of the world, of ancient past.

Pollution and traffic are also part of the growing problems of the developed countrises. Traffic in the Los Angeles area and its vicinity is getting worst; as in Seattle, Phonix, New York, Chicago and other cities in the world. We have traffic and pollution advisories daily, especially summertime, where I live. IMHO, pollution in Manila is not as bad as Honkong's or Beijing's for that matter. I concur with you, however, that TRAFFIC and POLLUTION can literally kill you.

When I was growing up, the boulevards of Manila were colorful and romantic. Its avenues were dreamlike and wide. Urban sprawl has perhaps eroded its landscape and its beauty-- raped!

Whenever I am in Manila, the moon is always brighter and the sky is bluer and the stars are resplendent. My perspective could be different from yours, but there is no telling, whose perspective it is, to believe.

Many moons ago, Photography in Manila was exciting. You could have your picture taken in public parks, restaurants and churches-- by a camera-and-flash wielding photographer. Wait between 15 to 20 minutes, and you'd be able to take home the souvenir photos. They did their "processing and printing" in public restrooms and makeshift darkrooms. To this day, I have no idea, how they pulled it off. After several months though, the pictures have had either faded or were barely recognizable.

In my youth, I never had seen Leica cameras or professional rangefinder-type cameras around. I heard of a photographer, who kept his Leica lenses in a so-called "hermitically" sealed jars, to prevent moisture and fungus terrorizing his expensive lenses. But from the beginning, I had had heard that Leica cameras were (already) expensive--far from the reach of ordinary people with jejune diet, like myself. I have to agree/admit, without any sliver of hesitation, that Leica indeed, is one the best and finest photographic TOOLS in the world. It would not suffer, IMHO, what Rome and Jerusalem had experienced...

All the best.

 

[retrocam]

Paano mo nalaman na tumatawa ako? ROFL .

Jay

Dahil dyan sa avatar mo...

I was assuming that Yuri has sent you a note or something aside from reading my post.

Isa lang ako sa lumalaking tribo... Speaking of tribo, TKP is quiet these days. Natuloy ba kayo sa BW development sessions?

Pinoy RFF members,

Nagkita-kita na ba kayo sa Manila or QC? It would be great if you guys go on a walkabout or something!

 

[eddie con]

sharpf8,
oops... it is just that i just read the papers the day before; it stated that all rivers, streams and brooks of manila are "dead". and i have always viewed the river systems of a city as its lifeblood. i did not intend to bug anyone.
but i must be more objective. the food is still great and quite cheap in a number of places. and manila is trying a facelift. roxas boulevard has a xmas look at nights. as if there is no energy crisis. not to everyone's (even political) taste but majority of pinoys love it. and plaza miranda also had a make-over -- they placed roman pillars infront of quiapo church, mimicking a roman square; an ominous sign.
however, good old hidalgo (where camera shops abound) near plaza miranda is now a no-car area where photographers can lounge, especially at night. i just don't know if it has been attracting enough photographers.
it is still liveable, compared to the cities you mentioned. but i don't know for how long.

 

[Kat]

I forgot to add--check out if there are "fiestas" during the time you'll be here. Some fiestas have big celebrations, street dances, colorful costumes and masks which may be great photography opportunities.

 

[sharpf8]

sharpf8,

"oops... it is just that i just read the papers the day before; it stated that all rivers, streams and brooks of manila are "dead". and i have always viewed the river systems of a city as its lifeblood. i did not intend to bug anyone."

Eddie: Greetings from Southern California! Please don't misconstrue my previous post regarding Manila, and how I compared it to the other big and great cities of the world.

I was merely stating a common knowledge that Manila, afterall, is not as bad as the cities of the "developed world" when it comes to traffic and pollution, and I might add--crime. In fact, it is very rare for a city not to experience congestion, pollution, traffic and crime, even for "superpower" countries. Cities of economic and military powers, are not immuned to "man made" ailments, I just mentioned.

"It is still liveable, compared to the cities you mentioned. But I don't know for how long."

There is always hope, Eddie. We should learn from other cultures of the world. For instance, I never heard of an Indian citizen complaint about the Ganges River, being polluted and how congestion/overcrowding has had festered many cities of India. Nor, a Vietnamese spoke of the hazards of the Mekong River, or the dangers of speaking againts the communist regime.

Evidently, you had expressed legitimate concerns that currently ails Manila, which are certainly true. Eddie, I have learned a very important lesson in life, and I would like to share it with you: WE should never tell that our MOTHER IS A WHORE-- lilerally and figuratively speaking. Because if we do, it brings out in the open our character, heritage and identity, that may have a false and lasting impresssion.

I am sorry to bore you with my ramblings. Now, let's talk about the status quo of Photography in Southern California, where I currently live, that is certainly of interest to both of us--and probably to all our Pinoy RFF comrades.

The past several years, 6 cameras stores had shut down, that I know of. Only Samy's Camera and Powell's Camera are still in business. The former is huge, and the latter caters to photography students.

We used to have weekly camera shows in Los Angeles county and adjacent areas. Now, we only have 2. A few years ago, there were several professional labs, that processed E6 and medium format for 45 minute service. Now, it's ZERO. The last one to close its doors was A & M Lab in Pasadena. Many professional photographers mourned its death.

I usually take my rolls of film to WalMart or Sams Club-- have them processed and scanned to a CD. I can go to Photography school nearby, if I want black & white, plus you can attend classes. The school provides everything. School session lasts for 3 months. Lately, however, the black & white darkroom is like a ghost town. Lately, only the "diehards," do monochrome. The rest are gaga with digital and its instant gratification mode.

As you can see, the fate of film, where I am located is, bleak. But, there is ALWAYS hope!

All the best.

 

[eddie con]

I usually take my rolls of film to WalMart or Sams Club-- have them processed and scanned to a CD. I can go to Photography school nearby, if I want black & white, plus you can attend classes. The school provides everything. School session lasts for 3 months. Lately, however, the black & white darkroom is like a ghost town. Lately, only the "diehards," do monochrome. The rest are gaga with digital and its instant gratification mode.

As you can see, the fate of film, where I am located is, bleak. But, there is ALWAYS hope!

All the best.[/quote]

sharpf8,
my wife and i were in sfo some years back and i remember costco with a relatively efficient photo shop. haven't gone too far south of california. hanggang carmel and, oo nga pala, LA. but sfo is the town for great photography... where i bought my first P&S digital cam. i could not resist the offer of this filipino-chinese ( or should i say asian-american) who threw in some other freebies with the nikon coolpix 950. it still does great macro shots. great on detail.
i suppose i behaved like the coolpix when i talked about manila. a hasselblad xpan II will show a better picture.
but you know what? GMA, our president, saw manila from a hilltop of antipolo. she was reportedly aghast. tsk. tsk. we have to enforce our laws on pollution, she said. and a half-page picture of heavily-smogged manila was on the paper just last month.:bang:
kofi anan hit it on the head. political will is necessary to address this worldwide problem and that is sadly lacking, he pointed out. it is becoming a matter of survival for the human race. and, yup, there is and must be hope... as we bellyache a bit.
and i bellyache also at the cost of the xpan II. i hope i can see a good 2nd in hongkong end of the month... and hope to survive the pollution there too. i hear the fuji tx 2 is not a bad alternative at all. actually, it is the same thing with just a different label. this will surely help me see things in a wider perspective. it is that or i go for the LOMO and really get things distorted.

 

[eric]

Iantipolo. she was reportedly aghast. tsk. tsk. we have to enforce our laws on pollution, she said. and a half-page picture of heavily-smogged manila was on the paper just last month.:bang:

Enforce laws of pollution? How can a country with no infrastructure do that? I was there in July, I went to all the crazy mega malls. I could NOT FIND 1 GARBAGE can in the mall. Not 1. I tell that to all my American friends. What in the world do you do with the garbage in your hand?

In Quezon City, I actually drove behind the garbage truck. I asked my relatives "what are they doing?" and they said "oh, that's the garbage truck". It was pitiful. A guy on top of a truck reaching down to another guy picking up trash.

 

[retrocam]

sharpf8,

Now, let's talk about the status quo of Photography in Southern California, where I currently live, that is certainly of interest to both of us--and probably to all our Pinoy RFF comrades.

As you can see, the fate of film, where I am located is, bleak. But, there is ALWAYS hope!

All the best.

Freestyle Photographic Supplies is in Hollywood, CA. They also have a center outlet in Santa Fe Springs, CA where Orange and LA County residents can shop. Maybe you can go there or order from them online. I think Freestyle is the ultimate source for students and enthusiasts because of their lower prices aside from B&H, etc and the local shops.

Hope this helps.

 

[sharpf8]

Freestyle Photographic Supplies is in Hollywood, CA. They also have a center outlet in Santa Fe Springs, CA where Orange and LA County residents can shop. Maybe you can go there or order from them online. I think Freestyle is the ultimate source for students and enthusiasts because of their lower prices aside from B&H, etc and the local shops.

Hope this helps.

Danke, Retrocam! Muchas gracias! I didn't know that Freestyle is still open for business. :bang: Many moons ago, I used to frequent their store, and I agree with you regarding their huge inventory. As I recall, they had a wide selection of photographic supplies. They were the Mecca for photographers, long before the dawning of the "information super highway" otherwise known as, the INTERNET. Rumor had it back then, that Freestyle had to vacate the building where they were at, ergo, they had to close their doors. I could have been wrong on this. Maybe they never shut down, or perhaps they closed the store briefly. Nevertheless, I am glad that they are still in business and have been an excellent source for everything photographic. And, thanks, to you.

As you might have had read in my previous posts, that I am a CAMERA SHOW habitue'. Every third Sunday of the month, I go to Bagnall's camera show in Carson, California. I am pretty sure, you had heard of Carson, perhaps from your Californian relatives. It is a 25 minute drive, south of the City of Los Angeles. I used to help a friend, selling cameras and other photographic stuff, and was handsomely paid. Not to blow my horn, I know a little bit about cameras, due to my camera-show-experience. Most dealers at the show, buy low and sell high. That's how they make a living. And, don't believe them, when they tell you, that they are professional photographers. Truth be told, that most of them are businessmen, who are passionately enamored with cameras.

The camera show is a good place to meet up with fellow photographers, who have the DISEASE, or "GAS," as it is known in this great RF forum, and other fora. It is therapeutic, believe me. There are dealers, who sell film-- so next month, I will take your advice and probably stock up on film. Thank you, though for the tip, on where to get film. As always, merci! Salamat.

If you need to buy affordable Leica M6's or M7's, just let me know. A dealer at the show, sells Leica cameras, cheaper than KEH or Tamarkin. I told you, the DISEASE continues, and is contagious.

Retrocam, I will leave you now with the EXPOSURE formula. E= IT. I am sure though, that you already know...

All the best,

Shapf8

 

[eric]

Danke, Retrocam! Muchas gracias! I didn't know that Freestyle is still open for business. :bang:

sharpy
there's also Pro Photo Irvine
www.prophotoirvine.com. Just off the 55 and McArthur. Rentals, E6 lab, digi lab, darkroom stuff, used stuff, new stuff, lighting stuff...all the usual suspects stuff.

 

[sharpf8]

Enforce laws of pollution? How can a country with no infrastructure do that? I was there in July, I went to all the crazy mega malls. I could NOT FIND 1 GARBAGE can in the mall. Not 1. I tell that to all my American friends. What in the world do you do with the garbage in your hand?

In Quezon City, I actually drove behind the garbage truck. I asked my relatives "what are they doing?" and they said "oh, that's the garbage truck". It was pitiful. A guy on top of a truck reaching down to another guy picking up trash.

Eric: With all due respect, this forum, is not the appropriate place to vent out your frustration, when you last visited. This is the Rangefinderforum, a photographic website. You just had washed dirty linens in public, if you know what I mean. If you wish, we could talk about this offline, so that I, or we, could hear your concerns and you perhaps can enlighten us about it. Incidentally, I just adviced, Eddie Con, one of our friends and RFF comrades, that: "We should never tell that our mother is a whore, literally and figuratively speaking."

I can see that you are 40 years of youth. I am a bit older than you, and as such, I have more experience. Age, in this sense is a good indicator of experience, isn't it? My advice to you is this: When you want comfort and fun with your vacation, (please) don't spend it in Manila.:angel: Europe or Australia, is the place for a relaxing, energizing and fun-filled vacation. We (Pinoys) vacation in Manila, exclusively to visit our relatives. If you expect, comfort and first class accomodation in Manila, you would be frustrated, and consequently will throw the white towel and complain. Another thing, I can share with you, as a man-of-age is: there is no place, sweeter than home.:angel:

I have this oceanic feeling that one day, we (Pinoys) should learn from the sockeyed salmons--they go back to the place of their birth, and happily die later. :angel: But, perhaps, I am just one lonely, small voice in the dark wilderness...

Eric, I have no quarrel with you. I highly respect your views. Like you, I am simply verbalizing an opinion. :angel: I am merely defending my mother, who is not a whore...

Happy snaps!

Sharpf8

 

[eric]

Eric, I have no quarrel with you. I highly respect your views. Like you, I am simply verbalizing an opinion. :angel: I am merely defending my mother, who is not a whore...

Sharpy,
No quarel with you either! I grew up in Quezon City. I was back in 91 and then this year. I have the same feeling as going up to the mountain and seeing all the 'stuff'. Sorry if I offended you but lets face it, there's a lot of pollution. The country can make so much money in tourism if they can just clean up. I remember taking the banka to the Taal and the beach on that side looked like a hurrican hit. Granted it is crowded and that's a problem.

I'm proud of my country too. Proud of what I remember playing in the rivers. Swimming after a big monsoon, picking fruit from a tree, drinking sap from flowers. But I'm not proud of what it is now. You just can't sweep the problem away, wave your hands, and tell people to "hey, look over there, its cleaner".

I have many American friends that go to the PI (Filipino wives), and they tell me the same thing. they say "had a great time but umm, a little dirty"
1st class accomidations...I don't want it. I know how to wash my a$$ with a bucket. I spent most of my adult years in Brooklyn, not in the SoCal suburbs.

GSIS River, swollen from rain. Washed most of the garbage away:

 

[d_e]

Updating the list:

1. wamjam
2. zorkikat - jay
3. kat
4. retrocam - annie
5. ray_g
6. taps415
7. je2a3 - joseph
8. david goldfarb
9. eric
10. bernard g2
11. taffy
12. vsolanoy
13. gerardo
14. agi
15. rncamero - raymond
16. sharpf8
17. arevalo
18. eddie concepcion
19. d_e

by affinity (because of spouse, residence, love of things pinoy)
1. dgray - del
2. doub43 - walker
3. sonny thakur
4. LADP

Hello to this list, and I am officially signing up! After 2 weeks of researching and looking all through out Manila, I was able to get my rangefinders! (It might be an overkill kit for a newbie but surely I will dispose some of it soon) I am excited about learning a lot from the forum.