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Kbal Spean is an ancient Khmer site in Phnom Kulen National Park, a remote place located at considerable distance from Siem Reap and the main Angkor monuments.
The site stretches out over a length of about 150 meters through the jungle along the Stung Kbal Spean river, known as the “river of a thousand lingas”.
In 2013 during my long stay in Cambodia I visited this site. An experience not ever forgotten and one of my favourites.
As we were there during the dry season, the river was somewhat dried up. On several places, we saw beautiful images in the stones. You have to look carefully because sometimes an image does not stand out at all. The path is easily passable, but it can be rather hard at times, especially when it rains or immediately after it has rained. The whole climb is doable; you don’t have to be in great shape.
From the starting point (parking spot with eateries) you walk to the top part of the river in about 45 minutes (it took me an hour). Most travelers combine a visit with a stop at Banteay Srei, another beautiful Angkor temple.
we walked back down again; in the direction of the waterfall. which due to the dry season, was very small, but it still didn’t stop me having a cool off underneath it before continuing down back to the car park.
I hope you enjoy seeing a few of the carvings I saw, you will see it was well worth the effort!
Music is free under creative commons licence from You Tube Music library.
Title: Keeping Sacred by Emily A. Sprague
So I have had some time to look back at some of my previous journeys, and I realised that I haven’t done many slideshows of India, even though I have visited it often, and for long periods of time.
So for a change from my usual South East Asian shows I bring the the beautiful Ellora caves which I visited in 2010.
One of the most awesome places in India I have ever visited, the scale of these monuments and the technique used to make them is mind blowing when you think they had nothing of today’s technology.
34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km, were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff.
It is a Unesco World Heritage Site for good reason. The 34 caves are actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills. Stunning detail and massive scale dwarf the people who know visit it.
I think looking at these images, it makes me want to go back for a second look, I was not able to view all 34 caves(they are so many you can see in a day). And see the others I missed!
This is just a small selection, if your looking to go your in for a treat, and if you can’t get there then enjoy the awesomeness of it!
Music free under creative commons licence from You tube music library
Title and Artist ; Krishna’s Calliope by Jesse Gallagher
During the summer break and trying to dodge tropical storms, On my way home from Krabi we stopped at this much missed, but beautiful calm place . A real gem and worth the visit. We had the place to ourselves and felt like explorers! Lovely being able to take your time and look at all the paintings without feeling rushed or watched. So here is a record of what I saw, I hope you like it?
It’s in Tambon Tham Nam Phut, Muang District, Phang Nga province
This cave is the lime stone cave.
The paintings are all at the front of Tham Sam cave, a wide open space that’s essentially a large overhang. From this, a long, but not very large shaft cut by flowing water leads back into the limestone outcrop.
According to the sign at the entrance of the cave, it is mentioned that this cave has presented the art in early Rattanakosin era during B.E 2394 – 2453.
(Buddhist calendar).
It is said that the painting of birds and flowers are represented as the heaven. Next is the Earth where man lives, lastly, is a guess it is hell, with monsters and ghouls.
Made with natural pigments – probably derived from tree sap. These consist entirely of red, white, and black and the lively results from the limited palate are a testament to the great skill of the artist or artists.
Music free under creative commons licence from You tube music library
Title ;Night Snow by Asher Fulero
I know I have been quiet of late, down to a busy summer trying to get a holiday and moving house.
Todays video is taken from my first day of my two week holiday! As you can see it was fighting between, shall i rain? shall I not rain? overcast and windy was not the best way to visit the Sarasin Bridge, but it has been in my sights for some while now. I could not miss the opportunity on my way off the Island. I have always looked at it and thought “how Victorian”, but actually it isn not at all, but quite modern.
Unable to cope with the ever growing traffic, and the need to open up mainland Thailand to the Island, a second bridge/highway was built to take the traffic. In keeping with the Thais love of leisure, the bridge has been kept as a tourist attraction as well as servicing motorcycle crossing for locals and anyone who wants to walk it.
I loved my whole experience of the Bridge and the views are outstanding! along with the busy fishing boats. I hope you enjoy my view of the Sarasin Bridge?
Sarasin Bridge, Phuket
Coming from the Thailand mainland in Phang Nga province on Highway 402, you will need to cross a long bridge to reach the famous island of Phuket.
The bridge that originally took everyone over the ocean is named the Sarasin Bridge. It is 660 meters (722 yards) in length and was finished in 1967.
This bridge was in service as the only bridge to Phuket until 2011 when two new bridges were erected beside Sarasin Bridge on the West Side – one going south, one north.
After the new bridge was built, the Sarasin Bridge was then turned into a fishing pier and a place to walk around over the water. The old bridge still stands as a memorial to Phuket history.
Music free under creative commons licence from YouTube music library
Bang Neaw Dam reservoir project (constructed in 2006) Another nice dam, inland from Kamala Beach is the Ban Bang Niew Reservoir, just south of the Anthem Wakeboard Park.
This dam is larger than Bang Wad Dam I recently visited, and a whole lot emptier. This is due to an enlargement project due to finish next year to increase the Reservoirs capacity.
The vegetation surrounding it, is particularly lush, and there is good shade. There are water views in quite a few view point spots. A full 6k rive round this reservoir makes for a great days Photography. Phuket is not just beaches and sea, beautiful green interior awaits those who like walking.
Music free under creative commons licence from you tube music library Credits to : Parzival by William Rosati
You’d be forgiven for thinking that living on a tropical island where we’re surrounded by water, and with plenty of monsoonal rain falling on the island every year, it’s hard to imagine we could possibly ever be facing a water shortages. Phuket does, either to over usage, not enough rain fall, or poor maintenance of the reservoirs.
Bang Wad Dam and reservoir, is from the three main water management areas I have visited so far on the Island, the best stocked one so far .
Bang Wad reservoir is Phuket’s largest source of fresh water, a large artificial lake in the hills in the Kathu. The dam is about 800m long and there’s a small road winding for a total of 6.5km around the reservoir.
Not really a tourist destination you might think, but if you want to “mix with the locals” then Bang Wad is a good place to come in. Many people come up here to get some fresh air and exercise, walking or jogging along the dam, or even doing a loop around the reservoir. It’s quiet and green up here, making a nice spot for a picnic too, and there’s a large grassy area at one end of the dam which is made for just that! During my visit in daytime, there were few people around though.
I drove round the 6.5km road, it was way to hot, and I am way to unfit to walk it, but I was able to walk the length of the dam itself and back to my car. Just under 2 km, not bad for me! I hope you enjoy the stunning views of the interior of Phuket, I just had to share….
Music is free under creative commons licence from You tube Music Library Title; Pure Potentiality by Benjamin Martins
Living in the South of Phuket I get to visit some of the less touristy areas. Well maybe Chalong pier is not one of those, except just before the covid restrictions on movement came in in March 2020.
Which is when i had a chance to go and photograph this interesting and usually thriving /busy place.
Chalong Pier is located southeast of Phuket Island on the border with Rawai. This pier is more and more frequented: sailboats are not the most numerous but motorboats for offshore fishing trips, diving trips, canoe trips and finally many speedboats that take you to the islands a little further away in a short time.
It is also a very active area with shops, restaurants, and a breathtaking beach. The pier offers many boat trips around all the nearby islands, including Racha Island and Koh Hae. In Chalong Bay, there is also a dive site for underwater enthusiasts and many activities like sailing and cruising among other fun endeavors.
It was completed in about 2002 and is around 700 meters long. Before this new pier, which was built to serve the countless tourist boats that depart from Chalong, there was only a rickety wooden jetty, barely wide enough for 2 people to pass each other. Now shored up as a concrete version of its bigger brother, I walked that too!
Music free under creative commons licence from Yo Tube Music Library: Everything You wanted- by Dan Lebowitz
The Last in my look at my lenses with the Eos Mirrorless system. The Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM , remember i commented it being the “elephant in the room” next to other lenses in my collection. It is as such as it is a complete departure from my Canon lenses. Elephant, yes regards its weight and super quality build. More of that in a minute.
I have been for the last 7 years using the Tamron 10-24mm Di II. Did me as my main workhorse, as Landscape and architecture are my main photography preferences. As you are aware though that on an APSC camera that makes it (in FF terms) a 16- 38mm equivalent, not as wide as I would really like. I have been aware of the Sigma 8-16mm for a while now and was very interested in it’s 12-25mm FF equivalency. Could i really get a Ultra Wide angle lens without going “fish-eye”, it seemed that I could. A true Rectilinear lens, with reasonably good online reviews on its abilities and most important at this range- distortion and sharpness.
All for a price. So after many years of waiting for prices to drop, opportunities to arise, I saw a 2nd hand one for sale, locally, about a month before my birthday. Sold the Tamron, and put the money towards it. It came with its own Sigma ,zip top, padded lens bag. Weighed in at 550g or half a kilo, phew! and that is without the adaptor added on, I was so worried it was going to dwarf my Eos M.
Now at f/4.5-5.6 its a long way from the fast lenses that everyone raves about, but remember its for landscape and things that don’t move, like buildings etc. Living in a fairly bright and sunny part of the World also helped me not worry so much about this, as did my trusty tripod.
The minute you pick it up you can feel Sigma’s forerunner to their now “Art” series of lenses. Along with a metal mount, and textured housing, you do get a nice feel of quality to this lens. Then there’s the “Bulb” the big glass bulb at the front, guarded by an inbuilt petal shaped hood. Nice touch, although this does prevent you being able to use standard filter systems on it. A lens cover, which is more of a tube with a built in cap on the end of it, all very fiddly, and as it only slides on without gripping anything , it also keeps slipping off and clattering to the ground with a great metal clanking all the way down the road. I got a silicone lens cover that stretches over the front of the lens and does not come off until i want it too! 
So back to how it performs on my mirrorless cameras. Before I got the M5 I had a trip to Singapore for four days. I didn’t want to take my 70d, after all getting a smaller mirrorless camera was all about reducing the weight/size of my camera bag. Four days with the Eos M and the efm 15-45mm the Sigma 8-16, and my 55-250mm stm should tell me if i wanted to go the whole hog and get rid of the 70d and get the M5.
I had nothing else to shoot with, this was going to be a really baptism of fire, not only with the Sigma, but the eos M also. I have written about that experience and how it changed my mind so much i sold the 70D as soon as i got back and bought the M5. I called it From Canon 70D to Canon Eos M5
Yes it was very heavy on the front of the M, actually it was more awkward as well, as its shorter than my other efs lenses and is harder to balance. Still I wanted it to work so much , well i just got on with it. I used it for street art photography, landscape, Architecture, inside the Gardens at the Bay, Inside the Jewel airport terminal , outside in Chinatown and little India and Kampong Glam. I even got the mosque in Kampong Glam, that I had visited back in 2013, and this time easily got the whole building comfortably in the frame with room to spare!
I loved the great sharp images I was getting, but missing the image stabilisation, more because the M does not have a viewfinder and holding it out at arms length with such a heavy lens for any amount of time is difficult to say the least. I knew and am right that on the M5 a viewfinder being held close to your face makes a world of difference.
When I got it on the M5, it was so much better a user experience. The viewfinder adding stabilisation like the M could not. Better balance of weight ratio to the camera body and its grip, gave for a more secure holding of this heavy lens. I don’t notice the weight either now.
I have to say that at the moment this lens is on my M5 more often than it is not. I can and will use it on the M, but only when needed and not my first choice now. It doesn’t flare either, so actually its a very good purchase for me!
I love the drama this lens gives to interiors and skies. Let alone the amazing angles of view!
I love the drama this lens gives to interiors and skies. Let alone the amazing angles of view!
Back in June 2019 I wrote about my move from the 70/75-300mm long zoom lenses to my current 55-250mm stm.
Back again for a full years round up and how it performs with the Eos M series of mirrorless cameras. without a doubt my previous research on this lens prior to my switch from Canon 70D to mirrorless, was totally vindicated by this great lens. On my 70d it performed exactly as I had hoped and more!
Now bearing in mind I am primarily a Landscape and travel photographer, so long distant zoom is not something I want to use often, or indeed macro or close up work. So I didn’t want to go spending a huge amount of money on a long distance zoom. Enter the 55-250mm stm
Much more lightweight (at 375g) even more than the 18-135mm! it was a real boon on the 70d, but how ws it going to feel on the mirrorless system? Well of course its bigger than its Efm counter part the Efm 55-200mm which ways in at a paltry 260g, but actually not that much of a difference in weight (around 100g). The difference you might notice more is the 55-250mm stm has a 4-5.2 aperture where as its baby cousin has a 4.5-6.3 aperture. Hmmmm methinks that the 55-250mm stm should perform better. Again many comments on the web actually sound disappointed about the Efm 55-200mm. And many prefer the slightly bulkier Efs 55-250mm.
I am with them, on the Eos M it does dwarf the camera a teeny weeny bit more than its 18-135mm brother, but actually hardly much more actually around 10mm but for some reason feels so much lighter, well it is lol A full plastic body with an un ashamedly plastic mount! Oh the plastic mount right? (nods knowingly), well for all those that are wondering, again I have never had any problems with plastic mounts! and they seem to shave somewhere between 100-130g off the weight. Lets face it, one of the main reasons I went for the mirrorless system camera was to reduce size and or weight of camera and its combined lenses.
So Back to the Eos M, allowing for the fact that I have the added weight/length of the Efs to Efm adaptor, it is just as comfortable to hold in the same way the 18-135mm stm is . Again due to the minimal amount of grip I had been getting with the M , it is easier to carry around in the hand as a lens, with the M as the little bit on the end. Much lighter making taking long distance shots easier to keep the full focal length steady , I found little to no blurry images. This is also helped by its built in image stabilisation. This enables me to get a few stops off the aperture(very useful at full zoom).
Now the other great thing about Super zooms is you can get close up shots without having to get close up, right? Right, I have seen and captured moon shots with this lens(yes I know, you have to crop, but then again I did when I had the 70-300mm). Boats out in the Marina without getting wet! and the other bonus getting a good degree of not quite macro, but good enough for me, shots!
Images come out as crisp and sharp on the Eos M as they ever did on my 70D. Handling on the Eos M5 is again better with a better grip and slightly more shape to the camera giving a better balance size ratio. Again it feels better on the M5 with just as sharp focusing and no fall off that I can see. In fact I have got some cracking shots with this lens and will post them below with their focal lengths for illustration. No movement between lens and camera you can get all the functions of the camera the same as it were a native lens. I really cannot recommend this lens enough for the casual zoom user. Its just stunning.
So far I have looked at my Efm native lenses (lenses that are made for the smaller mirrorless M mount system of Canon Cameras.
One of the main attractions for me and possibly for many of you reading this is the flexibility Canon gave us by creating and producing the Efs to Efm lens adaptor. I remember when these first appeared they were around £100, but seemed in 2020 to have dropped to a decent £50, secondhand of course.
I use a Viltrox Efs to Efm adaptor, which I bought new for around £30 when I bought my Eos M in October 2019. There are other makes around, Meiki, and some Chinese options. Personally I have never had any issues with the Viltrox adaptor, and would recommend it if your on a limited budget.
So what would the Efs 18-135mm stm be like on my Eos M and M5. I had previously used it as a workhorse kit lens on my now past 70D. A perfect;y balanced affair, and gave outstanding images.
Because the Efs lenses flange are bigger and deeper than the M mounts(which are smaller and shallower on account of no mirror being in the way), you have to put the extension adaptor on the back of the Efs lens before attaching it to the camera, or even putting it on the camera before attaching the lens.
The 18-135mm stm is one of Canons “Silent stepping motor” lenses. Quite often, at the beginning before I got used to it on the 70d, I would have to check it was actually working. It is totally silent.
Coming in at 515g or half a kilo and a bit, its totally plastic body seems a bit heavy? Well this one comes with a metal mount, and a good piece of glass. So of course it’s going to be heavier than say, Canons Efm 18-150mm stm which comes in at 300g. (which I don’t own yet). So I was a interested to see how it would feel balance wise.
Taking it out first with my Eos M (which was the only mirrorless I had at the time), I found that it was indeed front heavy, as I thought it would be. Equally it made a nice handful with which to carry the M around on, I.e instead of holding the M , which has no real grip, either at the front , or he back, I would carry the 18-135mm lens in my hand with the camera attached and of course with my Para-cord wrist strap for extra safety. Then it became/becomes a whole different way of working, and much more comfortable. There’s no getting away from it, it is big on the M, especially when extended out to it’s fullest 135mm. But it still takes amazingly sharp images, just as long as you can hold the Eos M steady, or be using a very fast shutter speed. It really tasks your “holding your camera properly” abilities. I personally like it as I usually hold my camera and lens whilst shooting.
Now on the M5 it becomes a much better balanced lens. I think as I mentioned before, the lack of holding points on the Eos M make it difficult to manage. Not so on the M5, you don’t find yourself wrestling with the zoom whilst trying not to drop or keep your camera level. Again the images were fab. No sharpness fall off, quick snap focus, in spite of there being an adaptor between the two bits of equipment. There was no looseness or disconnect between the lens and the body and actually feels like it was made to pair with the M5.
Am I ready to give it up for the more compact 18-150mm stm? not yet, losing 25mm might not sound like much, but in the real World its quite a drop in focal length. As this is such a great Travel lens and covers such a useful range I think its a great addition to the M range of cameras as a versatile lens. With a 67mm filter thread on the front, it falls still into the “affordable filter” range. Again though no swapping them out with the smaller Efm lens, without step up rings.
Images are added below this post with their focal lengths to illustrate the lenses ability Taken with the Eos M
Second in my personal look at lenses I actually own and use is the native Canon Efm 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 stm A quite different lens to the previously looked at Efm 15-45mm stm
This lens came out before the 15-45mm,(in fact 2012) is made totally with a metal housing and mount. Slightly longer, actually quite noticeably longer than its “kit lens” sibling. This lens lets you know it’s there! Weighing in at 200g it is a whole 80g heavier than the 15-45mm plastic /lightweight/wider angle lens. My version is black, it also comes in silver. That isn’t the only difference, the filter thread also comes in at a larger 52mm (as opposed to the 49mm of the 15-45), so no swapping your filters here. Not a complete problem as I have step up rings for my filter, but this could get expensive for some if you have to keep buying different sized sets for different sized lenses. Just something to think about and I will be posting info on my sets ups soon.
Some people may say solid, I agree, it is, and feels quality, and a very nice sharp kit lens that Canon has seen fit to stop making. Who knows why as this is a great , sharp, handy 28mm-88mm, in full frame equivalent (18 x1.6 and 55 x 1.6) from the APSC sized sensor.
Why do I have this plus the 15-45mm? I hear some people say, am I not covering the same-ish focal lengths? Yes I am, but I had heard so much about this lenses sharp and pleasing imagery, that when I had the opportunity to secure one locally for £39 (1500thb) at the beginning of June 2020, it was too good a bargain to miss!
Of course as I have two M series Cameras it also makes a handy lens to have to pair with either of the two cameras. So I have the 18-55mm on one and the 15-45mm on the other, depending on what /where I am going. I use both these lenses for my more casual projects, and my Sigma 8-16mm for my more serious landscape work.
The other reason is to really see what the differences are between the two lenses. I actually have not had much time to test it out fully, that will be an ongoing activity over the next few weeks, but I did get a chance to stretch it out at one of the beaches that I visited last week and I will put the images below this post along with focal lengths.
I really liked it, the weight counterbalances the M5 perfectly, focuses quickly, and is fairly accurate on all settings. On the Eos M it was a little front heavy, but nothing like the efs lenses, and not so much that I would not use it. I liked the nice clarity I got from it, and found that in real World use you don’t see any fall off on sharpness. again on the Eos m quick and silent focusing made it a delight to use.
The weather was not so good as it is currently rainy season here in Phuket(where I currently live), and I am looking to stretch it when I get some brighter skies. Overall I think it is quite different , giving a narrower field of view, but actually more as you see it (or the eye sees it), and less stretched than its 15-45mm cousin. with a 3.5-5.6 aperture it has at least the same light abilities as its wider cousin, if not a little stunted at the long end.
Does the 55mm at the long end make any difference? not really as I would use it mostly for landscape, and city work when on walkabouts, which entails using it at the wide end of 18mm more often than not. A great kit lens, loved by many and rightly so. If you can get one for less than 60-70 quid, you are getting a great lens for the money. It is a shame that Canon stopped producing it, I guess costs of production against its plastic mounted counterparts are what did it.
Would I sell it now? Nope, I love its field of view, and for a native lens it is very very usable walkabout lens. Fitting the compactness of the Canon Eos M range of cameras, I would say that it is a worthy addition to your camera.
