27.06.12 – I decided to upgrade my camera this week and plumped for the new Canon 5D mark III. Excited to start putting it through its paces on a new trip in the south of China next week.

One other thing that might come in handy is what’s in the blue bag. When you buy camera equipment in China, they often like to throw in some freebies to sweeten the deal. Today, I was offered a Canon branded tent to go with my new camera. As ever with China, a slightly odd experience.

Do I need the tent? Erm…not really. But, everybody loves a freebie, right?! If you’re interested in taking it off my hands, drop me a line!

Canon T-shirt (black)

With summer almost upon us, I know many photographers are wondering what on earth their wardrobe contains that will ensure they stand out from the crowds of other photographers this season. Forget scarves. In case something goes wrong with your camera, why not have a t-shirt which doubles as a mini schematic of how your camera works?! The above t-shirt can be purchased in UniQlo in Beijing for the bargain price of 100rmb (US$15).

If schematics are not your thing, then you might want to head for the slightly more understated white t-shirt with simplified Canon EOS motif. Two, surely ‘must have’ items for this year’s summer wardrobe

Canon T-Shirt (white)

If You Pay Peanuts, You Get Monkeys

Apparently this is a genuine image used by Canon in a campaign to advertise the  Focus-on-Imaging photographic trade show which is being held in Birmingham, UK at the moment. Canon decided to pull out of the trade show but I think their advert deserves to live on a little longer, hence the post.

Love the f8 at 98.5% tagline.

Hope it brought a smile to your face today.

Thanks to Olivier Laurent over at BJP for originally posting this on their blog.

[Now, I know that technically, chimpanzees are not monkeys. They are great apes. Both are primates, but alas are different. Maybe the headline should be, 'If you pay peanuts, you get primates' ...doesn't quite have the same ring to it though. Please forgive the slight discrepancy. I hope no Zoologists are reading this!]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKS4nUsQMxc[/youtube]

Double click window above to watch up to HD 1080p on YouTube

Last weekend, I was sat at home wondering how I could test out my recently purchased Canon 7D. I had been waiting to get this camera for a while as it has video capabilities and comes at a relatively affordable price, compared to most high-end camcorders. I had seen the quality of videos that the camera could produce and I was keen to get my hands on one and to see what it could do.

I was trying to think up ideas when I stumbled on a news piece about Earth Hour that evening. I am sure you are well aware of the concept, however if you’re not, head here to Earth Hour’s site to get more background info. In a nutshell, Earth Hour is a ‘call to action’ against climate change by switching off lights for one hour on a specific date, with millions of people taking part all around the world. This year, the date was Saturday 27th March 2010 from 8:30 pm to 9:30pm.

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Wukesong Camera Market in Beijing, China

<<Return to the Learning Zone Where is the best place in Beijing to buy photo equipment? I get this question A LOT, so I thought that it was about time that I wrote a post which could act as an easy reference point for those living in, or passing through China’s capital who want to buy photo equipment.

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First, let’s talk location. By far the most popular place to buy photographic equipment in Beijing, is a place called the Wukesong Camera Market, also referred to as Beijing Photographic Equipment City (北京摄影器材城 – Běi jīng shè yǐng qì cái chéng). Situated in the west of the city it can be found a short distance north of the Wukesong (五棵松 – wǔ kē sōng) subway station on (Red) Line 1. (If you’re not sure where this is, please head to the excellent site Explore Beijing, find Wukesong in the west, click on the station and it will bring up a detailed local Google map which is ‘zoomable’). Heading north from the subway station, you will eventually arrive at DingHui Qiao (定惠桥 – dìng  huì qiáo), or DingHui Bridge. The camera market is on the South East corner. It is quite easy to spot as there will normally be a picture of Jackie Chan holding the latest model of Canon camera, looking down at you from a big billboard.

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