Canon Europe has announced the latest addition to the EX Speedlite flash unit range – the Speedlite 430EX II. The new flash has a guide number of 43 (m/ISO 100 at 105mm) and includes an built-in wide panel to allow coverage suitable for wide angle lenses to 14mm.

The Speedlite 430EX II replaces the Speedlite 430EX. Canon has re-designed the mounting foot (now metal) and the connection pins. They have incorporated a new quick release and locking mechanism. Also, recycle times have been reduced by approximately 20% with the recycle process performed silently to minimize distraction.

Used in Manual mode, the Speedlite 430EX II offers settings in 1/3 stop increments for increased precision of operation. When used with compatible EOS cameras – every setting on the Speedlite 430EX II can be controlled via the camera menu system allowing more rapid and intuitive alteration of settings.

The 430EX II can also be used as a slave unit when combined with a master unit in a wireless flash setup. A small stand is included (see photo).

Other features on the 430EX II include 1st and 2nd curtain flash synchronization, exposure compensation, and an expanded range of nine custom functions. The 430EX II is compatible with the Canon OC-E3 off-camera shoe cord and SB-E1 flash bracket.

Update July 9th: Canon USA has also announced the Speedlite 430EX II Flash.

The 430EX II can be ordered from Amazon UK or Amazon USA.

The second BIG·BOYZ·TOYZ was held November 30th – December 3rd at Singapore EXPO. Exotic cars are difficult to bring into Singapore even for motorshows and exhibitions. Getting a Carnet de Passage for temporary importation requires a large cash bond. Organizers of car-related shows are forced to rely on the limited local supply of exotic cars. In a city-state of 4 million people where cars are heavy taxed, the choices are limited. To compensate, the shows shift the focus to contests, local celebrity appearances, shows, and scantily clad race queens.

This year’s BIG·BOYZ·TOYZ was no exception! The list of ‘distractions’ included The Duke Affair (bling for cars), Bikini Contest, Guitar Masters Appearance, Tatoo your Ride (tatoo demonstration), Mud-wrestling, Movie Mania Costume Show, Archery Competition, and Pool Challenge. Whew! Did I miss anything? Probably.

The overhead lighting at Singapore EXPO makes photography difficult. No flash and you end up with a horrible greenish yellow cast to your photos. Too much flash looks harsh. I tried my best to use fill flash in the Av mode of my Canon EOS 30D. This was accomplished by mounting a Canon Speedlite 580EX flash on a Canon SB-E1 bracket. All photos were taken with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 lens shot wide-open or nearly wide-open (f/3.2).

Photos from BIG·BOYZ·TOYZ are here.

The Singapore Motorshow is back after a 2-year hiatus! It’s being held again on levels 3 (ticket office), 4, and 6 of SUNTEC City’s International Convention and Exhibition Centre from November 10-19, 2006. This year’s show is better than ever – more new models, exciting concept cars, and the prettiest booth babes (checkout the Nissan booth).

I normally go on 2 or 3 different days and this year is no exception. It’s not easy to see it all in one visit. Especially, if you want to do some photography. Here are the key stats for the show: 187 cars and 31 motorcycles on display, 18 new models debuts, and 5 concept cars.

China’s largest independent carmaker, Geely, is showcasing it’s CK (compact) and MK (mid-size) models. Also of Chinese origin are the Naza Sutera, 1.1L and 1.4L subcompacts from Malaysian manufacturer, Naza. Based upon the Chinese Hafei Lobo, they are distributed and sold by the Naza Group’s new subsidiary company Naza Corporation.

If you are interested in more exotic cars, check out the Mitsuoka Motors booth. Three eye-popping models are on display – the Nouera, a Jaguar-like car based on the Honda Accord; the Galue, a 5m car resembling a compact Rolls Royce based on the Nissan Fuga; and the Orochi two-seater open-top sports car based on the Honda NS-X supercar.

Do you like Italian muscle cars? You won’t be disappointed! On prominent display is a Ferrar 599 GTB with a 620hp 6L V12 engine. Nearby is a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 packing a 640hp 6.5L V12.

Quite cool is Rinspeed’s zaZen concept car. The zaZen is powered by a flat-6 engine that has the displacement of 3.8L and develops a maximum power of 355hp at 6600 rpm. The car is able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and reach the top speed of 293 km/h. It’s the same engine that powers the Porsche 997 Carrera S.

Russell Swift (Subaru) is back to wow the crowd with precision-driving demos. If you are feeling lucky, you can bid (start S$88) on a chance to sit in the passenger seat while he performs reverse spins, hand brake parking, dance routines, two-wheelers, powerslides and doughnuts. Yikes – better have your lunch after going though that experience, not before!

It costs only S$10 to get into the motorshow. Parking at SUNTEC City is very limited so take public transportation or park at Raffles City and walk over.

My first batch of photos from the Motorshow is here.

The 4th of the July has to be one one of the best holidays in the USA. It’s summer, most everyone takes the entire week off, and there are a lot of great events. And, of course there is the beach!

Well, here on the red dot it’s just a normal week as Singapore celebrates it’s independence day in August. As I couldn’t be in the USA this week, I thought I would post some photos with a 4th of July theme. OK – so a pretty girl in a themed bikini is not very original. It’s the best Robert could do on short notice. Just a few shots in the side yard. My attempt at improving East/West relations.

Lynn is a professional model in Singapore. Most recently, she was at CommunicAsia 2006 representing LG. Lynn was one of the bevy of beauties that LG employed for their ‘Chocolate Phone’ relaunch.

How ’bout the photography? Right! I used a Canon EOS 30D and a Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 lens. A Canon Speedlite 580EX flash was used in fill mode (Av) to open up the shadows a bit. I captured the images as ‘raw + small/fine jpeg’. The Canon raw files were converted to 16-bit tiffs using Bibble Pro v4.8 then edited in Adobe Photoshop CS2.

Click on the thumbnail to go to the photos of Lynn!

Robert covered a ‘by invitation only’ party last night at Gotham Penthouse (Clarke Quay). Jeffrey Chung Models graduated a new batch of models (14 female models and 1 male model). Highlights of the event included a World Cup Dance Show, a Christina Aguilera Impersonation Show, Fashion show, and Awards Ceremony. Most of the Jeffrey Chung regulars were there including Donna, Kanny, Manju, Iris, Angel, etc. The party also served as a ‘dress rehersal’ for an upcoming event in Hong Kong.

I used a Canon EOS 30D dSLR with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens. The camera, lens, and a Canon Speedlite 580EX were mounted on a Canon SB-E1 flash bracket. A Canon Compact Battery Pack CP-E2 was used to provide additional power to the flash. I shot at ISO 400 in the manual mode with a shutter speed of 1/250 sec at f/3.2.

The AI Focus mode was used to track the models while they were walking. An example is shown in the above photo. Images were saved in Canon Raw Format then converted to 16-bit tiffs using Bibble Pro v4.7 raw conversion software prior to editing in Adobe Photoshop CS2. A disco smoke machine sitting on the right hand side of the stage ruined many of the photos. I still managed to get a few ‘keepers’.

Click on the thumbnail or here to see photos from this event.

Thanks to Hotspots Afterdark, Gotham Penthouse, and Jeffrey Chung Models for access to the event.

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One of those last minute calls to fill in for a photographer brought to me a Singapore Triathlon 2006 Training Clinic at East Coast Park this past Saturday. A celebrity shoot was planned with Li Lin Wong, a local actress who first gained popularity with the role of Elaine Tay, a female inspector, in the hugely popular local police TV series ‘Triple Nine’. She went on to do dozens of TV shows, telemovies, magazines covers, etc. Married with two children and with a very hectic schedule, Li Lin has managed to stay in superb physical shape.

East Coast Park is one of my least favorite places in Singapore for a photo shoot. The light is terrible even on a nice day. The choice is either dark shade or bright sunlight with yellow cast from the reflected light off the beach and bare patches of soil where there should be grass. In addition, Li Lin was a bit under the weather with a cold. Still we managed get the shots that we needed.

My choice of equipment was my trusty Canon EOS 30D mounted with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS. I wanted the quality bokeh that you can only get from a Canon telephoto lens packed with L-glass. To open up the shadows a bit on some shots, I used a Canon Speedlite 580EX flash in the fill mode (Av or Tv). For the actions shots, I used the AI Servo auto-focusing mode.

Several of the photos will appear have appeared in the Thursday, May 25 ‘Urban’ section of the Singapore Straits Times. Click on the thumbnail to see a few of the photos.

Many thanks to Dora and Lynda from IMSG for superbly managing the shoot. Li Lin was a pleasure to work with as usual!

Note: This was my second time covering an event featuring Li Lin. I did a editorial shoot for FHM last November when Li Lin made a guest appearance at the F1 Powerboat Race at Marina South. She was featured on the cover of FHM ‘s Singapore October 2005 issue.

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Robert was perusing the newly released April edition of MAXIM Singapore (checking out the photography, of course) when I came across an article on Iyona Chandran. Iyona is a quite well-known model/dancer here on the Red Dot. She started modeling at the age of 14 and after a slow start turned to dancing (belly and other) to make ends meet. Her career has really taken off in the last year or so with an appearance on Channel News Asia’s Get Real, a previous layout in MAXIM, and a layout in the Sunday Times. There is a huge demand for her at club events, motorshows, and tradeshows. According to The Newpaper, she has been hired for several commercials and club shows in Hong Kong. In addition, she will appear in a music video for a Hong Kong singer. In May, she’s launching her own line of bikinis.

Rather than post a scan from MAXIM, I went through my events photo archives and found the above shot of Iyona taken at Big.Boyz.Toyz last November. Don’t expect perfection… this is not a studio shot. It’s just a snap taken in the corner of the exhibition hall. I used a Canon EOS 20D, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, and a Speedlite 580EX flash. Image was taken using the P-mode, f/4 and 1/60 sec, with flash compensation +1/3 at ISO 400.

Click on the thumbnail for more photos of Iyona.

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I created a new category ‘In the Studio’ to highlight shoots of established and emerging models in Singapore. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a glamour shoot last night with Sherry. There are a number of photos of her in my PBase galleries from local motor shows. This was the first time that I had the pleasure to photograph her in a studio setting.

Sherry is an experienced model having spent nearly 10 years in the business. A health fanatic, she maintains her great looks by strictly controlling her diet and working out regularly. Previously, Sherry worked for a local modeling agency but now controls her own schedule as a freelancer. She has modeled for a number of large corporations including ACER, AP Breweries, Toyota and Canon. Sherry will be featured in upcoming editions of both FHM Singapore and MAXIM Singapore magazines. While there are some Eurasian genes in her family tree, Sherry still sees herself as a Singaporean Chinese.

I used a Canon EOS 30D and a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. Main studio lighting was via (2) 500W Bowens, (1) 80 x 60cm softbox, and (1) 90 x 120cm softbox. Images were recorded in manual mode at Iso 100 as ‘raw + small/fine jpeg’. Raw files were converted to 16 bit tiffs using Canon’s DPP software and edited in Adobe Photoshop CS2.

You can find more photos of Sherry here.

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I was out and about on Club Street last night in paparazzi mode. I ran into the Chen sisters (Nicole and Celeste) and grabbed this shot (clickable) with my new Canon EOS 30D. Nicole is a student and successful freelance model at the tender age of twenty. She appeared on MediaCorp’s ‘A Light Affair‘ recently which airs on Channel 5, Wednesdays at 10pm. Nicole is also known for her highly rated YouTube videos. Nicole pics are in my blog gallery here.

Soon to be sixteen, Celeste has taken blogging by storm with her creative and very popular website CelesteChen.com. The blog background is super nice!

I used a Canon 17-40mmL f/4 lens and a Speedlite 580EX flash mounted on a Canon SB-E1 bracket. The Speedlite was powered by a new set of Sanyo 2700 NiMH batteries. I shot in the manual mode (Iso 400) letting E-TTL2 do all the metering. I am still waiting for a decent raw converter though. Bibble Labs – please hurry!

Here’s of one their homemade videos:

See more Nicole’s YouTube videos.

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Robert covered Lianhe Zaobao zbNOW’s Glamour Quest 2006 semi-finals held last night at Club Momo (Central Mall). Glamour Quest is Zaobao’s effort to promote the local modeling industry in Singapore. As ZaoBao’s VP Mr. Lim Huan Chiang puts it, “The annual event is set to exult Glamour Quest to the next level and put our tiny red dot on the modeling map.” Twenty male and twenty female contestants vied to make it to the finals which will be held February 24th at Plaza Singapura.

I was impressed… having attended the event in previous years, I can definitely say the Glamour Quest 2006 was the best ever. I have never before seen so many great looking gals and dudes in one place this side of the date line.

The photo above was taken with a Canon EOS 20D, Canon EF 17-40mmL f/4 lens, and Canon Speedlite 580EX flash mounted on a SB-E1 bracket.

Note: More photos from the Glamour Quest 2006 Semi-Finals are here.

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