Tokina Telephoto 100mm f/2.8 AT-X M100 AF Pro D Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS

Saving up some bucks to be able to buy this excellent lens. I've read some reviews regarding this lens, although not a Canon L Lens, the quality output is extremely sharp, good for portraits and affordable compare to Canon 100mm f/2.8 USM lens.

For anyone who would like to start on Macro Photography, this is an alternative lens if your on a tight budget. Other Models include:

1. Sigma 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens
2. Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

But if you would like to go for upper class lens "meaning more expensive" and not considering your budget limit. Then you can buy the Canon EF-100mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens which costs around US$ 950.00. Well, if I have that kind of budget, I would definitely go for it, but for now, I would stick to Tokina Lens.

Feb 1, 2009 - Sunday Morning, Our Filipino Group went to Tasek Lama Park to have some time for hiking/walking, in short to sweat alot (hehehe) ... It started around 7am-10am ... The weather was very cloudy (praise God) ... and we all had a great time ... Of course I would never miss the chance of getting some photos of whatever I see ... hehehe ...

Practice time - here are the photos :

Any comments ??? Were the shot nice??? Give my your suggestions so I can improve my shots!!! Thanks!!!

I have always dreamt of going from place to place around the world to take a shot of some of the famous and beautiful spots around the world, for free of course ... hehehehe ... But since it's not possible, well I'll just see them in the Internet and post them here in my blog ...

Credits to all Photographers who took these awesome pictures!

A shot of Bandar Mosque I took yesterday ... First day of clear sky after 3 days of heavy rains ... here's the shot !


any comments ??? Taken on : Jan. 23, 2009 - 9:30am

Stumble into different effects and filters in Photoshop software ... check it out ...


nice or not ???

Last Night was one of those when you really want to sleep but you can't ... Late in the afternoon when I took a picture of this cloud formation near my father's staff house ... I knew it will rain that night ... so it did ... it was a cool night and my wife and I watch some movies in the living room ...


I decided to take some photos by the window of our home, it's quite nice, I set the camera up and use the Manual settings of my DSLR to change the shutter and focal length, then use a tripod and self-timer the camera ... and here what I've shot ... here's the picture ...


And when we were about to sleep, the unexpected happened, we found out that rain water went into the window of our bedroom, the floor was full of water, I then found out that during heavy rain, the water tends to sip into the sliding window's gaps and then drip to the floor ... I had to fix the problem during the heavy rain, it was a cold (wet) and tiring night for me, but I had no choice, I have to do it ... I fixed the problem after 45 minutes ... took a warm bath and finally hug my wife to sleep ...

Late Sunday afternoon after going to service, on the way home, I saw this nice cloud formation with scenic sun set tail lights of some sort ... too bad I did not bring my 400D camera, the resolution would be nicer, but anyways, I used my Cybershot DSP300 and here's the outcome ... lesson for the day, always bring your camera no matter what! ... Comments please ! ... hehehe ...

Hi Guys! I came across this group of photograpers in Flickr, for those of you who like Macro Photography so much and would like to get in depth into this area of photography, here are some of the people who have the same interests as yours ... check it this group of people for your reference ... maybe they can provide some tips or advice to you on your way to pursuing macro shots ...

Web URL : http://www.flickr.com/groups/closer_and_closer/

Some sample pics

Took a picture of his subway in the capital, around 6pm in the afternoon ... Lens 18-55mm f3.5-5.6, ISO 400, 0.3" and f/8 ... and here's the outcome ...


This subway is located beside the Yayasan Complex and stretches to Ideal Restaurant on the other side (near Kampong Ayer) ...

Well just a nice spot for a nice shot. This was taken near Kampong Ayer just beside of Ideal Restaurant. Well let me know what you think of this shot !!!

Another Mosque, at the Heart of Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. My wife and I were walking at Yayasan and decided to take a picture of the Mosque from Yayasan Mall ... Here's the shot ... Nice ???



Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is a royal Islamic mosque located in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. The mosque is classified as one of the most spectacular mosques in the Asia Pacific and a major tourist attraction. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is considered amongst the people of Brunei as the country's major landmark.

Named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei, the mosque, which is seen as a symbol of the Islamic faith in Brunei dominates the skyline in the capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan. The building was completed in 1958 and is an impressive example of modern Islamic Architecture. It is one of the main sights in the capital and the country in general.

One fine Friday morning (my day-off), after I sent my wife to the office, I passby one of the biggest mosque here in Brunei, since I have my camera with me, I decided to take a couple of pictures, but since there's alot of people going for their prayers, I just took the pictures outside ... are the shots ok ??? any comments ???



Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque otherwise known as Kiarong Mosque - was built in 1988 and officially launched in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of His Majesty the Sultan's reign. This is the largest and the most magnificent mosque in Brunei Darussalam. This mosque has a distinct edge over the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in the heart of Capital both in style and grandeur. It also has a sea-blue roof, shimmering GOLDEN domes and slender minarets. With its intricately ornamented minarets and shimmering golden domes clearly visible along the main route into town from the airport, the Kiarong Mosque (as it is locally known) towers over a landscaped terrain dotted with fountains.

Practice time, took out my camera tried shooting some still objects for practice ... what do you think ? ... any advice on the picture ? Hehehehe ... It's my shades and the statue we used for our wedding ...

This shot was taken by the window where I sit, saw this lovely cloud after lunch, decided to take a picture and added some hardlight effect ... the Building at the right side is the Riverview Hotel in Gadong, a residential area on the left side and the rest of the houses in the picture ... is it nice or not ?

Happy New Year ! Welcoming 2009 here in Brunei is a bit of quiet in a sense. I guess I have to get use to it. Some highlight of my life last 2008 :

- (1) My grandmother and auntie went to Brunei for a long vacation.
- (2) Well I moved into a new company ( it feels good and sad in the same way, leaving your Colleagues & Bosses behind and have to start getting along with new faces/attitudes, but it worked so far, Thank God! )
- (3) My wife got pregnant (she's 6 month preggy at the moment, gonna be a future Dad [scary])
- (4) Moved into a new place.
- (5) Moved into a new Church premises. ( Nice Building ... Like those I see in the magazine ... )
- (6) Dec 5. 2008 - Our First Year Anniversary - celebrated at Swensens Restaurant...

Well those are some of the things I can remember. Some sad part need not to be mentioned...

Year 2009. Pray that God will bring more blessings into our life. He's been faithful to all of us His children.
First stop, I started using my Camera again ( finally, I've picked it up from its bag ), while I was doing my afternoon jog, I notice the light from a nearby hotel, thought I might give it a shoot, so I got back home ( I live nearby ), and took my camera. Here's the photo... I think I'll start to shot once more ( give it another try ).


The Riverview Hotel - 3 Star Hotel Tourist/Business ( shot taken around 6:30 pm ). Location, Gadong just outside the capital city is a quality hotel serving the visitor and regional business community. Located 10 minutes drive from the airport, 5 minutes drive from the Gadong Shopping area, and 5 to 10 minutes drive from the central Bandar Seri Begawan shopping area.

Worthy to be Praise! Worthy to be Honour! none other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

hhhhmmmmmm ... nothing beats an indo-fried-rice, especially on an empty stomach ... mouth watering spicy fried rice with, fried egg and fried fish fillet ... simply delicious ...