Essays & Reviews
China photo travel and inspirational series
Alternative approaches in photography - Zhouzhuang, take two
Alternative approaches in photography - Zhouzhuang, take three
Creative approaches in photography - depicting Beijing Hutongs
Random thoughts on photography (I)
Random thoughts on photography (II)
Bitches Brew @ The Yellow Mountain
Why we pursue photography - things to remember
Make great images using basic tools - an example
Landscape photography and Chinese philosophy - scito te ipsum
Where to buy/sell photo equipment and film in China
Where to process and scan film in China
General photographic issues
Photo equipment that I use and general comments on technical issues
Fixed focal length (prime) vs. zoom lenses
My take on the film vs. digital issue
Lens-related concepts - make sure you understand all of them!
About the reviews on this Web site
Lens tests and reviews
AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED - the best pro-level wide-angle zoom for 35mm film cameras
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
- a very good lens but check if you can live with its shortcomings
AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF
- the best pro-level mid-range telephoto zoom for both 35mm film and digital cameras
AF Zoom-Nikkor ED 80-200mm f/2.8D
Hasselblad Planar CFE 2.8/80 - what is so good about Carl Zeiss lenses?
Hasselblad Tessar CB 4.8/160
- "basic" means great optical and mechanical performance in a no-frills lens barrel
Hasselblad Sonnar CFE 4/180 - as good as lenses get
Hasselblad Tessar CB 4.8/160 vs. Sonnar CFE 4/180 - the ultimate shootout
Hasselblad Sonnar CFi 4/150 vs. Sonnar CFE 4/180 - making the choice
Reviews of other equipment, systems and materials
Nikon D70s: what could be further improved and real-life noise performance
Nikon F6 - the last 35mm film Emperor
Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) - sophisticated flash lighting for the masses
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 - from the perspective of a keen photographer
Sekonic Dualmaster L-558 Exposure Meter
Photo tripods - based on the Gitzo G1220 vs. G1227 comparison
Gitzo G1376M ball head - make yourself a favour and buy something better
Epson Perfection 4990 PHOTO scanner - not as good as some claim it is
Epson Stylus Pro 4880 printer
- superb BUT a few obvious and mandatory improvements are pending NEW!
ColorVision Spyder2 - an affordable path to monitor calibration and profiling
iPod Video as a digital wallet - far from perfect yet acceptable for some shooting approaches
Fujifilm Velvia 50 (RVP50) vs. Velvia 100 (RVP100) - yes, the difference is considerable
Fujifilm Fujichrome Velvia 50 (RVP50) vs. Kodak Ektachrome 100VS - horses for courses
Things non-photographic
What is the difference between thinking and staring into space? NEW!
清华大学经济管理学院经42班同学信息栏
(an information board for my university classmates; last update: June 1st, 2006)