HONG KONG

What will a normal person do on a 3 days visit to Hong Kong? Shopping and eating!

What about a photographer on a 3 days visit to Hong Kong? Shopping, eating and taking pictures!

Shopping for a photographer? Yes, shopping for camera gears! The price for Canon is generally much cheaper than those in Singapore. Even more discount if you don’t mind getting gray items without warranty. I see the gray prices are cheaper than those gray items listed in B&H. You’ll get even more hefty discount with brands like Contax and medium formats. With a few L lenses, the savings will make up for what you have to pay for the trip from Singapore. While Lonely Planet recommends shops at Stanely Street in Central, most locals shop in Mong Kok. Despite the bad reputations associated with the shops along Nathan Road, I bought my gray stuffs at Tin Cheung, of which many, including myself, had good experience mail ordering from them.

Film Era in 2002 - Canon SLR + 28-135mm IS.

Snap Shots
3 days may be a little too short to explore and shoot Hong Kong with shopping and eating in your itinerary. Especially so if it is your first trip or if you, like me, have a family to take care of. Nevertheless, you can easily obtain cliché shots of the city from the Peak or the harbour. Unless you are blessed with a clear day, evening / night shots are your better bets when the whole city comes alive with lighted buildings and neon billboards.

Standard night shot of the city from the Peak

The harbour

Star ferry

Clock tower

Islands seen from the Peak

Digital Era in 2007 – Ricoh GX100

The small pocketable digicam is so convenient. It is just a fraction the size and weight of an SLR lens such as the 28-135mm lens. And a tiny 8GB SD card replaces rolls of film.

What do you get from a 6 days trip in Hong Kong when you travel with 3 kids? Effectively, you get only 3 days. Half the time u'll be coaching the kids to take their meals.

Pictures from the 2007 MickeyMouse trip.