Life

I warned you there would be a camera tech post on 8th February, and here it is…

In 1959, Olympus introduced the Olympus Pen.

This was the camera that launched Olympus as a manufacturer of small cameras; and Olympus brought back the name in 2009 when they launched their first micro four thirds camera, the Olympus PEN EP-1. She who must be obeyed is a proud owner, to the extent that she won’t let me sell it even though she doesn’t use it any more.

Since 2009, there have been a number of PEN models and we now have the EP=3, the EPL-3 and the EPM-1.

All very nice cameras, but devotees have been waiting for Olympus to release something a little more serious. Integrated viewfinder please, weatherproofing, better everything.

To satisfy that demand, Olympus have gone back to the other cameras for which they are famous, the OM range. This is the OM-4, circa 1986:

There are many who will wax lyrical about OM cameras, and no doubt many of those people would like it if there was a digital OM. Well, as of this morning, there is:

You can pee on it:

Available with battery grip so you can look extra-professional:

The camera is actually called the EM-5, with OM-D being the system; just in case you weren’t confused already. But it does look pretty, apart from the hump which looks a little larger than it needs to be.

It’s micro four thirds, which means all those lovely lenses are there to be played with. Integrated viewfinder, weatherproofing, fold out rear screen, five axis stabilisation (whatever that is) and a new focus tracking approach. 16 megapixel sensor, which probably means the same as the GX1, but it will have been tweaked to produce those lovely Olympus JPEGs.

What’s not to like? Well the price of $1,000 (sorry $999.99) for the body only is a little steep; but I am sure people will be queuing up to buy it. I’d be tempted myself if I hadn’t just bought the GX1. But you dear reader; there is nothing stopping you (apart from $999.99).

You could go to a salon to get your hair done; or you could save a load of cash by having your friend attend to your needs out on the street, while other friends eat snacks and provide criticism.

This time of year sees a load of activities in the Pattaya area. Last weekend was the ridiculous but amusing bed race which I did not get to photograph due to horse commitments. Here’s the event from two years ago if you want a reminder. Next weekend sees the Burapha Bikes, and during the week there is apparently some dragon boat racing although nobody seems to know anything about it apart from a poster. Then there is tennis and LPGA golf and no doubt other things I have yet to find out about. But this weekend there is the Bang Saen Speed Festival.

Bang Saen is a seaside town to the north of here and every year they close off the roads and hold four days of motor racing; so well done them.

I made the trip down there this morning, partially because my mother-in-law is visiting, but also because ace windsurfer and all-round nice guy Dean was driving in a four hour race.

The track is a street circuit very like Monaco, with no run-off areas to fall into if you screw up. But unlike Monaco, there was no glamour. Or so I thought until I walked into the pit area:

Very impressive chassis (on that Toyota).

I took a few more pit shots…

I decided I liked it in the pits and would probably hang around there for the next couple of hours taking similar racing themed shots. Of course, I was not meant to be there, but my long lens and amusing line in T-shirts has got me into similar locations before with no problems.

There was a tap on my shoulder. It was a man with a badge.

You are not meant to be here.
Ah, yes, well, I am a close, some would say intimate, friend of the driver of car number 37.
You are not meant to be here. You don’t have a badge.
It’s with my intimate friend.
And you are wearing flip-flops, not allowed in the pit area.

I started to tell him that the Swiss institute of testing the impact of cars driving over feet had concluded that his sneakers were no more effective than my flip-flops when it came to toe protection; but he would have none of it and I was thrown out. Damn, no more photos of models with little clothing cars parked in the pits.

The efficiency continued round the track where the best vantage points to take photos were marked “media only”, and I didn’t have a media badge; and when I tried to get in they threw me out. So I had to limit myself to little holes in the fencing, or sometimes shooting right through the fencing, like here:

Not too bad, given this is what I was shooting through:

My lens was too long, the viewpoints were minimal, and it was hot; but here are a few shots:

A four hour race requires driver changes, this is Dean about to climb aboard:

The drivers are very hot and sweaty after their stint, and the last thing you would want to see is a driver peeling off those damp overalls…

The Speed Festival lasts for two more days and there are worse things to do than eat seafood next to the sea whilst racing cars blast past a few metres away. Just don’t wear flip-flops if you want to take shots like this:

Panasonic GX1

The sea had a sunset reflection and I liked the silhouettes of the equipment on the bigger boat. Pointed the camera and then the fisherman and his wife paddled into shot for a fortuitous outcome.

My last job before retirement was something of a challenge. For reasons I will never understand, it had been decided to sell the company where I had spent more than four happy year years. For other reasons, which I will also never understand, I was asked to manage the transition process to the new owner.

Fairly obviously, a key component of the task was communication. Before the sale was announced, we had drawn up a detailed plan as to how we would communicate with everyone affected by the sale. On the day the sale was announced, all the staff were gathered together at our two locations and given a briefing. We told them what we knew, we told them what we didn’t yet know, we gave them names of people to talk to, and we undertook to keep on communicating with them throughout the process, and we did. We sent a letter to all our suppliers and contractors and government contacts; and of course there was the usual press briefing. Over the next couple of months we kept up this communication barrage and it was fundamental to what I like to think was a smooth transition. And of course, once I had finished the job, I was made redundant. Win!

Why am I telling you this trivia? Well, I was browsing a local forum last week and read that HSBC had announced that they were pulling out of Thailand. This could not be true. I have banked with HSBC for many years and have accounts in the UK as well as Thailand, I am a “Premier” customer, and surely HSBC would have informed me if they were about to pull the plug on my account.

So I wrote to my “relationship manager” in Hong Kong. He happily confirmed it was true and sent me the press release which helpfully contained media and investor contact numbers; but not a hint of any support for the HSBC Thailand customers who are about to be dumped. I would like to say that he apologised for not having prevoiously communicated this information to me personally, but he didn’t.

HSBC have now got off their lazy backside and put an announcement on their Thailand website. But have they made any direct communications with their customers? No, they haven’t.

Well, fuck you HSBC. Yesterday I opened an account with Bangkok Bank and I will use them in future for my banking in Thailand. I shall close my accounts in the UK and place my funds elsewhere. Not that you will care. Wankers.