When one chapter ends, another begins.

As you would have read in the previous post, I bid farewell to my favourite camera, the Fujifilm X100S, and I was in the mood to get something new. Coincidentally with my birthday looming, my amazing wife, knowing I was camera-less, had secretly organised a camera fund with my close friends and presented me with a wonderful gift on my birthday. Thank you friends and family for supporting this hobby of mine.

Thinking I would not be getting a new camera anytime soon, it suddenly became a pleasant reality that I had the funds (and a significant top-up from my own savings) to get a new one; and so off to the camera store it was for me. An additional impetus to get it quick was that the sales and service tax would be increased in March.

I was at the camera store; having previously called up to enquire about the Nikon ZF camera and being told there wasn’t any in stock; and was at the counter about to hit purchase on the SONY A7Cii instead when I noticed a grey box behind the counter with the initials ZF on it. I inquired about it and was delighted to know that the customer for that camera hadn’t shown up and that it was up for grabs to the next wannabe-camera-pro to throw their money at, i.e. me :)

And so through that lucky happenstance, I got my hands on the new Nikon ZF with the new 40mm f/2.0 lens. I’m into full-frame now!

Wow, what a change from the Olympus and Fujifilm. It has been 10 years since I last bought a camera, and the technology improvements are evident. Oh, and what an amazingly good-looking camera it is too :)

For those who are not in the know, the new Nikon ZF camera boasts an impressive array of features that make it a top choice for any photographer. The sensor delivers stunning image quality, capturing even the finest details with exceptional clarity. The camera's advanced autofocus system ensures quick and precise focusing, allowing me to capture sharp images with ease. Its design and mechanical controls make it comfortable to use, even during long shoots and walks in the city. It may look old and retro - and that’s part of the charm - but the insides are all super high-end tech. Overall, the Nikon ZF camera offers a powerful combination of performance and usability, and hopefully, this beast of a machine will last me another good 10 years.

I had taken some random shots here and here, but the initial full use of this camera was done during my recent family trip to Phuket, Thailand, which coincided with the annual Songkran festival. Songkran, also known as the Thai New Year, is a three-day festival in Thailand from April 13–15th each year. It's a celebration of the Buddhist New Year and is Thailand's biggest and most important annual festival. Water plays a major role in the festival. Symbolically it washes away the previous year so people can get ready for the next one. Honouring family traditions and religious practices are important parts of Songkran, but so is having some fun. Outside, Songkran is celebrated with street parties featuring loud music and a giant friendly water fight. It is probably the world’s largest street water fight! People collect water in buckets, squirt guns, and anything else they can find, then hit the streets to playfully splash each other and everyone in between.

Staying at our hotel along Kata Beach in Phuket, the hotel organised a procession that was accompanied by hotel staff and guests; with everyone packing water guns, and showering everyone with water as they went around the hotel block and beachside. The Nikon ZF got sprayed on a few times, but thankfully it was weather-sealed and could take the drenching.

Below is a collection of photos from around Kata Beach in Phuket and some of the fun scenes during the Songkran festival. I am still getting used to the camera and its super duper autofocusing system; sometimes it is too good even for me! I hope you like these few photos, I’m toying around with RAW images and the colour tones that I think look good for this series of photos. I am looking forward to sharing more street photos and beyond as I get a hang of this beast and get out a bit more this year.

Cheers everyone!

xx