2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
Photo by @lolalovepabulum
A few weeks back the local photography store AAB World provided me with the new Sigma 35mm f/1.4 full frame lens to try out. My current collection of lenses that I use with my Nikon D800 are the Nikon 24mm f/2.8, the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 and the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8. So at 35mm, the Sigma fit snugly between the 24mm and 50mm lens. Actually a bit too snugly because I stopped using both those lenses while I had the Sigma with me.
The first thing that caught my attention with the Sigma lens was the build quality. The lens is a lot larger than both my prime lenses and due to its all metal casing it felt more durable and a lot more solid. The reason I love prime lenses is because they’re so bright and with an open aperture of f/1.4, this Sigma lens is really bright.
I used the lens frequently during the period I had it with me and the 35mm range proved to be very versatile. The physical size of the lens didn’t bother me much and I actually found the larger lens easier to grip and balance the camera with while shooting. Nikon also have their own 35mm f/1.4 lens but costs around KD470 on Amazon. The Sigma on the other hand is selling for KD240 locally (cheaper than Amazon). That’s nearly half the price for what is basically a very similar lens. The lens is also available for Canon cameras.
If you own a full frame Canon or Nikon camera then you’re in for a treat because AAB World want to give away one of these lenses to my readers. The only requirement needed to win this lens is for you to own a full frame Nikon or Canon camera. To get a chance to win this lens just post the model of your camera in the comments below and I will randomly choose a winner tomorrow night using random.org.
Rules: Only one entry per person and please make sure you use a working email since the winner will be contacted by email. If winner doesn’t respond within 24 hours another winner will be randomly chosen. When collecting the prize you NEED to have your full frame camera with you.
If your camera isn’t one of the following you don’t qualify
Canon – 6D, 1D X, 5D Mark III, 5D Mark II, 5D, 1Ds Mk III, 1Ds Mk II, 1Ds
Nikon – D3, D3X, D3S, D4, D600, D700, D800
Update: I’ve closed the post for commenting and will be conducting the random draw this weekend.
Photo taken this morning at 9AM by Mario Pulvida. You can view a larger version [Here]
Thanks to everyone who emailed me about this. It’s always cool to have a photo or post featured on a popular blog. [Link]
The photo above taken by Mohammed Alsultan of the tire fire near the scrapyards made it on 500px’s Best of 2012: Journalism list. It’s a pretty fantastic photo. [Link]
Thanks Guru
Long time photo blogger BuYousef (real name Mohammad Abdullah) has taken his favorite blog posts about Kuwait and put them all in a photo book format. The posts range in subject like gardening, home life, local events, walks, photography and more. According to BuYousef it really is about nothing and everything with a theme of photography. Best of all it’s free so if you’re interested in checking it out you can download it from the Apple Store [Here]
A guy on Reddit who played a role in the fireworks show has posted some behind the scenes shots. The control room looks insane! [Pictures]
Thanks Ali
The Daily Mail has a great collection of photos from last nights fireworks show which you can check out [Here]
A reader was able to take these amazing photos this morning of a street cleaning vehicle on fire near the scientific center.
Photos by Johny Costa
This should be an interesting photography exhibit.
A group exhibition featuring a series of photographs taken by 15 participants of the CAP photography workshop. Led by two members of the Rawiya Collective, Laura Boushnak & Tamara Abdul Hadi, the workshop took place last May in the Mubarakiyah Souq for a duration of two days. It’s main focus was on the old souq, the vendors, the visitors and the stories that can be found in this local public market.
Date: October 10th to 17th, 2012
Location: CAP (Contemporary Art Platform)
The Guardian published the photo above of Kuwait at night taken from space. The photo was one of many photos captured by the European Space Agency and Nasa satellites last month. The description of the photo says:
A night view of Kuwait City, the coastal city which serves as Kuwait’s political and economic capital. The metropolitan area has a population approaching 2.5 million
Check out The Guardian article [Here]
Below is another photo taken from space back in August also showing Kuwait at nigh. It was previously featured as a NASA image of the day.
NASA have a pretty good writeup on the photo above as well as a higher resolution photo which you can check out [Here]
Thanks Khalid
My friend who was attending a conference in Doha today snapped the picture above. The photo on the bottom right in that presentation is the one below which I shot back in 2005 at the Kuwait Airport. It’s by far the most popular photo I’ve ever taken since it been making its away around the world popping up in different places as an epic fail photo.
Thanks Alex
Want to help make a difference? Using Instagram take pictures the good, the bad and the ugly and hashtag the shots with #welcometokuwait
Spread the word.
Thursday night I attended the Nikon launch event in Dubai that was held at the Armani Hotel Ballroom. Based on the rumors circulating online I had a feeling they were planning to launch the D600 and that became more of a sure thing when Nikon officially announced it in Thailand a few hours before the Dubai event. The Nikon D600 is an entry level full frame camera and currently the most affordable full frame DSLR you can buy. When they announced it at the Dubai event I was hoping they’d have some display models for us to play with and surely right after the event I found a table with a bunch of D600’s for us to try.
Honestly the first thing I wanted to do is see if I made a mistake by buying the more expensive D800. Originally when I purchased the D800 I did so because I wanted a full frame camera. I wasn’t too interested in the 36MP and if the D800 was even 16MP I would have gotten it. The D600 is a 24MP camera and after playing around with it for a bit I realized it’s physically closer to the D7000. The D600 is smaller and lighter than the D800, and while the D800 has a button layout similar to the larger pro D4, the D600 has a button layout closer to the D7000. I love buttons so that alone was enough to convince me I made the right choice with the D800. DPReview have a very detailed post on the D600 which you can check out [Here]
I personally think the biggest announcement of the night was the fact that Nikon is going to start treating the Middle East like the rest of the world. When a new camera gets released we will now have it at the same time as everybody else. The D600 is going to the be first camera they do this with which is why they had this event on the same day as the worldwide launch. One thing they didn’t mention during the event was the price of the D600, according to Nikon Middle East they haven’t finalized the price yet which was odd since the price of the camera in the the States had been announced a few hours earlier (it’s going to cost $2,100). I am hoping the reason they haven’t finalized the price yet is because Nikon is trying to price the camera for us so that it’s closer to the rest of the world instead of the currently exaggerated pricing we have to deal with because we live in an oil rich region. We’ll have to wait and see.
