[Editor’s Note]

Just like that, 2016 is coming to a close with the new year (and new adventures) beckoning. 2016 went by in a flash and I guess it’s because I really enjoyed myself, during work (in case you didn’t know, I run the digital media Malaysia’s Hottest Bloggers – www.hottestbloggers.com) and also my after-work activities such as food reviews, events and parties (although I must say that I cut down on partying quite a bit).

Now 2016 is not without its share of downs as the local economy and political scene is in turmoil (you can read about what I really feel about this whole mess in a separate post) however life goes on and we have to make the best out of the situation while working towards change for a better and cleaner country.

To digress away from politics, I like Facebook’s new feature which rolled out this year where they remind you what you posted in previous years and this little video which I made a couple of years back popped up!

A nice little reminder of all the pretty girls I know. My only beef is that the photo quality could have been better but back then I was using a Nikon Coolpix compact until 2010 then a Canon Powershot G12. Not too bad during their day however digital camera technology has advanced quite a bit since then.

Speaking of digital cameras, the folks at Canon Malaysia sent over their latest DSLR shooter – the Canon EOS 80D for me to play with.

The EOS 80D comes with a 24 MP APS-C CMOS with a DIGIC 6 processor with a viewfinder coverage of approximately 100%. The newly-developed 45-point, all cross-type AF sensor and continuous shooting speed of up to 7.0fps made it pretty handy for capturing moving subjects.

Movie shooting at a quality of up to Full HD 60p is also supported, and Dual Pixel CMOS AF, which makes it possible to achieve high speed AF during Live View shooting, has been enhanced to be compatible for use with all EF lenses.

Remote shooting and image sharing with smart devices is also possible as the camera supports Wi-Fi and NFC.

Now here’s a look at some of the photos I shot with the camera.

The camera performs great in good lighting while the autofocus focused on the subject and even tracked the subject accurately. The level of detail was so good I ended up shooting in medium sized JPEG format most of the time.

The girls loved the fact that there was a portrait mode which provides a (slightly) softer complexion and more natural skin tones. Fortunately the skin softening effect was nowhere near the fakeness level of some of the beauty cams in the market like the Casio TR series.

But I always feel that the full test of a camera's capabilities are in low lighting situations such as indoors in a romantic restaurant. I used the Night Portrait mode for this shot and while most girls hate photographers using direct flash I must say that the flash was not too harsh and the colours were pretty acceptable (although I think a bounced flash would still be much nicer). — But I always feel that the full test of a camera’s capabilities are in low lighting situations such as indoors in a romantic restaurant. I used the Night Portrait mode for this shot and while most girls hate photographers using direct flash I must say that the flash was not too harsh and the colours were pretty acceptable (although I think a bounced flash would still be much nicer).

Another shot using the Night Portrait mode

This one was a bit tricky as I had a few drinks thus my hands were a bit shaky for fortunately for me the lens that came with the camera had image stabelisation — This one was a bit tricky as I had a few drinks thus my hands were a bit shaky for fortunately for me the lens that came with the camera had image stabilisation

An outdoors night portrait shot in patchy yellow lighting

I also used the cam for some food reviews and I loved the colour reproduction

The touch shutter came in very handy for food photography however as the camera is too heavy for one handed use, I had to get my partner (which was usually my dinner date) to assist with holding the lighting

The biggest test came when I decided to bring it to my friend Esther's wedding dinner where their wedding planner didn't allow any flash photography. This is where the telephoto zoom came in super handy and although I thought I would struggle with the lens aperture being only F3.5 I was pretty happy with my shots — The biggest test came when I decided to bring it to my friend Esther’s wedding dinner where their wedding planner didn’t allow any flash photography. This is where the telephoto zoom came in super handy and although I thought I would struggle with the lens aperture being only F3.5 I was pretty happy with my shots

Shot from below the stage against a projected backdrop

Overall I really enjoyed using the camera although its large size meant that I was carrying a camera bag with me everywhere (as protection is paramount). It’s a most capable enthusiast level DSLR with auto and scenes modes that are pretty intuitive, good enough for when I need to take a quick shot without messing around with the settings.

The touch shutter was incredibly useful especially when shooting food or macro photos while the camera’s low light capabilities were also another plus point even though it doesn’t have super high ISO (I hate using high ISO anyway due to the unavoidable noise it generates no matter how good the sensor is).

The Canon EOS 80D is priced at:

EOS 80D (Body) – RM 4,899.00

EOS 80D Kit II (with a EF-S18-135 IS USM lens) – RM 6,699.00

More info at http://www.canon.com.my/personal/products/interchangeable-lens-camera/dslr-eos/eos-80d-body

Häagen-Dazs Festive Season Flavours 2016

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Thanks for the special delivery @HaagenDazsMY 😀😀😀 #haagendazs #icecream

A post shared by Tim Chew (@timchew1311) on Dec 8, 2016 at 6:06am PST

The nice folks over at Haagen Dazs sent over their new seasonal flavours which includes:

Honey Walnut & Cream (Limited Edition) – RM 32.15

Häagen-Dazs Honey Walnut & Cream brings together real honey from Spanish Honeybees with crunchy walnut pieces, the ultimate sweet indulgence.

Dark Chocolate & Almonds (NEW!) – RM 32.15

This one is made for chocolate lovers with a deliciously intense ice cream made with 70% cocoa dark chocolate, combined with pieces of fudge and crunchy caramelised almond pieces.

Macadamia Nut – RM 32.15

Creamy Macadamia Nut ice cream made with Macadamia nuts selected from temperate Hawaiian and South African groves, roasted to perfection and artfully blended into a creamy and nutty treat.

More info at https://haagendazs.com.my/ or https://www.facebook.com/haagendazsmalaysia/

Mariah’s World Launch Party in Kuala Lumpur

Yvette King of E! Channel at the launch party at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur

E! channel recently threw a premier for their new docu-series Mariah’s World which debuts on Tuesday, 6 December at 10pm (express from the U.S. on Astro Ch712), with an exclusive party in her name for 150 of her biggest Malaysian fan aka “Lambs”.

The premiere was held at Pool Bar & Grill @ 8 at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur on 30 November 2016, and featured performances by Kirana Kay, the rising star of Malaysia’s jazz scene, a Mariah inspired lip-synch and ‘Who Knows Mariah Best’ games with prizes by the series’ Official Fashion Partner and sponsor Zalora.

“Mariah is an inspiration to everyone of us here as she embodies elegance, beauty and strength. When we found out that she has agreed to shoot Mariah’s World, we just knew that we have to do something big to show her that Malaysian Lambs are her biggest fans ever! Having the opportunity to collaborate with E! Malaysia has definitely added an edge to the premiere and we are fortunate to be able to work with such a talented team of people. At the end of the day, we all came together for Mariah and it was all worth it,” said Zuan Arifin who leads the Mariah’s Fan Club here in Malaysia.

“We are delighted to work with Zuan and Mariah’s Malaysian Lambs to promote E!’s Mariah’s World – they are some of Mariah’s biggest fans in the region, and quite possibly, the world,” said Scott Mackenzie, VP, Channels, Asia for E!’s parent company NBCUniversal International Networks. “Watching the special preview of the series and celebrating all things Mariah was an exciting fan experience for the 150 Lambs, one that you can only expect from a truly global pop culture powerhouse like E!”