Off to Hong Kong, now....what do I "need"? (+General Info)

Nick, your HK set is AMAZING!! just the kind of shots I'm after love the night look....after all it is a 24Hr City.

The comments I found very interesting!!

I take it from the exposure lengths you were using some form of tripod?

Chris

I used a tripod for all of my shots, the cheapest way to get to the top of Victoria Peak is via bus. Just hop on the no15 at the main bus station at Central, the last stop on the route is the top of the peak so you don't have to worry about missing it as you get kicked off there anyway :)

You may also like this timelapse video i made during my stay in Hong Kong: http://www.vimeo.com/18623334
 
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I used a tripod for all of my shots, the cheapest way to get to the top of Victoria Peak is via bus. Just hop on the no15 at the main bus station at Central, the last stop on the route is the top of the peak so you don't have to worry about missing it as you get kicked off there anyway :)

You may also like this timelapse video i made during my stay in Hong Kong: http://www.vimeo.com/18623334


Love the timelapse stuff Nick!! thanks y=for all the info I really appreciate it!

Chris
 
Some great shots from the Guys that have already been to HK.

Chris, if I were you I wouldn't take my cam.



I would just buy me a new one whilst over there on the first day of arrival :thumbs: along with about three lenses to use for the duration :lol:

Whatever you decide upon I'm sure you will bring back some wonderful shots, its not often one gets to go to HK. :)
 
A tripod would be more useful, there isn't always somewhere to stick a Gorillapod here. And I recommend the minibus for the Peak (no. 1), it's faster, more fun and a whole 8p cheaper than the bus!
 
Some great shots from the Guys that have already been to HK.

Chris, if I were you I wouldn't take my cam.



I would just buy me a new one whilst over there on the first day of arrival :thumbs: along with about three lenses to use for the duration :lol:

Whatever you decide upon I'm sure you will bring back some wonderful shots, its not often one gets to go to HK. :)

Scotty, I like your thinking.......although I'm not quite sure the other half would go along with........"honey, I've spent all the cash on a new cam, you wouldn't mind McDonalds for tea would you?" :D
 
A tripod would be more useful, there isn't always somewhere to stick a Gorillapod here. And I recommend the minibus for the Peak (no. 1), it's faster, more fun and a whole 8p cheaper than the bus!

Thanks Rod, very much leaning towards the giottos now......

Chris
 
I spent a few days there as an add-on to my China trip last October and it was one of the highlights of the whole trip...I'd also suggest an UWA is a must, I used my 12-24 for 80% of my shots. I also took along my Slik Mini pro pod tripod which proved useful for night shots although it can be difficult to find places to seat it. If you have time take a trip to Macau too and wander around - fascinating place (don't go with an organised tour).

Simon
 
I spent a few days there as an add-on to my China trip last October and it was one of the highlights of the whole trip...I'd also suggest an UWA is a must, I used my 12-24 for 80% of my shots. I also took along my Slik Mini pro pod tripod which proved useful for night shots although it can be difficult to find places to seat it. If you have time take a trip to Macau too and wander around - fascinating place (don't go with an organised tour).

Simon

Thanks Simon, I'll look into the Macau thing!!
 
Macau is worth a day trip there. Its a (very) mini Las vegas if you can call it that. A nice relaxing place in HK is the chi lin nunnery. Great things to snap (wish I had a DSLR then :( but might go back this or next year :clap:)
 
To add to your list of places to go....I finally made it to Lion Rock yesterday, despite a raging hangover. It's a peak on the range that divides Kowloon from the New Territories, from the top you get a 360 degree view of the entire SAR. Pretty impressive. 1-2 hour fairly easy hike from Tai Wai until the last bit which is a bit of a scramble, will post a a picture once I process them.
 
Take money and do some shopping. This store is good for lots of photographic stuff including Tripods.

http://www.fortress.com.hk/

Bought my Canon 5DM2 body here and it comes with a load of free extras which have turned out to be useful.

Plan to go up to the peak in the day and in the evening to make the most of the shot opportunities from up there.

Have fun! :)
 
Macau is worth a day trip there. Its a (very) mini Las vegas if you can call it that. A nice relaxing place in HK is the chi lin nunnery. Great things to snap (wish I had a DSLR then :( but might go back this or next year :clap:)

Thanks for the info, I know the feeling whent to Las Vegas/Hoover Dam/Grand Canyon all before I had a proper camera. :'( badtimes

To add to your list of places to go....I finally made it to Lion Rock yesterday, despite a raging hangover. It's a peak on the range that divides Kowloon from the New Territories, from the top you get a 360 degree view of the entire SAR. Pretty impressive. 1-2 hour fairly easy hike from Tai Wai until the last bit which is a bit of a scramble, will post a a picture once I process them.

haha, think I'm going to need a month to fit all this in :D

I look forward to seeing your pics.....

Take money and do some shopping. This store is good for lots of photographic stuff including Tripods.

http://www.fortress.com.hk/

Bought my Canon 5DM2 body here and it comes with a load of free extras which have turned out to be useful.

Plan to go up to the peak in the day and in the evening to make the most of the shot opportunities from up there.

Have fun! :)

Cheers Rog, I have the peak firmly marked as a to do, as too the walk around the top (thanks mid).

think you may be right, I'm going to take the giotto mini and if I find I need something more then its a great excuse to spend, spend, spend :thumbs:

Chris
 
If your off to Hong Kong, take an empty camera bag and buy the lot out there, dont buy from rip off Britain
 
I've just booked to go to HK too. Going in Mid July for a week.

Staying at the Harbour Grand Hong Kong (any idea what its like?). I really can't wait.
 
Ha, so many people going to HK. I'm going in mid March :D

But are the prices really that much better over there? I haven't been to HK for quite some time, and I would've thought now with internet shopping, there really isn't that many substantial deals to be had.

And while I'm here, anyone got good cheap hotel recommendations, preferably near Kowloon? We're looking for something around £50/night mark for 3 adults, but it's not easy to find :(
 
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I've just booked to go to HK too. Going in Mid July for a week.

Staying at the Harbour Grand Hong Kong (any idea what its like?). I really can't wait.

Nice, I'm staying at the langham place. I'll let you know how I got on when I get back.

have you looked here its what I always consult before booking although I must say some of the comments do need to be taken with a pinch of salt. :cool:

I've had some excellent advice so far just trying to find time to pack it all in!! I may need a holiday when I get back :D
 
Ha, so many people going to HK. I'm going in mid March :D

But are the prices really that much better over there? I would've thought now with internet shopping, there really isn't that many substantial deals to be had.

And while I'm here, anyone got good cheap hotel recommendations, preferably near Kowloon? We're looking for something around £50/night mark for 3 adults, but it's not easy to find :(

Hi Michael,

On the price front I would think one or two of the guys who have already posted would be able to answer that for you, however like anything it depends on what your after and how long you want to spend of your holiday looking for it.

From what I've been told and read camera gear can be anything from 5-25% cheaper on average depending on where you go and how much you value the free accessories, checkout the website posted earlier here

e.g (@12HKD - £1)
Canon 5D II 22% Saving

£1344 - Honk Kong
£1649 - Amazon

Canon 50 f/1.4 USM - 23% Saving

£238 - HK
£295 - Amazon

Nikon D300s (for the Nikon boys out there ;)) - 20% Saving

£853 - HK
£1025 - Amazon

I know amazon might not be as cheap as other places but they are fast and reliable and for this quick comparison good enough for me. :shrug:

Hope this helps.......

oh and take a look at trip advisor for hotels you can search by Avg. daily rate.

Have a good time, let us know how you got on.....

(God that was a long one, sorry)
 
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Me too, I've stayed there before, it's a great hotel in a really interesting area

Cheers Glenn,

Thats good to know. any fav restaurants in the hotel or nearby?

Soooooooo off topic but I'm sure it will be helpful to *** :thumbs:
 
Did you get all your answers yet?! I went to HK for just under two weeks back in January. Spent most of my days out and about with a backpack of gear. Occasionally, I'd take a tripod out with me, but only for a specific purpose and only at night (i.e. I didn't carry about with me all day).

My backpack, a Lowepro Flipside 400, was bulky and heavy enough without a either adding a tripod to it, but carrying it in its own separate case was bearable. That said, the tripod was a very small and lightweight Benro carbon fibre model. There's no way I'd lug a Manfrotto 190X around the city especially when space gets a little tight (e.g. MTR subway). I also had a Gorillapod SLR zoom, but it wasn't anywhere near as useful as my Benro.

What sort of stuff are you wanting to shoot? Knowing that should help make your equipment selection easier.

I haven't finished editing my photos yet. So, I've none to show you, but I've put up a selection of photos I took with my phone at http://digitalrelish.tumblr.com/.

For buying camera gear, I've used Tin Cheung in TST a few times without problem.
 
Did you get all your answers yet?! I went to HK for just under two weeks back in January. Spent most of my days out and about with a backpack of gear. Occasionally, I'd take a tripod out with me, but only for a specific purpose and only at night (i.e. I didn't carry about with me all day).

My backpack, a Lowepro Flipside 400, was bulky and heavy enough without a either adding a tripod to it, but carrying it in its own separate case was bearable. That said, the tripod was a very small and lightweight Benro carbon fibre model. There's no way I'd lug a Manfrotto 190X around the city especially when space gets a little tight (e.g. MTR subway). I also had a Gorillapod SLR zoom, but it wasn't anywhere near as useful as my Benro.

What sort of stuff are you wanting to shoot? Knowing that should help make your equipment selection easier.

I haven't finished editing my photos yet. So, I've none to show you, but I've put up a selection of photos I took with my phone at http://digitalrelish.tumblr.com/.

For buying camera gear, I've used Tin Cheung in TST a few times without problem.

Hi Will,

Some nice shots, it just goes to prove the best camera it truly to one you have with you.

Thanks for the info, I'm after a real taste of Hong Kong so I'm guessing theres going to be a lot of stuff people/places type stuff not so much architecture but the obligatory landscapes and plenty of night shots/light trails.

Think I'm going to stick to the 17-70 sigma for the landscape stuff and am thinking going for something like a 50mm 1.8/1.4 or even 35mm 1.4 for the majority of the other stuff particularly the night shots.

I'm going to go for the giotto's 1060 small tripod and if I find I need a bit more height then get one whilst I'm there.

Chris
 
My phone is just a lot less conspicuous than my D700 with any lens on it. Easier to get right up to people without disturbing the scene.

I think you'll be fine with a 17-70mm on a 40D for the general stuff. Personally, I'd go for the 35mm as the 50mm would be too tight for me on a crop sensor especially at night, with moving subjects and without a tripod. If you need wider then my choice would probably be a Canon 10-22mm EFS. It's what I used to shoot with when I had a 40D.
 
My phone is just a lot less conspicuous than my D700 with any lens on it. Easier to get right up to people without disturbing the scene.

I think you'll be fine with a 17-70mm on a 40D for the general stuff. Personally, I'd go for the 35mm as the 50mm would be too tight for me on a crop sensor especially at night, with moving subjects and without a tripod. If you need wider then my choice would probably be a Canon 10-22mm EFS. It's what I used to shoot with when I had a 40D.

Thanks, some more food for thought....good job I've got a while to decide :thinking:

Chris
 
;)

Do spend a heap of time thinking about locations too. I had pretty much an open itinerary and spent months researching locations. There's just so much to shoot.
 
;)

Do spend a heap of time thinking about locations too. I had pretty much an open itinerary and spent months researching locations. There's just so much to shoot.


As I am very quickly finding out,this thread has been great for inspiration and locations so far although all ideas/locations greatly received.

There are what seems like a small TP army going within the next few months so I'm sure we could all benefit from as much first hand knowledge as possible?
 
The Langham is a great hotel, and Mong Kok is a fascinating place. Just keep an eye on your wallet though, as there a few pickpockets about. For a westerner though in general, the Hong Kong streets are much safer than any major cities in Europe and the US.

One of the main things that will strike you here, is that although the image you have in your mind of HK is skyscrapers and inner city streets.....most of it is lush green forests. Make sure you go check out the New Territories, the whole Tai Wai/Sha Tin/Ma On Shan valley is an interesting look at modern town planning.

Hop on a bus from Central to Stanley, via Aberdeen, so you take in the whole south coast of the island, then sit on a sandy beach and stroll through the markets.

Sai Kung is a nice little seaside resort, where all the fishing come in and sell their catches on the pier, while the locals push their pimped up dogs along the seafront in doggy pushchairs (don't ask).

Go walk Lamma Island, 20 minute ferry from the bustle of central to something that feels like a small Greek island, full of tight little streets, restaurants, tat shops....and a nice hour or so walk through hills to a different ferry home.

Explore Kowloon....too many people here never leave the island....I like just going for random walks, Kowloon City has dozens of cheap Thai restaurants. Hung Hom has the rather interesting sight of a full size cruise ship full of shops, parked in the middle of a high-rise housing estate.

You don't have to drop silly money to take in the view. Most people will reccommend Aqua for a drink with a view, but I prefer Eye Bar, above the iSquare mall, which has a better view, drinks are cheaper, and is less pretentious. Michelin star chinese food there as well.

Go play dim sum lottery. Ok, so you may end up with some fish heads, but it's cheap as chips, and they won't be offended if you don't eat them. Chicken feet aren't as bad as they sound.

Oh and more food for thought....

Apple Macbook Pro 2011 15" core i7 2.2 GHZ @ Apple Store UK = 1,849 GBP
Apple Macbook Pro 2011 15" core i7 2.2 GHZ @ Apple Store HK = 16788 HKD = 1,324 GBP :)
 
Oh I nearly forgot my top tip......remember most of Hong Kong isn't at street level! Keep your eyes up at all the signs you're passing, they will all have the floor number...and generally speaking, when you get away from ground level, you're not paying tourist tax.
 
The Langham is a great hotel, and Mong Kok is a fascinating place. Just keep an eye on your wallet though, as there a few pickpockets about. For a westerner though in general, the Hong Kong streets are much safer than any major cities in Europe and the US.

One of the main things that will strike you here, is that although the image you have in your mind of HK is skyscrapers and inner city streets.....most of it is lush green forests. Make sure you go check out the New Territories, the whole Tai Wai/Sha Tin/Ma On Shan valley is an interesting look at modern town planning.

Hop on a bus from Central to Stanley, via Aberdeen, so you take in the whole south coast of the island, then sit on a sandy beach and stroll through the markets.

Sai Kung is a nice little seaside resort, where all the fishing come in and sell their catches on the pier, while the locals push their pimped up dogs along the seafront in doggy pushchairs (don't ask).

Go walk Lamma Island, 20 minute ferry from the bustle of central to something that feels like a small Greek island, full of tight little streets, restaurants, tat shops....and a nice hour or so walk through hills to a different ferry home.

Explore Kowloon....too many people here never leave the island....I like just going for random walks, Kowloon City has dozens of cheap Thai restaurants. Hung Hom has the rather interesting sight of a full size cruise ship full of shops, parked in the middle of a high-rise housing estate.

You don't have to drop silly money to take in the view. Most people will reccommend Aqua for a drink with a view, but I prefer Eye Bar, above the iSquare mall, which has a better view, drinks are cheaper, and is less pretentious. Michelin star chinese food there as well.

Go play dim sum lottery. Ok, so you may end up with some fish heads, but it's cheap as chips, and they won't be offended if you don't eat them. Chicken feet aren't as bad as they sound.

Oh and more food for thought....

Apple Macbook Pro 2011 15" core i7 2.2 GHZ @ Apple Store UK = 1,849 GBP
Apple Macbook Pro 2011 15" core i7 2.2 GHZ @ Apple Store HK = 16788 HKD = 1,324 GBP :)

Oh I nearly forgot my top tip......remember most of Hong Kong isn't at street level! Keep your eyes up at all the signs you're passing, they will all have the floor number...and generally speaking, when you get away from ground level, you're not paying tourist tax.

Chris,

Your advise is invaluable thank you, I will definitely be taking it on board when I start drawing up some sort of itinerary very shortly.

40% saving on a MBP is unbelievable!! I may just be tempted. :D
 
If nobody has mentioned it already then make sure you do a day trip to Macau.

Jetfoils leave every 15 minutes and cost about 12 quid each way.
 
Don't you need a visa to go to macau?

EDIT: just googled and looks like UK residents get 180 days visa free period.
 
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Don't you need a visa to go to macau?

EDIT: just googled and looks like UK residents get 180 days visa free period.

Just the question I was going to ask Terry, I would have assumed being mainland China that you would have although I've not checked it out yet myself.

Anyone?
 
the Macau Tourism page says

All visitors must hold a passport or a valid travel document.

Visas are required by all visitors except:

a) Nationals of Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Croatia, Czech, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania and the United Kingdom(6 months) for a stay up to 90 days;

So I guess you don't. But have just checked whats there to see if I can fit it into my itinerary, there's nothing that really shouts out at me so might fit it in only if I run out of stuff to do in HK (unlikely :lol:)
 
Nice, I'm staying at the langham place. I'll let you know how I got on when I get back.

Pair of posh gits ;) lol. We're slumming, in comparison, at the Royal Park Hotel in Sha Tin. It's where we always stay actually, mainly because my dads ashes are at the Po Fuk Hill Cemetery and the hotel is 5 mins walk to/from it.

As a side note, the cemetery/temple there is quite a nice place to have a look around. It's not as morbid as it sounds either :lol: and you can also take a walk up the ten thousand buddhas monastery which it's part of. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Thousand_Buddhas_Monastery

Also, everyones mentioned the structural side of the place, but if you're into fish, birds and gardens, the parks are wonderful places to walk around and relax in for an hour or two and they're free which, for whats in them is frankly unbelievable when compared to what we have over here!

Hong Kong Park which isn't far from the bottom of the Peak Tram station and has a pretty big walk through avery with loads of birds in.

It's not a decent photo by any means, but you can get an idea that it's not just a shed with a few budgies in!

4098188935_1328f39eae.jpg


4098945412_0e98f7bbd1.jpg



or if you want to make a day/half day of something..
Hong Kong Wetlands Park
 
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Pair of posh gits ;) lol. We're slumming, in comparison, at the Royal Park Hotel in Sha Tin. It's where we always stay actually, mainly because my dads ashes are at the Po Fuk Hill Cemetery and the hotel is 5 mins walk to/from it.

As a side note, the cemetery/temple there is quite a nice place to have a look around. It's not as morbid as it sounds either :lol: and you can also take a walk up the ten thousand buddhas monastery which it's part of. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Thousand_Buddhas_Monastery

Also, everyones mentioned the structural side of the place, but if you're into fish, birds and gardens, the parks are wonderful places to walk around and relax in for an hour or two and they're free which, for whats in them is frankly unbelievable when compared to what we have over here!

Hong Kong Park which isn't far from the bottom of the Peak Tram station and has a pretty big walk through avery with loads of birds in.

It's not a decent photo by any means, but you can get an idea that it's not just a shed with a few budgies in!

or if you want to make a day/half day of something..
Hong Kong Wetlands Park

Haha, cheers Pui it wasn't my choice, the other half decided on the digs. I just had to stump up the cash :thinking:

I'll the Avery looks massive might be worth a trip if were in the area

Thanks
 
Cheers Glenn,

Thats good to know. any fav restaurants in the hotel or nearby?

Soooooooo off topic but I'm sure it will be helpful to *** :thumbs:

There are hundreds of restaurants, there is a quite nice Thai restaurant in the Langham Place Mall, (8th floor if I remember correctly).
I often go to Nomads on Kimberly Road in TST, its a Mongolian BBQ place with a wide range which is cooked to your liking and brought to the table. Set price for dinner, all you can eat. Or you might want to try Modern Toilet, Google it for more info ;-)

You might want to subscribe to the Honk Kong Tourist Board e-newsletter, the latest one was sent yesterday and covers events during your visit.

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/jsp/e-zine/e-zine-subscribe.jsp
 
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There are hundreds of restaurants, there is a quite nice Thai restaurant in the Langham Place Mall, (8th floor if I remember correctly).
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I ate there last time I went in September, would recommend it. Bit of a trek to get up there though :D Watami is nice if you like Japanese.

I'm braving it when I go next week and will be going to the street food places (dai pai dong). Have this place on my list of food places to go.
 
General rules to eating in HK: If it's busy, it's good. If it's quiet, it's probably not. If it's full of Westerners, it's overpriced. If it's full of locals, it's probably cheap! I'm quite partial to the Korean places by me that get you a full meal for about a fiver.
 
Looks like I've swapped Hotels to the Langham Place and the good news is we've got an extra night for slightly less money than I was paying at the Harbour Grand Hong Kong, won't be confirmed until the morning though.
 
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