Although it’s technically a downgrade if you consider the fact the 5D series isn’t the flagship 1D professional series and the 5D series also cost a lot less, technological advances dictate that given enough time and progress, the newer, lower-end models will outperform the older, higher-end ones. Such is the case with the 5D Mark III vs. the 1D Mark II, although it’s not across the board. There are somethings the 1D Mark II is still better at, but they are few and far between; the 5D Mark III is in general superior.

Preface
Before setting on the 5D Mark III as my next workhorse camera, I had considered other options like the Sony NEX-7, Panasonic Lumix GH2, and Nikon D800. The NEX-7′s autofocus is not fast enough, although I love the image quality and the small size. The GH2′s small sensor just couldn’t produce the kind of high ISO image I needed, even though I loved the touchscreen focus feature and the fully articulated screen. The D800 is an awesome camera–one that is often deemed superior when compared with the 5D Mark III, while costing a grand less, but all my lenses are Canon mount, so moving over to Nikon mount lenses would’ve been too much trouble; I’d have sell off all my Canon gear and switch over to Nikon gear, and that would have incurred enough loss to balance out the cheaper price. In the end, I chose the 5D Mark III.

Disclaimer
Those of you who have read my review the Panasonic Lumix LX5, already know I write reviews that focus on features important to me, and judge everything according to the context of my own shooting habits. There are already plenty of big commercial camera review sites like dpreview.com, where they do extensive testing and post full-resolution image files for people to scrutize, so I’m just going to write about stuff that matters to me, and post images that are simply me using the camera to shoot what I usually shoot, instead of technical testing images.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about…

Ergonomics and Design
Here are a few comparison shots of the 1D Mark II and 5D Mark III:

The 5D Mark III is about 2/3 the size of the 1D Mark II, and weighs accordingly. This is a welcomed change, since the weight and size is what most people complain about with the 1D series DSLR’s (or any large-size DSLR). Shooting with a heavy piece of big metal brick can definitely tire out your wrist and fingers, even if you use a handstrap. I used to travel with just three normal sized lenses and the 1D Mark II, and carry them in a camera bag that has this fancy weight-distribution strap that’s pretty expensive, but even then, after a day of carrying that around, my shoulder would get totally stiff and sore. With the 5D Mark II, it’ll be a little better, but I don’t know if 1/3 lighter in the body will make that much difference to the whole camera bag’s weight, but at least it’ll make a difference to the wrist and fingers while shooting (especially one-handed shooting).

The larger LCD screen is a big welcome, and I’m surprised by how well Live View works on it. I can actually focus reliably using the LCD screen, although shooting video with it is not as reliable, since there’s no continuous focus in video mode, and to continually adjust the focus with a small LCD screen is pushing your luck too far.

I prefer the buttons layout on the 5D Mark III over the 1D Mark II, and since I haven’t really used any other Canon DSLR since the 1D Mark II, I can only assume the changes were evolutionary and incremental, refined over different models and versions since 2004, and not new to the 5D Mark III. I have zero use for the stupid ratings button though, and its alternate assignment to protect an image is useless to me as well. Having a whole button be wasted like that really annoys me, but the truth is, the other buttons already cover everything I need anyway, so no real harm done there.

The custom menu is a great idea, where you can register the menu items you use the most and access them all in one tab from the menu settings. Some people may not have much use for it though, since you can set the camera up to shoot exactly how you want it to, thus not having a reason to constantly visit the menu. There are also the C1, C2, and C3 custom settings on the dial, allowing you to instantly swap between three completely different settings. And I do mean completely different–every single setting possible in the camera can be recorded to the three Custom dial positions. The 1D Mark II didn’t have anything like that.

The depth of field preview button is a great feature, allowing you to see exactly how the DOF and exposure looks at the aperture setting you are using. This is very useful when you want to make sure you’re getting the right amount of DOF and brightness before pressing the shutter. It’s a lot more intuitive than just looking at the exposure level meter and guessing at the DOF.

Autofocus Performance
One major selling point of the 5D Mark III is the new 61-point Autofocus system, supposedly taken from the new flagship 1DX, but missing the dedicated DIGIC 4 processor and 100K pixel metering sensor for tracking. I’m really picky about AF, since I hate it when I get great shots with wonderful expressions and body language, only to later see that it’s just out of focus enough to be unusable.

For those of you who follow the progress of the digital camera industry, you know that advanced and powerful features will slowly trickle down to the lower-end models, but often, there’s a limit to what the lower-end models will inherit. This is so that the professional and consumer product lines remain clearly separated, as well as keep the production cost of lower-end models down so they remain affordable to the masses. The 5D Mark III is by definition, a high-end model suitable for professionals, even though it’s not designated as part of the flagship 1D series. The fact it inherited the AF system of the flagship 1DX, makes its AF the current benchmark for excellence. Only when the 1DX arrives will we know how much of a difference the missing dedicated processor and 100K metering sensor makes.

I tested the new AF system against the old one on the 1D Mark II to see how much progress Canon has made in eight years. It was a tough competition because the AF system on the 1D Mark II, despite its age, was state-of-the-art and widely considered the best on the market at the time.

So how did the AF system on the 5D Mark III perform against the 1D Mark II? It was actually a pretty close call in many situations, often performing at about the same in speed and accuracy in well-lit situations. The difference, is when shooting in dark situations, and it’s in low light situations that the 5D Mark III started to slap the 1D Mark II around a bit. The low-contrast, dark spots that the 1D Mark II can’t lock focus on at all, the 5D Mark III will lock on, even though it will hunt back and forth before locking. Also, having shot a few sessions with the 5D Mark III where the subject is constantly moving (such as the latest Kitty Cat Diary entries, where Elena is often moving around unpredictably while going about her business, and I simply try to track her), I would say the percentage of keepers from the 5D Mark III are higher–though I think it has just as much to do with resolution than the AF system (I’ll explain this later).

The AF system allows up to four registered AF points–two for each orientation. The AF points I’ve registered are these (two different AF points for each orientation):

The camera can sense which orientation it’s in, so when you rotate the camera, it’ll automatically switch to the AF points you registered specifically for that orientation. You then can map two separate AF buttons to control each of the two AF points in each orientation. Isn’t that just freaking awesome? In comparison, the 1D Mark II only had two registered AF points total, and does not automatically switch the AF points when the camera is rotated, but it does allow two separate AF buttons to be mapped.

Other than the One-Shot mode and AI SERVO mode, there’s a AI Focus mode, which detects whether the subject is moving or not, and will automatically switch to AI SERVO mode if it detects movement (though you have to hold the AF button down). It’s a clever idea, but in practice, the AI’s reaction to movement is not as fast as I’d like, and while I can map the AF mode switch to the Depth of Field preview button, it requires me to hold it down in order to keep the AI SERVO going. I would rather deal with the slight delay of AI Focus’s reaction time than deal with two buttons I have to hold down during action tracking.

Overall, the 5D Mark III’s AF system is very good–as least as good as the 1D Mark II in almost all situations, and better in the more demanding situations. Having four registered AF points that you can access separately and instantaneously allows for a lot more flexibility and convenience when composing images. All in all, the 5D Mark III’s AF system is a big step forward for sure.

High ISO Performance
One of the main reasons I decided to upgrade was because I’ve been drooling after the amazing high ISO performance of today’s DSLR’s. The 1D Mark II can only go up to ISO 3200, and that’s nothing compared to the 5D Mark III’s ISO 102400. Even at the same ISO setting, the 5D Mark III’s files have a lot less noise–roughly 3 to 4 stops better it seems.

Those of you who are familiar with my photography knows that I am particularly fond of candid or casual style shooting, where low-light situation are the norm. That is why high ISO performance and AF speed/accuracy are the two most important features to me. Being able to shoot at insanely high ISO and still get clean enough files is like a dream come true–something I’ve fantasized about for years. With the 1D Mark II, I’d start to get nervous around ISO 1600 or so, and would almost never go up to ISO 3200, for fear that the file will be unusable due to excessive noise that can’t be tamed satisfactorily in post-processing. Now, I just leave the ISO on automatic and let it go however high it wants to go when I’m shooting casual stuff like the Kitty Cat Diary (though it caps off at 25600 in automatic mode). If I’m shooting something critical such as a professional assignment, then I’d be a bit more vigilant about how high the ISO is.

Here are some really high ISO shots (sorry, no links to full-size files. There are already plenty of excellent full-resolution test images of the 5D Mark III on the web, shot with exacting requirements for critical testing/comparison, so I’m just going to post my photography the same way I usually do):

1/60 @ f/2.8, ISO 25600, 75mm

1/20 @ f/2.8, ISO 20000, 75mm

1/60 @ f/4, ISO 25600, 75mm

1/60 @ f/4, ISO 20000, 75mm

I fantasized about this kind of ISO performance when I shot with the 1D Mark II, and now with the 5D Mark III, it’s like a dream come true. The high ISO performance was probably the number one reason I upgraded, and I’m very happy with it.

On a related note, I’m still in shock at how the extreme high ISO settings that we tried to avoid not that long ago–such as ISO 3200 and 6400, are now considered normal. I mean, look at these next shots–although not as high in ISO setting as the previous shots, they were considered either unattainable or very extreme just a few years ago:

1/45 @ f/5.6, ISO 10000, 75mm

1/60 @ f/2.8, ISO 10000, 75mm

1/60 @ f/2.8, ISO 8000, 75mm

This recent development in high ISO performance just boggles my mind, and similar to how I felt when we went from 56K modems to cable modems.

Resolution
5D Mark III’s full-frame, 22.3 Megapixelssensor, is definitely a huge step up from 1D Mark II’s 1.3x crop sensor at 8.5 Megapixels. The extra resolution allows me to crop a lot more aggressively and still end up with usable images. The high resolution also means at the same output size, I can miss the focus by a bit and the image will still look great, whereas with the 1D Mark II, if you miss the focus by the same amount, it’ll be very obvious. I definitely like how forgiving a higher resolution is–it allows me to worry less when I’m shooting, thus making the experience of shooting more carefree and fun.

Video
5D Mark III allows you shoot videos in the following formats: 1920 x 1080 (29.97, 25, 23.976 fps), 1280 x 720 (59.94, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps).

The video capability was something I was looking forward to trying out, especially after seeing this beautiful video shot on the 5D Mark II (make sure you watch it in HD resolution):

I figured, if the Mark II can shoot that beautifully, then the Mark III could only be better. There are currently plenty of video comparisons on the web of the two models that proves this to be true.

The 5D Mark III doesn’t have AF during video shooting, so you must pull focus manually, and that is a skill you really have to spend time practicing. For any kind of critical shoots, you’d have to rehearse focus pulling and plan out your shots, so you can’t just start shooting as if it’s a consumer digicam–you’ll end up with a blurry mess.

For casual home videos, it’s actually kind of a hassle to shoot with the 5D Mark III, precisely because it requires a lot more concentration and skill to keep everything in focus–especially when shooting with large aperture settings. If the subject is at moderate distance or further, you would have a very hard time keeping the details of the subject in focus, because you simply can’t see that much detail on a 3.2″ LCD screen. If I was just shooting very casual home videos, I’d use my Canon HF11 or the Panasonic Lumix LX5 instead, because they have continuous AF during shooting, and the much smaller sensors with vast depth-of-field are a lot more forgiving when it comes to precise focus.

With that said, the video is definitely beautiful on the 5D Mark III, having significantly better high ISO performance compared to many other DSLR’s with video capabilities. There’s no reason why you can’t shoot very professional looking production with it (as shown in the Marit Larsen video) if you have the skill and knowledge. For more demanding productions, the inherent lower dynamic range and data fidelity will be a problem for post-production processing, especially if you compare the footage to ones from much more expensive professional video cameras, but for most types of indie and modest productions, it can look damn good if you light the scenes properly, don’t stress the dynamic range or push the colors too far during post production, and don’t need to do high-end special effects (which usually requires 4K resolution).

There are a bunch of third-party video-specific accessories you can buy to turn the 5D Mark III into a more serious video camera, such as steadycam rigs, magnifiers for the LCD, focus pulling devices, and so on. If I ever want to shoot anything serious, I have no doubt the 5D Mark III will serve me well.

Here is a comprehensive video showing examples I shot with 5D Mark III, as well as direct comparison shootout between the 5D Mark III, the Canon VIXIA HF11, and Panasonic Lumix LX5. The shootout compares the video capabilities of DSLR camera, compact camera, and camcorder, exploring the pros and cons of each, and why you would want to use one type of camera over the others depending on the kind of shooting you do:

5D Mark III video samples + shootout comparisons – Part 1 (1080p Full HD available)

5D Mark III video samples + shootout comparisons – Part 2 (1080p Full HD available)

Although videos from the 5D Mark III is richer in color, has more dynamic range and latitude for post-processing, that image quality comes at the price of convenience. Even if you just want to shoot typical home videos of your kids and pets, you still need to have some skill in focus pulling and tracking subjects in order to get decent videos with a DSLR like the 5D Mark III. It really isn’t suitable for just casual shooting, and is much more suitable for serious video productions where manual focus pulling is the norm.

Accessories
I already have a Speedlite 580EX, so I’ve got flash covered. I really dislike using a huge hotshoe flash though–it adds too much bulk to the camera. I wish the 5D Mark III had an on-camera flash with rotatable flash head–that would really make my day. I have no idea why no one’s done it yet. How hard could it be to make an on-camera flash head rotatable? The Sony NEX-7 already does this by accident, so it’ll only take a little bit more effort to make it a reality.

I did get an additional battery, as well as the AC adapter, for really long sessions where I know I have a power outlet nearby and the session will chew through both batteries.

I’m all set in terms of lenses. As much as I’d like to upgrade my “lesser” lenses to superior ones, I’m actually fairly content with all my lenses currently, and only if they start to fail me would I consider replacing them. (My current lenses are: EF 70mm-200mm f/2.8 L IS, EF 50mm f/1.4, Sigma 12mm-24mm f/4.5/5.6, and Tamron 28mm-75mm f/2.8) In my focus tests, I did discover that the 50mm f/1.4 and the Tamron were having trouble with this situaton:

Those two lenses were having trouble locking onto horizontal ridges using the cross-type AF points and the horizontal AF points, but the double cross-type AF points worked just fine. They were able to lock onto the vertical ridges fine, even if it’s significantly lower in contrast. The 70-200 didn’t have any problems with either, and the Sigma was also pretty good, though the vertical ridges were too low in contrast when seeing through such a wide-angle lens. I’m guessing the fact that the 70-200 is an expensive, professional “L” series lens, is what separated it from the pack, and I’m tempted to replace all my lenses with “L” series ones. But this kind of testing is limited to a very specific scenario, and I may never come across a similar situation again when shooting.

Another interesting and related discovery, was that the Sigma didn’t get confused by repeating patterns such as this one:

All the other lenses would get confused by the repeating pattern and beep as if it has achieved focus lock, but the image would actually look like this:

This is an inherent flaw in the design of phase-detection autofocusing systems, and all cameras using this system (pretty much all mirror/prism-based SLR cameras) have this problem. I’m guessing the Sigma didn’t get confused because the ultra wide-angle somehow offset the split images from the prism enough to not make them overlap exactly (if I’m wrong, somebody please tell me).

I don’t plan on getting the battery grip for the 5D Mark III, since that defeats the purpose of going with a smaller/lighter body. I figured out a way to get the handstrap for the 1D series onto the 5D Mark III even without the battery grip though, and I also rigged a homemade rapid shooting strap (inspired by all the rapid shooting straps on the market such as the products from CarrySpeed and BlackRapid).

I originally made the rapid shooting strap for the 1D Mark II:

And then modified it for the 5D Mark III:

As you can see, it’s just parts scrounged from various spares I had lying around in my studio. The shoulder strap is the one I’ve been using on the 1D Mark II for ages, and I tied a spare strap I took from a large CD/DVD binder to it, then tied a knot on one strap to be used as a stopper, so the strap will automatically rotate back into place when I put down the camera. The tripod mount screw was extracted from a broken tripod plate I wasn’t using anymore, and that allowed me to attach a key-ring, which I flatten a bit with a plier so it won’t slip out, and then attached the strap to it. There’s also a small snap hook (which is used to attach the handstrap) that came from an unused small camera pouch. The sliding, movable snap hook that’s attached to the key-ring came from a strap on an old laptop bag, and is what makes this whole rig a true rapid shooting strap, allowing the camera to slide up and down the strap freely.

So why did I make a homemade version? Well, obviously I can afford to buy a rapid shooting strap, so it wasn’t to save money. Mostly, I just like to tinker with gadgets and tools and make stuff, so I guess it’s just for the hell of it. I mean, there’s a reason why Elena and I are pack rats–we save all kinds of broken stuff just so we can cannibalize them and utilize their parts for some DIY project in the future. If I didn’t make this rapid shooting strap, what the hell else could I have done with those spare parts?

Conclusion

The things I love the most about the 5D Mark III are:

-Excellent high ISO performance
-Improved AF system with more flexibility
-Enough resolution for aggressive cropping
-Good ergonomics and flexible controls

The things that I wish could be better:

-AI Focus reaction time can be faster. It’s slow enough that most people never use it, which is a shame because it’s such a clever idea.

-I would love to have an on-camera flash with rotatable flash head.

-I hate that I can’t customize what information shown in the image playback on the LCD screen. Every time I want to see what ISO setting is, I’d have to change to another view mode, which shrinks the image to just a fraction of the display’s size, while the information takes up most of the screen. I’d much rather be able to set what information I want shown, and whether I want them overlapped on the image or force the image to be shrunken.

On the web, there are a lot of people bitching about how the Nikon D800 is a superior camera that costs a lot less. They get so wound up in that comparison that they seem to have forgotten the reason why we are photographers. For me, I would’ve been happy with either camera, because objectively, both are excellent cameras, and if the D800 didn’t exist, people would have nothing to compare to, thus enjoy the 5D Mark III as the excellent camera it is. I have Canon mount lenses, so it was kind of a no-brainer to go with the Canon. I’m just not into the idea of selling off all my lenses and rebuilding a system around Nikon, as I’d likely lose money doing that, not to mention it’s a big hassle. In every generation of competing products, there will always be a victor, but these competitors are constantly leapfrogging each other. If we continually climb to the other side of the fence at every product release, it’s only going to complicate our lives more. Me, I’d rather just enjoy shooting.

Am I happy with the 5D Mark III? Hell yes. It’s going to serve me well for many years to come–until we reach the next stage in technological advances.

5D Mark III Gallery
Here are some more shots I’ve taken with the 5D Mark III:

1/350 @ f/4, ISO 3200, 75mm

1/90 @ f/2, ISO 800, 50mm

1/60 @ f/2, ISO 800, 50mm

1/60 @ f/2.8, ISO 640, 65mm

1/60 @ f/2.8, ISO 400, 75mm

1/45 @ f/2.8, ISO 4000, 50mm

1/45 @ f/1.4, ISO 6400, 50mm

1/90 @ f/4, ISO 400, 75mm

1/60 @ f/4, ISO 6400, 75mm

1/60 @ f/4, ISO 4000, 75mm

1/60 @ f/4, ISO 4000, 75mm

1/30 @ f/2.8, ISO 320, 28mm

Just recently, even medicine have been tested as being toxic, containing poisonous heavy metals. The capsules used for thirteen over-the-counter medicine products have been flagged as having the poisonous capsules. The toxic capsules are made from processed old leather scraps (such as old shoes, hand bags). The immoral manufacturers try to cut costs that way instead of using food-grade gelatin.

It boggles my mind how short-sighted and stupid these people are. It’s not as if there’s an underground criminal network where they all know each other and can avoid the poisons that each other produces. So essentially, they are all just ingesting the poisons produced by fellow black-hearted food and medicine manufacturers from all over the country, and happily participating in this massive, slow suicide. For a country that’s notorious for being arrogant about how clever its people are, this is idiocy on a massive level that could only be described as the epic fail of an entire country.

Anyway, we’ll be flying back to The States sometime in May to look for a new home. We’re currently considering the Solano and Sacramento counties (closer to our price range, but still California). If any of you live in those areas and want to share some opinions on where best to live (safe, nice neighborhoods), or want hang out when we get there, just drop me a line.

SITE NEWS:
There’s now a The Best of Kitty Cat Diary section:

It’s been over ten years since I started posting Kitty Cat Diary entries, and by now, there are over 1,260 photos, so I decided to select my favorite ones and put them into a separate section.

WEBLOG:
After putting up with painfully slow bootup times (between five to ten minutes) for a few months on my main computer, I had enough and decided to upgrade to a solid state drive for the OS (Windows 7, 64-bit). The culprit for the exasperating slow speed was the old 80 GB SATA drive I was using, which was performing far below typical hard drives of similar specs. I ran some benchmarks, and the numbers told me just how slow the old drive was running:

No wonder it took forever to bootup and load all the startup apps. Those numbers are shameful.

Here’s an old IDE drive that’s out-performing it:

This is what typical SATA drives are supposed be like:

I had no idea why the old 80 GB SATA drive was performing so badly, but it was the perfect excuse to finally experience SSD for myself, after having read so much about its legendary speed.

I hopped over to tomshardware.com to see some benchmarks for current SSD’s, and then to newegg.com to checked out the ratings and customer feedback. I ended up getting the Intel SSDSA2CW120G3 120 GB–modestly priced and with good performance. It came with a data migration software (technically, a lite version of Acronis True Image Home 2010), and it moved my OS to the SSD just fine, but I was getting odd error messages during bootup like missing language packs, or can’t boot from the CD, and other persistent weirdness. Eventually I got the sucker to bootup my migrated OS, but only after scouring the web for solutions, trying various tricks, and an endless string of expletives.

And HOLY COW, the legendary speed of running the OS on a SSD drive is no joke! Check out how fast the SSD performs in comparison:

I bet my neighbors heard the victory grunt I voiced when the OS booted up on the new SSD for the first time.

It used to take anywhere from five to ten minutes to bootup the OS and load all the startup apps, but now it only takes about a minute and ten seconds. It’s still not as fast as it could be though. My other computer that’s four-years old (also running Windows 7, 64-bit) boots up in under half of that time, and it’s running the OS off of a typical 7,200 rpm SATA hard drive (but that computer isn’t loading as many different drivers and apps during startup, being a dedicated DAW machine). I could probably do more tweaking and shorten the bootup time even more, but it’s already such a huge improvement compared to before that I’m not interested in sinking any more time into the matter. I’m just enjoying the upgrade and how fast all the apps bootup. Even a slow booting app like Photoshop now only takes about four seconds.

All in all, I would say the speed is worth the expensive asking price of SSD technology, but only for the OS drive. For typical storage, SATA hard drives are still much more cost efficient (especially now we have terabyte drives costing the same as the gigabyte drives from just a few years ago). I hear that hybrid drives (using SSD only as the cache) are also a good choice, having the best of both worlds. Maybe I’ll look into that next, but for now, my rig is running smoothly, and that’s the best I dare to hope for, having been through some maddening computer-related problems in the past.

…

I finished reading The Hunger Games trilogy recently (haven’t seen the movie yet though). The books were briskly paced and the plot entertaining, but the premise was too far-fetched for me.

I didn’t for one minute believe that the characters in such a world wouldn’t have on-going conversations about, or attempts to find out what might be happening outside of Panem, or what the world was like before Panem and how they could have regressed so much. Even the fact that such a thing as The Hunger Games would even exist at all, was completely beyond my ability for suspension of disbelief. I didn’t believe it in Battle Royale‘s premise either, but at least that story had a somewhat delirious, surreal tone that’s meant to be kind of tongue-in-cheek.

Suspension of disbelief issues aside, I enjoyed the story, and finished all three books. That is a compliment, since I can’t remember the last time I actually read a trilogy from beginning to end without interruption. I think Suzanne Collins’ background as a television writer really honed her ability to craft engaging pacing and plot that’s all muscle and no flab.

I liked most of the characters in the books (especially Cinna and Finnick), but I’m not a fan of Katniss. This is a common problem in first-person narratives, where all the supporting characters are actually more interesting than the main character, yet you have to experience the story through the most boring character in the cast (I had the same problem with Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb). Well, at least Katniss is still more interesting than Bella Swan could ever hope to be.

Speaking of which, I tried to force myself to read Twilight a few days ago as a form of research, to see why it became such a phenomenal success, and I just couldn’t get through the first few chapters. I had to stop because the writing was just abysmal (I dislike trashing another writer like this–I usually try to show some restraint and be diplomatic, but in this case, just…wow).

The writing was essentially at the level of bad fan fiction, with awkward syntax, self-conscious diction, terrible grammar (and I’m not talking about creative usage, but simply ignorance), and a main character that I couldn’t stand to be around because she’s so incredibly dull, insecure, ungrateful, and shallow. It was a torture to read what’s essentially the angst-ridden diary of such a drab, unremarkable person.

And then it hits me. Bella is the fictional representation of typical Twilight readers, sharing similar traits with them, and these readers are simply living vicariously through her. They get to have a romance with an impossibly pretty boy that they can’t have sex with, while inexplicably attracting various other boys without ever having shown any traits that deserve such attention. What girl wouldn’t kill to be able to attract males without any effort at all, and no amount of clumsy shyness will diminish her allure? Is it any wonder that Twilight is so damn popular? It’s feeding the shallow vanity and wish-fulfillment of girls everywhere, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if these girls grow up and read an unhealthy number of trashy romance novels as their main literary diet.

Another thing that irritated me was Bella’s fake modesty. She won’t even acknowledge the fact that maybe those boys simply think she’s hot. I’m sorry, but every single attractive female I know is aware of her own beauty in some way, regardless of how insecure she might be or if she ever admits to it. There’s no way in hell a girl who moves into town and immediately gains a loyal male fan-base that follows her around like puppy dogs, isn’t in some way aware of her own physical beauty or is glad to be pretty–even if it’s just in secret. So not only is Bella a boring and unremarkable character, she’s also unrealistic because the author has no idea how to write believable characters (if you search the web, you’ll find lots of people accusing Bella Swan to be a Mary Sue).

The entire story of Twilight hinges on shallow physical attraction and nothing else (he’s so pretty, and she smells good. Seriously?). Romeo and Juliet had a shallow romance too, but at least the story had enjoyable prose propping up the love affair, and the tragic romance itself isn’t the ultimate point of the story–it merely served as a lens in which to examine the blind hatred between two aristocratic families, conveying how absurd and petty most human conflicts are. Without that crucial component, Romeo and Juiet would never have endured all these centuries.

Let’s hope that something else much better comes along to capture the hearts of young readers everywhere, gets adapted into popular movies, and ends up as a household name.

Oh wait, it’s already happened. Harry Potter and The Hunger Games.

…

Quickie TV and Movie reviews:

The Walking Dead (Season Two) The firing of Frank Darabont was a big surprise, since he’s such a revered director, and the one who brought the whole thing together. But I suppose because it’s an adaptation, the studio felt safer to fire Darabont than if it was an original series that was created and written by him. As an adaptation, they at least already have a road map to reference, so as long as they don’t veer too far from the general vibe, it’s really more of a matter of logistics (considering the reasons why Darabont was fired).

Season two dragged on for a while, and then finally picked up pace with the barn plot twist. The tone of the episodes after the long hiatus between episode seven and eight were distinctly different. The new direction was less introspective and more straightforward action, and I have mixed feelings about the change; the quicker pace was more exciting, but it sometimes bordered on cheap sensationalism and soap-opera-like manipulation. If this continues, the series would be in danger of becoming too campy.

I’m still looking forward to season three though. Glen Mazzara (who replaced Frank Darabont) would have to really screw the pooch for me to give up on this series.

Ink – Ink is an indie sci-fi movie made with shoe-string budget, and has gained a cult following, but actually not very good. There’s cheap-looking, and then there’s Ink–which has that homemade video trying to look cinematic instead of just embracing what it really is. The director seemed to do action sequences best, but as a storyteller in general, he’s just not very good. The premise was interesting, but the world-building and the characters were so convoluted and one-dimensional that the whole thing amounts to not much more than an exercise in style over substance. The emotional core of the story that is the plot twist, was so predictable and unoriginal that enduring the movie all the way to the ending didn’t seem worth it.

I’m generally not a fan of the whole one-man production approach. I’ve seen too many examples of that over the years, and 99% of them were disappointing. Why choose to expressive your creative vision in a medium where you are handicapped and penalized for being a lone artist, and will be compared to much bigger productions? Why not tell your story in a medium where the playing field is completely flat, while budget and manpower has no bearing on how good of a story you can tell–mediums such as novels and graphic novels?

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol – I was really looking forward to Brad Bird’s first live action feature film, curious to see if his directorial voice carries over from animation. After seeing the movie, I was neither disappointed or impressed. Maybe it’s because he didn’t write it, but the movie didn’t have a distinct vision–any number of today’s working directors could’ve directed it. In other words, I didn’t really sense any of Brad’s uniqueness in the direction–it was just another blockbuster action movie.

Léa Seydoux was really something though. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Her countenance reminded me of the kind of sensual, sweet allure that Kate Moss showed in her 1996 L’Oreal audition tape. Some women just have it, and it’s not due to looks, but how a woman feels on the inside and carries herself.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – A spy thriller that’s all about the psychological and emotional conflicts–basically what spycraft is like in real life, as opposed to how it’s usually depicted in most movies.

I had totally forgotten that Gary Oldman is actually an English actor, due to all the American roles he’s played over the years. He was very good in the movie, playing someone with so much self-control, which is opposite of the kind of explosive characters he often plays.

Buried – One guy, locked inside a coffin, for the entire movie. It was pretty clever, and kept me interested enough to want to see the ending, but it was also really boring to watch once I got over the novelty of the concept in the first twenty minutes. When you realize the entire movie is going to be just one guy in a dark coffin, you’ll be tempted to do something else while the movie plays, because you figure you won’t miss much if you just listened to the dialogues. I ended up doing other things on the computer while letting the movie play, and I didn’t miss a thing.

The Adventures of Tintin – This was probably the most disappointing film from Spielberg I’ve seen in decades. It lacked the charm of the source material, and on its own, didn’t have enough emotional resonance to compliment the action/adventure elements. I can’t help but feel that adding an interesting female protagonist to the Tintin and Haddock duo (well, trio, if you count Snowy) would have made the story a bit more well-rounded.

The workshop will be from April 30th to June 25th.

The previous run of the workshop was sold out, so act quick if you want to join us for the next run of the workshop.

While researching for the book I’m currently writing, I came across the Kids React videos on Youtube. I really enjoyed all the videos, although I don’t think I gained any new insights into the minds of today’s children. There will always be children who are quite “normal,” and there will always be those who are precociously mature and impressively articulate for their age. The latter are the ones I tend to write about, because they inspire both adults and other children, and I was a precocious kid myself, so that’s what I relate to. Someone like Severn Suzuki would be a prime example of the kind of children I prefer to write about. I like the idea that that children can be so intelligent, noble, wise, and courageous that they make many adults feel ashamed of themselves for not trying harder.

The downside to writing about impressive children is the whole “Mary Sue” problem (or “Gary Stu,” for male characters), so as a writer, I have to be careful and portray realistic people who despite how impressive they might be, are still human beings we can relate to. Personally, I don’t have a problem with the fact that Mary Sue characters tend to be very talented and capable, since I’ve met plenty of people like that. What raises eyebrows when it comes to Mary Sue characters for me, is the fact that they are often portrayed as perfect on the inside too.

So what happens if you have to write someone who is genuinely well-loved, noble, and with so few flaws that we almost can’t relate to how perfect they are? Today’s readers and writers are so savvy and picky that if they catch even a faint whiff of Mary Sue-like characteristics, they’ll jump on the author and proclaim him incompetent. So the question is, how do you write a lovable character who is inspirational and impressive in general, but not a Mary Sue?

I think in most cases, the so-called “perfect” people do most of their struggling on the inside. They have might have selfish and evil thoughts like the rest of us, but they have immense self-control, and they can overcome those dark thoughts and do the right thing. I’m not saying they don’t necessarily have more compassion and nobility than the rest of us, because often they do. What I’m saying is that they tend to have the self-control and tenacity to stick to being kind and compassionate towards others, even when they really don’t feel like it. I do know people in my life who always try to put on a smile, show kindness, and go out of their way to help others, even when they feel exactly the opposite–it’s as if they feel it’s their duty to make this world a better place. For the rest of us, all we see is a lovable, selfless, intelligent, and charismatic person, but we’ll never see the struggle that goes on inside of them–how they triumph over their inner demons.

As a writer, I think the way to make Mary Sues interesting is to write about that inner conflict. Novels have the freedom to explore the inner world of characters in ways that would be very hard or awkward to do in other storytelling mediums, so I feel as novelists, we should take advantage of that freedom. It doesn’t matter if your character acts like a Mary Sue–as long as she doesn’t also think like one, you should be able to write a relatable Mary Sue-like character with depth and complexity.

…

Living in a city like Fuzhou, it’s extremely hard to find decent cheese anywhere. (People in China generally dislike cheese–many find it disgusting and foul tasting, except maybe on a pizza. Hong Kong and Taiwan are far more accepting, since they are a lot more westernized.) Even the import supermarket we go to have dubious selection that’s inconsistent at best. Recently, We tried ordering imported cheese from taobao.com (the largest online shopping portal in China), and because the weather was still cold enough, the cheese products arrived in good shape.

We got some gouda and gruyere that are excellent, and we also got white truffle salsa, truffle oil, and Foie Gra that were very good:

To be able to enjoy food like this in our own home, while living in a relatively backwards city like Fuzhou, is really something, but they are so expensive since they are imported. I was excited like a little boy as we sampled each purchase. I guess it’s a good thing luxury food like these are so hard to find in Fuzhou, otherwise I’d stuff myself with them and eat a big chunk out of our savings.

…

I finished Dead Space 2, and I think in general, I liked it almost as much as the first game (which is one of my all-time favorite games). Some of the freshness and surprise isn’t there anymore, because I’m already familiar with the premise, the gameplay, the general mood, and narrative style, but the new location does provide some interesting levels and enemies, such as the babies and children, the childcare center, the shopping district, the residential areas, and so on. It’s hard to screw up a sequel when the first one already laid down the most important foundation to build upon though.

I’m totally looking forward to the next sequel, and I hope it will have a long life as a franchise like the Resident Evil series.

I finally found the time to play some Skyrim, and it’s been pretty okay so far. There’s no dramatic intensity to speak of, since unlike most RPG’s, the sandbox approach allows you just roam around, and random encounters have no carefully crafted dramatic structure that creates strong emotional resonance. Sandbox games all have this problem, and no matter how the developers try to put a main plot in the game, it doesn’t fix the problem because the game doesn’t force the player to follow the main plot, and when you can’t control the story progression as a writer, is when you lose the ability to craft a dramatic structure/pacing that only a good writer could.

I also started playing Mass Effect 3, and so far the premise feels a a bit like Bioware had jumped the shark regarding the whole Reapers and earth situation. I’m sure I’ll really enjoy the game anyway though–it’s Bioware, after all.

Other than the unlikely premise, I was really put off by this James character, who has no background and apparently is pals with Shepard. Bioware did nothing to tell the player who this James is–I had to find out by searching the internet. Apparently, he appeared in one of the other products related to the Mass Effect franchise. It’s unforgivable that Bioware expects the player to just know who this James is, as if they expect people to buy and experience all of their other Mass Effect related products.

Then there’s that Diana Allers reporter character, played by Jessica Chobot. Seriously, how the hell did that happen? It feels tacked on, like some kind of fan-service for the horny nerds. Chobot is nowhere near the caliber of a good voice actress–the whole thing was a marketing gimmick.

I can’t help but think all of the recent negatives I’ve experienced with Bioware games (including Dragon Age II) is directly related to the fact they are now owned by EA. Before EA, Bioware had a far better track record. Although in interviews, the Bioware guys deny that EA has any influence, but nobody believes it, by the simple fact that Dragon Age II was so rushed and many levels were obviously recycled. The Bioware before EA would never have done such a thing.

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Quickie TV and movie reviews:

Girls’ Generation and the Dangerous Boys – This was probably one of the more interesting SNSD reality shows, having the girls mentor five troubled teenage delinquent boys. Since Korean teenagers are in general much more polite and better behaved than western ones, the boys might seem perfectly normal by western standards.

Reality shows are by nature manipulative, and this is no exception. There were some genuine moments of emotions and conflicts, but so much it just felt too contrived (in this regard, Asian countries are far worse than western ones). I would say the show had a positive impact on the boys though, because at the very least, it showed them what it takes to work hard towards a goal, what kind of behavior is favored by society at large, and the dynamic between those behind the camera, in front of the camera, and the audience. If nothing else, it taught them to never trust the media ever again.

The Limey – It’s a little dated looking, and it doesn’t necessarily feel like a Soderbergh film, but it’s a decent thriller.

The Ides of March – An entertaining political thriller, although I think Ryan Gosling is too young for the role. I don’t know if the character was meant to be that young in the original screenplay, or they wrote/rewrote it for Gosling.

Friends with Benefits – Fairly standard Hollywood romantic comedy. If you like the main leads, then watch it I guess.

The Flowers of War (金陵十三釵) – A bit melodramatic, but a film with its heart in the right place. If the writing was more objective and less sensational, then it would’ve been a lot stronger.

Hugo – I was bored by the first half of the movie–it felt like a meandering movie for children without any interesting conflicts, and I didn’t like Chloe Moretz in this film. I have enjoyed seeing her in past movies, but she just seemed like the wrong actress for the role. Also, as she gets older, she enters the awkward phase, where her precious child charm no longer works–in fact, feels contrived–and she’s not quite developed the depth an adult actress needs. The second half of the movie dealing with the real story, is much more interesting, but by then, it was too late. I think it was a bad idea for Scorsese to tread into Spielberg territory, because his sensibility just isn’t built for it, IMO.

Fast Five – Crazy stunts. Attractive people. Fast cars. Pounding music. A bit smarter than typical action movies.

Brothers – Probably the best acting I’ve seen from Toby Maguire to date. The rest of the cast are all very high caliber actors, so in a way, Maguire really had to bring it in order to not look like the odd man out. The ending wasn’t very satisfying, but the dramatic tension up to the ending was quite good.

…

A couple of Korean indie bands recommendations:

I’ve mentioned Fanny Fink‘s first album in the blog before, and now here are two songs from their 2nd album, 7 Moments, that I really like:

Fanny Fink – Snowdrop

Snowdrop lyrics (translated by gogoparty.livejournal.com):

It snowed yesterday
The world changed a bit

I’m going to walk slowly
Signs, billboards, stoplights (this trip doesn’t need any of that)
Anywhere I go, I’ll be walking on the road towards you

I want to warm my day and give it to you
I want to warm my day and give it to you

It snowed yesterday
The world changed a bit

You don’t have to promise, you don’t have to be perfect (just stay like this)
It’s ok even if everything fades away soon

I want to warm my day and give it to you
I want to warm my day and give it to you
I want to warm my day and give it to you
I want to warm my day and give it to you

Today disappeared a bit
The world kept changing

I love the combination of the ethereal beauty and faint melancholy intertwined with tender love. It’s as if she’s holding on to that moment walking in the snow, knowing that maybe the relationship, like the snow, will eventually fade away. But in that moment, the warmth she feels in her heart is enough.

Fanny Fink – Hear Song

Hear Song lyrics:

(I didn’t find any credible translation for the Korean part online, but I did use Bablefish to translate that one single line of Korean in the whole song, which is repeated, and it gave me this: “Buys the radio, the ancientness cassette tape.” I guess you can guess the meaning from that broken machine translation.)

라디오를 샀어 아주 오래된 카세트테이프
라디오를 틀어 아주 오래된 카세트테이프
hear song hear song hear song hear song

라디오를 샀어 아주 오래된 카세트테이프
라디오를 틀어 아주 오래된 카세트테이프
hear song lalalalala hear song lalalalala
hear song lalalalala hear song lalalalalala

Listen up
No one’s out there
파니핑크(Fanny Fink) Hear song Lyrics
I’m singing away
singing away
Where I am
Holding your eyes
No one’s out there
I’m singing away

라디오를 샀어 아주 오래된 카세트테이프
라디오를 틀어 아주 오래된 카세트테이프
hear song hear song hear song hear song
라디오를 샀어 아주 오래된 카세트테이프
라디오를 틀어 아주 오래된 카세트테이프
hear song lalalalala hear song lalalalala
hear song lalalalala hear song lalalalalala

Listen up
No one’s out there
I’m singing away
singing away
Where I am
Holding your eyes
No one’s out there
Only for you

It’s just a really cute song, with very catchy melody and arrangement, combining acoustic and electronic instruments.

I was introduced to Nell recently, a Korean indie band (via the big Asian music thread on head-fi.org). Some of their songs are really poignant and moving. Here are a couple I really like:

Nell – Tokyo (in English)

Tokyo lyrics:

The love we make
The tears we cry
Sometimes they’re just not real

The heart we break
The wounds we make
Sometimes they just don’t heal

I think i’m losing weight again
I think i’m losing taste again
I think i broke my heart again
Will you stay with me

I think i lost my love again
Maybe i sold my heart again
I think i’m left with none but pain
Will you stay with me

The things we say
The things we hear
Sometimes they’re not real

The thing we touch
The thing we feel
Sometimes they’re just not real

I like how the lyrics address the fact that when love goes wrong and no matter how broken we might feel, there’s always the understanding that it’s all an illusion, and everything will eventually come to pass.

Nell – “Last Advice” (with English subtitles)
http://youtu.be/ac_dLg-Wp6g
(The video didn’t allow embedding, so please use the link)

Last Advice lyrics:

Be quiet please
Please shut your mouth
and stay in the corner quietly
Don’t overreact
Whenever you do that
I feel like going crazy

While I do you the favor of ignoring it, stop it
If you continue, this is only going to get ugly
Until now, this is what I’ve suppressed,
my very last advice

(A)
Your thoughtlessness
disguised as intelligence
Makes me nauseous
Gives me a headache
It’s driving me crazy with disgust
I can’t take it anymore

(B)
Your sleaziness
disguised as elegance
Makes me nauseous
Gives me a headache
It’s killing me with disgust
I’ve run out of patience

How far would you fall?
Stop, Please stop
Until now, this is what I’ve suppressed,
my very last advice

Repeat (A) & (B)

Your wickedness
disguised as virtue
Makes me nauseous
Gives me a headache
It’s driving me crazy with disgust
I can’t take it anymore

Repeat (B)

This is my last advice
my very last advice

Anyone who’s ever fallen so far out of love with someone, to the point of becoming totally disgusted by the person, can relate to this song.

…

Quickie TV/Movie reviews:

Flashpoint (season one) – I found out about this Canadian TV show because I was looking up Claire van der Boom. She’s not in the first season, but the show’s not bad. Some episodes are a bit formulaic and outdated compared to American TV shows, but the good episodes are quite entertaining. It’s focuses more on the psychological and emotional aspects of being part of the Canadian’s version of a SWAT team. There’s very little action, which I think was on purpose. The show’s sometimes a bit too sedated for its own good though, especially when it has to compete from edgier shows that really know how to hook the audience.

Drive – A surprising film, combining the subtlety of a quiet, indie drama with the tense action of a thriller. Carey Mulligan is always a pleasure to watch. And Ryan Gosling–well, he’s Ryan Gosling. You know what you’re getting when you watch him.

Captain America: The First Avenger – Out all the Avenger’s solo movies, this one was the least interesting one. Iron Man, Thor, and The Hulk all had much more interesting solo movies. I’m definitely looking forward to The Avengers though, being a big Joss Whedon fan.

The Wrestler – Darren Aronofsky is one filmmaker whose work I follow without exception, not necessarily because I love the movies he make, but because I respect his clarity of vision and talent as a storyteller. The Wrestler, like his most of his other films, is about broken people who could only find meaning in their lives through obsessions, even if it might cost them their lives.

I liked the movie a lot, but the whole subplot with the daughter was a bit too predictable and familiar. When she mentioned the missed birthdays, I almost rolled my eyes. Really? With so many different ways to fuck up a relationship, the most clichéd missed birthdays was the one that made it into the screenplay?

13 Going On 30 – I couldn’t sit through this derivative, overacted, contrived, saccharin mess. I thought it might be something like Big, but with a female protagonist. Not even close.

Final Destination 5 – There’s no other reason to watch this franchise than the creative deaths. After five movies, it’s still fun (I think this is the last one though, since it reaches full circle with the first one).

Dogville – I hated Lars von Trier’s Dancer In the Dark (it was a contrived mess without any logical motivation for the protagonist’s needless sacrifice), but I enjoyed Dogville a lot (if the word “enjoyed” could even be used to describe a Lars von Trier film). It’s clear how disappointed von Trier is in humanity, and in some ways, I share his pessimistic view about human nature, but I think this movie’s a bit too pessimistic. Genuinely kind people are the small minority in our population, but they do exist, and I wish the movie could have addressed that.

Contagion – An enjoyable, fairly low-key epidemic thriller. Soderbergh is an excellent director, and although I haven’t seen all of his films, I’ve seen about a dozen, and I’ve liked them all.

True Romance – Revisited this one recently because people keep talking about it. I didn’t care for it when I watched it all those years ago, and I still don’t care for it now. I think it’s probably one of the weaker screenplays Tarantino’s written, and compared to Pulp Fiction, which came out just a year later, Tony Scott’s direction was also kind of immature.

The Skeleton Key – A decent gothic horror. A bit hokey in some spots, but watchable.