THE REAL HIDDEN PARADISE

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Few years back I wondered whether there were still places on our beautiful planet where they had yet been explored by tourists. The Peninsular of Bima with city on the island, Kota Bima in Indonesia is such the place where it is still rare and yet to be discovered by tourists. I have tried to be in this earthly paradise for several months this year and fortunately by chance I have many local friends there who are willing to help accompany me during my stay there.

Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 with Full Frame emount, F13,1/60 sec., ISO-100

For a travel photographer, this is a real hidden paradise with a lot of spots that have not been photographed. Many places are still untouched and everything can still be visited without passing a cash desk and tourist agencies. I started traveling from Dompu and Bima (Kota Bima) regency to Sape regency which is almost 200km apart with winding roads and sometimes faced with severe road surfaces. Many places do not have paved roads, but my bizarre local friends from the Alpharian Bima Community are “trained” to drive through potholes and bumps. Each stopover for photography and ciggy break was exceptional. East North as well as West South of Bima offer beautiful beaches, hills and mountains and not forgetting the beautiful local folks. Most of the beaches are pristine and often you can spend an entire day without too many people. More than often you can stay there alone for hours. I was also truly amazed with the kind hospitality extended to me as an outsider. Bravo Bima Alpharian, “Anda Semua Luar Biasa”!

I traveled during dry weather that went up to 42 degrees Celsius at times. While exploring the dusty and dry land, I feel safe being accompanied by local friends and besides, this is the best way to get to know each other. Time tends to go by surprisingly slow when you have to wait for dawn and dusk. For this trip I packed full frame 42 megapixel e-mount and APSC e-mount camera as well as four ZEISS Batis and one Milvus lenses. This was everything I needed for capturing the beautiful landscapes and such. Staying outdoor for 10 days, all my gears need to operate perfectly in the hot, dusty and dry conditions and to be able to withstand every form of severe weather condition. The ZEISS lenses offered unbeatable build, quality and reliability. I did not face a single problem using them.

My easy thoughts of Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 AMAZING LENS!

When I first received the pre-production Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 Lens, my first expression was that this is the beauty sexyness lens. Within my journey the lens always on the camera which its connected with Metabones IV. The result was fantastic. How Milvus 25mm dealt with Full Frame 42 megapixel e-mount surprised me in a very positive way. It offers strict control of color aberrations, wide open along with beautiful bokeh, and stopped down a bit, it delivers amazing sharpener but in a wide open F1.4 with a little vignette on full frame 42 megapixel e-mount.

Aperture Range: f/1.4 to f/16
2 Aspherical elements, 7 Low Dispersion Elements, Zeiss T* Anti-Reflective Coating
Manual Focus Design
Anodized Metal Barrel, Rubber Focus Ring with Weather-Sealed Construction
Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm
Filter diameter: 82mm
Minimum focus: 0.25m
Weight: 1095g
Lens mount: Canon (ZE), Nikon (ZF.2)

It is a specialist lens designed for the highest resolution sensors; I would want to use it with a tripod for considered, unrushed photography in any kind of conditions and without limitations on quality, performance or light. On a more positive minimum focus distance is 25cm and also the lens gives attractive 18-point sunstars when shooting into the light stopped-down. There’s no autofocus with this lens, meaning you’ll need to rely on technical focusing "focus peeking" skill to achieve a sharp shot. Here are some sample photos showing what this lens can do. I will update to compared with Zeiss Batis 2/25.

The Beauty of Kelapa Island is one of the exotic beautiful islands in the form of hills with savanna grass. The island is also dubbed as a miniature of the Raja Ampat.

Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 with Full Frame emount, F11 ,0.4 sec., ISO-100

Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 with Full Frame emount, F8.0 ,0.4 sec., ISO-100 +2/3EV, Panorama stitch 6 single exposure

The Child Jockeys brave danger for cash and glory

A Children, aged five to ten years, are trained and used as jockeys in kota Bima for popular horse races, a traditional sport in the area and a cultural heritage which continues to be preserved by the people of Bima. Hundreds of horses are usually entered in these races. The children's training starts from early age. Around five, they are not afraid of riding at high speed. The horseback riding and horse handling ability is taught as it is passed on from parent to child, as is the feeling of excitement and honor of competing in these races as well. Horse owners are on the lookout for small and light competent riders. The child jockeys are traditionally trained to race with skill and guts, but they do not wear proper safety equipment. They ride without a saddle or footwear, and often no helmet, so thick socks, long sleeves and a full face mask are used as protection from flying debris. These simple items form the best safety riding gear they have. Although dangerous, the child jockeys are fully supported by their parents as it is a local tradition. The fathers too were once on a horse as a young boy. It is also economically good for the family, who earn from the horse owners. The jockeys earn IDR 30,000 to IDR 50,000 each ride, and they ride 10 to 20 times in a day. The races draw hundreds of betting spectators from all around the city to come, watch and bet. As children in a competitive and dangerous fast sport, there are tears and fears, especially with falls. Accidents happen, and some cause severe injuries and the risk of the child jockey being trampled by a horse. But the race still continues on despite the spills, as it is not just a competition, but also a pride of a tradition.

Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 with Full Frame emount, F4.0 ,1/2000 sec., ISO-100 (handheld)

BIMA BIMA Zeiss Batis 2.8/135 with APSC emount, F2.8 ,1/1000 sec., ISO-100

BIMA BIMA Zeiss Batis 2.8/135, f2.8 with APSC emount , F2.8, 1/1000 sec., ISO-100

Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 with Full Frame emount, F4.0,1/2000 sec., ISO-100 (handheld)

Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 with Full Frame emount, F5.6,1/125 sec., ISO-640 (handheld)

Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 with Full Frame emount, F2.8,1/30 sec., ISO-6400 (handheld)

Sarae Nduha

Meaning of the word "Sarae Nduha" can be translated is a landslide sand, National parks are still relatively new this could be one of the coastal tour with savannah. In eastern “Sarae nduh”a you will be served with scenery savana “doro ncang” a (mountain split) with buffalo, cow, and many wild horses. And no less interesting is the cliff of the hill on the beach that is the main attraction for visitors. The sea is still blue asrih making the southern scenery “sarae nduha” beautiful with Tambora mountains that are the icon of the island of West Nusa Tenggara.

Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 with Full Frame emount, F13, 30sec., ISO-100

Ntumbu Tuta is a part of the traditional heritage of the Bima people in the West Nusa Tenggara

Yet there are those who know exactly when the attraction of art like this started there in Bima. Because this is just found in District of Wawo. But some historians and cultural experts argue that this attraction has existed 17th century of Sultanate Bima. Nearly 90 percent of traditional arts attractions Milky dominated by attractions that depict the spirit of patriotism dexterity and “heroism”.

BIMA BIMA Zeiss Batis 2/25 with Full Frame emount , F3.5 ,1/640 sec., ISO-200

MORE PICTURE

Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 with Full Frame emount , F11,1/100 sec., ISO-100 (handheld)

Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 with Full Frame emount, F2.0, 1/125ec., ISO-100 (handheld) Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 with Full Frame emount, F2.0, 1/80sec., ISO-400 (handheld)