Cameras

Among the cats and clouds at Houtong Cat Village

Off the grid with the Fujifilm X-S20

Published

September 13, 2024

MJ Jucutan

Coming back to Taipei felt like a reunion with a close, old friend. With memories of friends, coworkers, and a past romantic interest, this city has always held a particular place in my heart.

Despite my intention to only cover COMPUTEX, the largest tech event in Asia, I couldn’t help but remain longer. I wanted to return to my favorite places. In the midst of all, I found an excuse to check off a bucket list item: visiting the Houtong Cat Village.

As a fur parent, it became a recent dream of mine to hop on a place teeming with chonky cats. On the way to Houtong Cat Village, I made up my mind to rely solely on the Fujifilm X-S20 as my travel camera and forgo using my iPhone this time around.

@hemjaye Cats, rain, coffee, and good view? Sign me up 🙋‍♂️ #HoutongCatVillage Shot on Fujifilm X-S20 🎥 #ShotOnFujifilm #Cats #fyp #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #fypage #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #foryou #foryoupage ♬ original sound – mj

Racing against the clock

The day began in a whirl of racing feet and frantic glances at my watch as I sprinted through Taipei Main Station, urgently hoping to catch the 9:20 a.m. train going to Houtong. Missing it was not an option.

My Dr. Martens clunked against the station floor as my navy trench coat billowed behind me, shielding me from the drizzle.

I looked out the window, and the gloomy clouds outside echoed my mood and brought back memories. It reminded me of the cloudy days when I used to roam these identical streets, looking for love and moments that had gone through my fingers.

On a rainy Thursday morning, seats were nearly empty, with only a few people commuting to Houtong. I could hear the soft murmur of conversations in Mandarin, drifting through.

Nevertheless, traveling on an antiquated train gave me the impression that I wasn’t a traveler, but a resident returning home to mā and bà.

I pulled out a copy of Brianna Wiest’s book “The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery”.

It was my traveling companion for an hour on the train, hopefully providing enough entertainment for me during the lengthy, dwindling trip.

Welcome to Houtong!

A light drizzle and an opaque veil of fog shrouded the scene when I got off the train, creating a surreal yet ethereal ambiance. The village appears to be fairly rural, with a tranquil atmosphere permeating the area.

The noise of Taipei had already subsided, replaced by the patter of rain and the meowing of the village cats. Today’s Houtong Cat Village is replete with remnants of its past as a coal mining village.

A gentle haze blanketed everything in the village, giving me the impression of entering a whole other world—one that was very different from the busy Taipei I had left behind.

Thanks to the Fujifilm X-S20’s excellent image quality and compact design, I was able to capture pictures and films of the village, even when I was shielding myself from the rain and mist with an umbrella.

Purring through the mist

Houtong Cat Village felt like a peaceful oasis. The gentle meows of the cats blended in with the steady patter of falling rain as they roamed aimlessly. Despite an overcast morning, the neighborhood felt alive.

Inside the cat cafes, I found comfort. These cafes were set on top of a hill, with views of the Keelung River and mining park.

I lingered inside Walk & Taste Café for a while, sipping on their toffee latte and feasting on their brunch.

At that time, Vincenz—a friend of mine—was on Empress Gallery, sipping coffee and eating a personalized cat dessert.

Naturally, I couldn’t resist. After all, it was the perfect excuse to see more chonky cats.

Finding calm in the rain

I headed back to the train station after spending the morning in Houtong. There, I reveled in the pictures and films I had taken during my brief visit.

I felt warm and satisfied as the sound of my footsteps leaving the village was accompanied by splattering raindrops.

The trip to Houtong Cat Village was a delightful diversion from Taipei’s daily hustle and bustle. It gave me the opportunity to calm down and appreciate the small things in life.

Photo taken using the Fujifilm X-T50.

I was able to save my recollections of my new favorite place, thanks to the Fujifilm X-S20. I stepped off the train bound for Ruifang, eager to see what awaits me at my next stop: Old Jiufen Street.

Photos were taken using the Fujifilm X-S20 unless otherwise stated.

Related Topics:Fujifilm Fujifilm X-S20 specials

Cameras

Sony announces new FX5 full-frame camera

Newly-developed sensor, Open Gate recording, more enhanced capabilities

Published

July 23, 2026

GadgetMatch

Sony has launched the new FX5 full-frame camera in its Cinema Line series with enhanced capabilities.

The camera is equipped with a newly-developed fully stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor and the latest high-speed BIONZ XR2 image processing engine, which includes a dedicated AI processing unit.

When shooting in S-Log3, the camera achieves 15+ stops of dynamic range. The broad latitude and low-noise performance enable seamless roll-off from highlights to shadows and natural texture reproduction, even in high-contrast scenes.

Three Base ISOs of ISO 800, ISO 4000, and ISO 12800 enable low-noise image expression under a wide range of conditions.

Moreover, Dual Gain Shooting function, supported for the first time in the FX series, maximizes the performance of the image sensor to enable smooth gradation reproduction with even wider latitude, while effectively reducing noise without compromising shadow detail.

For the first time in the Cinema Line FX series, the FX5 supports Open Gate shooting, as well as in-camera recording in X-OCN, Sony’s proprietary RAW format.

This includes a variety of scan modes like 17:9, 16:9, and super 35mm. This allows for flexible angle-of-view selection for the user’s creative intent.

The camera is capable of shooting in 5K at up to 60 frames per second, in 4K up to 120 frames per second and in FHD up to 240 frames per second.

These features bring together the Cinema Line look and operability designed to meet the needs of production environments in a compact, highly portable body.

The Sony FX5 will also include two new optional accessories: a detachable OLED viewfinder and an XLR Handle that enables recording in-camera at up to 96 kHz, 32-bit float.

The camera system incorporates expertise that Sony has cultivated through the development of Cinema Line cameras, which have earned high praise from cinematographers and video creators around the world.

Price, availability

The ILME-FX5 with XLR Handle Unit (SG$ 7,199) and ILME-FX5B Body Only (SG$ 6,399) will be available for pre-order until August 9.

The DVF-EL1 OLED Detachable Viewfinder (SG$ 899) and VMC-BNCU1 Timecode Adapter Cable (SG$ 129) will be available after Mid-August.

Meanwhile, the XLR-H2 XLR Handle (SG$ 1,099) will be available by special order.

On July 28, the FX5 will also be on display atThe Arts House At The Old Parliament from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., giving creators the chance to experience it for the first time.

Cameras

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P launches with dual lenses and a 1-inch sensor

The biggest upgrade yet to DJI’s compact gimbal camera

Published

June 29, 2026

MJ Jucutan

The original Osmo Pocket launched in 2018 as a pocket-sized gimbal camera for people who wanted smooth footage without carrying a full rig. DJI has been building on that idea ever since, and today, with the Osmo Pocket 4P, they made the biggest jump yet.

A significant change

The most significant change in the Osmo Pocket 4P is the introduction of a dual-lens system. While previous Osmo Pocket models limited creators to a single, fixed field of view, the 4P provides two distinct options.

The camera features a wide-angle lens backed by a new 1-inch CMOS sensor alongside a 60mm medium-telephoto portrait lens boasting an f/1.8 aperture and 3x optical zoom. This second lens fundamentally changes how creators shoot on the ground.

At the 60mm focal length, backgrounds compress naturally to separate the subject from the environment without relying on artificial software rendering, offering an invaluable tool for capturing people at events, during travel, or throughout daily life.

The wide lens captures 17 stops of dynamic range through what DJI calls LOFIC technology, which handles high-contrast scenes like backlit windows or golden hour without blowing out the sky or burying the shadows.

Advanced sensor tech, color latitude

For high-contrast environments, the wide-angle lens captures an impressive 17 stops of dynamic range utilizing DJI’s new LOFIC technology.

This hardware addition allows the camera to effortlessly manage difficult lighting scenarios, like backlit windows or golden hour horizons, keeping the sky intact while preventing shadows from turning muddy.

On the color processing side, DJI has introduced a 10-bit D-Log 2 profile capable of recording over a billion colors. This shift provides editors with significantly more latitude to grade footage in post-production, avoiding the limitations of a baked-in, in-camera look.

High-speed motion, smart framing

In terms of capturing motion, the 4P supports 4K slow motion at 240fps, making it ideal for fast-moving subjects that benefit from a stylized, slowed-down perspective.

A slow shutter video mode is also included, allowing users to organically capture light trails in low-light environments. Physical stabilization continues to rely on a mechanical 3-axis gimbal, drawing directly from the heritage of DJI’s professional Ronin systems.

Weighing just 230 grams, the compact unit incorporates ActiveTrack 8.0 to handle automated subject tracking, maintaining precise focus through the entire 12x digital zoom range — a feature that proves essential for solo creators who need the hardware to handle framing duties.

Practical updates for daily use

DJI has also focused heavily on the realities of on-the-go shooting. The 4P introduces gesture controls, letting users trigger subject tracking or start recording without physically touching the device.

A new 4K Live Photo mode automatically captures a 1.5-second clip alongside every still image, while the main sensor allows for high-resolution 37-megapixel photos that offer plenty of room for cropping in post-production.

The battery charges from zero to 80 percent in just 18 minutes and delivers up to 210 minutes of runtime on a full charge.

Furthermore, files transfer via USB 3.1 at speeds up to 800 MB/s, ensuring that offloading a full day of content is a near-instant process.

Price, availability

The camera launches in both classic black and pearl white, accompanied by a modular accessory ecosystem and DJI Care Refresh protection plans.

It retails for PhP 37,790 for the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Standard. Meanwhile, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Vlog Combo retails for PhP 42,290.

Cameras

Inside an OCR training day with Bring Your Game

Captured on the Canon EOS R6 Mark III

Published

June 19, 2026

MJ Jucutan

The first leg of Spartan Race’s Philippine National Series doesn’t wait for anyone.

We joined an OCR team, BGY BYG aka Bring Your Game, at Bridgetowne Obstacle Park as they put themselves through an obstacle course race simulation. I brought the Canon EOS R6 Mark III to document every athlete giving their best.

Shooting under direct midday sun is its own challenge. The 32.5MP sensor handled the harshness of open daylight without blowing out detail. The 40fps electronic shutter and Pre-continuous shooting meant we were already in the frame before the moment fully happened.

Athletes were moving fast and in every direction, but the 8.5-stop IBIS kept every shot steady as we moved alongside them.

The Dual Pixel CMOS AF II stayed locked mid-sprint, mid-climb, and everywhere in between.

This is what race prep looks like up close.