Old with the New
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/200
After a full day of wandering around central Seoul, I was still pretty excited to get out and do it all over again the next day to see what else I could find. After all, in the megacity of Seoul you can just pick a direction to walk and eventually stumble across some cool sights! Being our last day, however, I headed out with a friend to hit as much as possible with the help of Seoul’s (incredibly cheap) metro.
First up, we found our way into Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok village, a traditional housing district that preserves an architectural style hundreds of years old. Amazingly, all of the homes are private residences, so tourists are advised to stay quiet while walking around enjoying the craftsmanship.
Rooftop Garden
16mm, ISO 100, f/2, 1/2000
Cafe Style
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/2000
Lavish Entrance
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/2000
Paneled Garage
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/400
Alleyway Selfie
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/3200
Rooftops
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1250, 8 images stitched
Tea House Interior
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/40
Lunch Break
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1600, 6 images stitched
Situated on steep hills, some of the alleyways lead to nice views of the surrounding area, and even a bit of the Seoul skyline.
Tight Spaces
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/3200
Skyline Solitude
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/3200
Next up, we checked out Changdeokgung Palace, a lesser known brother to the Gyeongbokgung Palace visited the day before. With fewer visitors, it was a bit easier to get cleaner shots of the impressive wooden buildings and colorful woodwork.
Donhwamun
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/2000, 4 images stitched
Injeongmun Thoroughfare
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/2000
Carefree
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/160
Seonjeongjeon
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/800, 10 images stitched
Injeongjeon
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/2000, 34 images stitched
Injeongeon Detail
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/2000
Throne Hall
32mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/30, 4 images stitched
Lattice Detail
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/640
Island
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/2000, 15 images stitched
Tree Steps
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/640
What really made Changdeokgung special, however, is its Secret Garden that makes up half of the palace grounds. This extra area has its own admission ticket unfortunately, but the views inside of the manicured gardens and pavilions are something else entirely.
Secret Garden Entranceway
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1000
Seungjaejeong
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1600
Pit Stop
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/640
Pointed
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/640
Late Day Reds
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1000
Raised
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/400, 8 images stitched
Floral
32mm, ISO 100, f/14, 1/100
Buyongji Pond and Juhamnu Pavilion
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1600, 30 images stitched
Seohyanggak Entrance
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/800, 20 images stitched
With the sun already fading, we hopped back on the metro to see more of the Lotus Lantern Festival, this time towards Jogyesa Temple and its thousands and thousands of colorful lanterns.
Street Fair
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/400
Jogyesa Temple Entrance
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/160
Idol
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/320
Lantern Bearers
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/125
Variety
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/125
Artistic Detail
16mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/125
Parade Prep
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/125
By this point in the evening, our thoughts were shifting heavily towards finding some Korean BBQ, so I suggested going through Namdaemun Market right in the heart of Seoul.
Namdaemun Park
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/200, 4 images stitched
Namdaemun Market Entrance
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/60
Evening Hours
16mm, ISO 100, f/4, 1/60
Central Market
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/60, 12 images stitched
After dinner, it became yet another race to make it back to the shuttle to our hotel. Despite the rush, we left feeling pretty satisfied with our time in South Korea. While traveling in the Navy, it is quite rare to have much free time, let alone two whole days. Just like my megacity back “home” in Tokyo, Seoul has so much more to offer if I ever find myself traveling there again. Whether it’s the nice people, traditional vistas, or the awesome spicy food, South Korea is just a cool place to be.
While on the trip, I also set out to get some more 4K test footage around the area. This time I focused on remaining near 1/60th shutter speed to see if it has any effect on the rolling shutter this resolution exhibits. Aside from making regular motion a bit smoother, 1/60th does seem to help slightly when panning, but the “jello” effect is still there for any pans faster than walking speed. In addition, although the a6500’s IBIS is great for stills, it can only reliably stabilize footage made at either 50mm or wider. Any more telephoto than that and you’ll need to combine the IBIS with some sort of steadycam or work on it in post. Some stabilization was added to the below clips, but otherwise everything is straight-out-of-camera.
That’s all for this post, guys and gals. This will be my last photograph-focused post for a while, as I am shifting my workflow to produce more lens reviews for this website. I am still busy acquiring the testing materials I need to hold true to my previous methods, so it may be a couple weeks or so until I can get my Laowa 105mm review up. That said, I may find more free time than I anticipate, so we’ll just have to wait and see! I’ll leave you all with a quick snap of Lotte World Tower, the tallest building in South Korea standing at an impressive 555 meters (1821 feet!). As always, have a great day!
Evening Perspective
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/15
Matthew Durr Photography 