ROBIN WONG

Reliving The Nostalgia of Olympus DSLR System

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Recently I have been shooting more and more with the Olympus E-620, which I bought just to relive the nostalgia of my early day photography adventures with my first DSLR Olympus E-520. The handling the camera, the turn of the dials, the button presses, the click of the shutter button, the sound of the mirror-slapping and shutter clacking, all brought back sweet memories of me fumbling around my way learning the basics of photography so many years ago. Yet the Olympus E-620 is still a capable shooting machine, while being outdate now in terms of tech and imaging capabilities, it still can deliver great results. There is just something satisfying looking through an optical viewfinder (though I would rather have the safety and assurance of electronic viewfinder for serious work these days), and loud shutter sounds reaffirming that the shots have been taken. These portraits were taken on the same day as the previous blog entry, all on Olympus 50mm F2 Macro lens. These older cameras and lenses sure have some charm to them!

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I Eat Bangkok Part 2 - Street Food

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 05 May 2026 10:57:00 +0000

I was truly fortunate to have Jojo as my friend and guide in Bangkok, Thailand. Not only he brought me around the streets of Bangkok and showed me his favourite street hunting grounds, he also brought me to some of the best locations for food! Oh how we feasted. In the few days I had in Bangkok I must have gained so much weight, but all was good. I live to eat, food is one way to enjoy life, I don't care if you disagree with me. Glorious food is meant to be consumed and enjoyed! Bangkok indeed is food paradise, every corner you turn to, there is some amazing street food!

Jumbo Tom Yum Noodles, Kuey Teow Khae at Convent Road

Basil Minced Pork With Rice and Fried Egg, Dibdee, Si Lom

Pad Thai, Dibdee, Si Lom

Random Pork Leg Rice encounter on the streets

Mini Crispy Spring Rolls

Deep Fried Pork

Pork Leg Rice

Homemade Ice Cream with Traditional Jelly

50 years old Roast Duck Noodles

Thai Iced Milk Tea any time of the day!

Egg Pancake

Mini Dumplings

Mango Sticky Rice

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Shooting Portraits With Olympus E-620

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I recently brought the old Olympus E-620 out to do some portraits shooting. Many of you who have followed me from the beginning would know that I started exploring photography more seriously with my first DSLR, the Olympus E-520. Obviously the E-520 has died many years ago after enduring my abuse, well, that only shows I really did use the camera extensively. A few years ago I found the E-620 and I just could not resist the low price in the used marketplace, so I bought it just to relive the nostalgia of my early days of photography journey. The E-620 is still going strong, I paired it with the Olympus 50mm F2 Macro and shot some portraits of my beautiful friend Ivani (IG @ivani_leang). I also made a video to talk about why I prefer to shoot with an older camera like the dinosaur DSLR Olympus E-620 over any modern smartphones, you can check out the video here (click).

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I Eat Bangkok Part 1 - BIB (Break In Bangkok) Thai Contemporary Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 May 2026 09:57:00 +0000

I recently travelled to Bangkok, Thailand for a short holiday. It was a much needed break after the Kuala Lumpur Photography Workshop which I conducted with Peter Forsgard and Matti Sulanto about 2-3 weeks ago. I only have 3 things in mind for this trip to Bangkok - rest, a bit of street shooting and EAT. Yes, food was at the top of my priority. I went with my travel partner, Spencer and we attacked whatever food that came across our paths. We started with something easy and nearby our hotel, BIB which stood for Break in Bangkok, a Thai Contemporary Cafe restaurant. The food there is a fusion of traditional Thai dishes mixed with modern, western influences, and the food there was so good, we had to return for more!

Khao Soi with Grilled Thai Wagyu
Khao Soi originated from Northern territories of Thailand, I first had it in Chiang Mai. Serving it with medium rare Wagyu steak thick slices was genius!

Khao Soi with Grilled Thai Wagyu

Iced Thai Milk Tea
No matter how many times I had these, it was never enough. So, so good, even with zero sugar, the tea and milk were such a great mix!

Hang Le Curry Croquette Balls

Grilled Stuffed Pepper Stuffed With Pork
Looks like Yong Tofu eh? But this is soooooo good

Beef fat Chilli Garlic Fried Rice With Wagyu Beef
The fried rice is orgasmic! Explodes in your mouth, and the accompanying Wagyu Beef was just excellent

Beef fat Chilli Garlic Fried Rice With Wagyu Beef
Those beef cubes just demanded some close up attention! And I gave them all.

Thai Grilled Pork Neck With Jaew Jelly

Thai Grilled Pork Neck With Jaew Jelly
This thing is the bomb! We loved it so much, we returned on the last day before flying off just to have this ONE dish only! The jelly is something else entirely, some flavours I have not even tasted before in my life.

BIB Fried Rice
Fried rice with BIB sauce, served with frankfurter, smoked bacon, pork crackling, fried chicken and scrambled eggs.

Iced Thai Jasmine Tea

Pad Thai

Homemade Thai Iced Tea Ice-cream with Salted Egg Yolk

Me and Spencer

It is interesting for me to blog about food again, this brings me back to my earlier days of blogging. There was nothing to do with photography back then, the reason I started this blog was to document and remember - the places that I go to, the people that I hang out with and the food that I eat! And I do eat a lot of food, though it was never my intention to make this a food blog. Nevertheless, a few more posts about Bangkok food to follow, so ready your stomachs, Bangkok is indeed a food paradise!

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Experimenting With Cheap Macro Setup - They Work Really Well!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I always say that you don't have to break the bank to enjoy photography, and that applies to insect macro photography too. Assuming you already have a basic setup, even an entry level camera with a kit lens, any brand will do, you just need to spend an additional USD100 to start enjoying macro shooting. The trick is to get extension tubes and a cheap flash. The extension tubes allows any lens, even the kit lens to go extremely close to the subject creating massive magnification, almost macro like. The flash helps light the subject, there are many cheap, powerful flash available now, though for cheaper options you may need to control the power manually, which honestly is not a bad thing - you get to pick up a new skill along the way. If you don't want to spend more for a dedicated ready made flash diffuser, go make yourself one, there are many DIY options available, a simple Google search will give you some ideas and directions. I made my first DIY diffuser long time ago from a shoebox! Stop making excuses, and start shooting! I made a video to talk about this topic here (click).

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Trying Out Taylor Swift's Favourite Vintage Art Filter on Olympus Cameras

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Taylor Swift has been spotted using Olympus cameras over the years. In her Instagram posts, she specifically uses Olympus Vintage Art Filter I for her personal images. I thought it would be super fun to try out Taylor's favourite Art Filter doing a full street shooting session with it. I brought my Olympus E-M1 Mark II together with Olympus 25mm F1.8 and did a full shutter therapy session around Kuala Lumpur, shooting only with Vintage Art Filter, and the images shown in this blog entry were all straight out of camera. I also did a POV shooting sharing some tips on using Olympus Art Filter in my latest video here (click).

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This OneMoreShot SD Card Holder Is Awesome!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

My friend Jon Low made a new SD Card holder, he named it OneMoreShot. I think the simple idea and design work so well as an always ready carry solution. He gave me two units to play around with, and I have been using them for more than 3 weeks now. I got to say, I love how well it works, and I think photographers should consider this as a wearable solution to ensure you have a back up at all times! I made a video to talk about OneMoreShot, you can find it here (click). To purchase OneMoreShot, you can go to the official product's TikTok Shop here (click).

The OneMoreShot is a small sized SD card holder that is designed to hold just one SD Card, and is made to be wearable. It comes with a clip, which you can attach at various locations that are easily reachable, either on your camera bag, your strap, or even on the camera itself. The idea is to have one spare SD Card readily available at all times, reachable in an instant without fumbling around looking for the storage in your pocket or the camera's 500 hidden compartments. In an emergency situation, when you unwittingly ran into "SD card full" scenario, yet you are in the midst of an important shoot and you do not have time to waste, having a card that is easily swappable can save your life there and then.

I have used the OneMoreShot SD Card holder for more then 3 weeks now. I must say, I quite like it, and I have not come across any issues whatsoever. I like that is is truly small & light, I can attach it to anywhere I like, I just carry it on my camera bag, clipping it on one of the front pocket zippers. I love the bright orange color, it makes perfect sense so the card holder can be visibly spotted from a mile away. In case of urgency, I won't have to fumble around looking for it, even in the dark. I like now simple the design is, how easy it is to use, and the function just works as intended.

The SD card sits inside the holder securely, as you insert it into the slot, you get the "click" feedback, which is exactly the same spring loaded mechanism feedback that you get when you slot the SD card into your camera. The click is not only reassuring, you know the card is inserted properly, but also very satisfying to hear and feel. After shooting for so many years as a photographer, I am sure you can relate, hearing that click invokes certain emotion - it is a part of a real camera, hence making the experience of using OneMoreShot even more fun.

Some may worry about the bottom exposed part of the card when it is slotted into OneMoreShot. Will it fall out during rigorous activities? Will dirt and moisture get into the electronic contacts and destroy the card? I have tried to shake the card as hard as I can, and it still stays perfectly put, securely inside the holder. About dirt and moisture, that can happen, but the chances of them causing any harm or damage to the card are quite low. I demonstrated pouring water onto the card holder with an SD card inside on my YouTube video, no problem! The SD Card is a lot more durable than you think.

I highly recommend this "wearable" SD Card holder, OneMoreShot to any photographers out there. You never know, when you need it, it can save your life. It is not expensive either, the first batch is selling now for RM59.90/USD15 for a pack of 3 units. If you are a Malaysian, please do support a fellow Malaysian, I think Jon is doing amazing things! I am so proud of you Jon, and I can see everyone, everywhere in the world using OneMoreShot!

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Watch Out, Here Comes A Street Photographer in Malaysia!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:19:00 +0000

I find it amusing that people think those photo touts (as I have mentioned in my previous blog entry) are anything new. They have been around for so long, and the authorities have been battling them, you can easily find news coverage on this topic by Googling "photo touts Malaysia", you can find hundreds of matches dating years back. It is just strange that suddenly this made headlines in news portals outside of Malaysia, suddenly claiming that these are "street photographers" that the government has deemed illegal and tried to crack down in recent times. No, these photo touts are nasty, they deserved the harshest punishment possible and I am glad the authorities are stepping up their enforcement. However, myself and many street photographers out there, we still love to do what we do, and this news causing so much confusion had nothing to do with street photography!

I still do regular street shooting sessions, not as frequently as I'd like, but I do as much as I can. Typically I would go out on the weekends, since most of my friends have Monday to Friday day jobs. We usually go out in a small group, around 4-5 people the most, and we roam around the streets of Kuala Lumpur, aiming our cameras at whatever interesting subjects we can find. If I do intend to shoot people close up, I will approach and ask for permission. Most of the time it is an easy yes, people in Malaysia are mostly friendly, but sometimes we do get a little rejection there and here and that is perfectly fine too. No means no, and we do not cause trouble. Some people are just shy to have their photos to be taken.

The street shooting session normally lasts around 2-3 hours, sometimes shorter, depending on the weather, there are days it is just too hot to stay out being exposed by the cruel sun for too long. Most of these excursions are also a form of social activity, we get together with like-minded people and bounce ideas around, forming ideas for the next project shoot, or exchange thoughts on the latest cameras and lens releases in the market. The aim is to have fun - fun shooting around the streets, getting some nice street shots, and fun hanging out with friends. Seriously, what harm can street photography do? As photographers we are taught to observe, and not cause a scene. We capture the story, not make the story!

Following up the photo touts story, it seems like the local city council has also wrongly labelled these touts and street photographers. I have seen posters and online announcements made in their official social media platforms, addressing concerning issues about "street photographers" around KLCC areas. Maybe the overseas news portals just copied directly what was announced in these pages and made into the headlines - street photographers are now being banned in Malaysia. It is strange to observe this happening, because these photo touts have been operating for years, the local news have reported them as photo touts, why sudden change of terminology and call them street photographers?

This simple miss-step can cause massive confusion - is street photography being disallowed in Malaysia? Can tourists come in and take photographs on the street while visiting in Malaysia? Will they get into trouble if they take out their cameras and shoot some nice shots of the KLCC Twin Towers? Now that it is deemed "illegal" and government is "cracking down street photographers"? All this makes zero sense, I expect the local authorities to do better in properly describing the photo touts and not misrepresent the street photographers, who are totally innocent here!

The confusion can happen when the security guards at certain locations were briefed by certain management that took the announcement at face value - all photographers found on the street are illegal and need to face the law. Yes, things can quickly spiral out of control if the government themselves are not clear of what they are doing, or asking people to do. Someone up there needs to be responsible in cleaning all this mess up.

As for me, there is little effect or consequence here for us, we continue to shoot on the streets, life goes on. Thankfully my street photography grounds rarely intersect with the popular tourist hotspots. I stay off areas with a lot of tourists, and focus on locations where the locals go to. I am not doing any projects that require the presence of tourists or foreigners, my street photography revolves around ordinary lives of local Malaysian folks going through their daily routines - capturing a slice of reality I observe on the streets.

Shutter therapy goes on, and hopefully, the drama does not get worse than this!

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Photo Touts Mislabelled As Street Photographers in Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

In recent news, it is reported that the authorities are clamping down hard on street photographers in Malaysia. At a glance, it seems like street photography is now banned in the country. However, that is not true, what the news reports were referring to were not street photographers, but photo touts. It is quite sad to watch how poor journalism and classic misreporting has caused so much confusion and misinformed the public about what street photographers actually do. No, it is still perfectly legal and safe to practice street photography in Malaysia. I have also made a video to talk about this topic, you can see it here (click).

I have received a few comments on my YouTube channel and some emails from very concerned subscribers and readers about the street photography situation in Malaysia. From the news, it was quite obvious that the government is cracking down on street photography, and somehow it has become illegal to do street shooting here. As a street photographer myself, I too, got shocked when I heard about what these people told me. Thankfully I am physically here in Malaysia, and I know where the confusion comes from. They were obviously referring to photo touts, not street photographers.

What are photo touts? They are a group of people, sometimes very large group (30-40 at a time) roaming around KLCC Twin Towers area, targeting tourists, offering their photo services. They would push their services and harass the passerbys, following them and threatening them with very unkind words, becoming aggressive and intimidating. The photo touts have existed for a long time, since more than 10 years ago as I can remember. Not only causing nuisance to the public, they also disrupt traffic flow on the roads, as they would walk dangerously around the places just to get the shots they want.

Basically, these photo touts operate with a proper licence or permit, and the issue is not so much of their illegal business that the government was trying to eradicate, but it was the public annoyance. I am pretty sure the city council and KLCC management both have received thousands of complaints from tourists and locals alike, all pointing to the trashy behaviours of these photo touts that just plagued the whole area, causing so much public disturbance. When they were blindly walking around the roads, that was when safety becomes an issue. Enough is enough, and the authorities have been trying several methods to eliminate these photo touts.

For whatever strange reasons, the larger news sites (from outside of Malaysia) now picked up these stories and republish them recently. Instead of calling these people photo touts, they were labelled as street photographers, which was a massive miscalculation. Honestly, such a mistake can get some heads rolling.

Street photography is nothing like what the photo touts are doing. We street photographers roam the streets for all the different reasons. We are not doing street photography to earn money, we shoot for the fun of it, it is a hobby and we shoot the photographs for ourselves, not for others. It is a completely harmless activity. Furthermore, we do not harass the people in the public spaces, we have always been cordial and respectful and try to blend in, being discrete without causing a scene. Good street photographers move around undetected, and get the best natural shots as seen in real life. Street photography can be both journalistic or artistic, something which photo touts do not even care about. We try to find the perfect moment, the beautiful lighting, the dramatic action, all coming together to make the "wow" shot. It does not intrude, it does not cause nuisance, it is perfectly safe and peaceful.

I just don't see how some writers fail to do their due diligence and proper research before throwing the street photographers under the bus with their erroneous stories. Come on, we live in the age of Ai and Internet, just a few clicks away, you can save yourself from such an unnecessary mistake.

I hope this article has successfully debunked the false news - no, street photography is not banned in Malaysia, and it is safe to roam around the public spaces with your camera and do some street shooting. Let's hope the news sites exercise more caution and proper reviews before publishing their future articles.

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Casual Stroll Along Jalan Masjid India With Olympus E-M5

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

When Peter Forsgard asked me where would be a good spot to both film a video together and do some street photography, I immediately suggested Masjid Jamek area (downtown Kuala Lumpur). In early mornings, there are quiet spots along the back streets so we can film our conversation without worrying about excessive background city noise. Also, the whole area is very vibrant, people there are friendly, just the right place to do some shutter therapy. Peter interviewed me about shutter therapy while filming me in action, doing my thing on the street. You can watch behind the scenes video of me in action on Peter's YouTube video here (click). I am sharing the images I have captured that day here, all shot on Olympus OM-D E-M5 and M.Zuiko 25mm F1.8 lens.

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Bird Park Adventures with Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 on OM System OM-1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Since I have recently acquired the old Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 lens at a bargain, I have been itching to test the optical performance of the lens. I did some tennis shooting previously, but that was not the right place to test the lens image output. To push the lens to the limits, I brought it to the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park and did some close up portraits of the birds there. I think the birds have missed me, so a visit was necessary. The lens performed admirably, resolving plenty of fine details, excellent contrast and the sharpness was already so good even shooting at wide open. For a fraction of the cost of what the new OM System 50-200mm PRO is asking for, there really is nothing much to complain about the old Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 lens. It may not outperform the new lens in any way (lacking image stabilization built in, internal zoom or constant aperture, for example) but it sure can deliver beautiful results! I did a POV video shooting at the KL Bird Park, you can find the video here (click).

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I Was Featured On Peter Forsgard's YouTube!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:04:00 +0000

Peter Forsgard was here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the Kuala Lumpur Photography Workshop that I did together with him and Matti, so I thought it would be really great to do some street photography together. This time, instead of me interviewing Peter like what I did in my last blog article, I was actually being interviewed instead by Peter. The topic was about Shutter Therapy - how I came up with the phrase and what it meant for me. I guess by now, if you have been following this blog for some time, you would know what shutter therapy is, and I foresee myself doing it for a long period of time! It was really fun hanging out with Peter, he even said that Kuala Lumpur has become his top favorite city for street photography! I hope he comes back to KL soon, and do check out the video that Peter did, about me and Shutter Therapy, and he also shot plenty of footage capturing me shooting in action behind the scenes! Check out Peter's video here (click). All images in this blog are screenshots from Peter's video, used with permission.

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PETER FORSGARD - FROM SNAPSHOTS TO STORIES

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I managed to catch Peter Forsgard while he was here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and did a video interview with him about his recently published street photography book titled "From Snapshots to Stories". We had a coffee sit down session in a local cafe, and the interview went on for about an hour. Peter shared about the inspiration behind the making of the book, the writing process and who the book was written for. He also shared some interesting challenges he faced while publishing the book. The book consists of a wide array of street photography topics - various shooting techniques, documentary vs artistic approaches, the thought process behind images, diving deeper into understanding the key visual elements of photography, ethics of street shooting and many more! I have personally read the book, and I can highly recommend it to anyone seeking to improve their street photography game. Watch the video interview here (click). You can buy Peter's book here and here.

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Olympus E-M5 Original - Still So Awesome After All This Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Olympus OM-D E-M5 was released in the year 2012 and I think it was one of the most historically significant cameras for Olympus in the modern day digital era. Not only it revolutionized mirrorless cameras, the E-M5 Original has a magical charm that is difficult to replicate in other cameras. Even after all this time, using the E-M5 for my shutter therapy session recently in Kuala Lumpur, it is still such a wonderful camera to shoot with - it has decent image output, fast AF, good handling and ergonomics, 5-Axis Image Stabilization and all that made into a small, compact form body that looks super stylish. I hope OM Digital Solutions can recapture this charm in their next releases. I also made a POV video for my street shooting session, you can view it here (click).

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Dining At Park Lounge on 75th Floor of Merdeka 118 Tower

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:44:00 +0000

Gregory, a participant of my Kuala Lumpur Street Photography Workshop invited me for lunch with him at Park Lounge restaurant on the 75th floor of Merdeka 118 Tower. Not only was it my first time dining in a restaurant elevated so high above the ground level, but it was also my first time stepping foot into the iconic Merdeka 118, the second tallest building in the world! It was quite an experience dining at Park Lounge - the food was excellent, restaurant service was exceptional, such beautiful views of KL from 7th floor and the experience could not have been better shared with incredible friends. Matti Sulanto, one of my partners for the workshop was also there. I made a vlog to commemorate this, you can watch it here (click).

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SONY R1 - Unconventional Retro Innovation, None Like It!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I found this really cool Sony R1 from 2002 and I got to say, Sony made really cool cameras back in the day. They dared to be different and innovate their cameras, pushing boundaries and pushing the development ahead. The Sony R1 was the first large-sized sensor format camera (APS-C) to feature Live View, something that was unconventional at the earlier days of DSLR. It also features electronic instead of optical viewfinder. Perhaps the weirdest thing on the Sony R1 was the top mounted tiltable LCD screen, which works in some situations, but definitely not for high angle shooting. Having large sized 10MP APS-C sensor and bright zoom lens, this "prosumer" grade camera not only has a clear advantage over smaller sensor advanced compacts at that time, but it also challenges entry level DSLRs, with a strong proposition of built in lens with longer reach and brighter aperture compared to most kit lenses bundled with entry level DSLRs. I made a video to talk about this here (click).

Going Monochrome With Panasonic GF7

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I have mentioned several times about me disliking the color rendition from Panasonic cameras, but that does not mean I cannot enjoy using them shooting in black and white instead. That was exactly what I did recently with the Panasonic GF7 and pairing it with the Olympus 25mm F1.8, I did some street shooting purely in black and white. I also made a video to show the POV of this session and shared my personal reasons on why I love shooting with smaller cameras for street photography. You can check out my latest video here (click). Black and white was so much fun, I should do this more!

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Roaming Around With an Old DIgicam - Pentax Optio RS1500

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I have been scouting the used marketplace for cheap digicams, sometimes I get lucky and found something interesting. I got this Pentax Optio RS1500 at such a good price I just could not resist, and it was still in such a great condition! There was nothing to shout about this camera really, it was a basic compact digital camera with very little controls and it was designed to be used as a point and shoot. As such, I did not have high expectations and I just let the camera do all the jobs and I merely clicked the shutter button, treating the camera as what it was - a point and shoot. I thought the images came out really well, in fact I prefer the images I got from this outdated compact than any modern smartphone cameras out there. I also did a POV street shooting video with this Pentax digicam here (click).

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I Bought A New Flash, And It Is Only $50 - Godox TT600

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

My current flash, the Olympus FL50R is aging, I have been using them for 15 years. I thought it would be wise to get some new flash, but I am not willing to spend so much on a new flash system because my current photography does not require much flash. I don't use flash much for my client shoots these days, and the most I need flash is for occasional product shots, or group human shots, and they are far in between. I do use flash for my insect macro shooting, so I thought a budget flash makes more sense. I found the Godox TT600 (full manual flash), and I bought it immediately since it was only USD50. It has high power rating of GN60, and recycles reasonably fast, I find the performance to be quite good with consistent color output from shot to shot. I shared my thoughts about the Godox TT600 in my latest video here, which was the first insect macro POV shooting video, you get to see the camera screen before I click my shutter button!

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Kodak CCD Magic - Olympus E-1 Shoots Beautiful Colors

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I still have the Olympus E-1, the first DSLR made by Olympus Four Thirds and it is still fully operational. From time to time, I'd bring it out to do some shutter therapy. This time I paired it with the Olympus 14-54mm F2.8-3.5, roaming around Chow Kit area, one of my favorite street hunting grounds. I just cannot help but to admire the color output from the E-1's images, there is just something unique about the old Kodak CCD sensor. The colors are not exactly accurate or true to life, but has some exaggeration baked in, looking more vibrant and punchier. The skin tones are just so beautiful, and I can see why many people regarded the color output from the E-1 so highly! I made a new street shooting POV video with the E-1, you can find it here (click).

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More Adventures With Kodak Charmera In Streets of Kuala Lumpur

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Some people commented that the Kodak Charmera is nothing but a hype and it will be forgotten quickly, saying it is basically rubbish that is piling up on landfill. I get it, it is not for you, you don't have to like it, but you also don't have to be so mean. Isn't this the same thing as a full frame shooter calling a Micro Four Thirds camera rubbish? I wonder why photography community is so toxic! Can't we be happy shooting with whatever we have without calling another person's camera a trash? Well, it has been half a year, and I am still actively shooting with my Kodak Charmera, and I am loving it more and more each time I use it. I made another video to bring you guys along with me to shoot on the streets of Kuala Lumpur with the Kodak Charmera, and I also share 10 tips and tricks on how to get the best out of the toy camera! Video here (click).

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Shooting Tennis With Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 on OM System OM-1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

After testing the OM System 50-200mm F2.8 PRO last year, I was itching for a fast telephoto zoom lens, but was unwilling to fork out USD3500-3700 for that lens. Therefore, when I saw the Olympus Four Thirds DSLR lens 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 in the marketplace going for about USD250, I just could not resist this bargain. I have used the old Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 extensively on my Four Thirds DSLRs E-5 and E-520 back in the day, but have not tested it on Micro Four Thirds cameras. I thought it would be so fun to bring this combo out to shoot some tennis action. I caught the TennisMalaysia National Circuit Leg 1 back in January 2026, and I am sharing some thoughts about this lens on OM-1 as well as plenty of new images. I have also made a video to talk about this here (click).

I was surprised actually to find out that the old Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 was actually slightly smaller and lighter than the new OM System 50-200mm F2.8 PRO. You can find the exact measurements and weight online. I guess in my memory the lens was larger and heavier when I have attached it to a bulkier DSLR, the Olympus E-5. It is also not a mystery really the newer OM System 50-200mm F2.8 PRO is such an ambitious lens, it has built in image stabilization, internal zoom, constant F2.8 aperture and the ability to add on teleconverters, which the old Olympus 50-200mm lacks. Therefore, you can't really make the new lens any smaller without some compromises.

Handling on the OM-1 was surprisingly comfortable. I have mentioned that the new OM System 50-200mm PRO felt slightly heavy and it did get a little uncomfortable shooting long hours, but the older Olympus 50-200mm was better in this situation, easier to manage, and does not stress the joints (fingers, wrists, elbows, etc.) too much. It does balance quite well with the OM-1 without the use of additional camera vertical grip.

The optical performance of the Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 was nothing short of stellar. The lens can resolve very sharp images with plenty of fine details even when shooting wide open, and the contrast captured in the images were also very good. In fact, I'd say the sharpness and contrast rivals even some of the PRO grade Micro Four Thirds modern lenses, and this was quite an amazing feat considering how old this lens is, the output certainly did not feel outdated, they were perfectly outstanding even by today's standards.

The autofocus performance on the other hand is a letdown. Honestly, I was hoping for the AF to be better, considering the OM-1 has newer phase detection AF tech built into the sensor and camera but truth to be told, it was rather disappointing. I get less than 50% hit rate (maybe about 40-45% at best) and that means more than half of my images were either completely out of focus, or slightly out of focus, it does not matter, even if it was just a little bit off, the images look soft and I'd say, off to the reject pile you go. I acknowledge that the Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 is an old lens, a lens made for DSLR, not Micro Four Thirds mirrorless system, and OM Digital Solutions made no promises on optimizing the use of their cameras with older lenses. But I can only hope, right? If the AF performance was better, this could have been a killer budget alternative to the much more expensive OM System 50-200mm PRO.

Some important notes worth mentioning:

You do need an adapter to mount this lens on Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. I used a third party one. Get an original Olympus/Panasonic, or if you are not doing anything too serious, find a cheap third party one.
The burst rate/sequential shooting (fps) is drastically reduced when using the Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5. Instead of being able to get blazing fast speeds like 20fps to 50fps with C-AF, the burst rate drops to about less than 10fps (it feels more like 6-8fps). It is still usable, but having slower burst rate in combination with less reliable AF means you will suffer significantly lower hit rate.
The lens is weather-sealed, being a High Grade lens from the Olympus Four Thirds lens line-up, but the lens is so old, even if it has weather-sealing, it should be treated as a non-weather-sealed lens. I am sure the sealing rubber is not fully functional after so many years.

There is no comparison, the new OM System 50-200mm F2.8 PRO is superior in every aspect in comparison to the old Olympus 50-200 F2.8-3.5:

Optically, the new OM System 50-200mm PRO is superior giving sharper results with better bokeh rendering
It has built in image stabilization enabling the use of powerful 5-Axis Sync IS which can make a huge difference in many shooting situations
The lens has constant F2.8 aperture throughout the whole zoom range
The lens has internal zoom, meaning it does not extend further when zooming in or out, which increases the robustness and weather-sealing reliability of the lens
The lens is able to take in teleconverters effectively extending further reach, if needed

Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 has none of the above features or capabilities, and it is quite obvious who the winner is.

However, being overly ambitious with a lens comes at a price, a very high one, with the new OM System 50-200mm F2.8 PRO selling at USD3700 at launch. I don't think the price has come down much at the time of writing. In stark contrast with the old Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 which I found in the used market at about USD250, that was just a fraction of the price the new OM System lens was asking for! Yes, the older lens is inferior, no doubt, but at such low price, it really is not a bad lens. You get the same reach 50-200mm, you get very good optical performance, and if you are not shooting anything crazy fast moving like a tennis game, the AF should work just fine. It can still perform well and give you amazing results! Not everyone (myself included) has a spare USD3700 to throw around.

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Updated Insect Shooting Technique Video on YouTube!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I have been getting a lot of questions about my insect macro shooting - Robin, did you use focus stacking for your macro shots? What is that flash that you use for shooting those insects? What diffuser did you attach to your flash for your close up images? I thought it is the right time to answer all these questions once and for all in my latest video about my updated insect macro shooting technique! I share everything that I can, without holding back. From the gear setup (camera, lens, flash, diffuser) to full camera settings, and I am simplifying my execution when shooting the insects in the field. I hope this will encourage some of you to pick up insect macro, it is just so, so fun! Video here (click).

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Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Kuala Lumpur Is Finally OPEN!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000

The iconic Sultan Abdul Samad Building in downtown Kuala Lumpur is now finally open to public, after being closed for quite some time for renovation works. It has never really been open to public all these years that I was in Kuala Lumpur, so it was really quite exciting for me to enter the building for the first time ever! I thought this would be a great opportunity to use my favorite wide angle street lens, the Panasonic 15mm F1.7 and I paired it with the Panasonic GM1 which it was launched together with. Fun fact: in my earlier years of YouTube I utilized the building compound area (outside the building of course) heavily for my talking head shots. It was nice being back here again revisiting the exact same location I have used so much in the past. I also made a video to show the POV view of how I got these shots (click here).

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Red Camera For Greater Prosperity! Olympus E-PL6

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I have not owned a red camera before. When I saw this red Olympus PEN E-PL6 on sale in the used marketplace at such a low price, I just could not resist. After all, red is an important color for the Chinese New Year celebration, it symbolizes great fortune and vitality. Therefore, I got the red Olympus E-PL6 just for this occasion, and I was really excited using it for some street photography. Of course I have gone out shooting with the E-PL6, I paired my favorite Olympus 25mm F1.8 lens on it and got some cool shots. Initially I wanted to do bright colors only, since it is Chinese New Year, but there are only so many colored subjects I can find so it was a mixture of reds and other more ordinary street subjects that I normally shoot. Red camera for more prosperity! Huat ah! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

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