ROBIN WONG

A Photo Exhibited in Kuching

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 13:16:40 +0000

Here is a surprise - 1 have a photograph exhibited in the Spring Shopping Mall, Kuching, under the WAK Festival X Canon Malaysia "Celebrating Malaysia and Wild About Nature". The exhibition is running from 1st to 30th October 2026. I only have one photo there, taken a few years ago at Lebuh Ampang, showing an environmental portrait of a man selling bananas. I used a Canon 5D original and a Canon 35mm F2 lens. I was asked by my friend Allen Ang to submit something, so to show support to my fellow friends and community in Kuching, I chose this lone image, and it got selected! If you happen to be at the Spring, do check out the exhibition! As always, proud to be a Sarawakian.

Image of the print taken by Kieron Long (IG @kieronlong72), used with permission

Image taken by Edwin Lay (IG @edwinlay), used with permission

Image of the print taken by Kieron Long (IG @kieronlong72), used with permission

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Night Urbanscape With OM System PEN

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 09:57:08 +0000

I brought the OM System PEN out around the city area of Kuala Lumpur to shoot some night scenes for my initial review of the camera. I intentionally wanted to test the 5-Axis Image Stabilization of the camera. OM Digital Solutions claimed 5.5EV stops effectiveness at the center and 4.5EV stops at the corners, and they numbers are quite conservative. I could easily hand-hold the camera down to 4 seconds shutter speeds and get away with sharp results consistently, shooting at wide angle (9mm and 14mm). To be honest anything more than 1-2 seconds shutter speed I'd rather just use a tripod for long exposure works, but the powerful stabilization helps to boost confidence in nailing the shots taken at, say 1/30 second, or even down to 1/2 second shutter speeds. To me, I cannot live without the image stabilization these days, definitely a must have feature in a modern camera.

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Sometimes, An Old 3.2MP CCD Digicam Is Enough

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:00:00 +0000

After all the hype and noise surrounding the new OM System PEN camera, it is time for a detox, and I thought what better way to do that by shooting with an old compact camera from the early digicam days. I brought the Olympus C-740 which I found in the used market at such a good condition for some shutter therapy. It only has 3.2MP CCD image sensor with a generous 10x zoom lens. Many of us (me included) get caught up with obsessing over the latest gear, but sometimes it isn't about the number of megapixels, or high ISO, or dynamic range and AF performance. Photography should be much simpler than that, we can choose to enjoy the process of making images by going back to basics. Sometimes, all you need is an old digital point and shoot camera!

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Low Light Stage Photography With Olympus E-M1 Original (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000

This is a continuation from the previous blog entry about shooting low light stage photography using the Olympus E-M1 Original from 2013. I did share some tips on managing low light environment using Micro Four Thirds in my latest video (click). I use mainly prime lenses, Olympus 25mm F1.8, 45mm F1.8 and 75mm F1.8 to maximize the amount of light gathered, hence enabling faster shutter speeds without increasing ISO numbers unnecessarily. I shot mostly ISO1600 and below in this session, which was perfectly fine for the E-M1 original to handle, and some dimmer shots I used ISO3200. I also relied on the powerful 5-Axis Image Stabilization for scenes with little or no movement, slowing down the shutter speeds to 1/30 or 1/15, still getting tack sharp images while getting away with much lower ISO numbers. In fast action sequences, I would not hesitate to ramp up my ISO numbers to achieve fast enough shutter speeds to freeze action, and I emphasized the importance of capturing the moments over anything else. Moments matter more than technical perfection. High ISO noise is not the end of the world! Also, I talked about how moving around as much as you can will get you better, more dynamic framing and composition opportunities than being lazy staying still at one spot. Stage photography is fun, sometimes a bit more difficult than usual due to low light but still super exciting to shoot!

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Speaking for YL Photo Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:56:10 +0000

Last Friday, I was invited by OM System Malayia to speak at YL Photo Fair, sharing my experience using their latest OM System PEN camera. I chose to talk about street photography with the PEN, since that was a topic I was most comfortable with. It was a Friday, a working day, in the afternoon 2pm close to Muslim prayer time, so I did not expect a crowd. However, the turnout was bigger than anticipated, the room was filled and there were people even standing all the way at the back! I saw many familiar faces, friends who came all the way to show support, for that I am truly grateful. I feel blessed with the love and support shown. This was my first time speaking for OM System ever, and I hope for more future collaborations and opportunities with OM System Malaysia. It was fun to be on stage again, both nerve-racking, but at the same time it was also very fulfilling, feeding off the energy of the lively crowd! All images taken by Andrew (IG @andrew_hsien), used with permission

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Low Light Stage Photography With Olympus E-M1 Original (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I shot a recent show at Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center (KLPAC), and a friend who happens to be a full frame shooter commented on how daring I was for using Micro Four Thirds to shoot in such a challenging environment. In fact, I have been shooting many times in similarly difficult conditions for KLPAC over the years, and my Micro Four Thirds gear delivered each and every time without fail. I intentionally chose to use the Olympus E-M1 Original from 2013 to prove my point further, if such a dinosaur camera can shoot good enough images, I am sure newer and more capable Micro Four Thirds cameras that came after can do a better job. I brought along my prime lenses Olympus 25mm F1.8, 45mm F1.8 and 75mm F1.8 for this session, most images were taken with either 45mm or 25mm F1.8. I also made a video to share some tips on shooting low light stage photography here (click).

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Shooting Sports With OM System PEN

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 08:34:27 +0000

During the 5 short days I had with the OM System PEN camera loan from OM System Malaysia, coincidentally SUKMA (Malaysian Sports Games) was happening, and I had some opportunity to put the camera to some serious torture. I borrowed the Olympus 300mm F4 PRO lens to be used on the OM System PEN. Initially, I had some very grand plans - I wanted to shoot Muay Thai and Gymnastics, but there was only so much I could do in a few days, and I managed to shoot tennis and weightlifting, both locations not too far from where I stay. I was happy to put the human AI subject detection AF to test, and it did splendidly in following the fast-running tennis players chasing the ball all around the court. Mind you, it was indoor court, because it was raining and the game went on, so I had to ramp up the ISO numbers. Sure. the OM System PEN is not a professional grade camera and should not be recommended for use in such straining environment, but hey, I thought if it can handle some serious sports shooting, it should handle day to day situations without any issues.

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

SG Image 25mm F1.8 AF For Micro Four Thirds

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

While I welcome third party manufacturers making AF lenses for Micro Four Thirds, which is a rarity these days, we already have so many 25mm lens options that another 25mm F1.8 lens from SG Image does not exactly scream excitement. Well, I did get curious due to the extra low price tag of USD99 only for a new lens, and at that price, I thought what could possibly go wrong? I guess I had to find them out the hard way. I bought one and tested the SG Image 25mm F1.8 AF on my Olympus PEN E-PL7. I have also made a YouTube review, in case you prefer video version, you can check it out here (click).

The lens does look chonky when used on a smaller Micro Four Thirds camera body

It isn't a large lens, but the diameter is bigger than expected

I appreciate the light weight 133g, handling is no issue, and I do like the metal construction of the lens

DISCLAIMERS
I am not connected or affiliated with SG Image. I bought the SG Image 25mm F1.8 AF lens with my own money. This is technically not a review, I am not going to dive into every single aspect of the lens. I just wanted to see how the lens performs on a Micro Four Thirds camera body, and share the good and the bad. I mean, it is priced at USD99, at such price, I am expecting some compromises.

DESIGN, BUILD & HANDLING

The lens has a pancake design with slim profile. However, when mounted on smaller Micro Four Thirds camera bodies like the Olympus PEN E-PL7, it does look quite chonky. While the lens is quite slim, it has a larger than usual diameter, probably because the lens was made originally for APS-C sized image sensor. I admit the lens is by no means large, but it isn't that small either, and may not pair very well with smaller camera bodies.

The lens is quite light, weighing 133g only, so handling should not be an issue with any Micro Four Thirds cameras.

I was surprised to see the full metal construction of the lens, that was a nice touch, considering the budget price point. The lens feels solid, there are no creaky parts, definitely it does not feel like a 99 dollars lens.

AUTOFOCUS

I don't have nice things to say about the autofocus performance of the SG Image 25mm F1.8. This is the slowest autofocus lens ever made for Micro Four Thirds system. If you think Panasonic 20mm F1.7 was bad, wait until you try this lens. It was so slow, I missed so many important shots during my street photography session. The lens hunts, hesitates, pulses a lot before grabbing focus, and many times it fails to lock focus accurately, giving false positive. For non moving subjects, sure, the lens AF should be fine, but for action shots, I'd definitely avoid using this lens.

ƒ/2.51/80025mmISO200

ƒ/1.81/16025mmISO200

ƒ/1.81/400025mmISO200

ƒ/2.81/8025mmISO1600

ƒ/2.81/16025mmISO1600

SHARPNESS & BOKEH

SG Image claims the use of 7 elements in 5 groups lens design, with use of 3 high refractive special lenses. I am generally quite satisfied with the sharpness at the center of the frame. The lens manages to render sharpness level almost equivalent to kit lenses from both Olympus and Panasonic. However, the sharpness does not extend to the edges or corners. Corner softness is quite bad, so if you intend to have corner to corner softness, this lens will not deliver satisfactory results.

Bokeh looks very good, the out of focus area does not look distracting or nervous, they are generally smooth and creamy.

TECHNICAL FLAW CONTROL

The lens controls distortion very well. I did not observe any barrel distortion, straight lines appear almost perfectly straight even near the edges of the frame. I am not sure if this was due to software correction of the camera, because I was using an Olympus camera and I thought the correction only applies to native Olympus lens. I could be wrong.

Flare and ghosting are big problems for the SG Image 25mm F1.8 lens. Shooting against strong sources of light, the flare pattern resulted in the frame looks overbearing, destructive and cannot be easily corrected in post-processing. There is also loss of sharpness, contrast and details, the image looks hazy on top of the severe flaring issue. I have tested the lens with and without the hood on, results were pretty much the same - horrible flare.

Chromatic aberration is another problem, though this can be corrected in post-processing easier than flare. Purple fringing is quite obvious in high contrast scenes, even without punching in the image, you can see traces of purple fringing.

Corner softness is quite bad

Center Crop
Left: SG Image 25mm F1.8, Right: Olympus 25mm F1.8

Corner Crop
Left: SG Image 25mm F1.8, Right: Olympus 25mm F1.8

ƒ/1.81/400025mmISO200
Bokeh test

ƒ/1.81/25025mmISO200
Bokeh test

ƒ/1.81/4025mmISO3200
Bokeh test

ƒ/1.81/400025mmISO200
Flare and ghosting problems

ƒ/161/12525mmISO200
Flare and ghosting problems

ƒ/1.81/160025mmISO200
Purple fringing problems

Center crop
Left: SG Image 25mm F1.8, Right: Olympus 25mm F1.8

COMPARED TO OLYMPUS 25MM F1.8

If you have been following me you would know that my favourite lens is Olympus 25mm F1.8 for street photography. I have used that lens extensively, and I cannot live without it.

I know it is unfair to compare the Olympus 25mm F1.8 against the SG Image 25mm F1.8. The Olympus 25mm is retailing for at least 3 times more of the SG Image 25mm, so of course, being a budget lens, the SG Image 25mm will be inferior to a certain extent. I am going to share my thoughts anyways.

From the multiple side by side comparison images above you probably have noticed that the Olympus 25mm F1.8 is sharper not only at the center, but also at the corners as well. The difference in sharpness is quite obvious, the Olympus 25mm renders not only sharper, but also with better contrast, fine details and overall clarity.

The Olympus lens also does not suffer the crazy looking flare patterns, and it manages purple fringing better than the SG Image. More importantly, the Olympus 25mm has blazing fast autofocus, which by that advantave itself makes it a worthwhile lens to consider over the SG Image 25mm F1.8.

The only benefit of getting the SG Image 25mm is the metal construction, with the Olympus 25mm being made of plastic.

There really is no comparison, overall the Olympus lens wins when it comes to image rendering. Some would argue that the SG Image is worth the low price, yes, you can still get some good shots with the lens, but if you scour the used market, there are many Olympus 25mm F1.8 lenses around. The used Olympus 25mm F1.8 will still be more expensive than a new SG Image 25mm F1.8, but I guarantee you the extra money will be worth every bit spent.

ƒ/41/200025mmISO200
No barrel distortion observed

ƒ/3.51/125025mmISO200

ƒ/1.81/100025mmISO200

ƒ/161/2525mmISO200

ƒ/3.51/32025mmISO200

ƒ/3.21/320025mmISO200

ƒ/6.31/12525mmISO200

ƒ/2.21/250025mmISO200

ƒ/1.81/5025mmISO200

ƒ/4.51/250025mmISO200
No barrel distortion observed

ƒ/41/5025mmISO200

COMPATIBILITY ISSUES

I have read some complains over the discussion forums and groups about some compatibility issues using the SG Image 25mm F1.8 AF for Micro Four Thirds.

I have verified that the SG Image 25mm F1.8 AF does not work with the older cameras like the Olympus PEN E-P2. That is the only old camera that I have which is still working, so I don't have a full list of compatible or incompatible cameras. If you use a much older camera, I kindly suggest you avoid this SG Image 25mm F1.8 AF.

I also tested the lens on my Panasonic GM1 and GF7, both cameras having first curtain electronic shutter. The mechanical shutter was not working, and you can only shoot with full electronic shutter with these cameras. I don't know what the reason is, but using electronic shutter only for these older camera bodies poses more consequences than I like - you get rolling shutter/jello effect shooting fast moving subjects, you get banding problems when shooting under artificial LED light, you get more noise when you go high ISO, and you have reduced RAW file quality from 12bit down to 10bit only. Again, if you have these cameras with first curtain electronic shutter only, the SG Image 25mm F1.8 AF is not suitable.

I have also heard about continuous AF issues but seriously, even single-AF the SG Image 25mm F1.8 was already so unbearably slow and unreliable, I dare not even switch over the C-AF for my shooting. That is just plain pointless.

CONCLUSIONS

No, I do not recommend this lens, there are many other better 25mm lens with AF options out there for Micro Four Thirds, and it is worth spending that extra bit more. Sometimes, when things are too cheap and appear too good to be true, it probably is, the SG Image 25mm F1.8 is one good example of that. I shall continue shooting with my Olympus 25mm F1.8.

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

More Lily Shots With OM System PEN

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000

This is a continuation from previous post about outdoor shooting session using the OM System PEN camera. An important note - all images were shot in JPEG instead of RAW, because at the time of testing the camera there was no RAW compatibility with post-processing softwares yet. It instantly reminded me of how amazing the JPEG engine of Olympus/OM System cameras are, the images come out very optimized straight out of camera. I simply love the color rendering, they look so natural and true to life, and the skin tones look very pleasing too. I did some minor post-processing, mostly adding contrast and correcting some exposure imbalance (my own fault really, I am not a perfect photographer, I make mistakes). Here are the remainder shots of the outdoor session with Lily, taken with OM System PEN and Olympus 45mm F1.2 lens.

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Outdoor Portrait Shooting With OM System PEN

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

I was very happy when I found out that OM Digital Solutions managed to include the human AF Subject Detection AF in their latest OM System PEN, though the camera uses older internals. I was curious to see how that human subject detection AI AF works, so I brought the camera with the Olympus 45mm F1.2 PRO mounted to shoot my beautiful friend, Lily in an outdoor setting. The AI AF worked so well, it was super-efficient and sticked to Lilys face throughout the entire shoot, and I got to say the reliability of the AF surpassed what I managed to get from even the OM System flagship cameras like OM-1 and OM-3. I was so impressed, go job OM Digital Solutions! I did a POV video to show how effective the AF works; you can check it out here (click).

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

OM System PEN - Finally, A Near Perfect Micro Four Thirds Camera!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000

OM Digital Solutions has just launched their latest camera - OM System PEN. I was really excited about this camera for a few reasons - 1) This is officially the first PEN camera from OM Digital Solutions, some sort of a soft reboot of the PEN camera line-up from Olympus previously and 2) It has been a while since I last did a full camera review! Spoilers alert, I actually really do like the camera, it has almost everything that I have wished for in a Micro Four Thirds camera, and I am buying one. I have made a video review on YouTube as well; you can watch it here (click).

DISCLAIMERS

I have no affiliation or connection to OM Digital Solutions. The OM System PEN camera was a review unit on loan from OM System Malaysia, and I have returned the camera to them after making my content. I made it very clear to OM System Malaysia that they have no control over what I am saying in this blog review, as well as the video counterpart on YouTube. I am a photographer, I am not a videographer, hence I will only comment on the photo-shooting capabilities of the camera, and I am not qualified to comment on the video part. I only have about 5 days with the camera, I did my best to cover a wide variety of shooting scenarios within the short time that I have, I am only human, there was only so much I can do. This review is based on my user experience, it is subjective. I am not testing every single aspect of the camera, many features in the OM System PEN are not new, and I have talked about them before. For full product specifications, you may refer to OM System's official product page here (click).

TESTING METHODOLOGY

I brought the OM System PEN to shoot various environment:

1) Outdoor portrait session, using Olympus 45mm F1.2 lens

2) Insect macro shooting, using Olympus 60mm F2.8 macro and flash + diffuser setup

3) Indoor tennis game at SUKMA 2026, using Olympus 300mm F4 PRO

4) Street photography, using Olympus 25mm F1.8 and OM System 14-42mm R III

5) Night urbanscape, using Panasonic 9mm F1.7 and OM System 14-42mm R III

All images were shot in JPEG, Large Super Fine setting, with Noise Filter OFF and Standard picture profile. I did change my white balance in some situations, but mostly I left it to Auto. There was no RAW compatibility with image editing software at the time of testing the camera. I did minor post-processing on the JPEG files, mainly straightening (for the life of me I could not get anything perfectly straight), slight cropping, exposure balancing and a little boost of contrast. I did not change or modify the colors, they were almost straight out of camera.

Special thanks to Lily for being such a sport!

CAMERA OVERVIEW

Here are the key features and specifications of the OM System PEN

- 20MP Micro Four Thirds image sensor (possibly from OM-5 Mark II)
- Phase Detect AF
- Weather-sealing with IPX1 rating
- 5-Axis Image Stabilization, rated at 5.5EV stops compensation at center and 4.5EV stops compensation at corners
- Built in EVF 2.36M Dots

- Swivel LCD screen

- Computational Features (Live ND, Focus Stacking, High Res Shot)

- AI Subject Detection AF for Human and Animal

CAMERA DESIGN

I really love the design of the OM System PEN camera. OM Digital Solutions drew inspiration from the rich camera heritage of Olympus, their PEN film cameras were legendary. The overall design resembles the older Olympus PEN E-P7 closely, with some minor changes. At a quick glance, I'd think it is the E-P7. The camera takes the shape of a classic rangefinder look with flat top and the viewfinder to the left side of the camera. The retro-vintage charm works very well, I had the Silver version (they also have Black) looks very sleek. It is one of those cameras that will beg you to pick them up to go out and shoot more.

I appreciate that OM Digital Solutions managed to maintain the compact form factor of the PEN camera. For the number of features it is packing in, it is considerably small and lightweight, weighing only 393 grams. Pairing it with small lenses, the combo just works so well, for everyday carry or casual snapshot use. I'd see this camera being popular among street photographers, as well as for travel. OM Digital Solutions mentioned that they targeted the consumers who are stepping up from their smartphones, as well as hobbyists and enthusiasts. Certainly, this is not a PRO grade camera, and from what I have experienced, this sits far above entry level as well. I'd say the OM System PEN is a mid-level Micro Four Thirds camera.

BUILD QUALITY

OM System PEN feels quite solid in hand. According to OM Digital solutions, the camera body material is made of premium plastic construction. There were no creaky parts, it feels very reassuring, definitely you know this is a well-made camera when handling it. I guess plastic material was used to keep the weight down.

WEATHER-SEALING

Yes, finally, the first ever PEN camera to be fully weather-sealed against splash and dust! This definitely opens up more opportunity for shooting in harsh and difficult environments, especially here in Malaysia where it rains so much throughout the year. I can continue shooting without worrying about the water ingress into the camera. OM Digital Solutions rated the weather-sealing at IPX1.

CAMERA EXTERNALS

Here are some observations and comments on the camera externals of the OM System PEN

1. The ON/OFF switch is situated at the right hand side for easy access. The switch also goes striaght into photo or video mode, with camera settings stored separately on each mode
2. There is the mode dial (PASM) and dual command dials, much like an operation from a DSLR, which I prefer to have for quick and efficient camera control
3. There is a built in EVF (electronic viewfinder), situated at the left of the camera. Unfortunately, the resolution isn't great, using an older OLED panel with 2.36M dots. I wish the resolution was higher, but I guess to keep the price of the camera down, some compromises had to be made, and this was one of them. I must add that the shooting experience through the EVF was very positive despite the lower resolution, it was large enough, brigher, clear, stutter-free and very pleasant.
4. The LCD screen is articulated swivel, good for video, but I'd much prefer to have tilt up and down for street photography. I admit this is a minor inconvenience, having the swivel screen is still better than not having one at all. Also, the LCD screen has single touch, which is outdated now, I expect multi-touch operation

5. There is a Profile Switch at the front of the camera, similar to the Creative Dial from Olympus PEN-F and OM System OM-3. Instead of a dial, it is now a switch, much like the one found on E-P7, which does not have sharp edges that can dig or cut into fingers. This implementation is better, as it does not get in the way of handling the camera. The Profile Switch goes into Color and Monochrome Profiles, as well as a new Profile Library function which I am not able to talk about yet at this moment. At the time of the testing the camera, the Profile Library feature is not ready, I will explore this further in the future given the opportunity.

6. There is a CP button at the top right corner of the camera, to directly access Computation Photography features such as Live ND, Focus Stacking and High Res Shot. I will not cover these features as I have talked about them extensively before.

7. There is no built in flash, but there is a Hotshoe on top of the camera. Unfortunately, it isn't compatible with Olympus FL-LM3 flash, which I think is one of the best clip-on flash units out there. You can take in almost any other external flash units out there.

CAMERA HANDLING

Handling of the OM System PEN was very good. Generally, I'd say I prefer the DSLR larger shaped, beefier hand-grip design on a camera, but that will just increase the bulk of the camera and defeats the purpose of making it compact in the first place. There is an art in making small cameras that actually handle quite well. The handling won't be as comfortable as larger cameras like OM-1, but the OM System PEN is quite nice to hold. There is a slight bump at the hand holding area, which helps with securing the fingers holding the camera, and the thumb rest area at the back also helps maintain balance while handling the camera. The textured body and thumb rest area also prevents the camera from slipping off from grip easily. This is a good example of how to make a small camera that has very well-thought out handling.

My torture test for handling was always insect macro shooting. Hand-holding high magnification macro shots with a macro lens is not easy, especially going super close to the bugs, steadying the shots and maintaining focus. The OM System PEN handles this very well, I did about 3 hours shooting session in the hiking trail, no issue whatsoever. I also, for being overly enthusiastic, mounted the Olympus 300mm F4 PRO lens on the OM System PEN to shoot some tennis action. This is best avoided, I won't recommend using such a large and heavy lens on such a small camera body, but to be entirely honest, it was still totally manageable. If I were to do some serious tennis shooting, OM-1 (Mark I or II) would be the better camera.

CAMERA INTERNALS

1. The camera has a 20MP Micro Four Thirds image sensor, similar one from OM-5 Mark II, which means this was also from E-M1 Mark II that was released about 10 years ago.

2. 5-Axis Image Stabilization built into the sensor has been the core strength of Olympus and OM Digital Solutions cameras. The official claims from OM Digital Solutions are 5.5EV stops compensation at the center, and 4.5EV stops compensation at the corners (based on CIPA testing). Doing a quick and dirty test, which you can see a demonstration on my video, I can easily hand-hold down to 4 seconds shutter speeds confidently. I am sure I can stretch longer, but it has become pointless and anything longer than 2 seconds exposure, I'd rather use tripod anyway. The 5-Axis IS boosts confidence in slower than usual shutter speeds capture, as well as handling longer lenses that are more sensitive to shake.

3. There is a NEW battery! It is BLS-7, chunkier than the older BLS-50 it replaces, but is still smaller than BLX-1 battery on OM-3 or OM-1. When I did burst shooting for sports and portraits, I get about almost 3000 images in a single charge. Using just single shot without burst, I managed to clock in 1200 images before the battery warning started blinking. Your style of shooting and usage of the camera may vary from mine, so these numbers were from my personal shooting experience and should not be used as a reference.

4. USB-C port supports charging. I am not sure if there is a charger included in the box, OM System could not clarify at this point, and I charged the battery via a USB-C cable.

5. There is an audio in jack! FINALLY!

6. There is also a Micro HDMI port for video out

IMAGE QUALITY

There is nothing new to report when it comes to the imaging capabilities of the 20MP Micro Four Thirds image sensor in the OM System PEN. I am thoroughly familiar with its performance since Olympus E-M1 Mark II, my main workhorse camera today, shares the same image sensor. I'd argue that the output from this image sensor, while not being the latest available today, is no slouch either. It can easily match or even surpass what the latest image sensor from OM Digital Solutions and Panasonic can do today in terms of resolution, dynamic range and high ISO noise control. The evidence is everywhere; you can verify this yourself at reputable sensor test sites like Photons to Photos.

I find the image output, shot in JPEG to be exceptionally good. The colors are excellent. The camera, combined with the right lenses can produce sharp images with incredibly dense fine details and realistic looking contrast. I think I almost forgot how good Olympus/OM System JPEG really is, as I shoot mostly RAW these days. The camera also manages to balance the bright and dark regions very well, and overall, I never had an issue using this same image sensor over the years where I did not have enough dynamic range to work with. I'd say for general photography, anyone should be quite satisfied with what the OM System PEN can do.

AUTOFOCUS

The biggest improvement I noticed in OM System PEN is the autofocus performance. While it is utilizing the older phase detect AF built on the image sensor similar to the OM-5 Mark II, somehow, they have managed to optimize it and made a significant improvement. The first time I noticed the big difference in AF speed and reliability was when I did insect macro shooting. Using the Olympus 60mm F2.8 macro, it was well-known to hesitate and hunt a lot, giving just as many misses as hits, sometimes more misses. This round with the OM System PEN, the camera managed to stay locked on subject much longer, and the focus was a lot more confident as I half-pressed the shutter button. It was almost a night and day difference! I was shooting with both S-AF and C-AF just to see if both modes have been improved, and they have. Shooting non-macro subjects from a further distance was a breeze and pose little challenge to the camera. I did not expect this to happen, but such a big boost of AF performance was much needed, and they did it without using the latest tech or processing engine! All the problems I have complained about OM-1's poor AF in low contrast was gone. They have finally fixed this issue, and the AF is even better than the flagship OM-1 and OM-3! Well done, OM Digital Solutions.

AI SUBJECT DETECTION AF

There are two modes for the AI AF Subject Detection, human and animal. I only tested the human mode. Again, to my big surprise, the AI Human subject detection works effectively. It stayed locked on any human face and stuck to the face throughout the entire time.

I have complained about the reliability of the OM-1 and OM-3's human AF, where it seemed like the faces were in focus on the camera screen but as I pixel-peeped later on my computer screen, there was a slight miss, and this happened more frequently than I liked. There was that minor softness, a little bit out of focus that you cannot detect while you were shooting. I am glad to report that this issue is completely gone now, using the OM System PEN. The new AI AF Human Subject Detection works so well, it surpasses what the OM-1 and OM-3 can do. Again, I am genuinely impressed, OM System! Finally, Micro Four Thirds had caught up in terms of AF capability in today's market!

OM DIGITAL SOLUTION LISTENS

When I was testing the OM System PEN, I cannot help but to wonder how all the feedback that I have given over the years about the previous OM Digital Solution products were actually taken into consideration when making the new camera. They really listened!

I have complained about the OM-3 being too large and heavy, as well as too pricey. To bring the cost down, I suggested them to use older internals, the image sensor and processing engine from older cameras like OM-5 instead of flagship OM-1. I don't need to shoot 120fps, or that Live Grad ND, I can live without them. Put them aside, using slower burst, but the same, good reliable 20MP image sensor, we can still get a decent camera that can be smaller in size and also not too expensive. They did just that in the OM System PEN!

I also commented in my OM-5 Mark II video that just because they have used the older image sensor and processer, it does not mean they could not make improvements. They can still push what is possible with the AF performance and enhance it, including AI subject detection. They did all that in the OM System PEN, and look at the AF performance, it is even better than OM-1 and OM-3! I knew it can be done, and it should have been done sooner!

I have also lambasted OM Digital Solutions for over-emphasizing on nature and wildlife photography in their product strategy. I often mentioned that other photographers were being sidelined, and they needed a more diverse product portfolio. Making bigger, heavier, more expensive high-end products just to appease the wildlife crowd will not help market share - look at 2025, the two companies that gained the most, Ricoh and Fujifilm both have deep investments in street photography-oriented products. That is where the money is! Finally, OM System PEN is the camera that will fight head on with the other brands in these categories.

I know it is quite late now, the damage over the years is quite severe, but I see the OM System PEN as the step into the right direction. It may take more than one camera to recover, but I have faith that the new management in OM Digital Solutions will steer the ship to clearer waters. I believe in Micro Four Thirds, and I hope OM Digital Solutions will win back the market share.

The OM System PEN is a big win in my books.

THE NEAR PERFECT MICRO FOUR THIRDS CAMERA

OM Digital Solutions has always had all the ingredients to make the perfect camera, and finally they have put all the best recipes together into the OM System PEN. Retro-classic design, weather-sealing, 5-Axis IS, improved AF, reliable human AI Subject Detection, computational features, good handling, built in EVF, all that in a compact-ish body size. More importantly, the camera is retailing at a very tempting price of RM4290 body only, or USD1000.

While I admit the camera isn't 100% perfect, as I wanted tilt screen for street photography, with multi-touch capability, also perhaps higher resolution EVF, but all that can be forgiven for the suggested retail price. If they have included better EVF, the price would have costed higher.

Looking at competition from other brands at similar price range, either they lack EVF, or did not have weather-sealing, or no 5-Axis Image Stabilization, or camera looking damned ugly (Sony is pure ugliness), they just don't have all the goodness in one camera. Seriously, for USD1000, I doubt you can find something else in the market that has "everything" in one beautiful looking package.

I am pre-ordering one. I have a feeling the OM System PEN will be a camera that I will love for a long, long time.

Micro Four Thirds LIVES!

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

New Photography Workshop 2027! This Time It Will Be In Helsinki, Finland!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000

I am very happy to announce my next photography workshop that will happen next year! This time, it will be in Helsinki, Finland, from 2 to 6 August 2027 and I am doing this together with my friends Peter Forsgard and Matti Sulanto. Following the success of our Kuala Lumpur Photography Workshop 2026, we will do another one next year, and this time we shall make some changes in the workshop format with more exciting photo projects and assignment. This workshop is open to any photographers at any skill levels, from any genre and using any camera, it does not matter as long as you want to do street photography, and you are looking to upgrade your photography game to the next level. Since this workshop will be at Matti and Peter's backyard literally, I am joining and exploring Helsinki for the first time - I shall do my best to provide guides, support and feedback to help you elevate your photography skills. We have an early bird promotion that runs until 15 October 2026, please do sign up early and I hope to see some of you there next year! I made a video to talk about this here (click). You can check out the official workshop website and sign up here (click)

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

We Have Hit 100K Subscribers! Thank You!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000

After 7 long years, finally my YouTube channel has hit 100,000 subscribers! It felt like a lifetime getting here, and I only have all you beautiful people to thank for. I always say this, without you guys, there is no Robin Wong. So, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, thanks for the views, the shares, the likes, comments and all the coffees and generous contributions you have sent, the support and love were real! I appreciate you being here, and I can only promise this, I am still here, I am not going anywhere, shutter therapy must go on, and I will continue to blog and create new videos, week after week. I have more exciting news and updates coming very, very soon and I can't wait to share with you guys! Until then, I shall go out and treat myself to a fancy slice of cake.

Image taken by Tang Chun Cheuh, used with permission

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Pudu Street Photography Outing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I have been to Pudu, Kuala Lumpur so many times, yet it remains as one of my top favorite spots for street shooting. The people there are always friendly, there is so much character in the location and so many different variety of scenes to be photographed. There is a large wet market in Pudu, perhaps one of the largest open-air market in Malaysia, and the place is just so full of photography opportunities. I brought my Olympus PEN E-PL7 and 25mm F1.8 and grabbed some interesting scenes, as well as some portraits of strangers. I am not sure why you don't see many street photographers here, it is so underrated!

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

The Budget Beginner Birding Lens - Olympus 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I have owned the Olympus M.Zuiko 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II for quite some time now, but I never brought it out to shoot some birds. At the same time, whenever I was doing insect macro photography at the usual local hiking trail, I always spotted some beautiful birds chirping away, and I wished I had my long lens with me. The reason I left the long lens behind was to fully focus on shooting macro and I needed the focus to get good shots. I told to myself I must return some day with the long lens and shoot the birds, and finally this time I did. Bear in mind, I am not a birder, I never done any birding except in the zoo-like environment of KL Bird Park, so this was all new to me. As a beginner, I found the Olympus 75-300mm II to be just the right lens - small, light, easy to handle and the optical performance is quite good. I paired it with OM System OM-1 and I think I got some good shots - being a noob! I also did a video to share my thoughts here (click).

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Reliving Some Nostalgia With Kodak Point And Shoot Digicam

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

Not many of you were here when this blog started, because if you were, you'd remember the camera that started my whole photography journey, it was a Kodak digital point and shoot camera, CX7430. I found a similar camera in the used market today, the Kodak CX7525, with the only difference being a higher megapixel CCD image sensor of 5mp vs 4MP in the older CX7430. Of course I must get it, and it was so much fun reliving the nostalgia of earlier digital photography days - low resolution images with poor dynamic range (blown out highlights, totally black shadows) with grainy images and oversaturated punchy colors. Well, these days it is all about the "vintage vibes", right? The Kodak CX7525 not only delivers the classic look, it also reminds me of how simpler photography was for me back then - throwing all technical obsession aisde and just truly enjoy photography. I made a POV street shooting video using the Kodak CX7525 here (click).

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Macro Adventures With Olympus 12-50mm Kit Lens

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

The Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 is not only versatile kit lens, but it also features a dedicated macro mode that can produce really good close up shooting results. The issue is - some people do not activate this macro mode properly and they could not get to the maximum potential of the lens' macro mode. In my latest video, I explained and demonstrated how to turn on the macro mode of the Olympus 12-50mm kit lens and also used the lens on my Olympus E-PL7 to do some insect macro shooting. You can check out the video here (click). I am sharing the images from this latest session here.

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Street Photography With A Superzoom

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I am a prime lens shooter, I am not ashamed to admit that, and I have been quite vocal about it too. Nothing against zoom lenses, but I think prime lenses will give you better results, if you give it a chance. However, there are also days where I am lazy, yes I am allowed to be lazy, and I want convenience over anything else. That is where a superzoom lens comes in, and I recently acquired the Olympus 14-150mm F4-5.6 Mark II, it is super compact, light, weather-sealed, has versatile zoom working range and produces decent image quality. Yes, I turned on my lazy mode, mount the lens on my Olympus PEN E-PL7 and did some shutter therapy on a lazy Sunday morning. Images came out looking not too shabby, I must say!

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Being Carried - Shooting A Theater Play With Olympus 14-150mm II

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I attended quite an unusual theater play at KLPAC (Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center) recently - the show was called "Being Carried". The casts include a diverse group of disabled, deaf, mute and neurodivergent people, bringing together series of heartfelt, painful and hopeful stories in the form of performing arts, mainly story-telling and dance. It was one of the best shows I have watched and I was glad I brought my camera to document the scenes from the stage. I was a seated audience so I had no freedom to move, I shot everything with the Olympus 14-150mm F4-5.6 Mark II on my Olympus E-M1 original for this entire show.

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Bird Portraits With An Old Lens - Olympus 70-300mm F4-5.6 from DSLR Days

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

I recently found an old lens from the Four Thirds DSLR days, the Olympus Zuiko Digital 70-300mm F4-5.6 at such a good price, I just had to nab it. I mount it on my OM System OM-1 and brought them to the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park to do some close up bird portraits. I am starting to think the birds there can recognize me and really like me, you can see how some of them flew close to me at the end of my latest video talking about this very lens. The Olympus 70-300mm is perhaps the most economical 300mm lens with autofocus for Micro Four Thirds. It isn't perfect, it has some flaws, and I'd still recommend the new Micro Four Thirds native version Olympus M.Zuiko 75-300mm II over this lens for being smaller, lighter, having better AF and produces slightly sharper results. Nevertheless, if you already have the old Olympus 70-300mm DSLR version lying around, or if you can find one at such crazy cheap price in the market, why not? It is still a fantastic lens and can deliver good results. Video here (click).

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Sony RX100 Mark III - Third Time's A Charm?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Since I flirted with the Sony RX100 Original quite some time ago, I cannot help but wonder if there are significant improvements in the later iterations of the camera. I found the RX100 Mark III in the used market so I gave it a go, hoping I will be impressed with it, and maybe will become my daily driver. On paper, the camera really did have dramatic upgrades - better, faster zoom lens, newly improved BSI 1 inch image sensor, built in electronic viewfinder and LCD is now tiltable. However, real world use case is not exactly all roses, there are some noticeable stutter and lag during camera normal operations, the controls could have been more efficient especially when moving the focusing points and the handling of the camera is a nightmare. I felt that Sony could have fixed these issues which already existed since the Sony RX100 original, and they left them unchecked, while pushing technological specifications to sell the camera. Not the best approach if you ask me, but hey, what do I know, I am just a random photographer from Malaysia. I share my thoughts in my latest video here (click).

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Davis Cup, KL 2026 - Vietnam vs Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:00:00 +0000

This is a continuation from the previous blog entry, sharing more images I have taken on Day 3 of Davis Cup hosted by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was quite an interesting experience, shooting from the audience seats, surrounded by fellow Malaysian fans and supporters, and the aunty that sat besides me literally screamed many times on top of her lungs chanting "MALAYSIA BOLEH!". It was one thing shooting the game, but knowing that it was my country against another, I could not help but feel something was at stake, and the last few points were nerve-wrecking. I joined in many gasps with the crowd, and also cheers, and had my fair share of Malaysia Boleh chants too. It was a good game, though I hope Malaysia would have better luck next time! All images were shot with Olympus PEN E-PL7 and Olympus 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II.

Malaysia's Naufal Siddiq Kamaruzzaman falls to Vietnam’s Dai Khanh Nguyen in the first singles match, 6-3, 0-6, 2-6.

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Shooting Tennis With Budget Setup

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

I was at the recent Davis Cup hosted by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, watching Malaysia vs Vietnam on Day 3. It was a match between Naufal Siddiq Kamaruzzaman (Malaysia) vs Dai Khanh Nguyen (Vietnam), and Nguyen won 3-6, 6-0, 6-2. I brought along a simpler, entry level setup to shoot this name, the Olympus PEN E-PL7 and Olympus 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II. I wanted to prove a point - you do not need super expensive and most advanced gear to get great results shooting sports photography. I also share some tips on how to maximize your potential using entry level, budget Micro Four Thirds setup for shooting sports in my latest video here (click).

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

Bangkok Portrait Of Stranger

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 06:17:14 +0000

During recent trip to Bangkok, of course I did some shutter therapy and I did my best to approach some local Thai for their portraits. It was always thrilling getting to meet new people, and being able to photograph them was a bonus. This man was sitting out on the streets, reading the morning paper. I believe he worked at a nearby gas tank distribution center. I was hesitant to approach him for a photograph because he was shirtless, but he had such a warm smile that I was drawn to him. We had a short chat, I understood maybe 30% of what he said, but he agreed to have some shots taken. I used my Panasonic GM1 and Olympus 25mm F1.8 and took some quick shots. I cannot help but smile when I saw the portrait of this man!

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE

KODAK CHARMERA 2.0 Improvement Suggestions

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

I have been enjoying the Kodak Charmera so much - it is truly small, beautiful in design, shoots lo-fi images and is so simple to use being 100% point and shoot with zero adjustments on the camera. It works, the Kodak Charmera original was a massive hit, it was the most popular camera in 2025. I am sure Reto is making the next Version 2.0, and here are my suggestions on how to make it even better - make the startup time faster, increase battery life at least 200%, add Kodak's own film simulation and film grain effect and also bump the resolution of image sensor up to 3.2MP, which will significantly improve image output while maintaining the lo-fi vibes that the Charmera is so well-loved for. I shared all this and my POV street shooting here (click).

Please support me & keep this site going:

BUY ME COFFEE

PAYPAL

B&H AFFILIATE