ROBIN WONG

Fujifilm Malaysia had an event last weekend at Starhill. Bukit Bintang where they showcased the latest GFX100RF. The camera sample units were available for anyone to walk in and have a quick hands on experience. As a curious photographer of course, I went in and have a brief look. The cameras were chained and fixed in position, so we could not bring it around to do any testing on our own. Also, considering there were so many people around that space, it was not a great idea to do a video either. With limited time with the camera, I thought it wouldn't be wise to say anything and make a video - what can I know about a camera in 5-10 minutes time, really? Besides the AF being so slower than the now 12 years old E-M1 I had with me (which I used to take the images for this blog), and overall operation of the camera seem sluggish and unpolished. Oh, I better stop, before people accuse me of bashing Fuji. I don't know, for such a high asking price (close to USD5000) I'd expect a little more!

Of course, I went out more than once with the OM System OM-3 and 25mm F1.8 II for even more shutter therapy actions. This time I was at Chow Kit, and together with some friends we attacked the streets there. I must say I am glad that OM Digital Solutions is making a camera that isn't entirely biased toward nature/wildlife genre. The OM-3 feels like a modernized, retro-classic design camera that is aimed for street photographers. It is the kind of camera that urban photographers would be attracted to - beautiful looking camera that inspires you to pick it up, go out and shoot more. It isn't perfect of course, I have discussed some minor flaws and shortcomings of the OM-3, none are dealbreakers in my opinion, but hey, for street photography, don't think too much, just go out with the camera in hand and start making magic happen!

The local distributor of OM Digital Solutions contacted me and asked if I was interested in checking out the latest OM-3. I immediately said yes. Special thanks to the people in OM Systems Malaysia, I had the OM-3 and 25mm F1.8 II for about 2 weeks with no strings attached. They did not expect anything in return, and I was free to do anything, and say anything in my blog and YouTube channel. At this rate, a review is already too late, the Internet is already flooded with all kinds of reviews everywhere in the world, and I did not intend to add to that digital noise. Therefore, I thought of only one thing I really wanted to do with the camera - just bring it out and have fun with it! I brought the OM-3 and 25mm F1.8 II and did some shutter therapy in downtown, Kuala Lumpur. I talked about why the OM System OM-3 is an awesome camera for street photography (if you don't mind the glaring retail price at USD2000) in my latest video (click here). I am just dumping the images I have taken from that session!

This blog entry is a continuation from recent post about my short trip to Perth, Western Australia. Every time I made a visit back to Perth (5 visits now, since I left in 2008), I cannot help but feel a tinge of regret. What if I have done things a little differently back then, what if I took more chances, what if I was more courageous and braved my way through all the challenges. Perth will always have a special place in my heart, and as much as I would love to cling onto the awesomeness of the place and people, I have decided long ago to move on. We argue that everything that happened would not have happened otherwise, and the events in our lives led us to exactly where we are now, and I am not complaining about my life, but hey, we are also creatures of habit - we always look back and reflect and think of the million alternate possibilities which have come and gone. All that remains, are memories. At least, I can revisit that. 

It has been a while since I last caught up with my friends Jackie and Jaslyn and we made a last minute deicision to have a Sunday Brunch. We went to the new (well, new to me, it was my first time here after the relocation from Publika Shopping Mall) Red Bean Bag, which was renowned for their good coffee and Aussie-styled brunch menu. The new location looked much bigger and the menu has mutated since the last time I ate there. All in all, we had good food, really good coffee and even better conversations. I brought along the Nikon Z5 for casual snapshots, I thought why not? Images captured with the Nikon Z 40mm F2 lens. We went to another location after that since Red Bean Bag imposed a 2 hours dining limit, and after so long 2 hours was not sufficient to gush out all the life happenings. We went to Hetam for second round of coffee. Sundays are for brunches and coffee with friends!

For the longest time I have been complaining about how the newer budget 50mm prime options (from many third-party manufacturers) are made unnecessarily large in size. Kudos to Viltrox for breaking this mold, finally, we have a compact sized, yet highly capable 50mm prime priced in the budget category! Viltrox sent me their latest 50mm F2 Air, and I brought this lens along with my Nikon Z5 on a short holiday to Perth, Western Australia. Based on my experience using this combo for snapshots in this trip, I am sharing my thoughts on why I think this Viltrox 50mm F2 Air is the new best budget 50mm prime for full frame mirrorless cameras. You can check out my mini review in video form here (click). 

I went on a short holiday to Perth, Western Australia last week, mainly just to have a quick break and an escape from my non-stop work schedule. This was a much-needed relaxation and recharge session, so no video-making/YouTube was on the agenda, and certainly photography was not a priority. I spent most of the time revisiting old stomping grounds, places I used to hang out at Perth, my Uni, familiar eateries, and of course, lots and lots of good coffee. I also spent some time catching up with good old friends who were still residing in Perth, and boy oh boy there were plenty to talk about since my last visit was in 2019. These images are just a brief visual journey of where I have been and what I have eaten, mostly snapshots, and they were not complete because many times I wanted to just immerse myself with my surroundings and could not be bothered to turn the camera on. I miss Perth already!