ROBIN WONG

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 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). 

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). 

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!

Happy Chinese New Year and Gong XI Fa Cai to those who celebrate! Chinese New Year is perhaps the largest festival celebration for the Chinese community, and it is a massive thing here in Malaysia too. To usher in the Year of the Horse, I am rocking a red Cheongsam and a red camera too! You don't see me wear red any ordinary day, as a photographer I prefer darker or more neutral toned clothing, but red is an important color for Chinese New Year. Red symbolizes vitality and prosperity, so wearing red and using any red items during the festival celebration will bring greater fortune! Oh yes, that little red camera is the Olympus PEN E-PL6, I have done some shutter therapy with the camera too. More about that in the next post. 

This is a continuation from the previous blog entry, I am dumping more images from the same series here in this post. I have come to love shooting theatre or stage photography. This was a mini concert, with singers and dancers on stage, accompanied by 6-piece band, the magic happened when all the chaotic mess came together to form such a wonderful sound and visual for the audience to immerse in. It was no easy feat shooting this event - everything was constantly moving, and I had no idea what was doing to happen where and when, if I was standing at the wrong spot, I would miss something that was happening away from me, and I cannot possibly cover everything. So, I did my best, and boy oh boy it was such a magical show to shoot! 

When I was tasked to shoot the dress rehearsal of Yesterday Once More: Boggie Nights for Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center (KLPAC), I thought it would be a great opportunity to revisit an old friend - the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Original. After all, the camera has been my workhorse for so many years before I upgraded to my current E-M1 Mark II, and if E-M1 original can deliver great results all those years ago, it can still perform really well today. I was not wrong, and the show was super amazing! Shout out to my friend Bihzhu who was one of the headliners of the show. I also made a video to talk about why the E-M1 is still so awesome today (click here), and if you can't shoot good images with your old or current gear, maybe it is not time yet for you to upgrade!