ROBIN WONG

My friends Azul Adnan (IG @azuladnan) and Grace Ho (IG @grace_.ho) have an on-going exhibition happening at the newly refurbished and reopened historic Stadium Merdeka. Both photographers are extremely talented and they were shooting for the project "Under the Shadow of Merdeka" which will be made into a photobook. The current exhibition has been extended to 16 September 2024, so if you are in KL please do swing by Stadium Merdeka and check out both the exhibition and the stadium itself, which was an important piece in Malaysian history. In conjunction with the exhibition, there was a photowalk happening on the Merdeka Day (31 August) which I have attended, and I shall share several photographs from that photowalk, and also some taken during the unofficial talk by Azul and Grace at the exhibition venue after the photowalk. 

Congratulations to both Azul and Grace on the exhibition! Really amazing work there, I highly recommend any photographers in KL to go see it!

Ricoh GR III series cameras have gained a cult following status, but each of them would cost above USD1000, which is not on the affordable range for low income earners. I always say that we don't have to break the bank to enjoy photography, thus I am looking at a budget alternative setup for the GR IIIX. I found an old Sony NEX-6 camera for about USD120, and I paired it with TTArtisans 27mm F2.8 AF also from the used market at about USD80. The combo costs less than USD200, yet it delivers great results, and can do a few things better than the GR IIIX itself - the combo has built in EVF, tilt screen, longer battery life, can change lens and more comfortable handling. I won't deny that the GR IIIX is truly pocketable, and the newer image sensor and modern tech brought in some advantages in image output and overall camera performance, but it is also asking for a lot more. I explored the merits of the budget GR IIIX alternative combo in my latest video, you can check it out here. 

In this blog entry, I am sharing images from the streets of Kuala Lumpur, all taken with the Sony NEX-6 and TTArtisans 27mm F2.8 AF lens. More images to be shared in subsequent blog entries soon. 

I have previously sold off my Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm F1.8 and upgraded to the 25mm F1.2 PRO, which I have used for many years. Recently I found myself wishing for a smaller 50mm equivalent lens solution for my Micro Four Thirds set up especially when I am doing street photography. I found a used unit at a great price, so I reacquired the Olympus 25mm F1.8, and I brought it out for some shutter therapy sessions. The particular set of images shown in this blog were all shot on Olympus OM-D E-M5 original. I am a 50mm (equivalent) shooter, so this Olympus 25mm F1.8 is my favorite street shooting lens for Micro Four Thirds, it is so compact it fits so well on smaller camera bodies, it has super-fast AF to capture the critical moments and the lens renders such sharp, beautiful images. This is truly a tiny gem for Micro Four Thirds shooters. I also made a video to talk about all that and more, you can check it out here (click). 

This is a continuation of the mini review series for the Meike 85mm F1.4 lens for Nikon Z full frame mirrorless system. I brought the lens out on the streets of Kuala Lumpur for some shutter therapy action, and I mounted the lens on my own Nikon Z5. The lens is on the larger and heavier side of things, but still manageable on the Nikon Z5, without feeling out of balanced, and handling was quite comfortable for extended shooting durations. The AF worked very well, human face/eye detect tracking AF worked like a charm, and general AF speed was very quick and reliable. The lens is perhaps too long for most street photography uses, but it does not matter, I just wanted to collect some sample shots to add to the collection. 

Meike sent me their 85mm F1.4 full frame lens for Nikon Z mirrorless system and I brought the lens out for some testing sessions, shooting with my Nikon Z5 camera. I have done a mini review video; you can check it out here (click). Basically, I am quite impressed with the optical performance of the Meike 85mm F1.4 lens, it renders very sharp images with good contrast and beautiful bokeh, and it manages the lens flaws quite well. There is nothing much to complain about the lens, with the budget price tag, it easily becomes a highly recommended lens for those who seek to stretch their budget on Nikon Z mirrorless system. In one of the testing sessions, I was shooting this beautiful model Lily (IG @lilyayumiii), so I shall share the series of portraits taken of Lily in this blog entry. I shall share more images from other sessions in my coming blog entries. 

Photographic Society of Petaling Jaya had a live panel discussion on main stage at Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival 2024 which happened last weekend. The topic of discussion was Photo Club in Social Media Age, and there were three panelists, moderated by my friend Raja Indra Putra, who is the advisor for PSPJ. I took this opportunity to grab some quick shots and work the camera, satisfying my shutter itch. I was using the Sony NEX-6 (yes, more about this in future content) with a plethora of prime lenses and I gotta say, there was something fun running around capturing images of a live event!

When I saw this camera on sale online I just cannot resist pressing the "buy" button. I have always been a huge fan of Lego. However, growing up in a poor family I did not have the luxury of owning or playing much with Lego, and I was always jealous of my other friends who have them. Now that I am a working adult and I can afford my own toys, it is just tempting not to get the Lego camera, and well, as a photographer myself, how can I resist a camera, though a Lego one? I also took this opportunity to vlog the whole process of me assembling the Lego camera (though sped up in time lapse) and also, I featured my friend Irene which I had brunch with in the vlog, and I also talked a little about why I go to the gym and lift weights. Yes, my second YouTube channel is updated with a latest vlog, you can check it out here (click).