Olympus Viewer 3 Basic Post-Processing Workshop

Tomorrow, I will be conducting my first ever post-processing workshop for Olympus RAW files using specifically the Olympus Viewer 3 software. I am both extremely excited and nervous at the same time, as I have not done this before, and I am showing my own RAW images in the live demonstration on how I achieve the "Robin Wong" look for the first time to an audience.

Selected RAW images for the Post-Processing workshop demonstration

I acknowledge the Olympus Viewer 3 is not the most user friendly software and it is so sluggish that it makes any grown man cry after using this software just for a little while. I would not recommend Olympus Viewer 3 for serious professional use, as it is resource hungry and it is just too slow for anything productive, especially dealing with a huge batch of images (wedding/event or sports shooters). I am not sure why Olympus could not make it any more efficient, it is surely just some programming optimization and even the fastest computer now will struggle with the use of Olympus Viewer 3, doing something so basic such as white balance tweaking.

So why the post-processing workshop with Olympus Viewer 3? The software ihas basically the same JPEG engine built into Olympus cameras, the Truepic engine, which renders the magical Olympus colors which I have worked with all these years, producing beautiful, life like colors and pleasing skin tones. Furthermore, having fully automated lens technical flaw controls (CA, distortion, etc), sharpness and details optimization as well as excellent built in noise reduction for high ISO images, I have not really found any other software that can get so much out of Olympus RAW files. The magic sauce that everyone is asking me all these years, how to achieve the kind of look in my images? The answer has always been openly obvious, I did most of my post-processing work with Olympus RAW files on Olympus Viewer 3.

If only we can somehow get Olympus to significantly improve the Viewer 3's operational speed and performance, at least good enough for commercial use.... One can only dream.

Adventures With Motorola G5S Plus In Kuching

Thank goodness for beautiful weather in my hometown Kuching when I was back there a few days ago, and I managed to get some quick shooting done, further testing the newly acquired Motorola G5S Plus. I met up with local Kuching photographers, Jee and Lance, whom I had my street photography exhibitions with last year and together we attacked Kuching. The sky was blue, the light was fantastic and I was just so happy to be home and breathing the fresh air of Borneo, away from overly polluted metropolitan Kuala Lumpur.

Lets start with a hearty bowl of Sarawak Kolo Mee, which we had for breakfast. I know I have said this before, but I cannot over emhpashize that any resemblance or clone variant of Kolok Mee found in West Malaysia should be avoided like a plague at all costs. The only real Sarawak Kolo Mee comes from Sarawak. Do not try it elsewhere. 

Joining The Milky Way Craze

So it is the season again to hunt and showcase night sky photographs, and my social media feeds are filled with milky way shots from all over Malaysia. Unfortunately, my recent attempt to get a milky way image was a failure due to cloudy sky and also excessive light pollution. With nothing to show, being desperate, I dug out my old milky way photos from yesteryears and shared them, for the fear of missing out. All jokes aside, it was fun to find the older milky way shots I have done while I was reviewing the OM-D E-M5 Mark II and the 7-14mm F2.8 PRO lens several years ago!

Of Coffee, Robin & Smartphone Photography

I am flying off again to Kuching, my beloved hometown this coming weekend with extended stay till mid next week for work. I shall be conducting an evening photography outing for Olympus Malaysia in town, which I really hope the weather will be kind to us.

I am a simple person with simple thoughts. I rarely complicate myself with too many unnecessary things in my mind. I have somehow managed to fit all that I want to do this weekend into a single photograph, as shown above. The Lego Robin to represent me, having plenty of good coffee and going about shooting with the newly acquired Motorola G5S Plus. Sometimes, it is true what they say, one photograph is worth a thousand words.

Oh yes, I am not done with that smartphone camera yet. I only hope that the Kuching skies will be blue and dramatic enough for me to pull off some decent wide angle shots. Kuching can be quite a surreal and attractive when the light is right.

Smartphone camera is the most utilized medium of photography today. Although there is still a large margin of difference between a smartphone and a dedicated camera in terms of imaging capabilities, there is no denying convenience is the ultimate factor is pushing the dominant use of smartphone photography, and is responsible directly for the sharp decline in camera sales over the years.

After all, the best camera is the camera you have with you at all times.

What are your thoughts on smartphone photography? Is it the future? How many of you have left your cameras behind and decided that smartphones are good enough for most of your shooting needs?

Please follow me on Facebook and Instagram. 

Motorola G5S Plus Smartphone Camera Review

I have purchased a new phone, the Motorola G5S Plus and I have spent a weekend snapping away casually with the built in camera. The Moto G5S Plus replaces my Nokia 6 which I acquired in August last year, being a superior phone in every aspect, despite having the similar price tag. The photography enthusiast in me was curious about the dual camera module in the Moto G5S Plus, so I have spent quite a bit of time with it, shooting anything around me whenever I can. This blog entry is focused on the camera performance of the Motorola G5S Plus only, and I shall be sharing tonnes of sample images taken with the G5S Plus' camera.

Disclaimer: This is not a paid review. I am not associated with Motorola or Lenovo. I purchased the Moto G5S Plus from a local dealer shop and have done this review independently. Similarly to all my camera reviews, my review approach is user-experience based and may be subjective. Kindly take note that all images have been post-processed to taste.

I Like Colorful Things

I see the world in full, vivid, explosive array of colors. I celebrate the beauty of vibrant and joyful mixture of different colors around us. My images have always been overly bright instead of dark and more often very colorful in nature. Therefore, when I found a wall painted in rainbow colors, I just could not help but to pose for a portrait shot of myself. Special thanks to Matti Sulanto who helped shoot this image, I love it so much!

All images and video by Matti Sulanto. Used with permission. 

Sushi Teriyaki Chicken Burger at Third Wave, Nexus Bangsar South

Sometimes, I am adventurous enough to try unusual food just for the kicks of it. Sushi burger is not exactly something new, the fusion between Asian and Western food is quite common these days. However, not many places can get the fusion right and the mutated food usually ends up disastrous and nothing like the original counterparts. Nonetheless, the best part of living is being able to eat, and daring to try different food is part of the fun that keeps the game interesting.

Guest Post by Matti Sulanto: PSPJ 30th Anniversary Exhibition Launch

Note from Robin: I was unable to attend the official launch of PSPJ's 30th Anniversary Exhibition Launch yesterday (10th March 2018). I sought out help from my friend, Matti Sulanto, to cover the event and have the article published here. This is my first time featuring a guest blogger! Special thanks to Matti for doing this and I owe you a huge one. 

All images in this blog entry by Matti Sulanto. Used with permission

Photographic Society of Petaling Jaya is having their 30th anniversary photo exhibition, titled ”Malaysia: My Home, My Country”, right now at Malaysia Tourism Centre (MATIC) in Kuala Lumpur. I was invited to the opening ceremony of the show and I must say I was quite enthusiastic to see how a Malaysian photo society works and the kind of images they exhibit. I know some local photographers and their work, but was still keen to see the work of 60 photographers featured.

The former Deputy Education Minister Dato´ Hon Choon Kim spoke at the opening ceremony.

And Then There Was A Lego Robin Brickheadz

My friend Allen Ang got me a belated birthday gift, the Lego Brickheadz of Robin from the Lego Batman Movie. Thinking through the history of gifts that I have received, this was probably the only one time that I received something that is directly related to my name. And we all know that Robin (in any versions of Batman) kicks ass!

The image above was taken with the M.Zuiko 25mm F1.8 lens, and that bokeh was truly delicious!

Reminiscing the Original Olympus OM-D E-M5

From time to time I love to pick up an older camera and just give it a quick spin, to see how far we have come in terms of imaging innovation, as well as to remind myself that good photography is not about the the gear that we use. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is a special camera to me personally, it was the camera that propelled this blog to wide internet reception, and got me deeper and deeper into the Micro Four Thirds world. It was the camera that made everyone believe that mirrorless cameras are capable too.