ROBIN WONG

I have been on YouTube space for over 5 years now, making new videos week after week, but I don't see myself as a videographer. Yes, I am a content creator, or YouTuber, that part is very true as I share videos of me talking about photography related topics, but that does not qualify me as a videographer. It is strange that many people immediately associate YouTubers as videographers, which I believe are two completely different animals. I am a photographer, I earn a living doing photo shoots and jobs, and I share about my passion in photography through my videos published on YouTube (and of course here, this blog too, in more traditional article format). I am a photographer that utilizes YouTube as a platform to talk to an audience. However, there is a group of YouTubers who make videos about photography, who may not be photographers, and they seem to care little or less about photography at all, and I want to talk about these YouTube photographers. 

I see so many people chasing after latest and greatest gear and obsessing over technical perfection in their images. I personally believe that if you cannot get good images with your current gear, even if you upgrade to the next best camera, your images won't improve even a bit. You should upgrade your skills first before upgrading your gear. I also believe that using older, cheaper gear can help make you a better photographer. Going back to basics with simpler controls without the automated settings or 1000 different AF options, you have to truly master the basics and control the camera effectively to get your shots, without relying on the camera's "smart" features. Not having 1000MP or 1000fps burst shooting will slow you down and make you work harder around the camera limitations to get your shots. Using older cameras will sharpen your shooting discipline. I talk about this and more in my latest video here (click). I am sharing some of my latest work with the almost 20 years old Nikon D50 and Yongnuo 35mm F2 lens. 

Olympus OM-D E-M5 original was a legendary camera that paved the way to mirrorless revolution. I think that camera is still an awesome camera today and is great for street photography. It has built in EVF, tiltable LCD screen, fast AF, built in 5-Axis image stabilization, is weather-sealed, has magnesium allow build, handles like a mini DSLR with efficient dual command dials control, and produces excellent image quality. In the used market today, since the E-M5 original was released 12 years ago, you should be able to get one in a fairly cheap price, and it can still deliver great results! I talk about this and more in my latest video here (click). I share the same photographs in this blog entry, all taken with E-M5 original and 25mm F1.8 lens. 

I have never actually owned the Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm F2.8 Macro lens before. Previously, I had one for long term loan from Olympus when I was involved with them as an Olympus Visionary (a fancy name for ambassador). Since I left, I have returned the macro lens together with a selection of other amazing lenses, and I never looked to purchase one for myself because macro photography was not what I was doing for a living. Fast forward many years to today, I found the Olympus 60mm F2.8 Macro in the used marketplace at a really good price I cannot resist, so I bought one, and my hands got so itchy I went out to the nearby park to grab some insect macro images. I made a video about this, you can watch it here (click). 

I bought a new wireless microphone set - the Hollyland Lark M2. I bought this to replace my old Sennheiser XSW-D Portable Wireless Microphone which has dying batteries, and they could barely last me 30 minutes of recording time in a single charge. The Sennheiser wireless setup has served me so well over the past few years, it had zero hiccup, super reliable and I still think the audio quality from the lavalier microphone in unmatched by any newer microphone offerings from other manufacturers. I also bought the new Hollyland Lark M2 to be used on my DJI Osmo Pocket 3 which I got just the basic set without the wireless microphone transmitter (available with the creator combo). I use the DJI Pocket 3 as my main vlogging camera, and for recording POV video for main YouTube channel. I brought the Hollyland Lark M2 out for the first time to test, and I did a quick vlog, you can check it out here (click). I am quite impressed with the tiny size, super ease of use and overall, the sound quality is not too bad. 

This was probably the only time this happened so far, instead of the manufacturer approaching me to review a lens, it was the other way around, I requested a review sample of the 17mm F1.7 from Yongnuo. I did so because I was curious about how the new 17mm alternative lens performed and if it can do better than Olympus 17mm F1.8 which I openly talked about how much I disliked its rendering. Yongnuo sent me the lens and I did several street shooting sessions on the streets of Kuala Lumpur on my own OM System OM-1 and Olympus PEN E-PL7 cameras. Long story short, the lens performed admirably, and I do prefer the Yongnuo better than the Olympus 17mn lens. I have made a video to talk about this, you can view it here (click).