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After my friends got me the surprise birthday gift, a Sony MDR-1A headphones, I knew that the next item on the hunt would be an amplifier to adequately drive the headphones. While running the headphones directly from my music player (or smartphone/laptop output) was an easier, fuss free option, the headphones definitely benefit from clean power boost that the amplifier can provide. After looking through a few options, I decided to purchase the Fiio A3, partially due to budget constraint (yes, I am probably one of the poorest audiophile out there) as well as the overwhelmingly positive reviews that the amp managed to get everywhere online. As usual, with new toy comes new photography opportunities. All images were taken with Olympus PEN E-P5 and M.Zuiko 25mm F1.8 lens. That Olympus 25mm lens has become my favourite lens for lifestyle product photography! I originally intended to get the silver color version of Fiio A3, but it was out of stock. I settled with black, which probably did no

Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary lens for Micro Four Thirds, shooting in progress now, and full review will be updated on Ming Thein's site soon. It is an exciting, unusual and unique lens indeed. All I can say now based on preliminary findings, the lens surprised me by exceeding my expectations in some ways, but also fail to impress in certain aspects. I am having so much fun shooting with this lens now. Shout out to Amir for the kind loan. Do any of you own this lens? Any thoughts and feedback will be appreciated. For once, maybe I hear what you have to say, before I publish my own review?

So this article at Petapixel happened few days ago, a photographer pitted the Huawei P20 Pro against a 50MP full frame DSLR, Canon 5DS R. I did skim through the article and did not intend to react considering how clickbaity the title of the piece sounded like, but then I received emails and messages via social media seeking my opinion and feedback on the current hot topic: is the current smartphone camera good enough to replace traditional dedicated camera? My current smartphone the Moto G5S Plus. All images shown after this were taken with this smartphone.  Instead of tackling the Petapixel article headon or any other previous incarnations of meaningless smartphone camera vs "insert your professional camera of choice" comparisons, I would like to just look into a simpler question: Is smartphone camera good enough for me?  After all, I cannot speak for you, I cannot generalize the whole photography crowd, and certainly I cannot assume that what works for me will work for you

I do travel rather frequently for work, as well as back to my hometown Kuching from Kuala Lumpur and I absolutely cannot survive anywhere without good audio. I have had some good headphones with me, but the experience of listening to music over the air in the openness is a joy that I must have. However, having spent quite a fair bit on headphones, I thought I should look at budget-friendly portable speakers that can still pack a punch and deliver powerful sound that I desperately need. After much Google-ing around, I found Thonet & Vander, a German brand that specializes in consumer audio equipment. The particular speakers I was looking at was Thonet & Vander Frei. While I am not a fashion-obsessed person, looks do matter and I must admit that the minimalist and polished-modern look of Frei drew my attention instantaneously. The metal grill finish was a nice touch, and as I held the speakers up it felt solid and well constructed. The Frei was not splash-proof, but it was design

Hey beautiful Kuching people! My friend Hameer Zawawi, a local singer-songwriter is currently in the midst of his "Plug Out The Machines Tour" around Malaysia and guess what, the next stop will be in Kuching! He will be performing at the ground floor of Haus Kuching alongside some awesome local bands such as Nading Rhapsody. Event starts at 730pm till late.  I have known Hameer for several years now, following his gigs around KL before he made it to the US and disappeared for a year. I fell in love with his non-mainstream yet still totally relate-able music, featuring his hauntingly powerful and soulful vocals. He has songs about TV shows, zombies and video games! Honestly, I have missed Hameer's live performance so much because he went on tour to the US for a year and was just back to KL very recently. It was indeed so refreshing to hear Hameer perform on stage again, and wow, now in a full band! So my Kuching guys if you are free this Saturday evening, do drop by Haus K

You may have seen Carmen on my review entries before, especially when I was testing new lenses or cameras. Carmen has always been generous to volunteer as my test subject for the new equipment that I was reviewing, and put up with my noobness in portrait photography. She always did her best and eventually has helped many of my reviews significantly over the years. When we (her friends) heard of the news that she is leaving Malaysia soon, we decided to do a surprise farewell dinner for her. Carmen in my recent Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III review. Image shot with the Olympus M.Zuiko 75mm F1.8 lens.  It was a night of celebration with a few different circles of friends. The dinner gathering itself was coordinated by Calvin, and somehow we managed to take her by surprise. The farewell happened at a local Korean BBQ restaurant and everyone rushed to the location immediately after work, battling the horrendous KL rush hour traffic.  I cannot speak for everyone but I do have Carmen to thank