What a great sunny cool day today but it took me quite a bit of effort to “lure” Harshad to go out with us. In the end, it was the temptation of drone-flying that he accepted my invitation to join us for a short “droning hike” at Kowloon Reservoir.
I thought we were heading to a new place. We ended up at the notorious Monkey Hill (Kam Shan Country Park). There were so many curious and aggressive monkeys around, I never like coming here. Tracy got “robbed” by a monkey 5 years ago when we last hiked here. I was worried for the safety of my small drone. It is never a good idea to leave a drone on the ground with these “snatch thieves” around.
Keeping my word, I handed the controller to Harshad. Within seconds, he took the drone to the sky. Confidently and superbly in control, Harshad operated the drone like a pro. (That’s my evil plan to get him hooked so I can convert him to another drone buddy!). Just when he was flying in ecstasy, he crash-landed the drone. Nothing serious, except a small crack line on the camera lenses. Of course, that didn’t dampened our mood, Harshad successfully attempted his second flight.
It was not bad at all. Harshad managed to capture quite a lot of good footage. He just need to fine-tune his turning and panning. All good. Now, I may proceed to step 2 – to get him buy this drone which he had just crashed. Sales take time, especially with my Indian prince.
It took off with such great stability but something went very wrong at the 45th second, the Mavic Pro suddenly drifted sideway and crashed onto the hotel’s rooftop. No matter how “seasoned or experienced” one is, accidents do happen. This is the very reason why pre-flight precaution is of ultimate importance. I always spend time to inspect the environment and wind condition before every take off. Prior to this flight, I inspected the surrounding to ensure the flight path was safe before flying out of the balcony. Originally, I wanted to fly the Mavic Pro over the ocean to capture the Macau skyline. There was no one in front and the wind was light. Unfortunately, something went wrong, the drone drifted autonomously and crashed.
Thanks to the very friendly staffs at Sheraton Hotel, they spent a great deal of time and effort to help me to retrieve the lost drone. As I bought the DJI Care Refresh Program when I purchased the drone, I will be able to get a brand new replacement at only USD79. I will be bringing the damaged drone to DJI next week for an inspection. The log report will certainly identify the main causes of this incident. Stay tuned and fly safe.
This is the “largest moon-sighting” since 1948 (7% larger and 15% brighter) – How could I not miss this one? I might not even survive the next close-encounter. Believe it or not, I received so many similar suggestion today from my friends and even my boss. All of them asked me to fly my Mavic Pro to the moon. Yah right, very funny. I had another better idea (and gadget!).For those who missed the moon tonight, check out my super short vlog below.
Finally, I managed to squeeze some precious hours from my hectic, tormenting work to shoot this week’s amazing vlog! Workload has been piling since September and I even don’t have time to vlog about my son’s short vacation in Hong Kong.
This was the perfect break I desperately needed! I was one of the few lucky ones who managed to get hold of DJI’s latest big hit, the Mavic Pro. I received my Mavic Pro a week ago and I didn’t have time to test it. Finally, I couldn’t resist the temptation and took it out of the box last night. I say, let’s see what this little gem can do.
Mavic Pro is incredibly small and portable. I had climbed mountains with DJI Inspire 1 on my back. Despite the wonderful footage it captured, it was a back-breaking nightmare! The Phantom 4 is an amazing drone but nothing like the Mavic Pro.
Mavic Pro lives up to its name. It delivers beyond what DJI promised at its debut event! Despite its small compact body, it is packed with amazing high-technology sensors and power. It is the smoothest and most amazing drone-flight ever!
I brought the drone to Aberdeen harbour this afternoon for a test flight. I often faced problems calibrating the Inspire 1 and Phantom 4. But not with the Mavic Pro. Calibration was such effortless! It took me less than 3 minutes to get it up in the air. Due to its small body-frame, I was at first worried and skeptical about its performance and stability. The drone was incredibly stable and it cruised steadily out in the open sea.
Connectivity was amazing! Throughout all my 8 flights, I never encounter any lost signal or distorted vision on my screen. With the Inspire 1 and Phantom 4, I always faced connection issues near 2km-mark. I flew the Mavic Pro beyond the 3km-mark and the signal was still strong! With such power and stability, I decided to take it out to the city, where it was congested with strong radar and signals. Guess what, Mavic Pro flew superbly smooth without any signal issues!
Mavic Pro scored a perfect landing when I tested its “Return Home” function. After 15 minutes of flight, it flew back and landed right at the very same spot it took off! It was just unbelievable! “Follow Me” tracking was pretty accurate and responsive. It had no problem following me until its avoidance feature got in the way. The drone stayed still in the air no matter which direction I waved at it. In the end, I had to use the controller to break its trance and got it down.
Battery life was great. No complain.
Video-shooting was a little tricky. There are some shots which were very blur. I had to constantly touch the screen to activate the focus point. Back at home when I reviewed the videos, I was surprised to see how sharp the video quality were! Earlier, some vloggers mentioned about its inferior video quality. Those were pretty much user-errors. It was as good as the Phantom 4. I can’t really tell the difference.
All in all, this is the best drone for everyone, especially for beginner. DJI has spent 10 good years building and innovating drones. I do believe the Mavic Pro is the best consumer-drone out there at this moment. With better camera system and smart software in the near future, drone-flying will be certainly much safer and travel-friendly for everyone.
Note: This is not a sponsored blog/vlog by DJI. If you like me to review any new product for my next vlog, please email to: wahbiang@hotmail.com
Exactly one year and 2 days ago, I blogged about the world’s first twin-lens instant camera, TL70 by MiNT. I had so much fun with the camera and wrote a couple of wishes on my blog. Guess what? One year has passed and the passionate team at MiNT (and FujiFilm) granted every wish I written that day!
While browsing on the web late last night, I found out that MiNT has launched a new Instantflex TL70 version 2.0 instant camera earlier this June. I couldn’t resist the temptation and visited the official product webpage. Impressively, MiNT has made a couple of big improvements in the new TL20 with an upgraded brand new magnifier and a 5x brighter viewfinder! Not just that, the new version 2.0 comes with new enhanced and improved internal mechanism. MiNT also introduced new accessories (leather strap & camera case) and lens set for the TL70 series!
I was so excited about the new upgrade that I contacted MiNT on Facebook after midnight and the hardworking administrator replied! After making a few enquires, I decided to head down to MiNT this evening to check out the new camera.
The friendly staff, Jo at MiNT recognised me and gave me an excellent introduction about the new camera and its accessories. I managed to get a really good deal and without much hesitation, I came back with 2 brand new TL70 Version 2.0!
After snapping 2 cartridges of Instax, here are my first impressions: (Note: This is not a sponsored or paid blog by MiNT.)
In terms of design, the new camera looks identical to version 1.0 but the overall production quality and finishes of the new TL70 2.0 is much betterthan its predecessor. It could be due to the fact that I was one of the earliest users last year and I spotted some minor physical quality issues (misaligned leather, slight glue marks and fine light scratches). I remember the magnifying glass came off after just 1 day and MiNT exchanged a brand new one for me. But this time, everything is perfect.
With the new enlarged magnifying and 5x brighter viewfinder, TL70 2.0 enhances user-experience by a big leap. Even under very dim lighting environment, I was able to focus, composed and snapped without any visual difficulty. Amazingly, my first indoor shot came out just perfect!I was pretty amazed by it! It is indeed a great improvement and it matters a lot!
The new Lens-Kit comes with 3 ND filters, 1 close-up lens and a lens-hood. The lens are easy to attach and detach. At the store, I saw a couple of sample photos – the colours are so much richer and balanced. I personally like the “close-up” lens as it creates a shallower depth of field. However, user will find ita hassle to carry the lens in the original protection box when on the go.
I love the new TL70 EverReady Leather Case! Made from premium leather in Japan, the case comes in 2 colours – brown and black. I prefer brown but the current brown is a little too bright and light for me. In the end, I chose black. The leather case fits perfectly and the workmanship is excellent. I wish the case comes with lens pockets so I can easily slot in the lens-kit on the go.
Overall, the TL70 2.o is a much reliable and better instant camera than its predecessor. It feels very good and it looks just as charming as before. With growing demand, I believe MiNT will continue to explore and enhance this series (with self-timer, +/- lights for over/under exposure including ND filter sensor, battery indicator, better glass optics and even adapters for 3rd party zoom lenses). With the newly launched Fujifilm Black-and-White Instax Mini Monochrome Film, MiNT sets itself in the right segment, empowering instant photographers with new endless instant inspirational creations.
Personally, I prefer this new twin-lens camera over the new iPhone 7. It is like falling in love again.
It reminded me of my first trip to Toys”R”Us except this is a hi-tech toy shop for adults. It was difficult to describe the kind of fanatic-love I had for drones and gimbals. Yes, I am a Super Fan of DJI!
A week ago, a friend (knowing my passion for DJI) sent me a link to take part in DJI’s photo contest. Winners get to enjoy 30% discount and visit the new flagship store before the store’s official opening. When I received the congratulatory email from DJI 3 days ago, I was so thrilled and excited. After all, I was amongst the 20 lucky winners to visit DJI’s first flagship store in Hong Kong! (Located 535, Jaffe Road – Beside World Trade Center, Causeway Bay)
I woke up super early this morning and headed out to the store. Carelessly, I got mixed up with the street number and ended up walking an extra mile to the venue. Luckily, I arrived just in time for the big welcome! The vibe and the energy at the store was unbelievable high! At the store I saw a long line of shoppers queuing outside the entrance.
At 10am sharp, the door opened and I walked into the store with the other winners. The shop staffs welcomed and cheered with much fanfare! It was an amazing experience! Wow!
We were escorted to level 3 where we attended a short (and very insightful) history about DJI’s founder and its company values. It was very interesting and impressive to know how a company of 20 grew to become the world’s number 1 drone company with 6,000 staffs in just 10 years.
I spent an hour walking around the 3-storey store. The shop staffs were extremely friendly and helpful. I didn’t exercise the 30% discount (which expire within 2 hours) offer as I had most of DJI’s products. At the end, I bought a photo book and some accessories for my drones. DJI gave out limited edition T-shirt for the first few shoppers.
I wish DJI offers more exclusive offers to superfans like myself. For the least, they can let us try out some of their “upcoming new products” or present us with a longer-term discount offer.
Nevertheless, I am super grateful to be here this morning! Big thank you to Kevin On and crew for your great hospitality to show me around! I felt so privileged to be here, witnessing the opening DJI’s flagship store in Hong Kong! I love the culture and energy of the brand! Without the tools from DJI, my blog and vlog won’t be this colourful and dimensional.
Yes, finally, I do not need to travel to all the way to Shenzhen to replenish my stocks! My favourite toy shop is just a few stops away from my home.
Coincidently, the timing couldn’t been more precise. Thanks to my friends Crystalbelle and Anthonywho published a nice short piece of my drone story and photo on China Daily. (Read here: http://asiaweekly.com/leading-the-buzz/#scrollNav-3)
What an exciting drone week of Karma and DJI! The Game of Drones season is here! I look forward to DJI’s big announcement on 27th Sept! Can’t wait for Mavic to top Karma.
Most of my past experiences with 360-video-cameras were rather disappointing. I was one of the first users of Kodak SP360 and Ricoh Theta, the low video resolution was unforgivable.
When Samsung launched the new Gear 360 camera 2 weeks ago, I was skeptical about the visual quality. After battling many days of considerations, I gave in to temptation to try it. Thankfully, I have a spare Samsung Note 5. If not, this would be a very heavy investment for anyone who wants to own it.
The Samsung Gear 360 is very easy to use. Just turn on the spheric camera and the operation comes intuitively. I was so excited to test the camera that I forgot to bring my Samsung phone out. The phone acts as a remote viewfinder and controller for the 360-camera. Fortunately, the Gear 360 worked just fine without the phone.
Battery life was pretty decent. The camera was switched on continuously for about 90 minutes. I shot over 20 photographs, 4 time-lapse videos and 10-minute footages. By the time I reached home, there was still 60% battery power remaining in the camera.
Shooting 360 was a breeze but it took additional steps to share the video on social media. Before I can share any video or photo, I have to stitch & save both images and footages via the Samsung Gear 360 app.
The original uncompressed picture, video and audio quality was surprisingly promising (viewing on the smart phone and computer). It exceeded my expectation. However, the final viewing quality on Facebook & Youtube underwent heavy compression and the final result was less than satisfactory. Also, there is a minor flaw in the stitching. Often I can spot the stitch line on the video and photo. Hopefully Samsung releases a new firmware or app to solve this.
The biggest difficulty I encountered was transferring the files and editing the videos via a Mac. Samsung Gear 360 App allows individual file-sharing to Youtube or Facebook. However, I wanted to edit all the 360 media files into one single vlog. I realised I cannot edit and publish these 360 files via iMovie. Also, Samsung 360 Director software file is only for Windows user. It is a frustrating experience to download, edit and publish Samsung Gear 360 files using a Mac.
Like many Mac users, I checked many websites and Youtube videos to learn how to export the Samsung 360 files. After 2 days of exploration and many failed testings, I finally found the simpliest way.
This is exactly what I did:
1) First, I have to install “Samsung SmartSwitch”(file transfer app) to download the stitched 360-files from the Samsung device to my Mac.
2) Once I have downloaded the stitched files (photos and videos) onto my Mac, I downloaded Adobe Premiere Pro. At this moment, Adobe Premiere Elements doesn’t support any VR video editing or exporting.
3) Import all the stitched videos (in monoscopic format) into Adobe Premiere Pro
4) Edit as per normal like any video editor
5) During exporting, enable VR Video (monoscopic) and select H.264 video format. It is important so the video will be exported in the same ratio
6) The video will be saved in your designated folder. Upload the video file (in MP4) to Youtube or Facebook
7) Youtube and Facebook will detect the video and automatically stream 360. Do exercise patience. It takes about 15-30 minutes for the 360 video to be live. Hang on there!
That’s it! I finally got my first 360 Vlog up and running! If only this 360 cam can be integrated on the Osmo and Phantom 4, it will be perfect! Who knows, maybe DJI has something in their sleeves now!
It was another impromptu holiday adventure. Thanks to the great last-minute offer by Cathay Pacific Fanfare, I finally made my way to the City of Gold, Dubai.
Dubai fascinated me with all its iconic mega structures and glamorous attractions. The city is so new, modern and clean, it’s like a trip to Tomorrowland. Over 70% of the city is occupied by international foreigners. It is so colourful and rich in diversity that I overlook the flaws of this fabricated and superficial world. It is easy to forget this is a Muslim city. For a second, I thought I was in the City of Sins. I asked the taxi driver to bring me to the casinos and naughty joints. Of course, he reminded me I was in an Arab world.
I love the Arabians – both men and women. Sharp features, big eyes and long eye lashes, I was so attracted by their good looks. It was rather intriguing for me to see a family of multiple wives traveling with an alpha male. In this unique world of polygamy, how do these women live peacefully together? I must say the Arabian men are gifted.
Tracy and I spent a total of 5 days in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is extremely easy to navigate around the city. The metro is so efficient and comfortable. City-planning is excellent here. Most of the attractions are found around the metro stations.
Beside the usual desert and mosque tours, I enjoy shopping in Dubai downtown. Their malls are so big that I can spend one full day exploring them. There are just too many nice stuffs to buy here! There are many things that I don’t see in Singapore or Hong Kong. The selection is pretty wide here. And best of all, we enjoyed the great customer service here!
On our first day, we woke up at 5am to catch sunrise at the top of the world’s tallest building, Burg Khalifa (named after the ruler and sponsor of UAE). The place was so big that Tracy and I got lost while trying to find our way to its entrance. What an adventure to roam aimlessly around the giant mall at 5:30am in the morning.
The view from the top (at 124th floor) was magnificent! It was very cooling and there weren’t many people. We sat by the deck for over an hour to capture some really nice time-lapse. It was a good idea to come here first. From above, we were able to look around the city and got familiarised with the key landmarks. What a great way to start the holiday!
Next stop, we went to visit Souk Madinat Jumeirah. Located just beside the 7-star hotel, Burj Al Arab (aka The Sail), Souk Madinat Jumeirah is a re-creation of an Arabian shopping street. Mostly air-conditioned indoor with a couple of shaded outdoor alleys, it was quite enjoyable to shop here. At noon, we went to another mega mall (Mall of the Emirates) nearby to have lunch. There, we spent a bomb shopping.
We ended our first day back at Dubai Mall(located at Burg Khalifa). We visited the world’s famous Dubai Aquarium and the Dubai Fountain. Having visited the world’s largest aquarium tank at Zhuhai Chimelong, the mall aquarium didn’t impressed me that much. It was actually pretty small and old, I feel. The Dubai Fountain was also overstated. It was just a big musical fountain with endless crowd.
On our second day, we signed up for a half-day desert adventure where we rode desert buggy and experienced some insane 4WD dune drive.
This was the first time I set foot on the desert. The super-fine sand was very soft and comfortable. It wasn’t as hot as I had expected. What I hated most was the desert wind. The wind picked up the fine sand particles and rained them hard against my body. It felt like a million stings “sandblasted” on the exposed area of my legs and arms. Now I understand why the Arab dresses like that. It was too late to ask for a full-body sand coat. (Later that evening, I spent a great deal of time to dust the super fine sand off my camera, shoes and phone!)
The desert buggy was super fun, especially going up and down the steep dunes. The 4WD dune drive was intense. I wouldn’t recommend this to my wife and son who suffer from motion-sickness. One of the tourists in our car vomited after the insane ride. For me, I truly enjoyed it without any problem. Despite the rocking and violent ride, I felt very safe in the car. Truly enjoyable!
We spent the late afternoon exploring the old Dubai streets by the Creek. The underground air-conditioned Dubai Museum was a good treat. We had late lunch at one of the many river-side cafes.
On our third day, we signed up for a full-day tour to Abu Dhabi. We took a 2-hour car ride to the infamous Sex-&-the City. There, we visited the majestic and beautiful Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Ferrari World. Our tour guide also brought us to Etihad Tower where Fast & Furious 7 shot the impossible flyover stunt!
With so little time and so many things to see, I decided to slow down our pace on the 4th and 5th day. Due to the nature of my job, I spent the last 2 days exploring new malls and retail concepts.
Overall, it was a very rewarding and eye-opening trip for us. Dubai is a dream city for many foreigners who come to realise their dreams. The city is still in transition and has so much untapped possibilities to offer. With good governance and talents, I am sure Dubai will continue to flourish and prosper as the world’s top iconic city.
12 years away from home - Singapore. Writing my stories here for my lovely mum & dad, friends and most importantly, for my wife & son back home. A self-confessed gadget freak, a spontaneous prankster on the outside and a warm loving heart inside. Enjoying a happy life with loving families, friends plus a dream job. Realising mum’s motto – “Exceed Yourself Every Day”. Always believing that “Simplicity is Beauty”.
182: Uncle Tan (Dad's friend)
181: Jumbo Angs Brothers
179: Stell
178: Muar Auntie 2nd
177: Ms Soo Huiwah
176: Danny
175: Jasbir Kaur
174: Rebecca Bian
173: Echo & Hubby
172: Jimmy, Serene & family
167: Qiaoqiao (cousin-in-law)
166: Dendy and Shin
164: Raghu & Colleague
162: Estell (Lionnel & Joey's Gal)
161: Eva Camry
160: Joanne's Mum and Dad
158: WeiQiang & Family
155: Kalinda's Sister
154: Manfred Goh
153: William Tang
152: Tay Kay Chin
151: Pearlyn and Family
147: Calvin Mao (Shanghai)
146: Ice (Indonesia)
145: Jorance Poh
144: Shuying and Mum
142: Uncle Bok (Dad's Friend)
141: Jaslyn Lim
140: Cousin Chester
139: Ching Ging Ng (Chester's Friend)
138: Martin Heng and Mari (Japan)
135: Edmund Bay (Tracy's Brother)
134: Sherane (Joanne's Cousin)
133: Violet Chey (Echo's Princess)
132: Echo's Mum (Shanghai)
131: Fiona Shen (USA - Ex-KCPS)
130: Auntie Diana (Mum's Friend)
129: Joey (Lionnel's Wife!)
128: Ming (Shanghai)
127: Johnny (Shanghai)
126: Nick Ahnen (Alaska)
125: Richard (Caffeine)
124: Chin (Richard's Friend)
123: Baby "J" (Boi and April's Son)
122: Jean (Tracy's Buddy!)
121: Lionel Wong (Ex-KCPS)
120: Hui Qing (Lionel's Wife)
119: Dylan (Lionel's Son)
118: Mindy (Ex-Dunman)
117: Uncle Bay (Tracy's Dad)
116: Yifu
115: Lilian (Yifu's Wife)
114: Ashley (Yifu's Daughter)
113: Yifu's Friend (UK)
112: Jenny
111: Cousin Alvin
110: Yin San (Auntie)
109: Aron (Auntie's BF)
108: Auntie Fong
107: Carrine Soh
106: Wenxu
105: Mun Foong (ex-Temasek)
104: Mok Ching (ex-Temasek)
103: Sabrina Kong (ex-Temasek)
102: Agnes (ex-Temasek) and friend
101: Nishant (Harshad's friend)
100: Juliana Goh
099: Duuk Leong
098: Zach Leong
097: Kalinda Low
093: Randy Ang
092: Granny (Muar)
091: Issac Chen (Guofeng's Son)
090: Cousin Ben (Malacca) and family
085: Leonard
084: Wendy
083: Chern Hui
081: 3rd Uncle (Canada)
080: 3rd Auntie (Canada)
079: Chen (Taiwan)
077: Cousin Yei (Shanghai)
076: Summer (Shanghai)
075: Kenneth (Cicada)
074: Karen (Kenneth's wife)
073: Alicia Gan (Shanghai)
072: Ethan (Chee Bin's Son)
071: Michelle (Chee Bin's Wife)
070: Cousin Chee Bin
069: Aimei Ong (Ex-Dunman)
068: Rovis Lee (Ex-KCPS)
067: Hovman Goh
066: Alicia and Friends
059: Sam Tan Yixi
058: Auntie Jacqueline (Muar)
054: Ming Caleb
053: Ernest Goh (Ex-Temasek)
052: Desmond Wong
051: Heidi Tang (Shanghai)
050: Serene Chia
049: Alex Wee (Tracy's Friend)
048: Kevin Cheong (Vietnam)
047: Sally (Felicia's Friend)
046: Jack (Felicia's Friend)
045: Echo Ye (Shanghai)
044: Gray Chay (Shanghai)
043: Francis Chay (Shanghai)
042: Auntie Zhu (Muar)
041: Michelle (Chee Bin's Wife)
040: Alston
039: Charlie
038: Karen Loo
037: Hong Ai (Shanghai)
036: Charlyn Ding
035: Francis Goh (Beijing)
034: Jimmy Teo
033: April (Boi's Wife)
032: Dorothy (Eric's wife)
031: Scott Lin
030: Kevin and Family (ex-DCS)
026: Cousin Tao (Canada)
025: Jane
024: Yiyi
023: Chups Tam
022: Ellen Yong and BF (Malaysia)
020: Stella Tam
019: Mother-in-law
018: Auntie Nyong (Malacca)
017: Eric Goh
016: Meijie
014: Guofeng
013: Ivy
012: Xavier
011: My Dad
010: My Mum
009: Qiqi
008: My Sister
007: James
006: Auntie Amy
005: Uncle Benny
004: Winston
003: Boi
002: Cousin Leon
001: Joanne Ang
Wahbiang Birthdays
07 Jan - Felicia
10 Jan - Karen
24 Jan - Echo
28 Jan - Ivy
06 Feb - Hock
12 Feb - Mann Chuan
04 Mar - Francis
08 Mar - Hovman
24 Mar - Joanne
12 Apr - Gareth
26 Apr - Charlie
16 May - Tracy
15 Jun - Joe
17 Jul - Juliana
16 Aug - Meijie
27 Aug - Duuk
31 Aug - Kalinda
11 Oct - Sam
03 Dec - Jimmy
14 Dec - Lilian
17 Dec - Lusia
12 years away from home - Singapore. Writing my stories here for my lovely mum & dad, friends and most importantly, for my wife & son back home. A self-confessed gadget freak, a spontaneous prankster on the outside and a warm loving heart inside. Enjoying a happy life with loving families, friends plus a dream job. Realising mum’s motto – “Exceed Yourself Every Day”. Always believing that “Simplicity is Beauty”.
THE WAHBIANG BLOG 