Ming Thein | Photographer

A review is not just a review, part one

April 2, 2013 by Ming Thein

If it seems slightly odd that I have to write an article like this in the first place, that’s because I’ve been noticing several trends in my email inbox lately:

Why don’t I review XYZ camera, or if I can review XYZ camera?
Why didn’t I test for a particular feature?
Why didn’t I test a particular combination of body and lens or some other accessory/ add-on?
Why didn’t I post full size files, or raw files?
Why do I postprocess the files/ test JPEG output?
Are you paid by the camera companies to write good things?
I read your review of XYZ, but would like to get some more thoughts. What do you think of XYZ?
And of course the usual…”Should I buy X or Y?”

I’m going to add a few to this list myself:

What’s the difference between my reviews and others?
Why do I only review certain cameras?
In the unlikely event I’m given or loaned a piece of equipment to review, then what?

I’m going to address these once and for all, and then return to the business of making images with the occasional detour into the equipment.

Meet the new editorial team.

April 1, 2013 by Ming Thein

I’ve finally figured out how to optimize the efficiency of this site. They will begin with handling email and comment replies, and slowly move on to occasional posting too, at least once I’ve trained them. Please excuse any typos or unintelligible text for the moment; I have to optimize the stochastic keyboard filter. Also, since it seems that some people want quantity and some don’t, I’ve gone for the fast but lucky approach. Meet the new leader of my editorial team, pictured here deep in thought. If it is believed a thousand monkeys at a thousand typewriters can eventually produce Shakespeare, then I figure a small troupe should have no problem handling ‘what should I buy?’ emails. (Besides, there’s no way my Amazon referral vouchers will cover sufficient bananas for a thousand.)

Happy April 1st, everybody. MT

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Filed Under: Off topic Tagged With: april 1, april fools, editorial team, ming, ming thein, mingthein.com, site change, thein

Thoughts on the Apple iPhone 5 camera

March 31, 2013 by Ming Thein

Don’t worry, I’m not about to start claiming the various image-processing apps are the best thing since sliced bread; they aren’t. What I am going to do is take an objective look at the iPhone 5’s camera as a tool for photographers. Firstly, we’ve got to remember that the device itself has a lot of limitations: it was never designed primarily to be a camera in the first place, which means a lot of niceties are missing: a dedicated shutter button, for instance. It is therefore important to consider things in perspective, and be realistic about the kind of functionality we can reasonably expect. I reviewed the iPhone 4’s camera here; from the 4S, the camera received a spec bump to 8MP with a slightly different sensor, meaning that the effective focal length of the lens is a somewhat longer 30mm – now five elements and with a fixed f2.4 effective aperture. The new unit is made by Sony, and focuses and shoots noticeably faster than the 4.

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Filed Under: Gearhead: Reviews Tagged With: apple, cameraphone, gearhead, iphone 5, iphoneography, ming, ming thein, mingthein.com, review, thein

Film diaries: The importance of hapatics and tactility, part two

March 29, 2013 by Ming Thein

Continued from part one.

Some gratuitous camera p***, and one of the nicest cameras I’ve handled – the choice of materials is superb. Too bad the price puts it out of reach for all but the lucky few.

This article falls into the film diaries because historically, there have been many attempts to make cheaper versions of popular cameras – the M2, for instance, is supposed to be a cut-price and simplified version of the M3; the Nikkomats are another example. Yet none of these feel particularly poorly made or roughly finished; if anything, they still considerably exceed the perceived quality level of anything currently available new. Objectively speaking, my 1995 Hasselblad 501C is a pain to use: it’s large, heavy, only carries 12 shots, has serious mirror slap, has a reversed finder, requires a separate external meter (or very good eye), is a pain to reload, slow to shoot with, and an ergonomic disaster – yet somehow I just love making images with it because of the way it feels in the hand. The lens’ aperture and shutter rings move with distinct, clean clicks. The mirror and shutter sound feels positive and deep. The accessories detach and snap into place with solid, positive clicks and zero free play; there are no rough-feeling mechanical parts or actions, and the focusing rings (mostly) have precisely the right amount of damping.

Film diaries: The importance of hapatics and tactility, part one

March 27, 2013 by Ming Thein

Spot the odd one out of this bunch. (Hint, it’s not the M9-P because the image isn’t low-key, or because it’s the only Leica in a bunch of Nikons.) It’s also not the F2 Titan because it requires no electrons to operate. Let’s try another set:

Review: The Leica D-Lux 6/ Panasonic LX7

March 25, 2013 by Ming Thein

There aren’t that many choices for fully-featured, pocketable compacts at the moment; in my ongoing quest to find the ideal take-everywhere companion, I’ve probably tried most of them. Current top of the heap is the Sony RX100; I’ve also used the GR-Digital series, Fuji XF1 and Panasonic LX/ Leica D-Lux series. For whatever reason, I’ve never really bonded with the Canon S-series, so that’s never made it into my pocket; same with any of the Nikon Coolpixes, though I’m really hoping the A will change that. Whilst I loved the RX100 for its fantastic sensor, the lens arguably lets the package down: it may be fast one the wide end, but for it to keep up with the sensor in the corners, you have to stop down a bit (thereby negating this advantage) and the tele end is just plain slow.

Packing for the USA

March 23, 2013 by Ming Thein

On the road again.

One of the conundrums I always face before a trip of any sort is the question of what gear to bring. It isn’t so much of a problem if I’m on assignment, because what I need is dictated by the brief of the job, but it’s a completely different story when I’m teaching, or worse, travelling for myself. I suppose it’s a problem faced by anybody who’s got more than one complete set of gear. There was a time when I used to simply take every (or nearly every) lens I owned – whilst this would ensure that you’d never miss an opportunity, it’s also a great way to rack up chiropractor bills and ensure that you really don’t enjoy your trip. Lugging everything from place to place becomes a chore, and taking photographs turns into a burden rather than a joy.

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Filed Under: Gearhead: Reviews, On Assignment Tagged With: bag, equipment, gear, ming, ming thein, mingthein.com, packing, thein, usa tour

Film diaries: Postcards from Fukuoka, and thoughts on Fuji Acros 100

March 21, 2013 by Ming Thein

On the last day of my recent trip to Fukuoka, I somehow managed to run out of film. The entire brick and both magazines of Delta 100 were depleted in a couple of hours; I was lucky enough to have magical light and the inspiration to shoot, so making the most of it, shoot I did. Let me tell you I wish they still made 220…12 frames for street work means reloading at least every half an hour or less if you’re in the thick of things.

Sony and Olympus: what does it mean?

March 19, 2013 by Ming Thein

Following the accounting scandal that saw former CEO Michael Woodford ousted, Olympus’ coffers were looking decidedly empty; at that point, many potential suitors were rumoured. It turned out that Sony was the one whose offer was accepted. In a share transfer and cash deal – completed about a month ago – Sony pumped US$645 million into the company, to hold a total of 11.5%. What’s more interesting is that on most of the major business sites, this wasn’t reported as a transaction to invest in the cameramaker; rather, Olympus was frequently referred to as a ‘world leader in medical imaging’.

Although photographers know and love Olympus as the manufacturer of various quirky cameras and small systems, the truth is that margins in the medical industry – anything with ‘surgical’ or ‘medical’ in its name means an extra couple of zeroes on the end of the price tag – are much, much higher than the camera business. Like Nikon, it’s been making a good chunk of its income from something other than cameras for a long time. (I don’t know how much it makes from dictaphones these days, though.)

I’m going to take off my photographer hat now and wear my analyst/ M&A/ consultant one, for a bit of change of pace. Let’s put the pieces together.

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Filed Under: Off topic Tagged With: article, essay, industry, ming, ming thein, mingthein.com, olympus, opinion, sony, thein, thoughts

One week to go – a couple of places left for USA 2013 workshops

March 18, 2013 by Ming Thein

Swallowed by the city. Tokyo, October 2012.

Departure day is drawing near, and I’m getting excited – both to finally return to the USA as a serious photographer – the last time I was there was pre-photography for me – but to meet so many of you in person!

The Outstanding Images Tour

San Francisco
By popular demand, I’m going to doing two sessions:
Session 1: Thursday 28 to Saturday 30 March 2013 (one place)
Session 2: Monday 1 to Wednesday 3 April 2013 (a couple of places due to reshuffled dates)

New York City
~~Friday 5 to Sunday 7 April 2013 (full)~~
New date by popular demand: Monday 8 to Wednesday 10 April 2013 (a couple of places)

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Filed Under: Teaching Tagged With: 2013, ming, ming thein, mingthein.com, thein, usa, Workshop