← Charles Tay Learning in public ·

I learn by trying things

Cameras, lights and mics I tried, and what each one taught me.

the short version

  • I don’t buy things to keep them. I buy to find out what a tool can do, use it on a real job, and pass it on when it has taught me what it can.
  • Before I buy, I ask one question: what would this do that what I already have can’t? Often the honest answer is “not much”, and I don’t buy.
  • Most of what I learned came from the limits I hit, not the features on the box.

tried and used

  • Sep 2025
    light

    A battery flash for product photos

    Godox AD200 Pro II, dome diffuser, extension head

    asked
    “Now I realized that Godox AD200 Pro II with AD S17 accessory allow me to snap my product photography better. Vs using no flash. Seems like flash gives me ample light and i can adjust manually”
    tried
    Shot watches and other small products with and without flash, then learned the extras one question at a time: an extension head, mounting it on a light stand, front and rear curtain sync.
    learned
    Light I can control beats more light.
  • Oct 2025
    on the move

    A pocket camera with a built-in gimbal

    DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo

    asked
    “If I bring DJI Pocket 3 creator kit to Penang for one week. What content can I make?”
    tried
    Took it on a week away, then used it in other ways: as a laptop webcam, and to film a talk from the audience. For that one I asked which camera suits a seat several rows back: “If I am watching a fireside chat and wish to record should I use Dji pocket 3 or 4 pro”.
    learned
    Where you sit decides the lens. From the back of a room, a longer lens matters more than a better wide one.
  • Nov 2025
    sound

    A wireless mic for interviews

    RØDE Wireless ME

    asked
    “I was using Rode Wireless ME for recording interview and realize I am limited if I wish to record 2 person interview”
    tried
    Recorded interviews with it until I needed two voices at once.
    learned
    One transmitter, one voice. A two-person interview needs a two-transmitter kit, so plan the setup from who is speaking.
  • 2025 to 2026
    360

    A 360 camera

    Insta360 X3, later DJI Osmo 360

    asked
    “claude code with DJI editing the 360 footage?”
    tried
    Filmed in 360 and chose the framing afterwards. Tested whether it could double as a laptop webcam, and whether AI could take over part of the editing.
    learned
    Filming everything is easy. The work moves to editing, where every angle still has to be chosen.
  • 2025
    desk

    A webcam that follows me

    Insta360 Link

    asked
    “when i plug my insta360 link direct to my USB c port on laptop. link will intermittent reboot. When I plug link to USB via Type-C to Type-A adapter, link seems ok Why”
    tried
    Used it for calls, and worked out why it kept restarting.
    learned
    It has no battery, so it depends on the port’s power. When a laptop saves power on a port, the camera restarts.
  • 2025
    action

    Action cameras

    GoPro, DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro

    asked
    “I wish to use on dji action 5 pro which is better” (about memory cards)
    learned
    At high resolutions the memory card matters as much as the camera.
  • Sep 2026
    instant

    An instant camera

    Leica Sofort 2

    asked
    “Sofort 2 leica”
    tried
    Prints in the hand, a few seconds after the shot.
    learned
    It takes ordinary Instax Mini film. The branded packs aren’t needed.
  • Sep 2026
    film

    A mechanical film camera

    Leica MP

    asked
    “Leica MP Film camera when i snap photo can it imprint the date”
    tried
    Shooting film, with no screen to check the result.
    learned
    It can’t stamp the date on the film. The date lives in my notes now.

thought it through, didn’t buy

  • Aug 2025
    medium format

    A larger-sensor camera

    Hasselblad X2D II

    asked
    “XCD 35-100mm f/2.8-4 E with x2Dii vs leica sl3 24-70mm SL What can x2Dii achieve that leica sl3 can’t”
    did myself
    Held one at the launch, compared the weight and the HDR workflow with the camera I already had, and looked at a used one for sale.
    learned
    The useful question wasn’t “is it better?” but “what can it do that mine can’t?”
    decided
    Didn’t buy.
  • Jul 2026
    upgrade

    A newer pocket camera

    Insta360 Luna Ultra

    asked
    “I’m a DJI Pocket 3 owner. Is the Insta360 Luna Ultra worth upgrading to? Give a clear verdict with pros and cons for someone who already owns the Pocket 3.”
    learned
    Asking for a verdict for someone who already owns the older one gets a more honest answer than asking which is better.
    decided
    Didn’t buy.
  • Aug to Oct 2026
    a second camera

    A black-and-white-only camera, and a small zoom camera

    Leica Q2 Monochrom, Leica D-Lux 8

    asked
    “I have a leica Q3 and was eye Q2 monochrome what do you think”
    learned
    A second camera has to change how I shoot. If it only overlaps with what I have, it won’t get used.
    decided
    Didn’t buy either.

how the trying works

  • use it on a real job

    Product photos, a week away, an interview, a talk. Not a test chart.

  • ask what it adds

    Before buying: what would this do that what I already have can’t?

  • write down the limit

    The second voice the mic couldn’t take, the webcam that kept restarting. The limits taught me more than the features.

  • pass it on

    When a tool has taught me what it can, it goes to someone who will use it more.

The same habit, with software: six months of teaching myself AI. More learning in public: choosing the laptop and how I decide with AI.