Drew Wong

Aliases: drew, therealdrew, TheRealDrew, scubadru Role: Underwater videographer, Wetpixel associate editor, “video guru” First appearance: 2005 ([1]) Location: Singapore / Asia-Pacific Affiliation: Wetpixel (associate editor)

Biography

Drew Wong is an underwater videographer and Wetpixel’s associate editor, known within the community as the site’s “video guru” — a term Eric Cheng used in 2007. Based in the Asia-Pacific region (likely Singapore), he brought deep expertise in professional video production workflows and became Wetpixel’s primary authority on underwater video across the HD, DSLR, and cinema camera eras. His first dive show was ADEX Singapore in approximately 1994.

With 7,781 forum posts and 90 authored articles (2005–2019), Wong was one of the most prolific contributors. He was also a passionate conservation advocate, particularly focused on shark finning in Southeast Asia.

Contributions

The “ViDSLR” Coinage

In May 2009, Wong coined the term “ViDSLR” — Video + DSLR — in his article on the Panasonic GH1, writing “ViDSLR if you will.” The term became his shorthand for the hybrid cameras that defined the DSLR Video Revolution and was used repeatedly in subsequent articles ([2]).

Video Housing Reviews

Wong wrote the most comprehensive video housing reviews on Wetpixel:

ADEX Coverage

Wong was Wetpixel’s primary ADEX reporter for over a decade, co-hosting the Sam’s Tours/Wetpixel/ScubaCam ADEX party with David Cheung (ScubaCam Singapore) annually. He covered ADEX Bangkok (2007), then Singapore (2011–2019) ([10], [11]).

Sardine Run Expeditions

Wong led annual “Wetpixel Ocean Safari” sardine run trips to South Africa (2006–2011), field-testing video gear along the way. In 2010, he “claims the dubious honor of being the first diver to have been mistaken as a sardine by a diving gannet” ([12]). In 2007, he reportedly wore a Spiderman wetsuit and scared away a humpback whale ([13]).

Didier Noirot Interview

Conducted a multi-page interview with Didier Noirot, legendary Cousteau/BBC underwater cinematographer, across San Diego and South Africa (2007) ([14]).

Conservation Advocacy

Wrote extensively about shark conservation in Southeast Asia — protesting shark finning in Sipadan/Mabul, advocating for the California AB376 shark fin ban, pushing for fishing bans in Sabah Malaysia, and rallying support for Komodo National Park patrol funding ([15], [16]).

Video Technique Guides

Published guides on diopters for macro video (2007), HDV/DV tape myths (2007), portable hard drives for editing (2008), and RED Epic prototype coverage from Singapore (2010) ([17], [18]).

Timeline

References

Sources

  1. Wetpixel article, Sep 14, 2005: Wetpixel Expands Moderating Team ↩
  2. Wetpixel article, May 21, 2009: Panasonic Dmc Gh1 Continues The Vidslr Revolution ↩
  3. Wetpixel article, Aug 12, 2007: Amphibico Endeavor And Sony Hvr V1u Review ↩
  4. Wetpixel article, Dec 27, 2007: Gates Fx7 V1 Housing Review ↩
  5. Wetpixel article, Sep 6, 2008: Mangrove Mvd L 2 Review ↩
  6. Wetpixel article, Jun 12, 2010: Canon 5d Mark Ii Housing Shootout ↩
  7. Wetpixel article, Oct 16, 2011: Seacam Prelude 60d Review ↩
  8. Wetpixel article, Oct 31, 2011: Nauticam Na 60d Field Test ↩
  9. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2012: Seacam Sea Flash 150 Digital Review ↩
  10. Wetpixel article, May 15, 2007: 2007 Asian Dive Exposition Adex In Bangkok ↩
  11. Wetpixel article, Apr 24, 2019: Show Report Adex 2019 By Drew Wong ↩
  12. Wetpixel article, Jul 31, 2010: Wetpixel Ocean Safari Sardine Run 2010 Report Now Online ↩
  13. Wetpixel article, Jun 20, 2007: Sardine Run Updates From The Field ↩
  14. Wetpixel article, Aug 11, 2007: Interview Underwater Cinematographer Didier Noirot ↩
  15. Wetpixel article, Jan 27, 2009: Protest Shark Finning In Sipadan Mabul ↩
  16. Wetpixel article, Feb 14, 2011: Support The California Assembly Bill 376 To Ban Shark Fin Sale In Ca ↩
  17. Wetpixel article, Aug 29, 2007: Guide To Diopters For Shooting Macro Video ↩
  18. Wetpixel article, Nov 8, 2010: Epic Prototype Camera Demo Report From Singapore ↩
  19. Wetpixel article, Sep 14, 2005: Wetpixel Expands Moderating Team ↩
  20. Wetpixel article, Oct 20, 2005: Dema 2005 Sony Hdv Camera Report ↩
  21. Wetpixel article, Nov 19, 2006: Dvexpo West 2006 Official Wetpixel Coverage3 ↩
  22. Wetpixel article, May 15, 2007: 2007 Asian Dive Exposition Adex In Bangkok ↩
  23. Wetpixel article, Jun 20, 2007: Sardine Run Updates From The Field ↩
  24. Wetpixel article, Aug 11, 2007: Interview Underwater Cinematographer Didier Noirot ↩
  25. Wetpixel article, Aug 12, 2007: Amphibico Endeavor And Sony Hvr V1u Review ↩
  26. Wetpixel article, May 21, 2009: Panasonic Dmc Gh1 Continues The Vidslr Revolution ↩
  27. Wetpixel article, Jun 12, 2010: Canon 5d Mark Ii Housing Shootout ↩
  28. Wetpixel article, Nov 8, 2010: Epic Prototype Camera Demo Report From Singapore ↩
  29. Wetpixel article, Oct 16, 2011: Seacam Prelude 60d Review ↩
  30. Wetpixel article, Apr 15, 2017: Report Imaging Products At Adex 2017 ↩
  31. Wetpixel article, Apr 24, 2019: Show Report Adex 2019 By Drew Wong ↩
  32. Wetpixel expands moderating team (2005) (article) ↩
  33. Amphibico Endeavor + Sony V1U review (2007) (article) ↩
  34. Interview: Didier Noirot (2007) (article) ↩
  35. ViDSLR — Panasonic GH1 (2009) (article) ↩
  36. Canon 5D Mark II housing shootout (2010) (article) ↩
  37. Seacam Prelude 60D review (2011) (article) ↩
  38. ADEX 2019 show report (article) ↩