During the recent trip to Japan, we visited the Sony store at Ginza. At that store, you see the latest products of Sony – and at that time, the latest product is the 3D Television. I tried the 3D television and thought that it was cool but not for me. It seems to be really cool for gaming – but I was never an avid fan of games. The games that I like is fine within the 2 dimensions of the current computer screens and televisions.
Apart from the TV screens – my attention was captured by the latest Sony Camera – this is the Sony NEX 5. In so many words – this camera can be described as a point and shoot camera but has the capabilities of an entry level DSLR. Note – I have not used a DSLR before and I can’t even think of myself as a photography enthusiast. I take pictures because I want to capture the moment of my trips and memorable scenes in my life. A lot of the pictures I take are of my dogs. So what caught my attention with the Sony Nex 5? It all has something to do with the promised ease in taking pictures for a non-photographer like me. These are the features that I like most:
1. Twilight mode and Night Mode
During our trip to Japan – there was a lot of grief in trying to take a picture of the Statue of Liberty, the Rainbow Bridge, and the Tokyo Tower at night time. We took so many shots before we got the right one.
For the Sony Nex 5 – this process is made much more user friendly with the Twilight mode that comes with the Camera. You don’t even need a tripod and you can take low light pictures.
Here is a sample picture that I took while holding the camera with my hands. The images are crisp and does not have the noise that I usually have with my previous point and shoot.
2. Pictures of moving pets
Char Siew and Midori are not easy to capture in photos. They move a lot. What I found with the Nex 5 – is that when I use the Auto mode – even without the fill flash, I can actually take good pictures of the two dogs even if they are moving. In my previous camera, I can do this in intense light – but I have difficulty doing it in indoors with yellow light.
3. Better Flash
I seldom use flash. I learned that there are minor setting adjustments that one can use to ensure that you have pictures with the proper lighting. However – there are times when you need flash. For example, when you are taking a picture of a subject with light on its background. Char Siew – my Shar Pei is very sensitive to light. That’s why I ended up with a lot of pictures of him with his eyes closed with my previous camera. This time – with the NEX 5 – the flash is a lot more controlled and if you look at this picture, you will notice that his eyes are wide open:
4. Taking pictures at my pets Level
The NEX 5 viewing screen tilts a full 90 degrees allowing me to lower the camera to the Dogs level without me lying down on the floor. This allows me to capture Midori’s moments when she is sleeping.
There are other features of the camera that are great – but these four are the ones that I have used extensively during the first week that I have them. Please note that I am still retaining my waterproof camera – the Olympus Tough 8010. The Tough 8010 gives good pictures and as I said it’s waterproof. However – I’m very happy with my purchase of the NEX 5 and I look forward to more great picture taking moments with it.
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