The Twilight Mode of the Sony NEX 5

For the three day stay in Hong Kong,  the office booked me at the Renaissance Marriot Harbor View.  It’s five minutes away from the office.   Naturally, we had our corporate rate in the hotel.  I was Lucky that they upgraded my room from the Garden view to the Harbor view.   I had been in Hong Kong previously – when we took the Ferry from Macau to Hong Kong.   Remembering the pretty sight of the Harbor at night got me excited.   I know that I will not be disappointed with the sights – but more importantly – this time,  I have the proper equipment to take a picture of the dancing lights.  I’m referring to the Sony Nex 5.  One of it’s features is the Twilight Mode which allows someone to take pictures in low light conditions even without using a tripod.\

To provide you with a point of comparison,  these are the pictures that we  took during my last visit – using the point and shoot camera from the same manufacturer.

The lights using the point and shoot come out hazy.  This has something to do with the fact that the camera had to keep the shutter open to let in as much light into the sensor.  This allows the camera to take the picture but it also means that the slightest movement while the shutter is open is captured as “hazy” lights on the picture.  The only way you can fix it is by having a steady hand or by using a tripod.

The Sony Nex 5 on the other hand has technology that allows someone like me who has the “shakes” to take night light pictures without the tripod.  The Camera’s twilight mode prompts the camera to take six pictures of the scene and the program analyzes the digital data in these six pictures – eliminating the “hazy” images and producing a crisp photo.   To illustrate how wonderful this technology is,  review the two pictures above and look at these pictures:

  

For those who are like me, who go on vacations and trips and would like to take better night photos – this is your gadget.