Remember the trip to Wrestlemania I was planning for next year? Well…I couldn’t get tickets so I decided to use the money I earmarked for that trip to indulge in some techie goodness.
My first purchase was a 13 inch MacBook Air. This is the first laptop and Apple product I’ve ever purchased for myself.
My second purchase was a Sony Nex 5R mirror-less camera. This is also the first camera I’ve ever bought for myself. Sony had a “Sony Days 2012” promotion where they absorbed the GST and threw in some freebies. So after a lot of serious consideration, and online research, I decided to make the purchase on the very last day of the promotion. I went down to the Best Denki at Junction 8 during my lunch break to make the purchase; where I coincidentally ran into two of my colleagues who were there for lunch.
For the longest time, I’ve been a big believer in desktop computing and using a camera phone as my shooter. You can’t beat the raw computing power, durability and value of a desktop (especially a heavily discounted Dell) or the portability and convenience of a camera phone.
But lately, I’ve found myself constantly in need of a portable computer and high-end camera for work. The results have been pretty awesome. Both the MacBook Air and the Nex 5R are incredibly fun products to use. The MacBook Air (MBA) is a surprisingly good productivity companion for meetings. Mac OS X is fast, fluid and well-optimized, especially on the MBA’s solid state drive. The touchpad is also fantastic. It is unquestionably the best touchpad experience I’ve ever had.
The Sony Nex 5R is also a really fun product to use too. Originally, I was thinking about buying the Sony DSC RX100, but having been trained in traditional, black-and-white film-based (!) 35mm photography, I wanted something more ‘traditional’ (well, as traditional as a mirror-less digital camera with an APS-C sensor can be).
I’m glad I don’t need to worry about wasting film or developing negatives anymore (the chemicals stink!).
Why did I choose the Nex 5R over the RX100? It may sound silly, but of the the determining factors was 5R’s rotating LCD panel for self-portraits. From my experience, I don’t need it often, but when I need it, I really need it.
I’ve only had the camera for about two weeks, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with image quality thus far.
Check out some of my untouched, but re-sized and optimized for web, samples below. The photos were taken during a lunch at Angus House and when I served as a judge for NYP Jam! 2013, our annual singing contest for NYP and secondary school students.
Yes. I was a judge for a singing contest.
Personally, I would have preferred to judge a pie-making contest. Maybe next year?
For the full NYP Jam! 2013 photo album, check out the facebook gallery (and remember to like the page please).
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