You’ve seen us feature a lot of Sony cameras but we don’t often get the chance to see the amazing photos that Sony camera owners out there are taking – whether it’s a point-and-shoot or a DSLR. The SGNL by Sony team took a moment to feature some of those photos. The Sony Camera Club is a special group on Flickr where Sony camera owners can hang out, share photos and discuss photography with their Sony gear. It’s also a place to get some great tips and up to date news from Sony on all things camera related. It’s free to join too.
Today we’re taking a moment and showing you some of the stunning pictures we found in the Sony Camera Club taken by our members. It was great to see not only photos taken by members who own point and shoot cameras but also some photos taken by members who own some of our older camera models.
Check out the video and tell us what your favorite photo was.
If you watch TV, you’d be hard pressed to say you haven’t seen Steve Terada, even if you didn’t know it. Steve is a member of Quest Crew, a dance crew whose popping tricks, innovative choreography and unique humor have put audiences on their feet including those at SYTYCD, X Games, and numerous talk shows.
Now personally watching sheer talent like this reminds me of how untalented I am, but Steve now is helping us rhythmically challenged to at least feel like we have a chance. We armed him with a Sony Bloggie® MP4 camera and asked him to teach us the tricks he’s so known for. In just a few minutes (well probably like a few hours for me), the everyday dancer can tuck away some new moves in their back pocket and at a minimum have a heck of a fun time watching a pro do it.
So if you feel like it’s time to trade in your sprinkler dance for some new tricks, you’ll have to check out this video. While the Sony Bloggie® camera can’t make you a better dancer, it can at least capture the attempt in high definition.
In a few weeks a mass migration will take place as a new crop of kids gets geared up for college. Sony teamed up with Microsoft to put new VAIO® S series laptops in the hands of 15 college bloggers and asked them to complete a summer homework assignment. The challenge: For up to 15 hours, they would put the VAIO S laptop with the optional sheet battery attached to the test doing whatever it is that college students do without plugging it in to a power outlet. That’s right, with the sheet battery attached, we asked the bloggers to avoid searching for power sources and instead call on the power of the added sheet battery the entire day. How did they do? As you can see, some veered from the homework assignment but each has a valuable point of view from an unboxing to a photo tour and music playlist to help document the day.
Everyone loves a good unboxing video so to kick off this post we wanted to share this one from the folks at College Grotto.
Many students will travel far from home to get to their college campus. Brett from College Cures took the VAIO SB series on the road for a cross country adventure. See how the VAIO laptop helped contribute to an awesome trip, even with a 3 hour airport delay.
Alex from the University of South Carolina points out how awesome it is to live “in a world free of tangled power cords and low batteries”. Yes, there is nothing worse than getting wound up in a nest of wires and having to keep track of all those power cords.
Check out Gear Diary’s 15 hour torture test. Blogger, Michael provides clear power plans and various operating conditions to squeeze out just over 15 hours of power.
For parents on the search for the right laptop for their college bound kid, here are seven things to look for when searching for the perfect computer for your college student from University Parent and a detailed review by the team at College Survival.
Finally, the Noell and Shanilla of Campus Splash do a nice walk through of the VAIO S Series via a video blog. Ladies we love your vlog and forgive you for having the VAIO logo upside down the whole time. ;)
Now tell us your story. Are you off to college or sending a student away for higher education? How will you use your laptop computer and would it be able to keep up with a 15 hour day? If you’re a VAIO owner, send us a link to a photo of you and your laptop. And for those of you interested in checking out the VAIO S Series check out a bonus offer at Sony Store until September 17, 2011 to save money on the VAIO S and sheet battery.
* Estimates only based on Sony engineering testing with solid state drive (SSD) configuration. Actual performance will vary based on configurable options, environmental conditions and usage. Battery capacity decreases over time and use.
Today’s blog post is written by guest blogger, Jeffrey Sass. You may recognize Jeff as one of our Sony Digi Dads. We gave Jeff a NEX-5 camera at CES last year and since then he has been been spotted with that camera just about everywhere. We wanted to give Jeff a chance to tell you in his own words how the camera has taken his photography to the next level!
There’s a saying that the best camera is the camera you have with you… For many people today that means the camera in your phone. While the digital photography revolution began long before the camera phone became pervasive, for many, myself included, the advent of the camera phone was the thing that sparked a renewed interest in taking pictures. Somehow, just knowing I have that capability in my pocket, all the time, makes me look at the world through a different filter. It made me start looking for the pictures in everyday moments. But the more you start imagining the world as an image waiting to be captured, the more you realize that the camera in your phone is merely the gateway drug. It gets you hooked on digital photography, and, if the addiction sets in, invariably you’ll find yourself looking for something stronger.
Pointing Beyond Point And Shoot
Once I got the “bug” and wanted more out of my pictures than what my phone could deliver, I started looking at “real” cameras. Being a novice, I shied away from considering a DSLR and opted instead for a very popular, well reviewed, pocket sized point and shoot digital camera. Frankly, for a few years I was quite happy with my little camera and the pictures I was able to take with it. I even started blowing up, printing and framing some of my favorites to adorn the walls of my den. Still fearful of the size and complexity of a proper DSLR, and thus without the benefit of a “real” lens, and the photographic flexibility inherent in a camera with a full size sensor, I had no idea what I was missing by relegating myself to the world of pocket point and shooters.
Sony To The Rescue
At the Consumer Electronic Show in January, my view of digital photography broadened dramatically. Through my relationship with Sony as one of their “DigiDads,” I was given the opportunity to start using a Sony® NEX-5, my first ever digital camera with a removable lens and DSLR size sensor. As I quickly discovered walking the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the NEX-5 is an attention getter. With its sleek and petite black body and seemingly over-sized solid looking silver 18-55mm lens, the NEX-5 is an elegantly awkward looking contraption. I was surprised by the number of DSLR toting photographers who stopped me to ask about it. I was equally surprised by how much better my pictures were when taken with the NEX-5.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
I am not here to write a formal review of the NEX-5. There are some good detailed reviews here and here. I am here to say that for me, the NEX-5 has been the perfect camera to rekindle an interest in digital photography and to make me think much more like a photographer. Sony has packed a comprehensive set of features into a compact, fun to use package. Even with everything set to automatic (so I can still use my point and shoot brain), the resulting images are crisp, clear and professional looking. I have just begun to scratch the tip of the iceberg as far as taking advantage of the camera’s capabilities. I have a lot to learn, and am starting to experiment with different settings, and even shooting in RAW to post process my images (terms I knew little or nothing about before I took the NEX-5 step.)
Ring Those Bells and Whistles
Once you are ready to move past the basics, the NEX-5 is highly customizable and has features and capabilities to enable almost unlimited photographic choices. It’s also not without a few nice bells and whistles, including 2D and even 3D Sweep Panorama™ modes, as well as video recording in 1080p HD. Being a good geek, once I was hooked on my NEX-5 I “accessorized” by adding an optional external stereo microphone for video sound recording, as well as an Eye-Fi SD card so I can post images directly from the NEX-5 to the Internet via a Wi-Fi network… no computer required (the NEX-5′s menu interface is optimized for easy use with an Eye-Fi card, presenting icons on the camera’s LCD to indicate network status and Wi-Fi transfers). The NEX-5 has sparked a new quest in me for more digital photography knowledge and experience, and I’ve been reading up on digital imaging, DSLR photography and even books written specifically about Sony’s NEX-5 camera.
Sony… No Baloney
As a Sony “DigiDad,” I have had the opportunity to use a wide range of Sony products, some of which I have loved, and some of which, honestly, not so much. The Sony NEX-5 absolutely falls into the “love” category, and for me, the NEX-5 has been the perfect camera to move me beyond point and shoot cameras and phones. It has given me the opportunity and the ability to get more serious about digital photography in a size that is fun and easy to bring along. I really do think it has helped take my photography skills to the NEX level. What do you think?
Here are some of my favorite pictures taken with the Sony NEX-5:
Disclosure: I have a material connection because I received a gift or sample of a product for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was/am not expected to return this item or gift after my review period.
Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 22, Ethan, 21 and Olivia, 19). He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast. You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Dad-O-matic! and Social Networking Rehab and you can listen to Jeff on the Cast of Dads podcast.
What exactly can you do with an MP4 format camera?
Trevor Anderson and Fish Griwkowsky, two filmmakers from Edmonton, Canada, pushed their MP4 camera to the limit — and beyond. As part of the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival’s Talent Lab, they and 24 other filmmakers received Sony Webbies for an RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) Emerging Filmmakers Competition, sponsored in part by Sony.
They chose a subject both dark and scenic for their documentary short – Edmonton’s High Level Bridge, which has a reputation as a jumping-off point for troubled souls seeking to end their lives. My own dark play on words is intentional, much like the humor and irony the filmmakers used to illustrate their short subject. You end up trying to stifle giggles, catching yourself remembering what the film ultimately is about. Beautifully composed yet troubling images of the bridge are punctuated with stories detailing friends and neighbors’ attempts or thoughts of suicide.
The entire film was shot with the Sony Webbie, Sony’s first MP4 format camera (big sister to today’s Sony Bloggie Touch), and as a nod to the Webbie’s affordability the film ends with an epic toss of the camera over the side of the bridge and onto the ice, 150 feet below. Even if the camera was destroyed, the filmmakers figured, the images would live on thanks to the flash-based stick memory. The Webbie survived, although it’s not something we’d recommend you do with any of your Sony gear (especially if you want to keep that device.)
The High Level Bridge premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2010, and played at other festivals, including Sundance SXSW and the American Film Institute Festival, where it received an honorable mention.
The film is not available for all audiences yet, but check out more of the work of Anderson and Griwkowsky at DirtCityFilms.com. And if you’re an aspiring filmmaker, why not try your hand at telling your own story? If you do, drop us a link.
