The Gamer With Kids

Here’s an item I picked up for my NEX-5N that I’ve always wanted for a camera in general. I’ve always been a fan of fisheye photography so I figured since I have this fancy new camera now, I might as well get one. What you see here is the VCL-ECF1 Fisheye Conversion Lens. It works in conjunction with the 16mm f/2.8 (SEL16F28) which I don’t have yet.

The VCL-ECF1 turns the 16mm lens into a fisheye lens in which the images taken by this combination take up the entire frame of an image and doesn’t have the annoying circular black border like cheaper fisheye adapters. The fisheye conversion lens attaches to the SEL16F28 like a lens hood so it’s also possible to attach it to the 18-55mm kit lens. This however isn’t suggested as the fisheye lens doesn’t exactly work with any other lens other than the 16mm one.

Hopefully when I get my 16mm lens later this week, I’ll be able to take some sample shots as well as a full review. Until then, enjoy the unboxing images.

Purchase this item on Amazon - Sony VCLECF1 Fisheye Conversion Lens (Black)

Rokinon is a well knows lens manufacturer that makes specialty lenses for a wide range of cameras. This includes Nikon, Canon, Olympus, and other DSLRs. Recently they’ve also begun making lenses for mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras such as the Micro Four Thirds format and more recently, Sony’s E-mount format.

One of their newest lenses out right now is this Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 super wide angle fisheye lens. Rokinon is well known for their fisheye lenses and wide angle lenses and this one doesn’t disappoint. As you can see from the picture, it’s much smaller than some of their past fisheye lenses and much more aesthetically pleasing. It comes with a built in petal style hood and weighs only 6.2 oz. What makes these lenses so good is that images taken with these lenses fill up the entire frame of the image and do not have a circular black border like you see on cheaper fisheye adapters.

Specs:

• Aperture range: f/3.5 – 22
• Minimum Focusing Distance: 3.54 inches
• Optical Construction: 9 elements in 7 groups
• Maximum Diameter: 2.36 inches
• Angle of view 4/3″ – 180°
• Mount: Micro Four Thirds

The Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 fisheye lens is available in 2 different colors, black and silver, and retails for around $299 which is quite affordable for a dedicated fisheye lens of this quality. Note however that these lenses have to be used in manual mode and does not feature autofocus.

For Sony NEX E-mount owners, stay tuned because sometime in April/May, Rokinon will be releasing a 8mm f/2.8 lens which will update the current E-mount lens to the new smaller sizing.

Purchase this item on Amazon - Rokinon FE75MFT-B 7.5mm F3.5 UMC Fisheye Lens for Micro Four Thirds (Olympus PEN and Panasonic)

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Now that I’ve had a chance to review and use the Sony NEX-5N, I can honestly say that I’m in love with the camera, even though there are a few downsides to it, mainly the lack of available lenses at the moment. Sure you can use the many adapters that are available for the camera now to make use of lenses from Nikon, Canon, and Olympus, there are downsides to this, mainly the fact that this turns the NEX into a full manual camera.

The good news however is that there are 3rd party lenses either here already or on the way. Same goes for official Sony e-mount lenses. They are coming slowly, but they are coming. Below are the 3rd party lenses that are available now as well as those coming very soon from Rokinon, Tamron. and Sigma. In most cases, the 3rd party lenses are a bit more affordable than the Sony lenses but they don’t sacrifice price for quality. These 3 manufacturers are pretty well known in the photography circle so you can’t really go wrong with purchasing one of these.

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If you read my initial impressions of the NEX-5N, then you know that I was very impressed with the overall build quality and feel of the NEX-5N. This was judged solely on my first impressions of the camera upon holding it and seeing it in person for the very first time and really being able to examine the build quality. Well, it’s been a good solid 3 weeks that I’ve had the camera now and have been able to shoot daily with it in a variety of different instances and situations. I’ve been able to examine how the camera functions in day-to-day usage as well as image quality. Has real world usage changed my feelings on the camera? Read more and find out.

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After the disaster with the previous Sony NEX-5N case that I purchased, I decided to go straight to the Sony branded case this time. I decided not to go with the leather case due to the price and instead went with this semi-soft padded case. This is a more traditional styled carrying case for the Sony NEX-5N and doesn’t require me to attach anything to the camera itself. The case itself is constructed of polyurethane and features a padded interior. The case is kept shut with the use of a fairly heavy duty zipper and includes a separate pouch that you can use to carry the optional flash unit and/or extra battery.

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We’ve looked at a lot of headphones here and most of them really pump out some great sounds. The problem with these are that none of them are really suitable for young children due to the fact that all these headphones can be cranked up really loud, loud enough to damage hearing in young children. Because of this, I would not really let me child use any of the headphones I possess. Instead, I would only allow them to use a headphone that included volume limiting technology. That means that the headphones would only output to a specific level and not any higher in order to protect a kid’s hearing.

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As you know, I just recently purchased a Sony NEX-5N in order to take more pictures of my kids and all our experiences with them. When compared to a DSLR however, the Sony NEX-5N is just too pretty to let get scuffed up so I had decided to buy a case for it. Sony sells a leather 2-piece case for the the camera, but it retails for around $90 when purchasing both pieces. This was way more than I was willing to spend on a case so I did a quick search on Amazon and came across several similarly looking cases to the official Sony case. These obviously are no-named products and are sold mostly by third party vendors on Amazon. The look fairly close to the way the Sony case looks, except that the price is way more affordable at around $25 for both pieces.

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Kid’s headphones are very difficult to find, especially ones that are comfortable to use. I’ve only seen ones from Sony and those headphones sat on top of the ear and didn’t look very comfortable. With that, Kidz Gear has announced that they have released new Apple specific versions of their Kidz Gear Wired Headphones for Kids. These headphones feature volume limiting technology we well as an inline microphone and remote.

What I like about these is that these feature over the year padded cups that go around the ears instead of on top of the ears for better comfort. The main draw obviously is the volume limiting feature which limits listening volume to between 80dB and 90dB levels. The Kidz Gear Apple Wired Headphones for Kids are available now and priced at $29.95 which is a fair price for kid’s headphones.

For more information, click the read more link below.

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If you read my last post yesterday, you know that I just recently purchased a Sony NEX-5N camera. I ordered it on Wednesday of this week and got it today via FedEX. (On a side note, love Amazon Prime). Upon receiving the package, I was quite surprised at the size of it. I imagined that the box would be a lot bigger than it was. Upon opening the box, you’ll see that everything is neatly packaged within the box. The instructions and included software will be the first things you see, which is standard for all digital cameras. Flipping over the cardboard separation, you’ll see that the camera and accessories are underneath and  also separated by cardboard.

The Sony NEX-5N accessories include a camera strap, battery, battery charger, external flash add-on, USB cable, and a lens hood. I was surprised by the lens hood attachment as I did not know it came with one and none of the reviews I read mentioned it coming with one. It was certainly a welcomed bonus. The camera itself is wrapped in an anti-static white bag and the lens and body already come attached together along with the lens cap. The only thing that is disappointing about this is that the package does not include a lens rear cap or a cap for the body if you wanted to store each separately. These are optional “accessories” you would need to purchase.

One of the first things I did was inspect the body and lens just to make sure everything was in good order and in good cosmetic condition. I wasn’t able to turn on the NEX-5N yet due to the fact that the battery does not come charged and I have to wait about 3 hours for it to charge up. This is the first time I’ve run into a piece of electronics where the battery didn’t at least come partially charged. It’s not a big deal but this just means I have to wait longer to play with the camera. I’d say it’s similar to receiving the keys to a Bugatti Veyron, but not being able to drive it because you have to walk 5 miles to get gas and then walk back to fill her up.

Since I wasn’t able to play with any of the camera’s functions yet, I examined the camera itself first. The first thing you’ll probably notice about the camera is how light it is, yet how solid it feels in your hands due to the mainly all magnesium construction. The body is matte black and has a real nice stealthy look to it. On the back of the camera, the NEX-5N features an articulating touch screen LCD panel. Most  articulating screen I’ve seen are either hinged on the side or the bottom and usually feel a bit flimsy. The Sony screen however only articulates for tilting the screen upwards and downwards. The hinge system they use seems really strong and built to last as it’s also made entirely out of metal and hinged in 3 spots instead of 1.

The lens attached to the body is a Sony made, E18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens. Unlike traditional DSLR lenses that are mainly plastic and rubber, this lens is made entirely out of metal (I don’t know what kind) and has a really nice industrial look to it. Because of this, it too feels very solid in your hands. When combined with the body, the fit is so exceptional that it almost feels as if the body and lens are one piece. Very impressive indeed. As you can see from the image, I attached the lens hood to it just to see how it would look.

I do like the contrast between the matte black body and brushed silver lens which is one of the reasons I got it in this color combination. I’ve seen the silver bodied NEX-5N and just didn’t like how everything blended together.

Overall, I am very impressed with the whole presentation of the NEX-5N, its build quality, and the solid feeling this thing has in my hands. It’s a fairly small camera when compared to other in it’s class, so people with large hands might not like it, but for me, it fits perfectly in mine and the weight of it terrific. As soon as this battery finishes charging, I’ll be able to dig into the camera software a bit and then over the weekend, take some sample images to see if the image quality really is as good as everyone says it is.

Photographing kids is one of the most pleasurable things to do as a parent as we love showing off pictures of them to all our friends and family. On the other hand, those with kids know that photographing them is probably one of the hardest things to do, especially babies and toddlers. The problem is that they never want to hold still long enough for you to photograph them properly. I’ve run into the problem where normal point-and-shoot cameras can no longer do the job as most of the images I capture consist of clear backgrounds and what appears to be a child that is blurred beyond recognition. Don’t even get me started on low-light photography either as that’s even more of a mess.

Since my wife and I just had our 2nd  child not to long ago, we’ve come to discover that she will just not hold still for photos so a majority of all her photos are blurry unless we were lucky enough to catch her sleeping. Because of this, I’ve been on the hunt for either a new DSLR or the newer mirrorless style cameras. It’s a tough decision finding a camera of this nature because there are so many good choices out there. You have cameras like the Nikon D3100 and Canon T3 for entry level DSLRs or the slightly mid level Nikon 5100 and Canon T3i. It’s even tougher when you get into the mirrorless category as there are so many more cameras in that category like the Olympus PEN series, the Panasonic Lumix, Nikon 1 series, and the Sony NEX series.

It’s been a rough 2 week search for the perfect camera and I’ve even gone as far as borrow an older Nikon D5000 to get a feel for using a DSLR. I’ve used old school film SLR’s in the past in my younger days and using a DSLR was like second nature. I found that shooting with these was super fast and I was able to get the type of shots I’ve been looking for but couldn’t get with a point-and-shoot. After using it for about a week, I came this close to buying a Nikon D3100, except for one thing that kept me from pulling the trigger – the bulk. Don’t get me wrong, the camera feels great in your hands but DSLRs are just so hard to transport on a daily basis.

Lately, a lot of these camera sites have been raving about the new mirrorless style cameras that employ DSLR sized sensors. Basically they have all the advantages of traditional DSLRs but in a much smaller package with more compact interchangeable lenses. The main cameras in this category I was looking at were the Olympus E-PM1, the Nikon J1, and the Sony NEX-5N. Each are very different in nature, yet similar in what they are trying to accomplish. These are small bodied cameras with DSLR styled interchangeable lenses. Each of these has their own strengths and weaknesses, but after looking at what each had to offer, I finally settled on the Sony NEX-5N.

Based on reviews, the Sony NEX-5N produced some of the best photos in the bunch with little to no noise and has an ISO range of 100-25600 which is almost unheard of. One of the main factors in my choice is that it seemed to take really great low-light level images and is able to capture 10 FPS which is really fast. Another factor was the build quality and feature set on this camera. Unlike the DSLRs I was looking at, the Sony NEX-5N is build mainly out of magnesium alloy and feels quite solid in your hands. There’s an industrial retroness to the camera too that modern DSLRs don’t have.

I could go on and on about this camera but instead, I’ll be breaking down my review of this camera into sections as I use it. This is going to be one of those long term things and I don’t want to just throw up a quicky review. In the meantime, check out the images below of what the Sony NEX-5N looks like.

If you’ve never heard of the Lytro, don’t fret because before today, neither had I. I won’t go into specifics as I recommend you check out their website to get all the technical details of the camera itself but to briefly summarize the product, the Lytro basically allows you to freeze a moment in time and be able to view everything that frame has to offer. Unlike a conventional camera that only allows you to view whatever you are focused on, the Lytro captures an entire light field of information. It’s hard to explain in words what this does so instead, I’ve attached an image from their website that exemplifies what the Lytro can do.

As you can see, the Lytro is able to focus on any portion of the image as if you had taken multiple images of it, but in actually, you have only taken 1 picture. It’s pretty amazing what it does. It does all this without the use of auto-focus which also means that you’ll be able to snap images almost instantly without having to worry about whether or not the subject is focused or not. The images are saved in a proprietary format however that allows you to focus the images after the fact. Using special software, you’ll be able to upload these images to your favorite social networks as well as export them to a more friendly jpeg format if need be.

The Lytro is available to preorder right now on their site for $399 or $499 depending on the amount of storage space you opt for. If you’re in the market for a new camera and want something very different from what you currently have, I highly suggest you check out the Lytro.

[via Lytro]

Mimoco is showing off their new line of MIMOMICRO USB Card Readers & Drives and by the looks of it, I think they have a real winner on their hands. Unlike their MIMOBOT line which are just regular thumb drives, the MIMOMICRO is a combination thumb drive and Micro SD card reader. That means that the memory in these are expandable based on the Micro SD card size you use. These also seem to be much smaller than the MIMOBOTs and because of the flip out USB plug, there is no cap to lose. Initially they will be available with STar Wars and DC Comics licensing but I’m sure more will be available in the coming year.

These will be available from MIMOCO around March 2012 and are being shown off right now at CES 2012.

It’s CES week which means that there will be a ton of gadget announcements made this week from all over the industry. I won’t be posting too much on it except for the items that I think are really interesting and are beneficial for families. Case in point, the SpareOne.

The SpareOne is being introduced at CES and touted as the only mobile phone in the world that will run on a single AA battery. What’s even more amazing than that is that it is claimed to last for 15 years on a single standby charge! That means that the SpareOne has limitless potential as a secondary emergency phone that you could use in a variety of different situations.

With a 15 year standby time, you could literally just store one of these anyplace where you think an emergency situation might occur. SpareOne was designed for a myriad of possible applications. These were three of the more interesting possibilities that were included in the press release:

•    Emergencies: With a built in emergency flashlight and the ability to automatically transmit its location via the cell ID, SpareOne is the only reliable tool for urgent response during a crisis or natural disaster when AA batteries become the only source of power.

•    Families: SpareOne provides peace of mind to families with three re-settable speed dial buttons to keep the lines of communication open with children, seniors and other loved ones.

•    Outdoor Enthusiasts: SpareOne is an ideal safety companion for people who frequently practice outdoor activities such as yachting, skiing, canoeing and any other activity in the wilderness. As long as there is cell phone coverage, SpareOne will always maintain its ability to make and receive calls, regardless of whether electric infrastructure is present or not.

The SpareOne is set to release some time in Q1 of 2012 and at an estimated cost of about $49.99, it’s pretty inexpensive.

A couple months ago, we reviewed a little wall mount called the Dockem. It was a simple 2 piece wall mount that allowed you to place your iPhone or Smart phone into it while also allowing you to charge it. It allowed you to wall mount your device so that you could use it as a clock or information center.

Well, the makers of the Dockem are at it again and this time it’s a wall mount made specifically for iPad 1 and iPad 2 called the Koala Mount. It does pretty much almost the same thing the original Dockem did except that the Koala Mount is sleeker looking, made to fit tablets better, and can now also accommodate the iPad 2′s Smart Cover.

Right now, the Koala Mount is a Kickstarter project that the company is trying to get off the ground and from the look of it, they are about halfway to their goal. With a little less than a month to go, they’ll probably make their goal of $5,000. Check out their Kickstarter page for more information about the Koala Mount if you’re interested in helpinh to fund their project.

This review is also featured at G Style Magazine which is a tech blog that focuses on the fashion aspect of tech. Please visit their site for the complete review and more images.

For the past 2 years, I’ve been using a set of Astro Gaming A30 headsets with their Mixamp Pro system. You can check out the full review of those headsets here. The fact that I’ve been using them for so long is a testament to their durability and quality as I have never once had a problem with either unit. They’ve served me well over the years and will continue to be used. On that note, Astro Gaming recently sent me over their professional grade headsets, the A40 which includes the new 2011 upgrades. These A40 are further enhanced with the Saints Row 3 cross promotional livery and official MLG licensing. Astro Gaming was also kind enough to provide their Wireless Mixamp 5.8 system as well so that we could test the entire A40 Wireless System as a whole. As a disclaimer, yes, Astro Gaming did send us this set and we did also feature a month long giveaway for these exact sets of SR3 Edition A40 Wireless Systems, but this in no way affects the outcome of this review. Just for reference, the system they sent me was the Lt. Blue SR3 Edition A40′s, Wireless Mixamp 5.8, rechargeable battery pack, and the USB chat pack for PS3/PC. Grand total of everything retails for about $320 but the A40 Wireless System starts at around $279.99.

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