The Gamer With Kids

You may have noticed over the past few weeks the addition of digital camera related posts, mainly the review of the Sony NEX-5N and a few accessory posts. That’s because I’ve returned to a hobby I once enjoyed in my younger days and that is photography. In my younger years, especially when I was still in school, I used to use an old Nikon N-body with Sigma lenses. Back then I used to develop my own film and shot mainly with black and white film. This however ended once my schooling was over as I no longer had access to a dark room nor did I want to spend money constructing one at my parent’s house.

Over the years, I still shot photos but I was back to using color film that I would have someone develop for me. Obviously this wasn’t the same as I no longer had much control over the developing process. At that time, digital cameras were becoming quite popular, but mainly in the point and shoot variety. My SLR went into storage and I’ve had several point and shoots since then. I never really picked up a new DSLR due to the price of them at the time and the current crop of point and shoot digital cameras were more than adequate for my needs.

Fast forward to the beginning of 2012. I have 2 kids right now and I love taking pictures of them, however my youngest, who is only 9 months old, is now mobile and almost impossible to shoot with a regular point and shoot camera. I’m not sure if others have this problem but she is like the Flash and almost ever image of her was a blur. I said to myself, “now is the time to pick up a real camera.” In one of my earlier posts from this year, I had posted how I was on the search for a DSLR or one of those new mirrorless interchangeable lens system cameras. I was fortunate enough to borrow a friends Nikon D5000 and that really sparked my interest in real photography again. I knew I wanted something that allowed full control over my shots and I eventually went with a Sony NEX-5N as my own personal camera.

Instead of creating a new blog for my photography interests, I’ve decided to integrate it into my current blog, which is thegamerwithkids.com. Sure it has nothing to do with gaming, but it’s something that defines a part of me and this blog was created really to share my interests. Plus I’m sure a lot of parents out there face the same kind of problems I do when it comes to photographing their children. I’ll be mainly posting about mirrorless system cameras such as the Sony NEX series or the Olympus PEN since this is a natural step up from compact point and shoot cameras. This doesn’t mean that they are less capable than DSLRs though as that is not the case at all. In fact, with these new breed of cameras, you are able to take images that are just as good as traditional DSLRs and in a much smaller package.

I’d like to say thanks to all those who have been reading my blog and hope you’ll enjoy these new posts as well.

-Samuel, The Gamer With Kids

Following up on the Cubecraft Stormtrooper post, you’ll also want to build yourself a Darth Vader to lead your army of troopers. This one requires two printouts.

[via Cubecraft]

Since it’s Friday, I figured I’d post another one of these from Cubecraft. This time, it’s a Stormtrooper. That means you’ll have to build more than one of these as you’ll most likely want an army of them on your desk.

[via Cubecraft]

If you’re bored at work, there’s something to keep you busy for a few minutes. Just print up the image above and build yourself a paper craft R2-D2!

[via Cubecraft]

If you’re wondering exactly what Volkswagen was going to do with those dogs that they featured in their teaser video for the Super Bowl 2012 commercial, look no further. If you watch the the first half of the commercial, it has absolutely nothing to do with Star Wars. The Star Wars tie in doesn’t come in until the second half and even then, it really has nothing to do with VW in general.

The Darth Vader Kid is still the better commercial but we do get a cameo from Vader himself this time.

[via YouTube]

Brisksaber is a new game from developer Flying Wisdom Studios that helps promote the upcoming re-release of  Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in 3D and sponsored by Lipton Brisk ice tea. Brisksaber is described as a lightsaber simulation app. You choose either to join the light side or the dark side of the force and must slash away all your enemies. The game is similar to the game Fruit Ninja where objects pop up fro the bottom of the screen and you must swipe your fingers across them to slash them. Slashing more than 1 object yields a combo while slashing one of your “friend” objects causes you to lose a lige. If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ll probably want to download this game, even if you’re not an Episode 1 fan.

Read more…

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.

Here’s another one of those funny Tom Tom behind the scenes recording sessions. This time it’s with Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street. Like the previous Star Wars related recordings, this one is just as funny and they even throw in a little Star Wars reference for the fans.

Ernie – Engage Hyperdrive

Bert – Hyperdrive???

Check out the video in all its entirety above.

[via Youtube]

Remember when Tom Tom did those videos showing off their behind the scenes recordings with Star Wars characters? The official voices that came out were those of Darth Vader and Yoda but I’ve always wondered what would have been like if they did it with R2-D2. Well, now I know because someone on Youtube actually made a spoof of those promos and features R2-D2 in the recording booth. It’s actually quite funny with bits and pieces cut from the other 2 official videos. It’s a fairly old video from 2010 but I don’t remember ever seeing it. Still funny nonetheless.

[via YouTube]

VW is no stranger when it comes to making deals with the Dark Side of the Force. Today they’ve posted up a new teaser trailer for a new commercial that will be revealed at this year’s Super Bowl. Call me crazy but I think somehow, it has something to do with dogs. Check out the trailer above for all its furry cuteness.

[via Youtube]

Guess who’s featured in the Pulse blogs this week? Me. Not sure why they’d want to interview me but they did. Basically they ask me questions about what I did, about this website, as well as how I use Pulse on a daily basis and why. They go into other questions but I won’t spoil it for you guys who might actually want to read it. I don’t really find myself that interesting but other people do I guess. haha.

You can check out the entire interview on their blog here. Also if you aren’t using it, you should be. Pulse is one of my favorite news readers on the iPad/iPhone and is the only one I really use daily to check up on blogs and news quickly.

No posts today. That is all.

Let’s be honest here, the most iconic figures in the Star Wars universe aren’t the Jedi or and of the rebels in the Rebel Alliance. It’s the Stormtroopers. Not even Darth Vader comes close to the loyal following these soldiers of the Empire command. There’s just something about their “panda” armor and that helmet that really appeals to fans of the Star Wars franchise. Some people even cosplay as Stormtroopers, but for the rest of us who can’t afford to acquire the armor, we can only dream…or purchase these 3.75″ Stormtrooper action figures made by Kenner.

These figures are part of the Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back line of vintage figures that are currently out in stores. They are roughly around $8.99 depending on where you get them from but can run higher than that due to their limited availability in most cases. They are a bit hard to find at the stores, but not impossible. Unlike old Star Wars figures that I grew up with as a child, these are fully articulated and highly poseable. They include 2 classic Stormtropper weapons and include every detail you would expect on a Stormtrooper. The finish on them vary from figure to figure so some might look a bit better than others but it’s very minute.

If you’re a Star Wars fan, this is definitely something you want to add to your collection whether opened or not. I own 3 now and opened one so that I could actually play with it. The above image is the result of one of my various photoshoots with it.

I’ve been a pretty big automotive enthusiast for as long as I can remember, particularly that of Japanese built vehicles. Honda has long been one of my favorite manufacturers, although lately I haven’t really been too impressed with anything they’ve come out with which is disappointing to me.  I am however happy to see that Honda is committed to our environment and plans on enhancing fuel efficiency and reducing CO₂ emissions within 3 years.

Above you’ll see a Honda animated video entitled “Blue Skies for Our Children” which really embraces Honda’s commitment. It is beautifully done and I think really touches on the fact that they want future generations to enjoy the planet too.

“Earth Dreams Technology” is a next generation set of technological advancements which greatly enhance both driving performance and fuel efficiency at a high level, using as its base advanced environmental technologies to pursue the joy of driving unique to Honda. It is a series of measures in which efficiency of internal combustion components including engine, and transmission, as well as electric-powered motor technology, is further improved.

Through its implementation first in the mini-vehicle N BOX and gradually onto other vehicle models, Honda aims to achieve top-of-industry fuel efficiency for every category within three years, while simultaneously setting a timeline of 2020 to reduce by 30% CO₂ emissions for all products sold worldwide, relative to emission figures for 2000.

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.