Nex E-Mount SEL-30M35, a group on Flickr.
After seeing this group on Flickr, this is definitely on my Christmas list.
Here’s a link if anyone wants to buy it for me: Think of the clubcard points!!
NEX-5R 55-210mm lens shots
NEX-5R 55-210mm lens test shots, a set on Flickr.
Here’s a few test shots that I took using the SEL55210 E-Mount lens with the Sony NEX-5R.
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What’s been happening?
Its once again been a while since my last blog post. Just a quick update on a few recent bits and bobs (in no particular order)
• Canon 450D sold – the whole lot went for £200. That’s a pretty great deal for the guy who bought it. As a result of that…
• Finally got the Sony 55-210mm telephoto lens that I wanted for my NEX-5R. Its a great bit of kit, I’ll get a few sample shots uploaded on Google+ and Flickr when I get the chance. For those interested there’s a nice Flickr group with loads of sample shots here.
• Haven’t been playing much tennis and there’s a bit going on behind the scenes at the club which I can’t be bothered with. Might be time to move on, we will see.
• Went to see Iron Man 3. Meh. It was alright, if loaded with too many over the top extended scenes. Funny in parts though so that was good.
• Gaming – I picked up ‘Dishonored’ for the PC and I’ve been playing through that. Linear but I’m quite enjoying it. Its also been a good month for PlayStation Plus subscribers. Much to my surprise I’ve been absolutely hooked on ‘Catherine’ – a story-based logic plat former type game that’s impossible to describe and explain in a sentence – check out IGN’s review here. Its unexpectedly fantastic. Aside from that I’ve not played the new Hitman game yet. I did try out ‘Sine Mora’ though which is a nice shooter for the Vita.
• Dropped the Nexus 4. It didn’t explode into a million shards of glass as I thought it might. In fact, there’s barely a scratch on it.
• (Re)discovered that the Nexus 7 is thin and light. Having taken it out of the faux-leather case that I’ve been using I had forgotten how small the profile is on this thing. I’m writing this blog entry from it right now and its not anywhere near as fatiguing as when I use it with the case.
• Been using ‘MightyText’ for Android. It syncs your SMS (and other bits and bobs if you want) between your phone, tablet and web browser for an iMessage-like service for Android that works pretty well. Its free, grab it here.
• Had a play with a Galaxy S4. Quick verdict: amazing screen, not as big as I expected, great camera, same touchwiz nonsense that bakes my noodle, still feels like a toy but will probably hold up to general wear and tear quite well. Enough to pull me away from the Nexus 4? No chance. Not unless someone sends me one for free.
• Paranoid Android have been making a lot of noise with their latest ‘Holo’ notifications feature. It takes Facebook’s new Chat Heads feature and builds on the concept for all notifications and allows for greater multitasking capabilities. Haven’t tried it yet but looks interesting.
• Google IO soon. Great time to own Nexus devices. Shall be watching the livestream as long as I have time.
• Google Music’s instant mixes feature is awesome. Start playing a track and it’ll make a playlist based on similar music. Simple and effective. Its what I’m listening to on the N7 while listening to this.
So that’s about it off the top of my head. Time for a breakfast at mother-dearest’s fine establishment.
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Walking behind waterfalls
Today was a pretty nice day so we decided to head into the Brecon Beacons and go for a walk (with the intention of taking photos of some cool stuff, naturally). We headed to Ystradfellte and followed an ‘easy’ route as per the map shown in the visitors car park. If you like walking and live in Wales then this place should be on your bucket list.
Having taken some artsy shots of paths and trees, we came across Sgŵd yr Eira – an awesome waterfall that you can actually walk behind. It was pretty busy down there but I managed to get a few shots with the NEX-5R. Taking long-exposure shots handheld isn’t easy but I managed to get a few decent photos.
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Face Unlock
I always used to think of Android’s face unlock as a bit of a gimmick – mainly because on the phones that I’d used it on previously it was a bit slow to respond and it was just quicker to use a lock screen pattern. Since moving to the Nexus 4 loaded with Android 4.2.2 it actually works rather well. Even in low light scenarios it seems to recognise my ugly mug without issue. Should there not be enough light available it reverts to the regular pattern lock screen. Nice. It’s not the most secure system in the world but for the occasions when I leave my phone on someone else’s desk at work then it should at least provide something of a challenge for the person who wants to write immature comments on my social networks 
I’ve got my display set to sleep after 1 minute and my phone to lock another minute after that, this seems to be the most convenient configuration I’ve found so far. Give it a try.
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