Electronic View Finder FDAEV1MK - The Must-Have Accessory for Your Sony RX1/RX1R

I have owned my RX1 for more than a year and I have been enjoying its superb image quality and portable size. However, I still somewhat miss my old days of DSLR while I could the camera near my eye and frame the picture in the view finder. It is not just about the professional feeling (well, it certainly helps me feel better!), it also helps stablize the camera and view the framing in direct sunlight. 

Sony has provided RX1 two options for view finder, first is the Zeiss optical view finder and the other is its electronic view finder. Zeiss view finder is nothing but a piece of glass with no other information supplied, and it’s priced at such a high premium (SGD 800+!!!). People with some sanity would choose the latter one. The electronic view finder, called FDAEV1MK, is so much more powerful and cheaper as well.

Well, when I say cheaper, it is not that cheap if you look at the absolute value (that’s probably true to most of Sony accessories..). But let’s admit that’s the only option I have for RX1. In Singapore, it’s priced at SGD 629. You are able to get a good point-n-shoot camera with that much of money. So I ordered this overseas from Amazon Japan and got my friend to bring it back. Thanks to the weaker yen and Japanese domestic pricing, I only spent about 400 SGD on this view finder, which is indeed a good deal.

Ok, let’s first start with the usual unboxing..

  

The package comes with the viewfinder itself, a smaller eyecup for change, a leather case and a piece of wiping cloth.

A close up of the view finder.

Made in Japan.

The viewfinder with the smaller eyecup on.

The view finder and RX1! Looks really cool.

And of course it can be adjusted to different angles, up till 90 degrees, and suits different shooting situations.  

This is what you see through the viewfinder. It displays the same information you could see from the panel screen. You can even switch to settings, playback pictures, etc.

In the camera settings, you can set the viewfinder as auto on/off. So when your eyes are close enough, it automatically switches on the view finder and turns off when eyes are away. That’s very convenient for shooting and viewing. 

I’ve tried both eyecups and personally I feel the bigger eyecup suits me better. My nose touches the screen if I’m using the smaller eyecup which caused some discomfort. It’s probably better for people wearing glasses. 

So here is my conclusion of this electronic view finder:

1. It’s very well made and the image is bright, sharp and clear, the lag is very minimal.

2. It helps shooting and viewing under direct sunlight and it greatly reduces the shake when pressing the shutter.

3. The only drawback I found: there is no lock for the viewfinder. So I always have the worry that it will come off if I’m walking and it’s hanging around my body. But frankly speaking, the port is pretty tight and I don’t think it will come off that easily.

Thanks for the reading and enjoy your weekend!

Technorati Tags: Accessory, Camera, RX1, Sony

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The Gear for the Gamer: Hands on with Steelseries Siberia Elite

When it comes to headset, the usual names coming up are Bose, Sennhesier, Beats, etc.. Although they all pursue better sound quality, the market segments they are tapping are slightly different. For example, Bose is thought as more business while Beats is more favoured by the younger generation. What I’m bringing today, is again something different from them, Steelseries’s latest headset, Siberia Elite. 

You may have not heard about Steelseries before if you are not a hardcore gamer. They manufacture all kinds of computer gaming related gears such as keyboard, mouse, mousepad and so on. Gamers want everything that makes their gaming experience better. Headset is definitely on the list of gears they will invest. A good headset puts games right into the scene and great sound quality is an essential part of the gaming experience. Clearly, Steelseries has something ready for them. 

To be frank, I am not a big fan of computer games, at least for the past 7, 8 years, so I don’t have much relevant experience I can speak about. This hands-on is more likely from a perspective of an outsider and if you are just looking for something that suits your need, you may find it useful. 

The package is of very good quality. 

Inside is the headset itself, it’s pure white which echoes its name Siberia. It has LED light on both ear cups, which will be shown later.

The headband part isn’t like most other headsets that are adjustable by pulling out extra part in the slot. It’s elastic so it will automatically adjust when you wear it. 

The microphone can be extended and position can be adjusted to make the sound reception better. 

The cable that attaches to the headphone is using a micro USB port, but don’t worry, it has provided adapters for 3.5mm jacket, and flight port. 

The USB sound card is the one which brings the best ability out of the headset. 

Here is size comparison with my Beats Solo HD. Beats Solo HD is about the normal size of a headphone. Clearly, Siberia Elite is much more bulky than Beats. That makes it less portable.   

When connecting the Siberia Elite to the computer via the sound card, you will be able to customise the headset. Before that, you need to download the software Steelseries Engine 3. That can be easily found from its official website. 

In the interface, you can customise the sound quality as most of the audio software provides. What I want to mention here is also the ability to customise the illumination color of the LED lights. It can be set to certain color or shift between colors. That is pretty cool, although nothing much related to the sound quality.

Another thing is the Dolby headphone option. If you use a normal headphone before you would notice that the sound is very much constrained in the ear cups. In other words, you know that the sound is from the headphone. However, if you switch on the Dolby effect, it completely turns the sound into stereo. By saying stereo, I mean, you would have thought the sound is filled in your room, from your computer. That’s something I can only experience in cinema theatres, which is amazing.

In terms of sound quality, I can feel that the bass is pretty strong and the higher range isn’t too harsh. The sound resolution isn’t as high as other professional headphones but I think it’s good enough for gaming use. 

So here comes my verdict.

Good:

1. Very comfortable and great sound quality and highly customisable.

2. Really cool LED lights (well, this isn’t something you expect headset to have, but it is eye catching)

3. Convenient control over the ear cup.  

Bad:

1. The huge size makes it only suitable for desktop gaming, rather than day to day use.

2. The big cushions are comfortable but they keep the ears too warm if they are used for long time.

3. For the price tag, you may find other good alternatives. 

Well, I have to admit that I don’t have enough time with testing out this headphone so many of my impression could really be first impression. If one day I’m diving into the gaming world, I’ll definitely considering it as one of my gaming gears. Hope you find the review useful. Ciao!

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Swim with Your Beats On! Sony Waterproof Walkman NWZ-W273

Swimming is fun, but could sometimes be dull as well. You can't watch your favourite TV show on Youtube, or even just listen to some light music. Luckily technology nowadays has enabled us at least to enjoy some music while taking a dive in the water. This is Sony's latest wearable walkman NWZ-W273. 

This is actually the second generation of this line. The previous generation offers similar design and water-resistant functionality, however, it's only splash proof, meaning that you still can't swim with it. The latest NWZ-W273 just upgraded the storage and more importantly, it offers waterproof up to depth of 2 meters! 

The Walkman itself looks like a sports headphone, but its chip hides inside the module near the ear. Printed on one module is Sony's logo and the other is Walkman's. 

All the controls are at the bottom of two ear pieces. The buttons, however, are a bit lack in feedback so you may find it hard to press. The ear plug snug pretty fit in my ears. It also comes with 4 different sizes of ear plugs so I am sure you will find one that fits you the best. 

The power button is on the side of right ear piece. To switch on the MP3, press it for 3 seconds until the green light is on. The switch beside is a power button lock so that it won't be accidentally put on.

 

By slotting the MP3 in the stand, it can be charged or connected to the computer for music transferring. Pretty cool!

This is how it looks like when I wear it.. It's quite comfortable wearing it. By the way, bright pinky actually looks not that bad :p

It has 4GB internal storage and I believe that is sufficient for an MP3 used in workout. The sound quality is not so bad given the fact that it's selling point is about waterproof and wearable sports MP3. It can be easily cleaned with some flowing water from the tap. One thing to notice that is you have to use the best fit ear plug when you swim. It is because that if the ear plug is too loose, the water will come in between the ear and the MP3 and affect the sound reception.

In short, Sony NWZ-W273 is a great MP3 for exercise and one of the few that can actually accompany you when you are in the pool. If you are in the market for getting a sports MP3 or even sports earphones, this Walkman piece is worth the money. Oh, did I mention its retail price is only 129 SGD? Also do share with me if you have any other alternative MP3 for workout / swimming in the comment!

Technorati Tags: Accessory, Hands-on, Sony, Walkman, MP3, Sports

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Get Yourself A Stylish Camera Bag! ZKIN Champ Hands on

I have long been looking for a decent camera bag. There are an awful lot of options out there in the market but most of them only address the functionality, not the appearance. In a camera bag shop, it is most common to see a bunch of black nylon/canvas bags without any design element. They may be capable of carrying many cameras and lenses at once, but for sure they are not the bag that I even want to carry out. 

Then ZKIN came to my attention. It is a Hong Kong brand offering various lines of camera bags. As now I don't really use DSLRs, what I need is a camera bag that can accommodate my two cameras, Sony NEX-5 and RX1. So, I ordered this Champ bag. 

The Champ bag is of some vintage design. It has three available colours. The one I got is Navy Grey.

The bag top is made by genuine leather with special finish, but it is still prone to water splash as the stain could be left on the surface. The brand name is embossed at the cover. The rest of the bag is made of grey canvas, which is more durable.

The shoulder pad is detachable, it offers a lot of cushion so that the weight does not hurt the shoulder.

There is a zip pocket at the back of the Champ bag. Even the zip is well designed.

Opening the cover, it is actually attached by a small piece of leather so that the cover does not completely flip over. Therefore the leather is less likely to be worn out.

Inside the bag, it is similar to other camera bags, there is a camera insert to accommodate the cameras and lenses. It can be taken out if you want to use the bag as a normal bag. The Velcro partition can be easily adjusted as well. 

After the insert is taken out, there is one compartment for laptop or other documents. 

My NEX-5N and lenses can be nicely snugged into the bag, while still having some rooms for small accessories and other stuff such as wallet and notebooks. I would say it is most suitable for mirror-less cameras. If you want to use the bag for for DSLR, it may fit up to one camera body and two lenses.

This ZKIN Champ bag in action!

In all, ZKIN Champ bag is of excellent built quality, which is not any inferior to the classic camera brand, Billingham. If you are in the market for a good-looking camera with decent functionality, ZKIN could be one of them on your list. 

Technorati Tags: Accessory, Hands-on, Camera Bag, ZKIN

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Live Your Life UP: Jawbone's UP Wristband Review

Since starting to work after graduation, it has been hard to maintain a good and healthy lifestyle: everyday I spent most of time sitting in front of my screen without much movement. I was so tired after work that I rewarded myself with good food (of oversized portion) and stayed in bed playing with my iPad. As expected, the weight shoots up. So I was looking for ways to get back to the right track.

Then I signed up for the gym and did some workout before work everyday. However, as many others, it is hard to keep motivated and sometimes I just doubt whether it works. I started searching for some tips to stay motivated, then I found this small piece: UP by Jawbone.

A fitness gadget isn't something new. You may have heard of Nike's FuelBand. It calculates the steps and movement you made and rewards you with Nikefuel, a score that is similar to the concept of calories but god knows what the score means and how that is derived. And that is exactly why I didn't choose Nike+ FuelBand despite its really cool look. It doesn't do much in fitness aspect.

Design

Then UP designed by Jawbone popped out. It is a wristband with minimal design. To be honest, nobody would notice that is a piece of gadget if I don't mention it. It is just like one of the rubber bands we used to wear in high school. The package is simple as well, just the wristband itself and a charging USB adaptor.

The wristband comes naturally in shape, with two ends overlapping. It comes with three different sizes and eight different colours. However, because it only hits Singapore market in April, I only found two colours are available at the moment: black and blue. I chose the medium size of the blue band. It is slightly bigger than my wrist but acceptable. First time I wore it, I felt a bit strange but soon it became just like a watch or bracelet, not annoying at all. 

UP is splash-proof, so you don't have to take it off when you are showering. However, Jawbone suggests taking it off when swimming. It's kind of disappointing since I was about to record how much calories I burned during swimming.

Functions

The band itself doesn't contribute to the whole user experience. The UP app plays a critical role in the use of the wristband. The app can be downloaded from iOS App Store and its latest development has included support for Android platform. For the first time using UP, it needs to be connected to the app to set up details like gender, height, weight and birthday. It also has instructions of how to play with the band.   

UP wristband has two major functions: record number of steps you take and track the sleep. You can set a daily goal for your steps and sleeping hours. The default setting will be based on your age and other details. For me, it's 10000 steps and 8 hours of sleep. 

Recording steps is pretty simple, as long as you are moving, it will record down that. Tracking the sleep requires switching the band into sleep mode by long pressing the button on the tip of the band. The precision motion sensor will detect whether one is deep sleep or light sleep according to the micro-motion. I find it quite accurate because I remembered I woke up a few times in the evening and they were indeed shown in the record. 

Other useful functions include smart alarm, you can set a wake-up time and the wristband will vibrate 10 minutes before that to wake you from deep sleep. It helps you get up easier. Also you can set an 'idle alarm' in the daytime. When UP notices that you haven't been moving for a period time, it will vibrate to remind you to walk around. This is really helpful when I am working in the office. It keeps me aware of how much time I have spent at my desk so that I will stand up and stretch a little bit. 

Additionally, you can log the food in the UP app to keep track of how much calories you consume everyday. You can either search, scan the barcode or take a picture of the food and add in details later. But I find it less convenient as many Asian local delights are not recorded in the database. 

After a few days, when UP collects enough data, it starts to generate trend and help get insights in your daily activity, like whether you have enough deep sleep or how to take more steps. It is all small tricks but they do keep me motivated. (Oops, I seem to be moving less with eating more. Bad sign. :( )

UP also has its social aspect. You can share your daily result with friends on Facebook and Twitter. More importantly, you can add friends who also use UP in the section Team. So that you can see and compare the results with each other to stay motivated. 

UP's battery lasts about 10 days and you need to charge it using the USB adapter. It takes about 80 minutes to get a full charge. I am quite happy with the battery performance.

However, as you may already have noticed. the wristband doesn't come with bluetooth. The sync between UP and its app needs to be done via the audio jack. It could be tedious to take the band on and off the wrist. Jawbone also recommends to sync it twice a day. I usually do it once after getting up and the other before I go to bed. I sometimes also sync the band after lunch just to check whether I can reach my goal today.

Verdict

So far I have been really enjoying UP by Jawbone and had a very regular exercise everyday.

Good things: Simple design makes it suitable for everyone. Compared to Nike's FuelBand, sleep tracking is a huge bonus and also the smart alarm helps getting out of bed easier. The design of the app is intuitive and has lots of functions. It is really a perfect companion for the band.

Bad things (or things that I think should be improved): The band is not suitable for wearing in swimming pool, which is less helpful in tracking exercise. Moreover, it doesn't support bluetooth so you have to constantly take off the band. Also, lack of any display on the band means that you cannot access the real-time data easily. In addition, the food log could be improved by including more Asian food to make it more useful.

The UP wristband isn't cheap, but not as pricey as Nike's FuelBand. It also has more functions to keep your lifestyle healthy. So I would still recommend this to my friends who are interested in achieving their fitness goals!

Technorati Tags: Accessory, App, Fitness, Hands-on, Review, UP by Jawbone

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Sony RX1 3rd Party Lens Hood and Batteries

Since I've got my RX1, I have been looking for accessories to doll it up. I bought an orange soft button a few weeks ago but heck, it was lost because I didn't screw it on properly. I will have to go down to the shop again for that.. Meanwhile, because the original lens hood produced by Sony is too expensive (S$249!!!), I ordered a 3rd party lens hood from a HK vendor on eBay. Along with that I bought a battery package that includes two 3rd party batteries for RX1 and an external charger. Hopefully that will help the camera perform throughout the day. 

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