First off, the manual that comes with the Sony NEX-5 is practically worthless.
Reason 1: I attach the flash (comes with the camera, not an $$$ extra), try to select auto flash mode, camera says that mode is not available in my current shooting mode, I select every other shooting mode, still seems to be the same, nothing in the manual that covers this.
Reason 2: Panorama mode – For in camera playback, you can either view the entire shot at once or there is an option to “play” it, to scroll across the image. I have not yet worked out how to get this “play” feature over to the computer. I can see a directory that has some very tiny video files in it along with some files with proprietary extensions and am presuming the data I want is here. I’ve installed the software that came with the camera but not in a mood to reboot the PC (sigh) so no chance to see if this is the “missing link” yet. Again, nothing in the manual even remotely addresses it. (In case you’re wondering, the camera seems to delete the individual jpg shots that make up the final composite.)
I was planning on stopping off somewhere vaguely scenic on the way home to take some test shots but tonight was a “red” rain storm. In fact, driving was even worse than during a recent “black” storm. Visibility during most of the drive was horrendous – which didn’t stop some Einsteins, mostly in Mercedes or Alphards, from doing their usual 80 kph weaving in and out of traffic tricks. A tree came down on Sai Sha Road, blocking half the road and other sections of the road were this close to being flooded out.
Anyway, here’s a panorama shot that I took in the office today:
As always, click on the image to see the full-size version. I’d like to emphasize that this was shot handheld.
Now a couple of other random shots of little consequence. This cropped image of a tree at Cyberport I think shows how nice and sharp the NEX-5 and 16mm lens are.
And just one of those things, in this case a bit of street art, that I passed every day in Quarry Bay for 8 years and mostly took for granted but actually quite like:
The jpeg is unretouched except for cropping.
And now a photo of a completely different sort, one I didn’t shoot myself but took from here:
This is “young model forerunner” Vonnie Lui Hoi Yan at a press conference for an upcoming film, (ahem) 3D Sex and Zen. It doesn’t take much imagination to guess what they’re using the 3D for. Ms. Lui commented that she “was chosen as the Hong Kong bust goddess” at some event in Taiwan.
Which then brings to mind Taiwan actress Shu Qi.
Image taken from here, a report in which Aaron Kwok says, “Previously her Cantonese was not so fluent, so she always made words sound dirty.” Yep.
Another recent item about Shu Qi caught my eye, one in which she was asked her opinion of pseudo-models such as Chrissie Chau. (She approves.) And someone asked her if she would shoot a “sexy photo album” and she responded she would “in my next life.” It seems she hopes that everyone has forgotten that she first came to fame by posing fully nude at the age of 17 for a series of albums initially published in Taiwan (and still available on some newsstands in HK after dark). And then did a few soft-core Cat III films before becoming one of the very few actresses in the region to cross over to more legit productions from this kind of start.
No point to any of the above, just felt like running a picture of Ms. Shu.
And here’s Mavis Pan Shuangshuang (yes, one can make at least one or two jokes about her name); she’s been tagged “Little Shu Qi” by the press although I don’t see anything little about her. (Pic taken from here.)
