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I went to Tokyo, Japan to attend a press tour. I’ve always wanted to visit Japan and Tokyo is one of the cities I always wanted to see. I took the Vivo V11 (which I recently reviewed) with me during the trip and it was a great photo-taking companion.
I was able to roam in Shibuya and Shinjuku. I had no exact itinerary and I just went around and let the city take me anywhere.
Shibuya
Our first hotel was situated within the Shibuya area. It was just a couple of blocks away from the famous Shibuya Crossing so my first order of business was to witness what could be the busiest intersection in the world. I brought the Canon EOS R with me so I could also shoot with the full-frame mirrorless camera.
If you’re wondering what the Canon EOS R looks like, here’s a quick photo I took while climbing up the footbridge to get to Shibuya Station. Mine is coupled with the new RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens.
After the 10-minute walk from the hotel, I arrived at the crossing. As I approached the area, I already knew it was going to be a bit chaotic with people already swarming in from every direction. When the crosswalk signal turned green, the fun began!
To be honest, it didn’t feel as amazing as in the movies or anime but it was fun to be part of a crowd filled with people who knew where they were going. It was an experience that I don’t think I’ll be able to have again — unless I catch myself in a dreaded rush hour. After crossing for a few times to take photos and videos, I decided to go explore the area.
I found myself taking a lot of photos while loitering. I had no idea what the names of the streets and roads I walked through were. I didn’t even understand what the sign posts were saying. It was fun to be lost… as long as I knew how to get back to the hotel.
There were a number of restaurants that had displays of fake food which always piqued my interest. Isn’t it nice to see what you’re actually getting in 3D? Unfortunately, they were quite pricey so I just waited for the sponsored dinner later on.
At last, I was able to find my way out of the inner streets. Another bustling intersection greeted me and I happily crossed it without knowing where I might end up again.
After wandering around, it was time to retrace my steps and head back to the hotel. Google Maps was always ready to help, but where’s the fun in letting the GPS do the work for me?
But first, I took a selfie at this mini scramble crossing. I was in a rush, hence the slight blur.
I passed by a superstore and the whole ground floor was dedicated to electronics. I went in and checked it out. There weren’t many new products to be excited about aside from Microsoft’s new Surface Go. Indeed, it looked like a tablet PC designed for students but I’d still love to have one for working on the go.
When I reached Shibuya Station, I thought of doing a slight detour since I still had a bit more time to spare. I went into the busy train station and stared at the network map. Unfortunately, there was no English version. I just wanted to hop on the train and go back after a couple of stations. So, I bought a single journey ticket worth JPY 140 and tried to memorize the name of the station (based on the writing) that was two stops away.
Thankfully, I didn’t get lost. I arrived at the station I chose and hopped off the train. I honestly didn’t know where I was, but I did know that I could get back by just going to Shibuya station. I transferred to the other side of the platform and made sure it’s the right line to get back to Shibuya. I got back to the hotel just in time for our transfer to the restaurant along with other media.
To my surprise, we were walking to the restaurant. It was another 10-minute walk to Sushi Gonpachi in Shibuya which is situated on the 14th floor of a building. There was quite a view while we feasted on delicious Japanese food. I wasn’t able to take photos because I was too busy eating!
After filling our tummies with great food, it was time to finally rest for the long trip the next day. Again, we walked. It was always nice to get around on foot. It’s good exercise for the body and it’s free.
The final leg of our night walk was a footbridge that crossed a highway. I stopped and let my colleagues head up to their rooms. It tested the Vivo V11 with the fast-moving vehicles. There was motion blur, as expected, that gave the image a sense of movement.
It was time to rest. I decided I’d go around again during the last day of the tour which will be in Shinjuku.
Shinjuku
Before flying back to Manila in the afternoon, I had the whole morning to roam around. This time, we were staying in Shinjuku. It was really not that far from our previous hotel, just three stops away from Shibuya. It was drizzling that morning so everybody was using umbrellas — mostly the transparent ones.
I am fond of watching locals go about their day. It’s fascinating to see how other people commute. Finally, I had a goal that morning: enjoy a full ramen meal at Ichiran Ramen. I let Google Maps lead the way, but I couldn’t help but deviate from the shortest suggested route to explore places I won’t be seeing again for a long time.
I love trains, so I passed by Shinjuku Station to observe commuters. I crossed a bridge again to get a better view of the road. The train station was surrounded by numerous shops and department stores with people going in and out.
I was not disappointed when I got lost while passing through a shopping mall. I wanted to get into the train station, but I had to buy a ticket to get to the platform. Good thing, while finding my way out since the GPS got wonky indoors, I saw this open space that seemed like a plaza for viewing trains that stopped in Shinjuku. I stayed there for quite a while then I remembered I had someplace to go.
I finally found an Ichiran Ramen restaurant! I was greeted by this ticket vending machine. Since it was my first time, I opted to get the recommended set menu for JPY 1,490. It included ramen, extra slices of meat, egg, dried seaweed, and strips of mushroom.
If you’re not familiar with Ichiran Ramen, it’s a popular ramen place where you have less interaction with people. It’s basically a self-service restaurant where you sit quietly and wait for your order to come out of the small window in your seat. Each cubicle has dividers separating you from other customers.
I didn’t take photos of the surroundings because that would defeat the purpose of the setup. I simply enjoyed my bowl of delicious ramen.
After that, I had to get back and prepare for checkout. It was fun going around Tokyo even for a limited time. When I get back, I’ll make sure to know where to eat again.
24 Hours is a series on GadgetMatch.com where we showcase our travels through a smartphone camera’s perspective. It’s also a documented guide on things to see and do in a city in case you happen to plan a trip there.
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It’s spring 2023 and vivo is back with the V series. The vivo V27 comes with a new feature called Aura Light Portrait System, which takes its main camera to another level. Like its predecessor it’s got a color-changing back, making it a fashionable choice for different users.
Stylish color-changing design
We have the V27 in Emerald Green, which starts off with a lighter tint that looks like jade. When exposed to UV light, it changes into a darker shade of green. This is achieved thanks to the Emerald Glass processing technique. The phone also comes in Magic Blue, Flowing Gold, and Noble Black.
Chay is wearing light colors so the Emerald Green model matches her outfit better. It makes a nice, subtle pop of color, and goes with her pastel-y mint green purse and boots.
It’s also worth pointing out the 3D curved screen and this curved back on the V27 make it feel extremely thin and light.
Studio lights in your pocket
As mentioned earlier, the vivo V27 features the Aura Light Portrait System for great portraits even in low light. It’s a combination of the IMX677V sensor, which Sony designed with vivo specifically for this phone, algorithm optimizations, and the Aura Light. Its outer ring is matte and sandblasted, softening the light coming out of it.
The Aura Light, combined with the large sensor, and algorithm optimizations work together to take great portraits even in low light.
Lunch and coffee
The day before was a very long day so we figured we should get food and coffee. We found this dimly lit restaurant in Soho called Cafe Select. I think it’s a German restaurant because we had some schnitzel and there’s German decor everywhere.
We also specifically asked for the corner booth to test out the V27’s low light capabilities. Despite the lack of light sources, it’s impressive that the V27 managed to produce an accurate cutout of me even when I kept moving with the Bokeh Portrait video mode on.
There’s no natural light in this restaurant so it’s also the perfect place to take portraits and test out the Aura Light Portrait System. It’s like a portable ring light that you can use to take clearer portraits. Take a look at some examples.
On video mode, you can also use LUTs. We had fun using the Nostalgia filter to film a short video in the restaurant, which perfectly matches the vintage vibe of its interiors.
High definition selfies
The vivo V27 would not be a V-series smartphone if it didn’t have an amazing selfie camera. On the V27, we got a 50MP HD selfie camera with autofocus.
It’s worth noting that the phone feels so light in the hand. It’s so easy to take one-handed selfies. I also love how subtle the color change is on the Emerald Green model.
The V27 offers three levels of selfie filters that help hide blemishes and enhance your features — None, Natural, and Classic.
The 50MP front camera means clear selfie details. Most other smartphones have inferior selfie cameras compared to its rear counterparts, but not the V27. As you can see in the example below, zooming in on my eyes show that you can clearly see the strands of my eyebrows.
Walking the High Line & shopping
To test its video stabilization and macro camera, we continued to walk the High Line. Both features produced very impressive results.
Another feature we tried is MicroMovie. It’s perfect for creators like me. It comes with a whole bunch of templates that you can use for TikTok or Instagram Reels. I filmed a daily vlog with it and had so much fun.
While we were shopping, I noticed too that the V27 changed colors after being indoors for a bit. It turned into a beautiful white marble-like finish that fades into mint green at the bottom.
After the sun has set, it’s time to take more low-light portraits and OOTD. Our friends Alex and Leslie even joined us for a quick photo shoot. New York City comes to life at night, and with a 1/1.56-inch sensor and Super Night Mode, the vivo V27 can easily capture the hustle and bustle of the city streets.
More than just a camera smartphone
The vivo V27 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 and comes with either an 8GB or 12GB of RAM.
With Extended RAM the phone borrows memory from your internal storage and gives you an additional 8GB RAM. This way you get either 16GB or 20GB available RAM.
Vivo says this will help when you’re playing memory intensive games or if you like keeping plenty of apps open in the background.
The phone is packed with a 4600mAh battery and supports up to 66W FlashCharge. It comes bundled with an 80W charger.
In our GadgetMatch Charge Test we got to 50% in 19 minutes. A full charge took 57 minutes.
I’ve always been a fan of vivo’s V Series. We’ve done plenty of videos on it in the past and this one is another excellent phone.
It offers users a top notch smartphone experience for less. I enjoyed using all its camera features and I think creators on a budget will too.
I also love this cool color changing Emerald Green model. This phone is definitely the prettiest vivo phone I’ve reviewed lately.
Watch our 24 Hours video with the vivo V27: https://youtu.be/nJ18OMK43yE
24 Hours Series
Google Pixel 7 Pro Unboxing and First 24 Hours
Plus a photowalk using its great set of cameras
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The new Google Pixel 7 Pro has just been released to the public!
Aside from our previous first look video, Michael Josh also did a quick unboxing and hands-on.
Plus, he took it to the streets to test out its battery prowess as well as the power of its three cameras — including the new Super-Res Zoom feature.
Can’t wait to see what the Pixel 7 Pro has to offer?
Here’s our quick unboxing, hands-on, and first 24 hours with the Pixel 7 Pro.
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September 11 marks a historical day not just for New Yorkers, but for (almost) everyone in this world.
With a memory that lives forever in our heads, Michael Josh has tried commemorating it.
He went to the pier along Brooklyn Bridge to recreate a shot he wanted to do for so long.
But instead of the best-in-class iPhone, he instead used the 6.1-inch iPhone 14.
Can’t wait to see how the shot turned out? Or just curious how the iPhone 14’s gonna last throughout the day?
Head over now to our iPhone 14 First 24 Hours video to feed your curiosities.
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