24 Hours Series

24 Hours in Amsterdam

A Dutch dream captured by the Samsung Galaxy S9

Published

March 6, 2018

Isa Rodriguez

From chilly Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, I hopped on a plane to an even colder Amsterdam. I had a day to explore the infamous city in Netherlands and I wasted no time in doing so. I carefully curated these spots to make sure I get to know the city as much as possible in the short amount of time I was staying.

Of course, everything in this series is recorded through the lens of the Samsung Galaxy S9.

What you get yourself into and how to go around

Amsterdam, at this time of year, is cold. Temperatures reached a record-breaking low in Europe last week, and Amsterdam was no exception. Be sure to pack layers and layers if you visit soon — this was me simultaneously freezing and trying to be cute for a selfie.

Other than the miserable cold (excuse the bitterness as I am a tropical island girl by heart), the days were bright and nice, and the sun shone brightly, which made for perfect cityscape photos.

Oh, and did I mention the birds? There were pigeons everywhere — perfect to test the S9’s slow-mo video feature. And yes, I ran after the bird to get this shot.

Here’s another super slow-mo Galaxy S9 sample.

(Yes, I ran after the bird to get this shot 😂) pic.twitter.com/Y2coo6gHrW

— Isa Rodriguez (@sisasaid) March 6, 2018

The first order of business is deciding what your mode of transportation is. Amsterdam is an incredibly walkable city that’s also known for its big bicycle culture. And though it may seem like a no-brainer to rent a bike and cycle through, this isn’t an advisable option for tourists who are unfamiliar with local bike etiquette.

You can get a transport day pass for EUR 7.50 and this includes buses and trams (but not the trains) for 24 hours, which should suffice for your day tour.

Leidseplein

We headed to Leidseplein (doesn’t this word remind you of Led Zeppelin?) which is an area that houses stores, cafes, and restaurants.

Walking around this area will give you a feel of the city.

These canals are part of the city’s identity. Built throughout the centuries to reclaim land, these UNESCO World Heritage sites are a definite must-see. Canal tours are also popular, though during my time there, the water was partly frozen because of the cold.

Feel free to stop at any of these restaurants or cafes for a quick snack or beer.

Bloemenmarkt

Our sightseeing on foot brought us to Bloemenmarkt, home to the local flower market. Amsterdam is known for its flower gardens — the perfect destination late March through May when they’re in bloom. We were too early for that spectacle, though we got a small dose of what that could look like here.

This street was lined with tulip blooms and bulbs ready for planting. It was a beautiful sight!

We spotted a Cheese Museum on this row and our curiosity brought us inside. The walls had lines of different cheeses, and the best part? We got to sample a number of their offerings.

We left with four different types of cheese and a tummy full from that taste test.

Museumplein

To get to Museumplein — home of Amsterdam’s most popular museums — ride the tram and get off the Rijksmuseum stop.

If you have time, you can walk inside a number of museums in the area, but not without taking some snaps along the way.

Another bird that just got into my frame 😱

In the vicinity, there’s Rijksmuseum which is a Dutch Art and History Museum. The Van Gogh Museum, which houses the largest Van Gogh collection in the world, is also within walking distance.

The Modern Contemporary (MOCO) Museum Amsterdam is in the area, as well. During our time, they had an exhibit on works of British graffiti artist Banksy.

Although I didn’t have time to go inside any of them, the area itself is beautiful — perfect for a leisurely stroll as you try to soak in the culture from the majestic museum buildings you didn’t really visit.

Also, more birds!

Testing out the super slow-mo on the Samsung Galaxy S9. Here are some Dutch birds: pic.twitter.com/ubIOOVCfpt

— Isa Rodriguez (@sisasaid) March 6, 2018

Red light district

Amsterdam at night is a different animal.

Of course, I didn’t want to leave without checking out the red light district. I hopped on the bus and went down Dam station. From here, you could walk through the historic part of town to the more adventurous side of Amsterdam.

Evening visits are more ideal so you could enjoy the neon signs and soak up the exciting atmosphere. Restaurants, cafes, and kinky shops are common sights here. And yes, there really are women in glass windows. No, I didn’t take photos. Be warned: This place is more colorful than this picture purports it to be.

Honestly, Amsterdam has so much more to offer: windmill villages, tulip fields, a sex museum… 👀

But, I had to hop on a plane before I could check out all these other attractions. My trip was short and sweet, but it didn’t make it any less interesting.

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.

Related Topics:Galaxy S9 S9 Samsung Galaxy S9

24 Hours Series

vivo V27: Studio lights in your pocket

Meet the new Aura Light Portrait System

Published

April 14, 2023

Chay Lazaro

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.