Archive for the ‘Hardware’ Category
Posted on August 7, 2008 - by Patrick
$1 Image Stabilizer
Filing this under “things to do this weekend”
Posted on December 31, 2007 - by Patrick
Improve your popup flash results
Browsing around this morning, I noticed Terry White had a little blurb about a device that helps improve your popup flash results via a little gadget that attaches to the flash. It’s called the Lightscoop and it seems like it might make a nice addition to the ‘ol camera bag. I know there’s alot of these gadgets out there (Gary Fong’s puffer comes to mind) but this one works by bouncing the flash to the ceiling or wall behind you using a mirror inside the gadget. It’s not a substitute for external flash by any means, but it does seem like a clever solution and it’s only $30. Terry has some sample results here.
-Patrick
Gary Fong The Puffer, Pop-up Flash Diffuser
Posted on December 11, 2007 - by Patrick
Hyperdrive Colorspace gets unveiled at Luminous Landscape
For those of you (me) in the market for a portable viewer/storage solution, there are now quite a few devices that would fit the bill. This is the first review I’ve seen of the Hyperdrive.
Posted on December 9, 2007 - by Patrick
D3 and D300 99% same. (says Ken Rockwell)
I keep checking real world testing of the D3 and the D300 to see if they are living up to the hype I’ve created for them in my own head, and it appears that they do. Anyway Rockwell continues his hands on with both of these cameras, and the news is encouraging for folks like me who might have to pass on the D3 out of uhmm, err, practical ($$) concerns. Comments like these:
In case you also are wondering, the D3 and D300 are 99% the same camera, as far as color and look are concerned. I’m seeing the same color and highlights from my D3 as D300, as Nikon promised, with the same color settings among cameras.
are exactly what I like to hear.
link.
-Patrick
Posted on December 8, 2007 - by Patrick
Canon ImagePROGRAF iPF6100 review
Competing with printers like the Epson Stylus Pro 4800, Canon has taken another stab at the wide format printer market, and may have nailed it this time. A writeup at Macworld leaves a very favorable impression, in fact I was a little suprised by this:
This all means significantly improved print quality. Last year, iPF5000 prints regularly came in at the bottom in our jury testing, but this year, prints from the iPF6100 often tied or beat prints from the top Epson and HP printers. Color fidelity was excellent, and fine detail, especially in the shadows, was reproduced exceptionally well. Black-and-white images were neutral, and looked good on every paper type I printed them on.
Impressive? I might need to add this to the lust list. Check the full review here.
-Patrick
Posted on December 6, 2007 - by Patrick
Nikon D300 review at Camera Labs
An honest appraisal of the Nikon D300. Link.
If it weren’t for the existence of the D3, this camera would be on my lust list, what with it’s live view, 51 focusing points, ISO capabilities, etc. Is it worth it for the overall image quality? That’s tough, because most likely you aren’t going to see a dramatic improvement in that regard, but yes you’ll love the features. It’s hard balancing what you need with what you want sometimes. (Some might argue that one doesn’t “need” the D3, but that’s not true I do NEED it, at the least to quell my absolute jealousy of everybody getting theirs on pre-orders right now.) Anyway this a theme discussed in Camera Labs verdict which includes helpful comparisons to the now usual suspects including a Canon fave 5D:
For only slightly more than the Nikon D300 you could buy the Canon EOS 5D. The D300 trumps it in every respect bar one: the full-frame sensor. As you can see in our Nikon D300 Noise results, the full-frame Canon 5D may share the same resolution, but the bigger sensor allows it to out-perform both the D300 and Sony A700 at higher sensitivities.
-Patrick
Posted on December 6, 2007 - by Patrick
Samsung to introduce 1.3 inch hard drive
Via engadget, at the next CES, Samsung will introduce a ridiculously small 1.3 inch hard drive:
To put it in perspective, current iPod Classic drives are 1.8-inches, so you can imagine the tiny possibilities…
At some point, do they need to make things larger, for example ipod shuffle? Discuss.
-Patrick
Posted on December 5, 2007 - by admin
Sony A700 write up
Over at Luminous Landscape, Douglas Brown gives a thorough field testing of Sony’s current best. If you’ve been thinking about getting one, the review is very encouraging, hell all the reviews have been. One of the features that I like about Sony’s alpha line is the built in image stabilization as it saves you money in continually buying the stabilization built into lenses. It’s an ongoing issue, on the lens or on the camera body? Brown says:
The E510 and A700 have the advantage of image stabilisation built in. You never have to think about it, it’s just there in the background for every photo. Personally, I like this system over the in-lens ones, and think eventually Nikon and Canon will follow in this direction. While some people contend in-lens systems are more effective it really becomes like PC evolution, a matter of ‘good enough’ technology. Does an extra half stop of hand-hold ability really out weigh the convenience and simplicity of in-camera systems, not to mention generally cheaper lens prices on the in-camera brands.
From my Nikon perspective, I think I.S. on the lens is probably better, but is it worth the premium, and additionally is it worth it when that lens spends 90% of its time on the tripod?
-Patrick
Posted on December 5, 2007 - by admin
Nikon D3 sharpness
Make no mistake, this is the camera I want real bad. Full frame, high iso shooting, crazy focusing, the list goes on…Naturally it goes on the top of the lust list here. Meanwhile lots of people ’round the web are getting their hands on the D3 and lately Rockwell has been reviewing my baby—today focusing on sharpness and white balance. link.
-Patrick
