Well, I get asked all the time - “which camera should I buy?”
So I wanted to write a piece on exactly that. Well, guess what? Like everything in this world it’s been done before.
- and here it is …
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-buy-a-dslr-camera/#
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If you are one of these people that thinks the more megapixels a camera has the better it is, and if you believe that you can take great pics with a cameraphone, then you are going to love Samsung!
The Korean smallgoods and el cheapo electronica manufacturer has cornered the mobile megapixel market by releasing the world’s first 10 (yes, you read that right, TEN) megapixed cameraphone. This is on top of 2004’s 5 mpx, and 2005’s 7mpx models.
There’s a bunch of other genuine camera functions including flash, 3x optical zoom & LED autofocus, as well as add-ons such as MP3 capability, TV-out, Satellite TV (probably useless in Australia) and bluetooth. And it’s small. I’ve no idea how well the phone itself works, or whether the software and buttons are easy to use, but if you want a relatively OK camera that takes better pics than any other mobile phone out there, then this is definitely for you.
Samsung SCH-B600 10 Megapixel Camera Phone - PhotographyBLOG
Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s a place for digital cameraphones, and occasionally I even wish I had one on me. However, the negatives far outway the positives in my mind. The colours always look so fake, the images plastic, and the response time from when you press the button to the time the shot is taken is woeful! My totally portable solution for those occasions when the DSLR is too big will continue to be a dedicated, quality Canon or Sony compact digital.
If you are not a photographer and only want to carry one gadget around, then seriously consider this one!
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Australia’s “The Age” recently published an article in their Green Guide about wacky gadgets.
I’ve linked to the electronic version here so that you can check it out even after the dog has chewed up your original paper.
Enjoy.
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They claim that 75% of their study group would choose a TV over a diamond necklace, or a high-end cellphone over designer shoes. Just over 50% would choose a little white iPod over a little black dress.
The vast majority of women I’ve met really don’t understand the beauty of technology (just like us men can’t see the point of a wardrobe full of shoes!). This news out of the States, combined with the recent Telstra debacle over broadband in Australia, delivers the crushing blow that we Australians are the Neanderthals of the technological world. If I wasn’t so scared to fly these days, and every other country in the world wasn’t so horrible, I’d be outta here in a flash!
Why is the world so obsessed with the iPod? It’s only an excessively hyped averagely functioning MP3 player after all. There are lots of other makes of MP3 players which are cheaper, better featured and more reliable.
But I guess we live in a world of image over function. A world where hype means more than reality.
Why else would women wear shoes that are uncomfortable and wreck their feet? Why else would Paris Hilton
’s empty-brained expressionless face be spread over the covers of so many magazines? Why else would the Scary Movie series actually get made?
And why else would Designmobel make an iPod compatible bed now being sold by lovable old Captain Snooze?
If you are serious about your digital photography, you need a Digital SLR. SLR stands for “Single Lens Reflex” and these cameras offer the best quality and most flexible creativity options available to you in a camera. There are three levels of Digital SLR camera to consider. Each is basically separated by your budget considerations, and how serious you really want to be about your photography.
It’s widely accepted that (as of today’s offerings) the following cameras make the shortlist of best in breed:
Professional
Semi-professional
Hobbyist (entry level)
With any of these cameras and a good lens (I recommend you buy the camera body alone, and choose a quality lens separately), you can create amazing shots, limited only by your imagination.
Your choice of camera body will subsequently limit you to a range of lenses, so choose wisely according to what types of lenses you may want to use. Having said that, most lens manufacturers make a full range of lens types. Once you spend money on a lens, you will keep it for life, so the camera manufacturer becomes one you stick with for a long time.
Another thing to consider is whether you want camera anti-shake technology built into the camera body, or whether you are happy to just buy a lens with this function built in. Dust protection is yet another technology that new cameras are beginning to include. Digital cameras are more exposed to electro-magnetic attraction of dust particles on the sensor than film cameras. This can result in dark spots on shots with a lot of sky.
In my opinion, the Canon 30D is the best value digital SLR available.
It’s an excellent combination of style, picture quality and value for money. You can pick it up from anywhere between $1950-$2250 if you shop well. The 30D excels at low-light photography, meaning you can shoot at much higher ISOs than other cameras, with far less digital noise in your resultant shots. This makes it a great choice for me with my live rock photography. It doesn’t include dust protection or anti-shake technology, but more than makes up for this by offering the very best quality a digital camera can offer. It uses a 1:1.6 ratio sensor, meaning that a lens focal length needs to be multiplied by this amount to get the true focal length. So, a 100mm lens is really a 160mm on this camera. This is great for zoom lenses, but not so good for wide-angle shots. If you plan to do a lot of landscape or commercial photography, then the next Canon in their range, the 5D, is possibly a better option as it has a 1:1 sensor. However it is a lot more expensive and doesn’t really offer any further improvement on the 30D.
The 30D has a popup flash. If you are serious about your photography you will use a dedicated flash unit, but there are times when you are taking snapshots and the onboard flash can be very useful.
For a very detailed review of the Canon 30D, as well as most other cameras on the market, check out Steve’s Digicams.
In a move that will cause serious concerns amongst those of us that choose to use better quality, more functional portable audio devices, three major car manufacturers have struck a deal with Apple. Ford, GM and Mazda will kit all of their 2007 range of vehicles with the ability to dock an iPod, allowing control via the existing stereo controls. BMW, Mercedes Benz and Volvo already do so. I think some of the Audi range does as well.
This is great news for the mass public, who all seem to be very happy with their iPods, oblivious to the fact that there are much better products available. However it is likely to be the final blow to someone like me who will now have to buy an iPod for my next car.
Let me explain - An iPod uses a proprietary docking system, meaning that these cars will be built to support that Apple dock. To connect your own player into your car you usually a third-party car stereo head, and install an RCA (red & white stereo plugs) lead which can site in the glovebox. I did this in my Mazda 323 to plug in my iRiver. Now I can also plug an iPod or any other music gadget directly into this, but modern cars do not generally offer this facility from their highly-integrated stereos. Our Subaru Outback, for example, can only accept input via a radio transmitter, and you make a number of compromises using these devices. If an iPod dock will be the only way I can connect my portable music player, then I guess I have no choice but to buy an iPod.
Note: I plan to create a reviews section on this site very soon, and we will definitely look at the key mobile audio devices in detail.
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer is in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.
In todays’ digital, security-conscious world, there is so much information to remember.
Once upon a time it was only your bank ATM PIN. Now every web site you are interested in requires you to register, and your Internet Banking login details are impossible to remember.Then you have everything else that matters like insurance, drivers licence, birthdays, combinations, email accounts, memberships, emergency info. The list just goes on and on!!!So what gadget do I use to solve this problem, you ask?
I use SplashID for the Palm OS on my Treo 650.
Of course, you are unlikely to have a Treo, as Australia hasn’t yet caught on to this best-of-breed convergence device. But don’t despair - SplashID has a version to suit PocketPC, Windows Mobile Smartphone, Symbian (sony Ericsson), Series 60 (Nokia) and the Blackberry, so you should be covered.Now there are plenty of alternatives to SplashID out there. However every one I have trialled has been buggy, awkward or unattractive. I just keep coming back to this.
SplashID comes with a Windows desktop to make it easier for data entry, and you can even just buy the desktop, so that’s pretty cool if you haven’t jumped on the phone/PDA convergence bandwagon yet.
SplashID is probably the most important tool I have on my Treo, and is always be the very first installation I run whenever I upgrade.
Trial before you buy at the SplashData downloads page.
I think you’ll find yourself “splashing” out USD$30 in no time at all.
Technorati Tags: palm, treo, splashID, security, passwords, pocketpc, smartphone
I’ve been trying to find a decent Palm-based wine guide for so long. This might be finally be it.
Every time I walk into Vintage Cellars, Liquorland or First Choice, I stare at the shelves for ages. I wonder whether I should simply buy that safe Koonunga Hill or Wolf Blass Yellow Label, or go out on a limb and try something new. I got lucky one day when I chose some Zilzie - boy is that good! But, I’ve also had my share of poor bottles.
My choice of phone is the PalmOne Treo 650, and it doubles as a Palm PDA. So, everywhere I go, the Treo goes with me. Now when I’m looking for wine, I can simply refer to my Treo to help make my decision. I can also keep track of my own wine cellar - excellent for when you drank so much of a good wine that you simply can’t remember what it was!
Also available for Pocket PC (for those of you who haven’t quite cottoned onto the joys of a stable, easy to use, lightweight PDA operating system).
It retails at about $25 after currency conversion, and you can download it directly from Landware’s site.
Now, it’s not perfect for Australians due to the lack of Aussie database content. And I’ve yet to find any online data that I can import into the database. I’ll keep looking and place a comment here if I find it. An option for some of you might be to use a quality Australian Windows-based database to host your own collection, and export to a file that you can then import into your mobile software.
