Purchased these two filters for a 24-105mm Canon EF 'L' and a 10-22 mm Canon EF-S, both of which render excellent images. Less expensive filters are readily available, but do you really want them on these lenses? I do not, as image quality means too much to sacifice for somethimg as minute as the cost of a good filter. Thus far, these have done their respective jobs well; a later trip to the South Pacific will tell the eventual tale.
Showing posts with label pentax slr digital camera reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pentax slr digital camera reviews. Show all posts
Transcend 32 GB Wi-Fi SDHC Class 10 Memory Card (TS32GWSDHC10)
List Price: $139.99
Sale Price: $69.99
Today's Bonus: 50% Off
Review and comparison of the new Transcend 16g Wi-Fi Class 10 card vs the Eye-Fi Pro X2 Class 6 Wi-Fi card. This is going to be a top level review and not an exhaustive review of each card's features. Hopefully it will give you some information you haven't read elsewhere so to aid in your purchase decision.
I've had the Eye-Fi for a while so I am a bit more familiar with it but even saying that, the Eye-Fi is a much more mature piece of hardware and software.
What I like the best about the Eye-FI is that it can operate autonomously, uploading photo's to Facebook through your phone without any intervention by the user. The Trancend card, although newer and faster, requires the user to select, download and then share (upload) the pictures to your account. For me, the ability to upload to Facebook is what I'm looking for and I prefer the unattended operation of the Eye-Fi. You may feel differently.
First, let's look at the card's memory speed. Neither card is fast but the Class 10 Transcend is quite a bit faster than the Class 6 Eye-Fi
Using CrystalDiskMark as the benchmark, I recorded the following results.
Transcend 16g Class 10
File size 500mb
Seq Read 20.55mb Seq Write 17.56mb
512K Read20.06mb 512k Write 0.598mb
4K Read 2.397mb 4k Write 0.006mb
4k QD32 Read 2.421mb 4k QD32 Wrt 0.006
Eye-Fi 8g Class 6
File size 500mb
Seq Read 17.22mb Seq Write 13.49mb
512K Read16.40mb 512k Write 1.904mb
4K Read 2.592mb 4k Write 0.017mb
4k QD32 Read 2.749mb 4k QD32 Wrt 0.017
And for comparison.
SanDisk Extreme Pro 16 GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1
Seq Read 90.21mb Seq Write 81.06mb
512K Read73.33mb 512k Write 8.106mb
4K Read 3.237mb 4k Write 1.484mb
4k QD32 Read 3.062mb 4k QD32 Wrt 1.136
As you can see from the above data the Transcend wins the speed race although neither card is speedy as compared to the Sandisk.
Next is setup. I'm not going to spend a lot of time here and there is a lot of detail which is outlined in each card's user guide. The Eye-Fi is set up by plugging the card into the included card reader and into your computer's USB port. You then log into the card via your browser and Eye'Fi's web page and set up the card for your desired operation. As I said earlier, the Eye-Fi has been around longer and is much more mature so you have a lot more control over what the card does when you ask it to transfer a photo.
After some trial and error with the Transcend, mostly centered around keeping it powered up while I was configuring it, I decided to try setting up the Transcend the same way, while plugged into my computer's card reader. That was the ticket, it allowed me to get everything working without worrying about the card shutting down while in the camera.
Advantage goes to Eye-Fi here, not only for the more mature utilities but also because the Eye-Fi card is recognized by my Nikon D600's firmware and the camera knows too keep power to it when the card needs to connect and transmit. The Transcend requires a lot of power and I discovered that I either had to keep the Nikon D600 in the "Live View" mode to keep the card powered or change the Custom Setting C2, Standby Timer, to some long period of time, like 5 minutes, to give me enough time to configure and transmit.
Operation:
I like to run both cards in the "Internet" mode as opposed to peer to peer. This way I set my phone to be a WiFi hotspot, connected to the internet via my mobile broadband connection. I install the Wifi card in my second SD slot and set that slot for use as overflow so that normally my photos are saved to the first card slot in which I have my fast Sandisk. I then go about my shooting. With the Eye-Fi card my work flow is to look at the pictures I took and "protect" those that I want the Eye-Fi to upload. Then when I'm ready to upload I simply use my camera to copy the protected photos to the second card slot...the Eye-Fi card, at which time the Eye'Fi knows to upload those photo's to my Facebook page and mark them as private so only I can see them. It does all this without intervention on my part. My camera has some really great built in photo editing utilities so I really do not need to post process on my phone or tablet so having the Eye-Fi work autonomously is great for my workflow.
I would do almost the same thing with the Transcend, would copy the photos to the second card, the Transcend. Then I would have to use my phone to select and download those pics to my phone. Once that was complete I could use either the Android Wi-Fi SD app or Facebook, or Flickr, or whatever, to transfer the photo's to my account.
There are many more features to the Eye-Fi card including Geocaching and endless memory so I suggest you go to their website and investigate all it has to offer before you make up your mind as to which card to purchase.
The Transcend card does have some potential and because I only paid $39 for it I plan on keeping it. It will be interesting to see how often Transcend updates the firmware and how many more features they can get into this card and mobile apps. I didn't mention the Transcend's "Shoot and View" option because my D600 has a great display but if your on camera display makes it difficult to see what you just did, the Shoot and View option may be important to you.
For me, the winner is the Eye-Fi hands down and I eagerly await the next generation of this card.
Moultrie M-880 Low Glow Game Camera
List Price: $159.99
Sale Price: $124.86
Today's Bonus: 22% Off
I own several game cameras: Bushnell Trophy 8MP HD, Primos Truth Cam 35, and now a Moultrie M-880. I have been operating the Moultrie for 10 days so far. I've used the Bushnell for about 6 months. I've used the Primos for almost one year. The Moultrie clearly beats the Bushnell in several characteristics. (The Primos does not rank against these two cameras.)
1. In the field, and I know there are lab results that claim differently, but in the field, the Moultrie triggers faster than the Bushnell. This was easily noticeable in the first set of pictures I downloaded. I have had both cameras in the same position monitoring the same section of my driveway (we have a long driveway). The Bushnell often catches the very end of the rear quarter panel as a car is exiting the field of view. The Moultrie catches the front quarter panel as a car enters the field of view. Wow! Then it catches pictures of the entire car as it passes by. I knew that was significant at first glance.
2. The imitation bark housing works surprisingly well. This camera completely dissolves into summer woodlands. Unless someone steps right up to it, they're not going to see it. The Bushnell, in brown, looks like just what it is: a game camera strapped to a tree. You can pick it out from 250 feet.
3. The Moultrie has motion freeze for night pictures. It is an improvement over the Bushnell's night shots, but that's about all can be said. The feature itself is nothing spectacular.
4. The Moultrie costs about $25.00 less.
5. In night photos, the Moultrie reaches further. Moultrie claims 100 feet. I think they're reaching that (see Update below). Bushnell claims 80 feet and I think that is true also.
6. The thumb latches on the Moultrie can be released with gloves on. This is not possible with the Bushnell. However, no other functions on either camera can be operated with gloves on, so this issue may be unimportant. (See Update below)
For the above reasons, the Moultrie I have beats the Bushnell I have.
Cons:
1. The Moultrie uses a double-ring locking hasp which makes it too wide. It requires a lock with a minimum shank length of one inch. This length is predominately available on big, honking padlocks that are overkill for the application, and since they are usually finished with bright zinc, they compromise the very effective bark camouflage. I wish the hasp was smaller. (See Update below)
Other comments:
Daytime picture quality is comparable between the two. No noticeable difference. (Wrong. See Update 9-23-2013 below.)
Given these differences and assuming there are no future reliability problems, my next camera will be definitely be another Moultrie.
UPDATE (9-8-2013):
1. The night distance illumination continues to impress me. I am using the "image freeze" feature for night shots, which is a faster shutter speed and consequently, less light, but my night time photos are well lit as far out as 90 feet (measured). It's probably better than that, but for my camera placements so far, 90 feet is as far as foliage will allow me to see anyway.
2. I really don't like the latches on the Bushnell. I have medium sized fingers, but it's always a struggle to pull the latches on the Bushnell. I have to use my limited fingernails and if the tree is big, which limits the space behind the latches, then it's a real struggle to get my fingers behind the latch.
3. In case anyone is interested, I came up with a solution to the wide double hasp on the Moultrie, which requires a lock with a minimum 1" long shank. I cut the loop end off of a 3/16" steel cable just behind the ferrule. I flattened the ferrule to make sure it could not pass through the hasp on the Moultrie, and I squeezed the cable loop with pliers to make it narrow enough that it will pass through the hasp. I drop the loop through the hasp till it sticks out the bottom (the ferrule stops against the hasp), and then I pass a small padlock through the exposed end of the cable loop and lock it. Done. (See two photos in Customer Images)
The more I use this Moultrie, the more I like it.
UPDATE (9-23-2013):
I swapped the cameras a few days ago. Now the Moultrie is strapped to the same exact location where the Bushnell was and vice versa.
1. The night illumination of the Moultrie is a whole lot better than I even realized. Now I can see that, at 90 feet, the Bushnell has reached its maximum distance and the field of illumination is a flashlight effect, roughly 15 feet wide and falling off rapidly after that. The Moultrie easily reaches 90 feet and floods an area at least 40 feet wide.
2. The daytime pictues of the Bushnell have a lot more image blur. When people pass the Bushnell, their legs are a complete blur, whereas on the Moultrie only their feet are completely blurred.
3. The Moultrie absolutely positively triggers faster. I was jogging past the cameras and the Moultrie caught me when I was about 1/4 of the way into the field of view. The Bushnell did not snap a photo until I was 1/2 way into the field of view. In each case I was passing perpendicular to each camera and the same distance away, give or take 5 feet.
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Canon PowerShot A2300 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical
List Price: $139.00
Sale Price: $101.00
Today's Bonus: 27% Off
We've had this camera now for a few weeks and have come to really like it. It is so thin and lightweight that it can easily be carried in a pocket, purse, or backpack. Compared to the size of today's smartphones, this is actually smaller than some.
The pictures are decent. I find some of the interior pictures are a bit grainy, even with the flash. The flash is plenty bright so no issues there. Switching to low light mode made all the difference. This quick change off the menu function made for clear crisp pictures.
Outdoor pictures are really outstanding. Super clear and crisp. Sometimes it has problems figuring out what to focus on. However, when a face appears, it is really pretty good at identifying it and focusing on it.
One of my favorite features is the rechargable lithium ion battery. I hate having to deal with batteries. However, it is a bit of an annoyance to get it charged as it requires the battery to be ejected from the camera and placed into a charger.
The final reason why this inexpensive camera does not get a five star rating is the long time it takes between pictures. Even on a fully charged battery, it takes on average 5 seconds for the camera to process each shot. If you are trying to take a bunch of group photos, this can seem like forever.
Overall I like this camera. It is relatively inexpensive and takes great snapshots.
LG G2 Black D802 (Factory Unlocked) 5.2" full HD , 2.26GHz quad
Have you ever gotten a new phone and thought, "wow this phone makes my other phones seem so dated"? I can say that this is that phone, the LG G2 is AMAZING...funny thing is, my last two phones were the HTC One (AT&T) and the iPhone 5 (AT&T). I am that guy who buys the latest and greatest when I think it will make a difference in my life and I justify my phone purchases with the excuse that my phone is always on me(and I used to be an Apple fanboy and I have owned every iPhone). I use it for work, games, news, remote for my tv, sports, email, camera...Oh yeah, I use it to make phone calls too. Anyways, I haven't been in love with a phone like this since I went to the original iPhone. I hope you find my review helpful and beneficial to your purchase regardless if you buy one or not.
The Bad Let's just get this out of the way.
The case is a glossy plastic. The phone is a finger print magnet. I am slightly self conscious when I let people see the G2I feel like I have very dirty hands and I'm a chemist which means I am washing my hands regularly. The phone is a dirt and oil magnet.
The other downside is no expandable memory but I have a hard time using 32gb of memory anyways so Im not complaining but some of you out there might want more memory.
The GOOD Get ready for a long list. I will do my best to put what is important first just in case I bore you and you want to move on.
Battery The G2 has the longest battery life of any phone I've used. I regularly use my phone for a multitude of tasks. With my iPhone 5 and HTC One I usually could make it through the day without a recharge, but without a doubt I would give those phones a full charge when I slept. It has been 4 days since I have owned the G2 and have only charged it over night twice. All I can say is "WOW". Finally a smart phone with a battery that makes sense.
Software The LG software is really well thought out and not gimmicky like the Galaxy S4. My favorite feature is the double tap of the screen when the phone is in sleep mode which turns it on, and this feature also works to turn the phone off. No more need to find some long and flat power button on the top of the phone which at times isn't easy to find on the phones because at night you don't know whether your phone is upside down or not. I know it isn't a huge deal to find the power button, but double tapping anywhere on the screen to turn it off/on is a very useful feature. And no it doesn't accidentally turn on in my pocket. The software can detect random touches from the double tap. Other features of the software are a long press of the volume button brings up the camera and it loads within seconds or the notepad for quick notes. I am finding more useful software features as I move along, for example today for my meeting reminder which popped up 15 minutes before the start, a "silent mode" option popped up along and I clicked it and my phone went silent for the scheduled time of the meeting. No more forgetting to turn my phone to silent during meetings. Also when I am in an app and I receive a text, a little box pops up with the text and it has a reply box so I can actually reply to texts without exiting the app I'm currently using. If I don't reply the box disappears within a few seconds just like a notification on the other phones and the app in use just runs like nothing happened. With the large screen the pop up box is non obtrusive. If this was an iPhone the box would take up a significant part of the screen but on the G2 it's just like a notification popping up on any other phone. Again it's a simple feature but it makes sense and I love it. Other than that the phone is running Android 4.2.2 which is really smooth and pleasant. In comparison to iOS6 this makes Apple's software seem dated and unimaginative and compared to the HTC One software it is refined and the One is also running Android 4.1.2.
Screen Holy cow this screen is the best screen I have ever laid eyes on. The screen is huge and the bezel around the screen is tiny. Whites are white, blacks are black, colors aren't overly saturated and the resolution is on par with the best of the best. Simply put, this is the best screen of the top phones, iPhone, Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. When I show it off to my stubborn iPhone friends all they say is wow it's so clear and big. It's almost as if I'm holding a mini HD TV in my hand.
Sound For those audiophiles out there, this phone does allow for 24 bit music and it really does sound fantastic. With headphones in this phone blows the competition out of the water and for the record I am an audiophile too. With the speaker the phone is loud, definitely louder than the iPhone 5 but not as loud and clear as the HTC One. In this comparison, the HTC One wins for the speakers but the G2 is no slouch and I find myself listening to my music on the speaker frequently.
Camera Again, best camera of the bunch. I've read about the Nokia having a 41 megapixel sensor which Im sure rocks, but the G2 compared to the HTC One and the iPhone 5 wins hands down. I have a black dog and cat and whenever I took pictures with the iPhone 5 they came out looking like black shadows with eyes. It was disappointing to have such cute animals misrepresented. The HTC One definitely gets the colors right on pictures but the zoom lacked because it only has a 4 megapixel camera. With displays as clear as they are now, 4 megapixel pictures are easily pixelated when you zoom in. The G2 has a camera to replace all point and shoot cameras. My dog and cat are visible! The camera is fast even in low light and takes fantastic pictures.
Performance The G2 has a quad core snapdragon 800 2.3 ghz processor which is the fastest available in all smartphones. In normal people language...it's blazing fast and buttery smooth. I hate to say this but the iPhone and HTC one seem laggy. And I hate to say that because in real world use those phones are more than adequate, but once I go back and play with the HTC One and iPhone5 I think," man these phones are slow." Using the app manager I frequently see 5-10 programs open and running but none of that affects the performance.
Build The phone is plastic but not cheap feeling like the Galaxy S4. The G2's phone back is not removable so it doesn't feel flimsy like the Galaxy S4. It also has a rounded back which has a very nice feel in your hand similar to the HTC One but better. The HTC One has straight edges vs the G2's rounded edges and it is more comfortable to hold the G2. I loved the aluminum on the HTC One and the iPhone 5 but the edges used to scratch and dent from normal usage which got annoying quickly. I truly appreciate the G2's build quality and attention to detail even though it doesn't use aluminum it definitely has a premium feel in a comfortable package.
Verdict I honestly thought we have reached a point with hardware where there really won't be much innovation anymore because everything has become so fast, high resolution, etc. that the next innovation wave would be in software. Boy was I wrong and pleasantly so. Moving the volume buttons to the back makes perfect sense. With phones getting larger it doesnt really make sense to have the volume buttons on the side. You need to reach for the buttons vs on the G2 the buttons are where your fingers are naturally which makes turning the volume up and down rather easy. No more accidentally bumping the volume buttons on the side too. And the screen with minimal borders is gorgeous. I have used the Galaxy Note II and the a few of the other phablets and they are just too big. LG fit a huge screen into a minimal package I can truly say it is phenomenal. And the best part of this phone...I can see my dog and cat! Yes I adore them and love them and am always taking pictures of them to send to friends and family. There has not been one person that I have showed the phone off to who wasn't amazed by it and getting an iPhone user to be amazed by a Droid phone is pretty freaking rare.
For once in a long time, I can say that this phone will last me at least a year without me getting the urge to upgrade and that's saying a lot. I was the guy who waited in line for 12 hours to get the 3g and 3gs. I can without a doubt recommend this phone to all smartphone users and if you do get it I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Update 9/22/2013 I love this phone more and more each day. It charges really quickly. When I get actual numbers on speed to charge to 100% I will post them.
Update 9/26/2013 Yesterday I woke up to LG's native email app crashing continuously even after a restart. I deleted my email accounts and it still was happening so I did a factory reset which eliminated the problem. I then emailed LG's customer service to see if they know about this and I got a good understanding of how their customer service works and quite frankly it is terrible compared to the competition. The phone itself still commands 5 stars but customer service is no better than 1 star and here is why: 1. They asked for proof of purchase to validate that I bought the phone within the last year (the phone hasn't even been out more than two weeks...really?) 2. They didn't answer my question, the reply was I may need to send the phone in 3. Sending the phone in was my responsibility, they don't send a prepaid package like the competitors 3. 5-7 days until I would get my device back. So if you account for shipping I could be without a phone for two weeks (LG should know better most people can't go more than a day without their smartphones .
If you compare Apple's customer service, they have stores that you can walk into (with an appointment) and get your phone swapped out with in minutes. Their reps also can help solve problems like frequent app crashing and it's all included with their 12 month warranty. If you don't live close to a store Apple will mail you a box and it will have priority shipping. You can get your phone replaced within a couple days. Sony doesn't have in store replacements like Apple, but they do ship boxes to send your device in also with priority speed.
If you are accustomed to Apple's customer service or another company's that you like, factor it into your decision when making the switch. I can tell you with absolute certainty that LG's service is awful.
9/27/2013 Luckily I was within AT&T's 14 day exchange policy. The camera would not focus and continually shook...the replacement works perfect. Apparently I was the second person with this issue so keep a lookout for this if you pick up a G2. Charging from 50% to 100% only takes an hour using a nexus 7 charger.
The Bad Let's just get this out of the way.
The case is a glossy plastic. The phone is a finger print magnet. I am slightly self conscious when I let people see the G2I feel like I have very dirty hands and I'm a chemist which means I am washing my hands regularly. The phone is a dirt and oil magnet.
The other downside is no expandable memory but I have a hard time using 32gb of memory anyways so Im not complaining but some of you out there might want more memory.
The GOOD Get ready for a long list. I will do my best to put what is important first just in case I bore you and you want to move on.
Battery The G2 has the longest battery life of any phone I've used. I regularly use my phone for a multitude of tasks. With my iPhone 5 and HTC One I usually could make it through the day without a recharge, but without a doubt I would give those phones a full charge when I slept. It has been 4 days since I have owned the G2 and have only charged it over night twice. All I can say is "WOW". Finally a smart phone with a battery that makes sense.
Software The LG software is really well thought out and not gimmicky like the Galaxy S4. My favorite feature is the double tap of the screen when the phone is in sleep mode which turns it on, and this feature also works to turn the phone off. No more need to find some long and flat power button on the top of the phone which at times isn't easy to find on the phones because at night you don't know whether your phone is upside down or not. I know it isn't a huge deal to find the power button, but double tapping anywhere on the screen to turn it off/on is a very useful feature. And no it doesn't accidentally turn on in my pocket. The software can detect random touches from the double tap. Other features of the software are a long press of the volume button brings up the camera and it loads within seconds or the notepad for quick notes. I am finding more useful software features as I move along, for example today for my meeting reminder which popped up 15 minutes before the start, a "silent mode" option popped up along and I clicked it and my phone went silent for the scheduled time of the meeting. No more forgetting to turn my phone to silent during meetings. Also when I am in an app and I receive a text, a little box pops up with the text and it has a reply box so I can actually reply to texts without exiting the app I'm currently using. If I don't reply the box disappears within a few seconds just like a notification on the other phones and the app in use just runs like nothing happened. With the large screen the pop up box is non obtrusive. If this was an iPhone the box would take up a significant part of the screen but on the G2 it's just like a notification popping up on any other phone. Again it's a simple feature but it makes sense and I love it. Other than that the phone is running Android 4.2.2 which is really smooth and pleasant. In comparison to iOS6 this makes Apple's software seem dated and unimaginative and compared to the HTC One software it is refined and the One is also running Android 4.1.2.
Screen Holy cow this screen is the best screen I have ever laid eyes on. The screen is huge and the bezel around the screen is tiny. Whites are white, blacks are black, colors aren't overly saturated and the resolution is on par with the best of the best. Simply put, this is the best screen of the top phones, iPhone, Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. When I show it off to my stubborn iPhone friends all they say is wow it's so clear and big. It's almost as if I'm holding a mini HD TV in my hand.
Sound For those audiophiles out there, this phone does allow for 24 bit music and it really does sound fantastic. With headphones in this phone blows the competition out of the water and for the record I am an audiophile too. With the speaker the phone is loud, definitely louder than the iPhone 5 but not as loud and clear as the HTC One. In this comparison, the HTC One wins for the speakers but the G2 is no slouch and I find myself listening to my music on the speaker frequently.
Camera Again, best camera of the bunch. I've read about the Nokia having a 41 megapixel sensor which Im sure rocks, but the G2 compared to the HTC One and the iPhone 5 wins hands down. I have a black dog and cat and whenever I took pictures with the iPhone 5 they came out looking like black shadows with eyes. It was disappointing to have such cute animals misrepresented. The HTC One definitely gets the colors right on pictures but the zoom lacked because it only has a 4 megapixel camera. With displays as clear as they are now, 4 megapixel pictures are easily pixelated when you zoom in. The G2 has a camera to replace all point and shoot cameras. My dog and cat are visible! The camera is fast even in low light and takes fantastic pictures.
Performance The G2 has a quad core snapdragon 800 2.3 ghz processor which is the fastest available in all smartphones. In normal people language...it's blazing fast and buttery smooth. I hate to say this but the iPhone and HTC one seem laggy. And I hate to say that because in real world use those phones are more than adequate, but once I go back and play with the HTC One and iPhone5 I think," man these phones are slow." Using the app manager I frequently see 5-10 programs open and running but none of that affects the performance.
Build The phone is plastic but not cheap feeling like the Galaxy S4. The G2's phone back is not removable so it doesn't feel flimsy like the Galaxy S4. It also has a rounded back which has a very nice feel in your hand similar to the HTC One but better. The HTC One has straight edges vs the G2's rounded edges and it is more comfortable to hold the G2. I loved the aluminum on the HTC One and the iPhone 5 but the edges used to scratch and dent from normal usage which got annoying quickly. I truly appreciate the G2's build quality and attention to detail even though it doesn't use aluminum it definitely has a premium feel in a comfortable package.
Verdict I honestly thought we have reached a point with hardware where there really won't be much innovation anymore because everything has become so fast, high resolution, etc. that the next innovation wave would be in software. Boy was I wrong and pleasantly so. Moving the volume buttons to the back makes perfect sense. With phones getting larger it doesnt really make sense to have the volume buttons on the side. You need to reach for the buttons vs on the G2 the buttons are where your fingers are naturally which makes turning the volume up and down rather easy. No more accidentally bumping the volume buttons on the side too. And the screen with minimal borders is gorgeous. I have used the Galaxy Note II and the a few of the other phablets and they are just too big. LG fit a huge screen into a minimal package I can truly say it is phenomenal. And the best part of this phone...I can see my dog and cat! Yes I adore them and love them and am always taking pictures of them to send to friends and family. There has not been one person that I have showed the phone off to who wasn't amazed by it and getting an iPhone user to be amazed by a Droid phone is pretty freaking rare.
For once in a long time, I can say that this phone will last me at least a year without me getting the urge to upgrade and that's saying a lot. I was the guy who waited in line for 12 hours to get the 3g and 3gs. I can without a doubt recommend this phone to all smartphone users and if you do get it I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Update 9/22/2013 I love this phone more and more each day. It charges really quickly. When I get actual numbers on speed to charge to 100% I will post them.
Update 9/26/2013 Yesterday I woke up to LG's native email app crashing continuously even after a restart. I deleted my email accounts and it still was happening so I did a factory reset which eliminated the problem. I then emailed LG's customer service to see if they know about this and I got a good understanding of how their customer service works and quite frankly it is terrible compared to the competition. The phone itself still commands 5 stars but customer service is no better than 1 star and here is why: 1. They asked for proof of purchase to validate that I bought the phone within the last year (the phone hasn't even been out more than two weeks...really?) 2. They didn't answer my question, the reply was I may need to send the phone in 3. Sending the phone in was my responsibility, they don't send a prepaid package like the competitors 3. 5-7 days until I would get my device back. So if you account for shipping I could be without a phone for two weeks (LG should know better most people can't go more than a day without their smartphones .
If you compare Apple's customer service, they have stores that you can walk into (with an appointment) and get your phone swapped out with in minutes. Their reps also can help solve problems like frequent app crashing and it's all included with their 12 month warranty. If you don't live close to a store Apple will mail you a box and it will have priority shipping. You can get your phone replaced within a couple days. Sony doesn't have in store replacements like Apple, but they do ship boxes to send your device in also with priority speed.
If you are accustomed to Apple's customer service or another company's that you like, factor it into your decision when making the switch. I can tell you with absolute certainty that LG's service is awful.
9/27/2013 Luckily I was within AT&T's 14 day exchange policy. The camera would not focus and continually shook...the replacement works perfect. Apparently I was the second person with this issue so keep a lookout for this if you pick up a G2. Charging from 50% to 100% only takes an hour using a nexus 7 charger.
Canon Digital Rebel XT 8MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only - Black)
The XT is amazing. The battery comes partly charged so you can immedietly start using the camera (thank you Canon!) I've already shot about 200 pictures with it and the battery hasn't died yet.
I can't give you a comparison between the XT and the 20D as I haven't owned a 20D, I can tell you a few things you may wish to know before buying.
This camera, is TINY. Extremely tiny. I'm a woman in my early twenties and I have small hands. The camera fits just right in my hands, but honestly, I don't see how someone with bigger hands would be 100% comfortable holding this. If my hands were any larger, they would be slipping off the bottom.
I had tried holding a 20D at a camera shop once and it felt too large in my hands to grip. The camera size is perfect for me, but just beware if you have larger hands. You may want to look into the battery grip, or test out holding the camera at a store before you order it. See the picture I uploaded above to get a size relation and how the camera fits in my hands.
For anyone who is migrating to this camera from a standard point and shoot digital camera, you cannot frame the image you are about to take using the LCD screen on the back. You must look through the viewfinder. The LCD screen is soley for menu use and preview mode after the picture has been taken, nothing more.
Something I've noticed is the camera makes a ratteling sound when moved around. I couldn't figure out what the heck it was, and then I finally reazlized it's the hinges from the pop-up flash. It sounds like they are loose when the flash is closed. I went to Best Buy and looked at their display model, and yep, it has the same problem. Well, it's not really a *problem* but frankly something ratteling around like that sounds cheaply made to me. My Canon film SLR doesn't make that sound.
I use a 420EX Speedlite flash with my SLRs so the popup flash doesn't concern me, but it was something I noticed and thought I would share.
I love that Canon gave the option to have a black finish over a silver one.
The startup time is instantaneous which is absolutely wonderful.
The burst mode is excellent with 3 fps.
It's extremely quiet.
The image quality is excellent. You can get photo quality prints at 20x30, and even then I bet you could push it further.
I really can't elaborate more then what other reviews have said. If you are looking for a step into the digital SLR world, this is the ticket. Or you can even check out the newly reduced original Digital Rebel, but for the extra hundred bucks or so, I would just get the XT. You will not be sorry.
Two upgrades I would make right away: Get a Speedlite flash and the Canon 28-135mm lens.
Also, I don't know why people are submitting bad reviews grading Amazon on shipping for the Rebel XT. When I preordered the XT from Amazon (not from another 3rd party), it said it would be released March 20th. I got my Rebel XT in the mail yesterday (the 22nd) which if you ask me, is pretty darn good. Want something right away? Then walk into a store and buy it instead of ordering from the internet.
I can't give you a comparison between the XT and the 20D as I haven't owned a 20D, I can tell you a few things you may wish to know before buying.
This camera, is TINY. Extremely tiny. I'm a woman in my early twenties and I have small hands. The camera fits just right in my hands, but honestly, I don't see how someone with bigger hands would be 100% comfortable holding this. If my hands were any larger, they would be slipping off the bottom.
I had tried holding a 20D at a camera shop once and it felt too large in my hands to grip. The camera size is perfect for me, but just beware if you have larger hands. You may want to look into the battery grip, or test out holding the camera at a store before you order it. See the picture I uploaded above to get a size relation and how the camera fits in my hands.
For anyone who is migrating to this camera from a standard point and shoot digital camera, you cannot frame the image you are about to take using the LCD screen on the back. You must look through the viewfinder. The LCD screen is soley for menu use and preview mode after the picture has been taken, nothing more.
Something I've noticed is the camera makes a ratteling sound when moved around. I couldn't figure out what the heck it was, and then I finally reazlized it's the hinges from the pop-up flash. It sounds like they are loose when the flash is closed. I went to Best Buy and looked at their display model, and yep, it has the same problem. Well, it's not really a *problem* but frankly something ratteling around like that sounds cheaply made to me. My Canon film SLR doesn't make that sound.
I use a 420EX Speedlite flash with my SLRs so the popup flash doesn't concern me, but it was something I noticed and thought I would share.
I love that Canon gave the option to have a black finish over a silver one.
The startup time is instantaneous which is absolutely wonderful.
The burst mode is excellent with 3 fps.
It's extremely quiet.
The image quality is excellent. You can get photo quality prints at 20x30, and even then I bet you could push it further.
I really can't elaborate more then what other reviews have said. If you are looking for a step into the digital SLR world, this is the ticket. Or you can even check out the newly reduced original Digital Rebel, but for the extra hundred bucks or so, I would just get the XT. You will not be sorry.
Two upgrades I would make right away: Get a Speedlite flash and the Canon 28-135mm lens.
Also, I don't know why people are submitting bad reviews grading Amazon on shipping for the Rebel XT. When I preordered the XT from Amazon (not from another 3rd party), it said it would be released March 20th. I got my Rebel XT in the mail yesterday (the 22nd) which if you ask me, is pretty darn good. Want something right away? Then walk into a store and buy it instead of ordering from the internet.
Ikelite Underwater Camera Housing for Canon Powershot S90
The Ikelite housing arrived in perfect condition. Protective packing was ample and the final product in pristine condition! Brought the item to my Tioman trip and took beautiful pictures whilst diving without a worry that my camera will be flooded. Highly recommend the product and the seller!!
Rode Blimp Microphone Windshield Suspension System
List Price: $399.00
Sale Price: $299.00
Today's Bonus: 25% Off
The Rode Blimp Microphone Windshield Suspension system does exactly what it is supposed to do: cut down on the wind and protect the mic from jarring noises. In my video, you'll see the Blimp inside and out, combined with the Rode NTG-2 and boom pole. You'll see a test on a breezy day, recording sound from a helicopter and then an outdoor effect that is nice and clean despite the breeze. The Blimp itself is a great mount for a shotgun mic. The adjustable brackets inside allow for various mic lengths and diameters. A tool is included to loosen and tighten the bracket screws. Also, included are several sets of rubber bands and cradles to fit your specific mic. Using the handle, you could use it without the boom pole for close interviews or recording live effects up close. The built in XLR cable means you plug your cable into the base of the handle and then to your recording device of choice. The handle adjusts to various angles with a locking mechanism to hold it at the angle you set. The unit is lightweight, which your sound person will thank you for. Finally, you get the "dead wombat" furry cover, that makes a breezy day virtually disappear on the audio track. For an HD version of the video, which is much clearer than the one here, see my YouTube channel, lenswork4 or my blog bentpage dot net.
Fujifilm FinePix XP10 12 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x
The Fujifilm Finepix XP10, newly available in April 2010, is a stylish little ultra-compact camera that invites you to have fun outdoors while taking pictures. It:
is waterproof to 10 ft. under water, perfect for swimming pools, beach, snorkeling (note: do not use in hot water!)
is shockproof up to 3 ft., great for jogging, cycling, or even letting your baby learn to take pictures
is freezeproof down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 Celsius)
is dustproof
has 12.2 effective megapixels
has 5x optical zoom and features a Fujinon lens for great clarity; lens focal length is 36-180mm in 35mm film camera terms
takes 720p widescreen, VGA or QVGA video
can zoom optically in video mode (but see note on audio recording below)
is really small and weighs just a little over 5 oz. with battery and SDHC card
uses SDHC memory card, no more xD that was championed by Fuji and Olympus
I bought a green XP10 because I love spending time in the water. I find that, outdoors during the day, the XP10 takes pictures with excellent clarity and excellent color saturation and contrast. Using fill-in flash in daylight truly enhances the picture. Indoors, because the XP10 lacks Fuji's legendary SuperCCD technology, picture quality is average for a compact or super-compact camera. It does have two natural-scene modes where it boosts the ISO (light sensitivity of the image sensor) at the expense of increased noise. I bought my XP10 to be used outdoors, in the pool and at the beach, so I haven't taken many indoor pics.
Video shooting at 720p yields smooth, clear HD video clips. BTW, video size is limited only by the 2GB FAT32 file size limit -this means even if you pop in a 16GB SDHC card, the longest video clip can only go up to 2GB in file size, due to the limit imposed by the FAT32 file system. Video is recorded as motion JPEG in an AVI container, so it can be played on many, many devices, at the expense of slightly larger file sizes than a more compact format like MPEG-2 or MPEG-4.
While you can zoom optically -a feature that every digital camera should have -audio recording's volume level is lowered during zooming. Instead, the camera picks up some noise from the lens mechanism and that noise overwhelms the ambient sounds you want to record, which can be annoying when played back on a large TV. My advise is to use zooming sparingly during video mode. If you want great video recording on a compact digital camera, you should get a Sony or Canon or Panasonic camera (be prepared to pay a lot more for the waterproof feature, though).
Anyway, my sample video clip shows how the camera works under water. The video resolution was set to QVGA (320x240) for easy upload to Amazon, but you should be able to see the amazing clarity both in and out of water.
In summary, the XP10 is a great waterproof, shockproof camera that every water enthusiast should bring along to record fun memories.
is waterproof to 10 ft. under water, perfect for swimming pools, beach, snorkeling (note: do not use in hot water!)
is shockproof up to 3 ft., great for jogging, cycling, or even letting your baby learn to take pictures
is freezeproof down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 Celsius)
is dustproof
has 12.2 effective megapixels
has 5x optical zoom and features a Fujinon lens for great clarity; lens focal length is 36-180mm in 35mm film camera terms
takes 720p widescreen, VGA or QVGA video
can zoom optically in video mode (but see note on audio recording below)
is really small and weighs just a little over 5 oz. with battery and SDHC card
uses SDHC memory card, no more xD that was championed by Fuji and Olympus
I bought a green XP10 because I love spending time in the water. I find that, outdoors during the day, the XP10 takes pictures with excellent clarity and excellent color saturation and contrast. Using fill-in flash in daylight truly enhances the picture. Indoors, because the XP10 lacks Fuji's legendary SuperCCD technology, picture quality is average for a compact or super-compact camera. It does have two natural-scene modes where it boosts the ISO (light sensitivity of the image sensor) at the expense of increased noise. I bought my XP10 to be used outdoors, in the pool and at the beach, so I haven't taken many indoor pics.
Video shooting at 720p yields smooth, clear HD video clips. BTW, video size is limited only by the 2GB FAT32 file size limit -this means even if you pop in a 16GB SDHC card, the longest video clip can only go up to 2GB in file size, due to the limit imposed by the FAT32 file system. Video is recorded as motion JPEG in an AVI container, so it can be played on many, many devices, at the expense of slightly larger file sizes than a more compact format like MPEG-2 or MPEG-4.
While you can zoom optically -a feature that every digital camera should have -audio recording's volume level is lowered during zooming. Instead, the camera picks up some noise from the lens mechanism and that noise overwhelms the ambient sounds you want to record, which can be annoying when played back on a large TV. My advise is to use zooming sparingly during video mode. If you want great video recording on a compact digital camera, you should get a Sony or Canon or Panasonic camera (be prepared to pay a lot more for the waterproof feature, though).
Anyway, my sample video clip shows how the camera works under water. The video resolution was set to QVGA (320x240) for easy upload to Amazon, but you should be able to see the amazing clarity both in and out of water.
In summary, the XP10 is a great waterproof, shockproof camera that every water enthusiast should bring along to record fun memories.
Sony DSC-QX10/W DSC-QX10 DSCQX10W QX10 QX10W (White) Smartphone
this a unique item and premium camera made by sony .. the pic qualities are remarkable.. the quality of the camera is amazing but the accessories are offered are very cheap.
Motorola Moto X - 16GB, Unlocked Phone - US Warranty - White
List Price: $619.99
Sale Price: $515.99
Today's Bonus: 17% Off
I purchased the Moto X from Sprint about a week ago, taking advantage of their new One Up program (phone cost me .42). A little background to my Smartphone usage. My first Smartphone was the HTC Incredible, so I have an extremely high standard for what a good Smartphone is. I loved the Incredible. I followed that up with the Samsung Galaxy S2, to extreme disappointment. What a hunk of crap that phone was. So, when the opportunity arose to dump the crap box ahead of my contract renewal, I jumped on it.
I debated between going back to HTC with the One or going with the new Motorola Moto X. I was hesitant at first about the X, but figured, it's made by Google, why wouldn't it be great? I was correct. The key to making the most out of this phone is to not gimp it out. Use Google, leave the GPS and WiFi on. The battery life is outstanding and lasts well into a day and a half even with all the features turned on. The bonus to letting the phone do what it does is it makes life better. This morning I had an up to the minute traffic update on my phone 10 minutes to my normal leaving time. It knows my house and my work. The voice commands are simple (despite what others are saying) and work amazing well if you take the time to really learn them. It connects to my Jabra Bluetooth speaker amazingly fast and uses all the Bluetooth controls with no setup (there is no need to use the activation phrase with Bluetooth, it just knows). In short, this is what a Smartphone should be. Smart. Don't be lazy in the first week or so of owning the phone and the phone will learn. Then, by all means, be lazy. Once trained, the phone knows what you want, it's a little freaky but totally worth it.
Leupold SX-1 Ventana Spotting Scope Kit, Black, 15-45 x 60mm
List Price: $439.99
Sale Price: $330.34
Today's Bonus: 25% Off
Very Clear optics... good shock resistant... only down side is tripod as it is tippy... overall good product and great price... I would recommend to anyone...!
Pentax K-X 12.4 Megapixel Digital SLR and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DAL
I was looking for a starter DSLR, and after a little research I decided this would be a good choicetrust me, it was. Don't let the pink fool you, it gives great results even in low light. Once you play with it a little, you'll find it's easy to switch to fully manual mode to capture images exactly how you want. It was a big step up from my point and shoot, but it wasn't intimidating because everything is easy to figure out. As soon as I got it, I started playing around with it and taking great pictures without even reading the manual (I did later go back and read it though). I enjoy having the option of an automatic or manual focus, and I especially love how responsive the shutter is (the one on my point and shoot fired kind of slowly and I missed some good shots because of it). The filters are really neat tooI especially love the toy camera filter because I'm into lomography. It won't replace your Holga or Diana, but it's close enough!
If you're looking to step up from your point and shoot to something more sophisticated, this is the camera for you. It's not super expensive as far as DSLRs go, which is another reason I chose to get it. I'm just an amateur and don't plan on becoming a professional photographer, but if I changed my mind, I think this camera would allow me to keep up with all the Nikon and Cannon owners. I am very very glad I got this cameraI adore it!
If you're looking to step up from your point and shoot to something more sophisticated, this is the camera for you. It's not super expensive as far as DSLRs go, which is another reason I chose to get it. I'm just an amateur and don't plan on becoming a professional photographer, but if I changed my mind, I think this camera would allow me to keep up with all the Nikon and Cannon owners. I am very very glad I got this cameraI adore it!
Zmodo 8 Channel CCTV Surveillance H.264 Real time DVR Outdoor 8
List Price: $565.00
Sale Price: $415.00
Today's Bonus: 27% Off
Eveythink was OK, I buy this pruduc before, ZMODO have very good product. The only probleme I see with the product is the camera,the angle of vision its limited. I like to have dome camera but I can't not change the model of camera.
Sony Handycam HDR-PJ650V 32GB 1080p HD Video Camera Camcorder
A simple and easy to use camera. The image stabilizing capability is amazing, the motion is smooth as if mounted on a moving tripod. Playback is crystal clear against
a wall or vertical surface.
a wall or vertical surface.
Canon PowerShot SX500 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 30x
I purchased this camera because I thought it would be perfect for my website and blog use. So far, it has lived up to its expectations. It is not a hefty camera, but do not ber deceived by a lack of weight. I do a lot of interior available light shooting so I use the low light feature in the SCN mode. It produces excellent photos at varying high ISO settings which it selects automatically. I have used the other modes and am equally pleased with them. The image stabilization is excellent but you must remember to turn it off if you are using a tripod or you may get some strange results. The video mode was more than satisfactory in 720 HD. Is it as good as a digital SLR? No. But for the size, cost, and what it is capable of, it will be a camera that will get many uses in the years to come
Nikon WP-N1 Waterproof Case for Nikon 1 J1 and J2 Cameras
List Price: $749.95
Sale Price: $499.00
Today's Bonus: 33% Off
The Nikon WP N1 waterproof case for the Nikon 1 J2 camera works like a charm.
We dive primarily in the Northwestern Pacific waters of Washington State and Vancouver, British Columbia. Even with limited visibility this camera takes excellent photos. We've never had trouble with the waterproof case. The large buttons are well-placed and easy to use despite heavy, thick, cold-water gloves.
The white color is quite unique and makes it easy to find in a bucket filled with primarily black housing cameras. It's color also makes it easier to see in murky or dark waters.
Lighting is always tricky. We have attached a strobe; that was easy to connect.
All-around a great product. We were very happy with the purchase of both the Nikon camera and the waterproof case.
We estimate camera in housing plus strobe adds about 5 to 8 pounds to the dive. We adjusted our ballast accordingly. Connect camera to center of my BCD in order to achieve the right buoyancy/balance.