Category: Gear
-
Review: Canon FTb
I received my Canon FTb in a box of cameras I ordered on eBay when I was bored a few years ago and have run several rolls of film through it over the years (after I repaired it) with outstanding results, so I thought it would be appropriate to finally do a formal review on…
-
DJI Mavic Pro: First Flight! (Antananarivo, Madagascar)
Finally, it has arrived! Back in mid-October, I heard that DJI, the company that manufactured the first drone I owned, was releasing a small, foldable drone with an integrated camera. In other words, one that would allow me to carry something besides just a drone on my back when we go hiking in Madagascar! I figured…
-
3DR Solo: Droning in the Snow
I love these camera-toting quadcopters. Partly because it’s just fun to fly stuff around (yes, I’m still about 12 at heart) but mostly because of the new opportunities they offer for photography and videography. After seeing the first few videos people had made with them, I was hooked. The problem is, the technology moves so…
-
Swimathon: Bird’s Eye View
Last week I took part in a “Swimathon” in Goa, on the eastern coast of southern India. Participants were to swim either 2 km, 1 km, or 250 meters in the calm sea. It was a great set of races, and had lots of participation by a local swim club as well as members of…
-
Review: Phantom 2 Quadcopter
One of my photographer friends posted a video on Facebook a couple of weeks ago and wrote something along the lines of, “This video is guaranteed to convince you to buy a GoPro and a Quadcopter…” He was right. Proceed at your own peril! 70812846 Aerial footage of surfers at Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz (DJI…
-
What is it with computer company customer service these days? (I’m talking about you, Toshiba and Dell!)
I’m seeing a lot of reports these days lamenting lagging computer sales, and theorizing why that might be. I’m of the opinion that a big part of the reason is customer service. These days, it seems that more and more, when you speak to computer companies’ customer service and sales departments, you’re confronted with people…
-
Diptic: The Coolest Photo App Ever (With a Mediocre Name)
Ever want to share a bunch of photos, but couldn’t make up your mind which? Whether you post on Facebook or attach them to an email, it would be great to combine a bunch of related shots into a single image. The app, “Diptic” (available on Apple devices and Android) lets you do exactly that.…
-
Camera Lucida – Get Yours Now!
What if you could use a simple device with a prism to “trace” an object on paper that was actually in front of you. Would this revolutionize how we do art? It turns out that according to theory, that’s exactly how many of the 19th Century masters created their great works of art. And a…
-
Elgato Video Capture Solves the FireWire-USB Dilemma
I’ve got stacks of 8mm and “Hi8” video recordings going all the way back to 1990 when I bought my first camcorder to capture all the adventures my young wife and I were about to undertake. Locked somewhere in those plastic cases holding spool after spool of magnetic tape were memories of a 23-year-old Army…
-
Flickr Makes its Move
Over the last month, there’s been some interesting maneuvering going on in the photo-sharing community. Specifically, once-dominant Flickr, which had been stagnating in comparison to its made-for-smartphone rival, Instagram, has made a couple of moves likely to put it back into a dominant position in its genre. First was the release of Flickr’s new app,…
-
Toshiba Qosmio X875 Touchpad Issues
So I just received a brand new Toshiba Qosmio X875 series video editing DREAM laptop, with 16 GB of RAM, 1.75 TB of hard drive space (on two drives) and a 3D capable, 17.3 inch screen. The thing weighs a ton, but for just under 2 grand, you’re not going to be throwing this in…
-
Sony’s NEX-EA50 NXCam – interchangeable lens camcorder
This just-released promotional video highlights Sony’s latest interchangeable-lens video camcorder. Once you get beyond the nonstandard English, it’s SHWEEET! It’s due out in October, and unlike the typical still camera that “also takes good video” this is a professional grade camcorder that “also takes good stills”. It’s got a 16 MP APS-C CMOS sensor along…
-
New Sony NEX-VG20 – low light test (wildlife at night – Onduruquea Reserve)
I was pretty nervous about the new camera I recently ordered – the Sony NEX-VG20 is an interchangeable-lens camcorder that boasts a sensor the size of most still cameras (23.4 X 15.6mm) – which, in addition to the versatility offered by the changeable lenses, apparently offers many features you don’t often see in a $2,000…
-
Micro Photography – Handheld Digital Microscope Review
So you’ve heard of macro photography – and I’ve been blogging about it recently as well. But what about micro photography? Ever wanted to take a picture of something you can only see under a microscope? Well, how about video? It used to be really expensive, but there are a couple of options out there…
-
iPad for video and music creation
Although you can’t beat the price for video and music editing software when it comes to iFilm and GarageBand for the iPad, trying to create a video from top to bottom using nothing but an iPad 2 still leaves a bit to be desired. Probably people who have never used any other video or music…
-
Sandboarding. Swakopmund. Sony Vegas
For years, I’ve been editing with versions of Adobe Premiere and Premiere Elements, and the one complaint I’ve always had is its tendency to lock up on most computers. The exception has been my old desktop running XP with 512 MB memory – but even there, I’ve got to restart the computer after I finish…
-
Wildlife through a Loupe – Micro goes Macro
For my latest video, I noticed I had gradually been collecting random footage of “micro-wildlife” I have come across while working in my new garden here in Windhoek. One of the creatures I had been continually running across is the millipede. These guys are everywhere, coiled up under the soil, perhaps waiting for cool weather…
-
Sony Bluetooth Mic Tested
Some time ago, I stumbled across this interesting piece of equipment for sale: a Sony ECM HW2 wireless (bluetooth) microphone. Wireless mics are commonplace, you say? Well, this one is a little different than most: it uses bluetooth technology to achieve a 100 meter range, and it allows two-way communication with the wearer – for…