Review Those looking for a new DSLR haven’t had a decision this tricky in years. In one corner, Nikon’s D5100 and in the other, Canon’s EOS 600D. Both offer similar specifications, and neither is exactly lacking when it comes to both image quality and platform support.
Entry-level in the mid-range market? Canon’s EOS 600D
At the heart of the EOS 600D is an 18Mp, APS-C CMOS sensor. Notching up 18Mp is fast becoming Canon’s sweet spot for its mid and high-end DSLRs – see also the EOS 7D, EOS 60D and EOS 550D. The ISO ranges from 100 to 6400, yet make a small adjustment in the custom settings menu and you can push it to ISO 12800. It’s a very wide range range, but image quality is impressive across the board. Noise simply isn’t a factor until ISO 1600 – and it merely shows its presence with a little softness and chroma noise at ISO 3200. Read the rest of this entry »
Accessory of the Week I’ve been after an affordable and reliable way to stick an HTC Desire HD to a windscreen or desk for some time. Yes, there are plenty of options out there, but they have all been too expensive – HTC’s own car mount will set you back £50 – too fragile, too wobbly or just too cheap and nasty.
The Exomount clasps your gadget securely
Exogear’s rather impressive Exomount consists of a bulldog clip-like gripper at one end and a normal-looking suction mount at the other. The clip part of the assembly is extremely easy to fit devices into – just press the back sections together, insert device and let go. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade has become something of an institution these last few years, ushering in the release of some of the best seen download-only games yet seen; the likes of Limbo, Braid, Shadow Complex and last week’s Bastion to name but a few. Up next is From Dust, a release with a pedigree all of its own in the gaming world, having been developed by none other than Eric Chahi, lead developer of the seminal Another World, which wowed the games-buying public back in 1991.
The hills have mites
While Chahi has been out of the games industry for a while, his return signals a return to what made his earlier games special: minimalist gameplay and beautifully realised visuals. Yet, where From Dust departs from his previous projects is in its genre. This is no side-scrolling adventure, but rather an evolution of the god sim in which players become the ‘breath’, a primordial force with the power to shape the Earth and so aid its inhabitants. Read the rest of this entry »
Product round-up It’s time for another headphone roundup and considering we’ve already covered the bulkier over-ear and on-ear models, it was inevitable that in-ears would follow. After all, not everyone likes walking the streets, turning heads with a pair of oversized Mickey Mousers on.
The market is inundated with hundreds of in-ear monitors (IEMs) to choose from ranging from near-giveaway throwaways to audiophile grade headsets at eye-watering prices. We reached out for a broad range and, from what we received, narrowed it down to the following ten.
Unless you have hearing like Superman, the difference between many of these high-end sets is minor – some have more bass oomph, some have a flatter response – however, all significantly improve the listening experience beyond free buds that come with a new MP3 player and if you haven’t upgraded from such, what are you waiting for? Read the rest of this entry »
iOS App of the Week After taking some really rubbish photos at a friend’s birthday recently, I decided I needed some sort of timer app for the Camera on my iPhone.
Besides timed capture, Camera Prime offers a framing aid
There are a number of very simple timers – most of which are free to download – but then I started to think about some other features that might come in useful too, and I ended up forking out the princely sum of 69p for Camera Prime. Read the rest of this entry »
