Xmas Gift Guide While few would argue that a DSLR offers the best combination of features, performance and image quality, 2011 didn’t really set the world alight with new models. For the most part manufacturers patched holes in their respective ranges, to provide a full spectrum of models to suit both budgets and ability.
A couple of years ago there was a scramble to add HD video capture to DSLRs but now the tweaks tend towards articulating screens and the ousting of CCD sensors in favour of CMOS alternatives with improved noise characteristics. Whatever you end up with, it’s always the glass in front that matters and you’ll need deep pockets to venture beyond the kit lenses that will get you started, but only scratch the surface of the photographic capabilities of the DSLRs of 2011. Oh and a word to the wise, just about all the brands here are offering cashback deals on your purchases, but you’ll need to check the websites for details. Read the rest of this entry »
Accessory of the Week When it comes to HDMI senders, it’s the quality of transmission and ease of set up which generally sets one apart from another. The smart-looking Marmitek Gigaview – yes, it does sound like the name of an Austin Powers villain – does well on both counts.
The TX/RX pair sport a curvaceous glossy design and are supplied with rawlplugs and a mounting plate, should you fancy popping them on the wall.
Receiver, transmitter and handy remote control
Rather helpfully, the transmitter features two HDMI inputs, plus one loop-through HDMI output. This switching functionality allows a video input to be viewed simultaneously in two rooms or on two displays. Read the rest of this entry »
Review The V1 is the flagship model of Nikon’s newborn mirrorless, interchangeable lenses Camera system simply called 1 that currently has only two models, the cheapest, being the smaller and less sophisticated J1 reviewed recently. Yet having entered the Compact System Camera’s (CSC) scene with some considerable delay, can Nikon really bring anything new and truly competitive to this increasingly saturated market?
Sophistication meets simplicity: Nikon’s 1 V1
Selling at £880 with the 10mm Pancake lens, the V1 is certainly not cheap however it does have a few tricks up its sleeve, such as a an electronic viewfinder, a high resolution screen, both an electronic and a mechanical shutter release. On-board is Nikon’s latest processor – capable of a continuous shooting rate of up to 60fps – and a hybrid Autofocus system that combines the benefits of both phase and contrast detection.
At the heart of the new system lies a newly designed 10.1Mp sensor, which Nikon calls CX and is significantly smaller than both the Micro Four Thirds and the APS-C formats currently employed in most Compact System Camera models. It measures up at 13.2 x 8.8mm and delivers a 2.7x crop factor. Read the rest of this entry »
iOS App of the Week There are quite a few apps that can be used to stitch together a series of overlapping photos in order to create a single, wide-angle panoramic picture.
These apps all use clever algorithms to try to line up elements within the photos in order to create a seamless overlap, but even the smartest software can’t do much to help if your photos are just too far out of alignment.
Hold your phone vertically (left) and wait for the Yin-Yang symbol to guide you (right)
Dermandar Panorama cleverly pre-empts that problem by using the iPhone’s built-in gyroscope to help you auto-align your photos as you take them. That makes it much easier to get good results when the photos are subsequently stitched together. Read the rest of this entry »
Review I honestly thought it would take the industry a lot longer to start producing Windows ultrabooks for under a grand that are this good. The Asus Zenbook is as flat and skinny and as light as a MacBook Air without trying to look like one, and is a darn sight better connected.
Smart notebook in size zero clothing: Asus Zenbook UX31E
The Zenbook comes in 11-inch and 13-inch versions: the UX31E tested here is the larger and more expensive of the two kitted out with a 128GB SSD, 4GB of RAM and sporting a 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i7-2677M CPU. Read the rest of this entry »
