Yes, yes, I know card readers are boring and you can’t get enough choice these days. I just wanted to draw a little attention to SandBergs new card reader which differs itself by being… well… really freaking small. It’s a great companion to a PS3 or laptop and is absurdly portable and pocketable for something that manages to read so many different formats and sizes of storage card.
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by Johnus Maximus
If you are looking for a ‘point and shoot’ digital camera, then you may want to take a look at the Ricoh GR Digital II. Compact, well built and extremely customisable, this successor to the Ricoh GR Digital has plenty to offer photography enthusiasts, but priced a little over £300 it’s perhaps slightly less appropriate for people like me who don’t know their EV’s from their ISO’s.
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When reading through the press release for the Sony HD Handycam HDR-CX11E I encountered a concept so insane that I couldn’t help but check if I’d fallen through time and landed on the 1st of April.
The HDR-CX11E is no ordinary camcorder, far from it in fact. It features a unique feature called “Smile Shutter” that, believe it or not, snaps a 7.6 megapixel photo when someone smiles. It can do this during movie recording, or even in between takes. To further add to the pure ridiculousness (or, perhaps, genius) of this concept the HDR-CX11E even has a “Smile Sensitivity” setting that allows it to capture anything from a gentle smile to a beaming grin. Finally, regular facial detection software ensures that every smile captured is taken with appropriate settings by fine tuning focus, exposure and colour balance.
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Trek Technologies LLC was formed in 2004 after identifying a market need based on personal outdoor experience. Their idea? To create a sturdy, lightweight, convenient, multi-purpose device with the functionality of both a tripod and trekking pole or hiking staff.
The result is the TrekPod, a lightweight, height-adjustable walking/hiking staff, with a fully integrated tripod, and a quick-release, mount-demount system called MagMount.
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Normally I wouldn’t rush out to purchase 3.5 inches of rubber, but that’s all the CamGrip is. The CamGrip tackles a problem I didn’t even know existed by screwing into the bottom of your pocket shooter providing a big, rubberised grip that proclaims to add additional stability and control to your camera handling experience.
If the CamGrip had a trigger it may, perhaps, provide an excellent aid for physically impaired persons but I’m personally struggling to see just what exactly it would contribute to my photography experience. It’s not a bank-breaker at £6.99 though!
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If for some reason you lack a billion-in-one card reader built-in to your computer to handle reading and writing the dizzying (and still growing) number of available media card formats that every gadget-lover has to deal with on a near daily basis then you can’t go far one with this humble offering from Sandberg clocking in at just under £20, not looking too bad, and absolutely covered in supported media card logos.
It should also work with your PS3 or Xbox 360 letting you adapt spare storage media for your consoles or access any family photos, music and video that you might have kicking about; although one in glossy black or shaped like a toasted sandwich might suit the PS3 a little better.
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by Johnus Maximus
Peli, or as they are known outside of Europe, Pelican Products, are the manufacturers of a wide range of sturdy protective cases and torches. Famed for being manufactured to the highest quality, their products are designed with one thing in mind - keeping your “stuff” safe, dry and in one piece. That’s just the sort of assurance you want when travelling with your favourite iPod/computer/rifle.
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I was reasonably impressed by the Caplio R6 in late 2007 however the successor to its successor the Ricoh Caplio R8 is truly in a whole different class of compact camera to its grandfather.
I’ve had a few days now to play with a Ricoh R8 and both myself, my family, friends and colleagues have been suitably impressed by its image quality. Particularly when it comes to taking artsy Macro shots.
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Peli, the manufacturer of the Peli Protector Case has now produced a complimentary range of soft bags for storing all manner of gadgets and their accessories. These gadget bags are focussed on digital photography and a tripod bag is included in the range in addition to larger options that will carry a laptop.
See over the fold for a quick overview of the Peli Soft-Sided bag range
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As much as I object to the use of the word “cyber” outside of early 80s-90s science fiction movies Sony are really on to someting with the Titanium coated Cyber-shot W300.
Not only is it, theoretically, scratch resistant in the places coated by titanium but it’s also absolutely beautiful. Sony have gone for an exceptionally refined single tone design that isn’t broken up by harsh bands of what other manufacturers would call “styling”. Not only that but it also packs an impressive 13.6 mega pixel resolution a 2.7 inch LCD and a high definition video output. As if we ever needed any more reason than looks to pick one up.
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