November 7, 2009 @ 5:47 pm
Click image to enlarge
I’ve been happily shooting with a Canon EOS 7D for over a week now. I have nothing but good things to say about this camera and I am more than happy about the choice I made in the end over the Canon 5D Mark II.
DPReview seems to agree with me in this respect and says that the 7D is in some ways better than the 5D Mark II (obvious difference between the two being that the 5D has a full-frame sensor). Their 31-page review is impressive (I mean…it’s 31 pages long) and gives anybody hoping to learn more about the Canon 7D a complete view of the camera inside and out.
The EOS 7D is powered by Dual Digic 4 processors and it shows. The camera’s overall performance is nothing short of impressive, especially in this segment of the market. The two processors are pushing the huge 18 megapixel files through the imaging and processing pipeline in an extremely swift manner. Instead of asking if this camera is fast enough for you, you should probably be slightly concerned if you are fast enough for the 7D.
The DPReview emphasizes that image quality for a camera like this is directly related to the glass that you’re using, so they highly discourage the use of the kit lenses if you’re shooting for the utmost image quality and sharpness. But assuming that you’ve got good lenses, this camera is definitely a great choice if you’re looking for a new SLR. I endorse it, and apparently, so does DPReview.
November 2, 2009 @ 1:57 am
It was ok. I won’t necessarily run out and buy the DVD when it gets released, but if they ever make a true-to-film Wild Thing costume, I’d consider purchasing that.
November 1, 2009 @ 4:55 pm
I have a Targus Bluetooth Laser Mouse in my possession and I’m going to tell you about it now.
The major difference between this mouse and other Bluetooth laser mouse on the market is that this Targus mouse has a touch scroll wheel. It’s a nice change from the traditional scroll wheels which can become dirty and get stuck. The touch scroll wheel here takes a bit of getting used to as it’s hard to control the speed at first. But after a couple of minutes, your finger adjusts accordingly. I don’t think it’s better or more precise than a scroll wheel, but it’s nice nonetheless.
The mouse is full-sized unlike most other Bluetooth mice on the market which are made for laptop users and come at incredibly small sizes. It’s not very ergonomic but at least your hand isn’t scrunching up just to use it. Comfort: Ok.
The mouse has a nice audible click to the left and right mouse buttons which I like. The touch scroll is also a middle-click button, but unfortunately, you cannot press it down and have pages automatically scroll. I wish this functionality was built-in.
On the left side of the mouse are two extra buttons that are simply placed in the most retarded place possible. The farther button is so inconvenient to press that you have to stretch your hand in weird positions just to get to it. The closer side button is so easy to accidentally press that I just disabled it altogether. Simply put, this mouse would be better if it didn’t come with any buttons on the side at all.
As for construction, this mouse is rather cheap. It feels cheap, but then again, that’s because the mouse is cheap. Pick one up at Amazon.com
for just over $20.
Oh, by the way, if you do plan on buying this mouse and you need the software for it, DO NOT download it from the Targus website. For some reason, they link to a really outdated version of the software. The software you need can be downloaded here (ver. 2.1.0f2).
October 31, 2009 @ 6:32 pm
Down East was kind enough to send me a copy of their new book Ruin: Photographs of a Vanishing America with photographs by architectural photographer Brian Vanden Brink. The book is a documentation of some of the forgotten buildings that are strewn across America. Brian Vanden Brink’s architectural eye brings out the beauty in these forgotten places and singles them out as artifacts and specimens that must be preserved (at least on film) for future generations.
Looking at the 120 photos in this collection (50 in color and 70 in black and white) make me wonder about the history of some of these buildings and what circumstances must have played out to make the owners abandon these structures. Were these buildings left behind when somebody passed away? Or were they abandoned because of financial or environmental circumstances? The questions remain and Brian cannot answer them all, but he can capture them in such a way that makes you appreciate their beauty despite being called eyesores in their community.
As a plus, Brian includes several photos that he took for the Historic American Engineering Record of buildings and structures that the government (Federal and State) are actively working on to either demolish, rehabilitate, or add on to. In some cases, these government sites have all but been abandoned and left to rot and in a sense, they take on a life of their own as shown in Brian’s photos.
For somebody like me who is obsessed with abandoned structures and places, this book certainly filled me with a sense of wanderlust. I’d love to visit the towns that these abandoned buildings and structures are located and see them all for myself. I probably won’t make it to most of them in this book, but I’m thankful that Brian has included the general locations just in case I do intend to make some sort of trip in the future.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series of photos from Down East and Brian Vanden Brink and I highly encourage you to get your own copy of this book too so you can enjoy parts of America in a new way. Even better is that Amazon.com sells Ruin: Photographs of a Vanishing America
for just over $40, which is a good amount off of the suggested retail price of $65.
Check out some images of the book below.
October 31, 2009 @ 2:41 pm
A couple of weeks ago, the good guys behind Banjo Brothers, a small bag company located in Minnesota, sent me a large Commuter Backpack to check out. So let’s just jump into this and see what this bag is all about.
(more…)
October 25, 2009 @ 4:41 am
TASCHEN sent over a copy of Type: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles
(Vol. 1) this past week and I am just floored by the exquisite content inside this large volume. The book I received is actually the first volume of 2 which TASCHEN has published to cover the entire modern history of type and the artists who made it their life’s work to create typefaces.
Inside this 360-page volume is page after page of type specimens which often include a history of how they were created and made famous through usage. Volume 1 of Type covers a span of years from 1628-1900 and is arguably the more interesting of the two volumes (although if I were you, I’d go ahead and pick up both volumes anyway) because it contains Victorian typefaces which are generally more decorated and ornate. Even better is that the book comes with a special media access card that allows you to log in to TASCHEN’s servers so that you can view many of the book’s images and typefaces at hi-res (this alone is worth the price of the book in my opinion).
This book has been a huge inspiration to me in the past week and I have no doubt that I’ll be keeping it nearby for a long time as I use it for type reference and general eye-candy. I highly recommend buying your own copy of Type: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles so you can do the same (the whole book is on Amazon.com for less than $40).
For now, enjoy some of the images below.
