Posts Tagged ‘Review’
Product Review – Kodak EasyShare Z885 Digital Camera
Looking for a new, light-weight digital camera to snap those candid shots of your friends and family? Looking for a digital camera with a great amount of megapixels? What about a camera that’s small enough to toss in your purse or pocket? Then look no further! The Kodak EasyShare Z885 digital camera may just be the camera for you.
For years I’ve been carrying around a camera that use to be top of the line back in 2004. Unfortunately, a 3.1 megapixal camera is no longer top of the line, so I wanted something better. I received just that for Christmas 2007– my EasyShare Z885!
While this camera is perfect for me, it may not be perfect for everyone. There are a few pros and cons to this camera and how it functions. Here are the ones that I felt were most important.
PROS:
The amount of megapixels in this camera helps you create some of the most beautiful, crisp, and clean images ever. At 8.1 megapixels, you won’t have to worry about not being able to see the blue eyes of your child or the lovely sunset behind the mountain peaks. Your photos will come out just as lovely as the moment they were taken.
One of my favorite features on this camera is the Undo Delete selection. Have you ever accidentally deleted something that you wanted to keep? All you could do was regret the mistake and move on, but not anymore! The Kodak EasyShare 885 has an Undo Delete selection that will allow you to immediate reverse an accidental deletion. This feature could be a lifesaver!
My all-time most favorite feature on the Kodak EasyShare Z885 is that it has the ability to zoom in and out DURING video recording. I love that! My old camera would only allow you to zoom before and after recording a video — not during. So I was thrilled to find that the new Z885 did this. What a wonderful thing for those of us who love to take family videos.
The Z885 is a lovely looking camera. It has a lightweight, sleek design that makes the camera easy to take along anytime. This camera will fit into your purse, coat pocket, and even your pants pocket. It comes equipped with a large, 2.5 inch, color, viewfinder screen.
CONS:
My main complaint about the Kodak EasyShare Z885 is that there isn’t a traditional viewfinder. The color screen is the only thing that you can use to line up your shots. This isn’t really a big deal until you are outside on a bright, sunny day and you can’t see a thing on the screen.
This camera has so many features and functions that it eats AA batteries like they are camera candy. I usually use CRV-3 batteries in my digital cameras, but the Kodak EasyShare Z885 came with two AA digital camera batteries. Well, those batteries were dead in a matter of a week. I’ve had the camera for about two months now and I’ve gone through four sets of two since those that came with the camera. I will be purchasing a new CRV-3 for my Kodak EasyShare Z885.
This last con is more of an annoyance. The Kodak EasyShare Z885 does not come with the AV-TV cable that is used to attach the camera to your television. My old Kodak EasyShare came with this cable, and I used it often. But, the new Z885 does not; you’ll have to order one from the Kodak website or I’ve found quite a few of them on eBay.
In the end, the Kodak EasyShare Z885 is an all-around great camera. It’s great for the point-and-shoot photographers among us. But, it’s also great for those of us who like a little freedom in our photography. This camera has loads of options and a lot of ways for you to create just the image that you want. You’ll want to watch your battery usage, stay out of the glaring sunlight if you want to see the screen, and spend a little more money if you want to hook the camera to your television.
I do love my camera, and I’m thrilled with the photo quality it gives me, but with the $200 price tag I probably would have looked a little closer at other cameras if I had known what I know today.
Western Digital 1TB External Hard Drive Review
Being a photographer keeping my images safe is my top priority but because I often shoot in a RAW format it means that my images take up a lot of space. My current computer system is probably around 5 years old so unfortunately I am stuck with a computer with a 125GB hard disk drive. This hard drive would be more than ample for everyday use but I often shoot around 8GB of photos each and every shoot I do and when you take into account I shoot between 3-5 shows a week then my small hard disk becomes a problem.
For this reason I had to get an external hard drive. I took a while to research some and came across a few that I liked. There were some hard drives that were really thin and would be excellent on the move as they were so small, however these hard drives had a little more memory than my current hard drive, these weren’t going to last me long.
The hard disk that I decided to go with was the western digital elements 1TB drive. The reason for my choice was that the storage space was massive and the hard drive was well priced. My initial purchase was from eBay but the seller sent me out a Spanish version for some reason, so I sent it back and purchased the drive from amazon where it was the same price.
The Review
The Western Digital elements hard disk is much smaller than I expected, it’s roughly the size of a small book and weighs around the same. One of the best features I found with this hard drive is the noise of it, it makes next to none and I constantly check to see if its plugged in. the silent noise levels is a great advantage of having this hard drive as I have tested some in the past that are extremely noisy which becomes a big annoyance when you have to live with the thing.
The power LED is located at the back which is another excellent feature of this external drive. If you look around you chances are that there are flashing lights where ever you look, when it comes to televisions or computers these lights stay on even when you’re not using the device, this becomes annoying when you are trying to do something else and not use your computer. The LED on the back of the external drive means that we constantly don’t have a red blinking light in our face.
The drive connects to your computer via USB 2.0, which gives you a constant high transfer speed. I often transfer large files to my hard drive and get a transfer speed between 30MBps and 37MBps which is extremely fast for USB 2.0.
The device is plug and play which means that you just connect the hard drive up to your computer and it’s ready to go, there is no need for any software installation which I found very useful.
The Western Digital Elements hard disk is an excellent external hard drive and since writing this review I have purchased the 2TB model which has allowed me to store even more of my images. If you’re looking for a hard disk drive which is reliable, affordable and easy to use while having tons of room for storage I highly recommend the western digital elements hard disk drive.
Review the Yamaha PSR – Arranger Keyboards From Yamaha!
Looking for an arranger keyboard with 61 keys? Have a look at the Yamaha PSR series. These portable instruments are one of the most popular keyboard series from Yamaha and its popularity has remain intact throughout the years.
The PSR series instruments fall in the category of arranger-keyboards and a lot of beginners buy these music instruments. But just because a lot of beginners buy it, does not mean it makes pro-keyboards.
At the higher price range, the psr series has some superb arrangers for the professional performers. Since these are more of arranger keyboards, the high end psr keyboards are also known as arranger workstations, because they contain a lot of features to enable you to create your own music tracks.
So what psr music instrument should one buy? Depends on your learning level and budget! If you are a beginner and need a 61 key, touch sensitive keyboard to start learning keyboards, then the models to look for would be Yamaha psr e213, psr e313, and psr e413.
If you already can play the music-keyboard, and want to buy a great sounding instrument, with workstation related features, on a limited budget… then you should have a look at the Yamaha psr 550. The psr 550 is an entry level arranger workstation but a bit expensive to be your first arranger music instrument.
Professionals who need a good keyboard for onstage performance can have a look at the psr s900 arranger workstation. If you are looking for some ethnic sounds, have a look at the Yamaha psrOR700 which contains a lot of Oriental and Persian sounds and styles.
Overall, the PSR Keyboards are great arranger-keyboards. It is one of the most popular arranger keyboards from Yamaha; you can go ahead and pick one as per your requirement.
Canon PIXMA All In One Printers Review
Over the last couple of decades, we have seen unprecedented advancements in technology. One particularly impressive and useful advancement is that of printer technology. All in one printers in particular epitomize the capability of this continually emerging technology. The Canon Pixma all in one printer line offers all of the convenience that modern technology has to offer. I would like to showcase three examples of Canon all in one printers that have some features you may not want to live without.
Canon PIXMA MG8120 Wireless Inkjet Photo All In One Printer
The Intelligent on board touch screen menu interface, user friendly software bundle, eye pleasing design and built in wireless networking capabilities make this one Canon Printer all in one printer worthy of your consideration. The PIXMA MG8120 Wireless Inkjet Photo All In One Printer carries a maximum 9600 x 2400 color dpi print resolution and 4800 x 9600 dpi scan resolution ensuring seamless photo scanning, processing and printing offering crystal clear photos- every time.
Canon PIXMA MP610 All in One inkjet printer
Another Canon Pixma all in one that is worthy of mention is the Canon PIXMA MP610 all in one inkjet printer. With a 9,600 x 4,800dpi scan resolution, 300 sheet capacity between the front panel and cassette, extra black ink cartridge and blue tooth adaptability, this all in one inkjet printer is very feature rich. The menu interface is designed to be simple and intuitive. All things considered, the Canon PIXMA MP610 all in one inkjet printer is a great all in one printer that captures all of the essential elements of a solid piece of productivity technology.
Canon PIXMA MX870 Wireless Office All In One Printer
We end with one of the most versatile pieces of office equipment- designed especially for the working professional. The Canon PIXMA MX870 Wireless Office all In one Printer lives up to its name. This Pixma all in one does the job of several, otherwise bulky pieces of equipment. The Dual Color Gamut Technology ensures your copies look just like the originals- every time. This all in one printer has many features which sets it apart from other all in ones. It comes with a built in 35 sheet duplex automatic document feeder for the ultimate in scanning convenience. If you need to distribute your documents but worry about security- you will appreciate the password protected pdf creation feature. Of course, what high performance all in one would be complete without wireless networking? iPhone and iPod users will appreciate the ability to print photos and documents wirelessly directly from your compatible device via the the new Easy-PhotoPrint for iPhone App downloadable for free in the app store. For the professional who demands efficiency in his or her office equipment, the PIXMA MX870 Wireless Office All In One Printer is sure to consistently exceed expectations.
As you can see, the all in one PIXMA printers line carries something for everyone. Whether you need to print pictures of your family vacation, or sales figures for your quarterly report, a Canon Pixma all in one printer will accommodate your printing needs.
Product Review: Natural Makeup – Foundation
Jennetta Brokman, owner of Painted Laydies, had my foundation shipped to me very quickly. Because of the great details and clear pictures on the site, I was able to pick out my exact color on the site. Normally I wear CoverGirl Classic Ivory, and the Light #2 was a perfect match-up.
There were two pamphlets with information about the product were included. One pamphlet was an outline of the good this product does, and the bad a chemical-based make up can do. Very informative! The second pamphlet explained how to use each product Painted Ladies carries, including foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lip color, and blush. It also explained the many uses of several of their products.
After the foundation was carefully opened, the first thing I noticed was how full the small container was. Immediately I knew how well worth it this was, and how far they go to please a customer, I didn’t feel “cheated” at all, which very rare with most products on the market!
The instruction in the pamphlet were very clear, and the foundation extremely easy to put on. It was “loose” powder rather than compacted, so this also made it very easy to use. I didn’t have to break anything up, or use multiple layers. I found out quickly a little goes a long way, and you don’t have to try at all to pick up any on the brush.
I’m certainly impressed. Not only is this better for my skin since it’s natural, but it looks better when worn! I don’t have to use anything else with it. I’m use to liquid foundation and powder on top, but not with my “new” foundation. It works as both without looking “caked on”. Very beautiful! I will never use anything else again, and my “old” makeup is being tossed out.
Painted Laydies doesn’t try to hide their natural ingredients – everything used can be seen right on their home page. In addition to foundation, you can also find blush, eyeliner, lip liner, and more. You can visit their site at:
http://www.paintedlaydies.com