Canon EOS M

Canon EOS M: Not a compact, not quite a DSLR

Canon's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera is a step up from your usual point-and-shoot models

by Loke Kok Fai

04:45 AM Oct 24, 2012

 

Canon's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera,
the EOS M. PHOTO COURTESY CANON

SINGAPORE - Canon's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, the EOS M (picture), arrived in stores here last Saturday, but has a lot to do before it can catch up to its competitors.

Professional photographers hoping to replace their heavy equipment may be disappointed - the EOS M is no DSLR replacement. It has more in common with the company's Powershot line of high-end compacts.

In effect, the camera, with its sturdy magnesium-alloy body, is for the prosumer who wishes to tap some of the capabilities of the DSLR world.

There is no optical viewfinder, nor dial switches controlling shutter speed and aperture. Gone is the mode control wheel in favour of touch-screen controls. Yet the M retains a full 18-megapixel APS-C sensor similar to its DSLR cousins, while being lighter than its counterparts at 262g (body).

With a top speed of 4.3 frames per second and a maximum ISO sensitivity of 12,800 (6,400 for video), it shoots stills and full HD videos in low-light conditions respectably well.

Testing the video tracking mode and continuous autofocus functions along a busy sidewalk, the M managed to keep up with vehicular and pedestrian traffic to produce reasonably sharp footage. Like the Canon EOS 650D, the M uses STM (stepping motor) lenses to adjust its focus silently, ensuring minimal pickup of lens motor sounds on its in-built stereo microphones.

Squeezing that much power into the tiny body comes at a price, with the in-built flash removed in favour of an external, full-sized hotshoe mount. This is a small compromise compared to the camera's slow autofocus speeds.

The M serves a very specific group of photographers - those who want to step up from point-and-shoot compacts - and serves them well. But Canon appears hesitant to allow it to compete with its lower-end DSLR offerings, where there is significant overlap on a price-to-features comparison.

The M is a great mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, perfect for those looking for a secondary camera to complement their existing DSLR rig.

It comes with three kit lenses and prices start from S$1,149.

Source:  www.todayonline.com

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Apple's iPad mini Reviews

First impressions of Apple's iPad mini

by Hedirman Supian

The Apple iPad Mini.

SAN JOSE - We've all heard the hype, and had probably already formed an opinion of it based on rumours and hearsay even before it was officially unveiled last night. But now I've had the chance to touch it and toy with it in the flesh, I'd say the iPad mini looks, and feels, like a much more refined iPad, but is not without its flaws.

On paper, the small trade-off in screen real estate for the iPad mini over its bigger brother - 7.9 inches compared to the 9.7 inches we've grown accustomed to - doesn't sound like much, but it feels much more diminutive than it looks. It's thin and lightweight, like a paper notepad in a similar size, and you can comfortably hold it in one hand.

The tech specs say the mini weighs 308 grams, and standing here in the California Theatre at San Jose, it certainly feels the touted 53 per cent lighter than the third-generation iPad. The difference is like holding the iPhone 4S first, then the slimline iPhone 5. You wouldn't think it would be that much lighter, yet it is.

The weight doesn't seem to have come at the cost of quality. The solid aluminium enclosure feels very well-built - in terms of design language and aesthetics, it shares a lot with the latest iPod touch. The only caveat is that the iPad mini's chamfered edges might be prone to scratches after wear and tear, just like on my iPhone 5.

Despite not sporting a Retina display, the iPad mini's screen is bright enough for playing games and for watching movies. While the screen is smaller, I was surprised to find that it was still a surprisingly immersive experience when I attempted to play a game or watch snippets of a movie.

However, the text was noticeably not as sharp and the screen wasn't as bright as on the third-generation iPad (I guess we can't call it the "new" iPad any more?).

I only had a short time to try out the iPad mini; prolonged usage will reveal whether users can live without the sharpness and vivid colours of a Retina display.

The biggest issue with the iPad mini, though, is one that has nothing to do with the device itself. Rather, it's the competition it's going up against, and more specifically the value-for-money argument.

The iPad mini - starting at S$448 for its lowest-end WiFi-only 16GB version, and peaking at S$958 for the bells-and-whistles 64GB WiFi plus 4G model - is priced higher than other similarly-sized tablets in the market. Compare this to the Google Nexus 7 tablet that was recently-launched in Singapore at S$399 (16GB, WiFi only), or the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, which starts from S$598 with 3G connectivity.

So, is Apple's new petite plaything worth the extra dime? I've had friends who love the iOS interface, but complain of how big and heavy the iPad is; the new form factor could be the deal-breaker for them. If you value light weight and portability, you'd be willing to pay a premium for the Apple experience.

But the cost-conscious, as well as those who need more screen real estate and processing horsepower, might want to wait for the chance to toy with the mini in the flesh before making any decisions.




Source:  www.todayonline.com

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Is the iPad Mini Worth Buying?

By Becky Worley | Upgrade Your Life – 22 hours ago

Apple has unveiled a new member of the family: the iPad Mini. This device is a clear response to the market pressure the cheaper Amazon Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7 have placed on the existing iPad. So how does this scaled down version of the iPad compare with its newly refreshed big brother and the Android tablets that still come in at a lower price?

Comparing Specs with the Competition
Screen Size: iPad Mini's screen comes in at 7.9 inches, compared to the 9.7 inch screen of the iPad and the 7 inch screens of the Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7. With a narrower bezel, iPad Mini fits a bit more screen into the same real estate.


Resolution: 1024x768 — this is not the Retina display that Apple touts as its high end screens on the iPhone 5 and the bigger iPad. Rather, it's the same resolution as the iPad 2, but with more pixels per inch. Also, the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD have higher resolution 1280x800 screens.

Thickness: 7.2mm thick — that's roughly 1/3 of an inch, or a little thinner than a pencil, and significantly thinner than either of the leading competitors.

Weight: .68 pounds, 53% lighter than the fourth-generation iPad. Competing Android tablets weigh slightly more: Nexus 7 tips the scales at .75 lbs, and the Kindle Fire HD at .88 lbs.

Processor: The dual core A5 chip is same as the iPad 2 that came out in 2011, and even Apple says the A6 chip in the iPad 4 and the iPhone 5 is twice as fast for some tasks as the A5. The Nexus 7 has a newer quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and the Kindle Fire HD has a 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor, but you can only compare the performance of these processors against the iPad once you benchmark them in the real world; the numbers and specs don't tell you everything. But I'd give the edge to the Nexus 7 purely on hardware.

Cameras: iPad Mini: front and rear-facing cameras. The camera on the back is a 5 megapixel, same as the iPad 4 but lower res than the iPhone 5's 8 MP camera. The Nexus and Amazon tablets have only front facing cameras that are lower resolution than the Mini.

[Related: iPhone5 — Is it Worth the Money?]

Other Specs
The Mini will come in a Wifi-only model and an LTE version with access to cellular networks on the go. It will use the new smaller lightning connector so you'll need all new charging cords and adapters if you have lots of accessories with the previous 30-pin connector.

Apple says it gets 10 hours of battery life, is made primarily of aluminum & glass, and it comes in both black and white. It will be available for preorder on Friday, October 26 and is set to ship November 2.

Price
iPad Mini 16GB WiFi only — $329 ($459 for the 16GB with LTE cellular connectivity)
iPad 4 16GB WiFi only — $499
Kindle Fire HD 16GB — $199

Nexus 7 16GB: $249 — But rumors are flying of an even cheaper Nexus tablet releasing next week and/or a big price cut on the Google tablet in time for the holidays.

So What Should You Buy?
Nothing about the technical specs of the tablets makes any one of them a clear winner. Apple has an advantage in that the user-experience on the iPad and IOS is preferred by many, myself included. After living with both flavors, it's just easier, cleaner, and less hassle for me to use an iPad over a Nexus 7. In my opinion, the iPad Mini will benefit from that advantage as well.

But if I were a committed Android phone user, if my digital media was all purchased from Amazon or the Google Play store, or if price was my only consideration, I would NOT get the iPad Mini.
The final decision these days is about ecosystem- where are you going to buy and live? In Google/Amazon world or in Apple world?

If Apple had priced the mini in the $249 range, I'd say they would have nailed the coffin shut on competing tablets. But at $329 that's still a steep price tag, and many will find Android and Amazon tablets under the Christmas tree this year and enjoy them almost as much as those who unwrap the iPad Mini that costs $130 more.

[Related: Where to Get the Most Money for Your Old Gadgets]
Ethics statement: I have used both an iPhone and a Samsung Galaxy phone this year. I have tested and lived with the iPad and the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire HD. I love a deal and always wish that the cheaper one were as good or better than the more expensive one. Sometimes that's true, sometimes it's not. I am giving you my honest opinion and I am not paid for recommendations.

Special thanks to the folks at Bay Street Emeryville for providing the location.

Source:  http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/upgrade-your-life/ipad-mini-worth-buying-000622097.html

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S$243 Kindle Fire HD tablet

S$243 Kindle Fire HD tablet a bestseller: Amazon

Updated 06:47 AM Oct 23, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO - Amazon said yesterday that its US$199 (S$243) Kindle Fire HD tablet has been the best-selling product on the company's website since the gadget went on sale more than a month ago.

Amazon's Kindle Fire. AP

Amazon started selling a range of new Kindle Fires on Sept 6 and the company said the 7-inch HD model has out-sold all other products on Amazon worldwide since then.

Amazon did not disclose actual sales numbers but a spokeswoman for the company said the top-seller status was based on unit sales.

Chief Executive Jeff Bezos recently told the BBC that it sells the tablets at cost, hoping to generate profit when customers buy related products and services from the company.

The announcement came as Apple prepares to launch a smaller, cheaper tablet of its own today. The device, dubbed the iPad Mini, may challenge Amazon's success at the lower end of the tablet market.

Amazon has launched larger, more expensive Kindle Fire HD tablets, aimed at Apple's iPad, which still dominates the sector. REUTERS

Source:  www.todayonline.com

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Samsung Chromebook

At only $249, will the Samsung Chromebook make the future increasingly cloudy?

AFP Relax – Fri, Oct 19, 2012

 

The new Chromebook is currently available to pre-order in the US and UK

The latest offering from the Google Samsung partnership is a lightweight notebook computer that boots up in seven seconds, offers built-in virus protection, 100GB of cloud storage and is priced at $2.

Google and Samsung have launched the Chromebook, their latest and cheapest attempt to get the world to love the cloud. Available for pre-order Friday in the US and UK, the new Chromebook weighs in at 1.1kg, boasts an 11.6-inch screen, looks more than a little like a MacBook Air and offers 16GB of in-built and 100GB of cloud storage for the price $249.

The new Chromebook is currently only available in the US and the UK

Running an ARM processor more often found in smartphones and tablets, the Chromebook will boot up in under 10 seconds and, compared to Mac or PC offerings, has very little in terms of pre-installed software or even operating system. But that's what sets it apart. Google's Chrome browser is essentially the operating system and the core of this device -- boot up, launch the browser and all of the applications and games one needs are there in Google Drive.
Google has never made any secret of its desire for everyone to move from the physical world to the virtual world of cloud computing, but until now, most people have been more than a little unsure as to whether or not they'd like it up there. Maybe they'd miss their CDs or their copy of Microsoft Office. But the benefits of the cloud are starting to win through. If everything is done in the cloud, a computer will never be prone to virus or malware attacks. And, if documents, photos and spreadsheets are all up there, they can be accessed and edited on any device at any time, as long as an internet connection is available. Then there's the price: at $249, offering significant value for money, it could be the tipping point.

And it's this combination of features, design and price that positions it as a second computer for around the home or a notebook kids can take to school, or one that can be simply used for typing, accounting, surfing the web, playing games, sharing and filing photos and listening to music which, unlike a tablet, has a keyboard.

Source:  http://sg.news.yahoo.com/only-249-samsung-chromebook-future-increasingly-cloudy-122409745.html
 

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Lytro light-field camera

Lytro: A trick of the light

This light-field camera has fancy technology, but do you need it?

by June Yang

Updated 06:40 PM Oct 16, 2012

The Lytro light-field camera. Photo courtesy Lytro

SINGAPORE - Several months ago, the photography world was rocked by the announcement of the Lytro light-field camera, a camera where you can change the focus of a picture - after the picture is taken. This, people said, is the camera that will save us all from wasted out-of-focus shots.

Certainly it felt like I was holding something revolutionary when I first laid hands on the Lytro.

A palm-sized oblong device with no visible dials or buttons, it looks more like a flashlight than a camera. There's a power nub, a shutter nub and a strip that serves as a zoom. Everything is else is controlled via the 1.52-inch backlit touchscreen, including the manual controls (shutter speed, ISO, AE lock, neutral density toggle).

But this un-camera-likeness turns out to be a drawback. There is no viewfinder, no flash, no expandable memory slots. The screen is too small to use comfortably, and certainly not under direct sunlight.

That's all right, you won't be doing much action photography, given that the maximum shutter speed is only 1/250 and the picture quality is grainy. It works best on automatic mode.

The square photos shot by the Lytro save as a special light-field format. The bundled software, which you absolutely need to process your pictures, requires at least Windows 7 or Mac OS X 10.6.6.

Once you've gotten the pictures on your computer, you can export them as JPGs or upload them to the Lytro site, where others can play around with the focus of your pictures. For print outs, you'll have to first select the focus you want.

The refocusing effect works best with shots that have a well-established foreground, midground and background. If you're shooting flowers, people at a party, or items on your desk: It works great. Landscapes and tourist attractions, not so much.

In the end, the things you can do with the technology in the camera are quite limited. Have no doubt, the Lytro is unique. As a concept, it looks at photography in an entirely new way. But it doesn't solve any real problem faced by real-life photographers. Until then it will remain a novelty item.

The Lytro light field camera retails for S$648.00 for an 8GB version, and S$778.00 for a 16GB version.

It will be available at Challenger Store, EpiCentre @ 313@somerset, Parisilk Electronics & Computers, South Asia Computer, SONG Brothers and Sprint-Cass Duty-Free Shops. 

See more sample photos: https://pictures.lytro.com/TODAYonline



Specifications:

Lens: 8x optical zoom; f/2 lens

Display: 1.46-inch back-lit LCD display with glass touchscreen

Light-field resolution: 11 Megarays: The number of light rays captured by the light field sensor.

Shutter speed: 1/250 of a second to 8 seconds

ISO: 80 to 3200

Neutral Density (ND) filter

Auto Exposure (AE) Lock

Weight: 214g

Dimensions: 41mm x 41mm x 112mm

New colours Seaglass and Moxie Pink added to its current range of Red Hot, Electric Blue and Graphite camera colours online.

Source: www.todayonline.com

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Dance Central 3

Bust a move on Dance Central 3

The third iteration of Microsoft's top selling dance franchise offers something for everyone

by Alvin Chong

04:45 AM Oct 18, 2012

SINGAPORE - Dance fans, fitness fanatics and party-goers can't seem to get enough of it, and after two iterations, the top selling dance franchise for Microsoft Xbox 360 with Kinect has a new instalment: Dance Central 3.

Dance Central 3 has more than 40 new songs and some new modes to enhance the dancing experience for the living-room performer.

While the core gameplay remains the same - you mirror dance moves by the character onscreen - changes in difficulty and new multi-player modes make this a worthwhile addition to the Dance Central series.


For hardcore Dance Central fans, the third instalment comes with a new story mode where all your favourite characters from the previous games get at least a cameo. You get to learn classic dance moves that represent past decades - such as ridiculous dances from different decades -Macarena or the Hustle, anyone?

With pop-superstar Usher choreographing moves on some songs, the kicks are more difficult to achieve. But for those who just want to fire up a game at a party, Dance Central's multi-player mode offers a new level of fun with multiple quick and enjoyable party modes to get the grooves flowing.

New modes, such as Strike A Pose and Make Your Move, provide more gameplay than just straightforward dancing. Songs are shorter and the action is snappier and funnier in party mode, which players start with a high-five, and will encourage your shier friends to bust a move.

Songs outside of Party Mode songs in Dance Central 3 are now full-length songs. While this might pose a problem for the stamina averse, the smooth choreography provides an exhilarating experience that tops the previous two instalments.

The difficulty level has also been ramped up, but don't be afraid: There's also a new beginner level that lets everybody cut a rug.

So if you loved the previous two versions or just need a great party game, Dance Central 3 might be the choice for you. Additionally, with a song library that features new genres such as Bhangra (Panjabi MC) and K Pop (2NE1) hits, Dance Central 3 offers something for everyone.

The game is definitely fun to play in a group so social gamers might appreciate it better, but more than that, Dance Central 3 shows just how good a Kinect game can be. Alvin Chong

Source:  www.todayonline.com 

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