iPad - Tablet Adjustable Stand - Tripod (Black) (Personal Computers) newly tagged "iphone"

via iphone: Newly tagged products at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/iPad-Tablet-Adjustable-Stand-Tripod/dp/B00BEGUOPA/ref=tag_rsn_rs_edpp_url?ie=UTF8&creative=381421&tag=mathesblog-20

IPhone 4S 4GS ~ Purple Full Front LCD Display+Touch Screen Digitizer with Plastic Back Cover Housing ~ Mobile Phone Repair Part Replacement (Wireless Phone Accessory) newly tagged "iphone"

via iphone: Newly tagged products at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Display-Digitizer-Plastic-Housing-Replacement/dp/B00AX9TOC8/ref=tag_rsn_rs_edpp_url?ie=UTF8&creative=381421&tag=mathesblog-20

Sony NEX-3NL/B Compact Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera Kit (Black)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I bought this last week at Best Buy after reading tons of reviews of various NEX and Micro 4/3 cams. I have previously owned a Canon D20 full-size DSLR, a Canon S100 semi-pro compact, and another Canon "Elph" compact. The S100 is the Camera which I have previously used the most. It has a bigger sensor than most compacts of that 2009-era, and a fast lens. I have rarely used my DSLR because it is too large and you look like a wanna-be camera geek dragging it around.



The photos from this Sony are impressive. Color is great. Exposure is spot-on. It takes decent shots even at high ISOs (up to 1600 look very sharp). Movies look incredible. It records truly DSLR-grade photos. My DSLR is dated. It won't sound like much saying that it takes better photos than my Canon D20, but, wow. It has twice the pixels as the D20 but takes in just as much light. What an amazing upgrade.



Honestly, I expected quality photos. I have read enough pro reviews of other NEX cameras with the same sensor to know that this camera is great at recording beautiful images. What I did not expect is how great the "auto" modes on this camera are. This camera's skill at automatically choosing the right settings for you is why you should buy it.



I never studied photography in school, but I have read enough, and have enough consumer experience to know how to balance aperture, speed, and ISO to get great shots. Because I'm not an experienced or pro photographer, setting everything on the camera has always been a bit trial-and-error. I've forced myself to do this chore because I always end up with better shots than most camera's "auto" modes. Well, if you're an amateur like me you may find yourself proudly turning the mode dial to the "superior auto" mode on this Sony. Unless you're a pro, this camera is great at quickly analyzing a scene and choosing the ideal settings. I still love to tinker when I have time, but it is invaluable to be able to turn the mode to "auto" and know your images will be brilliant.



I have only taken this camera out twice. Both times I needed to have the camera ready in a hurry for a few shots and just switched it to "superior auto." The shots have been nothing short of amazing in some very difficult lighting. The camera's "superior auto" mode doesn't just jack up the ISO to take in enough light, like most dumb cameras I've owned. It does all sorts of crazy tricks (like merging multiple exposures) and delivers breathtaking results. Today I photographed a couple who were forced to stand in the shade so we could get a landmark framed just-right in the background. The landmark was in bright sunlight. Looking at the final photo, there is no hint of anything but perfect lighting in both the foreground and background. All I did was point the camera. It even recorded a full-res' copy of the photo cropped much better than I had framed it. It is completely nuts how smart this camera is. It gives you all of this brilliant help without doing anything. On the images where the camera provided its own crop, it recorded both my framing and its own version of the image. It must have upscaled the images it automatically cropped, because they are not missing any flippin' pixels. The quality looks just as good as the wider-framed version I composed. Wow.



Shooting indoors sans-flash is just as great as you would expect when using a camera with a big sensor. It gathers tons of light, even in dim rooms. The slow kit lens will force the camera into ISO 3200 if shooting via lamplight and you will see noise in some indoor shots, but it is far superior to any point and shoot. True SLR quality in a compact-ish body. Shooting in "intelligent auto" mode delivers pro results. The camera doesn't intimidate subjects like SLRs tend to do. It's feather-light and easy to keep at your side. I'm completely in love with this camera!



The largest compliant that I saw when reading professional reviews of this camera, were about difficulty accessing settings vs a real DSLR. It's true that every setting is accessed using camera menus, but I have found the layout and ease of access to controls very impressive. It is more intuitive than the menu system on my Canon cameras. The main reason that I bought the camera at a store was so I could mess around with the menus and settings to see if the all-digital controls would be a deal-breaker for me. The fact that I could easily access and control everything quickly without having even read the manual was the thing that pushed me over the edge to make the purchase. I find the control menus to be really good and I would not want to trade this camera's small body for a bunch of dials which only occasionally save me a half-second button press. Having used the camera, the "superior auto" mode is much better than lots of easily accessible dials when you need to take a quick shot anyhow.



The included strap is too short to wear across your body if you're a bigger guy like me. It's fine if you wear it only around your neck but I hate carrying a camera like that. I find it easier to carry the camera at my side with the strap across my body. I had to buy a better strap. I highly recommend the BlackRapid RS10SC-1AO Metro Camera Strap (Black), even though it is overpriced. It is slim enough that it is a great match for the little sony NEX, and it has solid reliable-looking metal hardware.



Another minor complaint is the lack of a viewfinder or accessory port, which the other Sony NEX cameras have. I would really like to have a viewfinder, and because this camera lacks the accessory port, adding one is not an option. I haven't had great difficulty framing my shots using the screen on the rear of the cam, but I'm just old fashioned and miss having a viewfinder.



Update:



Lowered review to four stars for a few reasons:



I have run into a few situations where the display was too dim to frame shots properly in bright sunlight. There is a setting to put the display in "sunlight" mode which helps, but it is buried in the setup menu. The fact that this is not an automatic setting is absurd. Perhaps I'm spoiled by my phone and tablet, which do an admirable job of adjusting the display to light conditions, but the tech isn't groundbreaking and would be a huge asset to a camera where the display is the only option when framing shots. The lack of viewfinder, even as an add-on option, is the biggest shortcoming of this camera. After my last use, I have started to keep the camera in "sunlight" mode just to guarantee that I can use it easily outdoors when needed.



Several of the pro reviews and a few amateur reviews complain that the battery charges in the camera rather than in an external charger. I like in-camera charging and it is better than trying to remember to carry an external charger like my Canon cameras. I have a few micro USB chargers around for charging other devices (like my headphones and my Kindle). The problem is that the camera charges very very slowly. I was charging in my car on a three hour drive a few days ago and it was not able to fill the battery in this time. Also, it is very sensitive to charge faults. If you just plug it in and forget about it, you may find that the battery failed to charge at all. You should check the camera to insure the charge light is not flashing after it has been plugged in for a while (flashing indicates a charging problem). If you have a charge problem, you must unplug it and try again. Most of the time you must remove and re-insert the battery. It often requires several tries to get it to begin charging. This is a major inconvenience.



In the IAuto+ mode that I love so much, white balance is sometimes off. It can be severe when shooting indoors with incandescent light (very yellow cast). It can be corrected if shooting raw, but it's a pain. Shooting in raw mode also reduces the effectiveness of the exposure tricks it plays in intelligent auto mode. It's too bad that Sony doesn't allow adjusting white balance in the auto modes. The best solution for accurate white balance shooting indoors, without flash and without using raw, is to use aperture priority mode, shoot wide open, and set the proper white balance yourself.



I use a Mac. As of this writing (4/30/13), Apple's Aperture and iPhoto software do not support raw images from this camera. Sony provides a decent simple image editor called "Image Data Converter" for the Mac which works well. It is very straightforward and basic, but it gives lots of options for adjusting RAW images and doesn't have unnecessary BS trying to sell you prints and calendars. It's just a plain-Jane image tweaker for fine tuning and exporting RAW images as JPG. Apple is pretty regular about updating their software and I expect support soon, but the 3N is brand new and not supported in Aperture/iPhoto.

Update 6/3/13: Apple updated OSX with raw support for the NEX 3N. Raw images work in Preview, iPhoto, and Aperture.



Note about lens upgrade experiences:

I purchased the Sigma 30mm F2.8 EX DN- Sony E 330965 lens to supplement the kit lens. It does give a slight advantage shooting indoors. At 30mm (45mm equiv), the kit lens is f5 and the Sigma is 2.8. This gives about 1-1/2 stops of light gathering ability. In real-life, it only gives about a half-stop (handleld) because the kit lens is stabilized, allowing you to shoot a slower shutter speeds. I wish I had spent a bit more and bought the Sony SEL35F18 35mm f/1.8 Prime Fixed Lens instead. It's two full stops faster and includes image stabilization. it is more than twice as expensive as the Sigma, but offers a much greater advantage in real world use compared to the kit lens on this camera.



Conclusion after using it 5-6 times and a month of ownership:

The cam is compact and takes great shots. The kit lens is slow but acceptable in good light. If you have any doubts about not having a viewfinder and money is no object, spend a bit more and get an NEX 6 or 7. All NEX cams are compact. This one is more compact but you aren't going to get this thing in your pocket anyhow. Considering how much I have complained about not having a viewfinder, I would still buy the 3N again simply because of the low price compared the the rest of the NEX line. $450-$500 is a lot of money to me. The NEX six and seven are double the price. Remember, there are SLR options with optical viewfinders for similar pricing, but they are too large for everyday carry in my opinion. You really should go to a camera store to compare several cameras side by side. Personally, if money were no issue my ideal setup would be the NEX 6 body and the Sony 35mm f1.8 lens for a total of about $1200. The 3N is HALF the price of the 6 with the exact same kit lens, and 1/3 of the price of my "ideal" camera example.

This camera isn't perfect but it is hard to beat for the money.



via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/Sony-NEX-3NL-Compact-Interchangeable-Digital/dp/B00BF9MUBM/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_p_photo_5

LG LT120F Fresh Air Filter

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This is the exact product that is offered by traditional brick and mortar stores, sold a lower price.



The air purifier system is a required filter on LG refrigerators. As a "Smart" refrigerator little sensors remind you to change to the filters (both air and water). After the sensor went off I looked for the product number online and ordered it. A few days later the filter arrived, I popped open the filter compartment swapped it out and went about my day.



Pros: This is made by LG, fits perfectly. Not sure if I would recommend an aftermarket filter unless it were made by a reputable company.



Cons: None.



via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/LG-LT120F-Fresh-Air-Filter/dp/B009SANIDO/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_la_appliances_5

Dropcam Pro Wi-Fi Wireless Video Monitoring Camera

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This is my fifth DropCam, so obviously I love them. SUPER easy to setup (less than a minute) and you have a live webcam.



This new one ("DropCam Pro") seems to have slightly better video quality than the previous ones. When compared side by side green looks a little "greener" and the picture is a bit sharper.



It also increased the field of view, which can be good or bad depending on your particular use.



WARNING: they are *ONLY* for "indoor use", but I make my own enclosures for outside in an ocean environment (looking at surfers and waves) and it holds up pretty well. I plan to seal up this with Silicone Sealant ($5 at any hardware store, Amazon sells it also) and try it outside. I'll update this review as I get some experience (like if it dies quickly).



If you Google search for "Weatherproof Dropcam" and look for a link on "ski-epic" that shows the DIY (Do it Yourself) totally for free way to waterproof your Dropcam. NOTE: I'm not selling anything!! I'm just documenting how I did this.



EDIT (two days later): I setup the new "Pro" side by side with an old "HD" and here are my observations. The two URLs to view the side by side are:



New Dropcam "Pro" -> https: -SLASH- -SLASH- www -DOT- dropcam -DOT- com -SLASH- demo -SLASH- 703f9eb6507048d9966f460c6153b697



Old Dropcam "HD" -> https: -SLASH- -SLASH- www -DOT- dropcam -DOT- com -SLASH- demo -SLASH- 58024311db644950842dc85f337aa8de



1) The colors are much more saturated (vibrant) on the new one, so different color correction? It's an improvement.



2) They choose to display the new "Pro" in a larger size, maybe just a visual trick?

New -> 951 wide, 537 tall

Old -> 769 wide, 435 tall



3) The new one is DEFINITELY wider angle (as advertised)



4) In "low light" (at night looking at the ocean) the new one is 50 times better, the old one you couldn't see anything, the new one can watch the waves in the moonlight, it's a wonderful improvement.



EDIT 12/1/2013 - The Dropcam Pro mentioned above died! More accurately I killed it. :-) It is always outside (this is against the dropcam company's recommendation), and in a big rainstorm a few days ago it got soaked and stopped working. No light, doesn't power up, doesn't appear as a disk when you attach it via USB to a laptop. The older one survived (side by side, same rainstorm). I'm FedEx'ing a new one from Amazon to replace the older one, should be up and running in a couple days.



EDIT 12/5/2013 - Ok, new Dropcam Pro is up, I updated this review to point at the new one's serial number which is 703f9eb6507048d9966f460c6153b697



via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/Dropcam-Wi-Fi-Wireless-Monitoring-Camera/dp/B00F9FCW7K/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_p_photo_5

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Instant Film Camera (White)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I looked for a reliable, classy-looking Polaroid camera as a wedding reception guest book. After thorough research, I determined Instax was cheaper and just as reliable, if not more, than the new Polaroid instant cameras. Both cameras function similarly and use the same film; yet Instax has better reviews and is cheaper. The 8S has a few extra bells and whistles: a clip-on lens for close-up pictures, light/dark and indoor/outdoor settings, the mirror on the front of the camera, and two shutter buttons for either landscape or portrait photographs. Also, the lithium batteries are not hard to find for sale online; I haven't had to replace ours yet, but we know that availability and price would afford on inconvenience.

I have loved it; it was perfect for the party and I still use it frequently. The film is fairly inexpensive, so we continue to use it. The pictures are the size of a credit card with white borders, and the camera comfortably fits in a small purse. On our honeymoon, the good quality allowed us to take pictures of us in front of landmarks and beautiful areas. Also, a little mirror resides on the front of the camera to facilitate quick self-portraits, which can be taped later into journals as keepsakes. Learning which lighting settings work best in certain conditions took some trial and error, but every picture turned out vintage-y and fun, so no film was wasted.

One last word on durability: I didn't have the wrist strap around my arm and accidentally dropped the camera on a ceramic-tiled floor. The film flew out of the back of the camera, but nothing broke off or dented. The camera still looks great and functions optimally, and I only lost the top film, the rest of the cartridge still printed great pictures. That was a while ago, and I haven't had any problems at all!



via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-Instax-Mini-Instant-White/dp/B00AWKJPPY/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_p_photo_5

Kenmore 46-9690 Kenmoreclear! Refrigerator Water Filter

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I hesitated because, though the number is the same as on my filter purchased from Sears, the box was different in the photo on Amazon. After some though decided to take the chance. Well, it came with the updated box (so the one on this amazon photo is not right) BUT, it is the correct product. Sears sells it for $58.98 so I decided to go ahead and get another one to keep for next time. Very pleased with the fast service and the price and the product. Shame on Sears for selling this same thing and almost a $20 markup ! Thank heaven for Amazon!!



via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/Kenmore-46-9690-Kenmoreclear-Refrigerator-Filter/dp/B005OK12HQ/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_la_appliances_3