Archive for category: Cameras

***Review “Quick Links” below to skip to different sections of the review***

The GalCam is gorgeous. I’ve been using this one religiously since getting it just before CES. Samsung was kind enough to left me go hands on for a long term review. So, is this combo of Camera+Android a marriage made in heaven, or are we looking at a future gadget divorce?

Only one way to find out…

Hit the jump for high res photo samples and for Links to specific sections of the review!

Two extremely formidable camera modules. I was surprised to see a 12.6MP shooter in the Discover. Not a lot of people know what a “Pantech” is yet, but you can’t fault them for trying to change that.

My current favorite is still the Lumia 920, especially in low light; but I wanted to see how these two would fare against each other in a macro test. Flower photography is one of my favorite pastimes, and we’re getting to a point where our phones are capable of delivering VERY good photographic results.

First the Lumia (click to get full sized image):

I find the photo (taken in the shade) is a touch cool. Nokia/Microsoft has pushed the saturation in the jpeg creation a touch hard for my taste, and here it’s resulting in a slightly blue-ish cast to the photo. I also think noise reduction is too aggressive, and might be one of the reasons that Lumia photos still look a touch soft.

Now the Pantech Discover:

I like the color a little better here. It’s a touch warmer, better representation of the late morning light. The image is just a touch grainier, but I happen to prefer a little extra noise if the image retains detail. Unfortunately, I don’t see any appreciable difference in detail with the extra megapixels, and yellow areas seem to lack detail when compared to the Lumia.

On the whole, I prefer the image out of the Lumia. As a pixel peeper, I’d want to edit it, de-saturate some of the color; but even with the aggressive noise reduction there’s still more detail in “hot” colors than the Pantech. Totally subjective, but I also happen to slightly prefer the background out of focus areas on the Lumia. They seem a bit softer, a bit more pleasant.

I am impressed with the Pantech however. It’s a phone camera which looks like it could easily trade blows with the cream of the Android crop. Not bad for a manufacturer I didn’t even know existed a couple months ago…

Let’s face it. Your smartphone videos suck.

As the cameras in our phones continue to improve, we’re starting to see some fantastic products to help improve the composition of our little vids.

Woxom’s SlingShot is a happy little success story from KickStarter, where the project was not only funded, but far exceeded its goals. I was happy to score a pair of SlingShots, so let’s take a look at one of my favorite toys of 2012.

Being the “photographer” in my family means there are very few pictures of me. Part of that issue boils down to the fact that I’m often reluctant to hand my camera over to someone else to take a pic.

Satechi’s WTR-A wireless remote control and shutter should help with my lack of self-portrait. Designed for most Canon SLR’s, this transmitter/receiver combo also includes a built in intervalometer which should come in handy for you time lapse photography folks. Why time lapse features aren’t just built in to modern cameras these days, I’ll never understand…

Full PR after the jump.

Bags are rad.

Recently we took a look at a great messenger style bag by Booq called the Python Courier.

It was a great solution for moving and protecting gear on a short shoot. While it was perfectly capable for a DSLR, small collection of lenses, and a tablet, there will be times when you just need to haul more kit.

Of course Booq has a solution for you. It’s called the Python Pack.
So let’s take a look.

Bags are rad.
I pretty much live my life out of various backpacks, sleeves, shoulder bags, and laptop cases.
I book a job. I pick my gear. I go.

Selecting the right way to haul my gear is almost as important as selecting the gear to haul.
Booq’s Python line of camera bags is more than happy to help; and for a day gig, the Courier bag would probably be my weapon of choice…

As we’ve told you before, some of the best devices we test also happen to be the most simple and useful–and the Scosche clipSYNC falls squarely into this category. With mobile devices playing such a large part in our daily lives, having a charge/sync cable with you at all times is pretty much a must–and leave it to the folks at Scosche to create an easy, elegant solution. An evolution of their flipSYNC, the clipSYNC takes a compact charge and sync cable and not only makes it pocket-size, but adds the convenience of a carabiner clip for attaching it to nearly anything (in my case, a belt loop). There are 2 versions of the clipSYNC; one for iDevices (that features a USB plug on one side and a 30 pin connector on the other), and another for Android devices, that offer both micro and mini USB connectors. The great thing about the USB version is that works for more than just phones or tablets–it can act as a sync cable for virtually any device that uses micro or mini USB.

In my daily use the clipSYNC has proven to be a reliable and durable travel companion; it’s not only saved me from battery drain on numerous occasions, but also seems to come in handy for everyone else I happen to be with (get used to people trying to snag this thing!). The clipSYNC retails for $19.99 (for either version), and should definitely be on everyone’s holiday list as the perfect stocking stuffer.

One of the most common and frustrating aspects of working here at YourTechReport.com is the all too frequent thought; “Oh man, I wish I’d thought of that.” While we’ve all had those moments from time to time, when you’re constantly exposed to beautifully designed and executed examples of truly innovative ideas that solve the same problems you’ve faced all too often  (without success), it’s impossible to not start feeling just bit, well, frustrated.

Recently, I had another of those ‘frustrating moments’ while taking a look at the latest disarmingly simple but incredibly innovative “cool tool” from the people at Breffo… their new “Spiderpodium” – an elegantly designed and imaginative device accessory that actually makes many of your other gadgets (everything from mp3 players to GPS devices to smart-phones) more usable, useful and valuable to you.  Join us, as we take a quick look at the Breffo Spiderpodium – an amazingly simple invention that we think you’ll soon find almost impossible to do without.

Once, success or failure in the consumer electronic business depended almost exclusively on pure performance data.  And while it’s true that some might still consider it more fun to talk about chip speeds, screen size, gigabytes and megapixels, the truth is that today’s electronic devices are generally so capable and can be had with so many features, that selecting the right one has become much less about the hard performance data than about determining how well it fills the needs of the individual consumer. It is into this new reality that Motorola has elected to introduce their new Motorola XPRT Mobile Phone for Sprint – leveraging the lessons learned from the already well received Motorola Droid Pro – and resulting in one of the most capable business-oriented smartphones we’ve ever tested.  Join us as we take a closer look at this great new mobile business device.

Once upon a time I took my Canon 7D with me to Austin to see the sights around South by Southwest. Before jumping on the plane, I invested in a screen guard to protect my camera’s LCD from getting scratched up. A couple bucks bought me a little peace of mind.

While walking the convention hall before the Felicia Day keynote, I was hip checked really hard by a large angry fan of The Guild, who threw my slight frame into a guard rail. Unluckily, my 7D’s LCD took almost the entire impact. Luckily, the only thing to get damaged was the guard I had installed days before. It did its duty honorably, giving its life so that my camera should live another day.

Months later, let’s take a look at what I finally replaced it with!