https://minimal.org.uk/categories/review/ Recent content in review on minimal.org.uk Hugo -- gohugo.io en-gb ian Sat, 10 Sep 2011 07:00:55 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2011/09/10/why-buy-a-new-camera/ Sat, 10 Sep 2011 07:00:55 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2011/09/10/why-buy-a-new-camera/ This post is sort of a follow on from last year when I wrote about how great it was to seek out 5 year old hardware as it can give better results than new. Now, just over a year later I’m saying how great it is to buy new: consistency is great, isn’t it? Ok, so silly openings aside, what makes this fascinating to me is that it’s all about the Fuji X100, possibly the most talked about pre-announced digital camera I’ve seen so far, and a camera which I dismissed and ignored mainly due to the huge volume of hype and excitement. https://minimal.org.uk/2007/11/19/gloves-for-photography/ Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:18:20 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2007/11/19/gloves-for-photography/ Taking pictures in cold weather has always been a little problematical as nice warm gloves don’t really help when fiddling with DSLR settings. One fairly decent solution I found in 2002 was a pair of Windstopper lightweight gloves with a thin leather palm that is just sensitive enough to allow buttons to be felt through them which worked well in Yosemite in the spring with a compact digital camera. Needless to say, this year I manage to loose them (since found in the pockets of an old coat, of course) and so found myself wandering around shops trying to find something similar, and not prohibitively expensive as I’ll probably be doing this on an annual basis when I ‘loose’ these ones too… For some reason, this seasons fashion is for hugely impractical (for camera use) ski gloves, so I’d pretty much decided that I just has to get used to cold hands when my eldest spotted an interesting pair of gloves in my local John Lewis: they are fairly standard looking knitted fingerless gloves with a Thinsulate lining and hence nicely wind proof, at least for the lowlands of Cambridgeshire (-9ft to 480ft ASL) but with an extra pocket (again, lined) stitched to the back of the knuckles that folds down to create a mittens and velcros to the back of the hand when not in use. https://minimal.org.uk/2007/05/21/review-mozy-free-online-backup/ Mon, 21 May 2007 13:53:03 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2007/05/21/review-mozy-free-online-backup/ After having used it for a few weeks I really ought to mention Mozy 1, partly to try and get some extra storage space, but mostly because it’s a very interesting service for both Windows and Mac OS X users. I’ve only used the Beta release Mac client, but running it on my 1GHz G4 Powerbook has been relatively painless. About 2 times out of 30 backup runs I’ve noticed it was active, but the rest of the time I’ve been pleasantly surprised at just how up-to-date it’s kept my files – far more recent than any manual system I’ve ever used. https://minimal.org.uk/2007/04/24/games-on-a-mac-for-free/ Tue, 24 Apr 2007 09:13:38 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2007/04/24/games-on-a-mac-for-free/ I don’t generally bother with games that much, mainly because trying to get tens of Unix apps to play nicely after one of them has a security upgrade, or two of them just have to be tweaked to add a feature I want takes as much thought as an Infocom adventure. (Hmm, perhaps unfair; I’ve never finished an Infocom game, but I have had the apps work together. Mostly.) So that aside, here’s three games I’ve found very playable recently, and none of them involve aliens or bullets. https://minimal.org.uk/2007/03/16/sensor-klear-from-lenspen-review/ Fri, 16 Mar 2007 21:44:03 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2007/03/16/sensor-klear-from-lenspen-review/ Ok, after using my Lenspen I was ready for the really scary one: the Sensor Klear CCD cleaning pen. Did I buy both at the same time ? Yes. Without knowing if the Lenspen would work ? Yup. That’s because 7 Day Shop were having a sale and the Sensor Klear itself was less than the cost of the P&P for the order… Ok, so I’m about to put something that’s cheaper than the stamps and envelopes for the whole order onto the most delicate portion of my DSLR, and not only expect no damage to result, but expect it to clean as well as a cleaning system costing 15 times as much ? https://minimal.org.uk/2007/03/16/lenspen-review/ Fri, 16 Mar 2007 20:46:34 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2007/03/16/lenspen-review/ Snake oil1. That’s what I had in mind for this product, and to be honest I’d been fooled by the name into thinking that there was something inside that scribbled over the lens/filter and this somehow made it clean. Not even close. Yes, it’s cheap, and in the world of Cameras and Hi-Fi the unspoken rule is that if it hurts to buy it, it’s got to be better than anything that costs less – having seen first hand ‘Best Quality Mains Cables’ being sold at stupid prices by people who have zero knowledge of power supply design I’m cured of the Hi-Fi price/sound lie, but sensor and lens cleaning are still worrisome to me: I want them both clean, but don’t have a working knowledge of what materials are used and how tough they really are. https://minimal.org.uk/2007/02/10/slik-sprint-mini-tripod-review/ Sat, 10 Feb 2007 18:24:04 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2007/02/10/slik-sprint-mini-tripod-review/ After getting my new camera bag, I sold my old one (thanks Andrew !) and got this tripod with the proceeds. Looking at the PDF on the UK distributors site (trust me: you don’t want to bother with the manufacturers site) they indicate that it’s not suitable for SLRs when using long lenses, but the collapsed size is just too good to ignore so I took a mild gamble at bought it anyway: mild in that my current tripod is around 20 years old and is so unstable it’s only marginally better than hand holding (plus it’s now got enough chipped or broken bits that trying to use it quickly results in needing to stop and add plasters to the cuts…) https://minimal.org.uk/2007/02/05/tamrac-adventure-9-review/ Mon, 05 Feb 2007 20:24:23 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2007/02/05/tamrac-adventure-9-review/ Since my last camera bag review seemed to generate so much interest, here’s another one ! Things have changed quite a bit in the last 17 months, and the main issue with my original Lowepro is that it’s no longer large enough for a day out with my family: the primary problem being that my youngest walks everywhere now so we don’t have the extra load space of a pushchair anymore. https://minimal.org.uk/2006/09/04/suffolk-restaurants-the-round-house-restaurant/ Mon, 04 Sep 2006 13:46:33 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2006/09/04/suffolk-restaurants-the-round-house-restaurant/ Suffolk Restaurants – The Round House Restaurant: http://www.allenby.co.uk/index.html Found at the side of the A12 on Saturday quite by accident whilst camping near the Suffolk coast with friends, where I had an excellent lunch, was impressed with the tone of the menu and the attitude of the staff and the only possible point to note is that the dishes are described in almost too plain a fashion (but taste absolutely amazing). https://minimal.org.uk/2005/10/21/photosig-review/ Fri, 21 Oct 2005 18:05:41 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2005/10/21/photosig-review/ photoSIG: http://www.photosig.com/go/main I’m quite behind the times for many things, and actively critiquing photographs (as well as having others rate mine) is something I’ve been meaning to get around to for the last couple of years. There are lots of places to do this on-line and it’s very tempting to dive into the first new site that offers such features in order to have your images up when there are few to comapre it to, and few harsh reviews are written in order to ensure the site stays healthy. https://minimal.org.uk/2005/10/14/tesco-dvd-rental-review/ Fri, 14 Oct 2005 18:59:36 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2005/10/14/tesco-dvd-rental-review/ Tesco DVD Rentals – the easiest way to rent DVDs: http://www.tescodvdrental.com/welcome/home.html This (like most of Tesco‘s offerings) is a rebranded service operated by a 3rd party – in this case Video Island who also operate Screen Select: both sites boast a library of over 37,500 titles, with the only difference being the price. At the most basic level, Tesco charge £7.97 per month for a single disc at a time although if you buy yourself a gift certificate it looks possible to get 12 months for the price of 10, albeit tying yourself to paying that amount rather than being able to cancel at any time. https://minimal.org.uk/2005/10/12/lowepro-slingshot-200-aw/ Wed, 12 Oct 2005 18:35:03 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2005/10/12/lowepro-slingshot-200-aw/ Lowepro – SlingShot 200 AW: http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Sling_Bags/All_Weather_Cover/SlingShot_200_AW.aspx Update 05feb07: I’ve just replaced my 200AW with the Tamrac Adventure 9, and have a review of that bag as a comparison to this bag I wanted two things above all others for my replacement camera bag: to look anonymous to be quick to access The anonymity is purely because I don’t want to advertise how attractive the contents of the bag are to a casual snatcher, but the quick access is because I want to take the camera out with me and the kids, and I want to be able to leave it in the bag until it’s appropriate: anyone who’s tried to help a toddler climb a slide whilst having an SLR swinging around their neck will know what I’m on about, and it’s not simply a case of choosing between trying to grab the camera or child should they fall (that’s an easy choice) but more about not striking the child around the side of the head with the camera whilst bending over them. https://minimal.org.uk/2005/09/25/canon-digital-photo-professional/ Sun, 25 Sep 2005 21:56:44 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2005/09/25/canon-digital-photo-professional/ Digital Photo Professional: http://www.photoworkshop.com/canon/dpp/ Until tonight I hadn’t paid much attention to this application as I’d mainly been sulking at the lack of EOS 350D support in iPhoto. I’m still not sure why I looked at it again but it’s actually a very well thought out program with features that are totally complimentary to Photoshop Elements and Adobe Camera Raw which had been my previous point of reference. https://minimal.org.uk/2005/09/11/shure-e2c-mini-review/ Sun, 11 Sep 2005 15:00:50 +0000 https://minimal.org.uk/2005/09/11/shure-e2c-mini-review/ A couple of years ago I bought a pair of Panasonic active noise cancelling headphones from Heathow duty free, and after using them on a transatlantic flight my only regret was that I’d made two trips prior to purchasing them. They were cheap (£55) compared to the $300 Bose ones advertised on a previous flight and so I thought they couldn’t possibly be any good: I still can’t compare them to the Bose as I’ve never had the chance to listen to a pair, but they dropped virtually all of the bass rumble of the aircraft and lead to me actually being able to hear the in-flight movies for the first time.