There is an update for your iOS device. Details are below.
This is just a small update that pretty much just addresses bug fixes but regardless you should still get it.
45 cm Rod For Support Rail System
My new rod rails arrived. I was using 25 cm rods up until now and it was just getting too small. So I got this 45 cm one and I love it.
It’s made out of aluminum and very light weight. Considering I am adding more things on my rail system I need them to be as lightweight as possible. If you plan on adding a follow focus and matte box to your system make sure to get either 30 cm or 45 cm long rails.
Film Dolly Track – Test 1
I just got my Track Dolly Conversion Hubs which is a set of 3 wheels that convert your dolly to a track dolly. It’s made by www.focus35.com and the wheels alone are $99 if you have the track dolly. If you don’t have the track dolly you will need to get that to mount the wheels onto. You can get both of them for $169.
The wheels go onto a 1″ PVC pipe that you can get at your local hardware store for a few bucks.
Here is a video by Focus 35 that shows the wheels:
Here is a quick test video I put together. I used my Canon T3i and my prime 50mm f1.4 lens:
iPad Keyboard Dock Turns It Into a Laptop
I just saw this video on Kickstarter about an iPad Keyboard called Brydge that looks really cool. Check it out:
Canon DSLR Battery Grip
I just got my Canon Battery Grip for my T3i. I ordered it online from Aputure.
The set comes with the grip itself, two batteries, a 6 x AA battery holder in addition to the battery holder for the included batteries and a shutter remote.
The grip does add more bulk to your camera and it makes it heavier but at the same time it does help you stabilize your footage a bit when you shoot video because of the added weight.
Having two batteries now allows me to shoot about an hour of video as oppose to 30 minutes. Also, having the AA battery holder allows me to quickly swop out the battery cartridges when one is empty.
I definitely recommend this to any dslr user, whether you are shooting video or photos. The cost was only $45 plus $20 for shipping.
1-HR Battery Charger For Your Camera
I just got the Digipower 1-Hr battery charger for my Canon T3i.
The charger covers multiple Canon SLR battery types from the PowerShot series to the Digital Rebel series.
The charger itself is a self contained unit that comes with 5 addons for different battery types.
Also since this is a travel charger it also has the European electrical plug.
I decided to get this charger because unfortunately the battery in my T3i only lasts for about 30 minutes if I use it for video only. I have ordered an additional battery grip that has two batteries. That will give me a solid hour of recording time. But still having a 1-hr charger will prove beneficial when I need a quick charge. The one I got is only for Canon cameras, however, they do have chargers for Nikon and Sony cameras.
iPhoto For iOS Devices
If you are a Mac user than I’m sure you have at one point used Apple’s iPhoto app that comes free with any Mac. It’s a great app that allows you to tweak your photos and upload them to Facebook or email to others. It even enables you to creat books, calendars and brochures using your own photos.
iPhoto does not come close to Photoshop but that’s not the point. It’s an app for the ever day person who just wants to touch up their photos a bit but doesn’t want to finish a photography course in order to be able to.
Apple has finally released iPhoto for the iPhone, iPod touch and the iPad. I use it on my iPhone and I love it.
You can get the app on the AppStore for $4.99 and it’s definitely worth the money.
You have access to your entire Photos library on your device so you can choose any photo to enhance.
You have all your standard feature such as crop, saturation and brightness. But the thing that makes this app shine, in my opinion, are the brushes. Let’s say you want to emphasis only a certain area of your photo by having that be in colour and everything else in black and white, no problem. The brushes will allow you to do that. You have several brushes to choose from, such as sharpening, softening, repair etc.
While I still use Photoshop for all my professional work I like to use iPhoto for all the every day photos I take of my friends and family or just random shots.
Asus EEEPAD Transformer
Check out the Asus EEEPAD Transformer for $450 with keyboard dock running Android OS.
The internal memory is 16 GB but with the SD Card slot you can just insert a 32 GB card and triple the memory.
I only played with it a little bit but from what I’m seeing it’s not bad at all. It’s a hybrid. By itself the device is a regular tablet running Android. However, when you dock it to the keyboard it becomes a laptop. Once it’s docked you don’t have to touch the screen anymore. A mouse cursor shows up on the monitor and you can use the mouse pad on the keyboard.
In my opinion the Transformer is a solution for any light user who wants to have the portability of a tablet but at the same time wants to be able to have a laptop feel.
This is not an iPad, if you want something similar to an iPad, get an iPad. This is the first tablet on the market that is not trying to be an iPad look-a-like and I think they are onto something.
Send Files Up To 2GBs For Free Legally
If you need to send large files over the Internet and are looking for a free solution I suggest www.wetransfer.com.
The website consists of a very simple and easy to use interface. You select the file you would like to send, the person’s email address that you want to send the file to, your email address and a message if you want to. The file will then get uploaded to WeTransfer’s server where it will remain for two weeks, after that it will get deleted. The recipient will get an email with the download link and all they have to do is click on the download link to get the file.
When the recipient has downloaded the file you will receive an email notifying you. So you will always know that your files were received.
I’ve been using WeTransfer for a long time now to send files to my clients and I love it.
They do offer a paid version that has some benefits. For more info about that visit: www.wetransfer.info
Microsoft Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad
If you are like me and have an iPad you probably have a love-hate relationship with the on-screen keyboard. I’ve been using my iPad for almost 2 years now and generally speaking I didn’t have any problem with the on-screen keyboard. I always thought it’s great not having to have to drag around another addon with the iPad. Besides, what’s the point of having an external keyboard? At that point you might as well get a Notebook or Laptop. However, as I tend to write more and more I realized that having an actual keyboard will speed things up. I didn’t want to spend the money to get the Apple Bluetooth keyboard so I figured as long as I get a Bluetooth keyboard it should work and it does. So, I got the Microsoft Bluetooth Keyboard 6000.
I know it’s ironic to use a Microsoft Keyboard on an Apple device but from my experience Microsoft makes the best keyboards. I’ve been using a wireless Microsoft keyboard for my Power Mac for a while and I love it. The Bluetooth Keyboard 6000 is very responsive, small and it works great. It also allows you to adjust the volume.
The only advantage that the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard has over third party ones is that it has a few more buttons that allow you to control the iPad such as a Home button but considering that I spent $50 on this one as oppose to $80 on Apple’s makes it worth it. And besides, it just looks cool.
All in all, I definitely recommend to anyone who uses word processing apps on their iPad to get an external keyboard. While the on-screen keyboard is great it cannot match an actual one in terms of speed and comfortability and you don’t have to get Apple’s. There are plenty of alternatives out there and yes, I am using my new keyboard for this post.
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