Technology
New Plasma Screen
30/05/09
The insurance company has come to the party by making a significant contribution to our replacement screen. They were pretty good actually, no arguments at all, and a reasonable payout given the cost of today’s equivalent of the 4 1/2 year old Sony.
On Tuesday next week we take delivery of a Samsung 50” Series 7 Full HD (1080p) plasma screen. This was a great opportunity to upgrade so we went the whole hog by going up in size and resolution. To my way of thinking the new LED machines are not yet good value for money. We considered LCD, but the plasma was just too good in the value stakes. We have a six year warranty with this one.
Anyhow, this story has a happy ending, but not quite yet. The screen turned up with some minor transit damage. Nothing critical, just a small crack to the frame. Now lets see who steps up to provide a replacement; Harvey Norman or Samsung.
PS: do I need a free Blue Ray player and a further discount as compensation?
On Tuesday next week we take delivery of a Samsung 50” Series 7 Full HD (1080p) plasma screen. This was a great opportunity to upgrade so we went the whole hog by going up in size and resolution. To my way of thinking the new LED machines are not yet good value for money. We considered LCD, but the plasma was just too good in the value stakes. We have a six year warranty with this one.
Anyhow, this story has a happy ending, but not quite yet. The screen turned up with some minor transit damage. Nothing critical, just a small crack to the frame. Now lets see who steps up to provide a replacement; Harvey Norman or Samsung.
PS: do I need a free Blue Ray player and a further discount as compensation?
Sony Plasma: Stuffed
21/04/09
Does this look stuffed to you? Even the presenter looks horrified.
At 4 years and 4 months of age, this piece of technology has a couple of serious faults:
- The black stripe, and
- The chip that causes it to break down one month out of warranty didn’t work -- ha ha ha
Luckily I have a five year warranty. The repair guy reckons the screen itself is stuffed and the repair quote will be in the vicinity of $3-4 thousand.
Lets see how the insurance company handles this!
An opportunity to upgrade.....hmmmm
Camera Review: Canon SX1 IS
16/04/09
First impressions: The Canon SX1 IS comes in a very nice blue and white box. The lid shows a glossy picture of the camera, along with some writing that highlights the key features of your new camera. So far so good, we have the latest of everything photographic.
Inside the box: The first thing you will see upon opening the nice box, is the blue CD that contains all the software you need to make first-class pictures, even ones from the RAW format and that’s a good thing. You also get an English language user guide, a direct print user guide and another booklet about the software.
But wait there is more. In addition to the camera itself, you also get four Panasonic AA batteries, a little remote control with a Sanyo battery, a Canon LH-DC50 lens hood, a Powershot camera strap to keep the investment safe, a USB cable, and an AV cable. How good is that ! The lens hood is a particularly useful item and a welcome addition to this top-line kit.
How does it handle: My initial reaction was that this camera is more like an SLR to hold than a point and shoot and that’s a also a good thing. The grip is just right for these mid-sized hands and the controls are nicely placed for easy viewing and operation.
The lens cap is an improvement over past efforts with a pinch release mechanism that is within the diameter of the cap itself. Getting it on and off with the lens hood in place isn’t therefore a problem. The hinged screen is nice to have, as is the pop up SLR-style flash unit. Canon enthusiasts will be familiar with the easy-to-use controls that are modeled on it’s SLR cousins.
How does it go: Just stick four AA batteries in the allotted space, insert an SD card where it fits and you are in business. Start up time is very speedy so there will be no missed shots waiting for it to come to life. From a standing start (box closed), I had the unit up and running is 90 seconds.
The screen is brilliant, even in strong light and the image stabilization is every bit as good as advertised. I reckon it gives at least 3-stops advantage over non-stabilised lenses so this camera performs well in low light and at the longest focal lengths. Focussing is super fast and very quiet thanks to the ultrasonic motor adopted from Canon’s top shelf equipment.
Sample shots: As a quick test I took one close up shot followed by two sets of normal and zoom views as below. The close up shows plenty of crisp detail while the zoom results (with image stabilizer on) are simply astonishing. The three shot set of a house across the valley really shows off the zoom capability.
Conclusion: I want one
Inside the box: The first thing you will see upon opening the nice box, is the blue CD that contains all the software you need to make first-class pictures, even ones from the RAW format and that’s a good thing. You also get an English language user guide, a direct print user guide and another booklet about the software.
But wait there is more. In addition to the camera itself, you also get four Panasonic AA batteries, a little remote control with a Sanyo battery, a Canon LH-DC50 lens hood, a Powershot camera strap to keep the investment safe, a USB cable, and an AV cable. How good is that ! The lens hood is a particularly useful item and a welcome addition to this top-line kit.
How does it handle: My initial reaction was that this camera is more like an SLR to hold than a point and shoot and that’s a also a good thing. The grip is just right for these mid-sized hands and the controls are nicely placed for easy viewing and operation.
The lens cap is an improvement over past efforts with a pinch release mechanism that is within the diameter of the cap itself. Getting it on and off with the lens hood in place isn’t therefore a problem. The hinged screen is nice to have, as is the pop up SLR-style flash unit. Canon enthusiasts will be familiar with the easy-to-use controls that are modeled on it’s SLR cousins.
How does it go: Just stick four AA batteries in the allotted space, insert an SD card where it fits and you are in business. Start up time is very speedy so there will be no missed shots waiting for it to come to life. From a standing start (box closed), I had the unit up and running is 90 seconds.
The screen is brilliant, even in strong light and the image stabilization is every bit as good as advertised. I reckon it gives at least 3-stops advantage over non-stabilised lenses so this camera performs well in low light and at the longest focal lengths. Focussing is super fast and very quiet thanks to the ultrasonic motor adopted from Canon’s top shelf equipment.
Sample shots: As a quick test I took one close up shot followed by two sets of normal and zoom views as below. The close up shows plenty of crisp detail while the zoom results (with image stabilizer on) are simply astonishing. The three shot set of a house across the valley really shows off the zoom capability.
Conclusion: I want one