Canon EOS-1D X Review
The Canon EOS-1D X is the latest in the company’s professional range of DSLRs. Its job is to replace both the sports-orientated 1D series and the high-resolution, studio-focused 1DS range of cameras. As is usual for upgrades in this class of camera, the changes are incremental and subtle but aim to raise the bar of what is possible.
The biggest specification change to the 1D X is its new sensor – an 18MP full-frame CMOS chip capable of shooting at 12 frames per second. This represents a big change over the 1D Mk IV (it represents a move away from the smaller APS-H format that Canon has previously used in its sports cameras), and a decrease in pixel count compared to the 1DS series. However, as Rick Berk, Technical Specialist in Canon USA’s Pro Engineering and Solutions Division says: ‘there’s more to image quality than just resolution.’
The move from APS-H up to full-frame is enabled by a sensor with faster data readout explains Chuck Westfall, Technical Advisor in Canon USA’s Pro Engineering and Solutions Division: ‘The new sensor has 16-channel, dual line readout, compared to 8-channel, single line designs in the previous generation of chips.’ This lets the company offer a large sensor (and the low-light capability that brings) for 1DS users, with the fast capture speeds that current 1D Mk IV users need. ‘It’s clear the time has come for the 1DX to replace the whole 1D series,’ says Westfall.
Under the skin, the big change is the more sophisticated metering sensor. A move from the 1D Mk IV’s sensor to a new 100,000 pixel unit affords the camera a much better understanding of the scene and this information is fed into the camera’s autofocus system to improve the quality of its AF tracking. This isn’t a new idea (Nikon’s sports cameras have done something similar for several generations), but it’s a sensible way of improving what’s already an impressive system.
The EOS-1D X will go on sale in Australia at roughly the same time it becomes available in the US (March 2012), but local pricing has yet to be announced. In North America the 1D X (body only) is priced at US$6800, not too far shy of the asking price for the soon-to-be-discontinued 1Ds Mark III (US$6999). So don’t be surprised if the new model retails here for around AU$9000.
ASUS Eee PC T101MT Review
For a resistive panel, the touchscreen is actually quite responsive, though unsurprisingly requires a firmer press to make selections. But since we have become so accustomed to using capacitive tablets we had to get the hang of having to really give icons a firm press or use a fingernail to maneuver through menus. Multitouch gestures are just not as smooth as they should be – there’s just something unnatural about having to firmly press two fingers down on the screen to scroll. The stylus, which pops out of the right side of the screen, was pretty much our best friend given the display frustrations and the lack of finger-friendly software. ASUS’ included PenWrite software is supposed to optimize the finger touch experience, but we didn’t really notice much of a difference when using the utility.
And this brings us to the “uh, we just don’t get it” question: why in the world would ASUS ship a $499 multitouch-capable tablet with an operating system that doesn’t support multitouch or even have integrated touch capabilities? That’s right, the T101MT ships with Windows 7 Starter, which — regardless of not supporting pinch-to-zoom or two-finger scrolling gestures — doesn’t include handwriting recognition or an onscreen keyboard. The company does make up for the latter concern by including SoftStylus’ keyboard, but you have to manually bring it up anytime you want to input text (i.e. into the address bar), and the handwriting recognition is quite sluggish.
HTC Wildfire S Grey Android Telstra Next G Review
The HTC Wildfire S scraps the optical trackpad that was used on the original model and instead opts for the now standard four touch-sensitive keys — home, menu, back and search. The keys themselves work well, but are easy to press accidentally due to the small screen.
There are no physical buttons on the front of the phone, with HTC opting for four capacitive touch-buttons. These are your standard Android Home, Menu, Back and Search options. They’re responsive, plus HTC has put in a little vibration feedback to reassure your brain that your finger did indeed just hit the right spot.
Cheaper Android phones usually come with some compromises that often revolve around the display, and the HTC Wildfire S is no exception. Though the increased resolution of 320×480 pixels over its predecessor’s 240×320 pixels is welcomed, the display fares poorly in direct sunlight, has mediocre viewing angles and does not render text well. Thankfully, the screen is responsive to touch and this results in a pleasing user experience, though text input is rather cramped given the small size of the screen.
Nikon 1 V1 Review
Key Features
- 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor – CX format, 2.7x crop
- 3inch 921k dot screen
- EVF 1.44million dots
- Full HD video, 1080p, Stereo sound
- ISO100-3200 (expandable to ISO6400)
- World’s fastest autofocus system
- Focal plane phase-detection AF + Contrast-detect AF
- 10fps continuous shooting, with AF tracking
- 60fps full resolution shooting (Single AF)
Nikon 1 V1 Handling
The EVF has built in eye-detection so that it can automatically switch on when needed. Apart from the larger zoom control on the back of the camera, the accessory / flash hot shoe, and the 1.44 million dot EVF, the V1 controls are pretty much identical to the J1.
The lenses are all optimised / designed for both still image quality and video recording with quiet auto-focus and motors in the power zoom models, and white balance is optimised for each lens. The first three zoom lenses are all retractable / collapsible making them more compact when not in use.
10mm f/2.8 pancake lens – 27mm equivalent.
10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 – 27-81mm equivalent “Standard” zoom.
30-100mm f/3.8-5.6 – 81-297mm equivalent telephoto zoom.
10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 – 27-270mm equivalent power zoom.
A Nikon FT1 adapter is available for Nikon lenses – and with AF-S / AF-I lenses Auto Focus will work. With a 2.7x crop factor, a 35mm standard lens will become a 94.5mm equivalent lens, and this crop factor would suit telephoto lenses particularly if you’re interested in having as much zoom as possible. Another way of looking at this is to think of the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 D lens, which is available for around £90, would become a 135mm f/1.8 telephoto lens, which means getting a bright telephoto lens would be very cheap looking at the price of the lens on its own.
Sony NEX-VG20EH Review
Enjoy a level of creative freedom unimaginable with the use of interchangeable lenses. Its 16.1 Effective Megapixel Exmor™ APS HD CMOS sensor lets you record beautiful Full HD video with high-quality audio and with dramatic background defocusing effects.E-mount System for Lens InterchangeabilityProgressive recording: 50p / 25pQuad Capsule Spatial Array Microphone Records High-Quality Stereo and 5.1 Surround SoundFull Manual Control Capability for Video Recording3.0 Type Xtra Fine Touch-Panel LCD Monitor with TruBlack TechnologyIncludes SEL18200 telephoto zoom lens (with Optical SteadyShot Active Mode )