An Engadget hands-on video? Not without this.
Elgato’s Turbo.264 HD have been saving me storage (and time) for years. Put simply, it manages to compress every 720p or 1080p video I shoot — be it for work or pleasure — to around half the unique size, and honestly, the standard difference is imperceptible on YouTube. Exporting an edited vid in iMovie? Oh, around six minutes for a fifteen-minute production. It has quite literally saved me hours on end, and my hard drives has a heck of much more free space on ‘em due to magic it really works with file size. And that i don’t use the word “magic” lightly. For anyone who shoots a plethora of videos (and owns a Mac), it really is the most effective $85 purchases you must ever make.
At the downside, a physical USB stick is needed to get one of the most out of it. Yeah, there is a software-only version , but it is not nearly as quick. Having to both remember a USB key and keep it safe from sliding face-first into the ground (I speak from experience) is an annoyance, and being the technophile that i’m, I’d probably pay someone a high-quality fee for ripping my MacBook Pro open and infusing this thing to the interior circuitry. The only real other negative? No Windows support. Seriously, Elgato — it is time to reach around the aisle. You can charge double for this thing with Windows compatibility, and that i know a slew of peers who’d be first in line. Get to it!
On vacation with the NEX-C3
For a few years, my wife and that i were planning a visit to Asia. In preparation, we needed to buy appropriate clothing (summer in Bangkok is not any joke), get our visas and passports and, in fact, acquire a brand new camera. I ordered my NEX-C3 and 18-55mm kit lens the week it went on sale, and told Zach Honig that if i did not find it irresistible, i’d send him the bill. He replied, “i am not worried.”
As expected, the trip was fantastic, and while my wife didn’t fully accept as true with my idea of shopping for a brand new camera before we left, she was very happy after seeing the outcomes. We visited magical places like Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok in late August / early September, the freshest time of the year. Carrying the NEX-C3 around my neck was not a topic, instead of what would were the case if I had an entire-bodied DSLR in tow. For approximately $18, I also purchased a small Case Logic case that strapped to my belt and allowed me to cover my wallet and camera while walking through street markets.
Not everything is optimal, and i’ve to confess that I miss having a viewfinder, however the LCD does an honest job, despite the intense sun shining on it. I do worry that the screen isn’t protected when not in use, so I avoid damage by just keeping the camera in its case.
The NEX-C3 performed amazingly in every kind of situations, including those of the low-light variety: hot and humid evenings in Hong Kong while shooting of the Symphony of Lights show, and dark nights in Bangkok with street vendors selling cockroaches and crickets. Walking up the good Wall for a number of hours was frustrating, but i did not even feel the burden of the camera. We have now over 2,000 amazing pictures of our trip, and they’re of the highest quality i may have ever asked for.
More bells and whistles, please
It wasn’t until I ran my first marathon last year that I felt worthy of a GPS-enabled watch. Just eighteen months earlier, i used to be managing a scant three miles at a time, so it was tough to justify a $200 toy when running merely felt like a hobby I’d taken up on a whim. Even when I got those 26.2 under my belt, I settled at the Garmin Forerunner 110. Sure, it was bare-bones, however it did everything i wished it to — namely, track my distance, time and pace.
And track it does. The mileage count turns out to be useful as i try to monitor how far I’ve run in a given pair of sneakers (you’re imagined to replace them every 300 to 500 miles, don’tcha know). Back before I got injured, the narcissist in me used to love seeing my pace drop because the weeks passed — evidence that each one those dead lifts and calf raises were working. The battery isn’t quite what it was (it often shows three out of 4 bars after an evening of recharging), but even that’s enough to get me through a 3-hour run with juice to spare. I’ve trotted it out within the rain and sub-freezing temps, nevertheless it still performs like a champ and doesn’t have much wear-and-tear to teach for it either.
Friends, i need to sell it. It takes its sweet time to establish my location — something newer models claim to do faster. I often page my coordinates minutes before my run, lest my training group takes to the air and i’ve to begin the clock when I’m already 880 yards out. The honeymoon really wore off this summer, once I was returning to running following a stress fracture, and used run-walk intervals (e.g., three minutes on, one minute off) as a method of easing myself back into the game. The 110 doesn’t do interval training, though everything above it inside the lineup does. It means i must glance at my watch and count the minutes, in place of watch for a beep when it is time to decelerate. i do know , i do know : it isn’t the 110′s fault it can’t do what it doesn’t promise to do. Nonetheless, I’m seriously considering trading up, even it means managing some sticker shock. Better, I’ve learned, to purchase a gadget with a couple of more bells and whistles than i believe i want.
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