It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Gadgets!

It’s that time of year again, when gadget geeks all over the world hope and pine for the latest and greatest in electronic gizmos and when Santa (i.e. loving spouses and parents) go nuts trying to figure out what to get their incorrigible little gear-heads. Of course I’m here to help you with my second annual holiday gear buying guide, because that’s the kind of guy I am. No thanks are necessary, it’s worth it just knowing that I’m helping to bring a smile to a little gadget geek somewhere.

I do have to say though that this year is much harder than in the past, due to the fact that there hasn’t been anything really big and new this year. Mostly, we have just seen incremental upgrades or significant price drops from last year. If you held off from buying some of the hottest gear from the past couple of years, the manufacturers have really sweetened the deal with some serious bang for your buck this year.

So here it is, my list for some of the best gadgets and gear for the holiday season.

Game Systems: Nothing really new here per se, but 2008 saw some significant upgrades to the current generation of game hardware and in some cases, some serious price drops. We have also had more than a year to add some incredible games to libraries of all of these systems, making a game system pretty much a no-brainer – if you don’t already have one.

Xbox 360: A huge price cut and a bigger hard drive, plus some free games to boot? I would still argue that the 360 is the dominant game console of the generation, perhaps not in total numbers sold – that honor would go to the Wii – but definitely in overall game experience and bang for the buck. The 360 Arcade version is now the cheapest game system at only $199 and while it doesn’t have a hard drive, it does come with some great games for kids and it gets you into the next generation on the cheap. The 360 Pro version is, in my opinion, THE system to own because $299 buys you the unquestionable system leader for the hard-core gamer, with the new 60GB hard drive and two free games (Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda, the first of which is awesome, the second… not so much). There really is no reason to shell out another $100 for the Elite version unless you really need another 60GB of hard drive space or really want a black Xbox.

Also, by the time you read this, Microsoft will have released the New Xbox Experience which adds some decidedly Wii-like game avatars and a completely upgraded interface. Unlike the previous software tweaks, the new Experience really is a game changer both literally and figuratively. With support now for you to rip your game from the disk to the larger hard drive, you can eliminate the need for the system to keep the disk spinning in the drive which drastically cuts down on system noise and can speed up load times (though you still need the disk in the tray to play it). Also, if you have a Netflix account, you can stream your movies straight through your Xbox now, totally eliminating any need to get off the couch or even leave the house for that matter! Finally, Xbox Live! remains the leader in online play and with the latest crop of games, your little gamer is going to be fragging n00bs from all over the world, w00t! (For a translation, read the Oct 08 G&G).

Playstation 3: While the PS3 has come down in price over the last year (now $399), I would argue that should be expected when you actually take stuff away from the console. The system is no longer backwards, compatible with literally hundreds of games from the PS1 and PS2, and they have removed some of the card inputs from the 1st generation, though admittedly those were pretty useless in the first place. While the PS3 does push out some beautiful visuals, it still has not delivered in the games department. There are only a handful of truly awesome games that can only be played on the PS3 and the Playstation’s online system still has not delivered on its promised upgrade that was supposed to be out this time last year (showing that while the PS3 online service is free, you get what you pay for). Also, one of the most compelling reasons for buying a PS3, the fact that it was the cheapest Blu-Ray player you could buy, is no longer the case. The PS3 is a very good game system; it’s just not the best (that would be the Xbox 360).

Nintendo Wii: The Wii has not come down in price or added anything really new, but why should it, since for the last two years Nintendo has been able to sell every Wii system it has been able to crank out. The undisputed leader in terms of total number of units sold, it is still by far the weakest system as far as performance and quality of games goes. Now, there are some Nintendo fan-boys out there that will squawk about Super Mario Brothers Galaxy, but for every must-have game for the Wii, I can put up five must-haves for either the 360 or even the PS3. Still, for $249 you do get a cool system with some thoroughly cool games to play with friends and family, but serious gamers will be left wanting.

If you already have one of the above systems or are looking for some games to go along with your new system, here are my picks from this year’s crop (game rating in parenthesis):

Fallout 3 (Mature): From Bethesda Softworks, the makers of the 2007 smash hit, Oblivion comes a game that can best be described as a post-apocalyptic Oblivion. Don’t worry if you or your little gamer (well they shouldn’t be too little since this IS a mature-rated game) never played Fallout 1 & 2 (though they were great), this game stands on it’s own with an awesome story and fabulous game play. I have already lost several days of my life to this game! (360 and PS3)

Dead Space (Mature): In space, no one can hear you scream, but my wife has no problem hearing me scream like a little girl whenever a necromorph springs out of the shadows to scare the bejeezus out of me. This is the sleeper hit of 2008 (much like Assassin’s Creed was last year) and will go down in history as one of the scariest games ever. (360 and PS3)

Lego Indiana Jones (Everyone 10+): Anyone who loves the Indiana Jones movies (we’ll ignore this year’s movie) will love this game. Yes, it is cutesy with all the Lego characters running around, but it delivers in both gameplay and in sly humor for those adults who are fans and are paying attention. This game is one of the few games for which I have a perfect score, because I wanted to explore every nook and cranny. (360, PS3, PS2, and Wii)

Tom Clancy’s Endwar (Teen): For your armchair generals, this game will suck up hours upon hours of their life. This is one of the few games to really use voice commands and really do it well. You can pretty much play the entire game without ever touching the controller; though that does mean that you are going to have to hear your little general yelling ‘Team 1, attack Hostile 2!’ which may or may not be such a good thing. (360 and PS3)

Little Big Planet (Everyone 10+): Arguably one of the cutest games of all time, this one also has a lot of creativity going for it, to which you can add your own by custom designing levels for you and your friends to play. (PS3 only)

Gears of War 2 (Mature): I really wasn’t a fan of the first Gears game but I do have to give it praise for its superb graphics and frantic gameplay. I am an outsider on this one, virtually 99% of all gamers love this game, but for some reason it just did didn’t grab me, though there is a very good chance that your gamer will love it. (360 only)

Metal Gear Solid 4 (Mature): The Metal Gear series will go down in history as one of the best game series of all time and rightfully deserves the reverence that people reserve for movie classics such as ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Schindler’s List’. This is supposedly the last chapter of this sometimes strange but always engrossing story, and it unfolds through bleeding edge graphics that will make your High-Def TV whimper for mercy. (PS3 only)

Cameras: 2008 has seen some decent upgrades to some top cameras of the past few years and here are my picks for best camera in each of the different classes:

Compact – Sony Cyber-Shot DSC T700: Sony has always been one to make stylish cameras and the T700 is no exception. With its incredibly thin form factor and brushed aluminum casing, you would be hard pressed to find a sleeker camera. The real beauty of this camera is the fact that it can also double as a portable picture album. The memory of the camera has been bumped up to 4GB which pretty much eliminates any need to buy a separate memory card and allows you to hold literally thousands of pictures in the camera. With its 3.5 inch touch screen on the back you can then show off all your photos to friends and family right there on the back of the camera. One drawback to the touch screen, as is the case with virtually all touch screens, is the fact that you will have a ton of fingerprints on the screen. Carry a screen cleaning cloth with the camera though and you have a great camera and portable photo album all in one.

Superzoom – Canon SX10 IS: The current king of the superzoom class with a 20x zoom on it, the SX10 is the first real upgrade to this series of camera since they were created. With a 10 megapixel sensor, a 2.5 inch screen that can be rotated so that it is protected by the camera body, and a zoom equivalent of 28 – 560mm, you really would be hard pressed to find a better all-in-one travel camera. Granted, you are giving up some photo quality by packing that much zoom into one lens but you are also cutting out about 15 pounds of camera gear at the same time, if you were to try to cover the same range with an SLR camera. Though the Panasonic FZ-28 (which I also mentioned in last months article) is also a serious contender in this class, I gave the SX10 the nod mostly due to the 20x vs. the 18x zoom and the better ergonomics (the FZ-28 is a bit small even for my medium sized hands).

Entry Level D-SLR – Canon Rebel XSi: With its 12.2 megapixel sensor, 3 inch screen, blazing speed, and huge lens line-up, the XSi is easily the best of the entry level D-SLRs. There may be others that are a little bit cheaper, or may have a higher resolution screen on the back, but none can match the whole package that Canon put together in the XSi. Now I fully expect Nikon, Sony, or Canon themselves to come up with something that will blow the XSi out of the water some time next summer, but until then, and even after, you would be well served by the outstanding Canon Rebel XSi.

Semi-Pro D-SLR – Nikon D90: Being a Canon fan-boy myself, it pains me to say this, but Nikon handed Canon their rear-end in this class of cameras. My Canon 40D and even the newer 50D have been trounced by this beautiful camera. While the 50D might have outdone the D90 in terms of the quality of the LCD screen on the back (and just barely at that), everything else about D90 trounces anything Canon has put out in the same class. While the D90 might have a smaller megapixel sensor than the Canon 50D, that is actually not a bad thing because I think that both the Canon XSi and the D90 have proven that 12 megapixels is the sweet spot for this class of cameras (remember more pixels does not necessarily mean better). This camera almost makes me want to switch to Nikon… almost.

Professional D-SLR: Canon 5D Mark II: While Nikon really stepped up their game in the full-frame sensor arena with the D3 and the D700, the Canon 1Ds Mark III blew the D3 out of the water (if you can get a second mortgage to afford it) and the 5D will do the same to the D700. The 5D Mark II trounces the D700 and in some ways even the D3 with a huge 21 megapixel sensor! 21 megapixels I tell you! That is up there with the medium-format cameras that the professional fashion photographers use in their studios. For those photographers who need a full frame sensor, the 5D Mark II is a no-brainer even when compared to the 1Ds Mark III because you can use the $5000 you saved on some sweet lenses!

MP3 Players: I’m going to make this one easy, just go get an iPod will you? I don’t care which one, because quite frankly your little geek is going to be happy no matter which one they get.

iPod Touch: With the software upgrades to the Touch this year and the boosting of the memory up to 32GB all with a decreased prices, you will not find a better all-around media player. Cover Flow is still the coolest music interface and watching TV and movies on the Touch is still stellar. Also, now that the Touch can use programs from the Apps Store on iTunes, you can get some of the cool new programs that the kids with the iPhones have been playing with, including some really neat games.

iPod Nano: The Nano went back to its slender form of the 1st and 2nd generations but added a widescreen display, a better interface, and a cool new oblong body. While the screen is still pretty small, you would be surprised how easy it is to watch video on it even for extended periods. Something new is the ‘Shake to Shuffle’ feature that puts the Nano in shuffle mode just by shaking it vigorously (don’t worry, you have to really try to put it in this mode, it won’t just do it from normal movement). Also, you can get the Nano in a bewildering choice of colors that would even make a peacock stand up and say ‘whoa’ (that is if they had lips to make the whole ‘w’ sound, but I digress). That and an overall increase in memory for the same price, makes this the go-to iPod.

iPod Shuffle: With the increase in memory from 1GB to 2GB (though you can still get the 1GB for about $20 less than before), this remains my pick for best gym music player, heck for just plain all-around music player for that matter. Out of all the music players I have ever owned (and that’s a lot), the Shuffle is still my favorite and most used player EVER. While the Touch is cool to show off, the ease of use and diminutive size of the Shuffle just makes it my all time favorite music player.

So, that’s it for this year’s gadget buying guide. I could have gone on forever on a ton of different items (flat screen TVs, headphones, GPS units, cell phones, etc.) but I only have so much so much space in which to write. If you have any specific questions on some gadget this holiday season, please feel free to write me at jeff@healthandleisureonline.com. Have a great holiday season!

‘Techs’ and the City

So there you are, a well equipped gadget geek (which of course you are, since you read my column every month) heading out on a grand trip to New York or some other vacation hot spot. What to take, and how do you protect your precious gear? Well, me being the world traveler and consummate gear-head that I am, I have a bit of advice for those of you taking your gear on the road.

What gadgets should you take with you on your trip? Well, of course you are going to want to record all your exploits and adventures so you will want that digital camera. A couple of new cameras that are available now are a great choice for their versatility and relatively compact size. The first is the Panasonic DMC FZ-28, which is the follow up to one of the best reviewed ‘super-zoom’ cameras, the FZ-18. The new 10 megapixel FZ-28 not only has a tremendous 18x zoom range but has added some new low dispersion lenses that help control chromatic aberration (color fringing) that can ruin photos at the extreme end of the zoom range. This combined with the new Venus IV processor and the rather impressive ‘Intelligent Auto’ mode, will provide you with great pictures from close up and REALLY far away. Another brand new super-zoom is from Canon and is a huge upgrade to the S5 IS model. The new Canon SX10 IS not only bumps up the megapixels from 6 to 10 but also the longtime 12x zoom to a phenomenal 20x making it the current super-zoom king as of this writing. One of my favorite things about the SX10 is the 2.5 inch swivel screen that allows you to flip the screen towards the camera to help protect it when not in use.

If you insist, as I do, on taking your big photo gear like your digital SLR with you, how do you keep it safe but easily accessible? A favorite of mine are Lowepro bags. Their Slingshot and new Fastpack series of backpacks are a great way to take your SLR and quite a bit of support gear (lenses, flash units, and extra batteries/memory). With a single strap that crosses your chest, it’s simple to swing the bag around to the front and access your camera and gear. If you want something even more compact, you can get one of the Digital Holster series from Think Tank. The Digital Holster 20 is just the right size for a semi-pro camera (such as the Canon 50D or the Nikon D90), and the Digital Holster 40 is great for a pro sized camera (such as the Canon 1Ds Mk III or the Nikon D3) or a semi-pro camera with a battery grip attached. They cradle the camera very nicely and even have an expandable bottom to accommodate longer lenses. There is also a really nice flap inside that protects the back of your camera and the screen from the folded up strap and a side pocket to hold an extra battery and memory card. I used the Digital Holster 20 for a whole week traipsing up and down Manhattan and it is now my favorite bag of all time for my camera. My only complaint is that there is not a loop on the side that would allow me to throw a lens case on as well for a second lens, though I did pretty well with my 18-200mm ‘walk-about’ lens.

Speaking of ‘walk-about’ lenses, if you happen to have a non-full frame Canon or Nikon Digital SLR, Tamron has just developed the first zoom lens with a 15x zoom range. The Tamron 18-270mm Lens has their proprietary Vibration Compensation mechanism that works to minimize lens shake. The huge range and very good image stabilization system make it an ideal single lens solution for any trip. It is not currently out as of the time of this writing but should be available by the time you read this.

If you have been waiting for the perfect time to pick up an iPod Touch, or better yet, an iPhone, just before your trip is a great time to pick one up. With the new update to the Version 2 software for the both the Touch and iPhone, you now have access to a whole slew of new applications that can make your travel a lot easier. The original software and equipment were already great for a trip to browse the internet and check email but with the addition of some really great travel oriented applications, some of them free, your Touch or iPhone can turn into a tour guide right in your pocket.

Why bother trying to carry around a big folded up map and trying to figure out where you are when you can just call up a city guide on the screen? Better yet, the iPhone can use its GPS functionality to point out exactly where you are on that map and how to get to hundreds if not thousands of points of interest. Another advantage of the Touch/iPhone is that while you are waiting in line for whatever tourist attraction or bored out of your skull looking at yet another piece of artwork in some museum, you can watch a movie or TV show. Or you can do what I do and throw on a really rockin’ album and make your own little soundtrack for the museum (Metallica and Monet or maybe some Def Leppard and Degas).

These are just a couple of bits of advice for the tech-savvy traveler. Next month, will be my holiday gear guide where I will have some more in-depth reviews of some of the items mentioned in this column, as well as a bunch of others to make your inner geek squeal like a little girl at a Jonas Brothers concert.

As always, if you have a questions or have any requests for gear you would like to see reviewed, please write to me at jeff@healthandleisureonline.com. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Gadgets & Gear: December 2007

Wracking your brain trying to figure out what to get the Gadget Geek in your life for the holidays? Have no fear, this month’s article is all about some of the season’s top gadgets, any of which would put a silly grin on your little geeks face when they open it.

It has been a busy year for a lot of electronics companies. I can’t remember the last time I have seen so many extremely cool gadgets all out at once. There are some serious battles brewing among a lot of different companies to try to earn your dollar. Everything from MP3 players to cameras has seen some major cool factor injections and some serious upgrades to capabilities; all while keeping prices the same (if not a little less). So here are some of my top picks for the best gadgets of the holiday season.

MP3/MEDIA PLAYERS

Got a call from Lucifer the other day, and it seems he is a bit peeved at the sudden decrease in temperature down there. What happened? I bought my first iPod and switched my main MP3 player to Apple. More than one friend of mine asked if I was OK since I said it would be a cold day down there before I switched to an iPod. Well, I’m eating crow and believe it or not, it really does taste like chicken (it is a little bitter though).

For those of you who have been readers since our first issue this January, you will know that I was not a particular fan of Steve Jobs. While I have always thought that iPods were undeniably stylish, I’m also one of those who refuse to go along with the herd. Well, that article was written some time in November ‘06 and since then my wife got her little pink Nano (the last generation), and after seeing that Apple did make some serious improvements to iTunes for Windows users, I broke down and purchased an iPod Shuffle (which I did rate very highly in my review of best music players for the gym). It became my favorite music player for when I work out and actually took over as one of my main players. It is so easy to use and so incredibly well designed that I was sucked in. I still held on to my SanDisk Sansa player for my main player (meaning the one with my entire music library) but started having serious thoughts of moving completely over to iPods this summer. Apple cinched the deal with my #1 pick for must have gadget this season.

iPod Touch: This thing brings a grin to my face every time I use it. From the incredibly cool cover flow feature that lets you ‘flip’ through your music collection like flipping through a stack of LPs (for the younger readers out there, those are the things that look like really big black CDs) to the huge screen which is incredibly gorgeous when showing off pictures or watching movies. And, believe it or not, it does a great job showing off web pages. Shortly after the iPhone came out, I had said that if they ever came out with one without the phone feature (which has been a letdown for some people), I would be the first to buy it. I was one of the first people to get one of the first shipments to the local Apple store.

If you thought the iPhone was super sleek and stylish, the Touch outdoes it by being even more slender and stylish (I personally prefer the black bezel around the screen vs. the iPhone’s stainless steel). My mother, who is not a gadget geek by any stretch of the imagination, was even grinning like a little kid when she saw all the cool things the Touch can do. Even beyond playing music and movies or TV shows, I have to say the features I use the most are the web browser and the picture viewer. While you can only use the web browser at Wi-Fi hotspots and not everywhere like with the iPhone, it comes in pretty handy when you need to look up something on the internet and don’t have your laptop or don’t want to use the more truncated version on most cell phones.

This isn’t the internet you have seen on most phones, it is the real deal and uses Apple’s Safari browser just like the Mac computers. While it can be a little hard sometimes to hit some of the really small hyperlinks on some pages, all in all it works like a charm. As for pictures, the Touch is like carrying around entire picture albums. It is so cool to hand the Touch over to a friend and let them flip through the photos from your last trip. You can even zoom in on the picture with a little ‘finger-spread’ motion on the touch screen or shrink them down again with a ‘pinch’ motion.

While the Touch doesn’t have the gargantuan hard drive capacities of the new ‘Classic’ iPod, it does come in both an 8GB and 16GB capacities and cost $299 and $399 respectively. The 8GB version is probably a bit small unless you have a relatively small music collection. I have a decent size music collection, a movie, a TV show, and about 500 pictures loaded onto mine, and I have 7 out of the 16GB left on my Touch. Oh, and when you are at the store, pick up a case for the Touch, because while it is awfully pretty and sleek, it is a finger print magnet.

The Rest of the iPod Lineup: Okay, I already gushed about the Touch, but I have to give a quick shout out to the rest of the iPod lineup. Apple has made some very cool changes to the rest of the iPod line. Now the Nano is even smaller but has a bigger screen and supports video (in fact the screen on the Nano has the highest resolution out of any iPod) and comes in 4GB and 8GB flavors ($149 and $199 respectively). The now ‘Classic’ video iPod comes in 80 and 160GB versions ($249 and $349), and both are still very sleek and now have an anodized aluminum front which doesn’t streak up with finger prints like the last several generations of iPods (can’t say that about the stainless steel back though). Both the Nano and Classic have updated their interfaces and support their own version of Cover Flow, not as cool as the version on the Touch, but still pretty cool. Finally, the still very cool Shuffle comes in some new colors but otherwise is unchanged and still only costs $79.

Sony Walkman NWZ-A818: “Ding dong the witch is dead, the wicked witch is dead.” Not really, but Sony’s SonicStage software is. The albatross that has been hanging around Sony’s neck for the last several years of digital music player history is finally gone and with it Sony’s proprietary music format. The ATRAC3 music format was actually not bad but it never got much support out of anyone other than Sony, so it kind of died on the vine. Now Sony music players will support both unprotected AAC (music encoded using iTunes though not purchased from there) and both protected and unprotected WMA (so it supportS all the other music sites such as Napster and Rhapsody) as well as MP3. On top of that it also has a slide show viewer for pictures and can even support some video formats. The killer is that it has tremendous battery life compared to an iPod (almost 36 hours) and the fact that they actually ship with a nice set of earphones not the junk ones like with the iPod which is even better because music on the Sony sounds fantastic. The new Walkman comes in 2GB ($120), 4GB ($150), and 8GB ($200) versions. Finally, Sony is back in the music game.

Archos 605 Wi-Fi: This is the media gadget to end all media gadgets, though you will pay for it. The Archos 605 is a full-blown media center in your pocket, albeit a very large pocket. Sporting a 4.3 inch touch screen, 30, 80 or a 160GB hard drive, a music player, a video player, picture viewer, and basic Wi-Fi connectivity right out of the box is impressive enough. Where the Archos really shines, and takes a bigger bite out of your wallet, is in the applications you can buy for it. For an extra $20 each you can get high-def video playback or internet radio; for an additional $30 you can buy the Opera web browser plug-in and get full internet connectivity with Flash video support (for sites like YouTube) and out of the box it supports MP3 and protected WMA. You can buy the plug-in to support AAC but not the protected files from iTunes. The add-on that is the real sweet deal for this machine is the $99 DVR Station. This gives your Archos the ability to download TV right from your cable box and have them available for you to watch where ever you want. It includes the base station that plugs into your TV, and you even get a very good program guide to select which shows you want it to record. You don’t have to just watch the shows on the Archos player though since it can act as your TVs main video recorder.

The only thing holding the Archos back from being the mother of all gadgets is the rather short battery life, though Archos will be glad to sell you an additional battery for $49. The 30GB version retails for $299, the 80GB for $350, and the 160GB for $400 without the add-ons.

CAMERAS

Canon 40D: This is my new baby. I love this camera. I would marry it if it weren’t illegal in most states, though I might be able to get away with it in Nevada – you can get away with anything there. With a 10.1 megapixel sensor, blazing fast shooting speed, a three inch screen with the ability for live view (which is great when you can’t put your eye to the viewfinder), as well as 14-bit A/D processing and a new weather sealed body this camera is at the pinnacle of semi-pro cameras.

While other makers may have just released cameras with bigger sensors, or image stabilization in the camera body, or higher resolution screens, the one thing they can’t match is the Canon selection of lenses. Not only does Canon have the largest selection of lenses, but it also has the largest third-party support as well. So, if there is a focal length you need, you can get it for the Canon. While watching your favorite football game look at all the cameras with the big white lenses on them, those would be Canon lenses.

While shooting with a digital SLR is a little more complex than your regular point-and-shoot, once you learn how to use an SLR you will be amazed at the things you can do with it. The 40D sells for $1300 for the body only (which is great if you already own Canon lenses) or $1500 with a lens kit.

Canon S5 IS: The fourth generation in a line of very good cameras the S5 isn’t so much of a revolution, or even an evolution, it is more of the same with a little touch up. Still it is probably the best of the super-zoom class currently on the market. With an 8 megapixel sensor, a 12X zoom, and a 2.5 inch screen, this is the closest thing you can get to owning an SLR without having to buy all the lenses.

While other super-zooms, namely Sony’s H9, have a bigger sensor and screen, they also took a step back in ease of use. The Canon has kept it’s simple design and top-notch interface. If your geek just wants a camera with a little more ‘reach’ than your typical point-and-shoot, or if they just want camera that has a few more advanced features, the Canon S5 IS would make a great present. You can get the S5 for $400, though if they don’t need the two extra mega-pixels and half an inch of screen, you can get the S3 IS for a steal right now.

Sony DSC-W80: A great pocketable camera with an incredibly easy to use interface and great performance in a wide range of situations, though to be fair, like many compact cameras with their tiny sensors, it’s image quality does suffer a bit in indoor/low-light situations. I spent weeks to find the best camera for my wife that was easy to use, had a nice size screen, and was stylish enough for her to carry around. The W80 is very easy to use, has a fast start up time, a 2.5 inch screen, a picture setting selector that tells you on the screen what each setting is best for, and best of all, it came in pink (my wife’s favorite color) as well as a host of other colors. The Sony W80 is a great little camera for everyday use and you can pick it up for $230.

GPS DEVICES

Garmin Nuvi 660 or 350: Want your lovable geek to make it to the holiday dinner on time and not end up somewhere in Ohio? Then maybe give them an early present of a GPS navigator. Garmin is by far the leader in the GPS market and makes units with very powerful receivers and a ton of features. The problem is that you pay for that power and versatility. Both devices can give turn-by-turn voice directions and can display maps in both 2D/3D. Both can also get current traffic updates and come with a 90-day trial subscription, but after that you (or they) have to pay. You can get the Gamin Nuvi 660 for $800 and the 350 is $500. If you are looking for a unit that is a little less expensive, you can look at the units made by TomTom, especially the XL-S which provides a lot of great features for about $100 less than the Garmin 350.

Well, I’m about out of space, so I guess I have to end it here. I could go on for pages though on all the latest games and toys that the geek in your life would just love this holiday season. It surely is a great time to be a gadget geek.

As always if you have any questions about this article or any gadget at all, please feel free to write me at jeff@healthandleisureonline.com.

Gadgets & Gear: September 2007

Photography. All of us fancy ourselves as a photographer at some time or another. There is something about photography that calls out to just about everyone. People much smarter than me have debated what it is about photographs that draw us in so much. Some say that it is our way of freezing time in our inescapable march towards death (that depressed me just typing it). Some say that it ties into our human need to document what we have done in our lives (cave paintings were just early versions of photo albums). Either way you look at it, virtually everyone loves photos, except maybe when sitting through Aunt Millie’s slideshow of her 15 cats… “Here they are licking themselves, here they are sleeping, here they are coughing up a hairball, isn’t that just the cutest thing?”

This is the first in a two-part series on photography, digital imaging to be specific since hardly anyone uses film anymore. This article is on how to buy a digital camera and next month’s will be about the software to use with your digital images. You might have noticed that I said HOW to buy a digital camera and not WHICH digital cameras to buy. Normally, I would give recommendations on products but I am going to refrain this time. Photography is a very subjective field, and people are very picky about what they like and some people are VERY territorial about their cameras. On some of the online photography forums you can get away with disparaging their mother, but never their camera. (Insult: “Your mother was a witch and you shoot with a Nikon!” Response: “How dare you, I have NEVER used a Nikon!”).

All cameras take photographs differently, even different models from the same manufacturer. Some take photos with super-saturated colors, some take very softly focused shots, some take very sharp, almost 3D photos. The thing about it is, some people will love the effect, others would think their camera is broken. My very first digital camera was from Sony, and it took very good pictures, but it was one of those that produced super-saturated colors, which I thought looked quite nice. Other people hated it because it wasn’t true to life. You are going to have to decide on your own personal tastes. What follows are the two questions I ask everyone who asks me for advice on which digital camera to buy (which is second only to which MP3 player to buy).

How big are you going to make the prints?

A camera that has a ten megapixel sensor has got to be better than one with a measly six megapixels right? Wrong! The camera companies have trained everyone to think this way so that you will run right out and sell your old camera on eBay as soon as the new model comes out with one more megapixel and not much else different.

The truth is, some very high megapixel cameras turn out far worse photos in a very objective sense than those with far less megapixels. Granted, some of these problems are due to other factors such as the quality of the lens and the software in the camera and not the sensor. The problem is, as you pack more and more sensors onto a chip, you have to make them smaller and smaller to fit or you have to increase the size of the chip, which is expensive and can change the form factor of the camera.

As you pack more and more of those sensors closer together, they can create all kinds of problems, not the least of which is “noise”. This is the thing that can make a digital image look “grainy,” like you would get with the old high-speed film. Now graininess may be something you like in an artistic way, but digital noise oftentimes doesn’t just introduce graininess. It can also produce other image problems that can destroy a picture. That just proves my point, that it’s not the size of your sensor, it’s how you use it. Actually, it is the whole package that really matters.

So how many megapixels do you need? That depends on how big of a picture you are going to produce. Ninety-five percent of the people on the planet would never need a camera over three megapixels, let alone six. Who are those 10 and 12 megapixel monsters made for? Pros typically (at least in the digital SLR arena). And, suckers (for those getting a point-and-shoot camera).

If you are never going to print a picture bigger than the typical 4 x 6” print, you don’t need any more than three megapixels! If I take a picture with a ten megapixel camera and you shoot the same picture with a three, and we both print a 4 x 6” at the same photo lab, they will both be really nice pictures and any difference between the two is probably going to be more due to the lens or the software than the sensor.

In truth, your picture may look better than mine; there is that whole subjective thing again. So here is a little guide on how big of a sensor you need according to what size of print you are going to make:

• 3 megapixel = 5 x 7” (you could even blow that 4 x 6 up to the next size and it would look great)

• 4 megapixel = 8 x 10”

• 5 megapixel = 11 x 14”

• 6 megapixel = 13 x 19”

• 8 megapixel = 16 x 20”

• 10-12 megapixel = 24 x 36”

So, unless you are planning on printing out a poster that is 2 x 3 feet, you really don’t need that super megapixel camera. You would be much better off buying a higher quality camera with a smaller sensor.

How do you plan on using the camera?

This is the easiest question to ask yourself; “Am I just using this camera to take quick shots of people/events, or do I really want to get creative with my photos?” If you are just planning on taking basic pictures of your kids, your spouse, and the trip to Hawaii, all you really need or probably want is a point and shoot (P&S) camera. What I mean by a P&S is a camera that is typically very compact and does not allow you to switch out the lenses. These are what 90% of the cameras at Best Buy or any major retailer would be classified under. That’s not to say that you can’t do a lot with these cameras – some of them have special modes in them that are pretty advanced and you can get somewhat creative with your pictures (adjusting shutter speed, maybe adjusting the aperture for less depth of field) – but mostly they were intended to be used in “Full Auto” mode most of the time.

Most of these cameras are great and will take pictures that you will most likely be very happy with. Also, they are typically very easy to put in a small case and put into a pocket or a purse. If you are a casual photographer, find one here that feels the easiest for you to use, has a screen you like and has any special features that you like (i.e. Kodak and several other brands have cameras that have little printer docks that can print out your 4 x 6” prints all in one package).

If you fancy yourself as the next Ansel Adams or Annie Leibovitz, you might want to consider a Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. It will be very hard to get sweeping panoramas or portraits that almost jump out at you with a P&S camera. With power comes complexity, and while almost all DSLRs have a basic mode (you can get a DSLR and keep it in its basic mode all the time but you will basically have a very powerful and expensive P&S), they really shine when you put them into their “creative” modes. This is where you can play with the shutter speed to make a waterfall or a stream turn into a white “otherworldly” substance or freeze them to where you can see every drop. You can play with the aperture and get tack sharp focus from the camera all the way out to infinity, or open it up to take a portrait with everything but the person’s face beautifully out of focus to really draw attention to them.

Like I said above, some P&S cameras can do this to some degree or another, but none of them excel at it the way a DSLR was designed to do. Also, with a DSLR you have the ability to swap out lenses to suit the type of photography you are doing. Shooting sports? You can get yourself one of those wicked cool white Canon telephoto lenses. Want to take in a wide cityscape or interior of a beautiful cathedral? Go out and get a super wide angle lens. Want to take close-ups of a bee perched on a flower? Go grab yourself a nice macro lens (though I have to admit a lot of P&S cameras have some pretty impressive macro modes, though none will match the quality of a dedicated macro lens).

One thing about DSLRs that throws a lot of digital P&S owners is that you don’t compose the picture on the LCD on the back (that is only for reviewing the picture and menu functions), with a DSLR you go back to sticking the camera to your face and taking the picture through the viewfinder. This is due to the design of all SLRs, digital or not, and while some new DSLRs offer what they call a “live view” on the LCD screen, it’s not the best, and you should just use the viewfinder.

Quick note here on a class of cameras called “Megazoom” cameras. These are cameras that typically look like a hybrid of a P&S and a DSLR. They are more compact than a DSLR but have a bigger lens than a P&S. If you aren’t quite ready to make the jump from a P&S to a DSLR you might want to consider one of these cameras because even though they are still P&S cameras, they tend to have a little more options in the creative arena. Some of these cameras function almost identically to their DSLR big brothers with the exception of swapping out lenses (you really don’t need to though because the lens on many of these cameras cover the entire gamut of lenses you can buy with a DSLR).

That’s it?

Yep, those are the two questions I ask people when they ask me for advice on what digital camera to buy. There are just too many different features from each maker, and even within each product line, to go in-depth about all of them. Once you know how big of a sensor you need and which type of camera you are looking for, then you need to go out and find the one that fits your hands the best, has a big enough screen for you, and is easy enough for you to take around with you.

If you are looking for some specific camera reviews from some good sources, here are a few sites to look up. My favorite site is www.dpreview.com. This is a camera site for photographers by photographers. These guys give you multi-page reviews with comparisons to other cameras in the class and sample photos. Another good site is the one for the magazine Popular Photography at www.popphoto.com. You can also go to www.cnet.com and look under their reviews section. They are usually pretty good on all tech reviews though I think their camera reviews are their weakest section (I don’t think any of them are a real photographer nor do they use the real lab equipment to test the camera like DPReview and PopPhoto).

Have fun and see you next month when I’ll be writing about all the little software programs to play with all those photos from your new camera. As always, if you have any questions feel free to write me at jeff@healthandleisureonline.com.