All 2 entries tagged Gadget Reviews

Gadget Report: Canon Photostitch panoramic images

Only two achievements worth reporting this weekend. Firstly, we planted an apple tree and tidied the garden. And then, we took a series of images using the new EOS350D. These were taken in a sweep from one side of the garden to the other, beyond the widest setting of the 18mm lens. They were then automatically composited together using the Canon Photostitch software that came with the camera. The results are impressive.

You may be able to spot that the wall is a little wobbly. The software got the join slightly wrong. Otherwise, it is a good representation of our moderately wide garden.

Notice the new apple tree (edible dwarf crab apple) on the right.

The hollihocks, hydrangea, budlea and other plants are flowering well at the back.

The herb bed is also doing well.

: 07 Aug 2005 16:41 |  Tags: Gadget Reviews |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Gadget Report: Canon EOS35D digital SLR camera

Writing about web page http://www.canon.co.uk/for_home/product_finder/cameras/digital_slr/eos_350d/index.asp

Emma has a new baby. Not the one she's been expecting for almost nine months, but rather, the Canon EOS350D digital SLR that was her birthday present. She has spent many years taking exciting wildlife photos in Botswana, using a traditional Canon print and slide film SLR. But now that there are top quality but affordable digitals, we're prepared to make the move.

First impressions of the EOS350D are that it is very similar to a traditional SLR, but with all of the additional flexibility of a digital. The controls are familar, with the addition of a screen and menu system for viewing photos as soon as they are taken. In common with most digital SLRs, you have to use the eyepiece to take photos. This does considerably extend battery life.

The 350D has several advantages over previous digital SLRs, such as the Canon EOS300D. It is much lighter, smaller (but comfortable to operate), faster (3 frames per second, fast enough for wildlife), and provides higher quality images, with its 8 megapixel CMOS. The quality of the images is astounding, the best that i've seen. Even when reduced to web size you can see this:

Zooming into the images on my computer, it is clear that we will be able to make enlargements with as much quality as a print or slide. The camera came with an 18mm to 55mm lens, which seems to be good.

Emma also has a set of the excellent Canon Ultrasonic lenses, going up to 300mm (although the focal lengths work out differently on the digital). We suspect that there is no longer any point to using her 2x convertor, as it is so easy to make enlargements on the computer. We are also quickly realising just what an advantage digital is for wildlife photography. On safari we often take over 100 shots a day, and bin a lot of them. With a digital, we can take as many as we like, at no extra cost to us or the environment.

These photos were taken at the Victorian Pleasure Gardens at Hill Close Warwick

You can see more in this gallery

: 30 Jul 2005 16:33 |  Tags: Gadget Reviews |  Comments (12) |  Close comments |  Report a problem