Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Eye-Fi 16GB Pro X2 Card Announced

By

Eye-Fi 16GB Pro X2

Eye-Fi has unveiled a new 16GB Pro X2 SD card, which also sports a Class 10 designation. As you may know, Eye-Fi cards allow you to wirelessly transmit your images from your camera to your computer, tablet or smartphone over a WiFi network.  The Pro X2 cards also allow transfer of RAW files and can be configured to free up space after photos have transferred off the card.

The new 16GB Pro X2 cards run $99.99 and are available here at Amazon.  Additionally, Eye-Fi dropped the price on 8GB Pro X2 cards to $79.99 to make room for the 16GB models at the top of the food chain.

 

Benro Unveils New Video Tripods, Monopods and Fluid Heads

By

Benro Video Tripods

Benro has announced a number of new video tripods and fluid heads, as well as a pair of monopods equipped with fluid heads.

The new tripods are available in aluminum or carbon fiber.  The tripods and monopods are available as kits with the S-Series heads included, along with a padded travel case.  They come in three weight load capacities – 5.5lbs, 8lbs, and 13.2lbs.  The sliding center column includes a 60mm bowl for fine tuning camera position. [Read more…]

Lowepro Flipside Sport 10L AW Review

By

Lowepro Flipside Sport 10L AW

My mission was to have a successful honeymoon on a tropical island while simultaneously conducting a field test of the Lowepro Flipside Sport 10L AW.  Fortunately my wife, also an avid amateur photography had no problem with my multitasking.  And the Lowepro was more than up to the challenge as it successfully withstood my abuse in the elements including a trail-run through a rainforest and monsoon. [Read more…]

Contour+2 Action Cam Now Available

By

Contour+2

The new Contour+2 action cam is available now.  The new camera features iOS integration, allowing you to start/stop the recording or adjust camera settings from your iPhone/iPad.  It ships will a waterproof case that lets you take the camera down to 197′ underwater.

The Contour+2 captures full HD at 24p/30p – and will even capture 854 x 480p video at 120fps; however, that’s still a far cry from Sony’s new action cams that will capture 720p HD video as 120 fps.  That said, Contour cameras’ functionality and solid GPS features (in the new Contour+2) offer a lot of value in a somewhat unique package.

You can find the new Contour+2 cameras now available here at B&H Photo.

New Vanguard ABEO Plus Tripods

By

ABEO Plus 323CB

One of the new products that Vanguard unveiled at Photokina 2012 was its new ABEO Plus tripod line.

The ABEO Plus models are available with sturdy legs that are either diamond-woven carbon fiber or heavy-gauge aluminum.  These feature a large lever lock that allows you to quickly adjust the height of the center column, as well as tension adjustable flip-lock legs that let you adjust the tension to counter ordinary wear that occurs over long periods of time.

ABEO Plus

The ABEO Plus also feature the same 3-in-1 feet found on the excellent Vanguard Auctus Plus tripods. Additionally, the ABEO Plus tripods feature legs that individually adjust to 25, 50, and 80-degree angles with an ergonomic release button, as well as a low-angle adaptor for macro photography.

The aluminum and carbon fiber models range in price from $219.99 to $479.99.  Check availability at B&H Photo.

Lexar’s New 256GB SDXC UHS-I Card is $900

By

Lexar announced a new 256GB SDXC UHS-I memory card at Photokina 2012.  While Lexar get’s the claim the world’s largest SD card for a short time, the new card will retail for $900 when it arrives in stores next month.

The new card offers a minimum guaranteed read speed of 60MB/s; however, Lexar is mum on the write speed, only saying that it is slower.  Of course, the Class 10 certification means that it will handle HD video from any camera that uses SD cards, which is most likely the only real purpose for using a card this big . . . for now.

In the mean time, you can pick up a 128GB card from Lexar’s same 400X Pro line for $120.

ioSafe N2 Aims to Be a Disaster Proof Private Cloud NAS

By

ioSafe N2

ioSafe has launched an indiegogo campaign to help build its next disaster proof storage device – the N2.

The N2 will provide up to 8TB of storage along with a 2GHz Marvel CPU and 512MB memory.  The N2 will be able to withstand fire damage up to 1550° F and submersion in fresh or salt water up to 10′ for 3 days.  (Read my ioSafe Extreme Rugged Hard Drive Review.)

Aside from the robust build, the N2 will be able to serve as a personal cloud drive that allows you to access content from anywhere you’ve got an Internet connection, including the ability to operate as an iTunes server.

The N2 should begin shipping in January 2013, starting at $600 for a diskless version.  For more details, check out the indiegogo intro video below. [Read more…]

X-Rite ColorMunki Smile is a New Entry-Level Color Calibration Solution

By

ColorMunki Smile

X-Rite’s new ColorMunki Smile is a new calibration too geared toward photo enthusiasts and others looking for a more affordable way to color calibrate their monitors.

ColorMunki Smile includes color measurement hardware and simple software that has a “wizard-based” user interface.  Following on-screen instructions will guide users through the calibration process with no need for an underlying knowledge of color science.

ColorMunki Smile is available for both Mac and PC and will work in dual monitor setups.  ColorMunki Smile retails for $99 and is available now at Amazon.com.

More details on X-Rite’s website.