droolicious : camera

The Babble Review - Kata 3N1 Camera Bag

Chris Ford — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Taking photos with my DSLR camera - especially taking photos of my kids - has become one of my passions. But the problem for me and most parents is, how do you deal with carrying a big expensive camera while still dealing with kids and all of the stuff that they require? In fact, I've spoken with many parents who have complained of this same problem. So I've been searching for the perfect camera bag, and although I think ultimately the idea of a "perfect" camera bag may just be an illusion - I might have found a pretty close one - the Kata 3N1 Camera Bag.

My complete review after the jump.

At the bare minimum, my requirements for a great camera bag are it needs to hold my camera, two additional lenses, a flash and have a space for some personal items (cell phone, keys, water bottle etc.). Also, I was really looking for a bag that would work as a sling, so I wouldn't have to constantly be taking the bag off to grab my camera to take a picture. This part is especially important for parents trying to deal with kids and a camera at the same time. The great thing about the Kata 3N1 is that it met all of those bare requirements, plus had a lot of features that, while I wasn't specifically looking for them, have proven to come in very handy.

The Kata 3N1 holds my Canon 50D with a lens on the body, as well as a medium telephoto and 50mm lens in the bag. It also holds my external flash as well as all of the other normal stuff you'd want to carry in a camera bag (memory cards, extra batteries, remote trigger cords etc.). It also has a decently sized compartment at the top for personal items. But the best part about the bag is that it works as a sling as well as a backpack. The bag can be configured to be a right-handed or a left-handed sling, as well as a backpack for when you're hiking or know you won't need the camera at a moment's notice. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's the only left-handed sling camera bag on the market.

When taking pictures with kids, this sling feature is immensely helpful. I took the bag to birthday parties, to the park and other outdoor activities; and whenever they did something cute or spontaneous that I wanted to take a picture of, I could just twist the bag around my body, pull open the top and have the camera ready in a matter of seconds. In fact getting to most of the other stuff in the bag was equally easy - but it will depend on how you set up the bag for yourself.

The other great thing about the bag that I love is that while it holds a lot of stuff, it really isn't that big or bulky. I tested the Kata 3N1-20 which is the medium-sized bag in the line, and it seemed there was a place or a pocket for every piece of gear (memory card pocket, easy access external pouches for filters or batteries etc.). And to me at least, the look of the bag doesn't scream "I've got an expensive camera over here! Check me out!" It really just looks like a small black backpack, which is important not just for modesty's sake, but also safety (cameras in bags that don't necessarily look like camera bags are less of a target for thieves).

Besides all of that, it's got all of the things you'd expect in a camera bag from a company like Kata. There is a waterproof cover for the bag in case it rains, a great handle on the top of the bag and very sturdy construction. Oh, and it also has the signature Kata yellow interior lining - which might not seem like that big of a deal, but anyone who's dug around the bottom of a black camera bag looking for a black camera accessory can understand how cool this feature is.

In fact, I tried very hard to find a problem with the bag, but ultimately I came up short. It's not even that expensive, especially considering how expensive the camera and gear you're putting into it likely is.

The bag won't hold a laptop or every last item of your camera gear (like a tripod) so it might not be great for long vacations or trips. It also won't hold a lot of the kid-stuff that parents sometimes have to lug around so it won't work as a camera/diaper bag combo, but it has become my personal day-to-day camera bag and is my absolute recommendation for parents with a DSLR camera.

You can check out the Kata 3N1 camera bag line at Kata-Bags.com.
Or purchase the Kata 3N1 20 for $99.95 at Amazon.com.

The Most Awesome Valentine’s Day Gifts

Heather Kuldell — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:01:00 GMT

Ah, remember when Valentine’s Day was a couples affair? Chances are dang good that if you’re reading this blog, your special someone has multiplied into special someones. Fear not, we have a few recommendations for those immediate family needs, particularly those with a little sense of humor.

Kick off the day with a big “I love you,” but say it with toast. Order an “I Love You” Toast Stamper, press it on your bread of choice and pop the thing in the toaster. Mmm, crisp love for only $4.50 at Archee McPhee.

Little details can show your sweet side. Slip a French Heart-Shaped Sugar on the edge of morning coffee (or tea or hot chocolate). A 64-count box is on sale for $9.99.

Oh baby, the options for the wee babe are numerous, but I like the I Got the Beat T-shirt. Each American Apparel t-shirt features an anatomical heart and reads “I got the beat” in both English and Japanese. Available in baby blue or lavender for $18. BTW, there’s a matching stuffed ani ... er, organ too.

For your sweetheart’s sweet hair, check out the Hugs and Kisses Valentine’s Day Hair Clip. Each clip is a little smaller than 2 inches and handmade with wool felt. Pick one up for $10.95. (For more girly suggestions, check out Sunny’s list here.)

For the kids who like to cuddle, Mini Robot with Headphones take the edge off of robots. Each of these 6-inch plushies are hand-sewn felt and feature a big ol’ red heart and safety eyes. It’s a limited run and will cost $28.

For those who believe in magic, try the Heart Musical Fairy Wand. Spread the love with pure imagination or the chiming sound the aluminum alloy makes. Each wand measure between 10 and 12 inches tall and is prices at $4.99. Other designs are also available.

For the fighter (and not a lover), the Vermont Teddy Bear Company created the 15-inch Ultimate Lover. The bear’s gloves feature red hearts and the shorts read “You’re a knockout.” Silly? Absolutely. But even tough kids have a soft side somewhere. Bears start at $69.95 and can be customized.

For the parent who’s been extra good this year, treat him or her with a Sony Ericsson Cyber-Shot Camera Phone. The C902 is slim, but features a 5-megapixel camera with flash. Most cell phones on the market hover around the 1.3-megapixel mark or boast if they reach 3.2. Five, on the other hand, is a decent enough camera that leaving a separate device at home is actually possible. Available in a very Valentine-y Lusicious Red or Swift Black, it’s a splurge at $499.99, but it’s marked down from $549.

And for yourself, offer your partner a few Love Lotto scratch-offs. Each ticket offers a mix of winnings: french kisses, hot dates or get lucky. Woohoo! You both win! For $9.95, get 100 tear-out game cards.

ModoPocket Portable Tripod Is Perfect For Budding Photographers

Chris Ford — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:00:00 GMT

I saw some great cameras that would be great first cameras for older kids at CES (including one that prints photos right out of the camera), and I even found a great starter camera bag. And the ModoPocket mini-tripod is a great little accessory for that first camera too.

The MondoPocket (from tripod experts Manfrotto) is a small table-top tripod that folds up underneath the camera. It's about the same size as a business card, and raises the camera off of a table, ground or almost any other surface. The other cool thing it has is a mount for another tripod underneath, so you can keep it attached to your camera full time - even when you want to attach your camera to a bigger tripod.

If your kid is interested in photography, this would be a great way to get them to start thinking about their camera as something that can do things besides just taking snapshots.

The MondoPocket 797 is available now for around $30. Check it out at Manfrotto.com.

CES 2009: Casio EX-FC100 - The Coolest Point And Shoot Camera At The Show

Chris Ford — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Earlier today I told you about a pretty amazing camcorder, but what about a pretty amazing digital camera? It's not a crazy DSLR or anything fancy, but the Casio EX-FC100 is one of the coolest pocket point-and-shoot camera I've seen.

The EX-FC100 is pretty much like any other normal to high-end point and shoot digital camera (9 megapixels, 5x optical zoom, CMOS sensors and anti-shake technology) with one big exception. It will shoot a high speed burst of thirty frames per second.

Huh? What that means is, you'll be able to shoot some super slow-mo action for some amazing effects. Think bird photography, or your kid's soccer game - anything where there is going to be a lot of movement and you want to get a great shot. At a 30 fps burst, more than likely you're going to get a good shot. The image quality in the burst is only at four megapixels, but to me it's worth giving up the megapixels for such a cool effect. And how big of a print are you going to make anyway?

Other notes: the representative from Casio told me that it's ISO sensitivity is good up to about 800, which seems a bit high for me but I was (obviously) unable to test it. Also, it doesn't shoot time lapse which is a good thing for me, because if it did I'd have a hard time not buying one myself.

The Casio EX-FC100 will retail for $399 and will be available at the end of March 2009.

CES 2009: Panasonic HDC-HS300 HD Video Camera Is Truly Droolworthy

Chris Ford — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

On Tuesday I showed you a HD video camera for the family on a budget, but what about the family that is looking to upgrade and get a top of the line consumer camcorder? For that, the Panasonic HDC-HS300 should fit the bill nicely.

The HDC-HS300 has all the bells and whistles of the best of the Panasonic video cameras - like face detection, full HD 1920x1080 resolution and a 12x optical zoom. The HS300 also has a built in 120 GB hard drive which should record more video than a parent would ever need before he or she could get back to their computer to download it (around 50 hours). But if that isn't enough, it will also take an SD/SDHC memory card too.

Panasonic HDC-HS300 will retail for $1399 and will be available in the end of March / beginning of April 2009.

CES 2009: GameLeash and CamLeash For Kid's Handheld Electronics

Chris Ford — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The GameLeash / CamLeash is exactly what it says it is. A simple idea to be sure, but after having shopped for a camera wrist strap recently, it wasn't as easy to find something I liked. And if you're buying your child a new camera or handheld video game player, getting them a wrist strap that's more secure than what comes with the device is a pretty good idea.

They are both identical (just different packaging) and made of velcro and neoprene.

A single leash costs $9.99 and a four pack (bundled for Nintendo Wiimotes really) will set you back $29.99. Available now from Leashtec.com.

CES 2009: Canon Selphy Portable Printers

Chris Ford — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:30:00 GMT

Canon has updated their Selphy portable printers, and for some people a printer that only prints 4x6 pictures might be overkill. But for families I think they're pretty great.

All the Selphy printers use dye-sublimation printing and (in my judgement) make great looking 4x6 prints. Two units the ES3 (on the left) and the ES30 use a cartridge system, which keeps the paper and "ink" (dye really) all in one unit. So there's never a situation where you run out of ink before you run out of paper or vice versa. The CP770 (on the right) and CP760 use a separate dye and paper system. All of them are portable, and they even have features where you can put borders, words and other "creative" things onto the prints - a feature particularly good for kids.

The printers take all forms of cards directly from your camera as well as the Pict Bridge system or a USB connection to your computer. The prints will cost you about $0.28 per print.

Prices range from $99.99 to $199.99. Check them out at USA.Canon.com.

CES 2009: Kata Camera Backpack Small Enough For Kids Gear

Chris Ford — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:00:00 GMT

So I've been telling you about beginner cameras options for your kids, but what about a good bag to put it in? And not just the camera, but what about all the other electronic gadgets (hand held video games, cell phones etc.) they've got? The Kata DR461 backpack will keep all of their stuff safe, but is sized small enough that even younger kids will be able to manage without a problem.

More info after the jump.

The DR-461 is a serious camera bag if you want it to be. But at 11 inches long by 12 inches high by 6.5 inches wide, it almost looks like a big lunch bag. And a small camera backpack for adults is just the right size for kids. And my guess is that if you get them a serious camera bag to go with their brand new "adult" camera, they might give the new camera you just dropped $150 on for them some more respect.

That is, of course, a theory.

The Kata DR-461 retails for around $60 and is available now. Check it out at Kata-Bags.com.

Hello Kitty Exlim Digital Camera From Casio

Chris Ford — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:01:00 GMT

It seems like Japan always has the cool new stuff. The Hello Kitty Exlim camera from Casio is pink, 8.1 mega pixels and would be perfect for the Hello Kitty fan in all of our daughters. But did I mention that it's available in Japan? More info after the jump.

The camera has 8.1 megapixels, a 3x optical zoom and will record movies - all pretty standard stuff for digital cameras these days. In fact, it's kind of on the low end for digital point and shoot cameras. And it isn't even on the Casio USA web site, but they do feature it on the Casio Japan web site. If you speak Japanese, check it out here.

One enterprising web site is selling the camera to US customers, but it will set you back $598.60, plus shipping. A comparable Exlim camera from Casio (and it's even pink) with slightly better specs (4x optical zoom and a bigger LCD screen) has a MSRP of $199.99 according to the Casio USA web site, so you can see the premium you'll be paying for Hello Kitty.

My advice? Find someone who's making a trip to Tokyo sometime soon and have them pick one up for you.

Hello Kitty Digital Camera, $598.60 from GeekStuff4U.com

Father's Day Gift Alert: Flip Video Mino Released Today

Chris Ford — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:02:00 GMT

Looking for a good Father's Day Gift? Check out the Flip Video Mino. Flip Video is a brand of camcorders that are small, compact and incredibly portable. Small and simple to use, they basically are the point-and-shoot of video cameras. The new one that's out today, the Flip Video Mino, records full VGA video in a camera that's a pocket-sized 4" x 2" x 1/2".

I've had a Flip Video camera (the Flip Video Ultra) for a few months now, and It's been really great to have. I keep it in my pocket most everywhere I go with the kids, and it's perfect for recording the spontaneous moments that you want to remember - without having to go dig the camcorder out of the closet.

The software to download the video to your computer (or do simple edits) lives on the video camera itself, and the USB plug "flips" out of the camcorder, making the whole thing really easy to operate. It's Windows and Mac compatible, and has 2GB of flash memory which records one hour of video. The Mino has a rechargeable battery (like an iPod) while the Ultra takes AA batteries (and personally, not having to worry about it being charged or not is something I like better).

Check out the Flip Video Mino, $179.99 at Amazon.com. (The slightly larger version, the Ultra, is $129.99).

Gorillapod Go-Go

Chris Ford — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:48:00 GMT

Imagine you're on an airplane, or a car trip, or any public place where you want the kids quiet, occupied and sitting down. Bringing the portable DVD player might not be feasible, but with all the iPhone's, iPods, cell phones and other small portable video devices out there, having something handy they can watch isn't out of the question. The real question is, how do you get more than one kid to watch it without them fighting over it. I present to you, the Gorillapod Go-Go.

The Gorillapod has been a handy portable table-top tripod for some years now, but manufacturer Joby has made it even better. The Go-Go comes with (in addition to the standard tripod screw mount) adhesive clips and a suction cup mount. The adhesive clips (there are two) would be for things that you would frequently attach to the Gorillapod, but the suction cup mount will attach to most anything with a flat, smooth surface. Which is (as it turns out) is perfect for an iPod, cell phone, GPS or anything else you can think of.

The website says they are "Coming in April 2008" and there isn't a price, but the regular Gorillapod retails for around $21.95. Check it out at Joby.com.

CES 2008: Panasonic SD9 High Definition Camcorder

Chris Ford — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:18:00 GMT

If you're shopping for a new camcorder for that new baby, you may want to hold off for a few months, because I'm pretty sure the Panasonic SD9 is going to be worth the wait. It's fully HD and feature-packed, but I think it's the price that's going to make most people really excited.

The Panasonic SD9 is a 3 CCD camcorder that records full 1080P high definition video on small SD media cards. Getting about seven minutes per gigabyte, you'll be able to record about 224 minutes on one 32GB card (or 112 minutes on a 16GB card). The incredibly small media size also allows the camera itself to be incredibly small. I don't know if you can tell from the picture I took, but the camera is not much bigger than the palm of your hand. It basically feels like holding a lens with an LCD screen attached.

The camcorder also has a really cool face recognition feature. Basically, it notices when there is anything resembling a face in the view finder, and then automatically focuses and adjusts the lighting so that you can see the face. It even works in extreme backlit situations and seems like a really useful thing to have.

But like I mentioned, the best part is the price. The SD9 will have an MSRP of $799, which is considerably cheaper than what the current HD camcorders from Panasonic were selling for just a few weeks ago. According to the rep at CES, the camera should be available in the US sometime after May of 2008.

Check out the SD9 at Panasonic.co.jp.

CES 2008: Canon Selphy Compact Photo Printer

Chris Ford — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:07:00 GMT

The Canon Selphy is a compact photo printer that only prints 4-by-6 photos. The idea is that if you have a small, (relatively) inexpensive printer that just prints photos, you'll end up printing more photos and enjoying your digital camera even more. The Selphy is not unlike a lot of other printers available just like it, with a few cool exceptions.

The Canon Selphy prints great 4-by-6 photos (the image quality of the examples they showed were really quite good), connects to your computer via USB and can take all forms of removable media cards as well. Like some other printers, you can also edit the photos right on the machine and include some goofy effects like "thought bubbles" onto your photos, but the coolest feature to me is in the ink and paper.

Instead of loading paper and ink separately, they both come in one handy cartridge (the cartridge is pictured sticking out of the machine on the right side). Each cartridge has the paper pre-loaded with enough ink for that much paper. Once the paper is out, you load a new one with fresh ink. No more "out of ink" messages--if you're out of paper, you're out of ink. It's a simple solution that I think would work not only for parents but also for kids who are taking pictures with digital cameras. The cartridges are $14.99 for a 50 pack, which comes out to about $0.28 per photo. One odd thing though: The backing on the paper has lines for postcards (as if everything you printed you were going to turn into a postcard). It's kind of weird, but I can't really think of a reason why you would care what's on the back side of your photos anyway.

The Canon Selphy has an MSRP of $199. (There is also a smaller version without the editing features or the cartridges for $99).

Baby Shutterflies Say Cheese

crazedparent — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:37:00 GMT

Such a sweet fabric baby camera ($12.99) by Gund with its pink mixed, green gingham and stripe design. It has a mirrored lens and fabric cover, and even makes a "click" sound.