Billingham 335 Photo Camera Bag - Timeless English Classic

Do you believe that there is such thing as a perfect photo camera bag? Well, I still do not, but my belief has been seriously shaken when I started using Billingham 335 Photo Camera Bag. What surprises me most is the attention to details in this bag; it seems like each and every element of its design, including seemingly unimportant things, turn out having their purpose. 07/25/2010

Smithsonian National Museum of American History, About the Museum

The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a very good place for kids and adults to start learning or to improve knowledge about American history. I also think that this museum can be interesting for visitors from other countries. American History museum is located on the National Mall, at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. The Museum is open daily except December 25. Regular hours are 10:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. with extended hours until 7:30 pm during summer time. Admission is free and no tickets are required.

- National Museum of American History: About the Museum
- National Museum of American History, First Floor: Science, Innovation, Technology and Transportation.
- National Museum of American History, Second Floor: American Lives and American Ideas
- National Museum of American History, Third Floor: American Wars and Politics

07/23/2010

Zacuto DSLR Products: Striker Kit

In one of the previous articles dedicated to Zacuto family of DSLR products I described its basic components: Z-Finder and Gorilla Plate. This time, we make one step further and explore Zacuto Striker, a DSLR camera support kit offering four points (assuming that you use Z-Finder attached to Gorilla Plate) of contact/support: (1) a hand on the handgrip, (2) the gunstock against your shoulder, (3) another (focusing) hand on the lens and (4) additional point of support by placing Z-Finder eyecup against your eye. Unless you dare to shoot video with DSLR without any support, you will discover that the Striker is the most essential support kit for its purpose. 07/05/2010

Hahnemuhle Frame Systems - Gallerie Photo Wrap Frame with Monet or Daguerre Canvas

Originally, I did not plan to write about Hahnemuhle Gallerie Photo Wrap Frame, the entry level wrap frame from Hahnemuhle. Although idea is good, the details of its implementation make it completely unusable. So, instead of writing a negative review, I submitted a brief feedback to B&H store (New York, USA) (where I originally bought the product for testing and evaluation). Unfortunately, it appears that B&H customer review moderators decided that my feedback was too negative and could undermine their sales numbers - my brief explanation why the product is not good has never shown up on B&H site. Well, at this point, I decided to publish more extensive review on Naviquan.com.
Hahnemuhle Frame Systems - Part 1: Gallerie Photo Wrap Frames
Hahnemuhle Frame Systems - Part 2: Standard or Professional Gallerie Wrap Frames 07/05/2010

Zacuto DSLR Products: Z-Finder and Gorilla Plate

With skyrocketing popularity of DSLR for shooting video many traditional photographers are expanding their aspirations into videography. Indeed, recent DSLR cameras that shoots High Definition (HD) video can produce remarkably high quality footage at a fraction of costs of professional cinema equipment. However, as often the case, good news comes with bad news: since DSLR cameras are built primarily to take pictures, their ergonomics and design present serious challenges for the new generation of "video" photographers. The most immediate and obvious ones are the stability of DSLR cameras and lack of adequate viewfinder to shoot video. Fortunately, there is a growing number of manufactures offering solutions to such problems. 06/24/2010

In Search of Perfect Grill - PowerChef Convertible Electric Grill

Americans love their grills and grilling! What can be better than the BBQ flavors spreading around from your deck where you do your magic in front of a grill with a piece of meat on it slowly transforming into a mouth-watering awesomeness to be served soon to your family and friends. So, when a new season comes, in your neighborhood friendly Home Depot or Lowers grills go fast . The problem is that they are not born equal. Different sizes, different fuel, different BTUs, different appearances - aren't we all slightly confused deciding what to buy? I am going to tell you about PowerChef Convertible Electric Grill I found. It's far from perfect, but if your needs are similar to mine, this grill may deserve your attention. 06/02/2010

Orlando World Center Marriott Resort - Part 1: Common Areas and Convention Center

Orlando World Center Marriott Resort and Convention Center is a large complex well known among both, leisure and business travelers from all over the world. Its popularity is well deserved due to its prime location and proximity to Walt Disney World Resort (about 5 miles - World Center Drive continues as Epcot Center Drive on the other side of I-4) as well as large event space occupying a total of 450,000 square feet. Add to this Orlando World Center accommodations facilities with about 2000 rooms and 80 suites, several restaurants, bars and lounges, its own golf course, plus a complex with 6 pools, waterfalls, water ride and whirlpools in a lagoon-like setting, and you will understand why this piece of real estate located on more than 200 prime acres is so much appreciated by many visitors.
Part 1: Common Areas and Convention Center
Part 2: Dining and Accommodations 05/10/2010

How to buy Mac Pro and save more than $2,500

Exited with the new generation of DSLR cameras offering impressive video capabilities, I felt that it was time to get rid of my old Mac G5 and move to Intel-based Mac Pro with Mac OS X Snow Leopard (version 10.6). I was a novice videographer, but I knew that video editing, transcoding and compression require a lot of computing power, and I anticipated a need for a well equipped computer system capable of doing in reasonable time all these new exciting things. However, a visit to Apple store gave me almost an electric shock when I realized how expensive it would be to purchase a new Mac I wanted at Apple. To be precise, $8,489.58 including Virginia taxes (prices Feb., 2010). 04/18/2010

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