PEIBlogs.com: the definitive Prince Edward Island blogroll since 2004.: Product reviews

Be sure to check out one of my sons' ( Mikes' ) Mazatlan interprises @

www.mazmotoadventures.com

You gotta love motor bike tours and the Mazatlan, MX area...

A great site, travel info, pic. ++++++ etc.

CANADIAN & US citizens + ALBERTA oil field workers + locals and cruise ship passengers make up the customer base.....

The HORSE INDUSTRY needs a RATE your Horse Doctor / Vet..don't you think???

Be sure to give your DOCTOR a N. American RATING http://www.ratemds.com and rate your DRUGS http://www.drugratingz.com go for it NOW and rate your MD & DRUGS.. ..( ALSO in the U.S.A.)

For your GENERAL INTEREST................ be sure to check out this web site http://www.the-saudi.net and the group http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/the-saudi-network ..if you can handle international and / or GLOBAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, beyond PEI..

PEI + all provinces + NATIONAL CDN .. all need a great WEB SITE, like this, ( saudi site ) for inter-provincial free trade ( practice ) before going into international FREE TRADE.. A GREAT WAKE UP CALL..

If you ever come up with an origional IDEA, CONCEPT, PRODUCT, etc...you have 2 reasonable ways to protect them...#1. Copyright.. which gives you the time, location, description, etc...( good for your life time + 50 years).. .. #2. In the early stages of development.. when you can draw, write up, design, etc. the project.. put the information in an envelope.. take it to the post office..send the envelope to yourself.. ( registered ).. do not open the sealed envelope... put it in your ( just in case ) file..in a safe place... NOTE: If you ever have to go before a judge ( to show ownership ).. let the judge open the envelope.. the other side won't have an envelope...

NOTE: # 2. It only takes a 10% difference in a.. ( expensive / time consuming )... patent ..to break it..

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF...no one else will...Over the past 40 years... I have put over 20 copyrights / envelopes in my JUST in CASE file...

Get a better prospective of LIFE.. check out this site http://susie1114.com/LiveALife.html U R gonna LOVE this MUSIC and MESSAGE... aslo check out http://360.yahoo.com/pei_recruitor for ALBERTA EMPLOYMENT... and http://360.yahoo.com/prostate_stuff for Info. about prostate health..etc..

" GO BIG or STAY HOME".....on PEI... Warm Regards , stay well..... James Halstrum

There is not much to say about this simple but effective lens accessory. The primary reason for this review is that I bought mine new on eBay for $22 while camera stores sell the almost identical Canon branded version for $205 CND.

Is there a difference? I have no idea but the "For Canon" branded ring is made of metal and works perfectly for only $22, so what's not to like? My only minor complain would be when shifting the lens from vertical to horizontal, the inner padding leaves small black marks on the lens barrel. They do wipe off.

Highly recommended so far. When using a tripod, the better balance and ease of switching orientation makes using the 70-200 that much more fun to use.

View photos on Flickr

I can't guarantee that all eBay sellers have good products, but a quick search on eBay has dozens of similar tripod rings for a fraction of the price.

Update for Feb 2010: The ring no longer locks down tight and the lens barrel can rotate. It's still very usable.

This is a continuation of my review of the Think Tank Urban Disguise 50 (UD50) and how it compares to the slightly smaller Urban Disguise 35 (UD35). They are very similar bags but yet feel very different in use.

The company description:

The Urban Disguise shoulder bags allow you to travel in style and protect your valuable equipment without attracting attention to yourself as a photographer. Holds SLR and up to a 13.3? laptop. This is the perfect size for photographers on the go, since it holds up to a 13.3? laptop with a standard-size SLR or up to a 10? laptop with a Pro-size SLR with lens attached. It features a large opening for easy access to equipment and can be attached to a roller. It can be used as a backpack with the Shoulder Harness (sold separately).

This is part 4 in the search for a perfect camera bag. Read part 1: Lowepro Slingshot 100 AW, part 2: Lowepro Computrekker AW and part 3: Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home. The company description:

The Urban Disguise shoulder bags allow you to travel in style and protect your valuable equipment without attracting attention to yourself as a photographer. This will hold more gear than you ever imagined, and a 15? laptop! (Check dimensions for exact size of the compartment). It is very similar to the Urban Disguise 30 except that it features the added rear compartment. The front compartment will hold a wide angle with a hood attached, a 24-70 2.8 with the hood, a 70 -200 2.8 with the hood reversed, AND two pro-size SLR?s in the expandable front pockets (without the lenses attached). A regular size SLR with a lens attached can also be put straight down inside of the bag. Strobes fit into the side stretch pockets, as well.

A tripod can be your best friend or that annoying friend. For the most part, a tripod takes away any hope of traveling light and it dramatically affects the speed, convenience and sometimes fun of photography. However, without one, some shots are very difficult to capture hand held.

Keeping a tripod in the car is easy but when traveling, I rarely check any luggage and I'd prefer not trying to take my Manfrotto (22 inches folded) as carry-on (let alone carry it around all day). This is where either my GorillaPod or lately the Giottos GB1060 comes in handy.

Two of us at silverorange own R-Straps. The RS-1 and RS-3. As demonstrated in this video, the concept is fairly straight forward. Instead of the camera strap being attached to the top of the camera and around your neck, this strap is connected to the bottom of the camera and is used like a shoulder bag.