Canon EOS 550D - Part 6 - Testing performance

Canon EOS 550D - Part 6 - Testing performance with the Samsung SDHC Plus Memory Card. This card from Samsung offers some really robust features, like being water, shock and magnet proof. It is also rated as a class 6 card, so offers up some fast transfer speed. Check out the video to see how it performs.

*Update. Whilst the Samsung SDHC Plus card did not perform that well for video capture in the Canon EOS 550D, it has performed flawlessly for photo capture. It also worked fine when tested with other HD video camcorders that I am testing. This points toward the Canon EOS 550D being the problem in this particular case. There have been quite a lot of early reports that the 550D is fussy about certain types and speed of memory cards. This may well be corrected in a future firmware update from Canon.


Memory card supplied by:http://www.mymemory.co.uk/
Camera supplied by: http://www.parkcameras.com/

Olympus PEN E-PL1 - Part 4 - The Review

The video you have been waiting for, this is my review of the E-PL1. I won't spoil the review for you, but this 12.3 megapixel digital camera has really changed the way I think about photography. It is so compact that it travels everywhere with me and so nice to handle that it just enthuses me to get creative. Add to this the 720P high definition video recording and it all adds up to two things, a great all round high performance choice… and a Geekanoids Gold Award. Check out the footage below which includes photos and video footage taken with this superb micro four thirds camera.


Supplied by: Olympus UK

Battlefield Bad Company 2 Review - Sony PS3

Battlefield Bad Company 2 is the latest release from Electronic Arts. My impressions of the game are pretty good, with plenty of gameplay choices presented with some awesome graphics. Throughout the game spawning points are nicely handled with a choice respawning at select map locations or even from other player positions. Throughout my first few days with the game, the only thing that seems to let it down is the accuracy of the weapons. For example when quick scoping with a sniper rifle or scoping in for that one-shot kill, more often than not I was only achieving a hit marker. Maybe my accuracy will improve with time, but the weapon performance just seemed to let me down a little. That said, this is a first rate game and certainly looks very pretty. A contender for some of my Modern Warfare 2 gameplay hours :)

Check out this video showing online multiplayer action, including a quick look through the menu options too.


Manufacturer website: http://www.eagames.co.uk/

TomTom Start Sat Nav Review

The TomTom Start is a satellite navigation system that is priced at under £100... finally within the reach of anyone, now you have no excuse for getting lost. See how the unit performs in this video review.


Supplied by: TomTom

Canon EOS 550D Digital SLR Camera - Part 4 - The Review

Yes, this is the video you have all been waiting for... the main review. Here I take a good look at the camera including photos and video footage taken with the 550D.


You can view the photos and videos full size on this link.

If you missed my earlier Canon EOS 550D videos, the links are directly below;

Canon EOS 550D Digital SLR Camera - Part 1 - Unboxing
Canon EOS 550D Digital SLR Camera - Part 2 - Product Tour
Canon EOS 550D Digital SLR Camera - Part 3 - Menu System Tour 

Supplied by: Park Cameras
Manufacturer: Canon

Olympus PEN E-PL1 Launch Event - March 2010

First there was the iconic film based PEN, which brought SLR type performance to photography without the size. Fifty years on and Olympus re-launched the PEN design into the digital era with the E-P1, this was followed by the enhanced E-P2. On Wednesday 3rd March a new baby was born, in the form of the E-PL1.

This brings together the best of the great features of the previous two, adds a built in flash and some user interface changes along the way. Olympus have put a new Live Guide feature into the E-PL1 which takes all of the guess work out of producing great looking photos. For many needing to know things like ISO, shutter and aperture settings (have I lost you there) is enough to put them off buying anything more than a compact point and shoot camera. With this new feature, you get all the same controls in an easy to use interface without the daunting terminology.

To mark the launch of the E-PL1, Olympus invited me up to their launch event in Brick Lane, London, where I got to spend the day with an E-PL1 in one hand and a wonderful guide in the other, on a walk through the historical streets. The purpose of the day was to realise exactly how effective the Live Guide was and to experiment with the awesome Art Filters that can be applied to both photos and HD video footage. Check out my video above and come back soon on the Geekanoids website for the full hands-on review.