January 21st, 2009 ydant
When I explained that I was wiring the Vi’s house with network cable in preparation for my move, my friends expressed curiosity as to why I wouldn’t just use wireless. There are some obvious reasons like not wanting to have to buy adapter cards for desktop computers. The most important reason, however, is that this area is wifi-hostile. Nothing stays connected consistently, even in the same room as the access port. It’s not an access point problem (we’ve replaced the one already). Just look at the insanity:
This is the view just from my new (home) office.
(While I was typing this, 3 more APs popped up!)
We’re exacerbating the issue by having two access points in the house (third floor and second floor). There’s a chance one will even go on the first floor, although that’s yet to be decided. The two APs (Miss Piggy, which is really WPA2 / AES, not WEP) are backbone-linked with cat-5e (should be 6, but I forgot to pre-order from Monoprice.). They both are WRT-54GL routers running Tomat. Because they share the same SSID and security information my devices roam seamlessly between the two. It’s pretty damn cool.
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May 31st, 2008 ydant
I’ve been a long time happy owner of the SD800 camera. Despite my objections about the megapixel inflation game that Canon is playing right alongside all of the other manufacturers, it’s been an awesome camera for me. Sadly, my SD800 was stolen over the past weekend and I was forced to purchase a new SD870. My initial thoughts on this camera are below - these are as a comparison to the SD800 I purchased before.
In a nutshell, I love the Canon SD series (”Digital ELPH“). They have small lenses and small sensors, but they can take some awesome pictures. They are small enough to be in your pocket at all times, so you end up taking a lot of shots with them that you’d never get with a bigger camera. Do they match up to a DSLR (or even a bigger “prosumer” camera)? Of course not, but they hold their own quite well.
Canon in general has had my support for quite a while for a variety of reasons. This is my fourth Canon digital camera (I’ve also owned an SD230 and Powershot S1), and I’m sticking with the company. Besides making good sensors and lenses, I am very happy that they also tend to use standard memory formats, unlike other companies.
On a side note, my mother’s Powershot S1 (my old camera) recently exhibited some odd behavior that was obviously due to sensor problems. It turns out Canon is well aware of this issue and is repairing/replacing all cameras affected by the problem free of charge (including shipping) out of warranty. For more details: http://www.imaging-resource.com/badccds.html. In my mom’s case, the S1 was replaced by an S5 free of charge. Thank you, Canon!
In short, the SD870is is the direct upgrade to the SD800is, but with a bigger screen (3″ vs. 2.5″). Canon’s SD line is confusing to follow, and the model numbers don’t necessarily make sense. Just because it has a bigger number doesn’t mean it’s a better camera. The SD800/SD870 both share the wider angle lens, which I’ve grown quite accustomed to. On the face the SD870 just seems like a minor upgrade (with the exception of the screen).
Initial impressions:
- The new 3″ screen is awesome. It’s huge, and it provides a LOT of detail. The colors look great. Losing the optical viewfinder is not even an issue, as it’s always been a weak viewfinder on the entire SD line. I don’t ever see people using viewfinders on this form-factor camera, so props to Canon for dropping it. The new screen is perfectly big enough for composing and reviewing your picture. Get a screen protector.
- The power button is larger and protrudes more. This is actually bad, as it allows for easier turning on of the camera in your pocket. This is probably the biggest weakness, and I wish Canon had not done this. The old design was perfect.
- The auto and manual modes have been consolidated to the same physical switch. Previously I was constantly switching modes pulling the camera out of my pocket. Now it stays in the same mode unless I change it manually (through the set button menu). This means switching from auto to digital macro is easier as well.
- Focusing and general responsiveness seems faster. Not much.
- Low light support seems better.
- The 8MP is probably useless. Less pictures on my 2GB card now.
- It feels a bit less sturdy than the SD800. Not flimsy, just not as much of a tank as before.
- I really like that the ISO being used, even when on “Auto” or “Hi” ISO mode, is displayed on the screen now. I don’t know that this helps at all, but I like seeing this info. The ISO chosen is now displayed in the review information as well. This used to only be show if you manually selected an ISO value. I don’t know if it’s recorded in the EXIF information.
- The battery meter is now always displayed instead of only when the power is low.
- ISO shift. If you turn it on and put it on the print button, the print button flashes blue if the ISO is too low for the lighting conditions. Press the print button, and it shifts the ISO up to the lowest value that’ll work. So 80 might become 120 or 250. You can also set it to “auto ISO shift”, and it always shifts it up. Not sure how the latter differs from “Auto” or “Hi”.
- The (previously absolutely useless) print button can be assigned functions now. Most useful function is screen blank, but there are a couple of others - for example, toggle the display overlay on and off.
- Reviewing mode is now a button you press on the front of the camera instead of an option on the mode switch. This is a great move in my mind, as previously I would consistently switch to review mode while pulling the camera out of my pocket.
The four-way pad has become a method for selecting the camera mode as well. If you roll your finger around the wing, the mode changes. It’s kind of like the ipod, only less sensitive, and I haven’t really decided if it’s a gimmick or not.
Canon still hasn’t fixed some issues that have bugged me - like the fact the camera forgets you’re in burst mode when you turn the camera off, but over all this is a good improvement. If they’d only left the power button alone, I’d have no real complaints about this upgrade to the SD800.
Posted in electronics, photography, reviews | No Comments »
