Vicki Techno Geek Gadgets

[Vicki Richter]

So I had a Pinnacle Showcenter 2000 but it recently went on the fritz for the 2nd time. This said, I have just purchased a MX-760HD from http://www.mvixusa.com/. It actually looks really cool. It is smaller, doesn't need a home MM PC, and it is totally self sufficient. You just plug in a hard drive and go. I think with this one, with the wireless, it can work remotely but you could never stream HD media from 54MB wireless connection. It barely does standard def stuff even using higher end MIMO gear.

I bought my parents a Dlink Multimedia center a few years a go and it has been totally solid. I would never buy a Pinnacle again though. Really bad product support, and not the best products.

What are you guys using for home multimedia?

Some other neat gadgets I've bought include a Canon Digital Rebel XT 350D. People have been trying to sell me on SLR's for years but I was a big fan of the Sony high end consumer models like my F707 and my F828. Now that I am an expert photographer, I am more discriminating (haha just kidding). What really made me get the SLR was the faster shutter speed. Also, I have aquariums that I like to photograph. The Sony just couldn't handle the close ups very well in my opinion.

Similarly - what do you guys think of the Digital Rebel line?

Vicki

[BeardedOne]

Gibble, gibble, gibble. :?:

:lol:

You are such a technogeek. :D

The closest I will get to an aquarium is the little USB one they have at Cyberguys.

As for 'multimedia', you're lookin' at it.

Still, I need to get out more. :shrug

[Vicki Richter]

Heh... probably true. But even worse, I could eat entire buckets of chicken like some of my TS industry peers. That would be worse.

Here's my new preview most of the scenes (in the preview) filmed within the past 60 days. http://www.vickirichter.com/index2.html

However, this is a post about electronics...

Peace and love.

V

[hondarobot]

So I had a Pinnacle Showcenter 2000 but it recently went on the fritz for the 2nd time. This said, I have just purchased a MX-760HD from http://www.mvixusa.com/. It actually looks really cool. It is smaller, doesn't need a home MM PC, and it is totally self sufficient. You just plug in a hard drive and go. I think with this one, with the wireless, it can work remotely but you could never stream HD media from 54MB wireless connection. It barely does standard def stuff even using higher end MIMO gear.

I bought my parents a Dlink Multimedia center a few years a go and it has been totally solid. I would never buy a Pinnacle again though. Really bad product support, and not the best products.

What are you guys using for home multimedia?

Some other neat gadgets I've bought include a Canon Digital Rebel XT 350D. People have been trying to sell me on SLR's for years but I was a big fan of the Sony high end consumer models like my F707 and my F828. Now that I am an expert photographer, I am more discriminating (haha just kidding). What really made me get the SLR was the faster shutter speed. Also, I have aquariums that I like to photograph. The Sony just couldn't handle the close ups very well in my opinion.

Similarly - what do you guys think of the Digital Rebel line?

Vicki

Wait 'till you hear about the sound system I'm setting up on Thursday.

It's not really that cool, but it cost a lot of money.

:P

[Teabagger Vance]

you should trade in the electronics for a stairmaster.

just sayin'

Yeah, you're right. Vicki's in awful shape.

No, wait. You're totally wrong, dude!

[hondarobot]

And don't take that as anything beyond what it is.

I'm setting up a fancy sound system, that's all there is to it.

Goofball.

[BeardedOne]

Jeez, my shape should be that awful. :wink:

[Ant_Man]

For home multimedia I just plug my Grado headphones into my laptop & I am happy. I don't disturb my parrots while they sleep that way too.

Canon makes good cameras but they are overhyped & overpriced in my opinion. I prefer the D2 line from Nikon. Better ergonomics, better battery & flash technology too. (I once took 2,500 shots on one battery charge & still had over 20% left). Plus almost every lens Nikon has made since 1979 will work on my camera (not so with their cheap plastic DSLRs, tho). Your 350D takes great pix, I am sure, but I would have a hard time handling anything that small.

consumer cams like your Sony's have teeny tiny sensors that introduce a lot of noise and artifacts & mediocre glass that won't resolve detail beyond about 3 megapixels. Invest in some pro Canon glass and the relatively big sensor in your Rebel will really shine.

[Vicki Richter]

For home multimedia I just plug my Grado headphones into my laptop & I am happy. I don't disturb my parrots while they sleep that way too.

Canon makes good cameras but they are overhyped & overpriced in my opinion. I prefer the D2 line from Nikon. Better ergonomics, better battery & flash technology too. (I once took 2,500 shots on one battery charge & still had over 20% left). Plus almost every lens Nikon has made since 1979 will work on my camera (not so with their cheap plastic DSLRs, tho). Your 350D takes great pix, I am sure, but I would have a hard time handling anything that small.

consumer cams like your Sony's have teeny tiny sensors that introduce a lot of noise and artifacts & mediocre glass that won't resolve detail beyond about 3 megapixels. Invest in some pro Canon glass and the relatively big sensor in your Rebel will really shine.

Thank you for the tips! This is the kind of input I need.

I will say that the upper end Sony's I did have, had a Carl Zeiss lense... They always bragged about it so I thought it was good. Right now I just have the stock lense for the camera, but I bought a Fisheye today. I don't know what to expect from a $300 lense though. That is pretty cheap by lense standards. Can you recommend a good standard lense for me on eBay?

Vicki

[Mik7899]

all i know is Vicki is absolutly gorgeous!!! And i would love to meet up with her and have some fun!!!

[Ant_Man]

Thank you for the tips! This is the kind of input I need.

I will say that the upper end Sony's I did have, had a Carl Zeiss lense... They always bragged about it so I thought it was good. Right now I just have the stock lense for the camera, but I bought a Fisheye today. I don't know what to expect from a $300 lense though. That is pretty cheap by lense standards. Can you recommend a good standard lense for me on eBay?

Vicki

I doubt that your Zeiss lens was designed in Germany. It probably is above average for a consumer cam, but still no match for a pro slr lens.

Check out this lens for your Canon (it should really come in handy taking pix of your little fishes):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=8429&A=details&Q=&sku=194451&is=USA&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Be very careful on eBay. Often used lenses go for almost as much as new. Be disciplined in your bidding & avoid competing for lenses. Also watch out for older lenses that won't work with your camera. When I buy on eBay I look for Buy It Now deals & lenses that are miscategorized.

For a quick education on canon equipment check out the links on this page:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech.htm
Ken is fun reading and I find that for the most part, his opinions are worthwhile.
You can also check out the forums on dpreview.com, but be aware that most of the posters there are amateurs blowing smoke out their ass.

[Solitary Brother]

So I had a Pinnacle Showcenter 2000 but it recently went on the fritz for the 2nd time. This said, I have just purchased a MX-760HD from http://www.mvixusa.com/. It actually looks really cool. It is smaller, doesn't need a home MM PC, and it is totally self sufficient. You just plug in a hard drive and go. I think with this one, with the wireless, it can work remotely but you could never stream HD media from 54MB wireless connection. It barely does standard def stuff even using higher end MIMO gear.

I bought my parents a Dlink Multimedia center a few years a go and it has been totally solid. I would never buy a Pinnacle again though. Really bad product support, and not the best products.

What are you guys using for home multimedia?




Some other neat gadgets I've bought include a Canon Digital Rebel XT 350D. People have been trying to sell me on SLR's for years but I was a big fan of the Sony high end consumer models like my F707 and my F828. Now that I am an expert photographer, I am more discriminating (haha just kidding). What really made me get the SLR was the faster shutter speed. Also, I have aquariums that I like to photograph. The Sony just couldn't handle the close ups very well in my opinion.

Similarly - what do you guys think of the Digital Rebel line?

Vicki

Nikon rates as the best camera NOT canon.
Canon Eos is the second best.
I have a cheapo Canon not a SLR and its pretty cool.

I just sold my 20" IMAC core2 duo to buy and MACBOOK and I took some photos of it of course with YOUR picture Vicki as the wallpaper!
I took it to work and show my coworker phots from MACWORLD nad he saw your photo and was like "Who is she? Shes hot".

[Vicki Richter]

I bought the Canon based upon price to relative performance and because I don't really know anything about SLR cameras. I don't generally go out looking for the best. I look for a good deal with high end parts. It's why I build my own computers a lot of times with fancy stuff like SLI and overclocked DDR2 1066 memory.

By the way - thank you Solitary. I don't know if most people realize what a compliment that is to me that you were using my picture as your background. Did you tell your friend who I was? hehe. Hot.

Vicki

[Realgirls4me]

Cum, er, come, in here for digital photography reviews on cameras ... Great little site:

http://www.dpreview.com/

By the way, Vicki, you were spectacular in Buddy's last release(I recieved it yesterday). I'm really envious of Buddy now. :)


That girl can perform!


:)

[Vicki Richter]

You will have to thank Seanchai for that. We hadn't been on the best terms and he was kind enough to allow Buddy and I to work together. I wanted to impress them both. Plus I really enjoyed the scene which is really important. It was really kinda hot walking around Buddy's neighborhood wearing tiny leather bootie shorts. His neighbors were really nice and invited me to a BBQ.

;-)

Vicki

[Realgirls4me]

You will have to thank Seanchai for that. We hadn't been on the best terms and he was kind enough to allow Buddy and I to work together. I wanted to impress them both. Plus I really enjoyed the scene which is really important. It was really kinda hot walking around Buddy's neighborhood wearing tiny leather bootie shorts. His neighbors were really nice and invited me to a BBQ.

;-)

Vicki

Vicki,

Well, you certainly impressed me, though if you know me by now, I would have had Buddy showcase those lovely nice calfs of yours and not hide them under those boots. ...To think that you were only a couple of miles away from yours truly at the time. So did you indulge in some carne asada hot dogs at the barbeque?


Swooooooooooon.


:)

By the way, I went with Canon for my last digital camera. They supposedly have the best images of all on the market.

[bulldog]

I know the internal structures of a computer like the back of my hand(I build computers for technoilliterate people), but I am kinda lacking on knowledge of multimedia and photography

[hwbs]

ive got a toshiba dlp ...with 1080i upconvert dvd player...a harman kardon 245 with bridge for my ipod.. speakers are polk rti6 all around with psw10 powered subwoofer...

[goldensamba]

For Multimedia I use A media Center Sony PC with all the bells and whistles. I also have an Altec Lansing speaker setup for nice surround sound. Into my PC I have connected the satellite receiver so that I can record programs, control the box, etc.

I also use Orb so that I can watch programs from any device with an internet connection, laptop, mobile phone, etc.

For camera use I have a Nikon D80 for real pictures and a Casio Exilm for carrying around for the fun stuff, nightlife, etc. The D80 is one of the best sub $1,000 SLR's you can get.

[mBomb]

For home multimedia I just plug my Grado headphones into my laptop & I am happy. I don't disturb my parrots while they sleep that way too.

Canon makes good cameras but they are overhyped & overpriced in my opinion. I prefer the D2 line from Nikon. Better ergonomics, better battery & flash technology too. (I once took 2,500 shots on one battery charge & still had over 20% left). Plus almost every lens Nikon has made since 1979 will work on my camera (not so with their cheap plastic DSLRs, tho). Your 350D takes great pix, I am sure, but I would have a hard time handling anything that small.

consumer cams like your Sony's have teeny tiny sensors that introduce a lot of noise and artifacts & mediocre glass that won't resolve detail beyond about 3 megapixels. Invest in some pro Canon glass and the relatively big sensor in your Rebel will really shine.

Thank you for the tips! This is the kind of input I need.

I will say that the upper end Sony's I did have, had a Carl Zeiss lense... They always bragged about it so I thought it was good. Right now I just have the stock lense for the camera, but I bought a Fisheye today. I don't know what to expect from a $300 lense though. That is pretty cheap by lense standards. Can you recommend a good standard lense for me on eBay?

Vicki

I stand by the old saying that everyone should learn with a 50mm 1.8 and be happy with it. It's cheap, sharp as hell, great in low light situations and is a staple of any beginner photographer: Click to check it out (http://www.shop.com/op/~Canon_EOS_EF_50mm_f_1_8_Lens_(II)-prod-32923685-42835896?sourceid=298)


Also, Any reason why you didn't go with the 400D? about a hundred bucks more expensive than the 350D but 10.1MP and much, much less noise at 800-1600 iso.

[mBomb]

also, for all the Canon / nikon bullshit. It's completely irrelevant. the D50 is a great entry level dslr but the kit lens sucks hard, artifacts like a motherfucker at 800 iso and it's raw software is awful compared to canon.

[Vicki Richter]

This is a great thread. So much better than shecock.

I shoot pretty much everything on auto which always seems to be 400 ISO. I really do wish I understood that stuff more. I didn't know anything about the 400D or the 350D when I got it. I just saw 8 megapixel, SLR, and new it was a pretty recent model and went with it.

[Ecstatic]

Some other neat gadgets I've bought include a Canon Digital Rebel XT 350D. People have been trying to sell me on SLR's for years but I was a big fan of the Sony high end consumer models like my F707 and my F828. Now that I am an expert photographer, I am more discriminating (haha just kidding). What really made me get the SLR was the faster shutter speed. Also, I have aquariums that I like to photograph. The Sony just couldn't handle the close ups very well in my opinion.

Similarly - what do you guys think of the Digital Rebel line?

Vicki
I've heard excellent things about the Canon Rebel, but I haven't used it myself. I bought a Nikon D70 2.5 years ago and it has served me very well. It came with a great 18-70mm lens and is very fast, and I have shot over 2500 pics (highest quality jpeg setting, 3008x2000) on a single battery charge. Now I want the D200, which is 10.2 mp with superior metering and perhaps the fastest write speed around, but it'll have to wait until I buy a new server (2U dual core P940, 2G RAM, 3x250G SATAII drives, Supermicro brand $1427) and a Canon GL2 videocamera (I've been using a friend's; it's an outstanding vidcam with 3 excellent lenses, highly recommended).

[Karasek]

I considered buying the Canon 350D, but this was such a tiny camera. Too small for me. I bought the Nikon D50 instead, which is bigger and somehow better balanced. The feel in your hand and smooth ergonomics are much more important then most of the technical specifications.
A good lense makes the biggest difference. Most of the kit lenses are crap, but buy the cheapest fixed lense, the 50mm 1.8 and you get a different camera! It's really a huge difference. Of course 50m x 1,6 crop factor is pretty useless today, at least for me since I use my DSLR especially for available light photography in churches and other old buildings with a wide angle lens, highest ISO and hand-held.

[Vicki Richter]

Great. I have purchased the 1.8 50mm lense. I learned a lot about cameras today doing research.

[bulldog]

what type of computer are you running your multimedia off of?

[Solitary Brother]

You should let me come to Arizona and shoot you Vicki.
I would do a better job than Joey Silvera .....NO LIE!
Summertime maybe?
We have talked about this and you havent taken me seriously but I could amaze you.......SERIOUSLY!
Ok,now I sound like a chaser.....If the label fits.......

Yourockrichter!

[loki]

I could never be a photgrapher. I would get in sooo much trouble.I could just imaging it now..what are doing.. put that thing away how can you take my pictures while you're yanking your gerking.

[Vicki Richter]

what type of computer are you running your multimedia off of?

I have a Core 2 Duo 6600 overclocked to 3.3Ghz. 2 GB RAM. 500GB hard drive. I used to have RAID but decided it was too much trouble. I have RAID and SLI in my gaming PC.

Anyway, for anyone who doesn't have a Core 2, they are amazing. It's the first upgrade where I totally noticed the performance difference right away. I upgraded from a 4ghz overclocked Pentium D 965 Extreme Edition - which is now my gaming computer.

vICKI

[rvince]

I considered buying the Canon 350D, but this was such a tiny camera. Too small for me. I bought the Nikon D50 instead, which is bigger and somehow better balanced. The feel in your hand and smooth ergonomics are much more important then most of the technical specifications.

I have a 350D and indeed it wasn't always practical to hold but I've fixed the problem by adding a BG-E3 grip.
With it the camera is much more usable, and you also have 2 batterie and an extra set of buttons to shot in vertical position. It also makes a great counter-weight if you're using a 430EX speedlite flash unit.

[rvince]

Great. I have purchased the 1.8 50mm lense. I learned a lot about cameras today doing research.

This lens is great for portraits, but isn't its focal a bit long to shoot content?

I recently replaced the 18-55mm that came with my 350D by an "EF-S 17-85 IS USM" lens and I can really tell the difference: autofocus is now 4 times faster and the image stabilizer really reduces the number of fuzzy pics.
I used it for a content shooting last week and I really love the result. This lens isn't exactly cheap, but it's definately worth the price IMHO.