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IRL: Logitech UE Air Speaker, the Canon Rebel XT and an Arduino non-starter
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Welcome back to IRL, and if we do say so ourselves, this week's edition is a doozy. On one end of the gadget-loving spectrum, Jason is still happily using his Canon Rebel XT, while Darren remains thoroughly unsatisfied with his $400 AirPlay speaker (it was easy to set up, at least -- he'll give it that). And, just for good measure, we threw in an Arduino fail. So, which piece of audio gear is on our "do not buy" list? Who needs to take a course in wiring-based coding? And does Jason have anything negative to say about his DSLR? Head past the break to find out.
Canon EOS Rebel XT spits in gravity's face, survives 3,000-foot drop?
Picture this: you're a skydive instructor with a makeshift helmet apparatus for taking stills and video of your feats. Suddenly, about 3,000 feet from above the ground, your photography mount decides to take its own flight pattern and sets off without you. That apparently happened to a friend of FredMiranda forum member Calin Leucuta, who calculates the velocity at impact was approximately 100 miles per hour. After a 15- to 20-minute search after landing, the video camera was found to be without saving... but the Canon Rebel XT for still was still functional despite a crack in the body and some jerkiness with the zoom lens. We're still hesitant to take it at face value -- it's a pretty wild and impressive tale, after all -- but video is reportedly on the way and we'd definitely like to see that footage remove all lingering doubt from our minds. More pics of the aftermath past the read link.
Canon's EOS 400D / Rebel XTi DSLR reviewed
With the Rebel XT's popularity, it's understandable that Canon has made their XTi update plenty familiar to its predecessor, but they've also mixed in some snazzy enhancements that should suite the budget DSLR crowd quite well. Camera Labs was quick on the draw with their review, and they definitely seemed to like what they saw. For starters, the new 10.1 megapixel CCD surpasses Canon's own higher-end EOS 30D for resolution, but if you've already go a Rebel XT you probably won't notice the bump in resolution, and Camera Labs recommends perhaps springing for a new lens instead. The XTi continues its impersonation of the 30D with an identical nine-point auto focus system and easily readable 2.5-inch LCD, and again surpasses the pro-DSLR with its fairly extensive anti-dust features. There are notable differences, however, since the XTi maintains the relatively "cheap" and small feel of the XT, along with lacking a few other pro features. The new Rebel also lacks anti-shake of its arch-rival, the Sony Alpha A100 -- you'll need to spring for an expensive Image Stabilized lens to gain the feature. Overall the XTi brings speedy shooting, nice pics, low noise and a good price to a highly competitive budget DSLR market, and just might come out the winner.[Via Digital Photography Blog]
Canon gets official with their 400D / Rebel XTi DSLR for Photokina
The actual show is still nearly a month away, but a few trigger-happy camera manufacturers are unveiling their wares a bit early. Canon's EOS 400D / Rebel XTi DSLR -- a followup to their uber-successful Rebel XT -- was already pretty well outed by their Chinese arm, so there aren't really a lot of surprises here, but it's looking good all the same. The highlights are just like before: a 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 2.5-inch LCD (a sizable improvement to the 1.8-incher on the XT), and speedy 9-point autofocus -- the same as that of the EOS 30D. The 22.2 x 14.8mm CMOS sticks with the 1.6x conversion ratio common to EOS cams -- not sure how we were getting that full frame vibe before -- and ISO sensitivity ranges from 100-1600. Canon is introducing a new Self Cleaning Sensor Unit that shakes off dust through ultrasonic vibration, along with a Dust Delete Data feature that embeds dust location in metadata, helping the included Digital Photo Professional software delete dust spots automatically. Of course, it wouldn't be a "Rebel" if Canon wasn't doing their darndest to undercut the competition on price, and the new $899 pricetag, which includes Canon's EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lense, does a pretty good job of said undercutting. You can also nab just the camera body for $799, and Canon has dropped the similar configurations of the XT to $799 and $699 respectively. The XTi is due for release in September, and seems destined for at least a little bit of success in its own right.[Via LetsGoDigital]
