#sell it for a lot to some Brand Fanboy type person | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

imeugene · 6 years

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I like this. Even though I rag on tattoo art from time to time, I still really like this. There is something more personable about it than literally 99% of clothing that BMX brands put out. It’s not even the most intricate design or anything like that but it just works. I’m not even sure what about it exactly is. A combination of a simple but effective design mixed with an unstructured style hat that hasn’t seem to hit BMX in a heavy way compared to skateboarding...as of yet. Even if Brock Raiford wasn’t behind it, I’d still like it and like I said I don’t like tattoo art (more the association surrounding it than the actual form itself).

It seems like most of BMX has relegated itself to putting out the lowest common denominator when it comes to clothing. A simple brand logo printed on some black t-shirt. There is no edge or any levels of thought behind the design, it all feels cheap and overpriced. Even below what you would get at a Zumiez or Pacsun, so you can’t really blame kids for not buying it cause it feels like a rip off. Some brands can get away with the simple branding technique, 90East does it the best cause they still push different levels of a design into their product. They’ve released multiple different types of jackets, an arena that most BMX brands haven’t gotten into outside of the regular coach style thats popular. I wanna say they are one of the first to get into the unstructured hat game also. Combine that with a bit of embroidery and even though it’s still a logo and an article of clothing. It stills more than what most of BMX offers.

There is this thing I learned in Communications class recently which discusses the different level of influence. The model is mostly used to understand the power of an organization over the individual involved. Organization being a company, brand, a lifestyle, whatever cooperative entity. I remember the top level of influence is when an individual identifies strongly with the organization and the organization becomes part of their identity. It would be like Apple fanboys who can’t see wrong in their newest products or in BMX case someone who supports a company without any doubt in their ways. I think BMX has a hard time doing this because a lot of companies lack a clear vision that will resonate with the youth. Cult owes a lot of it’s popularity with it’s harsh break up from Chris Moeller. It’s that anti-authoritarian background that gave it a lot of initial legitimacy. It gave kids a sense of being part of something really new compared to whatever brand that comes up and ultimately fails because it really didn’t feel like anything. Sure Robbo’s business savvy is a big part of it but then I think Troy McMurray ,a street legend created his own brand, which ultimately I can’t even remember what it’s called anymore. People are attracted to something that makes them feel like they are part of something real. Sure having a rip off Supreme design is nice and will probably sell but it does nothing for the brand long term.

I think a lot of it has to do with a lack of clear definite direction. Every BMX brand that has achieved any level of real notoriety has had that. Derek with Little Devil, Ron Bonner with Shadow, Rich Hirsch with the various companies he’s involved himself with. There was a clear vision of what the person was into and the whole line up seemed to cater towards that vision. Without that clear level of direction, a spring line up seems to have different shirts that cater to different people. It doesn’t support whatever the brand offers but honestly just feels like just a marketing tool.

What Whiteboy did with Animal Bikes in their prime clothing days was amazing. There was something inherently New York about all the pieces. The monotone clothing, the subtle but sophisticated branding, but a lot of it felt like it was part of Animal Bikes which is a larger part of New York high fashion/street wear culture, they were the first to offer New Era hats and they were the best to do it. Not cause they were the first but because there is something very inherently hip hop about Animal and they designed around that. I can’t remember any other brands who made New Era hats but there were a few but I clearly remember Animal’s houndstooth design, the Flap Ya Jacks and the original Camo. What other brands did was a derivative. They bought the licensing or whatever for the New Era but ultimately they never really needed to do so cause it wasn’t their part to try to adopt that culture. Kids of every generation have struggled with self identity, it’s more or less a universal rite of passage when someone transitions from being a kid to an adult. It’s in this time they experiment with identity and also the time where BMX is probably gonna be most prevalent in their life. They’ll find clothing as an easy forms of identity. Brands have to be able to capture a certain thought and make most of it. Think about Little Devil and how popular they were? It’s not cause every kid was a secret Satanist but it’s the feelings of rebellion that is natural in BMX combined with the heavy metal soundtrack that was popular in BMX at the time. The fact that it was a rider owned brand and they identity it with BMX is only a plus. They’ll navigate to whatever brand offers them that feeling regardless of BMX or not.

I think the last big BMX brand was OSS and even though clothing wise I wasn’t too sold. Kids bought it cause they related it to Adam22. Adam22 has done an amazing job in creating an anti-authoritarian image that is offending enough to get the kids but not so unfamiliar where it will alienate them. He’s on top of internet culture and that is a big part of the lives kids live. He doesn’t rag on vlogs or anything that will truly alienate his fan base. It’s what allowed OSS to be the last biggest brand in BMX but understandably its feigned in importance as he stepped away from BMX. What he offered wasn’t something as amazing as what Animal did or even 90East is doing but it worked cause there was something that tied everything together that more than a brand name. Each OSS piece was not about the clothing but more about being part of what OSS represented. That clear vision for the brand is still present.

Now BMX clothing is eh. I honestly have a hard time thinking if anyone even cares. I’m sure the numbers on them are dismal but I think thats true in BMX in general. It’s not even that a brand has to have a lot of money for it to work cause a lot of those mid school clothing brands like Manmade and Blacken happened with very little. When production is small, I can understand creating that image would be easier but still. There is real value in clothing and creating an image through it and I do think it can be done with relatively ease. It goes back to that Organization Theory of Levels of Influence. If you can get kids to identify with the brand and it’s ethos than you won. I’m tired, this is a bit more scattered than usual but I liked that hat and I liked how they put it as a Broc Railford line cause the rest of Odyssey has it’s own vibe. All this started cause I just really wanted a grey pull over hoodie that didn’t look like absolute marketing trash.

#bmx

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blazehedgehog · 7 years

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With the recent EGX demo and the reception it's got from fans and critics, do you think there's reason to worry, at least for the Switch version and, since I can't think of a way to put it nicely, has the overly defensive tone some fans taken towards critics who've played the game, or even criticized it, been just or unjust? I know Sonic has this maligned reputation with game journos, but it's not like every person who's been critical are haters looking to take Sonic down.

I think a lot of Sonic fans wear some very deep scars. Many have stuck it out through some pretty dark times, myself included. You learn to put up some pretty strong defenses. You make it easy for yourself to dismiss opinions that don’t line up with what you want of expect. “IGN never knew what they were talking about, so why trust what they have to say about Sonic?”

Plus, there’s a very weird growing distrust of games media right now. It started with Gamergate, I guess. It goes without saying, but GG was an awful hate group actively centered around misogyny (or worse), and it’s a shame how many people did not realize that immediately. But that’s the thing: GG tapped into something that was also real. It did so purely by accident; under the surface, Gamergate was nothing more than an ex-boyfriend getting revenge for being slighted by his lover, and it snowballed out of control into something some are calling the new culture wars, and we’re still feeling its effects today.

But part of the reason GG originally gained momentum in the first place is because there’s an underlying distrust of any and every major games media outlet. Kotaku sucks, Polygon sucks, Destructoid sucks, Giantbomb sucks, GameSpot sucks, IGN sucks, Game Informer sucks, CVG sucks, Famitsu sucks, EGM sucked, 1UP sucked, GamePro sucked, Gamefan sucked, PLAY Magazine sucked, GameSpy sucked. Trust no one. The truth is out there. GG connected to those people who were basically waiting for any kind of “game press injustice” to rally behind, because they essentially hated all of the industry’s biggest, most important names.

Where does that come from? I mean, I guess, at least for me, is that once these places lose my trust, it’s basically impossible for it to be regained. And every outlet, at least once in their careers, has a moment that betrays that trust. Where personal interests or even financial interests outstrip the reader’s interests. Trust is so valuable and so fragile that even a single bad editor can spoil a site forever. Even if that person gets fired, the damage they caused can haunt the site’s brand basically forever. Why would I trust IGN? Hilary Goldstein worked there. I think I disagreed with everything that man ever wrote. Why would I trust Polygon? Ben Kuchera writes for them. He said Mario Kart 8 would be the worst selling Mario Kart of all time, when it was probably the single biggest sales driver for the Wii U until Zelda came along. And so on.

This isn’t even touching stuff like Kotaku’s advertising, where they dedicate whole weeks of coverage to a single game because they are paid to do so, which always ends on a glittering review. Even if the review is written honestly, the frame around it places doubt on and hurts that honesty, which above all else should be protected first and foremost.

And I think the thing that really crystallizes all of this is that once an outlet has this happen to them, where they betray someone’s trust, they never, ever, EVER make even a single iota of effort to rebuild that trust. They move on, they bury it, and it’s just assumed that the person yelling in the comments about bias is just “another crazy fanboy.” It turns into this kind of war – the scorned fan in the comments section who obviously still likes the site enough to hang around versus the person employed by the site parroting a “never read the comments” mantra while also repeatedly insulting the very same people they’ve scorned (actually some of their most dedicated fans) just for cheap laughs.

And so the fanboy’s bitterness grows. Salt in an open wound that never really heals.

It’s turning into a serious problem. Maybe there’s no turning back now. It’s that moment in the opening scene of Pixar’s The Incredibles where (spoilers until the end of this paragraph) Mr. Incredible stops the bank robber but the kid, Buddy, gets in the way. Mr. Incredible scolds him for it, and we as the audience think, “That’s right, the kid shouldn’t be there.” Rejected by his hero, Buddy then grows up to become a super villain, channeling that bitterness into a force to kill Mr. Incredible and permanently destroy his entire culture.

“Little guys” like Videogamedunkey, with nearly 4 million Youtube subscribers, are being treated as the new voice of the people. Dunkey has actively attacked what he called “limp dick game journalists” for not doing what he thinks is their job. Dunkey makes some good points against these journalists, even if he does cross some lines, but overall, the message he’s sending is that sympathy for traditional game press has run out. And Dunkey will probably not be the last big name to launch a direct attack against these establishments. They grew up reading these outlets, got burned by some type of distrust, and were constantly told their feelings of betrayal didn’t matter. And now, as these big establishments begin to show signs of weakness in the face of individuals on Youtube, guys like Dunkey are throwing all of that stored up bitterness right back in their faces. As it turns out, not every betrayed fan in the comments section will remain a faceless raging nobody forever. You might not be reading the comments section, but the comments section reads you.

Anyway, getting back to your original message, do I think some people are going overboard with their Sonic Forces hatred? Maybe. Also tying back into what I was just talking about, there is a tendency on the internet to go overboard. With so many voices speaking in unison, in order to be heard, you have to speak REALLY loudly. It’s not enough to simply communicate with friends, some people are competing for reblogs, retweets, likes, thumbs and favs. The loudest, rudest fan is just trying to be heard above the background noise. That’s why you’ve seen this trend, time and time again, where a person will meet their biggest internet heckler in person and they turn out to be nothing. Some of them just want to be acknowledged. So yeah, there are definitely people out there trying to be as loud as possible, hoping somebody will listen to them.

But here’s the deal: I’m not one of those people, and I think there’s a lot about Sonic Forces that’s worrying. As worrying if not more than Sonic Lost World was. It definitely doesn’t look like the successor to Sonic Generations people were hoping for. From what they’ve shown us, I think this looks pretty blatantly like another game where Sonic Team is flying blind and hoping they can stick the landing. I don’t blame anyone who thinks they won’t.

#questions #sonic the hedgehog #sega #sonic team #game journalism #gamergate #dunkey #videogamedunkey #youtube #kotaku #polygon #Anonymous

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thejohncamp3ablog · 6 years

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DC FIlms might be doing better than most of the bloggers lead you to believe

Why #DCEU might kick some #MCU ass in the coming years.

In order to make this point, I will use facts and some speculation, but overall compare some behavior and trends. As for the speculation part, i will clearly outline the FACT that is such and not present it as anything else.

First off, let’s start using more facts and less opinion. Opinion is when you say #MCU is better, because a site has given them certified scores. Also, please start making a difference between an aggregate score of a number of critics that said yes or no, and the actual score of the movie [situated below that flashy %].

Currently the average score for #MCU is at 6.9 compared to the “horrible failure” #DCEU at 5.85. Looking at this, it says only thing, none of these fanboys of the Disney cult, take the time to delve deep in the stats and meaning of them, they just use the convenient flashy aggregate number that fits their twisted narrative.

You can easily check this information on https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ , its not like a Collider reaction video, where most of the information is rumors and personal opinions. Or like a SchmoesKnow podcast back in the day featuring a Sasha Perl Raver exclusive that claimed, “Wonder Woman” is a huge mess from the same source, she says, told her “Batman V Superman: DOJ” is bad. Well after the movie came out and made 821 Million worldwide, something that has been achieved by 0 MCU origin stories [since they all rely on featured characters to make such Box Office results] the video was taken down. The reason being that I and many other fans, asked them to give us more info on their source and we got blocked by her and Kristian Harloff on Twitter with some swearing on his part for the ultimate experience.

So, we established the critical scores difference of 1 in favor of #MCU, now let’s see how things are looking monetary.

Unfortunately #MCU is at their 18th movie now, and #DCEU at their 5th one, so we can compare them movie for movie, but we can clearly see that #DC’s average is currently 3 Million per movie more than the #MCU’s average gross per movie, and by the looks of it, with AQUAMAN coming this December, the DCU phase 1 movies [6 movies vs 6 movies] will finish as 3.766 Billion + Aquaman’s Box-office [which could be anywhere between 600-800 Million] compared to MCU phase 1 - 3.811 Billion, which consisted from The Avengers [1.5 Billion BO] and only positive RT scores.

So that 50 Million difference is about to be swept under a wave in December with or without a good RT score. The average price of a ticket in 2018 is about to surpass 9.00 USD, and if Aquaman sells the same number of tickets like Thor did, it will gross around between 509-521 Million, now in case Aquaman decides to sell more than Thor and act like Man Of Steel in terms of sold seats it will end around 739-756 Million range, Wonder Woman seats put him in the 828-847 Million range and BVS DOJ type seats would mean a gross around 908-929 Million.

In any case, Aquaman will put the phase 1 at a minimum of 450 Million advance on #MCU phase 1, with an option to out-gross #MCU phase 1 with something close to 850 Million, not too bad for a “failed” franchise, I must say.

Now we all know #MCU fans have a ready answer for everything, one of their favorite points is that #MCU phase 1 existed between 2008 and 2012 and that Marvel had only B list characters. Well TDK came out in 2008 and made 1 Billion, so I guess the year wasn’t the issue and Superman in 78, first ever movie that appeared on the big screen with a superhero made adjusted to 2017 1.2 Billion. He did have a TV show previously. Something many Marvel characters tried and failed at, not our fault though. The character isn’t b or c list for the big screen until it hits it, as you can see #justiceleague had Batman and did not make 1.2 Billion guaranteed, nor did Batman Forever, Batman and Robin etc,. There is no guarantee for any brand, its the movie itself that makes money based on word of mouth.

So, to summarize:

Average critics score on RT

DCEU 5.85 MCU 6.9

Average gross per movie

DCEU 753 Million MCU 750 Million

Phase 1 vs Phase 1

DCEU 3.766 Billion MCU 3.811 Billion [DC has not released AQUAMAN to make it 6 vs 6], and as for adjusted ticket price and inflation, DC first 5 movies sold 434,457 Million seats and Marvel sold 491,466 seats, so AQUAMAN needs to sell 60 Million tickets for a tie, that's as many as the first Thor sold. Should be achievable and beyond.

And now let’s see the future: And here is the speculation is pointed at in the beginning.

DC has coming phase 2 the following: Shazam, Suicide Squad 2, Wonder Woman 2, The Batman, Nightwing and or Flash, how do you think this Phase 2 will behave?

A Matt Reeves Batman movie, that can get all of them #TDK fans back in the seats ranging between 900 Million -1.1 Billion if not comedic and Joss-like. Wonder Woman 2, should this time perform better overseas, that’s a possible 900 Million sequel for a movies that made 821 Million with 50 % of that coming from international markets, which is usually around 60 + % for such movies. Suicide Squad 2 if done the right way sounds like it could beat the first one and go for that 800 Million plus range, with the studio having learned what is a straight no for this franchise from the first one.

Nightwing, with all I am hearing and a good action martial arts movie set in Gotham, this can attract that Batman crowd and go somewhere between 600-700 Million possibly or less. Shazam could behave like Nightwing in terms of Box Office or if it's more comedic and family friendly even better due to the light and easy digestible tone it has, plus the huge boost it will get by its Producer The Rock.

In case the movie titles match my prediction with the actual phase 2 - DC films and the Box Office predictions match a possible scenario like the one I mentioned, then we can assume , something at worst at 3.6 Billion, best case 4.2 Billion, which will take them over 8.3 + Billion by a lot in only 2 phases. How is that a bad? Its beside me.

MCU phase 2 is around the 4.6 Billion mark, with its last two movies to make over 1.1 Billion, Avengers 2 [AOU] and Iron man 3. MCU phase 1 and 2 are worth around the 8.4 Billion give or take, and #DC has the chance to surpass that with critically acclaimed and original movies. As i mentioned, their phase 1 will likely close around the 4.1-4.4 Billion mark, add another 4.2 from phase 2 and you get a round 8.6 Billion. Again speculation on my part for DC, but they average per movies is currently 753 Million, and they aren't going to go lower for sure. While Marvel CU is doing fine mostly in phase 3, they first 2 phases were profitable due to Avengers 1 & 2 and Iron Man 3. We have two more Avengers movies that are coming and if they reach the success of the 1st one, i will be surprised. Nevertheless they will be aiming at a minimum Civil War Box Office, and if the plot is too generic and there isn’t enough closure, they will surely land on that 1 Billion circle, which can’t be that good for a movie with the cost of 490 Million plus.

Now remember, this is all speculation, because even with Zack Snyder gone for critics to use as an excuse for the same old same old rotten scores, they still went after David Ayer twice [Suicide Squad, Bright], Joss Whedon [who did most of Justice League as we saw and was praised for Avengers]. So, they might just come for all DC films in the future based on brand bias. We can't know, but what we do know, is that the new directors brought to work on these films have been nothing but successful elsewhere and the only issue that might exist is the suits behind WB Pictures and their will to cut the movies to make them unoriginal and bland, like they did with Justice League.

#DCEU CHAMP DCFILMS DCADULTS

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zanytimetravelenthusiast-blog · 5 years

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josephlrushing · 4 years

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Takeaways from Apple’s Annual September Event

2020 has taken away a lot, but perhaps it has given us even more. And with brands like Apple, who tend to do the absolute most when it comes to their keynotes, yesterday was a welcome surprise. As the resident Apple Fanboy for GearDiary, it’s only right that I give my take on things.

So to start of the keynote, our favorite person Tim Cook came on and set the stage and proved Jon Prosser to be a trustworthy source for leaks by immediately letting us know not to expect anything about the iPhone. He probably turned off many people with this, but it was to be expected Apple would do this after weeks of speculation about the production of iPhones JUST beginning. Knowing this, the first five minutes of the conference saved us all a bunch of time between random overused terms like “utterly fantastic,” “Remarkable,” and “trendsetting” you’d typically hear for 4-5 minutes. In the same spirit, I wanted to quickly highlight the essential things and a few that Apple didn’t highlight. Let’s start with the Apple Watch.

Apple Watch

Apple decided to start the keynote by introducing the Apple Watch Series 6. If you have the series 5, you’ll probably end up skipping this altogether because the only real additions are the new Blood Oxygen feature and the ability to monitor your elevation continuously. While this probably would’ve been nice to have all spring and summer for hiking, and certainly could’ve been in Apple Series 5, we know Apple has to save something for the next series. The former is the main highlight of series 6, with Apple explaining it as:

Apple Watch Series 6 expands the health capabilities of previous Apple Watch models with a new feature that conveniently measures the oxygen saturation of the user’s blood, so they can better understand their overall fitness and wellness. Oxygen saturation, or SpO2, represents the percentage of oxygen being carried by red blood cells from the lungs to the rest of the body, and indicates how well this oxygenated blood is being delivered throughout the body.

To compensate for natural variations in the skin and improve accuracy, the Blood Oxygen sensor employs four clusters of green, red, and infrared LEDs, along with the four photodiodes on the back crystal of Apple Watch, to measure light reflected back from blood. Apple Watch then uses an advanced custom algorithm built into the Blood Oxygen app, which is designed to measure blood oxygen between 70 percent and 100 percent. On-demand measurements can be taken while the user is still, and periodic background measurements occur when they are inactive, including during sleep. All data will be visible in the Health app, and the user will be able to track trends over time to see how their blood oxygen level changes.

Aside from that, the Series 6 Apple Watch will include an “enhanced” Always-On Retina display that Apple states is up to 2.5 times brighter than the Series 5, making it easier to see the watch in bright sunlight. I mentioned earlier about the always-on elevation feature, which Apple calls the Always-On Altimeter. It will not only be power-efficient but will allow for small elevation changes above ground level, which is great for not just hiking, but biking, walking, you name it.

The Series 6 comes with a new variety of colors, including Product Red, a striking blue, and even a new graphite color that I’m partial to. They will look great with Apple’s New Braided Solo Loop, or the “normal” solo loop, which essentially is the Apple silicone band you’re used to from Apple, without the additional tabs. It’s a more custom fit watch band with an overly complicated method or trying the band on.

In practice, you have to print out a document that you end up cutting and putting on your wrist to measure the perfect size. I feel like this was one of those missed opportunities for Apple to showcase all of those AR functions that most of us are wowed by, but never actually use that they spend 25 minutes raving about updating ever year. Just a thought.

Aside from Series 6, there’s the Apple Watch SE, which for all intents and purposes, is the replacement for the Apple Watch 4, and ultimately the Apple Watch 5. It has the same modern design, with the fall detection, Emergency SOS, Noise app, and always-in altimeter, but to justify the price, Apple took away the ECG (we can’t all have it all). It will feature all the fitness features, the health functionalities you’d expect from Apple. Essentially the Apple Watch SE is the “entry-level” Apple Watch, and at $279, its a great Christmas gift for a teen or spouse who doesn’t overthink how they’d use the Apple Watch.

Sidenote: One HUGE takeaway for me that I wish Apple would’ve spent more time on is the family aspect of Apple Watch. Without saying too much, they mentioned the ability of family sharing Apple Watch so you can track your children, ping them if need be, and all without the need of the rumored “Airtag.” This was huge for me.

Apple moved on from the Apple Watch to discuss their iPads, which was not a surprise to anyone.

8th Generation iPad

Apple seems to have taken notice of Chromebooks cornering the distance learning market and opted to update their Touch-ID enabled iPad finally. At $329, the new iPad features an A12 Bionic processor that, according to Apple, is six times faster than the best selling Android tablet and Chromebooks. This is interesting because I feel like this is an announcement they could’ve done over the summer; with the number of students returning to school, this would’ve been better represented being a must-have back to school item by the company. Time will tell if this will be a success, but luckily the 8th-gen iPad has a $299 price tag for education purposes and has Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard compatibility.

iPad Air

Okay, I have to admit, as an iPad Pro user, the iPad Air was something I had my eyes on immediately. Featuring a 10.9-inch “Liquid Retina display” True Tone Technology, P3 wide color, and an antireflective coating. The biggest takeaway here, though, is instead of offering FaceId, the iPad Air includes Touch ID directly from the Power Button, which in my honest opinion, should have always been a thing and will more than likely happen with the iPhone 12 (hopefully). With a resolution of 2360 x 1640 complete with full lamination, it has me looking at my 2018 iPad Pro skeptically. What’s more, it works with the Magic Keyboard and the second-gen Apple Pencil, and it costs $599 to start.

Aside from the hardware, Apple shined by announcing two more announcements: Apple Fitness+ and the Apple One Bundle.

Both arriving later this year, Fitness+ by Apple incorporates metrics from the Apple Watch for users to visualize directly to their iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. Pretty much a head-on competitor for many fitness apps, I felt this to be a direct shot at Peloton, who recently released their new Bike+ that comes complete with Apple Watch functionality. Aside from the ability to properly track biking, Fitness+ does a bit more, regardless if you are a beginner or a gym guru. Complete with World-Class trainers, Fitness+ intelligently suggest new options to match your workouts to keep your routines fresh. And if you’re an Apple Music subscriber, you can fine-tune your workout type, trainer, duration, with your favorite music to save and listen to later. According to Apple:

When a workout is selected and started on iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, the correct workout type will automatically start on Apple Watch. During the session, the metrics from Apple Watch are shown on the screen and come to life for moments of inspiration. For example, when the trainer says to check heart rate or begins a countdown timer, those numbers will animate on the screen. And for customers who like to push themselves with a little healthy competition, the optional Burn Bar shows how their current effort stacks up against anyone who has done the same workout previously.

The familiar Activity rings from Apple Watch also appear onscreen, highlighting the wearer’s progress and launching an animated celebration as they close. With Activity Sharing, users can enable friends and family to see Fitness+ workouts completed, and workouts can also be shared to their favourite social media channels.

At the launch, Apple Fitness+ will be available in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US for $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year. If you purchase an Apple Watch Series 3 or later on or after 9-16-20, you’ll receive a three-month trial, but everyone else gets a month trial. Alternatively, you can purchase Apple One, which is my favorite part of this keynote.

I told my Twitter followers and our GearDiary group chat that all I wanted from Apple was a bundle of their services, and that’s precisely what they are starting to offer in Apple One.

Starting at $15 a month, Apple One offers three plans: Individual, Family, and Premier. As you can tell from the photo, the Individual is great itself as you get Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud storage (50GB). The Family plan version offers the same, but you’ll get 200GB of storage, which is more than enough for some. However, if you’re like me, you’ll want the Premier plan, and there are plenty of reasons why.

At $29.95, not only do you get all four of the items that the individual and Family plans get, but you also get 2TB of storage versus 200GB from the Family plan, Apple News+, and the new Fitness+ (this is the only plan that includes Fitness+, by the way). Alone, the Apple Music Family subscription is $14.99, and iCloud storage is $9.99. So being able to have everything at your disposal for a bundled price ends up saving you money in the long run. According to Apple, the Premiere plan will save you roughly $25 for all six services instead of buying them separately. I just canceled Dropbox because I now have 2TB from Apple for less money than Dropbox’s $20 a month tier, with more benefits, including workouts, news, and even a streaming service.

Overall I think Apple is still heading in the right direction, and the Apple One bundle is the most significant step they’ve taken in a long time. I’m hoping that their competition and other services will begin bundling their products to make them look more appealing to consumers, but only time will tell (Looking at you, DirecTV Now).

You can watch a recap of the Apple event here.

How did you feel about Apple’s keynote? Do you intend to purchase an Apple Watch or iPad on release day (September 16th)? Will you be buying in on Apple One or Apple Fitness+? Let us know in the comments!

The post Takeaways from Apple’s Annual September Event first appeared on GearDiary.

from Joseph Rushing https://geardiary.com/2020/09/16/takeaways-from-apples-annual-september-event/

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slrlounge1 · 5 years

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Nikon Z7 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera Review

Time will likely tell that 2018 was one of the most pivotal points in Nikon history. Their Z mount system is an all-new chapter for them, in what are undeniably some of the most exciting, promising, and yet uncertain times for camera makers and photographers alike.

The Nikon Z7 is, however, only one small step into the realm of mirrorless cameras, compared to what the competition is offering.

The All-New Nikon Full-Frame Mirrorless Z Mount

Make no mistake, the Z system itself is an absolutely giant leap forward for Nikon. The mount itself is so large, you could just about fit a medium format sensor inside it. (No, they’re not going to, though.) The mount has fully electronic communication, instead of the mechanical aperture control (or super oldschool autofocus screw) which I dare say ought to have been phased out starting in the 1990’s.

Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/30 sec, f/5.6, ISO 64

The mount will prove to be an advantage to Nikon, as the lens Nikkor Z and/or S lens lineup expands. Instead of being one of the smallest-diameter mounts of all the major SLR brands, it is indeed now the largest. This will allow Nikon to expand in two directions: exotic lenses such as the imminent Nikon 58mm f/0.95, and compact, portable lenses such as the Nikon 14-30mm f/4.

It may be that eventually, both Canon and Sony find there are certain optical formulas which only Nikon can offer, both for elite and casual photographers.

Nikon Z7 Review

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Timelapse and video footage captured on a Nikon Z7 and Nikon D750

Okay, that’s enough fanboy-ing for me, for at least a month. I promise. Let’s review the Nikon Z7! The camera is amazing, of course, but there’s a lot to discuss, both good and bad. So, let’s get started.

A big thank you for LensRentals.com for letting me take the Nikon Z7 on this amazing adventure!

The Nikon Z7 Versus the Nikon Z6

One of the more significant aspects of Nikon’s FX mirrorless debut is the fact that the Nikon Z7 has a nearly identical “little” sibling, the Nikon Z6.

Why is this so exciting? Because the Z7 is a $3,397 camera and the Z6 is a $1,997 camera. Historically, Nikon has differentiated between these two price ranges in significant ways. For example, the Nikon D850 and Nikon D750 have numerous buttons that are in completely different locations, and some functions and controls are completely absent from the D750.

The only significant difference between the Z6 and Z7 seems to be their sensors; the Z6 having 24 megapixels as well as slightly different autofocus and video capabilities as well. This is basically what Sony has been doing for three generations now, with the A7, A7R, and A7S series cameras.

Nikon Z7 Review: Pros

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/8 sec, f/10, ISO 64

There’s a lot to like about the Z7. It is more than just a portable D850. Its mirrorless features, especially the new mount, make it a whole different beast.

Here’s the real question: is the camera merely good enough to attract existing Nikon shooters, or is it actually good enough to tempt first-time buyers, or even switchers from Canon, Sony, and other brands?

My answer: The Z7 is impressive enough to earn the consideration of almost all photographers, pro or prosumer. However, there is progress yet to be made.

Nikon Z7 Image Quality

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S – 1/125 sec, f/10, ISO 64, 9-image Panorama

Nikon Z7 – 100% Crop, Fine-Radius USM Applied

The Nikon Z7 has a sensor that is seemingly the same as the Nikon D850, but with the addition of on-sensor autofocus. Indeed, if you’ll recall from my D850 review, the image quality of this sensor is just stunning.

The Nikon Z7’s base ISO of 64 is ready for all types of photography which depend on incredible dynamic range, and clean smooth tones & colors. The Nikon Z7’s 45 megapixels and lack of an AA (anti-aliasing) filter are fantastic for very large prints, and/or significant amounts of cropping.

The shadow recovery of the Z7 has to be seen to be believed. It’s jaw-dropping:

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1.6 sec, f/11, ISO 64

Nikon Z7 Dynamic Range Shadow Recovery Test – shadows boosted ~4 EV

100% Crop, Nikon Z7, Near-Black Shadows

Nikon Z7 Shadow Banding?

An assessment of the Nikon Z7’s image quality would not be complete without speaking to the image samples which show a banding pattern in the shadows.

In short, I tried really hard to reveal it, but couldn’t find any practical-real-world conditions in which it became a problem. It only shows up in the deepest, darkest shadows that are already very noisy. If the D850 was any better, it’s not in my zone of acceptable noise levels, so it doesn’t matter to me. I’ll get far better image quality by just not being lazy, and bracketing a +2 or +3 exposure for those nearly clipped shadows.

Nikon Z7 high ISO Image Quality

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 30 sec, f/4, ISO 12800 (This image is good enough for social media, but a large print would show noise)

So, let’s move on to the Nikon Z7’s high ISO image quality. At high ISOs on all cameras there is increased noise, but there is also a loss of dynamic range.

The Nikon Z7 is impressive, but not a big enough leap ahead of the D810 to fully overtake the Sony A7R III’s progress at, say, ISO 12800. The Sony is just a hair better.

Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24mm f/1.8 G, 15 sec, f/2, ISO 3200

Nikon Z7, ISO 3200, 100% Crop (with faint noise reduction and sharpening)

In the real world, though, I just ask myself two simple questions:

First, is the image quality “good enough” for what I shoot? From wedding photography to astro-landscape photography, the answer is yes, absolutely. But to be fair, my cameras have all been “good enough” for 5+ years.

Second, is the image quality significantly different from its predecessors? The answer to this question is, you guessed it, no. For 2-3 camera generations now, we’ve only really seen minor, incremental improvements to high ISO noise/DR.

My final verdict: image quality at all ISOs is already one reason why many photographers, myself included, choose Nikon, and the Z7 is merely a continuation of that earned trust.

In-Body Stabilization

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/8 sec, f/11, ISO 64, hand-held

Thank you, Nikon, for adopting IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization) in both the Z7 and the Z6. I hope this feature remains universal to the whole Z system, especially since the Z-mount lenses aren’t stabilized. (Can we please call it IBVR? No? Okay, fine.)

It works really well! I didn’t do scientific tests, because you’re likely to get totally different results based on your hand-holding technique. Suffice it to say, it’s just as good as (or better than) modern lens-based stabilization.

Nikon Z7 Durability and Portability

Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/5 sec, f/14, ISO 64

One of the things Nikon is known for, compared to the other major brands, is sheer durability. Their cameras can take a beating, whether it’s just the overall solid construction or the extensive weather sealing.

The Nikon Z7 is no exception, with weather seals galore and a metal body that would make a Nikon D5 proud. Heck, Pentax and Olympus, eat your heart out!

Yes, the Canon and Sony competitors may have some weather sealing, but based on the LensRentals blog tear-down of the Z7, it’s clear that the Nikon earns your strongest consideration if you are a foul-weather photographer who often shoots in the rain, snow, or anything else.

I must admit, as a landscape photographer and the owner of a D800e and D750, I was always jealous of the Sony A7R series and the fact that it offered all those megapixels in such a portable form factor. Well, the Z7 answers that landscape photography wish, and then some.

My verdict on durability & portability: Nikon is just really, really good at making cameras. Cameras that just work, and stand the test of time. The Z7 is a continuation of that tradition, and the new lens mount has got me drooling.

The only durability quibble I have is that the sensor is un-protected when changing lenses; I wish Nikon had closed the shutter whenever the camera was turned off, like Canon opted to do with the EOS R. If you never shoot stopped-down this might not be a problem, but I spend a lot of time at f/10-14.

Nikon Z7 Review: Cons

One thing I noticed a lot more of is this message. It’s not very helpful. I could really use some more info on the “camera’s current state”, Nikon!

My first over-arching critique will be this: it’s a first-generation product. So, no matter how happy you might be with this generation, the second generation will likely offer enough improvements to tempt you to buy it, too!

Therefore, the Nikon Z7 will be most-liked by those who definitely have the “early adopter” gene. If you’re the type of photographer who prefers to buy a more polished second-generation product, then you already know what to do: Admire the Z7 for the milestone that it is, but secretly bide your time and keep an eye out for Z7 mk2 rumors.

Personally, I’m only in the “wait and see” category if I can’t afford to be in the “early adopter” category. I love playing with new camera equipment, obviously, and I’d buy it all if I could. I’m just itching to go out on some wilderness adventures with such a portable, practical kit as the Z7 and the new Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S!

With that being said, below are my specific issues with the Nikon Z7.

Single Memory Card Slot

Let’s get the main glaring omission out of the way first: the Z7 has a single XQD card slot, and the D850 has dual card slots. But, a Z7 is $3,397 without an adapter, and a D850 is $3,297. As a working pro, this does not compute.

In my honest opinion, though, it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for almost all types of photographers except for maybe wedding photography, or some similar genres. Everybody else, calm down! You’ll be fine.

So, why did Nikon only deliver a single XQD card slot? Some folks think there’s a conspiracy to keep selling D850’s, but that is likely untrue since not only is the Z7 a more expensive camera, it may also be cheaper to make, thanks to the significant reduction in mechanical aspects, namely the AF-D motor, the spring-loaded aperture tab, and of course the mirror and all those other “guts”, from the phase-detect AF module to the prism etc. In other words, here is a very good chance that Nikon is able to make more money on a Z7 than a D850, if they could only get the sales numbers to the same level.

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/4 sec, f/14, ISO 64

Personally, I think the reason Nikon went with just one memory card is simple: It was a major “data pipeline” decision they made as far back as 2-3 years ago when Sony was on its sixth (yes, sixth!) full-frame mirrorless camera with a single, relatively slow SD card slot. Nikon simply miscalculated how important dual card slots were to the majority of the market, especially with the future of wireless mobile device backup, which isn’t perfect yet but is getting close.

At the end of the day, the more common, practical drawback that people will actually face is the fact that XQD cards are very expensive. For example, I recently bought a Sandisk Extreme Pro 128GB SD card on sale for $39, (usually $49) …but a 120GB XQD card can cost $205, if it isn’t on sale for $155.

Autofocus A Good Start, But room for improvement

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/250 sec, f/4, ISO 64

A few years ago, Nikon patented something called “quad pixel autofocus” which gave me very high hopes. As the name implies, I thought Nikon was onto something that would be even better than Canon’s Dual-Pixel autofocus, and maybe also better than Sony’s hybrid autofocus.

Well, Nikon got close enough that most D850 or D750 shooters will be delighted with the Z7’s autofocus speed and accuracy, in good light.

However, if you’re hoping to match the action/sports focus tracking, or the reliability in pitch dark conditions that Nikon’s current-generation DSLRs offer, then the Z7 may not stack up against either its mirrored brother, the Nikon D850, or its mirrorless competitor, the Sony A7RIII.

By comparison, the Canon EOS R, when paired with the RF 50mm f/1.2, proved to offer the most uncanny low-light autofocus reliability I’ve ever seen, and Sony, on the other hand, has just announced a major AI-based improvement to its already superior Eye AF. So clearly, the competition isn’t standing still, and Nikon needs to continue working fast if they want to keep up.

My verdict: The Z7’s autofocus is great for most types of photography, but if you really like to track active, erratic subjects, or nail focus in pitch-dark conditions, there are better alternatives out there. However, I had no problem “making it work”, and it was a non-issue for landscape and other types of static photography, of course.

No More AF Microadjustment!

Before we move on, I hae a confession: I’m at a point in my photography career where I’m just sick of having to check all my DSLR bodies and lenses every month for front/back-focus. All mirrorless cameras use the sensor itself for all autofocus, so the woes of mirrored SLR autofocus are nonexistent.

To me, this is a practical, real-world advantage that makes the Z7 actually a lot more desirable in terms of AF reliability, despite the room for improvement. Therefore, I’d rather have a Z7 (or a Z6) in almost all lighting conditions.

EVF A Good Start, But Also Room For Improvement

The biggest difference between a mirrorless camera and a DSLR is the EVF, the electronic viewfinder. The Nikon Z7’s EVF looks great, in fact, it has nearly 3.6 megapixels which puts it roughly on par with the Canon EOS R and the Sony A7RIII. (Also, better than the A7III)

In practical use, however, the clarity and overall look of the image is not as beautiful as the Canon EOS R, which is my current favorite after a totally unscientific, “this one looks the best!” assessment.

More importantly, the shutter blackout is indeed an issue. It varies with your shooting mode and shutter settings, but it’s there, and it’s a bit unsettling compared to either the EOS R or the A7RIII.

Personally, I still love optical viewfinders, especially for travel, backpacking, and hiking. I can click photos all day long using the EVF, and barely put a dent in the battery life. So when I consider a mirrorless camera, the EVF needs to be awesome in order to tempt me.

I want an EVF that gives me the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) view of my final image, for creative and technical reasons, and also offers completely blackout-free operation. I also particularly like how long exposures are handled on some Olympus cameras- the image reveals itself on the sensor, in real-time, quite like how chemical prints appear during developing.

My verdict: I don’t know if I’d trust it for action sports, (yes, it may work, but it’d still be a compromise compared to a D5) …however I’d certainly enjoy the Z7 for many other types of photography.

An Open Shutter Equals A Dusty Sensor

One thing that I was hoping for was the ability to close the shutter whenever the camera is turned off, to protect the sensor from dust or worse. It’s not currently a feature on the Z7, but theoretically (I hope) it’s something that can be easily added via firmware.

Otherwise, I’m going to have to get in the habit of cleaning my sensor before every timelapse I shoot at f/5.6+. (Currently, Canon’s EOS R closes its shutter when turned off, so we know it is both possible and not a terrible idea.)

Battery Life & Charging

I must admit, the Z7’s battery life is quite good. It just isn’t as good as a D750 or D850, particularly in conditions where the (optical) viewfinder is being used a lot more than live view or video.

It’s almost worth it, though, for the benefits of the EVF and IBIS. Many long-time mirrorless shooters will agree that as long as battery life is at least decent, and not utterly abysmal, (I’m looking at you, NP-FW50!) …the benefits are totally worth it. Just pop a spare battery in your pocket, and you may do even better than you would have with a single EN-EL15a/b battery in a DSLR.

MIrrorless Battery Compatibility & Features, Compared

The Nikon Z7 is compatible with the following batteries: EN-EL15, ($49) EN-EL15a, ($55) and EN-EL15b. ($60) The Sony A7RIII and A7III are only compatible with the NP-FZ100, a $78 battery. The Canon EOS R is compatible with the common LP-E6, and new LP-E6N, both which are around $60.

All of these batteries deliver very good performance; I could easily get 1-2K clicks out of any of them if I tried to conserve battery power.

The elephant in the room is this: Sony is the only system that lets you actually operate the camera directly from USB power while the camera is on. Nikon (and Canon) only let you charge the camera via USB while the camera is off.

For any long day of shooting, this is a huge win for Sony. All the video shooters I know (who use Sony) take advantage of this external power feature; just velcro a 10,000 or 20,000 mAh USB battery to your SmallRig, (or gaff-tape it to the leg of your tripod, if you’re classy like me) …and you can record video all day long, no problem. Compared to those ~$60 batteries, a good quality high-capacity USB battery runs just $30-40.

So, I really hope Nikon (and Canon) figure this out as soon as possible.

By the way, charging the Z7’s battery via USB is so slow, it’s not practical for use in the field. In my tests, it took 60 minutes to charge just 5-10% via a two-amp USB battery. Better results might be possible, but achieving them may involve buying a specific battery pack and cable. (If you have significantly different results, please comment below!)

New, Rearranged Ergonomics

Many things about the Z7’s physical controls will be familiar to existing Nikon DSLR shooter, whether your current camera is a “prosumer” class D750, or a pro/flagship class D850, D500, or D5.

And the grip and overall ergonomics feel great, thankfully. However, a few subtle changes did leave me frustrated, and I think Nikon could have done a better job of making the experience a little more familiar and smooth.

The “drive” mode dial is gone, (S, Cl, Ch, Q, etc.) and has been divided up among menu items on the touchscreen plus a new physical button that is rather inconveniently placed in the bottom-right corner of the back of the camera. Reaching this new drive mode button with my large-ish hands gives me a strong “beginner camera” sensation.

There is also no more dedicated WB button. This means that, as a Kelvin WB user, I can’t just hold down a WB button and crank the actual Kelvin number with my sub-command dial, like I’ve been doing for ~12 years on my Nikon DSLRs. Getting to the Kelvin adjustment while my eye is held to the EVF is nowhere near as effortless as it is on the latest Sony bodies, let alone the “touch dial” customization that I fell in love with on the Canon EOS R.

Nikon has put a lot more emphasis on the new quick menu that is available on the touchscreen, and it takes some getting used to. In some cases, when I’d rather not take my eye away from the viewfinder, Nikon’s functionality changes are a step back from what is so easy to do on a D850 or D750. Then again, in other ways it’s a lot more useful and nifty, especially considering that with a mirrorless camera there are just more functions to deal with, period, and like it has taken Sony a while to get to a good place with their interface and customization, it will likely take Nikon a few generations (hopefully less than 5 years, though) to deliver a truly second-nature interface.

All in all, these are minor complaints, but they’re areas where Nikon could certainly improve. Nikon made a valiant effort to offer familiarity to us older folks who have Nikon DSLR ergonomics ingrained in our muscle memory, as well as such modern advantages as a touchscreen quick menu, and numerous custom function buttons.

Then again, the custom function buttons aren’t totally unlimited in their available options, and the touchscreen can’t control your AF point while it’s off (while your eye is to the EVF) such as can be done on the latest Sonys and the EOS R.

The familiar Nikon AF point joystick is great, but we now have 493 AF points to work with, and the touchscreen really does make controlling them an effortless matter.

If Nikon wishes to fully embrace both past and future generations of photographers, both diversity, and abundance, of features will be critical.

The Nikon Z7’s Mirrorless Competition

So, let’s recap, and collect some of the important details about how the Nikon Z7 compares against the other full-frame mirrorless options out there.

There’s no mistaking, the Sony A7RIII offers a tempting alternative. It’s got dual SD card slots, an advanced AF system, (which will become even more advanced in the spring of 2019!) and a complete arsenal of native lenses, both name-brand and third-party. The list of differences between these two cameras, especially when considering both photo and video modes, is so great it could fill a whole comparison article. So, suffice it to say, if you try the Sony A7RIII and like it, you’ll be joining quite a few of my friends, from landscape photographers to portrait photographers.

On the other hand, there’s the Canon EOS R, at closer to $2K which is decidedly a more prosumer/beginner full-frame camera body, which competes against the Nikon Z6, or the Sony A7III. So, it is in a very different class from the Z7. The Z7’s dynamic range and resolution beat the EOS R at lower ISO’s, but at higher ISO’s the difference is negligible.

The EOS R has that beautiful viewfinder, and the touch-sensitive control dial which I like even though most others don’t, plus those truly impressive RF lenses. Oh, and the fully-articulated LCD screen, if you’re a vlogger. However, the EOS R lacks both IBIS and a 2nd card slot. Compared to the Sony A7III which has both, that’s a tough proposition to even an amateur, let alone a working pro.

My verdict: Only the Sony A7RIII is really in the same class as the Nikon Z7, while the other cameras are left to compete amongst themselves. Both the Z7 and the A7RIII make solid choices, depending on the type of photography you do, and what you’re looking for in the system as a whole.

The Nikon Z7’s DSLR Competition

Really, the only DSLR that the Z7 can be compared against is, of course, the Nikon D850.

The Z7 differs from the D850 in so many ways, and yet it is very similar in some of the ways that matter most. Image quality is essentially the same. Durability might be the same too. But the Z7 will offer a host of advantages, most notably the new lens mount, but also the portability and other benefits that come with a mirrorless system, from the EVF to the IBIS.

If you already have a D850, you have to really want these benefits of mirrorless. If you have a Nikon much older than the D850 or D810, then you’ve got to ask yourself if you’re in the mood to be an early adopter or not.

Nikon Z7 Review | Conclusion

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 6 sec, f/10, ISO 64

Here’s my final verdict on the all-around ease of use, features, and advantages plus weaknesses of the Nikon Z7:

Nikon, maybe slowly but surely, is trying to “do mirrorless right”. Indeed, Nikon is not a brand for impatient people, but they do deliver great cameras (and incredible lenses) when they finally do. They don’t always get every cutting-edge bell and whistle perfect the first time, but they do always have a few tricks up their sleeves.

And thus, my assessment of the Nikon Z7 is quite similar to what I’ve felt about Nikon for nearly seven years now, since the D800 and D800e first came out: The Z7 is a high-resolution champ, built rock-solid and reliable, and although it’s not the most high-speed or the most feature-packed mirrorless camera on the market, it’s a great choice nonetheless.

The Z7 is a giant leap for Nikon, and it’s given me reason enough to see what happens next. If you’ve got ~$3,547-$3,997 ready, and don’t mind the relatively minor quirks of a first-generation product, I highly recommend checking out this camera. As with any major decision that involves a whole new system, I would highly recommend holding the camera and taking it for a quick spin, but I bet you’ll like it.

from SLR Lounge http://bit.ly/2G4Cr6C via IFTTT

#IFTTT #SLR Lounge

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smoothshift · 5 years

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US-spec Genesis G70 3.3T AWD Owner Thoughts - After 1 Week via /r/cars

US-spec Genesis G70 3.3T AWD Owner Thoughts - After 1 Week

I figured I might write a somewhat lengthy review/comparison of my current ride given that a whopping 180 G70s have been sold to date in the US so it’s a very rare car (<500 owners to date in the entire US, close to the monthly sales figure of the Civic Type R) in the US at this point and there’s some hype in the media in particular for this car. I know this is not the first personal review of the G70 (/u thehedgefrog posted one months ago based on his/her Canadian-spec G70 which also informed my decision) but this is the first US-spec G70 owner review post of the car on this sub. So here’s my take on it, but first some context.

I’ve been one of the most vocal fanboys of the G70 during the past 1.5 years on this sub ever since the NY concept was released at the NY auto show in March 2016. I was blown away by the design cues and the promise by Hyundai/Genesis on a focus on performance, with some already calling it a ‘3-series killer’ which was silly at the time. I read and watched pretty much all major Korean/English articles/videos previewing and reviewing the G70 since then, and after a long wait, I put money where my mouth is - wink to a certain poster who mentioned this in every G70 thread - and picked up the keys to a 3.3T G70 advanced (base) trim in AWD after negotiating a good deal - around invoice for selling price in addition to conquest rebate and lease incentives. I’m sure more incentives will kick in next year when more dealers get inventory and the 2020 model arrives with the 3D instrument cluster, but I’m happy with my analog cluster and I couldn’t wait that long. Also I don’t see it being given away as much as the Kia Stinger due to various factors like having a separate brand, concierge service, history, etc.

For reference, since most people aren’t familiar with the G70 (including some Hyundai salesmen who didn’t know what the different trims were), the features included in this trim are referenced below along with all the other safety features (lane keep, AEB, ACC, pedestrian detection, etc) as standard, and highlights the value quotient that drew me towards the car. The only thing I really wished I could buy separately would be the 360 camera (part of the prestige package which is $~4k extra). I have an anal tendency to park dead center between the lines and having one would help.

Brembo brakes

15 speaker lexicon sound system

Mechanical LSD

Sport tuned suspension

Full LED headlights and DRL

Alloy pedals and aluminum door/console trim

Ventilated/heated leather (non-nappa) seats and heated steering

I’ve had this car for over a week and as the first sub-5 second car I’ve owned that has any notion of being sporty, I am thoroughly impressed and love the car. I cannot believe how hard this car pulls and that this is a Hyundai/Genesis based on its driving characteristics - I’ve owned/driven various elantras, sonata, and genesis models over the years. The low-end torque (376 lb/ft at 1300 rpm) has enough oomph to push you into your seat even at 50%-80% of throttle, and the Alex on Autos figure of 4.6 seconds 0-60 without using launch control sounds credible. The cornering feels sharp and confident and it catches me off-guard on me how fast I can corner without losing traction, especially after owning the boat that is the Hyundai Genesis/G80. In sport mode the paddle shifters are responsive, work well, and they hold gears for a fairly long time unless you come to a complete stop, and I use the paddles already a lot more than I did in the Hyundai Genesis. I’m also using the custom mode a lot (sport engine, sport awd, comfort steering, no adaptive suspension on my trim) with ‘enhanced’ exhaust note pumped into my speakers which doesn’t sound obnoxious but is pleasing to the ear. The gears shift fairly quickly, quite similar to the mustang GT 10-speed in performance (more on that below).

My favorite feature so far is the side bolsters adjusting to hug you when you turn on sport mode. I found out recently though that you can manually adjust the bolsters and save to memory settings so when you turn on easy access mode in the settings, the side bolsters adjust every time you turn on the engine to your seat memory position. The car literally hugs you every time you enter as if to greet you to floor it! Beyond that, the remaining interior and overall material quality (maybe except one potential issue with the leather seats) feel great and it feels special/comfortable when I sit in it.

For comparisons. I didn’t bother cross shopping with other compact luxury sedans as I wasn’t interested in any other cars in its class. I did have a short fling with considering an Audi S5 sportback but it was out of my price range. The kia stinger… It looks like a great car for the money but it is also a bit big/heavy for my tastes and the interior/exterior didn’t do it for me. I did however drive a rental base 2018 Mustang GT from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon (~600 mile round trip) earlier this month for a weekend trip so I got good seat time to compare and contrast. I completely agree with all of the comments made by the throttlehouse review. People may comment it’s a weird comparison but you would be surprised quite a few people on the genesis forum are cross shopping between the two as they are roughly the same price points, with a couple confirmed purchases of the GT due to lack of G70 availability.

Basically, if I was in my 20s with no family and if I had a good income, no question I would probably get the GT. The V8 coyote motor is one of the best sounding engines I’ve heard and was my favorite feature, 10-speed automatic was great with quick shifts, the profile looks sexy as hell, has great driving characteristics, awesome road presence, and can be had much cheaper than the G70 3.3T. However, the ride was still a bit rough at times, interior was too plasticky, some creaks and rattles, and the infotainment! I know everyone circlejerks about SYNC3 and maybe it was just my rental but android auto couldn’t pair at all, the button layout was confusing as hell, and having the screen buried below the center console is not the best placement imo. People hate the ipad stuck on top of the dashboard look but I actually like it due to the fact that it keeps my line of sight nearer to the road and is more intuitive. Being the age that I am now, the G70 is a lot more refined and a better daily, has a better interior, less noise (good and bad), more usable rear space (although not by much), more under the radar but just as fast in non-track conditions compared to a mustang GT. Growing up instead of Bro-ing down.

A few negatives for the G70 are that the rear space is a bit cramped (I barely fit behind my seat), MPG is lower compared to competitors, the brake based torque vectoring can catch you off guard at times (did for me once in a roundabout), and the leather on the seats. I already see some creases on the base bolster after 1 week which is being caused by my entry/exit of the vehicle, and some other owners seem to be finding the same thing regardless of having nappa/non-nappa leather. We’ll see how they age over the years, but as for their function, the seats are very comfortable. The main hurdle for this car is the availability and dealership experience. My purchase experience could’ve been better but my salesman was nice enough and walked me through the process well. A good perk is Genesis will bring me a loaner to my house when I service my car, and I get free maintenance for 3 years so I potentially never have to step into a Hyundai service center ever, knock on wood.

Overall though, it is a fantastic car and I encourage everyone interested in getting a compact luxury sedan to take a look. I see a lot of heads turn mostly because no one can figure out what this car is, but also because it looks more stunning in real life than what pictures/videos show. Due to its depreciation and the unknowns of a new model/brand, I’d highly recommend leasing over purchasing.

Tl;DR - Bought a G70 3.3T which is 1 of ~500 available in the US at this point. G70 is worthy of the praise/rewards received so far and I love the car, it is fast and sporty and a better fit for my needs versus Mustang GT.

Took some pics on a long drive and some from day of purchase

#reddit #autonews #auto #cars

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pauldeckerus · 5 years

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Guest Blog: Wedding Photographer & Videographer Leo Trevino of Rad Red Creative

MAKING THE MOVE FROM DSLR TO MIRRORLESS In case you’re a photographer who has been living under a rock the past year, let me say this: Mirrorless is the future!

Don’t believe me? Sony, Panasonic and Fujifilm have been going nuts releasing amazing cameras as of late, and the image quality these lightweights have been producing has been hitting like heavyweight DSLR bodies.

Still don’t believe mirrorless is the future? Go check out Nikon and Canon’s latest full frame… wait for it… mirrorless cameras *GASP!* Alright enough of the melodrama. But you get it; if two of the most steadfast imaging companies finally gave into the mirrorless market, that must mean there’s something to this “mirrorless-trend,” and it’s got me shook. If you’re anything like most veteran photographers, we kind of tend to turn our noses up when we see/hear about someone using a mirrorless for professional work. Here’s how a dedicated DSLR shooter got seduced by a mirrorless system and why I’m never looking back.

Shot on iPhone XS MAX

Real quick, let’s take it back to my experience with DSLR bodies. I’ve been faithfully shooting one of the major brands for about 8 years. From their entry-level model all the way up to their most popular body, I’ve been a loyal fanboy. A little over a year ago, I finally hit that burn-out feeling working professionals deal with. Every-time I picked up my DSLR I just dreaded it. Not to mention the physical weight started to take a toll on my back, and yes I tried working out and all but uh, that just left me more tired haha.

We also film weddings and I was (still am) frustrated with how stubborn they are when it comes to adding decent video features to a camera. For the longest time there was no option to record LOG, the 4k file codec was horrendous, sloppy slo-mo, no focus peaking and I didn’t wanna shell out thousands to buy a few of their cinema cameras. All that to say the switch didn’t happen over night… but I was ready for a change.

View of El Capitan; wildfire that day – FUJI XT2

As I said, mirrorless didn’t catch my attention right away. I always thought of it as a novelty camera. That was until one of my dear friends Phil Porto decided to try out the Fujifilm XT-2. I wanna say it was probably a week later that I saw him selling off all his DSLR gear on Facebook groups. After that, at WPPI 2017 in Vegas I noticed another close friend of my wife and I, Ashlee Hamon, was playing with Fuji bodies at their booth. Sure enough a couple weeks later, she also sold all her DSLR gear and made the switch.

And it wasn’t just them; plenty of my colleagues were making the move to either Sony, Fujifilm and a lot of video shooters moving to Panasonic; and again Sony for that matter. That being said, it wasn’t long before I picked up the phone and set up a play date with my friends and their new systems! Fujifilm had my attention.

Seeing how much I liked my friends’ Fujis, I eventually talked my wife into letting me buy a Fuji XT-2 and a 23mm 1.4 lens in August 2017; it was for personal use. I liked it for its lightweight, small form factor, beast of a crop sensor, shoots raw, dual card slots, and a great line of prime lenses to choose from if I wanted to expand in the future. Once the boys in brown dropped my package off, I immediately opened it. From there on, the XT2 was glued to my hand. Coffee shops, date nights, vacations… where I went, so did the XT2. And then an elopement in California happened and that’s when it clicked (pun intended); I think I wanna switch.

Half Dome from Glacier Pointe – FUJI XT2

Outside of Yosemite at Air BnB – FUJI XT2

We photographed our bride and groom all day in Yosemite National Park. I normally shoot with two bodies, so this time I had my DSLR with an 85mm prime lens and the Fuji XT2 had the 23mm (35mm FF equivalent). After the elopement, we headed back to our Airbnb, and I rushed to my Macbook to import all the files into Lightroom to start editing.

Needless to say I was blown away with the image quality, colors, dynamic range, and crispness I got out of the Fuji! When I started comparing files between the two camera systems, the Fuji outpaced the DSLR with colors and dynamic range. That would’ve been my biggest concern: Can I really shoot Fuji professionally? Yes… yes I can. I still mainly shot my DSLR for full wedding days and engagement sessions, but I couldn’t shake how impressed I was.

FUJI XT2

Let’s fast forward (because I’m long winded… long type-er?… you get it). Earlier this year I bought a small fleet of mid-range DSLR bodies so my video team can all be shooting on the same thing. Yeah, big mistake. I think this particular body, in my experience, sucks. Did not like the colors. The files fell apart in Final Cut X while color grading. Didn’t feel like the 1080p footage was all that sharp, and the biggest flaw: No 4K… and before the peanut gallery starts chiming in; Yes we film weddings in 4K.

BEGINNING OF RANT: Why? Well, a lot of newer video companies (the younger crowd) are starting off with mirrorless cameras that can shoot 4K. And why wouldn’t they use it to set themselves apart from more established companies, older companies that don’t “like,” to shoot 4K? It’s just like how I used to make fun of people that still filmed wedding videos on camcorders/mini DV tapes; I don’t wanna be the guy shooting 1080p in 2018. Gotta stay up on the competition, right? END OF RANT.

Anyways, from January til June we were slammed with weddings and didn’t think it was smart to try switching systems. But then, rolling into late summer, things slowed way down and BAM; Fuji announces the XT3 in early Sept!

Bryce Canyon – Apple iPhone XS MAX

Once this camera was announced and released, I threw all of those mid-range DSLR bodies on Facebook buy/sell groups and sold ‘em like hotcakes. Now, I did the math. IF I had bought four of the main bodies we use (we run four cameras during the ceremony), which are the next step up in the lineup, cuz those can do 4K, Log, and Slo-mo, I would be spending upwards of $12,000. Not to mention I would have to buy extra lenses. After selling off all the mid-range DSLR bodies and buying three XT-3 bodies (I still own the XT2) along with a variety of prime lenses I spent about $5,000 out of pocket.

Once they got delivered to my door, I got them out of the boxes, set them up, and we then filmed our first wedding on them…. I was hooked for good. I also wanna mention my video team loves being able to keep everything in one bag and felt less tired since everything was lighter weight. We’re still editing most of those video but so far so good I’m loving the videos way better than what we were getting from the DSLR bodies. Meanwhile, I shot the hell out of that camera during one of our National Park pitstops at Bryce Canyon and later in San Francisco!

Bryce Canyon

Golden Gate Bridge

Now that I went full Fuji for video, I started feeling that itch again… the curiosity of: I wonder if I could photograph my next wedding with these XT-3s… And so I did! The very next weekend, I shot an entire wedding with a mirrorless camera. Since then I’ve photographed one more wedding with Fuji and then an engagement session. Suffice it to say, I didn’t once find myself missing my full frame DSLRs.

FUJI XT3

Where am I going with this? I realize this whole post might have sounded like I’m Fujifilm fanboy or a mirrorless evangelist, and maybe rightfully so. But what I really want to leave you with is this:

DO NOT be afraid of trying one of the new mirrorless systems, or maybe any new system for that matter.

Switching camera systems takes time and careful planning. While mirrorless may not for everyone (yet), changing camera systems has certainly reinvigorated my personal interest in photography. I find myself more eager to shoot, the light weight means I have more stamina during weddings, and my wrist isn’t swollen afterwards. Mirrorless EVF’s (electronic viewfinder) have also come a long way and I personally love Fuji’s. Overall I just love the feel of the camera; it’s true what some people say when it comes to having an emotional response shooting with a certain piece of gear.

If you find yourself stuck in a rut, or in the middle of burn out; do something for yourself and business and try something new. People change, photography style changes, why shouldn’t your camera system? As Tom Haverford from ‘Parks and Recreation’ says, “Treat yo’ Self!” You deserve it!

You can see more of Leo and his wife Brittany’s work at RadRedCreative.com, and keep up with them on Instagram, Vimeo, and Facebook.

The post Guest Blog: Wedding Photographer & Videographer Leo Trevino of Rad Red Creative appeared first on Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider.

from Photography News https://scottkelby.com/guest-blog-wedding-photographer-videographer-leo-trevino-of-rad-red-creative/

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eusebiaz545378-blog · 6 years

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Dokra Craft.

YouTube has this amazing ability to take you from the extremes of 'amusing ape crashes' to the social gravitas of 'The function of the federal book in the US', yet today I encountered a video clip which surprised me at my extremely core, it's called 'Will's Wisdom. There are as numerous methods to find ideas as there are individuals trying to find it. Find a way to integrate it into your life on a routine basis if you currently understand exactly what inspires you. In Making Call, WIRED contributor Sarah Scoles interweaves Tarter's tale with the scientific research, viewpoint, as well as politics that underpin the continuous pursuit to comprehend life in deep space and mankind's place with in it-- whether we're alone or not. " He recognizes in the film that education and learning isn't simply one little component of your existence, it is life. Celebrations: We have the tendency to feel elated and enthusiastic regarding life when we commemorate during festivals as well as special events like birthdays, promos, wedding celebration, etc On day two of Facebook's F8 seminar, Facebook's CTO Mike Schroepfer showed off styles for two brand-new 360 video cameras that the company is mosting likely to aid push to market. I seek ideas in movie, theatre, music, art - and in watching various other ballet companies, various other dancers, and also various other types of dance. It's difficult to be on top of your video game daily, and sometimes you're just left entirely and utterly uninspired. When we re-framed the trouble in human-centered terms by asking questions like, How can we help hectic families to stay attached?" as well as Exactly how can we reward our most faithful consumers?" instantly our previously reticent client group was breaking with concepts as well as instilled with a newly found sense of positive outlook. Haughey heard many in his mate-- the majority of them dedicated Jobs followers-- stating, It is time not to wind up like Steve." So rather than aiming to create the next Apple, he recommended developing a way of life company," a smaller-scale enterprise that declines venture capital and funds itself, leaving its owner time for pursuits beyond job. To be fair, the wastebasket-turned-muse concerned isn't a worn plastic bin, it's a sophisticated metal example by Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops) designer Josef Hoffmann that currently retails for $225 In a lecture last year, the structure's architect, Rafael Viñoly, stated that while there are numerous ideas," Hoffmann's operate in specific inspired the grid-like exterior of 432 Park. But style magpies could utilize it to discover suggestions, or merely to stay up to date with the Joneses. Engineers searching for originalities have discovered inspiration in nature's designs. He additionally might have been referring to ideas - I've commonly claimed that written words "come with me" sometimes, particularly when I'm "in the flow" and the words simply come out with little modifying on my part. You see a lot of people go through life with the idea that they are some exactly how being punished or pestered by the harshness of society since we are incapable to see the magnificent order that is in presence, as well as has actually been created by doing this so we could gain from every little thing that takes place, whether we view them as great, bad or neutral. If you have any kind of concerns relating to where and how you can make use of please click the following page, you could contact us at our web-page. This write-up's editor, Jessi Hempel, reports uninstalling her Mindfulness Application when she discovered herself unfaithful by setting the timer to count minutes while she was in fact in the shower. Changemakrs, a platform for sharing inspiration developed by an ex-Facebooker, is tapping into the Xmas spirit with a version of the site that allows any person share vacation quotes. However as I review Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books, I understood that there was a location for this type of story, and also it was in fiction for young viewers. Recognizing how to make classic styles really feel fresh has made House Industries popular with customers varying from the Jimmy Kimmel Program to director JJ Abrams, a Home Industries fanboy and author of guide's introduction. Yes, we can create an all-glass building, yet in this environment we need to shade it-- you need to have some severe baseball-cap action." Foster + Allies' and also Ive's teams made the outcroppings, as well as Seele had to identify how you can manufacture them, with the instructions that they ought to be as white as feasible. By understanding that the target audience is, you will certainly be able to develop a lifestyle around that to interest that certain team of possible buyers as well as the realty representative could create a marketing plan specifically to draw in those exact same people. As King pointed out, a solution that only obtains part of the way there is still important currently-- Facebook claims that more than 50,000 individuals currently are utilizing the service with text-to-speech engines. In your home in Sollentuna, Markus did a quick estimation: If I can sell greater than twenty games a day, that's enough for something coming close to a good salary, he assumed, and also comprised his mind.

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wbwest · 7 years

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New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/02/03/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-2317/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 2/3/17

I saw my first movie of 2017 in the form of M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. A lot of people feel like Shyamalan’s coming off a string of bombs, but I’ve enjoyed the projects he’s been involved with, including Wayward Pines and After Earth. Still, this movie seems to be the one bringing all the boys back to the yard, and for good reason. I really enjoyed it, and feel like I need to watch it again just to catch certain things. If you’re not familiar, three teenage girls are kidnapped by James McAvoy, who suffers from dissociative identity disorders and has multiple personalities running around in his head. You never quite know which identity is in the driver’s seat, and over time you come to realize why, exactly, he kidnapped those particular girls. I don’t know if the movie had that patented Shyamalanian twist ending, but the very end of the movie did make my jaw drop. I’m not going to spoil it here, but I definitely think you should check out this film.

In movie news, it was announced that Ben Affleck is out of the director’s chair for The Batman. Reports say that he didn’t think he could handle being in front of and behind the camera on such a film, but it could be that Warner Bros got a bit gun shy after the box office failure of his recent release, Live By Night, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in. It only made $19 million on a budget of $65 million. As far as rumors go, there’s also talk that he may bow out of the film entirely, which would make for quite the awkward press tour for this fall’s Justice League. I kinda don’t think this movie is ever gonna happen. Even if it does, my level of excitement is basically at Star Trek Discovery level, which isn’t very high.

We got out final post for the upcoming Power Rangers film. It’s…something. It’s a serviceable poster, but I’m still not sold on the Bayformers zords. This poster not only showcases them, but also serves to point out their visual weaknesses. They’re just colored beasts, but there’s no real Wow Factor to them. I’m hoping they translate better onscreen, but right now it just looks like a Photoshopped CGI mess.

In TV news, Marvel announced the cast for the upcoming Runaways series on Hulu. I’ve gotta say I kinda forgot about this, and I’m surprised it’s actually happening. I’d name the stars, but you’ve never heard of any of them. They all seem to look the part, except for Molly Haynes – a young White girl who’s now Molly Hernandez, a teenage Latina. I have no problem with the ethnicity switch, but I do have issues with her being aged up, as part of Molly’s charm is that she’s a sweet girl who’s about 11 years old. I don’t want her to lose that aspect of her personality. Oh, and she’s a mutant, which they’ll probably have to change and say she’s an Inhuman now or some shit. I don’t have Hulu, don’t plan to get Hulu, nor does this news make me want Hulu, but it’s still nice to see the Marvel Universe expanding. Maybe I’ll change my tune about the show once we’re closer to its release.

Speaking of Marvel TV, they announced the cast for Freeform’s Cloak & Dagger series, and it was neither of the folks I mentioned last week. Instead of Debby Ryan, Dagger will be played by former Disney Channel star Olivia Holt. Meanwhile, Cloak will be played by Aubrey Joseph, from The Night Of. If I remember correctly, Cloak & Dagger are an interracial couple of runaways who take an experimental drug and get powers? I’m too lazy to look it up, so somebody correct me if I’m wrong. If there are strong ties to the MCU, I might give it a chance. Then again, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has basically shown us the limits of how much they can tie into the MCU, so I’m not optimistic. I don’t really mess with Freeform, as I’m not a 14 year old White girl, but maybe this won’t suck. Maybe.

Peter Capaldi announced that this will be his last season starring in Doctor Who. What is it about that show that they can’t keep an actor more than 3 seasons? It’s an interesting little franchise, and there’s no real American equivalent to it. If you’re an up and coming actor, it’s a great stepping stone, but if you’re established, it’s a nice way to be a part of an institution. That said, why is the role such a revolving door? Are the working conditions grueling? Bad pay? Annoying fanboys? Sure, the story allows for steady recasting, what with the regenerations and all, but just because they’re there doesn’t mean they have to burn through them. Anyway, folks are saying that this would be a great time for the franchise to cast a person of color or a woman in the role of The Doctor. Right now, folks are rallying behing Agent Carter‘s Hayley Atwell and The I.T. Crowd‘s Richard Ayoade. I’d be fine with either of those, and that would actually make me finally check out the show.

In other TV news, it was announced that OWN has picked up a House of Payne spinoff, called The Paynes. Let me school ya a little about television. About ten years ago, a new creature popped onto the scene called a 10/90 deal. Basically, a show would get a 10-episode test run, and if the ratings were good, they’d get an order for 90 additional episodes, instantly taking them directly into syndication. With the exception of Charlie Sheen’s Anger Management and Ice Cube’s Are We There Yet?, the only other shows to successfully navigate this model were the Tyler Perry sitcoms House of Payne, For Better or Worse, and Meet The Browns. The model has since been retired, as too many shows failed after the initial 10-episode order, but Perry is basically king of the 10/90. It’s probably because he works the shit out of his casts. I mean, House of Payne filmed 254 episodes in 8 seasons. Anyway, I was a big fan of House of Payne because it was ALWAYS on, especially on former UPN stations that were then being branded as MyNetworkTV stations. The show is about the Payne family, led by patriarch and retired firefighter Curtis Payne and his wife Ella. It dealt with all sorts of hot button issues, but it stressed the importance of family. I’m a harsh critic of series finales, but the series finale of House of Payne is one of the worst episodes of television I’ve ever seen (I feel like they didn’t know they were getting canceled), so I’m glad the show is coming back in some form to somewhat redeem itself. So far, it’s been greenlit for 38 episodes, but it’s not clear as to who will be showing up besides Curtis and Ella. It’s set in Florida, where the Paynes are trying to enjoy their retirement until a real estate deal goes wrong. Yeah, I’ll watch it.

I’m the furthest thing from a foodie, as I eat like a 5 year old: if it looks “yucky”, I won’t eat it. So, I eat a lot of fast food. And I’m fat. Anyway, I tried the Grand Mac this week, as I have been lusting over it ever since I learned of its existence. If you don’t have it where you live, the Grand Mac is a bigger Big Mac. I thought it was just a Big Mac with thicker Quarter Pounder patties, but I was wrong. Turns out it clocks in around 1/3 of a pound, and the patties aren’t thicker, but wider in diameter. It’s a LOT of burger, and I ain’t no bitch. It was a nice excursion, but I’m not sure I can handle a Grand Mac on a regular basis. For now, they’re saying it’s only for a limited time, but maybe it’ll stick around like that Bacon Clubhouse that nobody seems to like. At the same time, they also introduced the Mac Jr, which I’d like to go on record and say that I created this sandwich. Of course, I simply called it The Mac, but I tweeted it to the McDonalds Twitter account a few years back, after they retired the Mac Snack Wraps. It’s a Big Mac with one patty, and a standard bun instead of the usual triple decker format. I remember they sent me some kind of dismissive reply, but now, here they are, selling my damn sandwich. I want my credit, McDonalds!

If you’re “woke”, then you realize that it’s currently Black History Month. Now, if you’ve followed me online for the past few years, you know that I used to tweet funny faux facts (well, I guess they’re “Alternative Facts” now) every day for the whole month. Well, last year I kinda had my Dave Chappelle moment, as I noticed some folks retweeting them who were laughing at me and not with me. You know the type. We call them “deplorables” now. Anyway, it was kinda eye opening for me, so I’m taking the year off. Don’t get me wrong – there are a few of those that were comedy gold, and I’ll probably tweet them as they pop up, but I’m not doing the full-on campaign this year. I think it needs to be rebranded.

Last night, I had the honor of joining The Kliqnation’s Comic Book Chronicles for their 200th episode. They are definitely my favorite comics podcast (Hell, they’re the only comic podcast I even care to listen to these days), and I’m really proud of them for doing the good work week in and week out for all these years. I remember their first episode like it was yesterday. Anyway, we had a great time discussing the latest releases of the past 2 weeks, so check it out!

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Tamron Hall left NBC this week, after it was announced that her hour of The Today Show with Al Roker would be eliminated to make room for Megyn Kelly.

The Oxygen network will rebrand itself as a crime destination channel for women. So, if you ever wanted to know how to get away with killing your husband, Oxygen’s got you covered.

Sharknado 5 was announced, with Ian Ziering and Tara Reid returning. This installment will feature them fighting sharks across Europe. Personally, I think this franchise is beyond done, but I know I’ll watch it.

The seventh seal is broken, as Queen Beyoncé announced she’s expecting twins.

The Get Down‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been cast as Black Manta in the Aquaman film, while Nicole Kidman is being eyed to play Aquaman’s mother. Ooh, she’s entered that phase of her career…

Fox has passed on producing the Black Lightning pilot, so now the show is being shopped to The CW to join the other Berlantiverse series.

Nobody had a week like Winona Ryder at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last Sunday. Her show, Stranger Things, won Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble In A Drama Series, and Winona’s facial expressions were all over the place. It’s all folks could talk about when they weren’t talking about politics, so I think Winona Ryder had the West Week Ever.

#Batman #Comics #Marvel #Movies #Power Rangers #Race #Star Trek #Syndication #Television #West Week Ever

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slrlounge1 · 5 years

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Nikon Z7 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera Review

The Nikon Z7 is, however, only one small step into the realm of mirrorless cameras, compared to what the competition is offering.

The All-New Nikon Full-Frame Mirrorless Z Mount

Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/30 sec, f/5.6, ISO 64

It may be that eventually, both Canon and Sony find there are certain optical formulas which only Nikon can offer, both for elite and casual photographers.

Nikon Z7 Review

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Timelapse and video footage captured on a Nikon Z7 and Nikon D750

A big thank you for LensRentals.com for letting me take the Nikon Z7 on this amazing adventure!

The Nikon Z7 Versus the Nikon Z6

One of the more significant aspects of Nikon’s FX mirrorless debut is the fact that the Nikon Z7 has a nearly identical “little” sibling, the Nikon Z6.

Nikon Z7 Review: Pros

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/8 sec, f/10, ISO 64

There’s a lot to like about the Z7. It is more than just a portable D850. Its mirrorless features, especially the new mount, make it a whole different beast.

My answer: The Z7 is impressive enough to earn the consideration of almost all photographers, pro or prosumer. However, there is progress yet to be made.

Nikon Z7 Image Quality

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S – 1/125 sec, f/10, ISO 64, 9-image Panorama

Nikon Z7 – 100% Crop, Fine-Radius USM Applied

The shadow recovery of the Z7 has to be seen to be believed. It’s jaw-dropping:

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1.6 sec, f/11, ISO 64

Nikon Z7 Dynamic Range Shadow Recovery Test – shadows boosted ~4 EV

100% Crop, Nikon Z7, Near-Black Shadows

Nikon Z7 Shadow Banding?

An assessment of the Nikon Z7’s image quality would not be complete without speaking to the image samples which show a banding pattern in the shadows.

Nikon Z7 high ISO Image Quality

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 30 sec, f/4, ISO 12800 (This image is good enough for social media, but a large print would show noise)

So, let’s move on to the Nikon Z7’s high ISO image quality. At high ISOs on all cameras there is increased noise, but there is also a loss of dynamic range.

The Nikon Z7 is impressive, but not a big enough leap ahead of the D810 to fully overtake the Sony A7R III’s progress at, say, ISO 12800. The Sony is just a hair better.

Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24mm f/1.8 G, 15 sec, f/2, ISO 3200

Nikon Z7, ISO 3200, 100% Crop (with faint noise reduction and sharpening)

In the real world, though, I just ask myself two simple questions:

My final verdict: image quality at all ISOs is already one reason why many photographers, myself included, choose Nikon, and the Z7 is merely a continuation of that earned trust.

In-Body Stabilization

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/8 sec, f/11, ISO 64, hand-held

Nikon Z7 Durability and Portability

Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/5 sec, f/14, ISO 64

The Nikon Z7 is no exception, with weather seals galore and a metal body that would make a Nikon D5 proud. Heck, Pentax and Olympus, eat your heart out!

Nikon Z7 Review: Cons

One thing I noticed a lot more of is this message. It’s not very helpful. I could really use some more info on the “camera’s current state”, Nikon!

With that being said, below are my specific issues with the Nikon Z7.

Single Memory Card Slot

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/4 sec, f/14, ISO 64

Autofocus A Good Start, But room for improvement

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/250 sec, f/4, ISO 64

Well, Nikon got close enough that most D850 or D750 shooters will be delighted with the Z7’s autofocus speed and accuracy, in good light.

No More AF Microadjustment!

EVF A Good Start, But Also Room For Improvement

An Open Shutter Equals A Dusty Sensor

Battery Life & Charging

MIrrorless Battery Compatibility & Features, Compared

All of these batteries deliver very good performance; I could easily get 1-2K clicks out of any of them if I tried to conserve battery power.

So, I really hope Nikon (and Canon) figure this out as soon as possible.

New, Rearranged Ergonomics

Many things about the Z7’s physical controls will be familiar to existing Nikon DSLR shooter, whether your current camera is a “prosumer” class D750, or a pro/flagship class D850, D500, or D5.

The familiar Nikon AF point joystick is great, but we now have 493 AF points to work with, and the touchscreen really does make controlling them an effortless matter.

If Nikon wishes to fully embrace both past and future generations of photographers, both diversity, and abundance, of features will be critical.

The Nikon Z7’s Mirrorless Competition

So, let’s recap, and collect some of the important details about how the Nikon Z7 compares against the other full-frame mirrorless options out there.

The Nikon Z7’s DSLR Competition

Really, the only DSLR that the Z7 can be compared against is, of course, the Nikon D850.

Nikon Z7 Review | Conclusion

Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 6 sec, f/10, ISO 64

Here’s my final verdict on the all-around ease of use, features, and advantages plus weaknesses of the Nikon Z7:

from SLR Lounge https://www.slrlounge.com/nikon-z7-full-frame-mirrorless-camera-review/ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #SLR Lounge

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