Tag: Samsung

by David Burgess on November 19, 2022 0

How To Take Better Photos With Your Samsung Galaxy Camera 2

The Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 is a powerful device that can do a lot more than just take pictures. With its built-in Android operating system, the Galaxy Camera 2 gives you full access to the Google Play store and all of its apps.

Use the rule of thirds

When you’re framing a photo, it’s important to consider the rule of thirds. This rule is a guideline that suggests you should position the main subject of your photo either to the left or right of the frame, or above or below the center. This creates a more visually interesting and balanced photo.

To use the rule of thirds with your Samsung Galaxy Camera 2, simply tap the grid icon in the top left corner of the camera app. This will overlay a 3×3 grid on your camera’s display, making it easy to align your subject with one of the intersections.

Use the Selfie Alarm

The Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 has a great feature called the Selfie Alarm, which is perfect for taking group shots or selfies. To use the Selfie Alarm, open the camera app and tap the timer icon in the top right corner. Then, tap the Selfie Alarm icon and choose how long you want the timer to be (3, 5, or 10 seconds).

When you’re ready to take the photo, simply tap the shutter button and the camera will countdown from the selected time. This gives you enough time to get into position before the photo is taken.

Use burst mode

Burst mode is a great way to capture fast-moving subjects, like kids or pets. To use burst mode, open the camera app and tap the burst mode icon (it looks like a stack of three arrows). Then, simply hold down the shutter button and the camera will take a series of photos in quick succession.

Use the panorama mode

The panorama mode is perfect for capturing sweeping landscapes or large groups of people. To use the panorama mode, open the camera app and tap the panorama mode icon (it looks like a mountain). Then, simply press the shutter button and pan the camera slowly from left to right. The camera will automatically stitch the photos together to create a panoramic image.

Use the night mode

The night mode is perfect for taking photos in low-light conditions, like at a concert or in a bar. To use the night mode, open the camera app and tap the night mode icon (it looks like a moon). Then, simply press the shutter button and the camera will take a series of photos and automatically stitch them together to create a low-light image.

Use the HDR mode

The HDR (high dynamic range) mode is perfect for taking photos with a lot of contrast, like a photo of a sunset. To use the HDR mode, open the camera app and tap the HDR icon (it looks like a sun). Then, simply press the shutter button and the camera will take two photos with different exposures and automatically stitch them together to create a high-contrast image.

Use the macro mode

The macro mode is perfect for taking close-up photos of small subjects, like flowers or insects. To use the macro mode, open the camera app and tap the macro icon (it looks like a flower). Then, simply press the shutter button and the camera will focus on the subject in the center of the frame.

Use the food mode

The food mode is perfect for taking photos of, you guessed it, food! To use the food mode, open the camera app and tap the food icon (it looks like a fork and knife). Then, simply press the shutter button and the camera will take a photo with enhanced colors and saturation.

Use the sports mode

The sports mode is perfect for taking photos of fast-moving subjects, like a runner or a car. To use the sports mode, open the camera app and tap the sports icon (it looks like a running person). Then, simply press the shutter button and the camera will take a series of photos and automatically stitch them together to create a action-packed image.

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by Leland Richardson on November 10, 2021 0

Top Camcorder Trends

Camcorders may not spring to mind when you think of cutting edge technology, but just because they’ve been around a while doesn’t mean technology isn’t constantly shaping, and reshaping, the camcorder market. In fact, thanks to new technologies, recording formats and designs, today’s camcorders are a far cry from models just a few years old. Here’s a look at some of the major trends:

Pocket Parade

Pocket camcorders – those portable, easy-to-use video cameras popularized by the Flip – have become all the rage of the camcorder market. And what’s not to like: they’re easy, cheap, offer decent quality and make sharing videos online simple. By some estimates they’ll make up about 2/3 of all camcorders sold.

This year, thanks to the success of the Flip, there are literally over a dozen competitors. That means these models were begin to diversify, with features such as water-proofing, infrared and optical zooms emerging to help distinguish these video cameras from a very crowded field.

It’s a High Def World

HD camcorders have been on the market for several years now, but this year they’re expected to cross over into 50 percent of the market. They’re still pricier than standard definition models (at least when talking about traditional – not pocket – camcorders) but those prices continue to fall sharply. You’ll find several feature-rich HD models, capable of 1920 x 1080 recording, for under $500.

Flash in the Pan

Flash memory cards, the type found in digital cameras, are rapidly becoming the recording format of choice for digital camcorders. Camcorders that use flash memory are lighter, use less battery power and can store more video than any other format except for hard drives.

The popularity of flash camcorders has all but crowded out DVD and tape formats, leaving only hard disk drives as an alternative.

Ultra-Portable

Thanks in no small part to the use of flash memory, camcorders are getting tinier and more portable. That means you don’t have any excuse not to carry one around with you wherever you go.

Web Friendly

What good is your video if you can’t share it, or turn it into 15 seconds worth of Internet fame? While the higher-end HD camcorders are less computer-friendly, a number are using the H.264 video format for easier editing and viewing on a computer. Together with built-in upload buttons that send video off to YouTube whenever the camcorder is connected to a computer, today’s camcorders are more Web-friendly than ever before.

Back-lit CMOS

While it’s not front and center in many of the specs, the type of image sensor used in a camcorder is critically important. In 2010, a new version of the CMOS image sensor will be more popular with higher-end models. The so-called “back illuminated” CMOS technology offers improved video quality performance where it counts the most: low light environments.

Wireless

Connecting your camcorder to a computer or TV isn’t the hardest thing in the world, but it could still stand to be easier. At least two camcorder makers thus far have introduce products with a form of wireless networking. Samsung has added Wi-Fi to a trio of high-end HD camcorders while JVC has announced a camcorder with built-in Bluetooth. Given that camcorder video files are very large, it remains to be seen whether wireless offers a viable alternative to the tangle of cables, but this is the year we’ll find out.

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by Leland Richardson on November 9, 2021 0

Samsung HMX-Q10 Camcorder Review

The Samsung HMX-Q10 is a high definition camcorder that captures 1920 x 1080 video in the H.264 to SDHC memory cards. It offers a 2.7-inch LCD display, 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization and a unique grip which lets you flip the camcorder to film with both the right and left hands.

The Samsung Q10 retails for $299. Full specifications can be found here.

Samsung Q10 at a Glance

The Good: Strong video quality, responsive touch-screen, nice design

The Bad: Awkward zoom lever, no automatic lens cover

Samsung HMX Q10 Video Quality

Samsung’s HMX Q10 records 1920 x 1080 video in the H.264 format. It’s also capable of recording at 720/60 frames per second for capturing fast-moving subjects and at VGA resolution.

Given its lower price tag, the Q10 is competing more with pocket camcorders and it clearly exceeds them in the quality department. While there were instances of over-exposure, with bright sunlight washing out highlights, the Q10 captured mostly crisp, color-accurate video. It did well indoors as well. I took it into a dimly lit aquarium and after a second or two of blur as it sought to establish focus, the Q10 was able to resolve the scene quite well considering the challenging environment.

You can also snap 4.9-megapixel still photos with the Q10, although you should steer clear of taking stills with the Q10 as the results were unimpressive.

Optics

The Q10 packs a 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization – a nice plus not usually found on lower-cost camcorders. There’s also a digital zoom, which, fortunately, can be deactivated. All-in-all, a nice optical package. The only draw back is that there’s no automatic lens cover. However, there is a built-in cover that flips open and closed using a switch on top of the lens barrel – that’s a far better option than a lens cap, but not as good as an automatic cover.

Samsung HMX Q10 Design

The design of the Q10 is pretty spartan, with few external controls outside of a zoom lever/shutter button on the back of the camcorder. Flip open the 2.7-inch display and you’ll see only a home button, which brings you into the camcorder’s internal memory.

With the Q10, Samsung introduced a design innovation called the “Swithgrip” – which essentially lets you film using either your right or left hand. When you switch from right to left, the menu items on the display will automatically orient themselves correctly. Since there are no external controls on the top of the camcorder to operate, the transition from right-handed to left-handed filming is seamless. Left-handed users, rejoice!

Thanks to the use of flash memory, the Q10 is quite light and compact, weighing in at .4lbs and sized at 4.7 x 2.1 x 1.7 inches. It certainly won’t be a drag to carry the Q10 around with you on long trips. Aesthetically it won’t turn many heads but is available in your choice of black and blue. The only real knock on the design is that wrist strap, which is kind of flimsy.

Q10 Features

You’ll find a nice selection of shooting options on the Q10, despite its budget price tag. You’ll have time lapse recording and a selection of digital effects to apply various filters to your video including black and white, sepia, negative, art, noir, western, dazzle, and ghost. You can switch between automatic and manual recording, where you’ll have the ability to focus manually, set white balance, adjust exposure, night mode, and backlit compensation. All in all a very strong feature set for a camcorder at this price.

The Q10 is loaded with Samsung’s Intelli-Studio software, which installs automatically whenever you connect the camcorder to a computer via USB.

Menu and Display

The Q10 offers a 2.7-inch touch screen LCD display. It’s quite responsive and it’s helped along with an icon-driven menu interface. Pop open the display and you’ll see a row of icons indicating your scene mode and then controls for switching between still and video capture, zoom and playback. It’s always better to have more real-estate on a display when working with a touch-screen, but Samsung keeps the number of icons on the display to a minimum so it’s easy to hit the ones you need with your finger. At any point you can hit the “home” key on the exterior of the display and get back into the main menu.

Samsung HMX-Q10 Memory

The Q10 records directly to SDHC memory cards, so you’ll need to factor in the cost of a memory card into your equation. The Q10 cannot record to newer, higher-capacity SDXC cards so you’re memory capacity is limited to 32GB (or eight hours of HD recording).

Bottom Line

If you’re in the market for a low-cost HD camcorder but are leery about the quality and limited feature-set of a pocket camcorder, the HMX-Q10 is definitely a solid choice. It’s slightly more expensive than most pocket models on the market at $300, but delivers a better zoom, better video quality and a more robust feature set. It’s unique “SwitchGrip” design gives both left and right-handed users the ability to hold the Q10 naturally and comfortably. All-in-all a good choice in the budget-end of the HD camcorder market.

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by David Burgess on September 22, 2016 0

Seiki SE42UM, An Affordable TV for High Quality 4K TV

Seiki SE42UM is Seiki newest model of 4k tv. Seiki may not as popular as other massive brand like Sharp or Samsung but it does give good choice of tv selection. This model is an Ultra HD or 4K type of tv, which is a good thing. Its resolution is 3840 x 2160 pixels.

Seiki TV can br connected to PC to play games and there are extra setting for better adjustment in the quality of the program watched. The tv is 50 inch wide, which is quite a wide one for the price that is only $1300. The tv is designed in a simple but elegant looking design with thin bezel and clear from any brand names. There is LED light below the screen to show status of the tv.

The Price of Seiki SE42UM

With only $319.99, buyers can get a 4K Ultra HD. Usually, people need to have at least $5000 for this kind of television so Seiki SE42UM is quite affordable. With only third less price than usual brand like Samsung or even Sony, buyers get 50 inch wide tv. It also supports connection to other devices like laptop and PC. The design is simple and though not strikingly look special, the simplicity of the design helps to make the picture in the tv looks clearer with no brand name or any other button to distract the sight.

Unfortunately, price speaks its quality. Even though it is 4K Ultra HD, it cannot compete with other 4K Ultra HD brands in terms of quality. The quality is just enough for the resolution unless we get to watch the tv in a very close view. Moreover, there is still few tv programs that support 4K Ultra HD and it will eventually set to just full HD so it kind of waste to have an Ultra HD TV, that is not even in its maximum quality and probably better be competed with 1080p tv.

Conclusion

Regardless, for a 4K Ultra HD TV that is priced third less than the common tv in its class, people with low budget is at advantage to enjoy a 50 inch wide television in a 4 times higher resolution without much money. The design, though plain, isn’t as cheap looking as its price on the market. Price compensate quality but then it is up to buyers to think whether it is worthy or not. To order Seiki SE42UM, you can click here.

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