Photo Review has checked out the local online photo equipment resellers and come up with our picks of the best buys in the pre-Christmas market. Our choices are based on value for money, along with the results of our regular camera tests.
Photo Review tips section
6-megapixel DSLR or 8-megapixel Digicam – Which Should You Buy?
A look at the technological reasons that should underlie your choice.
10 Reasons To Buy Camera Gear Locally
Everyone loves a bargain, and some popular models are available at lower prices from online retailers operating out of Asia and the US. But if it looks too good, it very often is, and there’s a whole range of considerations the canny consumer needs to keep in mind when buying online.
Seagate 8.0GB CompactFlash Photo Hard Drive
Outstanding storage capacity for the price plus above-average shock resistance for microdrive products.Seagate, a leading developer of hard drives, has a new range of “Photo Hard Drives” that boast higher resistance to vibration and impact shock and are compatible with most DSLR cameras with CF slots. The new Seagate Photo Hard Drives are available in 4GB and 8GB capacities and both require a CompactFlash Type II card slot. The company claims it has used a new drive architecture that maintains data integrity and protects the drive against drops or falls.
Western Digital My Passport Elite 320GB Portable Hard Drive
The smallest, lightest – and most elegant – portable backup device we’ve reviewed to date.It may not be the cheapest 320GB portable HDD around, but the new Western Digital (WD) My Passport Elite drive is the smallest and most elegant drive we’ve reviewed. On a cost/gigabyte basis, it’s also excellent value for money. Available in either bronze or titanium (gunmetal grey), it has a ‘soft touch’ finish that is very comfortable to hold and resistant to finger-marking.
Verbatim SmartDisk 120GB Portable Hard Drive
A slim, lightweight portable backup device for photographers who travel with a notebook computer.The portable storage devices market has mushroomed lately, with many new products that will appeal to photographers-on-the-move. Weighing less than 200 grams and small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, Verbatim’s SmartDisk 120GB portable hard drive is one of the smallest and lightest in its category, thanks to its tough, magnesium alloy housing.
Using the Printer Driver
If you mislay the CD that came with your printer and need to re-load the driver for a particular printer (for example, when you replace a computer), you can usually download the necessary driver from the website of the manufacturer of your printer. You may also require a new driver when you upgrade your computer’s operating system. Drivers are usually found on the Support page.
Thinking about Inks
The printing heads in inkjet printers are precision-engineered to perform a specific function: placing thousands of tiny ink droplets accurately on a sheet of paper to create a photo print. Ink is a critical component in the system. Each printer manufacturer formulates inks to meet the needs of the print heads in printers in their range. In some cases there is a different set of inks for each individual printer; in others, one ink set can be used with several models in the range.
Test Strips and Proofing Options
If you are forced to print with an uncalibrated monitor and rely on a non-colour-managed workflow, you can waste a lot of ink and paper. However, there’s an easy way to minimise the amount of paper you use to check the image will print correctly: make test strips. Here’s how to go about it.