Canon EOS 5D Mark II has a few tricks up its sleeve.

Written By: Brandon Marchek

Canon EOS 5D Mark II...now thats a mouthful. But with all the features this new camera from Canon comes with, it deserves it. Not only does this camera shoot an amazing full frame 21-megapixels , it is the first DSLR camera to shoot full HD Video, promising low-light performance like that of Nikon’s D3.

When it comes to video, this camera can shoot at a 1920x1080 resolution at 30 frames per second (fps). It definitely does not compare to camcorders when it comes to duration of filming, but with a simple 4GB memory card the Mark II can shoot up to 24 continuous minutes of Full HD quality. Can’t wait to load all of your video onto your computer to watch? This camera comes with a mini HDMI out port so you can plug it directly into your new HDTV that you may have to get for next February’s conversion.

Although you can’t lock focus while in video mode, with the exception of three settings, the camera boasts a 15-point auto-focus feature while in still mode. Even more impressive is the three levels of noise reduction that take effect above ISO800...so getting those crystal clear sports photos at night will come with ease. There is no built-in flash, but with my experience with the Canon built-n flash...its no big loss. You can always buy an external flash, and have more control of it anyway.

As an added bonus, that I find very helpful is its battery tracker. Within the camera’s internal database, it can keep track of up to 6 batteries, there life in percentages as well as how many pictures it has taken and how many pictures they have left in them. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been out shooting pictures and ran out of batteries. Even when you have just replaced them, or charged them over night, you always had to guess how much time you had left.

Overall, an impressive new camera from Canon. Although the camera doesn’t come cheap, starting at almost $2,700 just for the body. If I had the money, I would definitely run out and get it when it comes out at the end of November.

Winter and Touch Sensitive Technology

Written By: Brandon Marchek

Winter is soon on its way, and recent morning temperatures are starting to reflect that. Many college students are now traveling to their morning classes with coats bundled around their shoulders and gloves on their hands, making the use of their expensive iPods, iPhones and other touch screen technologies virtually useless. With gloves covering their fingertips, the click wheels and sensors that use capacitive coupling through your finger to sense movement have a hard time reading them. Your fingertips are no longer conductive.

Products such as Freehands have attempted to tackle this problem by creating gloves that can uncover your forefinger and thumb in order to operate your high-tech, touch screen gadgets. The thought process is rather simple. Fold back the material, make your selections, and cover your fingers back up again. Magnets in the fingers allow the material to flop back and stick to the back of your hand, without them bouncing around as you type. It is a rather stylish item that can set you back $20-$40 depending on your choice of material (leather, fleece and stretch).

There is, however, a cheaper solution. Refrain from texting, or selecting music while in cold temperatures outside. The world keeps on going. Society today has become too dependent on their personal technologies that it is starting to develop clothing to better suit their needs for this. I suppose, this is one flaw of the newer technologies. It is only comfortable, or possible even, to operate them in ideal conditions. Once the temperature drops, it becomes increasingly difficult to perform the same task. Although, there is probably a huge market for this item, one thing is for sure…tangible buttons can always be operated in any temperature.