The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup!

Whenever I go on a photography shoot, I always feel uneasy only having one camera with me. While it makes a lot of sense to have a backup camera, it is also very important to have a camera that is lighter, smaller, very capable in features, and otherwise not lagging very far behind my larger professional series DSLR. As a Canon fan, I have looked at their line of cameras to find one that would closely meet my requirements, but so far, they have fallen short in several ways.

This past week, Canon announced the EOS M50 Mirrorless Digital Camera and I immediately got excited. The M50 prominently features a new Raw format, a new DIGIC 8 processor which is a first for Canon, an OLED electronic viewfinder, a shooting rate of 10 fps and yes!!, 4K video.

Canon has chosen to use a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor and they have included the options for Wi-Fi with NFC and Bluetooth. They also feature Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus and 5-axis image stabilization, but it seems that the Dual Pixel Autofocus is not available when shooting 4K video. (I will confirm this when I get one in my hands!). The inclusion of their eTTL flash system makes it easy to swap my flash from my professional EOS DSLR and the M50, and just keep going.

This combination of features makes this camera very appealing as a “go to” backup camera, especially since it weighs less that one pound with the battery and memory card installed.

The M50 is expected to be released in March 2018, and can be pre-ordered as a body only, or with a couple of options for kit lens.

You can head over to B&H Photo Video and pre-order at a starting price of $779.00.

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The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 1, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup!

Whenever I go on a photography shoot, I always feel uneasy only having one camera with me. While it makes a lot of sense to have a backup camera, it is also very important to have a camera that is lighter, smaller, very capable in features, and otherwise not lagging very far behind my larger professional series DSLR. As a Canon fan, I have looked at their line of cameras to find one that would closely meet my requirements, but so far, they have fallen short in several ways.

This past week, Canon announced the EOS M50 Mirrorless Digital Camera and I immediately got excited. The M50 prominently features a new Raw format, a new DIGIC 8 processor which is a first for Canon, an OLED electronic viewfinder, a shooting rate of 10 fps and yes!!, 4K video.

Canon has chosen to use a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor and they have included the options for Wi-Fi with NFC and Bluetooth. They also feature Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus and 5-axis image stabilization, but it seems that the Dual Pixel Autofocus is not available when shooting 4K video. (I will confirm this when I get one in my hands!). The inclusion of their eTTL flash system makes it easy to swap my flash from my professional EOS DSLR and the M50, and just keep going.

This combination of features makes this camera very appealing as a “go to” backup camera, especially since it weighs less that one pound with the battery and memory card installed.

The M50 is expected to be released in March 2018, and can be pre-ordered as a body only, or with a couple of options for kit lens.

You can head over to B&H Photo Video and pre-order at a starting price of $779.00.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 1, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Elago’s 3-in-1 charging hub charges your Apple Watch, AirPods, and iPhone

This 3-in-1 charging stand from Elago holds and charges all your Apple devices in one compact space.  The stand is made of silicone for durability; it won’t scratch your expensive devices, either.  You’ll use the charging cables supplied with the Apple devices with the charging stand.

The 3-in-1 stand is compatible with all iPhones from the 5 through the new iPhone X and all three series of the Apple Watch.  It holds the watch horizontally, so you can use the Watch’s nightstand mode.  The Elago stand is available in black, classic white, jean indigo (shown), and dark gray for $24.99.  The Elago 3-in-1 Charging Hub can be purchased at Amazon.

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Elago’s 3-in-1 charging hub charges your Apple Watch, AirPods, and iPhone originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 1, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Need to watch your mobile data use? Try the Datally Android app by Google

Datally is an app created by Google to help Android users save on mobile data. “It blocks background data and lets you control which apps use data.” It also helps you find WiFi networks nearby and lets you know how other Datally users have rated that WiFi network before you connect.

When you install Datally, you must set up the app. It requires the following permissions:

  • Phone (“Used to help you monitor your phone’s mobile data usage. Datally doesn’t make or receive phone calls on your behalf.”)
  • Location (“Used to show you high-quality WiFi networks nearby.”)
  • SMS (“In select countries, this enables you to check your mobile data balance with your carrier and to get smarter recommendations on how to save mobile data.”)
  • VPN – sets up a local VPN in order to “block unwanted mobile data usage – it doesn’t send any of your traffic through Google’s servers. The Datally VPN is only on your phone and doesn’t redirect your Internet traffic to any other servers or locations.”).
  • Usage access – to see which apps are using data.

It is a very straight-forward app that has the “Data Saver On/Off” sliding toggle prominently displayed on the homepage.

If you would like to manage which apps can use data, you simply need to tap on the “Manage data” button on the homepage and then tap the lock icon next to the apps you wish to change.

To view the WiFi networks near you, you need to tap on the “Find Wi-Fi” button on the homepage of the app. You will then get a list of WiFi networks near you, how far away they are from your location, whether or not a password or web login is required, and thumbs up or down icons indicating user ratings for that network.

Datally will even give you real-time data use information as you use the apps on your phone (displayed as a small bubble in the app you are using – see above screenshot) – that is, as long as you do not have any Accessibility services turned on.

While you do have access to turning off background data use for each app through your device settings under your Data Usage section, Datally makes it a little easier to manage. So, if you have to watch how much data you use, Datally is certainly worth a try! Check it out on Google Play.

Canon’s new 470EX-AI flash may be just the right solution

I have been a photographer for many years, and like many photographers, on any given day I will grab my camera, my “go to” lens, a professional flash, and head to some place for the opportunity to get great shots. In many cases when I have to travel light and when the opportunity is an event that allows for pictures of people, one of the many challenges is being able to position the flash head to take one or two relatively quick vertical and horizontal shots, and being able to set the correct “bounce” angle to get that nearly perfect smooth, wide and filling light that is most flattering to the subject. Since pointing a flash directly at a subject usually results in harsh light with distracting shadows, the technique of “bouncing” light is used. It is done by estimating the distance between the camera lens and the subject, and the lens and the ceiling, and “bouncing” the light produced by the flash off the ceiling. In some cases, other surfaces in the room are used to have the light from the flash “bounce” off of, to provide the desired effect.

A few days ago, Canon announced the 470EX-AI flash that does the work for you. The “AI” stands for Artificial Intelligence and the flash has three modes: manual, semi-automatic and automatic.

In automatic mode, the flash automatically measures the room that you are working in, the distance between the subject and the lens and the ceiling and the lens, and automatically tilts and rotates the flash head to produce the best lighting ability. In semi-automatic mode, you can set the starting position of the flash head towards the surface that you want the light to “bounce” from and then once again, the flash remembers that position, measures the distance between the lens and the subject and rotates as necessary for that optimal shot.

The 470EX-AI also includes Canon’s E-TTL/E-TTL-II technology which when used with compatible Canon DSLR cameras, automatically calculates the light metering between the lens and the light it produces for each shot.

This AI flash is an amazing tool for both professional, beginner and enthusiast photographers, that will make their flash photography that much better and easier.
You can head over to B&H Photo Video and pre-order the 470EX-AI flash for $399. Its current release date is May 1st, 2018.