Identifying the Best DSLR Camera for You

Once the photography bug bites, it is not long before a novice photographer makes the jump into the SLR camera realm. When film reigned, SLR (Single Lens Reflex) stood for one type of camera. Now that digital is king, there are DSLR cameras. The DSLR models range from entry-level, which start at a few hundred dollars, to high-end professional models priced at several thousand dollars. Some might consider the most expensive model to be the best however, when it comes to cameras, the "best" model for one photographer may not be the best for another.

Why Get an SLR?

The leading feature of a Single Lens Reflex Camera is a prism and mirror that permits the photographer to see what the lens sees. Other viewfinder types are offset, which causes the photos to vary considerably from what was seen in the viewfinder. The SLR mirror flips out of the way when the shutter is released to expose film or a digital sensor depending on the type of camera. The other great feature is the variety of lenses that can be mounted to the camera body.

The Digital Sensor

There are full-frame sensors and APS-C sensors. Typically, full-frame sensors allow for better photos on a professional level. However, APS-C sensors allow for lighter and smaller camera bodies, a greater depth of field, and possibly better image border clarity due to the sensor looking at the center part of the field of view of the attached lens. Optically, the center of the lens is usually the best part. Due to how an APS-C sensor works, this is the area of the lens the sensor sees.

Lens Choice

Most pro DSLRs are sold as a camera body only. Camera kits are often entry-level models. The lenses are usable out to the level of advanced novice only. They provide superior results over point-and-shoot cameras, but the lenses often have quite dramatic limitations. Image sharpness is the most noticeable issue with kit lenses. Though initially a former user of point-and-shoot cameras will see dramatic improvement in images shot with an entry-level DSLR with a kit lens, the limitations of kit lenses will soon become apparent.

Pixel Wars

Pixel warring should be irrelevant. A digital camera is much more than its pixel count. The sensor, image processor and the lens are all critical components of how an SLR camera works. Choosing solely based on pixels is not a good idea. Pro level cameras vary in pixel capability, but all take excellent photos. If a photographer is planning on printing photos the size of a wall or larger, then a large-format camera is a better choice rather than a DSLR with the highest pixel count.

Each manufacturer of DSLRs offers everything from an entry-level model to its flagship model. However, the ones in between usually have specific technical capabilities better suited to specific types of photography. There are models better suited to wildlife, portraiture, celestial and even journalistic photography. The photographer needs to figure out the specific needs for their type of photography and get a camera body and lenses to match.

Keep your Desktop from Pets When You're Not Home

The desktop computer at your home is likely one of your most important possessions. Computers are used for so many different things, and it is essential to make sure that you keep it safe from your pets when you are not at home. There are many things that you can do to protect your valuable lifeline.

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Cover It Up

One of the best things you can do is cover up your desktop when you leave the home. All that you really need to do is find some type of bag or towel to protect it from your pets. Simply make sure that you have the entire screen, mouse, keyboard and hard drive covered before leaving. Some companies actually sell items that protect your computer when you are not at home.

Lock Up Your Pet

This is probably not the best option, but it is a great way to keep your computer safe when you are not home. You do not have to cage your pet; all that you need to do is block access to the area where your desktop is located. Many stores sell gates that fit between the entryway into the next room, and this can be all that you need to keep your pet out of the area.

Purchase a Computer Desk

A computer desk can eliminate all of the problems for you, and these pieces of furniture can also enhance the look of your room. The hard drive fits nicely into an area that has a door, and the rest of your equipment may also be stored away behind a door or sliding mechanism on the unit. Your pets will be unable to get to any of your equipment with one of these desks.

Go Wireless

When you purchase a wireless keyboard and mouse, you can easily keep them out of harm's way from your pets. All you need to do is put them away into a secured location when you are not using them. You only need a USB port on your computer to go wireless, and you will also need to replace batteries. This is a great way to make your computer more accessible from other areas, and it also keeps these parts safe from animals.

Remember that when you keep your computer safe from your pets, you are also keeping your pets safe from your computer. Computer equipment is connected to electrical connections, and the possibility of electrocution or some other problem is possible. Do all you can do to keep your pet happy and computer system safe when you are not at home.

Get the Best Movie Experience with Blu-ray Disc Players

Blu-ray disc players are now being adopted at a faster rate than DVD was back in the first couple years after it came out. What this means is that, if you haven't yet, now is a great time to discover the great advantages that Blu-ray has to offer.

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A Brief History

Let's take a step back for a minute and have a look at where Blu-ray technology came from. To begin with, DVD had long been struggling with storage limitations; certain video games and movies had to be shipped on multiple discs, as a single DVD was no longer large enough to hold all of the information. Blu-ray was envisioned by Sony and Philips as the heir apparent to DVD, offering a disc of the same form factor but containing orders of magnitude most storage capacity. To be more specific, a dual-layer Blu-ray disc has a 50 gigabyte capacity.

In its early days, Blu-ray players were hugely expensive and few movies were released for them. As with any new format, there were several growing pains, including resistance from Hollywood studios with regards to digital rights management. It took a while, but the specifications of the Blu-ray disc were finalized in 2004.

The High Definition Format War

In the first couple of years, Blu-ray experienced stiff competition from HD DVD, which had a small head start getting to the market. Sony's PlayStation 3 was probably most responsible for Blu-ray’s eventual triumph over HD DVD; when it was released with a built-in Blu-ray player, it helped a great many families make the transition to from DVD to Blu-ray for their home movie needs. The rival Xbox 360, on the other hand, did not ship with an HD DVD player equipped. An external drive was later released for the console, but it was too little, too late.

The Advantages of Blu-ray

As mentioned previously, Blu-ray discs have huge storage capacities. They are best known for offering a vastly superior audio and video experience than their predecessors, the DVD. The inferior image quality of DVD was due largely to the storage limitations of the disc; the video was, quite literally, compressed to fit on the disc. With Blu-ray, a solution had finally been found. Movies filmed with the latest high definition cameras no longer had to compromise on their image quality in order to fit on the storage medium.

While early adopters paid a significant premium for Blu-ray disc players and Blu-ray discs, those sitting on the fence will be pleased to know that as Blu-ray has gained popularity, the prices have decreased dramatically. Players are now highly affordable, and the discs themselves are, most of the time, priced only slightly higher than their DVD counterparts.

Basic Guide to Dishwasher Repair and Maintenance

If you’re deciding on whether to buy a dishwasher or already have one, there are a few things to remember to properly care for the appliance.

Dishwasher repair (Photo credit: Bosch Dishwasher Reviews)

Maintain Your Dishwasher

Although each model varies to some degree, there are some essential truths about dishwasher maintenancethat can be applied to each type.

Keep Debris Clear

They should be used regularly to keep them working correctly. Drains are kept clear when water regularly flows through them. The spinning arms should be cleaned at regular intervals. Once a week should be sufficient to keeping the sprayer holes clear. A fine wire, pliers or a bristled scrub brush can get into the small sprayer holes easily. At the bottom, there is a trap or drain for waste water to leave the dishwasher. Large food particles should be scraped from dishes before they are loaded into the dishwasher, but even small pieces can get stuck in the trap.

Tips for Proper Usage

Load the unit properly. Plates should be facing the same direction; towards the back of the dishwasher. Bowls and pans should be facing downward, so the sprayer arm can shoot water into them.

Don't overload the dishwasher. Each dish washing cycle should include a full load to conserve water and energy, but if the unit is overloaded, the arms cannot spin freely. Dishes won't get cleaned and the motors and gears could grind, overheat and burn out.

Hot water should be run into the sink first to ensure that the water is the hottest temperature possible. This helps the dishwasher to clean the dishes thoroughly. While the water is running, this is a great time to run the sink's garbage disposal. The drain should be clean since the dishwasher and disposal use the same water drain.

Not only should the inside of the unit be cleaned properly to remove particles of food and other debris, it's helpful to run white vinegar or a dishwasher cleaning product through a cycle. This removes hard water deposits and cleans the inside of the unit.

This should keep the dishwasher running smoothly for a very long time. Still, problems can occur even with the most routine maintenance.

Common Problems

No Power

Make sure the door is latched properly, and there is power to the unit. Before assuming it's a mechanical failure, eliminate the simple fixes first. Check the connection to the wall outlet, or if it's wired directly into the under counter wiring, check the circuit breakers. There might be a timer that is set to a delayed start, or a child lock-out feature enabled. All these things should be checked before assuming mechanical failure.

No Water

If no water is entering the unit, make sure the door latch is tight and secure. The water inlet valve should be working properly to allow water to fill the unit. The float switch or overfill protector should be checked too. Any of these valves and switches may be working improperly and need to be replaced.

LCD versus LED TV: Which Suits You Best?

Shopping for a new television can already be an overwhelming experience without having to worry about deciding between LED or LCD televisions besides. It's easy to be overwhelmed with the different options out there, what with varying resolutions (720p? 1080i?), screen sizes, and different types of backlighting technology. Before you rush into a purchase, let's take a look at the difference between LED and LCD technology, so as to remove just one variable from this potentially confusing equation.

Why Is Backlighting Necessary?

Put simply, LED and LCD technology are two different ways to "backlight" a television. Modern televisions need to be lit because they have no light source of their own, unlike previous generations of CRT televisions. In point of fact, an LED TV is just another type of LCD TV, but with a different type of backlighting. To avoid confusion, however, the simpler acronyms "LED" and "LCD" were introduced.

What's an LCD TV?

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A television that's simply referred to as "LCD" uses a form of backlighting known as cold cathode fluorescent lamps (or CCFLs). The most significant disadvantage of this type of backlighting is the fact that it lights the entire screen evenly. What this means is that different sections of an image that might require different lighting (think of a small white shape on a dark background) cannot be seen unless the backlights on the entire screen are brightened almost to maximum. What this does is seriously undermine the picture quality for most of the image, most particularly by altering the contrast of the image. You don't experience "true blacks" - instead, the entire image is washed-out.

The primary advantage of LCD TVs, however, is that they are slightly cheaper than their LED counterparts.

What's an LED TV?

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LED backlighting, on the other hand, is a way to locally adjust the brightness of an image for different sections of the screen. In addition to this, LEDs are a great deal smaller than the CCFL tubes in LCD TVs, which means that LED screens are much thinner and are therefore lighter and take up less space.

For those concerned with power consumption, another benefit of choosing an LED TV is that it uses less power than LCD TVs.

Hopefully now you have a better understanding of the differences between LED and LCD televisions. It should be mentioned that CCFL backlit televisions are waning in popularity; LED backlighting is positioning itself as the new frontrunner in HDTV technology. That said, you can still pick up an LCD TV just about anywhere that sells TVs. It's not the absolute pinnacle of television technology anymore, but it's still a great choice for budget-conscious customers.