tech ronin

Google Maps Satellite Photos

This is the Golden Gate Bridge clipped from Google Maps new satellite feature. I was shocked that I could see the towers. Amazing!

I spent the last few minutes surfing Marin county seeing if I could find various landmarks including my home. Downtown. The high school. I love it.

You gotta try this out. It's a whole different experience zooming in on a satellite photo with the same ability to control the zoom and drag around the page.

I've got a map link in my bookmarks bar in Safari that takes me to google maps in one click. From there, I type my target - an address with a city and state or just a city and state. Then click the Satellite link and zoom and drag to navigate around the map. It moves with excellent speed with a broadband connection. To get back to the regular map, just click the Map link.

The Google Maps Tour now covers the satellite feature. It also talks about local search. Click local search and type in what and where and bingo - you see them on the map with links and addresses.

[via Twelve Black Code Monkeys]

Technorati Tags: google | google maps | maps | satellite |

Rumor: Media iMac and Apple iPod Speakers

I'm hoping this $500 iMac that is incredibly small according to Think Secret is really happening. As I see it, we've got a dedicated media computer for some - especially the Windows user who feels he needs to keep his PC. The media iMac being so small, will fit on the desk somewhere next to the iPod. The software running will be iLife - the perfect media computer software. The parallel universe to Microsoft's business-oriented Office suite. Steve has said he is targeting the consumer market (quite some time ago now) and a cheap iMac certainly helps with this.

Its size benefits will include the ability to stand the Mac on its side or put it below a display or monitor. - Think Secret

Or, the *media* iMac is the third entry into the Macintosh home entertainment center with the iPod being first and the Airport Express being second. We need a computer in our home entertainment centers these days because we want to control our music and digital video recording and playback and who knows what all. A tiny iMac that can use the TV as its display device seems perfect for this task (there's no mention of an RGB out but perhaps an adapter would do this).

And, don't forget AppleInsider's rumor that Apple is coming out with its own brand of powered iPod speakers. This is no accident. Apple is moving into the consumer space and with iPods selling like hot-cakes, now is the time to extend its brand. Up till now, Apple has been satisfied selling third-party consumer items like cameras and iPod speakers. Apple used to sell a camera and I think they should go back to that with all sorts of iPhoto and iPod synching features perhaps or I guess they could add the camera to a real photo iPod.

OK. Back to the real world now.

Pix from Konica Minolta Dimage X50

I just posted a few pix on request from Petr who sez he is thinking of buying an X50.

c|net Reviews Konica Minolta X50

My little camera that could got a 7.6 rating from c|net. Not too shabby. I love the color and have been shooting exclusively in low light conditions given the rain and bad weather we've had lately. And, I'm not thrilled with my results in low light. But then, it's low light - the nemesis of the pocket-camera photographer...

Here's a comment in the review that caught me up short, though:

Though the Konica Minolta Dimage X50's 5-megapixel sensor unsurprisingly produces noisier photos than its lower-resolution siblings, the camera matches its predecessors' quality in all other ways. It's a capable little snapshot camera.

It seems that better isn't always better. I'm researching by reading the beautiful The Complete Guide to Digital Photography by Michael Freeman. Very well done, but I hadn't heard this concept that more megapixels can lead to more noise. Hmmm... Apparently, I have more to learn about all this.

Pocket Camera Update: Konica Minolta X50 $199

UPDATE: ***A friend of mine tried to get the $199 price deal as advertised. They weren't honoring it saying it was a mistake and the price was actually $329.***

Good news, bad news. I just saw the Konica Minolta X50 5 mega-pixel camera extraordinaire that I bought on Friday selling for $199 at Dell in my SF Chronicle this morning. Good news for anyone who hasn't already bought this camera. This is incredible for everyone but me, who just paid $34o for it on Friday from Amazon. That hurts bad.

But for you, it's awesome. Unless it is a typo they won't back up. The paper lists the deal as available for 3-5 days. Here's the URL and the phone number to call is 888-617-9683. I clicked on this link and didn't see the X50 listed.

I love my new camera. I just wish I had bought it for $200... For one thing, I would have $250 left over from my $450 budget to start my fund for a second bigger camera for taking better photos.

My fantasy number 2, bigger and *better* camera will be used (1) when I've planned ahead and brought the big gun, (2) when a bigger camera isn't too heavy to lug around such as a family get-together and (3) when I'm home or in the backyard.

Meanwhile, my new baby's 5 mpx is a profound improvement over my old Minolta Dimage X's 2 mpx in two ways:

1. It allows me to use telephoto less and less often because I know I'm going to get an abundance of pixels that can be cropped down to get closer to the target. The less telephoto I use, the less likely I am to take a bad picture. Telephoto requires proportionally longer exposures that increase the likelihood of shake.
2. Since my photo image is much larger, I have more options in my cropping to find that hidden gem in what starts as a boring photo.

Two small frustrations I had with my otherwise very likable Dimage X have been eliminated on the X50:

1. I can review and delete photos VERY conveniently. It used to require an arduous trip into the small menu to get rid of bad photos. Now it's effortless. The bigger 2" screen makes it easier to evaluate photos right on the camera rather than having to wait until I've uploaded them to my computer.
2. They moved the lens to closer to the center of the camera body rather than near the edge where it was easy to accidentally block the lens with a finger.

There's more to say about my camera. I already am more enthused about photography. I got out my old Digital Photography for Dummies book circa year 2001 and plan on getting a current book soon. I added a digital photography category to this blog. As I learn things, I'll be posting it for your knowledge and pleasure.

Pocket-Camera Shopping

I dropped my Minolta X into water by accident recently and that was the end of it. So, now I really do need a replacement. I would like to get another good pocketable camera with 5 megapixels.

Here are my criteria:

• Small: Pants pocket size so I can take it with me when out doors and have it with me most of the time.
• Light weight: once you start carrying lots of devices, the weight adds up.
• High Picture Quality: I want the best photos I can get in this form factor. You simply can't get high picture quality across the board with a tiny lens, so adjust your expectations accordingly. I'm telling myself that when I've got some spare bucks sometime I'll get a bigger, higher quality cam for special photography outings.
• Easy to Use: Button placement, menus, holding the camera, view finder, lcd. I want to be able to quickly change settings and not accidentally hit the power off when I meant to take a picture.
• Fast shutter speed: Startup and between shots to capture those fleeting opportunities and moving targets like children and pets. This requires a buffer that stores the shots temporarily in some kind of fast RAM that can then be stored a few moments later.
• Optical Zoom 3x or more.
• SD Card. I use SD cards with my Zire and my old camera. SD is the sweet spot right now. Would rather not have to pay a premium for niche products like Sony Memory sticks or XD or have to use the older and larger Compact Flash which are no longer cheaper than SD for 1 gig and smaller. I also keep an SD-card reader PC card in my Powerbook for convenience.
• Video. I like being able to occasionally take quick little videos and play around. Prefer that it records up to limits of available memory. 640x480 would be good.
• Under $450.
• 5 Megapixels. 4 would be the minimum.
• Large LCD. 2" or larger preferred.
• Optical view finder also
• Mac compatible.
• Decent battery life. Average seems adequate for my needs.
• Decent flash. I don't expect a lot here. My gadget-buddy Bob recommends the Casio S500 for it's flash.

So far, I'm not finding all my criteria met in one single device. Does this sound familiar? Here are the cameras that I'm considering right now:

Sony DSC-T1. $450. I hear that you pay an extra 16% for the Sony brand. After that, maybe it's the value-add. Giant 2.5" lcd great especially for photo viewing and evaluation (the little rectangle on the screen shows what you get with 1.5" lcd. No optical view finder. Heavy 6.3 oz. Small: 3-5⁄8" x 2-3⁄8" x 4⁄5". Sony Duo Pro memory cards. Decent picture quality. 640x480 video. Flash good only for 6 feet. Excellent voice recorder.

Canon S500 $350. Best picture quality perhaps. Heavy 6.3 oz. Uses Compact Flash. 1/1.8" CCD. Optical viewfinder. Lens: 7.4-22.2mm, f/2.8-4.9. Thicker 3.4" x 2.2" x 1.1".

Pentax Optio S5i. $350. Light 3.7 oz. Tiny: 3.3 x 2 x .81 inches. 1.8" LCD. 21 picture modes. 10 mb built-in and uses SD cards. Its 22 modes could be handy for quick set-up and trouble-free use. Sport mode gives you fast quick shot capability. Amazon reader reports downgrade it for blurry LCD view-finder - LCD good for looking at photos afterwards, though. Slow shots in normal mode if at highest resolution.

Casio Exilim EXZ55. $400. 2.5" lcd. Rapid startup in 1.6 seconds. Video till memory full - 320 x 240 only. Lens: f2.6 (wide) to 4.8 (telephoto); focal length: 5.8 to 17.4 mm. Light enough 4.6 oz. Small: 3.4 x 2.3 by .9.

Konica-Minolta Dimage X50. $340. 2" lcd. Fast startup 1/2 second. Light enough: 4.4 oz. Small: 3.28 x 2.44 x 0.93 inches. Video till memory full - 320 x 240 only.

I've leaned towards Sony one day and Canon another, but I may just go for the Konica-Minolta. Any of these would be excellent cameras. But the X50 seems to come closest to meeting all of my criteria and I'm familiar with it already having owned the Dimage X. It takes my SD cards. Has a 2" lcd. Is about the right size and weight. Mossberg recommended it but not against this specific competition... The price is right at $340.

PhotographyBlog review of the X50.

UPDATE: Bought the X50 from Amazon. Applied $45 in coupons. Went for 2nd day air. Net $306. Of course, you'll hear more about this new camera soon. I should get it Friday and start using it immediately. Cross your fingers for me!

One camera I missed in my research is the Canon SD300. Perhaps I missed it because it is a 4 megapixel camera and I was looking at 5 mpx mostly. Anyway, it is smaller than the S500, uses SD cards, has a 2" LCD and seems to have the high picture quality that the Canons are noted for. I suggest you include it in your shopping as well.