Videos by Andy Slye

Category: Hardware (Page 2 of 3)

Electronics hardware

Sony RX100 IV Review + Test: Worth It?

Transcript:

If you are looking for the best pocket camera in 2015 then look no further. This is the Sony RX100 Mark IV review. Last year in 2014 the RX100 mark III came out and it took the crown for the best pocket camera. Well now the mark 4 is out and it’s even better especially for video. So if you’re a YouTuber and you’re looking for a camera this may very well be your best choice. Now when something is considered the best of a category it’s usually not cheap and it’s no different with this camera. This camera is $948 at the time the making of this video so it’s not cheap. It’s pretty expensive but it can be worth it for some people and that’s what this video is all about. We’re going to find out if this camera is worth it for you and whether or not you should buy it. Let’s start off with the main features of this camera. It has a new 20.1 mega pixel 1” sensor which allows it to shoot high-quality images and 4k video. It has a built-in Zeiss lens with the focal length equivalent to 24-70mm with an aperture of 1.8 at 24 millimeters and 2.8 at 70 millimeters. It has a super convenient and ultra crispy OLED true finder pop-up EVF. This electronic viewfinder comes in handy when you’re in a bright situation and you need to look through that to see all the controls that you wouldn’t normally be able to see on the LCD. Speaking of which, this has a 3” LCD screen on the back that flips up so you can be in ultimate selfie mode for pictures or videos. It can shoot slow motion video at 960 frames per second. It has built-in WiFi connectivity with NFC so when you’re out and about and take a picture with this camera and you can quickly transfer it to your smartphone and upload it to Instagram to improve your subscriber’s feed a little bit with some awesome looking pictures. In my humble opinion this is the best point and shoot camera you can buy right now and we’re going to get into why I believe that. First of all is the size. It’s small. It’s compact. It’s lightweight. It fits in the palm of my hand. It fits into my pocket easily as long as I’m not wearing my weekend skinny jeans. It has a built-in lens already so it’s not going to get any bigger. Its small compact size is great. Now about it not getting any bigger in size is kind of a letdown. It doesn’t have a hot shoe or a microphone input so you’re not going to be able to connect external microphones or anything like that on this camera. This is mainly just a point and shoot on-the-go camera that you can take places wherever it’s an inconvenience to have something bigger or larger like a DSLR. This comes in handy and this beats out those cameras because it’s small lightweight and it does the job. The articulating screen is one of the best features about this camera. You can flip it out and flip it all the way up so if you’re a YouTuber and you’re looking for a camera to start off with this will be perfect for you because you can flip that screen up and you can see yourself and you can position yourself however you want it and see how the video will look before you start taking video. In this day and age that’s a pretty popular feature to have. The popup electronic viewfinder is awesome as well. It has a super high resolution when you’re staring into it. It doesn’t add any other bulk to the camera. It goes right back into the side of the camera and you don’t even know that it’s there. And of course the two new best features of this camera are the 4K video capabilities and high frame rate video capabilities. The 4K video on this camera looks amazing if I do say so myself. The only problem I have with this 4K video is that it does limit you to 5 minutes of shooting. Well why is that? Because overheating. So it will automatically stop at 5 minutes when you’re shooting 4K video and you have to start the video over again, start the recording over again, to continue on the video. So you’re going to have pauses. You can’t shoot 4K videos more than 5 minutes. Now there is a problem with that as well because when you’re shooting 4K video and you shoot for the full 5 minutes and you go to shoot another 4K video it’s going to overheat. This happened to me. It overheated and it actually automatically shut itself down because it got way too hot. So the overheating problem is an issue but if you’re not looking to record more than 5 minutes of 4k video or if you’re just in an indoor setting most of the time and you’re taking videos indoors where it’s cool I think you’ll be able to get by with shooting multiple 5 minute 4K videos in a row because I was actually in my car in the summer outside so I don’t think it’ll be too much of a problem if you’re in a controlled environment or if you’re just taking short quick 4K videos. Shooting 4K is so much fun with this camera. It takes great quality video in the 4k mode. It does have that limit but it doesn’t have a limit for 1080. So if you’re shooting 1080p HD you’re going to be able to record up to 29 minutes each time. The high frame rate or HFR feature is awesome as well. You can get some cool slow mo video shots with this feature. Now it does shoot up to 960 frames per second but I tell you what if you do go up that high you’re going to get less quality in the video. So the slower you go the less quality your video is. So even though it can go to 960 frames per second I probably won’t use that as much as the 240 frames per second because the 240 frames per second slow-motion looks better than the 960 frames per second. But just having that option to record slow-motion in the camera itself is a huge feature for me. Another highlight of this camera that I absolutely love is the autofocus. It autofocuses really fast and is pretty accurate. It’s probably the best auto focus camera that I’ve owned myself. The autofocus is great with pictures and video so this goes back to YouTube. If you’re taking videos of yourself autofocus has worked extremely well for me when taking videos of myself. Now in order to shoot 4K video and slow motion video you need certain types of SD cards and this is the SD card I use and I highly recommend if you’re shooting 4K video. I use this for my GH4 and for the Sony RX100 mark four so I’ll leave a link to this card in the description below. Now a downside about this camera is that the battery life is not that great. If you’re shooting 4k video especially slow-motion video ba’tery’s not going to last you very long at all. My recommendation would be to get an extra battery then get a USB charger to take on the go because this does charge through a USB cable. I love how easy to use and intuitive this camera seems to be. Right out of the box it didn’t seem very overwhelming or complicated. I got right in there and was changing settings and I was able to start shooting manual 4K video pretty quickly without being too confused and I think this will be very easy to use for beginners as well. So Sony does make very intuitive cameras. Also I love the fact that it has an ND filter built into the camera because when you’re out in the sun you need some type of ND filter if you want that Boca look in the background, if you want that blurry background you’re going to need neutral density filters. And this has one already built in which is fantastic. I love that feature because I do plan on using this as a vlogging camera when I’m out and about and I will be out in the sun so that comes in handy as well. The zoom is very smooth even though it does make a slight noise when you’re in video and actually recording and zooming while you’re recording so just be aware of that. And probably zoom in or zoom out before you start recording or in between recordings so you don’t get that sound. Alright so here’s a side by side test of my three cameras that I have right now. My GH4 is what you’re seeing right now. Now I’m going to switch over to the Sony RX100 mark 4. That’s what you’re seeing right now and then this is my iPhone 6 and that’s what you’re seeing right now. So it’s just a side by side test comparison of all 3 of my cameras. Now of course the GH4 is the most expensive and the most professional quality camera that I have. Then this is the Sony RX100 mark 4 and the Sony is actually on automatic mode so I didn’t set any manual settings unlike the GH4 but I did that on purpose because this is how most people are probably going to use this camera when they’re shooting videos of themselves. And then of course this is my iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 is probably the lowest quality of all the cameras. But this is a good test comparison of all three cameras that I wanted to do for you guys. So overall I’m in love with this camera. The compact size, the dynamic range, the high resolution photos and videos, the quick autofocus, the built-in ND filters, the pop-up LCD, the EVF, everything about this camera. The lens is great. I love this camera. It is expensive like I said before. It’s $948 but it is worth it if you’re looking for a small lightweight camera that is able to shoot 4k video that you can take anywhere and also use as a secondary camera. So if you are a videographer or you YouTuber or just a photo enthusiast or video enthusiast, this is a must-have I feel like because I’m going to keep it myself. It’s going to be my secondary camera maybe for my b-roll or one I take out and about. It will be my main vlogging camera and I will add this to my gear that I take when I film weddings so I will use this in professional work as well. So even with the small amount of downsides of this camera: the short battery life, the 4K recording limit, overheating issue, no ability to add a microphone, and the expensive price point. With all that said I still believe this is the best point and shoot camera and one of the best cameras that you can buy right now if you are going to be serious about video and you want to start your own YouTube channel. This will be the perfect camera for you and at the end of the day you want a camera that you’re going to have with you at all times. That’s going to be your most valuable camera. This camera will do that for me. I will have this at all times probably wherever I go so I hope you enjoyed this video review of the Sony RX100 mark IV camera. So leave a comment down below and let me know why you’re getting this camera or why you’re not getting this camera. Thank you so much for watching. I’ll see you in the next video.

Best Wireless Mouse? Logitech Performance MX Review


This is my review of the Logitech Wireless Performance MX mouse. For a while I was on my quest to find the best wireless mouse, and after seeing a great review from Phil V and seeing many other tech YouTubers recommending this mouse I broke down and bought it. After using it for about a month I can say it’s one of the best wireless mice you can get. It’s rated 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon and the link to the best price will be in the description below. Now I almost didn’t get this mouse because it lacks Bluetooth. I really didn’t want a mouse that required a USB receiver like this Logitech MX does, but the unifying receiver isn’t so bad. Even though it takes up a USB port, it’s very small and it does allow you to connect up to 6 compatible wireless devices to it. So if you happen to get a Logitech wireless keyboard, this single receiver could handle both the mouse and keyboard.

The Logitech Wireless Performance MX mouse is the perfect mix of functionality and design. I love the looks of it with the sleek black and silver style. Kinda reminds me of a mouse that Batman would use. So I’m very pleased with the design and build quality. The first thing I noticed when I used this mouse is how well the mouse conformed to my hand. It has a very ergonomic build. The curved sides have a slight rubberized finish which gives a perfect place for my thumb. The mouse is big enough for my hand too. It takes up about the same real estate as my iPhone 6 just to give you a comparison. It also has a nice weight to it. It weighs more than expected, but it’s still light enough to be picked up easily with one hand. The only complaint I have about the build is how sensitive the right-click button is. When I just rest my hand on the mouse, the weight of my middle finger always seems to accidentally press down on the right mouse-click which is something I’ve had to get used to.

This mouse is packed with features. First the scroll wheel is a normal notch based scroll wheel, but with the press of a button it turns the scroll wheel into a smooth hyper-fast scroll wheel that comes in handy if you need to scroll down long documents or webpages so you can creep on people’s tweets from 5 years ago. The scroll wheel can also be moved left and right to scroll horizontally which is nice. There are forward and back buttons on the side for when you’re browsing the web and want to go back and forward through pages. It has a zoom button and a window switcher button as well. If you download the free Logitech software you can customize almost all of these buttons which is awesome. On the top there’s the DPI and battery indicator lights. On the bottom you’ll find the power switch. It’s also equipped with a Darkfield sensor which lets you use this mouse on virtually any surface even glass. So if you have a glass desk you’re in luck.

This wireless mouse comes with a rechargeable AA battery which you can charge while you’re using the mouse with the micro USB cable that comes in the box. I’ve had this mouse for about 4 weeks, and yesterday was the first time I had to charge it. So the initial charge on this mouse lasted me a long time, longer than expected. I did turn the mouse off when I wasn’t using it so that probably helped. Overall, the Logitech Wireless Performance MX mouse is the best wireless mouse I’ve ever used. Wireless, rechargeable, great design, and useful features. You can’t go wrong with it.

Zoom H1 Portable Digital Recorder Review

The Zoom H1 is a popular device when it comes to beginners looking to improve their audio quality. It’s great for podcasters, YouTubers, musicians, vloggers, and journalists. It has good quality audio that you can use as a microphone or as its own portable digital audio recorder. At the end of the review we’ll do an audio quality test so you can hear what the Zoom H1 sounds like.

If you’re watching this review you’re probably looking for a cheap microphone or audio recorder, and the Zoom H1 is one of the best that you can get for the money. It’s versatile and can be used for many different situations. It’s affordable at just $99, and it’s perfect for beginners or amateurs.

First off, the build quality isn’t great. It feels cheap because it’s made out of plastic. I don’t think it’s as durable as the more expensive options, but I’ve never had a problem with mine. The good thing about that is that the plastic makes it lightweight. It can fit in your pocket. It’s small and compact, and that’s what I love about the Zoom H1. It’s portable. You can take it anywhere.

It’s also easy to use. It’s not too complicated. It doesn’t have very many features like the Zoom H4N for example. The H1 is very basic.

On the front you have the LCD display and the big record button. On the right side you have the USB port, hold and power button, delete button, play, pause, forward, back, input level buttons, and the line in so you can connect an external microphone.

On the other side there’s the line out for headphones and the volume up-and-down buttons for playing back your recordings. There’s also a microSD slot. On the bottom there’s the speaker because you can actually play back your recordings and listen to them on the device itself. On the back is the battery slot (powered by one AA battery) and three buttons: lo cut, auto level, and the recording format. It supports WAV and MP3. There’s also a tripod mount.

On the top there is the X/Y stereo microphone. Now I’ll show you how the Zoom H1 works and sounds. If you want record in WAV or MP3 you can adjust the format and bit rate. You can also adjust your input control (or gain). To start recording just press the record button on the front.

Watch the video above and towards the end I do a mic test so you can hear the audio quality on the Zoom H1. In the first half of the video I recorded the audio with my Rode VideoMic Pro shotgun mic on my DSLR. When I switch over to the Zoom H1 it’s about 2 feet away from me with the input level set to 60, and I’m recording in the 320 kbps MP3 format.

It sounds good. I’ve used this for a lot of my videos. It does work perfectly and produces some great quality audio for $99. I do recommend the Zoom H1 accessory pack. It’s another $25 and comes with an adjustable tripod stand, padded shell case, foam windscreen that works as a pop filter, mic clip adapter, AC adapter, and USB cable so you can use this as USB microphone and you can use it to transfer all the files to your computer so you can edit in post. So that’s my Zoom H1 review. A good budget microphone that’s highly recommend it.

By Andy Slye

Best External DVD Drive for Mac & PC: Samsung SE-218CB

Looking for a cheaper SuperDrive alternative? This right here is all you need. It’s the Samsung SE-218CB/RSBS USB Ultra Portable External DVD Writer, and it’s the best external DVD drive for Mac and Windows. Why is it the best? Well it’s affordable, portable, recordable, and supportable. Let me explain.

It’s affordable because it’s less than $30 with free shipping on Amazon.

It’s portable because it’s slim (only 5.83″ x 0.55″ x 5.67″) and it’s USB-powered meaning it doesn’t require a separate power cable.

It’s recordable because it can burn all kinds of discs such as CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD-R dual layer just to name a few.

It’s supportable because it works right out of the box with Mac OS X, Windows 7, and Windows 8 (even works with older versions of Windows too). It comes with a USB cable, which is really all you need to get started. Just plug it in and it’s ready to go.

It does have some pretty fast read/write speeds too, with an average of 3MB per second read speed. I also like the way it looks. It has a sleek back design, and it’s pretty lightweight. So if you’re looking for one of the best external DVD drives for less than half the cost of a SuperDrive, then this is a great choice.

By Andy Slye

Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 Review!

Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 Review
Intelligent Wireless Sound System
Click Here for Best Price on Amazon

My official Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 review. The AXX 200 is an intelligent wireless sound system by Creative. It comes with a USB cable, charger, and a quick start guide. It’s mainly a Bluetooth wireless speaker with built-in microphones and a quad core processor inside of it. It has a sleek, hexagon design. It’s portable but very powerful.

It has a touch sensitive control panel that has backlit controls. It has 2 speakers and microphones built into the front. There is a battery level indicator at the bottom. The bottom is made of a rubber base for stable support. The back is made of high quality plastic. It has a nice 360° voice pick-up microphone. It has Bluetooth and NFC capability for wireless connectivity. On the back, there is the power button, a play/pause button, a next/previous button, a record button for when you’re recording your voice, and it has a play/pause button for those recordings. There is a mic on/mute button and the shuffle/repeat button. The megaphone switch enables the microphones for the megaphone feature. There is a port tube for enhanced bass. There is a micro SD card slot where you can put up to a 32 GB micro SD card for music playback and to store voice recordings. It has a USB port to charge a smart phone or tablet. It has a headphones jack, and it has an aux-in/mic-in jack to plug in an aux cable or microphone. There’s a micro USB port on the bottom to connect the AXX 200 to its charger or to a computer.

The SBX button enables pro studio intelligent audio processing which enhances the audio. There is a call button to call people from your phone, which also enables the voice assistant on your device. The middle of the touch panel is the master volume scroll bar. There are 4 ways to play music through the Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200. One is wireless connectivity through Bluetooth or NFC. Another way to play audio is to connect a device using the aux-in port. Another way is to use the USB connection to connect it to a USB port on your computer. The final way is to play audio through a micro SD card and use it as a standalone MP3 player.

The battery life on the AXX 200 is very good. It lasted almost 13 hours on a single charge just playing music over the Bluetooth connection. There’s a docking base that you can purchase separately that makes charging more convenient. It’s not necessary, but it makes charging more convenient. The calling features worked really well. You can answer your phone through the AXX 200 when you’re connected through the Bluetooth connection. The quad microphones in the AXX 200 make this a nice device for calling.

Not only is it a sound system, but it also has great entertainment purpose. It has a super megaphone feature and when enabled, you can speak into the rear microphone and it will megaphone your voice. But the really fun things about this are the voice effects that you can apply to your voice when you’re speaking into the microphone with the megaphone feature.

Another cool thing about the megaphone feature is you can be playing music at the same time that you’re talking into the microphone, and you can use it as a karaoke machine. If you have a micro SD card in the back of the AXX 200, you can make recordings of your voice. Probably the craziest feature about the AXX 200 is the loud siren. If you’re using it to scare burglars, it just might work because it gets so loud.

The Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 does come with its own free mobile apps for Android and iOS. You can use these apps to change the different profiles of the audio. You can enable different features. You can use it as a remote control. It also gives you more voice effects. It also comes with equivalent software for Mac and Windows. The AXX 200 is very simple to use. It can play music anywhere, and it has good range.

The audio quality of the AXX 200 is very good. It will fill up my whole room. It has nice, rich bass, along with surround sound quality. For such a small device, it does give out some very powerful high quality audio especially with the SBX feature. The simplicity of the device along with the high quality audio that it pushes out really makes this an excellent device for anybody with a smart phone or tablet. The portability also is a huge plus. It’s super portable and light. It also looks good anywhere.

The AXX 200 is an awesomely fun and entertaining device. It’s very useful and portable and something that every smart phone or tablet user would love to have. It is highly recommended by me. That’s my review of the Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 intelligent wireless sound system!

By Andy Slye

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