J's Website

Most of the pictures that I have put on this site have been captured on the Canon Rebel XSi (450D).  This page is a quick review of what my experience has been after 6 months of using this camera.

I purchased this camera with the EF-S 18-55mm  f/3.5-5.6 IS lens and purchased an additional EF-S 55-200mm IS lens.  I had finally decided to upgrade from analog to digital after viewing many websites and reviews and deciding that digital has finally matched its analog counterpart.  I was previously using a Canon XS Rebel from the 1990′s so the upgrade was welcomed.

This camera has a larger and more modern looking body and is slightly heavier than the old analog version.  The camera itself seems to be made of a different plastic which I would hope is just as durable as my analog version (it has been through hell and back and only has a few scratches).  The XSi took a few days to get used to but is set up with the user in mind.  I have read many reviews that note the poor layout of buttons but this did not seem to be an issue for me (if you have small hands this and most cameras of this class will be cumbersome to utilize).  That said, I do wish that the finger rest to the left of the zoom controls was a bit more rough to give better grip on the device.  I have had no issues with handling this camera after the initial learning curve of where everything is.  The body of the camera is light weight at just under 1kg with the 18-55mm lens.

This post was created wholly on the BlackBerry Storm 9530 using OS 5.0 (.230) and WordPress for BlackBerry to demonstrate the utilization of the device in relation to web developing and internet usability.

The BlackBerry Storm by RIM is a beautiful piece of technology which is long overdue from from RIM and their assortment of big bulky predecessors.

The Storm is based on being the alternative device akin to the iPhone, which with adequate marketing flooded our market not too long ago but with one major difference; BlackBerry OS.

When I first turned on my device I was greeted with the stock 4.5 software, after much pleading of a friend I upgraded my OS seamlessly without loss of any data. I used to dislike my Storm due to the new input method (touch screen vs real qweryt keyboard or SureType keypad), constant power cycles and freezing on simple tasks like browsing. After an OS upgrade and using the device for a while I changed opinion.

I am now running the new 5.0 (.230) OS and have had a change of heart for my touch blackberry device.  The battery handles my medium usage (about 50 replied to emails, an hour of talk and a game or music here and there).  You will however have to charge your berry every other day with this usage and more frequent if you are a heavy user.   The biggest annoyance with this device would be the learning curve of the touch screen (I have used full keyboard devices for a long time previous to this).  The device handles media such as mp3 and video (wmv, 3gp, mp4) with no noticeable issue and is quite responsive up until about 2500Kb a second which is much higher than any other BlackBerry device I’ve used to date (thanks to the dual processor).  The only other issue that I have is that the predictive technology seems to not learn how I am using my device, RIM should take notice and make the device software more responsive when learning common words that a user types.

The Samsung CLP-315 Colour laser printer:

I purchased this printer on 10/23/09 to not replace my Epson inkjet, but to supplement my inkjet and it’s huge consumption of consumables (7 Ink cartridge system).  This review is not going to be based on the regular stats that most websites would use, this site will review the “User experience” and end “Result”.  If you have not read other parts of my website then you should!  In case you have not I will save you time; I’m an semi-professional photographer whom has tried every ink system out there and want to help others whom are akin to photography and wish high quality results from a home printer that will not break their bank.

I purchased this printer (CLP-315) from Staples on sale for less than $140 as one day I needed to print out 147 pages of black text (for University) and decided that I was done buying black cartridges for my ink hungry Epson Inkjet.  I was pleased with the included materials (they could have included a USB cable in black to match the printer as I’m using a white one currently), but other than that all that was included was the quickstart guide, a toll-free number help circular and the installation CD.  The toner cartridges came installed in the printer, this one truly deserves the name plug and play!

SETUP: After unpacking the printer and setting up the software with the included CD (which also came with the latest drivers), the printer was up and running in MS Vista (and Linux-Ubuntu) with no installation issues.  The printer software is what you expect from a Laser class printer and is very simple along with the driver configuration.

USAGE: This printer was quick to start printing (less than a few seconds for black and about 26 seconds for a full page photo).  The printer itself is easy to understand with the simple row of LED lights indicating ink levels and printer status.  The paper loading tray takes a bit of getting used to, but after learning how to load paper in this machine you will be printing without issues.

QUALITY:  Black text and colour text documents look great even at low font size (I could use 6pt fonts with no problem reading) with clear sharp defined letters.  I used two paper types in my testing, the first was stock laser paper from Staples and the second a special coated matte photo paper for lasers by HP.   For day to day black and colour text printing users will be thankful that they no longer need buy a new inkjet cartridge for those 200 page documents.  Printing the 147 page black text document I used little more than a notch out of the black toner cartridge while the printer was on “Grayscale Only” setting (using only black ink).  There is an extra setting to add more toner to make the text darker and more crisp but did not seem needed on the paper types I was using (may be for presentation quality or low quality paper printing but uses more toner).  With text and simple graphs and tables I was amazed at the sharpness of this printer.

Photos on this printer require better than average paper; the Samsung CLP-315 printer did not perform well on the stock laser paper I was using.  The photos showed some banding (although not as bad as some current cheaper inkjets in the <$100 range) and also some residual toner smudged on certain pages when there was heavy toner coverage.  Photos came out crisp and laser like and would be acceptable for home use or to share with family and friends.  The photo quality had noticeable “laser” quality including dithering patterns in shading and banding in some images even at highest setting (2400×600).  The Samsung CLP-315 is definitely suited towards the business user who wants colour laser documents with little wait (compared to inkjet) but is not for those who want top grade photo results.   My Epson RX595 inkjet printer produces a much higher quality print (comparable or beats many retailers prints in grade); with the CLP-315 you will be getting handout and sharing quality photos, nothing that you want to present as a photographic print.

Summary:  The Samsung CLP-315 Colour Laser Printer is an amazing price and deal at less than $200 (it was only yesteryear that they were in the $$$$ range).  If you have a small business, are in College/University, home office or just print a lot of text documents with graphics here and there, then this printer is for you!   Quick print times, cheap consumables (currently <$200 for the toners) and great quality for business users.  If you are looking for a photo printer then look elsewhere, this printer delivers nice photos but not near the same quality that a  good Inkjet in the $200 range can provide.

Notes:  If you use this printer, please set the low power mode to about 5 minutes or shut the printer off with the switch on the back of the unit when not in use.  This unit uses a fuser which has to heat the toner particles to 350F so it draws a large amount of power if always on.  I only turn mine on a few minutes before it is to be used,  if not you get a smell from the printer (fuser cartridge warming up) which can be bothersome to some people but is quite normal.  I also noticed that even in low power mode the printer still draws 80W of energy or upto 300W when on and operating.  Please just turn off this printer if not in use constantly as it will save energy, the Earth and your pocketbook!

Review of how a Nvidia 9500M GS card performs in today’s applications and games