Update: It’s overrr! Someone won, and he’s very excited. Thanks for playing, and keep an eye out for other giveaways. ‘Tis the season. Did you see my review of the ContourHD 1080p? Well, go check it out so you know whether or not you can make use of this sucker. It’s basically a compact HD camcorder stripped of everything but the lens, sensor, and storage, stuck inside a tiny, semi-rugged aluminum case. It’s for sticking to your helmet or bike frame and documenting all that extreme stuff you do. And we want to give one to you. → Read More
Black Friday is almost here. It’s a great time to score some deals, but don’t go at it willy-nilly. Follow these 5 simple Black Friday rules to avoid the scams and wasting time. → Read More
Creative just announced the 3rd generation of the Vado HD. If you remember correctly, Creative launched the original Vado HD back in December of last year, so it’s due for a refresh. → Read More
The Short Version: The ContourHD 1080p is a capable, semi-rugged, conveniently-shaped HD camcorder that’s great for all kinds of sporting and active events where a full-size camera isn’t practical. The 1080p video has admirable still image quality, but skew and compression mean it’s more of an enthusiast tool than a professional one. But for $330, it’s a great little tool for documenting your rides, falls, and so on, and putting the results up on the internet. → Read More
Looking for a DSLR this holiday season, but the budget is a bit tight? Let CrunchGear and Photojojo help you out. Photojojo is running a giveaway for a Nikon D3000, and they’ve invited you, our very special friends, to join in on the contest. Find out how to win after the jump. → Read More
[tab:Intro][flagallery gid=4 name="CrunchGear Gift Guide 2009"] Pocket-sized camcorders continue to grow in popularity thanks to falling prices, shrinking form factors, and enhanced video quality. While there are plenty on the market to choose from right now, this guide will focus on models selling for less than $150. That seems to be a good price ceiling that allows you to get plenty of features without spending too much. → Read More
Short version: If you are familiar with the Nikon D300, then you can just expect more of the same. The D300s doesn’t do anything ground breaking, but what it does is add some nice features to an already excellent DSLR — most importantly, HD video and SD card support. The D300s is the latest version of Nikon’s award-winning D300, which was released in August of 2007. The D300s features a 12.3 megapixel, DX-format sensor, and supports an ISO range of 200 to 3200. Nikon also gave the D300s their 51 point auto-focus system, which makes it exceptionally easy to get a crisp image while shooting. The D300s also has the same 3 inch LCD display as the D300 on the back of the body, which is great for reviewing your shots or when you are using the “Live View” mode. At $1800, it’s firmly in the “prosumer” price range. → Read More
Lowepro announced a handful of new camera bags at PMA in March and over the last couple months they’ve slowly trickled into the market. We were lucky enough to snag a Pro Roller x100 early and have spent quite a bit of time with it over the last few weeks including trips to Indianapolis for the Red Bull MotoGP. → Read More
We actually have two reviews in one in this case; the Joby Gorillapod SLR-Zoom, and the optional ballhead mount. Do I recommend you trust your expensive camera gear to this device? Simply put, yes. I have a Nikon D300, and I put my precious on the Gorillapod with it’s 18-200mm lens on it, and it didn’t buckle. → Read More
What can be said about the latest Eye-Fi SD card that hasn’t been said about every other iteration? The Pro is just that, a Pro. With support for RAW files, Ad Hoc network support and Selective Transfer, the Eye-Fi Pro is perfection. → Read More
The QuikPod is an easy-to-use extension arm that is designed to let you take your own photo in front of sites you’re seeing. Rather than stick out your arm, and look like a goofball trying to encompass you standing in front of the majesty that is the Grand Canyon, or try to find some suitably flat surface on which to rest your camera, or God forbid ask a stranger to take your photo, you can attach your camera to your QuikPod, extend the arm, and take a photo. How well does it work? Read on for the full review. → Read More
Short Version: Joining the ranks of the Flip family, the UltraHD is one of the easiest-to-use digital camcorders on the market. This version features 8GB of storage, high-definition video capture, the ability to use an included rechargeable battery pack or off-the-shelf AA batteries, and HDMI output. At $200, though, it’s pretty expensive considering its feature set. → Read More
I’ve been avoiding this moment for a month. Before I left for Europe, Kodak sent me their latest ultra-zoom camera, the Z980, and I’ve been carrying it for over 30 days and through five countries. I’ve taken about two hundred photographs and I’ve gotten to know this thing fairly well. My initial conclusion? I’m going to say this just to get it over with: I miss my DSLR. Now, read on for a bit of clarification. The Kodak Z980 is Kodak’s $399.99 ultrazoom camera. It is a 12-megapixel monster with 24x optical zoom and flash. It has a huge 3-inch back LCD and a false, LCD-based viewfinder. There are multiple modes including Manual, Scene, Auto, and Aperture- and Shutter-priority. It also takes video in full HD. It also takes panoramic photos using a built-in stitching system. → Read More
San Francisco, CA
