Pinlight

Pinlight's Stats

Review Count
2
Helpfulness Votes
13

First Review
April 5, 2013
Last Review
September 19, 2014
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0
Average Rating
2.5

Reviews Comments

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2
Helpfulness Votes
2

First Review Comment
April 20, 2013
Last Review Comment
June 28, 2016
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Answer Count
1
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First Answer
April 20, 2013
Last Answer
April 20, 2013
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Pinlight's Reviews

Canon - EOS 70D DSLR Camera with 18-135mm IS STM Lens - Black

Canon EOS 70D DSLR Camera with 18–135mm IS STM Lens: From horse races to soccer games, freeze action-packed moments with the help of this DSLR camera. Record stunning high-definition videos and capture fine details even in low light. Built-in Wi-Fi lets you print, share and transfer images quickly and easily. Because it has a wide range of manual settings, it is sure to meet the needs of photographers of all skill levels.Memory card sold separately.

Greatly improved camera, still weak on audio

Customer Rating

4.0

Posted by: Pinlight

from Porter Ranch, CA

on September 19, 2014

This user uses this product mainly for business.

Picture Quality

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

Features

4.0

What's great about it: Best auto focus ever. Perfectly balanced. Wonderful touch screen.

What's not so great: No headphone jack. Segments longer video clips. Batteries go faster than before.

I have been using a 60D for the past two years with good results. I've produced four feature-length documentaries with it, one won two awards. Although the 60D is capable of great pictures, I'm using it to shoot "video" and that makes it more difficult. Focus has been a huge headache. Sound is very tricky. The 70D cures the focus problem almost completely. Best and fastest auto focus I've seen in any camera. It's amazing, and it uses a servo to continuously auto-focus while you're shooting video. The package with the 18-135mm lens -- the new update of this lens is smoother, faster focusing and quieter than the old one. Highly recommend it. Sound is another issue. While improved, they leave out vital features.

The 70D also shoots in 24P mode for video so it looks like film. However, it is a huge blunder that on a camera in this price range to not have a headphone jack -- one of the most essential and basic items when shooting live pictures. You can have all the best, sharpest pictures in the world, but if you can't tell what sound is going in your camera, then you have a big problem. This is why cameras like the Sony A7 (Sony has long been a leader in professional video cameras) have a headphone jack since it's such a necessary thing. Canon has to realize that such an omission is a huge and almost amateurish oversight and hurts this camera's ability to shoot live action and simply know you've got sound other than just seeing meters wiggling. We're not talking about a $300 camcorder there. This camera package costs upwards of $1,500 with the lens, and should have a headphone jack and headphone amplifier with a simple MANUAL volume control (not touchscreen). I'm not asking for much here. Just try making a film without knowing what your camera is hearing, and you'll feel the same flush of uncertainty that I do when shooting with this camera, even though I love every other aspect of it. One new feature is the ability to see your audio VU meters supered over the picture in the viewfinder. Finally. This has long been a feature on camcorders but not on DSLRs. It is, however, only available in Manual mode, and the meters are very tiny. At least we have them, and for that I am grateful.

The 70D has an articulated viewfinder that has a touchscreen that works as well as what you'd find on an iPhone. It has a new mirror lock-up mode which I like. You can use the touchscreen as well to change the ISO or the auto-focus modes, even adjust the audio input level. Still, you can only shoot moving pictures while monitoring through the flip-open viewfinder, and in bright sun you're going to need a slip-on sunshade or you will have trouble seeing anything of what you're shooting. I wish there was a way to use the excellent eyepiece when shooting video, but the mirror gets in the way.

Another upgrade from the 60D, is that if you are monitoring your video through an HDTV while you're shooting, the 60D could only display your picture in 720 mode -- seriously degrading what the camera is seeing. The 70D has fixed that problem. You can also record up to 30 minutes at a time, instead of the maximum 12 minutes posed by the 60D.

Still image quality is beautiful. The extra pixels in the new 70D's chip are noticeable and make a difference. This camera has gobs of resolution and takes excellent pictures. It's compatible with the enormous line of Canon EF lenses, so that in itself really ups the ante over other cameras in this price range for the flexibility all these lenses offer -- and you can add lenses later on as your budget allows. The pricing of the 70D is still very competitive when looking at other manufacturers like Sony, which are at least $500 more, and cater to the Windows community instead of Mac people.

The 70D creates movie files in .mov format --- perfect for inputting into Final Cut Pro, which is what we use. There is no conversion process to go through -- no third-party conversion software that you'll need. It's ready to go. You will need a fast SD card since the resolution is greater and the speed of the card will affect your ability to capture HD video. I would recommend a card with no less than 45MBS and higher would be better.

About me... Video enthusiast, Pro videographer, filmmaker

I would recommend this to a friend!

+13points

13out of 13found this review helpful.

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Rocketfish™ - Vehicle Mount - Black

This vehicle mount securely holds your mobile phone, so you can have a clear view of your device while you drive. Window or vent mounting options offer flexible placement, and the plastic construction provides a durable design.

Bad Design

Customer Rating

1.0

Posted by: Pinlight

from Hollywood, CA

on April 5, 2013

This user uses this product mainly for business.
This user is a My Best Buy® Elite Plus Member, who has spent $3,500 on eligible purchases, and is now getting 1.25 points per dollar!

What's great about it: Swivel seems to work

What's not so great: Everything else

I have a C5 Corvette, so there's not much dash space to mount my iPhone. Thought the suction cup deal might work. Didn't want to use any adhesive on the dash, or drill into it anywhere.

I've had experience with suction cup mounts, i.e. the great little GoPro camera's suction cup is so powerful you could pull a dent out of your car with it. This mount, and the corresponding AC grill mount, are very problematic. But the worst piece of engineering is the phone holder itself. Unbelievable.

The suction cup has a very limited range of operation. You have to hold it perfectly on the glass, then move the lever. The first few times I tried this, but it fell off. I realized I had to really apply pressure to it the first time, then it held. Sort of. (In my car, I was going through contortions to get to it on the slanted surface of the glass behind the instrument cluster). Nothing like the little GoPro suction mount, which is beautiful. Holds every time. The RocketFish suction cup was a plastic piece that finally worked, but worked poorly at best. I'm sure it would have simply fallen off, had the actual phone holder worked.

The phone holder slides down on the swivel mount and snaps into place. So far so good. Hard to get to the swivel behind it to tighten it enough so that it doesn't droop. Yes, it continued to droop after tightening it. But the mount itself is a heavy piece of plastic with multiple moving parts -- most of them unnecessary. Feet on the bottom unfold. The sides move, and are molded pieces of soft rubbery plastic that just don't work. There is a release button, that you have to pump to release the phone. Not good. Should simply snap open and you grab your phone.

Awhile back, I bought a simple mount for my iPhone to use it on a camera tripod. Spring grip, lightweight, no silly oversized cushions on either side that get in the way of the phone's function buttons. Fits perfectly. This one does not. It looks like it's for an old Motorola "brick," not a thin smartphone. The side pads can slide apart for larger phones -- I guess the big Samsung phones? Even then, the whole assembly is a joke. Weight distribution is the real issue.

Go over uneven payment, and the whole thing starts massively jiggling because the phone holder is a heavy beast. The suction cup mount has a bendable arm that holds the phone away from the glass. This is normally a good distance, but travel over any bump and your phone could be launched into space or on the floor under your feet while you're trying to brake.

I admit I'm used to professional mounts for camera equipment. There are some good ones. They are more expensive and are usually made of aluminum. I'm about to try modifying this thing myself using my iPhone camera mount, drill out the swivel to take the screw, and resort to the somewhat flimsy AC vent mount. That may do it. Maybe. Hey, I'm desperate. This would be the iStabilizer mount for under $17. Never had it lose the phone, and it's just elegantly designed without clumsiness and stuff you don't need.

Essentially, I thought that Rocketfish was a more viable company and bought this setup based on that misplaced confidence. Well, I was wrong. These guys need to go back to the drawing board.

No, I would not recommend this to a friend.

Other Best Buy Products I Recommend

iStabilizer - smartMount Tripod Monopod Adapter for iPhone 4/5/6, Android, HTC, Blackberry, Samsung, iPod Touch

-2points

0out of 2found this review helpful.

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Pinlight's Questions

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Pinlight's Answers

Rocketfish™ - Vehicle Mount - Black

Any success?

I was so excited about using the Rocketfish Windows Mount. The product looks like it would work well with the lever to apply extra suction. When I mount this to my window, the mount is quite secure, but within a few minutes the unit simply falls from the glass. I tried cleaning the glass to remove any residue, moistened the suction cup, and tried on multiple glass surfaces in the car. How do you get this unit to work?

I just posted an update on my experience with this mount.

There are two click stops on the suction cup. If the surface of the glass is free of any residue, if it keeps falling off then try the second position on the lever. It should hold just fine. It takes some pressure to get it to go to the second position, but it will work.

11 years ago

Posted by:

Pinlight

from

Hollywood, CA