#and now the midrange model is under $500

[sage-nebula]

Just when I have someone who might buy my Steam Deck (for less than I paid for it mind you), Valve puts the fucking thing on sale, undercutting me 😒 hate and war on planet earth

[anewswire]

Best Phones Under $500 for 2023: All the Features You Need

  The greatest phones under $500 really don't give up much when compared to devices with noticeably higher price tags. Also, the midrange market is highly competitive, so if you're looking to upgrade or buy a gift, phones in this price range are the first you should consider. These phones typically cost between $400 and $500 and provide features like high-refresh-rate screens, 5G, and software for photo processing. Be prepared for some trade-offs, like as old technology or subpar cameras. The greatest phones under $500 may meet the majority of the requirements on your list. Are you looking for a 6.5-inch screen that is sizable? Many of these phones have this capability, and if you prefer smaller displays, there are additional variants available. Need a top-notch camera? It is almost always present in these options. The bulk of these phones' manufacturers pledge to provide security upgrades for at least three years, so they don't scrimp on software updates either. To keep costs down, businesses make compromises, and each one uses a different tactic to hide these reductions. For instance, Google's Pixel 6A and Apple's iPhone SE both have modern processors and software in addition to smaller screens and antiquated camera configurations. The Samsung Galaxy A53 boasts a huge screen and a long battery life despite having a less potent chipset than the Galaxy S22. The Moto G Stylus 5G provides good photos in addition to a huge 256GB of storage and a stylus, but Motorola doesn't provide as long of a software support period as its competitors. The phones in this price range clearly underperform their more expensive counterparts in the majority of areas, particularly in photography and video. Photo-editing software ought to cover the shortage in part. For instance, even though the iPhone SE only has a single 12-megapixel camera and does not support night photography, the A15 Bionic chip in the device enables Apple's Deep Fusion processing. The Pixel 6A boasts two 12-megapixel cameras, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 12-megapixel primary camera, and employs processing powered by the phone's Tensor processor to enhance the quality of the photographs. The advantages and disadvantages of each of these smartphones are listed below. More information can be found in our entire reviews. Best phones under $500 The Pixel 6A has taken the position of the Pixel 5A as the $449 version of Google's flagship device. In her review of the Pixel 6A for CNET, Lisa Eadicicco referred to it as the "greatest Android phone under $500" and emphasized how it retains the same Tensor chip and many of the capabilities of the more expensive Pixel 6. The phone is marginally smaller than the Pixel 6, with a 6.1-inch OLED screen that has a 60Hz refresh rate. Moreover, it sports a 12.2-megapixel primary camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, both of which are similar to the Pixel 5A's cameras. Nevertheless, in adding the Tensor chip, images can make use of its True Tone skin tone function, Face Unblur, Night Sight for darker shooting, and the Magic Eraser for erasing undesired aspects from a picture.   Most of the best features found in the Galaxy S22 line are present in the Samsung Galaxy A53, albeit there are a few compromises made to achieve the lower pricing. The phone has a large 6.5-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2,400x1,080 pixels, 5G capability, and a 5,000-mAh battery. A 64-megapixel primary camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, a 5-megapixel macro camera, and a 5-megapixel depth camera are all included in the phone. In addition to launching Android 12 and Samsung's One UI 4.1, Samsung has also promised to give four years of software support for this phone. However, Samsung has now unveiled a new model of this phone, the Galaxy A54 5G, which we anticipate testing soon.     The A15 Bionic CPU from Apple and connectivity for 5G are among the newest smartphone features found in the $429 iPhone SE. It's also one of the few smartphones available that have a 4.7-inch screen. You may either love or hate this phone's retro design, which maintains the basic form that Apple has employed since 2014. Consider the iPhone 11 if you want a bigger iPhone in this price range to get a bigger screen and Face ID. Yet, that phone lacks 5G connectivity. Moreover, the phone just has a single 12-megapixel main camera with no night mode. The exclusion stands out because the majority of the other phones in this comparison offer multiple cameras and features like night mode. The Deep Fusion photo-processing method, which enhances medium- to low-light images, and Smart HDR4 processing, which enhances color and contrast, make up for this, though. The iPhone SE does a good job of recording video in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, but it lacks the Cinematic Mode seen on the iPhone 13. This was discovered by CNET managing editor Patrick Holland.     The $500 Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) is one of the best stylus-equipped phones you can get right now, especially for the price. You get Android 12, 5G connectivity, a large 6.8-inch screen, and a spacious 256GB of storage. Unfortunately, the phone is only promised one software update and three years of security updates, which is a much shorter timeline than the four years promised by Samsung for the Galaxy A53. Yet if you want a stylus-equipped phone, the next step-up option is the substantially more expensive Galaxy S22 Ultra at $1,200.   Although Apple stopped selling the $500 iPhone 11 when the iPhone 14 series was introduced, it is still freely accessible. Although a few generations old, this phone is still more than powerful, handles gaming well, and comes with two excellent rear cameras. Even if 5G network support is lacking, it will nonetheless function properly on LTE and Wi-Fi due to wireless providers' investments in the technology. Moreover, the MagSafe accessories, which debuted alongside the iPhone 12, are not compatible with the iPhone 11. Due to Apple no longer selling new iPhone 11 devices, some stores may be offering reconditioned versions of the device. You will need to sign up for a service plan with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, or Sprint since Best Buy does not offer any unlocked devices.     Although technically only through a beta program selling an international model with restricted US carrier compatibility, the Nothing Phone 1 is still available in the US for $299. This phone is still worth a look in countries where it is available, even though the business does intend to formally introduce a new phone for the North American market in the future. Even at its higher £399 UK pricing (which equals about AU$700), it delivers an eye-catching style and respectable specs for the money. The back of the Nothing Phone 1 is decorated with "glyph"-shaped LED strips that illuminate in response to alarms and notifications. Two 50-megapixel wide-angle and ultrawide-angle cameras are included with that design. A 16-megapixel selfie camera and a 6.55-inch 120Hz display with a 2,400 by 1,080-pixel resolution are located on the front. The phone's Snapdragon 778G Plus processor powers it, and its base models come with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. All in all, a phone that competes favorably within the pricing range, especially given the caliber and appearance of its camera. How do we test phones? ANewswire reviews the quality of phones by using them on a daily basis and comparing them to rival phones. We take into account a number of elements, including the phone's display, cameras, battery life, software, performance, features, and usability. We ensure that low-cost phones continually perform admirably in a variety of circumstances. This covers a variety of daily pursuits like news reading, music listening, video watching, texting, gaming, and multitasking. We test phone cameras in a variety of circumstances, shooting test images both inside and outside in bright and dark conditions. Cameras are used to capture a variety of subjects, including people, objects, and animals, in dynamic settings like sporting events and concerts. Also, we examine the many camera options, particularly those that are more uncommon in these price ranges, such Night mode and Portrait mode. Benchmark tests like Geekbench's performance and battery tests are paired with these first-hand phone observations. We keep track of battery life in two ways: by seeing how much power is normally still available after a day of ordinary use and by observing how much juice is used up after an hour of more intensive use. In the latter test, we'll see how the phone's battery performs under a variety of conditions, including video chats, gaming, streaming videos, and web browsing. Questions on phones under $500 Do cheaper phones merit the price? Many people will find that a phone under $500 has all the features they require for communication, photography, and entertainment. In certain cases, the phones even include some of the newest features found on higher-end phones, such as numerous cameras and smooth 120Hz refresh rates. You should be conscious of — and comfortable with — any potential shortcomings a phone may have in comparison to more expensive models. For instance, the $899 iPhone 14 Plus is your best choice if you want an iPhone with a larger screen than the iPhone SE and iPhone 11's panels. That is significantly more expensive than $500, but you also get extra advantages like a better camera. On the other hand, there are many phones under $500 if you want a phone with a larger screen it can run Android. Can a less expensive phone have a good camera? Indeed, there are some less expensive phones that can produce high-quality images, whether through the phone's built-in camera, its picture editing app, or — as is frequently the case — a mix of both. The A15 Bionic chip found in Apple's iPhone SE supports Apple's Deep Fusion processing and Smart HDR4 processing. While Deep Fusion processing is helpful in medium- to low-light situations, Smart HDR4 helps with color and contrast. On the CNET Highlights YouTube channel, managing editor Patrick Holland of CNET has together a selection of the pictures and videos he took while reviewing the device. Nevertheless, the 12-megapixel camera of the iPhone SE, which similarly has a single sensor, does not allow night photography. The Google Pixel 6A is equipped with the company's Tensor processor on the Android side, which adds photographic features like Real Tone for capturing more accurate skin tones, Face Unblur for adjusting a person's face, and Magic Eraser for erasing undesired items. It does, however, have a 12-megapixel primary camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, which while taking nice pictures, are clearly inferior to the 50-megapixel primary cameras found on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7. One intriguing example is Samsung's Galaxy A53, which includes a 64-megapixel primary camera in addition to 12-megapixel ultrawide, 5-megapixel macro, and 5-megapixel depth cameras. Although the Galaxy S22's 50-megapixel main camera has more megapixels, the S22 can generate images with higher contrast and clarity, resulting in a decrease in image detail. Why are these phones less expensive? Regarding less expensive phones, each business has a distinct strategy. For instance, the iPhone SE features modern Apple technology concealed inside a vintage phone design. While the 50-megapixel main camera of the $599 Pixel 6 gets replaced by an older 12.2-megapixel main camera on Google's Pixel 6A, both devices have the latest Tensor processor. The Galaxy A53 from Samsung adopts the alternative strategy. Although having a slower processor than the Galaxy S22, it has other contemporary characteristics like a screen with a fast refresh rate. Phones under $500 comparison Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs. Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G vs. Google Pixel 6A vs. Apple iPhone SE (2022) vs. Nothing Phone 1 vs. Apple iPhone 11 Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) Google Pixel 6A Apple iPhone SE (2022) Nothing Phone 1 iPhone 11 Display size, resolution 6.5-inch AMOLED (2,400x1,080 pixels); 120 Hz 6.8-inch LTPS LCD FHD+; 2,460 x1,080 pixels; 120 Hz 6.1-inch OLED; (1080 x 2400); 60Hz 4.7-inch LCD; (1,334x750 pixels); 60 Hz 6.55-inch OLED display, 2,400 x1080 pixels; 6.1-inch LCD Liquid Retina; 1,792x828 pixels Pixel density 405ppi TBD 429 ppi 326ppi 402ppi 326ppi Dimensions (inches) 6.28 x 2.94 x 0.32 in 6.65 x 2.98 x 0.37 in 6.0 x 2.8 x 0.35 in 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in 5.94x2.98x0.33 in Dimensions (millimeters) 159.6 x 74.8 x 8.1 mm 168.9 x 75.8 x 9.3 mm 152.2 x 7.18 x 8.9 mm 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm 159.2 x 75.8 x 8.3 mm 150.9x75.7x8.3 mm Weight (ounces, grams) 6.67 oz; 189g 7.58 oz; 215 g 6.3 oz; 178g 5.09 oz; 144g 193.5g 6.84 oz; 194g Mobile software Android 12 Android 12 Android 12 iOS 15 Android 13 iOS 13 Camera 64-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 5-megapixel (macro), 5-megapixel (depth) 50-megapixel (wide), 8-megapixel (ultrawide/macro), 2-megapixel (depth) 12.2-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel ultra wide) 12-megapixel (wide) 50-megapixel (main), 50-megapixel (ultra-wide) 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) Front-facing camera 32-megapixel 16-megapixel 8-megapixel 7-megapixel 16-megapixel 12-megapixel with Face ID Video capture 4K 1,080p 4K 4K 4K at 60fps 4K Processor Exynos 1280 Snapdragon 695 5G Google Tensor Apple A15 Bionic Snapdragon 778G+ Apple A13 Bionic RAM/Storage 6GB/128GB 8GB/256GB 6GB RAM/128GB storage 64GB, 128GB, 256GB 8GB + 128GB, 8GB +256 GB, 12GB RAM + 256GB 64GB, 128GB, 256GB Expandable storage Up to 1TB Up to 1TB None NA None None Battery/Charger 5,000 mAh (charger not included, does not support wireless charging) 5,000 mAh (10W wired charger included) 4,410 mAh capacity; 18-watt fast charging (adapter sold separately) Battery NA (20W wired charging -- charger not included), 7.5W wireless charging) 4,500 mAh (33W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, 5W reverse charging) Not disclosed, but Apple claims it will last 1 hour longer than iPhone XR Fingerprint sensor In-display Side Under display Home button In-display None (Face ID) Connector USB-C USB-C USB C Lightning USB-C Lightning Headphone jack None Yes None None None No Special features 5G-enabled; IP67 rating; supports 25W wired fast charging, Samsung Pay 5G-enabled; OIS for main camera; NFC for Google Pay; 5G-enabled, 18W fast charging, WiFi 6E, security updates for 5 years, Android OS updates for 3 years, dual SIM, IP67 water resistance 5G-enabled; supports 25W wired fast charging; Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging 5G, IP53, Three years of Android updates, Dual Sim, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate Water resistant (IP68); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging Price off-contract (USD) $450 $500 $449 $399 (64GB), $449 (128GB), $549 (256GB) N/A $499 Price (GBP) £399 NA but converts to £405 £399 £419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB) £399 £489 Price (AUD) AU$699 NA but converts to AU$715 A$749 AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB) N/A AU$849 Read the full article

[mikegranich87]

Pixel 5a review: The 4a 5G wasn't broken, so Google didn't fix it

The Pixel 6 is just around the corner. But before Google brings it and its Tensor mobile chip to market, the company is updating its entry level offering with the $449 Pixel 5a. The whole point of the “a” family is to offer the basics at a reasonable price without sacrificing too much of the Pixel experience in the process. That means a relatively clean version of Android with a bunch of AI tricks and a heavy focus on photography.

But apparently Google feels like it more or less nailed that formula with the Pixel 4a 5G because the 5a is basically the same phone. (Note: The Pixel 5a is not a direct successor to the 4a, which was a much smaller device.) There are some differences — notably the addition of IP67 waterproofing — but most of the tweaks are extremely minor. Even the processor and RAM haven’t changed. So, if we said you could do better way back in October of 2020, what does that mean for the 5a in the fall of 2021?

Well, it makes the Pixel 5a about as unexciting as a phone can be, for one. But look, boring isn’t necessarily bad. Especially when you’re talking about the mid and lower tiers of the smartphone market. For one, keeping things staid allows Google to focus its efforts on battery life and performance optimization. And just like the last generation of Pixels, the 5a feels pretty responsive despite the aging Snapdragon 765G inside. That said, the 765G wasn’t exactly top of the line last year, and it’s starting to show its limits. While scrolling through the UI and doing simple things like reading email and sending text messages, the 5a is indistinguishable from any flagship device. It even handles most mobile games without a hiccup. I spent some time playing The Elder Scrolls: Blades and Wild Castle and the phone barely broke a sweat.

But, I did notice it stutter a few times while navigating YouTube, editing photos and jotting down my thoughts for this review in Evernote. The latter I could easily chalk up to Evernote’s questionable development over the last few years, but the pauses while switching to fullscreen in YouTube and swapping filters in Google Photos are a bit more concerning.

Terrence O'Brien / Engadget

The plus side of going with something a bit older and lower-powered (not to mention with an integrated 5G modem) is power efficiency. The 4a 5G was already something of a beast, lasting over 17 hours in our battery drain test before our reviews editor Cherlynn Low simply gave up and moved on with her life. That device had a 3,885mAh battery. The 5a has a 4,680mAh cell. It took 22 hours and 56 of playing a video on loop at 50-brightness before it finally powered down.

After 24 hour of heavy usage — playing games, repeatedly running 5G speed tests, installing apps, watching videos on YouTube and even letting it play sleep sounds overnight — the battery was still at 40 percent. It didn’t finally crap out until almost 2AM on day two. And if you turn on Extreme Battery Saver, things could get even more absurd. I’m fairly confident that under normal use you could get a full 48 hours out of the Pixel 5a before needing to find an outlet.

Battery life isn’t the only difference between the 5a and 4a 5G: The new phone is also IP67 rated for water and dust resistance. At a time when many smartphones have at least some form of water resistance the Pixel 4a 5G was sort of a disappointment. In fact, the lack of waterproofing was one of the big cons called out in our review. But the Pixel 5a should easily survive getting caught in the rain or if you drop it in a toilet. It can withstand being submerged in water up to one meter deep for 30 minutes, but I wouldn’t push this to its limits. Definitely don’t go swimming with it in your pocket.

Terrence O'Brien / Engadget

The last difference between the Pixel 5a and the 4a 5G is in the size and construction, but it’s subtle. The 5a has a metal unibody as opposed to a polycarbonate one. The texture is still matte and similar to the softtouch of the previous models, though, and the upgrade to Gorilla Glass 6 from Gorilla Glass 3 is notable, but you’ll never notice the difference in daily use. The 5a comes in one finish: Mostly Black. Some might find the look a little dull, and it’s certainly on the utilitarian side, but I quite liked the feel of the phone. The finish is a nice contrast to the seemingly endless sea of smooth glassy surfaces and the heft is just right, too.

The 5a is ever so slightly larger and heavier, but you’re talking about a few millimeters and grams. Even if you had a Pixel 4a 5G in one hand and a Pixel 5a in the other you’d be hard pressed to figure out which is which.

The change in size mostly comes down to the slightly larger screen. The OLED panel on the 5a is 6.34 inches, versus 6.2 inches on the 4a 5G. Otherwise, though, the screens are basically the same. The increased resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 makes up for the size difference so they both have a density of 413 ppi. Both also sport a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 and support HDR and are stuck at now outdated 60Hz. And both are just bright enough to use in direct sunlight, though high brightness mode is definitely a necessity if you’re watching a video outdoors.

Even the holepunch for the front-facing camera is in the same place. That said, I appreciated Google’s “for fun” wallpapers that camouflage the hole by incorporating it into the design. My favorite is the record player where the camera becomes the hole at the center of an LP.

That 8-megapixel front-facing camera, by the way, is one of the weak points of the 5a. It does the job in perfect lighting and for video calls. But details can be a bit soft, in low light it gets noisy and portrait mode is hit or miss. Overall, I found Google’s portrait feature to be a bit too aggressive even on the main camera. You can easily adjust the blur and depth after the fact, but the default settings could stand to be more subtle.

The selfie cam, though, is the same one found on the Pixel 4a 5G, so none of this is a surprise. In fact, all of the cameras are the same. The two sensors around the rear, however, are much better than the one on the front. There’s a 12.2-megapixel main shooter with optical image stabilization and a 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens. They have a somewhat “moody” vibe when compared to shots from an iPhone or a Galaxy device, but they’re not obviously inferior. And even though images taken with the wide-angle lens can get a little fuzzy if you start zooming in on details, Google’s processing does an admirable job of minimizing barrel distortion. Google isn’t at the top of the smartphone camera heap anymore, but it’s not far off and photography is still an undeniable strong suit of the Pixel family.

Terrence O'Brien / Engadget

There’s nothing new to report, though. It’s the same set of excellent photography features that you got last year: Portrait lighting can help clean up and add some contrast to photos of people (but sadly not pets — the option only appears if a human face is detected). Night Sight turns on automatically in dim lighting and at times produces mind-blowing results. And the video stabilization modes are excellent. Cinematic Pan, which combines slow motion with super smooth movement, is especially fun.

Also, just like every other “a” model Pixel, this one has a headphone jack. All I can say is: That’s great, now please bring the headphone jack back to flagship phones. I know I’m not the only person clamoring for it. And it drives me nuts that the only way to get an old-school 3.5mm jack on my phone is to go down market.

Terrence O'Brien / Engadget

One last thing to mention: The actual full name of the phone is the Pixel 5a with 5G. So, guess what, it supports 5G connectivity. That’s not really surprising since the Snapdragon 765G has an integrated 5G modem. Unlike the Pixel 4a 5G, however, there is no mmWave variant of the 5a. And, although technically it’s capable of C-Band support, it’s currently not enabled and Google wouldn’t commit to adding support in the future. That’s not a huge deal at the moment since there are no active C-Band networks in the US yet. But it might irk some when AT&T and Verizon start flipping the switch, likely sometime later this year. That said, full C-Band rollout isn’t expected to happen until at least late 2023.

Those caveats out of the way, 5G still seems stuck in a state of arrested development. I tested the Pixel 5a using Google Fi, which essentially means I was on T-Mobile’s network and speeds were all over the place. In my home, it was often slower than Verizon’s LTE network, averaging around 35mbps down. (Note: Verizon is Engadget’s parent company… for now.) But two and half miles up the road at a local Subaru dealership I was routinely getting over 300mbps down, topping out at 370mbps.

Terrence O'Brien / Engadget

Of course, 5G and excellent cameras aren’t a rarity at this price any more. Mid-tier phones have come a long way over the last few years. The problem for Google is, it no longer clearly “owns the midrange.” Part of that is down to price. While the 5a is $50 cheaper than the 4a 5G, it’s not the obvious bargain that the 4a was at $350. If it was even just $50 cheaper still, the 5a would be a much easier sell at $399.

The Samsung A52 5G is slightly more expensive at $500 (though regularly on sale for less) and has a slower Snapdragon 750G SoC. But, its Super AMOLED screen clearly outclasses the Pixel’s and has a 120Hz refresh rate. Plus, its camera system is much sharper and feature-packed (but that doesn’t necessarily mean “better”). In addition to a primary camera and ultra-wide shooter, there’s a macro lens and a depth sensor that helps with portrait mode. While both the A52 and 5a ship with 128GB of storage, the Samsung has an advantage in that it has a microSD card slot.

Then there’s the OnePlus Nord N2 5G. It has a trio of cameras around the back, including a 50-megapixel primary sensor, an AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, and up to 12GB of RAM. Then again, it has a MediaTek processor, which you rarely see in phones in the US and with good reason: They’re not exactly known for their high-end performance. But perhaps more importantly, you’re highly unlikely to be making a choice between the Nord N2 and the Pixel 5a since the former isn’t available in the US, and the later is only available in the US and Japan.

Of course, if you’re more of an iOS fan, the obvious comparison would seem to be the iPhone SE. It’s the same price as the Pixel 5a for a 128GB model, but it does feel quite a bit dated. It still uses the old iPhone 8 form factor with a Touch ID home button instead of Face ID, it's positively miniscule at 4.7 inches and doesn’t support 5G. Frankly, if you’re dead set on iOS, I might suggest saving your pennies and springing for the $699 iPhone 12 mini.

So, no, Google doesn’t “own the midrange” any more. The Pixel 5a is almost aggressively boring, but it’s not bad. If you want the Pixel experience and don’t want to break the bank, this is the way to go. But if you’re just looking for the best bang for your buck, the choice is far less clear.

from Mike Granich https://www.engadget.com/google-pixel-5-a-review-android-midrange-5g-smartphone-160051630.html?src=rss

[wsmnet]

Best phones under $1000 in 2019

The Galaxy S10e Mack Hogan | CNBC You don't need to spend $1,000 or more for a new phone. You can, if you just have to own the latest and greatest, but there are a lot of good phones that cost far less. Phone makers know this. Google recently began selling its Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL, Apple sells the iPhone XR and older iPhones, and Samsung has a family of A-Series phones that are more affordable than some of its flagships. I tested a bunch of them and here are some of my favorite phones that cost under $1,000.

OnePlus 7 Pro ($669): Flagship features, without the crazy price

The OnePlus 7 Pro Todd Haselton | CNBC The OnePlus 7 Pro offers the same Snapdragon 855 processor you'll find in top-tier Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, lots of high-speed memory and a gorgeous (and fast!) display. This hardware makes the OnePlus 7 Pro one of the smoothest smartphones out there. Plus, you get a true edge-to-edge display. To unlock it, you use a fingerprint sensor hidden under the touch screen. There's no notch or hole punch for the front-facing camera. Instead, a little electric motor pops the camera up when it's needed and hides it inside when not in use. You give up a few things, though. Despite OnePlus demonstrating that the 7 Pro can take a few dunks, there's no independently verified water resistance rating. Wireless charging is also not available, though the 7 Pro supports super quick fast charging.

Samsung Galaxy S10e ($499-$749): Great bang-for-your buck from Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy S10e Todd Haselton | CNBC If you want a name-brand flagship for a discount price, the Samsung Galaxy S10e is your best bet. Now that it's been out for a few months, it's frequently discounted from its $749.99 suggested retail price. Unlike a lot of iPhone deals, though, you don't need to add a new line or buy multiple phones to get a good price. Walmart, for instance, is currently selling the S10e for $499 if you get the pink or white one or $599 if you want blue or black. For that price, you get the latest processor, 128GB of storage, a beautiful top-notch screen and great cameras. Plus, you get full IP68 water resistance and wireless charging. Sure, you may not get an in-display fingerprint reader, it's on the side of the phone instead, but the S10e is otherwise packed with every feature you'd expect of a flagship phone in 2019. 

iPhone 8 ($599): If you need an iPhone

The iPhone 8 Nina Raja | CNBC For some people, having an iPhone isn't negotiable. Whether your friends demand blue bubble allegiance or you're tied to an Apple Watch, sometimes iPhones are the only option. In that case, I recommend the iPhone 8. It still has water resistance, wireless charging, a seriously quick processor and a good camera. The biggest letdown is the display, which looks dated with its large bezels and smaller size. Apple has a good history of supporting older phones with software updates, too. Just know that new iPhones are launching in the coming weeks. When that happens, prices for the old models are bound to fall. So maybe wait for a price drop.

Google Pixel 3a/3a XL ($399/$479): For Camera buffs on a budget

Google Pixel 3a XL Todd Haselton | CNBC The Google Pixel 3a XL consistently takes better photos than the iPhone XS but costs under $500. Even the triple-camera OnePlus 7 Pro can't best the Pixel in tricky lighting. With a great portrait mode and an unbeatable "Night Sight" feature for dark scenes, the Pixel 3a is just as capable as its more expensive brother, the Pixel 3. The downside is that, to get to its $399 price point, Google had to trim costs elsewhere. The Pixel 3a ships with a significantly slower midrange processor than the normal Pixel. Apps are noticeably slower to open, photos take a while to process and graphics-intensive games feel choppier. And while it still has good colors and brightness, the screen has big bezels that make the phone look noticeably cheaper. Finally, as with the OnePlus 7 Pro, there's no official water resistance and the Pixel 3a isn't able to charge wirelessly. If you prioritize the clean software and amazing camera of the normal Pixel, the Pixel 3a's the cheapest way to get it.

Samsung Galaxy A50 ($350): Features over speed

The Samsung Galaxy A50 offers a ton of high-end features for its $350 price point. It has a big, vibrant edge-to-edge display just like you'd expect from a Samsung phone. It offers an in-display fingerprint reader for unlocking and two cameras plus a depth sensor for portrait shots. You also get a microSD card slot to add more storage and a headphone jack, something that a lot of flagship phones no longer offer, including Samsung's new Galaxy Note 10. Finally, a huge battery provides enough juice to go all day. Unsurprisingly, the A50 lacks wireless charging or water resistance. Like the Pixel, it also has a lower-tier processor that doesn't breeze through day-to-day usage like a flagship phone would. It feels a tick slower than the Pixel 3a and noticeably slower than top-tier phones, but that's to be expected. Follow @CNBCtech on Twitter for the latest tech product news. Read the full article

[androidskit-blog]

Best superfast 5G Mobile phones: Galaxy S10 5G, OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, Moto Z4 & more

On Aug. 7, Samsung unveiled three more phones that it's adding to its already-crowded Galaxy lineup: the Note 10, Note 10 Plus and Note 10 Plus 5G. The announcement marked the first time the company has split its Note phone into two sizes, and it revealed Samsung's second 5G phone, following the Galaxy S10 5G, which is available on US carrier Verizon.  But Verizon and other major US carriers aren't the only ones readying themselves for 5G. Carriers around the world are ramping up to deliver the latest generation of cellular tech. Not only will these networks connect users to a superfast mobile network, but many other industries will benefit from the faster connectivity of 5G as well, like self-driving cars, drones and the internet of things, to name a few.  Though none of these networks are ready for a nationwide rollout currently, carriers everywhere are racing to lay the necessary infrastructure to roll out a faster and more expansive wireless network. As such, more and more 5G deployment will take place throughout this year and next. Right now, 5G is live in select cities for Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint users. And in Britain, UK carrier EE became the first 5G carrier in the country, with Vodafone following seven cities under its belt. Meanwhile, Three UK plans to switch on its 5G in August. Britain's government is also allowing Huawei access to set up the country's 5G infrastructure.  Most people will likely experience the benefits of a robust 5G network only through a 5G-enabled phone. After all, the grand promises carriers and chip-makers are making with 5G coverage doesn't mean much if you can't access the network with your own device. To help you keep tabs on all the 5G phones and when we can expect more, here's what the major phone-makers are planning. 

Apple 

Apple's in no rush to launch a 5G iPhone, and it's likely you won't see one until at least 2020. In fact, Apple analyst Ming-chi Kuo predicts the company will unveil three 5G phones next year. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, Apple usually isn't the first in on mobile trends, preferring instead to perfect an emerging technology before committing to it. For example, it was behind its competitors in making phones with 3G and 4G LTE connectivity when those networks just launched.   Second, Apple stopped working with the leading 5G modem provider, Qualcomm, because of a dispute over Qualcomm's licensing fees. The two companies settled their litigation in April and then agreed to a multiyear 5G chip deal. This led to Apple's previous partner of 5G modems, Intel, to ultimately exit the 5G phone modem business altogether and Apple later acquired Intel's smartphone modem business for $1 billion. Apple is still working with Qualcomm, but it got started too late to launch a 5G phone this year.  Despite all these legal issues, that doesn't mean Apple is totally ignoring 5G. In April, Sprint and AT&T reached a settlement after Sprint sued AT&T for displaying "5G E" connectivity on some of its phones, which included iPhones. This is despite the fact that its network technology remained unchanged from 4G. (However, our recent tests in Los Angeles were on the network's 5G network.)

Samsung

As previously mentioned, Samsung unveiled its second 5G phone, the Note 10 Plus 5G. It's pretty much identical to the regular Note 10 Plus but connects to 5G networks. It will be available on the US carrier Verizon first for $1,300 and will be in stores on Aug. 23. However, it may not be worth investing in this phone just yet.  Meanwhile, Samsung's first 5G phone, the Galaxy S10 5G, is out right now. It has a 6.7-inch display, four rear cameras and the ability to wirelessly charge other devices. The device is available on Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, as well as AT&T but only for businesses.  Samsung's foldable Galaxy Fold will have a 5G variant, too, but that phone's launch has been delayed until September due to reported screen issues that the company said it recently solved. 

Google

Google hasn't revealed its plans for 5G, and the company declined to reply to a request to comment. What we do know is that Verizon is continuing its plans to roll out its 5G network in early 2019, similar to other carriers.  What does that have to do with Google exactly? For the past few years, and for better or for worse, Google has tapped Verizon as its exclusive carrier partner for its Pixel phones, including its last flagship, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. (However, Google also sells the phone unlocked or on its Wi-Fi-first network, Google Fi. Its most recent midrange phone, the Pixel 3A, and Pixel 3A XL are also now available from other carriers.)  This could mean that its next flagship, which Google confirmed will be the Pixel 4 (and Pixel 4 XL), which could be a 5G phone. If it sticks with its usual phone launch schedule, the Pixel 4 would debut around October 2019 -- well after the first half of the year. 

LG

The LG V50 ThinQ 5G is available to Sprint users for $1,152 and Verizon customers for $1,000. Sprint's 5G network is live in four cities: Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, and Atlanta. As mentioned earlier, we tested Sprint's 5G network in Dallas with the V50 and coverage was more consistent but slower than Verizon's. Sprint will also flip the switch for a handful of other cities afterward, like Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. later in 2019. (FYI, Sprint is also expected to merge with T-Mobile soon, a move that carrier speed analyst Ookla said "could result in an unmatched network in the face of 5G.")  The V50 will also be sold by T-Mobile and AT&T later in the year. The phone features a 6.4-inch OLED display, three rear cameras that include a wide-angle and telephoto lens, the Snapdragon 855 chipset and two front-facing cameras. It can also attach to a Dual Screen accessory that increases the phone's display size, though that won't be available in the US. 

Lenovo/Motorola

Lenovo's first 5G device was 2018's Motorola Moto Z3. Its successor, the Moto Z4, launched in May without much fanfare. Like the Z3, the Z4 connects to 5G with a Moto Mod modular accessory, which attaches to the back of the phone using magnetic pins. The phone is $499 and the Mod costs extra, but for a limited time, you can get both for $440, making the Z4 the cheapest 5G phone yet.  When we first tested Verizon's 5G network with the Z3 and Mod in April, Jessica Dolcourt noticed "theoretical download speeds kissing 600Mbps." But other times, "The download would start strong, the phone would flicker to show the 4G logo, and speeds would plummet."  As for a Motorola phone that wouldn't need an accessory to connect to 5G, the company is working on making such a device, but you'll have to wait much longer. Doug Michau, Motorola Mobility's director of technical sales and operations, said that phone would come much later than early 2019. More specifically, Michau said it would launch in "definitely less than three years, but no time frame yet." 

Huawei

Chinese phone-maker Huawei has two 5G phones waiting in the wings. One is the Mate X, which combines 5G speeds and a foldable display. The device has a 6.6-inch display when folded closed, and an 8-inch OLED screen when you flip it open. It also features a 4,500-mAh battery and three rear cameras. The Mate X is scheduled to launch in the middle of the year and will cost a whopping 2,300 euros (about $2,600).  Its second phone is the Mate 20 X 5G. The phone was supposed to launch in the UK in June for £999 (or about $1,279 in the US and AU$1,856 in Australia) but UK carriers EE and Vodafone have dropped plans to sell the device. The phone has a huge 7.2-inch display, a 4,200mAh battery, and a triple rear-camera setup.   Don't expect these phones to come to the US, though. Calling it a security threat to the Department of Defense, the US government banned the sale of Huawei phones on US military bases. In May, an executive order put limits on foreign involvement in the US' carrier networks, which Huawei said will leave the US behind in 5G. Retail giant Best Buy also stopped selling Huawei products in March 2018 and Huawei's CFO was arrested in Canada at the request of the US in an act her father said was politically motivated. Italy also wants to ban the company from supplying 5G equipment.  That doesn't necessarily spell the end of Huawei and its 5G ambitions, though. "Our products and solutions are used by major carriers, Fortune 500 companies and hundreds of millions of consumers in more than 170 countries around the world," a Huawei spokesman said last March. "We have earned the trust of our partners across the global value chain." 

OnePlus

OnePlus' latest phone, the OnePlus 7 Pro, has a 5G variant that currently sells on UK carrier EE's 5G network. The OnePlus 7 Pro earned CNET's Editors' Choice Award and features a 6.67-inch, 90Hz display, a pop-up selfie camera, and three rear cameras. (It also survived a few dunk tests for water resistance, despite not being IP rated.) EE's 5G deployment will also span 16 cities in 2019, starting with London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham, and Manchester.  OnePlus is working on bringing a 5G phone to the US though. On Aug. 6 the company announced it was partnering with Sprint to release a 5G phone "soon." In the meantime, the no-5G version of the OnePlus 7 Pro is available through T-Mobile, but unlocked models work on AT&T and Verizon. The regular OnePlus 7 Pro starts at $669 and £649 (converted, that's about AU$962 in Australia).     

Nokia 

Though Nokia isn't the phone giant that it was 15 years ago, it's still taking steps toward a 5G future. It's currently working with Qualcomm to make 5G devices and in July, the company announced a $3.5 billion partnership with T-Mobile, which includes taking advantage of T-Mobile's 600MHz spectrum to back its 5G network.   But don't expect 5G Nokia phones anytime soon; in February HMD CEO Florian Seiche (who makes Nokia phones) said those devices probably won't arrive until 2020. Nokia also stands to benefit from 5G in other ways though. In addition to Qualcomm and Ericsson, the company has patent rights to 5G technology and stands to make up to $3.50 for every 5G smartphone sold. 

HTC

Instead of a phone, Taiwanese electronics company HTC has a 5G hotspot. Available now on Sprint for $600, the hub connects up to 20 people simultaneously. Equipped with a 5-inch display, audio speakers and Android Pie software, the device is also a media hub that users can make video calls with or use to check the mail.

ZTE

Scheduled to release in China and Europe, ZTE's Axon 10 Pro 5G has a 4G version that is already available in Germany for 599 euros ($671, £520, AU$967). It's equipped with a Snapdragon 855 processor and has a fingerprint scanner embedded in its screen. On the back are three cameras that have AI capabilities, including scene recognition. The rear setup includes a wide-angle camera, a standard lens, and a third telephoto camera. For your selfie shots, the front of the phone has a 20-megapixel camera.   In February ZTE said it was aiming to have 5G phones off the ground in either late 2018 or early 2019, but followed that up with a "late 2019" prediction. Currently, ZTE is working with eight international carriers to roll out 5G testing. For now,  the future of ZTE in the US is up in the air due to a recent (now lifted) ban on its phones because the company violated trade sanctions. 

Xiaomi 

Chinese phone-maker Xiaomi remixed its Mi Mix 3 with a 5G model. Aptly named Mi Mix 3 5G, the phone costs 599 euros (about $679). It's unlikely that the phone will be available in the US. The company's initial 5G network partners include many European carriers, including Orange, Sunrise, Telefonica, Three, TIM and Vodafone -- the last of which will exclusively carry the Mi Mix 3 5G first.   The phone itself features a 6.39-inch AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 845 processor and dual 12-megapixel rear cameras. Calling it "almost the perfect phone," CNET editor Aloysius Low also mentioned that it's neither water-resistant nor do its front-facing cameras have secure 3D face unlocking. 

Oppo 

After showing off a prototype at MWC 2019, OnePlus' sister company Oppo debuted its trio of Oppo Reno phones in April. One of the phones includes a 5G model, the Oppo Reno 5G, which is available on the UK carrier EE and Australia for AU$1,499. The device features a fantastic 6.6-inch screen, a Snapdragon 855 chipset and a pop-up selfie camera.   In addition to EE and Australia's Telstra and Optus, Oppo is working with Swisscom, as well as Singtel in Singapore, to launch the phone. It's also partnering with China Mobile to sell the phone later this summer.    Read the full article

[alanjguitar]

Best Electric Guitars for the Money in 2020- List, Reviews & Buyer’s Guide

In this review, we’ll explore five instruments that are the best electric guitars in their respective price ranges.

These electrics are all stage-ready and more than enough to get you gigging. This doesn’t mean that if you’re an absolute beginner you should move on though! My high range for an entry-level guitar is also the bottom range for perfomance-grade instruments, so for the most part we’ll be looking at guitars in this sweet spot.

I could write a list like this featuring only multi-thousand dollar guitars, knowing that their quality is practically unbeatable, but I and no one I know has that kind of money to drop on a new instrument. So, I’ve kept our options realistic and within a budget that the average player can afford.

Our Recommendation

It’s never easy choosing the best of the best, and I feel like I’m doing the #2 spot a bit of injustice when I say they’re any lesser than the #1 guitar in this type of review.

But, specs and everything aside, going solely on my own preference, I’m gonna say that the best electric guitar for the money is the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR.

It has everything I want in an electric: a Floyd Rose whammy bar, 24 extra jumbo frets, powerful dual humbuckers with a push-pull coil splitting option, and killer looks. I’d say this beast is practical in just about any electric guitar application, and it’s right around the highest amount I’d be willing to pay for a new guitar.

The bottom end of the best goes to the Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT. It’s a great electric by many standards, but is a little short on features compared to the other guitars we’ll take a look at. For its price, you can’t do much better, but there are enough guitars I consider much cooler to push this model to last place on our list.

The 5 Best Electric Guitars for the Money – Overview

#5 Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT

3.75/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Mahogany with laminated Maple top

Neck – Mahogany

Fingerboard – Black Walnut

Electronics – Dual Black Top BroadTron humbuckers

Pros

Chambered body for added tone depth and resonance

Mahogany + Maple body tonewood combo brings sparkle to the warm voice

BroadTron humbucking pickups have just enough juice to hit the stage with

Cons

Chambered body makes this more a semi-hollow than a solid body guitar

No tremolo bar, limited features

Review

I’ll never be one to badmouth Gretsch guitars. They manufacture some great instruments in a huge range of prices, and even their bottom-line beginner series are better than the average electric.

Whether you’re a fan of Gretsch or not is a matter of taste, and is probably largely based on aesthetics. Their guitars all look kind of old-fashioned, not that there’s anything inherently wrong with that.

With the Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT, classic looks combine with modern electronics to form an excellent performing guitar for under $500.

It uses their in-house model BroadTron pickups, which are pretty powerful lower cost humbuckers that sound just as good clean as they do distorted. Gretsch has this handy guide to all their pickup designs, so you can see if the BroadTrons are right for you.

These pickups set into the Electromatic’s chambered mahogany body give you a tone that’s heavy in the bass end, with booming lows, a sultry midrange, and highs are never shrill.

Individual volume controls for each pickup and a 3-way selector switch give you a decent amount of control over your sound, so you can dial into the best tone for whatever genre you’re playing.

Some players might feel deceived to find out this is a chambered guitar. What this means is that the mahogany in the body is cut out in some spots, which is hidden by the maple top.

This adds resonance to the tone and reduces the guitars weight, but gives you less articulation and precision of sound than you’ll find in a standard solid body electric.

You’ll have to see if the Electromatic sounds right for your purposes, but I think it works great for most genres. And if you really love the tone of this guitar, you should take a look at some of Gretsch’s higher-end models, like the G5420 that we reviewed here.

#4 Squier Classic Vibe 70s Jaguar

4/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Poplar

Neck – Maple

Fingerboard – Indian Laurel

Electronics – Dual Fender-designed Alnico single coil pickups

Pros

Retro look and sound in an affordable throwback model

Versatile vintage tone and volume controls

Shorter-scale C-shape neck with comfortable 9.5″ radius

Cons

Squier often mocked as a trash brand — NOT TRUE

Funky Jaguar body shape not choice for all players

Review

If you’re a fan of vintage guitars, you’ll love Squier’s Classic Vibe series.

If you don’t already know, Squier is a branch of Fender that produces guitars that are generally much less expensive than their Fender-branded counterparts. They often use comparable materials, and the difference mostly lies in the electronics and hardware.

Unfortunately, Squier has an unjust stigma attached to them, often viewed as a brand for kids, or just as cheap and low quality. The truth is that they have some really decent guitars under their name, and if you know what you want in an electric, you can probably find a Squier model that you’ll love.

The Squier Classic Vibe 70s Jaguar is a modern take on Fender’s 1970s-era Jaguar models. It is kind of an odd-looking guitar, with an unusual body shape and even more unusual tone controls.

In this guitar, you alter the tone through a series of switches and knobs configured in a way that makes it look a bit like an old sci-fi prop — like a guitar they might play in Star Trek or “Invasion of the Pick Snatchers” type deal.

As far as tone and playability goes, this Jaguar model is great for softer rock, clean genres, and anywhere that you want the snap and shine of single-coil pickups.

It’s not a guitar I’d play a colosseum with, but for smaller shows and definitely for honing my skills at home, I think it’s a super fun, happy sounding electric. We featured another model from the Classic Vibe series that you can read about here.

#3 Fender Player Stratocaster

4.75/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Alder with Flame Maple top

Neck – Maple

Fingerboard – Maple

Electronics – 3x Player series Alnico V single coil pickups

Pros

Lightweight alder body for all-night playing comfort

Quick playing satin finished maple neck

Classic Stratocaster sound

Cons

Stratocaster sound not for every player or every genre

Review

I started playing guitar with aspirations to be one of the greatest metal guitarists around. Because of this, I was at first pretty anti-Fender. They were softy guitars, more for country and pop than the heavy grindcore I was practicing.

However, the older I’ve grown the mellower I’ve become and the more I’ve come to appreciate this brand of electric. Now, I think it would be great to own a Fender, and I can see myself playing one every day for the rest of my life.

You’re probably already at least somewhat familiar with Stratocasters. They’re almost 60 years old, and are such iconic guitars that it’s hard to imagine you’ve never seen or heard of them before.

The Fender Player Strat is the up-to-date version of the guitar that has been famous in rock’n’roll for over half a century.

It has retained all the features that make Stratocasters so popular; the lightweight body, the bright happy tone, the three single-coil pickups, and the comfortable fingerboard great for both high-speed chops and chilled out chord progressions.

Its modernized features include redesigned Alnico V pickups, the ability to control the middle pickup’s tone, and a streamlined manufacturing process that allows it to be sold at a price that won’t make your hair stand on end.

Stratocasters have their pros and cons like any other model, but are functional in a large variety of genres and playing styles, from classic rock and country, to fingerpicked folk, to blues and jazz and much more.

I wouldn’t throw it in Dropped-C tuning and try to play some palm muted breakdowns, but I know what it’s capable of and will play all my favorite soft rock covers to my heart’s content on this beauty.

#2 Ibanez Iron Label S Series SIX6FDFM

5/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Mahogany with Flamed Maple top

Neck – Maple and Bubinga

Fingerboard – Ebony

Electronics – Dual DiMarzio Fusion Edge humbuckers

Pros

Ibanez trademark Nitro Wizard neck for lightning fast playing

Coil tapping feature for single-coil sounds

Ultra-responsive ebony fretboard for powerful chords and precise licks

Cons

None

Review

It was a real close tie for first place between this guitar and the ultimate winner, and truthfully they’re both about equal depending on your needs and desires.

The Ibanez Iron Label from their renowned S series is a guitar specifically made for metal, and is the first guitar on this list really suited for that genre.

First and foremost, like most Ibanez guitars it is designed for super fast speed. If your ambition is to be one of the speediest solo guitarists in the world, this guitar will give you a good boost in that direction.

Wizard necks are the fastest playing in the industry, and the Nitro is the head of the pack in this line. In the Iron Label SIX6FDFM, the neck is topped with a bound ebony fretboard, giving you a responsive playing field that is great for arpeggios, riffs, bends, and tapping style leads. We talked about the JEMJR, another guitar equipped with a wizard neck, in this article.

Its body is primarily mahogany, giving you an overall dark, warm, bass heavy sound, but is capped with flamed maple to bring out the brightness and clarity of each note.

This is all brought to life by super powerful DiMarzio Fusion Edge humbuckers. These double coil pickups are packed with coils and deliver tons of boom in every range. There are no fizzly highs, no weak lows, and the midrange is as pronounced as can be.

If you need to go clean or get a lighter sound, the Iron Label has a coil tapping feature so that you can easily switch to single-coil mode.

As a huge metalhead, this is electric designed for the genre is one of my favorite guitars available today.

#1 Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR

5/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Mahogany with Quilted Maple top

Neck – Mahogany

Fingerboard – Rosewood

Electronics – Neck: EMG 89R  Bridge: EMG 81TW

Pros

Coil tapping mechanism for a huge variety of tones

Floyd Rose tremolo bridge for super high squeals and tremendous dive bombs

Extra deep cutaway for flawless upper fret access

Cons

None

Review

In our #1 spot is the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR, another great metal guitar whose coil tapping feature lets you play in pretty much every genre you desire.

Schecter makes some mean looking guitars, and the C-1 FR is among the meanest. It’s a beaut, looks like the kind of electric the devil would give you in exchange for your soul, and plays like one too.

Looking at it, you could guess that this is a great guitar for playing metal, but you might be surprised at its other capabilities. The coil tapping feature, one of my favorite additions on higher end electrics, allows you to switch from double coil humbuckers to single coil configured pickups with the simple push or pull of a volume knob.

Since both pickups can be tapped individually, you have a plethora of configurations you can choose from. This enables you to play full humbucker for the heaviest music in existence, switch to full single for softer styles such as funk and jazz, or to mix it up for strange fusion tones or your own custom sound.

It’s powered by two beastly EMG humbuckers, commonly considered to be some of the best on the market. They’re built for power and crunch, but deliver clean tones with a clear sonic aesthetic that is without rival.

Top all this off with the Floyd Rose tremolo bridge, which you can find out about more here and lets you warp your riffs in unimaginable ways, and you’ve got one of the best value electric guitars money can buy.

Buyer’s Guide

What Makes the Best Electric Guitar?

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different electric guitars available today.

Some are totally substandard and won’t give you even a day’s worth of playing pleasure.

Some are good enough for practice at home, but I wouldn’t play them in front of any size crowd.

Others are show worthy, but have their limits.

I tried to present to you only guitars that I would play in at least an average sized show.

They’re solidly constructed, with no flaws that can’t be overlooked or otherwise remedied, and some are true powerhouses of electric guitar rockability.

To be considered one of the best, a guitar needs to be not only playable, but super fun to play and have features that reduce fatigue and add comfort to every performance.

Their pickups can not be substandard at all. This is the driving force of an electric guitar, and each one on this list has pickups that will do more than the basic job of transmitting your vibrations. They pick up on each frequency and transfer it with trueness to the amplifier, so you don’t have to worry about overwhelming the mix with wacky tones in any range.

Additionally, I think an electric guitar has to look pretty cool. There were some options I could have told you about, but they just look too weird to make the cut.

So the guitars on the list have the following features:

Their playability is not only functional, but of top-notch quality

Their tone is more than standard; it is outstanding

They’re made to last, so you can rock as hard as you want

They’re versatile, and can perform in a range of genres. No one trick ponies

They not only sound and play good; they look good and will make you look good playing them

You’re getting your money’s worth, and not spending more than you need to sound great

As you can see, there are no Gibsons on this list. Gibsons are great guitars, no doubt, but I think they’re usually overpriced and you will mostly be paying for the name and for the prestige that comes with owning this brand. For the money, there are many options that are much more worth it.

Who Should Buy One of These Guitars?

I strive to be inclusive in my recommendations and avoid reviewing guitars that are totally out of the league for most players.

In the bottom end of this list, numbers 4 and 5, you’ve got guitars that are great for beginners, but can also please a pro.

If you buy one of those guitars as your first instrument, you won’t need to buy another one for years. They’re versatile performers that you can master the craft on, and will take you from learning the basics at home to playing your first shows.

Higher up on the list, we start to get into guitars that I wouldn’t necessarily recommend for first-timers. If you’re just starting out, keep your costs low so if you decide that playing guitar isn’t for you, you haven’t sunk a fortune into equipment you’re not going to use. We’ve reviewed lots of less expensive guitars here.

Starting with the Fender, the guitars become professional grade. They’re capable of playing public, from dive bar open mics to relatively large official venues.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4-7mCCycvw

It’s not until we get to the last two that I would really consider them good enough to play for huge crowds, but this is a matter of opinion. But, if you’re a touring musician who plays for large crowds, you can be sure that #2 and #1 are top-quality axes that are ready to melt your fans’ faces.

Can These Guitars Be Upgraded?

I’m of the belief that most electric guitars can be upgraded, at least to a point.

For the first two guitars in this list, they could definitely benefit from a pickup upgrade. This small change can bring you so much tone you’d be surprised.

This can be done either by a guitar tech or by you if you’re feeling handy and adventurous. The Gretsch and the Squier are both great project guitars if you’re looking to learn the craft of wiring or other basic guitar tech skills.

For the higher end guitars, that not much that you need to change, but there’s always something you can change. I’ve had multiple friends remove their Floyd Rose bridges in exchange for Ibanez locking systems, and you might not be a fan of either DiMarzio or EMG pickups and may want to switch out for your preferred electronic system.

The basic fact is: yes, these guitars can be upgraded depending on how much extra time, money, and effort you’re willing and able to spend.

What Are These Electric Guitars Good For?

A quick rundown of what these guitars are best for:

Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT – blues, jazz, country, soft rock, classic rock, funk, rockabilly

Squier Classic Vibe 70s Mustang – blues, jazz, country, soft rock, punk, funk, classic rock, alt rock, rockabilly, pop, soul

Fender Players Stratocaster – blues, jazz, country, all rock genres, punk, funk, rockabilly, pop, soul

Ibanez Iron Label SIX6FDFM – all rock genres, all metal genres, punk, funk, jazz, fusion

Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR – all rock genres, all metal genres, punk, funk, jazz, fusion

The Final Word

You’ll see that in this review, the lowest priced guitars are just under $500 and the price range extends to right under $1000.

I think this is the perfect price range for finding the best guitars for the money, and if you spend any less or any more, you’re not going to do any better.

This is the sweet spot for electric guitars. They run from beginner level to professional quality, but are all playable outside of your bedroom.

You and you alone know what makes a guitar best for you, so do your research, meditate on your options, and go where the music leads you.

More electric guitar recomendations by Alan:

Under $500

For people with tiny hands (like me)

How to learn electric guitar for beginners

The post Best Electric Guitars for the Money in 2020- List, Reviews & Buyer’s Guide appeared first on Beginnerguitar.

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[vietthaimeco]

Future Cars! 2020 and Beyond

Car buyers—you’re in for a treat. Because no matter your budget for a new car, the future is bright. The wait is almost over for Corvette fans waiting for a mid-engine layout, but with the Shelby GT500 and new M3 on the way, the Chevy will have some serious sports car company.

And maybe you’ve heard, but our automotive future is electrified. From Fiat to Audi, fully electric cars you might actually want to drive will be here soon (if a Model 3 and the other existing options aren’t your style).

So keep reading for more on future cars headed to a dealership near you.

More on future cars:

Future SUVs! 2020 and Beyond

WHAT’S NOW

Chevrolet Corvette

What’s New: The long-awaited mid-engine Corvette is finally here. After years of rumors, spy shots, leaks, and speculation, Chevrolet will finally peel the camo off this July. When it does, we expect to find a dual-overhead-cam V-8 under the rear glass with a pair of turbochargers driving the rear wheels through a manual or dual-clutch automatic transaxle. Multiple power outputs are expected courtesy of various displacements, with both 4.2-liter and 5.5-liter versions to be fitted. An all-new electrical architecture will feature top-of-the-line sensors and computers for performance and handling enhancement, but you’ll no doubt be able to turn them all off, too. Inside, Chevrolet has gone upscale with a classy, driver-focused interior featuring premium materials and a digital instrument cluster. Although base-model Corvettes will start at about $70,000, higher-performance models will quickly shoot up in price to cover both the development cost and the improvements in technology, performance, and comfort. But they should still remain relatively attainable.

What’s Not: Base cars are expected to employ Chevrolet’s tried-and-true 6.2-liter pushrod V-8. Midrange cars might also employ the supercharged pushrod engine. We predict Chevrolet will continue to offer a removable targa roof that will store in the cargo area.

When: July 18, 2019

How Much: $70,000-$140,000 (est)

Porsche Taycan

What’s New: Everything. For some time now, the highly anticipated first all-electric Porsche sedan has been caught testing, piling up about 1.2 million miles in the process. It’s looking less futuristic than its Mission E concept, but we know an 800-volt system sends power to two electric motors generating a combined 440 kW (590 hp), and that power is sent to all four wheels. Said to be quicker than 3.5 seconds to 60 mph and with more than 300 miles range, the Taycan will be available at the end of this year. Buyers will receive three years of free charging at the 484 Electrify America public stations across the country. Using DC fast charging, up 60 miles of range can be had in just four minutes or roughly 250 miles in about 15 minutes. Some reports indicate the automaker wants to introduce higher-performance variants and a Targa. We can’t wait.

What’s Not: Even EV skeptic (and longtime Porsche test driver/brand ambassador) Walter Röhrl was impressed: “It’s crazy. In all my years of rallying, I’ve never experienced such performance. The Taycan goes so well at such speed, really tremendous. If I had to drive it blindfolded, I would still know immediately that I was sitting in a Porsche.”

When: Late 2019

How Much: $85,000 (est)

BMW M3

What’s New: The 2021 M3 will carry the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six engine as the X3M and X4M crossovers, meaning 473 hp and 442 lb-ft of output (or thereabouts, due to slightly different tuning for a sedan and crossover). That should result in 0–60 acceleration around 3.7 seconds. (Note: The current model tops out at 444 hp on the CS version.) A year or so down the line, the M3 Competition will provide in the neighborhood of 500-plus hp. The new G20 platform rides with 1.6 inches more wheelbase and has a wider track, which might prioritize corner-on-rails stability over quick-twitch handling. The M3 should allow for both RWD and AWD applications. (AWD might be defeatable to RWD if desired, as on the M5.) There is rumor of a “Pure” stripped-down base model with a stick shift (yay!) but slightly less power (sigh).

What’s Not: Some switches, controls, and knobs. It’s a new platform with upgraded engines, even a new infotainment interface.

When: Early 2020

How Much: $68,000 (est)

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

What’s New: The Shelby GT500 returns for the first time on the sixth-gen Mustang. Using a new engine and some aero enhancements, Ford promises this Mustang can hit 180 mph and that it won’t overheat at the track. This Shelby ought to be easier to lap, too, as it comes standard with a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic. There are no plans for a manual in 2020.

What’s Not: Although it shares its displacement with the GT350’s flat-plane-crank V-8, the Shelby GT500’s 5.2-liter V-8 is a cross-plane design. Between that and the supercharger, Ford claims power and torque have increased from 526 hp and 429 lb-ft in the GT350 to more than 700 hp and 600 lb-ft in the GT500.

When: Late 2019

How Much: $75,000 (est)

Cadillac CT5

What’s New: The CT5 is a new nameplate for Cadillac. This compact sedan replaces the ATS and CTS and is an evolution of Cadillac’s design language. The standard engine is the new 237-hp, 258-lb-ft 2.0-liter twin-scroll turbocharged I-4 that made its first appearance in the CT6 refresh. A modified 335-hp, 400 lb-ft 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 (smaller turbos) is available and debuts in the CT5. Both are paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. New rear badging will denote a rounded-off torque figure in Newton-meters. Super Cruise will be added in the second model year. A CT5-V is expected in the future.

What’s Not: It rides on GM’s rear-wheel-drive Alpha platform with some enhancements to the carryover front multilink strut and rear five-link suspension. All-wheel drive will be available on all trim levels.

When: Fall 2019

How Much: $48,000

Volkswagen Golf

What’s New: Volkswagen’s popular hatchback enters its eighth generation and will reportedly grow slightly in size with a few design tweaks. The sporty GTI will allegedly feature a mild hybrid powertrain featuring a 48-volt electrical system that will power the turbocharger to improve low-end boost before the exhaust pressure builds. It’s not yet clear whether the standard non-GTI Golf will return to the U.S. market.

What’s Not: The new Golf will still ride on VW’s MQB platform, though rumors suggest it’s been revised to cut weight.

When: Early 2020

How Much: $23,000 (est)

Maserati Alfieri

What’s New: The Alfieri has been designed from the ground up to be Maserati’s new halo car. It’s available as either a coupe or convertible with three levels of electrification. The EV version featuring three-motor, four-wheel drive and a quick-charging 800-volt battery will top the lineup.

What’s Not: Both the hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the Alfieri will use a Ferrari-sourced engine. If that engine is a V-8, it will probably be a version of the 3.8-liter twin-turbo currently found in the Levante GTS.

When: 2020

How Much: $150,000 (est)

Porsche 718 Boxster T/718 Cayman T

What’s New: Following the widely praised “T” prescription that was given to 911 Carrera brethren, the 718 twins will similarly enjoy reduced weight, lowered and further-honed suspension, the Sport Chrono package, and Porsche Torque Vectoring. A six-speed manual is standard; a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic is optional. The 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four 718 T (likely 300 hp, 280 lb-ft) will slot into the lineup between S and GTS versions in terms of price but surely will be the pointiest 718 available.

What’s Not: Engine output for the States has not yet been finalized, but as in the base car, it’s a 2.0-liter turbo for certain. The Cayman T coupe and Boxster T roadster body lines remain the same; only subtle interior and exterior distinctions are visible.

When: 2020

How Much: $70,000 (est)

Subaru Legacy

What’s New: The Legacy moves over to Subaru’s new Global Platform, which the automaker says is safer, handles better , and maximizes interior volume. An optional 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four is now available, and the redesigned interior can be had with a large 11.6-inch touchscreen oriented vertically on the dashboard. The EyeSight package of driver assistance technology is now standard, and other driver assist features are available.

What’s Not: A 2.5-liter flat-four engine still serves as the base powertrain, but has been updated with 90 percent new parts and direct injection for the 2020 Legacy.

When: Fall 2019

How Much: $24,000 (est)

Hyundai Elantra

What’s New: After a refresh for 2019, the compact Elantra is back with more updates for 2020. The Elantra will feature a new CVT. Like its cousin, the 2019 Kia Forte, it’s likely to grow in size compared to its predecessor. Expect gains in fuel economy, with the base 2.0-liter engine hitting 41 mpg on the highway.

What’s Not: Although power figures haven’t been released, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine has been confirmed once again. It’s likely the model will also continue with 1.4- and 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines.

When: Late 2019

How Much: $18,500 (est)

WHAT’S NEXT

Aston Martin Vanquish

What’s New: It’s Aston’s take on a Ferrari mid-engine supercar, specifically at the new F8 Tributo revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March. If it looks anything like the concept and revives the Vanquish name, we’ll be extremely happy. The Vanquish could pack the new V-6 hybrid turbo behind the seats, possibly making north of 700 hp to compete directly with the Tributo. We’ve heard the new model is being developed with the help of Red Bull Racing engineers, so expect the car to have a lot of F1 bits and pieces.

What’s Not: Its name. The name Vanquish has come and gone a couple of times—it was first used from 2001 to 2007 and then again from 2012 to 2018. Aston built a few special editions, but this new supercar will be completely different from anything we’ve seen with the Vanquish badge.

When: 2020

How Much: $350,000 (est)

Alfa Romeo GTV

What’s New: As Alfa’s practical coupe, the GTV will have four seats and a trunk, but that’s where the practicality ends. The front-engine, rear-drive 2+2 is expected to be offered only with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive will be optional. The high-performance Quadrifoglio model will add an electric motor between the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 and the transmission to boost output to more than 600 hp.

What’s Not: At its core, the GTV is a Giulia coupe. Expect the same turbocharged four-cylinder base engine.

When: 2021

How Much: $45,000 (est)

Audi E-Tron GT

What’s New: Audi’s sexy E-Tron GT sedan will follow the more practical E-Tron SUV to market just a year later but with substantial differences. Electric motors front and rear combine for 590 hp, fed by a 95-kW-hr battery pack with an 800-volt charging system capable of nearly filling the battery in 20 minutes. Range is expected to be similar to the E-Tron SUV’s 204 EPA-estimated miles—but less if you test the estimated 0–60 time of under 3.5 seconds or explore the 149-mph top speed.

What’s Not: Squint a bit, and you can tell it’s a nicely rebodied Porsche Taycan.

When: 2020

How Much: $75,000 (est)

Fiat Centoventi

What’s New: The entire fully modular cheap-EV concept. An underfloor battery rack can carry up to four individual 60-mile battery packs, which can be rented when needed. A fifth optional pack slides out from under the driver’s seat for convenient indoor charging. Body panels are molded in a single color with wraps providing other colors. Further personalization is provided by five choices each of roof styles and colors, bumpers, and wheels.

What’s Not: Fiat’s lifelong mission to bring mobility to the masses, which here drives further innovations like 3-D-printable accessories that mount to a mesh grid of holes in the dash.

When: 2022

How Much: $25,000 (est)

Acura RLX

What’s New: Is bolder better? Acura has tried to answer that question over the years, with mixed results. Love it or hate it, the new RDX benefits from engaging styling borrowed from the Precision concept—and that bold crossover is setting sales records for the brand. That momentum could continue with the RLX’s replacement, a car that may adopt the Precision’s fastback shape (hello, Audi A7). With very little brand equity in the RL or RLX name, the time could be right for a (slightly) bolder flagship four-door from Acura.

What’s Not: Future Acura cabins will be influenced by the Precision Interior concept, like the RDX with its optimally placed infotainment screen and controversial touchpad controller.

When: 2021

How Much: $57,000 (est)

Karma Pininfarina GT Concept

What’s New: The Pininfarina-designed Karma concept car made its debut at the 2019 Shanghai auto show and previews the California-based automaker’s upcoming lineup. Its design language will be a departure from the Revero, but most of the fundamental engineering is unchanged. If public response goes well, the Pininfarina GT could go from one-off concept to production model.

What’s Not: Karma recently announced a partnership with BMW and will license the German automaker’s turbocharged three-cylinder engine for use as a generator in plug-in hybrid vehicles, including the next-generation Revero.

When: 2020

How Much: $100,000 (est)

The post Future Cars! 2020 and Beyond appeared first on Motortrend.

source https://www.motortrend.com/news/future-cars-2020-and-beyond-corvette-legacy-golf-more/

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Nikon's Z7 and Z6 mirrorless cameras are a refined pleasure

New Post has been published on http://www.dailygadgets.net/nikons-z7-and-z6-mirrorless-cameras-are-a-refined-pleasure/

Nikon's Z7 and Z6 mirrorless cameras are a refined pleasure

Nikon’s mirrorless cameras take some great photos.

Lori Grunin/DailyGadgets

Nikon may be very late to market with its pro and prosumer mirrorless cameras, but as far as I can tell from a few hours of shooting with the high-end Z7, Nikon’s hits very close to the bullseye on the first try. The Z7 is basically a mirrorless adaptation of the excellent but burdensome Nikon D850, while the Z6 is an up-to-date prosumer full frame (the D610 and D750 are a bit old at this point).

However, despite the company’s claim of “mirrorless reinvented,” it’s a pretty conventional example of the category; Nikon should have gone with “mirrorless refined.” Because the refinements, from the pitch-perfect shutter to the we’ll-make-it-as-big-as-we-want grip, are what make it a pleasure to use.

Nikon’s strategy follows Sony’s to a certain extent: two models, one expensive high-end, one more prosumer midrange. They have identical bodies differentiated predominantly by the sensor. The Z7 and Z6 differ in important ways: the Z7 has a 45.7-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, no blurring optical low-pass filter and slightly better tonal capture in bright light.

Meanwhile the Z6 uses a 24.5 megapixel BSI CMOS with an OLPF and has slightly better tonality in dim light. The resolution difference also means the Z7 has slower continuous-shooting performance — it’s processing a lot more data. They also have different autofocus-area density, probably because there are more on-chip phase detection sensors in a chip with more pixels.

While the Z7 is the more interesting, the Z6 will probably be more popular — the price is much more approachable if you don’t need the high resolution, and most people probably don’t. But the Z7’s 45-plus-megapixels come in really handy if you even only occasionally need to crop deep into a photo, want your photos to look terrific in the evolving 4K and 8K world, retouch down to the pixel for isolating hair or other fine details or work with high-end print publications.

In addition to the cameras, Nikon launched the first three lenses for the Z mount in conjunction with a new “S” designation for its premium lens models. They’re optimized for the new system: a 35mm f1.8 S, 50mm f1.8 S and a 24-70mm f4 S.

Now Playing: Watch this: Nikon’s Z7 mirrorless makes a great first impression

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How much?

The Nikon Z7 will ship by the end of September in the US, with the body selling for $3,400 or $4,000 with the 24-70mm f4 lens. The Z6 won’t be ready until late November, its body selling for $2,000 and $2,600 for a kit with the same lens. 

In the UK, the nominal prices are the same for the Z7 — £3,400 for the body and £4,000 for the same kit — which makes it more expensive there relative to the US. The Z6 costs £2,100 and £2,700, respectively, even more expensive relative to the US pricing. Australians don’t have any official prices yet; the Z7 price converts to AU$4,760 and AU$5,450 for the body and kit, respectively, and AU$2,720 and AU$3,500 for the Z6 body and kit.

The 35mm ($850) and 24-70mm ($1,000) lenses, plus the $250 Mount Adapter FTZ will be available at the same time as the Z7, while the $600 50mm will follow by the end of October. If you buy the FTZ with one of the bodies before the end of the year, Nikon will shave $100 off the price.

The UK price for the 24-70mm f4 S is also £1,000, but Nikon hasn’t revealed the prices for the other two lenses; given the pattern, they’ll probably run £850 for the 35mm and £600 for the 50mm. The Australian conversions are about AU$1,160, AU$1,360 and AU$820.

While the Z6’s price is roughly competitive with the Sony A7 III, the Z7 costs more than the A7R III, but with modern niceties like a USB-C connection for faster transfers and charging, as well as 5GHz Wi-Fi for faster, more stable wireless transfers. It also supports the faster-than-SD XQD cards — ironic, since XQD is a Sony standard; adding CF Express is just a matter of a forthcoming firmware update (the card slots for the two are the same).

What about the image quality?

I can only base my judgement about photo quality on JPEGs straight from a preproduction version of the camera; the firmware was extremely early and the raw files completely inaccessible. That means we really have no conclusive information about its latitude for highlight and shadow recovery, color accuracy or tonal range; we also don’t know if there’s any in-camera correction adjusting for possible issues with the new lenses. But you can safely assume that anything good will still be good, or possibly better, when the camera finally ships. (With the samples, remember that browser rendering and scaling doesn’t faithfully reproduce the original.)

 The color, highlight and shadow detail preservation is terrific. (1,920×1,080 crop from an ISO 12800 image taken using the 24-70mm f4 S lens.)

Lori Grunin/DailyGadgets

Bearing those caveats in mind, I was very impressed with the photos. Unsurprising, since you should expect the same as the D850, one of the best full-frame sensors today. High resolution allows high ISO-sensitivity photos to preserve sharpness better than they might otherwise as noise increases. But you can’t throw pixels at tonal range: the real test of high ISO quality is how well renders colors and highlight and shadow detail. The Z7 excels.

At ISO 25600, there was some noise in the sky but it preserved the subtle dusk colors. (1,920×1,080 crop from an ISO 12800 image taken using the 24-70mm f4 S lens.)

Lori Grunin/DailyGadgets

Sharp! ISO 1000 shots are as sharp as ISO 200. (1,920 x 1,080 crop from an ISO 500 portrait-orientation image taken using the 105mm f1.4 lens at f2.)

Lori Grunin/DailyGadgets

Performance? Good question

Autofocus is accurate and while continuous AF can get distracted, overall there are more hits than misses, at least for the not-terribly-fast action we got to shoot. 

The Z7 focuses quickly and accurately, even wide open on small targets. (Cropped to 1,920×1,080, 35mm f1.8 S lens at f1.8, 1/640 sec, ISO 400)

Lori Grunin/DailyGadgets

My one performance wish: a bigger buffer. The continuous shooting isn’t ready for NASCAR, but its 8 to 9fps is quite respectable and sufficient for midspeed action. However, the buffer only handles about 23 to 25 shots, and if you want to shoot raw+JPEG continuously (don’t judge me), you’re out of luck. In contrast, the Sony A7R III delivers three times the shots at a faster 10fps.

The new sensor-shift image stabilization seemed inconsistent; I got some perfect shots at 1/10 second, but ones with shake at 1/80 sec. The slow motion video showed some moire as well, which didn’t appear in the regular 4K video — that looks great, by the way. The metering seemed unpredictable, some times working as expected and other times underexposing. There was a lot of white in the scenes we were shooting, though, and it could easily have just missed the correct area to base the exposure on. But those problems may be limited to the preproduction models.

The metering-sensitivity specs in bright light look a bit low, maxing out at 17EV, and autofocus sensitivity only goes up to 19EV. Almost every modern camera can go up to 20EV. Bright sunlight is about 15 EV so it’s probably an edge case, but for shooting water or winter sports it might become an issue. And along those lines, the flash sync speed is only 1/200 sec, which makes using flash to stop action suboptimal, though it does support Nikon’s Auto FP sync which can compensate.  

Low-light, low-contrast autofocus wasn’t great, but the Z7 has a specific mode for focusing under those conditions which I didn’t get to try. 

Battery life suffers for backward compatibility

Nikon seems to have made a strong effort to make sure the Z system hits the ground running. It supports most of the existing accessories, and uses the same format batteries (just a generational update) as the D850 and D7500 — and that’s a potential problem. 

Mirrorless cameras would suck all the energy from the universe if they could. Nikon hasn’t revealed the capacity of the EN-EL15b, but the 1,900MAh EN-EL15a battery that’s in the D850 is rated for 1,840 shots; the Z7’s is rated for a miserably insufficient 330 shots or 85 minutes of video. 

Sony took a lot of heat for the horrible battery life in the early A7 models, and the company hasn’t yet completely overcome that perception; its most recent 2,280mAh battery is rated for 710 shots via the viewfinder, still not up to pro DSLR levels. You can use the older EL15 series batteries in the Z7, but they don’t even last as long as the newer one.

Actual battery life usually exceeds the rated life, and in the couple of hours in which I took about 700 shots it didn’t die on me, which improves on my early Sony experiences. But it remains that the D850 will last approximately three times the Z7. That’s really why Nikon has a two-battery pack (MB-N10) in development, but there’s no ETA attached to its release. The company says it will increase shots or movie recording time by 1.8x, but normally the rated increase is one-for-one; add another battery, get twice the life. Two batteries should deliver more.

Nikon should have developed new high-capacity batteries for the Z line. Battery life can be a deal killer for high-volume photographers and videographers. At the announcement, Nikon trotted out some of its Ambassadors who mentioned in passing that the battery life was OK but didn’t really give any details.

Many lenses

The FTZ Mount Adapter allows almost all of the F-mount lenses to work on the Zs without compromise, and is able to take advantage of the sensor-shift image stabilization and autofocus (if the lens supports it). 

F-mount support is important because Nikon’s late to the game and doesn’t have the luxury to roll out new lenses slowly. And while the new Nikkor Z lenses are quite good, most of the best Nikon glass as well as ultra wide-angle, telephoto and supertelephoto lenses will only be available in F mount for the near future. Nikon has an aggressive roadmap for lens releases, but the two essential staples for pros, a 24-70mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8, aren’t coming out until next year.

Nikon

The new, wide lens mount (one of the biggest in this class at 55mm), allows for superfast (wide aperture) lenses, one of the latest want-to-haves among a large niche of photographers. Nikon has a 58mm f0.95 in the works, along with a new coating to improve image quality.  

The Z-mount lenses look and feel a lot simpler and more streamlined than the traditional Nikkor designs, but the primes seem a little big thanks to the mount. Unlike the F-mount models, these are designed to be quiet and smooth with video in mind, sporting electromagnetic diaphrams (for fast, silent exposure adjustment). They have the control ring popular on advanced compacts that can be used for manual focus or programmed for another function.

As promised, the new lenses are sharp, and the 24-70mm f4 has a retractable design that just works: You don’t need to press buttons, just rotate. I like the way the body uses the AF-area box to indicate lock when you’re manually focusing — it has peaking, too, which can be obtrusive — but I found the focus ring just a hair too loose on 35mm lens, so the indicator kept twitching in and out of focus.      

The Z7 plus the Mount Adapter works very well; even large lenses feel and operate naturally on the body.

Lori Grunin/DailyGadgets

The body’s designed to support the large DSLR lenses, with a huge grip for balanced handling. I shot with the 85mm f1.4, 105mm f1.4, 250-560mm f5.6 and 300mm f4 and all felt “native,” with no focus lag or miscues. That’s great if you’ve already sunk a lot of money into Nikon lenses, but using humongous DSLR lenses defeats the purpose of using a smaller body (though it still saves you about three quarters of a pound). The same goes for accessories like flashes; the Z7 body is dwarfed by a even a midrange flash like the SB-5000.

The feels

The Z7 is comfortable to grip, the EVF is big, bright and well-designed, and the shutter mechanism is just right — not too mushy, not too stiff and not too thunky.   

The body design is pretty typical of the category. It does hit a lot of the the important checkboxes, such as size; it’s smaller and lighter than a comparable DSLR (don’t assume all mirrorless models are), roughly the size of the latest Sony A7 bodies. On first glance, I was hoping for more manual controls on top instead of the status LCD. With an EVF and a back LCD which both can convey the same information, top status displays frequently feel superfluous. 

In fact, it doesn’t have enough direct-access controls at all. There are two programmable function buttons between the lens and the grip, a location I always find awkward. Almost everything else requires hitting a button that brings up the electronic interface to navigate: metering, focus parameters, drive modes and so on. There’s no separate exposure lock button. It just feels less streamlined than the prosumer D7500 with respect to controls. 

It has the same dust-and-weather resistant build quality as the D850, as well as the sturdy magnesium alloy construction. The viewfinder has a fluorine coating to help repel the various detritus that piles up against it. Unfortunately, it only has a single card slot. Meh.

As for video, the epiphanic joy the Nikon folks expressed when they realized how much better the mirrorless experience is for shooting video than a DSLR says it all. It’s sad that they’ve been missing out all these years. The Zs have all the essential video-shooting capabilities, such as 4K UHD/30p and 1080/120p for slow motion (on the Z7 in DX mode it uses a full-pixel readout), N-Log 10-bit HDMI out to a recorder simultaneously with 8-bit internal. There’s an N-Log display profile for on-camera playback, a headphone jack for monitoring audio output, time code support and manual focus peaking. It can also do 8K time-lapse movies.

And yet…

Despite all the nitpicks, I really, really like the Z7. It has some drawbacks, but fewer little irritations than the A7 models. It starts up fast and isn’t constrained by Sony’s annoying AVC-based file structure. The Nikon’s shutter feels much more fluid and responsive than Sony’s, and when you come down to it, most of your photography time is spent pressing the shutter. While it lacks many direct-access controls, some of Sony’s are awkwardly placed. In general, it just gets out of the way more than most of the cameras I’ve used, in part because it doesn’t incorrectly conflate an unobtrusive camera with a minimalist one. Plus, Nikon and Sony are more or less equal with respect to photo quality in this class.

The wildcard? Canon, which is supposedly announcing a mirrorless full-frame next month and is very good at camera-body design. But as the unfashionable latecomer, it’s facing even stiffer competition than it was a month ago. 

Comparative specifications

Nikon D850 Nikon Z7 Nikon Z6 Sony A7 III Sony A7R III Sensor effective resolution 45.7MP CMOS 14-bit 45.7MP BSI CMOS 14-bit 24.5MP BSI CMOS 14-bit 24.2MP Exmor RS CMOS 14-bit 42.4MP Exmor R CMOS 14-bit Sensor size 35.9×23.9mm 35.9×23.9mm 35.9×23.9mm 35.8×23.8mm 35.8×23.9mm OLPF No No Yes Yes No Sensitivity range ISO 32 (exp)/64 – ISO 25600/ 51200 (exp) ISO 32 (exp)/64 – ISO 25600/ 102400(exp) ISO 50 (exp)/ISO 100 – ISO 25600/ 204800 (exp) ISO 50 (exp)/ ISO 100 – ISO 25600/ ISO 204800 (exp) ISO 50 (exp)/ISO 100 – ISO 30000/102400 (exp) Continuous shooting 7fps 51 raw (9fps with battery grip) 9fps (8fps raw) 23 shots (12-bit) raw/25 JPEG 12fps (9fps raw)  10fps 177 JPEG 10fps 76 raw/76 JPEG Viewfinder (mag/ effective mag) Optical 100% coverage 0.75x/0.75x Electronic 100% coverage 3.7 million dots 0.5 in/1.3cm 0.8x/0.8x Electronic 100% coverage 3.7 million dots 0.5 in/1.3cm 0.8x/0.8x OLED EVF 0.5-inch 2.4 million dots 100% coverage 0.71x OLED EVF 0.5 in/1.3cm 3.7 million dots 100% coverage 0.78x Hot Shoe Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Autofocus 153-point 99 cross-type (15 cross-type to f8) Multi-CAM 20K Hybrid AF System 493 phase-detection, contrast n/a Hybrid AF System 273 phase-detection, contrast n/a 693-poing phase-detection AF; 25-area contrast AF 399-point phase-detection AF, 425-area contrast AF AF sensitivity (at center point) -4 – 20 EV -1 – 19 EV (-4 EV with low-light AF) -2 – 19 EV (-4 EV with low-light AF) -3 – 20 EV -3 – 20 EV Shutter speed 1/8000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/250 sec x-sync 1/8000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/200 sec x-sync; auto FP sync 1/8000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/200 sec x-sync; auto FP sync 1/8,000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/250 sec x-sync 1/8,000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/250 sec x-sync Metering 180,000-pixel RGB sensor 3D Color Matrix Metering III n/a n/a 1,200 zones 1,200 zones Metering sensitivity -3 – 20 EV -3 to 17 EV -4 to 17 EV n/a -3 – 20 EV Best video H.264 QuickTime MOV 4K UHD/30p, 25p, 24p H.264 Quicktime MOV 4K UHD/30p, 25p, 24p; 1080/120p H.264 Quicktime MOV 4K UHD/30p, 25p, 24p; 1080/120p XAVC S 4K 2160/30p, 25p, 24p @ 100Mbps; 1080/120p @ 100Mbps XAVC S 4K 2160/30p, 25p, 24p @ 100Mbps; 1080/120p @ 100Mbps Audio stereo; mic input; headphone jack stereo; mic input stereo; mic input Stereo; mic input; headphone jack Stereo; mic input; headphone jack Manual aperture and shutter in video Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Maximum best-quality recording time 29:59 min 29:59 min 29:59 min 29:59 min 29:59 min Clean HDMI out Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes IS Optical Optical, Sensor shift 5-axis Optical, Sensor shift 5-axis Sensor shift 5-axis Sensor shift 5-axis LCD 3.2 in/8cm Tilting touchscreen 2.4 million dots 3.2 in/8cm Tilting touchscreen 2.1 million dots 3.2 in/8cm Tilting touchscreen 2.1 million dots 3 in/7.5cm Tilting 921,600 dots plus extra set of white dots 3 in/7.5cm Tilting touchscreen 1.4 million dots Memory slots 1 x SD, 1 x XQD 1 x XQD 1 x XQD 1 x SDXC 2 x SDXC (1 x UHS-II) Wireless connection Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Wi-Fi (802.11ac), Bluetooth Wi-Fi (802.11ac), Bluetooth Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth Flash No No No No No Wireless flash Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Battery life (CIPA rating) 1,840 shots (1,900 mAh) 330 shots (1,900mAh) 310 shots (1,900mAh) 710 shots (LCD), 610 shots (VF) (2,280 mAh) 530 shots (VF); 650 shots (LCD) (2,280 mAh) Size (WHD) 5.8×4.9×3.1 in 146x124x78.5mm 5.3×4×2.7 in 134×101×68mm 5.3×4×2.7 in 134×101×68mm 5×3.9×3 in 127x96x74mm 5×3.8×2.5 in 127x96x63mm Body operating weight 32.3 oz (est.) 915 g (est.) 23.9 oz (est.) 675 g (est.) 23.9 oz (est.) 675 g (est.) 23 oz (est.) 650 g (est.) 22.3 oz (est.) 657 g (est.) Mfr. price (body only) $3,300 $3,400, £3,400 $2,000, £2,100 $2,000 £2,000 AU$3,100 $3,000 £3,100 AU$4,400 Primary kit n/a $4,000, £4,000 (with Z 24-70 f4 S lens) $2,600, £2,700 (with Z 24-70 f4 S lens) $2,200 £2,200 (with 28-70mm lens) n/a Release date September 2017 September 2018 September 2018 April 2018 November 2017

[sennheiserhd598csreview]

Sennheiser HD 598cs review

With over 70 years in the sound sector, Sennheiser has styled yet another fabulous product: the Sennheiser HD 598 CS. Don’t just let the plastic construction fool you, these types of cans continue to manage to feel premium. Lush padding and even weight distribution through the expandable headband makes these extraordinarily pleasant. If you appreciate getting a feeling of spatial understanding in tracks, then the Sennheiser HD 598 CS could be the last set of closed-back cans you’ll ever need to buy. Who are the Sennheiser HD 598 CS for? Music addicts who desire incredibly convenient headphones that offer a somewhat flat frequency response without spending too much. Listeners with a decent budget. Even so, for under $150, consumers are afforded an immersive audio that’s unparalleled by various closed-back hi-fi headphones. Sennheiser HD 598 CS review: The headphones leaning against a cappuccino on a light-colored wood table. Sennheiser’s circumaural HD 598 CS easily isolate the listener from ambient noise. Side note: Anyone who would wear glasses will really enjoy the comfort that the ear pads provide. The cushioning appropriately offers way to spectacles arms without composing on sound isolation. What’s Inside Inside are 2 cable options: a 3-meter cable with a 6.5mm jack and a 1.2-meter cable with a one-button mic/remote and 3.5mm jack. Sennheiser also offers listeners with a two-year limited warrantee on the off-chance that cables fray or a driver fails. Build & Design The German-based organization opted for lightweight plastic as opposed to weightier superior components for the headphones—something those about to begin with a multi-hour listening period are going to enjoy. Granted the ear cup size, folding hinges or the capability to rotate the ear cups to be entirely flat could have been an excellent add-on, but at least the Sennheiser HD 598 CS fit for noggins of all sizes and shapes. The headband expands ~2 inches width and each ear cup rotates vertically at the yoke. What’s more, the spacious over-ear design permits a lot of move about room. Sennheiser HD 598 CS review: A close-up of the inside of the headband on a coffee cup saucer. Although the headband expands a good 2 inches width, it lacks the capability to fold over for storage or travelling. Additionally, the deep-black leatherette ear pads gain a suede texture which matches the ear cup exterior and exudes class. This looks great but conveniently accumulates difficult-to-remove dust. However, the man-made material should please people that have an aversion to animal-derived products. On the headband, the leatherette padding more close up resembles the real deal as well as remains equally as relaxed as the ear pads. Although the padding makes these convenient for long listening sessions, when the HD 598 CS have been worn out for three or four hours time, the crown of the head is the first evident pressure point. Gradual discomfort accumulation is nearly imperceptible… until it’s alarmingly totally obvious. Now, the pressure won’t induce a migraine or even an longer headache; nonetheless, it’s still irritating. If possible, listeners needs to remove the headphones every three hours, tops, to avoid this. Sennheiser HD 598 CS review: A close-up of the in-line mic with a blurred out and about cappuccino in the background. The in-line microphone of the Sennheiser Hi-def 598 CS is located on the back of the multi-function module on the 1.2-meter cable. Moving because of the cable, one end discontinues at 3.5mm—what most consumers are recognizable with—but the other ends in a 2.5mm salvador. This side is outfitted with an L-shaped divot, which acts simply because a locking mechanism, to prevent stunning ejections. Both cables feature this components. Sound isolation Combining a closed-back model with sound-dampening ear pads is a powerful way to passively isolate the listener from normal noise without the fuss and battery drainage that plagues active noise-cancelling headphones. Efficiency of the Sennheiser HD 598 CS is impressive. Although, there’s often room for improvement. For case in point, filtering out the rustle of anxious undergrads shuffling newspapers in the library commons is an easy activity for the headphones; noisy coffee shops, however, are an entirely totally different beast. Sennheiser HD 698 CS review: a close up of the left ear cup of the headsets. The 2.5mm headphone jack on the Sennheiser High definition 598 CS headphones features an fragile locking mechanism to keep the cable it is in place. The headphones still outperform something like the JBL E55BT, but even a normal conversation that’s 5ft away manages to permeate the HD 598 CS sound barrier with ease. Coffee shop vagabonds will likely benefit more from a pair of in-ears with Comply memory foam ear tips. In all fairness, the HD 598 CS still hold up exceptionally well, but there are better options if isolation is a top priority. Sennheiser’s E.A.R. technology: What is it? Listeners of the Sennheiser HD 598 CS—and all Sennheiser HD 500 series cans—benefit from the company’s Ergonomic Acoustic Refinement (E.A.R.). Aside from being on par with Dad-joke puns, E.A.R. means that each transducer is positioned to channel audio directly into the ear canal. This arrangement allows for a greater soundstage—or perceived sense of spatial awareness. While it’s a branded feature, angled drivers are more common on higher-end headphones than you might think. Connectivity A close up of the Sennheiser HD 598 CS 2.5mm end of the cable on a cappuccino cup. Sennheiser HD 598 CS review: The locking mechanism helps prevent inadvertent ejections. The Sennheiser HD 598 CS are wired-only, so there’s no Bluetooth codec compatibility to worry about. Both cables are straight-jacks with ample stress relief. Plus, with a low impedance of 23Ω (TKTK): listeners can forgo purchasing an amp, making the HD 598 CS evermore portable—despite their lack of folding ability. Sound Quality Overall, the sound of the Sennheiser HD 598 CS tends to highlight the mids, as there’s a bit of a bass rolloff. Vocals receive the most emphasis, in terms of volume, but they also tend to mask other elements of a song. At first listen, the boosted mids help highlight fun parts of your music, but analytical listeners might be dissatisfied. For most listeners, the highs and neutral bass reproduction compensate for the midrange frequencies. Soundstage Sennheiser HD 598 CS review: The headphones in hand with the ear cups showing. Background: coffee shop with wood furnishing. Sennheiser’s E.A.R. designed transducers angle the audio directly into listeners’ ears, creating a greater sense of spatial awareness. First and foremost, the E.A.R. design of the Sennheiser HD 598 CS provides a notably good soundstage for closed-back headphones. The Beyerdynamic Custom Game reproduction of Roma Fade by Andrew Bird can’t hold a candle to what the HD 598 CS offers. Sennheiser's E.A.R. technology drives audio directly into the ear canal, promoting a greater sense of spatial awareness for the listener. The latter brings the violin to life, illustrating depth by creating a distinct separation between the dominant violin and subordinate xylophone. Bird’s vocals sit appropriately between the looped violin and high-pitched whistles. Mids During the verses of I Would Die For You by Miley Cyrus, vocals are relayed clearly; however, the exaggerated lower midrange frequencies mask Cyrus’ vocals in the chorus. This is even more apparent during the primary guitar switches from F to G and then to A-minor. The lower frequency strums make it difficult to perceive the picked notes on the secondary guitar. Though some may view this as a bad thing, the overall emphasis is still clearly reproduced relative to something like the workout-oriented Plantronics BackBeat 500 FIT. Highs and lows BomBom, heard on Macklemore’s sophomore album, is an instrumental-only ballad—save for the twice repeated lyrics, “Uh uh”—that uses a combination of bass, piano, drums, and brass instruments to create an audio triptych. Sennheiser HD 598 CS review: Close up of the headphones and the multi-function button. The multi-function button on the Sennheiser HD 598 CS is useful and allows listeners to easily access their respective virtual assistants. Tambourines enter at 1:47 and are shaken, not hit, to extract a pure treble sound sans percussive attack. While the tambourines shake, a basic four-beat drum pattern kicks in. The two ends of the frequency spectrum complement each other well, due to the Sennheiser HD 598 CS sound engineering. Barely overemphasized, the treble is easily heard without degrading the bass which may sound under emphasized to the consumer ear but is actually an appropriately neutral response. Conclusion If emphasized vocals and treble combined with neutral bass reproduction appeals to you, then the Sennheiser HD 598 CS are a great buy. The soundstage is phenomenal given the closed-back design and sub-$150 price, making each song an open field for auditory exploration. Sennheiser HD 598 CS review: A cappuccino in the bottom-left corner of the image, the trackpad portion of a Microsoft Surface Book in the top-left corner, and the headphones taking up the right section of the image. Though the suede-like material looks and feels great, it takes patience and a good lint roller to remove all the dust it attracts. Though the mids could benefit from added clarity within the midrange spectrum, the sound signature is still pleasing without being completely neutral and analytical. The Sennheiser HD 598 CS serve as a great pair of headphones for listeners who appreciate a more neutral sound compared to bass-heavy alternatives.

[eddiejpoplar]

First Drive: 2019 Subaru Ascent

MCMINNVILLE, Oregon — Much to Subaru’s regret, mid-size three-row family sport/utilities all look pretty much the same. Subaru, the automaker that has successfully grown its business as a quirky brand full of SUVs for people who don’t like SUVs, tried unsuccessfully to buck convention with its 2005-14 Tribeca. Subaru needs a seven- to eight-passenger model for its very enthusiastic fans, so what is it supposed to do?

The idea of a stretched, three-row Subaru Outback Grande did come up, planning manager Peter Tenn admitted to me at the Ascent’s first-drive program. The automaker nearly lost its way with a Toyota Highlander-based Tribeca replacement it began planning after Japan’s number-one automaker bought a minority stake in Subaru. While Toyota got a boxer engine-powered sports car shared with the BRZ under that deal, Subaru wisely stepped away from a program that would have netted the marque an SUV with an inline four and maybe a V-6. The 2019 Subaru Ascent’s new, 2.4-liter turbo H-4 sits low in the engine bay, and lends this conservative looking family hauler the distinction of being among the best vehicles over 70 inches tall (71.6 inches, with its standard roof rack) in terms of ride and handling.

Based on the new Subaru Global Platform, the Ascent is the third model on this architecture after the Impreza and Crosstrek. The next Forester becomes the fourth such model later this year. Even with a widened and lengthened version of SGP, the Ascent design has not been “protected” to accommodate an H-6 engine—just the H-4, in this case a 2.4-liter turbo one rated at 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet, and of course hooked up to a Lineartronic CVT with Hill Descent Control and selectable eight-speed manual shift mode (with paddle shifters) feeding the standard Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive.

That means that when the next-generation Subaru Legacy and Outback premier in time for the 2020 model year, they will almost certainly be four-cylinder only. The marque will also introduce a plug-in hybrid later this year. It’s expected to be a Crosstrek, AWD of course, based on the Prius Prime technology from partner/16.4-percent shareholder Toyota, which should turn out to be a much better deal for Subaru than the rejected plan to base the Ascent on the Highlander.

The 2019 Subaru Ascent feels nicely planted, handling the curvy roads near Coastal Oregon, some 50 miles south of Portland—where Outbacks are as common as Ford F-150s elsewhere in the country—without giving up comfort over uneven road surfaces. The chassis is fairly firm over bumps, like any 4,500-pound SUV with 18- or 20-inch wheels, but overall, the ride-handling balance compares closest to the smaller Mazda CX-5, and that’s a big compliment.

Its steering precision and feel is exceptional. Subaru concentrated on steering that doesn’t require the sort of minute corrections that can fatigue the driver, Tenn says, and the engineers succeeded. Tall SUVs typically are better with steering that’s not so quick it becomes twitchy at higher speeds, and that usually results in the need for minor steering corrections through long, sweeping turns. The Ascent’s combo of a relatively low center of gravity, and the well-tuned steering makes that unnecessary.

There’s also a distinct lack of head toss over bumps and pavement dips, which can help reduce fatigue among the kids and dogs on those long family vacations.

The new 2.4-liter turbo is all the engine the big SUV needs, with aggressive throttle tip-in and a wide torque band that nicely covers the midrange. There is no turbo lag in a straight line, though there’s some minor stumble coming out of tight corners. Try the CVT’s paddle shifters, which I did only after my drive partner prompted me, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by crisp, torque converter-like upshifts and downshifts, though the CVT upshifts itself as you approach redline.

Its tow capacity of 5,000 pounds, most-ever for a Subaru, was demonstrated with a sleek Airstream trailer hooked up, on a piece of parking lot at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, home of Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose. The Ascent’s tow control made pulling the Airstream smooth and easy, at least in this limited space. Subaru says it recorded a 14.7-second 0-60 mph time with the Ascent pulling a 5,000-pound test sled.

Like most Subarus, the Ascent is designed to attract the REI crowd, which means, potentially, a bit of light off-roading. The Subaru Ascent is no Jeep, though, at least not in its all-season tires. The standard X-Mode variable transfer clutch lock control changes the AWD mapping and throttle control, and kicks in the Hill Descent Control, but the tires required me to use some momentum to traverse some Pacific coast sand to the lunch spot. Symmetric AWD and the HDC will get you up and down a steep gravel quarry, but not without some slippage with these tires.

Speaking of which, the tire/wheel size make a difference on the EPA test cycle. This is unusual, because most car and SUV models (though not trucks, with their multiple variations) are usually counted as in one test-weight category. But the Subaru Ascent base and Premium trim models, with 18-inch wheels, are rated 21/27-mpg city/highway, with 23 combined, while the Limited and Touring models, with 20-inch wheels, are rated 20/26-mpg city/highway and 22 combined. With its 19.3-gallon tank, the Ascent boasts a 500-plus mile range.

All trim models, from the $32,970 base model on-up comes with Subaru’s EyeSight automated driver assist technology, including pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure and sway warning with lane keep assist, pre-collision throttle management and the new EyeSight Assist Monitor, which flashes alerts on the windshield via head-up display.

Base, Premium, and Limited Ascents come with a second-row bench seat for eight-passenger seating, while the Ascent Touring comes standard with comfy captains chairs in the second row—and every factory option plus exclusive Java brown leather interior trim standard—for $45,670 all-in. You can order the captains chairs for the second row of the Ascent Limited and Premium, and these chairs come with a nice little feature: grab handles for the third row passengers on the outer tops of the seats, inspired by the grab handles on Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train.

The interiors are rather warm and inviting, premium enough for a commodity brand. Imitation wood accents, when used, looks fairly convincing, and the Ascent Premium has heated cloth seats and imitation carbon-fiber interior accents, the latter in an odd (quirky?) cream color. The third row is advertised as a full third row seat, with 60/40 split and three cupholders on each side so the kids or dogs can stow their toys, as well as drinks and mobile phones. Comfort for adults back there depends on how far forward the second row seats are slid, which of course can affect comfort in that second row, but even without filling all seven or eight seats, I’m pretty confident in saying the Ascent is one of the more comfortable big-family SUVs available for under $50,000.

There’s also a large compartment under the rear load floor, useful for stowing a bag of dog food for long family trips. Cargo capacity ranges from 17.8 cubic feet with the second and third row raised, to 86.5 cubic feet with them lowered, or 86.0-flat if you order the panoramic moonroof. And there are the much-discussed 19 cupholders scattered around the interior.

Quirky, for sure, but the 2019 Subaru Ascent maintains its marque’s flavor most by delivering maximum family usefulness combined with the inherent ride/handling advantages of its low-CG boxer engine.

2019 Subaru Ascent Specifications

ON SALE Now PRICE 35170 (base) ENGINE 2.4L turbocharged DOHC 16-valve H-4/260 hp @ 5,600 rpm, 277 lb-ft @ 2,000-4,800 rpm TRANSMISSION Continuously variable LAYOUT 4-door, 7/8-passenger, front-engine, AWD SUV EPA MILEAGE 20-21/26-27 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 196.8 x 76.0 x 71.6 in WHEELBASE 113.8 in WEIGHT 4,430-4,603 lb 0-60 MPH 7.4 sec TOP SPEED N/A

[jesusvasser]

First Drive: 2019 Subaru Ascent

MCMINNVILLE, Oregon — Much to Subaru’s regret, mid-size three-row family sport/utilities all look pretty much the same. Subaru, the automaker that has successfully grown its business as a quirky brand full of SUVs for people who don’t like SUVs, tried unsuccessfully to buck convention with its 2005-14 Tribeca. Subaru needs a seven- to eight-passenger model for its very enthusiastic fans, so what is it supposed to do?

The idea of a stretched, three-row Subaru Outback Grande did come up, planning manager Peter Tenn admitted to me at the Ascent’s first-drive program. The automaker nearly lost its way with a Toyota Highlander-based Tribeca replacement it began planning after Japan’s number-one automaker bought a minority stake in Subaru. While Toyota got a boxer engine-powered sports car shared with the BRZ under that deal, Subaru wisely stepped away from a program that would have netted the marque an SUV with an inline four and maybe a V-6. The 2019 Subaru Ascent’s new, 2.4-liter turbo H-4 sits low in the engine bay, and lends this conservative looking family hauler the distinction of being among the best vehicles over 70 inches tall (71.6 inches, with its standard roof rack) in terms of ride and handling.

Based on the new Subaru Global Platform, the Ascent is the third model on this architecture after the Impreza and Crosstrek. The next Forester becomes the fourth such model later this year. Even with a widened and lengthened version of SGP, the Ascent design has not been “protected” to accommodate an H-6 engine—just the H-4, in this case a 2.4-liter turbo one rated at 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet, and of course hooked up to a Lineartronic CVT with Hill Descent Control and selectable eight-speed manual shift mode (with paddle shifters) feeding the standard Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive.

That means that when the next-generation Subaru Legacy and Outback premier in time for the 2020 model year, they will almost certainly be four-cylinder only. The marque will also introduce a plug-in hybrid later this year. It’s expected to be a Crosstrek, AWD of course, based on the Prius Prime technology from partner/16.4-percent shareholder Toyota, which should turn out to be a much better deal for Subaru than the rejected plan to base the Ascent on the Highlander.

The 2019 Subaru Ascent feels nicely planted, handling the curvy roads near Coastal Oregon, some 50 miles south of Portland—where Outbacks are as common as Ford F-150s elsewhere in the country—without giving up comfort over uneven road surfaces. The chassis is fairly firm over bumps, like any 4,500-pound SUV with 18- or 20-inch wheels, but overall, the ride-handling balance compares closest to the smaller Mazda CX-5, and that’s a big compliment.

Its steering precision and feel is exceptional. Subaru concentrated on steering that doesn’t require the sort of minute corrections that can fatigue the driver, Tenn says, and the engineers succeeded. Tall SUVs typically are better with steering that’s not so quick it becomes twitchy at higher speeds, and that usually results in the need for minor steering corrections through long, sweeping turns. The Ascent’s combo of a relatively low center of gravity, and the well-tuned steering makes that unnecessary.

There’s also a distinct lack of head toss over bumps and pavement dips, which can help reduce fatigue among the kids and dogs on those long family vacations.

The new 2.4-liter turbo is all the engine the big SUV needs, with aggressive throttle tip-in and a wide torque band that nicely covers the midrange. There is no turbo lag in a straight line, though there’s some minor stumble coming out of tight corners. Try the CVT’s paddle shifters, which I did only after my drive partner prompted me, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by crisp, torque converter-like upshifts and downshifts, though the CVT upshifts itself as you approach redline.

Its tow capacity of 5,000 pounds, most-ever for a Subaru, was demonstrated with a sleek Airstream trailer hooked up, on a piece of parking lot at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, home of Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose. The Ascent’s tow control made pulling the Airstream smooth and easy, at least in this limited space. Subaru says it recorded a 14.7-second 0-60 mph time with the Ascent pulling a 5,000-pound test sled.

Like most Subarus, the Ascent is designed to attract the REI crowd, which means, potentially, a bit of light off-roading. The Subaru Ascent is no Jeep, though, at least not in its all-season tires. The standard X-Mode variable transfer clutch lock control changes the AWD mapping and throttle control, and kicks in the Hill Descent Control, but the tires required me to use some momentum to traverse some Pacific coast sand to the lunch spot. Symmetric AWD and the HDC will get you up and down a steep gravel quarry, but not without some slippage with these tires.

Speaking of which, the tire/wheel size make a difference on the EPA test cycle. This is unusual, because most car and SUV models (though not trucks, with their multiple variations) are usually counted as in one test-weight category. But the Subaru Ascent base and Premium trim models, with 18-inch wheels, are rated 21/27-mpg city/highway, with 23 combined, while the Limited and Touring models, with 20-inch wheels, are rated 20/26-mpg city/highway and 22 combined. With its 19.3-gallon tank, the Ascent boasts a 500-plus mile range.

All trim models, from the $32,970 base model on-up comes with Subaru’s EyeSight automated driver assist technology, including pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure and sway warning with lane keep assist, pre-collision throttle management and the new EyeSight Assist Monitor, which flashes alerts on the windshield via head-up display.

Base, Premium, and Limited Ascents come with a second-row bench seat for eight-passenger seating, while the Ascent Touring comes standard with comfy captains chairs in the second row—and every factory option plus exclusive Java brown leather interior trim standard—for $45,670 all-in. You can order the captains chairs for the second row of the Ascent Limited and Premium, and these chairs come with a nice little feature: grab handles for the third row passengers on the outer tops of the seats, inspired by the grab handles on Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train.

The interiors are rather warm and inviting, premium enough for a commodity brand. Imitation wood accents, when used, looks fairly convincing, and the Ascent Premium has heated cloth seats and imitation carbon-fiber interior accents, the latter in an odd (quirky?) cream color. The third row is advertised as a full third row seat, with 60/40 split and three cupholders on each side so the kids or dogs can stow their toys, as well as drinks and mobile phones. Comfort for adults back there depends on how far forward the second row seats are slid, which of course can affect comfort in that second row, but even without filling all seven or eight seats, I’m pretty confident in saying the Ascent is one of the more comfortable big-family SUVs available for under $50,000.

There’s also a large compartment under the rear load floor, useful for stowing a bag of dog food for long family trips. Cargo capacity ranges from 17.8 cubic feet with the second and third row raised, to 86.5 cubic feet with them lowered, or 86.0-flat if you order the panoramic moonroof. And there are the much-discussed 19 cupholders scattered around the interior.

Quirky, for sure, but the 2019 Subaru Ascent maintains its marque’s flavor most by delivering maximum family usefulness combined with the inherent ride/handling advantages of its low-CG boxer engine.

2019 Subaru Ascent Specifications

ON SALE Now PRICE 35170 (base) ENGINE 2.4L turbocharged DOHC 16-valve H-4/260 hp @ 5,600 rpm, 277 lb-ft @ 2,000-4,800 rpm TRANSMISSION Continuously variable LAYOUT 4-door, 7/8-passenger, front-engine, AWD SUV EPA MILEAGE 20-21/26-27 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 196.8 x 76.0 x 71.6 in WHEELBASE 113.8 in WEIGHT 4,430-4,603 lb 0-60 MPH 7.4 sec TOP SPEED N/A

[jonathanbelloblog]

First Drive: 2019 Subaru Ascent

MCMINNVILLE, Oregon — Much to Subaru’s regret, mid-size three-row family sport/utilities all look pretty much the same. Subaru, the automaker that has successfully grown its business as a quirky brand full of SUVs for people who don’t like SUVs, tried unsuccessfully to buck convention with its 2005-14 Tribeca. Subaru needs a seven- to eight-passenger model for its very enthusiastic fans, so what is it supposed to do?

The idea of a stretched, three-row Subaru Outback Grande did come up, planning manager Peter Tenn admitted to me at the Ascent’s first-drive program. The automaker nearly lost its way with a Toyota Highlander-based Tribeca replacement it began planning after Japan’s number-one automaker bought a minority stake in Subaru. While Toyota got a boxer engine-powered sports car shared with the BRZ under that deal, Subaru wisely stepped away from a program that would have netted the marque an SUV with an inline four and maybe a V-6. The 2019 Subaru Ascent’s new, 2.4-liter turbo H-4 sits low in the engine bay, and lends this conservative looking family hauler the distinction of being among the best vehicles over 70 inches tall (71.6 inches, with its standard roof rack) in terms of ride and handling.

Based on the new Subaru Global Platform, the Ascent is the third model on this architecture after the Impreza and Crosstrek. The next Forester becomes the fourth such model later this year. Even with a widened and lengthened version of SGP, the Ascent design has not been “protected” to accommodate an H-6 engine—just the H-4, in this case a 2.4-liter turbo one rated at 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet, and of course hooked up to a Lineartronic CVT with Hill Descent Control and selectable eight-speed manual shift mode (with paddle shifters) feeding the standard Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive.

That means that when the next-generation Subaru Legacy and Outback premier in time for the 2020 model year, they will almost certainly be four-cylinder only. The marque will also introduce a plug-in hybrid later this year. It’s expected to be a Crosstrek, AWD of course, based on the Prius Prime technology from partner/16.4-percent shareholder Toyota, which should turn out to be a much better deal for Subaru than the rejected plan to base the Ascent on the Highlander.

The 2019 Subaru Ascent feels nicely planted, handling the curvy roads near Coastal Oregon, some 50 miles south of Portland—where Outbacks are as common as Ford F-150s elsewhere in the country—without giving up comfort over uneven road surfaces. The chassis is fairly firm over bumps, like any 4,500-pound SUV with 18- or 20-inch wheels, but overall, the ride-handling balance compares closest to the smaller Mazda CX-5, and that’s a big compliment.

Its steering precision and feel is exceptional. Subaru concentrated on steering that doesn’t require the sort of minute corrections that can fatigue the driver, Tenn says, and the engineers succeeded. Tall SUVs typically are better with steering that’s not so quick it becomes twitchy at higher speeds, and that usually results in the need for minor steering corrections through long, sweeping turns. The Ascent’s combo of a relatively low center of gravity, and the well-tuned steering makes that unnecessary.

There’s also a distinct lack of head toss over bumps and pavement dips, which can help reduce fatigue among the kids and dogs on those long family vacations.

The new 2.4-liter turbo is all the engine the big SUV needs, with aggressive throttle tip-in and a wide torque band that nicely covers the midrange. There is no turbo lag in a straight line, though there’s some minor stumble coming out of tight corners. Try the CVT’s paddle shifters, which I did only after my drive partner prompted me, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by crisp, torque converter-like upshifts and downshifts, though the CVT upshifts itself as you approach redline.

Its tow capacity of 5,000 pounds, most-ever for a Subaru, was demonstrated with a sleek Airstream trailer hooked up, on a piece of parking lot at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, home of Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose. The Ascent’s tow control made pulling the Airstream smooth and easy, at least in this limited space. Subaru says it recorded a 14.7-second 0-60 mph time with the Ascent pulling a 5,000-pound test sled.

Like most Subarus, the Ascent is designed to attract the REI crowd, which means, potentially, a bit of light off-roading. The Subaru Ascent is no Jeep, though, at least not in its all-season tires. The standard X-Mode variable transfer clutch lock control changes the AWD mapping and throttle control, and kicks in the Hill Descent Control, but the tires required me to use some momentum to traverse some Pacific coast sand to the lunch spot. Symmetric AWD and the HDC will get you up and down a steep gravel quarry, but not without some slippage with these tires.

Speaking of which, the tire/wheel size make a difference on the EPA test cycle. This is unusual, because most car and SUV models (though not trucks, with their multiple variations) are usually counted as in one test-weight category. But the Subaru Ascent base and Premium trim models, with 18-inch wheels, are rated 21/27-mpg city/highway, with 23 combined, while the Limited and Touring models, with 20-inch wheels, are rated 20/26-mpg city/highway and 22 combined. With its 19.3-gallon tank, the Ascent boasts a 500-plus mile range.

All trim models, from the $32,970 base model on-up comes with Subaru’s EyeSight automated driver assist technology, including pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure and sway warning with lane keep assist, pre-collision throttle management and the new EyeSight Assist Monitor, which flashes alerts on the windshield via head-up display.

Base, Premium, and Limited Ascents come with a second-row bench seat for eight-passenger seating, while the Ascent Touring comes standard with comfy captains chairs in the second row—and every factory option plus exclusive Java brown leather interior trim standard—for $45,670 all-in. You can order the captains chairs for the second row of the Ascent Limited and Premium, and these chairs come with a nice little feature: grab handles for the third row passengers on the outer tops of the seats, inspired by the grab handles on Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train.

The interiors are rather warm and inviting, premium enough for a commodity brand. Imitation wood accents, when used, looks fairly convincing, and the Ascent Premium has heated cloth seats and imitation carbon-fiber interior accents, the latter in an odd (quirky?) cream color. The third row is advertised as a full third row seat, with 60/40 split and three cupholders on each side so the kids or dogs can stow their toys, as well as drinks and mobile phones. Comfort for adults back there depends on how far forward the second row seats are slid, which of course can affect comfort in that second row, but even without filling all seven or eight seats, I’m pretty confident in saying the Ascent is one of the more comfortable big-family SUVs available for under $50,000.

There’s also a large compartment under the rear load floor, useful for stowing a bag of dog food for long family trips. Cargo capacity ranges from 17.8 cubic feet with the second and third row raised, to 86.5 cubic feet with them lowered, or 86.0-flat if you order the panoramic moonroof. And there are the much-discussed 19 cupholders scattered around the interior.

Quirky, for sure, but the 2019 Subaru Ascent maintains its marque’s flavor most by delivering maximum family usefulness combined with the inherent ride/handling advantages of its low-CG boxer engine.

2019 Subaru Ascent Specifications

ON SALE Now PRICE 35170 (base) ENGINE 2.4L turbocharged DOHC 16-valve H-4/260 hp @ 5,600 rpm, 277 lb-ft @ 2,000-4,800 rpm TRANSMISSION Continuously variable LAYOUT 4-door, 7/8-passenger, front-engine, AWD SUV EPA MILEAGE 20-21/26-27 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 196.8 x 76.0 x 71.6 in WHEELBASE 113.8 in WEIGHT 4,430-4,603 lb 0-60 MPH 7.4 sec TOP SPEED N/A

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If you like to pass the time reading on your commute, an e-reader is the most portable way to do that. This'll allow you to back up important documents when you're traveling or giving a presentation out of the office on the cheap. SanDisk's USB stick is capable of holding anywhere from 4 to 64GB of files, and it's tiny, even by flash drive standards. When it comes to cheap Bluetooth speakers, you have to take what you can get. Sound quality is almost inherently limited at or under the £35 range — you really have to double that, at the least, before you can consistently find devices with the equipment capable of producing commendable audio. And even then, you’ll never get that much in the way of bass or general fullness.At the same time, you don’t have to spend too long perusing Amazon’s best sellers chart to see that the cheap stuff is popular. That allows it to keep putting out okay (at best) sound, which means that those on a budget need to look for small victories. In some cases, that’s waterproofing. In others, it’s supreme portability. In the Anker SoundCore’s, it’s tremendous battery life.

Anker is best known for its portable batteries and charging products, some of which we’ve highlighted before, but it’s hung around this budget speaker market for the past few years. The £30 SoundCore is one of its newest models, and while we can’t say it sounds great, it does enough right to be worth considering if you just want a straightforward, not-annoying personal speaker that’ll add volume around the house without breaking the bank. The SoundCore itself is a mostly no-frills affair. It’s not water-resistant in any way, it’s not particularly flashy, and its on-device controls are largely limited to the basics. That said, its bar-shaped build is tightly put together, and its soft plastic feels smooth to the touch, even if it does attract a little finger grease. The whole thing pairs quickly and reliably over Bluetooth 4.0, and automatically connects to the last device you used. It works fine as a simple speakerphone when needed. And while we don’t think Anker has enough clout to get away with plastering its logo across the SoundCore’s front, it’s not ugly either.

As noted above, it’s hard to find much fullness or fidelity among affordable speakers. The SoundCore doesn’t change that — it lacks some edge, it struggles to separate more complex tracks, and its bass, while at least present, is often anemic and imprecise. Compared to our favorite sub-£35 speaker right now, the JBL Clip+, it’s neither as loud nor as well-defined. But that’s about par for the course with these things. For what it is, and for the money, the SoundCore is a largely smooth and pleasant listen. It very clearly emphasizes the midrange, but it doesn’t feel outright unbalanced or overly thin. Vocals often come through cleanly, especially with less intense music. It also gets a good amount of volume without becoming explicitly harsh. It’s a warmer profile, so if you often listen to podcasts or more laid-back, acoustic stuff, it’ll serve you well. Just try to avoid hip-hop or more chaotic rock.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the SoundCore’s saving grace is battery life. Anker rates the speaker as lasting 24 hours with average use, and based on our testing, it’s not far off. We tested the device at moderate to high volumes for about a week before needing to find an outlet, coming close to 20 hours in total. For £30, that’s fantastic. If cash is tight and you care at all about sound quality, we’d still recommend the aforementioned Clip+, or doing what you can to save up for something like the Logitech X300 or JBL Flip 3. If you’re in the market for a £30 Bluetooth speaker, though, there’s a good chance you’re not the most critical listener. In that case, the SoundCore is an easy-to-use, long-lasting way to boost the noise coming from your smartphone or laptop.Lenovo has a new, giant, 27-inch all-in-one touchscreen desktop PC that doubles as a huge tablet — and Lenovo wants you and your family to gather around it for game night.The Lenovo Home 500, with a price tag of $1549, is your pretty standard PC, at first blush.

But plug in a mouse and keyboard, or connect Bluetooth versions of the same, and it's a fully-functional Windows 10 PC. It was officially announced at a special event in San Francisco.All of the computing guts are contained in that massive screen, right next to a battery with a promised 3 hours of computing life.But if you take it off the kickstand, it becomes an endtable-sized tablet.Lenovo says that it's perfect for getting the whole family around for game time, collaborative research, or whatever else. Lenovo has its own app store, called "Aura," that it says is full of apps that are made for two people to use the tablet together. It also comes with a custom menu interface system on top of Windows 10 to make it easier to launch those Aura apps. But in my brief tests, the touchscreen wasn't quick or responsive enough to keep up with an impromptu game of air hockey on the Lenovo Home 500.And it's a neat novelty, but how many really compelling games are going to come out for a huge device with such limited appeal? Probably not many.lenovo home 500 The Lenovo Home 500 with the kickstand up, showing off the Windows 10 Groove Music app.Matt WeinbergerThis is actually the second time Lenovo has tried the concept: 2013's Lenovo Horizon had a similar concept, but failed to set the world on fire. Apparently, it did well enough that it felt justified in releasing the Horizon 2.

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It's weird, no doubt about it. Which is why Lenovo's official marketing slogan for the Home 500 — and the Yoga 300 superlight laptop/tablet convertible also announced today — is "Good Weird."Your smart devices are miraculous things, but having to refill their batteries every day is an antiquated annoyance. However, if you live the high-tech life and use multiple gadgets on a regular basis, you can make the charging process much more convenient by investing in a good USB wall charger.For the unfamiliar, these things let you charge multiple USB-based devices at once, whether it’s smartphone, tablet, Bluetooth speaker, portable battery pack, or even some newer laptops. They spare you from spreading your dead gear across the house, and since they’re so compact, they make for great travel companions too.Anker is one of the most popular names in this market, and its newest PowerPort wall chargers should only further that. The PowerPort 4, for instance, plugs directly into an outlet (many others come tied to a cable), has four USB ports, and comes with 40 watts of juice (more than many similarly-sized chargers).

This particular model is too small to reliably charge four big tablets like the iPad Air, but if you’re like most people and have a mix of large and small gadgets, it’ll refill them with superb speed and power. If you aren’t using all four ports simultaneously, it can also charge at 2.4A, meaning it’ll put out the most power possible to a given device.Beyond that, it uses Anker’s “PowerIQ” tech, which automatically recognizes which devices are plugged in and smartly delivers only as much juice as each one needs. It also comes with a built-in surge protector and temperature control tech to keep the whole thing from overheating.At $27, the PowerPort 4 isn’t the cheapest of its kind, but it’s hardly expensive, it comes from a trusted name, and it’s both faster and more compact than most of its competition. If you want something a little more heavy duty, though, try the 60-watt, 10-port PowerPort 10. Either way, grabbing a gadget like this should make your day-to-day charging needs a little less of a hassle.Whether for work or pleasure, traveling shouldn’t be stressful. But if you’re the type who can’t stop using things with screens — i.e., if you’re a human in 2015 — you may have no choice but to lug along an overflow of gadgets. That might not only include your basic smartphone, tablet, or laptop, but also a handful of accessories needed to keep them up and running.

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If that sounds like a problem you’ve had before, the HooToo TripMate Elite should help you pack a little lighter. Priced at $38, it’s an all-in-one device that simultaneously serves as a portable battery, USB wall charger, travel WiFi router, and a network-attached storage (or NAS). It packs all this into something the size of a glossy black MacBook charger.Considering how many mini routers, NAS devices, and chargers there are that can’t do their one job right, it’s easy to be skeptical of something that claims to replicate all of them at once. The TripMate, however, actually does work. It isn’t the best at any one of its functions, but it’s serviceable enough at each to come in handy on the go.As a battery and wall charger, it works fine. It has a foldable AC plug and two USB ports built-in — one at 1A, the other at 1/2.1A — and carries a 6,000mAh capacity. That’s enough to charge most smartphones about twice, and most tablets around halfway. When you need to charge the TripMate itself, you just plug it into an outlet.

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2017 DSLR Underneath 40000 available online in India

Best DSLR Cameras beneath 35000 - 40000 Rs For Professional Images. The iFunction button controls the scrolling by means of manual settings just like the shutter velocity, aperture, and ISO and uses the main focus ring to change the parameters for each setting. But that camera is meant for very excessive skilled photographers.

We've additionally covered up all the highest DSLR brands in India like Canon, Sony and Nikon. It has 18 megapixel resolution, and the biggest profit that it comes with two IS II lens. If you want to begin images, there isn't a need to purchase an costly DSLR since you might not be able to understand the capabilities.

Decision - 24.2 MP Lens - F bayonet mount 18-55 mm Sensor-Sort - CMOS Display - three.2 Inch. To capture superb photos, the first gear you want is a digital camera. Top 5 DSLR lenses below 10,000rs(10k) to blur background in Greatest lens to blur background.

The battery backup is stable, and it gives around 500 shots per full cost. The ISO sensitivity of the EOS 1300D ranges from one hundred-6400, which could be expanded to 12800 when in H mode. Lock-on Autofocus feature for more accurate focus of the fast-paced objects is an add-on in Sony Alpha ILCE-6000L.

In India, there is a dearth of good compact cameras which can be additionally relatively affordable. The Full - color RGB metering sensor gives the very best photographs with highest quality. The LCD show of this DSLR with a screen measurement of two.7 inches appears to be somewhat bit small in comparison with its competitors.

It is a digital single-lens reflex, AF/AE digital camera with built-in flash that offers a complete package at an inexpensive worth. Sony is catching up in the race of DSLR market actual fast. D3200 is another entry-degree DSLR by Nikon with optical sensor resolution of 24.2 Megapixels, which is likely one of the important advantages of this digital camera.

We now have tried our best to gather a fantastic checklist of some Renowned Finest Digital SLR Digicam. This is the marginally newer version of Nikon D5200 & was launched in 2014. It's an entry-level best DSLR under 40000/- for freshmen and experienced DSLR hobbyists. Protect your particular moments with plenty of pictures taken from DSLR.

To process all the pictures clear and accurately, it has Expeed four picture processing engine. The 20.3 mega pixel optical sensor resolution and CMOS picture sensor, capturing your favourite moments just got higher. With the will to treasure each second of your pleasure and celebration, Nikon -the numero uno makers of camcorders- brings to you Nikon D5200 24.1MP Digital SLR Digital camera (Black) with AF-S 18-fifty five mm VR Package Lens.

Immediately, On this post, I will present you a number of the finest DSLRs which you could buy for underneath 40000 Rupees in India. You possibly can straight connect your camera with laptop/pill to switch pictures/videos. The best click comes after clicking it perfectly, pictures ability and having best DSLR digicam.

DSLR costs are just a little excessive then normal cameras and it is exactly as a result of the picture high quality is wonderful and it is believed that everyone ought to get pleasure from preserving their memories. NIKON D3400 helps Full HD (1920 x 1080) movie recording at 24/25/30/50/60p.

The primary one from Sony within the record is right here beneath the beneath 40000 worth range i.e. Sony Alpha A58Y; allow us to have a look on the specs. Hope this record of best DSLR digicam in India in numerous value range could be helpful for you.

If you are just a novice who has outgrown the point and shoots models and eagerly waiting to explore the world of superior DSLR cameras, there are options galore. The Nikon DSLR Digital camera weighs about 600 grams that give more stability in hand while holding during images.

Entry-degree models can still be slightly pokey by way of focus, however as quickly as you get into the midrange you'll find that many models match SLRs in focus speed, and higher them when focusing throughout video recording. The primary models to hit the market have been part of the Micro 4 Thirds system, a mount and lens system that's shared by Olympus and Panasonic cameras.

It has an articulated LCD display and may shoot at 5.four frames per second with its 20-megapixel non-antialiased sensor. Other than the black colour, Nikon D5200 24.1MP Digital SLR Digital camera can be accessible in bronze and crimson colors. Not like the D90, this digicam doesn't function a secondary display.

You may shortly take a selfie with the D5300 as users can management this system by a smartphone or every other gadget that gives WiFi connectivity option. Buy Least expensive Dslr Cameras at India's Greatest On-line Purchasing Store. The lens has an effective focal size of 28-84mm, which is an effective sufficient vary for daily capturing.

The Canon EOS 700D is one of the hottest DSLR cameras in the vary of 40k INR. It just weighs 480 grams and if you have used a DSLR like D90 prior to now you then would certainly feel the difference. The DLSR used Hybrid CMOS AF III uses sensor based mostly phase detection point which increases focus speed and accuracy.

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DIY guide: How to add new tech to old cars

For those of you jealous of all the cool tech in the new cars my colleague Bill Howard gets to write about, there are lots of alternatives for adding technology to your current car. In most cases, add-ons aren’t as slick, or as powerful, as the versions you can get if you go all-in for a new vehicle. But they’re a lot less expensive, and some are quite effective. Done correctly, aftermarket solutions can even more flexible and future-proof than OEM systems. Remember when car phones were built into vehicles, and they got old really fast? Or when navigation systems all got built in and they got old really fast? Now, most of us use our smartphones for both of those functions — tied into our cars. Many of the add-ons we’ll look at in this article also leverage your smartphone, while others take advantage of the rapid pace of change and decrease in cost of consumer technologies. Dash cams

Nearly every day we are treated to a viral video of some sort recorded by a car-mounted camera. Whether it is a traffic accident, an encounter with police, or simply a shocking event that randomly unfolded in front of a car (several include plane crashes), they have helped fuel dramatic growth in dash-mounted and windshield-mounted cameras (e.g. dash cams). First generation cameras were pretty straightforward, recording either constantly, or when a button was pushed. If your smartphone was mounted appropriately, you could even mimic one using a simple app. As the market for simple cameras has saturated, vendors have begun to layer on additional features to help differentiate their offerings. GPS allows many current dash cams to provide speed and red light camera alerts, as well as other location-specific information. It also allows them to estimate your vehicle’s speed, which is a key element in layering on driver safety functions. Combined with a gyroscope for sensing force, units like the Thinkware X550 that I road-tested can also be certain to record impact events — even if you don’t have continuous recording turned on. One additional tweak Thinkware has added to the X550 is that impact footage is recorded on both the SD card and internal memory, providing redundancy in the event the camera is damaged in the collision. Our local auto-add-on dealer and installer also recommends Blackvue as a well-built, reliable brand of dash cam. Some dash cam vendors also offer a backup camera option. This is an attractive way to go for those wanting the additional safety of a backup camera — as these integrated solutions offer a smaller lag than the backup cameras solutions that rely on connecting directly to your smartphone. Typically these are wired to your dash cam, so be prepared for some DIY or paying an installer. Dash cam driver safety features leave a lot to be desired

As part of trying to stand out from the crowd, dash cam vendors have been racing to market with ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) features. They include Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Front Collision Warning System (FCWS), and Front Vehicle Departure Warning (FVDW). Those are the same terms used to describe common features available in high-end new car packages. However, that’s where the similarity ends. One obvious difference is that add-on systems currently on the market can’t actually control your car. The best they can do is warn you with a sound, so that you know to take action. Of course, that takes time — while you hear the sound, identify it, sort of the threat, and react. It also isn’t fail safe if you’re not paying attention or are incapacitated in some other way. Done correctly and reliably, even a warning can be a lifesaver, but a non-reliable system is essentially like not having one at all. Unfortunately, simple dash cam-based systems are not that reliable when it comes to safety features. Being based on a single camera that doesn’t have all the processing power of a high-end GPU or CPU, means that all the low-end and midrange dash cam products we tested produced plenty of false positives and missed lots of other incidents. In particular, driving along a mottled-sunlight-and-shade road frequently set off the Front Collision warning. Conversely, in many cases driving up to a stopped vehicle at a fairly high speed often didn’t cause a warning. The Front Vehicle Departure warning is a convenience feature, but often was triggered when cross traffic went by if I was first in line at a stoplight. If you weren’t paying attention and started to move based on the alert, it could be dangerous. If you want ADAS-like features, step up to a pro-installed system At one point, it looked like there would be a real aftermarket ADAS solution from startup Cruise Automation. However, GM has acquired the company, and is planning to use its technology for shared vehicle fleets, and not sell it directly to consumers. However, by using aftermarket camera and radar-assisted systems, you can get ADAS-type warnings in your current vehicle. Israeli startup Mobileye came out with some of the first products in the market. Its Mobileye 560 has been out for four years, but is still the favorite of professional installers. It has an integrated vision chip (and is very similar to the camera and processor that is traditionally built into the Tesla Model S). It’s much better at motion detection and object recognition than simple dash cams, but of course it still can’t control your car. Mobileye hasn’t come out with a new model for several years, although it does still do updates to the software. Instead it has been focusing on integrated systems for car makers. Like other dash cam solutions, Mobileye’s is camera-only. But by relying on precise calibration (meaning professional installation), and a more powerful on-board vision processor, it achieves significantly better results. It can even recognize speed limit signs. The downside is you’ll need a professional installer and a budget of about $1,000. Mobileye has proven particularly popular with older drivers, and with parents purchasing them for their children who are new drivers. Recently, Mobileye has been in the news for its messy breakup with partner Tesla in the wake of a crash in Florida, and Mobileye criticizing Tesla for deploying its products inappropriately. Competitor SafeDrive goes a step further by using a radar in its RD-140 family of products. The base RDR unit uses a front radar only, while the higher-end model adds a camera for lane departure warnings. Either one requires a pro installation, and will set you back about $1,500 to $2,000. Backup cameras Backup cameras are considered so important that they will be required on all vehicles sold in the US by May 2018. In the meantime, there are literally hundreds of aftermarket products, but all leave something to be desired. For starters, unless you have wires for a trailer, you’ll need to tap into your car’s internal wiring for power. Then, especially if you’ve wired to your tail lights (so that the camera and its app “know” when you’re backing up), you’ll have to wait for it to turn on each time you shift into reverse. If you opt for the convenience of an otherwise wireless install, then the camera has to connect to your phone over Wi-Fi, adding some hassle, and some lag, to the display. The lag, in particular, takes some getting used to. Pearl’s RearVision is the cat’s-meow of backup cameras

One backup camera system that stands out from the rest is Pearl Auto’s RearVision. First, it is solar powered, so you don’t have to wire it in at all. Second, the camera talks to a dedicated, always-on OBD-II adapter (that simply plugs into the OBD-II port found under your dashboard in all cars made since 1996). The adapter is powered by a beefy 8-core CPU — the same one used in the Galaxy S5. The dedicated connection and horsepower mean it can avoid some of the lag and connectivity issues inherent in systems that connect directly to your phone. It also has enough horsepower to run computer vision algorithms for 3D reconstruction and object detection. The OBD-II adapter in turn uses your smartphone screen for display. Eventually, you may also be able to see your engine data from the OBD-II port, but that isn’t a primary focus for Pearl. (If that’s all you really want, there are lots of standalone OBD-II adapters that will show data on your smartphone). Pearl’s RearVision uses 2 HD cameras: one a regular daylight camera, and the other optimized for Infrared and night vision. They transmit to the video processing software running on the OBD-II adapter. The vision software allows it to create a 3D map of the area behind your car, and provide obstacle detection warnings. In my time with a RearVision, I found both the simulated car-trajectory guidelines and the obstacle detection (technically in beta) to be quite accurate. I was also stunned by the quality of its images at night; seriously, it’s impressive. Currently, RearVision doesn’t notice cross traffic as well as systems with dedicated sensors built into appropriately-equipped new cars. However, it is an active area of research for the team at Pearl. When I spoke with them, they sounded optimistic that they’d be able to do an excellent job on this feature as well. Because the system is designed to be fully upgradeable (both the software on the adapter and the app on the phone), this is the type of capability they will be able to roll out to all users. Because the Pearl isn’t wired, it can’t tell currently tell when your vehicle is in reverse, so you need to launch the app yourself to view the camera. Longer-term, Pearl has some ideas about how to harness OBD data to accomplish this. In the meantime, my solution is to dedicate a second phone (an old one) to the Pearl, and mount it near my center console. I use my main phone, mounted on my dash, for navigation and entertainment (via Android Auto). The only catch with Pearl is the price. At $500, this unit is several times the price of most of its competition. But if you have the budget, it is hands-down the best product in its category. It also saves you from having to pay for the installation of a wired system, so its total cost is closer. Plus, I expect it to continue to improve, which is not true of the typical backup camera.

I found it awkward to launch the Pearl app when needed, so I mounted an old phone to my center console and dedicated it to the backup app Add-on backup cameras with dedicated consoles If you want a system that minimizes lag, but don’t want to spring for a Pearl, then one with a dedicated monitor may be your best bet. For best results, running a wire from the console to the backup camera is needed, but many offer a wireless option. Some come as part of a more complete system, like the Magellan MiVue, or the Rand-McNally OverDryve. OverDryve is actually built around a tablet that can also provide navigation and in-car entertainment. One cautionary note is that most of these systems use proprietary interconnects, so you can’t mix and match consoles and cameras between brands. If you want to see more than just what’s behind you, ImageNEXT’s omniDrive provides a full 360-degree surround camera solution. Using four cameras on the corners of your car, it synthesizes a ‘birds-eye’ view — like that found on some new high-end cars. When omniDrive is available — expected to be in early 2017 — it will clearly require a professional install. The company also hasn’t announced pricing yet, but I am planning to get a demo when the company shows it off at CES in January. Where to start? Based on my experience with various devices and apps, a backup camera system is the most helpful for safety. A dash cam will get you video records, but I wouldn’t bother with anything less than a Mobileye if you also expect it to warn you about approaching cars or pedestrians. Separately, as an overall tech upgrade, getting a new stereo head unit that supports Android Auto or Apple CarPlay will upgrade your nav and entertainment experience over relying on your phone alone — although you can at least mimic the Android Auto experience with Google’s standalone app now. If your car has limited visibility out the back, or you get tired of swiveling your head completely around all the time, a quality backup solution is a great place to start. Check out our ExtremeTech Explains series for more in-depth coverage of today’s hottest tech topics. (Top image credit: Mad Max: Fury Road) Click to Post

[awajid673-blog]

DIY guide: How to add new tech to old cars

For those of you jealous of all the cool tech in the new cars my colleague Bill Howard gets to write about, there are lots of alternatives for adding technology to your current car. In most cases, add-ons aren’t as slick, or as powerful, as the versions you can get if you go all-in for a new vehicle. But they’re a lot less expensive, and some are quite effective. Done correctly, aftermarket solutions can even more flexible and future-proof than OEM systems. Remember when car phones were built into vehicles, and they got old really fast? Or when navigation systems all got built in and they got old really fast? Now, most of us use our smartphones for both of those functions — tied into our cars. Many of the add-ons we’ll look at in this article also leverage your smartphone, while others take advantage of the rapid pace of change and decrease in cost of consumer technologies. Dash cams

Nearly every day we are treated to a viral video of some sort recorded by a car-mounted camera. Whether it is a traffic accident, an encounter with police, or simply a shocking event that randomly unfolded in front of a car (several include plane crashes), they have helped fuel dramatic growth in dash-mounted and windshield-mounted cameras (e.g. dash cams). First generation cameras were pretty straightforward, recording either constantly, or when a button was pushed. If your smartphone was mounted appropriately, you could even mimic one using a simple app. As the market for simple cameras has saturated, vendors have begun to layer on additional features to help differentiate their offerings. GPS allows many current dash cams to provide speed and red light camera alerts, as well as other location-specific information. It also allows them to estimate your vehicle’s speed, which is a key element in layering on driver safety functions. Combined with a gyroscope for sensing force, units like the Thinkware X550 that I road-tested can also be certain to record impact events — even if you don’t have continuous recording turned on. One additional tweak Thinkware has added to the X550 is that impact footage is recorded on both the SD card and internal memory, providing redundancy in the event the camera is damaged in the collision. Our local auto-add-on dealer and installer also recommends Blackvue as a well-built, reliable brand of dash cam. Some dash cam vendors also offer a backup camera option. This is an attractive way to go for those wanting the additional safety of a backup camera — as these integrated solutions offer a smaller lag than the backup cameras solutions that rely on connecting directly to your smartphone. Typically these are wired to your dash cam, so be prepared for some DIY or paying an installer. Dash cam driver safety features leave a lot to be desired

As part of trying to stand out from the crowd, dash cam vendors have been racing to market with ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) features. They include Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Front Collision Warning System (FCWS), and Front Vehicle Departure Warning (FVDW). Those are the same terms used to describe common features available in high-end new car packages. However, that’s where the similarity ends. One obvious difference is that add-on systems currently on the market can’t actually control your car. The best they can do is warn you with a sound, so that you know to take action. Of course, that takes time — while you hear the sound, identify it, sort of the threat, and react. It also isn’t fail safe if you’re not paying attention or are incapacitated in some other way. Done correctly and reliably, even a warning can be a lifesaver, but a non-reliable system is essentially like not having one at all. Unfortunately, simple dash cam-based systems are not that reliable when it comes to safety features. Being based on a single camera that doesn’t have all the processing power of a high-end GPU or CPU, means that all the low-end and midrange dash cam products we tested produced plenty of false positives and missed lots of other incidents. In particular, driving along a mottled-sunlight-and-shade road frequently set off the Front Collision warning. Conversely, in many cases driving up to a stopped vehicle at a fairly high speed often didn’t cause a warning. The Front Vehicle Departure warning is a convenience feature, but often was triggered when cross traffic went by if I was first in line at a stoplight. If you weren’t paying attention and started to move based on the alert, it could be dangerous. If you want ADAS-like features, step up to a pro-installed system At one point, it looked like there would be a real aftermarket ADAS solution from startup Cruise Automation. However, GM has acquired the company, and is planning to use its technology for shared vehicle fleets, and not sell it directly to consumers. However, by using aftermarket camera and radar-assisted systems, you can get ADAS-type warnings in your current vehicle. Israeli startup Mobileye came out with some of the first products in the market. Its Mobileye 560 has been out for four years, but is still the favorite of professional installers. It has an integrated vision chip (and is very similar to the camera and processor that is traditionally built into the Tesla Model S). It’s much better at motion detection and object recognition than simple dash cams, but of course it still can’t control your car. Mobileye hasn’t come out with a new model for several years, although it does still do updates to the software. Instead it has been focusing on integrated systems for car makers. Like other dash cam solutions, Mobileye’s is camera-only. But by relying on precise calibration (meaning professional installation), and a more powerful on-board vision processor, it achieves significantly better results. It can even recognize speed limit signs. The downside is you’ll need a professional installer and a budget of about $1,000. Mobileye has proven particularly popular with older drivers, and with parents purchasing them for their children who are new drivers. Recently, Mobileye has been in the news for its messy breakup with partner Tesla in the wake of a crash in Florida, and Mobileye criticizing Tesla for deploying its products inappropriately. Competitor SafeDrive goes a step further by using a radar in its RD-140 family of products. The base RDR unit uses a front radar only, while the higher-end model adds a camera for lane departure warnings. Either one requires a pro installation, and will set you back about $1,500 to $2,000. Backup cameras Backup cameras are considered so important that they will be required on all vehicles sold in the US by May 2018. In the meantime, there are literally hundreds of aftermarket products, but all leave something to be desired. For starters, unless you have wires for a trailer, you’ll need to tap into your car’s internal wiring for power. Then, especially if you’ve wired to your tail lights (so that the camera and its app “know” when you’re backing up), you’ll have to wait for it to turn on each time you shift into reverse. If you opt for the convenience of an otherwise wireless install, then the camera has to connect to your phone over Wi-Fi, adding some hassle, and some lag, to the display. The lag, in particular, takes some getting used to. Pearl’s RearVision is the cat’s-meow of backup cameras

One backup camera system that stands out from the rest is Pearl Auto’s RearVision. First, it is solar powered, so you don’t have to wire it in at all. Second, the camera talks to a dedicated, always-on OBD-II adapter (that simply plugs into the OBD-II port found under your dashboard in all cars made since 1996). The adapter is powered by a beefy 8-core CPU — the same one used in the Galaxy S5. The dedicated connection and horsepower mean it can avoid some of the lag and connectivity issues inherent in systems that connect directly to your phone. It also has enough horsepower to run computer vision algorithms for 3D reconstruction and object detection. The OBD-II adapter in turn uses your smartphone screen for display. Eventually, you may also be able to see your engine data from the OBD-II port, but that isn’t a primary focus for Pearl. (If that’s all you really want, there are lots of standalone OBD-II adapters that will show data on your smartphone). Pearl’s RearVision uses 2 HD cameras: one a regular daylight camera, and the other optimized for Infrared and night vision. They transmit to the video processing software running on the OBD-II adapter. The vision software allows it to create a 3D map of the area behind your car, and provide obstacle detection warnings. In my time with a RearVision, I found both the simulated car-trajectory guidelines and the obstacle detection (technically in beta) to be quite accurate. I was also stunned by the quality of its images at night; seriously, it’s impressive. Currently, RearVision doesn’t notice cross traffic as well as systems with dedicated sensors built into appropriately-equipped new cars. However, it is an active area of research for the team at Pearl. When I spoke with them, they sounded optimistic that they’d be able to do an excellent job on this feature as well. Because the system is designed to be fully upgradeable (both the software on the adapter and the app on the phone), this is the type of capability they will be able to roll out to all users. Because the Pearl isn’t wired, it can’t tell currently tell when your vehicle is in reverse, so you need to launch the app yourself to view the camera. Longer-term, Pearl has some ideas about how to harness OBD data to accomplish this. In the meantime, my solution is to dedicate a second phone (an old one) to the Pearl, and mount it near my center console. I use my main phone, mounted on my dash, for navigation and entertainment (via Android Auto). The only catch with Pearl is the price. At $500, this unit is several times the price of most of its competition. But if you have the budget, it is hands-down the best product in its category. It also saves you from having to pay for the installation of a wired system, so its total cost is closer. Plus, I expect it to continue to improve, which is not true of the typical backup camera.

I found it awkward to launch the Pearl app when needed, so I mounted an old phone to my center console and dedicated it to the backup app Add-on backup cameras with dedicated consoles If you want a system that minimizes lag, but don’t want to spring for a Pearl, then one with a dedicated monitor may be your best bet. For best results, running a wire from the console to the backup camera is needed, but many offer a wireless option. Some come as part of a more complete system, like the Magellan MiVue, or the Rand-McNally OverDryve. OverDryve is actually built around a tablet that can also provide navigation and in-car entertainment. One cautionary note is that most of these systems use proprietary interconnects, so you can’t mix and match consoles and cameras between brands. If you want to see more than just what’s behind you, ImageNEXT’s omniDrive provides a full 360-degree surround camera solution. Using four cameras on the corners of your car, it synthesizes a ‘birds-eye’ view — like that found on some new high-end cars. When omniDrive is available — expected to be in early 2017 — it will clearly require a professional install. The company also hasn’t announced pricing yet, but I am planning to get a demo when the company shows it off at CES in January. Where to start? Based on my experience with various devices and apps, a backup camera system is the most helpful for safety. A dash cam will get you video records, but I wouldn’t bother with anything less than a Mobileye if you also expect it to warn you about approaching cars or pedestrians. Separately, as an overall tech upgrade, getting a new stereo head unit that supports Android Auto or Apple CarPlay will upgrade your nav and entertainment experience over relying on your phone alone — although you can at least mimic the Android Auto experience with Google’s standalone app now. If your car has limited visibility out the back, or you get tired of swiveling your head completely around all the time, a quality backup solution is a great place to start. Check out our ExtremeTech Explains series for more in-depth coverage of today’s hottest tech topics. (Top image credit: Mad Max: Fury Road) Click to Post