How does the Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera measure up?

by KB on June 1, 2011
in Products

The Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens – How Does It Compare?
Your normal point and shoot digital camera is not going to always meet all your photography demands. An SLR camera might be just what you’ll need. These specific digital cameras resemble the old manual film cameras earlier made use of by professional photographers. You may find it tough to choose the ideal SLR digital camera. So, let’s examine the particular Nikon D3100 and its particular lens. At the moment, this is the most popular SLR camera on Amazon.com.

One of the nicest factors about this particular camera is not that it comes with a stabilization lens or that it is 14.2 mega pixels. One of the nicest points about this camera is that it features a video shooting feature. The incorporated “full 1080p HD Cinematic Video” feature offers automatic focus along with the ability for you to record sound. Individuals who are proficient in videography can tell you that often a still camera can give you a much clearer visual picture than a standard video camera. So this SLR camera will work very well for still shots and also videography. So it is not surprising that this camera is a bestseller.

Yet another positive feature about this camera is the split second auto focus shooting that it can do. Therefore, it’s really a fantastic camera for taking pictures of sports events or some other scenes with lots of movement. A great many other digital cameras say they will offer quality shooting of high activity scenes then they don’t come through in the end. This digital camera runs at a high shutter speed helping to make perfect shots all to easy to do with the correct photography experience. Of course, the drawback of sports shooting is that it can use up memory cards quite quickly.

One unsatisfying feature of this camera is actually its lack of internal memory other than what it needs to store image shooting software. This means that your storage device is really an additional purchase and the memory cards you will need for this camera (the sort with large amounts of memory) aren’t cheap. These types of memory cards can wind up costing you plenty of cash. This is an additional cost that you are going to need to add to the fairly high price of the camera alone. Consequently, this isn’t the best camera for you personally in case you are on a tight budget.

You will find a tremendous quantity of good reviews for this product. Most are inside the five star range which is a good sign, especially when you consider that hundreds of reviews have been posted for this camera. People love the camera simply because, even though they are amateurs, the camera can make them feel professional. You need to be aware that you must buy additional equipment such as spare batteries, more memory cards, and special lenses if you wish to make the most of this camera, and this can be a considerable expense. On the other hand, even though this digital camera is expensive it will serve you well for quite some time thus making the cost worthwhile.

Family friendly Coleman Instant 14 by 10 Foot 8 Person Two Room Tent

by KB on April 26, 2011
in Products

Setting up this tent is a breeze

Camping with 3 kids under the age of eight seems like a chore rather than fun especially when you consider all the sleeping bags,gear, clothes, and objects found during your nature hikes.  Weather can not be a factor; you’ve brought everybody this far, you need to feel secure you can stay the night (or the week) dry and comfortable.  You don’t want to be fighting your way through the tent set up; you want it done so the fun can begin!  The Coleman Instant 14- by 10- Foot 8- Person Two Room Tent is what you need.

Do I really need a tent this big?

Camping tents are rated by the number of people they can accommodate. But these ratings are like how many peanuts my six year old can eat at once because his older brother thought it would be cool… ridiculous.  When they say it’s a 4-person tent, they mean 4 people and nothing else, no gear, noting but 4 closely placed sleeping bags. If you’re not back packing with it, think bigger.

This tent "sleeps" 8 and can fit a couple of queen sized air mattresses

Consider going 1-2 sizes bigger than what you need for a smaller camping tent or divide the “person rating” by 2 so you’ll have a decent amount of room if you have to stay inside due to nasty weather. Dry people, dry gear means good times can still be had even if it rains. Plus, “kid stuff” always takes up more space even though it’s smaller than our stuff.

Space for it all

Yes Dad, you can actually stand up comfortably in this tent.  With a center height of 6 feet 5 inches and vertical walls, you can live in this tent, not crawl and slouch through your day.  The base measurement of 14 by 10 feet ensures room for everyone and everything (fits two queen airbeds easily– an important note for this city gal).  You have a choice of sleeping in one large room with enough space for eight, or dropping down the divider and turning the tent into two rooms. Two doors and seven windows means plenty of ventilation and  practically a 360-degree view.

Rain, rain, stay away – but if you come I’m not worried!

Wind and rain is everyone’s worry when planning a camping trip.  Mother Nature makes no guarantees you so need to be ready.  The Coleman Instant 14- by 10- Foot 8- Person Two Room Tent has Coleman’s exclusive WeatherTec system with thick waterproof walls and welded floor.  What does this mean?  The tent’s exterior is tough and long-lasting, with heavy-duty 150D construction that’s twice as thick as Coleman’s standard tent fabric. Coated polyester (weather resistant) fabric combined with anti-wicking thread, webbing and zippers all designed to keep you dry. Protected, leak-free seams plus hidden needle holes inside the tent on all floor seams to keep elements out and dramatically increase weather resistance.  When combined with the fully taped rain fly seams, the tent can even keep you dry without requiring a separate rain fly.   The use of welding technology rather than needle holes in the floor give it strength and worry-free water-proofing.  A strong, wind-responsive frame plus redesigned anchors increase it’s performance that Coleman exposes its WeatherTec tents to a rain room that simulates nasty downpours, and to a wind machine capable of blowing hurricane force gusts.

Quick set up so play can happen!

Tired of tents that promise a quick setup, but still have you cursing over ropes and poles while the kids are whining about wanting to hit the lake?  How about a 5 minute set up can a collapse time of a minute or less? The Coleman Instant 14- by 10- Foot 8- Person Two Room Tent is the answer for you.  The pole system is pre-attached to the tent for a seamless process.  Here’s how the assembly works: unfold the tent, spread it out, extend the poles, click them together and lock them in place.  Yes, that is it.  It will take you longer to settle the argument over who gets the first s’more that night.

This great tent becomes perfect with this…

You'll want to upgrade the stakes to handle blustery weather

If you read a lot of reviews for this tent,  one “minus” pops up frequently – the included tent pegs.  Do the included tent pegs work?  Yes.  However, if the weather gets super bad, you will feel more secure if the pegs are more substantial than metal ones provided.  Upgrade the pegs for anywhere from $3-$8 dollars (for a pack of 6) and you are good to go.  Consider COGHLANS Tent Stakes / Pegs 9″ ABS Tent Pegs Md: 9309. or Coghlan’s Ltd Tent Pegs 12In Abs 6Pk 9312

Where to get this tent?

You can buy the Coleman Instant 14- by 10- Foot 8- Person Two Room Tent on Amazon.  It is eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime and price compares favorably at the other sites I checked.  Click here to view it on Amazon.

How about other reviews?

Amazon has great reviews of this tent.  Click here to see them all.