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Tokina AF 100mm F2.8 AT-X M100 AF PRO D – fixed tele-photo lens for Nikon and Canon mounts

Photo-lens Tokina AF 100mm F2.8 AT-X M100 AF PRO D
Photo-lens Tokina AF 100mm F2.8 AT-X M100 AF PRO D

Lets review fixed tele-photo lens Tokina AF 100mm F2.8 AT-X M100 AF PRO D, that is released for full-frame and APS-C mounts of Canon and Nikon cameras. Its focus is equal to 100 mm, aperture can be set in f/2.8 – f/32 range ( it is lens of middle level light strength ) with use of 9 diaphragm blades, field of view is 24 degrees, minimal focusing distance is 0.3 m with macro ability and support of focusing on infinity ( with use of this lens there is ability to make photos of astronomical objects and of distant land objects ). Lens supports automatic and manual focusing and aperture control and does not support optical image stabilization ( which camera can perform by itself via sensor shifting, if it supports it ), there is ability to attach 55 mm optical filters to it. 9 lens elements in 8 groups are built into it ( this is relatively large amount for fixed lens ), they all are covered with protective and anti-reflective multi-coating. Its sizes are 73.66 ( diameter ) x 95 ( length ) mm, mass is 540 g, it is eligible to 2-years manufacturer’s warranty. Package contains : Tokina AF 100mm F2.8 AT-X M100 AF PRO D photo-lens itself, frontal and rear caps, storage and carrying case and user’s guide. In technical characteristics respect, this is a middle tele-photo lens with automatic focusing support, which is useful for photos and videos making ( especially if camera can perform image stabilization ). But, if there is no need in automatic focusing, then there is ability to buy tele-photo lens with similar characteristics at much lower price.

SOL RELAYS SPORT – in-ear headphones for sports exercises

In-ear headphones SOL RELAYS SPORT
In-ear headphones SOL RELAYS SPORT

Lets review audio novelty SOL RELAYS SPORT – in-ear headphones for sports exercises. Manufacturer tells almost nothing about their technical characteristics, this points thoughts in suspicious direction. Judging by their view, 8 or 10 mm drivers are built into them, they are protected from sweat and moisture and has small mass and low-profile. Their volume control unit has built-in buttons for phones control, they are supplied with changeable tips for comfortable wearing by different people and are subject to 1-year manufacturer warranty. Package contains : SOL RELAYS SPORT headphones themselves, storage pouch and user’s guide. Overall, with lack of technical details from manufacturer and high price ( 50 USD at the end of Autumn 2015 ) it seems, that these headphones are simply marketing money pumping from customers, so, if there are no special sympathy to their design, then it is better to look on devices of other manufacturers with known technical details and more acceptable price.

Roland QUAD-CAPTURE – advanced audio interface with full spectrum of connectors and functions

External sound card Roland QUAD-CAPTURE
External sound card Roland QUAD-CAPTURE

Lets meet with external audio interface Roland QUAD-CAPTURE, which has full spectrum of connectors and functions for use in small studio. It can process and transmit sound with sampling rates up to 192 kHz with 24 bits precision, internal processing is performed with 40 bits per sample precision; digital signal through specialized connectors is accepted and transmitted with sampling rates up to 96 kHz. Its frontal panel has : instrumental Hi-Z and microphone combined balanced XLR/TRS ( 6.3 mm jack ) inputs ( phantom power +48 V can be connected to microphone input, instrumental input can be switched into linear mode ); amplification control knobs for these inputs with automatic control switch and clip indicator; TRS ( 6.3 mm jack ) output for monitor headphones with Direct Monitor switch, playback volume control, card work mode switch and USB connection indicator. Its back panel has : USB port, through which it powers and communicates with computer; MIDI input and output; coaxial digital RCA input and output; main balanced TRS ( 6.3 mm jack ) outputs; and following switches Ground Lift, phantom power and Hi-Z/linear mode of instrumental input.

External sound card Roland QUAD-CAPTURE ( rear view )
External sound card Roland QUAD-CAPTURE ( rear view )

Card’s noise level is -95 dB, dynamical range of analogue to digital conversion is 104 dB and of digital to analogue : 109 dB. For analogue inputs it uses quality VS Preamps, its power unit has low noise level, body is made of aluminum and it supports Direct-Box ( DI ) function for electro-magnetic interference protection on live concerts. Card supports Roland VS Streaming technology and ASIO 2.0 and WDM ( in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and newer ) and Core Audio ( in Mac OS X ) interfaces for tight integration with modern DAWs : Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio and others. Its sizes are 185 ( width ) x 134 ( depth ) x 44 ( height ) mm, and mass is 570 g. Package contains : Roland QUAD-CAPTURE external sound card itself, USB cable, optical disk with drivers and software and user’s guide. Roland CAPTURE sound cards in functionality and set hardware are superior to cards of Behringer and other manufacturers, and are on approximately the same level as Steinberg cards and, in reality, together with Steinberg cards has no competitors among these devices at these days. So, if there is need to buy external sound card, then cards of these manufacturers are first candidates for this task.

MEE audio M7P Secure-Fit Sports – new sportive in-ear headphones

Compact in-ear headphones MEE audio M7P Secure-Fit Sports
Compact in-ear headphones MEE audio M7P Secure-Fit Sports

Lets review new compact sportive headphones MEE audio M7P Secure-Fit Sports, designed for in-ear use. Their drivers size is 8 mm, they can reproduce sounds in 20 – 20000 Hz frequency range, impedance on 1 kHz equals to 16 Ohms, sensitivity is 98 dB and maximal power input is 5 mW. They are supplied with 1.3 detachable cable with 3.5 mm mini-jack connector. To its volume control unit microphone ( with 100 – 5000 Hz perceived frequencies range and -40 dB sensitivity ) and phone remote control are attached. Cable additionally has over-ear parts to distribute its weight evenly; pads, cable and its volume control module are protected from sweat and moisture. Headphones are released in 4 color variants : gray, red, blue and green. Package contains : MEE audio M7P Secure-Fit Sports headphones themselves, detachable cable, pouch of according color, 4 pairs of silicon ear-tips of different sizes, clothes clip and user’s guide. Characteristics of these headphones are mainly similar to those ones of other devices of such type, so, this model should be preferred for purchase only in case of sympathy to their design, reliability and convenience of their construction and adequate price.

Preview of Canon EOS M10 – new compact mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses

Compact mirrorless camera Canon EOS M10 with interchangeable lenses
Compact mirrorless camera Canon EOS M10 with interchangeable lenses

Lets preview compact mirrorless camera Canon EOS M10 with interchangeable lenses, it will be available in shops from 4th November. For lenses it uses Canon EF-M mount, APS-C Hybrid CMOS AF II sensor with 18 MP effective resolution and ultrasonic anti-dust system is set in it. Camera can shoot photos with 5184 x 3456 pixels maximal resolution ( with ISO 100 – 25600 levels ) and save them in JPEG, RAW ( with 14 bits per channel precision ) and RAW+JPEG formats; and can record videos in Full HD ( 1920 x 1080 30/24 ), HD ( 1280 x 720 60 ) and VGA ( 640 x 480 30 ) resolutions, saving them in MP4 format ( with MPEG-4 AVC or H.264 image encoding ). It supports manual control of focus, aperture and exposition and can be used for astronomical photos shooting. It has tilting 3″ TFT screen with 1.04 millions dots resolution, built-in flash and has no viewfinder. It saves photos and videos on SD, SDHC and SDXC flash memory cards and connects to computer via USB 2.0 connection for data transmitting and battery recharging; it also supports Wi-Fi connections for wireless data transmitting and remote control. One charge of its Li-ion battery is enough for 360 photos making; its sizes are 108 ( width ) x 66.6 ( height ) x 35 ( depth ) mm, and mass ( with battery and memory card ) is 301 g; it can work in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius temperatures range and relative air humidity level up to 85 %.

Camera Canon EOS M10 ( top view ) with Canon EF-M 15-45mm f3.5-6.3 STM IS lens
Camera Canon EOS M10 ( top view ) with Canon EF-M 15-45mm f3.5-6.3 STM IS lens

Camera is shipped with standard zoom-lens Canon EF-M 15-45mm f3.5-6.3 STM IS, with 15 – 45 mm focal distance, f/3.5 – f/6.3 and f/22 – f/40 maximal and minimal apertures ( depending on selected focus ), which is controlled via 7 diaphragm blades ( given model has no aperture manual control ring ), and support of optical image stabilization. Minimal focusing distance is 0.25 m with support of automatic and manual internal focusing. 10 lens elements in 9 groups are built into it, they all are covered with protective and anti-reflective multi-coating. There is ability to attach 49 mm optical filters to it, its sizes are 45 ( length ) x 61 ( diameter ) mm and mass is 130 g. All in all, it is middle-level standard zoom-lens, which is able to do its job before purchasing of more specialized lenses. Camera package contains : Canon EOS M10 – it itself, USB cable, Li-ion battery, user’s guide and Canon EF-M 15-45mm f3.5-6.3 STM IS lens with frontal and rear caps. It is interesting novelty among compact mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses, which is able to give competition to similar lenses of other manufacturers, for example, in the sensor size respect ( APS-C ) it is superior to cameras of this type of following manufacturers : Olympus and Panasonic ( Micro Four Thirds ) and Nikon ( 1″ ), reaching Sony NEX level with APS-C sensors.