Third World Geek

Tamron Trumps Sigma In My Book

3WG — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:24:13 +0000

Well, I didn’t foresee this. I was dead set on making sure that my first DSLR lens would be the Sigma 18-250mm despite the harsh criticisms I got from friends who know more than I do. One friend actually raised his left eyebrow when I told him of my plans to get the Sigma. ‘You have a Canon 7D! What the heck are you playing at trying to make do with a so-so lens?’ He wanted me to get a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens, and then get another telephoto lens to complement it.

Problem was, these things put together would totally outprice my body (that’s my camera body you perv), also this is what I was seriously considering when I decided to go for an all-in-one lens. I just want to take better pictures dammit, not necessarily professional quality pictures; hence the multipurpose lens. I was sure though that all these protesting friends mean well so I just listened, nodded and forgot everything they told me.

But of course I was gonna research to the best of my abilities. Sure I want something cheap, but I don’t want it to be like crap. The least it could do is to be functional. So I thought I should get the Sigma 18-250mm lens. Well, a few more reviews read later, I was already changing my mind about the Sigma. If you’ve read the last article I read about the best all-in-one Canon DSLR lens, I promptly dismissed Tamron 28-300mm and Canon 18-200mm.

Canon’s 18-200mm wasn’t really up to expectations according to reviews I’ve read. And most reviews were of the same opinion so that was an easy decision to rule it out. The Tamron 28-300mm however was a bit too pricey and so it’s also out of the window. The Sigma 18-250mm however was just about right plus it’s also readily available in the Philippines and priced at only P24,500. So I read all the reviews online that I could get my hands on. My favorite review site however, DPReviews.com, recommended the Sigma 18-250mm, but with reservations. Now ‘but’ is one of those words that I don’t like seeing in reviews or assessments. It’s good but, it’s amazing but, it’s blah blah but…

Good thing I read the reviews at DPReview because there was one lens there that they recommend without any reservation. Meaning they believe that this lens is good. I’m a DPReview fan so when they say that this lens is good, it means that I’m ditching the ‘recommended but with reservations’ Sigma 18-250mm. When I checked amazon.com however, the lens was tagged at $616 and man, that’s a freaking enthusiasm dampener. I was prepared to shell out up to $500 but the $100 increment makes my back ache.

Buying The Tamron 18-270mm in Manila, Philippines

I got a little boost however when my sponsor said that a 20% increase from the original budget is fine so I excitedly went hunting for a Tamron 18-270mm lens for sale in Manila. Here’s the thing though, very very few people sell Tamron lenses in Manila. I tried calling and emailing Henry’s but I couldn’t get through. I went to some forums online looking for people who might be selling Tamron but most of the time all I saw were used lenses. Those who were selling at Sulit.com.ph pegged their prices at P27K which was encouraging. However, I have a general wary disposition towards buying in online forums rather than visiting a store so I decided to rough it out at Hidalgo St. in Quiapo.

This turned out to be a very good decision. A lot of the photography stores there were carrying the Tamron brand but prices ranged from P27K – 30K. I then stopped at Watson and my heart skipped a bit when they said that their Tamron 18-270mm lens only costs 23K. Being the great poker player that I am I didn’t show my excitement but just calmly asked if they accept credit cards. A big fat no. Gah, I was crestfallen. A real steal and I don’t have enough cash to buy it. I went to Henry’s which was just beside Watson and was instantly rewarded. Same price, accepts plastic. Ultimate combination. I was done in 15minutes flat. I included a lens protector as well in my purchase to ensure longevity of my newly purchased Tamron 18-270mm lens.

The guys at Henry’s said that the Tamron price is a promo price so they’re not sure if it’s gonna stay at that price forever. I really didn’t care. I have my new lens and I couldn’t wait to try it out.

I have already attached my new lens to my Canon body and I have to say it’s freaking big! The kit lens I was using is puny in comparison. Here’s a pic of my new lens attached to the Canon 7D and another one with the lens extended. hehehe. Talk about compensating for something.

Tamron 18-270mm on Canon 7D

Tamron 18-270mm on Canon 7D Zoomed Out

Call Your Relatives In The US or Canada For Free!

3WG — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:55:01 +0000

Do you know that you can now call your relatives residing in the US or Canada for free? No I’m not talking about calling via Skype or Yahoo! where you only talk computer to computer. In this one, you can actually call your relatives who are now in the US or Canada ON THEIR LANDLINES OR MOBILE PHONES! Yes you read that right. This is an awesome service that was just launched by Google yesterday. Check out the story HERE.

All you need to do is log-in to your Gmail account and then look for the ‘call phone’ icon on the left side. Click on that and you will be then prompted to install a little voice plugin which installs in just a few seconds. Just click on ‘TRY IT NOW’ and then you’re set!

I was actually skeptical about the service and thought that this might just be for US to US calls or Canada to Canada calls. But lo and behold, I tried calling the Smithsonian Institute in New York (teehehehe, I got the number on the internet) and I was able to do so without any problem. The line was clear and I was able to hear the automated answering system. Yes, I was calling their landline via Gmail.

Of course, you will have to get headset with a microphone piece to be able to talk but that’s just a few bucks right? Imagine having to talk to your relatives in the US or Canada for free anytime of the day at no cost whatsoever?

I’m pretty sure our Telecommunications companies will be hit hard by this one. Try it now! Please note that this free service is only applicable to US and Canada calls. All other international calls will not be free. However the calling rates are still ridiculously low.

Waterproof Camera Housing Tips

3WG — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:10:49 +0000

What is a waterproof camera housing? Waterproof camera housing protects your camera from getting soaked in water. This is specially useful if you’re thinking of taking photos underwater. Although there are already waterproof digital cameras that are available in the market today, you don’t need to buy one if you already have your own non-waterproof digital camera. By using a waterproof camera housing, you will be able to use your camera even in areas where getting wet is a sure thing.

There are a lot of waterproof camera housing available in the market today. DiCApac immediately comes to mind when it comes to waterproof camera housings. Their products are very affordable and there are a variety of waterproof camera housings that they sell. These products are also readily available via amazon or on any standalone camera stores all over.

The price of waterproof camera housings range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars for the more high-end variety.

When buying your own waterproof camera housing, take note of the following:

Tips When Buying Waterproof Camera Housing

- the make of your camera ~ don’t just go for generic camera housing. There’s usually a waterproof camera housing for almost every camera model. Just be patient in your research.

- your purpose for buying ~ are you buying a housing because you want to go diving or just to protect your camera from the rain?

- your budget ~ unless you have plenty of money to burn, you might not want to go into the deep end. Some camera housings are more expensive than some high end digital cameras.

- check out customer reviews ~ this is where amazon comes in really handy as those customers who have already purchased the waterproof camera housing you are considering usually leave their review of the product. Of course you can also check the product itself on the net and see what the experts say about the waterproof camera housing of your choice.

Click here –>> For more about waterproof camera housings.

Play Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 On PS3

3WG — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:29:38 +0000

Here’s something that will get Naruto fans and gamers alike excited. Naruto Utimate Ninja Storm 2 demo is now ready for download at the PSN network. You can try out the demo first and if you like it, then by all means buy the game. Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is dubbed in english and while in certain aspects it may sound funny, well maybe not like how it sounds in the original Japanese but that’s a small concession if you were to understand what it is they’re saying right off the bat instead of reading subtitles. Now that should help you keep your focus on the game.

As the title suggests, Naruto Ultimate Storm 2 is the sequel to the original Naruto Ultimate Storm game. This time, the game’s story becomes a trifecta as told by Naruto, Sasuke and Jiraya in the sequel. A website was created to promote the game at www.ultimateninjastorm.com. Even that website is awesome! Be sure to check it out.

If you want to download the Naruto Ulitmate Ninja Storm 2 Demo, just click here.

Check out the interactive trailer below and below that, the original game trailer.

Here’s the debut trailer of Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2.

Once you’re ready to buy this game, just click on the image of Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 below.

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Limited Edition

SWOT Manga Represents

3WG — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:10:16 +0000

No I’m not gonna go MBA on your candy buns. My business school past is way behind me. SWOT however is one of my takeaways from that rather interesting experience. Not that it did me any good professionally. After finishing all those thesis and recording the worst attendance for a business school student ever, there’s nothing much that I can expect really. But personally, boy those were good times. Too bad that it ended quickly though. But enough about that.

SWOT is a very interesting manga that I’ve been following for months now. The scanlations however cannot keep up with my manga feeding appetite, unfortunately. In Japanese jargon, a SWOT is a person who spends too much time studying. I think this jargon is not limited to Japan though. I’ve seen this term being used all over Europe as well so I guess this is not a strictly Asian thing. Not sure about neet. Hmm, I gotta brush up on that as well.

What SWOT manga is all about |from mangaupdates.com|

Transfer student Manabizaki Kyou is a swot, a person who spends too much time studying. His dream is to attend Tokyo University and then work for NASA! He will soon discover, however, that the high school he’s transferred into, which was once very prestigious, has taken in delinquents from the surrounding schools. Now it is full of violence and gang fights.

Luckily, Manabizaki has a surprising skill at fighting, particularly when he’s defending the peace of his study area. Through this strength he’ll find his new friends, a weak boy called Iwashida and a legendary delinquent girl, Hasuno Nene, who makes him feel things that, for the first time in his life, he can’t explain…

Scanlations of this cool manga is still ongoing and has 7 chapters released already. If you’re a manga fan and is always on the lookout for a good read, this one is for you. Since the closure of onemanga however my readings have been limited to mangafox. I hope this site stays open for a lot longer though.

SWOT strikes a chord because well, I did my fair share of studying in college sans the fighting. It would have been great if i did some fighting though. Lord knows there were a lot of jerks back in college that could have used some of my Bruce Lee cocktail. Meh.

If you want to see what I’ve been doing in the otaku world, check out my site at Proud Otaku.

Looking For My Perfect Canon DSLR Lens

3WG — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 17:25:10 +0000

I learned too late when I decided to plunge into the world of DSLR cameras that the make and model of the camera is only half of the equation. The other half of course is the lens. I have to admit I was briefed beforehand by my photographer friends and was even advised to go for a mid-priced camera then use the rest of my budget for a decent lens. But no, I just gotta have the latest, the shiniest Canon model. Which was ok I guess, and besides I always thought that I would be satisfied with whatever lens the camera I bought came with. What can I say, I was pretty naive.

After several months of playing around with my 18-55mm kit lens, the itch to get a more defined lens is starting to build. I have already researched which lenses I should be getting. I know I want a wide angle lens, and a telephoto lens. Although the kit lens serves as a wide angle lens for now, I’m really struggling with scenes and objects that I wanted to take closer pictures of.

Now the concern really is that if I purchase two lenses, wide angle and telephoto, doing so will create a huge sinkhole in my already empty pockets. I could probably buy both if I win the lottery but since that would take some time and a whole lot of luck, I might as well look for a middle ground. This was the thought that’s running in my mind when I decided to look for a DSLR Camera Lens that would:

a. Fit my budget.
b. Satisfy my need for a wide angle and a telephoto lens
c. Something that would not weigh a ton and a half. I tried my friend’s prime telephoto lens and the blasted thing weighed almost 5 pounds!

I know a lot of so called master photographers would be thumbing down their noses at this idea. But I am not a professional photographer, nor do I have any plans or illusions of being one. I just want to be able to photographs the things I want to photograph. So the answer to my needs would be a multipurpose DSLR camera lens.

Since I am a proud owner of a Canon DSLR camera, I need a multipurpose lens that would be compatible with my camera’s model.

The shortlisted lenses I came up with are as follows:

Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD VC (Vibration Compensation) Aspherical (IF) Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM IF Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

All these multipurpose lenses prices range from $300 – $500 still nothing to sneeze at, but if you consider the cost of the two lenses well, purchasing any of these will be quite a bargain.

At this point however, I am going towards the Sigma lens owing to some reviews I read about it’s performance. Also, the lens is readily available in the Philippines which makes it more appealing than the Tamron. The Canon lens, well, it’s not something that got away unscathed from expert reviews so I will be steering clear from that one.

Now the only thing that I need to do is save enough so I can buy me one before Christmas comes.

iPad Alternatives

3WG — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:06:42 +0000

The launch of the iPad opened up a whole new market for Apple. Computer tablets have been around way before the iPad but there was one thing all of these tablet computers lacked which Apple does to perfection– a considerable hype machine to be reckoned with. Apple is in the enviable position of coming up with a gold product time and time again. Sure there were very few products that did not quite enjoy the same success that most of Apple’s products enjoyed but I’d say their product batting average is way up in the stratosphere.

One thing that needs to be clarified though, the iPad is not a direct competitor of Amazon’s Kindle. True, it is an ebook reader as well but it is way more than that. The technology and the amount of thought that was put into producing this gadget will certainly push some of the more ubiquitous e-readers off the playing fields. It’s not happening right now but in the foreseeable future, that is bound to happen. Why play with something that can only do one or two things? If you have another product that can do a lot of things and is on the same price range, wouldn’t you gun for that product instead?

Of course with the success of iPad, a lot of pretenders to the computer tablet throne are coming out of the woodwork. Technologizer.com posted an article about potential iPad adversaries. You can check out all these tablets, slates, gizmos here.

With all these so-called pretenders to the throne, one can’t help but go back to the standard, the iPad. And although competition as they say is good, when you have that much option in your plate, you kinda want to go for the sure thing which only serves Apple in good stead.

It’s gonna take a lot of convincing and marketing to keep people away from the iPad.

LastPass | The Last Online Password Manager You’ll Ever Need

3WG — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:25:05 +0000

Being an online citizen is getting more and more complex these days. You need to have a lot of profiles to be able to use the latest internet tools to either manage your business or keep yourself up to date. The main problem with having a lot of profiles or accounts is the number of passwords you have to maintain. You can always create one username and password for everything but that presents a huge risk if you get attacked or hacked. Sure you can always write down your usernames and passwords somewhere and go back to them whenever you forgot your login profile to a certain online service. But again that can be risky. What if you lose that list? Or what if you’re away from the computer where you saved that list?

Good thing there’s lastpass.com. This is a free service that stores all the usernames and passwords that you have online. So even if your computer crashes or you’re working on a remote location, as long as you have an internet connection you will be able to log on to whatever service you want without the hassle of memorizing your password.

Using last pass is real simple. You just go to lastpass.com and install the extension. Whether you are using safari, firefox, or chrome there is an add-on/extension of lastpass available. If you’re away from your computer, you can always go to lastpass.com, go to your lastpass vault and retrieve any log in credentials you want for the internet site that you want to access.

Once you have the lastpass extension installed, it will offer to save your web profile when you access any internet service. You can even set lastpass to autologin for you when you come back to the service that you’ve already saved in lastpass. Even more than that, lastpass can also suggest highly complex passwords for any service that you’d like to use and of course it will save it and make it available for you the next time you visit the same site.

I’ve been using lastpass for a while now and it has really simplified my online existence. It has also lessened the burden of me having to memorize a lot of passwords which is a lot of hassle.

If you haven’t done so, I recommend that you start using lastpass now. Check out also this short instructional video about lastpass.

How To Increase Your Alexa Ranking Quickly

3WG — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:36:54 +0000

I’ve already written a lot of posts about Alexa already but I thought about doing another one just because I’m bored. I really get excited when an experiment I do gets results fast.

But first things first. Why do we want to have high Alexa rankings?

Well, this is for the same reason why we want a higher PR blog– for revenue purposes. Most potential advertisers look for three metrics when scoping out potential advertising partners:

Google PR
Alexa Rank
Traffic

Google PR can be dealt with building a lot of relevant one way backlinks. Traffic can be done two ways, building a huge readership base, and the other part would be to get organic search results from the major search engines via SEO or search engine optimization.

Achieving high PR and getting a lot of traffic costs a lot of time. Getting a higher Alexa rank however can be dealt with quite easily.

My favorite method of increasing my Alexa Rank is via Entrecard. Drop 300 cards a day for 30 days and see what happens. If you will look at my Alexa ranking these days, it’s not at the level they once were. But this was because I stopped using Entrecard. Well you might think that doing this is time consuming and you’ll probably be right. However nobody said that you need to do this yourself. I mean what’s money for right? I have associates who will do this work for you for as little as $50/month plus some other services that you would like. Just leave me a note using my contact form if you’re interested.

Anyway, I started with my Entrecard drops again 3 days ago and already the results are showing. And yes, I didn’t do it myself. It’s really exciting to see your Alexa ranking taking a nosedive (nosedive is good) after only a couple of days. So if you what to increase your Alexa rank too, you might want to get yourself an Entrecard widget.

To get helpers for your Alexa Rank campaign, contact me using form below:

Free Web Banner Header Creation Tool

3WG — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:39:24 +0000

I’ve been doing a lot of header creations these days so I thought I should share my experience. I am a complete noob (politically correct term for idiot) when it comes to web design or anything related to the visual arts, though I try to do my best. The most popular and powerful application out there for web design is of course photo shop. As a third world geek coming from a third world country, PhotoShop is readily accessible to the general masses. You just have to shell out less than $2 and it’s yours. lol.

The trouble with pirated software however is that it comes with a lot of risks. Chief among them viruses and malware. There’s also the gnawing feeling of having committed a felony. Using a pirated software does that to you. Buying the original version of Photoshop however is out of the question. It costs an arm and a leg and some other dangling appendage that will forever remain unnamed.

The next best thing therefore is to use an open source software created by a bunch of software saints who I am forever thankful to. The open source photo-editing software I use for my headers and banners and what not is called Gimp. It’s an awesome tool that’s supported by a community of software developers and this one is released for free to the entire world.

I have yet to master Gimp but the great thing about it is that there are a lot of tutorials out there for anything Gimp-related. Youtube is just bursting with Gimp tutorials. If you want step by step text tutorials, there are those as well.

Before, I’m completely helpless when it comes to creating headers for my websites. I often had to rely on free banner creation tools to get my headers. Most of these banner creation tools however would insist that their watermarks be placed on every banner I create, not to mention that the quality is not really that good.

With Gimp I’m able to have full control of my banners, I can make it as ugly or as beautiful as I want. And if there’s something I’d like to know like how to animate the texts in my banners, there’s youtube and a thousand other resources that can help me get what I want.

If you want to give Gimp a try, you can easily download it here. Good luck on your design aspirations, and have fun!