Tech Review: Viewsonic 24-Inch Widescreen LED 1080p HD Monitor

I'd been saving my pennies for a big-screen TV for a long time when I started looking at HD monitors as an alternative. When I realized I could get a big, 1080 HD monitor and park it in front of my couch (on a coffee table) for a fraction of the cost it was an easy choice. My current PC monitor also needed an upgrade.

This LED monitor is thin and light-weight so it it easy to move it from my PC in my office to my living room to play games on my consoles. I also use this to watch Blu Ray movies while I'm exercising. Having a screen that I can move to whatever room in my house I need it has been so much more useful than one big screen mounted to a wall in front of my couch.

The picture on this monitor is amazing! Hooking up my PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 with an DVI to HDMI adapter was a breeze (this monitor has no HDMI inputs) and my games have never looked better. You can find the needed adapter on Amazon for a few bucks.

The speakers are nothing special but I use headphones so it's not an issue for me.

I did come accross some issues connecting this monitor to my game consoles. When I hooked up my Xbox 360 the monitor did not recognize it right away and it took some tinkering with the resolution settings on the Xbox 360 to get it working. When I did get it working I had flashing green pixels popping up from time to time. I tried a new HDMI cable and the problem went away. I had no problems connecting my PS3 but I had a similar problem and needed a different HDMI cable. Now I have two different cables that I switch back and forth. If I use my "Xbox cable" with my  PS3 I have problems and vice versa. I have no idea what the issue is but it's really not a big deal just using two different cables.  I've had no problems when the monitor is connected to my PC.

Pros:

• Great picture
• Inexpensive
• Energy efficient
• Thin screen
• Light-weight
• Sleek design

Cons:

• No HDMI inputs
• Speakers aren't great

The Viewsonic VX2450WM-LED is exactly what I needed. Big, beautiful 1080 HD picture, versatile for working, playing games & watching movies, and easy to move from room to room. All this and at a very affordable price.

You can buy this monitor at Amazon HERE and the DVI to HDMI adapter HERE

*Photo from Amazon

Tech Review: Awesome Wireless Headphones!

 

Just under a year ago I was in the market for new headphones. My current wired headphones were being held together by duct-tape that ripped out my hair every time I took them off. They were falling apart because I was constantly tripping over them and the cord was always a tangled mess.

After a quick search on Amazon I found these remanufactured RS 110 Sennheiser wireless headphones. I read some reviews and came to the conclusion for $30 these were an awesome deal. I'm sure if I wanted to spend $300 I probably could have got something better but these were just what I needed.

Pros:

• Great sound
• Great wireless range
• Good battery life
• Comfortable
• Great Price

Cons:

• Ear covers are flat and don't fit tight to your head like better, more professional headphones.
• Battery cover(ear pad)is a little loose and falls off sometimes.
• Reception can be a little touchy sometimes and requires finding that sweet spot.

Conclusion:
You just cant beat $30 for a good set of wireless headphones. There are somethings that could be improved but these are perfect for casual use: listening to music, and playing games, etc.

You can also buy them new.

This version is rechargeable and doesn't require batteries.

POTD #22

Photo of the Day

Took this shot at an equipment rental shop while on a walk with my family.

The Breakdown: This is another one of those shots where the light was really bright and contrasty. I got a few good stock shots with the sun at my back but, I thought it might be cool to flip around and put the sun right behind my subject for some backlighting and this is what I got.

After taking the photo I boosted the contrast and the blacks to get a good silhouette and then tweaked the color to get the sky the way I wanted.

Camera:		Canon EOS 5d
Exposure:		0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture:		f/20
Focal Length:		105 mm
ISO Speed:		100
Exposure Bias:		-1/3 EV

Here are links to some of the equipment I used to get this shot. If the equipment I used is no longer available I have listed either the newer version or a similar substitute. I no longer use some of the items on this list.

Photoshop CS4

Canon EOS 5d

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens

B + W 77mm UV (Ultra Violet) Haze Multi Coated (2C) Glass Filter #010

My Photography Workflow:

I shoot in raw,
organize and review shots in Adobe Bridge,
process raw files in Adobe Camera Raw
and export as .jpeg if im done,
if I need to do more work in Photoshop I export as .tiff,
make final touches in Photoshop,
I add titles, descriptions and keywords in Bridge when im done editing.

Please feel free to leave comments or questions.

Adorama.com

If you are like me and have to buy all your camera equipment online because the nearest camera shop is a couple hours away you should really check out Adorama.com. Hey, even if you have a camera shop around the corner from your house chances are they dont have what you need or if they do it cost two times what it should.

I just added some ads for Adorama.com on the blog. I buy about 90% of my photography equipment from Adorama so I am glad I can get these ads up and drive some customers their way.

Adorama always ships out my orders super fast and the one time I needed to return something they were very helpful and replaced the product without any trouble. Shipping is always reasonable and they have lots of great "Adorama" versions of products that are very affordable and great products.