i Chat Tech

[ichattech-blog]

Battery Backups like APC - Do you need one?

Well, the answer is yes and no.

As portable computers become more and more powerful, only a powerful surge suppressor is necessary for a laptop, since a laptop has it's own battery power. Any "tower" computer should be plugged into a battery backup (like models from APC - America Power Conversion). Regardless of where you are in the country, there is always a chance of the power going out, even for a second, that could corrupt the file you're working on. 

If you use a MacPro, not only should the MacPro be plugged into the battery backup, but also one of your monitors (the main one). This is so that during a power outage, you can see your main screen, as you save your work and shutdown your computer, until the power goes back on. You can plug in all of your monitors into a battery backup, but that means you will need a larger battery backup device.  

Don't forget that any external drives that require AC, must be plugged into an battery backup unit to protect your data integrity.

Be aware that many battery backup units have only some plugs for battery backup and some that only are for surge suppresion.   

[ichattech-blog]

Fast Lens Switching

Fast lens switching on the go. You have a hip bag and need to switch your lens, but don't have time to put your rear lens cap on. What to do! Shooting fast at an event, means being able to change lenses quickly. Lens pouches and waist bags have a nice silk bottom with very little padding, but that's about it.  When you spend over $2000 on a lens, keeping the bottom of the lens in great condition is very, very important.  Not only protecting the mounting ring, but more important is the rear lens element and the electronic contacts.  It is very important to keep these parts very clean, and dropping your lens in a pouch can be precarious.  So here's my solution.  First,  go to tempurpedic.com  and request a FREE sample of their mattress product. They will send you a piece that's about 3"x3" and 1" thick.  This material is a perfect dense foam with some memory and give, and it's the perfect "cushion" for a lens.

Next step, is covering for the "lens pillow". I have found, that from all of the lens cloths available, the best one is the Visible Dust Magic Cleaner visibledust.com. This cloth is large, and will wrap around the foam with extra cloth to spare.   After you wrap the tempurpedic foam block with the lens cloth, insert it into the bottom of your pouch.

Now, when you "drop" your lens into your pouch, rear element down with no lens cap on, you will have no reservations that the bottom of your lens is 100% safe, without a rear lens cap! 

bag with 2 foam covered inserts!

[ichattech-blog]

The best iPad accessories

The best iPad accessory package. I have looked and tried so many different stands and cases, it feel like I wasted a lot of dollars, until you find the best combination at a great price, and I finally did. The SCREEN PROTECTOR: From Power Support USA  www.powersupportusa.com  The iPhone screen protectors are sold at the Apple store, but not the ones for the iPad. The one I really like is the antiglare. The glossy screen has to be clean constantly, and even though the antiglare gives a little bit of a dull finish, it's so much easier to view the screen outside, and wipe any smuges off. Once you have a screen protector, there really isn't any need for a bulky snap on case. Of course, getting insurance like AppleCare or SquareTrade is always a good idea.

The STAND: Is from Human Toolz  www.humantoolz.com  This stand received a bad review from someone who wanted to take it on and off. Well, if you're like most normal people, you put it on and leave it on. It works fabulous. I set up on my lap, on my desk, in bed, a clients table it's perfect.

The KEYBOARD: I pre-ordered the Logitech Bluetooth Easy Switch http://www.logitech.com and got one of the first ones. It's proven to be another hit. The easy switching between my MacBook Pro, then the iPad, then the iPhone. Also, the backlit "Bluetooth" keyboard is something that Apple doesn't feel anyone wants. They couldn't be more wrong, would you buy a laptop without a backlit keyboard? You wave your hand over the keyboard and it illuminates. The USB battery charge lasts for weeks.

The BAG: OK, this is what I use, but there are tons of choices out there. My bag is from www.tombihn.com It's very functional, and I like all the extra zipper accessory pouches you can get.