Ion Slides Forever Converter
There are those who remember an age before digitalisation, when music was played on vinyl platters or tape cassettes and when photographic images were captured on film. As such we spend inordinate amounts of time attempting to convert music and images from old to modern formats. The audio industry has found a wide range of cost-effective conversion platforms, the photographic business less so. I have a large collection of important photographs from the Seventies and Eighties (the Clash, Blondie, the Ramones) so it was with some anticipation that I set up my Ion Slides Forever Converter.
First, the facts. Ion claims that this is a five megapixel sensor so there is no scanning as such; it captures the image like a digital camera. In fact, tests suggest it yields images closer to 4.3 megapixels. The software is, as claimed, very easy to install both on PC and Mac, and equally easy to use. It scans quickly, and thus provides as many digitised images as you want in short order. It also converts film negatives to positive digital images, and the colour balance and exposure are automatically controlled by the scanner.
But what about the digital image quality? Well, I tried a range of colour slides and monochrome negatives and my immediate conclusion is that it works quite well if the source images are perfectly exposed, and you don't intend to zoom in too much. Even on these well-exposed images they tend to have a greenish cast, which can be corrected in Photoshop. This confirms what a number of the photo-tech critics have been saying – that the 1,800 pixels per inch images are respectable if you're looking to produce 8x6 in prints, but there is an absence of sharp detail. Then look at the price – my standard Ion converter costs €55 at Maplin and the Mark II version costs €69 – and you're not spending a lot of money on high-end technology. The results were not quite as good as I got using my Nikon camera with a macro lens and placing the slides on a neutral light box. Only this is quicker.
Parrot BeBop Drone
The Parrot BeBop Drone is a third generation flying quatrocopter that focuses on recording high-quality video footage and thus has serious image stabilisation facilities. It's a prosumer drone (professional/consumer) – and while it is more likely to be used for making home movies than television documentaries, the quality is outstanding. It has four exposed propellors on extended arms that surround the main body, and the arms support a polystyrene body containing the camera, thus going a long way to neutralising vibration. It can fly for 11 minutes, has 3-axis digital stabilisation, and the 14-megapixel camera has a 180-degree fisheye lens. The video shoots 1080p at 30 frames per second. The easy-to-use FreeFlight 3 control app allows you to concentrate on the joys of flying the drone. From €480 on Amazon.
Dyson AM10 Humidifier
There is something so aesthetically pleasing about the various vacuum cleaners, fans, LED desk lamps, hand dryers and the rest produced by the Dyson family that one is lured into activities such as vacuuming and hand-drying that would not normally be part of one's daily life. So, the addition of the Dyson AM10 Humidifier means that I am now prepared to sit in a room that previously I had never thought required humidifying, just to be the lucky participant in the Dyson world view. The AM10 combines its humidifier function with the now de rigeur Dyson blade-free Air Multiplier "hoop", thus providing your living area with disinfected humidified air for up to 18 hours a day. Then you have to refill the three-litre container with water and start again. It costs a tasty €690 from dyson.com.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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