• CES roadLAN 2012 
• CES Kickoff
• Samsung 2012 Press Conference
• NVIDIA Press Conference
• Microsoft’s Last CES Keynote
• E-Fun Tablets at CES 2012
• Archos @ CES 2012
• ROCCAT at CES 2012
• Arctic @ CES 2012
• Magellan at CES 2012
• Lian Li @ CES 2012
• AfterShokz Headphones @ CES 2012
• Crucial @ CES 2012
• Ford at CES 2012
• iBUYPOWER @ CES 2012
• Patriot Memory @ CES 2012
• Verbatim @ CES 2012
• Thermaltake @ CES 2012
• NZXT @ CES 2012
• Rosewill @ CES 2012
• Trendnet at CES 2012
• Zotac at CES 2012
• Edifier @ CES 2012
• Ooma @ CES 2012
• Genius @ CES 2012
• SteelSeries @ CES 2012
• Cooler Master at CES 2012
• Sennheiser at CES 2012

If you prefer to look at pictures, you can check out our daily image galleries here.

• Pre-Press Day Fun at CES
• CES 2012 Press Day
• CES 2012 Day 1
• CES 2012 Day 2
• CES 2012 Day 3
• CES 2012 Day 4

I hope you find something interesting!  We sure had a good time and a lot of fun bringing you some great CES 2012 coverage!

This year marked Microsoft’s last keynote and I believe, the start of some new things in technology.  We saw innovation this year as well as a lot of major improvements to the technology that we’re using.  For me, it was exciting to see and to be a part of.  Please check out our Eye-Fi enabled Flickr Gallery here.

For all of the CES 2012 coverage done by the BCCHardware team, please go here.  If all you want is pictures, you may go here and enjoy six days of pictures from around Las Vegas – and the trip getting there.

This year has actually been a banner year for me as we’ve seen some pretty massive growth over at BCCHardware.com

Also, our podcast – WeeklyTechUpdate has grown like a weed and we are currently sitting at 136 episodes and will be broadcasting from CES 2012 in Las Vegas running from January 10 – 13.  Our coverage will start as early as January 7th with our LAN Party Road Trip (stay tuned.  It will be epic).  Make sure you listen and watch for live coverage coming to you all through the week.

The amazing thing about our Podcast is how much bandwidth we suck from our host.  We’ve upgraded dedicated servers twice this past year and there’s still no slowing down or looking back.  Recently I bought WTUFiles.com in order to keep our podcasts rolling without crashing our site.  Here’s hoping that works out.

There is a lot more to come, so make sure you keep BenHeide.com on your radar!

Another band that headlined this year was Leeland. They have a mellow sound and have hearts set of fire for God. Not only did I manage to enjoy their worship sets, I got a chance to sit down and talk to them about youth, vision, ministry and how they stay focused when so busy and doing the same songs over and over.  Catch the audio interview by clicking here.

Make sure you check out all of our YC Alberta 2010 pictures here.

We’ve included the interview at the end of Episode #41 of Weekly Tech Update and in order to make things easier for you, we’ve also included it as a separate download over here.

For more on the Doritos Viralocity campaign, check the press release here or you can watch as many of the video submissions that you want over here.

“We’re living in an exciting time for video creators, and the Internet has opened doors for people like myself – huge doors.” says Billy Reid “What’s great is that Doritos is giving anyone in Canada with a video camera and access to the web a shot at creating a winning ad. The best part is that they’re putting the final decision into the hands of the Internet. The Internet decides who wins. This is powerful. Basically, expect the unexpected, it could be your next door neighbour who comes out on top.” – Billy Reid

Catch our interview with Billy Reid over here.

Unfortunately the audio isn’t working on the videos and is totally borked. That being said, you can still see that they are having a whole bunch of fun.

It was a great day and my oldest bay said “That is the most fun we’d had outside ever!”  It makes me proud that I can pass on the love of the outdoors and skating to my family.

That being said, I’m pretty happy with how this shot turned out last year.  I believe I was using a D60 at the time.  It worked out quite well and I really like the depth of field in this image.

If you want to take a look at a few other winter pictures and such, I’ve got a couple more worth looking at over in my “Ben Heide” flickr stream.  I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments.

In about a month, I’ll be heading down to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV and will be taking along my camera of course and hope to get some nice night shows of the Las Vegas Strip.  Time will tell how it all works out, but I’m hoping for some nice long exposure shots as well as a some HDR action.

The beauty of this software is that it allows you remotely tigger your camera, adjust ISO, exposure, aperture and more – all from your iPod or iPhone.  If your camera is capable of “Live View”, it will also stream the live image through the lens to your iPod.  It sounds almost too good to be true, and at $20 for the “Pro” version, it is probably one of the cheapest camera accessories that money can buy.  That being said it’s super powerful – but there is one caveat – your camera must be connected to a Windows or Mac computer that in turn is connected to a wireless network.  This makes it not as handy out in the field, but still a nice tool – especially if you have a USB powered router like the Trendnet TEW-652TR Travel Router.

With that being said, I play to take it to Bonerak’ageddon this weekend in Lethbridge and should be able to upload some photos of the event to Flickr.  I’ll also try livestreaming some of the gaming and Windows 7 festivities on Qik.  Stay tuned.

Part of my job description and life vocation is a Youth Leader/Pastor at a church here in Vulcan, Alberta.  Recently to kick off the fall season of our Youth Group, we took a trip to Calaway Park in Calgary, AB and then more recently we headed down south to the Corn Maze.  If interested in some fun pictures you can head on over to the VulcanYouth.com Gallery.

On the way home last night I stopped at the top of a hill overlooking the “Flat” and took a picture.  It was almost full-dark with just a wee bit of light on the horizon, but the lights from farms and small towns around the country looked quite pretty.  The picture above was taken with a 50mm f1.8 Nikon lens – not even close to the idea lens for this shot, but it was on the camera, so I took it anyway.  Our rugged rocky mountains are in the distance.

Introduction:

Today I’m taking a look at a bit of a different product here at BenHeide.com.  Usually, we work more with computer and consumer electronics, but we are heading down the road with our SLR today and looking at the Joby Ballhead.  A ballhead is an attachment that interfaces between your camera and your tripod, giving you greater flexibility for holding your camera at any angle you choose and keeping it stable.  The Joby Ballhead is designed to work with their SLR-Zoom Gorillapod, but will work with many other tripods.

Ballhead Box

Lean Bundle

Features & Specifications:

Let me quickly cover the features and specifications on this unit.  The information has been pulled from the Joby product page and reprinted here for your convenience.

Built with the serious photographer in mind, the Joby Ballhead is lightweight and compact, yet still robust enough to support SLR cameras with zoom lenses. It further extends the functionality of the Gorillapod by allowing even more creative camera positions and an improved ability to capture great shots!
Full 360-degree panning, and 90-degree tilt.
Position your camera at virtually any angle; get portrait or landscape shots with ease.
Adjustment knob easily locks the Ballhead into place, securing it tightly.
The adapter screw allows the Ballhead to accommodate both 3/8″ and 1/4″ threads, allowing it to be used with virtually any tripod.
The slim-line quick-release clip with bubble level stays connected to your camera and snaps into the Ballhead for nearly instant setup.

Assembled

Head And Clip

Intended for: SLR cameras with or without
zoom lenses, and camcorders
Max weight load: 3kg (6.6 lbs)
Material: Precision-machined aluminum
housing, with all-metal ball.
Slim-line clip: Universal ¼-inch camera
screw, with additional 3/8-inch adapter
Size: 68 x 45 x 63mm (2.7 x 1.8 x 2.5″)
Weight: 150g (5.3oz)
Habitat: most comfortable atop the
Gorillapod SLR-ZOOM, but compatible
with many tripods.

General Usage:

While many people don’t associate Joby and the Gorillapod with serious photographers, the truth is their products are incredible.  The flexibility of a Gorillapod allows you to attach your camera to a railing, a tree limb, car mirror and pretty much anything else it can wrap its legs around.  I have purchased the Gorillapod SLR-Zoom for use with my Nikon D90 at 18-200mm lens, and it works very well.  The SLR-Zoom Gorillapod is rated for 6.6lbs, and it holds my camera easily and very steady – even with a hefty piece of glass hanging off the front.  The only downside to the Gorillapod is the inability to easily position your camera flat, or at a 90° angle easily.  The Joby Ballhead addresses this issue – for another $45USD.

I recently took a trip to Yellowstone National Park with my Gorillapod but without the Ballhead.  That was a big mistake.  I took some long exposure photographs with ND-8 and ND-4 filters, but without the ballhead, things were a little tricky to ensure the camera was level.  Since I’ve returned home from this trip, the quick release plate sits permanently fixed to my camera so that I can use the ballhead every time I use the Gorillapod.

The design of the Ballhead makes it easy to have your camera level, at a 45° angle or even a full 90° portrait position.  The single knob enables you to lock the aluminum ball in place and even rotate the base of the unit.

I really like the simple, low profile design of the Joby Ballhead as it doesn’t add a lot of height to any tripod.  Also the universal design makes it possible to use on almost any other tripod as well.  This gives a lot of flexibility to the unit and gives it broader appeal.

Final Thoughts:

The Joby Ballhead for the Gorillapod SLR-Zoom is a nice addition to the Joby lineup.  It’s not a heavy-duty ballhead with its weight rating of 6.6lbs, but it can easily hold most SLR cameras with a moderate zoom lens.  If you are using any DSLR with the included kit lens of 18-70mm, you won’t have any issues with the Joby Ballhead at all.  If you are pushing the limit of the weight rating with a battery grip and large zoom lens, you’ll find that the camera won’t stay in position very well at the 90° angle.  This is mostly due to the small grippy plate on the quick release clip.  A larger plate would hold the camera better.

n terms of price, at $45USD the Joby Ballhead is pretty much in the middle of the pack when it comes to its weight class.  A quick look over at Adorama showed that you can find other Ballheads in a very similar price range – some with quick release clips and some without.  Either way, Joby has priced their Ballhead competitively.

My only regret with this unit is that Joby didn’t make it earlier.  Well, that and a larger plate for better camera stability.  Regardless, it’s still a nice product that you won’t regret purchasing – especially if you already own a Gorillapod.

Pros:

• Solid construction – smooth aluminum ball and socket
• Quick Release plate
• Spirit level
• Single rubber knob for adjustment
• Holds camera at 0°, 45° and 90°

Cons:

• Plate could be a bit bigger – would hold camera better at different angles