Special Gift Ideas

I’ve owned an Olympus Evolt E510 for over a year. Here are a few comments that might help you.

The Olympus Evolt E520 adds face detection, a vertical panning IS (image stabilization) mode, and an improved sensor with better noise and dynamic range. Conventional wisdom is that it is not worth upgrading an E510, and further that it is worth looking at E510s on markdown if you can find a good deal. The E520, though, is certainly improved.

There are no bad DSLRs any more. They are all really good, although within a given budget and dimension, designers have to prune certain features. Olympus’ main feature is the four-thirds sensor – this is one of the smaller sensor footprints available, meaning that lens designs are slightly more compact, but small sensors generate more noise in low-light conditions.

In good light, sensor noise is not a problem. For most consumer-level users, ISOs up to about 400 or even 800 are very good – but most consumers would notice the more grainy, washed out look at 1600. I would rate an ISO1600 shot as unacceptable at 8″x10″ on the E510.

The small light circle also makes the Olympus view finder smaller and darker. If you peer through, say, a budget Nikon, the view is noticeably larger and brighter.

However, the Olympus Evolt E520 has image stabilization in the body, rather than the lenses. Lens stabilization is slightly better – it also works while you are framing up the shot – but obviously you pay for it in every lens. Many Canon/Nikon lenses do not have IS.

Neither the Olympus Evolt E520 nor the kit lenses are weather sealed. Be careful in the rain or at the beach. Fortunately, the Olympus self-cleaning sensor is probably the best one out there. I have not had to clean my sensor yet.

You will need an extra battery. The focusing in low light gets slow or fails completely as the battery runs down. I have a Duracell spare – it has been fine.

If you are into HDR (and you WILL be), the E-520 offers only +-1 EV brackets. You will have to use a tripod and fiddle with exposure between each shot for other brackets.

I recommend making a “lens plan” to decide whether to get the body only, or a 1 or 2 lens kit.

Olympus is respected for the quality of the kit lenses. These lens (the 14-42 and 40-150) are extremely compact, with good image quality. They primarily give up speed, but they are well within the speed range of other brand’s kit lenses. If you buy the kit lenses, you will look jealously at the 14-54, and the 12-60 “walking around” lenses – these are highly regarded but much more expensive. Except for the extra speed, most consumers will not notice the difference on a 5×4 print with these lenses over the kit lenses. With larger prints, or with low light, the more expensive glass is worth having.

Overall, Olympus lenses are highly regarded, even by people who are not fans of the format. Expect to pay $200 to $600 for “Standard” grade, $600 to $1200 for “High Grade”, and $1200 to $2000 for “Super High Grade” lenses. Olympus also offers a few obligatory $5000 monsters – these are well into purely-theoretical for an average user like myself.

I added the 9-18 and 70-300 lenses to my 2 kit lenses, for roughly an extra $1000. This gives me coverage from 9 through 300. These are all Olympus “Standard” quality lenses, good image quality, but not weather sealed, and a bit slow.

It is fair to say that the four-thirds system is a bit of a pariah in the camera world. There are a few pro’s shooting with it, but you should be aware that Canon has over 60% of the market, and Nikon something like 15%. If you search B&H, you will find pages and pages of Canon lenses, but only 2 pages of Olympus. Many photographers will pointedly sniff at your 4:3 ratio pictures, instead of their “classic” 3:2 ratio. However, 4:3 is a better crop if you often print out 8×10 pictures instead of the small 5×3 or 6×4, and Walmart and many other developers offer a 5×4 size.

I wish there were more lenses to choose from – yet I would still buy the ones I already bought. I wish the noise performance were better – but I have never really lost a shot because of it, and may add an E-30 body to my bag soon. I’m satisfied with the 4/3 format, and very happy with my camera.

You should google up Wrotniak, four-thirds (on Wikipedia), or four-thirds forum for more information. Olympus Evolt E520

The Keurig Special Edition B60 coffee brewer is a single cup coffee machine, that only looks super cool, but apparently brews a great cup of coffee.

You can choose between 3 different coffee cup sizes such as, 5.25 oz, 7.25 oz and 9.25 oz, depending on your preference. For easy cleanup there is a removable drip tray.

When you purchase this Keurig coffee maker you receive the following in your package.

• you get more than 30 coffees and teas, that include, Colombian supremo, French roast, , Hazelnut cream, Fair Trade Organic Sumatran, Authentic Green Tea, French roast decaf, French vanilla, Vermont blendand Mandarin Orange Herb Tea
• you also receive, Green Mountain Coffee Signature Regular K-Cup Sampler (24 k-cups).

other features

• Blue LED backlighting
• Clock
• on/off button
• programmable on/off timer -Descale indicator for long life

specifications

• weight: 12lb empty;15lb full
• dimensions: 13″H 10″W 13.25″D
• power: 1500 watts
• voltage: 120VAC/60HZ

The price for the Keurig B60 is The retail price of the B60 coffee maker is $199.95

Yes, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. And it is the most expensive too. Okay, let us disregard the expenses and head to the main point: the corporate Christmas gift.

Whether it is for your employee, co-worker, boss, client, business partner, loyal costumer or anyone related to your business, it seems to be a requirement that you will give him or her a corporate Christmas gift of any kind. 

And since gift giving is part of reliving the Christmas spirit, here are some of the popular items that are used as corporate Christmas gifts for years:

Christmas cards – Many companies give greeting cards during Christmas. This is probably the cheapest way to tell someone that he or she is appreciated on any contribution he or she has made for the whole year. Christmas card may not be a typical gift that requires a box and a lace but it is certainly send your message load and clear, not to mention in beautiful print.

Calendars – Another year is coming and you want your company to be remembered for the whole year to come. What you should give? A calendar! Most companies give away this especially to their costumers during the Christmas season. It is cheap, safe, and of course, it possesses company name and logo right at someone else’s home or office for the next 365 days.

Gift certificates for retail – Since it is very difficult and time consuming for you to buy gift to each one on your list, you may prefer to give them gift certificates instead. This will eliminate the risk committing capital mistakes in gift giving. This will also free you from stress of shopping and gift wrapping. Gift certificates for retail are very much appreciated since the recipient will have the freedom to choose the type of gift he or she wants to receive.

Gift certificates for restaurants – Another option for a corporate Christmas gift would be gift certificates for restaurants. This is also one of the safest and one of the most appreciated types of corporate Christmas gift someone will receive since it appeals to everyone of any age.

Promotional items – To bring the company name right at the hands, homes, and offices of people, promotional items make a popular choice among businesses. Ranging from keychain, office supplies, home décor, accessories, and apparel, promotional items provide a way to make the company be remembered without spending too much on advertisement.

Gift basket – Chocolate gift basket, gourmet gift basket, wine gift basket and many others can be a good way to send your words of thanks to a client or a business partner. Gift basket is a popular choice since the size of the basket impresses many and the number of items in it makes it more attractive to the recipient.

Flowers – Another all time favorite corporate Christmas gift is a bunch of flowers. Although there are some rules to follow when giving flowers to someone such as cultural symbols, it is generally the safe choice of gift.

Wine or liquor – Christmas means celebrating and most businessmen use drinking as a way to celebrate. Thus, wine or liquor could be a good corporate Christmas gift. A particular brand which the recipient loves to have is more appreciated.