Apr
28

Nissin Di622 the Review

April 28, 2009 · Filed Under DSLR, Gadgets, Technology · 40 Comments  · 10,784 views

Remember my review of Filters Exchange? One of the things I ordered is the Nissin Di622 and this is its review.

The Nissin Di622 is a flash unit for the budget conscious, it is often compared to the Nikon SB-600 and if you are looking to convince yourself with both, the simple answer would be: “The SB-600 costs double the price of a Di622, so if you have a Nikon system and you have the budget, get the Nikon SB-600, it has CLS and when you get an SB-900 in the future, the two will go hand in hand as SB-900 can function in commander mode, paired with the SB-600 as slave is already  a basic CLS (Creative Lighting System) setup for Nikon, and guess what? Nikon CLS is effective and the best automated lighting system I know of.

Nissin Di622

Nissin Di622 vs. Nikon SB-600

Now if you are not convinced, or you still want to get a descent flash while not going broke in the process, then go get the Nissin Di622. It’s a powerful flash, has similar swivel functions as the SB and almost similar aesthetics. What’s on the SB’s that’s not on the Di622? The SB’s have LCD display when controlling, it can work with Nikon CLS, better Locking mechanism of the swivel head and again CLS.

Nissin Di622

Nissin Di622

Having said that, you may ask; “What are the strong points of the Nissin Di622?”

  • It has wireless Slave mode through its photo detector.
  • Also has an assist illuminator at low-light conditions to get the proper exposure levels.
  • Flash light is quite strong.
  • Has swivel head left to right, up and down.
  • Has TTL for both Nikon and Canon
  • Compatible with Nikon and Canon depending on ordered mount requirements.
  • Flash Exposure level can be controlled on camera (depending on type of camera)
  • Plastic built but quite sturdy.
  • Has built in flash bounce and diffuser
  • Can function in Full Manual mode, you can set the Flash strength manually.
  • Comes with a flash stand that can also be mounted via a screw on a tripod or flash brackets.

Weaker points of the Nissin Di622:

  • No jack for flash triggers like wireless Flash Triggers (Can be modified though to function on flash triggers, but slight soldering and dismantling knowledge is required. Comment if you need the link)
  • Weak locking mechanism on the swivel head, especially when adding snoots and diffusers.
  • No LCD and cannot work with the Nikon CLS.
  • Optical Slave mode works in TTL but has problems when other light source or flash is present. (Accidental Triggering).
  • Optical slave mode fails in very sunny weather (can be corrected by adding a dark filter on the optical area).
Nissin Di622

Nissin Di622 Package

If you have other observations on this flash unit, please suggest it by commenting and I will gladly test it and add the notes if confirmed. Official Website of Nissin is at www.nissindigital.com and the Nissin Di622 is posted on their site.

I have an SB-600 and have tried the CLS with a friends all-Nikon setup and nothing beats it when you’re on a Nikon System. But if you are a starter, and you want to master Flash control and you are on a tight budget, Nissin Di622 is a winning bet. If you plan to purchase one through Filters Exchange, let them know you got the info here.

Do you need to know more? Comment below and I’ll try to answer all your questions.

Nissin Di622

Nissin Di622 Front

Nissin Di622

Nissin Di622 Back

Images Courtesy of Modar who was gracious enough to lend us his images.

Apr
25

Araneta Grand Reunion

April 25, 2009 · Filed Under GPLZ stuff, Web · Comment  · 154 views

I never knew I was an Araneta until my dad forwarded to me a registration form for the Araneta Reunion. I was still a little sick from my previous illness, that’s why I had more time to blog so I asked him about it. My Dad was always attending Family reunions as he loves to reminisce and talk about the old times and emphasize that family is important. What is odd is I never asked about my Grandparents on my Fathers side. The only grandparent I was lucky enough to be in presence with is my grandma on my mothers’ side. My grandpa on my mothers’ side and grandparents on my fathers’ side were all in heaven before I was born.

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Araneta Shirt

My dad actually attended the Araneta Clan Grand Reunion and urged me to go with him; I asked where did we get the Araneta roots? Well to my surprise, my grandmother on my fathers’ side was an Araneta, that’s why my Dads middle initial is A, and I never asked about that. I’d like to trace my roots from there but I can’t find no further info, other than my Dad is called Pañero by a certain Enriquito Araneta every time he is around and that he explained to me my roots although it wasn’t clear. I wondered why all of a sudden I actually belong to a clan. Anyway, I’d be glad to actually finally know my ancestry; it’s like a puzzle that completes a person you know.

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Araneta Seal

So I declined and said I wasn’t feeling too well. My dad attended and he still registered me and got me the items needed to attend in case I change my mind. So I have this Identification Card, Meal Tickets and a Yellow Shirt with the Araneta insignia. If you guys have any information that I can use to trace my roots, let me know.

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Araneta Identification

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Araneta Meal Ticket

Apr
25

LG KP-500 Contest

April 25, 2009 · Filed Under Gadgets, Mobile Phones, Web · 14 Comments  · 2,878 views

I was searching for a good format and some ideas how to hold a contest for my blog, I found this other tech blog technogra.ph holding a contest rewarding the winner an LG KP-500 Cookie. Now my blog is not on their level yet, so I can’t afford to give out prizes like mobile phones, possibly in the future I could.

So instead of spending time scouring for information, I decided I’ll join their contest and see if the contest is legit and If I am up to par in winning the prize. That way, you my dear readers will have an idea that blog contests are cool, legit and rewarding. Now you can start giving my design entry a 1 to 5 cookie rating by responding on the comment section below with something like “Hey GeePlease, I give your design 5 Cookie Rating! Pretty Neat!”

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Cookie Represents Me Entry

Here are the Instructions on the technogra.ph site.

  1. Download the LG KP500 Cookie thumb mark icon here. Already Did
  2. Design an original artwork that best represents your personality using the famous Cookie thumbprint. Entries must not be the same as the ones posted above. Design must be in jpeg file format with a minimum resolution of 1275 X 1650 pixels. Entry Above, Click Image for the actual resolution image required by the contest.
  3. Post your design and write a blog/entry telling your readers:
    1. Why your thumb mark design represents you. See Below
    2. Why you deserve an LG Cookie phone. See Below
  4. Ask your friends to rate your design on a scale of 1 – 5 cookies and share their insights. One insight per visitor will be counted. (Get your readers to comment on your entry and rate your design). Readers Please Comment, this is your Job!
  5. Post your blog/entry link in the thread of this main competition site (leave an opinion below containing a link to your entry). I did after writing this entry
  6. The promo starts on April 8, 2009. Deadline for entries is on April 29, 2009, Friday. I’m in
  7. One male and one female winner each of LG Cookie will be announced here on Friday, May 1st 2009. I’m Male

Whew! Now that I followed their Contest Rules, let me post the other two requirements.

Why your thumb mark design represents you.

It represents me because I talk a lot, write a lot, blabber a lot, blog a lot and basically I live in the communications age, so it’s all about communicating. When I was a child I was always called “The Mouth” because I could talk a lot about things and I always intervene when older people talk. The little swooshes around the thumbprint are the media I am in, there are four; the web, mobile phone, real talk, and writing. Oh and the background is still the thumbprint translating that I am leaving my mark on what I talk about.

Why you deserve an LG Cookie phone.

Because honestly, I want one and second it would be useful for me to prove that blog contests are fun and reliable so readers of blogs won’t hesitate joining blog contests in the future.

Now Start Voting for me! Remember 1 to 5 Cookie rating, I’d appreciate your honesty in giving me a 5 Cookie rating, Lol!

Apr
24

Filters-Exchange Review

April 24, 2009 · Filed Under DSLR, GPLZ Gold, Online Shops, Web · 5 Comments  · 729 views

I was looking for an online shop locally that accepts Paypal, it was hard to sort out through heaps and heaps of sites on google. I finally decided that I would post an inquiry to one of the forums I am in. I asked for a call to action in sharing the sites they know locally that accept paypal. I received two to three suggestions and one stood out. It is Filters Exchange.

Filters Exchange stood out because the owner actually responded on my thread that he is willing to accept paypal although not mentioned anywhere on his multiply e-store. However, he mentioned that the only thing that concerns him is that Paypal charges the seller or the recipient of the payment a particular amount at around 4 to 10% including the bank withdrawal percentage. So if I bought a 100USD item, it would then add up another 10% meaning I have to pay 110USD which is significant. Sir Joseph the owner of Filters Exchange said that he doesn’t want to add that additional burden to the buyer. The additional problem at that time was that the item I plan to order was still out of stock, so I had to wait a week or two for it to be available. I asked Sir Joseph to contact me when it is available, he agreed, but I got to learn it was available a couple of weeks later just as he was posting an update on the stock availiability.

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Filters Exchange

I mentioned, well usually a buyer using paypal is already aware of the additional charge, if not then he should inform them, and they may not mind. So I said I don’t mind the additional fee as long as the transaction is reasonably fast and efficient. Another problem we encountered is that there was no fixed calculations for the items how much to add to the retail price when doing the paypal-to-paypal transaction. We had some rough calculations; that’s why I decided to build a new paypal calculator for this purpose on this blog.

Fast –forward to the time when the items are finally on-stock. After we mutually agreed that I’ll be charged extra for doing a paypal-to-paypal transaction, I selected some items on his multiply e-store. Sir Joseph, fondly called Sir Lehboy on forums, tipidpc ads or sulit.ph ads was quick enough to respond on our Instant Messenger conversations. We not only talked about the transaction but we talked about other stuff as well. The atmosphere was laid back and reassuring. After I confirmed what I would want, I private messaged the items I plan to order to him. The next day we YM again to confirm the calculations on the extra charges and whatnots. Then a couple of clarifications later, I sent the payment to his paypal address. He confirmed details on some of the items and asked for what shipping courier would be comfortable for me.

That was on Thursday April 23, 2009. The next day I contacted Sir Joseph again to ask for the shipping info, it was that day when he shipped that item, I got the shipping info later that day, he encountered some problems with the courier and one of the items I ordered was declined by the courier, so that other item will be shipped later.

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Package Received

Saturday April 25, 2009 after lunch, I got a call from the courier asking for my exact location. 10 minutes later, package has arrived. It was well wrapped and all items have no speck of dust in it, even the packaging. I was pleased of how fast my transaction with Filter Exchange ensued. Basically I would say, Responsiveness is about  an 8 out of 10 since sometimes Sir Lehboy is so busy with other orders, but he takes time to confirm the orders if you are already decided. Shipping efficiency and delivery I rank 10 out of 10, another recipient of the GP Gold Seal.

I am still waiting for the shipment of the final item of this set, judging by the reliability of the previous set, I bet it would be here sooner than I think…

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Package Opened

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Items Pristine

So are you ready to order at Filters Exchange? I highly recommend them; tell Sir Joseph you found the info on this site.

Wait for my review of the individual items I ordered on future posts.

Congratulations Filters Exchange for achieving the Gee Please Gold Standard.

If you have any feedback for Filters Exchange, don’t hesitate to leave your comments below.

Filters Exchange, please copy your Gold Seal Above and display it proudly on your site!
Apr
23

ILC Imaging aka inkdepot Part2

April 23, 2009 · Filed Under GPLZ Gold, Online Shops, Web · 5 Comments  · 495 views

Monday March 23, 2009, exactly ten days after my initial inquiry my items were shipped by ILC Imaging a.k.a. inkdepot. Miss Joan Chua texted me that the shipping was initiated and I have to wait until Friday for my package to get to me. So I figured, that would be about 5 days, I was figuring it would only take them a day or three days to the most. Anyway, this was because the shipping possibly uses an actual ship to ship out the items. Kidding aside, I am a patient person, so I was happy still that my order is progressing. I am doing this review for the benefit of the other customers who are still hesitant to the power of Online Merchants, read my side-story and intro to this here.

I texted Miss Joan for the tracking number and the Address of the Courier since the items are for pick-up. I called the courier by Friday and my item wasn’t there yet. It took four more days for my orders to finally arrive. I picked the order up on Tuesday, March 31, 2009. There were two boxes and shipping cost was quite reasonable, the other box was heavy and the other light. I was excited to open the box, and I noticed the box wrapping is wrapped all over by packing tape, you can’t see bare box skin on the package, the whole thing is zombified by the packing tape, now that is what you call Packing! ILC imaging does make sure your package is well-packed, another Plus on my list. What mad the package a little pretty was my name computer printed under the ILC Logo on the package, I like seeing my name on a package, lol!

Ok so I got home, I then slowly unwrapped the package like a kid on Christmas Day, I was practically drooling. After a few minutes of figuring out how to open the packing tape wrapped box, I was finally able to see the items. They are packed neatly inside the box, not even a mosquito can breathe inside the package, and no item was out of place, it was all really well wrapped and packed and neatly organized, until I notice the printer, looking inside it’s box, my first instinct was to reach for the manual. Oh no! The manual wasn’t there, so I executed my perennial items checking mode. Okay so the individual kits were there, inks check, PVC check, Laminating kit check, Printer Kit…. There was no Manual, CD-Installer, Power Cord and USB cord. So I again hurriedly texted Miss Joan about this, I informed her that I made sure to check for everything and those were the only items missing. So I had to wait three more days to sort this out, Miss Joan finally shipped the missing items on Friday April 3, 2009. I then received the rest of the items via Fed-Ex/Air21 Local four days later. Download the Instruction Manual at the end of this article for the check list I made for your convenience including instructions on the CISS.

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Epson R230

All in all it took about twenty days for me to actually try out my order, when I had problems with testing the kits, all I needed to do was call or text Miss Joan and she replies promptly.

Now on to the fun part, I setup the printer and tried some prints, first print was not too perfect, so I figured I clean up the clogged printer heads and refill the inks. Tried again and still no luck, so I tried to re-prime the CISS as instructed on some online videos I found. Don’t worry I have made a Special Instruction Manual at the end of this article for the convenience of ILC imaging customers who encounters some issues, so that you don’t have to bug Miss Joan all the time, right Miss Joan?

So it took me several more times to figure out priming the inks until it printed ok. Then I tried printing on to the PVC, print outs were all smudged, so I called Miss Joan again, until I finally notice that the ink cartridge needs to be removed because there was an overflow at the bottom of the ink head, possibly caused by shipping the printer. I cleaned those up, re-primed again and all was going smoothly, until I decided to laminate the PVC I printed.

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Six Inks Set

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Laminator

Now on to the Laminating machine. I was too excited that I forgot to check all the other things I usually check. I checked if Printer and Laminating machine was rated at 220Volts, and it was. Don’t forget to check yours too; you might burn your unit if the corresponding voltage rating is set differently. Then I checked the plugs, the printer plugs were ok, the laminator it is then that I noticed that it has a special plug. To my dismay, I contemplated cutting the cord and replace it with a regular plug, until I figured it is much easier to go to a local hardware store and look for a Universal Outlet Plug Adaptor (pictured below).

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Not Regular Plug

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Universal Plug Adaptor

Don’t forget to screw in the lever arm of the card cutter, if you can’t turn the lever the proper way; unscrew the hinge that locks it in. The two little metal stoppers where the lever is supposed to be in between of. Those little stoppers can be screwed out. Enough of the screwing around and let’s proceed to laminating.

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Puncher

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Cutter and Puncher

So I successfully laminated the PVC using the settings pictured below. If you watched the video on ILC Imaging about laminating, it took the operator a much longer time to get the system to heat up right? One tip, put it instead of the ¼ position to the ½ position of the dial, then after a minute, turn it back to the ¼ desired position. That will heat the laminator up way quicker.

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Laminator

So are you ready to order at ILC Imaging? I highly recommend them; tell Miss Joan you found the info on this site. Oh and the promised Instruction Manual for the CISS you can view or download here. Click to view, or Right-Click then Save as to save.

Congratulations to ILC Imaging for receiving the Gold Standard!

Our First Ever GP Gold Seal is awarded to you!

ILC Imaging, please copy your Gold Seal Above and proudly display it on your site!!!

Give your feedback to ILC imaging on the comment section below if you like thanks!

Apr
20

ILC Imaging aka inkdepot Part1

April 20, 2009 · Filed Under GPLZ Gold, Online Shops, Uncategorized, Web · Comment  · 553 views

I saw a TV episode of ABS-CBN titled KSS (Kabuhayang Swak na Swak) last Sunday March 8, 2009. One of the mentioned companies is ILC Imaging which happens to have the items I was looking for. It was perfect timing, as I was previously sick and had to rest a lot, I had time to think about the things I needed done and this was one of them, purchase a CISS(Continuous Ink Supply System) and the Laminator kit which I needed for my friends special project. I thought, it’s a good way to start my recovery, getting busy helping a friend and making some profit in the process.

As I was accustomed to online e-commerce, having dealt with purchasing and selling stuff online, I figured I’ll checkout ILC Imaging’s provided Multiply site on the TV slot. So I researched about them and the items but sadly I found limited info. So after about 4 days of searching and making sure I needed what I’m going to purchase, I contacted one of the e-mails posted on their multiply site. That was Friday, March 13, 2009.

I inquired about the CISS and Laminator Kit and had to make sure of some things. I asked the following things I didn’t find in their website and listed are their corresponding answers:

Do you Ship to the Province?
Yes they do, buyer covers shipping costs.
Do you have Bundle Prices for multiple orders?
Yes they have and with special pricing too.
Do you sell the refill for the inks?
Yes they do, they supply inks.
Do you sell PVC Cards?
Yes they do, they supply box sets of PVC.
How do you give me free training since I am from the province?
They provide phone support and links to training videos if you have any concerns.

Visit their Multiply Website Below if you need more info:

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ILC Imaging

However, when ordering inks from them, they cannot use regular couriers like LBC or Air21, so they used a different freight service which took 7 days to deliver cargo and have to pick them up at their drop-off point, so no door-to-door for this kind of special order. Add that to the slight delay in packaging my orders of about 3 days and it took all in all 10days for the package to arrive, and I have to call the freight service most of the time to confirm if package has arrived. Basically ILC imaging is quite prompt in shipping your orders, but the courier might encounter further delays.

Continuing… It took me a couple more days to set my orders, there have several options of the printer set, and several packages for inks and PVC’s so you need to make sure which to order. So I clarified some items, asked for advantages and disadvantages. Miss Joan Chua the owner is kind enough to answer all my queries and this was all through e-mail. It took me Five more days of asking and querying, since it is best to be an informed buyer and making sure you get what you want before placing an order. It is hard to return items you dont want later. I asked for payment options, and the most convenient was through bank-to-bank transfer. Payment can be made through bank transfer for (BPI, BDO, Chinabank, and Metrobank) and/or G-cash. Warranty was also covered by ILC Imaging for their items.

The process was quite hassle-free. You place and confirm the order, Miss Chua sends you an Invoice, you confirm the invoice and ask for ILC imaging’s bank account info, and you deposit the amount to pay for on ILC’s account, have the receipt enlarged and fax it to their number which they will provide. Miss Joan also gave me her mobile number so all I had to do was sms/text or call her to confirm that I have sent the money and I have faxed the bank receipt. She will then confirm if money was received on her end, and then she contacts you when the order will be shipped. Then you can ask her for the tracking number of the package so you can track the items your self. Don’t hesitate to call or text her if you need anything, she will answer all your queries promptly and that is an A Plus Plus for customer satisfaction in my book. You need to provide ILC first and foremost the following when placing an order:

1. Complete Name
2. Complete Address
3. Contact Number (Incl. Mobile)
4. Company Name (if applicable)

See Part 2 for this article to see what happened when I received the orders.

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Apr
13

blogsvertise: really?

April 13, 2009 · Filed Under Web · Comment  · 137 views

I want to try this blog advertising service either as a blogger or as an advertiser as well. Hopefully I get approval pretty soon, as I only found two of these kind of sites that offers the same service for different rates. In this light as required by the e-mail I received from blogsvertise, let’s see how quickly I get approved If I follow their instructions just a minute after my registration.

blogvertise

Let's Try to BlogVertise!

Wait for the coming days when I completely review their service as well. Oh and don’t forget I have a couple of reviews lined up. I am just waiting for my inspirational writing to kick in.

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