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Reviews (3)
09 February 2009
Quatermass and the Pit - DVD 1998
1 of 1 found this helpful The film itself is terrific with a great story and superb acting and directing. Probably one of Hammer's best films. The special effects, particularly the hive purge are dated but still propel the story nicely. The ship prop is gorgeous and the science is right on for the most part.
The DVD transfer is OK with a 1 or 2 frame green screen flashing up every 15-20 minutes and with slightly washed out color. The print is clean with nary a scratch to be seen. I'm not sure if the soundtrack was stereo but the overall quality is excellent; key to this film which depends very heavily on the sound effects to build mood in the second half of the film.
I would like to have seem goodies, maybe the trailer and some other things thrown in. It's pretty much just the film. That said this DVD delivers one of UK's finest Sci-Fi films in very enjoyable package.
08 July 2016
Battletank of RF Generators
No lightweight Sino cheapie here. This thing is built like a brick and weighs accordingly. The controls and response are silky smooth and the internal frequency counter removes any guessing as to the frequency you're outputting. Operation is stable and repeatable and it possesses ample flexibility with CW, AM and FM modulation.
Some cautions with this unit.
The power amplifiers are custom hybrids and are subject to failure if abused. Be nice to the output. I've heard of determined folks who've replaced a blown amp using a MicroCircuit monolithic amplifier but this is definitely not for the amateur. I've also heard that that the attenuator (very complicated internally) can tear off contacts internally and I've noticed that mine is a bit sticky so I don't "rip" through the levels but take it slow.
I'm looking forward to years of use from this unit.
08 April 2006
Sony DCR TRV900 3CCD Camcorder
27 of 28 found this helpful Arguably one of the finest 3-chip cameras around even though it's more than 5 model years old. The picture quality of this camera will blow the doors off of any single chip camera. The Sony has many wonderful features like Super Steady Shot, an extra large flip-out screen and fantastic picture quality. Although it's big for a hand-held it's balanced nicely and when used on a tri-pod the top-access of the tapes is a god-send! Other nice features are (optional) manual control of exposure (perfect for shooting theatre), focus and sound (mike) level. The combination of the '900, Azden's ASGM-1 "shotgun" microphone, VZ-ROCK's Rocker Zoom and my Bogen tripod with fluid head make it a fantastic tool for shooting just about anything.
My one gripe with the camera is I could wish for finer adjustment of manual exposure. It appears to step in 1/2 F-stop increments which is regretably quite noticeable. They're fixable in post-production but...
Make sure the camera is not worn out though. Replacing worn-out heads is likely a $$$ proposition. Camera's that are being sold by their original owners and show well in pictures with little rubbing wear or scuffing are probably better bets. Look for cameras with cases too since that's often the sign of conscientious owner. Buying from pawn shops can be a bit iffy since they know little about the use or condition of the camera.