Product Review - Lowepro CompuDay Photo 150 - Messenger Bag

Hi Guys,

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Photography is a hobby or passion for almost whole world now with the power of smartphones and other smart range of cameras. With never ending quest to take great photographs, the size of cameras are increasing and so is the technology that we carry around everyday.

Lowepro is a camera accessories making company which started 40 years ago in Colorado, USA. They have helped people carry cameras on the backs and shoulders all around the world.

I too was in search of something which I can take to office along with my cameras everywhere. Finally I found Lowepro CompuDay Photo 150 messenger bag. The front flap of the bag has a zipped section to keep keys and space to keep other stuff inside the same. The bag comes with an extra accessory pouch to keep cables and small gear like pendrives etc.

The bag has an adjustable strap along with the nice handle to carry it in one hand. The bag has mesh covered trolley sleeve which can help you put this bag on your luggage for easy transport.

The beauty of this messenger bag is the padded side pocket which holds your DSLR and can be taken out in an instance without opening the main section of the bag. Here is Nikon #D7000 fitting quiet easily into its castle. Also, this castle can be folded in case you are not carrying the camera to work as a normal messenger bag with all the space.

The bag has a space to keep 15.6" widescreen laptop along with a pocket to keep files or iPad etc easily. The bag also has small pockets for your mobile and other device along with space to insert two pens/pencils. It has a mesh chained pocket to keep keys or cash etc.

The quality of material used in the bag is great and I hope that it will last me some years till I upgrade myself to something new.

Here is Samsung Smart Camera #NX300 in the side pocket but as it's a small smart camera it leaves space for separate lens or accessories to carry in the same space. 

Here is the LowePro CompuDay Photo 150 bag with a laptop and iPad and DSLR right in there and now the test it the quality of straps if they can hold the load during day to day usage of the same. There is space available to keep extra lens or both the camera also. Samsung NX300 can easily fit inside after putting Nikon D7000 in the side pocket.

The center handle has only one line of stitching running across the same making it vulnerable if the bag is heavy to carry. The main strap is bonded with the body line of the bag and will have more capacity to carry the load as it runs through by two lines of stitching. This is the general problem I have faced with bags from various manufacturers e.g. laptop bags by Targus that they lose their straps and then chains and other things try to take off. 

This will be my first experience of Lowepro and I have my fingers crossed that it will sustain for a while based on the brands reputation and motto of THE TRUSTED ORIGINAL since 1967! 

Cheers!!!

Contact me for your product's review on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway or email - thelifesway@gmail.com

South African Bloggers - Meet #MissionSamsung Community Challenge Winner

Hi Guys,

My interview as posted on WeBlogForLove website after winning @SamsungSA Community challenge for Round 1. The post that made me win is here.

• What inspired you to enter the challenge?

It was the most marketed and promoted challenge by the @SABloggers and @Webinfluential along with @SamsungSA asking for entries all over from Pretoria, Jozi, Durban and Capetown. I always wanted to be a part of Samsung brand and showed my interest to blog about their mobiles, tablets etc. In India, I missed the contest as I haven’t started blogging when they chose some people to become their “Samsung Mobilers” where they get new products as soon as they are launched to post tweets/blog, review and use the product. So a chance to be a part of Samsung community was my biggest motivation behind entering this challenge. I hope that now I have won the first Challenge as an outsider, I will get invites to various product launches/review to cover for Samsung. Fingers Crossed!

• Is there a specific blogger who you thought would win besides you?

This is one thing I am missing on at the moment. I don’t get enough time to go through and read the blogs of my fellow bloggers. I do check their blog once in a while to see what I can do visually to my blog and which other badges/communities I can be a part of. I did check the chosen 10 bloggers for Round 1 on Samsung Promotions website from which I found some are famous celebrities whom I have been following (on twitter) for advice on social media. I have not checked CapeTown Guy’s winning entry but will definitely go through once I have the NX300 in my hands to capture the same kind of photographs that made him win.

• When did you start blogging?

I started blogging on 27 Dec 2012 on the occasion of my best friend’s birthday with a purpose to share my life with others. Soon I became a member of various blogging communities and learned a lot from them. I purchased my domain with the first cash prize I won in a blogger meet. It was great beginners luck and then I started to market my blog well based on the learning I could gather from fellow bloggers. I have helped a lot of interested friends open their blogs when they saw my achievements in the same.

• Was this the first blogger challenge you’ve ever entered?

Yeah, this was the first blogger challenge I have entered in South Africa. It was a great opportunity to write about something I am so passionate about and then chosen to be a winner amongst many. I am really thankful to the organisers and the brand.

• What has it taught you?

This has taught me that Dreams can always be fulfilled, no matter where on earth are you, if you have the perseverance and enthusiasm to keep going. I never thought I will win but I wrote the same on the last day of submission with a cup of tea and mood to write about the product. Everyone loves photography and I wrote about the product which makes this feasible for everyone. Every time I will hold NX300 (prized possession) in my hands, it will bring an achievement motivation to keep writing and moving forward.

• Will you enter any other blogger challenges?

Yes, with more enthusiasm and motivation I definitely will enter more competitions. I participated in SonyMoviesSA – Amazing Spiderman2 #SAReviewContest but lost the same. Generally, I miss them as I am not aware about any blogging contest happening also.

• Why do you think it is important for bloggers to participate in such?

Competitions keeps you active and on the top of things as you constantly think about what to write, how to write and when to write? I love participating in blogging contests because I measure my writing and luck with other fellow bloggers. It’s also about the idea which no one else has thought (as per your thinking) and when you present yours, you know that you will be the winner. But it’s important to read the winning entries so as to benchmark yourself and get a lot of ideas for improving your writing. Blogging is all about enjoying the expressions in your writings.

• Do you own any thing from Samsung?

I bought my 32” Series 5 – LCD TV way back in 2008 and another one in 2012. Other than that I got Samsung Chat phone which I bought in London. My parent’s have installed Samsung Split AC 2 Ton in their room. I also received a S5 I am FIT Sipper in Sandton City Mall after doing 194 steps in a minute.

• Why do you love this brand?

I loved Samsung for its great picture quality in terms of my LCD TV. I have enjoyed a lot of movies, TV series etc on my LCD TV. I have literally lived my life watching a lot of TV on Samsung LCD TV. Touchwood, there has not been a single incident of repair since 2008 in my Samsung LCD TV whereas I have seen many complaints in Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic and LG LCD/LED of my friends/relatives who bought it after mines. Hats Off for the quality and that’s the reason to buy one more for my parent’s room.

• Why do you think it is important for bloggers to stay loyal to brands they love?

It’s a selfish world. People change their loyalties all the time. Bloggers do need to think what’s best for them as well as their blog. I have been following Gionee, Samsung, Nokia, LG, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, Sennheiser and many other brands for long time with no success. At the end of the day, I want to review a lot of products and whosoever will send me products to review, I will be loyal to them only. I even offered to blog for 52 continuous weeks (One post every week) in return of their latest mobiles/gadgets reviews on various social media channels i.e instagram, google+, facebook as well as on my blog. Hence, Loyalty will only come if brand trusts you with their latest products and gives you access to them. A blogger doesn’t want his blog also to look like an advertisement channel for a single brand featuring nothing new but his self purchased ages old Panasonic FZ5 camera or HTC mobiles. But Good news is that, I am still available to any brand that shows interest in my blog and wants me to write 52 posts mentions of their product for their best product in return.

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Cheers!!!

Contact me for your product's review on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway or email - thelifesway@gmail.com

#MissionSamsung - NX300 SMART Camera - Product Review

Hi Guys,

I have been taking snaps since my childhood with the Yashika and Kodak’s reel cameras along with the special Pentax cameras. I received my Panasonic FZ5 from my brother as he upgraded himself to Nikon D40. Panasonic FZ5 has been a nice hybrid camera with 5 megapixels but in this ever-changing world of lenses and technology, it quickly is outdated and replaced by several new technology cameras. I came across Samsung NX300 which has been on my wishlist since its launch and still is because of its never-ending features and image quality. Let’s see what it has which keeps me hooked to this camera.

The main differentiation from my earlier camera is Samsung NX300’s tilt 3.3in display screen which is not only touch panel based but also enables me to take snaps from various angles. It really helps when I am standing on the sides of the road to take the snaps of the bypassing parade of political leaders or SAMBA dancers in a procession.

The NX300’s lens is obviously better as it’s a 20.3MP APS-C CMOS sensor which takes even good photographs in low light conditions. The snaps taken can be enlarged to wall-sized posters without any hints of noise. The processing power of the camera is taken care of by DRIMe IV image processor which really is much closer to the eyes and brain processing power of a Human being.

The lens works much better with its advanced hybrid Autofocus (AF) system as it enables sports & motion photography easy and within the reach of everyone with its 8.6fps continuous shooting capability. Now no more tension that my camera is not capable enough to shoot Wimbledon rallies or F1 cars. I can now even shoot the Usain Bolt’s final moments before he crosses the final mark and Messi’s final journey to the goal.

Samsung NX300 is a SMART Camera which means that it can connect to wifi in an instant and you are ready to share your captures with the world on various social media channels like Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Instagram. It can also save all your photos on your smartphone as well as on the camera memory.

Samsung NX300 gives you a lot of manual control options which only high-value DSLRs can provide and when you go shooting in manual modes in that camera, the photography becomes dicey for amateurs. In this camera, you can control the shutter speed up to 1/6000 of a second to even capture bikers, riders, f1 racers, snowboarders etc with ease and full details.

I really wanted to be a part of #MissionSamsung. Still, nonetheless, I got this opportunity to win this great camera and take my photography to the next and ultimate level in no time. I am looking forward to receiving the awesome news that I always wanted to hear Cheers to Samsung for investing in the latest technology ever and ever again.

Cheers!!!

P.S - The photos of the product are from Samsung Website.

Contact me for your product's review on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway or email - thelifesway@gmail.com