Tag: review

Nikon Zf Review: A Mirrorless Camera With Classic Style

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While I did not expect it given the obvious nods to Nikon’s film past, the Zf is a surprisingly capable video camera. It shoots up to 4K/60 using an APS-C size crop of the sensor. If you want to use the whole sensor, you can get 4K/30. That’s not going to wow video professionals, but again, it’s good enough for most photographers who just want the possibility of shooting some 4K footage.

Overall, I loved shooting with the Zf and were I in the market for a new camera, this is the camera I would buy. That said, there are few things about Zf I truly dislike. The first is the card slots. There are two of them. One is a standard SD card slot supporting UHS II cards. The second is a microSD card slot that only supports UHS I. The slow speeds I could live with, but it’s so difficult to get the microSD card in and out that I ended up just leaving it in and treating it as an emergency overflow. There should have been two matched full size SD card slots.

The other thing I thoroughly dislike is that it doesn’t ship with a battery charger. A $2,000 camera shouldn’t require you to buy a separate battery charger (for $80 retail, no less). You can charge via the USB-C port. Battery life is so good that a single charge will last about 350 shots, more if you turn on energy saving mode (I got 407), but serious photographers are always going to want a separate charger and at least a second battery.

As noted above, the Zf wouldn’t be my top pick for sports or wildlife. That’s in part because of the autofocus and shooting speed, but also because the 24 megapixel sensor, while sharp, and delivering those characteristic Nikon colors, is probably not what wildlife and sports pros are after. The Z7 and especially the Z9, with their much higher megapixel sensors and faster autofocus, are the cameras you want for those use cases.

Nikon did not have one to send me, but I think the ideal lens for this camera is probably the new Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 Special Edition ($310). This may be personal prejudice, but something about this camera cries out for a short, fixed-length lens—a fast 50, or in this case 40. It’s going to balance well with the camera and make a good reportage and street photography setup, both of which feel like ideal use cases for the Zf.

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February 16, 2024
Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds Review: Impressive Sound, High Price

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The cling-on (not Klingon) design feels odd at first, but the buds nearly fade away over time thanks to their relatively light weight of 6.5 grams each. They feel slightly precarious, but they held on for a variety of activities, from yard work to jogging. The steadfast hold is entirely down to that malleable curling hinge that keeps its grip while still feeling pretty comfy, with only a tinge of pinching after multiple hours.

The Ultra Open Earbuds’ single-key control system is well thought out, letting you play/pause, skip songs, take calls, and even control volume with relative ease through a series of taps and long presses. There’s an assignable shortcut for each side that lets you choose between commands like activating a voice assistant, switching Bluetooth sources, or choosing between stereo mode and Bose’s 3D audio system.

The latter works, for better or worse, in the same way as Bose’s noise-canceling Ultra headphones and the latest QuietComfort earbuds. The system employs digital processing to create a deeper sense of immersion from stereo sources, including the ability to track your head movements to keep the sound centralized as though you’re listening to speakers. As noted in my Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones review, I’m not a big fan—I’d rather the feature be cut and the price dropped—but it can be interesting to play around with.

Other notable features include a three-band EQ alongside a selection of audio presets, Auto Volume to dynamically adjust the sound based on your environment (though it doesn’t seem particularly accurate), and a solid 7.5 hours of playback time per charge. Android users will also get Google’s Fast Pair connection and aptX Adaptive for hi-res streaming. I was surprised to find the charging case does not include support for Qi wireless charging—something I expect in this price bracket. There’s also no multipoint pairing to seamlessly switch between connected devices, like your laptop and phone, though Bose says this is coming later.

I experienced multiple connection hiccups during my review, including a few where the left earbud disconnected completely, requiring me to put the buds in the case to reset them. I was not alone, as Bose sent out a firmware update (the second during my evaluation) to address several software quirks. It’s not a great look at this price, but so far the update seems to have created a much more stable connection with only occasional hiccups.

In the Open

The big pitch for open-ear headphones and adjacent devices like audio sunglasses is their blend of environmental awareness and sonic accompaniment for a wide variety of activities. This translates to options like chatting with your partner while you groove to your Discover Weekly playlist, jogging in traffic without sacrificing spatial awareness, or simply humming along through your daily routine at the office without missing a greeting from the CEO.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

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February 15, 2024
Nanit Pro Camera Review (2024): A Super Smart, Expensive Baby Monitor

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I tested both a sleep sack and a breathing band with my 18-month-old toddler. I found he was too tall for the sleep sack designed for 12- to 24-month-old babies, but the breathing band worked great sitting on top of his pajamas and sleep sack. The only downside was, being a toddler, he noticed I had added something to his sleepwear, and that it was Velcro he could rip off. Some nights I was able to distract him from removing it before he fell asleep, while other nights it was a lost cause. It didn’t bother him at all while he slept, but toddlers are perceptive and determined little people. He made it his mission to open the Velcro while he was awake.

It was cool watching his breathing on the app, and Nanit has a chart with breathing rates based on age, so you can use that to check how normal the numbers are. My son’s breathing rate actually dipped to one below Nanit’s expected range, but it didn’t make the app alert me.

At 18 months, he’s not really the target demographic for this feature; it’s for younger babies and parents worried about SIDS. I didn’t get any false alerts while using it, but technology like this isn’t perfect and it’s always possible to get a false alert. Still, knowing how many times I stared at my son while watching him breathe in those early days, I probably would’ve slept a little better if I’d had an alert system in place.

Wi-Fi Watches

Many monitors use Wi-Fi, and Nanit is included in our list. Not all of us want a Wi-Fi-enabled camera staring at our kid all night long (and you, when you come in and out of the nursery).

It’s not my preferred style of monitor. My favorite is the radio-based Eufy SpaceView (8/10, WIRED Recommends), and my husband continued to use our Eufy while I tested the Nanit. We found that the radio connection was a split second faster; cries and movement would come through on the handheld Eufy about a half-second before the Nanit app. Which makes sense—the Nanit has to send the feed to the cloud and then to your app, versus the direct connection between devices like the Eufy.

I often have issues with Wi-Fi connection in my apartment, but my network problems didn’t cause any major disconnections for the Nanit. I would usually see one reported disconnection overnight (the Nanit app includes any connection drops in the overnight report of how the baby slept) but the camera would easily reconnect itself and continue working as normal.

Nanit promises that video is encrypted and is only pushed through their servers. The app only allows you to view videos for multiple days if you pay for a subscription, and Nanit confirmed for us that no videos are stored on their servers without a subscription. Nanit has three subscription plans to give you video storage: the Sleep plan, which is $50 a month (you have to sign up online); the Memories plan, a $120 plan with two days of continuous video history and 30 days of video clips (short videos that are triggered by sound or movement); and the Milestones plan, a $300 plan with seven days of continuous video history and unlimited video clips. You’re also able to disable the continuous video feed if you want, but not clips that pair with movement and sound notifications.

I do find myself checking the app’s recap of how my son slept each morning. It tells me how long he slept, how many night visits he may have had, and his average breaths per minute if he let me put the breathing band on him. It also shows me clips if he woke up. The report would have more information about his sleep position and activity if I had one of the memberships mentioned above, but I don’t feel like I’m missing out. I still get a lot of information, and things like a fun little movement map included in the report that shows the baby’s main sleeping areas in the crib.

Not every feature is necessary, but I love how it has made each night’s sleep a fun little data report. If you’re a data geek too and don’t mind a Wi-Fi monitor in your kids’ room, the Nanit performs well across its wide wheelhouse of features.

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February 10, 2024
Nubia Z60 Ultra Review: Bigger Isn’t Always Better

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I did not expect to like the Nubia Z60 Ultra. It’s a big, chunky slab packed with high-end specs at a relatively affordable price from a lesser-known Chinese manufacturer. The usual proposition is that you sacrifice on the software front to get cutting-edge hardware without breaking the bank. Sure enough, Nubia’s unimaginatively named MyOS adds little to Android 14, but the Z60 Ultra confounded my expectations in other ways.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Refreshingly free of bloatware, the Nubia Z60 Ultra has an expansive screen, uninterrupted by any camera cutout (there’s one under the display). Performance is near flawless, with a flagship processor providing plenty of grunt under the hood. But what really won me over was the versatile triple-lens camera. It’s a little inconsistent, but after a week with the phone, I have captured some lovely photos.

While the Nubia Z60 Ultra has a design that will turn some folks off, I have thoroughly enjoyed using it. There are things you can criticize, and I’ll get to them, but if you hunger for something different, and gaming and photography are priorities for you, the Nubia Z60 Ultra is worth a look.

A Bold Brick

Nubia was originally a subsidiary of the ZTE brand, but it became an independent company in 2015. (Nubia’s PR team specifically mentioned that the two are separate companies.) Nubia’s gaming subbrand RedMagic has been turning out impressively powerful, aggressively priced, and slightly unrefined gaming phones for several years now, and the Z60 Ultra bears some relation.

Here is the Nubia Z60 Ultra side by side with the Apple iPhone 14 Pro to give you an idea of its size.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Sliding the Nubia Z60 Ultra from the box, I was struck by its heft. This phone weighs 246 grams. For context, Apple’s biggest phone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends), weighs 221 grams. The Z60 Ultra is a rectangular slab in a matte black or silver finish. My black review unit has an aluminum frame with textured glass on the back and a prominent camera module. The bold design also has shiny red metallic highlights around the main lens and a textured power button. Above the power button is a volume rocker, and below is a handy sliding switch that quickly launches the camera but can be used for a different shortcut. The SIM card tray and USB-C port are on the bottom edge. The Z60 Ultra is thick enough that it’s easy to balance on its sides or ends.

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February 6, 2024
Wattbike Atom Review: This Indoor Bike Teaches You to Pedal Like the Pros

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An inconvenient truth: With every passing day I have less time on earth. This also means I have no interest in wasting precious minutes. That’s why I’m increasingly drawn to the most efficient, effective workouts that require minimal drive-to or setup time.

Enter the next generation Wattbike Atom. This low-hassle, smart trainer spits out scarily accurate data. It’s well designed enough to make riding indoors almost fun. And with its chunky frame and aerodynamic seat post, it closely resembles a time-trial bike, which my brain equates with going fast.

Developed in the UK in 2008, the original Wattbike was built for British Cycling’s Olympic medal and World Championship–winning teams. They wanted a reliable stationary bike that could more extensively track data like speed, cadence, and pedaling technique, yet still feel like a real bike without the hassle of having to take a wheel off. The vast majority of cyclists who ride indoors use a smart trainer they clamp onto their own bike. Either they want to train on their outdoor bike, they don’t have the space to store a stationary bike, or they don’t have the cash to buy a stationary bike, which typically costs thousands of dollars more than a decent smart trainer.

The original Wattbike eventually evolved into the Wattbike Atom, which eventually evolved into the next-generation Wattbike Atom, which is used worldwide by elite athletes from USA Cycling to New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team. But this latest model has only been widely available to the US public since July 2023.

Photograph: Wattbike

The buzz about the next generation Wattbike Atom is two-fold: First its electromagnetic resistance system has been improved. Instead of using motors to move magnets up and down to automatically change the pedaling resistance the rider feels, the next generation uses the magnets’ currents—the higher the current that flows through the magnets, the greater the resistance and power needed to turn the pedals. It now delivers up to 2,500 watts of power within plus or minus 1 percent accuracy.

The most obvious result of the new resistance system is that gear changes (there are 22) and reactions to gradients in popular training apps like Zwift and Rouvy are faster. It also allows for greater accuracy while dialing in specific levels of resistance during high intensity interval training workouts or standing starts.

The second bit of buzz is about the Wattbike’s updated electronics, including the addition of more sensors throughout the bike. For example, its new crank angle sensor reads 48 times per revolution, which is 46 times more than the first-generation Atom. Adjusting the old resistance system would result in an awful second-long lag that threw off the rhythm of your workout, but the new system allows the bike to adjust its resistance system instantaneously.

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February 2, 2024
Sennheiser All-Day Clear Hearing Aids Review: Quirky, Noisy, Ineffective

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One of the bigger consumer audio companies to dive into the over-the-counter hearing aid market is Sennheiser. The brand’s efforts are the product of a partnership between the earbud giant and Sonova Hearing, which acquired Sennheiser’s hearing aid division in 2022. The new operation’s first product, All-Day Clear, arrived last summer, though it’s sadly missing the Dee Snider spokesmanship from Sennheiser’s previous hearing aid product.

Those expecting a fully in-ear product like Sony’s C10 and Sennheiser’s older Conversation Clear Plus may be surprised to see that the new All-Day Clear is a traditional hearing aid design that fits behind the ear and snakes the receiver into the ear canal on a thin wire. Each exterior housing contains a rocker with two physical buttons that control the volume. Either aid can be used to control the volume level for both left and right aids simultaneously. Holding one button down also lets you switch among three sound modes: default, “live music,” and a mode that works with the optional TV connector ($350), so you can stream audio directly from your television.

I immediately found these hearing aids more difficult than most—or really all other models I’ve tested—to get situated in my ear properly. The units are quite large, and the wire that connects to the in-ear receiver is long and difficult to wrangle. The main challenge I had was getting the receivers sufficiently into the ear canal, as the floppy wire kept pulling them loose. Once you get them placed properly, they stay there well and are comfortable to leave in for long stretches, but I typically spent a minute or longer getting that placement just right each time I put them on.

The All-Day Clear app is about as basic as they come. It sets up quickly and easily, walking you through a simple and straightforward tuning session to get things started. Controls are decidedly spare. The main display features a universal volume slider which can optionally be split between left and right channels. The aforementioned two or three sound modes are available here, as is a “fine tune” feature that pops up a very basic equalizer with three options: bass, mid, and treble, each of which can be tweaked from a –5 to +5 level. These tweaks make an impact, but if you’re looking to really fine-tune your hearing levels, they may be insufficient. A wind noise reduction option is available here too, but I didn’t get much out of it.

Let’s talk next about audio quality. I used these aids for multiple hours a day over the course of more than a week and was surprised to find they just weren’t all that effective, at least for me. In a typical household setting, I didn’t find conversations or television were significantly clearer with the hearing aids in versus without them—even at maximum volume. While all hearing aids tend to have a low level of hiss to contend with, the All-Day Clear units showcased some particularly annoying background noise whenever I moved the mid and/or treble sliders up, even a little. This wasn’t a typical static rumble but sounded more like a vacuum running in another room. At one point I genuinely thought someone was cleaning the floors in my house until I removed the aids, only to be greeted with blissful silence.

On the plus side, the design of the All-Day Clear hearing aids made them effective at minimizing the jarring amplification of your own voice to deafening levels, a drawback common to other hearing aids. And while I didn’t find that typing created a booming clack-clack-clack in my head (another common issue), I did find the aids uncomfortably amplified high-pitched squeaks that I didn’t know were there before, including noises from my keyboard and my office chair.

Photograph: Sennheiser

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January 31, 2024
Tribit’s Stormbox Flow Review: A Budget Speaker With Great Battery

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You can get a whole bunch of good stuff in a Bluetooth speaker for less than $100, especially if you’re willing to consider up-and-coming audio brands like Tribit. The company’s $80 Stormbox Flow (which is sometimes $20 off) is fully loaded, offering a sleek yet rugged design, plenty of features, and battery life that holds out longer than anything I’ve tested.

The Stormbox Flow’s sound quality isn’t as poised or detailed as the best Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested, and its hefty 1.5-lb weight makes it better for your back patio than a beach getaway. Otherwise, Tribit’s latest is surprisingly versatile, making it a real contender for those seeking a pliable wireless companion on a tight-ish budget.

Flex Like a Bose

If you’ve seen Bose’s Soundlink Flex, you’ll feel right at home with the Stormbox Flow. Much like how many of Tribit’s earbuds mimic Apple’s popular AirPods, the Flow does a great Soundlink impression—and that’s a good thing. Pulling the speaker from its garish yellow box reveals surprising style for the price, with sleek lines of matte plastic that look and feel premium. Like most modern portable speakers, it’s built to take on the elements with an IP67 waterproof rating, indicating it’s been tested to block dust and survive a quick dunk in a pool or lake.

Photograph: Tribit

Along the speaker’s top panel is a handy band of raised command keys for controlling power, playback, volume, and Bluetooth pairing. There’s also a key that looks like an infinity symbol which can pair the Stormbox Flow with a second model for stereo playback.

Rubbery feet on the speaker’s bottom panel help diffuse it from surfaces to keep it from rumbling when the bass gets heavy, while a second set of feet at the speaker’s backside lets it blast sound upward if you’d like. With only one active driver beneath the Stormbox Flow’s acoustic grille (along with a passive radiator to extend the bass), the availability of multiple playback positions significantly improves the speaker’s reach when set on a table or countertop.

A strap along the side to hang the speaker provides another playback position, but considering its weight, you’ll need a sturdy hook. Tie the speaker to a backpack like the website shows and you’re in for a bumpy ride.

The Full Package

The Stormbox Flow offers nearly everything you’d expect in a great Bluetooth speaker, and some you wouldn’t, such as its built-in speakerphone. The once-ubiquitous feature has gone out of fashion, and I admittedly discovered it by accident, calling a friend while jamming out. I tested the feature over a few days and discovered it produced clear and full calls on my end and good clarity for callers on the other end, with one friend saying it sounded as good or better than my iPhone’s speaker.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

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January 31, 2024