Product Review: Koday EasyShare C195

One of the most important pieces of equipment any ghost hunter can own is a camera. A camera can let you capture images and video and document the events of your investigations. If you are serious about ghost hunting, it’s an item worth investing time in.

I actually own several cameras, but today I’m going to review my favorite, the Kodak EasyShare C195. Some people might be turned off at the idea of using a basic point and shoot camera for serious investigations but point and shoot cameras allow you to take pictures quickly and easily. During an investigation you rarely have time to set up a decent shot and speed can make a world of difference.

The EasyShare lives up to its name. Even someone with minimal experience can pretty much turn it on and start snapping photos with the auto feature. It also comes with many customizable settings as well for more experienced photographers. It has 5x optical zoom, blink detection, a wide screen for viewing photos, and an easy to use share button for uploading pictures. It’s a 14 megapixel camera. This camera also comes with the ability to take video and while it doesn’t take great night time video without additional light sources, the video feature can come in handy for taking short daytime video.

The delay on snapping photos is pretty quick on the EasyShare. This is an important feature because when something is happening it is usually over quickly. You don’t want a slow camera to prevent you from capturing some great evidence!

The picture quality is really stellar. The images are crisp and high quality. Some camera lenses tend to have a soft or grainy quality but not the lens on the EasyShare.

My only complaint about the camera is that the software that came with it was a bit slow to load and difficult to manage at first. Of course, I’m not the most patient person in the world. I did eventually get it working though. The power button is also a bit smaller than I prefer but it’s not a major issue.

This isn’t my first Kodak EasyShare camera, and it probably won’t be my last. They have proven reliable and effective and they are priced much lower than many of the other digital cameras on the market. It’s a perfect starter camera for a beginner or a nice addition to any seasoned photographers collection.

I give the Kodak EasyShare 4.5 out of 5 ghosts.

Creature Feature: Thunderbirds

Native American thunderbirds have been inspiring stories for ages. With their giant wingspans, magical abilities, and hints of symbolism it’s easy to see why they are so popular. But this creature, once limited to Native American mythology has been experiencing a revival as numerous people have come forward claiming to have seen a thunderbird.

So what exactly is a Thunderbird? Native stories vary among tribes but they are thought to be some sort of large bird or flying creature. Some tribes believe that they have the ability to create storms by flapping their enormous wings. Other tribes believe that certain humans could shape shift into the form of a bird. They are both feared and revered by the people that believe in them.

There’s a small group of people today that believe that Thunderbirds are actually pterodactyls that have some how survived and are maintaining a small population. Others think that Thunderbirds may actually be other common misidentified birds such as vultures or condors. The fact that it is difficult to estimate the size of things in the sky makes it hard to confirm the actual wingspan of any flying creature. And until someone comes forward with some good evidence of the Thunderbird it’s going to stay a legend.

Have you ever seen anything large flying in the sky you couldn’t identify? If so I want to hear about it!

Weekly News Round-up 1/26/11

AOL News has an article about a conference that is planning to try and study UFO's to better understand physics and flight. The article can be found here.

People in Cheltenham are planning a paranormal festival. If you live in the UK you might want to check it out. BBC has the full story here.

A picture of a strange creature has surfaced. The story can be found at Phantoms and Monsters. What to you think it is?

What's an EVP?

Today I want to talk about one of the most popular phenomena being studied by paranormal investigators- EVP.

There’s actually been quite a bit of debate about what an EVP actually is. Every group has their own variation of what actually constitutes an EVP but many groups are starting to agree on a basic definition and classification system. The easy way to think of an EVP is simply a voice caught on some sort of recording device that can’t be explained by natural causes.

EVPs are important because they often give us insight into the spirit world and sometimes are in direct response to questions asked by investigators. It’s a small way for us to interact directly with spirits. They are fairly easy to capture and can be found at anytime of the day. It’s also thought that they can be captured in any location but there is a definite increase in their frequency at highly active locations. Another characteristic of an EVP is that it is not heard by human ears at the time it’s captured. A spirit voice heard by humans is often referred to as a disembodied voice.

There are 3 basic classifications of EVP, although many groups have their own more detailed systems for ranking them.

Class A EVP: This is an EVP that is easy to hear and understand. It can be a single word or several sentences strung together. These EVPs are what most investigators try to capture because they give us the clearest insight to the spirit world.

Class B EVP: A class B EVP is an EVP that is somewhat understandable, although there may be parts that are difficult to make out. With Class B EVPs often different people will hear different things in the recording based on how they interpret the sound.

Class C EVP: These are EVPs that are very difficult to hear and understand. Often investigators capture EVPs that are clearly someone vocalizing but it’s impossible to define what is being said.

It’s important if you are trying to capture EVP to have a good understanding of both your equipment and the environment you are recording in. You should know where all your potential noise sources are coming from. If sounds can be heard from outside they can potentially be picked up on a recorder or camera. Sometimes investigators will lock a recorder into a room to help reduce sound contamination. It is not uncommon to capture EVP this way.

Investigators should also be aware that living humans can also make sounds that are similar to EVP. Whispering, shuffling feet, and distant talking can all be picked up by recorders. It’s important for investigating to tag these sort of noises on a recording during the actual session to reduce cross contamination.

Some ghost hunting groups are also starting to introduce white noise into EVP sessions with the hopes that it will make it easier for the spirits to vocalize. This practice is relatively new and researchers are only just starting to really study it.

Anyone with a recorder, a little time, and a haunted location can capture an EVP. There are many free editing programs available online. Every recording we capture is another small window into a world we are just starting to understand. So if you are interested, go out there and see what you can capture!

Creature Feature: The Beast of Balbirnie

Several years ago people in Scotland claimed to see large cats wandering about. One of the sightings in Fife, Scotland got some extra media attention when a series of large paw prints was discovered in the woods. The cats are thought to be some sort of black leopard, a lynx or a puma. It’s believed the cats may have been pets that were released into the wild. They are thought to be mostly solitary, avoiding the attention of humans unless threatened.

After the print was discovered, one family came forward and claimed that the print belonged to their St. Bernard. There’s a discussion and article about it here. Others have said that the print matches other feline prints and is not an accurate canine print.

Even if the print belongs to a dog, it doesn’t explain the numerous large cat sightings in the area. Many credible witnesses have come forward and claimed to have seen them in the area.

So what do you think? Do you the The Beast of Balbirnie is a big cat? A misidentified dog? Some sort of other animal?

Weekly News Round-up 1/19/20

There's lots of cryptozoology news this week!

A Bornean Bay Cat, which was once thought to be extinct was captured by a trap camera. An article about the story and a picture of the cat can be found here, at freemalaysiatoday.com.

Researches in Tokyo are planning to try and resurrect a mammoth. Yahoo! News has the article here.

Forteantimes.com has an article debating the application of science in cryptozoology. Here's the link.

What's in a Dream?

Last week I had a dream, which isn’t unusual for me. What was unusual was the violent nature of the dream and the fact that it was incredibly vivid. My normal dreams are pretty pleasant. Clouds. Puppies. This dream did not have clouds or puppies.

In this dream I watched a masked man rob a Dollar store at knife point. I watched the scared employees react in fear to the man and eventually call the police. When I woke up I felt a little unsettled but then went on without giving it much thought. Until a couple days later.

I was flipping through a newspaper and came across the headline “Dollar Store Robbed.” As soon as I saw it I knew what the story was going to say. Sure enough, a man wearing a ski mask has robbed a local dollar store. With a knife.

I’ve never had a dream that felt like a premonition before. I’ve had a few déjà vu moments before but nothing majorly weird. Now it’s got me wondering if dreams showing the future are a possibility.

Dreams are weird things. They are full of mystery and confusion and the more we study them, the more it seems like we don’t understand them at all. So, in an attempt to understand them a little better, I’ve decided to start keeping an online dream journal. If you’re interested in checking it out you can find it here, though it will probably be fairly boring to read most of the time. But if I have anymore weird dream coincidences, I’ll be able to keep some sort of record of it. And if anyone else wants to keep an online dream journal and share it on here, be sure to let me know and I’ll post the link. Maybe we can learn something together!

So now I want to know if you (or someone you know) has ever had a dream come true. And not in the ‘magical Disney’ kind of way but in the ‘hey that actually happened’ way. Leave your answer in the comments, or e-mail me with your story. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!