Reviews: Rainwise 1-Mile Station, Canon XS Rebel Fun

I know, I haven't done one in a while, but the gadget vlogs (video blogs) are back! Since I no longer do video blogs at my desk, I've moved this operation outside. Today I talk about two great gadgets for weather enthusiasts: A hard core weather station that will transmit up to 1 mile away, and a great DSLR camera and lens.

The first gadget is the the Rainwise MK-III RTR-LR weather station, which can be purchased cheapest at AmbientWeather (console & computer interface sold separately).

Wow. An electronic weather station that will transmit 1 mile line-of-sight. It's like a dream come true. Imagine setting this up at the hill behind your house instead of your front yard. This distance will enable much more accurate readings (especially wind) to be recorded.

Since I already have a station running at my house and here at AccuWeather.com HQ, I'm going to help local storm chaser Ron "R-Factor" Shawley install this one in Vinco, Pennsylvania, one of the snowiest places in the state. More on that later...

Meanwhile it's time to talk about the Canon Rebel XS DSLR camera, for which I received a wonderful 300mm lens from Fumfie.com last week. (For additional information and sample photos, check out my blog last month: "Photos from the Canon Rebel XS DSLR Camera.)"

Honestly, the only problem with the Rebel out of the box is that it doesn't zoom as far as many point-and-shoots, so this solves that problem, and now I'm poised to make full use of this camera for daytime storm chasing photography, and night-time lightning photography. Expect to see more pictures soon. And remember, you can get the lowest prices on the cameras and accessories mentioned above, from:

DISCLAIMER: These opinions are mine only. Sample products were provided for these reviews. AccuWeather.com does not sell any of the items reviewed in this blog entry as of this writing.