Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for 2008

Sony A900 Update

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Sony A900As usual, Photoclub Alpha has a keen ear to the ground on the upcoming Sony Alpha gear.  This time it’s more news on the flagship A900.  We’ve all been waiting anxiously to see the A900 since Sony announced its development last year at PMA.

While Photoclub Alpha notes two Cybershots on August 14th (today), I’m pretty sure we got those last week.

With regard to the A900 though, they point out:

The Alpha 900 will, as far as we are aware, be shown to the press on September 9th/10th worldwide.

Additionally, their info reveals that the A900 will go on sale on September 30th.

Expect to see lots more A900 coverage as we approach Photokina 2008.

For more on the Sony A900 flagship DSLR, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Sony A900 page.

 

Nikon D90 Ads – Amazon and B&H Photo

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Just a little note to point out that B&H Photo and Amazon are already taking out Google Adwords ads on the keywords “Nikon D90”.

When you search for “Nikon D90” on Google, you’ll see the ads on the right side of the results page (opposite of the natural search results).  The ads are written by the companies and they bid on them for a given cost per click.

The Amazon page takes you to Amazon’s “search” page for the Nikon D90. . . .  No, there’s nothing exciting there yet.

B&H Photo’s ad takes you to a B&H “search” page for the Nikon D80.

We know it’s coming, so this is really just another hint of things to come.

For the latest news and rumors on the Nikon D90, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Nikon D90 page.

Photographer’s Caluculator on the iPhone

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If you have an iPhone, PhotoCalc may provide you with a handful of photographer’s tools without having to carry around any reference materials. The iPhone application from Adair Systems offers a whole list of calculators for both professional and hobbyist photographers, as well as several reference documents that a photographer might need to consult on the job.

The calculators include the following:

  • Exposure Reciprocation
  • Depth of Field and Hyper-focal Distance
  • Flash Exposure
  • Sunrise/sunset/solar noon

You can configure PhotoCalc to use English or metric units as well as half or third stops.

PhotoCalc is priced at $3, not bad for what looks like an excellent reference tool that happens to fit in your pocket.

Nikon D90 UPC Code

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Nikon D90 UPC

Yes, the Nikon UPC has been spotted . . . in the UPC Database.  And, everyone is reporting it as fact.

This is a bit of a misnomer though.  See, the user-created UPC Database can be edited by anyone,  which makes this most likely bogus and something someone submitted to stir up some buzz.

Over the past couple years, we’ve seen links to the UPC database for the fictional Canon 7D and a variety of other cameras.

This doesn’t mean that the Nikon D90 is not real; however, this UPC news is really non-news until there is confirmation from a more reliable source.

For the latest news and rumors on the Nikon D90, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Nikon D90 page.

Canon 50D Rumor Archive

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Canon has not varied in its release schedule for the Rebel series and 10D-40D series DSLRs.  Like clockwork, Canon has released a new one every 18 months . . . until this Summer when Canon announced the Rebel XS, which added another “level” of camera to its DSLR lineup.

Previously, the old Rebel model had become the step-down model in Canon’s entry-level lineup after a new camera was introduced.  Canon now clearly has a two-tier entry-level lineup with the Rebel XS and Rebel XSi.

Even though I’ve seen a few rumors for a while now, I have not posted any to Photography Bay because I generally considered it wishful thinking.  I fully expected the Canon 50D to arrive at PMA 2009, which would be 18 months after the Fall 2007 release of the Canon 40D, which has been taking some serious drops in price lately.

I am beginning to think there may be something to the rumors now.  Here’s one of the most recent rumors on the 50D specs:

  • 12.2 Megapixel APS-C sensor
  • Single Digic III Processor
  • ISO 100-3200 (High 6400)
  • 6-8 fps depending on grip
  • 3″ High Resolution OLED LCD
  • Will accept EF and EF-S Lenses
  • 11 point AF
  • 35 Zone metering
  • Viewfinder: 100 percent coverage .95 magnification
  • Pop up flash
  • New Lithium Ion Battery
  • Weather sealing slightly better than 40D

[via DPR]

Perhaps Canon is feeling pressure from Nikon with the successful entry of the D300 and D700.  While the 40D is still a stellar camera, it’s beginning to show its age when stacked up against Nikon, Sony and Pentax’s latest offerings.

Granted, some are calling BS on these specs.  Others say they’re real.  Either way, we’ll know in a few weeks.

Stay tuned to Photography Bay and our Photokina 2008 coverage for more.

Photoree: Bookmarking Reaches Images

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You have StumbleUpon for websites and Last.fm for music, but the choices for bookmarking and recommending photos are much slimmer. Photoree is an opportunity to see thousands of photographs — to see what images other photographers are creating.

The system is very simple: just like with other recommendation sites, you create a profile and note a few photos that you like from the Photoree colection. From there, Photoree recommends photos that match your taste. You can browse through photos, create your own personal collection and even use the Creative Commons images that you find through the site.

Photoree has also simplified sharing photos. While there are quite a few sites dedicated to sharing photos you’ve taken with your friends and family, there are few options for passing along a photo someone else took but that you enjoy. Your options are pretty much limited to pasty an unwieldy URL into an email. Photoree offers options for sharing photos easily with your contacts.

Nikon D90 Best Buy Leak

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After showing up in Circuit City’s inventory, it didn’t take long for an industrious Best Buy employee to capture this screenshot of the Nikon D90 in Best Buy’s inventory. It appears to offer the same specs and pricing revealed by the Circuit City leak a couple days ago. [via endgadget]

For the latest news and rumors on the Nikon D90, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Nikon D90 page.

Shutterfly’s New Share Sites

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Shutterfly has added to its photo sharing and printing services by launching Share Sites. Share Sites provides users with a personalized web site to share photos with friends and family — a virtual photo album.

Share Sites offers up better designs than similar sites have offered in the past, as well as a very simple user interface. Someone with very little online experience can navigate these photo albums, if not create one themselves. With Share Sites, Shutterfly is not precisely competing with Flickr or Photobucket. Instead, their efforts compete with Kodak and Snapfish.

Despite the ease of use, Share Sites does have some potential for more advanced users — especially those who often work with clients, friends and family who aren’t up to speed with online photo options.

ColorRight Review – Custom White Balance Gets Easy

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I must admit. I’m one of those guys that shoots in RAW and only uses the Auto White Balance (AWB) setting. When my DSLR misses the white balance of a scene, I “simply” make adjustments in post processing. Boy did I have it all wrong – until the folks at ColorRight said I had to give their product a try.

What is ColorRight?

ColorRight is a tool for properly setting custom white balance on your DSLR. It looks much like a lens filter with a dark ring and partially see-through hole inside the filter glass. Placing the ColorRight tool over the end of your DSLR and taking a sample shot gives your DSLR an accurate reading of the temperature of the light in your scene. All subsequent shots taken with your DSLR under those lighting conditions will have an accurate white balance. [Read more…]