Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for 2008

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Review at PhotographyBLOG

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PhotographyBLOG has posted a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3.

Today we bring you the World’s first online review of the highly-anticipated Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 compact camera. The LX3 is primarily targeted at the serious photographer looking for a backup to their DSLR, or maybe even as their main camera. A full range of creative shooting modes, RAW mode, fast and wide f/2.0, 24mm lens, high-res 3 inch LCD screen and an ISO range of 80-3200 are all present and correct. Panasonic haven’t forgotten the novice user either, with a wealth of scene modes and the highly effective Intelligent Auto mode on offer if you just want to point-and-shoot. Retailing at £399 / $499, the LX3 is a premium camera that comes with a premium price-tag – Mark Goldstein find out if it’s worth investing in.

 

Fujifilm FinePix S2000HD

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Valhalla, NY, August 12, 2008 – FUJIFILM U.S.A. Inc. today announced the first model in its digital camera line-up to offer full High-Definition compatibility — the FinePix S2000HD.

Sporting a 10-MegaPixel 1/2.3″ CCD, a powerful 15x wide-angle optical zoom (27.6mm-414mm equivalent) and an extra large 2.7″ wide-view LCD, the FinePix S2000HD is perfect for advanced amateur photographers who want an affordable, step-up digital camera that will still fit in the palm of their hand. [Read more…]

Fujifilm FinePix F60fd

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Valhalla, NY, August 12, 2008 – FUJIFILM U.S.A. Inc. today introduced the FinePix F60fd, a versatile, compact digital camera that makes it easier than ever for consumers to take great pictures in any conditions. As the latest addition to Fujifilm’s award-winning F-Series lineup, the FinePix F60fd, like the FinePix F50fd before it, combines intuitive use with the most advanced features and technology available, enabling photographers of all levels to capture the moment as their eye sees it. [Read more…]

Fujifilm FinePix J150W, J120, J110W, J100

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Valhalla, NY, August 12, 2008 – Fujifilm U.S.A. Inc. today announced the third model in its recently released J-series digital camera line, the FinePix J150w. As with its J-series predecessors, the FinePix J150w is designed for consumers seeking an affordable digital camera without sacrificing features or style.

Available in a handsome matte black or stylish brushed silver and housed in a compact metal chassis just 22.6 mm thick, the FinePix J150w conveniently fits into a handbag or pocket for quick accessibility. It incorporates a 10-MegaPixel CCD sensor, an extra-large 3.0″ LCD and 5x wide-angle optical zoom lens (28mm-140mm equivalent on 35mm camera) from world-renowned lens brand, Fujinon, that easily captures large groups or distant subjects. [Read more…]

Nikon D90 Confirmed, Priced at $1299.95 With 18-105mm VR Kit Lens

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Nikon Rumors received a tip from a reader that Circuit City already has the Nikon D90 listed in its inventory system.  The tipsters stated the following:

I have some D90 info. I work for Circuit City. While checking our DSLR inventory I noticed that the Nikon D90 with an 18-105mm VR lens was listed as an active SKU in our system. The price came up at $1299.99. I started a ticket and it was actually letting me special order the camera. The Web ID for the camera is NIK D90KIT18105VR. I don’t know if this will stay in the system but anyone should be able to special order a D90 from a Circuit City store using that SKU if it doesn’t change.

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

Flickr Makes Geotagging Easier

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Flickr has made it easier for photographers to geotag images uploaded to the photo-sharing site. If you take a look at your photos on Flickr, there is a new option in the Additional Information section, labeled “Add to your map.”

Click on that link and you can mark where your photo was taken on a map, direct from Yahoo! Maps. Not my first choice on mapping options, but considering Yahoo! owns both, it isn’t a surprise. It looks like there is an element of feedback from the photos folks tag on Flickr and Yahoo! Maps. According to the Flickr blog:

As the odds are you know more about your local neighborhoods than we
do, when you edit a location on the pop-up map you can also see other
nearby options and choose one. Over time if everyone continuously tells
us we’ve got somewhere wrong, we can feed it back into the system and
update it for everyone else.

Canon Fuel Cell DSLR Update

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As you may recall, Photography Bay previously reported on Canon’s efforts to patent a method for using fuel cells to power your DSLR. A newly published patent application (US 2008/0180565) sheds a little more light on things to come with fuel cell powered DSLRs.

Canon continues to push its fuel cell development by devising a method for powering not only the internal DSLR body electronics, but also external components such as lenses and hotshoe flashes.

The present invention relates to an electronic equipment system having fuel cells, and more particularly, to a camera system in which fuel cells are provided to a camera body and a connection device connected to the camera body. [0001]

Say Goodbye to AA Batteries

Essentially, Canon wants its fuel cell to power everything you attach to your camera. That’s right. No more AA batteries to stuff into your camera bag.

. . . dual battery control of detecting a remaining amount of the battery in each of the devices and determining the state of each of the batteries to control electric power supply, which makes the battery control complicated. [0010]

The patent is a little long winded (as patents can be); however, the gist of it is to have a single power source (i.e., the fuel cell) and that source powers everything (e.g., hotshoe flash).

. . . an electronic equipment system in which fuel cells are provided to an electronic equipment body [ed., a DLSR body] and a connection device [ed., a hotshoe flash] connected to the electronic equipment body, and in which detection of a battery remaining amount and control of electric power supply can be performed under unified management [ed., one fuel cell], thereby enabling simplification of the electronic equipment system and improvement of power generation efficiency thereof. [0011]

The blissful absence of partially charged batteries and wonder whether the four batteries you stuffed in the side pocket last week were good or bad. No more battery chargers plugged into your kitchen outlets. Basically, the best invention since sliced bread . . . ok, maybe not, but it is interesting nonetheless.

What’s It All Mean?

MTI Micro Fuel Cell Battery Pack for Canon DSLRFirst of all, Canon’s always going to push digital imaging innovation to the next level. Clearly, the competition is too stiff to try to lay low now. Canon stays at the top of the patent filings charts due to this drive.

With this changing tech comes the new gear. In this case, fuel-cell DSLRs means a lot of new gear – maybe even a new system. At the very least, it calls for the purchase of new speedlights with your camera body. I suppose, however, that Canon could allow backwards compatibility of battery-powered electronic flashes with this fuel cell power source.

Finally, it should lessen our carbon footprint as photographers in the digital age. Many of us are starting to think real hard about environmental issues in this changing world climate and economy. How many fewer AA batteries would our landfills see if the every digital camera user suddenly switched to fuel cells? It’s a start.

If you want to read the whole patent, feel free to look it up on the USPTO website (patent application # US 2008/0180565) or follow this direct link.

Samsung GX-20 Review at Buy-n-Shoot

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Buy-n-Shoot has posted a review of the Samsung GX-20.

Overall, the Samsung GX-20 is well-priced and well-put-together. It is an attractive, solid unit, both in terms of its build as well as its performance, and it is unlikely to disappoint. Highly recommended.

For more news and info on the GX-20, be sure to visit Photography Bay’s Samsung GX-20 Reviews and Resources.

Nancy Bruno’s “Genuine Men”

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Journeys in Stories and StillsIn Genuine Men: Journeys in Stories and Stills, Nancy Bruno has done more than catalog the lives of a few men in pictures. Looking through her book, you immediately get a sense of the time she spent in selecting not only the photographs that make up this book, but also the men themselves.

The photographs making up Genuine Men are black-and-white portraits. Bruno’s experience as an architectural and interior design photographer is evident throughout: where some photographers would have focused more closely on the titular men, Bruno has brought in elements of their surroundings. That addition provides a context that a stricter approach to portraiture would have reduced.

The context is particulary necessary with this project. Without Bruno’s subtle hints — and not-so-subtle text — this project would be little more than pictures of men standing around. Perhaps interesting, but not so intriguing as the idea that each man that Bruno photographed was so carefully selected. Furthermore, not every image in this book is technically perfect. Small flaws, however, juxtapose the idea that these are normal, everyday men. More refined images, whether through technical ability or computer correction, would change the nature of the characterization we find in these photos.

Bruno’s Genuine Men project grew out of a portrait project she completed in 2006, Beautiful Women. Both projects focused on everyday people — no celebrities, but instead folks of all ages and backgrounds. With Beautiful Women, Bruno worked to convery a healthier image of feminine beauty. With Genuine Men, Bruno focused on role models with an element of finding men that her young sons can look up to.

Bruno’s medium of choice is black-and-white 35mm photography. While she has done extensive architectural and interior design photography, Bruno has made a career of documentary projects, starting in 1996 with an examination of Canadian life during the long winter.

Nikon D90 Image Leak?

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Is this an image of the new Nikon D90? It’s the best one I’ve seen so far. What do you think?

UPDATE: Thom Hogan says: “The picture is accurate and appears to be real (and NOT the pictures I have).” [via]

Nikon D90

[via NR]

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