Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
Ken Rockwell has published his review of Canon’s flagship EOS 1Ds Mark III.
The Canon 1Ds Mk III is a solid brick of a camera, has extraordinarily high technical image quality, but is hindered by sucky ergonomics and a mediocre LCD.
For the latest news and reviews, be sure to visit Photography Bay’s Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III Reviews and Resources page.
DC Resource has published a review of the 12 megapixel Fujifilm Finepix F100fd.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about the FinePix F100fd. It’s a nice enough compact camera, with good photo quality and a host of user-friendly features (though it has its share of annoyances, too). At the same time, as someone who has used all of the models in the F-series, I’m disappointed with the direction Fuji has taken the line in recent years (in terms of low light shooting, battery life, etc).
Digital Camera Info has published a full review of the Olympus E-520.
There’s one of the best Live View modes on the market (with auto focus), a good image stabilization system that’s built into the body, comprehensive presets and a high degree of customizability and control. However, the test results for noise levels, white balance and dynamic range were so poor that they dragged down an otherwise good camera.
You can read more about the new camera on Photography Bay’s Olympus E-520 page.
Imaging Resource has posted a review of the 10 megapixel Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd.
The Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd is small and fun, and offers good capability for its tiny size. The 10-megapixel CCD picks up a lot of fine detail, and both color and exposure performance are generally good. Noise handling isn’t great at the highest sensitivity settings, but results are fine at the normal ISOs.
July 30, 2008, Saitama City, Japan – Tamron Co., Ltd., under the leadership of Mr. Morio Ono, President, has announced the development of a unique ultra high power zoom lens-the Tamron AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO (Model B003), the first(1) digital SLR lens in the world that delivers a remarkable zoom ratio of 15X (28-419mm equivalent) and is equipped with a highly effective Vibration Compensation (VC) mechanism. Designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras with APS-C sized image sensors(2) , the new lens delivers outstanding image quality over its entire zoom range and its exclusive VC anti-shake system facilitates sharp handheld photography even at the longest telephoto settings.
With its vast zoom-range, the Tamron AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC lens enables the user to cover virtually any photographic subject from wide angle to ultra telephoto simply by turning the zoom control. It covers angles of view equivalent to 28mm to 419mm when converted to the 35mm format(3) . In addition, this breakthrough lens is equipped with Tamron’s exclusive, proprietary tri-axial Vibration Compensation (VC) mechanism that eliminates or substantially reduces the effects of handheld camera shake. As a result, the user can enjoy the convenience of handheld photography in virtually any situation, from shooting candid images, to covering sporting events, to news photography, without worrying about camera shake having an adverse effect on image quality. The new lens will be made available in Canon and Nikon mounts. The price and launch date of the new lens will be announced at a later date. [Read more…]
The deadline for PDN and Billboard’s music photography contest is getting close: submissions are due by August 29. They’ve actually split the Summer Music Moment contest into two separate competitions. You can enter either as an amateur or a professional, through the contest’s website.
There’s a wide variety of prizes, including cash, cameras and computers. Just a head’s up, though: you must have written releases from anyone appearing in your photographs before you enter your work. You may have an absolutely awesome shot of some famous singer rocking out, but if you can’t get a written release, you’re out of luck.
You can see recent entries here, and some of them really do rock.
Below are some of the best photography links from other sites that I came across this week. Enjoy!
Top 10 Tips for Getting Attention on Flickr, All Fresh and New for 2008 – Thomas Hawk’s Digital Connection – Coming from a guy that gets roughly 14,000 views per day on Flickr, these are probably 10 worthwhile tips to consider.
White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 4 :: Simple Changes In Post Production – Zach Arias – Zach shows off some post production techniques that really help to make powerful images out of seamless background photos.
A quick review of SmugShot for the iPhone – Mike Fullerton – Mike gives SmugMug’s first attempt at iPhone integration a big thumbs down.
Fujifilm, Nintendo offer photo printing service – Imaging Resource – In addition to still being hard to find, the Nintendo Wii now lets users order photos through its online interface, which includes upload photos from your SD cards.
If You’re a Wedding Photographer; You’ve Got To Check Out This Video – Photoshop Insider – Scott Kelby did this short video just to show off a piece of gear for wedding photographers.
Alan Jaras Photography of Light – Hypebeast – Awesome images. ‘Nuff said.
If you want your photography-related site on Free Links Friday, just drop a comment or an email asking nicely. Leave a link and a short description of what your site or particular post is about. Spammers need not apply.
PhotographyBLOG has posted a review of the Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd.
The new Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd ultra-zoom camera is a rather modest update of it’s predecessor, the S8000fd. New features include the inevitable increase in megapixels, up from 8 to 10, new Zoom Bracketing and Instant Zoom modes and some new continuous shooting modes. The S8100fd also offers the same CCD-shift image stabilisation system, 2.5-inch LCD monitor with a refresh rate of 60 frames per second, electronic viewfinder, Face Detection system and battery life of up to 400 pictures as the S8000fd. With a street price of less than £200 / $350, Gavin Stoker found out if the Fujifilm S8100fd can successfully undercut its main rivals without sacrificing features, performance or picture quality.
The Digital Picture has posted a review of the Canon EOS 450D. The new EOS 450D (aka Digital Rebel XSi) kit comes with an stabilized 18-55mm lens. Canon’s entry-level DSLR now features a 3? rear LCD panel that’s capable of Live View framing and focusing.
Even compared to the not-very-old Canon Rebel XTi / 400D, the Canon EOS Rebel XSi / 450D delivers better image quality from a more attractive body with more features … I’m very pleased (actually somewhat surprised) with the improvements delivered by the Canon EOS Rebel XSi / 450D.
Read Photography Bay’s Canon Rebel XSi Review.
For more news, reviews and info on the XSi, check out Photography Bay’s Canon Rebel XSi Reviews and Resources.
Photo Review has published a review of the new Canon EOS 1000D (aka Digital Rebel XS). The EOS 1000D takes over for the EOS 400D (aka Rebel XTi) at the bottom rung of Canon’s DSLR lineup. It features a 10.1 megapixel sensor.
Low-light performance was very good. Shots taken at ISO 1600 were sharp and colour-accurate with only a hint of visible colour noise. This was eliminated with the high ISO noise reduction setting. Long exposure noise reduction produced minimal image softening.
For the latest news, reviews and more, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon Rebel XS Reviews and Resources.