Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for 2008

Olympus E-520 Review at PhotographyBLOG

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PhotgraphyBLOG has published a full review of the Olympus E-520.

On the surface, the new Olympus E-520 looks very similar to the 1-year old E-510 model that it replaces. The E520 retains some key features from its predecessor; the same 10 megapixel LiveMOS sensor, Supersonic Wave Filter, and body-integrated image stabilisation are all present and correct. What have Olympus added then to tempt you to part with £500 / $750 of your hard-earned cash? There’s a bigger 2.7 inch LCD screen, 3.5fps continuous shooting speed, the introduction of Shadow Adjustment Technology, Face Detection and more convenient auto-focus options in Live View, and wireless TTL flash control. Zoltan Arva-Toth finds out if the evolutionary Olympus E-520 has enough new features to survive in the cut-throat world of the entry-level DSLR market.

You can read more about the new camera on Photography Bay’s Olympus E-520 page.

 

Olympus SP-570 UZ Review at Trusted Reviews

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Trusted Reviews has posted a review of the Olympus SP-570 UZ.

The Olympus SP-570 UZ is a pleasant camera to use, with some nice handling features such as a decent EVF, good zoom ring and plenty of control. It’s Raw capabilities are interesting, but it lacks the finesse of some competitors, particularly when it comes to the images, Apart from exposure, which is easily remedied, the fringing from the lens is appalling, while the noise is average.

Photoshop Express Beta Gets Update

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While Photoshop Express is still in beta, it just picked up a few updates. Adobe AIR has gotten some Photoshop Express action: there’s a now a desktop uploader for Photoshop Express that runs on the Adobe AIR framework that works seamlessly.

Users of Photoshop Express now have the ability to print photos through Shutterfly. While Photoshop Express is still free, Shutterfly sets its own prices for prints.

There have a few changes to the user experience, as well: you can drag and drop photos into Photoshop Express, and resize images with one click.

Photoshop Express isn’t my image editor of choice, but the web application is developing into something very worthwhile.

Nikon 70-200mm VR – New Version Coming

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I’ve seen two different sources indicate the coming of an updated Nikon 70-200mm VR lens at Photokina. Nikon Rumors published a story yesterday regarding word from a Nikon VP. Additionally, I recently read a quote from Graham Watson (renowned Tour de France photographer and Nikon shooter) as he spoke in a matter of fact way that a replacement 70-200mm lens was coming from Nikon.

The 70-200mm will be replaced in September by a newer version, the ‘N’ series – I can’t wait to get hold of one!

(GW via NR)

The Sacramento Bee Adds Photo Blog

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The idea that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ holds doubly true for the daily news. The Sacramento Bee has figured that fact out and has added a photo blog to its online offerings. The blog is titled ‘The Frame‘ and is maintained by the Bee’s multimedia staff.

Looking over the photos that have been posted so far, I’ve seen a mix of photo credits: the Sacramento Bee is contributing plenty of photos to the blog, but there are also several AP photos. They haven’t quite reached posting daily, but I’m hoping they will. There are some beautiful shots here and the blog doesn’t exactly compete with the Bee’s print product.

A Photo Folio Opens Its Doors

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Rob Haggart, the former director of photography for such notable magazines as Men’s Journal and Outside Magazine, has developed a simple approach to photography portfolios with A Photo Folio. He’s made creating a very elegant portfolio a matter of uploading photographs. Erik Dungan and Mark Caston, of BigFolio.com are also in on the project.

So far, A Photo Folio is providing two very different designs to photographers using the site. The first is a fairly minimalist design that nonetheless provides a very sleek portfolio for a photographer. The second has more color, along with more attitude. If I had to make a guess, I’d say that the first design is very ‘Men’s Journal’ while the second is more ‘Outside Magazine.’ Either way, the site is definitely looking to provide options for professional photographers.