Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for 2008

SmugMug Announces SmugShot for Apple App Store

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The wireless transfer of snapshot just got a whole lot easier.  With SmugShot, you can use your iPhone to seemlessly sync your photos with your SmugMug account as you take them.  We’ve seen similar offerings from the likes of Eye-Fi and even a Panasonic camera that uploads to Picasa via T-Mobile’s network.  This is just the beginning folks.  And, SmugMug just made another big step toward an integrated feature that I expect will become widespread across other devices and networks in the not-to-distant future.

As for the iPhone, I would expect SmugMug won’t be the last photo sharing site to offer this kind of integrated sharing application.  If they haven’t already, I would expect the likes of Flickr, Photobucket and Picasa to follow suit soon.  For more on the SmugShot news, see the press release below.  Additionally, if you’re not a SmugMug user, you can use the following referral code in the “Referred by” field for a $5 discount  ( 7jCtURK05RxCQ ) – there’s also a free trial period available.

Press Release

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – SmugMug today announces availability of SmugShot, a free application that lets you post your adventures online as they happen. SmugShot adds your location to iPhone photos, and sends them to SmugMug’s gorgeous online galleries, where they can be displayed on Google Maps.

“It’s your dream trip to Hollywood and you’re dying to show your friends what you just saw,” said Chris MacAskill, SmugMug’s co-founder. “One click and a few seconds later, your friends see a photo of your gleaming smile online—and a map that shows them you’re on Hollywood Boulevard.”

SmugShot brings instant gratification to digital photography. No more storing photos on memory cards and waiting until your vacation ends to share them. No more wondering where the photos were taken. One click and your adoring fans can see the fun you’re having now, not a week from now when the moment passes. And they can follow the action by knowing where the photos are taken, making them feel a part of it all.

 

More on the Getty and Flickr Partnership

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As we’ve reported, Flickr has announced a new partnership with Getty Images, the well-known seller of stock imagery that will allow photographers with Flickr accounts to make some money. Getty can now browse images hosted on the site and contact Flickr members directly about sharing their images in Getty’s new Flickr-branded collection.

Photographers will be paid for the use of their images, on the sliding scale that Getty Images uses for all photograph licensing. Photographers will be expected to sign a contract allowing for the use of images once Getty has selected their work. There is no way to notify Getty that you want your Flickr photos considered, however. According to a CNET article, you’ll just have to wait to be contacted.

Canon 5D Mark II Rumor Update

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The rumor mill is in full swing after the announcement of the Nikon D700. A poster on DPR, claiming to have “inside” info has posted “spoiler” specs of the Canon 5D Mark II. With a big grain of salt in hand, take a look at the following info:

– Will be announced Monday, September 8, 2008
– MSRP: $2,399.95 (SSP: $2,199.95), body only
– 16MP FF sensor
– 6 FPS
– Max ISO 25,600 (for what it’s worth…it’s more for marketing)
– Full weather sealing

– VGA-resolution display (from same supplier Sony uses for their new Handycams, except in 4:3 aspect ratio here)
– Pop-up flash
– Anti-dust features
– NO Live View
– NO pro AF from 1D (although all points are cross-type)
– NO video mode whatsoever (silliest rumor I’ve ever heard)
– NO compatibility with EF-S lenses (physically impossible anyway)
– NO electronic crop mode for faster shot rate
– NO HDMI-out
– NO UDMA CF support

As you can see, it’s by no means ground-breaking. It’s not going to out-do the Nikon D700 in performance or features (although overall IQ will be very close or indistinguishable). But it will be significantly cheaper. It’s aimed at the more “manual” shooter.

Original 5D will continue to be sold at $1,799.95 (SSP) without any rebates until stock is depleted.

[via DPR forums]

For the latest word on the Canon 5D Mark II, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II page.

Firmware Update for the EX-F1

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The Casio EX-F1 is getting a firmware update that allows photographers to prerecord movies. We’ve all missed a few seconds of that perfect moment, but with this update, the EX-F1 will start capturing video five seconds before you fully press down the movie button. If you get your finger in the general area, you’ll still be able to catch those great videos.

Firmware Version 1.10 for the EX-F1 will be available as a download on Casio’s website. It will be free. This firmware update is a follow up to April’s Firmware Version 1.02, speeding up start-ups and enabling high speed zooming when fecording video.

Getty Images and Flickr Announce Partnership

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While the title sounds a little scary on its own, it merely serves as a platform for Getty to “invite” handpicked Flickr members to sell their images through Getty Images.  See the following press release for more details.

Getty Images and Flickr Announce Exclusive Partnership to Offer New Collection of Creative Imagery

New Flickr Collection on gettyimages.com to Provide Customers Even More Authentic, Diverse and Regionally Relevant Imagery

SEATTLE & SAN FRANCISCO – Getty Images, the world’s leading creator and distributor of visual content and other digital media, and FlickrTM, a division of Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO) and one of the world’s largest photo sharing communities, today announce a collaboration that unites the authenticity of images from the Flickr community with Getty Images’ imagery collections, photographic expertise and unrivalled experience in licensing digital media. [Read more…]

New UK Limits on Photography

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Jacqui Smith, the British Home Secretary, has sent a letter to the British Journal of Photography. It’s a very worrying letter, affirming that while there are no legal restrictions on photography in public places, local chief constables are allowed to restrict photography in their jurisdictions.

The letter is a response to earlier correspondence from the BJP expressing concern about ongoing police surveillance of journalists, specifically photographers.

If the British government cares so little for the rights of photojournalists, it’s scary to even think about their views of photographers with less clear credentials. What are artists, hobbyists and grandparents wanting to record memories supposed to do in such situations?

Photography Bay Subscription Options

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Let me take a few moments to describe how you can subscribe to Photography Bay’s content and receive the same great news, reviews, rumors and more delivered for free to your email inbox or to your favorite “feed reader” using web technology called RSS.

RSS Feeds

Photography Bay syndicates its content for free through RSS, which stands for “Really Simple Syndication”, and is a very popular method for people to aggregate information from a number of websites or blogs. The syndicated content is often referred to as a “feed”, hence the term “feed reader” that you may have heard mentioned.

How to Use RSS

RSS availability is generally marked by an orange broadcast button:

Clicking on the RSS button will generally display the current feed along with subscription options. Try it here:

Subscribe to Photography Bay by RSS

In order to make use of RSS, you need to pick a feed reader or aggregator. Personally, I use Google’s Reader. It has many options through which you can sort your feeds by categories that you create and it is integrated with you Google account if you already have Gmail. If you use another web service for email, there is a good chance that your service provider also offers some type of feed reader service as well. For example, you can use MyYahoo to integrate your feeds onto your homepage.

You can also use other web services or even standalone programs to manage your feed subscriptions. A few worth mentioning are Bloglines, NewsGator, NewsGator Online and FeedDemon.

RSS vs. Bookmarking

Many Photography Bay readers will “bookmark” us in their browser Bookmarks or Favorites. Bookmarking is a great way to remember sites that you visit often or want to remember. The limitation with bookmarking, however, is that your browser doesn’t let you know when your bookmarked sites have been updated. RSS does. By using RSS, you can let the websites do the browsing work for you and update you when there is something new worth reading.

Email Delivery

In addition to or in the alternative of using a feed reader, many sites also offer the ability to have RSS content delivered to your email inbox as it is published or on a weekly basis. If you’re a big fan of email, you can choose this option on Photography Bay by clicking the following: Get Photography Bay delivered by email. The link is also available when you click the orange RSS button in the right sidebar.

Got Questions?

If you have any questions or concerns, drop a comment in below or shoot me an email at contact@photographybay.com. Otherwise, what are you waiting for? Subscribe to Photography Bay using RSS or Email delivery and let technology make your web browsing much easier.

Sony Launches 8GB Memory Stick Micro

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Paris, 8 July 2008 – With the launch of its first 8GB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) card, Sony RME (Recording Media & Energy) has pushed up the current 4GB maximum capacity by 100%.

To put this in context, upgrading a Sony Ericsson mobile with the new M2™ card will give customers a choice of over 5,000 fine quality 5 megapixel photos, over 2000 MP3 songs (4min per song at 128kbps), or over 88 hours of high quality MPEG 4 video (at 192kbps).

The new card will be part of a special promotion also including 2GB and 4GB Memory Stick Micro products. Over the Summer Holidays, customers will be entitled to a free WAP download of the full version of Gameloft’s top-selling Brain Challenge 2.

With so much memory on your phone, easy communication with a PC is a must. The new, ultra-compact M2™ USB adaptor included with 2GB, 4GB and 8GB Memory Stick Micro™ cards gives you just that in a tiny, easy-to-use format. Having fun has never been simpler.

Memory Stick Micro™ cards are precision engineered by Sony Recording Media & Energy (RME) to provide ever-more capacity for games, video, photos and music, transforming your Sony Ericsson mobile phone into a hand-held entertainment centre.