Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for 2009

Canon Touchscreen DSLR

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Canon Touchscreen DSLR Patent

DSLRs continue to evolve. And, this evolution will continue.  There’s no stopping it.

A few years ago, purists scoffed at chimping on the preview screen to see how exposures looked.  Then, a loud minority (of probably the same purists) cried afoul when Live View displays began showing up on just about every DSLR released.  The latest purist revolt has come as a result of the inclusion of video capture as a “must-have” feature in almost every DSLR released.

Just hop on about any photo gear forum and you’ll find plenty of critical comments concerning the latest bells and whistles attached to DSLRs.  Many proclaim that they will not buy a given camera because it has a specific feature – again, the latest villain is video.

If you think the above examples of departure from a pure SLR camera are annoying, you may very well consider the addition of a touchscreen on a DSLR to be heresy. Chris posed the question of whether photographers want a DSLR with a touchscreen (among other features) back in July.  The handful of well-reasoned comments brought up issues regarding interaction with the camera and accessibility to its features.  One commenter noted, “Just because it’s possible doesn’t make it desirable. I have one DSLR that only displays the settings on the LCD on the back of the camera; it is bulky and time consuming to take my eye away from the camera, select the setting and walk through a menu to set it.”

While the above image appears to have been produced by my 7-year-old, I can assure you that is not the case.  The image actually appears in US Patent Application No. 12/422,695, which was originally filed by Canon on April 13, 2009 and published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on October 22, 2009.

The patent clearly exposes Canon’s implementation of a touchscreen DSLR.

[Read more…]

 

Nikon DSLR Instant Rebates

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Several Nikon DSLR and lens combos have solid instant rebates available, which make for a heckuva deal in time for the holidays.  These rebates run through December 12, 2009.

All you have to do to take advantage of the rebate is order one of the camera and lens combos noted below.  The following links take you to Amazon.com.  You have to add both products to your shopping cart and Amazon will automatically apply a $200 or $100 discount (depending on the combo) at checkout.

Nikon D5000 (body only) and Nikon 70-300mm VR lens = $200 instant rebate

Nikon D5000 w/18-55mm VR kit lens and Nikon 70-300mm VR lens = $200 instant rebate

Nikon D3000 w/18-55mm VR kit lens and Nikon 55-200mm lens = $100 instant rebate

Nikon D3000 w/18-55mm VR kit lens and Nikon 55-200mm VR lens = $100 instant rebate

Nikon D90 and Nikon 70-300mm VR lens = $200 instant rebate

Nikon D90 w/ 18-105mm VR kit lens and Nikon 70-300mm VR lens = $200 instant rebate

Nikon D300s and Nikon 70-300mm VR lens = $200 instant rebate

Nikon D700 and Nikon 70-300mm VR lens = $200 instant rebate

Additional detail are available on the respective product pages on Amazon.com.

Inkjet Greeting Card Intro Video from Red River Paper

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Red River Paper has published a video that gives an overview of their paper selection and printing capabilities for holiday cards.  It’s a bit on the commercial pitch side of the coin; however, those of you interested in printing your own holiday cards might get something out of it.

Red River Paper keeps telling me how great their products are; however, I generally get all of my printing needs covered through MyPhotopipe, Mpix, SmugMug (via Bay Photo) or locally at Thompson Photo (all of which do a bang up job).  For those self-printing types out there, Red River Paper does have the endorsement of Derrick Story over at The Digital Story, who is a pretty trustworthy source.

If any of you have thoughts on your own use of Red River Paper, feel free to drop a comment below.

Finally, you can find the holiday card resource mentioned in the video – here at Red River Paper.

RED Announces More Details on Scarlet and EPIC, No Actual Cameras Though ’til Next Year . . . Maybe

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We’ve been living with the great RED hype for over a year now since word of the cameras first leaked out (intentionally) and were eventually announced on November 13, 2008.

Since the announcement, RED has provided periodic updates or teasers about the new products; however, no actual products have been delivered.  Earlier this week, RED announced more official details concerning the Scarlet and EPIC cameras in its forum, which is their typical modus operandi.

The short of it? [Read more…]

Canon DSLR Instant Rebates Are Back!

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Canon DSLR Instant Rebates

Canon’s DSLR rebates expired last week; however, they reinstated them for the rest of the holiday season and extended them through January 16, 2010, which is also when the Canon Lens Rebates expire.

The camera and lens combos are listed below, along with links to product pages for each package at B&H Photo and Adorama.  Remember, this is an instant rebate, so there’s no UPC to clip and mail-in while you wait 6-8 weeks for a check to come back.  Prices should be reflected in your checkout cart.

Canon 50D Kit w/ 28-135mm IS USM lens + EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens = Save $200

Package links: B&H Photo / Adorama

Canon Rebel T1i Kit w/ 18-55mm IS lens + EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS lens = Save $200

Package links: B&H Photo / Adorama

Canon Rebel XSi Kit w/ 18-55mm IS lens + EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS lens = Save $200

Package links: B&H Photo / Adorama

Canon Rebel XS Kit w/ 18-55mm IS lens + EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III lens = Save $100

Package links: B&H Photo / Adorama

7 Things To Never Do With Your Camera

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Readers, friends and family alike always ask questions about what they’re doing wrong with their camera that is making it not perform to their satisfaction. Some of these things are almost common-sensical with regards to electronics but others may not seem that easy to figure out. Here’s a couple of things to keep in mind so that the new camera you get for the holidays will last you a bit longer.

[Read more…]