Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for May 2010

Fuji S1800 and S2550HD Review: A $200 Special Delivery

By

The Fuji S1800 and S2550HD are virtually identical cameras, with only a few minor differences in their feature set.  The duo offers a 12.2-megapixel sensor, coupled with an 18x optical zoom.  For cameras that cover an equivalent zoom range of 28-504mm, both are quite affordable (in the $200 street price range at the time of this review).

To find out what you get for that bargain-basement of a price, read on. [Read more…]

 

Samsung NX10 Firwmare Update Ver. 1.15

By

Samsung has issued a firmware update for the NX10 mirrorless camera.  The new firmware addresses the following issues.

  • Added EVF selection function on the AMOLED displayed menu.
  • Added MF Asist On/Off selection function.
  • Added MF usage function while using K-Mount Adapter.
  • Improved Auto White Balance function of Low color temperature condition.
  • Improved SD Card Read/Write speed.
  • System stablization

Additional info, download access and installation instructions can be found on Samsung’s website.

Canon 5D Mark II Firmware Update Version 2.0.7

By

Canon has issued a firmware update for the 5D Mark II.  Firmware version 2.0.7 addresses the following issues, which were introduced in firmware versions 2.0.4 and 2.0.3.

  1. Fixes a phenomenon in which the aperture exhibits abnormal movement when shooting movies in manual exposure mode and Aperture Priority AE (Av mode) using some Canon lenses (such as macro lenses).
  2. Fixes a phenomenon in which the exposure level shown in the LCD panel differs from what is shown in the viewfinder when shooting still images in manual exposure mode.
  3. Fixes a phenomenon in which the Wireless File Transmitter (WFT-E4 or WFT-E4 II) may not automatically power off when used for FTP transfers.

Download and installation instructions for the firmware are available on Canon’s website.

Fuji HS10 Firmware Update

By

Firmware version 1.02 is now available for the Fuji HS10.  The new firmware addresses the following issues:

  1. In Raw data a line is visible where colors slightly change when developed by Raw File Converter.
  2. Battery indicator turns on too early.
  3. When “Image Disp.” in set-up menu is set to “Zoom”, sometimes image corrupts.

Additional info and download instructions are available on Fuji’s website.

Nikon D90 Goes 3D

By

StereoPortraitProjectRig-nikon-d90

That’s 2 Nikon D90s rigged to be about the same distance apart as the human eyes.

The Stereo Portrait Project was put together by Alex Fry and Jamie Nimmo.  These guys assembled the custom rig shown above to capture Anaglyphic 3D images.  They’ve even put together a book featuring their 3D images.

Head over to Nikon Rumors for a full rundown of the setup and art behind the Stereo Portrait Project.

Joby Gorillapod Magnetic is Grooviness Incarnate

By

When Joby developed the Gorillatorch, which is a combination of a Gorillapod, flashlight and ordinary magnets, Joby fans immediately started asking for a similar device to hold their cameras.  Earlier this year, Joby delivered on that request with the Gorillapod Magnetic.

Every year, there are maybe a handful of products that really “wow” me.  The new Gorillapod Magnetic is officially on the list for 2010.

It’s quite simple, really.  It’s a Gorillapod with magnetic feet. [Read more…]

Merge to HDR Pro in Photoshop CS5

By

While perusing Adobe TV tonight, I ran across this nice tutorial on using the Merge to HDR Pro feature in Photoshop CS5.  In the 10-minute video, Julieanne Kost provides a pretty basic overview of HDR and then digs into the meat of the Merge to HDR Pro feature. In the last couple of minutes of the video, she shows off the power of HDR Toning if you just have a single image to work with.  If you’ve been thinking about trying HDR with CS5, this should get you up to speed rather quickly.

If the embedded video above isn’t working for some reason, you can also find the video over at Adobe TV.