Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for 2011

Olympus SZ-30MR

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Olympus has announced the SZ-30MR, which touts the ability to simultaneously capture 1080p HD video and full resolution still images.  The SZ-30MR features a 16MP CMOS sensor and 24x optical zoom (25-600mm equivalent).  The new superzoom features built-in, sensor-shift image stabilization and sports a 3-inch LCD at 460k-dot resolution.

The SZ-30MR should be available in April at an initial retail price of $399.99.  Check availability on Amazon.com.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

 

Lensbaby Sweet 35 Optic

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Lensbaby has taken the wraps off of its new Sweet 35 Optic, which works in conjunction with the Lensbaby Optic Swap System.  As the name implies, the Sweet 35 Optic is a 35mm lens and features a 12-blade adjustable aperture.  The aperture controls is manually adjustable between f/2.5 and f/22 by rotating the front dial on the Sweet 35 Optic unit.

The Sweet 35 Optic is available for $180 from B&H Photo and Amazon.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Win a Copy of Strobist Photo Trade Secrets Vol. 1

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Want a free copy of Strobist Photo Trade Secrets Vol. 1?  (Read the review of these cool books.)

Leave a comment below and I’ll pick a winner on Tuesday, March 1.

Be sure to put your email in the comment form though – I need a way to contact you.

Respond quickly to your email because I’m mailing it out on Wednesday.  If you don’t respond when I email you, I’ll have to pick someone else.

If you miss out on this one, stay tuned for more ways to win more cool stuff…

And, don’t miss out on a chance to win the Photography Bay Swag Bag if you haven’t entered yet.

[UPDATE: Entries are closed.  A comment was chosen at random. Congrats to Brian Hochmuth on winning!  Your book should be arriving in a few days.]

Rycote Portable Recorder Shock Mount

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Rycote has a new shock mount kit for portable audio recorders like the Zoom H4n.  The H4n kit includes a shock mount, a Windjammer for the H4n and a grip extension handle.

The kit can attach a portable audio recorder to an HDSLR hot shoe or can be used handheld with the included extension handle.  It should be available in March.

[Rycote via DSLR News Shooter]

Final Cut Pro Update Due Spring 2011, Hailed as a “Jaw-Dropper”

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When the 5D Mark II busted onto the scene in 2008, the footage from the camera amazed the masses.  However, working with the footage in post-production wasn’t the friendliest of tasks.  If you wanted to properly edit the footage in Final Cut Pro, you first had to transcode the files using MPEG Streamclip or some other method in order to get a file format that was workable in FCP.  Canon later sped up the process by making the Plugin-E1 available for importing 5D, 1D, and 7D footage into FCP – it worked quite well; however, it’s still a time-consuming process.

Then, Adobe introduced Premiere Pro CS5, which allowed us to simply drop files in the timeline and start editing – a big boon for HDSLR editors.  It’s a 64-bit program that makes very efficient use of system resources.  My 2.5-year-old Windows machine is able to playback color corrected video with effects and no need to render first.

Many NLE users see Apple’s Final Cut Pro as lagging behind.  Fear not though.  The next Final Cut Pro version is coming and, according to Larry Jordan (producer, director, editor and Apple-Certified trainer), it’s a “jaw-dropper.”

Jordan says he was invited to Apple, along with the “Who’s Who of leaders in the post-production community,” to check out the new version of Final Cut Pro.

Elsewhere, TechCrunch has word of the same preview event and has heard quotes from those who have seen the software program running, calling it “the biggest overhaul to Final Cut Pro since the original version was created over 10 years ago.”

As someone relatively new to the video scene, I’m very anxious to see what Apple has in store for us with this Final Cut Pro update.  I mainly work with HDSLR video, simply because that’s what I started with and that’s what I still use on a regular basis.  I’ve used Media Composer 5, Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express over the past year; however, when I chose to buy a NLE as my go-to editing program last year, I went with Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 because of how well it works with HDSLR footage.

While I like FCP’s interface, it’s just too slow no matter what machine I’m using it on (MacBook Pro, iMac or Mac Pro).  I’m hoping to see the FCP update step up and match or exceed Adobe’s capabilities with Premiere Pro CS5.

I recognize that there are many other improvements desired by those working on much larger projects than my short ones. However, I would venture to say that the 5D Mark II and its lineage of HDSLRs have been solely responsible for numerous purchases of Premiere Pro CS5.  Here’s to hoping Apple jumps on the bandwagon and makes the latest FCP just as attractive for those of us shooting with HDSLRs . . . ’cause I’m Jonesin for a good reason to pick up a new Core i7 MacBook Pro.

[via Larry Jordan & TechCrunch]